Are your Halloween decorations up yet?

✯ Day 298 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

Counting today itself, there are are just seven days to go until we land on October 31st. I don't know about you, but that has me giddier than a ghost at a buy one, get one free sale on heavy chains!

Though I opted not to mention it at the time, earlier this month I was very ill for a few days, so as a result it took me a longer than it has most years to decorate my home for Halloween.

Luckily, though I'm still feeling the aftershocks of those rough days, I was gradually able to deck my halls with pumpkins and witches, scarecrows and monsters of all sorts am now completely ready (sans donning my costume and pouring treats into the Halloween pirates treasure chest candy serving container that I use each year) for October 31st.

I love decorating our little apartment for All Hallows Eve - in fact, I love decorating any house or locations (school gym, public library, etc) for this most spooktacular of holidays. So you can image my delight when I recently came across the marvelous forties photo below of a group of lovely ladies adorning a room for Halloween.

{Marvelous vintage photo of a decorating committee getting ready for a Halloween party via dragonflydesignstudio on Flickr.}

 

The person who posted this great image on Flickr didn't provide any background information for it, and I don't recognize any of the women in it as being famous faces (do you?), so I'd venture to say that this was a group of "every day gals" who were part of a decorating committee (perhaps for a ladies auxiliary or PTA).

I adore that in this vintage photo we not only see an array of causal daytime fashions and hairstyles, but also get to observe some charming Halloween decorations from the era, including illustrated wall hanging and festive garlands.

If you haven't had a chance to decorate your own surroundings, and are planning to this year, for Halloween, I hope that this absolutely wonderful 1940s photo will help give you that extra little push of encouragement you may need to get started, as I certainly did the trick (or treat) for me!

Reflections from a Canadian on Memorial Day

✯ Day 150 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

"In peace", said the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, "sons bury their fathers. In war, fathers bury their sons." These words, sobering and hauntingly true, were spoken in the 5th century B.C., and yet they could just as easily have passed through the lips or pen nib of a wise person today.

On this, Memorial Day in America, one pauses to reflect on those who have stood up for their country only to fall in battle. I adore many elements of history (be it 20th century or otherwise), but war is unequivocally not one of them.

{This vintage photo from the 1940s of a small boy wearing a grown man’s military coat and cap, is rich in dimensional meaning and symbolize, not only of WW2, but of all wars and the fragility of peace in anyone's lifetime. Image via kawkawpa on Flickr.}

There is nothing glamorous about war. It is not the the glitzy, uniforms-that-never-get-dirty world of certain Hollywood films, nor the "just point and kill" spectrum of comic book soldiers. Real war is horrific for everyone involved.

War knows no sides, plays no favourites. It's dark as a sun-less galaxy, more tormenting than any nightmare a person can have with their eyes closed.

I have no respect for war, but I do for those who have, when truly necessarily, gone to fight so that today I may know freedom. One of my great-grandfathers, as well as some of my great uncles fought for Canada in the second world war.

Those who came back, were never the same. How could they be, how on God's earth could anyone every stare war squarely in the eyes and return unshaken, unmoved, emotionally (and often physically) scared, a rearranged version of person they'd once been.

Though decades, like rings in the tree of time, have begun to distance society from WW1 and two, war still rages around the world, and we'd be naive to think that the possibility of another catastrophic world war was off the table for the rest of time.

Just as a solider rushing towards the frontline never knows what fate may deal him at the next moment, so too do none of us know for certain that peace will always be with us. Yet we can hope dearly that it will and work towards creating the type of society in which this thus far unachieved dream is finally realized.

I believe that one of the most poignant and important steps towards that goal is to never forget those who have fought, served, and fallen, giving the ultimate sacrifice of their very lives, for the world - however flawed it may still be in certain ways - that we know and treasure today.

Though I am not American, it would be impossible for me to let today slip past without pausing to remember - and thank - in the farthest reaches of my heart all those who have been lost in battle so that I could know freedom.

Join me, won't you, in a moment of silence and gratitude for everyone and their families, for whom Memorial Day is devoted.

The most timeless and important role of all

✯ Day 128 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

It is an incomparable role. Ageless as star dust, invaluable as air. From the dawn of time to this exact moment in history, women have been stepping into job, the honour, the right, the incredible joy of motherhood.

Life would be impossible if not for mothers, yet their role goes boundlessly beyond creating babies. To say that mothers are life itself, would not be a far stretch.

{Touchingly precious 1940s mother and child photo via Wampa-One on Flickr.}  

Moms bring us into this world, shelter, guide, nurture, love, and protect us. They laugh with us, teach us, instil their beliefs in us. They are strength when the act of drawing air feels taxing, the champion of our every cause, the bearer of smiles that can set the cosmos right again in an instant.

To my mom, whom I could never in a million lifetimes even begin to describe how very much I love, cherish and respect, and to every women who has tread down the path of being a mom, grandma, step-mom, or mother figure, thank you for absolutely everything you have ever done, are doing now, and will continue to do for the children in your life now and forever.

Mothers,  you are the truest heroes in the world.

