Score!

Today was filled with running errands,none too fun except the last one!Going to the flea market to hunt for my etsy shop!

I'm glad we went to the grocery store first instead of the flea market since I went over my planned budget there,though not as fun it's definitely more beneficial for my family to have more groceries than vintage goodies.

I had grabbed a few things and was slowly working my way to my $25.00 limit when I saw it.There is was in all it's pink glory but with no price.A Pearl wick bin that would be PERFECT for a new toy box for my daughter who currently has been keeping her toys in woven baskets that have fallen apart.

I've hunted high and low and haven't been able to find a vintage toy bin I liked and definitely not in my budget so when I saw this one didn't have the price on it I became nervous.I had my husband stand guard by it as I went to the front to ask the guy the price since 2 other ladies were slowly creeping over to it and eying it.My husband has his concealed weapon permit so I teased him to flash them the gun is they tried to touch it (yes,I'm slightly psychotic about my vintage).

The gentlemen at the counter called the vendor for me and told me $25.00,I grabbed what I had picked up so far and quickly put it back in their proper places and told my hubby to bring it up front.It was mine!*Insert smug satisfaction here as I walked past the other ladies that had been hanging around it like a bunch of vultures*

So here it is,I love it and since my hubby doesn't do pink our daughter has been my pink outlet she gets pink everything.I actually squealed with delight and clapped my hands after I was done putting all her toys in it.I guess you call that a vintage high,vintage is my drug of choice.





and here's a close up of the pattern:

Dear Santa...

Not going to happen but a gal can dream can't she?So for Christmas Santa I would like the following 3 things and in the same theme no less!

A 1939 World's Fair Bakelite pencil sharpener:


a bakelite thermometer:




and some salt and pepper shakers:


If you could pull that off Santa I'd be pleased and then some!

Wearing My Heart on My Sleeve...

I love tattoos and more importantly I love my tattoos.Everyone I have means something very special to me and I am fortunate enough to not have any that I regret.Of course I wanted to get a tattoo for my daughter when I found out I was pregnant with her,she's 2 and 1/2 now and I finally was able to do that.

Luckily my friend Jamy said it wouldn't be fair to only get the one for Heidi and offered to do one for my son too!So to anyone visiting or in Indiana,should you wander through the fields of corn and end up in Franklin please so see Jamy Carlton of The Great American Tattoo Company,her and her boyfriend are both great artist and I am so thankful to Jamy for adorning my arm with my little tributes of love to my kiddos.

I know I should be a good girl and wait till these are totally healed before I show them off (I just got them done Friday) to do them justice but I'm just so thrilled with them that I'm going to show them off now!

On my upper arm I got a Kewpie doll for my daughter.I've always though Kewpies were darling and my daughter has always been a living doll to me.Even as a newborn she was adorable and no I'm not just saying that cause she's mine,even the doctors and nurses that delivered her all commented on what a pretty newborn she was.This kid had my heart from the start.The first thing ever said to her was "Oh!I love you!" as I burst into tears.


Wayland is 4 months old now and though I didn't have an idea of what I wanted for him when I was pregnant with him I did know I wanted something but it'd have to come to me as I got to know him.In the 4 blessed months that my lil guy has been in the world one knick name I've had for him that has stuck is mama's kit kat clock.

I call him that because he doesn't like to miss a thing and he keeps his big eyes open watching the world fighting sleep as much as he can.I love to watch him as he nurses himself to sleep,his eyes move back and forth like a kit kat clock ,becoming smaller and smaller till they're closed but all the while continuing with that back and forth motion.Instead of numbers on the clock I had Jamy replace them with hearts cause no matter what the time,day or night I love this kid.

Oh Christmas Tree,No Christmas Tree....

Like many Americans this year Christmas isn't going to be a very Christmasy one.With my hubby having been unemployed for 7 months and counting unfortunately a Christmas tree just wasn't in the cards for us this year,*shrugs* these things happen and like they say "there's always next year".This post isn't going to be a post of boo hoo though instead I look at it this way,I may not have a Christmas tree this year to show off my vintage ornaments but at least I have my blog to share them on.When I do a tree I like to refer to it more as a "Kitschmas" tree,here are a few of my favorite kitschy ones...











Hope you find them just as charming as I do!

In Some Aspects I Have Become My Mother...

It's not a bad thing,I love my mother very much.It's funny how we spend so much of our youth rebelling against our parents only to find as we sink further and further into adulthood that we're a lot like them...including the little oddities.

I remember when I was little friends coming over and asking who so and so was in a picture over here and that picture over there.I loved telling my friends about my moms made up family,the family she was proud to display.Most of my friends found that either really sad or creepy but they didn't really know my family so they didn't understand.I always got a kick out of the store bought family,the picture perfect people that came in the frame,surely it made more sense to keep them in the frame than *insert dysfunctional family member here*.

