Vintage Link Love: August 2014

A few days ago, I posted a little something to this extent on Chronically Vintage's Facebook page, but I'll say it here as well - I've been burning the candle far too much at both ends lately and I absolutely know, and feel, it.

There has been so many exciting changes and launches in my life this year, from my Etsy shop to YouTube to selling vintage in person for the first time (at fairs, etc), all on top of blogging at the same kind of full time pace I have been in recent years, plus of course helping Tony with his/our company (Netrich Media), taking care of and running our household, and all of life's usual going ons.

{I've been burning through proverbial candles - and a few real ones - faster than the speed of light this year! Vintage candle ad image source}

My health and energy levels are feeling this intense surge of activity and physical demands big time, with flare-ups of some of my conditions frequently resulting from it (and various members of my medical care team telling me to take things a heck of a lot more easy). I do think that in the short term, pushing myself so hard, for so long is worth it and I don't mind that this summer has been one of far more work than relaxation for me. Looking ahead to the future though, I definitely will need to pace myself in new and better ways, rework how I balance/spend my time on certain commitments, and quite literally schedule true days off, if I have to, as I don't want to risk potentially extremely serious consequences with my health if I don't.

There is so much that is new in my world that wasn't there in previous years and I think anyone would take a while to adjust to this exciting, extra busy schedule. I wanted this 2014 to be a year of immense change and growth, both personally and especially professionally, and that it truly has been. I've sowed a lot of very exciting new seeds, now the time has come to tend them (instead of doing further planting, so to speak) - and to tend to myself in the process, too.

On that note, let's take a few tranquil moments to relax and have a gander at several engaging, delightful, and flat out interesting vintage and history related posts and stories that have really been capturing my attention lately. It's hard to believe, genuinely hard, that we're sitting here on the cusp of September already, 2015 just four short months away, and that we're rounding up another set of vintage links again (this summer felt so incredibly fast, didn't it?), but that we are, so let's get right to it! :)

♥ 8 tips on creating your own vintage style: Individuality is hugely important to me when it comes to style and that very much includes having your own unique, fabulous vintage style, something that the fabulous Daffny from the blog A Vintage Nerd delved into recently in this handy and helpful post on the subject, which is sure to resonate with vintage fashion newcomers and veterans alike.


♥ Top ten tips for your first pin-up photo shoot session: By way of marvelous vintage and reproduction clothing seller Blue Velvet Vintage's great blog comes a terrific post all about tips for helping you with your first pin-up photo shoot (many of which apply to other types of shoots, too, if doing pinup type photos isn't your cup of tee).


♥ Vintage wear for yard work: Brittany of Va-Voom Vintage has done a wonderful job of rounding up some seriously charming vintage yard work tips and photos (such as the fab 40s look below) that are sure really appeal to many folks as we transition into autumn, a season that often abounds with raking leaves, harvesting produce, pruning summer growth, and hanging festive decorations on the outside of our homes.




♥ My costumer's library: getting started: Though not every one who sports vintage fashions and/or accessories would classify themselves as being a historical costumer (nor do they have to be to enjoy and wear lovely old school styles), many of us - myself included - do have a deeply rooted passion for the costuming arts and frequently read a good deal on topics pertaining to this awesome area of study. To that end, the Witness 2 Fashion recently put out a seriously splendid list of books that be of help to new (and long time) historical costumes fans alike, while also discussing some very insightful points on the topic (such as the importance of often using more than one source when putting together a historically accurate look).


♥ A fascinating look at the not so ordinary beginnings of modern luggage: This fast paced image filled slide show takes a peak at the history of luggage as we know it today, tracing the roots of wheeled luggage, for example all the back to the 12th century. For major travel (and/or vintage luggage) fans such as myself, this post is sure to provide plenty of fun facts that you'll be rearing to share with your neighbour the next time you're on an train, plane or ferry boat.


♥ The top Paris designers of 1954: Ahh, the gloriously stylish mid-1950s! An era I hold near and dear to my own heart - and wardrobe! - and never tire of looking at images of, such as the enchantingly pretty array in this great post from Glamour Daze (including the Dior stunner below), which shines the spotlight on some of the most iconic Parisian designers (and their work) of the day.





