Family Gems

My Great-Grandma and my Grandma Margaret

I can't believe how long it's been since my last post. For a while there I was on a roll!! This weekend kept me super busy. Saturday I ran errands, the dry cleaners and the leather goods repair man. I had to get some of my latest vintage finds dry cleaned and a purse repaired. I pick them both up tomorrow, I am so excited!! I can't wait to blog about them. :) Sunday. I spent the day with one of my good girlfriends. We went to an estate sale and a flea market. I found some goodies at both (pictures in a future post). I also saw "Public Enemies" and I really liked it A LOT. I really enjoyed the 30's style clothing and it is inspiring me to search out some 30's clothing to wear.

Anyways, tonight's post was inspired by today's episode of "Antiques Roadshow." I just love that show, I have been watching it for years. I remember watching it as a kid, it probably aided my already blooming curiosity for old things. The last item appraised tonight was a set of jewelry that was simply gorgeous. I love when jewelry shows up on the show because it is one of my biggest collecting passions. I have been extremely lucky to inherit some lovely pieces of jewelry from the amazing women in my family. The bracelet above was hand down to me from my Grandma who received it from her mother. I think it is the most beautiful costume bracelet ever and plan to wear it on my wedding day as my something old if I ever get married.

These are two of my favorite rings. The wedding set was my Great-Grandmother's. She was married in 1912, so these rings are almost 100 years old. I always feel like a million bucks whenever I wear them. They were a special gift from my mom on my 21st birthday. The star sapphire ring was my Grandma's. I have the fondest memories of seeing my Grandma wear this -- it was her "every day ring." She kept her most precious rings for special occasions only and she still does to this day.

My hope is that some day I have a daughter so I can pass these lovely family heirlooms down to her to enjoy for the next century or so!

Emily

Bumble Bees and Flowers

After my successful hair attempt yesterday, I decided to see how it would fair on day two. In the vintage cookbooks I picked up at the last estate sale was a book to guide homemakers in the year 1945. One of the sections was about beauty and hair care. It suggested going a week or two without washing hair. While I would never try this, I figured skipping one day would be ok. It ended up turning out wonderfully!! The curl held over night and through the day.

I have been looking for the right outfit to wear these earring with. I got them from my grandma years ago when she gave me her old jewelry box. The box was full of vintage costume jewelry. The bracelet was also in the box, another favorite of mine.

Shirt: Vintage, Value World

Capris: Target

Shoes: Estate Sale

Jewelry: Grandma

Emily

The New Hair

Last night I decided it was time to try out the new hair cut. I parted it down the left side for a side part and rolled it with some medium sized sponge rollers. I have seen a lot of really great online tutorials for how to get vintage hair -- their tips are great! In case you wondered how I rolled mine, here's how I did it. On my left side (the one with less hair) I only used two rollers, on my right I used four (two for the bottom layer and two for the top), and the back I use four as well (again two for each layer). I used a bit of moose for setting lotion and this time I rolled downward. I didn't roll my bangs because they are an awkward shape and length...I'm still not quite sure what I will do with them. Right now the plan is to just let them grow out. I combed out the curls and use a dab of Freeze-Eze. I was pretty happy with the outcome. It was quick and easy and very manageable.

Today I was itching to wear a pair of my new wedges that I got at the last estate sale I went to, so I pulled out this 50's light weight dress. I keep forgetting I have it because when I bought it most of the rhinestones were missing from the buttons. For a quick solution, I just took some average craft store plastic rhinestones and glued them to the center of each button. I removed the other rhinestones first and saved them. I figure that they might be of use if I find a dress that is only missing one or two. This dress also was missing its bet, so I took the one off my new 40's suit that I also got at the last estate sale. This belt looks a lot better with it than my wide navy belt.

I also tried out my new glasses today. My old pair had seen better days so I had to order a new pair. I wasn't thrilled with the selection of glasses, but I picked out these with the hopes of trying something new out. They are shaped different than my old pair and I am still getting use to them, but I do like them!

Dress: Mother Fletchers

Under Dress: Paris

Shoes: Estate Sale

Belt: Estate Sale

Emily

Peach Jam

Last week, my grandma's sister stopped by to drop of some peaches she bought at a peach festival here in Michigan. The weekend, the peaches were rip and ready to be made into something delicious. My mom decided to make a peach pie. In all her years of baking and pie making she had never made a peach pie. I broke down and had some last night...breaking my diet...but it sure was good!!! After my mom got done making the pie, we still had a lot of peaches left over. I decided I would try my hand at making some peach freezer jam. I just used the recipe inside the pectin box. It was super easy and my grandma says it's really tasty. After making the pie and the jam, we still had peaches left over!! It was nice to have fresh peaches to eat instead of canned!!

