Cathee’s Second Time Around

Be still my heart! A new consignment/second hand/thrift shop…and in my neighborhood! There’s nothing sadder than a store that closes leaving a gaping hole in the community so when the last one closed up I was heart broken. Think about it. Every store has the potential to provide work to at least 2-3 people, often more. Plus, it gives me a place to look, imagine, and play. This store does just that. It isn’t overwhelmed with so much you can’t walk. There’s no dank, musty smell (thank you), and it’s clean (yay, I can keep my gloves in my bag). The furniture ranges from 1930’s to the 80’s, all in good condition. Here’s a few pictures:

                

                     This rocking horse is possibly handmade, don’t know.

                    My grandmother had something like this, although not in the bamboo look. She called it a breakfront. I still don’t know if that’s what it’s really called. She used it to keep her fancy dishes in. This is a nice piece. Vintage look.

      Now, straight up, this isn’t my color but I like the chest. Great for storage and to use as a spare seat.                                   Somebody made this….the wood is old. Very craftsmen.

  This is a honey. Probably from the 30’s. Full size, before queen and king size beds became popular. All wood…imagine that, no particle board/pressed stuff. Hmmm.                      Now, you know I couldn’t pass up saying something about this cutie.   I spotted this little honey across the room. It’s gorgeous.

Well, if you come through Old Town, check out the store. The furniture changes all the time. Might be worth a look-see. Here’s the address….25811 SE Highway 19 Old Town, FL. They even have a Facebook page. Click HERE to get to the FB page and see their latest items.

Crossing Generations: Creating a Clown Costume

A few weeks ago I got a Facebook message from my granddaughter.

“Grandma, could you do some sewing for me?”

“Sure. What do you need help with?” I asked. I was thinking of hems, patching, some kind of tailoring.

“I need to make a clown costume, child size, for school. John Wayne Gacy.” OK, I was a little shocked. Well, more than a little shocked. I’m thinking hems and she’s thinking a costume…..and John Wayne Gacy. Creepy killer clown who murdered young men and boys. What the ….???

“It’s for school. I need to make a child’s toy that would never be produced. Mass murderer costume kits.”

Do I have to tell anyone that she is in art school? What happened to adorable kittens and puppies with big eyes? Oh, we left them in the 70’s. Thanks for the reminder.

She sent me a link to see what he looked like (totally creepy). I looked at my pattern pile and saw this one on top.

 

“I have a pattern I think would work. Do you have a sewing machine?”

“Uh no.” Ugh. “Do you have the fabric?'” “Uh, no.” Shaking my head, I quickly organized the rescue operations in my head. Sewing shears (vintage, of course),

 

needles, thread, pattern, pins, sewing machine. Good thing we planned to drive.

We took a trip to the local Joann’s and found this fabric.

   My granddaughter, Devinne. Yes, she looks like she’s up to something because she usually is.

The neck piece.

 

Devinne trying on the costume pre-pom poms. The costume is child sized, she no longer is.

  We were able to get my grandson, Aidan, to try on part….that is, until he ran out of the room saying we tried to dress him up like Little Bo Peep. 

 

Finished project, at least the sewing part. Devinne did the pom poms.

I do have to admit, though, it was fun. It gave me something to do during the downtime since I didn’t cook much while we were visiting. A true cross-generational project.

New Deal Cafe

On a recent trip to Gainesville, I stopped at the New Deal Cafe. It’s right next to Mildred’s Big City Food. Mildred’s has been around a while and is know to serve pretty good food but I wanted to try something new. I love vintage and the name “New Deal” made me think of FDR and the 1930’s….total nostalgia.

The place is cute and the food is today. I ordered the beet salad…..spring greens, beets, walnuts, and goat cheese. It’s served with corn bread. Very good. Here’s what it looks like:

 

Reasonably priced.

‘Twas the Weekend Before Christmas

Or should I say “It is the weekend before Christmas?” No matter, Hanukkah is over and Christmas is a couple of days away. At my place, that means my annual “Between the Holidays Party” (friends, neighbors, lots of food, and laughs), final touches to get ready for Christmas, and, most important….at least to me….watching holiday movies. I love watching old movies and wait every year to watch the holiday ones. One of my favorites is Miracle on 34th Street….the one with Natalie Wood, Maureen O’Hara, Edmund Gwenn, and John Payne. This scene is sweet and touching but I like the one where John Payne is helping Maureen O’Hara clean up the kitchen after dinner. He had a kitchen towel around his waist while she wore an apron. One like this:

This is a hostess apron, though. She wore a work apron, not sheer, and full enough to cover those late 1940’s fashions. As for John Payne, I love seeing a man in the kitchen. Cooking, cleaning, especially cleaning.

Anyway, Have a happy holiday and take time to enjoy the moment. Have a hot chocolate, cup of coffee, or cup of tea with a friend. Remember what makes the holiday special. It’s not what goes under the tree that counts, it’s the people we spend time with. Create special moments in your life and in the lives of those you love.

Happy Holidays.