A sweet little fairy...

caught in a jar for my friend Jenni~

A Vintage Quiz

Here's a little quiz to see how discerning your eye is. What's wrong with this 1950's dress? No, I'm not talking about the missing button. There is something about this dress that is very obviously wrong. Take a good long look at the photo and see if you can find it.

I was thinking about titling this post "DON'T DO THIS", but I wasn't sure how many people would respond positively to that. I could have titled it "What Not to Do", but that was too close to one of my favorite TV shows.

Did you figure it out yet? Hint - the dress has been altered, probably in the 80's.

Here's a cute picture of my dog:



No, Zippy didn't alter the dress! I just needed to fill in some space on this post, so the answer to the quiz didn't pop out before you had a chance to figure it out. He is cute though, no?

Answer: The dress has been shortened about 8" from its original length. What's worse, its been cut off and shortened. DON'T DO THIS!!!! There, I said it. Please, I'm begging you, if you must shorten a vintage dress, leave the original length in the portion that you fold up. That way, the next owner can let the hem back down if she wants. I spend alot of time restoring original hem lengths to 1950's dresses that were shortened in the 60's. Hey, fashions change. Hem lengths go up and down. That's OK. But step away from the scissors.....please!

See this dress and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

Shop Early for Best Selection

I've always disliked that phrase, no matter how true it may be. But the fact remains that you can't find a decent bathing suit at the mall when the temperatures finally decide to soar in June. And you can't find a stylish winter coat when you need one in February.

I'd like to tell you that it is different with vintage clothing, but we sold out of bathing suits in March. We started photographing and listing winter coats in May, and many of our best for this year are already sold. Style takes planning!

For those of you who are thinking about your winter coat while sitting on the beach, may we offer these for your consideration?

1940's Emerald Princess Coat:



1980's Pauline Trigere Coat:



1960's Tapestry Coat with Fox Collar:



1950's Black Velvet Swing Coat:



See these coats and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

The Fair~

The fair is right around the corner (in Ocotober) and I've got no entries as of today. Thats gotta change! For a $1 dollar entry fee per item I have the chance to win... I think its $12 bucks for first prize :-) and a blue ribbon *big smile* I want a handful of those to add to my blue ribbons from last year...yes, I'm hooked! I'm thinking of making a crocheted baby blanket (since last years baby blanket didn't even place) since seeing the works of ART some people managed to make last year, I am deteremined to at least get a third place ribbon!! Which is probably going to take me a few years of entries...but I'm going to do it. Anywho, I thought I'd share a photo of one of the patterns I'm going to work into a blanket. I think its super cute. I'm going to be buying the yarn this evening... happy-happy-joy-joy~
It is called Lacy Lattice and is super easy-peasy. You crochet different colored squares joining them as you work across in long rows. Loads of "hiding tails" but the plaid look of it is so darn cute. For some reason the photo didn't come out that cute....but it is darling! trust me~

4x4 Friday

This weeks theme is: orange & yellow. Eh gawds..... not so cute, but its finished lol. You can find way better/ cuter 4X4's here~

Been cuttin'

I spent some time today cutting out small birds to have on hand just in case I feel like "gluing"... you know how it is, you've got to be in the mood. Okokok... maybe its just "me" who has to be in a gluing kinda mood? lol Anywho, here is a great idea to hold all those little bits & pieces you've cut out. I use a plastic sheet that once held pogs, the sheets can then go into a binder for easy access & storage~

Pirate Party~

Here are a few photos of the birthday boy and his parents.... the rest of the pictures were taken after the party-- after I cleaned up and realized I hadn't taken any pictures during the party because I WAS TO BUSY lol....so I snapped a few before I boxed everything up. I forgot to take photos of the 3 main tables...oh well, next year!!

Around my house~

Here are some photos of my house :-P These are of my Dining area & den... the cat laying on the checkerboard game is named Baby~ she isn't dead-- she just gets in a "sleep-coma" sometimes and just appears lifeless~ If you drag your mouse over the photos you will create a "magnifier" so you can hunt for dust bunnies. If you find any, they are yours to keep forever & ever!

Painting~

I was asked by Heidi about the kind of paint I use when I paint everything in sight :-P well....I'll tell ya~ For the spray paint I use the .98cent paint from Walmart. I prefer the glossy look on everything so it is easily washable. The paint I use when I need to brush on paint is Walmart paint as well. I like to use (I had to go in the garage to get it lol) the brand is called: Colorplace and I use the interior latex semi-gloss wall & trim paint #5407.

Now ladies....here is the secret to painting. Whenever you paint something let it sit in the sun all day long to "bake" onto whatever it is you've painted. At the end of the day...lets say....if you've painted a bookcase you can start putting books on it that night no problemo. The sun baked painted piece is less likely to have the paint chip off on accident as well....it still sands off for an easy "shabby finish" not to worry :-P Soooooooooo set yourself up a "spray-table" in the yard and get to painting!

