Vintage office pencils and hallmark paper finds from estates

I've been lucky and have uncovered some fun office and paper finds at estates lately.  A Gevalia coffee box was full of old pencils and pens and Dennison labels, and then I ran across a sale that had tons of new old stock Hallmark invitations and stationery.  Lookee!

Do you know how to play Canasta?  It's a game of rummy that is played with two decks of cards, and there are several ways to play depending on how many players you have.  I don't know how to play, but these old playing cards are going to be great for Christmas Project Life pages.

I almost squealed when I found this box of new old stock stationery and the invitations and cards above and below.  But instead, I parked my rear in the floor and went through it all, and here's what I chose.  I believe most are late 1960s, but some did not have copyright dates on them.  One of these days I'll figure out how to date Hallmark.

Dennison labels are always on my list, and these were kind of dusty, but look how cool they are.  Christmas ideas once again.  Don't you think?

Here's why I tell you to search the garage.  These two tins for typewriter ribbon were in a garage with nails in them.  Sweet.  I'll add them to the shop with bits of ephemera soon. The Blaisdell pencils are almost a full box of those wax wrapped pencils.  I remember seeing them at my grandma's and I always liked peeling the paper off.  They are used to mark on glass and china, but I always wrote straight on the note pad at the telephone table.

Remember these eraser pencils with the brush on them?  I never could figure out how in the world to use them, so I did a bit of research.  The end of the pencil erases and the brush sweeps away the dust.  Who knew?  I always thought the brush was supposed to erase. Haha.

The Scripto business pencils you see with the eraser pencils are from a government office.  They are the same color as the barrel, but a very bold tip.  These will be fun to use! I can't find a date on the instruction sheet, either.  Gosh...I wish they knew back then that somebody would want to know someday!  And that pretty Pink Pearl wax pencil is from Eberhard Faber.  Katie has claimed it but for now it's hidden away.  Do you remember playing with any of these?

Hope your weekend has been grand.  I've had a bit of sad times around here and that has pushed my launch of the Kid Vintage Craft series back a week.  I'll see you Friday, though, with the first one.  Just need some great light to photograph, and it looks like a beautiful week is in store here. As always, thanks for reading and for letting me share my finds!

Memory Keeping Disneyland Style: 7 Tips for Your Visit

Hello there!  I had grand plans to blog from Disneyland this past week, but the excitement and the magic of the whole experience took the front seat this time.  If you've been there, you know what I'm talking about. It's been about 30 years for me, so it was all new again. Wow!

I'll share the whole trip with you in a few parts, but I thought I would start with the most important, especially for those that haven't been in a while or don't go often...how to keep up with everything that happens so you don't forget being at the happiest place on earth.  Because it really is. 

You'll remember that I made a mini book out of a 1970 postcard book from Disney that I found at an estate sale.  I can tell you right now that it is not NEAR enough room to house everything I kept, remember, wrote, etc.  It's going to take a full Project Life album to keep it all together.  However, that little book will be very cute on my desk at work with wallet sized prints of our trip! 

Here are some tips from a Disney newbie for keeping up with the all of the experience. I know the photos below are going to look a lot alike, but bare with me.  You won't want to miss this story. 

1.  We used four cameras.  That sounds like a lot, right?  But, we took a point and shoot, our two iPhones, and then Disney has a photo pass service that uses a card they scan and you can look your photos up online and purchase.  They aren't cheap, but they are good.  Having four perspectives was awesome. 

2.  We didn't buy an autograph book for Katie, but we did have the princesses and characters either sign on their postcard page from the 1970 book or on a page from the mini book.  They loved looking at and signing the old postcards as much as we did, and Tiana was especially proud of New Orleans from the 70s.  I bet she wasn't even born then...ha.  If you can find something vintage for them to autograph, it's a pretty neat keepsake.  I'll have vintage Disney ephemera in my shop when it launches next week! Yay!

3.   I wasn't very good at writing down little moments, and I wish I had been better, but I will get them down in the next day or so.  Most are still pretty vivid.  If nothing else, pack a little notepad and a pen or Sharpie in your backpack.  It's super hard to stop and write it all down while you are there, but you might have a few minutes while you wait in lines.

4.  There are all kinds of little things that you will miss at first or miss altogether, like taking a picture of the sign declaring the park "the happiest place on earth."  I waited until it was too dark and missed it.  Keep an eye out and hopefully you will catch a few shots to add to your book.

