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Giveaway: Better Homes and Gardens Decorating Book

October 2, 2017 by Stefanie Girard

Giveaway: Better Homes and Gardens Decorating Book: How to Plan Colors and Furnishings That Reflect the Personality of Your Family

Leave a comment in today’s post by October 11th 2017, and you are in the running for this vintage decorating book that is an amazing look into the past.

Open to U. S. residents only please.

Take a walk down memory lane with this 1950s decorating classic, re-released for a whole new generation

The year is 1956. America is a mere decade past World War II. Richard Nixon is next in command to President Dwight Eisenhower, the Dow Jones soars above 500, and Norma Jean Mortenson legally changes her name to Marilyn Monroe. Two words described the decade, as John Updike wrote in the short story “When Everyone Was Pregnant”: Fear and gratitude. And during this boom period, grateful young families thrilled to find themselves homeowners after the uncertainty of the Great Depression followed by a second Great War. Those empty rooms needed filling in order to make the house a home, and homeowners turned to the iconic Better Homes and Gardens brand.

Better Homes and Gardens Decorating Book, the first edition of a title that would spawn ten editions over the years, became the new home bible for injecting class, style (and the occasional misguided cowboy wallpaper) into American homes. While exploring numerous styles, the main theme of the book is the on-trend mid-century modern sensibility, a style as appropriate today as it was six decades ago when the book was initially released.

Filled with hundreds of full-color period photos, dozens of adorable illustrations, and decorating tips and tricks that are both helpful and nostalgic, the book remains a fun classic. With this welcome hardcover release, reproduced exactly as it looked and read in the 1950s, everything old is new again.

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Comments

  1. LD Siess says

    October 2, 2017 at 9:47 pm

    Ooh, ooh! This appeals to me – I was 2 in 1961 ????

  2. Jan OBrien says

    October 3, 2017 at 2:25 am

    We would LOVE to have this wonderful, inspiring mid-century modern book full of fabulous 50’s style, including the cowboy wallpaper : )

  3. Marsha Burtch says

    October 3, 2017 at 12:48 pm

    I would be thrilled to win this book! Thank you!

  4. KatieS says

    October 3, 2017 at 1:56 pm

    That looks wonderful. I just bought a house this year and am planning to decorate mid century so this would be perfect!

  5. Molly Gibbs says

    October 3, 2017 at 4:43 pm

    Just love mid-century!

  6. Kim Reid says

    October 3, 2017 at 6:18 pm

    I would love to enter for this Better Homes and Gardens mid-century decorating book, it sounds amazing!

  7. Mary Helene says

    October 3, 2017 at 6:21 pm

    Love the gorgeous cover of this book

  8. Linda Tillis says

    October 3, 2017 at 7:11 pm

    I remember these 2 tangerine leather chairs that my Mom had in the living room when I was 10. The color was incredible.

  9. MARY SWITRAS says

    October 4, 2017 at 8:49 am

    Wow, useful nostalgia! This only predates me by two years – i love it.

  10. Sally H says

    October 4, 2017 at 9:32 am

    What a find! Would LOVE to read the articles on color and see the illustrations.

  11. S says

    October 4, 2017 at 9:34 am

    Gorgeous!

  12. Donna Jean says

    October 4, 2017 at 10:42 am

    My most memorable decade ever.

  13. Melody says

    October 4, 2017 at 11:13 am

    I am vintage!

  14. Bree says

    October 4, 2017 at 11:21 am

    My favorite time period for style. What a treasure this book must be!! Thank you for the opportunity to win a copy.

  15. Julie Henderson says

    October 4, 2017 at 11:44 am

    So smitten am I by all things retro/mid-century, as I was born in ’62. My minor in college was Interior Design, such a rich & fascinating study. Would be thrilled to win this….thanks for the giveaway!

  16. Shay Simmons says

    October 4, 2017 at 12:45 pm

    Some of the projects in a 1956 McCall’s Needlework & Crafts that I own, would look right at home on that cover.

  17. Brenda J Moore says

    October 4, 2017 at 1:08 pm

    Cant enter- being a Canadian; but I remember playing , looking through that book throughout my childhood…it’s the year I was born.

  18. Elizabeth Jane Gotts says

    October 4, 2017 at 2:41 pm

    Such a cool looking book – thanks for the chance to win

  19. Rose Schlem says

    October 4, 2017 at 3:41 pm

    I graduated high school in 1962 and would like to win this book. What a book to refresh memories!

  20. Susan Stone says

    October 4, 2017 at 5:05 pm

    I love vintage because I am vintage. I would love to have this book. Can we buy this somewhere?

  21. Jeano Matters says

    October 4, 2017 at 6:14 pm

    Growing up in the 50’s, I had cowboy wallpaper in my bedroom and loved it, would like to see some in this book.

  22. cassews says

    October 6, 2017 at 8:14 pm

    Oh my what a great give away and its mid century modern stuff … Oh thank you for the chance to win !!!!

  23. Shelley S. says

    October 7, 2017 at 6:10 am

    Love it! I remember Gramma’s house and the home I grew up in and love the retro look. I would be thrilled to have this book!

  24. Debra says

    October 8, 2017 at 11:15 am

    I would love this book! My son just bought a 60’s ranch and is restoring it back to it’s glory…

Have you read?

Time Flies — And Sometimes It Has Wings Made of Vintage Paper and Buttons

Have you ever been to the cuckoo clock shop at Tamborine Mountain? It’s like stepping into another world — a charming, ticking wonderland filled with thousands (yes, literally thousands) of clocks. Some are grand and ornate, others tiny and tucked away like secrets waiting to be discovered. I remember walking through the shop with my kids, completely enchanted by the whirring gears, dancing figurines, and the joyful chorus of chimes. It was one of those places where time feels like it both stops and flies.

That same feeling came flooding back when I stumbled across this adorable craft project from Teawagon Tales called Time Flies. In true vintage style, it’s a whimsical little DIY that combines scraps of fabric, old paper, buttons, and clock faces into sweet butterfly-like creations — a beautiful mashup of memory, imagination, and just plain cuteness.

It reminded me that crafting is a little like walking through that clock shop. Each piece holds a story, a tick of nostalgia, and the joy of noticing small details. You don’t need much — just some leftover fabric, maybe an old book page or two, and a few bits from your button tin. And suddenly you’re creating something that feels like it fluttered out of a fairytale.

So if you’ve got a stash of pretty paper or vintage bits and bobs you’ve been saving for “something special,” this might be the perfect project to give them new life.

Take a look at the full tutorial and soak up some serious inspiration:
Time Flies – Teawagon Tales

And if you ever find yourself near Tamborine Mountain, do yourself a favour — pop into that cuckoo clock shop. It’s pure magic for anyone who knows that time isn’t just measured in minutes, but in memories.

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