These Aren’t Your Mother’s Doilies!

by Sandy // July 26, 2018 // 13 Comments

I have always been drawn to vintage linens. To me, they make things feel comfortable. The work that went into them is astonishing. In the 60s, every house we went to had doilies on every surface: lamp tables, dressers, sofa arms, and even toilet tanks. They were crocheted, tatted or embroidered and ironed crisply. Some were “sugared” and dried into ruffles. Sadly, you don’t see doilies in many people’s houses anymore. It’s an art that’s slipping away.

Vintage linens are one of the easiest, inexpensive and versatile things you can collect. There’s a multitude of vintage linens at just about every thrift store, antique mall, flea market and yard sale. They were well used and laundered often so don’t be deterred by stains, holes and tears. I think it adds charm, but if you don’t like things worn, no worries. Tea staining adds a nice patina and camouflages stains. Holes and tears can be embroidered over or just pieces of it can be used to create magical one-of-a-kind treasures.

Take a look at these creative, charming and fun ways to use or repurpose vintage linens. These examples were found on Pinterest, a great source of inspiration!

DISPLY THEM

I’m not talking about the way our Mother’s displayed them. I’m talking about making them a centerpiece. Put them in a bowl or jar. Just stack them. Or hang them from a ladder or repurposed crib rail.

FRAME THEM

You can easily put a doily or 2 in a frame and hang them on a wall or use it as a tray.

(You can use the right arrow on the pictures below to forward through some creative ways to display your favourites. Feel free to click on a picture for more information.)

STUFF THEM

You can still use them on your sofa, but instead of just laying them on the arms, try adding them to a pillow cover or making a pillow out of hankies, dishtowels or tablecloths.

CONNECT THEM

Stitch a few doilies together to make a unique and charming table runner.

COVER A TABLE

Not a fan of table runners? Feel free to add a few to a tablecloth or make a tablecloth out of a mix of vintage linens.

QUILT THEM

Vintage linens make the perfect addition to an existing quilt or make your own quilt that is just your style. Hankies are already squares, so it would be easy to sew them together. Sew a mixture of doilies together to make a beautiful throw.

LIGHT THEM UP

With a needle and thread or glue gun, you can turn a drab lamp shade into something wonderful.

HANG THEM

Curtains are a perfect way to display a large number of vintage linens. They can be used on your windows or as a unique shower curtain.

(You can use the right arrow on the pictures below to forward through some creative ways to display your favourites. Feel free to click on a picture for more information.)

BAG THEM

You can be as simple or elaborate as you like. They can be used as an embellishment on a purse or easily turned into a purse or bag for shopping, laundry or carryall.

(You can use the right arrow on the pictures below to forward through some creative ways to display your favourites. Feel free to click on a picture for more information.)

WEAR THEM

Incorporating vintage linens into your wardrobe is so easy! You can upcycle them into jewelry, hand warmers, and scarves. You can embellish a denim jacket or make a shirt, vest or skirt. There are infinite ways to make them wearable. Only your imagination can stop you!

(You can use the right arrow on the pictures below to forward through some creative ways to display your favourites. Feel free to click on a picture for more information.)

Make a sweet top out of vintage doilies.
Add some flair to a denim jacket.
Use pieces to make unique jewelry.
Combine a variety of linens to make a fun skirt.
Make a jacket that is uniquely you!
Combine linens for a vest.
Add a little romance.
Dress up a simple sweater.
You can add as little or as much as you like.
Perfect for the summer barbecue.
Accessorize with a scarf.
Add pizzazz to plain bracelets.
A quick stitch and you have romantic hand warmers.
Vests can be worn anywhere, anytime.

REINVENT THEM

If you’re still not convinced that you can use vintage linens and doilies, take a look at just a few more creative ways to use them. From covering hangers and buttons, to making gift tags, jar covers and pincushions, there’s hundreds of ways to use these charming pieces of our past.

(You can use the right arrow on the pictures below to forward through some creative ways to display your favourites. Feel free to click on a picture for more information.)

Do you still use doilies and vintage linens? Tell us how! We’re always looking for new, creative ways to use these little treasures.

Fresh is the New Black (Cocktail Recipe)

by Irene // July 17, 2018 // 2 Comments

We had a great weekend in Pentwater, Michigan. There was a small reunion with a special someone whom we haven’t seen in a very long time plus a birthday celebration.

These celebratory activities called for a refreshing, summer cocktail. I opted for Piña Coladas, but forgot my printed recipe at home. Seeing I was quite frazzled, my dear, talented husband, Mark, came to the rescue (again) and created this delicious recipe!

Here’s everything you need:

Directions:

Cut the pineapple, reserving one slice for garnish. Fresh pineapple makes the difference! In a blender, combine pineapple chunks, coconut milk, rum, sugar and Triple Sec. Blend until smooth. Refrigerate before serving and that’s it!

