Studs

Studs Terkel 1912-2008
Studs Terkel was one of my heroes. He was an insightful writer who wrote about the real regular working Joe, he stood up for the protection of civil liberties and equal rights. He is what I would describe as a "Good American". He did an excellent op-ed piece for the New York Times last year at the age of 95. Studs was blacklisted from television in 1953 after refusing to give evidence to Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee. It is striking how relevant his story is today, fifty years after the fact. I loved listening to rebroadcasts of interviews Studs did with Artists like Mahalia Jackson, Louis Armstrong and Bob Dylan. I think I'm going to have to find my copy of "Working" and read it one more time.

The Blob

When I was in first grade I watched the Blob on televsion twice in the same day. I don't know where my parents or siblings were, I'm sure busy some where else in the house. I sat alone and terrified infront of the TV watching the scariest movie I had ever seen and then amazingly sat through it again, not a very bright child!!!! I have not been able to watch this film since that frightening day 100 years ago.
What is the scariest movie you've ever seen?

Join the Revolution!! Ki Nassauer, Country Home contributing editor, founder of JunkMarket, and now, Junk Revolution is officially getting her online store underway! Keep checking in with her website as she works to expand it to include valuable tips and inspiration. Beginning November 10th, wonderful junk items will be available to purchase for yourself or the fellow junkers in your life. To get to know Ki better, follow her along on some of her junking jaunts, and to learn more about the history of her business over the years, check out her blog: http://junkcamp.blogspot.com/

I'm It!

I've been Tagged: A game of 6 unique things.

I was tagged by Shabby Vintage Mom
The rules are simple, when you get tagged you must:

~ Link to the person who tagged you.
~ Mention the rules.
~ Tell six quirky yet boring, unspectacular details about yourself.
1. I grind my teeth to powder every night.
2.I was cut from Oprah's show with guest Martha Stewart about 7 years ago. A Producer from Oprah's show came to my home and videotaped my craft closet. Martha was unveiling a craft armoire, I was sure I was going to be given one. I practiced my surprised reaction for a week. I bought an expensive DKNY suit just for the show. My Sister and I were picked up in a limo and brought to the Harpo Studios. Martha did a few cooking segments and waiters brought food out to the audience to sample,but I was too nervous to eat anything. Martha showed some dopey woman how to fold sheets and then gave her a set of towels and sheets. I had the flop sweats for an hour, my mouth was so dry I could have swallowed my tongue. During the last commercial break the Producer came over to me and told me that my segment was being cut due to time. I was given a copy of Martha's magazine, which I already subscribed to.
3.I could eat a million Rice Krispie treats even though they tear up the roof of my mouth.
4.I moved 13 times before the age of 18.
5. My Dad was a Nuclear Physicist. I think he wondered if there had been a mix up at the hospital when I was born.
6.I was an extra in movies shot in Chicago in the late 80's.

Tumble Fish Studio

Look at the amazing gift I recieved today from the very talented collage artist and Etsy shop keeper Marsha Jorgensen!!!
She just recently started blogging and is stocking up her esty store for a Thanksgiving opening. Her collages are lovely and playful, please check them out on her blog Tumble Fish Studio. I am overwhelmed with gratitude. Marsha sent this wonderful gift as some type of thank you, I'm not quite sure I am deserving of it. I marvel at the work of talented people like Marsha and I am amazed that they aren't gushing with confidence! Please tell her how wonderful her work is.
Collages by Marsha Jorgensen, Tumble Fish Studio, 2008
Thank you Marsha!!!!

Blogapalooza

I signed up for Blogapalooza with travel writer Angela K. Nickerson at her blog "Just Go!" to write about my scariest travel story. I thought this would be a piece of cake, then I sat at the computer with absolutely nothing coming to me. I called to Mr. Man and he didn't have any suggestions, he actually said we've never had any travel nightmares! Wow, could this be? We've done tons of traveling with two children without any mishaps. I could think of plenty of scary traveling stories from when I was a child. My daughter walked in the den and I asked her if she had any memories about traveling misadventures. Oh, yeah tons she said. How about the time Deke had to go to the emergency room in Horse Cave, Kentucky or when he got his head stuck in a chair at the Alice in Wonderland tea party at Disney World. The time our car broke down in Nowhere, Pennsylvania and we had to ride in a tow truck for two hours or the time she threw up salt water taffy all night in Mackinaw. How about the time in Paris when you complained that the sheets in the folding bed hadn't been changed from the previous guest and we had to listen to the apartment manager yelling about us from her apartment all night? Finally she said, "Mom, an easier question would have been do I have any memories of traveling when we haven't had any nightmares? No!"
I had truly forgotten about all of these things, I guess that's why we still go on trips.

