To Be, or Not to Be...

Sorry for the long absence. Like Hamlet, I've been caught up in an internal debate...

Hamlet has been filmed many times, but few can hold a candle to Sir Laurence Olivier's portrayal of the Danish prince in 1948.

My dilemma is (thankfully) not quite as serious as deciding whether to live or to die, but rather...

To Blog, or Not to Blog? That is the question.

Whether 'tis nobler to keep my blog alive, even if it suffers terribly from neglect.
Or simply end it - so that I can focus all my energies on my latest passion of selling on eBay and Etsy?

I know that many of you have faced this same dilemma.  So what do you do when something important comes along that steals away all the time that you used to spend on blogging?  The easy answer is - Well, just stop blogging!  Or - just blog occasionally whenever you have the time...

But it's not that easy for me. When I truly care about something, I want to do it well.  My blog is my baby!  I gave it life, nurtured it, watched it blossom!

And these past few weeks, while I've been devoting all of my time to my antique business - I can hear it calling out to me in the night, like a child....

Feed me! I'm hungry for attention!

So I'm torn between two loves right now. And I'm not quite sure what the future holds for "A Sip of Sarsaparilla." I know that for at least the next month or so, I will likely be visiting your blogs less often (which makes me sad), and my posts will be sporadic. And then maybe after a little break, I might find a renewed energy for blogging. Or this could be my last post...

IF this does turn out to be my last post...this is the dress I want to be wearing when my blog is laid to rest...

A beautiful ivory Edwardian era lacy dress...worthy of its own Shakespearean soliloquy or sonnet...

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Thou art more lovely and temperate..." 

I discovered this antique dress at a high-end estate sale last summer - and my heart stopped when I saw it!  I paid $70 for it - quite a bit more than I spent on any other vintage purchase all year.  But I think it was worth every penny, and more! 

Look at these romantic bell sleeves...

And the variety of laces and pleating and embroidery...

I think it's almost more beautiful from the back view... 

These photos were obviously taken months ago, before winter settled in.  Ah...green grass, and sunlight shining through the airy lace!  Can't wait for spring!

Lots of snaps on this early 1900's dress - years before zippers were used in clothing...

I hope you enjoyed the dress - because I enjoyed sharing it with you!

You know, I'm pretty sure I'll be back. 

In the meantime, warm spring wishes to you...

Susan

Holiday Lights Blink A Bright Red, Green...and Pink

Well, my little family survived our ovenless Thanksgiving just fine - thanks to an electric roaster loan from a friend.   I'm trying to finish up the leftovers as quickly as possible so I can start my holiday diet. 

Oddly, I tend to gain weight in the summer and then lose it during the winter months.  I'm counting on that happening again this year!

My incentive is this great Mad Men era two-piece dress that I bought at an estate sale yesterday. The 60's label: "Carl Naftal Original - California."

I can just barely squeeze into it right now...and I wouldn't want to risk wearing it until I've lost about 10 pounds...but I can already tell it's going to look great! 
 
The dress is in a textured Dacron Polyester, and it has these wonderful sparkly gold and green rhinestone buttons on the pockets. Even though this is sleeveless, I think it could be great for a holiday party - especially with a vintage fur collar or wrap for a little extra warmth.  What do you think?
 

Here are some more greens and reds to help unleash your Christmas spirit!

Everything you see here will be up for grabs at Sarsaparilla's Boudoir (Etsy) or Sarsaparilla on eBay either tonight (Sunday) or sometime during the coming week.

Musical 1960's Hickory Dickory Christmas Clock with Dancing Santa; Made In Japan

Vintage 1960's "Cherry Humps" Candy Bars Display Box; Schuler Chocolates Inc, Winona, Minn.

Vintage 1940's, 50's Dutch Boy & Girl Salt/Pepper - Made in Japan - never used! - F. W. Woolworth 39 cents price tag on hat

Simplicity 1950's Sewing Pattern 2757 - Skirt & Weskit

"In the Rough" Golf Balls of Pure Castille Soap; 1955 by MEM Company, NY

1950's Harold Gale 14" Display Santa Claus

Olga Baclanova - June 1929 Photoplay - (Cover illustration only) 

"Night Before Christmas" - 1958 Whitman book - illustrated by Florence Sarah Winship

1960's Red knit two-piece dress: "Lofties, Designed by Lawrence"

Vintage 60's Christmas Elf Apron

The Four Seasons of Romance - Fanny Farmer Candies Vintage Tin

And here's a bit of Holiday Pink for good measure!

