cathy of california

dansk for dinner, 1967

here i go again. instead of making dinner i'm flipping through the pages of betty crocker's hostess cookbook featuring more than 400 guest-tested recipes. how much do i love this place setting!

wanna try this at home? head to ebay for the candle holder and the "fluted flamestone" pattern dinner plate. on my first sweep i couldn't find the flatware or glass but with some more digging i'm sure it's all there.

now i think i'll go decide what to eat.

(from betty crocker's hostess cookbook featuring more than 400 guest-tested recipes 1967)

good housekeeping illustrations, 1961

today instead of actually cleaning my own house i decided to sit down and thumb through good housekeeping's guide to successful homemaking, a recent thrift store find. if you follow my blog you know that i go just nuts over vintage cookbook illustration. well it's time to add vintage housekeeping book illustration to that list. no credit was given to the wonderful illustrator who was most likely on the staff of good housekeeping.

(from good housekeeping's guide to successful homemaking revised edition, compiled by the editors of good housekeeping magazine, 1961)

paper flowers, 1967

"beautiful flowers bloom profusely, each in their own season, only to die until next year. lovely flowers made with dennison crepe paper - realistic or whimisical but always artistically exciting - bloom agian and again at any time. these paper perennials can make spring and summer last all year long."

(from home decorating with paper flowers, dennison maufacturing company, 1967)

wallpaper, 1968

usually the first thing to go when a home is remodeled is the wallpaper. it's really too bad because there were so many wonderful patterns that you can now only see if you find a roll someone didn't use or are lucky enough to score an old sample book. in one of my trash picking escapades i spotted a late 60s sears upholstery fabric sample book in a neighbor's trashcan. another neighbor saw me and i'm sure they must have thought i was nuts - but i just had to rescue it.

pictured here are the wallpapers that were featured in the california design show. i am especially drawn to the van luit and co. "adaline" pattern (first picture upper left) because it is very similar to the wallpaper my mom put up in our kitchen in the early 70s and remained there until we sold the house just a couple of years ago.

(from california design ten, pasadena art museum, 1968)

table settings of note, 1963

there's a house down the street from me that an older gentleman lives in. he decorates for almost every holiday and there is often a handmade component. his displays are always very heartfelt and this holiday is no exception. there's a little tree near the edge of his lawn that is festooned with ornaments that are in the shape of cups (kind of like the ones you made as a kid with a gum wrapper) that are made with tinfoil. and of course the sign post a few feet away has been wrapped in tinfoil. i smile everytime i drive by.

i just love this angel centerpiece. not only does it remind me of those restaurants that wrap up your leftovers in foil that they then shape into some kind of animal (usually a swan) but also that it's shows that even some tinfoil and paper plates can make a special table setting for your holiday celebration. it all depends on where your heart is.

(from today's woman christmas ideas 1963)

cover your christmas tree with snowy beauty this year, 1968

"just hook up the special SNO FLOK decorator gun to your vacuum cleaner. then spray lovely flocking that resists fire, helps keep needles fresh and moist. it's so easy!". optional "giant holiday glitter kit" (for an even brighter tree) was available in blue/green, gold/gold, or gold/silver glitter.

(craft master ad from 1968)

flower loom, 1971

the lovely model is demonstrating how to make an "ombree afghan" using a hiawatha brand flower loom.

(from a columbia-minerva leaflet, 1971)

nature's vibrant fall colors brighten your home, 1967

just look at all of the fun autumnal projects you can make with ribbon straw or yarn using a flower loom!

(from "flower loom projects from studio twelve, volume 1" by margaret weymouth, 1967)

then and now

on the left:
erica wilson's re-embroidered linen fabric with designs inspired by the background pattern on a vladimir kagan rocking chair from "needleplay" by erica wilson, 1975.

on the right:
a mid-century scandinavian design chair featuring crewelwork blooms on linen fabric from the latest anthropologie catalog.

home accessories keyed to the mediterranean look, 1960

"cover scene - an interior reflecting spanish influence in decor - is showcase for decorative acessories made in easy craft techniques."

i turned on my ipod just as i sat down to scan the images for this post. i have it set on shuffle and (what a coincidence!) "the lonely bull" by herb alpert and the tijuana brass was the first song that played!

as you know i just can't get enough of the art direction of the early to mid 60s "mc call's needlework and crafts". this one is a recent find (thanks ellen!) and i think it just might be my all time favorite. all of the crafts (everything - even the rug and tiles) featured were designed by irma bolley.

the crafts are all just so delightful, but i think the standout has got to be the "lively design in quick point" bull! it's really hard to tell from the picture but there's a "bit of added whimsey" - the banderillas are wool pompons on knitting needles!

the house i live in was built in the early 60s. not too long after we moved in i removed all of the mediterranean style switchplate covers because for some reason i wanted a "cleaner look". what was i thinking? luckily i didn't throw them away because i think it's time to reinstall them!

("mc call's needlework & crafts" fall-winter 1960-61)