Monday, December 24, 2012

Happy Holidays!

Gumdrop earmuffs!


 This one looks like it was made out of a bunch of Bugles.

Wonky-eyed puffball panda





Monday, December 17, 2012

The Many Faces of Christmas Evil

All over the world, aluminum Christmas trees are dripping with tinsel and tasteful glass ornaments. But, perhaps, if you peer carefully into the glistening artificial boughs, you'll find strange faces staring back at you. Strange faces like these. Have you seen these creepy Christmas castoffs?







(Don't blink!)

I've posted a lot more Christmas photos (decorative paper cut-outs and ornaments) on my Flickr.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Valentine Curly Wurlygrams #2

As I was digging through my paper collection to find Valentine's graphics, I came across an old envelope filled with clippings and never-seen Curly Wurlygrams, popular cards from the 1940s through the 1960s. Here is a small sample of what I found.


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[All images are linked to the original source material on my Flickr, which includes information relating to provenance and ownership. These particular illustrations are c. CurlyWurly and may not be reproduced or posted elsewhere without permission.]

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Valentine Curly Wurlygrams #1

As I was digging through my paper collection to find Valentine's graphics, I came across an old envelope filled with clippings and never-seen Curly Wurlygrams, popular cards from the 1940s through the 1960s. Here is a small sample of what I found.


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[All images are linked to the original source material on my Flickr, which includes information relating to provenance and ownership. These particular illustrations are c. CurlyWurly and may not be reproduced or posted elsewhere without permission.]

Thursday, February 09, 2012

Say It With Spry and Stokely's

Happy Valentine's Day, Corn Scallops!!


[Detail from a Stokely's advertisement from Woman's Home Companion - February 1946]

[Detail from a Spry advertisement from Woman's Home Companion - February 1948]

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Frosty Firsts

From the June 1947 Woman's Home Companion comes Frosty Firsts by Elizabeth Walker (with wonderful illustrations by Harry Diamond). The article suggests several cooling mealtime drinks and appetizers to imbue your sultry summer supper with an arctic blast. Even in the midst of winter, some of these chilly treats (with the exception of the Cukato Cocktail) sound pretty good! I'm posting these more for the whimsical illustrations, but you might still get a kick out of some of the drinks!




Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Dressed For Success

The June 1947 issue of Woman's Home Companion had a series of articles about women in the workplace. Here is the accompanying fashion spread, Cotton To A Career, by fashion editor Mary-Alice Hamory.


The much-desired 'efficient as a filing cabinet' look. I think she looks nicer than the cabinet, incidentally.


Another nice dress upstaged by the filing cabinet


Hamory described the main feature of this after-work look as an 'impertinent bustle'!


Catch his eye at the soda shop

BONUS! for all you Mad Men fans. In A Year Of Your Own by Beatrice Green Taines and Jean Beck, several women's careers were described, including advertising, medicine (as receptionist or nurse), fashion design, theater, teaching, personnel work, and merchandising (retail). Here is what they had to say to ladies considering work in advertising:

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Get In With The Spin Crowd

Rinse away the dirty water of the past year and start a whole new cycle with these top o' the line washers. Elizabeth Beveridge offers up these tall drinks of water, but try finding them at Best Buy. In fact, ask a Best Buy associate for a machine with 'jouncing washing action' and see what happens!



[from Woman's Home Companion - June 1947]

Monday, January 16, 2012

How To Train Your Husband

Meet Mrs. Margaret Deeds. She is a woman who knows a thing or two about human nature and relationships. Perhaps this is why the illustrious Woman's Home Companion turned to her for, possibly, the most important primer a young newlywed will ever read, Catch Him Young! Train Him Right! (May 1947 issue).

In her article, Mrs. Deeds articulates the steps a bride must take to ingrain better habits in her Romeo before the ink is dry on the wedding contract. This is the only way to ensure that your lesser half will be as beneficial inside the home as he is at the office. As you can see from the following illustrated (click to enlarge for uncomfortable slave owner reference!) guide, it's easier than your mother told you to trick your beloved into aiding you in the kitchen, setting the table, and making the bed. Let your fella know that if he wants to drone on about his preference for his mother's cooking, he had better help you devise menus and do the shopping! Men might be more interested in drinking and impressing you with his stacking abilities, but that's no reason not to put him to work with the vegetable scrubber! Finally, remember that a sure-fire way to get him to be useful around the house is to make him feel like a king, and the best way to do that is to boost his ego by giving him the easiest tasks to free up your time (even he won't screw up packaged convenience foods!) and liberally using exaggerated compliments. Also, provide him with a selection of cheery aprons. He'll enjoy the snappy look, won't soil his slacks, and his chums needn't know about his house garb!



In a detail from an advertisement for Wear-Ever Aluminum Utensils, a rosy complexioned wife tightens her husband's apron strings as she puts him on KP. He might think he's lording over the manor with his virile pipe and bowtie ensemble, but his wife's jollied up expression tells a different story.


And, from yet another Woman's Home Companion article (this one about the importance of a good cuppa coffee), another writer submits her number one method of training her man in Good Coffee Makes Good Husbands


[all articles, images, and advertisements from the strangely thematic May 1947 issue of Woman's Home Companion]

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

The Cotton Dress Club

From Woman's Home Companion's 'Cotton In Action' by fashion editor Elizabeth Ambrose (May 1947 issue)


Skip, skip, skip to your lou in this gingham party frock (flies in your buttermilk not included)!


Dazzle that rugged out-of-towner at the picnic with your skimpy basket and severe pleated skirt!


Playtime in a 'mimosa and heliotrope'-colored playsuit with wide suspenders (with a giant 'red' balloon)


You'll 40-Love this cotton culotte tennis outfit!

Monday, January 02, 2012

Ever Have A Who'd-Eat-It Dinner?



The Characters ... Four young couples hellbent on partying within budget
The Scene ... One of their houses -- a demure white cottage located on top of an Indian burial ground
The Plot ... Who concocted this murderous meal and WHY?
Who dished it out and washed his or her hands of the ordeal?
Most important: Who paid for it later?

Who nixed the salad?
Where did the fruit come from?
Most important: Who ate the shrunken demon heads (designed by HR Giger) and are they still larval.. I mean, living?

[Featured menu from Woman's Home Companion, May 1947]