Vintage Links, Life, Love: July 29, 2016

Can you guys believe that we're just two days away from the end of the month? As touched on recently in this post, I wouldn't say that July has felt like the speediest of months in the slightest.

In a way this is a good thing - after all, who doesn't want summer to feel like it stretches on! - but in another, it's not so fabulous, because I know the personal life + health (+ earlier on in the month, the Canada Post strike situation) reasons why such has been the case and do really wish that such weren't the reason for July's leisurely pace.

Oh well, that's life. There are smooth months (and years) and rocky ones, and certainly July housed some really lovely points, too, please don't get me wrong.

From Canada Day to my birthday to those rare moments of sunshine (we're had 3.5 months of the wettest weather I've ever experienced in the Okanagan – or anywhere in Canada, for that matter!), plus some more positive highlights, that I'll touch on later on in today's brand new edition of Vintage Links, Life, Love, there were positives and I’m very grateful for each of them.



Links:

How to make (tie) a glamorous 1940s turban: When the sun is out in full force, and conversely, if you live south of the equator and want an extra layer of warmth on your head, the last thing most of us want is to have our hair on our necks. Enter the endlessly chic turban, which this great post from Glamour Daze takes you through the genuine 1940s steps of mastering.


Why I Love Mechanical and Early Electric Televisions: Though most of us think of television as having entered the scene in the 1950s, in reality, earlier versions had already existed for more than two decades and this detailed, informative post from Carrie Anne does a wonderful job of highlighting some of the ground breaking sets that would lay the foundation for the future of TVs everywhere.


DIY Victory Brooch: Bianca’s tutorials are always fantastic and so well laid out, and this recent entry on how to make a dead simple - yet incredibly impactful - hand painted Victory brooch from basic craft store supplies is no exception. Trust me, once you've read it, you'll be making a beeline for Michael's pronto!


Tips on dressing for a 1920s Lawn Party: The epitome of summertime chic, lawn (and garden) parties are a wonderful tradition that deserves dressing to the nines for. You'll be well on your way to doing just that with this lovely, imaged filled post from Blue Velvet Vintage's blog.


How to make vintage style shoulder pads: Though they gained, fairly justifiably, a fairly harsh reputation following the 1980s, the fact of the matter is shoulder pads have been around for quite some time now and were an integral part of many mid-century (especially early to mid-1940s) fashions. They can help a garment fall/drape in the style it was intended and are not all to be shunned entirely. If you've ever wanted to know how to make a modest sized pair of your own, this great how-to from Carla is just the ticket!


Confessions of a Small Time Blogger: From the always engaging blog Happy, Pretty, Sweet, comes a hugely easy to relate to post about what it's really like to be an established, well known, but still (compared to some of the household name fashion bloggers) small fish in a large pond. Honest and insightful, I highly recommend reading this post no matter the size of your blog and its audience.


DIY Floral Crowns: What would summer be without the sweetly charming classic that is the floral crown. If you're ever wanted to whip up your own handmade version using real blooms, Madison's beautiful tutorial will have your noggin' looking festival (and/or photo shoot) ready in no time.


WW2 Yearbooks Directory: If, like myself, you're an avid fan of collecting or simply looking at vintage yearbooks, than this awesome site from The National World War II Museum in New Orleans - is sure to find favour with you and likely be where you spend numerous hours in the next little while.


Harem Pants: A Most Interesting and Scandalous History: Nicole has put together one of the most detailed, fantastic looks at the rich history or harem pants that I've ever seen. Chocked full of informative facts and splendid images, after reading her excellently presented entry, chances are you'll never look at this voluminous style of bottoms quite the same way again. (And speaking of the always lovely Nicole, I also really enjoyed her recent tutorial on The Unconventional Way to Make a Hat.)


Things bloggers wish they could tell brands: I could nod until the end of time and I still don't know if it would convey just how much I strongly agree with the majority of what Amber said in this poignantly spot entry regarding some of her thoughts about the blogger + brand relationship (the main point that we differ on is that I personally experience some great benefits from hosting giveaways and am always sincerely touched when a company wants to team up with my blog in that capacity).

I really commend her for speaking so openly and truthfully about this topic and suspect that many of you who collaborate with companies on your respective sites will also be nodding up a storm as you read this post.


‘Brawny and Buoyant’: A Portrait of West Coast Youth of the 1950s: Starring snaps taken in 1951, this eye-catching entry from Life Magazine highlights youth being, well, youth during the summer months and captures the spirit of what life was like, for some people at least, who grew up during that vibrant era.





Life:

As touched on above, July has been a mixed bag sort of month, complete with soooo much more rain (to the point where such is honestly impacting my ability to post outfit photos here as frequently as I usually during the summer months).

