Beautiful vintage styled dolls... I love their pretty hats. Click on the images to see them full size. I'm sure they'd be lots of big and little girls who would love these under their christmas tree this year..

I think this is such a pretty handmade bag..
so easy to make - click on it to see it full size. It might inspire you to make one for yourself. The pretty piece of lace in the front and the bow etc are an attractive added touch.
You might even find some vintage lace at garage sales or second hand shops ...
or even use up some of those old tablecloths or doilies you might have ......

Beautiful image for this time of year. Soon Christmas will be upon us. Wow.. those years go flying by so quickly. If you wish to save the cute little ones ...click on the graphic to see it full size. It would make a lovely desktop wallpaper for your computer.

I shared this WhimsMist tube ... in my group recently... so if you aren't a member and would like to have it ... drop me a note and I'll send it to you .... you can see it full size by clicking on the image itself. It is very pretty.... and I have already used it to make a desktop wallpaper.
my email is whimsywhispers@yahoo.com

1861: Mrs Beeton's Christmas Cake.Ingredients.

- 5 teacupfuls of flour, 1 teacupful of melted butter, 1 teacupful of cream, 1 teacupful of treacle, 1 teacupful of moist sugar, 2 eggs, 1/2 oz. of powdered ginger, 1/2 lb. of raisins, 1 teaspoonful of carbonate of soda, 1 tablespoonful of vinegar.Mode. - Make the butter sufficiently warm to melt it, but do not allow it to oil; put the flour into a basin; add to it the sugar, ginger, and raisins, which should be stoned and cut into small pieces. When these dry ingredients are thoroughly mixed, stir in the butter, cream, treacle, and well-whisked eggs, and beat the mixture for a few minutes. Dissolve the soda in the vinegar, add it to the dough, and be particular that these latter ingredients are well incorporated with the others; put the cake into a buttered mould or tin, place it in a moderate oven immediately, and bake it from 1 ¾ to 2 ¼ hours.

I will be borrowing this book from our library here in town.
I love being able to go online and select my choice and then its
brought from anywhere in British Columbia up here to our little
town in the deep woods .... I love Harrison Fisher ladies and I know
I'll enjoy browsing though this one.

Save the images .. by clicking on them to see the original sizes..

Elegant and pretty

Save by clicking on the image and you will get a full size original. Gorgeous little girl with one of my favourite things... a big pink bow.

Beautiful real dresses donated to the New York museum..

Actually worn by a very elegant lady early in the 1900's.

Click on the image to see them in all their glory .. full size...

One can only imagine wearing these daily ... No wonder they needed so many of those

huge trunks when they travelled. *(s) I always worry about the fabric

dragging in the mud ...

Full size .. if you click on the image... save it from there..

It will brighten up your desktop .. I hope you like it.

These wonderful sketches of clothing give us an insight into what really was popular and what was being worn back in the days when big hats, long dresses and coats were popular. The details are wonderful. I'm amazed at how many different designs there are. Elegant and reflective of a time gone by that is classic and gentile.

I'm not all that sure I'd be able to cope with the bustles of yesteryear, the petticoats, etc .... on hot summer days. *s

I know they had their dressmakers and maids spending hours re-doing their clothes... removing or adding lace, changing the buttons, swapping sleeves, adding ruffles, altering bodices and more ... so they could wear the same thing and have it look different.

I imagine their clothes would not have been cheap. The image here can be seen full size if you click on it. Obviously taken from a magazine .. showing ladies how to alter their last season's clothes.

Click on the images to save from the full size ...

Some cards to add to your stash.. I make lots of these so check back

often to collect some more.

Can you remember these boxes..

My grandmother had a few she'd made. Containers for all sorts of things .. and were created from pretty cards or papers, and matching threads....

I remember having a couple when I was a child... a place to put my little treasures. *(s)

Only seven weeks till Santa comes... *(s) Christmas cards.....

Although it could not compete with the speed of email today, the 1800's nevertheless experienced a revolution in communication that played an important role in creating the tradition of the Christmas greeting card.

