Living Vintage

Progress

2012-01-08T21:52:00.000-06:00

Sorry folks for my long absence, suffice to say that life has been running away with me and my energy has been spent elsewhere. I thought I would give you a look at the progress of my sewing space. Although I will say that these few pictures were taken before moving all my sewing and crafting paraphernalia into the room and it does not still look as spacious and large as it did in these pictures. Unfortunately have not had the chance to sew anything in the room for the same reason that I have not been blogging. Well I have a few ideas for some blogs so I hoping to have more blog postings.

This machine is an industrial singer that belonged to my husbands grandfather. He used it to reupholster interiors of his collector cars. I have not done much research on it yet but it does work but could use a good cleaning and oiling. I hope to do some research on it and let you know more about it.

Looks so spacious here doesn't it?

This is my general workhorse machine, a Kenmore, nothing fancy but I have found it to be reliable and dependable.

Busy Busy Busy

2011-10-29T23:19:00.000-05:00

So its been a long time since my last post. Work and family has kept me very busy this fall.

So if recall this summer I was working and remodeling my sewing room ( Well with the help of the Mr) then we had severe rains and we took on water in the basement right where my room is. I then decided to put the project on hold for a while as the next step was laying a tile floor and if it were to flood again it would all be for not. So we finally put in the floor (Armstrong tiles I think have a nice vintage feel to them and are quite appropriate for a basement).

I wanted to keep the room cheerful as it is a basement and while it has southern exposure it is still one pretty small so I choose pink for the walls. Next task will be to move my sewing things back into the room. I will try to put up some pictures as I get things moved back in. As for the flooding I will just have to keep an eye on it when we get lots of rain it has only taken on water one other time since we bought our house over 6 years ago so I will be careful to keep items off the floor and out of harms way.

Tonight we carved pumpkins and tomorrow I will roast pumpkin seeds one of my favorite snacks. Happy Halloween.

Oh and just so you all know I have been reading and even occasionally commenting on others blogs even though I have found myself too busy to blog. So keep up the great blogging all!!!

Kat Von D Make Up

2011-10-02T19:53:00.000-05:00

Has anyone else tried the Kat Von D make up line at Sephora? I so far have two eye liners and one lippy and I would have bought a few more eyeliners if Sephora wasn't sold out at the store.

So why do I like it. So far it has had great staying power on both the lippy and the eyeliner.

Here are the three pieces that I have.

I have the the Painted Love Lippy in Underage Red love this true and bright red that wears well.

In Eyeliners I have two of the Autograph eyeliner which are both smudge proof. The also come with their own sharpener in the cap, I love that.

I do not have the above color I instead have the Puro Amor (jet black) and Turbo Lover(eggplant with glitter)

What I would like to get is the tattoo (liquid liner) and the Autograph Liner Black Metal Love (black with glitter). Yes I know glitter is not very vintage but sometimes a girl just likes a little sparkle.

How about you have you tried any of this make up line? What is some of your favorite make up?

All about me

2011-09-24T09:47:00.001-05:00

OK still real busy so I decided this would get me posting its been going around to other blogs

A-Age:

Over 40 (enough said)

B-Bed size:

My husband is a bed HOG and insist on a king, honestly I would be ok with smaller.

C-Chore that you hate:

cleaning the cat box

D-Dogs:

Dog, cat, horse, I like animals.

E-Essential start to your day:

Nothing really I don't need the caffine jump start other need. Although I never feel normal till teeth are brushed.

F-Favourite Colour:

Pink, but also greens (pale) and blues really its like the dog question I like color.

G-Gold or silver:

Silver or white gold.

H-Height:

5'1" yep I am short

I-Instruments you play:

Nothing right now I played piano, french horn, and trombone when I was a kid but I don't think i remember much now but I really want a Ukulele and some lessons but not sure how I could find the time.

J-Job title:

Teacher

K-Kids:

Yes two boys Wyatt and Dalton (my posse)

L-Live:

Little Canada, MN

M-Mothers name:

Therese

N-Nicknames:

None in fact I hate it when people shorten my name to Sue and Suzie it Susan thank you.

O-Overnight hospital stays:

Just with the birth of my two boys.

P-Pet peeves:

Oh have a lot but they usually have to do with my job (things like kids spitting sunflower seeds on my classroom floor).

Q-Quote from a movie:

" I've got to do something about the way I look. I mean a girl just can't go to Sing Sing with a green face. "

Breakfast at Tiffanys

R-Right or left handed:

Right (but I am so far the odd ball in my family my husband is left my oldest son is left and so far it appears my 3 year old can't decide and has been writing or more accurately drawing with either)

S-Siblings:

One, sister but we are both busy so not close

T-Time you wake up:

6AM

U-Underwear:

I have been having a dilemma with this I have tried the more vintage higher waist ones and they are just not comfortable to me perhaps it is the brands I have tried (just run of the mill hanes cotton) I don't mind higher waisted if it sucks you in and has more elastic but the cotton ones just don't hold their shape. I am open to suggestions.

V-Vegetable you hate:

not a fan of Sweet Potatoes or Fenal

W-What makes you run late:

My Kids or my wardrobe but I try not too.

X-X rays you've had:

I think just the normal teeth.

Y-Yummy food that you make:

I like to make pad thai or soups but having been trying not very successfully to lose weight so the noodles have been out lately.

Z-Zoo animal:

Bears of tigers

A Teachers work is never done

2011-09-18T07:17:00.001-05:00

Sorry readers for the radio silence right now but my work is been very busy. I am teaching two class that I have never taught before so I am just trying to get it all straight and well blogging has been left to the wayside right now. I thought I would entertain you all with a few vintage teaching pictures.

ha look how orderly these pictures look, I don't think you see this in modern classrooms certainly don't see the students dressed so neatly.
Take Care and Enjoy your Weekend.

Drum Roll Please

2011-09-11T16:27:00.000-05:00

OK so I do my drawings old school (well this is a vintage blog isn't it?) with some numbers and a bowl..... And the winner of my 100 follower give away is the lovely Miss Kiki La Merr if you have not checked out her blog the Rockabilly View, I highly recommend it. Kiki I sent you an email please send me your address and I will send out the apron post haste. Thanks All.

It's Give Away Time

2011-09-03T19:45:00.000-05:00

OK readers sorry it took me so long to do my 100 follower giveaway. So per your interest I am this adorable vintage apron (which I was sorely tempted to keep for myself). I love the red gingham and the details on this are lovely and let me tell you the craftsmanship on this is excellent.

So if you would like to win here are the rules.

1. You must be a follower of this blog.

2. Leave a comment below by September 10th.

Thats it, Good luck and thanks for following my blog!! Susan

Wanda Gag

2011-09-02T22:01:00.000-05:00

Wanda Hazel Gag was born in New Ulm Minnesota in 1893. She was an illustrator and children s book author. I first became familiar with the Ms Gag when I spotted this book at a garage sale a few years ago. I was struck but the colors and loved the illustrations within as well. I was recently reading this with my son and decided to find out more about Ms Gag and I am glad I did as I didn't even know she hailed from Minnesota.

I think she is quite stylish in her bobbed hair and apparently she was quite the free thinker in the 20s. She was a feminist advocate of free love.

Daughter of Bohemian artists she too started practicing art at a young age and became well know not just for her children's books but also her lithographs. I love the lithograph below, called progress. It is for sale but the price is a bit steep for me. You can check it and others like it out here

Her most well know book is Millions of Cats which won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1958 and the Newbury Honor Award. I have yet to read this one but I will try to check it out of the library tomorrow.

I hope to post that giveaway by Monday readers so check back and I hope you all a fabulous weekend.

A Rare Outfit Post

2011-08-28T22:14:00.000-05:00

Yes I do rarely do this as I am never very satisfied with my own appearance but I really love this dress. I bought it this summer from atomik*vintage on Ebay. It is not a swirl but is very like one as it is a wrap with the closure in the back (my personal favorite style right now). Love the blue hounds tooth print (I suppose a close up of fabric would have been nice, bad blogger) with the bright yellow flowers so cheerful. I have to say I was a bit nervous about wearing this one as instead of a button closure at the top like a Swirl this dress a three snaps on the back. I was concerned that if it pulled enough the snaps might give way but I wore it all day Saturday with out it coming unhitched. I wish I could say I was going to wear this dress back to work tomorrow but I can't I will be back in my boring old work garb. Hope you all had a fabulous weekend. I also hope that if you are out on the east coast that you safe and dry.

