It’s fun to find something I think someone I know would like and give it to her/him for no reason.

So sweet, you always write such sweet stories.
Hope you have a Blessed Thanksgiving!

I had tears reading this lovely story! My husband and I had moved to a new area and I had met a few people. Unfortunately he was involved in a car accident and taken to the local hospital, but then life flighted to a large hospital in a major city. I had no idea how to get there (before GPS). I called a woman I had visited with a couple times and asked her for directions. She told me to get to her house and she would take me. What a blessing she was – and we remain friends to this day!

It is surprising that you would have this type of post when I had just recently gave a “giving plate” to my friend. It was given to me as a gift still in the box and had a recipe and ingredients to make sugar cookies for whoever I gave it to. I thought of my friend who has been so wonderful to us and made the cookies and passed it on to her. She as yet hasn’t passed it on. I will hint to her that it doesn’t have to be sweets, or even food for that matter. I love the idea and I have in the past made a food dish and gave the dish itself along with the food to people I care about. I also try to find gifts that are something the person will need or like really well. With Thanksgiving and Christmas close, this is my favorite time of the year. Thanks for posting, Nicole.

What a marvelous collection you’ve got. Thanks for sharing.

I love Moscow. My grandson plays football for the team. He loves Moscow.
I love your store.
We live in Northern California
Balboa Island Ca decorates like Moscow for all the holidays. Never seen another town that does until Moscow.
Love your site
Sandra

Loved the old vintage Halloween decorations! So cute…I loved the witch’s leg lamp that your aunt gave you…Your blog put me in the mood for Halloween. The chili recipe with pumpkin looks tasty….

I love your decorations, Nicole! And I agree, it’s the best time of year! I love everything about fall. The cool crisp air, fresh apples, mulled apple cider, Halloween, pumpkins… Thanks for sharing your recipe – I’m going to give it a try with a meat alternative!

I look so forward to reading your posts. I am a Texas girl with a New England heart. It’s our favorite vacation destination, always in the fall. Our last trip was 4 years ago. It’s been way too long!

Very wonderful decorating

Hi Nicole! Happy Fall and Halloween!
Your post got me in the mood to get out my fall decorations and start decorating! I love your vintage Halloween decor, too. You’re such a clever collector and decorator.
You’re also right about fall here in New England. It’s our reward for staying through winter! Your Pumpkin Chili sounds yummy, too. I’ve never heard of it. Must give it a try. 🙂
Stay cozy and warm!
xo
Deb

Just lovely!

I love your vintage collection. One of my sons has a Halloween birthday so after the grandkids go trick or treating we usually have pizza and ice-cream cake, or a special cake his wife makes. I think this year we will try your chili recipe. It sounds delicious!

Nancy

You did such a nice job decorating. Your collection is great. We have the pumpkin and cat light. It is on our desk. We have a few other vintage decorations. That house is so festive and looks so scary.. It sounds so nice how your neighbor celebrates Halloween. Thank You for sharing.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN
Joan,Marion and Marilyn

I love Halloween. Hope to do as you have done and decorate for it this year in my new home, which I haven’t been able to move into as yet but hopefully before Halloween. It is getting closer. I love what you have used. I also have a vintage sewing machine and I will copy your idea and use it also in my decorations. It is still hot in my area, but by Halloween it will cool off I am sure. So much to do and so little time. Old time movies are the best especially for Halloween. They also were more humorous than today’s picks. I watch a lot of older movies on TCM and I bet they will be airing some Halloween favorites soon if not already. Have a Happy Halloweenish time.

Need to try the pumpkin chili recipe. Never heard of it .love all the fall decorations and the dollhouse. Love all fall things. We go to a Amish fall festival and it is Apple fritters, Apple butter on fresh bread. All made fresh on site. Blue grass music, crafts wine tasting etc.Love it. Photos are great. Marlene

Where can I find a tractor sewing machine prefer red.
Thx
Jeanne

Sounds like a great time! Always enjoy your posts!

