“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It Goes On.”
Robert Frost
Showing posts with label cookbooks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cookbooks. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Now All Our Neighbors' Chimneys Smoke

OK, so it serves me right for not driving my car for a week during the bitter cold. The battery is dead. Dead as a door-nail, whatever that means. Anyway just dead, it makes that awful clicking sound, but won't start.

I'm stuck here in the house until this afternoon when my hubby gets back from a business meeting and can drive me to the store. Our polar plunge in temperatures has finally ended and I thought I could get out on my own to do some shopping. Instead I have to be driven around by my beloved!

I hadn't been housebound that entire time, mind you, my dear hubby had been around and so I had been hitching a ride with him. But honestly, I think I had only been out of the house a couple of times during our extreme cold spell.  Since most of you that read this blog are also introverts, I don't think I need to explain myself! I would make a perfect hermit!

Getting on with it now, I decided to share some insights about my Etsy shop and selling online.  It's been a real learning experience for me that past couple of years. I am not particularly advanced when it comes to technical skills, but I am pretty good with writing and design, so I think that's what has saved me.  I have seen quite a few shops/blogs that started when I did fail and just disappear.

One thing I've learned is that you never stop learning! If you do, you fail. Simple as that!  I do tons of research online about how to make things better. How to handle social media, how to take photos, where to spend my time etc. That's just the marketing part, I also spend lots of time researching my vintage items and finding out accurate information about them. It takes a lot of time and am I making any money at this? I would say no, I am breaking even.  But I love what I am doing. I love that it is my business and I run it myself and I have figured all this out by myself. 

Another thing I figured out after lots of reading and research, is to "tag" and "title" my shop listings the correct way. I won't bore you with the details, but who knew that for the first two years I was doing it wrong!? Well, I certainly didn't and I'm surprised I made any sales at all!  The competition is fierce and about a bazillion more people are selling on Etsy and other venues now compared to just a few years ago.

After I changed my listings to show up better in Google searches, I have seen an increase in my sales. Suddenly my books are selling better than anything else. For example I've noticed an increase in the sales of my cookbooks, especially Public Service Cookbooks. These are the quirky ones put out by local utility companies as a thank you to their customers.  This was the type of thing that was quite typical back in the 1940's - 1970's. The only thing I get from my utility company now is a bill.

Now for the good stuff! Check out some of these fun images from a few of the books I recently sold.

This first one is my favorite! The book was sent out to customers by the Wisconsin Public Service Company during the 1960's. The deer in the Chefs' Hat cooking the holiday meal is just fantastic. Unfortunately, no illustrator was given any credit.


My blog post title was taken from this cookbook. Across the front of the book it says,

"Now all our neighbors' chimneys smoke, 
and Christmas logs are burning;
Their ovens they with baked meats choke,
and all their spits are turning..." 


Quote by George Wither








The deer in the illustration above has obviously become an omnivore! The illustration below shows our Chef Deer stirring up a stew perhaps?









Here are a couple of the recipes from the books. There were three in the collection that I sold.















Another favorite image of mine! I think I will be using this one again in the future! The dishes look like my house after a party!! Notice how in each picture the candle has burned down to almost nothing! I love those little details.

So here I am housebound and freezing to death in my office downstairs because my space heater also died. Another thing on my shopping list...
now where is my dear hubby?? 

Hope you're having a great day! See you all soon! ~ Diane






Tuesday, September 3, 2013

It's Beautiful

I am speaking of the weather. Yes the temperatures have finally returned to what it is supposed to be like here in Minnesota this time of year. Lovely cooling breezes have replaced the oppressive heat and now if it would just rain again! It has been over three weeks since we had a good rain.

We planted some large shrubs and had to move some enormous hosta plants when we did so.  We noticed that even though we thought we were watering enough, the ground was dry over a foot down into the soil.  I get the job of moving the sprinkler around the yard, my husband keeps saying "our next house will have an automatic sprinkler system", sometimes I think that would be a good idea!

Anyway... during the hot days last week, I spent some time going through some books I picked up at an estate sale over the summer. I want to share them with you because one especially is very unusual.










The first book is a very cute kids cook book called Mary Alden's Cake and Cookie Cook Book for Children. It's a step-by-step picture recipe cookbook that helps the inexperienced cook with each recipe.  I love the photos of the testers above.  Anyone you know here?




















The Shiny Scoop by Camilla Wing - illustrated by Harley F. Davidson - Published by Dannie Books, Excelsior Minnesota in 1941. First Edition.