Please check out Angela's blog she has three giveaways!!!
(can you tell I just figured out how to link from my post???)

Junkin' My Pumpkin

I would cover my children in bottle caps if they would sit still long enough. I love vintage bottle caps and I thought they would look great on my white pumpkin. Please check out Ki's Junk Camp and Linda's Restyled Home in my favorites for other pumpkin decorating ideas!

Polka Dotaliscious

Click on cake for super cake-a-vision shot!!!!

Tema

This is my niece Tema, she hates wearing her hair like this but she did, just to make her old Aunt Linda squeal with delight. The poor child gets accosted by me every time she walks in to my house, she's pretty squishable!!!

School Dress

Click on image for a better view.

My new assemblage using vintage school photos, flash cards and a vintage slip.

Brrrr

It's cold in Chicago!!!! It's time to move the balls out of the fireplace and replace them with logs.

Ruler Art

I guess I'm in a ruler and pencil mood. I still need to add more doodads and epherma, but I'm enjoying using office supplies as my canvas.

Ruler Chair

I have been collecting vintage rulers so I could use them for wainscotting, but after seeing this adorable ruler chair I am rethinking the wainscotting plan. I am a big fraidy cat when it comes to power tools, so I would have to tackle my fear and start hacking up the rulers. At least measuring the wood will be easy! I shall enjoy all ten of my fingers in the meantime.

Primitive Bird Houses

I am drawn to very primitive birdhouses, I like their clean lines and minimal decoration. I found the tall birdhouse at an antique sale. Something comes over me at these sales, perhaps it's adrenaline but I carried this hefty house all day long. The long birdhouse is from the flea market, coats tend to get hung from the nail perches. This was another cumbersome purchase to lug around.

MLK

One of my favorite books is Stride Towards Freedom by Martin Luther King Jr. This is an assemblage I did using his prison photo and his wonderful book.

Our Home

Zen Crafter asked if the beautiful mansion in my Halloween post was actually our home. We live in a much more modest abode as you can see. If we didn't have such heinous winters in Chicago I would say this is the most perfect place on earth! We can walk to the sandy beaches of Lake Michigan, the train station, a quaint little shopping area with a sloppy joe restaurant and a weekly farmer's market. We can hear the music from Ravinia Music Festival from our backyard during the summer and some of the most wonderful museums are a short train ride away. My kids have trick-or-treated at the homes of Michael Jordan and Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins). The best part of living here is the annual spring trash pick up! People throw away the most wonderful furniture in the spring. I have a friend who has furnished every room in her home with chandeliers that she retrieved from the curb. I gave my sister a set of beautiful wrought iron patio furniture that I rescued from the garbage truck! I have to remember to feel grateful for all of this in January when it is 20 below zero with 40 mile per hour winds.

My 100th Post

Thanks so much for all of your lovely comments! I am down right giddy when I see that some one has left a comment on my blog, I am so grateful that you stop by and say hello.
The winner of the the random drawing Grand Prize Giveaway is Cha Cha!!!!

Not As Gross In Color

These don't look quite as awful in color. I now understand why I never find vintage photos of food, just beautiful illustrations. Don't forget to leave a comment below to enter the Grand Prize Giveaway!!!!

Halloween Soiree and 98th Post Giveaway

Welcome to our little Halloween soiree...



Spiders add crunch and spice to the pumpkin soup!
Party favors for everyone!

Who knew food looked so awful in sepia? The apple tart looks like cauliflower, scary and creepy!!!

Please enjoy the pumpkin soup with spicy spiders, the apple tart, and spider web cupcakes. Don't forget to take home your little white pumpkin, beaded spider, sparkly silver wand and mask.
Please check out all of the other Halloween posts at A Fanciful Twist in my favorites. A great big thank you to Vanessa for orchestrating this world wide spooktacular.