Your hard work has really paid off.
Gidget truly is a time capsule! And I love that it’s a family thing, too! What could be better than making new friends and lasting memories?
We survived another hot and humid, New England Summer and still had fun!
Here’s to cooler weather!
Farmgirl hugs,
Deb

Great blog and love picture of Kim and Pip!
Love, Mother

I LOVED all the pics…cant wait until me and my sweetie can go again in ours…Hopefully soon…I would love to go to a vintage camper rally..I loved the puzzle…and your furbaby is ADORABLE….we have two little furbabys that travel with us as well.. 🙂 Your camper is awesome…keep camping and having fun…And sharing with us too…Neta.

I am 73 and want a camper like yours. I have been wanting to camp out since I married 12 years ago. Finally I saw my hubby discreetly looking at the ads in our town for campers. I hope that there is more to it than looking lol. Loved reading your adventure.

You all have done a great job! Gidget is adorable!

What a great job. The vintage is to perfection. I love all the vintage. Enjoy.
Marilyn

Now all you need is your little Featherweight. Adorable.

Nicole,
You did a fantastic job on Gidget! I just love everything.

I LOVE the vintage camper! You have done an excellent job, and at low prices too!

Love the turquoise ! Everything looks just fabulous! It’s like a step into the past! Great job!

I love it!! She so cute. I have a 63 Scottsman that I am restoring. I still have a ways to go but I’m loving it. You can see my pics on my Facebook page Strange Art & Vintage Finds w/ Mary Jane. I named her Mary Jane after my favorite author and the man I bought it from was a pot head lol. I saved her. Hugs!!

Splendid! I drove past a used car lot down the street one day and saw a vintage Shasta on the lot for $3,000. I went back the next day to check it out with the idea of revamping it to it’s original state and the price had gone up to $13,000. It was not meant to be.

Oh my, that was so much fun! Being in my 60’s I saw so many things that were new and exciting when I was a girl! Now they are vintage…or are retro….YIKES!!! When did THAT happen??? Hahaha
Thanks for the trip down memory lane, girlie!
Hugs&Squeezles!
Judy

Nicole, I really enjoyed reading your post, as always, but summer is almost over, and autumn is just around the corner, and I am still looking for a camper or motor home for our use and to travel to NYS to see my brother and his family there. Would love to go glamping too, but so many obstacles in the way right now. Hopefully there will be one this fall or winter available for sale in our price range. I love Gidget. She is so cute. Back in the day when I was young and my parents would spend all summer at Yosemite camping out in tents. It was a blast too. I love the memories.

You have all outdone yourself! What a fun thing to do together as a family. She’s truly a blast from the past… Being a child of the 60’s I felt like I was stepping back in time… So many memories of everything retro… It’s so great to see you able to enjoy the fruits of your labor of love… Happy Camping!
Deb

I am just getting started on my 1964 Tear Drop
And you’re an inspiration to me!
Love ❤️ your beautiful trailer!!

Thank you for taking me along on my virtual Glamping trip. I still dream of having my own red and white vintage trailer someday. Love the vintage linens too.

I love your dollhouse!! I am impressed with how you made some of the small items! Enjoyed all the pictures. Love, Mother

Hi Nicole,
My own fondest memory does indeed include a dollhouse. But mine (in the late 40’s) was all metal with everything printed on the metal including rugs, etc. But even after ALL these years I can still picture it and remember what joy I had when I got it for my 9th birthday. You have done amazing work…..and all since May!
Well, all I can say is, “Wow”!

Nicole, THAT dollhouse is just simply AMAZING!!! I’ve not seen anything like it. WOW!
You have a lot of patience girl!
Thanks so much for sharing!
Hugs&Squeezles
Judy

Nicole, this is such a sweet post. I love how you’re always drawing inspiration from your childhood days. I feel like I could step inside each room and go about my daily routine. You’ve done a wonderful job of re creating that time. The era you have decorated in must be fun to find mini’s for! What fun there is also a community for doll house enthusiasts. Of course there would be!
I used to follow blogger Cynthia’s Cottage a few years ago when I first started blogging. Her style is cottage roses and her miniatures were/are so charming. Not your style, but beautiful all the same. Here’s the link for you just for fun! http://cynthiascottagedesign.blogspot.com/