Thankfully things have calmed down, for the time being, on the Canada Post strike front, and as such, last Friday, I launched the first ever Christmas in July Sale over at my Etsy shop, which is still going underway (pop on over and save 25% off everything in my shop until July 31st).

Looking ahead to the second half of the summer, fingers crossed, things may be all the more enjoyable. The first week of upcoming month launches the off the August long weekend civic holiday, which falls on the 1st this year.

This is swiftly followed by Tony's (36th) birthday on the 6th, and then either on the very last day of August or the 1st of September, we'll be heading off for a much needed getaway, which I'll be blogging about here in much greater detail very soon.

Beyond that, summer will start to wrap up and we'll ease into my absolute favourite season, autumn (and in turn, Halloween), which always brings me an inordinate amount of joy. In fact, for those who you who eat/breath/sleep/live for it as much as I do, you'll be thrilled to know that there only 94 days to go until All Hallows' Eve returns.

I'm already giving major consideration to my costume, my party menu, my decor, and my blog posts for the spooktastically fun season, and so much more surrounding my all-time favourite holiday. It's going to be awesome!!!





Love:

All of the kind, touching birthday wishes you guys showered me with online (and in a few cases, off, too), earlier this month. I just have to say, with all my heart, thank you again for your lovely words and positive wishes for my 32nd year of life. I really like to think that they'll help such to be even better and more upbeat.

Binge watching the British TV series Mr. Selfridge. In less than a month, I plowed through the first three seasons (on Netflix Canada) and am very eagerly awaiting the fourth, which is set to be released later this year. For those who aren't familiar with the show, it's a period series that starts off in the early Edwardian years and focused on the life of the Selfridge family, who opened the world renowned Selfridge's department store in London.

Much as with Downton Abbey, the show progresses quite quickly from the turn of the century to the years of WWI to the roaring twenties and provides a treasure trove of vintage fashion inspiration for anyone with an interest in that time frame (or, really, vintage fashion in general). A good blend of drama, fun and suspense, this is one of my favourite historical series in a long time and definitely a must watch for vintage fans everywhere.

Getting a morning (or, anytime!) dose of "awww" care of the Daily Puppy. This site has been around for quite a while now and never fails to make one gush and feel better, no matter what's transpiring in your life. Looking at puppies = happiness, after all. :)

Finally carving out a speck of time to craft again. I know, honestly, this one just about bowls me completely over, too. After, for all intents, not having crafted for more than three years, and in any sort of regularly occurring capacity for the better part of five, I have given myself the gift of a little bit of time to craft (chiefly scrapbooking so far), when my health permits each week, and honestly can't put in towards how amazing it feels again.

I'm happier, (much to my surprise and delight) I'm sleeping a touch better, I feel more at peace, and my creative mojo is running at mock one speed in just about all areas of my life (blogging very much included) thanks to this fact.

Though I know full well all the reasons why so little crafting has happened in recent years, I've made a promise to myself to try and craft at least 2 - 4 times a month from now on and suspect that doing so will continue to have a profound and deeply important impact on my life.

Thunderstorms aplenty. While I do so wish that the rain would hightail it out of town and we could finally experience full-on summertime weather here, one of the perks (to my mind at least, as I greatly enjoy them) of all the damp weather has been the period thunder and lightning storms that have been transpiring over our heads lately. On one occasion, while we were driving along side Okanagan Lake in the vicinity of Peachland, we even saw lightning and a rainbow at the same time, which was a first for both Tony and I.

This incredibly touching story about a woman and her husband (with three children of their own already) who adopted her dear friend's six children when the mother (her friend) passed away at the age of just 39 years old. If that doesn't personify love, compassion, goodness and grace, I don't know what.

Blueberries! Last week Tony and I received two large sized containers of fresh blueberries as a free gift with purchase for spending above a certain order total at Superstore and noshed on them all week long, freezing those that we couldn't get to while they were still in peak shape. They were a fantastic - and very healthy - way to liven up our meals and will stand as one of the culinary highlights of this season for me.



{While we did find ourselves with a slew of plump, sweet little blueberries recently, they weren't quite enough to take a bath in, like this lovely Blueberry Beauty Queen did back in 1955.}



{To learn more about a specific image used in today's post, please click on it to be taken to its respective source.} 

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And so here we are, at the last Friday of July. Even if this month didn't feel as quick as all that lightning we've been having lately, the season as a whole is bouncing along a speedy clip, as it usually does.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that August will be a drier month, but objectively, wouldn't place any wagers on such, given how bizarrely rainy things have been here lately. No matter what Mother Nature has up her sleeve, I'm sure we'll make the best of it - especially while celebrating the August long weekend (which coincides with our town's annual Peach Festival) - and my sweet husband's birthday.

What's on the agenda for you as we get ready to welcome August back into our lives, my dears? Have you been getting treated to a fabulously sunny summer or slogging it out with raindrops a plenty, too?

