Saturday, June 27, 2009

Alice In Wonderland....

Tonight, upon returning from a girls night, Jason introduced me to something fabulous...something I had no knowledge of but am very excited in anticipation. Apparently, Disney is releasing a new Alice In Wonderland movie starring Johnny Depp! I had no idea. I've never even seen a version of Alice in Wonderland nor have I read the book, but seeing some of the still shots of the film and the website, I just can't wait to see it! I think these first two shots qualify as Pretty Things All In A Row....






I don't think I can wait until 3/5/2010!!!

The official website is still in it's early stages of production, but check it out here:

Alice In Wonderland - The Movie

Monday, June 22, 2009

Kiss


Kiss
Originally uploaded by Catalin_Pop

Lavender China with Peony

My favorite flowers are peonies. I stopped in at Camelback Florist on Friday and bought myself a little bouquet of peonies. I wish I could grow these here in the desert, but I think it's unlikely. It would be a nice addition to my rose garden.

(Pardon the multiple blogs, but I can't figure out how to post multiple flickr photos in one combined blog.)

Sunday, June 21, 2009

I love vintage photos.  I can go into an antique store and I want to buy all the vintage photos because I'm so sad that some member of a family just decided one day that their ancestors in the photos were just not valuable enough to feel the need to keep.  Nevertheless, in looking through some of these old photos, Jason and I are always amused by how unhappy the bride and groom often looked (or at least, unelated) in vintage wedding photos.  It's like the photographer yelled "You're going to spend the next 75 years together...." right before that moment. :)  All photos from Flickr.com
One photo, which for the life of me I cannot find now, had Jason and I in hysterics because both the bride and groom looked like they were growling, mean and mad! LOL!  Hilarious.






Macarons


Macarons
Originally uploaded by mjusten
I'm really looking forward to visiting LaDuree on my trip to Paris....

Monday, June 15, 2009

Timeless Vixen Vintage

I don't know how they do it, but Timeless Vixen has come through again with another amazing vintage piece:




Sunday, June 7, 2009

Paris in the Fall....


So, Jason and I are getting married in Paris this Fall.  I thought I'd post some inspirational photos of the city at that time of the year.

I'll start with the above and add more to this post as the night goes on....


Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Shower Day!

Hautelook, an exclusive online sample sale site, is offering these lovely Eva Franco dresses in limited sizes at 65% off for the next 23 hours.  (If you need a referral to sign up, comment me with your e-mail address and I will send one to you.)  These would make great bridal shower dresses:








Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Divine Vintage Fashion

I told you I spend alot of time on Etsy and I will prove it with this post!  Some items I find, I could just sit forever looking at the beauty of them.  

Today's primo vintage gown is a pastel dream.  It's hard to believe how pristine the owners managed to keep it over the past 50 years:





I've also been eyeing this unique necklace on etsy as well:




It's over the top, I know, but I love it!:



by Katherine M. Roach-Wright


This bracelet is very Marie Antoinette:



I sort of have a crush on this outfit, by Bonzie:




Well, that's all for now.  Take it all in, eat it all up!

Thursday, May 28, 2009



[Source]

This swimmingly beautiful vintage dress would make a great gown for someone's Maid of Honor. I simply love the color! With a "Buy It Now" price of $39.99, it's a steal!

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Pretty things all in a row....




So I came across this most unique and gorgeous gown, named "Queen of the Highlands Glenn", on etsy.com today.  It's a good thing I already bought my dress or I'd be dishing out the $2,400 price tag for this beauty!  The designer uses a variety of vintage lace to craft these pieces and, from the look of it, it's worth every cent for such intricate work.  Please be sure to check out this designer's other pieces.  I particularly like the hand painted dress and the "I jumped into a pile of leaves my daddy just raked up" veil.


With this ring...Marie Antoinette takes Bobafett

Jason and I were sitting at our respective Mac computers in our office today, doing our own little business, when Jason asked if he could buy a $800 Star Wars Bobafett costume to get married in.  In return, he said, I could wear the Marie Antoinette dress that I proposed several weeks back.   That's a wedding they'd never forget...Paris in November...."Do you, Marie Antoinette, take Bobafett.....":


Could you imagine?? But, then, stranger things have happened at weddings, I'm sure!


Inspiration....

A couple of wedding related items.  First, I finally bought my wedding dress on Saturday.  It is a Champagne dress from Paloma Blanca's newest collection.  I bought it from a high end boutique going out of business in Denver.  I got the relatively new sample, which had only been tried on about 3-4 times, for about 1/2 the price and I will have it delivered by Friday.  I don't even have to wait 4 months for it. Yeah!!!  I can't tell you how relieved I am to finally have that out of the way!  

