Free Pattern Friday: 1940s apron how to from a men's dress shirt

The 40s were all about making do with what you had and up cycling where you could.  This apron project is perfect for modern eco conscious gal.  And with spring cleaning right around the corner, I see all kinds of aprons coming in handy.

This is for your personal use only.  If you love this apron and want to share, feel free to pin on pinterest, link to this page, or send your friends here.  Please do not repost, redistribute, or reproduce pattern for sale.  Pattern may be used to make aprons for sale.

Some spring inspiration from 1935

Last week we felt a touch of spring here in the mitten state and it ended up causing my poor MCM basement to flood on Monday.  After a messy two days, I am ready to get a jump on spring cleaning and well, for the warmer temps to roll in.

Unfortunately, the weather man is calling for more subzero temps for at least another week or more.  Until the weather gets the memo, I'll be flipping through this 1935 Sears catalog and dreaming of springtime.

Feel free to share these or pin them, but please give credit/link back here.

Saving Style | a 1949 winter

1949

I wish this photo was clearer so you all could see the fantastic coats and bags these ladies have.  While I adore the light colored coat's large fur collar, I must admit that I am quite smitten with the other lady's look.  The hat, saddle shoes, white gloves, and clutch bag -- very much a cool collegiate look, no?

5 retro craft projects I'm dreaming about

Being that this has been one of the worst winters on record for the mitten state, I am really looking forward to spring.  And, one of my favorite things to do come springtime, besides the usual spring clean, is to try a few crafty projects to add new life into my freshly cleaned space.  Here are five projects I am looking forward to trying out over the next few months:

Retro Swag Light

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One of the things I have been on the search for is a swag light to replace a temporary one over my bar in my living room.  This project seems to be super easy and I love that I can customize it to match the colors in my room perfectly.

Record Sidetable

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In the same room as my bar swag light dilemma, I have my record collection and turntable.  This project also looks super easy and all the supplies can be easily found at thrift stores.  A perfect use for heavily scratched records!  

Retro Pintuck Pillow

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What vintage lover doesn't like these pillows?  I have a few vintage ones, but they are getting harder to come by around these parts, plus being able to select colors that will match the given space they will reside in and knowing they are clean is quite appealing.

Vintage Planter iPhone Dock

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Isn't this just the cutest thing ever?  While I am not one that normally goes in for upcycling, sometimes I think taking an item that isn't functional (as in the scratched records above or the following project below) and morphing it into something that is functional.  I have an abundance of vintage planters and I will never have enough plants to fill them all.  Plus, this is going to look so adorable on my bedside table!  By the way, if you aren't already following Ashlee, you totally should!

Vintage Watch Locket

 

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I recently bought a huge lot of vintage costume jewelry and in the bunch were several non-working vintage watches.  While I could get them repaired (and some I might), I am always coming across vintage watches that are no longer in working order.  I love what a creative idea this is and can't wait to transform one of my out of order watches into this sweet memento.

What crafty projects are you looking forward to working on this spring?

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines Day, dear readers!

Did you see all the vintage valentines in my count down on both Facebook and instagram?  

If not, follow @livinvintage on instagram to see them all or like Livin' Vintage on Facebook.

If you missed any or want to see more, there will be a small round-up in the February LV Newsletter. 

To subscribe, click HERE 

Three Vintage Valentine Baking Ideas

 For me, one of the most fun parts of Valentine's Day is baking up some sweet treats for my loved ones.  While everyone is giving out boxed chocolates, a cake or cookies can be a nice departure from the standard Whitman's Sampler.  

Here are three different baked treats that are sure to please.

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 What a fun twist on a two tired cake!  I love how they have decorated it -- simple but sweet.

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I have always loved a good marble cake and this one sounds really interesting.  I bet this would be cute if made in the shape of a heart.  Or why not combine this recipe with the cake decoration above?

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Since seeing this idea on Bakerella, I have always wanted to try it.  The cookies are made by printing images on printable frosting sheets and edible ink.  These would be so adorable to send to school for your little one's valentine party.  Ok, now I want to buy a new printer just to make these! ;) 

Free Vintage Valentine Mini Giftbag Printable

I love vintage valentines, especially the anthropomorphic ones like the sugar cubes one above.  Instead of wrapping up your loved one's gift in a plain generic bag, why not download this sweet sugar cube bag I created with one of my favorite vintage valentines just for Livin' Vintage readers!