I hope that you're all doing great and want to take a moment to wrap up this post by wholeheartedly thanking everyone who left a blog (and/or social media) comment for me on any of my posts this month. The summer blogging slump is a very real phenomenon and I truly appreciate those who take the time to comment even in the midst of the busy, exciting summer season.

Things like that never go unnoticed or unappreciated by me and are a big part of the reason why I can safely say that I have one of the best group of blog readers in the world.

Beautiful deco style earrings meet a thoroughly forties inspired outfit at my very favourite grey wall

Outfit details

1940s black hat with millinery daisies: A Vintage Affair
Art deco inspired handmade black dangle earrings: c/co Mon Carrousel
Mid-century vintage yellow flower embroidered blouse: Foxy Brit Vintage
1940s style black jumper dress: Tatyana Clothing
Gold coloured faux leather skinny belt: eBay
C. 1940s cream gloves with mini button detailing: Unknown, had for many years  Gold tone metal bangle bracelet: Payless
C. 1930s cream celluloid flower bangle bracelet: Unknown, had for many years
Vintage style black plastic flower stretch bracelet: Thrifted (Value Village)
1940s black and cream telephone cord handbag: Armstrong Antiques
Black seamed nude stockings: eBay
1940s style black faux suede round toe pumps: Walmart
Lip colour: MAC Partyline

Special offer just for Chronically Vintage readers: Etsy shop Mon Carrousel has very generously offered my readers 15% off all of their merchandise between today and August 31, 2016, when you use the discount coupon code MCSave15 at checkout.

Photography by Tony Cangiano

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In the moment at least (I'm the first to admit, I have cringed years later looking back on certain outfits - but, hey, that's all just part and parcel to one's continually developing personal style), I tend to really like, if not flat out love, everything that I wear. My closet is, objectively, one of my greatest sources of joy in this world and I delight in the act of putting outfits together and curating my wardrobe.

Sometimes however, one hits upon a look that they're so in love with, they know that it bound to be a favourite for the rest of time, and for me, the ensemble highlighted here in today's very recently captured photographs is just that.

While, objectively, it is not an overly complex or formal ensemble, the sum of its parts equal a whole that I'm genuinely pleased with - and that I know I will reach for many times to come in the future.

The starting point for this particular look is an elegantly gorgeous pair of art deco inspired handmade earrings from the Spanish brand Mon Carrousel.

Called simply Romantic Black Earrings, this pair – that are, like some of Mon Carrousel's other offerings, made from nickel-free components, thus letting nickel allergy suffers like myself safely don them – combines genuine vintage Czechoslovakia mourning jet with vintage black vulcanite and marries the two with brass components and lovely little clear rhinestones.

Though big on style, these sophisticated earrings (which I want to sincerely thank Mon Carrousel for bestowing on me) weigh next to nothing and are, really and truly, one of the most comfortable pairs of earrings in my whole collection. They're immensely stylish, wonderfully classic and such a pleasure to wear.

Mon Carrousel's designs are hand made in Spain by a lovely lady named Diana, who looks heavily to the past when she creates to compose beautiful, often dainty jewelry that is equally wearable by vintage and modern fashion fans alike.

She's a relatively newcomer to Etsy, where she set up shop last year, and has a standalone online jewelry shop for longer that, however it is only presented Spanish, so instead when she approached me to team up for a collaborative post, we both felt that it made more sense to focus on her Etsy shop, given that most of my audience speaks English.

Diana's pieces are classy, fun, and eye-catching. She is especially inspired by the look of the early 20th century (including how it is portrayed on the Spanish TV show Seis Hermanas), and it wouldn't be a stretch in the slightest to think, at first glance, that you were looking at an actual antique or vintage piece of jewelry when you browse Mon Carrousel's curated collection.

Well priced and expertly made, I'd happily shop from Mon Carrousel and highly suggest checking out and favouring their Etsy shop, where, as mentioned above in this post, you can currently save 15% off on all orders between now and the end of August when you use the exclusive coupon code MCSave15.

I don't have a lot of 20s or 30s garb or newer styles that look the part, so instead of trying to scrap together an outfit of that nature, I opted instead to take my look in a strongly forties direction.

To do so, I reached for my super beloved black 1940s style jumper dress from Tatyana (purchased back when they were still called Betty Paige Clothing), which, despite having owned and worn many times, has only appeared here once before and that was just in a single photo (in this 2013 travel post), not as a key player in a dedicated outfit post.

I teamed it with a dusty yellow hued vintage blouse that features beautiful floral embroidery, a fun 1940s hat with millinery daisies on the underside of the brim, my treasured 1940s telephone cord handbag, an assortment of bracelets (including a 1930s cream celluloid one, in a further nod to the deco-ness of the earrings), a pair of vintage cream gloves, and my black forties style faux suede pumps that have appeared here more times over the years than I can recall.