Oh and one final question. I wanted to do a give away but have been indecisive about what I wanted to do I have considered a pattern (not vintage but a reproduction of a retro butterick) or a vintage apron? Please comment with your opinions or what you would be more interested in. Thanks again, Susan

Reading my old friend its been a while.

2011-08-26T20:31:00.000-05:00

So you haven't seem many post from me lately as I have rediscovered my old friend reading. Well honestly I always read but it has been a while since I have found a book that I really fancy. Right now I am working on Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day by Winfred Watson. I have also been feeling a tab bit melancholy as my summer is coming to an end on Monday and in the current climate at work I am truly dreading returning and well Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day is simply hitting the right spot. I have found reading a great escape as there is no question about doing it right or wrong you just do it (unlike putting in an invisible zipper or canning tomatoes). Have any of you been reading anything enjoyable lately.

D-Day

2011-08-16T09:15:00.000-05:00

OK not that D Day but the one Elvis Presley died on. I know there are lots of people in Memphis today celebrating the life of this talented man.

Fresh Water Fishing Museum

2011-08-15T22:23:00.000-05:00

Well I have been on vacation trying to get the most out of the end of my summer. I took my two boys to my in-laws cabin for almost a full week. It has been just the three of us except for the weekend when my husband came up. While he was up we decided to try a little day trip and went to the Fresh Water Fishing Museum in Hayward Wisconsin. Here are some pictures of our trip but please excuse my hair as I am up north and well I haven't been setting my hair as I spend a lot of time in our around the lake with the kids and it has seemed pointless I was completely lacking hair spray for any type of victory rolls etc...

So in this first picture you can see part of the museum the large Musky which you can go in and stand on the balcony, you can also fish for sun fish right under the musky. I was really liking the man behind me's conical asian hat. I wore my nautical Betty Page shorts and a peasant blouse for the occasion I thought a nautical theme would work well even though it is hard to see here.

Here we are up on the balcony of the fish's mouth.

The grounds of the museum are filled with different types of larger than life fiber glass fish sculpture. The one above is a sunfish that my 3 year old is busy reeling in.

The boys really enjoyed the all fish play ground. Ok well I did too.

There was much more than shown here including big foots and a motor boat graveyard which I was surprised I found pretty cool seeing old vintage models of boats and motors. If you are ever in the area it is worth a visit.

http://www.freshwater-fishing.org/index.php

I also have been thinking over a way to celebrate my hundred followers with a give away I just haven't come up with the right idea for what to give away but it will come some so stick with me dear readers. Take care and enjoy the rest of your summers.

Putting Up Food

2011-08-05T07:44:00.001-05:00

I have been interested in canning for years but have been a bit afraid to try it on my own. I have searched for someone to teach me and have not been able to find a soul that was interested. This year I looked at a video on the Ball websight and decided I could do it myself. Here is the video about how easy it can be (although I think they make it look much easier and less messy).

So here is some interesting things about canning:

Canning started in 18th century France when Napoleon Bonaparte was looking for a way to keep his army fed and offer a cash prize to anyone who could come up with a reliable method for preserving food.
The prize was won by Nicholas Appert thought it could be preserved like whine in glass jars.
The Mason jar was invented in 1858 and had the first reusable screw on lid.

Finally here is my first batch of Pickles hopefully they will be as good as they look.

Do you any of you can? Does anyone have any good recipes or advice for a novice canner?

Mason City and Clear Lake Iowa Trip

2011-07-31T21:49:00.000-05:00

So this weekend I went on an adventure. I got into my 59 Chevy wagon and went down to Mason City and Clear Lake Iowa (only a two and half hour drive from us). Unfortunately it was a hot weekend and my wagon does not have air conditioning so it was quite a hot journey and while I did try to search out some antique stores on the drive they led me nowhere but lost on dirt roads by corn fields and cow pastures. So on I went to Mason City. The purpose of this trip was to meet up with some other vintage loving indivuals from the Midwest (and the Netherlands) that I know from the forum the Fedora Lounge . If you have never visited the Fedora Lounge I highly recommend it as it was actually what led me to the blogging world. I found the fedora lounge about a year ago when I was looking for more information about vintage hair styling. I found that and whole lot more information to fuel my love of all things vintage. Now on the lounge I personally prefer to area for ladies called the powder room but after this trip will be investigating other areas more as I have made more friends outside the powder room.

Here I am by my car in Mason City wearing by the way my Swirl dress I had just on in the mail as I was leaving for my trip. It was very hot this weekend in Iowa so I couldn't stand have my hair on my neck so I also am sporting a new snood in the pictures as well.

The first stop we made was in Clear Lake at the Surf Ballroom. If you are not familiar with the Surf this was the last concert that Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper played before their ill fated plane crash. The ballroom originally built in 1933 burned in 1947 and was rebuilt in 1948. This is a wonderfully preserved old ballroom with most of its authentic features still in place. I tried to take some pictures for you on the inside but silly me I did not have my camera only my cell phone and it was not well it enough to do it justice but if some of my friends send me some of their pictures of the inside I will be sure to post them.

The final picture is inside the dressing room (which is surprisingly small by modern standards) and our group picture. We got lots of questions about what event we were in town for or if we were in a play.

I found clear lake to be a great little town with an old main street that while many building not still in their original function are still standing and many have been turned into antique stores which is what we were doing there antiquing. The photo was of a local theatre that looks like it used to be the opera house in town. Mason City also has some great attractions like Frank Lloyd Wright walking tour but it was really too hot for it this weekend so we chose the air conditioned antique malls of clear lake instead. Overall it was a fantastic weekend and I hope to visit this area again in the future when the weather is perhaps more favorable.

Things Made, Things Found, Things Not Forgotten

2011-07-28T15:27:00.000-05:00

OK so earlier this year I committed to a make a month and then never said another word about it on my blog. I also committed to The New vintage ladies Make Do and Mend which I did say one thing about in a post but have been quiet about. Another reader recently suggested I post my wash cloths (very beginning knitting projects) but OK here we go all that has been made lost and forgotten all in one blog.

Ok so this is my purple peasant blouse made months ago then lost I found it just last week in a bag of my sons I must have put it in there to transport and then forgot about it hence the wrinkles. It is a bit on the large size it was made from Advance 4091 size 18. The 18 says it has a 36 bust but let me tell you that bust is anything but a 36 and therefore is very generous on me so I am now drafting a new pattern for a peasant blouse today. Oh and also that skirt is one of my repairs I fixed the hook and eye on it. Its straight up 70's but it has a 40's feel to it so I like it.

This is another dress repair. I call this my ruffled wrap dress. It fell apart on me at the Back to the 50's car show in June while I was wearing it!!!! Luckily I was sitting down when the wrap pulled out and I had a change of clothes with me and was near a restroom. So above just one of the repairs I needed to make to the tie and side seem of this dress.

So as you can see I sewed up the side seam reattaching the wrap tie and also replaced the inside tie with the white ribbon as that came about in the laundry also. So New Vintage Lady I have been busy.

The pillows I made with some Ikea Fabric from my stash so I think they qualify for the New Vintage Ladies challenge of using a fabric you already have. I learned how to make french seams on these babies. I made them through a craftsy class with Dianna Rupp. I decided to take her class as I would classify myself as an advanced Beginner in the sewing world and only really started sewing a few years ago. Now while I did take a class or two when I started nobody really taught me how to use my machine properly and this class was excellent for that. My next craftsy.com class is sewing a saron dress with Gretchen from Gerties Blog for Better Sewing. I have a feeling I will be taking my sweat time on that one.

Finally here are the said wash cloths. As I said these are very beginner knitting you can see the first on I made the ill shapen one with all the holes then the smaller ones beside it. Then I learned to purl and make a stockinette stitch and added knit stitches to keep them from rolling.

So readers thats is that. More later I hope. Have a great weekend everyone.