5.  I went a little overboard in keeping EVERYTHING.  Down to the last receipt and to the point of wanting to cut up the Starbucks cup I had tea in at the new one in the park.  William said that was ridiculous, but, hey, it had Starbucks AND Disney on it.  I was starstruck.  (Side note:  I also took pictures of our hotel and kept their super cool business card with the old photo of the original place on the front. More on that later)

6.  DO keep your park tickets, parking passes, maps, and photo passes.  They fit perfect in PL pages, and they are covered in all things Disney.    We kept two of each map from each of three days.  They changed each time, mainly because we were also there for the Halloween party and parade.

I bet you're wondering when I will tell you about our magical experience, right?  Here we go.  The lines. One thing I will say, is that Disney has organization down to a science.  The lines might be long, but the wait times are pretty true to life, and we were never disappointed for waiting.  That being said, don't pass up a line and pass up an awesome experience in turn.  We were last in line to see Cinderella. And, guess what happened?  Read on.  Magic.

There is usually a cast member at the end of each line to meet a character that helps direct traffic and also ends the line when time is almost up.  Cinderella didn't have one that day, so she asked William to politely let the other families know that we were the last family she would greet at that time.  He did, and it was terrible to turn away little girls waiting to meet her.  So...

We got to her, last in line, and she signed our little book on a "Wishes" page.  She thanked us for helping her and said, "Could I take your little princess for a walk?"  I almost burst into tears.  She took Katie by the hand and walked her through the Town Square, and had a little chat with her.  Other little children would wave and shout hello to her...she would wave back...and turn immediately back to Katie and continue walking with her.  I don't know how many pictures William and I took of them walking together from behind...we stayed back and let Katie have that moment...and didn't hear what they said.  But we sure did recognize the voice.  At the end, two hugs and a farewell...

And we have it captured on our three cameras, plus a photo at the beginning from Disney's photo pass.  So I don't feel one bit bad for using them all.  I may not be able to tell you what Cinderella said to Katie, but I can tell you how magical it was, and I bet Katie will fill in the details for me as I document them in our book. 

7.  The last tip I have for you as far as keeping things is getting them home if you fly.  I used a simple folding shopping bag from our souvenir purchase to house all my paper things.  Keep it folded, slide them in, and you have pretty sturdy protection to keep them from getting torn, folded, etc.  And it fits in your backpack just fine.  All of the little bits are home safe and sound and ready to be put in a book!  

What magic have you come home with from Disneyland?  What did you keep and what did you toss?  Did I leave anything out that you did and were so happy to have a little snippet to share? 

What's coming up this summer...on the blog!

I'm so glad to be back here again, and I hope this jump start will give me the momentum to keep my blog running smoothly from now until, well, a very long time.

Here is what I have planned to journal:

1.  Vintage Cake of the Month:  I'm reading the book, Vintage Cakes, and I thought it would be fun to bake one or two each month and offer to share it with friends on Wednesday evenings on my newly decorated patio.  I found the copy of the this book at my local library; you might check there, too, if you want to bake along.

2.  Apartment Life in the Summer:  the pool, the projects, and living the summer in a small space.  I am hoping to save money and find more to do here rather than spend my time doing too much shopping this season.  Sorry, Target.

3.  Pillowcase of the Week:  And my bed, deconstructed.  William and I love to go see what's under all those comfy blankets and linen on the beds at Pottery Barn (don't you?), and we fell in love with the dreamy beds we slept in at Bed and Breakfast stays.  So, one plan I have this summer is to recreate those beds, piece by piece, on the cheap, and finish the summer off with a cozy little nest for winter.  In the meantime, vintage pillowcases are one of my very favorite things, and I use them on my bed every day.  I'll share them with you. 

4.  Katie's Thrift Finds:  I thought it would be fun to share what my little mini-me picks up at the thrift when we go.  You'll be surprised at what she finds!

5.  Furniture Makeovers:  We still have a few pieces that we brought with us to the new place that need a facelift. 

6.  Project Life:  I'm jumping in head first.  Using Studio Calico kits and some things I have in my own stash. 

7.  And so much more randomness that you expect from me anyway...  

This blog is a little bit about everything, and there is no other way to put it.  Thanks for stopping by!