More Childhood Pastimes

It was so nice to see that many of you  have happy memories of times spent with coloring books and crayons. Thanks so much for all of your lovely comments.
  
Another favorite childhood pastime of mine, also involved paper. And a little pair of  silver safety scissors.

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Image from papergoodies.com

Yes, I loved playing with my paper dolls! All kept together in a shoe box, to be taken out on a rainy day, quietly playing in my room. Stop for a visit at Paper Goodies for a look at tons of beautifully restored vintage paper dolls.

May 1958

I always looked forward to getting the Betsy McCall page from my mom's magazine. This wonderful site has 10 years of Betsy's pages.  The page above is from the month I was born. 

Betsy had a little cousin named Linda!

On special occasions, I might have been lucky enough to receive a whole book of paper dolls. Nice, new, glossy, chipboard dolls, whose necks always seemed to end up getting bent. Pages of gorgeous, colorful clothes to spend hours cutting.  Remember how hard it was to cut out the middle of a hood or hat (like the wedding gown below) for the face? I remember having one book with a bridesmaid and wedding gown. They were so beautiful.

Image from papergoodies.com

As I browse through paper dolls online, I see that it was very popular for movie stars to have their own paper dolls. Here are a few of my favorites:

Image from papergoodies.com

Image from papergoddies.com

And here's one I know many of you will like...

Image from papergoodies.com

When I saw this Pat Boone set, I remember I had one or two books with pockets like this. I was always digging the small accessories out of the bottom of those storage pockets.

Image from papergoodies.com

I also found this site with paper dolls from Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion magazines. I've never seen ME's magazine, so I loved looking through these sweet images.

I didn't keep any of my paper dolls from childhood and for now, I won't be starting a collection, except for on my Pinterest board.

So did you play with paper dolls as a girl? What were your favorites? Perhaps you still have your paper dolls.
It's no wonder that we still love to play with paper and scissors.   ♥

Childhood Pastimes

My favorite childhood pastimes certainly were a sign that I would grow up to love crafting. What is it about a new box of Crayolas that I find so hard to resist? I love the rows of colorful points.

I still describe colors by their Crayola name. I loved those descriptive names. Most of my favorites were pastels: sky blue, sea green, lavender, carnation pink, periwinkle. And how many shades of brown were in that box of 64 crayons?

Of course to go with crayons, you must have coloring books. I think there must have been a coloring book for every show on TV. Most of the books I remember having were more basic and of course the holiday books.

           

 I remember a summer day when I took my coloring books and my coffee can of crayons to the picnic table in the front yard. After coloring for a while, I left my crayons and books on the table and went off to play. I forgot about picking up my things until late in the day. When I went to get them, I found a coffee can half full of melted, colorful wax! I was so sad. I truly treasured my crayons. 

Would you like to color with me?  ♥

Hello Linda



From 1941 to 1963, according to this site, Linda was one of the top 5 girls names. The year I was born, Linda was #3. That's a lot of Lindas! From 1st grade on, I was never the only Linda in the room.  Now this has its good points and bad points. The bad side is that it causes a lot of confusion. Can you imagine living in George Foreman's house, with his 5 sons all named George?  Having a popular name can sometimes make you feel less unique as a person. Pick a Linda, any Linda will do.
On the good side, you hear your name used in the popular culture. I was thrilled to watch Make Room For Daddy with Angela Cartwright's character named Linda.

And I remember my dad singing this song to me when I was young.

If you're wondering, as I was, about the Linda in the video, you can read The Story Behind The Song. While you're there, check out the other songs written by Jack Lawrence. Some of my favorites are Beyond the Sea, Tenderly and If I Didn't Care. Linda has been recorded by 19 different artist including Perry Como and Jan and Dean (didn't care for their version.)

Now if you've read my blog for a bit, you might know that I have always been a fan of The Monkees. But until my son became a Monkees fan a few years ago, I didn't know that they had recorded a 'Linda' song.

The slow version was the one originally released but I like this upbeat version even better.

Does it matter that the Linda in this song isn't especially nice? Not when it's being sung by Davy Jones. Davy had a sister named Linda and it was also his first wife's name. 

Barry Manilow recorded (and wrote?) A Linda Song.

Gordon Lightfoot recorded Oh, Linda.

I have a good friend, Mavis who has the opposite situation. Her name was #954 the year we were born. I don't know of any Mavis songs but I always remind her that when Bert dances with the penguins in Mary Poppins, the first name he sings is Mavis. It's just too much fun not to add it here.

Was your name in there?

Do you know a song with your name?  ♥

Goodbye Andy

I couldn't let the day go without a farewell post for Andy Griffith.

1926 - 2012

The Andy Griffith Show has been my favorite TV series from the very first time I watched. Perhaps the reason I loved the show was that I grew up in an environment that was similar to Mayberry. As a child, I knew everyone in my neighborhood and they knew me. We lived on a small private lake that was surrounded with summer cottages, many, including ours, had been adapted for year round living. Moms were at home raising children and keeping house, wearing house dresses and aprons. Nice weather would find me playing outdoors, riding my bike in the street or out for a walk around the lake with my mom, brothers and neighbors. On these frequent walks, Moms would gossip, kids would run ahead and chase each other back and babies slept as they were rolled along. The occasional car would have to wait as baby carriages and kids were safely pulled over to line the side of the road.  Everyone waved to the driver as the car crept past, fearing a loose kid would run out into the street. This was my life at the time the Andy Griffith Show was originally made.

 

By the time I was a teenager and we had cable TV, I was happy to find I could watch these shows again. It was then that I developed a true affection for the characters and environment of the show. The underlying theme in every episode was to do what was right. And the one person who tried the hardest to treat everyone with compassion and fairness was Andy. 

The show had such a wonderful cast and many big name guest stars throughout its 8 years.

My favorite episodes are when Andy finds out that he's wrong. It was always a great twist when Andy ends up eating crow. And it was always a treat when Andy played and sang.  

I also enjoy watching Matlock but it never had the fun, charm and warm feeling that was found in Mayberry. The Andy Griffith Show has entertained and influenced me my whole life. It is my yearning for this way of life that keeps me crafting, collecting and loving everything vintage. 

Today I am thankful for those 249 episodes of fun that were made from 1960 to 1968. Let's all whistle along to that famous theme song!