Paper Dolls for Boys

Raising 2 crafty boys and thrifting every chance I get.

Vintage Photo Friday April 17, 2009

Filed under: Vintage Photo Friday — twlowenstein @ 7:57 am
Tags: , ,

Vintage Photo Friday is back and badder than EVAH!  Sorry and thanks to those who carried on and didn’t give up the hope!

6a00e550fcf5508834011168f25e96970c-800wi

Ok, now that I have your attention – HELLO?  Anyone still here or have you all run screaming from your respective computers?  Just try not to look the clown or that poor kid in the face.  Do check out the beautiful hospital bed though.

This week I have a bundle of old photos found in the basement of my husband’s grandmother (Gram) home.  We miss her terribly.  Wish I could hear her say, “Oh REALLY!” again.  I once called her from my 1st grade classroom and put her on speaker phone so the kids could hear how fabulously she said, “Oh REALLY!”.  It was her not as subtle as she thought way of dismissing what someone said.  Gram had spunk in spades.

gram-vin-photo1

I believe these were all taken in Russia.

gram-vin-photo_0001

Here’s the back of the above photo:

gram-vin-photo_0002

Can anyone translate the text?

gram-vin-photo_0003

gram-vin-photo_0004

The boy on the right grew up to play violin for the Boston Symphony and the little boy on the left was a pharmacist in Rhode Island.

gram-vin-photo_0005

That’s him, second from the left, jamming with some friends.

violin-vintage

Here is a list of folks who may or may not still be playing along.  Let me know if you want me to add or bump you from the list.

Green Jello

Knot Sew Crafty

Sheep on a Spring

Pineapples & Artichokes

Pamdora

Through the Looking Glass

Handy Crafts

My Own Crafty Wonderland

Woolanthropy

Los Angeles is My Beat

Have a great weekend.  I’m looking Spring Break in the face and am feeling mighty happy for it!

 

Vintage Photo Friday :: Kids March 13, 2009

Filed under: Vintage Photo Friday — twlowenstein @ 11:28 am
Tags: ,

I am in the mood for babies & children, pictorially speaking.  I am earnestly holding at 2, but still have my list of unused baby names.  So today I am posting some of my favorite vintage kiddo photographs and naming each child as if they were my own (all the fun without the dirty dukes, incessant needs and pesky college funds).

This is Otto.  I struggle to connect with him.  He’s my most stand-offish child, not very affectionate but seems to have a mind for science.  And a penchant for fine footwear.

vintage-photo-fri_0004

Here are my twins, Gus and Otis.  Little rascals, full of fun and love.  Sitting in my favorite deck chair.  Up to no good, I’m sure.

vintage-photo-fri_0002

And here we have, from left to right, Petey, Hazel and Solomon.  I can’t claim Petey.  He’s an ever present kid from the neighborhood. But little Hazel and Sol are rocking my good looks.

vintage-photo-fri_0001

And here is little Orly with her favorite doll baby, Willa.  She has me sewing frocks for that doll day and night.  I whipped this one up last night, I didn’t work from a pattern, just an image from her imagination and my mad skills.

vintage-photo-fri

Alrighty, that was fun.

Now I am going to wrestle my real life kiddo down for nap and map out our weekend, IKEA here we come.

Plus, keep signing up for my giveaway if you know what’s good for you..

Here are the VPF players, let me know if I omitted you:

Green Jello

Knot Sew Crafty

Sheep on a Spring

Pineapples & Artichokes

Pamdora

Through the Looking Glass

Handy Crafts

My Own Crafty Wonderland

Woolanthropy

Ellen Bloom


 

Vintage Photo Friday March 6, 2009

Filed under: Uncategorized,Vintage Photo Friday — twlowenstein @ 1:26 pm
Tags: ,

I love this triptych:

3333497048_596b8f731e_o

I found these three photos in different places among  my great aunt’s belongings and was thrilled to see that it’s the same woman over time.  I estimate it to be a 50-60 year span.   I wish I knew more about her, her name and her story.  She seems fairly no nonsense judging by the same hairstyle and glasses worn throughout.

The back of the last photo reads:

vpf-backDoes that say, “This is Mama’s don’t you think it is good of Aunt Im”?  Hmmm?

I am sick about the hole in this one.   I regret to say that it came into my possession sans the canyon there.  Sometime I think my home is where vintage comes to die.

&

Here’s the growing (yeah!) list of folks playing along.  Let me know if I forgot you or you want to be added!

Green Jello

Knot Sew Crafty

Sheep on a Spring

Pineapples & Artichokes

and soon Pamdora

Through the Looking Glass

Handy Crafts

My Own Crafty Wonderland

Woolanthropy


 

Dag Nabbit February 20, 2009

Filed under: Vintage Photo Friday — twlowenstein @ 11:34 am
Tags:

I keep forgetting about Vintage Photo Friday.  It’s me, not you.  Well, probably a little you.

3295419848_cde974db37_bIt’s my grandmother, Rousseau, my mother’s mother.  The shot was taken June 1960. It’s a great silly one.

And I think technically it also qualifies for Yellow Week.  Just can’t shake it.  So hello and goodbye to all my Yellow Week friends who found the blog through House on Hill Road you are a quiet bunch but I feel you.

—————–****—————–

Pineapples & Artichokes is playing along with VPF!

And Green Jello is thinking on it.

Sheep on a Spring is in!  She posted a lovely shot of her parents.

Knot Sew Crafty will be joining us just as soon as she beats her scanner into submission!

Pamdora has decided to hang with the cool kids, look for her to join VPF in March!

 

Vintage Photo Friday February 13, 2009

I forgot about Vintage Photo Friday!   I am sure that you didn’t though. You must have worried yourself sick, checking back every few minutes compulsively to see if I had updated.  Fret no more!

Today I present a couple of vintage photos of my Granny taken when she came to visit me when I was born in Bangkok, Thailand, 1969.

granny-in-bkk1

I was talking with my dad on the photo while uploading these photos (my kind of multitasking, blogging and talking on the phone instead of say, folding laundry and making dinner) and I realized that my dad and I found the dress my Granny is wearing in these shots while I was home in December.  We were sorting through the behemoth collection of items stored in my Granddaddy’s old antique store when we came across it.  I brought it home intending to sell it in my shop but am glad I didn’t get around to it!

Look how happy my Granny looks!  How brave it was of this woman to travel  all the way around the world by herself.  I believe it was the first time she had left the state of NC.  I will be keeping the dress!

grannys-dress1

And of course I used some of her clothespins to pin it to my window hanging! I really do wish she were alive and I could bring her here for dinner to meet the children, ask her stories and of course to take more photos of her.

Here are a few pages from her scrapbook of her visit to Thailand.

granny-in-bkk_00021

granny-in-bkk_0001

That yucky bit is a very vintage stick of gum.

I am lucky I come from a long line of savers.  I feel like I have such rich pieces of family history and heritage and I wish all my grandparents knew how much I appreciate and value them.

———-

And please check out Shannon at Pineapples & Artichokes

I am so glad that she is joining me in Vintage Photo Friday.  Let me know if you would like to play along and I will link to your blog.  Cheers!