Enter to win a $40.00 store credit from awesome etsy shop 4TheLoveOfVintage

There's always something magical about the changing of the seasons, regardless of if you're eager to see the new one roll into town or not. Chances are, much as I am, you're pretty darn giddy about the fact that spring (or conversely, autumn, if you happen to life south of the equator) is here again - whether it looks like such outdoors yet or not.

Spurred on by the happiness that comes so naturally with the blossoming of a fresh season, I always adore giving gifts to celebrate the beginning of a new chapter of the year and today I'm delighted to bestow upon one lucky winner the chance to receive a fabulous present in the form of a $40.00 (US) store credit from one of Chronically Vintage's newest sidebar sponsors, etsy shop 4TheLoveOfVintage.

The virtual shelves of this delightful shop are currently brimming with more than 350 vintage items spanning a spectrum of everything from lingerie to housewares, clothing to jewelry and scores more to boot.

Offering worldwide shipping, thoroughly reasonable prices, and wonderfully lovely customer service, visiting 4TheLoveOfVintage's etsy shop feels a bit like popping into your favourite thrift store or weekend flea market, where household items mingle with vintage clothing alongside plenty of covetable ephemera, and you never quite know just what sort of can't-live-without treasure you're going to spot next.



{Four delightful offerings from 4TheLoveOfVintage current inventory of the kind you could put your $40.00 store credit towards if you win this week's giveaway. From top left to bottom right: Vintage Nasco Nesting Bowls Snack Set, Vintage Enamel Daisy Brooch, 1960s yellow cardigan sweater, White 1960s wicker handbag}



4TheLoveOfVintage has very generously teamed up with Chronically Vintage this month to celebrate spring's return and present one lucky winner with a $40.00 store credit that can be applied to any item, or items, purchased from their etsy shop. This store credit will not expire and can be used in full (during one transaction) or over the course of multiple purchases up until the point that the $40.00 value it entails has been spent.

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How to enter

There are eight of ways to enter this great giveaway. Please remember to leave a separate comment for each entry method that you do, so as to increase your odds of winning.

1. Leave a comment below in which you share one of your favorite items from 4TheLoveOfVintage with me (note, you are of course under no obligation to purchase that item if you win the store credit).

2. Post about this giveaway on your own blog, linking back to both this post and 4TheLoveOfVintage on etsy.

3. Like Chronically Vintage on Facebook.

4. Post about this giveaway on Facebook.

5. Follow Chronically Vintage on Twitter.

6. Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter, including the hashtag #4TheLoveOfVintage in your tweet.

7. Follow Chronically Vintage on Bloglovin'.

8. Follow Chronically Vintage on Instagram.

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Giveaway details

This giveaway is open to all readers from around the world. It will run from today's date until 11:59 PST on Monday March 31, 2014, withe the winning comment being selected using an online random number generator the next day. The winner will be announced on Facebook and Twitter, as well as contacted (by me) via email, if an email address is provided or can be found on your website. Once I've heard back from the winner, I will then pass your contact information onto Kerry Cairo, 4TheLoveOfVintage's owner, who will email you with all the details about your store credit.

Please email me if you have any questions about this giveaway not covered in today's post.

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Sites like 4TheLoveOfVintage are a particular favourite of mine, eclectic secondhand store loving gal that I am, and I flat out adore it when shops of this nature become blog sponsors here. They're chalked full of interesting, fun, and fashionable delights at affordable prices and are blast to pursue from the comfort of one's own home (unlike an actual thrift store) 24/7/365.

Thank you very much, Kerry and 4TheLoveOfVintage, for your sponsorship and generosity, as well as for giving one of my marvelous blog readers a gift that no doubt start their spring (or fall) off on an even more joyful note this year.


Best of luck and many thanks to everyone who enters this giveaway!

Enter to win a gorgeous fashion illustration from artist Debra Lynn Mejia

It seems more than a little fitting to me that Debra Lynn Mejia is especially fond of painting images of classic bottles of Chanel perfume, as it is the very sophistication, beauty, and timeless allure of Coco Chanel's creations which I'm reminded of when I see this talent artist's work.

Debra Lynn contacted me last year to introduce me to her shop and offer me the chance to receive one of her gorgeous prints (of her own original illustrations) to review and enhance my home decor with. I selected the sophisticatedly lovely piece, called Pink Roses, Black Velvet that you see below.

