Time Warp Wives ™ - Home Economics

Lulu Guinness / Glamour Girl Rug

2012-02-25T15:46:00.000-08:00

Lulu Guinness Rug in Christina Aguilera Bathroom

This french glamorous bathroom was beautifully designed for singer Christina Aguilera. But what captured my attention was the retro inspired 1950's Glamour Girl rug by the designer Lulu Guinness. I love it!

The Glamour Girl rug is made of 150 knot Tibetan wool and silk in baby blue, pink and metallic gold. And besides being made with a thick and durable material, the rug it is also soft and plush. I know that my tootsies will love that!

Lulu Guinness is known by her quirky chic designs. And if you get an invitation to her home you will see her sense of style and sophistication through out her whole house.

While you wait for an invitation here is a sneak peek of her home.

The pretty cameo wall painting is based on Lulu Guinness' silhouette.

These Isabel silhouettes splashback tiles by Ruben Toledo adds an air of sophistication to Lulu's kitchen.

The Fornasetti cabinet is perfect for this vintage-style dining room.

Lulu's bathroom floor is made from reclaimed Victorian path tiles. And on top of her vanity are several Glamour Girl's perfume bottles. You know what that Glamour Girl sure has a striking resemblance to Marilyn Monroe.

Lulu Guinness Glamour Girl rug is available for purchase at: The Rug Company.

Copyright © 2008-2012. Time Warp Wives. A Retrotimes Productions Website. All Rights Reserved. Research Information: House To Home Uk, Daily Mail, The Rug Company, and Lulu Guinness Official Website.

The Martha Stewart Wrap

2012-01-26T18:59:00.000-08:00

The Martha Wrap is foil plus parchment in one! This special wrap was created and developed by Martha Stewart herself! Why didn't I think of that. Anyhow the wrap is now being sold at one of my favorite shops The Vermont Country Store!

One of the great things about the Martha Wrap is that your food won't be touching the aluminum foil. You see the parchment side is nonstick and provides a barrier between food and foil. When I heard of that I was sold!

For years I had stop using aluminum foil in the kitchen because of health concerns. Many health experts have warned for years about the health risks in using this kind of product in cooking. And some have even attributed certain diseases like Alzheimer's to the use of aluminum foil.

Purchasing healthy food is expensive nowadays. So why would we want to add toxins to our already expensive healthy food? That would defeat the purpose of buying the healthy food in the first place.

Here are the other perks of the Martha Wrap:

*Foil side retains heat and prevents freezer burn
*Oven and freezer safe(Oven safe up to 420° F)
*Ideal for roasting, baking, and steaming
*Also great for wrapping and reheating leftovers

I am so excited about this product! I hope that my favorites restaurants start using this product as well.

Copyright © 2008-2012. Time Warp Wives. A Retrotimes Productions Website. All Rights Reserved. Research Information: The Vermont Country Store and Martha Stewart website.

The 1940's House/ Film & Experience

2012-01-05T11:47:00.000-08:00

Last year a friend of mine and her husband invited my hubby and I to watch The 1940's House. I have been wanting to see this program for the longest so you could imagine how excited I was to finally watch the show.

So after we had diner we all went to the living room and sat down in front of the T.V. My friend popped in the video and a few minutes later we started to watch what we thought was going to be a sweet light fun show. We had no idea we were going to experience a dramatic roller coaster ride. I truthfully wasn't ready for the impact this show was going to have on me. And weeks later I was still recovering from it.

A viewer after watching the show said, "bloody impressive... watch it folks it will stay with you for a long time."

I couldn't said it better myself!

So are you ready?

Here it goes.

Copyright © 2008-2012. Time Warp Wives. A Retrotimes Productions Website. All Rights Reserved. Video: Youtube. Research: Wikipedia.

Décor Inspiration: Stylish 50's Living Room

2011-04-11T19:28:00.000-07:00

Isn't this stylish 50's living room a dream? I could totally see my family in this room! But regrettably this living room belongs to David and Kristin. And this talented couple were by the way featured at Retro Renovation back in January.

The first thing that I love about this room was their color selection. They used the different creams and greens together and then bang, they added red as a pop out color. All together it's a perfect 50's color blend!

