Plan Z

This is a quote that I live by: If plan A didn’t work, the alphabet has 25 more letters.” – Unknown. The title should tell you all about my day! 😉 Onward and upward friends.

One thing that didn’t go sideways today is my little dog, Kokopelli. He never fails to make me laugh:

This is one of his toys, No Drama Llama. Koko spends a LOT of time grooming his llama. Originally, Llama’s head, neck, and feet were smooth material, but with grooming, those parts of him are now corduroy. Koko does this by clicking his teeth together over the fabric, or grooming. All of his toys look like this; see for yourself with his blue heart toy in the background. I’ve been around dogs all my life and I’ve never had a dog obsessively do anything like this. He runs, barks, plays, walks just like all of my other dogs, but I think he secretly wants to be a crafter.

Now if this crafter just wanted to groom their toys, the world would be a better place:

It’s sort of sad/funny that the thrift store stuck the tag to this poor baby’s forehead. It would have been easy to attach a tag with a plastic thingie through the crochet. On the other hand, the tag on the forehead doesn’t really hurt the dolly’s appeal, either. She is one of those dolls that sit on your pillow at the head of your bed. I thought we agreed that that wouldn’t be a thing anymore!

Oh dear, I remember these pictures from many a year ago:

It’s a bit hard to see, but this is a 3D picture made by pasting a number of the same figures and items on top of each other. I think that people used to buy multiple greeting cards to achieve the effect. Here’s a sideways angle to show it better:

That’s a lot of work for an insipid piece of artwork. It’s not awful; it’s just not something I want to look at every day. I’m not sure that the 3D effect is worth it, or elevates the subject matter. I have to report that it was gone soon after, so the notion that art is subjective is true.

What the actual heck?

I’ve heard that sometimes turkey can be dry and tasteless, although as a vegetarian, I cannot confirm. I’m not sure at what point an inflatable turkey is preferable. B.H. is outraged by the implication that the turkey’s weight would change with inflation, unless you use helium. I suppose for a stage play, an inflatable turkey would be better than a real, actual, cooked turkey, but how often do set designers face this problem?

At least they have a sense of humor about the whole thing with the display festively instruction. Judging by the turkey’s size next to the face on the can, it’s more like a chicken than turkey. Again, I’m not the best judge of how big a turkey really is, but I remember them being much bigger than this!! Such a strange product; we have never seen an inflatable main course before. I did a Google search and couldn’t find this one, although Archie McPhee has an inflatable bird that comes in a box and looks bigger. The nutritional label is at least amusing:

We have seen some really pretty china patterns at the thrift store, again:

This is Melody, by Style House, made in Japan and sold by Montgomery Ward. There are lots of really lovely patterns in the Style House line, and this is one that you see a lot. ( Kathy here: This is my MIL’s china pattern, so I tend to notice it! ) I don’t remember there being many Montgomery Ward stores near us while growing up, but we had their catalog. We kids would pore over the toys, just like we would with the Sears Christmas catalogs. Don’t laugh, but entertainment was a lot simpler then! It goes without saying that we do not recommend putting an inflatable turkey on something this charming.

I got a couple of fun craft patterns from my S-I-L, Dorothy. She remembers her dad coming home from work with these brochures:

These have to be from the 1960s, although there are no dates on them. It cracks me up that GM Employee Relations staff think that after working at least 40 hours per week, that their employees are just dying to take on a project. I’m kind of intrigued by corner cabinets, but this one is a bit primitive; the designers agree since it’s called a pioneer corner cabinet made of knotty pine.

The wooden awnings might come in handy with the outdoor temps increasing in the summer—shading a window could be a game changer. My 1950s house was made with a large roof overhang that shades the windows during the hottest part of the day. It sure keeps my house cooler, so I can attest to shade = cooler.

There are two more:

The wooden lawn chair is actually a rocker and looks pretty comfortable. It might be a booger to paint or stain, but it looks like a relaxing place to sit with an ice tea and good book.

The cornices for over the windows are so Sixties style. I’ve seen them covered with the same wallpaper that decorated the walls, or with the curtain fabric. I like them most stained or painted a complementary color; that’s a less formal design. If you’re a collector like Kathy and me, you have to maximize your display spaces and this is a pretty easy way to do that.

If you would like a scanned copy of any of these patterns, just email me at thesecondhandroses@gmail.com and I will scan and send them off to you! Our last giveaway of the year!

Thanks for all of your kind comments and attention over the past year. The only reason we keep doing this is because of our readers—you all are the best! Happy New Year!!