As has been the case so very often over the past nearly 3.5 months now, these snaps were taken quite literally between rain showers (early on Saturday evening while there was still some daylight). They were snapped at a location which, if you've been following my blog for a while now, you may recall having seen before. It's a relatively basic painted grey wall in the nearby city of Kelowna, which I've loved from the moment I first laid eyes on it.

There's scarcely an outfit around you can't partner with its neutral tone and I'm sure that if we lived in Kelowna, it would probably appear here several times throughout any given year. As it is, this is now the wall's third CV showing and chances are, far from its last.

It occurs to me, as I pen these words, that it's really fitting that one of my favourite backdrops would team up with a new favourite outfit.

Love that - just as I do these marvelous art deco inspired earrings from Mon Carrousel, which even though my wardrobe is primarily 1940s – 1950s focused, transcend eras enough that I know they’ll be sported often and with much handmade jewelry adoring happiness.

Saturday Snapshots: July 16, 2016

{Quote image source}

{Pin curls, fab outfit, adorable kitty cat, and a mile-wide smile? Yep, this delightful mid-century gal officially wins at summer.}



{"Lois Duncan Steinmetz playing the accordion aboard the shanty boat Lazy Bones, c. 1947", because Lois was just awesome like that.}




{One look is all it takes to know that this 1940s pair - and their beautiful dog - were a blast to hang out with. Plus, don’t his shades look they could have just walked off the spring/summer 2016 runway? Proof positive that designers today take styling cues from the past right, left and center.}




{Group fun in the sun while at the beach in 1937 - love the lady at the back's classic folding parasol. It reminds me a lot of the gorgeous Disney themed hand painted ones that my dear friend Janey, from Atomic Redhead, has been creating and sharing on her blog this year.}




{No convertible? No problem! Just make like these two cool c. 1940s gals, in their matching shirts/play suits, and put the trunk (boot) of your car to good use! :)}




How much do you love this beautiful 1950's woman's fabulous ombre striped strapless swimsuit?}




{Teenagers being teenagers and having a blast at their local Tallahassee drive-in burger joint back in August of 1957 (you just know the milkshakes there would have been to die for!).}




{In a perfect world every single day of the summer would be as fun, carefree and sunny as the one depicted in this fabulous American beach snap, which was taken during July, 1952.}




It's never to early in life to ensure that your warm weather style game is squarely on point, as the young misters Larry and Louie Poggenburg kindly demonstrated for us during the spring of 1965.}




{Okay, it's official, seeing these two lovely c. 1950s synchronized swimmers has got me yearning to hop into the nearest body of water pronto!}

{All images above are from Flickr. To learn more about a specific image, 

please click on it to be taken to its respective Flickr page.}

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Soooo, it's been a really long time since the last edition of Saturday Snapshots occurred here. Like, a really, really long time. I went digging around through my achieves and it would appear that the last such post was in May 2015, some fourteen months ago.

Wow, I'd been thinking it was last fall, but such appears not to be the case. There's no set schedule or timeframe for these posts of course, but as I - and I know, many of you as well - really adore them, I do like to get one up periodically. Today, in the middle of July, seems like a great time for new edition of Saturday Snapshots, don’t you think?

I read the quote that kicks off today's post for the first time ever a few weeks ago and it instantly resonated with me. Though I am generally a million miles away from lazy, I don't per se think that work related activity (or lack thereof) is the sort of laziness that the man who penned it, American author and philosopher Sam Keen, had in mind when he wrote those words. No, I highly suspect that he was referring to one's pace of life and how much, from sun up to sun down, we're able to get done in a day during the peak of summertime.

I'm a major workaholic and I will burn the midnight oil like no one's business, but during these glorious dog days of summer, even I tend to scale back a little. How on earth can one not? These few brief weeks of truly hot weather will vanish with the first tumbling leaves of September and with them, any hope (short of a vacation to a far-flung destination where the sun shines all year 'round) of feeling truly warm from the sun until next spring arrives.

Summer, to my mind, shouldn't be about merely staying busy nor doing next to nothing at all, no, it should be a happy marriage of two. If ever the expression "play hard, work hard" was at home in a chapter of the year, summer is it.
 
I may still bust my hump during for most of the week, but while the temps are near (or at!) triple digits and the sunshine seems to stretch on from here to eternity, you can bet that I'll be sinking my toes into the sand, talking peaceful strolls in the early morning hours, and lapping up froyo like its going out of style, while I still can.
 

As we sit now, there's just over two full months of summer left. Fall weather often begins before that point though, so I think that's all the more reason to go along with Sam's take on things and revel in the fact that this season not only allows, but frankly encourages us, to slow down, stop and smell the roses, and practise the time honoured art of slow living for a brief while amidst our usually frenzied, fast paced modern lives.