The second thing that I appreciate about this living room setting was that although all the furniture is from classic mid- century design not all the pieces are all matching. And we can all agree that it was tastefully done!

And for any of you that might be interested in purchasing a similar sofa, I found the Florence Knoll Sofa to have a similar style like the one featured in this living room. But the less expensive version would be the Gus Modern Jane Sofa.

The third thing that I love about this room is how they incorporated a bold focal point which is the the big painting that is over the big sofa and they balanced it off by adding a larger furniture piece, which is the buffet right across from the focal point. I just wanted to share that point that I learned from my Interior Decorating School.

The fourth thing that I love are the wall paneling! Mind you these are not your typical brown panels from the seventies. These wall paneling brings both style and texture to the room.

The last thing that I must say is that this couple should have their own decorating show!

Now that would be something cool to watch on T.V.

Copyright © 2008-2011. Time Warp Wives. A Retrotimes Productions Website. All Rights Reserved. Picture sources from Retro Renovation.

Baking Cookies: Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar?

2011-03-25T13:53:00.000-07:00

"Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar? Bobbie stole the cookie from the cookie jar."

"Who, me?"

"Yes, you!"

"Couldn't be!"

"Then who?"

Cookie, yum yum cookie! We all know how children and yes, some of us adults totally love cookies. Some have gone through a series of obstacle course. They have climbed up tall walls, jumped a steep hill, crawled through a muddy ground in order to take a bite out of that scrumptious piece of cookie. Even Bill Cosby's had included in one of his funniest retro stand up show the incident of the cookie situation. Trust me this show will make your sweet tooth fall off it's socket!

So we might not always know who have stolen the cookie from the cookie jar. But whatever happened to Anna's cookie journal?

Yes, The 1st American Cookie Lady is based on a cookie diary of Anna Covington that she handwritten for one of her children. The mystery of this cookie book was that it was never used. There was not a sign of a smidgen print on it's pages. And that for some unknown reason it kind of slipped out from the care of the family. Eighty Eight years later this unused cookie book ended up at Ebay in 2004 where it was auctioned out to Barbara Swell who is a food historian, an author, and who happened to have a baking career herself!

Barbara presents Anna's recipes exactly as they appear in the original diary. Anna had recorded 208 different cookie recipes between 1917 and 1920. You will enjoy reading through and learning about the different cookie recipes that was popular of that time.

In addition to that Barbara also added in the book helpful tips and hints on baking, updates for many of the recipes, fun cookie poems, and over 150 vintage photos and illustrations.

Want to add a piece of history to your cook book collection? You are welcome to have Anna's cookie book with your milk.

Copyright © 2008-2011. Time Warp Wives. A Retrotimes Productions Website. All Rights Reserved.

Rules Of Étiquette: Whatever happened to Thank You?

2011-02-22T10:06:00.000-08:00

I don't know when or where it started it, but whatever happened to Thank You?

Doesn't it seem to you that people nowadays are less considerate of others? Adult and kids alike are rude and so disrespectful. We live in a society that have become more and more self-centered. Instead of thinking how to help others, people everywhere are only thinking about themselves.

Expressing our appreciation to another human is what makes us human. But unfortunately because of our crazy schedules we can be so caught up in the moment that we could fail to show consideration and gratitude to others. Of course that shouldn't be an excuse to become inconsiderate and unkind to our fellow man.

I remember when my husband was visiting me in Miami. He was my boyfriend then. We decided to go to Hard Rock Cafe that was located at Bayside, which is like an outdoor mall next to the bay. We took the bus from Miami Beach to Miami. When we got to our destination we walked towards the front of the bus. And as I was about to step down out of the bus I thank the bus driver.

My husband thought that it was quite nice of me to thank the bus driver. I on the other hand thought, "Why wouldn't I thank the bus driver?" After all he provided a wonderful service for me. And by me thanking him I am not only appreciated his hard work, but I am acknowledging him as a human being.

Recently I heard of John a man that had set off to write 365 Thank Yous notes in a year. He had been going through a rough patch in his life. But instead of focusing on what he didn't have, he wanted to find some ways to be grateful for what he had. So he decided to write thank you notes to everyone that showed him kindness.