Helped by the new railway system, the public postal service made corresponding a popular past time. In England, Sir Henry Cole recognized the advantage of a more efficient mail service and initiated the practice of sending Christmas greeting cards to friends.

The first formal Christmas card was designed by J.C. Horsley in 1843 as a commercial endeavor. It was lithographed on stiff, dark cardboard and depicted in color, a wealthy family enjoying a Christmas feast as they all toast the festive season with glasses of wine raised over the words "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you." The scene was set within a woody, rustic border hung with ivy, grapes and vine leaves.

One thousand copies were printed sold in London, and soon others followed suit. An English artist, William Egley, produced a popular card in 1849. Louis Prang, a German born printer, working from his shop in Roxbury, Massachusetts, printed his first American cards in 1875. Even more important than his printing was the fact that he did more than anyone else to popularize the cards by instituting nationwide contests for the best Christmas designs, which were awarded cash prizes.

Adding to the popularity of Christmas cards was the "penny post," created by the British Postal System. This resulted in an inexpensive way to correspond with large numbers of friends, and as printing methods improved, Christmas card production increased. The custom of sending Christmas cards caught on because at that time in England one could mail greetings for only a penny each.

From the beginning the themes have been as varied as the Christmas customs worldwide. Many cards were extremely elaborate with gilded, embossed, shaped, pop-up and pierced forms. Very few of these early Victorian Christmas cards illustrate the religious meaning of the Christmas holiday, and they rarely show landscapes blanketed in snow or warmly clad skaters on ponds or even reindeers pulling Santa's sleigh over the countryside which are all so common today on our cards Traditionally, Christmas cards showed religious pictures - Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus, or other parts of the Christmas story. Today, cards often portray humor, winter pictures, Santa Claus, or romantic scenes of life in past times.

Americans typically exchange in excess of 2 billion cards each year. According to Hallmark Cards, the all-time favorite sentiment on a Christmas card is "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You!"

Desktop Wallpaper from my Collection at whimsydust.com

There are lots of pretty images like this one ... you can use them every day on your

computer screen as wallpapers or why not make them into a screensaver..

Very easy to do with Windows XP.

There's a link in the left hand side columns to the page at my website.

They would make a great gift for someone you care about.

Click on the image to see it full size so you can save it from there.

Lovely image of pretty Marilyn Monroe. Click on it to see it full size.

I have never seen a bad photo of her...

She was born Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926 in Los Angeles, California, to Gladys Baker. As the identity of her father is undetermined, she was later baptized Norma Jeane Baker. Gladys had been a film cutter at RKO studios, but psychological problems prevented her from keeping the job and she was eventually committed to a mental institution.

Norma Jeane spent most of her childhood in foster homes and orphanages until 1937, when she moved in with family friend Grace McKee Goddard. Unfortunately, when Grace's husband was transferred to the East Coast in 1942, the couple couldn't afford to take 16-year-old Norma Jeane with them. Norma Jeane had two options: return to the orphanage or get married. On June 19, 1942 she wed her 21-year-old neighbor Jimmy Dougherty, whom she had been dating for six months. "She was a sweet, generous and religious girl," Jimmy said. "She liked to be cuddled." By all accounts Norma Jeane loved Jimmy, and they were happy together until he joined the Merchant Marines and was sent to the South Pacific in 1944.

Tea with Queen Victoria (1837-1901)
Henry James wrote, "There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as an afternoon tea." Afternoon tea was invented by Anna Duchess of Bedford (1783-1857), one of Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting. During this time, the noble classes ate large breakfasts, small lunches and late suppers. Every afternoon, Anna experienced what she referred to as a "sinking feeling," so she requested that her servants bring her tea and petite-sized cakes to her boudoir. Many followed the Duchess' lead, and thus the ritual of afternoon tea was birthed. In fact, a culture of sorts emerged around the tradition of drinking tea. Fine hotels began to offer tea rooms, while tea shops opened for the general public. Tea dances also became popular social events at which Victorian ladies met potential husbands.

Some yummy recipes here...