♥ Traffic jam stuck in a Belgian forest for 70 years: This story made the rounds on Facebook earlier this summer, but in case you didn't happen to catch it there (or elsewhere), I wanted to share it here today as it is truly a unique, amazing, mysteriously haunting sight to behold.


♥ 1900s Life Hacks: Useful skills and information don't generally lose their merit simply because times change and/or other ways of achieving the same task come along. This delightful, you'll-want-to-bookmark-it-for-sure post takes a peak at some particularly handy life hacks from the 1900s that still pass muster today more than a century after they were printed on (now highly collectible) cigarette cards.


♥ Bombshells and Bomb Girls: By way of author and historian (and fellow British Columbian) Elinor Florence comes this excellent, informative piece, complete with oodles of photos and illustrations, on the history of female WW2 war workers that sure to appeal every bit as much to history buffs as it to early 1940s fashion fans (and of course, plenty of us fall into both camps!).






♥ The Way We Eat: This link is to a Tumblr account, not a specific story, but it is too sublimely lovely and well executed not to share the whole thing with all of you. Teeming with vintage images primarily sourced from culinary magazines that have partnering with a selection of beautiful modern photos of vintage dishes (from said types of magazines, such as Gourmet) that have been recreated nowadays, this elegant, tantalizing Tumblr food history blog is a must visit for all those who love gastronomy.


♥ Free download of Hollywood Patterns – March 1941: The immensely talented, sweet-as-can-be Rochelle of the vintage sewing and lifestyle blog Lucky Lucile (who I interviewed here last year), periodically creates and shares free downloadable vintage sewing/fashion related offerings, and her latest is eight pages of seriously swoon worthy early 1940s spring styles that would work splendidly for the coming autumn months as well.


♥ Boola boola and rah rah rah: College in the movies:: This post, which rounds up some of the most iconic collegiate themed Hollywood films over the decades, harkens back to 2011, but it's fairly new to me and as the world is gearing up to head back to school in just a couple of days, it seemed like an ideal not to wrap up today's lovely list on.

{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.}

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As summer's days grow shorter and a bracing, beautiful nippiness slips into the breeze, I will be devoting myself  wholeheartedly to my career and passions, but (again) working on pacing and remembering not to burn the candle to the point that the wick runs out entirely. I'll also be, as many of us will, gearing up for a seriously lovely, exciting autumn, both on the online and personal fronts.

From travel plans (more about that here very soon!) to Canadian Thanksgiving, our 10th wedding anniversary to Halloween, picking juicy red Okanagan apples to busting out the seasonal decor (tomorrow - I almost always do so on September 1st), I'm delighted to be welcoming my favourite season back once more and equally look forward to sharing it with all of you.

I sincerely hope that this summer has been a terrific one for each of you and that its last few days fill your life with sunshine, joy, and tons of delicious end of the season eats. It won't be long now until we're up to our eyeballs in pumpkin spice everything, candy corn, roast turkey with all the trimmings, and pillow cases full of Halloween sweets, and while I am a touch sad to see summer wrap up, with each passing day, I'm looking more and more forward to my beloved autumn and hopefully settling into a work/productivity routine that is more conducive to my health and lifestyle.

Here's to a gorgeous, fun filled September and fall ahead for us all of! Remember to always try to hold onto a few your candles, my fellow hard working ladies and gents - after all, you're going to need at least one of them for your jack-o-lantern this year! :)

Vintage Fashionista Friday: August 30, 2013

Arlene

{Schooldays and hair bows go hand-in-hand like pencils and erasers, no matter if one is in kindergarten or part of the collegiate crowd. This charming green bow barrette is sure to see your locks through from September to June in timeless style. $8.25 from etsy seller Neon Love Designs.}




{Few things are more iconic than apples when it comes to the start of a new school year, so why not greet this one with a beautiful little pair on your ears with these marvelous vintage red enamel earrings? $24.00 from etsy seller Junquegrl Jewels.}



{Though the mercury might still be bubbling away, in matter of weeks (or even days, depending on where you live), chances are it will be time to bust out the knits again and settle in for a season of cozy vintage sweaters like this classic blue number from the 1950s. Fits up to a 40" bust/waist not specified. $42.00 from etsy seller BombshellShocked.}