Thats a whole lotta Bakelite

2011-07-26T13:13:00.000-05:00

OK I wish is was jewelry but still pretty cool and if I told you that I paid the same amount for a Bakelite brooch would you believe me? Well its true. My husband and I picked this up at an antique store up by the cabin a few weeks ago and since I have been a lazy blogger I thought I would post it. Other than that I have been working on some sewing projects but nothing I wish to share as of yet. I have also been knitting more wash cloths but am ready to move on to a bigger project. I also started working on some embroidery something that I have wanted to get into for years and have played with but haven't jumped into a project until now I am also most done and will post results soon. How about you how are all your projects and summers going?

flooding, painting, and purling oh my

2011-07-17T04:57:00.000-05:00

OK this may be a bit of an exaggeration but we did just have some major rain and well the water table really filled up and or basement got wet. I was woken up yesterday at 6 am by my husband because our basement was starting to take on water. The good news was that the room that was starting to take on most of the water was almost empty. The bad news was that it was empty because it was the room I was renovating to be my sewing haven. I was supposed to spend yesterday completing my paint job on the room then Monday my husband and I were going to tile the floor. Instead I spend the first too hours of the day try to keep the water from doing much damage with an inadequate shop vac and some towels. The good news is that I did manage to keep the water from doing any damage. The bad news is that it may do this again. We did have this happen about 6 years ago when we first bought the house but we changed the landscaping outside and thought we had solved the problem but no such luck. It only seems to do this when we got a major torrential down pour which seems to happen every 6 years or so. I really shouldn't complain because I think some of my neighbors had it much worse than we did I know two doors down they had standing water in their sons bedroom and laundry room. I heard of some cars floating in some underpass areas so all in all we were pretty lucky.

So here is a picture that is our new wall you can see the towel soaking up the incoming water and that is my dads shop vac that we borrowed as ours was too small to really make much of a difference. The boxes up on the file cabinet are the tiles we were supposed to be putting down this week end. As you can see I had painted the new wall ( my husband hung the sheet rock but I did the mudding and taping which is why you haven't heard much form me as I have been busy).

On a positive note I have taken up knitting I have started with simple wash cloths. I have made 3 with just a knit stitch and friday I learned purling and I finished a wash cloth with a stockinette stitch last night. My end goal is to make something like the sweater above but it may be a while before I am whipping up sweaters no breath holding please. Oh and the above sweater is a free PDF here

Antiquing Finds from the Holiday Weekend

2011-07-07T11:32:00.001-05:00

I have recieved my parcel that I forgot at the cabin, so know I can show you my finds.

I almost passed on this sweet little couple but them my husband walked up and commented on them and I know I had we should get them.

I got this cute little after shave jar for my husband to put on the back bar of his barber shop.

I got this little Florida pink flamingo creamer to go in my pink flamingo florida themed kitchen.

I also got these hankerchiefs I am particularly found of the one with the little yellow birds on it (please excise me for not pressing it before posting).

Well that was it but I could easily have spend thousands if I had had it to spend but as we are generally on a tight budget at my house I generally look for little inexpensive things and I think the lady running the shop could tell that as she double checked me before ringing up the asian couple making sure I know they were 18 not 8 dollars and yes I did know that but it was nice of her to check.

Take care for now readers I will be looking to do a give away soon as I am very close to a 100 follower mark so stay tuned and take care.

The Holiday Weekend

2011-07-05T17:52:00.000-05:00

Hello lovely readers. I have been pretty busy the last couple of weeks even though I am not officially working right now I am have been going to meetings planning curriculum both for my self and my school district so I haven't had as much free time as I always think I will have. I also have my children and while I love them they are little attention vampires and they keep me pretty busy. This weekend of course was a big American Holiday our Independence day. My In-Laws are lovely people and have a fabulous cabin up in the woods of Wisconsin so we made plans to go up there but first some lovely friends of ours got married on Saturday so we waited to go up so we could celebrate with them. Here is a picture us at the photo booth our friends had rented for the wedding. I have to say that it was very fun to look through the strips at everyone's pictures. I think I would have gotten one of these for our wedding reception if I had know how fun they might be and if you are getting married in the near future look into it the pictures are a hoot to look at later.

Well that was probably the best part of the weekend but there were some down sides too. On Friday a really big storm hit the area of my in laws cabin and lots of damage was done to the entire area. My in laws only lost power for the day a a few tree the luckily none fell on the cabin or garage or out buildings. Unfortunately they did lose an old growth pine that will be sorely missed by us all as it was a lovely large tree but it was by some luck that this tree did not fall on the cabin as it was right by it and enormous. Many others in the area have lost much more there were 11 deaths including an 11 year girl that was camping in the area. Lots of property damage including our friends Mr and Mrs H who used to have us up at their cabin before my in laws bought one of their own. My husband and FIL when and helped them cut a path down their driveway (I always feel bad getting stuck supervising the kids in these situations I would rather pitch in with the labor). We felt so bad for our friends as they has such a beautiful tree covered lot and there is hardly a tree left standing on their property. Their dock was lifted out of the water and bent and they had several holes in their cabin roof as well as their new garage. When you look at the property it looks like it was clear cut. The H's seemed to be in a state of shock and to tell the truth I could hardly blame then I saw at least 3 trees on their roof and large holes made by said trees. On our way in there were power lines down right next to the road and while we did see utility companies out working on these there seemed a lot to do. People in the area had formed cutting parties as their roads were covered in downed trees and no one could get out of the area. The picture below is taken from the drive and you can see how it is still blocked and the trees down as well as some of the trees on the roof.

Of course I did do some antiquing in the area when we drove in and just in case you think this is callous in the face of the disaster, I did feel like i was helping the local economy as I talked with the women at the antique store about how she needed to buy a generator for her daughter who was out of town but had lost power to help her out when she comes home. I will have to post pictures of my finds another day as I forgot my parcel at the cabin.

Thrifting Finds

2011-06-29T21:18:00.000-05:00

Today I did some thrifting. I found the Poodle at a Good Will store by my Moms house. I can say though that I really don't like thrifting at good wills. First of all they sort by color and they don't mark and sizes on their clothes. It makes looking there for any clothing a bit overwhelming besides the fact that I haven't found any vintage clothing at a Good Will in about 10 years. What I had stopped at the Good Will for was a slip and they had none. NONE!!!! All I found was the poodle and a 70's avocado green ice crusher (which I bought for my in laws because they like those 70's colors). The poodle was 4 dollars and the Ice crusher was 6 dollars so not too bad a stop. Later in the afternoon I stopped at a Valu Thrift where I happily found 3 full slips not positive of the their vintage but definitely older than the 80's I am guessing from the tags. I also bought a camisole and three half slips and paid a grand total of $13.54 so again not a bad find and it was what I was looking for as we have a wedding to attend on Saturday and well last time I needed a slip they seemed to have left the building. Have I ever mentioned that I think I have a black hole in my house? Right now it seems to have a fondness for beige slips and black pedal pushers oh and my purple polka dot peasant blouse that I made for myself and didn't post this spring and well now it is gone into the black hole living in my house. Well enough about that do you all have any favorite places to thrift?

Make and Mend Month.

2011-06-18T20:20:00.000-05:00

So I am trying to take on the New Vintage Ladies Make and Mend Month challenge but I have to say that I was so busy with the end of the school year wrap up that I am now have a bit more time to work on this. So last night I took on two repair projects that have been needing to be done. One was on my fixing the eye hook on one of my vintage skirts. Its a sears probably from the 70's but it is Aline and has a very 40's look to it. Next was just adding a eye and hook to my Betty Page shorts. They would start to unzip if I bent over too far so it was really a must for me and since they are one of my favorite clothing items for summer casual I really wanted to finish that repair. Next I should really tackle repairing a Swirl wrap dress I won on ebay and then yesterday at a car show another vintage wrap dress of mine came apart (luckily I was sitting at the time and had brought a change of clothes to the car show). If you want to join in one the Make and Mend Month here is a link to the New Vintage Lady blog July is make mend month.

New specs

2011-06-17T13:03:00.000-05:00

Retro Lawn Furniture

2011-06-15T21:32:00.000-05:00

Have you noticed a resurgence of retro style lawn furniture? I just got this yellow glider from Lowes a few weeks ago.

I also have a few red metal lawn chairs with a little matching table that I found at Kmart but they were out of matching gliders so when I saw this one at Lowes I could not resist. I have also seen meal lawn chairs at menards too. I think all these items are being clearenced out so if there not all gone already I would snatch them up folks.

Busy Time

2011-06-10T19:35:00.000-05:00

Well I have been really busy lately perhaps you have noticed my absence but it is ok if you didn't. Work has been taking over and with the weather being nicer I have been spending less time near my computer. On a positive note I finally started working on eating more healthy and getting more exercise and I lost 7 pounds in the last month Yay!!!!

