September 28, 2009

Pretty Link Roundup {September 28, 2009}


Happy start of the week, sweet dears, how are you each on this last Monday in September. All is right as rain on this end, in fact it is raining, which often sets my moods off on a rather chipper note (I was born in Vancouver, what do you expect? ;D). I love a rainy day (or two, when it heads into twenty plus days of rain in a row like I experienced occasionally when I used to live in Ireland, well, that is something of another matter), the sound of falling precipitation, the cigarette ash hue the sky often takes on, the way the world seems to be given a good scrubbing for a little while, all of these things add up to more than enough reasons for me to extract joy from a rainy day



{This photo of Times Square in New York taken in the 1940s speaks directly to my love of a cityscape glistening with rain. The vibrancy and sense of motion in this shot is so intense you almost want to grab an umbrella - lest the drops starting hitting your head - just looking at it. Photo from the pages of Straatis' Flickr stream.}


Coolers days have always brought me greater mental clarity. In this sense I’ve come to learn I’m not alone, other too (including my husband) agree that they feel their brains function more sharply once summer has hightailed it out of town. When I lived in the western part of Canada, I can’t say as though I noticed this seasonal affect as deeply, but when the ravenous Ontario humidity came into the picture along with the toasty heat of summer, my mind suddenly felt as though it had turned into pabulum. It is not just the ol’ brain either, my entire body generally feels more up to snuff when the mercury refuses to climb above the low twenties. Anything between minus twenty and plus twenty five and I’m a pretty content camper, or should I say “blogger”.

I had a busy and wonderful weekend. My favourite part of it was on Saturday when we went to the Ontario Science Center for their 40th anniversary celebration bash, admission was free (hard to beat that price!) so naturally the place was crowded to the rafters, but we had a marvelous time despite the crowds and (among other activities) took in a screening of the IMAX film “Under the Sea”, which was narrated by Jim Carrey.

The entirely funny thing about our attendance that day though, was that we were planning to go to the Science Centre that day anyhow! We had wanted to go for some time, but various reasons had kept us away all summer long. Fortunately I wasn’t feeling too rough that day, so we figured we better jump on the chance to visit the Science Centre while we the opportunity to do so. We didn’t find out about the fact that a party was going on there until moments before we left the house (darling hubs wanted to check online how late they were open) – talk about a neat little slice of serendipity!

On the blogging front numerous interesting and exciting links have popped up lately – and much like our admission on Saturday, enjoying the afternoon with all of these stories is entirely free :)


♥ ♥ ♥



* Fashion Extremes: While fashion runaways often spill over with garments that are, in one way or another, excessive, this trend certainly didn’t start recently. Here Poke Salad Annie takes on a visual journey through some mid-twentieth century looks that veered towards the extreme, while still somehow managing to look infinitely more wearable than most of what comes down the catwalk today.


* What’s happened to our bodies?: Via the ever-wonderful Beauty is a thing of the past, an interesting article that compares the way women’s bodies have transformed in size and shape over the past six decades, from UK newspaper The Daily Mail, recently came to my attention. The piece looks at some of the medical, dietary and sociological reasons behind the change in body shape amongst British (and while not stated outright, American) woman and certainly provides some interesting food for thought.


* 1930s fashion plates: Sarai brings us a dose of visual loveliness via numerous (coloured) fashion plates from the 1930s. Each plate is a joy, but I especially like the one of the two women in navy blue dresses with coordinating jackets. Which look is your favourite?


* Betsy McCalls Paperdolls in publication from 1951-1961: While I was born decades too late to play with Betsy McCall paper dolls as a child, I’ve long admired the detailed beauty in these fragile paper gems. Here Alana takes us on a historical ride through the history of the Betsy McCall dolls, complete with several colour images of these adorable vintage playthings.