It arrived in a flash, was expertly packaged (in a bend-proof mailer), and was even more breathtaking in person. I'm still hunting for the right frame for it, so I haven't hung it up quite yet, but in the meantime, I have it propped up on one of my plastic storage towers in my craft room in the basement, where the stylish lady it portrays greets and inspires me every time I walk into the room.

I was drawn to this elegant piece because the woman's vintage ensemble really struck me as something I'd absolutely wear myself, as well as the fact that it featured pink, my all-time favourite colour. It, like all of Debra Lynn's work, was printed on high quality fine art paper using vivid archival inks, so I know that I'll have this piece to savor the sight of for many years to come.

As mentioned above, Debra Lynn is especially fond of illustrating perfume bottles (not only Chanel however, amongst her current offerings one also spots other fabulous scents such as Shalimar and J'adore from Dior), as well as other Chanel related images, such as handbags, and also famous female faces from the past such as Audrey Hepburn (in her immortal role as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's) and Marie Antoinette.

{Four beguilingly feminine, wonderful watercolor creations from etsy artist Debra Lynn Mejia. From top left to bottom right: Lola by Marc Jacobs Perfume Bottle, Sitting Pretty: Black and White, Marie Antoinette - Let Them Eat Cake, and Chanel No 5.}



And now, today, I'm pleased as punch to let you know that Debra Lynn is offering one lucky Chronically Vintage reader the chance to win any 11 x 14 inch (or smaller) art print of their choice, excluding original hand illustrated pieces pieces (in other words, you will receive a print), from her eponymously named etsy shop.

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How to enter


There are ten possible ways for you to enter this giveaway, the more of them that you do, the greater your odds of winning will be.


1. Leave a comment below telling me where in your house you'd like to display one of Debra Lynn Mejia's beautiful creations if you win.

2. Blog about this giveaway, including to Debra Lynn's etsy shop and this post, on your own site then come back here and leave a comment that includes the URL of your post.

3. Like Debra Lynn Mejia on Facebook.

4. Post about this giveaway on Facebook.

5. Follow Debra Lynn on Pinterest.

6. Pin any image from Debra Lynn's etsy shop to any board you like on Pinterest (limit of one Pinterest pin giveaway entry comment per person)

7. Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter, including a link back to this post.

8. Follow Debra Lynn's blog via Google Friend Connect.

9. Follow Debra Lynn's blog via Bloglovin'.

10. Follow Chronically Vintage via Bloglovin'.


Please make sure to leave a separate comment specifying each of the ways in which you entered this giveaway, so as to increase your odds of winning.

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Giveaway details

This giveaway will run from today's date until Tuesday January 21, 2014 at 11:59 PST, and is open to readers from around the world. The winning comment will be drawn using a random number generator, with the winner being announced on Facebook and/or Twitter, as well as contacted via email, shortly thereafter.

The winner will receive any 11 x 14" or smaller piece of their choice, excluding original works of art (aka, you will receive a print), from Debra Lynn Mejia's etsy shop, which the seller will provide them with by mail. If you have any questions about this giveaway, please don't hesitate to email me.

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Coco Chanel famously said that "fashion changes, but style endures", and so, I would add, does the uplifting power of agelessly pretty art like the illustrations that Debra Lynn creates, any one of which I'm more than a little certain, the grand dame of French style would have been elated to hang on her own walls. And it's just that, decking your walls with one of Debra Lynn's pieces, that the winner of this giveaway will soon be doing.

Many thanks, dear Debra Lynn for the gift of this splendidly chic print (I adore it to no end!), as well as for bestowing one of your marvelous creations on a Chronically Vintage reader.

Best of luck to all those who enter this glamorous art print giveaway!

And the Corset Story giveaway winner is…

The response for the Corset Story giveaway to win a fashion corset of your choice from this terrific online seller has been phenomenal! Comments and interest poured in, and I'm thrilled to announce today that a winner has been drawn using an online random number generator.

The winning comment number was 29, which belongs to Miss Emmi from the delightful vintage blog, They'd have called me "The Bar Nothing".

Happiest congrats, Emmi! I'm thrilled for you and hope that you enjoy whichever fashion corset you pick from Corset Story as much as I adore my pale pink and cream Victorian inspired number.

Please zip an email my way anytime with your email full name and email address to that I can pass it along to the fine folks at Corset Story who will then provide you with the details regarding picking out your corset.