10" Magic Skin "Snookie" Baby Doll - by Ideal - 1951 to 1955; with original box!

Retro Pastel Christmas Trees Hankie, pink rolled edge

Vintage Pink Flamingo Ornament, Spun Cotton & Feathers

All this color! But sometimes the best things in life are in black and white...

Here's Bing Crosby in a 1965 Christmas special singing "Wonderful White World of Winter."  Love the dancers in the first number!   If this were about two years later, the women would probably have long hair and go-go boots, instead of suits & hats.

Hope your first week of December is a merry one!

The News From (a city near) Lake Wobegon

First the good news:  I'm staying home for Thanksgiving this year!  That makes me happy because I'm a big chicken when it comes to driving in snowy weather - and this holiday is notorious for dishing out nasty weather either during the drive to my parents' house, or on my way back home.

Now the bad news:  My oven died about a month or two ago - and procrastinator and penny pincher that I am, I haven't managed to get it fixed yet.  So my Turkey Dinner will need to be cooked in the microwave or on my stove top...

Collier's magazine cover, November 16, 1932

Actually, I'm not too concerned.  There will be just three of us for dinner on Thursday - me and my two munchkins.  And as long as my son gets his pumpkin pie, my daughter gets her spinach dip, and I get my mashed potatoes and gravy, we will all be perfectly happy.

My children, Daniel and Rachel, toasting Times Square - 2008 trip to New York City.

This year's Thanksgiving gathering at our home is special for a couple of reasons.  My son Daniel moved out of the house shortly before Halloween to live in Rochester, Minnesota (near the Mayo Clinic), so this will be his first holiday homecoming.  And now my daughter Rachel has decided to follow his lead. She just found an apartment a couple of miles away from home, and plans to move out on December 1.  I'm losing my babies!

Okay, I will admit that for the past few years I have actually been looking forward to having my house to myself.  (Just think, I will have two empty bedrooms to spread out my antiques in!) 

But now that it's only a week away from happening, I just want to turn back the clock about 20 years and be able to curl up next to them in bed at night and read "Goodnight Moon" over and over again. 

Oh, look at me complaining again - when I have so much to be grateful for!

It's always something, isn't it?

Or as this little pup says, "If it isn't Booze, it's Something Else..."  (Ha! I'd like to read that story - too bad I've only got the magazine cover...)

To those of you who will be celebrating Thanksgiving this Thursday - my very best wishes to you for a wonderful holiday!   And to those of you who will be heading to work that day, as usual - perhaps when you get home you can have a nice glass of wine or two, and toast your American friends.  And if you forget, I promise to have an extra glass for you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

p.s. For those of you who have no idea what "The News From Lake Wobegon" refers to, and haven't had the pleasure of listening to Garrison Keillor's radio show, "A Prairie Home Companion" - here's a little taste of quirky Minnesota humor for you.  Watch it to the end to catch the fun Be-Bop-A-Re-Bop Rhubarb Pie ditty.

 

Channeling Dorothy Parker

It's just 10:30 a.m. and I've already got martinis on my mind.  My darling sister Mary turns 50 this coming week (sorry M - guess the cat's out of the bag now) and five of the six sisters (and a couple of nieces) are celebrating today with an afternoon of shopping fun - and then a sleepover at a nearby Hampton Inn.

It's during the sleepover part that the martinis will come into play.   And play is exactly what I need after a particularly looong week at the office.  (It's hard to go back to work after a week's vacation!  I'm ready for another one...)

courtesy of Mind Bling

Dorothy Parker and martinis somehow led me to think of Helga von Trollop.  Have any of you had the pleasure of meeting Helga or visiting her delightful blog? 

lovely Helga in 70's frock

Helga is one of the queens of cheeky quips.  Her motto (borrowed from Mae West - or is it the other way around?) is...
 "Better to be looked over than overlooked."

That sounds like something Dorothy Parker would have said.
Are you familiar with Mrs. Parker?

Witty Dorothy Parker (1895 - 1967) was a poet, short story writer, literary and theatre critic - and was the darling of the New York literary scene in the 1920's and 30's.

Parker was the best known female member of the Algonquin Round Table.  Each day at a 44th Street Manhatten hotel a collection of journalists, actors, writers, and other artists gathered around this famed table.

"Algonquin Roundtable" cartoon by Al Hirschfeld

Dorothy Parker is perhaps most famous for her tart sayings and playful turns of phrase - like the drinking quote (...four, I'm under my host) above.   She had a reputation during her lifetime as being one of the wittiest women in America.

"If all the girls who attended the Yale prom
 were laid end to end,
I wouldn't be a bit surprised." - Dorothy Parker 

I was first introduced to "Dottie" through the rather grim (warning!) but still fabulous 1994 film "Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle." 

The cast includes some of my favorites: Jennifer Jason Leigh (who won a Golden Globe for her performance), Campbell Scott, Matthew Broderick, Andrew McCarthy, Jennifer Beals, Sam Robards, and Gwyneth Paltrow. 

If you're intrigued with the arts and literary scene of the 1920's and 30's - and adore fashions from that era as much as I do, you'll enjoy this film.  (Tip: the entire film is available in a series of 13 videos on YouTube!)


courtesy of Paikov

Here's more fun from Mrs. Parker...

photo courtesy of frogsmoke

"Brevity is the soul of lingerie."  - D.P.

"Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses." - D. P.

photo courtesy of Heartaches and Handbags

"It serves me right to put all my eggs in one bastard."

                                                             - Dorothy Parker


I would like to have seen Helga and Dorothy Parker sharing a table back in the 1920's.  Better yet, add witty British bloggers Vix and Ivy Black to the mix.  Now that would have been a hoot of a conversation to listen to.

Admittedly, I tend to be a bit on the prim and proper side sometimes.  (My German Catholic upbringing, perhaps?)  And I can always use a little help from martinis and such to loosen up a bit.  So before I head over to meet my sisters today, I'm going to be channeling Dorothy Parker and all my lighthearted blogging friends to lift my spirits. 

Here's to blogging, to friendship - and a drink that warms the soul!

As Dorothy Parker once said: 

"I'd rather have a bottle in front me than a frontal lobotomy."

Yes, this is Greta Garbo...

Cheers!

Have a wonderful weekend -

Susan

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

Happy Saturday morning to you!  It's 6:00 a.m. and I am already on my second latte, hoping to get a little life going in these tired bones.

I need to put on a Shirley Temple smile and positive attitude - because I've got a big day ahead of me.

photo courtesy of The Official Shirley Temple Website

 

"On the Good Ship Lollipop" was the trademark song of child actress, Shirley Temple. Here she is, singing it for the first time in the 1934 movie "Bright Eyes."  Contrary to popular belief, the ship in the song is an aircraft.
In the song, the "Good Ship Lollipop" travels to a candy land. 

Today is Homecoming and Reunion Weekend at the college where I work.  I'll be helping out with some of the booths/events on campus.  No, I won't have to do a song-and-dance routine - but it sure will help if I'm light on my feet!  I'll need to fly to get everything done in time... 

Our college's heritage society (for donors of estate gifts) is sponsoring an "Antiques Roadshow" type event for our alumni.  Doesn't that sound fun?  It's the first year of this event, and I've been asked to bring tons of things in to display around the room - to give it a warm, antiquey feel.  

I expect to be on the go until about 6 pm tonight - but then after that I'm on vacation for a whole week! 

And guess what I'll be doing on my vacation?  Remember my goal of restoring Beauty and Order to my home? Well, this will be my week to get it done!  It feels a little overwhelming to me because I have so much that I'd like to accomplish.

But I think I can do it.   No...I know I can do it.  But encouragement from you, my dear blogging friends, will help too!

I ran across this charming film of the "The Little Engine that Could" from 1963. Maybe it's so charming to me because I have a foggy memory of watching this when I was about 5 or 6 (on TV? in kindergarten class?).   

It seems like the perfect inspiration for this coming week.  Wanna watch it with me?
(The first little bit of the film is a little shaky, but it's fine after that.)

Video courtesy of YouTube's WhosBobThomas


Oh my, and now it's 6:20.  I'd better get moving! I'm excited to share with my colleagues some of the fun old things that I'm bringing to our campus antiques show.

I would share them with you too, but I haven't taken any pictures of them...yet.   But I do have lots of other vintage things that I've collected and photographed over the years that I can show you.  Here are just a few. 

Because time is running short (!) this will be a purely visual and very random display.  Hope you enjoy...

Okay, enough of this nonsense...I had better get to work!!
Have a wonderful day!