I can't believe this is my 98th blog post and I just started blogging in July '08. I am so grateful to everyone for stopping by and reading about the mundane minutia of my life. I have made some incredible friends and have been so inspired by your blogs and creativity! Because I am afraid that no one will come back to read the 100th post, I am doing a 98th post GIVEAWAY!!! The GRAND PRIZE is a treasure chest full of vintage beauties and wonderful surprises. Please leave a comment on this post and I will draw the lucky winner on Wednesday, Oct. 22nd. Thanks for coming and have a happy Halloween!!!
Your Pal,
Linda

The Chicago Botanic Gardens

These are my daughter's photographs from the Botanic Garden just a few minutes from our home. They look like they are from different seasons and different geographical areas, but they are from the Gardens on the same day last week. I started giving my kids camera when they were two years old, we would often photograph the gardens or buildings in Chicago. It didn't occur to me at the time that babies don't take photographs. When I see the pictures I took of them during these jaunts I am shocked to see how little they actually were. We always had fun and we have loads of pictures of the ground and their pointer fingers in front of the lens. LuLu is now 14 and loves to take photographs!

***I am participating in A Fanciful Twist's Halloween Bash, so visit on the 18th for the party!!!

Chain Nose People???

I have no clue what to call this collection. I don't know if there is an official name for these hand held games where you change the shape of a person's nose. I have always thought it would be cool to have our family portrait done this way, a simple silhouette drawing of the four of us, with chain noses.

Natalie's Friend Billy

One of my dearest friends is the ever so talented Natalie West. Natalie is one of the most amazing people, a wonderful Mom, excellent junk shopper, talented actress, and one of the most generous people I have known. I have been friends with Natalie for 9 years, we have gone junk shopping and eaten at our favorite taco dive a million times. Natalie will occasionally tell me interesting stories about her days with the Remains Theater in Chicago and her years on the Roseanne Show. I have heard her mention her friend Billy over the years, she went to see Billy's play on the East Coast, Billy is doing a T.V. show. I discovered just yesterday that her Billy is C.S.I.'s William Petersen after reading an article written by Rick Kogan for The Chicago Tribune. When Annie Leibovitz met Mr. Man and LuLu at the American Girl Store, I told Natalie about it. Apparently, years ago Annie photographed Natalie, Roseanne and Laurie Metcalf for the cover of T.V. Guide! Again, I didn't find this out for years!!! If I had something cool happen to me you would know about it in the first three minutes of talking to me. I would sell t-shirts with the photo from T.V. Guide to Mom's waiting to pick up their kids from school. I would also wear a sandwich board that reads "I worked with George Clooney". I may wear one that reads "I know someone who worked with George Clooney", I am so not cool!

Water Color Paint Tins

I just recently started collecting vintage water color paint tins. I love the graphics and they look adorable as a group. The wonderful thing about collecting water color tins is that they are extremely affordable and pretty easy to find.

The Original Ugly Dolls

Barbie and Mao Tse-Tung go to the prom
Sammy and Lillies of the Valley Kiddle take care of their baby, Marty Feldman

When I was 10 years old I started making dolls for my younger sister. I would use old clothes for the materials, my Mom's pantyhose for the stuffing, and usually the eyes were old buttons. I always had the intention of making cute dolls, but they never quite turned out that way. My sister ended up with Marty Feldman,Sammy Davis Jr. and Mao Tse-Tung dolls playing with her Raggedy Ann and Andy. Sadly, these dolls have been lost over the years. I am afraid that if I tried to recreate these dolls today I would end up making something cute.

Gum Wrapper Garland

Click on photo for a better view


I found this gum wrapper garland yesterday at the Volo Antique Mall. It is so colorful and I marvel at how long this must have taken to make, not to mention the amount of gum they had to chew! I hate the saying "trash to treasure", but if anything ever deserved that label this gum wrapper garland would.

Thank You

Michelle Mayer passed away on Saturday, October 11th at 3:30pm. My deepest sympathy to her two children and her husband, Bill. She was so very generous in sharing her life with the world and teaching us how to live and die with grace.

Lucky

I just finished this pencil assemblage. This has been a rather sad week, a Mom from my daughter's school passed away from a brain tumor and Michelle Mayer (in my favorites) is coming to the end of her 12 year battle. Even though I feel such sadness, I feel so lucky that my family is well.