Remembering Vintage Sesame Street

Another year gone and another year ringing in. Hopefully 2009 will bring many happy wishes, abundant tidings, peace, love and joy. Most of all...future fun, careless celebrations and a deep zest for life, we all should be that way everyday.

I wanted to share this video from YouTube, it's pretty special to a lot of people judging by the comments that were posted with it. Enjoy, and remember how little you once were.

Happy New Year. C&G Design.

Daydreaming

Appropriately titled since I'd prepared a post for tomorrow, forgetting it was also Raggedy day. Anyhow, today will be Raggedy Ann Wednesday and I've found this lovely illustration of Marcella. And Ann, of course! C&G Design.

Bradley Dolls

I think most everyone can identify with this beauty that has big eyes and an elegant posture. I've allowed Madame to have these as a serious collection, when I say serious, I mean I limit her on other dolls. Madame already has a fan collection, a hankie collection, a Ty baby collection and if she had her way, every cat in the neighborhood collection! These are Bradley Dolls, 1954 to 1984 when the company was purchased by Hasbro. Not clear if its related to the game manufacturer Milton Bradley. Madame has 3 of the dolls. They are sometimes referred to as boudoir dolls or stockinette dolls. The structure is a simple foam underlayment with fabric placed over it. The legs are long and the hair is the shiniest of synthetic threads. One of Madame's has its original music base the plays while rotating the doll, she is packed with the other Bradley doll, soon to be opened again. The Bradley doll is sometime featured on a lamp base.
You'll be able to spot these little ladies in a thrift shop, the valve isn't great because as of a decade ago, the Bradly doll could be found everywhere. Something is still haunting about the wide eyed, elaborately dressed, model attitude doll that attracts many buyers to her.

Madame being one. C&G Design

Felt Ornaments-Angel

I'm still trying to kept a consistent color scheme with my felt ornaments, this is the yellow, an Angel. (I'm wondering how long I'll be able to keep it up!) He was pretty easy to do but the ear, hands and feet had to be cut separately.

And I love doing french knots.

Alittle sparkle........

And see the halo just behind the evergreen twig? C&G Design

Perfect Pink Placesettings

Another Pink Saturday! I've elected to show everyone my pink table we ate on for Christmas dinner. I love the place mats, they are pink lady slippers. (read my post and learn more about these pink flowers)




I must say, this combination is also my husbands favorite, it looks great with the blue dishes.

Even the chair seats look wonderful!

Join us at Beverly's for more Pink Saturday and say "HI" to her as she is a lovely hostess!

C&G Design.

Family Friends Favorite Friday

It occurred to me yesterday that I haven't spent too much time talking about our family pets, well one.....elusive Sophia. We all spent Christmas together yesterday and Santa brought stockings for all the pets.

This is Tartarus, he is half boxer and half lab, about 12 years old. He's a very obedient, loving, watchful protector of the family. He always gets the gift giving going by being the first to open his. Then he is happy and content to stay out of the way, all the while squeaking his new plaything.

I've talked about Wooly, he almost foiled Santa by seeking out the catnip toys....probably in a past life he was a lush!

We also have a 55 gallon fish tank with large fish living in it and if you look close in this picture you'll spot the base of a empty birdcage, (it can be seen in the tree photo of Christmas Eve post) we're debating whether or not to get birds. I just don't know about cats when no one is looking.....

And finally here is Sophia! Figures....give them a bunch of goodies.....

And they play with the box.....C & G Design.

Yes, Virginia

All the stocking were hung by the chimney with care, hopes that St. Nicholas would soon be there.....

Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus

Francis P. Church

Dear Editor: I am 8 years old.

Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.

Papa says "If you see it in "The Sun" it is so."

Please tell me the truth: is there a Santa Claus?

Virginia O'Hanlon

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exist as certain as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary it would be if there was no Santa Claus! It would be a dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith, then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable the existence. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well as not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that's no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real thing in the world are those that neither children nor men can see.

No Santa Claus! Thank God, he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

----The New York Sun, September 21, 1897. C&G Design

Christmas Ann and Andy

Ah, Christmas eve and all is well, the shopping is done, the food ready. Jack of All Trades and I are antsy to say.... "All done for another year"...sigh...*wink* Both Christmas Ann and Andy are offered at FAO Schwartz, the are issued from Madame Alexander, reasonably priced I might add.

The critical thing to remember from here on in, is the attire.....stuck in my pockets are..... Ann

and Andy.....

Don't forget to dress up and celebrate!

Not a creature stirring, not even a mouse....C&G Design

CLOBBERED!

There is no more wondering if we will have a white Christmas, December 22 (first day of winter) brought a typical Nor'easter. It dumped a foot of snow on us, we already had at least 5 inches from the other two storms, Dec. 19th and Dec 17th, every other day....... Ugh, I sometimes wonder why I found the deck to be a wonderful addition, this was one of those times. Today the clearing fell to me to do as my 15 year old is at a friends house. Notice all the post have piles of snow on top of them, this is natural as you can see no footprints on the deck yet.