I purchased the Twizzler Straws at Pentwater’s Cosmic Candy, but Target also carries them.

The Triple Sec and rum were purchased at my favorite store, The Party Source in Bellevue, KY. After all, they carry “everything but the guests”.

Like the Twizzler Straws? There’s even more great ideas at Straws That Don’t Suck.

EASY AS PIE (A Beginner’s Guide to Delicious Pies in 3 Easy Steps)

by Sandy // April 25, 2018 // No Comments

There’s an old saying: Easy as pie. There’s a reason the saying was relateable: making a pie is easy! It’s especially easy today.

If you’re new to baking, all you need to know are 3 BASIC STEPS:

Put crust in pie dish.
Add filling.
Bake.

It’s that easy.

Now that you know how to make a pie, let’s elaborate slightly.

CRUST

I prefer homemade crust, but for a novice, or someone with a full schedule, you can pick up pre-made, pre-rolled crusts in the refrigerator section of the grocery store. And they’re good! You can keep them in the refrigerator or even freeze them until needed. You literally open the package, remove one crust (they generally come with 2 crusts per package) and lay it down on a pie dish.

Feeling adventurous? Nothing is as good as a flaky, homemade crust. I use the recipe that my mother and surrogate grandmother used. Our recipe makes 6 balls of dough so we freeze the extras for a fast meal or dessert later.

Make the dough. Flour a flat surface and roll the dough out.

You can tell when you’re done because the crust will be larger than the pie dish.

TIP: Roll the crust around the rolling pin to pick it up and unroll it onto the pie dish. This prevents tearing. (Got a tear? No worries, you can patch it with dough remnants.)

The edges can be cut off even with the pie dish, forked, pinched or just laid over the top of the filling for a rustic look.

Whichever method you choose, your pies will be beautiful and delicious!

FILLING

Let’s start with the easiest: buy fruit filling at the grocery store. There’s one for every taste: Strawberry, blueberry, cherry, peach, apple and even Bavarian Cream. There are non-GMO fillings. There are fillings in cans, jars and tubes. The variety will keep you making pies for months with little to no effort.

Open the container, add it to your crust, and bake. You have pie!

CUSTARD

Custard is easy: mix 2 eggs and 2 cups cream. (Whip it. Whip it good.)

Now, add sugar and it’s a sweet custard. Add salt and pepper (and even some herbs) and it’s savory custard.

Why do you care? Well, if you want a strawberry custard pie, you go for the sweet custard. If you want a quiche – with bacon, mushrooms, or chicken, broccoli and cheese – you want the savory custard. Use your imagination.

BE CREATIVE

Irene used to make a taco pie. Instead of the standard crust, she would press crescent roll triangles into the bottom of the dish. Then she would brown hamburger and onion with taco seasoning and put it in the pie shell. She would add a can of black beans or pinto beans, cheddar cheese and bake. You can also add jalapenos and top with salsa, sour cream and crushed taco chips.
Open a can of Dinty Moore stew and pour it in a pie shell. Top with mashed potatoes for an easy Shepherd’s Pie.
Have leftover macaroni and cheese? Add some chopped ham or bacon and put it in a pie shell.

Think about making a Reuben Pie (corned beef, sauer kraut and swiss cheese), or a Pot Pie (Turkey or chicken and some cooked vegetables). The list is endless and with a crust, some leftovers and imagination, you’ll be making pies in no time.

“Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!”

by Irene // February 10, 2018 // 2 Comments

The lobby is my office. I greet visitors, including frequent job applicants. The routine is the same each time. They sign in and I notify the appropriate person to come greet their guest.

I generally have notice of whom to expect, but occasionally a visitor will surprise me, as did
“La-Ah”. I can’t remember her last name, but her first name will stay with me. (Hint: it didn’t rhyme with Aha! or caca). I wasn’t taking any chances and asked how she pronounced her name. She said, “LU-DASH-UH”. According to Urban Dictionary this is a thing and the “dash” don’t be silent.

A baby on the way is exciting and finding a name is fun, but try to be responsible — your baby will have that name their entire life. It’s a big decision and one that often comes after much careful thought.

Here are some helpful hints in selecting your baby’s name:

1) Consider whether or not the name will hold up over the years. Call me old-timey but in a decade or two names like Nevaeh or Alucard, made-up names derived from words spelled backwards, will sound silly.

2) Avoid attention-getting celebrities’ choices. Saint is a name Kanye must have come up with on his “Yeezus Tour”. North and the new baby, Chicago are kind of cool, but adding the surname, West, loses me.

Bear was selected by both Alicia Silverstone and Kate Winslet as their boys’ name. Kind of wild, huh?

