Vintage Towels: the Finishing Touch

So you spent all kinds of time and money restoring a 1950s pink bathroom, seeking out vintage pink fixtures and just the right accessories, but something is still missing.

Or, you want to add a touch of vintage style to a modern bathroom. What is left?

Vintage sculptured towels!

I recently read a great article over at retrorenovation.com about how vintage-style towels are making a comeback. Apparently all those sculptured and textured towels from your Grandma's linen closet are hot stuff over at Anthropologie, Pottery Barn and even Kmart. Who woulda thunk it?

Why, you and me, of course.

See, it just so happens that here at the PIT we got hep to that jive long ago. I'm here to show you some of my vintage textured towels from the 50s and beyond! (It helps to be the only one in the family with a genuine 50s pink bathroom- I inherited all of these from Grandmas and Aunts over the years. No icky thrift store towels!)

Two of my favorites, both textured plush Textron towels.

 Close up of the large one- this is my favorite!

A matched pair of bath and hand towels. I have two sets of these, plus wash cloths. They probably are the closest match to my tile. These are Cannon sculptured towels like those mentioned in the article. The only downside to all this fabulousness is that the bath towels are about half the size of modern ones. So just use two!

Three of a kind! The middle one is a light green; I usually use it in the other bath.

This is another of my favorites.

I love the pink trim band!

 I bet I'm not the only one that remembers these.... I think we also had matching sheets back when I was a kid in the 70s. I think my eyes are burning.

And for those who call the 80s "vintage", see ET in that image? LOL

Hope you enjoyed your trip through the Chez QT linen closet! 

Thrifted Thursday- Tiki Time!

Last week my brother and I did a little thrifting for his new pad. He was looking for some kitchen items and a bedroom set. We didn't have much luck there, but I found a couple framed pictures that I couldn't resist.  They were a pair of tiki prints, and I could tell there was something different about them. They just didn't seem like they were originally meant to be framed, if you know what I mean- I could see faint outlines of printing on them.

But I had to buy them and take them home to see what was behind the image!

Not a problem- at $1.99 each I knew one of us would find a place for them!

You can see how this print was cut out of a larger image.

Once I got home, we took them carefully out of the frame, and what did we find inside?

They were both menus from a Hawaiian banquet in 1961! Now, I know it's not the same as finding a priceless oil painting behind a cheap print, but I still think it's a cool find. And I'm a sucker for being able to date something exactly.

My brother now has them hanging in his house- he's going for a tiki theme bathroom, so these will be a good start.

Make-it-from-scratch Monday: Crock Pot Roast

This is a favorite in our house. I make a roast in the slow cooker probably twice a month during the colder months. But since you don't need the oven, you could definitely do this in the summer as well.

I'm using a venison roast, but you could use any lean beef roast, like an eye roast or shoulder London broil (round roast).

Ingredients:

2 lb. lean venison or beef roast (can be frozen)

1 medium onion, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, sliced

about 7 juniper berries (optional)

1 tsp thyme

salt, fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 envelope brown gravy mix, prepared according to package directions

1 oz dry sherry

1) Chop the onion and garlic and place in the bottom of the slow cooker.

2) Season the roast with salt, pepper and thyme, and put in slow cooker. I put my roast in frozen, if yours is fresh, halve the cooking time.

3) Prepare the gravy mix in a saucepan on the stove. I use one envelope of Serv-a-gravy, with 2 cups of water. I usually use a little less water (1 3/4 c.) than the pkg indicates, because the roast will contribute more water while cooking. Once the gravy has thickened, add the juniper berries and sherry and heat through. The juniper berries may be hard to find in your supermarket- try a specialty store or bulk foods store- but they are worth seeking out. They are my "secret ingredient", and with the sherry really complement the flavor of the roast.

4) Pour the gravy over the meat.

5) Cook for 4-6 hours on high or 8 hours on low.

6) Slice and serve with gravy. I usually make herb-roasted redskin potatoes and a green vegetable, like broccoli.



I'd like to thank the Academy...

and all the little people out there who made this award possible...(*cue music*)

I've recieved my first-ever blog award from Miss Cherry Bubbles! Now I have to tell you seven things about myself, and pass the award along.

1) When I was in high school and college I wanted to play trumpet in a major symphony orchestra. I got my Bachelors of Music in trumpet performance but never got past the audition stage for anything other than local orchestras. So now I teach trumpet and freelance around the area (weddings, funerals, community events, etc.) with a community band and brass quartet.

2) When that didn't pan out, I went back to school and got my Master's in Museum Science. I went to Texas Tech in Lubbock, TX, home of Buddy Holly. I had always wanted to visit Texas, but never been. When I went to check out the school I felt right at home, and loved it down there. If I hadn't been already engaged to my husband here in Pennsylvania, I would have stayed out West. We'll probably retire to the Hill Country some day.

3) Now that I'm mostly a stay-at-home mom, I can really identify with Squidward. I sometimes feel as if I spend my days with Spongebob and Patrick, longing for sophistication.

4) I have always loved aviation. I started taking flying lessons after college and accumulated 72 hours. But I never got my pilot's license before I went to grad school and had no more money. My most recent real job was curator of an aviation museum.

