Gifts From the Heart of Your Home

 

 For Christmas in July today, I thought I'd share this little advertising leaflet filled with kitchen gift ideas using Saran Wrap.  I found this little booklet in a kitchen drawer when we cleaned out the old home place.  It was printed by the Dow Chemical Company, most likely in the 1950s.  

 

The back of the leaflet, titled "Your Handy Helpmate",  features other ways to utilize this helpful product -- Saran Wrap -- around your home.  

Another page is called "Start With Your Favorite Recipe", and encourages the reader: "With a little ingenuity and a few minutes of your time, you can prepare a gift that sparkles with your thoughtfulness ... Nothing is quite so warm and friendly as a gift from the heart -- especially one from your kitchen, the heart of your home!"

Unfolded, the inside of the booklet reveals color photos of some kitchen gits wrapped festively in Saran Wrap: popcorn/candy balls; homemade bread; spiced peaches in a brandy snifter; fudge; fruitcake;  homemade candy; cheese; and a cookie angel.

I did a little research toward selling this little booklet in my Etsy shop, and learned the following facts.  Polyvinylidene chloride, which the Dow Chemical Company named Saran®, was discovered by accident in 1933 by Ralph M. Wiley. His discovery led to uses in seating materials, plastics for wartime and industrial uses, and eventually to Saran Wrap®.  It was the first product that Dow sold directly to consumers, and millions of rolls of it were sold in the first few years.  Obviously a product whose time had come.

Unfolded, the booklet is 12 inches across and 6 inches tall.  Folded, it's 4 inches across and 6 inches tall.  The booklet is in fine vintage condition for its age; the color photos are still bright and attractive.  It just might offer some inspiration for this year's kitchen gifts!