Last week my husband I attended a friend of his. Now I don't know if you know this (or care) but Brian Setzer has been living in Minneapolis with his Wife for the last couple of years. Well he is friends with my husbands friends and was in attendance of the Block Party. I have been a Stray Cats fan since my teenage years so it was very exciting to actually get to be in a conversation with Brian although I was more concerned about not sounding dumb and saying something stupid like "Stray Cat Strut in my ringtone". But I think I did ok.

Here I am at the party on my left is Steph a lovely young lady with lots of vintage style and on my right is also lovely Ashley aka Doris May Day. You have to excuse the top I had on it lost a button. Yikes. I was wearing my new Betty Page shorts though but its hard to see as they are black.

One of our local bands played, the Reckless Ones and they are always excellent.

Ode to the 50's wrap dress

2011-06-01T20:47:00.000-05:00

Well I have to say I am a big fan of the house dress and well the best house dresses in the 1950's was the wrap dress. I have a few originals and I have some patterns that I would really like to make up one of these days when I can spare some time. Thinking of sewing a few got me looking at the vintage pattern wiki. These are some of the patterns I found.

Well I hear everyone and their mother has made the Butterick walk way dress. I have not attempted one yet but Dress Dame told me that you need to line the skirt for this one to work well. I have both an original copy and the reproduction copy of this pattern.

And here is the Advance version of the walk away dress.

The Anne Adams version.

Speaking of mail order patterns how I love the buttons on the front of this one.

Another mail order I believe I have this Marianne Martin in my collection.

Is bigger better?

I love big pockets I need to make a gigantic pocket wrap dress!!!!

I think the pattern companies were having a big pocket wrap dress show down to see who could make the biggest ones!!!

Ok this butterick doesn't have the biggest pockets but it could still eat crackers in my bed.

Well yes not a wrap dress but it sure give that feel I really like a good wrap blouse so I couldn't resist putting this one in the mix even though its not technically a wrap dress.

Betty Page Clothing Mall Of America Review

2011-05-31T10:53:00.000-05:00

Well it is open. I went on Saturday. I personally love it. The ladies working there are fabulous helpful and friendly. The quality seemed good and the clothes are adorable. Here is what I bought.

I got the shorts and top in this picture but i included the top with the red bows as it looks a bit different with the buttons undone that fare down and i will not be wearing mine like that rest assured.

I also got this black skirt.

Not pictured is a navy wiggle dress and a matching bolero I got out of the sale section and I don't see it on the web sight. I also tried this dress on in the grey and it was so cute but well I didn't have unlimited funds so perhaps I will pick it up later since I can just jump in my car and drive for 20 minutes and just go shopping and not have to pay shipping or in Minnesota we also have no sales tax on clothing so no tax either (but check your reciept as they are having problems with the register doing this automatically).

I was very happy and the store was very very busy (well it is new and it was a holiday weekend and a saturday to boot). All I can say is I love it and will be a frequent buyer when the cash is available!!!!

We are going to see The Killer

2011-05-25T04:40:00.000-05:00

No not the Mrs. Peacock in the drawing room type of killer.

Its the Jerry Lee Lewis aka The Killer.

My husband surprised me today with tickets to see Jerry Lee play in Chicago in July. He even booked a hotel room and arranged babysitting for the boys. Very sweet of him although he did this because of old guilt from the last time we were supposed to see him play together here is the story. I was going to Miss Jerry Lee at the Green Bay, Wisconsin at the last Rockin 50's Fest II in 2005 because he was scheduled to play the very first day on Monday and I could not get out off work until Wednesday, although my husband was able to go to for the entire week. Then Jerry Lee rescheduled the show for Tuesday. With some finagling on my part I left for the festival and should have made it to Greenbay just in a nick of time in order to see him play. I drove at breakneck speeds from work across Wisconsin only to have my husband give me some inebriated directions that got me lost for the hour that Jerry Lee preformed. Then for the rest of the week all everyone talked about how great Jerry was and did you see him preform. No I didn't! I had literally walked in the doors to the show as everyone was walking out them. Needless to say I still had a great week but was a bit peeved at my husband. Well this year when Jerry Lee played at Viva Las Vegas and we couldn't afford to go, I guess he started looking online for a way to get me to see Jerry Lee and he bought tickets right away when he saw he was playing Chicago this summer. Although he is planning a quick get there see concert drive home trip. Its a 7 hour drive for us. I think I might have to work on him about extending the stay a wee bit as Chicago is a great place to visit and I am not really sure what his rush is as the Grandparents might not mind having the boys for 2 days and well nobody has to work until Tuesday and the show is on a Saturday. Well more on this later as it develops....

Well just when you thought you had some grass......

2011-05-19T17:53:00.000-05:00

OK so my husband loves his cars but last year when he had 6 I talked him into getting rid of one. This year I put some grass seeds down where the car had been sitting, killing the grass. Well just when the grass started taking he decided that a 40's Plymouth 2 door sedan was what he really needed. Yep this summer he has 7 vehicles(no my math is right he also got one more over the winter), oh and did you know I own two cars of my own not both vintage one is my daily driver my other is a 59 chevy wagon . Let me tell you folds that we don't live out on a farm in the country. No we have a fairly normal suburban neighborhood although we do have very deep yards on our stretch of the road. Its a good thing I like old cars too or my husband and I might not we getting along right now. So here it is the newest member of or car family.

Yes it is very rough and it is a big project but I guess it will keep him out of trouble.

Retro Rama and stuff...

2011-05-16T21:08:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the absence in my post it must just be that time of year where people get busy because I have noticed lots of blogs have gone down in the number of post that are being written. What has kept me out of blog land? Well garage sale season opened up big with the a city wide garage sale in the suburb I grew up in. My mom and i usually go together but sorry not really a vintage trip so much as shopping for the kids although I did see some lovely 50's lamps for a reasonable price but I passed them by as I really don't have a need for more lamps but I still keep thinking about them perhaps I should have got them oh well too late now.

We also attended Retrorama a yearly event that takes place at the Minnesota History Center. We had a great time although I thought the fashion show was a bit of a bomb. We got priority parking for showing up in my husbands 57 chevy. Anyway here is a picture of my husband and I. He has on a 1950's suit I picked up for him on Ebay and I have on a 40's Rayon dress also from ebay (no label it appears to be handmade).

And finally here I am with the lovely Dress Dame if you have not had a chance to check out her blog you should check it out ( and please excuse my angry look). I also got to meet the lovely Dead Pan Diva of the fedora lounge unfortunately I did not get a photo of us together and she had on this lovely 30's dress she had made.

Well my final blog distraction was getting some plants in my garden. I have about 16 tomato plants some peppers, peas, beans, carrots, lettuce, and radishes that I am happy to say have already sprouted. I will try to post some pictures when things start taking off. Well take care and have a good week.

Victory Garden in Victory Rolls

2011-05-09T05:00:00.000-05:00

Did you know that by the end of WWII 40% of the nations vegetables were grown at home?

When I was growing up my dad always had a garden growing in the back yard he composted; much to the dismay of the suburban neighbors. I don't know what it is about digging in the dirt and getting things to grow that I find so satisfying but for some reason I do.

My family up was up and helping with the victory garden on Sunday (it probably helped that our internet connection had and outage yesterday). Saturday I purchased a new rain barrel and compost bin through the district we live in. So I worked on installing them, this morning while my husband and oldest son made me some raised beds (happy mothers day) for planting in. So no plants going yet but we are well on our way we just need to fill the new beds up and well get some rain for the barrel and get that compost collected and decomposing. Well I will update with pictures when something is actually growing not much to show right now. I know many of you have probably started your gardens weeks ahead of us Midwesterners but well the winter just didn't wan't to leave us this year but I think we are finally in some safer territory. Oh and the victory rolls they stayed in the whole time shoveling and rooting in the dirt.
Happy Mothers day everyone...

Help All the Blogs I follow have disappeared.

