Tag It Vintage: Week 2

1) An alligator from Peter Pan enjoying the tea cup ride at Disney World

2) A soda fountain in Detroit, 1955
3) A surprised Elizabeth Taylor
4) The donut queen
5) A girl photographing roses ca. 1950
6) A couple sharing sandwiches ca. 1930
7) Vintage showgirls
8) Doris Day blowing a bubble on the set of The Thrill of it All,1963

Every week I choose a handful of Tumblr pictures tagged "vintage" and share them here with you. Sometimes there is a common theme and sometimes they're just a group of pictures that made me smile. They all link back to their sources.

*This feature with be moving to Sunday next week*

Show & Tell w/ Allison from Votre Grande Soeur

Welcome to the first edition of SHOW & TELL TUESDAY, I am so excited about this new feature! It's pretty self-explanatory. I have asked some of my favorite bloggers to photograph something they love from their home and then tell us a bit about it. It can be anything - a person, place, or thing. If you'd like to participate please contact me!

First up is Allison, author of the blog Votre Grande Soeur. Here's what she has to show us...

bonjour! this is allison from votre grande soeur. i am so excited to be part of stephanie's show & tell feature! it was pretty tough deciding which treasured item to share but in the end i decided on this crazy cat dude. he's called oliver and was a birthday present from my dad. it may seem a bit random (though not as random as the dead bat my dad mailed me for christmas one year!), but the backstory is that my dad and i spent a lot of time exploring seattle-area antique shops when i was younger. i was forever finding cute and quirky animal figurines on these trips and i guess it became my thing. now my dad surprises me every so often with fun animal figurine finds- and this guy certainly takes the cake! according to my dad, he's 40's / 50's era japanese and was used to hold yarn. he thinks. personally, i think oliver was meant to hold a sponge or scrub pad but we'll probably never know since he prefers cheeseburgers over sponges. oliver by himself is pretty rad but when my mom gifted me some cheeseburger lip gloss over thanksgiving (relax, it's not cheeseburger flavored), i realized i had the prefect home for it: oliver's gaping cat mouth! oliver currently lives in my dining room atop a 1931 singer sewing machine table i inherited from my husband's grandmother. he seems pretty happy there and i am definitely happy to have him there. thanks for letting me share!

votre grande soeur, allison b-t

Isn't Oliver adorable!? The cheeseburger is an awesome touch, in my opinion! Hope you enjoyed the first round of show & tell. Check back next Tuesday for another post with a another fantastic guest blogger!

Please contact me if you'd like to participate too. I'm looking for roughly 1-5 photos of your item... it can be a person, place or thing and feel free to pose with it if you'd like. I also need a paragraph or two telling us a bit about it.

Etsy Shop of the Week: Retrospective

 

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Today's shop of the week is a little bit different - it's the first I've featured that doesn't sell clothes. RetroSpective is based out of Denver, CO and sells vintage kitchen items, cookbooks, and various other fun stuff. The prices are very reasonable and they ship internationally. I would love to have any of these six items in my home. That mint green handbag phone is to die for and isn't that red top hat wearing pig amazing!? Do you know what it is... it's a tape measurer! Yes, it's a mint coloured pig wearing a red top hat with a measuring tape coming out of his butt, and it's from the 40s - this might be the best vintage find I've posted on the blog to date!

Much Love Monday: Veronica Lake's Hair

Veronica Lake's Hair

This week I am really loving Veronica Lake's hair. I have really long brunette hair and have attempted to recreate her iconic look many times but never with any luck. The style is sometimes also called finger waves or peekaboo hair and consists of long cascading waves parted to the side, framing the face. Veronica Lake usually wore hers in a very dramatic fashion, actually covering one eye impeding her vision (think Jessica Rabbit whose look was inspired by Lake). 

There are tons on tutorials out there to help you get Veronica Lake's hair. She originally did it with hot rollers but you could also try doing it with a curling iron or even a straightening iron. I've tried all these techniques and I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong but when I'm done it always just looks like I've had a bad perm - not quite what I was going for.

This post is part of Anna's Much Love Monday series - weekly blog posts, intended to start the week off with some positivity instead of the typical Monday blues! To join in, visit Anna's blog for details.

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Weekend Links: Vintage Mugshots and Cat Valentines

1) Priceless vintage mugshots starring people with amazing hair via Velvet Tangerine

2) I started a Pintrest board dedicated to vintage cat valentines! 

