The Mod Podge - Mannequin Mandy Project



Here sits a mannequin I purchased last summer. For the past year, I have put several different outfits on the mannequin that either no longer fit me or NEVER fit. For this photo I stripped her naked for a ModPodge project .



I scanned a favorite blouse (Charlotte Russe brand: purchased @ a Thrift store about 6 years ago)

Also gathered different art work from wall paper, vintage prints and pictures from my camera.....

Forgot to take a pic of the brush used ...yet you get the idea....there wasn't a set order in paper placement. Applied the Modge Podge clue on both sides of the paper. Smoothed any bumps and then just let juices of my artistic journey go with the flow.....I felt a little out of sorts  while applying the glue in certain areas -as if I was violating my mannequin or something.....I decided to name her "Mandy" .......... 

Here are some random pics of "Mandy"

Postcards to Mandy can be sent to:
Mandy La Bella Luna
P.O. Box 1009
Jamul,CA 91935

The postcards will be scanned and featured in an upcoming blog with a free advertsing link to your website.

Here are little Mandy's I made with the excess prints....



Vintage Bantam U.S. Toys Teddy Bear with Rattle

Tried finding out more about this cute little Teddy Bear. The seller claims it was given to her Mother back in the 1940's? What do you think?  I couldn't find anything about my little teddy bear.

Had to pry it away from Julia (13) she wanted to play with it! I did the adult thing and cried NO MY BEAR! .......hee..hee.....

1922 White House Cook Book



Here is one of my latest finds ........

WHITE HOUSE COOK BOOK

by Hugo Ziemann (steward of the White House)
and Mrs. F. L. Gillette
This version is dated in 1922!



A photo of Frances Folsom Cleveland taken about 1886.  That was the year she married President Grover Cleveland in the first wedding ever held in the White House.  She was 21, he was 49 when they married.  





 The book is 90 years old so I have to be really gentle while taking pictures. There are so many amazing recipes and interesting menus:

MRS. CLEVELAND'S WEDDING LUNCH. JUNE 4th, '88.

• Consommé en tasse.
• Soft Shell Crabs.
• Accompanied by: Chateau Iquem.

• Coquilles de Ris de Vean.
• Snipes on Toast.
• Lettuce and Tomato Salade.
• Accompanied by: Moet & Chandon.

• Fancy Ice-cream.
• Cakes.
• Tea.
• Coffee.
• Fruits.
• Mottos.

 

Here are a few short recipes I picked out to try: 


MACARONI AND CHEESE.
Break half a pound of macaroni into pieces an inch or two long; cook it in boiling water, enough to cover it well; put in a good teaspoonful of salt; let it boil about twenty minutes. Drain it well and then put a layer in the bottom of a well-buttered pudding-dish; upon this some grated cheese and small pieces of butter, a bit of salt, then more macaroni, and so on, filling the dish; sprinkle the top layer with a thick layer of cracker crumbs. Pour over the whole a teacupful of cream or milk. Set it in the oven and bake half an hour. It should be nicely browned on top. Serve in the same dish in which it was baked with a clean napkin pinned around it.

NUNS' TOAST.
Cut four or five hard-boiled eggs into slices. Put a piece of butter half the size of an egg into a saucepan and when it begins to bubble add a finely chopped onion. Let the onion cook a little without taking color, then stir in a teaspoonful of flour. Add a cupful of milk and stir until it becomes smooth; then put in the slices of eggs and let them get hot. Pour over neatly trimmed slices of hot buttered toast. The sauce must be seasoned to taste with pepper and salt.

A recipe I could do without......ha! ha!
PIGEON PIE.
Take half a dozen pigeons; stuff each one with a dressing the same as for turkey; loosen the joints with a knife, but do not separate them. Put them in a stewpan with water enough to cover them, let them cook until nearly tender, then season them with salt and pepper and butter. Thicken the gravy with flour, remove and cool. Butter a [Pg 100]pudding dish, line the sides with a rich crust. Have ready some hard-boiled eggs cut in slices. Put in a layer of egg and birds and gravy until the dish is full. Cover with a crust and bake.







Old Recipe Book.com

Click to see more: The 609 page book, along with the recipes features  pictures of the presidents wives.

Yard Sales 101: Lara Spencer’s Tips for Decorating on a Budget

  

Yard Sales 101: Lara Spencer’s Tips for Decorating on a Budget: It’s true Lara Spencer really does “Brake for Yard Sales”….not to mention flea markets, thrift shops and, no, she’s not ashamed to admit it, even the occasional dumpster. Her passion is finding cheap vintage finds and transforming them into high-end interior design, often bringing them...


Check out her new book...I just ordered it through Barnes & Noble....can't wait!




I Brake for Yardsales

                                                            

Superman ......