I truly appreciate all of the comments, tweets, Facebook likes, and Pinterest pins that helped make this giveaway such a roaring success, and want to thank all those who took part. As well, many heartfelt thanks to everyone who left happy wedding anniversary wishes for Tony and I, who will be celebrating eight years of wedded bliss this coming Sunday the 14th.

And last, but most certainly not least, a huge thanks to Corset Story for both the review corset I received and also for partnered up for an amazing giveaway. It was a pleasure to work with you and to get to experience wearing a fashion corset for the first time.

There are other giveaways in the works already for the coming months, so if you didn't win this time around, fear not, my sweet dears, another giveaway is just around the corner.

Announcing the $100 Amazon.com gift certificate winner

Entries poured in around the clock for Chronically Vintage’s recent giveaway, which was held in conjunction with my husband’s terrific new book notification website, Any New Books?, and today I’m pleased as punch to announce that we’ve drawn the lucky winner (via an online random number generator).

Maestro, a drum roll, if you please... The wining comment was number seven, which just happens to belong to one of the sweetest gals on the internet, Kathie from the blog Just a Happy Housewife.


{Our lucky winner hails from the wonderful site, Just a Happy Housewife, which if you aren’t familiar with, I urge you to check out; it’s a truly beautiful, happy little corner of the web that is worth visiting often.}


Warmest congratulations, Kathie! I’m delighted that you won and hope that you’ll let me know what sorts of delightful new goodies you pick up with your $100.00 amazon.com gift certificate.

Huge thanks go out to each and every one of you who took part in this contest (and who signed up for Any New Books?). I really enjoyed letting you know about Any New Books?, and truly appreciate your support of it (as we try spread the good word about it to fellow book fans near and far).

Congratulations again, Kathie, I hope you have scores of fun on your Amazon shopping spree! And thanks again as well to all those who helped make this giveaway such a wonderful success! Fear not if you didn’t win this time around, I’ve got several other (vintage themed) contests in the works for the remainder of 2010 and well into next year, so there’s always another chance for you to win! :)

We’re giving away a $100.00 Amazon gift certificate!

“Books”, said American author William Feather, “open your mind, broaden your mind, and strengthen you as nothing else can.” These sentiments are ones that have always rung true in my own life, and upon meeting my husband, I discovered echoed in his as well.

Both of us have held a deeply rooted love of books and reading from the earliest of days, so it hardly came as a surprise to me a few months ago when my husband (Tony) came up with a splendid idea for an online book notification service that would, each week, alert members about new titles that had been released in the past week in their favourite categories.

Called anynewbooks.com, the straightforward website that my husband and I proceeded to produce works like this: you visit the site, select one or more categories from a list of (currently) 42 different genres of books (there truly is something for everyone!), enter your email address, and presto, once a week we’ll send you an email newsletter with a selection of newly released books in the categories of your choice (one email per category).

I know that many of us are massive fans of old (antique and/or vintage) books, but by the same token, I think it’s safe to say a substantial percentage of us love reading modern day books that cover vintage related topics. From fiction set during WW2 to biographies on our favourite vintage stars, books covering the endlessly interesting world of vintage fashion to tomes of photography ripe with vintage images, there are newly released books about some of our most beloved subjects all the time, and through Any New Books?, you can select categories that are likely to include such topics (I have a hand in the weekly book selections, so if I spy a new title about something vintage related, you bet your bookmark that it will be included in its respective category’s list of fresh releases that week!).


{Clearly this wildly chic 1950s woman shares our love of finding great reads via anynewbooks.com :D Vintage photo of an immensely elegant booklover via My Vintage Vogue on Flickr.}


Any New Books? Is an entirely free email notification service that’s here to ensure that you never miss a great new book (on the subjects that are nearest to your heart) again. To celebrate its recent launch and to share this great site with my lovely blogging visitors and friends, Any New Books? And Chronically Vintage are joining forces to giveaway a $100.00 (US) Amazon.com gift certificate to one lucky reader!

This contest (which is open to visitors worldwide) will run between today and Monday October 4, 2010 (the giveaway will officially close at 11:59pm EST that night), with the lucky winner being selected (via a random number generator) – and announced here on Chronically Vintage – the next following day.


How to enter

In order to enter this giveaway, swing by anynewbooks.com and sign up. Once you’ve done so come back here and let me know you’ve joined.