3) Super vintage (late 1800s) guide to flirtation - how to flirt with your eyes, a fan, gloves, a parasol, and a hat via Neatorama

4) I just discovered the blog Fancy That Vintage and love it! There's a great new series of posts on how to thrift

5) Tutorials on how to make friendship bracelets - I use to love making these as a kid via The Purl Bee

6) A CHER makeup and hair bust from 1977 - this is creepy but amazing

7) I stumbled across this awesome Tumblr blog dedicated to giant pants of the 1930s

Friday 5: Cats!

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I am a shameless crazy cat lady. There was a time not long ago when I thought I would never have babies, just cats (or furry children as I preferred to call them). It turns out I was wrong and my beloved black and white tuxedo cat Muffin had to move to my parents house after she kept trying to hunt my newborn daughter... not cool Muffin. She's happy as a clam out there and I still see her all the time but I really miss having one of these adorable balls of attitude around. So with cats on the mind here are five vintage cat items I'd love to have in my home. (Note: This is probably not the last cat-themed Friday 5 you will see on this blog!)

Classic Qutoes: Katharine Hepburn

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Eye Candy: Gary Cooper

Gary Cooper was one of the first big male stars Hollywood produced. His career spanned from the mid-twenties up to his death in the early sixties. He was most famous for his western films like High Noon and Vera Cruz but I personally much prefer him in romantic comedies like Ball of Fire and Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. He dated a bevy of famous beautiful women like Marlene Dietrich, Grace Kelly, Clara Bow, Lupe Vélez and Patricia Neal and worked with just about any old movie star you can think of in one of his over 100 films! Cooper will probably be remembered by most for his incredible acting abilities, he was nominated for 6 Academy Awards (taking home half of them) but he sure wasn't hard to look at either!

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What to Wear to Blend in on Beverly Hills 90210

Are the 90s considered vintage yet? On this blog yes they are! My teenage years were spent in that glorious decade and as a result I am extremely nostalgic about them. Lately I have been drawn to a lot of the fashion from the era, specifically simple flowery baby-doll dresses - but instead of wearing them loose like the original style, I throw a belt around them and add a pair of black tights and my boyfriend's cardigan (it's cold here!). It's my favorite look at the moment.

My new fondness for nineties fashion could have something to do with the fact I've been watching Beverly Hills 90210 like crazy lately. I'm currently on season 8 of 9. The earlier ones are my favorite (with the original gang pictured above), but there's plenty of action left in season eight (Kelly gets shot, David almost burns down the After Dark, and Steve has a pregnancy scare - and I'm only half thru!)

Floral babydoll dresses from the nineties can be found fairly cheap and in great shape on Etsy. Here are a handful of my favorite ones inspired by the 90210 girls - these styles are more what Kelly or Brenda would have worn, Donna and Valerie (not pictured) usually opted for skin tight mini-dresses!

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Tag It Vintage: Week 1

1) Actress Sue Lyon at the 1962 premiere of Stanley Kubrick’s Lolita

2) A model with some records ca 1979
3) The lights of Grant Park in Chicago ca 1932
4) 1954 Lincoln Futura
5) Sophia Loren getting into a car in Rome ca 1955
6) Miss Space
7) Portrait of a well dressed poodle
8) Marilyn Monroe on the set of How to Marry a Millionaire ca 1953

Tumblr's vintage tag is an endless source of inspiration and something I like to browse frequently throughout the day. I find so many charming old pictures on there but don't really have anywhere to use them... so I'm creating a new weekly feature where I post a handful of my favorite images tagged vintage. (The pictures link back to their original sources!)

Show & Tell Tuesday... Coming Soon!!!

There will be a new weekly feature beginning next Tuesday that I'm really excited about. I've asked a few of my favorite bloggers to participate in a SHOW & TELL. Every week a guest blogger will share an item they love from their home and tell us a bit about it. Show & tell was one of my favorite things ever in elementary school so I'm really excited to bring back an online version of it!

I've already received a handful of great submissions and please contact me if you'd like to participate as well. I'm looking for roughly 1-5 photos of your item... it can be a person, place or thing and feel free to pose with it if you'd like. I also need a paragraph or two telling us a bit about it.

Check back for the first installment next week!!

Etsy Shop of the Week: Simplicity is Bliss Vintage

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SIB Vintage is another vintage shop based out of sunny California.They currently have over 100 vintage dresses for sale with new items added daily. I am completely in love with the simple white and camel coloured v-neck sheath dress, and I also like the unique 2-piece purple striped a-line dress from the 50s Check them out!