My own home is filled with that same thing but with vintage pictures.I have my own family hung around the house but also a great mix of people I have no idea about.I really love finding the ones that have the old celebrities in the frames and here are a few I've added to collection over the past few weeks.

I'm really excited about this one as I am a huge Vincent Price fan and of course Olga San Juan is pretty darn easy on the eyes too!

This gal here is just a pretty face but a pretty face she is indeed!

And last my most certainly not least Ursula Thiess!

On To Better Homes...

I love selling vintage.Besides the fact that it lets me be a stay at home mom it's great to do what you love...unfortunately the pay is unpredictable and often times lousy but I love it and that's what counts.Now as any vintage seller will tell you one of the hardest things to do is let go of some things.Every seller has a bad habit of keeping things once intended to sell and really you can't fault us,some things are just TOO awesome to let go of.

One of my personal vices is curtains!I love,love,make my heart go pitter patter love midcentury drapery!I have boxes full of ones that do not fit my windows that I can't part with,it's sick,it's a disease!Of all the vices out there though it's not so bad...it could be worse,not like I'm robbing old ladies for money to buy crack rocks.

Recently I had a dear internet pal find me on Facebook,he has fantastic taste and when I use to sell on Ebay before I fell in love with Etsy he bought a few curtains from me here and there.As I peeked into his home photos album on Facebook tonight I noticed a pair of the curtains he'd bought years ago are in his guest room and I have to show them off here cause it's a real treat to see the things you love and had to part with go on to a good home that does them justice!

So here are those lovely curtains that just fit so well in the guest room of Mr.Thomas,this fella has good taste,love it and hope you enjoy too!

Mama's Got a New Hat..

I won't lie clothes shopping for me is not fun,not right now anyway.I can't really buy things that are my old size (though I still do from time to time) cause I need another article of clothing in my closet that doesn't fit like I need another hole in the head.But I refuse to spend money on clothes I'm only going to wear a short time while I loose this last 20 pounds of baby weight.I consider it motivation to be stuck in a very limited wardrobe of what fits...though depressing from time to time.So what can a gal never have to worry about not fitting?HATS!Thus vintage hats are my current indulgence right now and here is my newest addition and a reasonable $4.00.

Head Vases How Do I Love Thee...

Let me count the ways..hmm,well... a lot!Sadly due to some financial hardships here and there my once great collection of head vases is pretty small now from selling them off.I am slowly rebuilding my collection and hope to reach the goal of one day having wall to wall head vases (or at least one wall covered in them)."Don't you think that'd be creepy?" my husband asks,if by creepy you mean awesome then sure yeah.

Here is the newest addition to the family I picked up a few weeks ago for $5.00,poor gal is missing and earring and she has a chip on one of her lashes but she's still just lovely!

Trick or Treat...

This year was my daughters first year trick or treating.She did very good,didn't get too scared by it all and used her good manners which does a mother proud.The walk home she proclaimed "Mama,this is the best day of my whole life",aw to be 2 again so easy to please.


My son though clearly too young for trick or treating still tagged along happily in the Baby Bjorn (seriously best invention ever for those of you that have a baby that refuses to be set down without crying about it).

You Can Never Have Too Many Shoes...

I love shoes but what girl doesn't?!Unfortunately as a housewife I don't get to dress up and go out as much as I'd like so most of my vintage shoes are in the closet collecting dust except on those times I feel like vacuuming in high heels,that's not because I'm trying to be some cliche 50's housewife but more so because I never grew out of dressing up.

I was fortunate a few weeks ago to find a pair of "everyday" shoes on Ebay in MY size!and I wont them for a mere $15.51Glory!Glory!Glory!Any vintage shoes lover can tell you how wretchedly annoying it is to have your heart skip a beat over a pair of shoes and then sink to your stomach when it hits you that its not in your size.Shopping for shoes online can be a coin flip even when they are in your size but they fit like a dream.

So ladies and gents check out my "new" Thunderbirds.Box is copyrighted 1954.I love dead stock!Or new old stock as most people prefer to say.Oh and disclaimer should my mother ever become very computer savvy and stumble across my blog I can hear it now so Yes mother those are shoes on the kitchen counter,you'll be so kind as to forgive as they were the only spot safe to take a photo with a wide awake and very grabby toddler.

My First...

I love Etsy and it's been very good to me.Since my shop opened this April I've been blessed with 268 sales so far.I decided to give back a little and actually buy something for myself for once so I treated myself to this deadstock lucite and chenille tapestry purse!For $18.00 it was a splurge for me (gah I know I am horridly cheap to a fault at times) but so worth it!My very first item bought on Etsy!

Oh and you'll forgive me though it did arrive safely I'm too lazy to take a picture of it right now (I have a good excuse I have my son in my arms) so I'm using the photo of it from the listing.