Hope you all had wonderful weekends!!

Emily

Sale Update!!!!

Hello Darling Readers!!! Here is an update on the estate sale that promised lots of vintage clothes, as mentioned in my last post. Oh My!!!! This was an incredible sale!!!! I am so excited just typing about it. I got there about two hours before the sale, thinking there were going to be tons of people ahead of me in line. I was wrong....luckily!! I ended up getting number three and was extremely thrilled. The next two hours passed very slow but I had my brother and the Wall Street Journal to keep me occupied. Then came 9 a.m. and I got to enter the sale. I was expecting the prices to be high, considering it was run by an estate sale company, but I was proven wrong yet again. Everything was super cheap and super cute. I managed to get quite a few nice vintage pieces. The two people ahead of me were grabbing at everything and not giving anyone a chance. The one woman was from out of state and just was scooping up anything and everything...not even looking at it. The second person ahead of me was from a vintage store that I frequent and I was able to grab that dress pictured above from his discard pile. I am thinking its early 40's because it has side snaps for a closure.

I went back on the second day yesterday. It was the last day and everything was half off. I took home these cookbooks along with a few more clothing items and linens. As I have mentioned before, I love these little pamphlet books and I took home every one this lady had owned.

This suit and blouse is from the first day. I think the suit is late 40's, however it has a nylon zipper and I am thinking that the metal one was replaced. The tags and the buttonholes indicate the 40's. But, whatever year it is from, I love it. It is a slightly heavier linen and has a great shape. The blouse was found on a different rack, but I think it will go nicely with this suit. I also got a 40's navy blue suit, complete with metal zipper and a pleated skirt. No pictures yet as it is at the dry cleaners along with a few 50's shift dresses that are fabulous!!! I also forgot to take pictures of the beautiful hats I took home. They were all in pristine condition and I have one or two that might make their way to my etsy. I know there will be a light pink pill box heading there, complete with perfect netting!!

While the everyone was scouring the racks and racks of clothes in the basement, I checkout out the shoes. I was able to grab three pairs of 40's wedges before everyone else saw that there were shoes down there also. Each pair only cost $3!!!! One pair was brand new and the one above looks to have only been worn once.

Overall, this was a vintage gal's dream sale!!! I was so tickled that everything was in my size range and in wonderful condition. In one weekend, I spiced up my wardrobe!!!!

Emily

Sneak Peek...

These pictures are of the estate sale that I am going to tomorrow morning, bright and early!! I am so excited...I can hardly fall asleep (hence why I am blogging!!). The title of the sale was "Mid Century Clothes." From the pictures it looks like this lady had hundreds of shoes; almost every picture up loaded that shows a bedroom shows shoes. The listing said that the clothes are from the 40's on and many have their tags still attached. Oh can't 9 a.m. come quicker?!!

I'll post any finds later on. Wish me luck!!

Emily

A Movie and a Giveaway

First off, I want to thank you all for the great feedback and wonderful comments I have gotten on my daily outfit posts. It is so nice to have your support!! There will surely be more to come!

Second, The Glamorous Housewife is hosting her first giveaway. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post and you will be entered. She is giving away a beautiful set of vintage earrings!! If you are interested check them out and good luck!

Lastly, about a week ago I discovered this wonderful movie, It Happened on 5th Avenue. It escapes me as to why I have only now discovered this lovely film, but I am so glad that I found it while surfing netflix trying to round up some old movies I haven't seen yet. I won't give too much away about the plot, as my reason to posting about this film has to do with the costumes. It Happens on 5th Avenue is set around Christmas time and was made in 1947. This film has now made it up there on my list of feel good holiday movies, which includes classics such as The Bishop's Wife, Christmas in Connecticut, and It's a Wonderful Life. I highly recommend this movie, not only for its uplifting story but the fabulous costumes as well. After watching the movie, I fell in love with the leopard coat and hat set the lead female wears towards the end of the film. Needless to say I have been scouring eBay and etsy for something similar. I hope I find one before the cold Michigan winter, because it will sure complete a vintage girl's winter wardrobe!

Emily

Dream Cruise

This past Saturday was the Woodward Dream Cruise. Every third Saturday of the month of August, Woodward Avenue is jam packed with classic cars. The Dream Cruise is a long running metro Detroit tradition. For one Saturday out of the year classic car owners and enthusiasts are able to showcase their cars and enjoy cruising up and down Woodward Avenue. This year I went in the evening to check out all the vintage cars, as it was blazing hot during the day. I can't think of a year I haven't gone down to take in the festivities. When I was little, my family would all pile into the car and we would cruise all while my dad would tell us what each car was. It's such a great tradition and I hope it never ends. I also like that it gives me a chance to dress vintage without people staring or asking questions!

