Five random things that caught my eye this week

There are few times of the week more serene or beautiful than Sunday morning, especially come the merry days of spring. After a week that felt rather long at points, I'm especially grateful for the sense of tranquility this lovely early May morn brings with it. Time to unwind, work on blog posts, and tuck into a large bowl of fresh strawberries with lashing of vanilla yogurt for breakfast.

In the earlier days of this blog, I sometimes used to write a post on Fridays called "Five for Friday", which was a roundup of five links and/or images that had been captivating, inspiring, entertaining, or otherwise engaging me that week. It was a fun series and I miss it at times, so while today is Sunday, not Friday, I thought I'd share a quintet of things that have been on my radar throughout these early days of May.

-Casual 1950s summertime footwear: You may recall that amongst the four fun goals I had for 2012, was the desire to buy more shoes (scarcely alone on that one, I know) this year. A task that is easier said than done (I have very high arches and slightly uneven sized feet which can make shoe shopping a substantial uphill battle), it's been hit and miss so far this year. Though, I happy to say that I've added a few new pairs, nearly (no joke) doubling the size of my shoe wardrobe.

Most of those shoes though are best suited to spring and fall however, so I'm certainly still on the prowl for some vintage appropriate footwear to frolic through the next few months in.

To help inspire me as I hit my favourite local shoe and second hand stores, I'll be turning to fabulous mid-century images such as this 1959 Montgomery Ward catalog page (which comes by way of CapricornOneVintage on Flickr) to steer my style preferences. (I especially love the red pair with the little white bow in the first group of shoes on top left hand side. Which ones are your faves?)

-My City Antiquing: As someone who firmly believes that the world needs as many quality antique shops as it can get, and who loves to support my local antique and second hand dealers whenever possible, my attention was instantly piqued when I heard about a newly launched website called My City Antiquing.

Launched with the goal of building a worldwide database of antique stores, this site is built on a wiki platform that allows visitors to add addition listings for antique shops in their own cities (or really any city they desire) or simply pursue those that are already in the database. If you have a favourite antique shop in your neck of the woods, why not pop over and add it there so that other site visitors can discover your favourite second hand haunts, too?

 

-Vintage Seaside Flickr group: You gals know how much I adore Flickr groups devoted to the past, so it should come as to surprise to anyone that I'm more than a little smitten - especially as we head into the toastier months of the year - with the Vintage Seaside Flickr group.

Devoted, as it's name implies, to vintage images of the beach and sea, this group is a treasure trove of summertime inspiration for everything from swimsuits to actual vacation destinations you may want to visit in person some time. I could easily (and happily) blog just about every image in this group, but for today, I'll stop a bit short of that and instead share thirteen images from the group's pool that will definitely be inspiring this summer - and well beyond!

{1. badmode 1931, 2. badmode 1928, 3. At Boscombe. "I wish someone would snap me!", 4. 5 badmodemodellen, het leven juni 1928, 5. Belles of the beach, 6. 200 Beach at Tyndall Field, Florida WWII, 7. 1931-Beach Splits, 8. pc oostvoorne 1960, 9. Bathing Beauty 1950s, 10. charlston dansen op strand met draagbare radio 1925, 11. Bournemouth - Guess which is me?, 12. Interesting cut-out donkey, 13. engeland Broadstairs vrouwelijke surfers 1928}

-Bloglovin: I know, I'm scarcely ahead of the trend on this one, but after years of failing to find a feedreader that I even remotely enjoyed using (trust me, I tried tons!), it dawned on me that I should investigate Bloglovin (I'd joined up about three years ago and pretty much, somehow, forgot about it ever since - silly me!!!).

Well, goodness gracious, am I glad that I did. At long last I've discovered a streamlined, wonderfully easy to navigate and use feedreader that is proving thoroughly enjoyable to use. Yay!

