Cookbook: Better Baking

I just realized I have had pictures of this cookbook floating around waiting to be posted! It is nice in a way (instant post!), but I get a little aggravated that they haven't made it to the blog yet.

 This little gem I picked up at our library sale. 

And look what I found tucked inside! A little treasure, four 1 cent stamps! And since they say "For Defense" they much be from the 40s. 

 Even though there are no photos or cute aprons pictured, the sketches along the edges are too cute.

Such interesting recipes, so many I would love to try.

 The names are delightful too! Who wouldn't want to have tea with Jelly Tuck-aways?

Introducing Apron of the Month!

I am so so excited to tell you about a new feature I am starting!! As I have mentioned before, my dream is to start offering apron patterns. So to dip my toes in so to speak, I have decided to put together one free apron pattern a month, either a pattern from around the web or a pdf pattern I have made! Now I don't want to promise every month the apron will be an Apron History Exclusive, but I am going to try to do as many as I can. My pattern list is already mostly full. I am so excited to share them with you!! I will also post sewing tutorials and tips. So with out further ado, let me introduce the 

January Apron of the Month!

Miss Sews-It-All  One Yard Use-It- All Apron

It was love at first sight when I saw this apron. Isn't the fabric the cutest?! It made me want to go fabric shopping! I love the three rows of rick-rack, the nice roomy pockets and the generous ties that made a perfect bow! All the requirements of a good apron!

Miss Sew-It-All has a tutorial Here and the cutting layout is Here.

 I must confess, I was so excited to make this apron I printed the cutting layout out and dashed up to the sewing room, not realizing until later I hadn't even read through the tutorial! Ah well, in the end I figured it out. The fabric and trim are from my stash. I was determined not to go out in the horrible weather and just use what I had.

 The rick-rack is vintage from my grandma's sewing closet. I have had it forever, just waiting for the perfect project! I love the look of multiple rows of rick-rack. 

If you decide to stitch up an apron please share a link in the comments! I would love to see it!

Vintage Style in the Bathroom

I love the look of bathrooms from the 1920s and 30s!. I think I did a pretty good job getting the feel while still having modern comfort. It certainly is a cozy room and vintage in the respect that it is the same size as the original room. It also makes it a bit of a trick to take pictures!

I found the narrowest, vintage looking sink I could. Because of the lack of space I didn't want to restrict the walkway. This sink is the best of both worlds; narrow but quite deep to make up for it, with a wide edge for perching things and decent sized soap ledges.

 We still need to work on our medicine cabinet. It is a craig's list find and needs a bit of restoring. At present we just have the door propped up in the space so we at least have a mirror to brush our hair in.

This picture gives you a good idea of the coziness. Nothing is more then a step away! Behind the bathtub is the linen closet. We still need to put the shelves up, so right now it is a jumble.

My sister had the brilliant idea of propping the picture in front of the window the day we moved in. Perfect solution for privacy!

I snapped this quick picture so you could see the combination of subway tiles and square tiles in the tub. I will try and get better ones later. 

The hexagon floor, my favorite feature!

Vintage Chiltonware Measuring Cups

  I was so thrilled to receive these vintage measuring cups from Mom as a Christmas present. Aren't they cute? They don't look used, even the box is in beautiful condition!

 In the bottom of each one the size is embossed (raised lettering).  Opps! Someone didn't put the One Cup handle on straight!

 Even though the handles are a bit small, I didn't have a problem hanging on to them and it makes it easier to get into small containers. I have already used them several times!

The New Kitchen

Because of the horrible weather on Monday, I was able to stay home from work. And because it was a lovely bright day and we needed to stay warm, Mom and I decided to clean the kitchen. What better way to spend the day then cleaning and work on house things? 

We tore through the kitchen like a whirl wind doing some much needed tidying, rearranging the counters for the thousand time and de-cluttering. After all that work we decided a photo session was in order! So, here it is- The Almost Finished Kitchen!

Disclaimer: This of course is not how it looks normally. What kitchen stays this clean all the time?!

 As you will probably notice, there are still a few things to be done. The kick plate needs to be finished, back splash tiled, windows and doors trimmed out and the end shelves installed. But it is a functioning kitchen and we have hot and cold running water, so we are not complaining!

 Once I get the curtains up, they will add a dash of blue to the red.

Mom's beloved Kitty Cat clock. This is a reproduction of the ones made during the Great Depression.

 The "ugly" side of the kitchen. We are planning on installing a pantry cupboard on the other side of the refrigerator (the side not shown). The quilt is also a temporary fixture, it is there to keep the warm air from disappearing down the basement stairs. On my list of things to find; one basement door!

 A Christmas present. Isn't it cute! I couldn't help falling in love with it.

We loved all the colors against the crisp white.

This is my favorite drawer. The sides are made of tin and it appears to at one time have had a sliding tin lid.

 You can see here the tin drawer is the deepest drawer, which is why it ended up full of dish towels. I do like the two little drawers on top of each other. They keep our mixing spoons and gadgets organized nicely.

Well, I hope you enjoyed my kitchen tour! I will be sure to share an update when it is properly finished!

A New Year!

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Are you ready for a new year? I am! 2013 was an incredible year, some much happened though that I wouldn't mind if 2014 was quiet and I have time to get use to all the changes that life has brought. Not that I really think that will happen, but if there was a slightly slower pace and not so many changes it will be nice.

I already have a long list of things that need to be done on my house (of course!) as soon as the weather warms up, there is another house lined up to get worked on and a brother is getting married! So as much as I am hoping for a slower pace, I think it is wishful thinking!

I also have a list of things I want to share on this blog and am looking forward to updating you all on my house projects, hopefully those will be sprinkled in with vintage and apron posts!

Happy Wishes for the New Year!