Moon Unit, Diva Muffin and Dweezil are Frank Zappa’s daughters. Drugs, duh. That’s the only correct answer here.

Apple is the name of Gwyneth Paltrow’s daughter, who will, no doubt, be sitting at the ugly girls’ lunch table.

Tu Morrow is Rob Morrow’s daughter. Ugh.

See a good representation of what celebrities named their babies, here:

3) Be selective when using movie, book or television characters. My boys were both named after beloved characters from favored romance novels. Bryce was taken from “The Wolf and the Dove” and Stuart from “The Thorn Birds”. I’ll be waiting for your calls, boys.

I suggest avoiding these at all cost:

Snape–(Harry Potter) Don’t even think about it.

Katniss—(The Hunger Games) Bad taste is never good.

Daenerys—(Game of Thrones) This is a name from a made-up language, people.

Pumbaa-(Lion King) Taken from Swahili which refers to someone who is silly, foolish, careless, and weak-minded. Your kid deserves better.

Many children have been named after Disney characters. I don’t mind Merida, Sebastian or Ariel but I’d skip Pongo (Oh, come on! It’s a dog!)

Be inspired here:

4) Say the full name in all forms. Ima Hogg; Anita Rest; Justin Case; William Power (Will Power), Paige Turner or Matt Scott Wood are all mistakes. It is my hope these children develop a sense of humor.

5) Consider your desire. Do you want your child to stand out or fit in? Popular traditional names for 2017 were Sophia and Jackson. Or you can be hip and use creative (wacky) spellings. Imagine a bay-beez naym such as Khrystyne, Airwrecka, Jaykub or Eysek.

It’s not always a good idea to spell the name in a trendy way. My cousin, Julie, entered her baby daughter’s name on the birth certificate application as “Tara Rhea”. The baffled nurse thought it rhymed with diarrhea. Julie immediately edited to “Tara Rae”.

6) Is the name legal?

Internationally:

China doesn’t allow symbols and numerals. See ya, La-Ah!
Saudi Arabia has a list of banned baby names, including “Linda,” (due to its association with Western culture).
Germany has very strict laws. Names must clearly indicate the gender. Plus Germany, Italy and many other countries cite that names “must not be likely to lead to humiliation.”
Denmark, Hungary and Iceland require parents to choose baby names from a pre-approved list.

United States:

Several states limit the number of characters that can be used due to the limitations of the software used for official record keeping.

California has a ban on diacritical marks, so no way to José or Beyoncé.
Florida requires both parents to agree on the first name. If they can’t agree, a court will select one.
Or, move to Kentucky where there are no naming laws at all. Well, hello, La-Ah!

7. Ethnic names are generally to be celebrated. I grew up with practical parents. Why they thought their only son wouldn’t have problems with a name like Raimundus (roll the “r”), is beyond my scope of comprehension. Mom wanted him to be named Raymond. Dad insisted on the Lithuanian version. Last summer my brother, “Ray”, applied for an enhanced driver’s license to cross into Canada and see Niagara Falls. It was a nightmare when his first name didn’t match on the submitted documents.

8. Don’t choose a name with failed initials. My niece’s initials are MAD. If your name is Smith, then avoid Patty Marie (PMS). William Thomas Ford is unfortunate, as well. Get it?

9. Naming twins has unique challenges.

Fish and Chips–A New Zealand couple chose this name for their twins. The government later banned the names.
Sam and Ella–(Yikes! Salmonella?)
Morocco and Monroe– Mariah Carey calls them Roc and Roe.

A good story makes almost any name okay in my book. The young man in our Marketing Department, (who calls me “Miss Irene”), was named after his grandmother’s favorite basketball player, Jalen Rose of the Indiana Pacers. Our Jalan has a twin sister named Jai’La. And…all the grandchildren share the same initials JMN. Sweet, right?

When my sister was pregnant the first time, she hoped their first born male would be named Phineas from “A Separate Peace” or Ruark from the romance novel, “Shanna”. Ultimately there was an argument and then a compromise: She, Eddie and the new baby would make three…and that’s how Trey received his name!

If you have an interesting story describing how you were named, we’d love to here it!

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Sister's Folly

How to be a fabulous, middle-aged+ woman in the 21st Century….

These Aren’t Your Mother’s Doilies!

DISPLY THEM

FRAME THEM

STUFF THEM

CONNECT THEM

COVER A TABLE

QUILT THEM

LIGHT THEM UP

HANG THEM

BAG THEM

WEAR THEM

REINVENT THEM

Fresh is the New Black (Cocktail Recipe)

EASY AS PIE (A Beginner’s Guide to Delicious Pies in 3 Easy Steps)

CRUST

FILLING

CUSTARD

BE CREATIVE

“Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!”