2011-05-07T20:49:00.000-05:00

OK actually opposite of the invisible man as all of you have disappeared from my dashboard. Has anyone had this problem? When on my dashboard it says that I have no blogs I am following but when I look up the individual blogs it still listed me as a follower and when I added a new blog it still did not show up. Lovely readers have you ever had this problem? Can anyone direct me to some place I can resolves this I looked in the help section but it didn't really seem to have an answer for this. Totally frustrated by this situation. Hope you all are having a great weekend. Take Care

Vintage Comments

2011-05-06T21:00:00.000-05:00

So do you get comments about your vintage style? I have been getting more lately as I have been on a campaign to dress in a more vintage look daily so far I have just been tackling the hair and some makeup. Now I teach high school and these kids are definitely not shy about making comments which is perhaps why I haven't been dressing or looking very vintage. I think that combined with the fact that I teach art and well it is messy and I would hate to ruin some nice vintage clothes because clay paint could easily ruin a nice piece. But so far I have only received positive comments about my hair from students and well I try to never think about what they say behind my back if I worried about that well..... needless to say I don't go there. Later I stopped into a Sephora and got some new make up some to wear at work (a little more subtle for a day look). The girl helping me out got really excited when I told her I was going for a more vintage look and asked me about the Betty Page clothing that was opening soon at Mall of America. Today I had looser curls as I had pinned my hair in loser pin curls for sleeping but I got a really nice set out it all day and again more compliments from students. I also used some of the make up I purchased last night smash box limitless lip stain in petal and an eggplant eyeliner from KatVonD line. I thought both worked well for the day time look.

this my day 2 set at the end of the day

So how about you ladies do you get much comments on your vintage look? Positive? Negative?

Now I need to work on the wardrobe for work and every day. I have a hard time with wearing my nice clothes to work so now if I could find the sewing time to make some clothes that I didn't spend a fortune on that would work for work I would be all set.

VICTORY......roll

2011-04-30T12:07:00.000-05:00

Success! Ok well not that I haven't ever successfully put a victory roll in my hair but today is about the best victory rolls I have pulled off to date. I also just had 4 inches taken off my hair (as well as touching up those roots boy did that need to get done). So I have been try to figure out what I can do with it since it was cut on Thursday. My timing may not have been the best as retrorama is coming up on the May 12 and well I bought a 40's rayon dress to were do I was looking for a good 40's style for my hair to go with it and well what is more 40's than Victory rolls. I always find them challenging as I am sure many of you do. I will have to continue to practice so that I can repeat it when I want to. Have a great weekend everyone.

front view

From the Top

Right side

Wedding Dresses and the Royal Wedding

2011-04-29T05:47:00.000-05:00

Well it is hard not to fall in with all the excitement of a royal wedding, so as I watch Kate in her 1950's inspired dress; it remind me of Grace Kelly's wedding dress.

I found this McCalls dress pattern from the 1950's that has a very similar look to it.

I have seen many predictions among the vintage community about what the dress will look like and I have to say that most the predictions I have seen were right on the money. Covered shoulders and a chapel length train check check I love how on the money these predictions are. My son as we watch this wedding wants to know if they don't do "you may now kiss the bride". My son has a teacher from Plymouth on a Fulbright exchange so he has been hearing lots about the Royal Wedding (I am guessing more than most American 9 year old boys do). In fact my son is having a royal wedding party in his 3rd grade classroom today. The kids have been encouraged to dress up but he said he would prefer not to but would like to wear his Mohawk up.

Retro Make Up by Lauren Rennels

2011-04-24T16:32:00.000-05:00

OK Ladies get your copy now. This book is a must have for anyone interested in vintage styling. I received my copy earlier this week and finally had some quality time with it and I am so excited about it. The book starts with a brief history of make up use. Them moves into tools of the trade as well as techniques. Then goes through some make up looks era by era. I have to say that so far my favorite part is when she shows how to do a drawn brow without removing your natural brow that was truly an eye opener for me. If you already have the Lauren Reynolds Vintage Hairstyling book this would be a great companion book for it. My only wish is that it was a ring format so it would be easier to leave the page open when trying to reproduce a look. If you are not already following Miss Rennels blog I do recommend it as well, Bobby Pin Blog. The photo below is straight from the blog as I do not have a good scanner at present. Hope you all had a fine Easter and take care.

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T07:18:00.000-05:00

Have I told you that I love gnomes? I have a collection in my garden must be my German ancestry. I hope to get caught up and be able to post a bit more this week as I did visit my favorite vintage clothing shop this last week in search of a dress to wear to a event called retrorama. Oh and I might have accidentally on purpose bought a ordered a few items from Heyday. More on all this later. Hope you all have a fabulous day.

Its time to roll

2011-04-17T14:43:00.000-05:00

So we finally went into the garage and got the vintage bikes out of storage. The first is a mid sixties (we think) womens Space liner. The second is badly in need of some work in fact it is now taken apart but I got a good picute before we deconstructed it. Its a Columbia and we think its a Fire Arrow maybe 59 but not sure. It needs new rims, and tires, new gears new pedals well and while we are at it we are going to sand down the body and have it painted.

Well hope you are all having a fabulous Sunday, take care

Trailer Time

2011-04-12T08:39:00.000-05:00

Ok so Mr Living Vintage and I bought this trailer 3 years ago we got a lot of use out of it the first summer as out his parents had bought a not so habitable lake place (which has since been torn down and replaced with a lovely new cabin) so we parked our camper at the lake and used that summer on weekends as our cabin on the lake. It is a 1969 Silverstreak we have have plans to fix it up but money has been tight so we haven't done as much as I would like yet. It needs some holes patched, new skylight, new plumbing, new backsplash, new flooring in the back and a really good airing out. I have bought some lovely atomic print barkcloth fabric to make new curtains but am afraid make and hang as the fabric was not cheap and am waiting for it to be a bit more sealed from water and mice before hanging. Anyway here is the exterior for now I don't have any interior pictures right now but will post some later.

This last one is my 59 wagon that I think would be perfect for pulling the Silverstreak.

Lions and Tigers and Flowers, Oh My

2011-04-08T19:08:00.000-05:00

Ok its been a really long week. Last Sunday night Mr Living Vintage and I took our 3 year old to the circus. I don't think it gets much more vintage than the circus. We saw trapeze artist, lion and tiger tamer, clown of course, jugglers, a dog act and my favorite a quick change act and that was just the first half then our son got tired and wanted to go home right when the bare back rider was coming out. Oh well I will definitely make an effort to take him again it was fun and honestly I don't think I have been to a circus since I was his age.

I love these vintage Ringling Bros Posters although we went to a Shiners circus and I checked but the Ringling Brother/ Barnum and Baily circus do not come to our city.

And here we all are at the circus.

And on last thing is that if finally felt like spring this week despite still having some big piles of snow around it has been in the sixties the last couple of days and look what I have in my front yard. Yeah crocus flowers I think they are my favorite just because the winters here can be so long and they are the first flowers I have seen in a long time.

Finally a package arrived for me today, it was my Bell Blossom flower of the month. Lisa Freemont Street has mentioned this on her blog and I decided to take the plunge. I almost don't want to open the package when it arrives it is so pretty.

This month was a beautiful pink azalea. Love it I will have to set my hair tonight and wear it tomorrow!!

If you haven't checked out Lisa Fremont Pages blog here is the link and here is the link to the Belle Blossom website http://www.littlebellesboutique.com/
hope you all had a good week good bye for now

1939 and 1940 Fashions

2011-04-05T19:40:00.000-05:00

I think the late 30's and early 40's are my new favorite fashion era!!! A lovely lady by the the screen name of Stray Cat has been posting scans from her German Fashion magazine on the Fedora Lounge. Here are a few of my favorites (sorry I tend to be a bit partial to separates so it might be a bit weighted that way). Hope you enjoy!!!

Mod Cloths has Miss L Fire!!!

2011-03-31T11:54:00.000-05:00

Ok I just discovered the other day that Mod Cloths sells Miss L Fire shoes. Ok so there still out of my price range but nice to know there is a US supplier to at least cut down the shipping cost. If you you have not yet checked out Miss L Fire you really really should. Above are a few I saw at Mod Cloth that I would by if I were richer than I am now. Happy Thursday everyone.

Half dress up but didn't go out!!!!

