New Years Eve Circa 1967

This photo is of New Years 1967. My grandma is the lady in white, one person left of the lady by the letter N. Next to my grandma is her younger sister. Don't they look like they were having a marvelous time? :)

Happy New Years Everyone!!!!! I hope you all have a wonderful New Years Eve!!!!

Emily

Celebrations

Yesterday was my mom's birthday. For the last few years, we have been dinning out at Macaroni Grille for her birthday celebration. They serve delicious Italian cuisine and highly recommend going if you ever get the chance. I always take any sort of a celebration as an excuse to get dressed up. My mom had a really nice birthday this year and she is enjoying her vintage cameo that I got her. :)

Tomorrow I am taking a drive over to the closest Goodwill Outlet Store, or the bins as many call them. I have been searching for a close location for a while, since Michigan does not have one (I found one in a bordering state). I am really excited by the thought of buying thrifted finds by the pound!! I'll post any finds that should come my way!!

Dress: Mother Fletchers

Sweater: Target

Purse: Salvation Army

Heels: eBay

Belt: Off Another Dress

Emily

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays!!!!

If you didn't notice, I stole my entry title from an N'SYNC song. Their Christmas album is still among one of my favorites. :) Anyways.... Merry Christmas!! I hope Santa brought everyone something special!!

This is what I wore to church last night. I decided on wearing my "Joan" dress. I got this dress a year before Mad Men even aired on TV. Then one night, to my surprise, I was watching an episode and saw Joan wearing my dress...or something very very similar. Mine doesn't have the buttons or as low of a neckline, but is similar nonetheless. I almost wore this dress for Halloween. :) I went with this over the other two choices because I wanted to keep with tradition and wear my Great-Grandma's coat; I have been wearing it to church on Christmas Eve for several years now. I feel they go together well -- almost like they were made for each other. So this year it was a "Mad Men Christmas."

Dress: TJ's Sweet Repeats (They are no longer in business)

Purse, Earrings, Shoes: Estate Sales

Pin, Bracelet, Coat: Great-Grandma's

Belt: Kohls

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!! May your day be joyful and bright!!

Emily

Black and White Christmas

These are some of my favorite Christmas photos. They are from my grandma on my mom's side. When I was a little girl, I would love to look at all the old pictures at grandma's house. She has this big black album that is from the '30s filled with old photos. That was my favorite thing to look at and I would spend hours doing so. After looking at the album, Grandma would get down a shoe box that was filled with old Polaroids. This is where these photos were found. The color one is probably from the late '40s to mid '50s. The black and white one is probably from 1956 since is says April '57 (I think the date thing was off on the camera). I love all the old furniture and Christmas decorations!! I will be posting more of these old photos in the future.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas eve!! Tonight I will be attending church with my family and have yet to decide on which dress to wear. I am still debating between three different dresses. :)

Merry Christmas!!!!!

Emily

Green Glamour

For a long time now, I have been on the look out for the perfect vintage vanity set. Last summer, I found a sterling silver brush and comb set at an antique mall sidewalk sale for $4. It was a reproduction, but that was okay by me because I wouldn't feel bad if something happened to it while I cleaned it.

Last week, while lurking around on eBay, I came across this vintage set, for only $15!!!! The mirror is in perfect condition -- no cracks or dark spots!! It is vintage celluloid and has such a lovely design. I am thinking it might be from the mid to late '20s because of the button hook, but if anyone has a better guess, let me know!! This set kind of matches the power jar I found at a flea market over the summer. My brush and comb don't really match, but I don't mind. I am planning on looking for a comb to match this set and possibly a silver mirror to match the other. A girl can never have too many vanity sets....can she??

Emily

The Snow is Here!!

I want to start off my post by sending a thank you out to Leah over at Storybook Ranch. I won her giveaway and on Friday I received it in the mail. Since then, this cute vintage inspired magnet has been on my fridge and my family has had some fun playing around with all the different adjectives. Thank you soo much Leah!!! :)

Last week, Metro Detroit Michigan finally saw some snow that actually stuck to the ground. I love snow this time of year but don't care too much for it once school starts back up and I have to commute in it. We have less than an inch on the ground where I live, but the forecast is calling for more snow around Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!!! :) Yesterday I got dressed up to go out and do a little shopping. I recently purchased some stocking at Nordstroms with the seam up the back and I wanted to try them out. I found this dress in my closest; I had nearly forgot about it! After wearing it yesterday, I realized why it doesn't get worn too often, the top part had a hard time staying closed (as you may be able to see in the picture). I even pinned it with still no luck. Oh well, maybe I will trade it in for a different dress soon.