{Get right back into the school spirit with as much enthusiasm as a whole team of vintage cheerleaders when you wear this fabulous 1940s football themed dangle brooch. $29.95 from etsy seller A Magnificent Mess.}
 


{I absolutely adore a good mid-century plaid skirt and this wool 1950s gem from Pendleton is no exception! Vintage size 18, fits up to a 33" waist. $50.00 from etsy seller Peach Tree Vintage.}



{This past April I chatted about Ten of My All-Time Favourite Scents, and should I ever do a second edition of that post, it's likely that the smell of freshly shaven pencils will make the list. I'd be hard pressed to sharpen this rainbow of1950s/60s beauties though, instead I'd use them as pretty decor pieces on my craft desk. $24.99 for ten pencils from etsy seller Pezzaz.}



{Start the school year off right by brushing up on your spelling with this lovely 1940s textbook entitled Refresher Speller. $4.75 from etsy seller Vintage Antique Lane.}




{Sharing the spotlight with penny loafer and bucks, saddle shoes - like this fantastic navy blue and white pair - are amongst the most well known and beloved vintage schooldays shoes of the mid-twentieth century. Grab a pair of your own with care of UK seller Rocket Originals who offers the pair seen here (as well as several other saddle colour combos) in modern ladies UK sizes 3-8 for £75.00.}

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As it has for so many the world over for ages now, the morning immediately following Labour Day always ushered the school year back in when I was a youngster. I can recall vividly always hoping each year that Labour Day would fall toward the end of the first week of September, instead of the beginning, as it ensured a few more days of cherished summer vacation.

I loved school and didn't dread returning, it's just that I was also exceedingly keen on spending my days at the beach, playing in the long, dry grass of our backyard, picking cherries from our neighbours trees, staying up late around the fire pit at night roasting marshmallows, jumping through the sprinkler, and myriad other things that made summer so incredibly awesome to us when we were knee high to a pair of water wings.

This year, much I'm sure, to the chagrin of a whole new generation of school kids, Labour Day falls on September 2nd, meaning that school will commence once more, bright and early, on the 3rd. As this the last Friday before that happens, it seemed like the perfect time to devote an edition of Vintage Friday Fashionista to a charming schooldays inspired look, which is sure to appeal to you whether you're hitting the books again yourself, sending your wee ones back to class, or simply recalling the excitement of schooldays long past.

{Image source}

No pattern evokes thoughts of vintage student garb more than plaid, and the pairing of a classic plaid skirt with a sweater (or cardigan and/or blouse) is a look that was hugely popular, in particular, from the 1940s on up to the early 60s (as seen in the great still from the 1943 movie Young Ideas pictured above).

It's a long I've always enjoyed it, too, going right back in time to when I was in high school and would sometimes skittle off on my lunch break to the thrift stores that were located down the same street (my high school was/is on Main Street), and pick up 1940s and 50s plaid skirts like this for a couple of bucks a pop. Sadly, those days are no more, but I still love this look just the same and enjoy recreating it as summer gradually slips into autumn and the weather dictates knits, wool, and tweed of all kinds once more.

Today's Vintage Fashionista is named Arlene, in honour of one of my all-time teachers, Mrs. Arlene Kuben, who taught me during forth grade. She was a sweet, kind-hearted, lovely lady, who very much struck me as embodiment of the classic, good natured, caring educator, fitting in just as easily in the early 1990s when I was in her class, as she would have at any other point in time.

As we sit here on the second to last morning of August, the world and weather still feel far more like they have their feet firmly grounded in summer. Young beach goers are frolicking in the lakes as I once did (day in and day out), the scrumptious scent of barbequed meat lingers in the air from weeks of dinnertime grilling, and one can still buy fresh peaches and cherries at the plethora of local fruit stands.

Soon though, with the same speed with which the morning after Labour Day used to arrive, autumn in all its golden hued glory will be here, and the ebb and flow of another school year will be second nature will be second nature once more. Much as I adore fall, I'm not rushing it out the door quite yet - at least not until I hear the first local school bell chiming in the distance come September 3rd.