I'm surprised my grandmother let them in the house...

This is my feeble attempt at a St. Patrick's Day celebration. Everyone at work wore green today. EVERYONE! Except me. They tried to make me feel better by saying that my turquoise necklace was green. Nice try, ladies. You're very sweet. And I appreciate it. But I don't think they have a lot of turquoise in Ireland, especially not in the shape of Texas.

To make matters worse, a lady, who was stopped at a red light, opened her car door and yelled at me as I crossed the street, "Hey babycakes... Where's your green?" (I kid you not. Babycakes!)

But this post is not about St. Patrick's Day or "funny" people. This post is about these fabulous 50s pinups I've had for years. I'm so lucky they're mine. Please allow me to elaborate...

My grandmother was born in 1899. She told everyone it was 1900 but the family Bible doesn't lie. I think she liked the idea of being a couple of years younger than my grandfather. She didn't have my father until she was in her mid 40s. My point in telling you all this is so you will understand that she was always an old grandmother... and a verah, verah conservative old Southern lady to boot.

I remember watching Miss America with Grandmother every year. She'd give a speech about how the contestants were "such ladies" because they didn't wear "vulgar" two-piece swimsuits. (I hope Grandmother doesn't have TV in heaven.) My, how times have changed!

That's why I'm so surprised to have this lovely little collection of notepads which belonged to my grandfather. Surely Grandmother would have found them to be offensive. Or maybe she found them as beautiful as I do. Or maybe they were hidden in the garage. Who knows? The important thing is, they're mine now... and I absolutely adore them.

(Post update: I am very exicted. Look what I found inside one of the notepads. It's my Grandmother's handwriting! Check out the old phone numbers.)

I adore them so much, in fact, that I've had them wrapped in a plastic bag for years (years!) and shoved in a drawer. What a shame! They should be out so I can enjoy them all the time. My plan is to frame them in long shadow-box-type frames. I found some suitable frames at Walmart but the mattes were slightly the wrong size. I think if I ever get around to framing these, it's going to have to be custom... and it's going to cost me.

I'd love to know your creative ideas about what to do with these. This one is my favorite, by the way...

I wish ladies still looked like this these days. But it certainly looks like a lot of trouble, doesn't it?

I'm only sharing a few with you today. There are 33 in all, dating from 1949 to 1955. I will share the rest of them future posts. (Well, all but five of them... some might find them too risque'. I don't want to offend anyone. This is a family blog, after all!)

Here's what's on the inside covers...

Look what I found inside one from 1954. It's a list of tourist attractions in Mexico, written by my dad. He must have been around 13 when he wrote this. I think I remember that he and Grandmother took a trip there.

Okay, so I'm going to cheat a little and kill a few birds with one stone and link this post to some wonderful parties.

Linked to Rednesday at Very Cherry World...

Linked to White Wednesday at Faded Charm...

Linked to Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home