Dear Abby - Vintage Easter Dogs

Dear Friends,

Just a short and sweet note from me today, wishing you a Happy Easter!   I found a few images of vintage Easter dogs that I thought you might enjoy.

This 1939 illustration by Mabel Rollins Harris features a Cocker Spaniel in an Easter bonnet along with a little girl - and chicks!

A little girl in an Easter bonnet hugs her dog.

A Jack Russell Terrier does not want to share a carrot with some bunny rabbits!

A Scottie dog gets an Easter visitor:

A Cocker Spaniel named Butch wears bunny ears and carries an Easter basket:

 A lovely Dachshund meets a bunny rabbit family:

I hope you enjoyed these vintage images.   Wishing you a wonderful weekend and a Happy Easter!

Love,

Abby xoxoxo

Dear Abby - Vintage New Year Dachshunds

Happy New Year, Dear Friends!

I am so glad to be back chatting with you.  I had a wonderful break with my Momma and am eager to visit with you here.   I have some fun plans for the upcoming weeks on my blog, but today I thought I would share a few vintage New Year dachshunds with you.

A dachshund helps her person blow up balloons on this Calling All Girls magazine cover, January 1960.

This Calling All Girls cover features a dachshund helping her person make noise (January 1963).

The rest of the pictures are from vintage postcards.  Some dachshunds sample champagne!

This dachshund contemplates a beverage.

These dachshunds find January 1 on a calendar.  (They also have some clover for luck!)

Another dachshund finds a calendar ... this time in an old fashioned basket.

These dachshunds make a snowman!

They even protect their snowman with an umbrella!

I hope you enjoyed these vintage images.  Please visit again next week - I have a fun question for you!

Have a wonderful weekend, and Happy New Year!

Love,

Abby xoxoxo

Dear Abby - Show Your Pet Themed Collection

Dear Friends,

It has been quite a week here!  We had storms on Monday and then very strong storms Wednesday.  They included rain, lots of wind, thunder (shudder!), and even hail against the windows.  I am glad to settle in for a quiet day and enjoy  visiting with you.

I would like to invite you to share your pet themed collections at my blog!  I think this will be a fun new series.  Momma collects vintage Dachshund Valentines, photos, and storybooks.  We have friends who collect breed specific dog treasures or who love cat theme collectibles or dog theme items in general.

If you are interested in participating, please include your email address with your comment below.  I would love to hear from you!

Wishing you a great weekend!

Love,

Abby xoxoxo 

What a Vintage Seller Does On Her Day Off

I have had a long work week, and took the day off.  I wanted to do something that was a change of pace ... so what did I pick?  Antique malls, of course!

I took a few photos to share with you.  A glimpse inside one of the antique malls - this one had an upstairs and downstairs:

A souvenir hula skirt.  I remember these at Florida tourist shops.  The outside of the package has layers of tissue paper, but if you look inside the tissue paper you see the actual hula skirt (two pictures below).

Tight Squeeze game -- looks like it was marketed for 1960's teens.  I've never heard of this before!

A capiz shell light fixture - so retro!

This great modern light fixture was actually from Ikea -- they evidently have this in a smaller size too.  I heard that and started thinking about where I could put a smaller fixture like this in my home.  I love it!

An antique stove that still works.  WANT.

 A dachshund cushion - with doxie in silhouette.  So sweet!   I did get a little dachshund figurine at one of the malls;  it's already out in my study.

A little cardboard house.  Very cute!

 I love everything about this Mid-Century living room set.

 I also love this Mid-Century hutch.

Cotton!  What a surprise to see this.  I remember seeing fields of cotton when we went on trips to my grandparents' house.  This took me back.

The Partridge Family Album.  I see this and am suddenly 8 years old.  I am pretty sure I still know all the lyrics from these songs by heart.

 A coupon saving file -- I still have this exact file.  I had no idea it was now vintage.

Jadeite salt and pepper sets.

A cute dachshund salt and pepper set - dachshunds in sweaters.

 Salt and peppers of dogs in doghouses.

 Kissing dachshunds - I found this set at an estate sale a few weeks ago and kept it for my little doxie shelf.

 A toy ice cream maker.  I had a set similar to this (a bit later vintage) as a child.  I remember you turned the little handle to make ice cream.  It never got quite as firm as ice cream usually is, but it still tasted good to me.   I also included a picture of the box package.

I don't collect restaurant menus, but I love food history, and could easily start collecting these.  This neat 1950's menu is from The Hotel Monteleone Coffee Shop in New Orleans.   

So there you have it - just a few fun pics.  I hope you're having a fun weekend!

Dear Abby - Valentine Covers of Calling All Girls Magazine

Dear Friends,

It's almost Valentine's Day - a day of love.  Sigh!  I celebrate love every day.  I honestly can say I love everyone I meet.

I have some cute pictures to share with you today.  They are Valentine covers from Calling All Girls magazine.  This magazine was popular in the 1950's and 1960's, and the illustrations often featured a dachshund on the front cover.  How neat is that?!

This cover, from February 1960, shows a girl decorating a heart-shaped cake with the help of her dachshund.  (I bet the doxie will get a piece of cake!)

The dachshund on the cover of this February 1961 magazine is taking a break from helping with a Valentine project.  From the expression on the girl's face, I wonder if the dachshund may have helped a little too much.

At a Valentine's Day party, a girl is playing pin the tail on the dachshund.  Of course, her loyal doxie is helping.  This illustration is from February 1962.

This February 1963 Calling All Girls cover is all about perfume ... and since dachshunds are scent hounds, I bet the doxie will find a way to help.  

Wishing you a happy Valentine's Day!  I hope you enjoyed these vintage illustrations.

As always, I love to read your comments, as well as questions for future Dear Abby posts.

Love and xoxoxo,

Abby 

Weekend Window Shopping at Birdhouse Books

Hi vintage friends!

Just a note to let you know I have many new listings at Birdhouse Books on eBay, and I am running a weekend sale on Halloween greeting cards and children's books.

I just listed some fabulous vintage Christmas cards.  I have a giant crate of cards to list still (literally hundreds of cards), so will be adding more weekly until Christmas.  I also have some Bucilla needlework kits, vintage children's books, and other holiday items to list in the next few weeks.  Please stay tuned!

Here are a few vintage Christmas cards that I think you'll like.  This beautiful vintage Christmas card was designed by children's illustrator Gyo Fujikawa:

 This 1960's vintage Christmas card is by Hallmark.  It features a French Horn and greenery.

 This sweet Gibson Christmas Gems vintage card features angels and Baby Jesus.

 This vintage card is by Gibson Christmas Gems, and depicts the three Wise Men.

 This sweet retro card features a little girl playing a cello, and it is a Betsey Clark illustration.

I hope you found some goodies here.  There are over 2000 additional books, cards, and ornaments at my store!