* A vintage kitchen cupboard medicinal: The dear soul behind A Stitch In Time is feeling a bit under the weather at the moment, but that didn’t stop her from putting together a thoroughly lovely – and useful – post highlighting several classic medicinal remedies such as baking soda, citrus juice, and salt for common ailments that have been plaguing humanity since the dawn of time. (Heartfelt wishes for a very speedy recovery to you, Analiebe!)


* The Value in Tailored Vintage: Melody from A Vintage Ramble raises some excellent points in favour of why tracking down vintage pieces that were once custom tailored can be well worth it (especially given the absurdly high prices modern hand-tailored pieces often fetch).


* Peter Pan Collars: Adore Vintage takes a quick peek at the adorable, rounded style of collar known by the name “Peter Pan”, which can look so lovely on a variety of vintage (and modern) styles.


* Retro Clocks at Target: Atomic Addiction corrals a list of some absolutely wonderful vintage/retro looking (think Atomic Era/Mad Men), reasonably priced wall clocks that are currently available from US retailer Target.


* Silver Screen Sunday {Pin-up Girl}: Recently Andi B. Goode began a weekly series of posts in which she highlights a vintage era movie and then rounds up fashion pieces that you can find today, to help you recreate the film’s iconic style. Most recently she shone the spotlight on Betty Grable’s classic “Pin-up Girl”, with fashion and hair ideas to help you recreate the curvy blonde starlet’s classic bombshell look.


* Beauty tips for red heads: Over at Time Machine to the Twenties, Amanda has been dishing up some fantastic old school Good Housekeeping beauty advise for redheaded gals this past week. A trio of posts on the subject cover skin care, lipstick, and what colours to wear, and are a wonderful read whether you were blessed with ruby locks or not.

♥ ♥ ♥


I wish to present this week’s Your Blog is an Inspiration award to my lovely, effervescent, delightfully creative friend, Maggi (~*Just Add Glitter and Stir*~). From the moment I encountered her wonderful site (seriously it’s bedecked with red sparkles and polka dots, what’s not to love?), I knew I had found a soul with which I had a lot in common. From a passion for vintage to an adoration of crating (she’s especially talented at scrapbooking), as well as a mutual love of Pullip dolls, I knew that she and I we would hit it off, and we certainly have.



Maggi, you and your site – and the marvelously cool creations you share with us – are a perpetual source of inspiration. I always leave your blog with a smile on my face and the urge to be intensely crafty all of a sudden in my heart. Thank you for being the amazing, artistic, friendly, caring, sweet person that you are!

♥ ♥ ♥


Inspired by a yummy Indian meal I cooked last week to celebrate autumn’s arrival (something about the saturated, earthly tones of many Indian spices and ingredients correlates with fall in my mind), I thought it would be fun to share a clip featuring numerous scenes of enchantingly pretty women from various vintage and retro Bollywood films with you. I admit to knowing little about specific Bollywood films and so cannot begin to tell you where the clips in this video hail from originally, but what I do know is that the ladies it features each possess a captivating and alluring sense of glamour that is as timeless as India itself.


{Beauties of Bollywood Past}




♥ ♥ ♥


I began this post much earlier in the day, since then night has rolled in, but the drizzling rain remains. As I type these words it occurs to me that this is the first night in many months I’ve felt the need to put on cozy autumn-appropriate socks and wrap myself up in a blanket. And so I did both things, Stella curled up in a state of feline slumber by my side, no doubt hoping for the return of her winter coat, and smiled even more than I had when I awoke this morning to rain. It’s the simple joys of the season that have the most impact on my soul.

May you each have countless reasons of your own to be happy this week!

23 comments:

  1. Thank you so much Jessica for all of those links !
    Yes your blog is very inspiring !

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  2. Again, that's a great variety of articles! I'm saving all your Pretty Loink Roundup posts for lazy rainy fall days, so I have something to enjoy then ;-)

    Have a great week!

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  3. I really love the first picture, can look at it for ages.

    Thanks for all the links and totally adore Maggi, she's the best.
    xoxo

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  4. Great selection of links again my dear, especially the Daily Mail article! I'll be sure to use that as a resource within my own research at some point!