Now for a hair update! Friday, as planned, I went over to the salon to enjoy a full day of beauty treatments. My experience was less than satisfactory. The only thing I was pleased with was my eye brow waxing. I took in four pictures of how I wanted my hair, including a diagram of how to cut the middy. I ask the girl to set my hair and she told me that they didn't have rollers for that. I politely asked again and she went into the back and got the rollers. She proceeded to roll my hair and used so much water that I knew it would take at least two hours under the dyer to dry. I also got a manicure and a pedicure. Both were a mess. The girl doing that painted my nails as if she had never done it before. I had to redo it myself when I got home. Then, the girl who was doing my hair informed the nail stylist that she had to leave and that the nail stylist was to comb out my hair. I ended up with a 60's look instead of the 40's look I was going for. To make matters worse, she cut my hair way too short. All in all, I was extremely disappointed. This is why I hardly ever go and get my hair done....I never end up with what I ask for. Once my hair grows out, I am thinking about getting it trimmed to take more of the shape of the middy. Any tips on what exactly I should ask the hair dresser for would be welcome!!

Emily

A New Outfit

Yesterday, I had the most lovely day. I got off work early and made my way to an estate sale and a vintage clothing store. I found some really great stuff at both. At the estate sale, they were selling vintage tea towels for 50 cents each!!! I bought up all the cute ones. There were also a lot of hats and I found a cute off white one and a large brim black velvet one, both have rhinestones in them!! After the sale, I made my way to one of my favorite vintage clothing stores. I don't go in there very often because they always tend to have the sane items and it doesn't seem as though they get new stock as often as Mother Fletchers does. Since I had been there over three months ago, they had gotten a few new things. I found a super cute 40's day dress and the most amazing robin's egg blue 40's suit!!!!! I have a hard time finding vintage clothing that fits well because I have broad shoulders, however, this suit was a slightly larger size and a great color--two rare things!! I'll post some pictures of my finds after I get them cleaned.

Today I have a hair appointment to get my hair cut and styled. I am really excited. I have been wanting to get my hair cut for a long time now and I am finally taking the plunge. I think I am going to go with a longer version of The Middy. I'll post pictures when I get home!!

Dress: Mother Fletchers

Sweater: Target

Shoes: eBay

Earrings: Estate Sale

Emily

Lunch with Grandma

My grandma is on the right and her sister Frances is on the left in both pictures.

Yesterday, my mom had my grandma's aunt and niece over for a visit and some lunch. My mom and I had a great time getting everything put together for the day. She planned the menu and I was in charge of finding a tablecloth to match her good dishes. After I found the cloth, I realized that it would match these plates perfectly. So out from storage they came and were used for the first time as me as their new owner. We also used my mom's pink oyster and pearl relish dish. She received it from her mother. I actually bought myself one a year ago. I loved my mom's so much, I just couldn't pass it up. My grandma had a nice visit with her sister and I had a fun time finally getting to put some of my vintage find to good use. I think the ladies liked seeing the crisp tablecloth and matching dishes on the table. I hope it reminded them of years past.

Emily

So Bummed....and What I Wore

Today was quite a busy day. My mom invited over my great aunt and cousin to visit with my Grandma and my mom and I. I'll post more about this visit tomorrow, including some vintage photos of my Grandma and her sister. After they went home, I made my way over to Mother Fletchers. I had liked a dress there when I traded for the one I wore yesterday, however I didn't get it. One I got home I realized it matched my new wedges so well that I had to go back and get it. So, I did; luckily it was still there!!

One I got home, I got ready to go to the movies to see Julie and Julia. I have been dying to see this film since I saw the trailers months back. Well, about 45 minutes into the movie, the theater went pitch black and the projector stopped. After about 15 minutes of waiting around not knowing what was going on, a staff member came and told us the power went out, there was a tornado warning and that the power wasn't going to come back on and we could pick up vouchers on the way out. I was extremely bummed!! The movie was going soooooo well. The costumes for the Julia Child part were amazing, done by Anne Roth, (which is no surprise as to why they are sooo good). The dresses, suits, and hats were to die for!!! Needless to say, I can't wait for my class to get out tomorrow, because my mom and I have a date to see the rest of the film!!!

Above is my outfit from today. I decided to start doing these posts because I have been inspired by so many other bloggers and their daily outfit posts. I love to see other vintage outfits, so I thought I would share mine. Today I put on a light-weight 40's house dress and paired it with a little sweater. I find myself wearing these little flats that are really tennis shoes. They are super comfy and remind me of a pair that Lucy wears in many episodes of I Love Lucy.