Slight Obsession ....

I love the old Polaroid Cool Ray glasses.It started with a pair I'd gotten from my grandmother (sadly I need to get the lens replaced after a so called friend way back in 8th grade scratched the lens on them..here I am almost 28 and I still haven't done it,yes I lag I know).Now I'm not sure how many colors this style came in but I am the proud owner of 3 and if there are others I will find them oh yes I will because for as many sunglasses as I have I'm slightly obsessed with these!

M.I.A My Waist...

I shamefully admit I gained 50 pounds while pregnant!Wayland will be 6 weeks tomorrow and I've lost 20 so far but I know the other 30 will be much slower coming off.I guess you can consider this stage the "4th trimester",not pregnant but unfortunately still look pregnant.I hate looking into my closet at all the things I still can't wear but I guess I should use it as motivation to loose the rest of this weight asap.

Here's my big guy enjoying (I say that sarcastically) some floor time:



This is 1 if the many dresses I picked up while pregnant for $6.00 even though I knew I wouldn't be wearing it anytime soon I couldn't pass it up!

Rock A Bye Baby...

To help ease my daughter with any resentment she might have about having to share the spotlight now that she has a baby brother I've had to try to help me with everything so she feels like a big helper and not left out.

Her interest in her baby dolls has really peaked which has come in handy since she's only 2 and I'm not comfortable with her holding him or anything more than a gently pat on the head or kiss.I found a vintage crib for $4.00 at the flea market a few weeks ago (the vintage doll I got a year ago at the same flea market for $9.00) and that has been fantastic because when I tell her I'm putting brother to bed and that she should put her baby to bed I can lay my son down in his crib without my daughter following me into the room and waking him up since she doesn't care when I tell her to keep it quiet...normally if she catches him napping when she doesn't see fit she bends over and yells "hey you WAKE UP!"*Le Sigh* oh 2 year olds....

I Miss You...

Ever haunted by something you've sold?It happens to me from time to time.Most recently (and by recent I mean back in May) was this 1930's yellow gown:

Given it helped me pay off a way over due bill at the time but still I miss you gown.

So Hard To Say Goodbye....

Hi.My name is Desiree' and I'm a vintage addict.
To the point sometimes where I keep things I never get around to wearing.Blame it on the severe lack of space but I'm trying to keep my addiction from overrunning this place and so I've painfully parted with things I normally wouldn't if we had a house.

For some reason though I've never worn it out I couldn't bring myself to part with this hat.If I was still in my early 20's and went out I could justify keeping it but boring ole late 20's mother of 2 knows I won't go out enough to give it the showing off it needs (blame it on the newest arrival of medical bills to also motivate a gal to purge the closet,ha ha!).So good bye hat,I just listed you in my Etsy shop tonight hope you go to a good home out there!

He's Here!

Born on Sunday weighing 8 pounds 13oz and 21 inches long,a big fella for my mere 5 foot frame!Now it's time to shed this baby weight so I can fit into the vintage dresses I've hoarded over my pregnancy (which I've also been needing to show off here *le sigh* poor neglected blog).

Here's my lil man,a whole 5 days old :

Born on Sunday weighing 8 pounds 13


eep!They don't make a coffee strong enough to keep up with a toddler AND a newborn!

Third Times the Charm....

I've come across these darling "Hair Rola Hampers" three times in my life.Once in an antique mall,it was pink and I loved it but my dreams of a 1950's pink bathroom were much like my dreams of a 1950's pink ktichen: Not going to fly with my hubby. I've said it before I am glad to have a girl for she is my pink outlet and Gods help her if she ends up hating it.Not to mention it was too expensive for my cheapo self.

Second time it came around was in a cream color on Ebay but of course I got outbid at the last minute and was beyond pissed.I'm a total sore loser and will sulk for days or even years when I am outbid on something I wanted.

As I realized a few weeks ago I had lost most of my hair items thanks to my 2 year old daughter so it was time to have them all in one place instead of stashed about where I end up not only keeping them from her but myself.I luckily found this aqua one on Ebay and for cheap for I snatched it up.I have found NONE of my curlers but I did at least find a few of my hair flowers and bobby pins to put in there so that's a start I suppose.

It Pays To Be a Pack Rat Sometimes...

I fail at blogging lately.I've had a lot to write just *le sigh* no time to do it.As though sensing that things will change soon (12 days away from my due date as of today) my daughter and my dog have been at my heels non stop and even at night we're having issues with them giving me a little space.I have a hard enough time getting out of bed and oh I know it sounds bratty of me but its wretched when you wake up to pee every hour and you've woken up sandwiched between a dog and a toddler that has snuck into your bed yet again.I can't get out of the bed without waking them up and then I have this little crowd following me because apparently I can't do this simple task of emptying my bladder myself...it's hard to be loved sometimes!

