tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8370274137296132232012-02-16T16:41:37.300-08:00Blogging a love for vintage art elements, ephemera, collage materials, upcycled craft supplies, creative ideas for arts and crafts and free tutorials.Mamamotherlodehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14347477757640522487noreply@blogger.comBlogger211100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837027413729613223.post-20979694800430206102011-04-21T14:19:00.000-07:002011-04-21T14:19:34.849-07:00

This week's nationwide employment extravaganza at McDonald's Corporation got me thinking about the job I had working for the hamburger king back in 1975.  I was a fresh faced twenty something and the job they gave me was far from a Mc job.  It was a wonderful experience.  I was hired to be a STAR and given a pair of sterling silver arches made by Tiffany and Co. in New York. STAR stood for Store

Mamamotherlodehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14347477757640522487noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837027413729613223.post-63811997237922653722011-04-12T11:07:00.000-07:002011-04-12T11:07:04.417-07:00

During my childhood, I watched the men in my family spend hours wearing little loops on their eyes while sorting stacks of coins and stamps. They filed them in huge books and binders, then lined the nicely labeled spines along the built in shelves in their offices. Their collections were real accomplishments. Back in the 1920's  and on up into the 1960's stamp and coin collecting were in their

Mamamotherlodehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14347477757640522487noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837027413729613223.post-37756146196959532142011-03-28T10:03:00.000-07:002011-03-28T10:03:21.642-07:00

Freedom is... wash and wear hair.  That's right, I'm an activist now, an activist for freedom from expensive, time consuming hair care.  I want to opt out.  I've been a slave to my own hair for years.  Every night of the 60's was a ritual performance of sitting on the floor of my bedroom, listening to 45 records and rolling my wet hair up onto brush rollers (otherwise known as thistle and

Mamamotherlodehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14347477757640522487noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837027413729613223.post-42982272640234084882011-03-25T07:30:00.000-07:002011-03-25T07:51:20.131-07:00

If a picture truly paints a thousand words, then these vintage 1960's graphics have a whole lot to say about how we thought about things like success, gender, and ethnicity.  That's one of the fascinating things about coming across these old ephemeral (meaning temporary, or fleeting)  gems (having the meaning of treasure). I spent the afternoon sorting through an old box of vocabulary cards

Mamamotherlodehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14347477757640522487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837027413729613223.post-87148487941445574432011-03-21T07:30:00.000-07:002011-03-28T12:09:23.796-07:00

I saw her on the sidewalk as soon as I got out of the car.  She was on her side, half buried by a stack of old Christmas lights and a moldy shower curtain.  I think it was the glint of avocado tin that tipped me off. That was a color I had come to know and hate back in the 60's when they even made refrigerators in that deadly shade of green.  I circled the box cautiously and in an attempt to seem

Mamamotherlodehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14347477757640522487noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837027413729613223.post-44116201384712300042011-03-14T07:00:00.000-07:002011-03-14T07:00:17.458-07:00

What was it about the words "surprise inside" that made every kid's little heart go all a-flutter? You knew it was never going to be a real diamond ring or a silver dollar.  Honestly, by the time the delicious caramel coated popcorn and peanuts were eaten, you might not even know where you left the little plastic charm you found at the bottom of the box, which is why its so surprising to think

Mamamotherlodehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14347477757640522487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837027413729613223.post-50839340557454884532011-03-11T07:30:00.000-08:002011-03-11T21:49:09.594-08:00

It's nearly impossible for me to resist opening an old trunk.  When I open one.... and find a stash of vintage fabric scraps, well,  my resistance just goes right out the window.  I can walk by a beautiful old quilt in an antique shop, admire it, then walk on by, but... there's just something about scraps and half finished quilts that makes my heart just get to pumping.  Anyone else know what I'm

Mamamotherlodehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14347477757640522487noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837027413729613223.post-53581218253757902862011-02-28T00:30:00.000-08:002011-02-28T00:30:02.728-08:00

The Golden Rule was a big deal when I was a kid.  Every time I pinched my sister or shoved my brother, I was sure to hear one of the adults say "now, now.. remember The Golden Rule, you wouldn't want your brother to push you would you?" This amazing statement seemed to apply to everything including being the first one to reach for the largest piece of chocolate cake or sharing your new toys, or

Mamamotherlodehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14347477757640522487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837027413729613223.post-21095689755897838302011-02-24T04:30:00.000-08:002011-02-24T04:30:01.350-08:00

You don't need to dig too deeply into your sub-conscious to realize the title of today's post seems awfully familiar. That's because you've probably ordered and consumed at least one of these belly busters at a Cracker Barrel Restaurant's somewhere here in the good old USof A. The fellas who started the place in Lebanon, TN back in 1969 were hoping to set up a comfortable, homey place where folks

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That's right, I said "spurn the iron".  That's what the new wonder-blend fabrics of 1961 promised to do. Still, I seem to remember ironing a lot back in the sixties. I also remember going around in sleevless tops with no concern for sun protection of any kind.  Okay, we were a reckless generation who thought we were all immortal.  After all, our lives were supposed to be wrinkle free. Take a

Mamamotherlodehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14347477757640522487noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837027413729613223.post-66863994265981106022011-02-15T07:55:00.000-08:002011-02-15T10:15:38.376-08:00

A silhouette is, in one sense, a shadow cast on a surface and in another its a fine paper cutout of an image of a shadow carefully mounted to a contrasting surface.  The one I found at a garage sale last weekend was done in the 1920's when having your silhouette cut at the State Fair was all the rage.  She sure is a fine figure of a woman isn't she? A little research into the subject of

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Back in the good old days   Things really haven't changed, have they.

Mamamotherlodehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14347477757640522487noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837027413729613223.post-23176327474435063742011-02-07T07:30:00.000-08:002011-02-07T07:47:20.711-08:00

As a child, I had a huge fascination with Helen Keller and all things having to do with blindness.   I loved to color and read and.... according to my family..... spend an inordinate amount of time staring at myself while dancing in front of a mirror.  How in the world was Helen Keller coping with a sightless and soundless life? Maybe I have Helen Keller nostalgia today because I've come across

Mamamotherlodehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14347477757640522487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837027413729613223.post-56566243970184000352011-01-31T04:01:00.000-08:002011-02-08T07:16:53.026-08:00

Here is an event I've really been looking forward to for awhile.  It's the 2011 One World, One Heart Blog Tour.  In order to participate, you have to have an active blog.  This is wonderful fun, a chance to meet other bloggers and enter lots of fabulous prize contests. I'm supposed to introduce myself so, here goes.  I'm a mother, grandmother, wife and avid collector of vintage things, including

Mamamotherlodehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14347477757640522487noreply@blogger.com205tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837027413729613223.post-24223641862549903152011-01-25T10:53:00.000-08:002011-01-28T17:55:51.958-08:00

If Alfred Butts were alive today he'd be amazed to see all the uses people have found for his little wooden alphabet tiles. Mr. Butts was a depression era, out of work architect who decided to try his luck at inventing a board game that had the look and feel of a crossword puzzle. His original title "Criss and Cross" was soon changed to the now very familiar term "Scrabble".  Over 120 million

Mamamotherlodehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14347477757640522487noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837027413729613223.post-36663460302084562812011-01-20T07:25:00.000-08:002011-01-21T09:54:02.418-08:00

Before Michael Jackson was even out of diapers, any sight of a gloved Jackie Kennedy was enough to send the paparazzi flying for their flash bulbs. Here was a woman of such style and grace who just made us all think wearing gloves in the heat of a summer morning was as normal as breathing.  Never mind the sweaty palms the smudges on our white cotton fingertips, having to take one glove off to

Mamamotherlodehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14347477757640522487noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837027413729613223.post-78654944865946423462011-01-17T07:00:00.000-08:002011-01-17T08:56:22.092-08:00

Back in the early days of computers, the technology community predicted we would someday be a "paperless society".  I don't think I'll see that in my lifetime...but  I am ready to concede there have been some significant decreases in the amount of paperwork I personally handle in my life. I used to leave my doctor's office with a handful of scripts for diagnostic procedures, regularly recurring

Mamamotherlodehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14347477757640522487noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837027413729613223.post-26143312690475185582011-01-13T08:03:00.000-08:002011-01-13T08:03:03.388-08:00

I love to wander cyberspace in search of interesting handmade goods .  Stuff where you can tell the artists take pride in what they do, put heart and soul into making  it is as good as it can possibly be. Once in a while, not everyday, not even every week, what I see makes me stop dead in my tracks. How in the world did Shelly Mac of Motherbored come up with that brilliant idea, it's just

Mamamotherlodehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14347477757640522487noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837027413729613223.post-46573981550671129842011-01-10T08:27:00.000-08:002011-01-10T08:27:00.321-08:00

The other day, I was trying to explain to my daughter what a mending basket was.  You see, she lives in a world where clothing has become much less expensive and more readily available.  She hardly has to iron, never mind mending and darning. That wasn't the world my grandmother lived in. She had a mending basket right next to her easy chair. When a bed sheet began to fray she tore it into rag

Mamamotherlodehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14347477757640522487noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-837027413729613223.post-45633698693543901962011-01-06T09:00:00.000-08:002011-01-06T09:00:04.243-08:00

In the back of a dusty antique shop, tucked under a shelf, I saw what looked like fingers poking out of the corner of a tattered cardboard box.  When I pulled the box out, it was full of these funny looking flat hand-shaped objects. I bought 12. A couple of coats of paint, some distressing, a drawer pull finger ring..... some fru-fru lace, buttons and junk jewelry and you've got a nice

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Some of us, given the choice, would prefer to spend a day at a tranquil day spa where the calm, uncluttered atmosphere rids our minds of distractions and soothes away the stresses of daily life.  Not me. A little creative excitement is just the thing to relieve my jangled nerves. When I jump into a jumble of discarded vintage items, it just gets my creative juices pumping. All I see are art 

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