 

-Vintage picnic baskets: With the long anticipated return of snow-free weather, it's high time we got back into the swing of eating outdoors once more. Whether on the patio, in the backyard, at the beach, or in an idyllically pretty field on the outskirts of town, picnics are the name of the game again and I couldn't me more pleased about that fact.

Lacking a picnic basket at the moment however, I've been honing in on vintage ones lately, and especially like the colourful metal example below, which is available for $22.00 from etsy seller Christy's Cottage. Just image all the fun summertime meals you could pull of of this charmer!

♥ ♥ ♥

 

As some of the links and images above clearly demonstrate, it's plain to see that my mind is already geared towards summer. Spring was rather late in arriving to our area this year, a point which has only made me pine even more strongly for the sizzling hot, gorgeously sun-kissed days that (Mother Nature) willing lie ahead for us as we enjoy our first (as a couple - and Tony's first point blank) summer together in the Okanagan.

While I don't foresee bringing back a roundup like today's on a weekly basis right this moment, I do very much enjoy creating such posts and sharing a few of websites and images that have been on my mind lately in one concise spot, and will likely do so again from time-to-time from now on.

I hope that each of you has the most gorgeous, restful Sunday possible, and would love to hear about some of things that you've been loving online lately, too.

Pretty Link Roundup {May 9th}

Finally the weekend has arrived and while that face alone is ten shades of awesome in and of itself, it’s extra lovely because it means only a couple more days before darling husband returns from his business trip. I’ve missed him something fierce (this is our longest time apart since getting hitched 4.5 years ago), but have been keeping extra busy to help pass the time. In his absence straighted and decluttered our respective home offices (his is bigger, but mine is cuter!), bought some darling vintage looking shoes (deeply on sale from the Nine West outlet store that’s just a couple of kilometres from my house), worked on better organizing my Re-Ment miniature collection (if you’ve never heard of the wondrous adorableness of these miniature toys from Japan, check out the official Re-Ment homepage and/or the Re-Mend Addicts Flickr group), got a hugely need, long overdue hair cut (more on that in a future post), and have been making a decent stab at my email backload.

At the moment - as kitty dearest nudges me for pets (I know she wants to curl up in the space between my arms and the laptop’s keypad, but it’s rather tricky to type with her precious little body curled up as a 'puter warmer) – I’m nibbling some organic popcorn, listening to awesome classic rock (on Galaxie which we get via our satellite package), and gathering together some of my favourite fantastic links for this week’s roundup.


{I’m yearning for my dance partner in life to get home, but keeping on my toes to past the time quickly. Photo via ricko’s Flickr stream.}

* If you ever wonder about the names of vintage lingerie: Jaynice of Here’s Looking Like You Kid has posted scans from a very informative little vintage lingerie catalog that details numerous styles and their names. Perfect for the next time you’re curious about the difference between a band and brief panty.

* History of Women’s Golf Attire: Fuzzylizzie has put together an excellent piece on the history what gals have been wearing on the fairway over the past hundred plus years, complete with a gorgeous array of vintage photos.

* The Other Kind of Drape: Will of A Suitable wardrobe shares some wise words on the importance of the drape of a man’s clothing, but the general principles he outlines apply to ladies wear as well. Certainly an interesting read which stands to serve many a modern, well dressed chap well.

* Vintage Dresses for Mature Figures: A wonderful look at a topic that warrants a lot more coverage than it gets! Not all vintage fans are wee teens and twenty-somethings, there are oodles of beautiful woman in their thirties, forties, fifties and beyond who adore wearing clothing from the past as well. Here Couture Allure takes a wonderful look at dressing the middle aged/mature figure from a vintage standpoint.

* Bathing Suite Resource Roundup: Looking for oodles of info and/or inspiration on the popular subject of vintage bathing suits? Be sure to check out this list of helpful links on the topic of swimwear from the golden days of yore.