Here's to the rest of summer and all the relaxation it has the potential to afford us!

Now, where did I put that beach umbrella? All this talk of taking things easy has me champing at the bit to spend the weekend under the open the sun. Care to join me? :)

Links, Life, Love: June 4, 2016

Summer is approaching, fast and powerfully, its air a fragrant blend of thunder storms, honeysuckle, sandy shores, and the first locally grown tree ripened stone fruits in nearly a year. A lively month fills our days now and before we know it, the next season really and truly will be upon us.

Nearly two months have passed now since I launched a new periodically occurring post series called Links, Life, Love here and it seems, now that we're into June, like high time for the second installment of such.



Links:

Thoughts on Modern Vintage Style: I greatly enjoyed and appreciated Bonita's heartfelt look at this topic and how it relates to her own life and wardrobe. It's something that I think many of us will be nodding up a storm as we read and I really commend her on tackling this important vintage style related subject.


My Favourite Instagram Accounts for 1920s Style Inspiration: Searching for some of the best and most arrestingly chic jazz era fashion wearers to follow on Instagram? Look no further than this curated and entirely fantastic list that Jessica from Zella Maybe recent put together. Le swoon!


Spring & Summer Vintage Accessory Essentials: Bianca rounds up several of favourite must-have warm weather vintage accessories, from high heeled sandals to pretty parasols, and highlights them care of some seriously soon worthy yesteryear images in this fun spring + summer fashion post.


The Lifesaving Powers of Vintage Turbans: You'll want to run, not walk, to your scarf collection the moment you read this terrific piece from Nicole at The Artyologst, and then proceed to spend the whole summer sporting the most glamorous vintage style turbans imaginable.


Why I don’t like capsule wardrobes: Personally, I'm quite neutral when it comes to capsule wardrobes and have zero against them personally, but I did find this post on why its author, Christina Fleming, isn't a fan to be a thought provoking, interesting read.


Edwardian Pomade Recipe: Kate's super simple and very natural recipe - complete with a great how-to video - for such will have you running to the local health food or holistic related shop and then your kitchen in a heartbeat.


Flea Market 101: A Beginner’s Guide: Jackie of the always enjoyable blog, Let's Go Thrifting, dishes out some super handy, and very detailed advice, on what to know/do/take with you/expect when you go flea market shopping. This post is a great read for all outdoor second hand market fans, be they newbies, veterans, or anywhere in between.


A Man Took Hundreds of Photobooth Self-Portraits From Between the 1930s and 1960s. But No One Knows Who He Is and Why?: Tell me this doesn't intrigue you something fierce!


5 Keys for Mid-Century (Decor) Style: A quintet of fun, easy ways to inject more of the mid-century awesomeness we so adore into our home decor care of Sabrina over at the delightful blog, Inky Notions.




Life:

In many respects, I feel like I've already shared most of the highlights that have filled our days lately, including our wonderful little trip to the Kootenays, but that doesn't mean that other things haven't been happening behind the scenes, too.

Tony recently returned home from his latest work trip to the States, which saw him touch down for a few days in Denver, Colorado. Save for the airport there, he'd never been to Denver before and really enjoyed his time in this beautiful state, which geographically speaking, share many points (mountains! evergreen trees! vast expanses of wilderness!) in common with our own province of British Columbia.

Much as with Austin, Texas in April, he adored getting to explore more of America and is looking forward to wherever his company may opt to send him to next, be it in America, Canada, or even further afield.

And speaking of Tony, both he and I have birthday coming down the pipeline in the not-too-far-off future. Mine will roll into town on July 10th (I'll be 32) and his appears again on August 6th (he'll be 36). We've always adored that we're both "summer babies" and while we don't have any mega plans in the works for either day yet, are certainly looking forward to celebrating them together.






In fact, we're genuinely psyched to be spending the summer as a whole in one another's company, after being apart while he was in San Francisco (for work) for nearly the whole duration of last summer.

Though we both fared well during that time apart and stayed in constant contact online, it truly wasn't the same letting the most stunning, sunny and light filled (aka, prime outdoor photo taking season) chapter of the year go by without each other's companionship and we feel very fortunate to have this summer together again.

We're also excited about Canada Day on July 1st (it's one of only two days each year - the other being New Year's Eve - when our town puts on a small fireworks show), the prospect of a summertime road trip or two, the return of cherry + peach + apricot + plum + nectarine season, days of weather so stunning it almost makes you weep, and making plans on various fronts for the second half of 2016.


Love:

-Muted colours, as I blogged about recently in this post, are something that I simply can't get enough of at the moment. I recently ordered a fab new fifties dress in these earthy, goes-with-everything shades for fall and am already planning an outfit for October around it.