**Please pardon my hair. It was horribly humid outside and my hair style went flat and frizzy**

Dress: Estate Sale

Sweater: Target

Shoes: JC Penny

Emily

What I Wore

Today I had a bridal shower to attend. I was so excited that I would have an occasion to wear my new dress too!! A few days ago, I took some clothes to trade at my favorite vintage shop near my house. They gave me generous store credit and I walked out with this 40's dress for only $20 off my store credit balance, leaving me a ton more to spend. I was looking for a dress to match my new Lana Turner bracelet and this one looked great with it. I also was able to wear my new shoes!

Last night, I set my hair with perm rollers and brushed it out in the morning for that 40's look. I still need some more practice on getting the correct look, so any tips would be welcomed!! I also tried out a new nail polish. I normally wear the red from the Hard as Wraps line that Sally Hanson has or Red Red from Wet and Wild's Wild Shine line. These both have more of a pinkish base. I wanted to try a polish that had more of an orange base to it and found Revlon's Red Hot Tamale to be exactly what I was looking for. I also picked up a new lipstick when I was at the drug store, but was sorely disappointed with it. If anyone has any suggestions on red lipstick that is under $8.00 and it actually red when you put it on and not pinkish, let me know!!

Dress: Mother Fletcher's

Shoes: Estate Sale

Bracelet: eBay, a Lana Turner Estate Piece

Hope you are enjoying the weekend!!

Emily

And The Winner Is.......

The Cookbook Junkie!!!!

Thank you to everyone who entered!! I had so much fun with my first giveaway!

I am now off to a wedding shower. Hope you all have a marvelous weekend!!

Emily

Giveaway..

It's not too late to enter in my giveaway. I will be doing the drawing at 3 p.m Eastern Standard time. So, if you would still like a chance to be entered into the giveaway or would like to post about it on your blog for an extra entry you still have time. The winner will be announced Saturday morning.

Good Luck!!!!

Emily

New Purse

A few weeks ago, I found this purse at an estate sale and fell in love with it. The outside is patent leather and the inside is all vinyl. I love purses that have a vinyl inside because they are so easy to keep clean. The bag was the right size, style, and color--just the kind I normally tend to be drawn to. I have been using it since I purchased it and every time my mom sees it, she always comments on how it's "her kind of bag." So, maybe it will find itself on my mom's arm in the near future.

Back to paper writing!! I will be so glad when this class is over with!!!!!

Emily

A Good Day!!!

I had the day off work today and I went to a fabulous estate sale. Last night I was checking out EstateSales.net to see if there were going to be any good sales this weekend that I should budget some money for. When I opened the page for my local area, there was a sale listed for Monday. I checked it out and was so getting with excited I could hardly sleep last night.

The sale was being run by a company that I normally try and avoid if I can. They always have high prices for their items and won't bargain--even on the last day. But, seeing that there were TONS and TONS of vintage clothing, shoes, hats, purses, and gloves, I had to check it out and after all Monday was their last day of the sale, I had to get some kind of a deal, right?

This sale did not disappoint!! There were still tons of everything left to pick from. I ended up with three pairs of shoes (all from the late 40's, in their original boxes, $13 each) and a brown velvet hat (early 50's, $5). I was able to talk the people running the sale down to reasonable prices. They had each pair of shoes marked around $45. CRAZY!!!! The black shoes are the same brand as the ad to the left of them, Selby. And, inside the box was the receipt for those shoes and a navy pair I got, for a grand total of $17. Now, if I could just find the perfect dresses to match my new finds! :)

I was so happy I went, it truly made my day!

Emily

Computer Woes....

Please excuse my absence. After a little over three years, my beloved laptop has started to give out. I was so bummed, considering that it feels like my whole life is on there; pictures, papers, saved websites, etc. My brother just happens to be really into computers, well anything that can be put together or taken apart :), and he is going to help me out with it.

Today, he fixed me up with one of his spare computers, a Mac Pro. I am soooooo excited!! I have always wanted a Mac since I used them in high school. When it came time for me to get a laptop for college, I went with an HP because if I had gone with a mac, I would have gotten a desktop so I could have all the fancy software on it. Needless to say, I have been stoked all day about my new (borrowed) computer!! What an awesome brother!!!

Before my laptop went out, I had a chance to add a few things to my etsy, but still have TONS more stuff to add. I just got done sorting out all my items and just need to take some photos. The coming weeks will find some cute vintage clothes and housewares, so stay tuned if you are interested!! :)

I'll leave you with a picture of one of my latest eBay purchases. I was able to snag this cute 40's blouse for only $8.00 (that includes the shipping and handling)!! Can't wait for it to come in the mail!!!

Oh, and don't forget, it's not too late to enter in my giveaway!! The last day is Thursday.

Emily