Hat, Shoes, & Bag: eBay

Dress: Mother Fletchers

Gloves: Estate Sale

Belt: JC Penny

Stockings: Nordstroms

Emily

Film Fashion Friday: Christmas in Connecticut (1945)

It is Christmas week this Friday. The main film for this special holiday edition is Christmas in Connecticut (1945). This is one of my favorite holiday films, as I'm sure it is for many others as well. No big description this time. If you haven't seen this film....you need to go out and rent it or buy it!!!! It's a very cute story and Barbara Standwyck has some great gowns, designed by Edith Head. This is a definite holiday must see!!!

I selected four honorable mentions of sorts. I have blogged about It Happened on 5th Avenue (1947) before, and it does feature some really lovely coat and hat ensembles. Plus it is a really heartwarming movie. Lorraine MacLean did the costumes on this film and doesn't really have any other huge film to her credit. I found it interesting that she also dabbled in the make-up department as well as some acting in the late '20s and '30s.

The Bishop's Wife (1947) doesn't have a whole lot of fabulous costumes, but I really like that Loretta Young wears the high heeled over boots. There is also a great ice skating scene as well. Irene Sharaff did the costumes for this film and has done the costumes for some other big films, later in her career, such as West Side Story (1961), Mommie Dearest (1981), and Who's Afriad of Virginia Wolf (1966).

Holiday Inn (1942) and White Christmas (1954) are both really wonderful Christmas musicals, both featuring music from Irving Berlin. As with most musicals, the costumes are great; Edith head did the gowns for both films.

I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays and I hope you get a chance to catch at least one of these great films!! Film Fashion Friday will be taking a short hiatus until for the holidays and will return in the New Year on January 8th 2010. Until then, if anyone has any suggestions for some themes (say a certain actress or actor, genre, etc.) or some of the eras you would like to see in the new year, let me know!!!! I love suggestions!!!

Emily

Christmas Lights

I am sure every town has a house like this and if they don't, you are sure missing out. Some may find this tacky, and maybe it slightly is, but I think it's simply beautiful. This house has been putting together Christmas lights for 31 years and it has become a tradition for many in the area. Above are pictures from the corner of the street on either side. This corner house has a huge backyard and every square foot is covered with something that sparkles.

The daughter of the homeowner said it takes them about two months to set everything up. They sort of have little vignettes, all with different themes. I love the big Santa -- he is life sized!!

The daughter as said that the carolers represent the homeowner's grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I think that so sweet!!

Going to see this house has become apart of my Christmas traditions. When I think of Christmas, it's always one of the things that comes to mind. I love how you can spot the house from a block away and how much time this family spends on putting something like this together, for all of us to enjoy. I never miss out seeing this house during the holiday season.

Is there a house like this in your town? I'd love to see!!!!

Emily

Last Day of School...

I meant to post this last week, but with all the holiday craziness, I am now just getting around to sharing this. Last week was my last class for my last fall undergrad semester (I graduate in May!!!!!). I was itching to wear one of my new dresses that I acquired at the farmhouse estate sale. This lady made SEVERAL of these dresses in the same style. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the pattern for this style among her stash of SEVERAL patterns. I ended up buying three of these, the only three left that were in good, wearable condition. The others had been patched and worn with lots of love. I can just picture this lady wearing one of these dresses while feeding the chickens. The other two dresses have ties in the back and for some reason, this one did not. All of the other dresses there had the ties as well. Maybe she forgot to sew them in? Anyways, when I saw this dress at the sale, I knew I had the perfect belt and shoes to match at home. I also just loved the print of the fabric. All this lady's dresses were made out of the cutest fabrics!!

Dress: Estate Sale

Sweater & Earrings: JC Penny

Shoes: Adrienne Vittadini

Belt: TJ Maxx

Emily

Holiday Product Review: Wilton Cookie Press

A few weeks ago, my mom and I spotted this cookie press at Target. I have been wanting a cookie press for a long time and since this one was such a good deal, $9.99, we decided to pick it up and try it out. This past weekend, I got busy and whipped up a batch of Christmas trees to freeze for Christmas. I followed the recipe on the back of the box and swapped out the almond extract for lemon and added a bit more vanilla....I love vanilla!! I also added some green food coloring to make the cookies more festive.

I must say that what you get for ten bucks is nice. There are twelve different disks complete with a Christmas tree and a pumpkin, making this a nice buy for making all different kinds of holiday cookies. The press is nice and sturdy, not what you might expect from a ten dollar buy. Once I started making the cookies, things did not go as smoothly as the box states it will. There is a definite technique to making the cookies come out and it took several tries to make them look acceptable, even for a somewhat experienced baker. Once I got it down, they went onto the cookie sheet like one - two - three!!

The recipe tastes okay. It calls for 3 sticks of butter, which overpowers the taste. It is more of a butter cookie than anything.

Overall, I give this cookie press 8/10. The price is great and is quite sturdy. Target is carrying this press as part of their regular holiday specials that are found in their signature boxes. So if you still need to get some baking done for Christmas, I recommend this press. It takes the stress out of baking!! :)

Emily