Much Love Monday: Charles Boyer

The sound of Charles Boyer's voice

I am adding Much Love Monday to my weekly posting schedule. It is a weekly series started by Anna from the blog Much Love where you post a picture with a heart in it and mention something you love (in my case it will be vintage stuff I love). What a nice way to start the week!

This week I am really loving the sound of Charles Boyer's voice. He was a french actor who did a little bit of singing on the side and let me tell you, his voice will make you melt, guaranteed! Check him out a couple of his songs here and here (courtesy of the Silents & Talkies blog)

Note: Monday's usual Etsy Shop of the Week post will now be posted in the afternoon.

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Weekend Links: The Language of Flowers

 Here's my latest list of lovely links I stumbled across in the past week that I liked and you might too...

1) A neat collection of different front doors from the 50s or 60s and they're organized by US state, via Pintrest

2) I'm totally jealous of this vintage sour cream glass collection

3) Neat old diagram of various flowers and their symbolic meanings

4) Download 20 vintage valentines from Scathingly Brilliant

5) The amazingly talented Kate Gabrielle of Scathingly Brilliant gives us a sneak peek at two hand-drawn art deco fonts she's working on... they're available now in her shop!

6) I discovered Molly's blog Velvet Tangerine and devoured the whole archive, it's an instant favorite!

7) If you haven't heard, ModCloth is having an amazing 70% off sale! I got this dress and this one too (they're both sold out now)

20 for $20 (or less)

Here's a roundup of twenty very affordable vintage dresses for $20 or less (USD). Make sure you read the descriptions carefully though before buying, some of the dresses are marked down due to minor imperfections, but most are in great shape!

Column 1
1) Sleeveless yellow sheath dress with diagonal stripe pattern / SM-MED $19.99
2) Light pink a-line dress with a high neck and cap sleeves / MED $19.99
3) Mint coloured cotton wrap dress / $20
4) Bright pink and white polka-dot a-line dress with button details on the shoulder and a matching belt / XL $19
5) Sheer black belted sheath dress with red stripes and white dots / SM $18

Column 2
6) Sheer pleated cream coloured a-line dress with navy piping and an elastic waist / SM-MED $20
7) Orange a-line dress with rainbow striped collar and cuffs, puffs sleeves and and elastic waist / XSM-SM $13
8) Navy and white cotton a-line dress with off center buttons / MED-LG $18 (on sale)
9) Turquoise a-line dress with a deep v-neck and striped bodice / XL $10

Column 3
10) Patterned peach button-up dress with matching belt / SM-MED $18
11) Navy and white polka-dot a-line dress with long cuffed sleeves and a pointed collar / $15
12) Pink and white gingham button-up dress with matching belt / SZ 16 $20
13) Bright floral patterned summer shift dress with button snap front / LG-XLG $14
14) Patterned blue button-up a-line dress with elastic waist / SM $18
15) White dress with black floral sketch pattern, button details and matching belt / MED-LG $18

Column 4
16) Patterned tan sheath dress with pleated details and elastic waist / SM-MED $20
17) Black and white dress with and black and tan stripe and elastic waist / MED-LG $18
18) Sleeveless hunter green a-line dress with scoop neck and matching belt / $20
19) Peach stripe textured sheath dress with teardrop zipper pull / $20
20) Blue dress with orange and pinks dots, elastic waist, puff sleeves and pintuck details / MED $19.99

Friday 5: Vintage Pill Boxes

 

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The other day I found myself at work with a pounding headache and not a single pain killer in the whole office. Until recently I always carried a little pill box in my purse with the bare essentials, a few Advils, a Benadryl for allergies, and a caffeine pill. I was missing that little container like crazy so I decided to see if I could find a cute new vintage one so I'd prepared for the next time. I decided on this one... but later realized that the seller doesn't take Paypal!! Now I'm going to have to decide between these 5 (before someone else snatches them up!) I'm leaning towards the second one, it's from Japan and comes with a matching folding mirror compact, adorable!

Classic Quotes: All This, And Heaven Too

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Eye Candy: Rita Hayworth

Rita Hayworth is one of the most beautiful women of all time (and probably easily the most beautiful redhead of all time). She was extremely popular in the 1940s but continued making movies on and off up to the early seventies. Her best known films are 1946's Gilda with Glenn Ford where this iconic scene comes from and 1944's Cover Girl with Gene Kelly. She was not only a terrific actress but perhaps and even better dancer, partnering with both Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire in a number of films. She had a fascinating and often tragic life that included struggles with alcohol and multiple marriages. She was even a real life princess for a while after marrying a prince in 1949. Despite that she will always be remembered as an iconic classic beauty.