This is an unusual educational book featuring in elfish-character form - Mineral, Protein, Vitamin, Carbohydrate and Fat. In their illustrated forms, they accompany Dannie and his Mother while they visit the market. The foreword was written by E.J. Huenekens, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota.

I would guess this is an extremely rare book. I am not sure if it was widely distributed.  While researching I have not found another like it.  I also tried to locate information on the illustrator with no results, many of you may notice the name is similar to a well known motorcycle company.


They are both available in my shop, CraveCute on Etsy.

I will try and get around to all of your blogs as soon as I can.  Lets all have a wonderful week!  ~~ Diane


Thursday, October 4, 2012

And Now For Something Different . . .

 via
 19th Century tribal women harvesting wild rice in the traditional manner. -- by S. Eastman.

If you visited last month you may recall I mentioned that I am doing a monthly post for the Eco Etsy blog. Well it has already been a month and here we are again. I hope you visit and read the entire article.  Make sure to visit some of the links too. Wild rice is now an important alternative to regular rice in light of the arsenic that has been found in much of our American grown regular rice. Here is the link and title of my article --  An Ancient Harvest: Wild Rice . The link at the bottom of the post titled Waiter There's Arsenic in my Rice, is quite eye opening.

I hope you enjoy the article and the recipes that I included from the vintage cookbook in my shop. While you are visiting Etsy, check out this shop that sells hand harvested wild rice from northern Minnesota, Native Woman . OK, I am done with my shameless self-promotion, but seriously read the article, please!

Have a great Thursday!


Thursday, October 6, 2011

Vintage Travel Souvenirs and Church Lady Cookbooks

Cookbooks and travel souvenirs are some of the latest vintage finds that I have listed at my Etsy shop. Take a look of some of these whimsical and interesting items. These are some really nice pieces if you are looking for woodsy cabin themed items.


Wisconsin Souvenir Cream & Sugar Set





This is a really fun vintage sugar and creamer set that is advertising the beautiful state of Wisconsin. It has a deer and fish on the front surrounded by maple leaves. On the back of each container is a Native American Indian Chief. The lettering and handles are done in a stylized rope decoration. These are not marked, but from my research I believe they were made in Japan and are from the 60's. I think they have a very fall/cabin theme look about them. I just love the warm brown glaze. They are sitting on one of my own vintage tablecloths which is a brick and ivy pattern from the 50's.


A Woodsy Theme with Scandinavian Recipes
Linoleum Block Print


This cookbook is by the Bethlehem Lutheran Church Women of Grand Marais, Minnesota. Not only does this cookbook contain wonderful recipes, it is also a work of art. The title of the book is North Shore Cookery. This softcover book was published in 1970 with 47 pages. It includes six pages of linoleum block print images by John A. Spelman III.


Born in 1912, Minnesota artist John Adams Spelman III was known for linoleum-block prints. Spelman attended Black Mountain College in 1936, the Farm School at Swannanoa (Warren Wilson College) and Pine Mountain Settlement School in Kentucky. In 1939 Spelman published a collection of linoleum prints about rural Appalachia called “At Home in the Hills: A Cross Section of Harlan County, Kentucky.” Spelman also illustrated the book “The Kentucky” for Thomas D. Clark in 1942.

Here are a few of the recipes titles:
Buttermilk Soup
Kringle
Krom Kage
Scalloped Herring
Mutton Roll
Swedish Potato Sausage

This particular cookbook has incredible recipes, artwork and wonderful poetry and sayings. The one below does not include the author's name. It heads up the chapter on Breads.







"A slice of bread with butter on't
May feed a King;
A biscuit with a crust upon't
Is comforting;
The every day necessities no doubt,
Are those which none of us
Can do without."







Do any of these items bring back memories for you? Some of them do for me and some I just find to be so much fun to learn about. I enjoy so many of the older items because it is a fascinating step back into history.

Update: This cookbook sold, but check my store for more items.

Have a great day ~ Diane

Links: Common Ground 
           Potpourri Party


Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Some Vintage Love...

Over the last few weeks I have been scouring the yard, garage, estate and any other kind of sale that might have a few vintage items laying about. Here are just a few of my recent finds. I am drawn to teacups, and found this perfect demitasse cup made in Germany during the US occupation after WWII. I love the soft aqua beige color. I also found cute salt and pepper shakers, wonderful old cookbooks and a Little Brown Church Bank. As you see, there are cute deer, squirrel, kid's books and more. I just can't resist the Cute Stuff!  I found many more items, including some fantastic vintage embroidered pillowcases and flour sack towels that I will sometime get pictures of. These are some of my favorites and I hope they are yours too!






                                                    Linking with.....