Thrifty Acres: My Summer Reading

Hello! Summer reading is a thing, I think. Some folks sign themselves and their families up for summer reading programs sponsored by their local libraries. Others may look forward to "beach reads" or stock books at the cottage in case of rain. 

As for me, I found some summer reading at an estate sale earlier today:

A grouping of vintage magazines. Most are Christmas-related (crafts, decor, recipes), but there's also a couple of home interior issues as well. The oldest magazines came out in 1960, while the newest of the bunch dates from 1967. 

I loved the Santa on the cover, visible at the bottom left row. Here's a close-up:

This Family Circle magazine is from December 1962. 

Another Family Circle, this time from December 1965:

These two covers are from the same artist, Gyo Fujikawa, which explains the Santas' vague similarity. The 1962 issue mentions that the same artist had also illustrated the past three years' December covers. 

And also from 1965:

Woman's Day Best Ideas for Christmas. Rather than being an illustration, this Santa is a Christmas card holder designed by Hallmark. "...available in major stores everywhere..." the magazine informs. It was made from printed cardboard pieces that were punched out and assembled. Then, the card holder cost $1.25. Now, according to the US Inflation Calculator, it would cost $9.94.

All the magazines I bought were in good condition, priced reasonably, and what's more, the estate sale wasn't very far away either. What more could you ask for? 

The only reading I've done thus far was looking at the table of contents page of the two Family Circle magazines, because I'd noticed the covers had similar artwork and wanted to see if I could learn why. But I certainly look forward to reading all these issues from cover to cover. Between the ads, weird or wonderful (sometimes both) craft and home decor projects, recipes and even some sappy holiday fiction, I know I'll enjoy this estate sale haul. 

Yep, it looks like I have some great summer reading lined up!