If you’d like to increase your odds of winning the $100.00 Amazon.com gift certificate, there are three additional ways for you to do:

-Leave a comment here telling me about your favourite category of books (are you a sci-fi diva, history hound, teen lit fan, cookbook queen?) or about your favourite book of all time. I’d love to hear about the fiction and non-fiction genres and titles alike that interest my wonderful readers the most!

- Post about this giveaway, including a link back to this announcement post on Chronically Vintage and one to anynewbooks.com, on your own blog in which you inform your readers about this fun giveaway (please feel free to use the photo above in your own post, crediting its original Flickr poster). Once you’ve written about the contest, come back here and let me know you’ve done so by leaving a comment with a link to your post.

-Spread the good word about anynewbooks.com via Twitter or Facebook. Again, be sure to jot down a comment letting me know you’ve done so.


Please feel free to enter the contest however many of the four ways you’d like, just be sure that you let me know about each entry in a separate comment, to better enhance your chances of winning (four comments for example, would give you four entries into the contest, thus four potential chances to win!). Please remember to post a separate comment for each entry!


Fellow booklovers, my husband and I both want to wish thank you all in advance for your support of Any New Books?, it truly means a lot to us and will go a long way in helping us to spread the word about this super useful service. Happy reading and best of luck to everyone who participates in this great giveaway!

And the winner of the CollectibleSpectacle giveaway is...

...None other than the absolutely fabulous Traci from The Bakery. Congratulations, Traci dear, please email any time you wish so that I can forward your details onto CollectibleSpectacle and you can get down to the super fun task of picking out your favourite pair of gorgeous vintage eyeglasses.



{Yeeeeh, Traci! If you haven’t had a chance to swing by Traci’s blog, be sure to treat yourself and head over there right now for a hearty dose of vintage goodness.}

This stellar giveaway generated a fantastic response, resulting in a total of 75 comments. This morning using a random number generator (click here if you’d like to see a screen shot of the random number that was generated), entry #55 popped up as the wonderful winner of this giveaway.

I want to thank each and every one of you who took the time to enter, tweet, post about, or otherwise help spread the news about the CollectibleSpectacle giveaway. Through your posts, I discovered several brand-new-to-me blogs and also had the joy of hearing from long-time blogging friends.

Massive congrats again, Traci! For those who didn’t win, please fear not, I already have future giveaways in the works for other enchanting items, which I hope you’ll all love too!

Giving away a $75 gift certificate from CollectibleSpectacle!

Vintage eyewear, the very words conjure up instant thoughts of everything from 1950s teenagers in winged cat eye frames to the thick black, and tortoise shelled, rims of the beat generation. For some this fabulous genre of accessories may invoke images of finely constructed early twentieth century wire frames, to others it may mean an oversized pair of mod 60s sunglasses or the understated cool of a sleek set of browline glasses, but no matter what the words vintage eyewear spark in your imagination, there’s no denying that old school specs are works of art.

Long before my eyesight decided to head south in a hurry (about 3.5 years ago, thank you very much, myopia!), I’d adored vintage glasses. Their sleek – at times almost sensuous – curves, iconic shapes, perfectly aged colours, and overall allure beckoning my vintage loving soul to their ascetic splendour. Judging by the trove of fellow vintage aficionados, as well as those with a penchant for great style in general, that embrace classic frames as well, it’s clear I’m far from alone in my passion for gorgeous vintage glasses.

One needn’t actually be afflicted by eye woes to sport vintage eyeglasses, and therein lies so much of their charm. You can turn a pair of frames into sunglasses or have plain glass (lenses) put into them, if you’d like to use them as a charming accessory, instead of as a vision aid. If you do sport specs for medical reasons, it’s usually very easy to have a professional put in your prescription strength lenses, thereby allowing you to wear most any vintage pair of glasses your heart desires.

If you’re a fan of vintage eyewear, then this post is for you, because I’m thrilled to announce that Chronically Vintage has teamed up with the fabulous etsy seller CollectibleSpectacle, to offer readers of this blog the chance to win a $75.00 gift certificate† to put towards whatever your heart desires from CollectibleSpectacle’s delightful array of vintage frames.

