First up: I've exchanged emails twice in the past year with a lovely Nashville area reader about their desire for a vintage front door. I even saved those emails...and now, I can't find them. Hon, if you're reading this, email me. I might have one for you if I'm remembering your hubby's favorite number right!
Next up: Lisa and I went to pick up our leftover wares and checks (heehaw!) from the consignment sale with Family Tree yesterday. We did pretty darned good! I only had a handful of adult clothes left and quite a few baby clothes - which I'll pretend aren't the fates telling me to become a Mama Rabbit. Back into the Samsonite they go! Lisa is going to buy a snazzy new vacuum cleaner and my money is going into the fund to get our couch (AKA "the cat scratching post") reupholstered. We have such grown-up dreams. I love it. We could have blown our loot on snow cones and strippers but noooo...we're getting a vacuum cleaner and a new couch!
While we were there, Melissa from Family Tree made the mother of all offers to let us shop the remaining items that hadn't been picked up by their owners. Pretty sneaky, sis! Let me just say that we didn't have to be asked twice. There was some pretty great stuff left on the racks surprisingly. Lisa got some insanely good dresses (I'm talking one with a feathered hood) and a Spring hat. I only got one item but was really happy that it was this hand-tooled leather purse - for five bucks! These babies are hard to come by cheaply here in a Country and Western town. (Okay, Country and Western has been replaced with something else in the past few decades but let me live my dream.)
Oh, hello Mr. Kitten Pants!
Note: He's recently become Mr. Cat Pants but we don't talk about it.
Note: He's recently become Mr. Cat Pants but we don't talk about it.
I also wanted to show you these pretty Dennison die-cut birds that I bought on Etsy.
You may know that I'm bonkers for bird themed things. There has always been an attraction to elementary school type bulletin board cutouts for me. I'll admit that before I turned into a hormone filled teenage jerk, I was quite the teachers' pet in my elementary school. My teachers used to let me help them decorate the bulletin boards and it's a thrill that I've never been able to shake. I still get a little giddy from scalloped paper edging and die-cut alphabet letters. Yes, I'm a total fruitcake. They also let me make copies for their classes which was a high honor because you got to leave class while it was underway.
Wow, I just realized that some of you kids have no idea what a hand-crank mimeograph machine smells like! Would you believe that I grew up in an era when schools didn't have Xerox machines or even computers? Holy heck! I'll spare you the technical details but let me just say that freshly mimeographed handouts had the olfactory lure of model airplane glue to kids. The second we'd get handed fresh, warm papers covered in brand new ink, we'd all stick them up to our faces and huff the fumes whenever the teachers turned their backs. Crazy little tweekers. You can only imagine how jealous the other kids were of the kids who actually got to stand near the machine while it was printing. Gah, no wonder I was so hyper as a kid. I was seriously given license to ill.
Here is what one looks like if you've never seen one:
Yep! If the teacher wanted a hundred copies, I'd just stand there and turn and turn....and turn and turn. I know! It's like something from The Flintstones, right? I totally grew up in prehistoric times. Why, our cameras had little birds inside that carved photos onto rocks with their beaks. I can't help but think that these days, kids wouldn't be allowed within a hundred yards of a mimeograph machine for fear that they'd get a limb ripped off.
Back to school: My favorite thing to do as a kid was to play "school" with my best friend Carla. She was also a teachers' pet kind of girl and our teachers would give us class handouts and books that were going to be trashed. We'd go home and line up the dolls and stuffed animals in little chairs and take them to task. I remember that she had a doll named "Epilepsy".
Lordy...this is such a random post but since this might never come up again, I know a school teacher who once had a kid in her class named Gonorrhea. The parents were sadly and completely clueless and said that the little girl's name was pronounced "Go-Nora". Oh, that poor kid! It sounds like someone else should have packed their baby clothes away in the Samsonite luggage and took a pass on the whole offspring thing.
ANYWAY - I got these birds from the same seller that I got the portrait of the rosy cheeked children in my previous post from. I'd love to recommend her shop called Grandmother's Attic. I learned about her shop from Retro Ruth and was happy to see all of the pretties that she keeps in her shop. This was my first time buying from her but she was such a delight to work with and no kidding, my package was in my mailbox within just a couple of days. In the era of a whole hunk of bad customer service in this world, I can't help but crow when someone is super nice.