Happy Summer Nicole!
Deb

Okay, I have a dollhouse story too. I was an only child until almost 12. My parents didn’t want to spoil me so I did not get everything I asked for. A dollhouse was once of those things. In junior high, during a shopping trip, I spotted a dollhouse on clearance and my mother bought it. It was a weird futuristic- looking thing with 3 oval rooms that fit together in various ways. All the furniture was the same weird colored see-through plastic. I don’t recall having dolls for it. I played with it for awhile but it was not a real dollhouse in my mind. In my 20s I subscribed to a kit club and made many pieces of furniture for a house I didn’t have. My first husband bought me a kit but I had a baby and never built the house. Fast forward many years and I visit Colonial Williamsburg’s Abby Rockefeller Folk Art Museum and found a whole room of antique dollhouses! My friend and I just drooled and proceeded to seek out a local shop and make several purchases of dolls and furnishings. When I got home I purchased a dollhouse kit. It took me 8 years of work, off and on, but I finished it about 5 year’s ago. It sits in my living room and it’s really a bit large but I love it. Now it has landscaping! I’m 62! I loved your story. Thank you!

Thank You for sharing. The dollhouse and the rooms are lovely and so realistic. You did such a great job. I am happy for you that you have a new dollhouse to decorate. Enjoy.
Marilyn

Oh my goodness! I’m so thankful y’all are ok and doing well. It will take time, GOD is with you, I will pray for your family and little dog. May the blessings be ❤

I loved the way you told your story. In the end, it is about all the loving people who come in and help. In a time, when everything seems so difficult, it was wonderful to hear your story and all the wonderful people who helped.

OMG, I am so sorry for all your problems. What crazy weather we have been having everywhere. So very glad you and your family and pets are all safe and sound. You are right, things can be lost and and replaced but family and loved ones cannot. The true spirit of America comes out when there is a crisis and your neighbors are proof of that. I hope that things get repaired quickly for you and life can go on for you. God Bless!

I am so glad you are alright and the family as well. Anything can happen to anyone at anytime. God is with you and yours!

Oh my, now that’s enough troubles for a long while. I was raised in tornado alley in Nebraska, so I appreciate how y’all were shaken. Isn’t it wonderful how neighbors and friends come together at these times. Hope puppy is well and the rest of your summer goes well. God bless.

Loved the blog. We lucked out when the storm did not take your family from us. It could have been a lot worse.

Prayers go out still today Nicole for your family of loved ones and a great big Thank You God for sparing your lives and prayers for the families of those who were lost in this horrific storm. Nature can be beautiful and horrifyingly brutal at times. We can not answer the ‘why did this happen’, but maybe it is to remind us all that there is good in this world in the people around us who are there to help us when it is needed. Your story was so authentic in its writing that I could almost be there experiencing it with you. Happy that little Pip is on the mend. I know our animals are scared silly of any loud noises and even rain on the roof scares my Allie cat. I am so glad that you had a place to get into like your basement and you made it in time. Maybe you can post your blog in July that you had for June before this storm. God bless all.

Thank you! I love this! You have inspired me to go junking to find my own ‘o-mats!

What a great article, Nicole. I remember those can openers that attached to the wall. They were great to use and I would use one today if I could find one, and the same goes for the ice crusher. Today’s models don’t always hold up as well as those models of yesteryear. And I would love to find a coffee grinder that worked as I like to grind my own coffee beans for coffee, the finer the better. I have an electric one but I used it to grind up spices. Gotta go junk-tiquing soon, now that the weather has become warmer.

Brought back memories of my kitchen in the ’60’s. You have found some good things with Andrea sounds like fun too! Must have left red ice crusher in Bellaire house when I sold it.
Love,
Mother

Nicole, I feel like your older sister. I also love vintage kitchen stuff. You should see my kitchen! Also, I notice you married a Danish man. I am a Christensen descendant and wonder if you or your husband are related to me?

AWESOME Love all the great finds. I love re-using the things fromthe past. Things were made so much more durable back then…made to last… all your finds made me smile. 🙂 Be Blessed. Neta

You’re right a smile for every “o mat”. You mentioned you haven’t hung your Slimline can opener yet, if I remember correctly, it is screwed to the wall through the plate on the back end and then swings out to use, and swings back to keep it out of the way. Hope that makes sense. Thanks for the smiles to start my day.

I bought the cutest tablecloth from the 50s and I live it. So bright and cherry.