Founded by a lovely woman with two generations of optometrists in her family tree, and a deeply rooted passion for amazing vintage eyewear, CollectibleSpectacle offers customers a skilfully hand-selected assortment of eyeglass frames that span the decades of the 1950s through to the 1980s (with an emphasis on stunning 1950s styles). The frames that they offer are bursting with charm, character and timeless appeal. Many are highly sought after collector pieces, yet the price tags that CollectibleSpectacle puts on their offerings are entirely reasonable, thus allowing fans of vintage eyewear to easily add a piece of the past to their wardrobe.

The image below shows a sampling of some of my favourite frames that CollectibleSpectacle currently has in stock (they rotate in new frames frequently, and are also happy to take requests if you’re hunting for something in particle, making this etsy seller one to bookmark for sure!) – talk about dreamy vintage glasses if ever there were!




Giveaway details

This wonderful giveaway will run between today (July 5th) and Monday July 12, 2010 (contest closes at 11:59pm EST), and is open to Chronically Vintage readers from around the globe. One lucky winner will be drawn at random on July 13th, and announced here in a blog post (I will also contact the winner directly to let them know that they’ve won).

I want my readers to have as many chances as possible to win this marvellous prize from CollectibleSpectacle, so there are five ways for you to earn as many as five entries in this giveaway.


1.) Post a comment below about your favourite pair of frames from CollectibleSpectacle’s etsy shop, and/or tell me about anything you’d like regarding vintage eyeglasses (e.g., if you wear them, why you love them, how big your collection is!).

2.) Post about this giveaway, including a link back to this announcement post on Chronically Vintage, on your own blog, telling your readers about this contest (if you'd like to use the photo collage I created above, just right click on it to save it to your desktop). Once you’ve written about the giveaway, come back here and let me know you’ve done so by leaving a comment with a link back to your post.

3.) Add Chronically Vintage to your blog roll (or other area of your site/blog where you list some of your favourite blogs) – or inform me if you’re already doing so. Stop by to let me know in the comment section that CV’s on your blog roll, and you’ll gain another entry for the contest.

4.) Become (or let me know if you already are) a Google Follower of Chronically Vintage (see the right hand side bar to join), then take a moment and leave a comment saying so.

5.) Spread the good word about this contest via Twitter or Facebook (you can find CollectableSpectacle on Twitter and on Facebook, the latter of which they’ve recently created a fan page for). Again, be sure to jot down a comment letting me know you’ve done so.


Everybody is welcome to enter in however many of the five ways they wish, just be sure that you let me know about each entry in a separate comment, to better enhance your chances of winning (four comments for example, would give you four entries into the contest, thus four potential chances to win!). Please remember to post a separate comment for each entry!


I wish everyone who participates the absolute best of luck and thank you all in advance for taking part in this exciting vintage eyewear giveaway!





† Note that etsy does not issue site wide gift certificates, instead CollectibleSpectacle will issue you a credit from their shop for $75.00 (US) that you can use towards the purchase of whatever you like from their stock. Please email if you'd like further details about about this point.

Announcing the winner of the $100 LA Vintage online shopping spree

This month Chronically Vintage had the pleasure of teaming up with one of the hottest online retro and vintage sellers, LA Vintage, to bring you a wonderfully fun giveaway for a $100 online shopping spree on their site.

Scores of entry poured in over the two weeks that this contest, which wrapped up at 11:59pm EST last night, was going on, and today I have the absolute joy of announcing the lucky winner (whose comment number was drawn using an online random number generator).

Without further ado, the winner is comment number 5, which just happens to belong to none other than the phenomenally gorgeous and talented, Mary Van Notes.


{Mary’s impeccable vintage style, intelligent whit, adorable cartoon drawings, and entertaining blog entries are endlessly interesting and inspiring. If you don’t already count her amongst your friends, hop on over to Mary’s blog and check out the world of vintage wonder this fantastic gal has created!}


Huge congratulations, Mary, I’m so thrilled for you and hope you have an absolute blast picking up a new vintage treasure or two for yourself amongst the wonderful wears that LA Vintage offers. Please contact me via email whenever you like, sweet dear, with your name and the email address you’d like to receive your $100 coupon code from LA Vintage at.

Scores of thanks go out to each and every one of you who participated in this contest (you left a combined total of 84 comments!); I sincerely appreciate you doing so and loved reading each of your comments. Fear not, even if you didn’t win this time around, there will be plenty of other contests held on Chronically Vintage in the future (I already have another one in the works for later this spring).

You’re all the greatest, thanks again for entering this lovely giveaway. I really hope you each have a gorgeous Monday and week ahead, my darlings!