-And speaking of thinking ahead when it comes to my ensembles (ahh, the life of a full-time fashion blogger), a recent Etsy search for "Christmas pudding brooch" lead me to discover the most delightfully cool handmade fruit and veg themed jewelry shop on Etsy called By the Shed, and I'm not even joking when I say that I want every single thing that they're selling. If I receive some birthday money this year, I uber want to put a portion of it towards my first purchase from this awesome shop.

-Wearing all the vintage straw hats and carrying all the vintage straw/bamboo/raffia handbags. Hands down one of my favourite elements about summertime fashion is this point right here and I've wasted no time this year in putting my straw (et al) accessories to good use!

-Shopping my own closet, so to speak. As evidenced by some of the comments that I received on this  post last year (and various others, too), I know that many of are firm fans of putting existing wardrobe pieces to continued use in new and exciting ways, and that's something that I greatly enjoy and make a point of doing as well.

There is, objectively, relatively little I truly *need* when it comes to clothing and the older I get, the more I want to keep enjoying and experimenting with my existing wardrobe, which naturally means blogging many such outfits here with all of you.

-Kailey Flyte, better known to many online as Mermaiden's, cuter-than-cute collection of cell phone cases that she designed in collaboration with Casetify.

-Magnum Double Raspberry Ice Cream Bars: Oh my stars, are these things amazing! Tony and I just discovered this particular Magnum offering last month and to we're both beyond addicted to them now. Hands down these Double Raspberry Bars are in my top five favourite store bought ice cream products of all time. If you love the taste of raspberries, I seriously can't recommend them highly enough!




-Nestling our camping chairs into the sand down at one of the local beaches here and watching the sky transform from butter yellow to tangerine, coral, lilac and amber as the ever-hotter sun sets over either Okanagan or Skaha Lake.

-This adorable elderly British couple who finally tied the knot after dating for 42 years (aww!).

-When my wonderful Etsy customers blog about their purchases, such as Sara from In a Nutshell, Sarah (with an "h" :)) from Sew Characteristically You, as well as Jessica from Zella Maybe , and Elizabeth from Gloriously Vintage have all done did in recent weeks.

Thank you wonderful ladies each so much, I truly appreciate it! (Check out snaps from each of their awesome posts below, in order from top to bottom: Jessica, Sarah H., Elizabeth, and Sarah.)

{To learn more about a specific image used in today's post, please click on it to be taken to its respective source.} 

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What are your plans for this first Saturday of June, my dear friends? Recently my awesome sister, who lives in the nearby city of Kelowna, caught wind of a brand new vintage sale called the Okanagan Vintage Fair, which is holding its first ever event today, and rushed to tell me about it (isn't she the best!).

I didn't feel that I found out about it far enough in advance to attend as a seller (I usually need, due to my health, several weeks to prepare for an in person selling event, which then, there's never any guarantee that I'll be feeling well enough to attend; thus selling online via my Etsy shop, as I do, works so much better for me!), but I am hoping to bop up to Kelowna this weekend and attend as customer, if possible.

We have exceedingly few vintage related events, let alone sales, in this corner of the province and I really like to support as many of them that do exist as I realistically can (interestingly, a few days after my sister texted me about this event, the organizer - who I'd not interacted with before - contacted me via Facebook to invite me to attend, which was so sweet and thoughtful of her to do).

I know some of the folks who will be selling there and look forward to meeting others who are new to me, as well as to attend the premier occasion of this fun sale. Hopefully I'll return with a vintage treasure or two enrich my wardrobe and/or home with!

Aside from that, we're keeping things nice and on-the-fly this weekend, with few set plans and even less of a desire to be rushed or overly busy. These warm, gorgeous months are all too brief and one should savour them at a leisurely pace as often as possible (even if that means for just a few hours on the weekends or after work).

Have a stellar, delightfully fun - and hopefully relaxing - weekend, everyone!

Celebrate the unofficial start of summer with vintage Cherry Top-Notch Pie

Today is the lead into a long weekend here in Canada, as we gear up to celebrate Victoria Day on Monday, which many in this country see as the unofficial start of summer.

Goodness knows I'm ready for such and am so excited to welcome the warmest chapter of the year back into my life again. It's a great time, not only for its own wealth of merits, but because of all of the fun, exciting events and every day pleasures alike that it houses.

From mine and Tony's birthdays to Canada Day, picnics to star gazing session atop the lofty hills that flank our town, summer will keep me on my toes and in high spirits from start to finish.

With summer champing at the bit, my mind has already turned the lush abundance of fresh produce and other seasonal fare that will call the season home. I've talked before here about how integral cherries are to the local economy, as well as the reputation, of the Okanagan Valley where we live, in addition to the plethora of memories this instantly evoke for me.

