Sewing, Decorating and Coffee Talk

EDIT: I just wanted to let Miss 1941 of http://miss1941.blogspot.com/ know that I've been totally visiting your blog but have been unable to leave a comment (Some blogs with comments embedded in the page aren't letting me leave comments)! :( Didn't want you to think I haven't been returning your visits!

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine and I went to a yard sale at one of my favorite vintage-y places, Sleepy Poet Antique Mall. Of course, I couldn't leave without visiting my most favorite vendor, Kitsch-y Cool Vintage. (If you're ever in the area, you have to go to Sleepy Poet and Kitsch-y Cool....you also have to call me so I can go with you. LOL ;) Here's a little bit of what I found:

Some decorating books from the 1950s:

Some patterns (these are actually from a thrift store we went to later):

And this awesome Pyrex coffee pot, complete with burner/warmer:

I actually got a fabulous 50s day dress as well from Kitsch-y Cool but I will save that for another post if I can get the courage to do some pics. lol ;) And that's it for my newest finds. What about you? What are you finding where you live?

How to Write Love Letters-Forties Style

I was lucky enough to find this book from the 1940's entitled:



This book covers every possible letter writing topic, including grammar and spelling:


The book includes example letters of each topic which you are encourage to copy or add your own wording. From the chapter called, "How to Assure Him or Her of Your Faithfulness", we find this gem:

I especially love the part where she's so miserable from his suspicious mind that she wishes she was dead. That'll show him!

(Click any picture for larger view)

Have a great day!

Etiquette for the Blind...Date

And now, time for...

"Everyday Etiquette"

This week's etiquette lesson comes to us from the chapter entitled:

Let's join our lesson, already in progress...

Some of the fellows in our neighborhood have a habit of calling up girls they don't know, trying to make blind dates. Sometimes they call me and some of my girl friends, saying they know who we are through fellows in high school. My mother says I should have nothing to do with them, but it seems all right to me. I said I'd ask you. -J.W.I., Newark New Jersey

Your mother is right. Blind dates are very dangerous unless they are arranged by someone you actually know and can trust. Even then it is safer to take another couple along on a blind date. This way you have some protection in the event of some disagreeable occurrence. Boys who do their blind dating in packs on telephones are usually pretty poor pickings themselves, or they wouldn't have to get dates this way.

-Okay, who are these boys and where were they when I was dating? I didn't even know you could "do blind dating in packs on telephones"! That would have been a whole lot less awkward than being stuck in a restaurant praying your friend calls with an "emergency" so you can get the heck up outta there.

-I'm dying to know what a "disagreeable occurrence" is.

-Did it ever occur to Miss Vanderbilt that maybe these boys were calling "in packs" because asking someone out is completely terrifying?

-That being said, who are the jerks in high school giving my phone number out to people I don't know anyway?

-I bet Miss Vanderbilt's head would explode if she could see how the internet has taken "blind dating in packs" to a WHOLE new level.

And that concludes another lesson in "Everyday Etiquette". Please tune in next week when we will learn what to do when going to a wedding without an escort.

**Questions and Answers from "Everday Etiquette: Answers to Today's Etiquette Questions" by Amy Vanderbilt, 1952-1956**

Just a side note, there are a few illustrations in the book that are credited to a Mary Suzuki and an Andrew Warhol

I Wish He Was My Granddaddy...

Hi everyone!

Welcome to part two of my finds while visiting my mom. :D The second day we made a stop at Granddaddy's Antique Mall which is a HUGE antique mall. But before I get to that, I forgot a couple of things that I got from Goodwill that I meant to add to the last post:

I found this kitschy toy and it was too cute to pass up. Toot's not getting this one though, it's going on a shelf in my craft space. :D

This cake plate is just plastic but I thought it was pretty groovy. On to a kitchen shelf it goes! :)

But back to Granddaddy's Antique Mall. Like I was saying, this place is HUGE with a ton of dealers and some really awesome things. (One dealer has the biggest collection of Monkees memorabilia I've ever seen! *drool*) The only problem with this awesome place is that the dealers know what they've got and charge accordingly.

Now, don't get me wrong, I fully support sellers of vintage and believe that you should charge according to the item's value and you should be able to make a profit. HOWEVER, I am poor so it means I miss out on a lot of fantastic things so boo. lol :P But never fear, I was able to add a couple of things to my vintage vanity endeavor. :D Like these powder puffs:

Andddddd this awesome Lady Remington shaver in its original box complete with instructions and cleaning tools:



My most exciting find (at least to me) were these two end tables. Apparently the day before they were $23 a piece but I got lucky and the dealer was trying to get rid of them so I got them both for $25.

Any interesting finds where you are?

Goodwill Shows Me Some Good Will

Oh geez y'all, I am soooooo sick at the moment but I got some super awesome things at the thrift stores over the weekend so I've got to muster the strength and post about them yes? :)

We spent a few days with my mom and she has some fantastic thrift stores near her house. Two of them are actually Goodwill stores and y'all have read of my suspicious nature towards Goodwill so imagine my surprise at consistently finding a little cool something here and there at her Goodwills that I never find at mine! We had a couple of shopping days so I'm going to split my posts up and only show you a couple of things here and will get to the rest later.

Behold! Decent things found at Goodwill! :P

I found this Modern Homemaker's cookbook from the 1960s:

I love any cookbook but I especially enjoy those that focus specifically on the "homemaker". There's usually great tips and much kitsch to enjoy in them.

For some reason, I'm always drawn to random glasses, mugs, cups, creamers, random what have yous. I just like the look of these. :) There's suppose to be a third one, an atomic looking tumbler but it busted in our suitcase on the way home. Boo!

I also found this groovy record which I admit I bought purely for the picture on the front:

I'm trying to gather some odds and ends to create a vintage vanity area in our bedroom and I was lucky enough to find this pretty powder box which still smells of powder:

The top of the box:


I did not buy these but my mom's friend was going through her Christmas decorations and graciously set some aside to give to me!


I was telling mom that I wanted to use some shelving in our kitchen to display vintage what nots and she donated this to my cause:

I'll share more later but for now I must crawl into a hole and be miserable before Toot wakes up from her nap. :D I hope you all had a fabulous weekend and if you made any vintage discoveries, please tell me about them! :)

With A Cherry On Top

You know, for those that not only enjoy vintage but love to dress vintage as well, it can be hard finding a complete outfit in one place. Typically you spend most of your time finding a dress here, a hat there, some shoes from that guy and a purse from that other guy. Luckily the internet has slimmed down a lot of the vintage "looking to match" time for the most part. I also have to thank the internet for introducing me to one of my favorite online vintage shops: Art Deco Dame.

I have bought from this fabulous shop multiple times and can vouch for her fantastic customer service and quality of items that she sells. But today I'm highlighting her shop as during my last visit to Art Deco Dame, I found all of the pieces to create one complete vintage look. Huzzah!

Let's start up high with this delicious very berry hat:


And then we have the 1980s doing the 1950s with this cute cute cute cherry dress:

And of course we need a darling purse:

Add these golden cherry earrings and pin:

And she even has shoes...in my size! *faint*:

And there, you are instantly fabulous! Oh how I wish I could get all of these amazing things for myself!!! *kicks empty bank account* Anyone out there hiring bloggers? LOL ;) You can visit her blog Pretty Little Things or go crazy in her shop, Art Deco Dame.

What have you found round the 'net lately?