Boatloads of glamour on the open seas

✯ Day 126 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

The breeze was satisfyingly warm like a first bite of a just-baked cherry pie, the light so gorgeous a million painters would fail to adequately capture it's colour precisely. The day was akin to so many others in summers come by, yet also unique, unforgettable, perfect.

Or at least that's what I like to imagine the setting was like for the confident, immensely lovely young woman in this fantastic colour photo from 1948.

This image looks as though it could have been a movie still. The understated glamour of her whole look, the alluringly adventurous setting, and the instantly relatable slice of marine life element of this endearing image make it nothing short of  sublime.

Though we're still a few weeks away from the official start of summer, finding this marvelous vintage photo (which comes via ElectroSpark on Flickr) seems to have somehow switched on the summer light bulb for me. Now I’ll sit under it and wait for Mother Nature to catch up and keep me - and this unnamed, absolutely beautiful vintage woman – company all season long.

Life Magazine photo collection celebrates New York's Golden Age

✯ Day 70 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

 

Journalist Meyer Berger once said "Each man reads his own meaning into New York", and indeed whether you've ever set foot in the city that never sleeps or not, there is a sway and an unmistakable power to New York that makes it standout in a way few cities could ever dream of matching.

It's sometimes asserted that New York's heyday took place during the decades of the 1930s, 40s and 50s, and honestly I'm not one to argue with this viewpoint.

Of course the Big Apple shone and suffered, survived and succeeded for many years prior (and for many since), yet there was something almost mystically wonderful about New York during the mid-twentieth century.

If like good ol' Frankie, you're a fan of "New York, New York", than this fascinating Life Magazine collection of 45 different images taken around the city during the 1940s (including the heartwarming photo above of sailor and his gal enjoying a boat ride around Central Park) is sure to capture your imagination.

Comprised of a diverse mix of both black and white and colour everyday life/street scene photos, images of celebrities (spanning the spectrum from FDR to Gene Kelly), and a few shots (such as Alfred Eisenstaed's incredibly famous "V–J Day in Times Square") that have become permanently ingrained in our minds as symbols of both the decade and New York itself.

Beautiful, timeless, insightful and engaging, this wonderful vintage photo slide show is ripe with as many meanings as there were inhabitants of New York during the wild, wonderful, vastly interesting decade that was the 1940s.

Vintage 365: Spring is for vintage lovers

✯ Day 60 of Vintage 365 ✯

{Image via ggaabboo on Flickr, whose parents are the couple in this timelessly superb vintage photo.}

Elegant as Hollywood stars, bursting with the spirit of youth, and wrapped in a sense of passion, this attractive young pair embody the spirit of all I hope this brand new month will be. Energetic, gorgeous, and full of intriguing possibility!

My sweet friends, let us wish upon a star that March (finally) caps off the plethora of snowstorm filled weeks we've all grown accustomed to as of late and that the third month of 2011 (which brings with it the glorious return of spring ) proves to be a marvelous one for all of us.

Here’s to hoping that it brings us all joy paired with our favourite things, and that it sparkles with as much chic beauty as these two wonderful young lovers had in their eyes.

Halloween is in the air!

Cheerful – errr, I mean spooky – Monday morning greetings, my wonderful dears! Can you believe that that All Hallows Eve is now less than a week away? I for one am tickled pink (or better yet, pumpkin orange) about this. For a number of reasons, it’s been a rather trying month on this end, and having something as fantastically fun as Halloween to look forward to and celebrate is just the pick-me-up that I need.


{While it’s not entirely uncommon to find vintage photos of people in costumes and/or with their homes decked out for the holiday, in my online photo travels I’ve encountered far fewer images depicting public places that were decorated for Halloween – which really makes this fabulous snapshot such a special gem! Vintage Halloween witch decoration photo via Jacob...K on Flickr.}


Some of my conditions are flaring up at the moment, but hopefully that will have passed by the time next Sunday rolls around (I definitely want to be well enough to hand out candy to the few trick-or-treaters from our building that we may get – not to mention whip up a scrumptious Halloween meal for my husband and I to share as the witching hour draws near). My stars, if my favourite holiday of the year can't perk my health up, I don't know what can! ;-)

Between the maintenance work last week and how I'm feeling at the moment, I haven’t been able to complete my vintage Halloween costume post. However, I am pleased to report that I’m about 30% of the way though and have completed the online research/item sleuthing work that I needed to accomplish to help me write it. (Skeleton) Fingers firmly crossed, I’ll have that post ready and out later this week, and will then try to put together a fourth vintage themed Halloween entry to celebrate the big day itself!

I would love to hear about how you’re planning to celebrate the 31st, what sort of vintage themed Halloween posts you’ve been writing lately (feel free to post links in the comment section to such posts, so that others can swing by your blog and check out the Halloween festivities you’ve got going on in your corner of the interwebs), and about any All Hallows Eve related memory or thought you’d like to share.

From harvest moons that light up the sky like a burning flame to the scent of pumpkin pie wafting out of a kitchen window, the earthy aroma of crisp fallen leaves to invigorating – and at times slightly eerie – October breeze, Halloween is most definitely in the air this week, and I wish each of you an absolutely marvellous countdown to the 31st!