2011-03-29T21:13:00.000-05:00

Ok so I having been having a dilemma. I have closets full of dresses and skirts and other fabulous vintage clothes and I have gained too much weight to were many of them. This as you can imagine has a big affect on going out as I feel I have nothing to wear. Take tonight for instance, I was going to go to the history center and hear a talk about home grown Pin Up artist Gil Elvgren as well as some of Munsing Wears more risqué campaigns but it took me so long to find something that still fit me that I threw in the towel and didn't go. I have been debating my weight loss options. I seem to have a hard time keeping the weight off since moving in with my husband. I used to never sit around and watch thats about all he does when he gets home from work. Also I used to limit the food I keep in the house but with two growing boys I find it is very useful to be able to feed them regularly. I managed to loose a lot of weight right before our wedding 5 years ago by joining a group called slim for life and while I did not stay slim for life I did manage to take off 25 pound and I kept much of it off until I was pregnant with our youngest. I did join weight watchers and join a community center and managed to loose about 12 pounds but I quit because my husband started his own business and money got tight so I had to cut some things out. so over the winter I have put back on everything I lost when I was on weight watcher. I used to run and go out dancing 3 nights a week. I haven't been running since being pregnant and I was thinking of starting a training program for a 5k. I also considered joining a Golds Gym in our neighborhood as well as rejoining Weight Watchers again. Ladies please feel free to give me your feedback what has worked well for you in terms of not just losing the weight but keeping it off?

So anyway this is me tonight hair and make up ready to go I even put on my new hair flower that I won in in the in a give away by Nifty Thrifty Retro Mama if you have not checked out her blog I highly recommend it. Thanks again for the flower Nifty Thrifty Retro Mama!!! Sorry about the poor quality photo I have plans to take a better one with good lighting later. Anyway shoot me some ideas on weight loss please. I really need to get moving and eating less.

Coming Soon to the Mall of America: Betty Page Clothing

2011-03-27T20:07:00.000-05:00

Its true Betty Page Clothing is opening a store only a short 20 minute drive from my house. So I decided to do some fantasy shopping on line today. Since I have never had the opportunity to visit a Betty Page Store I am curious to see what is in the store versus what is on line.

So thinking in a practical sense these are some piece I could see getting lots of use in the next few months.

These High Waisted Capri would be great for up coming spring and on cooler summer days.

I could also see wearing these high waisted shorts in the summer months and I could also make use of the Lucy blouse with Bows as well.

OK how cute is the sailor inspired dress being modeled by the lovely Doris Mayday. I also really love the teal of the Rita Dress and the Military dress well perhaps not till fall and winter but how cute is that. Finally the day dress directly above is definitely adorable. I have not found out yet when the store is opening but I am excited to see what is in stock when they open and I can find the time to visit the store.

Lady Head Vases

2011-03-19T14:40:00.000-05:00

These are my three lady head vases. I have had the one in the middle for so song I can't remember how long I have had her I would estimate about 15 years. The lady in the black hat I have had for about 8 years I bought her at an estate sale she has a few chips but I still think she is lovely. The lady on the far right is the largest and I think the prettiest (sh....don't tell the other girls) I bought her at one of my favorite local antique stores called Succotash. Do any of you have lady vases? I invite you to post pictures on your blogs.

MIA sorry I have been so sick.

2011-03-15T22:14:00.000-05:00

I have been struck down by the flu and have been in bed for days with a temperature cough, chills, headache, all classic flu symptoms hope to be able to but together a decent blog post by this weekend. In the mean time I was thinking that a nurse visit would be nice to have.

I finally found a it!!!

2011-03-06T19:51:00.000-06:00

Has there ever been a vintage pattern that you would really like to have a copy of but you can't find a copy in a decent size or price? Well I finally got a copy of Advance 8551. This is a pattern I have been looking for years.

Advance patterns were the house patterns of JC Penneys from 1933 to 1966. This pattern is a new look pattern of the 1950's what I really love is the red dress with the polka dots on the front and I would love to try one similar to that. Is it silly to want to make the dress you see on the front of the pattern? I don't think of myself as lacking imagination but sometimes the designer of the pattern just sells you on the piece on the front. The great thing about finding this pattern is that I bought it in a lot with 22 other patterns by Advance that all appear to be New Look 1950's patterns better yet I got all 23 for 23 dollars (that includes my shipping) that is 1 dollar a piece!!!! Woohoo is all I can say. By the way the pattern posted above is a picture I saved from the first time I saw the pattern and the one I bought is a much more reasonable size although not my size I will have to play with sizing it up a bit which may be tricky with this one so if you have any advice for me please feel free to make suggestions.

Alfred Shaheen

2011-03-05T08:19:00.001-06:00

Alfred Shaheen is my favorite designer of Post WWII Hawaiian fashion. I am the proud owner of 4 Shaheen dress one swimsuit and a teatimer. Shaheen where to start: I think the story started when Shaheens parents moved to Oahu in the 1930s and brought with them their families custom manufacturing buisness. Alfred was still in California at this time attending college studying aeronautical engineering. At the advent of WWII Shaheen enlisted in the Army Air Corps where he flew combat missions over France, Italy and Germany. Upon his return from the army he started working for the family buisness which he expanded to include include Aloha wear. Most companies at the time imported fabric but Shaheen started to print and dye under the the name Surf n Sand Hand Prints. Shaheen continued his buisness until he retired in 1988. If you want to know more about Shaheen try here.

sorry folk about no photos of my own collection my camera is out on loan right now and well I was suprised to find I did not have any pictures on my computer of me in any of my Shaheens. I will try to post some when my camera is back. Take care

No Pin Curl Mojo

2011-02-26T09:51:00.000-06:00

Ok I admit it I don't set my hair routinely. I am a busy working mom and the last thing on my mind before I go to bed is setting my hair so most days I just pin my sides back but on weekends I usually will set my hair. Well lately in these dark cold days of winter I haven't even been doing that. So on these bleak no set days when I have a bit more time in the morning I sometimes use my hot sticks. If you aren't familiar with hot sticks I find them to be a god send as they are as close to a pin curl set as you are going to find with a dry set. I think I bought mine at Walmart for about $15.

So here is how I use them. I spray them with a thermal spray then roll them in my hair using end wraps as I found that with out the end wraps my ends were too sloppy. First I let them heat up for 15 to 20 minutes. I roll them all under using mostly pink smaller rods in front although I will alternate some larger orange in for variety.

Leave them on for about 20 minutes more perhaps put on my make up or pick up the house. Then unroll and brush out and spray.

For other another good idea of what to do on a no mojo pin curl day here is link to the lovely Ms Lina at Spiffing Sporadics of a Vintage Girl.

Also the lovely Fleur of Diary of a Vintage Girl has done a tutorial on using the hot sticks which is how I found out about them Fleurs hot sticks tutorials. She has some other tutorials on her blog too so please check it out.

Lets Make it Legal 1951

2011-02-25T10:47:00.000-06:00

Lets Make it Legal, Wow what an all star cast this Movie Has starting with Cladette Colbert, Marilyn Monroe, Robert Wagner, Barbara Bates (as Colbert daughter), Macdonald Carey. The Plot, Colbert and her husband Hugh (played by Macdonald Carey) are divorcing because of his terrible gambling habbit. Her grown daughter and son in law (Robert Wagner) have moved in to help out but it seems the daughter is using her Mother for her help so she can sleep in not do house work. Overall not an impressive film but has some great stars and fashion. I think it funny that they put Marilyn on the front as she only really had a minor role in the movie. In fact they seem to put Marilyn in every promo picture I can find for this movie. Don't get me wrong I love Marilyn but.... I guess we can see how the Stars Names and Faes were used early on to sell mediocre films.

Coming up on my blog I plan to finish my February make this weekend. I will try to get pictures also I received my Heyday dress so I must give it a trial run with pictures.
Also Coming up I think I will try to do a give away when I reach 50 readers to say thank you to all of you following my blog. I am going to ponder this weekend what I will be giving away don't worry I will try to make it a good one. Have a great week end all.

Sunday Shopping Spree

2011-02-21T09:18:00.000-06:00

I out in Wisconsin at my in laws lovely cabin. I managed to get some time off to go to town and go antiquing yesterday. Here are some of my finds.

I have been looking for a vintage sewing basket for ages and I was happy to find this pink one I am thinking it looks fifties to me. I also picked a few blouse patterns and I bought a cigarette canister for my Mr Living Vintage because he has been into collecting old smoking paraphernalia lately. I wish I was wealthy I saw so many fantastic items I would have loved to have gotten.

Here is a close up on the cigarette canister.