Cherries, much like peaches, are summer in fruit form around these parts and nary a roadside stand, grocery store, or farmer's market is devoid of them between (roughly) late June and the end of August (with July often being peak cherry season).

I love the fact that cherries, one of the reddest hued fruits of all, are usually out when Canada Day rolls around on July 1st. Given that our national colours are red and white, foods of the crimson variety are always a welcome treat on any festive table - just as they are for this coming holiday weekend.

It's scarcely a secret, too, that cherries are evocative of the mid-twentieth century and their use - both in decor and fashion - is legendary from the time period.

Naturally, being such a beloved fruit, they often appeared in dishes of the day, too from trendy concoctions to timeless classics. In the later camp, one finds that perpetual warm weather favourite,  cherry pie, and the 1950s recipe below looks like a real winner when it come to this marvelous dessert.






{Beautiful look and sink your teeth into alike, cherry pie is a warm weather standby that is both delicious and nostalgic at the same time. It's vibrant interior colour also makes it a fabulous choice for Canada Day and the 4th of July alike. Vintage recipe ad image source.}


Whether you opt for fresh, frozen, or canned fruit when baking, cherry pie is hard to beat and if you've never tried making one from scratch, I can't recommend doing highly enough.

For a fun twist on things, try making a chocolate or cinnamon crust instead of the standard plain variety. With a generous dollop of whipped cream, a chocolate crust filled with juicy, sweet-tart cherries and their silky juices instantly becomes redolent of another long standing favourite the world over: Black Forest Cake.

You can also add in some other spring/summertime fruit, if you have any to hand, such as - but certainly not limited to - blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, peaches, nectarines, and even (trust me on this one, it's surprisingly good!) grapes.

As I always like to say with vintage dishes that call for it, if shortening isn't your cup of yesteryear tea, by all means ditch it and use butter, margarine, or your favourite vegan cooking fat substitute instead.

A good cherry pie is a thing of culinary beauty and needs little, if anything, to enhance it. However, during the dog days that lay ahead, it never hurts to dish thick slices of this timeless dessert up with some vanilla, chocolate, berry, caramel, peach, lemon, orange, or even mocha ice cream for a treat that will never go out of style or fail to win rave reviews - much like summertime itself!

Vintage Link Love for August 2015

Here we sit in the last hours of the last days of the last full month of summer. Before this week is up, my beloved husband will be from his summer of working in States. We are planning to spend an inordinate and entirely wonderful amount of time together in the days immediately following his return and so excited to be reunited once more.

This month, like its sun-kissed predecessors, absolutely flew by. Though I would say that over all I favoured July to August, this month was still primarily a positive one (with some great highpoints all its own), though our area was utterly and completed blanketed with forest fire smoke, the bulk of which strong winds brought our way from the plethora of fires in Washington state, for the past couple of weeks. Ask nearly any local - myself included - and they'll tell you its the worst wildfire smoke they've ever seen in Penticton.



{Wise advice indeed, but sometimes it's Mother Nature's hand at work when it comes to wildfire and such was certainly the case for many that have raged out of control in this part of world all throughout the summer. They're a common faucet of life where we live during the warmer months, but this year's crop was especially plentiful and smoky! Vintage fire safety poster source.}


One had only to venture out in it for a mere handful of seconds and upon returning inside, you would find that your clothes (and hair) smelled as though you had been sitting around a large bonfire for hours. Some of it still drapes itself over the sage hued hills around these parts and that wood smoke scent lingers in the air, but it is slowly, thankfully, dissipating somewhat.

This summer has been a brutal one in BC and Washington state for forest fires, with numerous people tragically losing their homes to them. That is, objectively, one of the few downsides to living in a land so rich in woodland - and hot, dry temperatures that make even the heartiest of trees go up like tinder when a spark or bolt of lightning hits them.

In the midst of listing up a storm in my Etsy shop, creating numerous new YouTube videos, spending lots of time with family, doing so organizing and minor DIY work around the house, starting to get ready for the return of my favourite season (fall), replying to countless emails, and whipping up lots of fun blog posts here this month, I had to to still visit oodles of blogs and sites to glean twelve exciting new vintage, blogging, and crafting related posts and stories for you guys. I hope that you enjoy reading the following selection as much as I did finding them.

 

♥ The original Mad Men were just as dapper, but not as drunk: Continuing to have Mad Men withdrawal symptoms? (Me too!) Then perhaps this cool photo filled post from Retronaut/Mashable with colour photos of some of the real leading mid-century ad industry employees of the days will help quell your longings for more Don, Peggy, Roger, Betty, and Joan.


♥ Seven Historical Costuming Blogs You Should Be Following: Whether you're a sewer or not, if you have a passion for historical costuming (and chances are, as a vintage fan, you do) than this great roundup of some of the best and most informative blogs on the subject that Bianca put together is must bookmark link if ever there was one!