5) My fascination with the past started with Big Band music. The first record album I ever bought was Glenn Miller's Pure Gold, in 1987. I was in 7th grade. Up until that point, I had listened mostly to classical music. Glenn Miller and I have the same birthday.

6) I still have the first car I ever bought new. My 1997 VW Jetta has 180,000 miles on it. I love that car and hope I can drive it forever. Between my mother and I, we have had a VW in the family since 1962. Hers is now a bit newer than mine, a 2009 Jetta.

7) I love to fish. I hunt as well, both archery and gun. I figured I'd never see my husband if I didn't learn to do what he did, and now I really enjoy getting out in nature. But fishing really suits me- the feeling of persistance paying off and the thrill of not knowing what you'll get.

Well, that's a bit about me, now I will pass the award on to these fellow bloggers- check out their blogs, if you haven't already!

My friend Eileen, an art deco dame if there ever was one: http://artdecodivaknits.blogspot.com/

Bombs Away, a real-life aviatrix and classy vintage gal

Shannon, another mom just trying to maintain her sanity: http://supermergentroidgal.blogspot.com/

Erin @ http://theconsummateamateur.blogspot.com/

Charlotte at http://tuppencehapennyvintage.blogspot.com/

Rachelle at http://rockabillybombshell.blogspot.com/ who is probably busy having a baby right about now...

And a bonus- I'll give the award to anyone else I didn't mention that can name the song on the sheet music on my header! (See, now that you know I'm a music geek, that isn't just some random image....)

Trash-picked Tuesday: V-mail

Today, Trash-picked Tuesday is a two-fer. (How many times can I type the letter 't'?!) Not only is this item trash-picked, it's also one of those rare times when I get crafty.

I found this cute little mailbox in a junk heap in the woods. It was black, a bit rusty, and the lid was all dented. I think there was a mouse living in it.  But it had potential, so I carted it home. If I got my mail delivered to my porch, you can bet I would've used it for its intended purpose. It was pretty cool in a rusty, beat-up vintage way.

After a couple of years of trying to figure out a creative use for it, I hit on this idea- a Valentine mail box. It's the perfect size for my kids to put all their little cards in it.

I happened to have some pink and red Rustoleum spray paint laying about (what, doesn't everyone? LOL), so after a bit of sanding and knocking the dents out, I painted the body pink and the lid red. My son applied the stickers, and we had a fun little Valentines mail box re-purposed from a vintage original.

Make-it-from-scratch Monday: Hunter-style rabbit

In honor of Valentine's Day, show the man in your life how to cook the game he bags (or buys, in this modern age!)

This is another of my favorite wild game recipes. You can find domestic rabbit at specialty supermarkets or, better yet, your neighborhood butcher shop, or you can use chicken thighs in this recipe. For the vegetarians, you could certainly use eggplant or white beans; but the cooking time would be much less! I used a dutch oven and cooked it on the stove, but you could also use a slow cooker- just brown the veggies and meat first and then add everything to the slow cooker for 4-6 hours.

Ingredients:

1 whole rabbit, cut-up, or 2-3 pounds skinless chicken thighs
1/4 pound diced ham or uncooked bacon
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 large or 2 medium onions, chopped medium
1/2 c. celery, chopped
8 oz whole baby carrots or 1 c. sliced carrots
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 c. good red wine
herbs, such as parsley, rosemary, oregano and thyme, about 2 Tbs total
salt and pepper to taste

Pre-heat dutch oven, large saucepan or skillet on stovetop.
Add cubed ham or bacon and cook until it becomes browned.
Add rabbit or chicken pieces and brown on all sides. You may need to add a little olive oil if the ham/bacon is very lean.

Add garlic, onions, celery and carrots and cook until translucent.

Add the tomatoes and the wine- I used 2 pints of my home-canned crushed tomatoes, but a 28-oz can of store-bought is fine. Just make sure you taste before adding any additional salt later!

At this point, you can transfer to a slow cooker for 4-6 hours, or you can continue to simmer it, covered, on the stovetop for about 2 hours. When meat is tender and falling off the bone, remove it to a dish and separate it from the bones. Return the meat to the veggie mixture in the pot.

Heat through, and add herb mixture, salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with wide noodles, rotini or penne.

My Favorite Diners

 I am definitely a diner gal. I love them all, from the c.1920s Red Rose Diner in Towanda, PA, to the classic stainless, and now closed, Vale-Rio in Phoenixville, PA (home of the famous Colonial Theater where The Blob was filmed).

But one of my all-time favorites is the classic "Mediterranean-style" Vincentown Diner in Vincentown, NJ.

It's the perfect stop on the way home from the beach, with good food, fast service and a very kid-friendly staff. Last summer I was happy to notice that they're serving locally sourced, seasonal organic food whenever possible. (This is another passion of mine- I am such a foodie and strongly believe in supporting local farmers and businesses!!!!)

And now, apparently, everyone else has caught on, because the Vtown Diner was featured in today's Phila. Inquirer for its local menu. Thankfully the place is one of those giant 200+ seat affairs (and not the 30 seat Red Rose!), so there is little worry that we won't be able to get a table. But maybe the counter seats will be harder to get now, LOL!

Check out the review here, and hopefully a similar menu might be coming to your favorite diner!



Photo: Richard W. G. Clapper for http://www.hellophiladelphia.com/