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What to Wear to Meet Your Boyfriends Parents

It is always a nerve-wracking experience to meet your new boyfriend's parents for the first time so why not help make a good first impression by wearing one of these adorable vintage dresses!? 

I was lucky enough to avoid this sometimes awkward situation with mine. I knew his Mother for years before we started dating so this was no big deal at all... but I still of course dressed for the occasion. I was so tempted to not even list numbers 1 & 4 I love them so much but they're just not in my budget right now unfortunately (the double peter pan collar on #1 is to die for).

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Lets All Learn About... Types of Vintage Dresses

Here is a little reference sheet I created explaining the differences between popular vintage dress styles. Of course clever designers have mixed an matched different elements of these dresses over the years creating all sorts of new combinations; these are the original silhouettes. Hopefully this little guide will help you on your search for the perfect vintage dress.

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Etsy Shop of the Week: The Vintage Studio

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The Vintage Studio has a variety of vintage dresses, both casual and cocktail. I absolutely love the yellow plaid shirtwaist dress, and the orange and white cotton gingham, both from the 60s. And doesn't the rose print cocktail dress look like it was made for Betty Draper?

Weekend Links: Strawberry Nails and Vintage Ice Cream Trucks

 Here's a list of lovely links I stumbled across this past week that you might enjoy too!

1) Fun 60s make-up tips from Oh So Lovely Vintage

2) Adorable strawberry nail tutorial from The Dainty Squid, I wish it was summer!

3) Cute vintage handkerchief printable from Eat Drink Chic via Pintrest

4) A funny old Playboy Bunny Manual from 1968 (can't remember where I found this, sorry!)

5) Great Pintrest board of vintage book covers

6) Cute retro background for the month of January from The Fox is Black via How About Orange 

7) Neat photos of vintage and retro ice cream trucks from Dark Roasted Blend via Neatorama

Friday 5: Kitschy Vintage Cuckoo Clocks

 

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Eye Candy: Rock Hudson

When I think of handsome men of yesteryear, the first one that comes to mind is the drop-dead handsome Rock Hudson. He was extremely popular in the late fifties and early sixties but continued working right up to his death in 1985. His most popular films were Pillow Talk (with Doris Day) and Giant (with Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean) but my personal favorites are Come September and Seconds. I love Rock so much I kinda sorta have a whole other blog dedicated to him... how could I not feature him as my very first piece of Thursday eye candy!

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What to Wear if you're Doris Day

Doris Day is one of my favorite comedy actresses. I am a huge fan of old movies in general and her films from the sixties are some of the absolute best. Doris was the queen of sixties comedies and the most lucrative box office star for the majority the decade. Her wardrobe was custom designed for her with matching (usually over-the-top) hats for every outfit. Personally I prefer her Manhattan career girl style to her happy housewife style but no matter what type of character she played, she was always dressed impeccably and in the latest fashion. 

So in honour of this great, sometimes forgotten style icon, here are six dresses she could have easily worn back in her heyday that still look chic today.

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Etsy Shop of the Week: Timeless Vixen

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Timeless Vixen is based out of Beverly Hills, California and sells high-end vintage clothing from the 1870s to the 1970s. They have a huge collection of everything from cocktail-attire and vintage-bridal, to burlesque and boudoir (over 300 items at the moment). I am in love with the 50s sundress with the orange roses on it. Their prices are way out of my budget but they have some really amazing and unique pieces, check them out!

Friday 5: Snowflake Brooches

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Christmas may be over but here in Eastern Canada there are still months left of winter. Here are 5 vintage brooches that would look great on a sweater or scarf all season long.

Blog Freebies: Cathrineholm Lotus Pattern

Here's my first set of vintage-inspired graphics free for you to use on your personal blog or creative project. The colours and graphics are inspired by the iconic and highly collectable Catherineholm Lotus-patterned enamelware. Click the image to download the high-quality PNG file and enjoy!

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Etsy Shop of the Week: Old Faithful Vintage

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Old Faithful Vintage is based out of Athens, Georgia and sells "unique and relevant", vintage clothing. I'd love to add these three pieces to my wardrobe, especially the green tweed dress with over-sized buttons and a matching belt.