♥ 23 Vintage Studio Portraits of Women from the Victorian Era: There is something so innately gripping about Victorian photography - not only were the pictures created in that era the first of all time, but they are the oldest we have of people that now seem so far removed from our world, yet lived a few short generations ago. This lovely post highlights 23 beautiful portraits of Victorian women that no doubt speak to you and deepen your appreciation for that chapter in history (and its elegant fashions) all the more.





♥ Hollywood Homefront Impressions: Earlier this summer Doris corralled a terrific selection of photos from the 1940s that show famous celebrities doing their part for the war effort. It is a stark reminder of how much that long, horrific war impacted every one, no matter what rung of society they lived on.


♥ DIY crochet snood: Clearly I'm not the only one with snoods on the brain this season, as our wonderful and very talented fellow vintage blogger Bonita demonstrates with her awesome tutorial on how to whip up a 1940s style crochet snood of your own.


♥ Find the Girls on the Negatives: Each month at least a few very thoughtful readers send me stories and/or vintage photos that they think I'll enjoy. This month none jumped out at me more this post about the mysterious origins of handful of beautiful images that were found in slide form recently in a thrift store. Dreamy, alluring, and skillfully composed, these shots offer few clues about their history. They ling with you long after you've left that page, as you ponder who these ladies were and where these images took place.





♥ Picture Happy Times: And speaking of great yesteryear images, I recently discovered this thoroughly lovely European blog that is chalked full of sweet, timeless vintage photos of real world people. This is a subject that has always been very near and dear to my own heart, so I simply had to share it with you. Plus the photos, and their accompanying write-ups, featured on it remind me a lot of the kind like to include in my ongoing Saturday Snapshots post series.


♥ Embracing the joys of "as is" vintage: As some who rarely has qualms with - and sometimes even intentionally seeks out (bargain lover that I am!) - yesteryear fashions that might be in slightly imperfect shape, this lovely post on the subject from vintage blogging newcomer Holly of Vintage Voluptuous really hit a relatable chord with me.


♥ 16 "spiffy" words college students used to say back in 1916: I have always been deeply fascinated by the English language, very much including the fact that it - like most languages - is constantly evolving and changing. Words that were as commonplace as bread and butter in one decade, may have all but gone the way of the dinosaur just a few years later. This enjoyable NPR piece takes a look at sixteen words/terms that were hot in the late Edwardian era. It's fascinating to see which ones are still used (at least in their 1910s context) nowadays and which have all but vanished from our current 21st century lexicon.




♥ My top twenty reproduction vintage shops: Stylish British vintage lifestyle blogger Catherine from Vintage Frills has gathered up and kindly shared twenty of her very favourite vintage reproduction shops with all of us. How many of her terrific selections make the cut for you, too?


♥ 5 things I would have told my younger blogger self: Yes to the whole concept behind this spot on post. We grow and change as people and bloggers alike and sometimes it's helpful to think about what we would have advised our earlier blogging selves to do if we could go back in time, as this recent Queen of Jetlags entry absolutely nails.


♥ DIY Lace Collar: One viewing of this wonderfully easy to follow how-to post from the blog Mr. Kate and you'll never look at a basic crochet or lace doily the same way again.

 

{All images throughout the list of links above come by way of the post that they are displayed directly beneath the write up of here. Please follow the links provided to learn more about these images.}

♥ ♥ ♥

If you've been reading this blog for any amount of time, chances are you know how madly, completely, giddily in love with autumn I am. It marries warm and chilly, light and dark, beginnings and ends. It gives us a magnificent bounty from the field, gorgeous harvest moons, a day of Thanks and feasting, the awesomeness that is Halloween, sweater weather, amazing golden light and countless other things that are intrinsically tied with this beautiful chapter of the year.

Though I will wholeheartedly miss summer - especially since this one was quite different for me and how it played out out in respect to Tony being away - I make no bones about my excitement to see autumn roll into town - a trail of crunchy amber, garnet and rust hued leaves in its wake - before the coming month wraps up.

As usual, you can bank on a slew of seasonal and holiday related posts and outfits here this autumn from September straight onto December. It's impossible for me to contain my passion for the third installment of the year and I wouldn't dream of doing so. No other season speaks to my soul so deeply - nor is so chalked full of fun for me.

{A huge yes to every last marvelous autumnal element of this stylish fashion filled photo from 1958. Vintage image source.}

Whether you're loath to wave buh-bye to summer or can't wait for pumpkin spice lattes, All Hallows' Eve decor, and thick tights to return again, I hope that these final weeks of our current season find you all doing well.

Should you also happen to also be counting down the days until fall returns, what, my dears, are you most looking forward to this time around?