* On the beach in the 1930s: And while on the topic of summer and beautiful looks of the past, definitely pop by Liebermarlene and daydream about sporting the clothing in the wonderful 1930s black and white photos of beach goers she posted this week.

* History of Kustom Bikes: If BMXs and streamlined mountain bikes fail get your cycling spirits a-peddling, then you might be a fan of the sort of bikes which ruled the scene during the 1950s and 60s, as described and discussed in John Brain’s terrific History of Kustom Biking (volume one), which I discovered via an Atomic Addiction post.

* Cpaphil Vintage Postcards: More than for a specific post, this entry is for the blog itself. If you’re a lover of vintage postcards and/or illustrations, this updated daily, marvellously interesting blog is sure to set a smile upon your face – and get you itching to mail out a card or two.

* Sucking Eggs: Miss Matilda gives readers a sneak peek into the fascinating book “Sucking Eggs” by Patricia Nicol, which according to the cover shows you “what your wartime Granny could teach you about diet, thrift and going green”. I love the commonsense, helpful tips MM has highlighted, especially the idea of using baking (bicarbonate) soda as a deodorant (I have really sensitive skin and am troubled by most commercial deodorants so I’ll be giving this tip a try for sure).

And introducing a new a feature of the weekly link love-fest....drum roll please....a vintage related video!

This first video is an instructional one care of the lovely and talented Lisa Freemont Street, which tackles the subject of getting pin curls right (you can find its follow up video in which Lisa styles the results of her gorgeous pin curls here):



There we have it, my lovelies, a diverse array of links that have peaked my interest this week. I hope you find them as much fun as I did – and if you’ve got any fab links of your own or that you’ve scouted this week, don’t hesitate to share them in the comment section.

Joyful weekend wishes to all!

Pretty Link Roundup {May 3rd}

May, May, you beautiful month you! Why have you been hiding yourself for so long? Well, whatever you were up to, I’m thrilled that you’ve returned and brought green grass and tiny little blooms poking out from winter-worn trees, with you. (I just about squealed with glee when coming on the bus this afternoon I spotted both white and plum hued blossoms sprouting up around the neighbourhood)

The past week has been hectic with a capital “H”, but alas, I’ve squeezed in time for a breather tonight and have been catching up on a week’s worth of unread vintage feeds, amongst which the following selection in particular caught my eye.


{Ok, while relaxed, I don’t expect my evening to get quite as fashionable nor exotic as that of this stylish woman in her pink Goddess gown from a 1960 Life Magazine photo. Image via Eliz.Avery’s Flickr stream.}


* Woman Seeks Shoes: The always fashion-wise Super Kawaii Mama chats about her thoughts on the issue of finding vintage shoes above a size six as well as one of her favourite sources to scoop up vintage inspired footwear.

* Life Magazine 1942 – The Girls of Hollywood: A sublime array of photos showing some of the 1940s loveliest starlettes at their most glamorous.

* Vintage Electric Fans: While spring may usher in baby animals, lilacs and the return of barbecuing, come May you might already find yourself in rather dire need of a fan. Why not shuffle quickly past the flimsy plastic models so often lining the home cooling aisle at the hardware store and try to find a vintage fan or two on the second-hand circuit, with these helpful tips from the lovely folks over at Country Living magazine.

* On Wearing Polka Dots: Some people are mad for plaid, others are hot for spots! If like me, you’re head-over-heels in love with polka dots, be sure to check out this post on Courture Allure about wearing this darling pattern.

* From Grrl to Glam: Amy Jeanne shares an interesting story of her path to vintage style which I think many people who developed a love of dressing both vintage and feminine over time, will easily find themselves able to relate to. (And for another story along the same vein, drop by Pinup Tales and read “Pinup Wakeup”.)

* Revamped: Those amongst us who love wielding a needle and thread will definitely appreciate and enjoy Little Rascal’s creative idea of taking a child’s size summer dress and whipping it into an adorable (woman size) skirt.