Been paintin'...

my new clock~ this beaut cost me all of $10 bucks. I purchased it from one of my many haunts~ I am eventually going to shabby it up a bit-- but for now I'm enjoying the clean look of it. When I bought it, it was a dark brown color. Three coats of white paint later I have a nice looking clock. I have it hanging up on the side of my brick fireplace next to my computer.... I replaced a small mirror I had hanging there. Looks all formal.... until you look down~
I've got my vintage little shelf unit housing my grandson's ever growing book collection next to an adorable pink rocking chair I snagged for $6 bucks (if I remember correctly!) That huge brown thing is my soon to be painted WHITE computer desk with my lovely new metal lamp ($7 buck steal) which was at the time I bought it, silver. Sooooo thats what I've been up to--- goofing around!!

The Sheer Wonder of it All

We just listed a fabulous collection of vintage peignoir sets, including this 1950's Shadowline set in girly pink. Girly - that's exactly what these are. Fluffy, poufy, and sweet as candy. Wearing something like this just makes a gal feel pretty.

So I'm taking pictures of these peignoir sets, and BAM! I put this long white gown on the mannequin and I can see right through it! This thing leaves nothing to the imagination! "Wait a minute", says I. "I know this thing is 50's, but I never wore anything this racy, much less anyone from my mother's generation!"



Then, this black one went on the mannequin. If anything, it's even sheerer than the white one. Wow!



This begins to unnerve me. My imagination starts working overtime as I picture moms all over 1950's middle America, the same moms who baked apple pies, hung laundry outside to dry, and spent the afternoon ironing dad's shirts. I picture those moms running around at night nearly naked in sheer nightgowns after the kids have gone to bed, doing unimaginable things that don't involve washing dishes. It can't be! An email to my mom is definitely in order to dispel these nightmarish visions.

To my relief, mom confirms that no, she never owned anything like that. And though she longed to wear one of those girly pink sets like the one up at the top of this post, with a young family, she couldn't afford it. In fact, when my brain calmed down, I remembered mom wearing something more like these 1950's Barbizon pajamas.



Whew! So who was wearing those sheerest of sheer nightgowns? Maybe this image from a 1956 Frederick's of Hollywood catalog will help clear up the mystery.



The Frederick's catalog! The catalog that fed the fantasy life of moms all across Middle America! The catalog that made us wonder if we too would be magically transformed into that exotic creature when our order arrived in the mail. But I'll never tell. And I know my mom won't either!

See all these lingerie items and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

Blackberry pie~

Here is the blackberry pie I made from the berries I picked yesterday :-)

The recipe is easy-peasy.... and very YuMmY~

INGREDIENTS
4 cups fresh blackberries
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup white sugar

DIRECTIONS
Combine 3 1/2 cups berries with the sugar and flour. Spoon the mixture into an unbaked pie shell. Spread the remaining 1/2 cup berries on top of the sweetened berries, and cover with the top crust. Seal and crimp the edges. Brush the top crust with milk, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar.
Bake at 425 degree F (220 degrees C) for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature of the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes.

Blackberries & cherry.....

tomatoes freshly picked from my garden :-)
I am soooooooo going to make a pie!!

Oh no you didn't....

Ohhhhhhh yes I did! Look at all these craft & quilting magazines that I picked for $4 bucks. *grinning while doing the happy dance* I found another huge block sale and I just HAD to go. The gal was selling them for .10cents each...upon going through them rather quickly I had already gathered up easily 30/$3 dollars worth when I thought I would just ask..."how much for ALL of them?" "$4 bucks" she said almost apologizing!... SoLd!!! Then she tossed in some cook books & some crochet books! The price on just one of these mazazines is $5.95 *happy dance-happy dance- lalalalalala~*

4x4 Friday

This weeks theme for 4 x 4 Friday is: Shoes
You can see more 4 x 4's here.

A new piece...

of furniture that is! Here is a darling vintage wicker shelf unit that I picked up for $4 bucks. It was painted a light yellow, probably the original paint job..... but white was calling out to meeeeeeee~ It serves no purpose other than looking cute :-P

The Cloche Hat - Through the Years

From Fairchild's Dictionary of Fashion:

Cloche (klohsh) Deep-crowned hat with very narrow brim or brimless, fitting head closely, almost concealing all of the hair. Worn pulled down almost to eyebrows.



The cloche hat first became popular in the 1920's. Although cloches are most often linked with flappers, they actually started appearing in high fashion as early as 1917. Coco Chanel started her career as a milliner and is said to have invented the cloche style in the teens, although that distinction has also been given to milliners Reboux and Lucie Hamar. Cloches complimented the bobbed hairstyles of the 20's.