While the hubby is home and the lil Miss is entertained my Finding Nemo (thank you Pixar I seriously freaking love you) let me show off these cute vintage boy jumpers I bought quite some time ago "just incase I ever had a boy",they were only a dollar too so it wasn't a great loss if that day didnt come but here it is only 12 days away!


this on is missing a button but I'm just going to replace all the buttons with some vintage red ones I've been had that I was saving for some sort of project:

Screw Christmas in July I'd Rather Prep For Autumn...

Fall is definitely my favorite season.Living somewhere you can actually see the change in seasons is fantastic too.For as much as I loath Indiana Summers it's all but made up for with the falling of a leaf.Everyone's big on the whole Christmas in July thing but me personally I'd be happy moving to Fall.Even my Etsy shop right now seems to be showing off early signs of Autumn!

some vintage leaf hankies:





vintage Sarah Coventry leaf earrings:





and this lovely vintage acorn hat:

Now if only the weather could pretend it's Autumn so I could enjoy some hot apple cider life would be grand.... oh and let's not forget pumpkin Chai spice Coffee Mate creamer being available again,mmm yes please!

Souvenirs From Jersey...

We spent the 4th of July in Point Pleasant New Jersey.It was a fun trip that I of course ended up forgetting my camera.15 hour road trips aren't the best idea when pregnant and I wouldn't recommend it but it was a last minute "we won't get the chance to do this again for awhile" affair and quite worth it.

Being from California I'm use to high prices...or so I thought.The mid-west has utterly spoiled me and being in a place that has such high prices again was a shock.Our friends live a couple blocks from the beach and it's a tourist town so it's to be expected I suppose but the thrill of treasure hunting in a new town was quickly killed when I started noticing the cost of things.

Despite that if you do search hard enough you will find something and I did for $5.00!It cute 1950's jumper for my daughter.It will be about 3 years before she fits into it but oh kids clothes they really just don't make them like they use to (I could say that for so many things really but clothes for sure is one of them).The jumper will be super cute with a short sleeved blouse with a Peter Pan collar!Sorry the pictures aren't the best.At night when I have time I'm scared to sneak into my daughters room to get it out of the closet due to the fact that if I wake her up it would take FOREVER to get her back to sleep and trying to take them during the day like I did just now ended in me taking a picture of the dress laid out on the bed while she jumped on the bed,fun stuff.



the back:


and a close up of the trim:

In baby news I'm 37 weeks today!Considered full term now so if he wants to come early I'm ok with that.Preferably not before the 28th when my mother flies in though...too bad babies don't take request on when they arrive.

One Hot Mess...

Yesterday was my hubby's birthday,I now get to enjoy 6 months of him not telling me I'm "robbing the cradle" until my next birthday when I get to be a different number age than him again...oh the maturity levels of a younger man and go figure the one time I date one I end up marrying him and setting myself up for years of this torment.Gods help me when I turn 30 !Hahaha!

Proof that my darling husband is a bit of a sourpuss he requested lemon cupcakes with lemon frosting which I happily made for him and seriously spent an hour frosting them to perfection,they were glorious.Surely magazine worthy!So you can imagine my utter dismay when I went to go grab one to answer the call of late night snacking and found this!





The sad thing is it was a nice 66 degrees outside today but our darn upstairs apartment was a whopping 90 degrees!Even with the windows all open I couldn't get it to cool down enough in here but couldn't justify turning on the AC when its that cool outside so instead we just enjoyed the effects of hot air rising.Thanks weather for ruining my cupcakes,you've made them ugly muffins.

Too Funny Not to Do...

First off let me say I don't model and I don't fancy myself a model in any way but when the lovely Miss Erin from Hell in a Handbag http://hellinahandbag.net/ said she liked my look and with my current condition a.k.a being pregnant wanted to know if I'd take some photos for a white trash idea she had for her darling hair bows I couldn't resist!

They were Pabst Blue Ribbon hair bows and though all American as apple pie Pabst has a tongue in cheek white trash appeal to it that can't be beat.So what's pretty darn white trash?Smoking while pregnant.Oh and before anyone jumps down my throat I do not smoke nor do I advocate smoking,especially while pregnant and I did NOT light the cigarette in the photo it was all pretend so if you don't have a sense of humor get off my page.

Anyway here's the ad,I thought it was pretty darn funny!

Hankie Pankie...

I love vintage handkerchiefs!Something that has unfortunately gone out of style but even if it's out of date to carry them I still collect them.I end up selling a lot of them to prevent my unfortunately limited space from being over run but oh do I find some gems I can't bear to part with quite often still.

Many months ago I found this hankie and I picked it up for my daughter room since she has a 1950's ballerina theme in her bedroom.







and much to my delight as I rummaged through a huge pile of vintage linens at my favorite flea market I came across this one!I love when you find similar vintage items!