I hope that all of you girls and guys are having a great week so far. It's eking towards Spring here but I learned that opening windows is just a pipe dream what with my neighbor's three barking dogs. Still, the kitties are enjoying the sunbeams and I'm enjoying even the idea of Spring. I'm not usually a warm weather person so I'm not sure what's up with me! I'd like to blame the chocolate rabbits in the stores for getting me in the mood for Spring allergies and mosquitoes. : )
Until next time,
x's and o's,
Eartha
Wow, I just realized that some of you kids have no idea what a hand-crank mimeograph machine smells like! Would you believe that I grew up in an era when schools didn't have Xerox machines or even computers? Holy heck! I'll spare you the technical details but let me just say that freshly mimeographed handouts had the olfactory lure of model airplane glue to kids. The second we'd get handed fresh, warm papers covered in brand new ink, we'd all stick them up to our faces and huff the fumes whenever the teachers turned their backs. Crazy little tweekers. You can only imagine how jealous the other kids were of the kids who actually got to stand near the machine while it was printing. Gah, no wonder I was so hyper as a kid. I was seriously given license to ill.
Here is what one looks like if you've never seen one:
Yep! If the teacher wanted a hundred copies, I'd just stand there and turn and turn....and turn and turn. I know! It's like something from The Flintstones, right? I totally grew up in prehistoric times. Why, our cameras had little birds inside that carved photos onto rocks with their beaks. I can't help but think that these days, kids wouldn't be allowed within a hundred yards of a mimeograph machine for fear that they'd get a limb ripped off.
Back to school: My favorite thing to do as a kid was to play "school" with my best friend Carla. She was also a teachers' pet kind of girl and our teachers would give us class handouts and books that were going to be trashed. We'd go home and line up the dolls and stuffed animals in little chairs and take them to task. I remember that she had a doll named "Epilepsy".
Lordy...this is such a random post but since this might never come up again, I know a school teacher who once had a kid in her class named Gonorrhea. The parents were sadly and completely clueless and said that the little girl's name was pronounced "Go-Nora". Oh, that poor kid! It sounds like someone else should have packed their baby clothes away in the Samsonite luggage and took a pass on the whole offspring thing.
ANYWAY - I got these birds from the same seller that I got the portrait of the rosy cheeked children in my previous post from. I'd love to recommend her shop called Grandmother's Attic. I learned about her shop from Retro Ruth and was happy to see all of the pretties that she keeps in her shop. This was my first time buying from her but she was such a delight to work with and no kidding, my package was in my mailbox within just a couple of days. In the era of a whole hunk of bad customer service in this world, I can't help but crow when someone is super nice.
I hope that all of you girls and guys are having a great week so far. It's eking towards Spring here but I learned that opening windows is just a pipe dream what with my neighbor's three barking dogs. Still, the kitties are enjoying the sunbeams and I'm enjoying even the idea of Spring. I'm not usually a warm weather person so I'm not sure what's up with me! I'd like to blame the chocolate rabbits in the stores for getting me in the mood for Spring allergies and mosquitoes. : )
Until next time,
x's and o's,
Eartha
20 comments:
Oh, the memories! I personally was a fan of the Ditto machine (alcohol duplicator) smell...the papers that looked like they were printed with purple ink.
I'm so glad you did well at the sale and hope you are super close to getting new upholstery for the couch. The purse is great!
I remember ye old mimeographs. The ink was such a weird color. Does the word Ditto even exist anymore. Also, I wish I would have checked out the sale this weekend or the Print Revival but I remembered I was poor and needed to resist temptation.
Oh, you're not the only one who actually REMEMBERS the 80s... I also loved huffing my warm, freshly mimeographed math worksheets.
What a strange memory!
Demeter makes odd fragrances like "Library" (old paper and leather) and "Funeral Home" (cloying lillies). Wonder if they'll ever make "Third grade classroom"? :D
When I was in my teacher ed program, learning how to use the ditto machine was part of our "educational technology" class! That was late 80s, and I skipped that part because I knew those puppies were on their way out.
But I do remember loving those worksheets fresh off the drum. And I so so so wish I lived near you so I could take your door off your hands. Sometimes Cane and I walk around our neighborhood and just lust after the doors that weren't replaced by the ubiquitous 90s door we (and the other unlucky ones) have.
I'm loving this "ditto machine" term. I've never heard that before! Which came first? "Ditto" as in "yeah, these same" or "Ditto" as in the machine?