Been in  school for the past 2 months and I must say...it's been a blur!Where is Superman when you need him ? I swear ,I blinked and February and now March literally passed me by. From being unemployed, managing a break up  & "downsizing" time has been faster than a speeding bullet! Going from a 4 bedroom house to a 2 bedroom condo has been more of an adjustment to say the least. Somewhat settled in,I am back on line and stronger than a locomotive ! Purchased a fresh box of batteries, dusting off the camera , I snapped the evening away! Taking photo after photo of my latest yard sale finds. Yet, during the move I somehow misplaced the "thingy" that downloads my pictures. Again, I ask, Where is Superman ? The actual technically term escapes me at the moment with the clock screaming 1:56am. Tomorrow is another day...am I the only one at the Daily planet who doesn't know how to properly move? Oh, Where is Superman ?I just found my favorite sweater and flat iron in a box marked "kitchen". I'm on spring break now. No Cancun or Palm Springs for this girl. Just some extra time to unpack. Who knows maybe I will find my tax paperwork before April 15th? Suuuupperman.... This mild mannered blogger could use a lift! Yes,it's good to be back!    

Just a Little Creativity

Just a Little Creativity



Wanted to introduce you to Molly ,a wife, mother of five, daughter, sister, friend. totally random and organized at the same time. thinker, processor, quiet, serious, moody, sarcastic& funny. Visit her blog to find found awesome projects and fun things for kids.   

Easy Distressed Paint Technique Vintage Chair Make Over

  

Modern Art Thumbprint Tree

Grandma Lupes Authentic Tamales-Indio Tamale Festival 2011

Grandma Lupe with Aunt Vickie & Aunt Leonora

 


 Indio, CA may be most famous for hosting the Coachella Music and Arts Festival every year, but it is quickly becoming the Tamale capital of the world. Roughly 100,000 people attended this year's Indio Tamale Festival, including Blue Ribbon Hunter's Allison Fishman.  The festival was buzzing with Mexican folk dancing, a lively tamale eating competition, and of course an array of eclectic flavored tamales that one could only dream of. Strawberry tamale anyone?



Grandma Lupe & Mother-in-law Mary

(Pictured here with her daughter,Mary, my mother in law & yard sale partner ).



The real star of the festival is Tito's 80 year-old Grandmother known by everyone in town as "Grandma Lupe". Maria Guadalupe Nuñez Calsada, emigrated to the United States from Mexico along with her husband in 1954 and recalls that then many people in this country didn’t know what a tamale was and they had to be taught that to eat one you had to remove the cornshucks



Click here to learn more about Allison Fishman

 Click here to see a little more on Grandma Lupe

If you ever make it out to Indio,CA the first weekend of December,it is a must see and taste!

 A Total Tamale Treat!



JACK GEORGE VERTICAL LAPTOP WHEELER -Milano Collection

This would have to be the best deal of all time in my yard sale adventures. Initially I didn't pay attention when the seller said the following:

Oh,my room mate isn't here yet she won't take less than $50! It was a gift and she didn't like the patent leather. "Yet,no one is looking at it so I will sell it for $15." I said are you sure? She said, yeah ,no problem. I saw the name "Jack George" which didn't flag any name brands in my,at times,fashion deprived mind. I loved how it rolled, the roomy feel and the clean look. I pondered for a second and shouted, I'll take it! Plus,the wheels were scratch free telling me it was never really used. I was happy to get such a bargain for something I could really use. To this day, it's my shadow. Instead of walking a dog, I walk my laptop wheeler. It's simply perfect for me.  
Putting my research in the back burner for several months, I just looked up my brief case.

 This is what I found:

The Patent Leather Collection from Jack Georges offers sleek and chic designs that will add modern day flair to any fashionista's wardrobe. Ever try to pull a wheeled laptop case through the aisle of an airplane’s cabin? Finally, with the Vertical Laptop Compatible Wheeler, you can carry your laptop, with up to a 15.4” screen, and fly with convenience and style!

Features:

• Available in Black
• Hand crafted from the finest Italian Patent Leather
• Jack Georges signature lining
• Nickel hardware
• Our Easy Access Organizer
• Large front pocket with a second organizer
• Zippered inside pocket
• Accordion divider
• Open back pocket for papers or travel documents
• Overall Dimensions: 15.5" H x 14" W x 6.5" D

            $389.00   !!!!!!

Takeaway:

Never let your room mate sell your stuff at a yard sale.

Simple Collage Ideas

Found  a few random pictures of myself dating from 1979 to 1984. Instead of putting them in frames, I placed them on memo boards creating a simple collage "change" in my work room...  

Vintage Hats



 Estate Sale Vintage Hats for Megan (click here to learn about Megan)




Love the big button



                                                    

Praying Mantis Hitches Ride on Steamer Trunk

 Had to share my new Blogger Buddie ,KJ of Junk Yard Gypsies recent post of a 
Praying Mantis Hitches Ride on Steamer Trunk



KJ



Click here to read the post of the  Praying Mantis

                                                                                 




 Click here to visit Junk Yard Gypsies  Eclectic Emporium of Vintage Collectibles and Clothing  store.