Betty's Attic
Shop Betty’s Attic.com for nostalgic collectibles. Betty's Attic offers baby boomer toys, dolls, puzzles and games plus classic television, movie and radio memorabilia… Recycle
Friday, December 30, 2016
In the age of web-based and electronic calendars and personal assistants paper calendars seem a little, well, dated. But I still use them. Judging by how many we sell, lots of other people do, too.

I hang calendars everywhere. The kids each have a one in their room, the family activity tracker hangs on the bulletin board in the kitchen, and my husband's calendar is (somewhere) in his man cave. I have three of them - one for work, one for the kids' activities, and one for birthdays, anniversaries and everything else I don't want to forget in the midst of 365 busy days.

Don't get me wrong - my digital calendar is very handy, especially the little pop-ups. Those reminders have saved me more than once! But it's lost the fun part. The part where you get to flip the pages of a calendar featuring your favorite movie, pop star, or cultural icon as you watch the days melt into weeks and the weeks melt into months and the seasons melt into the past. For that, well, there's just nothing like a good old fashioned paper calendar!

Happy New Year!

Posted by: Betty | 8:00 AM | permalink
Friday, December 23, 2016
This is the time of year for reliving fond memories of Christmas Past. We gather with family and friends to celebrate and honor age old traditions. It's also the time for making new memories that we'll relive during a Christmas Future.

Before we all go home for the holiday, I'd like to take a moment to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas Present (pun intended) from all of us here at Betty's Attic.

And to everyone who celebrates Hanukkah, Kwanza, or other winter holidays, we wish you the best in merry making and memory making for your holiday season.  

We've enjoyed sharing our memories with you all year long. And we can't wait to start making new ones next year!




Posted by: Betty | 8:00 AM | permalink
Friday, December 16, 2016
Remember waking up and finding your stocking just packed with holiday goodies on Christmas morning? Digging through the tiny treasures all the way down to the toe of the giant red velvet stocking was always one of my favorite parts of the holiday. And it still is!

These days, I enjoy stuffing stockings as much as I enjoy un-stuffing them. Of course, you can buy fully stuffed stockings, too. They're great for saving time or for creating a fun theme. For example, our Soc-O-Magic and and Soc-O-Pranks stockings are great for the budding magician or class clown in the family.

If you want to hand-select your goodies, here are a few last minute ideas for creating an old-fashioned stocking just like Mom (I mean Santa!) used to make:
  • Candy & nuts: Sweet and crunchy, and always a huge favorite with kids.
  • Games: Not only a great gift, but also a way to keep kids busy and out from underfoot while you're preparing the holiday feast. 
  • Warm Socks: Baby, it's cold outside and kids of all ages like to keep their toes toasty. 
  • A piece of fruit: This one is for my mom. She always felt like we should have one healthy treat in our stockings. She'd usually bury a tangerine somewhere in the middle of all those goodies.
  • Money: No need to explain this one. What kid wouldn't love a bit of 'walking around money' for the holiday vacation?
Merry Christmas and have fun stuffing those stockings!
Posted by: Betty | 8:00 AM | permalink
Friday, December 9, 2016
I've spent the last couple of weeks up in the attic choosing the perfect retro ornaments for this year's tree, unboxing our heirloom figurines, and setting up my Grandmother's beloved Christmas Village on the fireplace mantel. Everything is ready to go for our traditional family holiday.

Watching Christmas movies and old TV shows is one of our traditions, too. When I was a kid, we'd have to watch whatever the networks decided to show. But with our handy DVD player at the ready, we can screen our own favorites and even pause for a refreshment or replay our favorite scenes.

The only thing left is choosing the Christmas Classics we'll show back-to-back on the TV in the living room while football games run on multiple channels out in the "man cave". When I was a kid, the adults did the choosing, but the tradition has evolved to let the youngsters have their say, too. Now we get a pretty good mix of variety programming like old Bob Hope specials, cartoons new and old, and silly comedies like Christmas Vacation.

I prefer the old school stuff myself, but in the spirit of the season, it's only fair to share the DVD player with everyone in the family. After all, Christmas is for kids, too!

Posted by: Betty | 8:00 AM | permalink
Friday, December 2, 2016
My grandfather collected coins since he was a kid. He got me interested in numismatics by telling me there could be "hidden treasure" in every bag or pocketful he'd empty out onto the kitchen table.

He used to buy bags of coins from friends, dealers, antique markets - wherever he could find them. We'd sit under the bright light at the kitchen table searching for the dates and mint marks that might identify a rare and valuable coin. More often than not, we'd found one or two coins to add to his collection or mine. Once we even found a rare 1913 Liberty Head Quarter, which was so exciting that we started to whoop and holler until my grandmother came running into the kitchen and made us "shush up".

Even then, the quarter was worth a lot of money, but my gramps wouldn't sell the prize piece in his collection. When he passed, he left his coins to me, including that rare quarter. I can't bear to sell it, either. It's become the centerpiece of my own collection. Not because of its value, but because it's a sweet reminder of that day in my grandparents' kitchen when we actually found a hidden treasure among a pile of ordinary coins.

Posted by: Betty | 8:00 AM | permalink
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