{ friday fun: Easter memories }

Who do you suppose is pictured here in 

her finest ~1970s~ Easter frockery?

Gathering goodies for my daughter's Easter basket yesterday had me reminiscing about my own childhood Easters–always a favorite holiday of mine. I just loved waking up to that basket of surprises beside my bed in the morning. 

Another Easter..sporting a stylin' new 'do'

{ gosh, I loved that straw purse! }

What struck me, as I recalled my beloved Easter basket treats, was that none of them required batteries, electricity, logins, or passwords–goodness gracious, how did we ever survive? At the risk of dating myself, those were the days when we were {ahem} encouraged to take our new loot and play outside with our neighborhood buddies–and we had a blast!

I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite Easter treats from the past with you all. Do you recognize any?

Click here to enlarge photo

Clockwise from upper left corner:

1. Vintage Paas Easter Egg kit   2. Slinky   3. & 4. Water Color Paints  

5. See's Chocolate bunny 6. Bunny Pez (of course!)  

7. Yo-yo  8. Panoramic Sugar Eggs   9. Jacks   

10. Peeps  11. Silly Putty   12. Jump rope

 

Memories of these simple pleasures have inspired the surprises my daughter will find in her own Easter basket this year--I can't wait to share in some retro playtime together.

May you all find joy in your own simple pleasures this weekend 

as you celebrate the blessings of Spring!

A special note to welcome all of the new visitors who stopped by this week and to thank everyone for the many sweet and thoughtful comments-they really, truly, sincerely make my day and it thrills me that you continue to stop by my little corner of the world.

{ sew perfect }

One present down...just a few more to go...

Over the last few months, my 7-year-old daughter, has frequently mentioned wanting to learn to sew. It's something I've been dying to do myself–I've sewn little more than a loose button since taking a sewing/home economics class in 7th grade. So, I started researching children's sewing machines thinking one would make a great Christmas gift for Miss B and provide fresh inspiration for some fun mother/daughter DIY projects in 2008. Imagine my delight when I discovered this:
I simply adore Hello Kitty. When I was about 12 or so, my mom worked at a local Hallmark store. I had just started taking on babysitting jobs and often would take care of my brother at home for a couple of hours while she worked. Occasionally, as a reward for my help, she would bring me home a surprise package from her store. Lucky for me, the store carried a small line of Hello Kitty items. I had Hello Kitty pens, pencil holders, stickers...you name it...small, treasured tokens of my mom's appreciation. Then, one day we heard a Sanrio store had opened in San Francisco, right in Union Square...I could hardly contain myself! The two of us planned a special trip to SF, just to go to the store. I still vividly remember taking BART to the City and walking into that beloved store for the first time...a breathtaking, dream-come-true experience for a Hello Kitty obsessed tween. (Thanks again mom!)

Needless to say, my (er, my daughter's) Hello Kitty sewing machine has been ordered and is on its way...I wasn't even concerned with whether or not it actually works. (Fortunately, I read several great product reviews on Target after the fact). I'm so excited to open it...Oops, I mean for Bella to open it on Christmas morning. Now, if I can hunt down a gem like this in time for Christmas, my gift giving wishlist will be complete.

Update: The manufacturer inadvertently sent this model which I decided to keep as it's a little bigger and provides more sewing features.