After my mom passed away many years ago, I found a complete pieced quilt top that I remember my mother piecing with the church women. Fast forward 35 years….cleaning out drawers to repaint and there it was, wrapped in tissue, pristine. As a Christmas gift last year, I wrapped it and sent it to my sister from our mom. A very dear friend has completed that quilt as of February. It is amazing. And the quilt top is over 50 years old…awesome!

Hello Nicole,

There is a wonderful product you can get at quilt shops or online called Retro Clean. I have used it and it works magic if you follow the directions! I have saved so many vintage quilts, linens, and fabrics with water stains (from floods, etc.), rust stains, blood stains, etc. I testify it’s worth every penny. I’m just saddened they didn’t create it sooner to save so many lovely textile pieces that were tossed through out the years. Here in California it was $15.99 for the 16 oz. Package. http://www.retroclean.com
Thanks for your inspiring share!!!

Its fun to see all your vintage linens and hankies and how you use, care for and display them. Wish I’d kept a few of my ancestor’s things. Saw a pretty quilt idea making hankies into butterflies for each square. My friend is working on one with hankies her friends are sending her or she finds.

I also love collecting old linen and cotton tablecloths and napkin sets as well as crocheted handkerchiefs. They make the table look special, and using cloth
napkins is environmentally friendly and also makes the get together feel special.
Will keep an eye out for old quilts after your blog.

I too have several vintage linens, hankies from my great Grandmother, table clothes, pillow cases and dresser scarves that I did as a child, quilts from an Aunt and great Aunt. Thanks for tweeking my thinking, I love them but using them daily, guess I just take them for granted, no more. I’m going to get out some tatting lace, from great Grandmother and great Aunt, and make it into something, like trim for some towels for my ladies wash stand I use in my bedroom (it is part of a bed set from my Grandparents) they got it in 1910 as a wedding gift. Whew I got windy about all of this, thanks again for the super writing and great pictures. God bless.

Nicole, these are very beautiful pictures. My mother, your grandmother, had beautiful linens, crocheted doilies and bedspread, but I do not have any of them. I love the vintage hankies you gave to me.
Love you,
Mother

So appreciate the vintage inspiration! In the farmhouse, I’m more of an antique/prim/old-fashioned gal, but with the new camper I’ve come to love looking for vintage finds to spruce her up. I came across some embroidered tea towels for a song at a fun shop, and stitched them across some toss pillows to help them fit better into the retro camper look…thanks again for the inspiration!

Nicole, I love your vintage collections. I too have been a collector of hankies, scarves, tablecloths, runners, oh and I found a great find at an estate sale on vintage linen calendars…about 20 or more of them for 10cents each… I love them. I was lucky and had the year my husband and i got married, found the years of both my sons births, and some other fun years….I too tie hankies on my train cases, on my vintage handbags, and at one time I had tons of vintage gloves but I ended up selling those since I didnt wear them enough..I love my vintage table cloths I change them out quite often usually weekly, I have so many and I like to use them..I use the larger ones for curtains to hide things on shelves sometimes…loved the post…be Blessed. Neta

It looks like you all had a great time!

Fabulous castle. Please revisit in the spring and post pictures. Would love to see it in the sunshine. Most google it.

Thank you for this fabulous entry which made me very nostalgic for Connecticut (the state I grew up in)!

Looks like a ” fun” time! Beautiful area…Makes me want to go there!!! Thank You for your rainy day “tour”…

I love castles, thanks for sharing!! WoooHoot the fireplace sitter is scrumptious. Thanks for ‘tripping’. God bless.

Very good blog. I love the pictures. Love you,
Mother

Loved this road trip adventure you and your family went on. I love castles too, and the spookiness of them. So glad you took it and shared it with us. I love road trips too. Can’t wait for Spring and hope you make it back there and do the tour. What a lovely time you have shared with us. Thanks so much.

I just love spur of the moment off the beaten path adventures. And what a great find..I know you will put to good use. Waiting for the warmer spring days full of sunshine and flowers. Neta

I love, love, love this post Nicole! I’ve had it on my mind the last little while that I really miss receiving hand-written letters and then I quickly had to remind myself that in order to receive then I need to SEND some! 🙂 And so your post is a good reminder that I need to do that immediately. Maybe I will start slow… like one a week or something.