The idea of a funeral home scent makes me a little green around the gills but then again, I think of mums when I think of funeral homes and they make me cough. I DO like the idea of an elementary school classroom scent though!
And oh yeah, doors went REALLY bad in the 80's and 90's. I blame the 80's for a lot of things but most of them have to do with decor.
That is the purse of my dreams! I have a couple tooled leather bags, but nothing as gorgeous as those roses.
Holly: Thanks! Five bucks! I was surprised at that one!
: ) I bet they're high in your neck of the woods too.
Well,damn. I was going to thrill you with my hand-tooled leather wallet that has BRYAN on it my sister made for me in the 70's,but it's not in my Flickr stream. I swear I posted that like 7 years ago. I have ZERO clue where that thing is now :(
Meanwhile,I am LOVING that Dennison cardinal! I love them cos they make me think of Winter & Xmas
Now this will make you laugh,cos when you think of Bryan,you think of sports,duh. In the 70's our grade school had those little machines in the office where you put in the quarter and got 2 pencils,and one time the vendor had NFL FOOTBALL TEAMS! This was a HUGE frantic deal in 3rd grade of which even *I* was caught up in. And if you got the much sought after Dallas Cowboys one? You were a freakin' rock star
Oh, great purse! It's funny, I see those quite a bit here in the flatland and they're often not that pricey....And five bucks! Well, if I see one here that's not too bad I'll have to pick it up or you. :) Mr. Kitten Pants doesn't seem to sure about it, though. His little white paws are so cute.
Also, I loved that scalloped-edge stuff too! Though no mimeograph machine excitement for me...other than the paper that came off it. You are right about today's parents, though. Ha!
We used to play school all the time. Of course I was the teacher and got to boss Georgie around.
lol!
Ahhhhhhhh yes, I have fond memories of the mimeograph paper from my elementary school days in Cookeville. I can remember that smell to this day....and feel those damp papers in my hands too. Gosh, it really does make you feel ancient doesn't it!
Love that purse and so happy to hear you made some $$$! YAY!!!
Man, I have a whole five or six pages in a composition notebooks somewhere, filled with four columns a page of names I ran across during my year as a substitute. OH, the names. It was treacherous calling roll. LeSabre. Qu'vangelo. Starricka. Ontarious. I think "Go-Nora" (I can't bring myself to type her actual name!) might take the cake, though.
I love your diecuts from Etsy and the purse you ended up getting from the sale-- tangent: how did those first and second day shoppers let the goodies we ended up with slip through their hands?! It was divine providence.
Oh, and I forgot to tell you about names. I went to school with a girl named Velvet Cushen. (Her twin brother was Vince. WHAT drugs were their parents on???) In my years of teaching I've known both Buffy Butts and Justin Case.
Of course, my own twins' names are Will and Grace. In my defense, they were born 6 months BEFORE the TV show of the same name. Still, for several years I think they thought their names were Will and Grace No, They're Not Named After the TV Show.
Ah yes, the ditto machine! You've brought back fond memories. Annnnd almost made coffee come out my nose when I read about the doll named Epilepsy.
My mother was an adoption caseworker in the 60s and 70s. She used to tell a story about one of the babies she placed for adoption- the mother had heard a beautiful name while she was in the hospital and named the baby after it. The child's name was Placenta!
Oh yeah! Ditto machines! I used one of those in college to make posters for the radio station all the time. Fond memories.
What I really want to know about is the portable turntable in the picture behind your new purse. Is that bad boy still for sale??!
Love the blog, hope your vacation continues to be relaxing and awesome.
Thanks Cory! That Califone was a birthday gift from the Mister when we first dated. It still works like a charm! : ) He has to make sure that everyone in his life has a good record player.
My gosh! I had those birds when I taught school. I found them, and a few others like a bluebird at an old stationery store.
By the time I started teaching in the late 70s the purple ditto was on its way out, which was good because the kids liked to sniff the fresh sheets, thinking it might be getting them high. Silly children!
I was gonna write a bunch of stuff, but the smell, THAT smell is taking me away.
Gonorrhea...you are shitting me, right? There is NO way.
sob for her.
I'd take a trip down to the name changing place asap.
I once saw that a woman had triplet girls. Named them all Michelle with different spellings. All. 3. the. same. name.
Love the birds so much.
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