DOWNLOAD THE VINTAGE VALENTINE MINI GIFT BAG


The PDF is formatted to fit on a regular 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper.  Print on card stock for a more sturdy bag.  The valentine has been digitally restored and is an original from my personal collection. 
Feel free to pin this post and direct friends here.  Please do not re-post, re-distribute, or sell this download in whole or part.

14 Vintage Valentine Starlets

| Cyd Charisse |

One of my favorite things about classic hollywood is all the fantastic staged publicity photos.  I have compiled 14 of my favorite valentine themed photos.  Which one is your favorite?

| Debbie Reynolds |

| Joan Blondell |

| Marie McDonald |

| Mary Castle |

| Jean Harlow, Clark Gable, & Myrna Loy |

The photo above is promotional material for the 1936 film Wife vs. Secretary.  Released two weeks after Valentine's Day, I'd say this was some rather clever advertising on behalf of MGM.

| Rhonda Fleming |

| Yvonne de Carlo |

| Nancy Caroll |

| Marilyn Monroe |

| Lana Turner |

| Betty Hutton |

| Dolores Moran |

| Wynne Gibson |

 Want to see more?  Leonard Maltin has an excellent article on Valentine Pin-Ups.  Read it HERE.

From the LV Archives: 1936 Valentine Store Front Window Display for Lord & Taylor

Since I have been blogging for several years now, I thought it might be fun to occasionally share a post from the Livin' Vintage Archives.

This is one of my favorite photos that I have collected over the years.  It encompasses many of my vintage loves: vintage fashion, old store fronts/displays, photography, and documenting history.

SEE THE ORIGINAL POST

For a while I thought this photo was used in a kit to help other Lord & Taylor window dressers get the original look created in New York.  Now I am thinking that it might have been used as a way to document past windows for the L & T archives.  Regardless of the intended purpose, I am glad it was taken and that it now resides in my collection.  I have a few others like this and plan on sharing them soon.

*PHOTO DISCLAIMER: this photo is from my personal collection and may not be copied, reproduced, or redistributed in any whole or part.  All rights reserved by livin-vintage.com, 2014.

Are you using this important etsy shopping tool? A tip for finding what you are looking for on etsy

I have been a regular easy shopper for several years now and with the constant changes the site undergoes, it can sometimes be difficult to find what you are looking for.  Likewise for sellers, it can often be hard to organize your shop in a way that will hit everyone's preferences for online shopping.

Over the next few months, I will be sharing some tips and tricks from both the buyer and the sellers perspective when it comes to using etsy.  Today, I want to a tool with you that every etsy shop has and can be extremely helpful when searching for an item.

We all know etsy has a general search tool -- it's the easiest and most basic way to find what we are on the hunt for, but did you know that etsy also has a "search this shop" function?  This search box appears in every store at the top right under the shop's announcement and can be used to filter out the different types of items you are looking for.

Most sellers have their shop organized by type of clothing, making it easier for SEO to pick up your items in google searches.  However, this isn't always the best way to separate your shop out when it comes to what shoppers are looking for; and, until etsy gives sellers more than 10 categories, this is what we have to work with to keep things sorted out.

Using the "search this shop" tool allows buyers to shop by era, size, and color, providing that sellers have imputed this information into their titles.  This is why it's so important to incorporate these types of descriptions into the title of your item.  Not only will it help your item get more hits in the general search, but it allows shoppers to further break down your offerings, helping them find exactly what they are looking for.

Saving Style | a 1939 winter

| Ann Schwartz, 1939 |

Recently, my grandpa sent me a whole bunch of family photos from the 20s-70s and it has been a lot of fun going through them all.  I particularly fell in love with this one of my great aunt Ann.  I really love all the accessories to her outfit, which is no surprise being that this photo was taken in 1939 -- one of favorite years in fashion history.  I only wish I could see her shoes! 

I have almost this exact purse in my collection and this photo has inspired me to take it out for a spin.  I love finding vintage twins; it's always so exciting!