My New Years Dress

Just a little something I whipped up.
I hope you are looking so well this New Years!

Dressed For A Party - For Girls and Gals! - 1953

Bring in the new year with some party dresses for girls, toddlers and ladies from Family Circle Magazine, 1953.
Looks like everybody was ready for a good time!

Holiday-Wear Patterns and Smooth Underlines! - 1953

I think these may have been suitable for holiday shopping, they don't look like party dresses, but I do know to get this look you need the right underwear!

A Gibson Girl Christmas Message - 1910

From her....and me. I wish you all good things, Merry Christmas!

Christmas Surprise - What To Give Dad - A Mother / Daughter Makeover! 1958

"Christmas Surprise - How one family solved the problem of what to give Dad."
Just go to the Good Housekeeping Beauty Clinic and go from "Harassed housewife to chic matron" and "From careless teen-ager to gracious, groomed young lady"

"Here's how they did it!"

"He's so hard to buy for!" The cliche fitted Mr. Joseph Ambrosia, of New York City, to a T; but Mrs. Ambrosia and nineteen -year-old Sandy found the perfect solution. Their Christmas present to Dad this year: a dramatically prettier wife and daughter. The transformation, supervised by our Beauty Clinic, took about two months, but didn't interrupt business-as-usual for Mrs. Ambrosia, a housewife, mother of four, and dedicated church worker, or for Sandy, a Good Housekeeping secretary, drama student, and a bit of a butterfly. Was their "present" a success? We leave it to you. Look at the pictures on the following pages, and see what you think.

A ban on nail biting was the first step for both Ambrosias. Sandy was a cuticle-chewer, too. But weekly manicures in the Beauty Clinic and the delight of having good-looking nails strengthened their determination. Once a day, Sandy smoothed on cuticle cream and her mother soaked brittle nails in nail hardener. Mrs. Ambrosia pampered rough hands often, with cream or lotion, and took to wearing gloves for every household chore. Results? Just see the pictures?

Sandy's eyes are brown and almond shape. And they smile when she does. But they needed a touch of boldness. We plucked the mischievous hairs beneath and between her brows, giving them a clean outward sweep. Shimmering green eye shadow contrasted with dark eyes, and long, thick lashes were tipped with mascara.

Make-up for the office had meant lipstick only-until we gave good reasons and showed results to our amateur actress. On Sandy's naturally oily skin, we used dry cake make-up. Contour curves under the eyes were lightened with ivory-tone foundation. A prominent chin retired with a darker foundation. Two powderings - the first as a prime coat, the second as a finish -prettied the clearest skin Sandy ever had. Her expressive eyes (the envy of the Beauty Clinic staff) are described above. Lipstick in a Christmas pumpkin shade was simpatico with her coral dress and nails.

Dad's biggest presents were his girls' new hair styles. All year long he had been hinting, in tactful male fashion, that Sandy and her mother have their hair styled. He'd tweak Sandy's pony tail and point to his own easy-to-manage hairdo.

The miracle of posture. Before her beauty course, Sandy walked and worked as though she had weights on her ears. Before: head and shoulders drooped, chest collapsed, as she read the paper. After - packages held at waist level, head high, chest expanded, back straight, shoulders wide.

It took courage for Sandy to part with her pony tail. Her last haircut had been a full year before. But after a few minutes of deft cutting and shaping, our gamine began to emerge. Gone were the unruly bangs, the wispy temple hairs, the long tress with its plaguing split ends. Sandy made one plea when we were styling her hair: "Please give me a hairdo that doesn't need much setting." We chose a short, face-framing style, with a smooth crown and sides that curled ever so gently about the ears. Sandy's fine hair curled willingly and stayed pretty-with the promised very little setting - when hair spray was used to set and hold it. A hair rinse, which added red highlights, also gave it more body. And a nightly routine of vigorous brushing rewarded Sandy with newly lustrous locks.

Sandy's complexion had always been her pet peeve. Like so many young skins, hers was oily and often dotted with blemishes and blackheads. Her new beauty regimen called for frequent lathering with medicated soap, followed by lots of hot, then cool, water and an astringent. At night, she hid her blemishes under healing cream, and twice a week applied a facial mask for oily skin. A wholesome diet, with no blemish - making sweets, clarified her skin in two months.

Mrs. Ambrosia impatiently waited her turn in the beauty chair. Like many busy women, she bad long ignored the feminine arts for more practical matters. Now she was in a rush to become a "new woman." We cut her hair and fashioned a short, pert style, with hair brushed up and back from the sides and pouffed high on top in a modified Empress coif, to slim her roundish face. A gentle, rod-type permanent disciplined her soft, fine hair, giving it body and a naturally curly look. Dandruff disappeared under the persuasion of a good antidandruff treatment, administered with weekly regularity. The final touch was a rich coppery rinse, which gave her dull locks new vitality.

Two figure problems confronted Mrs. Ambrosia: padded bips and poor posture bothered her in every costume. We gave her a series of exercises to tone and tighten the little bulges. A faithful student, she exercised 20 minutes every busy day. The result: waist and hips measured two inches smaller. "I'm going to keep it up," Mrs. Ambrosia told us. "I feel more nimble." A balanced, low-calorie diet trimmed off seven extra pounds in two months. Exercise improved her posture, gave her a confident air.

