THE CARPENTERS ICONIC 1970s DUO MUSIC GROUP

No blog on the 70's would be complete without mention of the wonderful and enduring music of The Carpenters.  They were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s.  During a period when louder and wilder rock was in great demand, Richard and Karen produced a distinctively soft musical style that made them among the best-selling music artists of all time.

Despite the lukewarm chart performance of "Ticket to Ride" from their debut album, the Carpenters persevered and achieved success with the Burt Bacharach/Hal David song "(They Long To Be) Close To You", which was released in 1970. It debuted at #56, the highest debut of the week ending June 20, 1970. It rose to #1 on July 25, 1970, and stayed on top of the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks.

Shortly afterward, Richard had seen a television commercial for Crocker National Bank featuring a song entitled "We've Only Just Begun" written by Paul Williams and Roger Nichols. Richard realized the song's hit potential, and three months after "(They Long To Be) Close To You" reached #1, Carpenters' version of "We've Only Just Begun" reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The song became the first hit single for Williams and Nichols and is considered by Richard Carpenter to be the group's signature tune.  "Close to You" and "We've Only Just Begun" became RIAA Certified Gold Singles and were featured on the best-selling album Close To You, which is placed #175 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.  (It was!)

CLICK AN IMAGE BELOW TO SEE UPDATED CD & DVD FORMATS OF THEIR MUSIC:

1970's Macrame Wall Hanging - It Hung On the Wall!

Macramé or macrame is a form of textile-making using knotting rather than weaving or knitting. Its primary knots are the square knot and forms of "hitching": full hitch and double half hitches. It was long crafted by sailors, especially in elaborate or ornamental knotting forms, to decorate anything from knife handles to bottles to parts of ships.

Common materials used in macramé include cotton twine, hemp, leather or yarn. Jewelry is often made in combination of both the knots and various beads (glass, wooden, etc.), pendants or shells. Leather or fabric belts are another accessory often created via macramé techniques. Most friendship bracelets exchanged among schoolchildren and teens are created using this method as well.

Larger decorative pieces, such as wall hangings or window coverings, might be started out on a wooden or metal dowel, allowing for a spread of dozens of cords that are easy to manipulate. For smaller projects, push-pin boards are available specifically for macramé. Many craft stores offer beginners' kits, work boards, beads and materials ranging in price for the casual hobbyist or ambitious crafter.

 

CLICK AN IMAGE BELOW TO SEE SOME PRE-MADE WALL HANGINGS, OR HANDMADE DIY CRAFT KITS:

1970's DRIED FLOWER GLASS BOTTLE CORK TOP WIRE EARRINGS

These mini glass vial earrings with a dried flower inside were all the rage in the mid-1970's.  They are truly 'Time in a Bottle'. 

 

CLICK AN IMAGE BELOW FOR SOME AVAILABLE OPTIONS

MARY TYLER MOORE - SHE TURNED THE WORLD ON WITH HER SMILE!

The Mary Tyler Moore Show, aired from 1970-77. Mary Tyler Moore played Mary Richards in the show. 

She received the SAG Lifetime Achievement Award at the 18th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Jan. 29, 2012.

 

Mary Tyler Moore was of course also well-known for her portrayal as Laura Petrie in the Dick Van Dyke Show in the 1960's.

She later reprised her role as Mary Richards in both Phyllis and Rhoda, also from the 1970's.

 

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THE SKIN MACHINE - THE 'CLARISONIC' OF THE 70'S

 

I love the description in the ad of what it does!  I decided to do a post of the Skin Machine here since I had just recently done a post on the Clarisonic.  The makers of Clarisonic also claim all of these benefits for their product, but in a little bit different way:

"Exfoliation removes the outer layer to reveal the newer skin beneath. This shedding of the outer layer unclogs pores, keeps skin clean, helps reduce acne breakouts, and may even reduce fine lines and wrinkles."

The Clarisonic also claims to better than a washcloth and that it, "Removes 6X more makeup than manual cleansing - and 2X more dirt and oil than cleansing with your hands alone."

It would be interesting to obtain both the Skin Machine and the Clarisonic to test them out and see which one does a better job.  (Of course, the Skin Machine wasn't 'sonic' though...).  

CLICK AN IMAGE BELOW FOR MORE DETAILS ON THE CLARISONIC CLEANSING BRUSH: