Today I found some fantastic vintage cookbooks from the 30′s – 60′s.  I noticed how so many of them were more “helpful” than their modern counterparts. I apologize in advance for the glare on some of these photos, some of them had plastic book covers.

This one is useful if you just don’t know what to do with your blender…

…and that pesky chafing dish.

Then there were books specifically about your fancy new Frigidaire…

…and Refrigerator 101… I think this one was the 1940s equivalent of Still Tasty.

This one reminded me of my grandmothers, printed in 1935, they had the same haircut as this little girl.

And then there books with bright colors and the perfect titles to make me forget it’s a chilling 46F on this mid-April day.

Last but not least, my favourite helpful cookbook of the day was this one. Mrs. Dewey, you’re my hero.

If there’s one thing I love more than almost as much as vintage jewelry, it’s 1950′s kitchenware.  The colors and patterns pull me in and make me want to take all of it home and start cooking, okay well, baking, alright fine, just decorating.  My own kitchen is a nearly perfectly preserved specimen from the late 50′s right down to the aqua snowflake pattern countertops.

There are a few local dealers who specialize in mid-century kitchenware and a Saturday afternoon (as in yesterday) is easily spent looking into the past.

Glass tumblers

Yellow Kitchen King scale and red Hanson Recipe Scale.  Adorable tomato print glasses.

Fantastic chrome toaster, I may have to go back for this one.

Shakers of all kinds and colors.

Shiny plated flatware.

And this rack of vintage handkerchiefs was too pretty to pass up the photo op.

“Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world.” ~Marilyn Monroe

With that in mind, I picked up these super high, super purple lovelies this afternoon…