February is the anniversary month of Mary Brooks Picken's Woman's Institute my favorite source of vintage inspiration. The Woman's Institute educated thousands of women through correspondence courses between the years of 1916 and 1937. It was a unique educational...
Did you know that it's National Pie Day? (Where do they come up with this stuff??) Maybe we don't get the day off from work, but I'm all for celebrating this lesser holiday! Here's an excerpt from my book, Vintage Notions, on how to make the perfect pie crust. The...
Christmas is just around the corner. Soon we will be gathered around the tree, celebrating with our families and giving gifts wrapped in shiny paper and ribbon. Of course, gifts can come in many different packages or no package at all. When we exchange presents with...
Thanksgiving is a holiday when we can hopefully put away the distractions and stresses of our daily lives and come together for a day of food, family, and fun. And where is that we come together? Around the table, of course! Matching china and silverware, place...
During this time of year, I truly cherish the special relationships in my life. Things may get hectic around the holidays, but making time for lifelong friends can be a wonderful stress buster indeed. Here's an excuse to gather your girlfriends for an afternoon of...
Sweets and treats come in a seemingly endless supply during the season of Halloween... Candy corn, cookies, Snickers, Twix, bubble gum, candy, chocolate, gummies....so many options with one common denominator: SUGAR! Yummy at first, sickening after awhile, right? But...
Are you using your sewing machine to its fullest potential? So many sewers share a fear of venturing beyond those same basic stitches. You might think, for instance, that you have more control when hand stitching a small detail rather than letting your machine do the...
If you didn't already know, September is National Sewing Month, and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to recognize it. Mary Brooks Picken, entrepreneur and one of America's premiere authorities on sewing and fashion in the 20th century, has been a constant...
Who can resist when struck with a sweet tooth? I know I can't. And the upswing of creative baking and DIY cake decorating is making temptation all the more irresistible. Even though my own creative endeavors don't leave me much time for diving into cake-making, I am...
It's no secret that I greatly admire the life and work of Mary Brooks Picken. I've shared with you many of her words of wisdom, helpful advice, and thoughtful stories. She was constantly at work on one project or another, and had a seemingly endless well of knowledge...
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