    Enjoy your autumnal week! x

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  5. That is such a wonderful NYC picture - doubly so for me, as an ex-pat New Yorker and someone who, like you, loves rainy days. Cool, grey and/or rainy days are just my cup of tea. Or coffee, today, since I hear that it is National Coffee Day.

    I wish you a delightful latte (or anything else even slightly related to coffee, for perhaps you prefer tea or cocoa) in celebration! :)

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  6. I have to admit I'm an totally speechless at the moment. Here I was, enjoying your link round up when all of a sudden, there I was! lol Thank you so much for your sweet words, you have no idea how much they (and your sweet friendship!) mean to me!

    Do you know what an inspiration you are to me? Your vintage Christmas post inspired my blog party and your recent post with the acorn hat...yup, it is on it's way to me. I totally bought it! (plus one more from her shop!) lol

    Thank you for doing what you do, I'm so fortunate to know you!

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  7. That photo of Times Square is beautiful. I, too, love cityscapes glistening with rain.
    Thank-you for the link to my post! And thank-you for all of your lovely comments - they make my day. =D
    -Andi x

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  8. I wasn't really looking forward to this Monday. I usually am not. It wasn't that bad of a day. It was fairly hot here. It did rain last night. It was also chilly as the night went on. I hope you will have a great week. Take care. Cheers!

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  9. You lived in Ireland? You must tell more! :-)

    Hmmm, very interesting point about the cooler temps, I never noticed! I have a friend who will be very intrigued about this point and we'll discuss ;-)

    Maggi is great, isn't she? I love her blog!

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  10. I always look forward to your pretty link roundups dear! I really enjoyed the article about what's happened to women's bodies since the 50s (other than the fact that it mentioned short women might be prone to die sooner! Uh oh for me! ;) ). I enjoyed the link to the post on Amanda's website, though it did renew my redhair envy ;)
    Lovely post :)
    And the award to Maggi's blog is well deserved! I just love her blog as well :) It's so fun, inspring and sparkly!

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  11. no one like the rain. :0(..
    have a great week!

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  12. Oh, I love bollywood. I think that no other culture celebrates beauty the way India does, or tries to incorporate it into everyday living.

    Here's a great clip from one of my favorite films, Lagaan. They are enacting a religious festival - the love the girl Radha has for the god Krishna, who in turn loves her sincerely but cannot stop dallying with others. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmC86-uX7JE&feature=fvw

    It's a great movie.

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  13. Thank you so much for featuring Adorevintage! :)

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  14. Wow, I can't wait to check out some of these blogs, especially the mccalls one. I recently got a few mccalls magazines and saw them for the first time in ages!

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  15. goodness what a greta post full of all kinds of goodies! sounds like the weekend was lovley ! and i love a good rain! the way the earth smells after a rain -well you cant beat that!

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  16. Wow, you lived in Ireland! Would love to hear more... Those Betsey McCall dolls are adorable. I love the IMAX, especially when it's about the ocean. Funny thing, as I was reading your last paragraph about Stella, my little Boots came to curl up next to me on the couch. He says Hi. :)

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  17. Darlin...another wonderful entertaining post...I'm heading back now to check out some of the links...ta so much for all your hard work...love to you

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  18. Like you, cooler weather suits my brain and my body much better! I love rainy days and nights but then, I love any day I wake up above ground!

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  19. Oh Jessica, one more thing...you mentioned the film narrated by Jim C. His foster mother lives in eastern Canada and is a Curly horse friend of mine.

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  20. @ Stéphanie, thank you very much! I always find your blog to be a wondrous place of inspiration, too!

    @ AlicePleasance, ooooh, that sounds lovely! I tend to save my weekly feeds for a day when the weather is gloomy or I'm housebound, too.