* Vintage Wardrobe basics (spring/summer): No matter how many zany, fleeting, sometimes do-able, sometimes terrifying, trends whiz through the shops, some items are immortal classics. Here Mademoiselle Robot shares which items top her list of basic (classic) pieces that help to make any vintage wardrobe more complete.

* How to Pick Vintage Styles: A great overview of how to select a vintage style (spanning the 30s through to the 60s) based on your body type, from one of the most stylish vintage bloggers I’ve encountered.

* Some history on “tap pants”: While not for the faint of heart or self-conscious of leg, tap pants are a bold fashion piece with roots stretching back numerous decades, as discussed with a lovely array of tap pant photos in this post by Vintage Clothiers.

* Faille what?: Some Like it Vintage touches on a topic that I’ve been thinking about more and more often lately, that in days gone by items of clothing had the type of fabric they were constructed of included in their description/name more often than they do today, in a fun and informative post called “Faille what?”

* My Dreams Have Petals: In the spirit of spring’s resplendent beauty, I truly urge you to treat yourself to the gorgeous floral photos that appeared in a post on A Field Journal this week. The subtle yet perfectly saturated hues in faded aqua, gleaming salmon and lemonade yellow in this pictures are sure to appeal to many a vintage lover.

The links above seem to reflect a fair number of my thoughts this past week, which have been on the topic of fashion, as I’m in the midst of trying to find some lovely vintage inspired late spring through early fall pieces on a tight budget. All-in-all things are going well on this front, and I plan to post about some of my finds in the near future, so be sure to stay tuned to see what I’ll be sporting this summer.


{I’m fantasizing about putting together summer outfits that are even a fraction as stylishly divine as this red and black ensemble sported by (50s model) Jean Patchett. Image care of myvintagevogue’s always amazing Flickr stream.}

As the sun sets outside I’m thankful that May has returned, it usually brings with it so much beauty and serenity, both of which one can never have too much of in their life. (What are some of things about May that you're most looking forward to?)

Pretty Link Roundup {April 26th}

In a sense it’s been one of those week, not the full-blown kind that tends to peak in a complete and utter breakdown or late night Chinese food/cold pizza/vat of ice cream binge, but just sort of strange. As I mentioned yesterday, darling hubby and I had plans to go get our income taxes done, well no sooner had we got our shoes on as a massive wind and lighting storm blew through Toronto.


{Bracing for a down pour in a 1941 edition of Life magazine. Found via the awesome pages of myvintagevogue’s Flickr stream.}

As the afternoon temperatures climbed up to 25°C and the air become increasingly muggy, I remarked that I thought a storm was on the horizon, little did I know it would be one complete with winds up to 115km an hour! While the gusts shook our building something fierce, the whole ordeal was fairly short-lived and by the time the sun set for the day, it was merely raining, the air almost as still as a sleeping kitten. The sudden storm (and desire not to get swept right off our feet!) means that the unexpectedly delayed taxes will have (understatement) to get done in the next couple of days.

Aside from the pesky taxes I’m feeling quite organized at the moment, as I’ve complied a to-do list broken down over the next four weeks leading up to a (much anticipated) visit from some of my relatives who hail from the other side of the country. Seeing long-term tasks that can get done ahead of time (buying more dishware, for example) and last minute ones (shopping for perishables, an extra through vacuuming of the whole apartment) laid out over a month is a handy trick I’ve employed many times in my life when something big/important hung on the horizon.


{Ever so slightly Hitchcockian – but very well organized woman of the house – care of housewives on Flickr.}

I can’t help but wonder then if this first edition of “Pretty Link Roundup” (a henceforth weekly – or thereabouts – post of fantastic vintage related links that have recently caught my eye and that I think will be equally interesting to my lovely readers) is peppered with housekeeping and beauty care tips because I’m subconsciously focusing on these kinds of elements more than usual in my own life right now.