His thank you notes went to loved ones, family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, doctors, store clerks, handyman and even to the Starbucks girl that prepared his coffee.

Not only did John put a smile on people's faces. But by showing his appreciation to others it actually had a big positive impact on his own life. It comes to show that there is more happiness in giving then in receiving!

At this moment I want to Thank all of my lovely readers throughout these past several years for your loyal support! You have been wonderful to me.

Thank you so much!

Oh and by the way you can find that cute stationary telephone Thank You card at: Modcloth

Feeling inspired? Why not send a thank you card today? The rewards will certainly be priceless!

Copyright © 2008-2011. Time Warp Wives. A Retrotimes Productions Website. All Rights Reserved.

Home Experience: I Have a Mouse in My House!

2011-01-17T17:39:00.000-08:00

Warning: This post is not for the faint of heart or for anyone who is terrified of mouse. Please use caution while proceeding.

For the past several months I had been a nervous wreck. And it all started when I found out that I had a mouse in my house. I couldn't think, breath, or sleep normally without thinking about this home invasion. I couldn't believe how this little innocent animal had me on the edge.

I felt totally disgusted every time I went to the kitchen to grab a glass or a silverware. "Did I wash it with enough soap and hot water? Well I am going to wash it again this third time just in case."

I even became obsessed and paranoid to the point that I thought that every noise or shadow was the workings of Mr. Mouse.

For many of you out there I may sound like if a wimp Don't get me wrong I love animals and being outdoors. I wasn't really that afraid of mouse before. As a matter of fact when I was younger I had many hamsters, which by the way are sweet and cuddly in comparison. But then it wasn't until later in life when I had encountered an experience that perhaps changed my feelings towards Ben forever.

The story goes like this...

It was a warm Summer day in South America. All of us children were watching cartoons. The windows and doors of the house were all opened while the warm air gently traveled through the living room.

Then out of no where there it was, this fierce looking cat comes walking through the front door. It was gray and a bit chubby and had a skinny long tail. The children all screamed, "It's a rat!"

The oldest boy runs to the kitchen and runs back with a broom. He charged towards the rat. The rat stands on his hind feet and utters a cat like hissing sound. And like a cowboy the rat then walks towards his opponent. The children scream.

The frightened boy continues swinging the broom towards the ugly intruder. Noise of broom slams towards the hard floors. The rat continues to fight back like a ninja. The boy uses all of his might and goes for the head.

After five long gruesome minutes the rat met his end.

The children are happy and proud of their big brother.

Well after this true and traumatizing experience I no longer liked these kind of animals. And years later after I read about the Bubonic Plague it really sealed the deal for me.

Going back to the mouse in my house. Hubby had put several small traps in our kitchen. First he put small pieces of cheese on top of the traps. But this little fellow seem to be faster and smarter than us. He managed to get the cheese without getting trapped.

Then we heard from a friend that peanut butter is the best choice of food, because it is sticks to the the mouse feet which would be harder for the mouse to run off.

Well after several weeks later the mouse was still living at large.

Then later as I examined certain evidences that I found one day on my kitchen floor. Yes, believe it or not I went down on my knees and observed what seem to be large droppings. That was when I realized that we were not dealing with Mickey Mouse, but instead we had an heavyweight one.

Hubby then confirmed my worst fears when he said that we weren't dealing with no ordinary small house mouse. That we had a case of a house Rat!

Yes, you can now imagine the flashbacks I had of the rat back home. The very thought of having a bigger rodent in my house was both very terrifying and disappointing. I felt that I had failed as housewife for allowing such a thing to happen. What would our neighbors think if they knew we had a rat in our house?

Now that we knew what we were dealing we had to double size everything.

Hubby set up larger traps and scooped up a larger amount of peanut butter. During the following weeks the rat had triggered the trap a couple of times. It seemed like he was trying to figure out how to get to the peanut butter without getting trapped.

During the whole process our doggie was in the look out for the rat. He would bark to alert us when Ratatouille was around.

Then in one faithful night around 10 PM doggie came to the room and started barking. He wanted for me to follow him to the kitchen. Doggie went straight to the fridge and started to bark non stop. I knew that in that moment we had the rat surrounded and that it was the right time to get him out of my house.