Next, I created my very first inspiration board today as well as two different color palettes for our wedding.  Jason wants to wear a brown suit (either tan or chocolate) and a green tie and since I'm such a fan of art nouveau, I came up with the following palettes:



And the main inspiration for my board is The Great Gatsby and the fabulous 1920s:



The mansion in the board above is Old Westbury Gardens, on Long Island, NY.  It's a fabulous estate where I used to take my mother on Mother's Day before moving here to the desert.  It's one of the things I miss the most about New York.  Visiting the grounds there inspired my passion for my rose gardens.

I hope everyone had a fabulous 3 day weekend.  I was able to get some much needed cleaning done around the house today.  I seriously need a 3rd day off every week to get everything done that needs to be done!  My life is too busy!

It's late and I have a date with a coffee pot in about 5 hours.  Nite. Nite. 


Sunday, May 17, 2009

SWEET DREAMS!

Following up on the 1944 magazine I recently bought, I found this helpful article with plenty of tips for caring for your bed linens. I have extracted the tips and included them below:

1) Line Drying: Hang sheets and pillowcases one third over the line and be sure to dry colored things in the shade.

2) Line Drying: If linens have stripes, keep the stripes hanging lengthwise so that if there is to be any "running", it will keep to the strips.

3) Ironing: Fold a turkish towel under a monogram or embroidery so as to bring out the design in ironing.

4) Ironing: Do the ruffles first, going across then up into gathers then press with the thread of the material.

5) Ironing: Do not comb fringes; wait till spread is thoroughly dry and brush with clean whisk broom.

6) Washing: Tack coarse crochet or lace bed spread to an old sheet for washing and it will hold its shape.

7) Washing: Lace or figured spreads really require special care and fare much better laundered separately.

8) Washing: Bed clothes - Do soak bed clothes before washing - white things in lukewarm, soapy water, those that are pastel tinted or have colored hems in cool, soapy water for five to ten minutes. Add enough dissolved soap to wash water to make a two-inch standing suds, with a temperature as high as 160 degrees F for the white clothes, but only slight more than lukewarm for the pastel tinted bed clothes.
9) Washing: Don't overload the washing machine. The normal load is 4-6 sheets or just one spread and the time allowance from 5-15 minutes. Don't stint on the rinsings. Put the white things through clear lukewarm water, then cool, and, if bluing is used, move the articles about to prevent streaking. Give pastels soapy rinse of the same temperature as the wash water, then two rinses in clear, cool water. (Note from me: I imagine washing machines had different limitations in the 40's.)

10) Washing: I skipped this tip because it had to do with using a hand wringer, which most don't use these days. If anyone wants this tip, let me know and I'll send it.

11) Line Drying: Don't hang up the clothes just any which way or they will be harder to iron. Fold the sheets right side out, hem to hem, with corners squared, with a liberal overhang of the hemmed edges for fastening. Hang the pillowcases by the closed ends with a fold-over deep enough for firm hold with the pins. To keep a loosely woven crocheted lace or filet spread from stretching out of shape in drying, base to an old sheet before you launder it and spread out flat.

12) Ironing: Do sprinkle the dry linen evenly and thoroughly and leave rolled up until you are ready to iron. Place clothes basket under the ironing board to catch the overflow and keep the large pieces from trailing on the floor and picking up dirt. Press on the right side and follow the thread of fabric. First fold the sheets and pillowcases lengthwise, then crosswise. Don't iron organdy over and over, or iron it toward you. Always iron it away from you.

13) Ironing: Don't be too meticulous about ironing sheets. Some of the most fastidious housekeepers are skipping this chore. But if you don't like the looks of an un-ironed top sheet, try this method: Remove sheet from the line while still slightly damp, fold crosswise in quarters as you take it down , and run the iron lightly over the top fourth. This irons the part that shows and takes the wrinkles out of the lower part of your sheet.

I live in the southwest and right now it's hotter than H-E-Double L. The only time I've ever dried my clothes on a line, they were stiff as a board when I was done. Anyone know why? I'd be interested in drying on a line, clipping my linens up while listening to Edith Piaf singing "La Vie En Rose" (as I am doing now), if the linens didn't turn out stiff every time .

Now, I don't have children, but I really enjoyed two articles related to raising children in the 40's. One is titled "Entertaining Children Out of Doors", the other is called "Curiousity...The Greatest Gift You Can Give Them!" I hope to post those in the coming days.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Chocolatey Goodness!

Etsy is one of my all-time favorite addictions.  I find so many goodies there and I often lose hours and hours of my life on that website.  This evening, I came across this delicious vintage number that would make a lovely MOH or bridesmaid dress:


There's something whimsical about having an entirely vintage wedding.  I love it.   If any of you had vintage weddings, I'd love to see your photos.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Vintage Inspired Informal Wedding?


