All posts by Dottie

Did you ever drink out of a jelly juice glass?

When I was a little girl, I remember going over to my Grandma’s house and fighting with my cousins over the little glass that had an image of a Tom & Jerry on it.  It was only later that I realized that it was a jelly juice jar once I read the words Welch’s Jelly on the bottom.

I think everyone has a memory of a jelly glass.  And it is great because you can still find them in thrift stores for a few dollars. Although of course some are a bit more expensive.

Jars specifically used for jelly have been around since the 1600s, but when jellies and jams were sold in grocery stores, the jars were the perfect size for little hands and were often reused for glasses.

Sometimes they just had designs and interesting shapes.

And some of the jars the images on them that were pretty cool too, like this cactus jelly jar.

Then in the fifties, companies started to put pretty yet neutral designs on their juice jars knowing they were being used again in households. Who wouldn’t want to buy a few extra jars of jelly to round out their collection?

And for your hobo style kitchen decor…

But it was Welch’s jelly company that really rocked it out, starting in 1953 with jelly jars featuring some of the most popular cartoon characters around.  Every few years they would launch another collection.  Like these below…

Could we talk about the awesomeness of Miss Piggy here…

Images: 1 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

So, did you ever have one of these jars as a kiddo? Or as an adult? Do you collect them? What is or was your favorite?

That time Dottie joined a bowling team

OK–I know this sounds nutty and it is, but…

I joined a bowling league. And let me tell you, it has made Monday nights so much fun!

Karen from the Dames aux Gateaux started a bowling team over the summer of 2012 and asked if anyone wanted to take over the place of one of her members for the Fall league. And the response was amazing!  More than a dozen ladies signed up and we’ve been at it every Monday night since September at the historic Albany Bowl!

Now for me, bowling isn’t something I grew up doing a lot other than the random game every year or so. But there was something so cool looking about it in the vintage snaps I would find in most bowling alleys. For me it wasn’t necessarily about the game as it was meeting some wonderful ladies!

I must admit, I love that we often wear dresses when bowling.  Moe on the left makes her own dresses out of vintage patterns and Taggy Lee on the right almost exclusively wears dresses all the time. I love to see what she’ll come in wearing.

Speaking of vintage bowling style, I had to share these amazing photos…

I kinda need those zebra print pants…

One of the best parts of bowling of course are the accoutrements of the game. I actually now own bowling shoes very similar to the ones above. And I’m trying to get up the gumption to buy my own ball.  And there are some FIERCE balls out there.  I would totally buy the rose in acrylic ball, but they only make them in 14 lb balls and I use a 10 lb ball. Sigh…

And would you check out the terrific bowling bags too?  What can I say–the ladies know how to shop!

And a few of the luckier ladies have these great little towels. I’m not sure what they are used for… Wiping down the ball, I think?

Lucky Karen with her monogrammed vintage towel! So jealous!

But don’t let the paraphernalia fool you.  We really do bowl.

I wouldn’t say I bowl well. Afterall, my self appointed nickname is the Guttersnipe, but for me it is all about hanging with the gals and spending a lot of time laughing, which to me sounds like a great way to spend a Monday night.

I’d be lying if it weren’t a little bit of a dream come true to belong to a bowling league. After all, my two favorite TV besties played. And when in doubt, it is always good to base social decisions on LaVerne & Shirley.

Now, to get my bowling shirt monogrammed with a big L.

 

 

 

It’s the Vintage Kiddo Retro Round Up!

Oh, what a lovely weekend it was!  Sniffles aside, the Peach and I had some seriously necessary girl time after a week away in SLC.  We went to Fairyland again and even did a Pajama Pizza Movie Party!  And during breaks in Tinkerbell’s Secret of the Wing. I did manage to find some great little goodies to share with you! Enjoy!

This sweet little apricot of a dress makes me crave spring. Sigh! From Etsy seller, Salvage House.

Is it too early to think about Halloween and how this dress would be perfect outfit for a little Wednesday Addams, hmm??? From Etsy seller, the Little Plum.

Folks, you gotta check out this sweet pair of floral sneaks! With a zipper for a bit of extra 80s madness. Perfect for the Peach! From Etsy seller, Bondplace Vintage.

Oh man, don’t6 you love this Care Bears bag? Really, you can’t help but smile looking out at it! Tee hee! From Reware Vintage.

I would have bought this if I could have crammed Miss Peach into this darling rick rack windmill ruffled pink windbreaker. LOVE! From Etsy seller, Oliver’s Forest.

Get your toddler hooked on sweet music with this great vintage Fisher Price radio!  Isn’t it darling? Even just on a shelf, I love it! From Etsy seller, Brookaloo Vintage.

I would so buy this album if it were a real band!  I mean–look at those sweet bongo drums? This book is genius!  From Etsy seller, Betsy Fern Vintage.

I know football season is over, but I still think this little shirt is divine! From Etsy seller, Potato Cake Vintage.

Don’t you just want to choo choo choose this adorable blue corduroy shirt? From Etsy seller, Rowdy Roddy Vintage.

I’m very pro bowling, so I’m very close to getting this sassy bowling set for the Peach! From Etsy seller, Camp Ho-Ba-Chee.

Happy Monday!

