Home Chat

There are times in the day when there is nothing better than a cuppa and a quick browse through a magazine or two. Here at the Emporium we were looking through some of the magazines we have on sale at the moment. They are a far cry from the full colour glossies available on the shelves today and offer nothing of the tantalising glimpses into other people's homes or wardrobes that we have become so used to nowadays. But their modest plain paper printing and dashes of colour are far more interesting in many ways.



For perfect vintage bedside reading we have this wonderful edition of 1949 Mother and Home on our Boudoir shelves. This is full of fashion, cooking, beauty and knitting tips. Oh how we love this fair isle knitting pattern



Articles about dressmaking from sale remnants of fabrics remind us that this was a post War Britain, still struggling to its feet. The food recipes reflect the shortage of food supplies and making best use of all that was available.



In our Cellar there is a 1918 Christmas edition of Home Chat magazine, special in its way because it is the first peace time Christmas edition of the magazine for four years. The magazine is full of lovely nostalgic adverts and in amongst them are adverts reminding us that food rationing was not just introduced in the 1940s.



Recioes for Christmas puddings and mincemeat are offered using rations "very different from the puddings of pre-war years, but quite nice all the same" (we wonder what they really tasted like!).



Warnings to women about economy hair tonics appear on pages, stressing the dangers of buying low price beauty products in a time of economy....



Pretty dance dresses are featured, for, as Camilla and Lady Betty say,"Dancing is in Favour again" after four long years of World War.
And, poignantly, a little paragraph on things they say about Christmas
"First peaceful Christmas for five years. Won't it be absolutely topping!"
"Simply must find some trifles for the children's stockings: the tiniest things please them."