The Cowboy and the Lady

2011-02-20T10:51:00.000-06:00

I have to say I am a sucker for quirky romantic comedies from days gone by. The Cowboy and the Lady staring Gary Cooper and Merle Oberon starts with the daughter of a judge who wants to run for president. She is leading a very sheltered life. She is sent to the family home in Miami Beach by herself to avoid a scandle because she had gone out dancing at a questionable establishment. While there she decides to have the maids fix her up on a blind date with a cowboy from the rodeo. The two hit it off and eventually marry but her father disapproves as he thinks if may affect his bid for the presidency. Overall a cute story and Merle Oberon couldn't be more adorable. Her wardrobe is lovely and her hair is fantastic it is getting me in the mood to experiment more with some more 30's styles with the waves at the top and curls at the bottom.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

2011-02-18T23:26:00.000-06:00

I must have seen this movie on TV when I was in junior high. I have loved it ever since. Maggie the Cat played by Elizabeth Taylor at her peak and Brick played by Paul Newman with those lovely blue eyes.

Brick and Maggie go to visit Bricks family for his fathers birthday and to hear about his fathers test results from his medical test. Adapted from a play by Tennessee Williams there is lots of drama. Brick drinks too much after the death of his best friend who he thinks slept with his wife Maggie. Big Daddy gets to the bottom of what is going on between the two. Added to this drama is that the family is fighting over who will inherit Big Daddies fortune,Bricks brother Goober and his wife May are working hard to make sure they inherit it all and Maggie's does her best to make sure she and Brick don't lose their interest in the estate but Brick is uninterested in anything but his next drink. Definitely worth a watch.

A day late and a dollar short.

2011-02-16T19:34:00.000-06:00

Yep that is usually me. Although you get some good bargains this way. Here is some fabric I got on sale at Jo Ann Fabric it will make a cute dress or top for next valentines day. Hope you all had a great Valentines day.

Vintage Eyewear

2011-02-12T08:32:00.000-06:00

I have a astigmatism. I have always worn glasses. Tragedy struck this last week as I stepped on my glass. My back up pair is missing and no where to be found. So I am in the Market for some new to me vintage eyewear. If only I could look as lovely as Marylin!!!

What to get its so hard to make decisions as I have to shop on ebay to keep it affordable. We do have a local optical shop that has vintage stock but they charge 200-300 dollars a pair. I have not paid over 70 dollars for a pair of frames since I started wearing vintage frames so I have a hard time stomaching paying that much. I have ordered a few pairs off ebay. I will have to post pictures when new frames arrive and see what all of you think. I know I am really going to miss the ones that got stepped on.

I Bit the Bullet

2011-02-10T21:17:00.000-06:00

Well I saw the new Fleur Wrap dresses at Heyday and decided it was time I needed a new dress to get me through the winter ho hums. This is the one I ordered.

I hope it is nice I can't wait till it gets here as I understand customs are slowing international shipping down from 2 weeks to a month. So I guess I have a little bit of a wait. I will post pictures when it arrives.

The Stork Club

2011-02-06T15:49:00.000-06:00

What I did on Superbowl Sunday! As I am not a sports fan and my husband is he and our oldest son went to watch the game else where leaving me at home with our youngest. While he was napping I got to spend the time watching a movie and sewing. I choose the Stork Club which was a great choice for me because I was looking for something light and cute which is exactly what this movie is. Betty Hutton looks fabulous and couldn't be cuter in this role. My favorite part is the fashion show. Also what an adorable swimsuit she has on in the first scene. Well hope you all had a relaxing Sunday like me. Take Care

1 minute 7 dresses, I think

2011-01-31T20:32:00.000-06:00

So today I was looking for singer on you tube and instead ran across this and I had to share. Ok ladies is it just me or is dress #3 and dress #4 the same one. My own favorites are dress # 6 the darkest one she wears and dress #7 love the dramatic collar and cuffs on that one.

Hope you enjoyed it , good night

Stylish Blog Award

2011-01-30T21:56:00.000-06:00

How exciting an Award and my very first as I have only been blogging since December. Thanks to Lina Sofia at spiffingsporadics I have really enjoyed reading others blogs and am very humbled that people read and follow mine. OK so with the award you are supposed to share 7 things about yourself. Where to start.

1. I am a high school art teacher. Right now I am teaching drawing, ceramics and a mixed media class.

2. I have been collecting vintage since I myself was in high school. In fact some of my old friends on face book just reminded me of how I introduced them to some of my favorite vintage shops back then.

3. I have a lovely husband who is a barber. In fact this last year he was able to purchase his own Barber Shop I am very proud of him it was a brave move and it has been difficult he is working hard to make it a success. Here we are in Vegas right before our Wedding via Elvis impersonator.

4. I have two sons whom I love dearly one is nine going on fifteen and the other is three and wanting to stay a baby. They definitely keep life interesting there is never a dull moment in my house although my nine year old would tend to disagree.

5. In college the main are media I preferred was glass. I really enjoyed blowing glass and hope to do it again some day.

6. I own a 1959 Chevy Brookwood wagon.

7. I love to dance and used to go out 5 nights a week swing dancing before kids and husband. I don't get many chances anymore so this year I decided that I should find a new dancing outlet so I am taking a belly dancing class (something I can do myself with out my husband as he is very self conscious about dancing).

Ok so that is the 7 things about me my nominations for other blogs for this award are:
obsessive-jenny
bettysvintagemusings
dakota-rodeo
vintageburlesque
ofpearlsandpetticoats

Ok thats all for now take care everyone.

Hair Set Results

2011-01-30T12:04:00.000-06:00

Ok sorry I didn't get a picture of my hair last night but I usually like day the second day of the set best anyway. So here is my hair today.

Going Out Tonight

2011-01-29T11:28:00.000-06:00

Ok so tonight I am leaving the kids and my husband at home and I am going out. One of our friends lost her job over a year ago and has been unable to find employment here so she is moving back east to live with family for a while. So this is my chance to say goodbye. So I thought I will set my hair do my make up and put on some pretty duds and go out. This has been a very stressful week lots of deadlines to be met and no free time. Tomorrow I must work on my January monthly make as that deadline is looming too and I just haven't had time to get to that either. Have I mentioned that I am a working mom with two boys. Did I also mention that I am taking a belly dancing class right now? Well I am and I am terrible but isn't that always the way when you start something new.
Anyway here I am under the dryer. My latest preference for my sets has been for perm rods rolled under. I like to sit under the dryer for an hour them leave them in for an additional couple of hours afterward. I have a lot of hair and I found with sponge rollers it was taking my hair much too long to dry but with perm rods it seems to dry much quicker and I find them surprisingly easier to sleep in than sponge rollers. My friends always tell me I look mad in photos so if I do please excuse not mad at all. I will try to publish a finished hair picture tomorrow.

Arzberg Soup Tureen

2011-01-23T21:50:00.000-06:00

My Mother In Law recently showed me a soup tureen that she recently inherited from her mother. It has a very mid century look to it. She was not sure when and where Anne's tureen had come from. Anyway I greatly admire the piece but know very little about it other that it is a German company. I plan to keep researching though but in the mean time here are some pictures.

Holiday Sewing Frustration

2011-01-17T14:46:00.000-06:00

Ok so I planned to spend my holiday sewing which I have but have become very frustrated. I completed my muslin of Simplicity 4044 and decided I couldn't have found a more unflattering pair of pants for my body type so I will not be completing the end product. So out of frustration about not completing a project I decided I would work on the most simple pattern I could find. The pattern is Advance 4091 which is a peasant style blouse. It has 3 pieces to the pattern and so far the most difficult part of the pattern looks to be sewing 3 eyelets for the ribbon to close the neckline and the sleeves.

I started by grading the pattern up a few sizes and I plan to make the muslin out of a bed sheet a purchased at a thrift store a few months ago ( you can see it right above the pattern).

Here is the Grading with Pattern and Sheet

Since I thought I would need more than just a bit added on the sides of this pattern I decided that I would try a new (to me) technique of slashing the pattern and adding the inches in between. Hope fully this will work. Since this is such a simple pattern I think it will come out fine (knock on wood). I am hoping this will be a success as I get very frustrated with having nothing to show for my time in the last 2 muslins I made. Hopefully I will show you some results by the end of next week end. Take Care All

My Hair Today

2011-01-15T09:35:00.000-06:00

I have my hair cut in a long middy style cut but I only really set my hair on the week ends. This Friday nights I didn't get around to setting it so I had to try styling with out a set this morning. I saw a cute style yesterday on Miss Lina Sofia's blog Spiffing sporadics of a vintage girl. and thought her hair was cute so I tried some thing similar ok well I thought I would but I have a lot of hair and well if got a bit out of control I still can't decide if I like it. I rolled my bangs back and put victory rolls on the side.