New Year’s Resolution Check In // Dottie’s Goals for 2013

As promised, I’m going to use this space to keep track of  goals I made for myself early January.  Well, I tried to keep my 2013 goals alive and well in January with decent results so far!  To keep myself on target, I thought I would do a few check-ins with you.

GOAL #1: WEAR MORE DRESSES

I kept my goal of wearing at least one dress a week.  But barely. I’ve decided to add skirts into the mix.  I must say for me dresses in the winter can be a bit tougher, but I’m buying some fleece lined tights to help out with that (when I would prefer a pair of cozy thick sweat pants) so I can have more than one layer of cloth between me and my cold house in the morning.

Some days I just want to throw on pants and that’s OK. So—most important realization with New Year’s goals so long—don’t take them too seriously! More like reminders than strict goals.  But I will say that when I did wear my dresses, I felt more put together and a bit sassier too. So, it was worth it just for that!

I included photographic evidence that I did wear them!  WARNING: I’m not really good at taking photos of myself–I’m always so judgmental of my figure/hair/etc., but I’m trying to get better. So forgive my totally dorky faces.  Any tips on taking photos of oneself would be greatly appreciated!

(Vintage dress with old v-neck long sleeved t-shirt cut down the middle and held together with an old circle pin. Shoes are from Dansko.)

(Black skirt that was given to me from my friend that lost a ton of weight! Westonwear shirt, black sweater I’ve had for a decade and those Dansko shoes again.)

(Dress from eShakti.com, that t-shirt cardi, and clogs from Hannah Andersson)

(Vintage dress my friend gave me and sassy/comfy shoes from Aerosoles

.  I can’t remember where I got the green tights, but I do love them so! Oh and the scarf I picked up at World Market a year or so ago.And I wore it with this coat I’ve had forever and some gloves I dyed pink in the great dying bonanza of ’12.)

GOAL 2: CRAFT MORE

This goal was all sorts of wonderful to do.  Since I was always putting off crafting for doing other misc. things, I had to make it a priority in my week, which really helped.   I forgot how much I adore it and how time seems to stop when I’m in the middle of doing it.

I’ve had this organization/purge thing I’ve been working on over that past few months (more on that later) so I had this desire to finish craft projects that I’ve had on my list for a long time. One of them was a quilt top I started in the spring of last year.  It was the craziest thing–this quilt I started. No pattern just a freakish need to craft that drove me to ransack my fabric collection and buy bags of scrap fabric on Etsy and sew them together.  I had sewn up the strips quickly, but by summer, they were languishing on a hanger where they stayed until a few weeks ago when I bought some muslin and sewed it all together.

And once I finished the front I had to make the back, which I did in a couple of hours! So, my work here is FINISHED!  Now, I’m going to take it to a quilting shop and have it machine quilted.  This quilt is headed for the Peach’s bed! Perfect!

GOAL #3: GO TO A MUSEUM A MONTH

I can’t lie–I barely made this one in time!  On Jan. 31st, I went to the DeYoung Museum in SF with my friend, Eileen. I think  lunch and a museum visit are a perfect friend date!  We saw Nureyev’s costume exhibit, which was magnificent!

I love ballet and I must admit that I love the costumes just as much as the dancing, so it was a real treat to see the details of these glorious outfits close up.

I knew ballet dancers were small, but these looked like they would fit small children–they were so tiny!  The craftmanship was amazing. Like this ribbon basketweave accent. To die for.

For February, I hope to do as well as I did last month with my resolutions.  Crafting wise, I’m hoping to focus on finally doing those little flannel smocks for the Peach that I’ve been wanting to do since… oh… NOVEMBER. And I’m hoping to go to SFMOMA for Paul Klee’s exhibit.

What about you? How are you doing on any goals you are working on?

It’s not too early for Valentine’s Day!

Hello everyone! Did you have a good weekend? We did, albeit the Peach caught a nasty cold and so we had a more mellow weekend than normal, but still so much fun!  Lots of TV watching and tea and of course looking for goodies online to share with you. And because it is officially February and we are spitting distance to Valentine’s Day, I thought I would use that as the inspiration for this week’s fings!  Enjoy!

Don’t you love this little folksie embroidered dressie? I do! From Etsy seller, sparv in the iele tree.

Who needs red hearts when you can get green ones? Like in this cozy ski sweater! From Etsy seller, Wee Little Ones Vintage.

A little embroidered heart goes a long way in my heart! From Etsy seller, the Little Plum!

Don’t you want a pair of heart corduroy flares? Well, today is your lucky day! From Etsy seller, Tea with Tilly.

 

For all those dollies you love so much–treat them to a sweet heart of a crib! From Etsy seller, Vintage Estate Lore.

I would never discard this book! It involves my two favorite things–Valentines and cats! YEAH! From Etsy seller, Vintage Book Bazaar.

I think I need a moment alone with this perfect little red romper. With the polka dot top hat, cane and mousie. LOVE! From Etsy seller, BreedBaby NYC.

Is there a more perfect game for Valentine’s Day than Hearts? Exactly! From Etsy seller, Chirp!

Oh, that Lishyloo has some seriously glorious holiday outfits. And she doesn’t skimp on Valentine’s Day.  Like this boom of a great hearty dress.

Ah, these darling little vintage elf shoes would look great on your little Cupid!  From Etsy seller, Uncommon Vintage.

Happy Monday, folks!