* Once long ago in a time of VCRs, Doritos that only came one flavour to a package, and non-skinny jeans, there was a world without Google. While that notion might seem impossible for some technophiles to wrap their heads around, it’s true, and is a subject that Clever Nettle covered recently in a post called Life Before Google, which sports some absolutely wonderful vintage drawings of secretaries at work.

* If you're like me (cursed with extremely sensitive skin and a general sensitivity to harsh chemicals) and are always looking for inexpensive ways to make your own household cleaning products, you’ll definitely love this simple recipe for Homemade Powdered Laundry Soap from the pages of Betty Boogie’s blog.

* Many of us who adore doing our make-up in the styles of our favourite vintage eras know that false eyelashes can be a huge boon when it comes to achieving certain looks, but they can also be downright intimidating if you haven’t put them on before or haven’t mastered the art yet. If you feel like you need a crash – or a refresher – course, head on over the MissRedLips’s and read through her handy, straight forward post How to Put on False Lashes like a Pro.

* Who doesn’t love vintage hairstyles? They have the power to take even a modern outfit and instantly transform your look into something inspired by fabulous past. Paired with vintage clothes an old school 'do can truly make you look like you just stepped out of a 1950s Vogue spread. Sometimes though, the hairdos we love the most also take quite a while to style – time that you might not have to spare every morning. Enter a lovely look from The Mysterious Life of the Metropolitan Housewife’s Atomic Mama in her article Fast hair for the vintage girl.

* If you hit thrift stores, flea markets, yard sales or charity shops with any kind of regularity, chances are you’ve not only amassed an amazing wardrobe, but also brought home some unique and charming household items. Hunting down those prized pieces you’re lusting after or fondly remembering the ones that decked out your grandmother’s house can both be fun ways to get your vintage vibe on, as the lovely Alana of Alana’s Vintage Collecting Blog touches on in her recent post, Collecting Vintage Collectibles.

* Sometimes when you get those awesome vintage items home you’re not quite sure what to do with them though. For some terrific inspiration check out the recent Queens of Vintage Post Five ways to reuse vintage items in the home.

* Do you have a fantasy vintage kitchen in your mind’s eye? Perhaps one complete with an aquamarine refrigerator or an authentic black and white checkerboard floor. I think I have about twenty different fantasy kitchens that I’d be pleased as punch to call my own :D And yet I keep encountering new images of vintage kitchens to add to the wish list, such as the cheerful red, white and yellow one in this 1946 ad from Found in Mom’s Basement, an excellent blog devoted to a diverse array of vintage and retro advertisements.

* Speaking of kitchens, when was the last time you saw a modern (as in newly built) kitchen sink with a drainboard...go on, ponder for a while, click on over to your favourite home decor blogs, I’ll wait ;D It’s been a while now hasn’t it? Like so many functional, convenient elements of household design I can’t really fathom why drainboards all but vanished, they were immensely handy and (the metal ones) also looked quite lovely when hit by a sparkling ray of sunlight. I would adore a kitchen with drainboards and according to Retro Renovation, I’m not alone (yeeeh!), as they have a recent article (complete with gorgeous kitchen design illustrations) all about Vintage 40s and 50 kitchen drainboard sinks.

* Ok, this one doesn’t really have much to do with vintage topics, but it was simply too unbelievably cute not share. Seriously, save or bookmark this photo and come back to it anytime you’ve had one of those days/weeks/months. One look at that astronomically happy puppy face and your own mood is sure to perk right up!




{Manicured red nails? Check. To-die-for fashion sense? Check. Ability to make washing dishes look ridiculously glamorous? Check and double check! Dreft dish soap ad via Umpqua’s Flickr stream.}

So there we have it, my darlings, a delightful assortment of links chocked full of vintagey goodness for your reading pleasure! I hope you all have a marvelous, safe and joyful week ahead – and remember to tune in tomorrow for Monday’s Muses.