I called Hubby and he got a flashlight and pointed it underneath the fridge to try to see if he could see the rat. I then got the broom while I squeamishly started to bang on the side of the fridge.

Then after a minute of me banging the fridge this huge gray fur ball comes flying out. It wanted to climb up the counter when doggie got a hold of it in mid air. Doggie ran out the kitchen towards the living room and ended up placing the mangled rodent on top of my Persian rug.

I had never seen my doggie so exhilarated and excited before. There it was in front of him his first prey. Then after I saw the dead rat on my rug I kind of felt sorry for him. He or she was kind of cute looking.

By the end of the day doggie was happy. Daddy was sound asleep . And mommy, well she was left to clean the mess. But hey, she was relieved that the whole ordeal was finally over.

Copyright © 2008-2011. Time Warp Wives. A Retrotimes Productions Website. All Rights Reserved.

Child Development: The Dreaded Punishment!

2010-10-19T08:54:00.000-07:00

Leave It To Beaver

Do you remember how you dreaded punishment when growing up? No matter how us children tried avoiding it we kept getting punished over and over again! It was like we were a magnet for getting punished! There was definitely something wrong with our dinosaur size brains that kept us getting into trouble. I absolutely remembered the last day I was punished, just thinking about it makes my face feel hot and red!

Thank goodness that those days of are far over for me!

One of our most beloved shows of the 50's and 60's was Leave It To Beaver. This family sitcom was centered around a suburban family and their two children. Unlike some other sitcoms of that time Leave It To Beaver was a series being told from the kids' point-of-view. That is why the show was and it still is a favorite!

Going back to our theme about the ugly dreaded punishment Punishment could mean different things to different children. For some punishment could mean no dessert after super. For others it could mean a spanking on the tush. No matter how big or small the punishment was, at the end it was a lesson that we could never forget.

For instance in the Cleaver family punishment or discipline mostly meant being grounded, spending the rest of the day in the bedroom, and perhaps taken away television or movies privileges. The picture above looked like a scene when the boys was being instructed by their mom June Cleaver. And by their faces they didn't look too happy.

There were times though when the boys told of some sort of corporal punishment. As a matter of fact both Wally and the Beaver would use the phrase "Dad's gonna clobber you!" (meaning to spank, or hit) when assessing the others misdeeds. And even Ward himself mentioned being a victim of his father's belt.

Although the show mentioned of corporal punishment, such punishment was never seen and it was left to the audience discretion and imagination. After all it was Leave It To Beaver, and not "Give it to Beaver."

Several years before this showed aired there was Benjamin Spock who was a famous American Pediatrician that wrote the best seller book Baby and Child Care, published in 1946. I grew up hearing about this Doctor Spock (not to get confused with Mr. Spock from Star Trek) and his new revolutionary ideas about child rearing. I remembered that not many people liked this Doctor.

So I went ahead and researched this fellow to see what he was all about.

Spock according to Wikipedia was the first pediatrician to study psychoanalysis to try to understand children needs and family dynamics. His ideas about childcare influenced several generations of parents to be more flexible and affectionate with their children, and to treat them as individuals. Whereas the previous conventional wisdom had been that child rearing should focus on building discipline, and that babies should not be "spoiled" by picking them up when they cried.

When I read this I thought that it was an interesting observation.

Then I came across Doctor Spock's controversy statement. The statement that made many folks dislike him. The statement was found In the seventh edition of the popular book Baby and Child Care (1998), Dr. Spock said: “Spanking teaches children that the larger, stronger person has the power to get his way, whether or not he is in the right. Some spanked children then feel quite justified in beating up on smaller ones. The American tradition of spanking may be one reason that there is much more violence in our country than in any other comparable nation."

Really?

Was that the case with me? How did I feel when I was being punished? Did I turned out to be a bully? We shall see.

Each of my parents used different techniques when it came to corporal punishment.
Sometimes dad would strike me on the hand. And occasionally when I was a real bad girl he would use the belt. His type of punishment was swift and to the point, and left no permanent mark. We sure had a fear of displeasing dad or making him upset. So we tried hard to avoid getting the leather.

Now mom's way of punishment was a whole different ball game. She would do the ear pull, the arm pinch, and the occasional face slap.