I love the journal that you and your daughter are sharing. What a fabulous idea and I think that I am going to start that with my grand-girls. What a keepsake that will be for your daughter.

My all-time favorite classes in high school were Home-Ec (thats no surprise!) and Typing! I LOVED my typing class. We had manual typewriters and I loved mine so much… I remember the day that we were switched out to electric and it was amazing how my speed improved! 🙂

Great memories, Nicole! Thanks so much for your post.

Hugs,

Dori, Ranch Farmgirl friend! xo

I still enjoy mailing out cards for holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, etc…and I have kept all that I did receive since I’ve been married many years ago. Sometimes I regret having internet, as that is how most want to communicate nowadays, but I realize that without it, I would not hear from anyone otherwise. I too long for some of the simpler times of hand written letters, something tangible to reread, an old friend, like a favorite novel from years past.

Thank you for this post. I’m with you, in that I enjoy very much the modern and fast ways of communicating. I can’t imagine having to wait for weeks or months, for a letter from my daughter or son that they made it across the country via a wagon train!! And I love my laptop and tablet, washer and dryer, and heavens I need my vacuum!! But handwritten notes and letters are still a wonderful thing to receive. They are so personal and just make you feel special.

ah, so very true!

Great blog!! With Christmas in our, not so distant past, I reflectd on how few Christmas greetings we received, makes me sad. SO I have already started on my, ‘ a year in the life at our home’, by keeping notes. Now, I’m sure my notes will need to be edited but cards/letters will be sent this year. I am excited for this to be and yes they each will be hand written. Thanks for this blog. God bless.

I tell you what…January is a hard month for me because my mailbox is not as fun to check! This past December, I received 75 Christmas cards. I hang them all in the large “door frame” between my dining room and living room. I keep them up until at least February, sometimes later. My birthday is in August and I usually get at least 10-12 cards that I place on my mantle. I just love it. I quit Facebook 5 years ago and my friends know how much I cherish their cards and letters. My five year old loves to make cards with me. They’re nothing fancy, but give me a chance to write a little letter to let someone know I’m thinking of them. And yes, I have kept many letters from mama, daddy and my grandparents and I love spending a rainy day going through old letters.

Ooh, good post. I absolutely love sending, writing, and recieving letters! Thanks for the challenge! I’ll be sure and try it! 🙂

Hadassah <3

OH, Nicole, I loved this post. I miss getting letters also. My cousin thanked me in a Christmas card she sent for sending her a Christmas card with my signature and a note inside. She said it is rare to get those and she misses the letters and notes and cards also. I have about 10 years worth of my mom’s letters that I have put in a binder inside sleeves to keep them from harm. We did genealogy research and she always let me know what she would find and I did the same for her so we did a lot of letter writing. I remember one sister-in-law who lived out west and we would write the longest letters back and forth telling each other all about what we were doing and who we got to visit and even if we cleaned house on a certain day and what we accomplished in trying something new. I so looked forward to those days when the mail would arrive with a letter and it would be a special day for me. I do so miss writing and being written to. I always send Christmas cards and I try to remember everyone’s birthday or anniversary and send them cards, but people move so much and with FB they just forget about updating a person on their new addresses. Instant (sort of) communication. I even miss the telephone conversations which we don’t have as much now with FB and Twitter. People are growing so far apart that a commercial on TV says, to four people in the room ” You could put down your cellphones and talk to each other.” Their reply was, laughter. That is sad.

I wholeheartedly concur with your thoughts on the matter of letter writing. I have kept all my correspondence from family and friends. They act as a touchstone and remind me of the day to day and special times in my life. I am also from Connecticut, in the Quiet Corner. This winter has been a challenge, especially due to the constantly changing weather. I’ve spent some time re-reading those old letters and thinking about what an entire generation is going to miss out on because cursive writing is not taught anymore. They will not be able to read vintage documents, love letters, “bread and butter letters”, advertisements, antique maps; the list is endless. So, I decided to do something about it. This spring I will be teaching a free cursive writing course at my local library. I don’t know how many people will attend, but I will be there spreading the word about the joys of cursive. Thanks for your post. Your viewpoint is always appreciated.