During the 1950's, cloches again made a brief appearance as cocktail hats. Most often made of satin with sparkling decorations, they also fit closely to the head and were soft in construction.

Cloches made another appearance in the late 1960's and early 70's, although they now most often had a small brim.

How do you tell if the cloche you're looking at is from the 20's or 60's? Almost all cloches from the 20's will be fully lined in lightweight silk.

Later hats will have no lining and an inner hatband of grosgrain ribbon.

If you see a cloche hat advertised as 1920's or flapper and it isn't lined or has an inner grosgrain hatband, be careful! You could be buying a 60's hat!

Sweet angels~

Here is a pair of angels that I got for $1 dollar at a yard sale.... they were gold in color without any "embellishements" when I bought them :-P They were beautiful when I got them.... now they are beautiful & silly :-) I painted the pair white and added a nutmeg wash over the pieces to bring out some of the details. I then covered the plastic fabric swag-- with real fabric that matches the fabric used in the nursery. I then added party hats for some whimsical fun and taaaaaaaaa-daaaaaaaaaa something fun for the room! I have them hanging above my grandson's crib in the nursery at my house. I am eventually going to create a swag with the words "sweet dreams" that the pair will be holding. But you know how it goes...never enough time to complete anything!

Hats Still Hot for Fall

From Paris to Milan to New York, hats were still showing strong on the runways for Fall 2008. Shown above are looks from Christian Dior, Dolce & Gabanna, and Marc Jacobs. Hats are a great way to update your look without spending a lot of cash. And choosing vintage hats will give you lots of options. We've just added a great selection of vintage hats to our store - there's sure to be something right for you!

1970's Frank Olive cloche

1950's Lampshade Hat a la Audrey Hepburn

1960's Jockey Style Hat

1980's Riding Style Hat

See these hats and many more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

Freeeeeeeeeeeee~

I got a car/trunk load full of boxes of craft items and odds & ends that were left over from an estate sale that I had attended months ago. The family had come to the end of having sales and were giving away the "left-overs"--- lucky meeeeeeeeeeeee~
There is a lot of usable stuff in these boxes.... now I've just got to put it all away and donate the things I don't want or need :-P

Shop-ping!

I haven't been doing to much art or crafts lately, it seems all I've been doing is working around the house...so here is some things I'm currently working on :-)

I picked up this adorable baby high chair for $3 bucks. It is a better match to my dining chairs with the rounded high back-- it just needs to be painted white (of course!) and the little doll high chair I got at the same yard sale for $3 bucks as well. cute-cute-cute!I also picked up this LoVeLy mirror for $10 bucks---

and the two solid wood/carved picture frames with flowers that match very closely to the Waverly fabrics I'm using in my dining/den area... I haven't decided to paint it all white-- yet. *insert snicker here*

I purchased tons more, but it is all tucked away so as the house looks "clean" just don't open any cabinet or some treasure is likely to fall on your head!!

Davidow

We're headed in to our first heat wave of 2008 - 4 days of temps over 90 and high humidity. Ugh. But it won't be long before the winter winds are back, and with that in mind, we're working on our collection of vintage coats for this year.

While best known for their ladies suits, Davidow also made wonderful coats in classic, timeless styles. This one is from the late 1960's, and we're in love with this vibrant pink and purple boucle plaid wool.

Davidow was best known for the details in their designs. Here, the pockets have been cut on the bias. Those flaps are faux. The actual pocket opening is a slit on the side, which is much easier to get into. Also note how beautifully the plaid is matched, especially on those raglan sleeves.

See this coat and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

Lookie...

what I bought for $8 bucks. Cute huh? *Sigh* now I've just got to paint it-- white of couse :-P
This is what my kitchen table looks like most of the time.... newspapers, some huge object on top of it and a gallon of white paint~

Getting 'er done~

Well I finally finished sewing the scalloped table cloth for this old piece of furniture. This shot is of the entrance into my den from my living room. Isn't the little vintage book shelf sooooooo darn cute? I got that recently for $5 bucks to house my grandson's ever growing book collection. I of course HAD to paint it white--

Soooooooo cute~

Here is a little something that I put together that I thought turned out kinda cute...thought I'd share it.

I purchased a bag of 8 little tole trays for $2 from a local "boutique" (thrift store) months ago.... I've had them stashed in a drawer all this time. Half of them have painted roses on a black background and the other half are painted on a green background.I picked up this 3 tiered silver plated piece for $2...You see it coming don't you?Yep, I married the two together and now I have this LoVeLy little piece sitting on my dresser. The fit wasn't perfect, so I took some needle-nosed pliers and pulled up the sides of the tole trays so they fit snuggly within the frame of the 3 tiered piece. Simply charming!