What is a monkeybox?

When I was a little girl, we had a pet monkey named Amanda. My Dad worked in the produce business, so each night he brought home that days culls in a big box - spotty cucumbers, pithy apples, limp celery, moldy oranges and the like. We called it a monkeybox. It was really just trash, but my Mom would take each piece of fruit and trim it, pare it and cut it up to make a beautiful fruit platter for Amanda. Even though it was deemed trash by one, it still had life left in it and was good for the purpose we needed it. That's how I live my life - thrifting, yard saling, looking for another's trash to be my treasure.

Friday, December 21, 2012

Vintage Christmas Paper

This Fall I received a surprise box in the mail that was absolutely chock full of the PERFECT items for me.  I mean, if I shopped all year for myself, I wouldn't have found more perfect items.  Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you.

One of the bestest (yes, that is too a word) was this 1949 Tuttle Christmas Paper Catalog.

 It is a catalog of all of the wrapping paper, gift sacks and paper bags available for a department store to order for it's gift wrapping department.  (I don't shop at any department stores - do they still have a gift wrapping department?)
I assumed it would be pictures of the wrapping paper.  But, when I opened it, I was happy to find page after page of actual tissue paper, wrapping paper and gift sacks.  I bet there's over 50 different patterns.  I've refrained from taking a photo of each and every one.  (It was HARD!)

There is often one design like this Santa paper.

And then it is in different color combinations.  
Because it was after WWII, lots of the papers have a red, white and blue Americana theme to them.  

I love this vintage Santa with balloons.  Because nothing screams CHRISTMAS like a bunch of balloons.  

Another red, white and blue variety.  
The stars in the background are from another sheet of paper.  

I love this red, white and blue Santa.  

And, this happy caroling couple.

Poinsettias and candles.

Simple red and metallic stripes.


Sweet little cottages in the Christmas tree forest.

Love the font on the old papers.

Jingle Bells in red and black.

Jingle Bells in red and blue.

Peace on Earth with angels.

Red, white and blue with a POP of green.

I like these blue Poinsettias.

Cheery Snowmen.

And a more Christmas-y color combination.

Elegant silver and green Poinsettias.

Love this bold holly paper.

This one stole my heart even though it's not the usual Santa's and bold graphics.

And, Merry Christmas to YOU!





10 comments:

  1. Love it! Why don't some companies reproduce these old-fashioned designs?? Merry Christmas to you too!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Those are absolutely fabulous and gorgeous! Thank you for sharing them with us!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Omg how fabulous. Those are all so lovely. Had I seen anything like them in stores I would have totally BOUGHT SOME. My Christmas wrap this year can not even compare to your samples.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love it!! It's have trouble picking which samples to include too.

    Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Shara,
    Those are ALL so pretty! They remind me a lot of the tablecloths of that era. I especially like the ones that say Noel because that's my
    DH name. We have LOTS of Noel stuff in our Holiday decorations...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Swoon! Nothing better than those old fashioned graphics!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Shara, that is wonderful! I don't think that department stores have wrapping departments anymore, except maybe the very high-end ones.

    ReplyDelete
  8. The cheery snowmen? The jingle bells? The Santa with balloons? I love 'em all, but especially those three.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I think they are all wonderful, but I especially like the cheery snowmen!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh my gosh, such yummy paper, I too, am swooning!
    Pat G

    ReplyDelete

I love my comments. I'd love to respond to everyone, but if you don't have an email address tied to your ID, please sign your name so I will know who you are! It makes it nice to know who is saying what. Now, leave a comment! Please? ;o)

I Can See You!



Look at my Visitors!

Fellow Junk Followers