    @ Dustjacket Attic, you're very welcome. I adore that photo, too! I want a print of it to hang in my living room :)

    @ Pink Flower, thank you very much, sweet dear. I'm happy to know that Daily Mail link will be of good use to you. (Enjoy your autumn a great deal, too!)

    @ Lidian, thank you dearly - I'll take a warm apple cider, if possible :) I didn't know you hailed from NYC. I hope any sense of nostalgic I stirred up for you wasn't painful. I often get homesick for my home province (B.C.) when I see photos of places I know there, so I could certainly understand if it that shot did make you homesick.

    @ Maggi, you are deeply welcome, precious dear! I am so utterly happy to know that my blog inspired your phenomenally wonderful Christmas blog party - and also that the acorn hat I featured on Friday is going to live with you. Thank you again for your friendship and the inspiration that pours forth from your fantastic blog.

    @ Andi, you've very welcome, honey. Tons of thanks in turn for each of your wonderful comments. I always love hearing from you!

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  21. @ Keith, sounds like you're having a mixed bag weather-wise at the moment. Sometimes autumn just takes a while to shake off its growing pains, no? :)D

    @ Kathie, I did indeed call the Emerald Isle home for a couple of years ('04 to '06). I will have to fill you in on more about it sometime indeed (St. Pat's Day perhaps? :D)

    Yes, absolutely, Maggi is a such a fabulous soul and her blog is awesome!!!!

    @ Lizzy, I thought that exact same thing (I'm barely 5 foot 2). I seriously need to Google that now, as I thought it was mentioned so nonchalantly in passing, yet is a very big deal if there's even an inkling of truth to it for shorter gals the world over.

    Thank you very much for your lovely comment, sweet heart...sorry to have made you pine for red locks (anyone can go red though, there's a shade for everybody out there!).

    @ Wana, provided I don't get caught out in it without an umbrella or that it doesn't last for weeks on end, I actually rather love the rain. But I fully understand why it's not everyone's cup of tea ;)

    @ Gabriel, beautifully said words about India's appreciation of beauty. Thank you for sharing that clip, I will watch it the moment I've wrapped up this comment. I always welcome video clips, feel free to share more any time, honey :)

    @ AdoreVintage, you're deeply welcome. Thank you very much for the marvelous and highly beautiful posts you share with the world each week.

    @ The Crazy Suburban Mom, I hope you had tons of fun following some of thse links. Great point, I haven't seen a McCalls magazine in years either. Last I heard around 2000 it was turned into Rosie O'Donnell's "Rosie" magazine, and that might have been the end of McCalls as it was formerly known. (I would love to find some vintage copies of McCalls one day, too.)

    @ Elena-lu, ooohhhh, I absolutely love that smell, too - and the scent that dry (often summertime) air takes on just before a downpour begins. Few naturally occurring scents are more evocative of childhood memories for me.

    @ Simpley Colette, thank you, honey (I will blog more about my time in Ireland one day - promise!). IMAX is so amazing, I wish all movies could be viewed on such a mammoth and engaging screen.

    How immensely cute that Boots came by just as you were reading about Stella. Please give Boots a giant cuddle from both Stella and I :)

    @ Chrisy, thank you deeply, sweet dear. Much love to you as well, my friend.

    @ Thistle Cove Farm, well said - any day above ground is more than worth smiling about, I agree :)

    How very neat that you know Jim Carrey's foster mother! I bet she has a wealth of stories to share about her foster son :)



    Thank you dearly, everyone, for your wonderful comments. I hope that you're each well and having a marvelous week.

    Joyful Friday wishes & big hugs,
    ♥ Jessica

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  22. Fabulous links! Thanks so much for highlighting my blog. I really appreciate it. I adore your blog and your links.

    Thanks so much!
    Amanda

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  23. Hi Amanda dear, you are entirely welcome! Thank you for bringing some much needed exposure to the topic of beauty tip for redheaded gals! Love your blog, too, sweetie - thank you!!!

    Big hugs & joyful weekend wishes,
    ♥ Jessica

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