Taking Notes, Not Orders

I found this vintage restaurant order pad during one of my thrifting expeditions.  I thought it was a great find, and I love that the top ticket still has the impression of the last order written.  Even though I had no idea what I might ultimately do with the order pad, I bought it anyway.  It has such great old fashioned graphics, and if it could, as they say, talk, I bet it would tell some pretty interesting stories.  

The week before last, when Amy was home sick, she was keeping me company as I cleaned up the room where I sew and she works on her own creative projects.  I picked the order pad up and laughed quietly to myself, acknowledging once again my tendency to collect vintage treasures I can’t resist, but really don’t have a use for.  (I must have been a magpie in a previous life.)

Amy came to the rescue with this exceptional idea for a way to use, yet at the same time preserve the order pad.

I carefully tore out one sheet, and scanned the image to my computer.  Reducing the size of the image to fit the dimensions of the tray on my vintage bakelite note paper holder (Do magpies crow, or squawk, I wonder?)  I was able to fit several images on a sheet of printer paper. 

Printed, and carefully cut out-here is the finished product…

 

I like the idea of leaving notes for my family on pieces of restaurant order pad paper.  Maybe if I leave really good notes, I’ll receive some tips, too.  Actually, Amy is the one who deserves a tip. I love how her idea turned out!

 

Just for fun, here’s a picture of my desk, where my new note paper now resides.  This desk used to belong to my Grandma Helen.  I can still picture her sitting at it as she paid bills and wrote letters.  I use it now as the place to set my computer and compose all of these interesting and informative blog posts.  (Do magpies know how to wink?)

My grandma’s desk also provides a place to display more of my second hand treasures.  Some are still useful, such as my airplane pencil sharpener, a souvenir of Pearl Harbor, and the ceramic picture frame that holds a bouquet of fall mums.  Others-maybe not as useful, but still valuable in my eyes.  My green 1920’s travel alarm clock that no longer runs (I find I get more done when time stands still.) and the obsolete glass ink bottle holder, supposedly used as a prop for the TV show Leave it to Beaver. (A coaster for my morning cup of coffee, perhaps?)

And then there are my helpful little ink blotter monkeys.  I couldn’t have said it better myself…

Happy Monday, my dear readers!  You are all keepers too!!