Myself, wearing a light brown cowboy hat, pink and yellow floral top, squash blossom necklace with green stones, blue jeans, carrying suitcases up to the green trim French doors.

The Olympic Legacy of Palm Springs’ Oldest Hotel

March 15, 2023, 1 Comment

Resting in the shadows of the San Jacinto Mountains sits the eclectic complex known as Casa Cody, said to be Palm Springs’ oldest and longest continually operating hotel. This unique hotel has an interesting history, but perhaps its gold medal winning room is its vintage Olympic Village cottage. Unless you are one of the greatest…

Myself standing in front of the gallery's title wall, which reads "Poses Figures and Glances"

J.C. Leyendecker: Illustrating American Traditions and Queer Coded Advertisements

March 8, 2023, 3 Comments

For as long as I can remember I’ve always loved illustration art. Magazine covers in the pre-photography days have always enchanted with me with their idealistic images of seasonal celebrations, illustrated advertisements of rosey cheeked women whose lives are magically made better by whatever they are holding, all of it delightfully charming, while also making…

A yellow and red train is manned by a grey cat in a blue engineer's outfit, holding a sign reading "Chugging down the line to say, be my Valentine!"

Vintage Valentine’s Day Cards Vol. 2

February 8, 2023, Leave a Comment on Vintage Valentine’s Day Cards Vol. 2

Ages ago I shared some of my vintage Valentines Day card collection, which, at the time, was very small. Today, the collection has grown and I’m happy to bring you another sampling and plan to continue the tradition in the way I do my annual Christmas card post. I hope you enjoyed! And wishing you…

Small, single story, boarded up adobe buildings sit just past a sign reading "Casablanca Inn"

The Remnants, Remains, and Random Snapshots of 2022

February 1, 2023, 1 Comment

Sometimes when Patrick and I go out we find ourselves pulling over when we spy a vintage sign, or a unique or abandoned building. Often these places never have enough meat to them for their very own post (and more often than not, the photos get forgotten about as a result), or they get relegated…

Close-up of a record sleeve featuring a handsome mustached man holding papers, text reads "David Niven reads the 'world's most famous love letters'" to the right is a heart shaped chocolate box, and nearby is a pair of pink birds with large blue eyes.

Hearts Galore!

January 18, 2023, 1 Comment

Over the last few years I’ve really gotten into collecting vintage Valentine’s Day cards and chocolate boxes, and I feel like I’ve reached the point where I truly decorate for Valentine’s Day. What’s so funny is that I still really don’t care much for the holiday itself, but I love the vintage ephemera that results…

A Christmas card featuring a scene of an old west general store, with a pot belly stove, shelves of merchandise, two cats, a shop owner behind the counter, and a woman with her children standing at the counter. In a doorway to the right there is a Christmas tree being decorated.

Vintage Christmas Cards Vol. 4

December 15, 2022, 1 Comment

Christmas is really all about traditions, even here on the blog, as I have several Christmas time traditions. One of which is sharing a portion of my ever growing vintage Christmas card collection. I really delight in vintage commercial illustration, and greeting cards have always provided some of the warmest, most charming images. This sampling…

It’s Halloween Time!

October 5, 2022, 5 Comments

Life has been so busy lately I haven’t had time to photograph our home all decorated for Halloween, despite it being decorated for a month! If you’ve been following the blog for awhile then you may have noticed a few big changes around our living room and dining room from last year to this year.…

Myself standing outside of the museum next to a pair of large golden arches, wearing a Bill Elliot racing tee, and brown and yellow shorts.

The Delightfully Bizarre Unofficial McDonald’s Museum

September 7, 2022, 2 Comments

Before McDonald’s was the global icon it is today, it was a humble barbecue joint in San Bernardino run by two brothers from New Hampshire. While their first location is no longer standing, it lives on at the First Original McDonald’s Museum, also known as the Unofficial McDonald’s Museum. Here no item is too small,…

Overview of the sales floor from the balcony, high white walls feature arched details of gold on them, the arched proscenium frames a screen, two small arched balconies sit on either side of the screen.

The Surreal Experience of Shopping for a New iMac at an Old Movie Palace

August 12, 2022, 2 Comments

A couple weeks ago my beloved iMac started show signs of age. It could barely keep up with my photo editing, and I knew its days were numbered. So I set out to get a new one. Not too long ago Apple announced they were introducing new colored iMacs. My millennial heart skipped a beat.…

Myself standing in front of the banner advertising the Jewish Deli exhibit.

Dishing Up Deli History at the Skirball Cultural Center

August 8, 2022, Leave a Comment on Dishing Up Deli History at the Skirball Cultural Center

Being from the west coast and growing up in the 90s, the idea of the Jewish deli wasn’t a big thing around me. It wasn’t until I started watching and paying attention to television shows and films set in New York that I really began to understand this cultural phenomenon. With the rise of foodie…

Atomic Redhead

1940s

The Olympic Legacy of Palm Springs’ Oldest Hotel

J.C. Leyendecker: Illustrating American Traditions and Queer Coded Advertisements

Vintage Valentine’s Day Cards Vol. 2

The Remnants, Remains, and Random Snapshots of 2022

Hearts Galore!

Vintage Christmas Cards Vol. 4

It’s Halloween Time!

The Delightfully Bizarre Unofficial McDonald’s Museum

The Surreal Experience of Shopping for a New iMac at an Old Movie Palace

Dishing Up Deli History at the Skirball Cultural Center