I think it has to do with the angle of my deck, it is farther out beyond the back of the house so when the wind whips it forms these little castles, my own Stonehenge.

Double ugh.....my balcony of my bedroom.

And I'm not traveling for awhile.....

My lower roof, easy to see the amount as the edge of the snow fall came out perfect.

Ahhh, a spring sight. Can't come soon enough. C&G Design.

Gingerbread Gems-Dressed!

I did it, I painted them and I'm glad I did. I'm pleased with the results. Here is where they will sit until Christmas, 'cept for practise times of course.

Cute, cute, cute. C & G Design

Felt Ornament-Cardinal

The red one! Oh my goodness....I am not happy with the way this little birdie came out. Does it look like a bird? Jack of all Trades thought so, I continued.... Maybe with a stretch of imagination I can see a Cardinal, it sure is plump.

A little better, or perhaps the poor little thing photographs well.

I should of listened about the red Santa. C&G Design.

Pink Purse

My contribution for PINK SATURDAY is this lovely purse. My daughter actually uses it for her dance bag, thus the pink ballet slippers. Join Beverly for more pinkies!

Oh, the "N" is her first name initial! C&G Design

FFF-Endearing Bathroom

This week I'm picking a shelf in my half bathroom that is located downstairs, (the place where most guest will go). I do not see this place often but it is comforting to know it is there. Three perfume bottles, staying empty now, (too much into parenting).

The only hummel I have...it's chipped on the other side of the basket. (Where it supports the kitty).

And.....some potions, Save the baby, Witch Hazel and Kru-Kut. Could you just imagine all the things popular back way back when.....

Cupid Day and Cupid Night. How cute? C&G Design.

Felt Ornament-Mrs Claus

So I relent and make Mrs Claus, I'm glad I did. However, that only means my set will be larger than usual. That's okay, I thought I was making these for Etsy but it's too late in the season for that, I have plenty of time to get these done before next year. Sigh. She was much easier than Santa, and much shorter than he. Her hair is yarn, a different embellishment from the others.

She's cute and I don't mind so much....them being blue.

They are having a midnight snack! C&G Design.

More Fun Fabric

This is one of those things, you have to have it although your not quite sure what your going to do with it.
I'm thinking the dress, the shirt, on Ann + Andy might look good in the dark fabric and the apron, the collar of Andy's shirt, in the white.

Is that too far overboard?

What do you think? Quilts? book bags? C&G Design

Felt Ornaments-Santa

I may of made a huge mistake with this one, I was planning color and I changed the traditional Santa to the jolly ole' blue guy. The theory was to "make him look as if he was wearing pajamas". I want a cardinal really bad, I figured, too much red in the set and the pj's would look okay. Well, hubby and madame have politely said.....need to be red.

So plan B. Plan B includes Mrs. Claus in a matching outfit, perhaps that will soften the effects of red to blue.

'Cept the cardinal was to be my 6th ornament. All my sets are based on 6 apiece. Maybe I can rethink......Ay, Iy, Iy.

He hasn't lost a thing especially eating a cookie. C&G Design.

Walking Doll Joints

Okay, beside the doll being nude....do you recognize the leg joints? I find this mechanism very intriguing. What makes it tick? Or walk? I should say.
My doll is from the fifties and its composition is hard plastic. Hard plastic maintains it's structure, color and shape, rough play is the only enemy. I can figure the walking joints are best installed in hard plastic.
The walking starts with the feet planted on the floor, tipping the doll slightly backwards creates a lifting of one leg. Children could play like this repeatedly for hours. Some walkers also have a mechanism that will move the head side to side while taking each step.
I haven't a clue how, nor have I ever seen the mechanising outside a doll's body. This side view is a little blurry but I thought it was a neat picture.
I wouldn't be able to retake it ever again. I've a nosey dog.

Here is a short snippet of the walking with me manually moving one leg.

I'll portray the doll at a later time. C&G Design.

Felt Ornaments-Wreath

Although I like this ornament I put it off for awhile, I had plans to do it after the Poinsetta Star, basicly because it's simple like the star. It didn't work out that way because I started being picky about the colors in each of the ornaments, I don't want too much red, too much green and so forth. I should know by now that once I start thinking "picky" I'm in trouble. I've since changed my mind about the selected ornaments I want to make. What to do now?

I'm pleased with the color of this wreath, a few french knots and we are ready for stuffing. That's the difficult part...rounded or narrow strips tend to need to be glued while stuffing, not glued then stuffed through a small open spot. The polyester tends to get in the way.

A ribbon, a hanger, and wa-la. C&G Design.