Feng Shui (meaning “wind” and “water”) is the ancient Chinese art of placement. It is based on the principle of “chi”, a life-force energy that flows through your house and surrounding landscape. The idea is to balance the soft, slow, receptive, feminine Yin energy with the hard, fast, active, masculine Yang energy. I’ve been dabbling… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Frugal Living
Prell Shampoo: Fabulous in the 1950s, Fabulous Now!
Prell shampoo, with its distinctive green color, has been around since 1947 and is still around today. This great ad from 1955 touts the fact that ‘extra rich’ liquid Prell creates “Radiantly Alive Hair”. It says that some shampoos are too thin, watery, messy and hard-to-use. Some shampoos are too heavy, with cloudy ingredients that… Read more »
Vintage 1955 Wonder-Power Pink Dreft Washes Everything!
Could anything be more vintage 1955 than this swell dishwashing detergent? Presenting the amazing Wonder-Power Pink Dreft! What’s cool is that it came in granular form, which apparently made water feel like a lotion, while the wonder-soft suds dissolved grease the fastest way possible. Plus it is pink. PINK, people! (I love pink, if you… Read more »
Ode To The Made In USA Vintage Wood Peg Clothespin
Yesterday, while doing a round of thrift store shopping, I found a bag of vintage 1960s Penley’s old-style wood peg clothespins. I was rummaging through a messy basket of sewing patterns and yarn, and found them at the bottom of the pile. Manufactured by the Penley Brothers in West Paris, Maine, USA. Still sealed in… Read more »
How To Do Your Laundry For (Practically) Free
I’ve been doing my laundry frugally for over 10 years now, after my clothes dryer gave up the ghost. I often forget that most people don’t do laundry this way (at least in America), so I’d like to share my money-saving and environmentally-friendly routine. It may take a little getting used to, but summertime is… Read more »
Tallow-Free Homemade Laundry Detergent Using Kirk’s Castile Soap
Although I am partial to my homemade detergent recipe using Zote soap, I did have a request from a friend, who is vegan, for a detergent recipe that doesn’t use tallow or any animal by-products. Knowing that castile soap is plant/vegetable oil based, I rummaged around my soap collection – yes I collect soap –… Read more »
I'm Marilyn, and I'm obsessed with vintage clothing, thrift stores, clotheslines, and Chanel. Welcome to my down-to-earth world!