Barbie Fashion Show...

I found this Barbie in a flea market when I still lived in Indiana.Before anyone gets too excited she is a reproduction but its funny that even as a reproduction she's quickly approaching the time frame for vintage herself in the realm of online selling (20 years or older). She was still in the box and I thought she would be so cute to display in my daughters room.Heidi was 2 at the time and quickly discovered how to climb up to shelves and quickly destroyed the box.She still displays well and even though my daughter enjoys playing with all her  Barbies this one she keeps on her dresser and plays with her very gently.This is the outfit she came in.



And how cute are her shoes?The answer is very.




One thing Heidi has always lamented was that this doll needed more clothes because when she put her in her modern Barbie clothes it didn't look right.When my mother in law came to visit we went to a few thrift stores and  as luck would have it she found a few bags of vintage Barbie clothes!It took me a few weeks to get around to washing them.Some I wasn't able to salvage due to being so stained or torn but most of the bag was pure gold.These were a few of my favorites.

Happy to report when winter hits Barbie will be ready this year!


Here is one I wish was in my size



These too,gingham is just so perfect for summer.





There were a few capri pants in the bag,the others were crazy floral prints that we haven't found tops that match yet.













Barbie is also set for autumn






This one,like a few others in the bag,I believe those sew it yourself pieces.







When I put this one on I had one of those "Barbie dresses sexier than I do for bed" realizations.


Even though I felt like a creep for this shot I had to get a better detail shot cause her panties are adorable.


This was has a little fraying on one arm but not the end of the world.



Hopefully this will keep the kiddo content with outfits for this one for awhile.

Birthday Sale...

My husband is having a birthday tomorrow so I've put my etsy shop on  25% off until late Sunday night!I don't think we'll be doing anything big,my guy is a bit of a Scrooge about holidays,birthdays,and especially HIS birthday.But I got him a cake and he's going to be tormented through a round of "Happy Birthday" from the kids and myself all the same.I understand his disdain for these things because he feels commercialism has replaced the idea of what holidays and celebrations should really be about,enjoying time with friends and family.Pretty sure though if I could afford to get him a Harley and drum set he'd be to the moon and back happy.What about you guys?Are your birthdays a big to do or is it just another day?

Plus Sized Vintage For Under $50...

One of the number one complaints I here from my fellow vintage lovers is finding vintage in larger sizes and when you do it cost an arm and a leg.I may not be plus size but I think we all share the frustration of finding an amazing vintage dress and realizing that the waist is a mere 24 inches...unless you have a 24 inch waist.If you do then congrats for the world of vintage dresses is your oyster.

I'm sitting here right now working on my etsy shop which means I'm also browsing cause face it,if you work on a computer for a living the sirens call to internet window shop is just too strong to ignore sometimes.I thought I'd put my slacking to good use and show off some of the vintage plus size items I've come across in my internet window shopping excursions that won't cost you an arm and a leg.

50s 60s Day Dress from PetticoatsPlus at $38 is a steal!


1950s dress from simplicityisbliss for $40


1960s Scooter dress from TheRubyOlive for $35


Here is a darling 50's dress from BombshellShocked for a mere $28!


a hot little 80s does 40s dress from NodtoModVintage is on sale right now for $41.60


This 1960s Jersey Dress is from my own shop for $38

And last here is a 60's wiggle dress from CallMeChula for only $28

Anniversary....

On Tuesday  I reached my 4 year anniversary of selling on Etsy!It doesn't seem like its been that long but time flies when you're having fun they say.And you know what?It has been fun.I love what I do.To celebrate I've put my shop on 25% off for the week.The sale ends tomorrow night.Here are a few favorites from my shop right now.

My Bedroom...

After almost a year and a half of living here my bedroom is finally properly furnished.It has been years,yes,YEARS since I've had bedroom set.Finding a vintage bedroom set in your price range can be tricky sometimes,especially if your price range is more on the "can I get that for free?" side.My husband pleaded a few times to just get over my need for vintage dressers and let him get something at Wal-mart till I found something but first off gross (no offense if that's your thing but its definitely not mine) and secondly I know my husband well enough to know that if I said yes he'd say "we already have dressers" when the time came that I found them.Sometimes its better to just do without till you get it just right.

Originally I had my heart set on an art deco waterfall bedroom set but nothing was in my price range and the pieces that were on Craigslist ended up being 3 hours away making it not quite a deal once you factor in gas and having to rent a small moving van.Eventually it just came down to "something vintage will do!" and when you open your net wider fate will work with you a little more.I spotted a bedroom set in a consignment shop months ago and told myself not to get too excited about them but if they were still there after I saved the $200 needed I'd  snag them.Thankfully there were.I didn't inspect them for labels but once they were delivered and I opened a drawer I was pleasantly surprised to learn they were Kent-Coffey pieces!



Since I finally had dressers in place I could put things on the wall!


These paintings are from 1941 and I got them in a flea market in Indiana.I got that aluminum dish with Bakelite handle also in Indiana.The clock is a reproduction of Westclox Big Bean Moon Beam.


I can't even begin to express my happiness at being able to display my vintage jewelry again.Having it on the floor definitely isn't the same.That lamp is a nice $10 score at the thrift store.


Close up of my jewelry,I love this vintage Lucite display I got off ebay over a decade ago now.Always wanted to find another but haven't had any luck.




Some of my Bakelite bangles.



