Friday, February 14, 2014

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 





Thursday, February 13, 2014

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.

| image source |

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


| image source |
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?


| image source |

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! ;) 


Wednesday, February 12, 2014

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.



Tuesday, February 11, 2014

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.



Monday, February 10, 2014

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.


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.

Tuesday, February 4, 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.



Monday, February 3, 2014

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!



Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Polar Vortex Sale


With subzero temperatures in the Midwest, it is WAY too cold to venture outside.  Stay toasty and shop from home!




The entire shop is on sale now through the 31st.




Thursday, January 23, 2014

Are you Signed Up? A One Time Sneak Peek Inside the Livin' Vintage Newsletter



Tomorrow is a big day for Livin' Vintage!  My first ever newsletter hit's your inboxes!



I thought I would share a one time sneak peek inside the newsletter.  This content is designed to be exclusive newsletter only material, so this is a special glance!

In every issue you will find a spread from a vintage magazine on fashion forecasts for that given month.  This month's fashion spread comes from the January 1948 Screenland magazine, which showcases the new longer hemlines of the New Look trend.

I'm already flipping through my February magazines to pick out next month's fashion spread!

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Storing Vintage Magazines


Storing collections in a fun creative way can often be a challenge.  My vintage magazine collection is bursting at the seams and I needed a way for me to store, organize, and somewhat display my collection without taking up too much room and still being able to access them easily.

In walked these vintage fruit crates.  I was in the basement of an estate sale and there was a giant pile of all different sorts of these crates at $2 a pop.  At the time, I wasn't sure what I was going to use them for, but they were stupid cheap and I've aways lusted after fruit/veggie crate decals.


These crates work great for storing magazines.  They are designed to hold the weight of heavy produce, so they can withstand the weight of magazines.  You can also fit a whole year of a title all in one crate and label the end, so it's easy to find the magazine you want when you need it.  What I also love, is these are stackable and pretty compact -- fitting well under a bed, in a bookcase, next to a desk.  Plus, because of their cute graphics, they are pretty too!