Monthly Make

2011-01-11T21:24:00.000-06:00

So I have decided that since one of my goals of the new year was to really amp up my sewing efforts and work on making more of my own clothes I decided to take the A Make A Month 2011 challenge. If you too wish to join the link is on the side bar (thanks Felt Fairy for the help with getting that up). So I have to think what I wish to make over the next year. I definitely have oodles of vintage patterns as well as some wonderful repros and lord knows I need some new clothes that fit me (I have unfortunately not been able to take off much baby weight in the last 3 years so not much fits). I have been working on a muslin of some 40's repro Pants but may have to revamp the waist as I think the current design will be quite unflattering on me I also have a muslin in progress of Wearing Histories Smooth Sailing Blouse but I put it down for a while to work out the pants. I need to go back in put the cuffs on the sleeves as well as get the button holes since I have never done buttonhole before. I also may need to make it a tiny bit bigger as I think it could be tight but I think doing to buttons will be the deciding factor and yes I know I don't need to do the actual buttons on a muslin I want to for two reason: 1. I need the practice 2. I want to double check the fit for sure since I think it may be snug. Well anyway here is the pattern if you are unfamiliar with it.

So that is two projects I also was looking at my family's Christmas stockings this year and decided the ones we have are not only quite shabby but also they don't all match. So I thought I might make us all new stockings for Santa to leave us goodies in this year.
Some other clothes I have been wanting to attempt a Swirl like Wrap dress I don't know yet if I found the right pattern for this. Rosie the Riveteresque Overalls I was thinking I might use the decades of style pattern I purchased this fall.

I also purchased 3 other decades of style patterns this fall when a local shop had a sale on them so here are 3 other potential projects.

Here are also some recently purchased vintage patterns.

Ok well I am sure I am getting ahead of myself here as I would call myself an advanced beginner in sewing so I often get stuck on directions and have to visit my sewing mentor Aunt Marybeth to help me solve my sewing problems. So perhaps I will have to rotate simpler and more complex projects so I can succeed with my make a month challenge so perhaps it will go, Pants, Christmas Stocking #1, Smooth Sailing Blouse, Christmas stocking #2, Sweetheart Overalls, Christmas Stocking #3 and so on. Anyway that is the plan for now. So happy sewing all hopefully you will see a project posted soon.

Family Photos

2011-01-09T19:41:00.000-06:00

Today I was digging around in my terribly messy sewing crafting room trying to bring some order to the madness and I ran across some of my photo boxes containing of course photos. I found some old family photos in the box of my Great Aunt Veronica. She was a stylish lady back in the day so I thought I would share the pictures that I found.

Not sure who the Gentleman in the Fedora is but that is Veronica on the tire.

Great Coat Great shoes wish I could see the hair more closely

Next One is later in her life I am guessing the 40's

Nice Suit she looks well put together again.

Love the suit, the hand bag and the luggage.

Happy Birthday Elvis

2011-01-08T13:40:00.000-06:00

Today the King would have been 76 years old. Happy birthday Elvis!!! Good or Bad I am obviously a fan. I think Elvis had a unique style that much of the world still appreciates, I know I do.

Wishing and Dreaming of clothes continued

2011-01-07T21:22:00.000-06:00

Ok I couldn't help it I had to post again about some lovely clothes I would love to add to my wardrobe. I often post on the Fedora Lounge and I get so many shopping ideas that I simply can't afford but kuddos to all those lovely ladies in the powder room that inspire me to think beautiful thoughts of style.

OK so I have always loved the Store Vivien of Holloway via the internet anyway I have not had the opportunity to visit the Brick and Mortar Store across the pond. I do own two of her halter style tops and I have to say that they are really flattering and well made so I would definitely purchase again from the store if the funds were available. So here are my top 3 pick from todays window shopping on the websight.

Pick #1

How cute is this for a summer picnic!

Pick #2 the Black Polka Dot Tea Dress

I could see this as a great everyday dress.

Pick #3

I can picture wearing this blouse with some black cigarette pants and a cardigan with a sweater guard.

Now onto another store that I love Zombie Kitten Originals and I already have too many of her pencil skirts(Ok well maybe a girl can never have too many pencil skirts). If you like horror theme or even just a plain pencil skirt I would recommend you to her web store I have loved everyone of the skirts I have bought from her and I have been buying them since about 2004 when I met her selling them a car show in Indianapolis, I think I have a total of 6 now.

I have to say looking at her online store if I was to make a purchase I would be torn between these two.

#1 The Monster Skirt

I have to say I am a sucker for the pom poms!

Or # 2

The Retro TV skirt

Ok well I think that is enough repro online dream shopping for one evening. Take care until next ramblings. xoxo

Wishing and Dreaming of Clothes and Shoes

2011-01-05T21:57:00.000-06:00

Well Santa was on a tight budget this year so I was afraid to ask for too much. I myself am on a no spending spree for a few months, but a girl can still dream of a new wardrobe (hey and maybe Santa will read my blog and grant a few wishes later). So my plan is to occasionally post my wish list here so Santa and his helpers might be able to grant some wishes next year. Also it will help me know what to order when I win the lottery which I am sure will happen very soon.

Ok one store I would love to have a dress from is Trashy Diva

or perhaps this jacket

I would also love some new shoes from Remix (I already have 3 pairs of wedges and they are my absolute favorite shoes to where with vintage outfits and they are also very comfortable)

Or as I a new interest in 30's styles perhaps these.

Well that is all for today but I plan to keep up my wish list more will come later. So toddles for now.

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T08:03:00.000-06:00

I am very excited for a new year to begin. 2010 was a rough year for my family and while we had some ups we had lots of down so I am welcoming a new year with open arms and hoping that it will be more positive for everyone (and yes I mean everyone everywhere). I have made some personal commitments to myself. I want to put aside a half an hour a day for myself. Half an hour to sew, exercise, or maybe even take a belly dancing class. I already started my 1/2 hour a day by working on a muslin of the Simplicity 4044 40's pants. Although let me say I am not sure if I like the waist line on this one I think I prefer a waistband so we will see when the muslin is finished if I should have opted for the Simplicity 3688 but since I started the muslin I think I will follow through and finish before making a final judgement but I am just not sure that scalloped waist will be flattering on an apple shaped girl like myself.

1930's Hair Style

2010-12-22T09:30:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I did a set for a 30's style hair style with finger waves in front and pin curls in the back. Here are the results. I think wave clips would have been better but I had seen a tutorial on using the duck bill clips so I thought I would give them a go. I did get some waves but I think it could have been a bit more wavy since my hair is very straight I may need to purchase the clips one of these days.

The Set

Results

Hot Toddy's anyone?

2010-12-21T13:36:00.000-06:00

So I have had a horrible cold this week. Last night I woke up in the middle of the night and was coughing non stop. So I got up and looked at different home remedies for my cough and found most suggestions were for a Hot Toddy. It certainly seemed like the most pleasant suggestion. Though I will have to say that since it was 3 am and I did not feel inclined to visit an all night grocery store I had to make due with lemon juice instead of fresh lemon and Kentucky bourbon for my whiskey. I had plenty of honey on hand seems I had bought 2 or 3 bottles and they kept getting tucked away in a cupboard so when cleaning up and organizing a few weeks ago I found I had 3 bottles. I used a decaf English Breakfast tea since I was wanting to go back to bed afterwards although in hind sight I think I had some chamomile that would have probably been nicer if I had looked. Well needless to say it worked like a charm and I was able to continue my beauty rest. Well cheers and good health to all.

This is my first blog and first post ever so please go easy on me.

2010-12-18T06:58:00.000-06:00

Well I am not sure that anyone will be interested in reading this but I am starting this to encourage myself to continue to experience what I love and much of that is vintage related. I feel as if I have strayed from my path for the last 5 years raising children, being married, working a full time job that some seems to take more and more of my time and energy, taking care of a house has diverted my attention for a while but now I feel a bit more focused and wish to pursue my passion for all things vintage from the mid century and golden era. I have started some sewing projects, I have tried crochet but my mentor, Aunt Marybeth just told me it may not be my thing but I will continue to pursue time willing. I also love collecting vintage everything from sewing machines to furniture, my house used to be lovely but now with two young children I find it a bit of a challenge to have it as I would like it. Well that is enough for now next post I hope will include some of my endeavors in the realm of sewing I am currently working on two muslins one a 30's blouse and one a pair of 40's pants. So hopefully my next post will include some end results. Happy Holidays to all, until next post take care.