As I mentioned, I'm currently planning my wedding and have had no luck finding "The Dress" for me yet. I love vintage wedding attire, especially the eras of the 1920s - 1950s. I'm always looking for dresses that are authentic or inspired vintage dresses. I will occassionally post some of my discoveries here (especially if I think it's a good deal for someone else) as well as those items that inspire me.

Today, I came across this interesting piece at the Yoox.com website:

[source]

and though, not vintage, I think this is an inexpensive option for either a wedding dress, particularly a courthouse wedding, or a reception dress:

[source]

I also found this unusual and original option for a bridesmaid dress:



[source]

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Gotta Start Somewhere....

Forgive the simplicity of my introduction.  I am new to this.  I grew up writing journals for my eyes only, so this blogging is a bit daunting to me.  I am here because I'm looking for an outlet to share my interests in a variety of things.  

I have not developed a pleasing layout for my blog yet, but am looking to find a design that represents all things "me".  It may take some time, so bear with me.

Some of my interests include, of late, life and culture in Paris, nostalgia and the way of life for those in times gone by, and fashion and homemaking of the 1920s - 1950s.   I love strolling through antique stores and I love discovering original pieces long forgotten.  I'm a huge fan of www.etsy.com and could spend days perusing it's incredible treasures.  

Lately, alot of my time has been spent planning my wedding.  My fiance, Jason, and I will be marrying in November in Paris, France.  We're planning a very simple wedding, with just 12  guests or so, and will host a wedding feast at a restaurant following the ceremony.  Nevertheless, I really enjoy discovering new ways to make our union and our special day...well, special and unique.  I love the artistic side of planning a wedding.  I will likely share some of my finds here as well as those things that simply catch my eye in my journey.

I've come to realize lately that there's something about women in the 40s and 50s that inspires me to be a better wife.  I've always been a career woman, working anywhere from 50 - 60 hours per week.  I have been an executive assistant in private equity firm for the past 10 years.  My domestic responsibilities consisted of hiring a housekeeper and a landscaper to insure my home was well maintained.   (However, I do tend to my own rose garden...for that I take full responsibility!)  I spend alot of time roaming around the house, which is surprisingly untidy despite the fact that only 2 humans live in it (plus 3 dogs and 2 cats).  I still can't figure out how I can be up at 5:30AM, out of the house at 7AM, home after an hour commute at 7PM, napping until 8PM and up until 2AM (yes, that's right...and up again at 5:30AM) and manage to keep a house clean.  I can't.  That's the problem.  So my current mission is to put more effort into making the most of my time  so I can get to bed at a reasonable time (reasonable = 10PM).  This requires better use of my time, less roaming, less watching TV, less napping, less computer time (I know, I know, what am I doing on the computer!).

So my initial mission is to thoroughly clean this house so that I can more easily maintain it on a scheduled basis.   I started on Sunday and was surprised to find that in one day, I managed to clean the master bathroom, clean out the refrigerator (reflection clean), implement an effective recycling system (this includes being sure to rinse every jar and package put in the recycle bin to prevent odors), wash, dry and put away all the dishes (2 loads), reorganize the pantry, do 2 loads of wash, AND groom Johnny Cash (my yorkie).  Okay, so I still got to bed at 1AM, but once all the nitty gritty cleaning is done, all cabinets organized, all unwanted/unused/unnecessary items are discarded, I imagine I will see an earlier sleep time.

As inspiration, I have been reading "how to" books and woman's magazines from the 40s.  How those women managed to maintain spic-n-span homes while LOOKING so well maintained is beyond me.  I am reminded of my grandmother, Nana, who got on her hands and knees with a bucket and a sponge/washrag twice a week.  Twice a week she scrubbed and waxed the wood floor of their Brooklyn home - from one end to the other.  Twice a week!  I can barely mop mine once a month!  Nana loved to clean though.  When she came over, she was sure to organize something in your home, whether you liked it or not.  (I like to think her spirit is possessing me right now and that's why I'm experiencing this change of life.  I miss her terribly.  And it would be just like her to possess me if only so she could wash the dust off the top of my refrigerator!)  

I found this terrific magazine at a vintage shop, Rust and Roses, today in downtown Phoenix.  It's dated August 1944 and is called "On Guard....The American Home".  It's so fun to read how life was back then.  It has some interesting recipes and articles on keeping a home.  I'll be sure to transcribe some of them for you here. Okay, if I want to get the rest of the laundry done, I will have to close today's entry.

In closing, thank you for visiting my blog.  I hope it improves over time and I hope that, in my quest of discovery and improvement, I manage to offer you something you can use in your life as well. 


Friday, March 13, 2009

Welcome to my blog!