Then came the penitence punishment, where she would make sure that we were truly repentant of our sinful conduct so that evilness won't overpower us. That meant pouring on us holy water while praying over us. Sounds frightful and weird I supposed.

Anyhow, a word of caution though. If you ever double crossed my mom that was when things turned pretty ugly! So it was always important to keep certain things to oneself.

A bit of background information about Mom. She was raised in a very religious household and she had attended a Catholic School. Now you can get the picture of where her style of punishment might have come from.

Yes, punishment was unpleasant and dreadful at times for me. But I sure did learn my lesson well. And as long as the punishment wasn't like a scene taken from the movie Mommy Dearest or from that movie Precious, which could have left both a physical or a physiological permanent mark, we turned out okay at the end.

In this time and age where stress and anxiety is everywhere corporal punishment have unfortunately escalated into physical and verbal abuse. You just have to turn on the T.V. and hear about it in the news and on reality shows.

But then there are those parents that have left their children or teenagers to fend for themselves. Such parents feel that the best way of training their kids is that they learn on their own. So the kids are left in making their own decisions and feeling like all grown up. At the end they feel like they need no help from their parents, teachers, or authority.

That song "You Are Not the Boss of Me", comes to mind.

Both of the above cases are extreme, unloving, and highly irresponsible.

On a lighter note, as I look back I am grateful that my parents disciplined me. I know that they were not all the time perfect. At the end of the day I avoided getting into trouble later in life. And I have enjoyed a good and wholesome life as an adult.

I never thought in my mind that my parents didn't loved me. On the contrary I knew that I could come to them when I needed protection and support.

I wanted to share with you an excerpt from The Journal of Lifetime Living that I found very interesting: “The child psychologists, wrangling over scheduled versus demand feeding, spanking versus non-spanking, have found that none of it makes much difference so long as the child is loved.”

I totally agreed with that 100%!

Love should always be the major factor behind a discipline.

Nowadays there are countless experts out there that teach different things. One such person that comes to mind is Supernanny. Both my husband and I enjoy watching this show. Jo doesn't believe in corporal punishment. She believes that good discipline and communication between parents and kids is a must And like the Dog Whisperer where the owner and dog gets trained. Supernanny believes that a successful outcome comes when both children as well as the parents get trained. So far I have seen many successes in her child rearing method.

Back in the seventies many criticized Doctor's Spock's book. They said that he was teaching permissiveness and instant gratification to that generation. Isn't it interesting that that description sounds much like this generation?

I have read that later he took some blame for some of things he taught.

To be fair we can't really blame one person for the bad behavior of everyone's children. I think that every parent have the right to set their own rules of discipline or punishment according to what they think it's proper for their own family.

But then time will tell if any of these methods prove to be successful or not.

One thing that we all can agree on is that this generation of children need all the love and care of their parents.

The children are the future!

I am sure that at the end both Wally and Beaver turned out to be fine and responsible adults.

I love this proverb: “A rebuke works deeper in one having understanding than striking a stupid one a hundred times.”

Thank goodness! Now I know that I wasn't stupid, because with one spanking I sure got the point!

Copyright © 2008-2010. Time Warp Wives. A Retrotimes Productions Website. All Rights Reserved.

Research and Picture taken from Wikipedia. Quotations taken from Dr.Spock.Com. Excerpt taken from The Journal of Lifetime Living. Bible Scripture Proverbs 17:10 taken from The New World Translation.

The Parlor Room

What do you think? Do you believe in corporal punishment? We would love to hear from you. You are welcome to leave a comment below in our Parlor Room.

Rules of the Parlor Room: Time Warp Wives is a family friendly place. Please be courteous and respectful in your comments. Thanks!

Makeover Your Bedroom with Ritz Carlton Style!

2009-06-24T07:14:00.000-07:00

Room Decorated by Mily Gordon.

Luxurious style and elegance at à la Ritz-Carlton can be yours to bring home. If you don't want that luxury feeling from vacation time to end, follow these easy instructions to bring the decor into your personal, everyday life.

1. Tidy up your bedroom. With your post-vacation energy, set to and take out everything in your bedroom that can be moved. Only some of it will ever go back in. Clean well.