"Dry skin makes me look older," she said. We agreed. Early in the game, we explained to Mrs. Ambrosia the gifts of moisture lotion. It worked softening, dewy magic while she slept and under daytime make-up. A creamy foundation, instead of her customary "just powder," was a buffer against sun and wind. Peachy powder livened her pallid complexion. Lifting and lengthening scanty brows with eyebrow pencil and Christmas-green eye shadow on lids gave importance to subdued eyes. Cheating with a Santa-Claus-red lipstick, to give a generous mouth, made her look the winsome matron she is.

Christmas Cheer Throughout The Year - Give Lovely Cannon Towels - 1940

"...ready to gladden the heart, and the home, of every lucky person on your list!"

"There's nothing like a Singer - any Singer - to give a woman a real gift for sewing!" - 1955

"So modern, so advanced you'll have to see it - and try it - to believe how easy it can make even the fanciest stitching."
Is it too late to put this on my list?

"My new sewing machine was a wonderful gift" says Mrs. Zelco - 1953 Family Circle

My goodness that Helen is a lucky gal. Don't you wish you'd get a new sewing machine for Christmas? If only you had a swell guy like Stephen around!
Oh and don't worry.."Young Stephen is so accustomed to the whir of the sewing machine that he pays no more attention to it than he does to the vacuum cleaner."

"Helen and Stephen F. Zelko Of Cleveland, Ohio live in an apartment on the top floor of Steve's parents' home. They did the painting and decorating themselves, and when they were ready to choose curtains. draperies, and slip covers, Helen realized she could save money by making them herself-if only she knew how to sew. She could, of course, take sewing lessons and then rent a sewing machine. But why rent a machine and reduce the saving to be made by home sewing?
Helen Zelko's dilemma was resolved when Steve suggested that she pick out a brand-new modern sewing machine - one that would also be attractive as a piece of living-room furniture-as his Christmas gift last year. Sewing lessons at the store where she bought the machine would be included in the purchase price.
One problem remained for Helen to solve: She had to arrange for someone to take care of young Stephen while she went to her department-store sewing class. His grandparents, who live downstairs, both have daytime jobs, but Helen's mother and several aunts volunteered to baby-sit while she took her lessons. Helen wanted to learn to sew correctly to avoid time-and money-consuming experimenting, and she says she wouldn't have trusted herself to take on so many ambitious home-sewing jobs if she hadn't first learned how to run her machine efficiently."

Betsy McCall's Christmas Surprise - Free Paperdolls! - 1955 McCall's Magazine

This set of Betsy McCall includes her cousins Linda and Sandy. If you click twice you can enlarge them and keep an kid busy while you try to get something done.
(Personally I think Betsy's surprise might have been Sandy wearing leopard print undies!)

Christmas Lingerie In Pink, Blue and Newest Beige - 1955 McCall's Magazine

Wow. Here's what you really want from Santa!

More Gifts You Can Make - American Thread Company, Star Gift Book 150 - Part 2

Here's some more goodies from American Thread Company, More Gifts You Can Make, Star Gift Book 150 for your Christmas decorating and those last few gifts. Stock up on gold sequins, red felt, wire and ribbon and of course, mistletoe!

More Gifts You Can Make - American Thread Company, Star Gift Book 150

Here at What-I-Found Headquarters we try to provide you with all the finest in projects and ideas for your holiday gift giving. We have really found some treasures in this undated American Thread Co. Star Booklet.
You can find instructions for a wild Yak Yak, The Chi Chi Bonnet (modeled on balloons) Swedish Embroidery for your towels and The Gift Doily worked in Silver, Green and Red Spangle.
Where else can you find content like this?

(And remember if you want to actually make any of these you will want to click twice to see the fine print)

Famous Fashion Designers Inspired by Silverware! - 1940 Better Homes and Gardens

Just in time for Christmas, "Community Plate - Leadership in Design Authority" shows us the silverware that inspired Balenciaga, Molyneux, Schiaparelli and Lelong to create these gowns.
Mind you, it was the silverware that came first...but thank goodness these mere dress designers had such inspiration!

BALENCIAGA took his style inspiration for this creation from Coronation* by Community ... the best loved pattern of all!

MOLYNEUX was inspired by the jewel like flower design of the loveliest pattern of the year...the new Milady*byCommunity.

SCHIAPARELLI created this exciting, dramatic gown, inspired by the exciting, deeply carved pattern, Forever*by Community.

LELONG designed this superbly simple gown in honor of the superbly simple pattern... Lady Hamilton* in Community Plate.

Last Minute Gifts - Kleenex Box Covers!

Since Christmas is coming up soon you may be needing some last minute gift ideas. Well, the good folks at Kleenex have a whole booklet of swell designs for covering Kleenex boxes. Who wouldn't appreciate one of these under the tree?
Shown here are the instructions for the "Fair Lady" and others are shown below. The intro is by Mary Brooks Picken - "Internationally known sewing authority" and she points out the "importance of blending or matching slip cover colors with Kleenex tissue colors."

And if you'd like more ideas...

Festive Party Dresses - 1958 Good Housekeeping

Here are three choices from Simplicity for 'Yuletide Magic' to wear to the big party of the season!

Your Christmas List - 1958 Good Housekeeping

Maybe you haven't made out your list for Santa. Here are some wonderful suggestions from Good Housekeeping Magazine, 1958.
Do you want a hair dryer, new kitchen pots and pans, new scales (the gift with the lift), or an extension phone? I hope you can drop hints and get all the special presents for modern living so you can live relaxed!