Here is the side table.Unfortunately it doesn't work as a side table in our room since its a bit small for a "master bedroom" but works out well in this little nook.I found out from the neighbor that our 1937 home use to originally be a 2 bedroom with a garage that is now a 4 bedroom with NO garage.There are 3 rooms upstairs and they took the master bedroom and split it which totally makes sense!What was once the garage is now the 4th bedroom my husband uses as an office and the other half is now my office.The fact that we have a king bed doesn't help with the bit of cramped-ness but the thought of downgrading to a queen is something my husband and I both agree is a terrible idea.And I will never complain about it being small as the neighbor told me the original owners had 6 kids in this place!I can't even imagine.


These curtains inspired the color palette in my room,they're called "Happily Married" which I thought was good juju for the bedroom.If you look on ebay you can usually find a lovely little variety of Saison happily married fabrics.I'm not sure how many prints they had but that company definitely had some beautiful ones.



The moon I've had for years and I thought it'd go great with art deco waterfall furniture but I still like it even if I don't have the dark wood.I'm a little weird about mixing woods,I'm definitely too matchy matchy at times but I'm learning to loosen up a bit in this department.Moon and figurine were Indiana flea market finds...man,I found some good things when I lived in Indy.



And where dirty clothes go till they get washed,the hamper!There are little tweaks here and there I'm sure will be made as time goes by.Eventually hardwood floors will be put back upstairs too but for now I'm happy that all the rooms upstairs are now properly furnished!

Apple Juice Bakelite

If you love vintage fashion there is a good chance you love vintage jewelry and if you love vintage jewelry how can you not love Bakelite?I thought in an attempt to start blogging more I'd make a theme post of showing off various Bakelite pieces for sale on the wonderful world wide web that catch my eye,because I admit it,I window shop.A lot.

One of my favorite colors of Bakelite is apple juice.It also usually tends to me the most expensive,which is why I don't have any pieces with the exception of a large decorative button I keep in my sewing box thinking one day I'll put it to good use.These beauties I've all found for under $100.00!

This brooch from mikat82   features a wire fox terrier in it.Wire Fox Terriers became popular family dogs inthe 1930's because of The Thin Man feature films.



This prairie wagon brooch from atomicwarehouse   incorporates wood and Bakelite together.


Love this funky little fish brooch from  craftingfool2003


This brooch with the mother of pearl fleck in t is beautiful from 
Violasvintages

Hopefully you're not bored of brooches so lets finish this off with some dress clips!Dress clips I feel are one of the most underrated but most valuable pieces to have to your vintage wardrobe.We all have that dress we like that's plain but add a dress clip to it and you can really give it a glamorous feel!

This dress clip also from Violasvintages   has combined my love of Bakelite AND rhinestones!



Lastly this reverse carving apple juice Bakelite dress clip from
OurBoudoir


Hope you all enjoyed drooling over these pretties as much as I have!Till next time.

My Dining Room,Before and Work in Progress....

I'd love to say this was a "before and after" but we're not 100% there just yet.The ugly carpet needs to be ripped up and hardwood floors put down and then new border and trim need to go up.The trim is obviously the cheaper thing to do but its pointless to do until the new floors go down.One of many of those home remodel conundrums.And artwork!I've yet to find any vintage art for the dining room so the walls are still bare.

Now I feel bad saying "Before" even as the true before is cheap paneling(Yes,my poor sweet little 1937 home was the victim of a 70's remodel!).But my husband had that ripped down before I showed up with the kids.And for almost 6 months it stayed like this.


Torn up water stained wallpaper ,not a great look.




Now growing up I lived in a house that was constantly under construction and I hated it.It was depressing because it was ugly and embarrassing to have friends over.Luckily my remodeling though slower than I want isn't going to take my kids whole childhood.The reality is these things cost money(which I don't have)and curses to you HGTV for making me think magic could happen in 30 minutes with a team of hot carpenters!Where are my hot carpenters?!But I'm not doing too bad for it only being me and the help of my husband here and there.The big projects are the kitchen and bathroom but we'll have to hire professionals for those areas.

So here is the "work in progress" after.And before anyone yells at me compared to the first picture the door looks like dark wood that I painted white,no that's not the case.I love real wood and I wouldn't have painted over it but...but....the person that lived here before had painted it a glossy dark brown!Oh my god why??It was bad.I'll have more glossy brown horror stories to share with you as I am able to show off more progress with the house.Oh and I'm sorry for the dark photos,I chose to do this post on a gray winter day.Hopefully when the time has come for the 100% after photos I'll have a nice sunny day to take photos.



The walls were in no shape to paint over and the funds weren't there to put up all new drywall so we went with paintable wallpaper.I chose this textured swirl pattern and then painted it Bermuda Blue.Now,if you don't have a good marriage don't even both trying to put up wallpaper together,I'm not even kidding.Hire a professional.If you and your spouse love each-other as much as my husband do you MAY get out alive with only minor tears,obscenities,and objects thrown involved.


And now for some more detail shots....Oh hey there is my sweet hi-fi!Yes,records at dinner time is the thing to do at my house.



My aqua and gray dinette has been retired down to the basement for now so that my Heywood Wakefield stuff could be brought into the dining room.I'm hoping with the kitchen remodel I MIGHT be able to put it in there if there is room.Sorry little Formica table,I just really,really love my Heywood.



As I've made mentioned before I lost most of my Vernonware Heavenly Days china when we moved.I decided to stop being so "matchy matchy" and go with "if you like it just buy it!" so in the little over a year that I've lived here I've nickle and dimed my china hutch full of lovely aqua colored vintage china!






This is the was the before light fixture in the dining room.Nice leaf pattern and  I am hanging onto it for now for another room to maybe use in.


But then I saw this guy for $1.00 at the thrift and had to pick him up.




So there you have it folks.Now exactly where I want it just yet but a heck of a lot better than before!