2. Consider the elements of a Ritz-Carlton style room:

* Polished hardwood flooring

* Oriental rugs or high-quality, simple rugs

* Elegant pieces of furniture, such as a deep-toned wooden dresser

* Matching bedside tables with delicate lamps; try leadlight lamps or lamps with bone china bases (you can get these made at your local lighting store with a good bone china vase find)

* A luxurious club chair or a pair if you have room

* Matching prints - floral, horses-a-hunting, sea vistas - anything suggestive of old wealth and vacation time is fine- just make sure to mat and frame them properly to avoid looking cheap.

* Electronic equipment that is well hidden but easily accessible - cloak that plasma TV in an armoire.

* Writing desk and chair

* Mini bar fridge (optional)

* Neutral walls (beige, cream, white, off-white)

3. Choose sumptuous bed linens. If you don't already own it, go out and spend a day buying it:

* Indulge in a high thread count cotton sheet set, at least 200 count. It will be worth the cost when you discover that the rich softness of these sheets induce nights of magnificent sleep.

* Bolster cushions, square pillows, European pillows, and roll pillows. Be guided by elegance, good taste and what pleases you most.

* Purchase a duvet and duvet cover as fluffy and large as you can afford. This is the most important part of your bed, as it increases comfort and is seen by others most often. Down comforters work well for this, as do ones with down substitute- its main difference is warmth. Substitute comforters work very well for those with allergies.

4. Assess the things you took out of your room in the clean-up. Following the checklist above, make decisions about what your think carries that "hotel room character". What looks chic, elegant and simple all at once? Keep those items. All your knick-knacks must be sorted too - either they fit the theme, or they need to have storage space to hide them from view.

5. Try to avoid eclectic, clashing styles. Choose neutral color themes - the creams, bones, beiges, golds etc. are best choices and you can spruce these up with maroon, deep blues or deep greens.

6. Treat your room to weekly fresh flowers.

Tips

* Purchase terry bed robes - ooh, such luxury to walk around in after you bath or shower. Don't forget slippers. Often you can purchase these items before you leave your stay at the Ritz-Carlton.

* Dash in early evening and turn your bed down. Leave a rolled up magazine and mint on the pillow for a sweet surprise later at night when you return.

* Recycle the items you have decided to no longer keep after your bedroom revamp.

*In place of prints, try having prints made up of your real stay in the Ritz-Carlton; have them framed and hang them around your room.

* Cotton and silk are the best sheet and bed linen fabrics. Do not skimp on these; a lot of your life is spent surrounded by them.

About The Decorator Mily Gordon:

Mily Gordon is an accredited interior decorator from Birmingham, Alabama. Mily has collaborated with architects and contractors in completing projects, and customers have returned home to marvel at the transformation of their favorite room. From building a new home, to remodeling an existing home, Mily Gordon's goal is to offer a combination of creative ideas and decorating services from color selection to complete room makeovers that can be tailored to your needs .

For more information about Mily Gordon check out her website: Decor By Mily Gordon

Picture used with permission from Decor By Mily Gordon.

Recipe: Mother's Macaroni

2008-10-17T12:45:00.000-07:00

Regina Ann Moscrop Owner of the Bear Flag Republic shares her mother's recipe:

“My mother was born in 1930 and makes a great deal of old fashion recipes but she does not write down many. She makes a great baked Macaroni and cheese.”

Ingredients:

Macaroni Noodles

Milk or Cream

Two Eggs

blocks of cheese

Preparation:

Boil water and cook the macaroni noodles half done. In a lasagna pan put strained hot noodles, cover nearly to the top of the macaroni with milk or cream that has two eggs beaten into the milk or cream. Cut blocks of cheese (use as much as your taste desires), mix in. Bake for approximately 30-40 minutes till milk is almost gone. It will completely absorb when cooling off.

Regina’s Favorite Item to Cook:

My favorite item to cook with is Pumpkin. Whether you cook it yourself or use canned. Put it in any bread, pancake, cookie,... and use half the sugar. The pumpkin adds wonderful flavor, sweetens anything and is better for you. When you use fresh ingredients you only have days to eat it before it goes bad, so eat it of freeze it.

You can read more about Regina Ann's Interview at:Time Warp Wives Guest Interviews.