You can never have too many postcards

I have so much studying to do for midterms (which is why I am blogging right now....), but I did take a break this afternoon to go to the Antiques Market again with Steve. They are having a huge sale that ends tomorrow so I had to go get a few more goodies. I bought 4 more vintage postcards to add to my collection as well as a pink depression glass candy dish. It was only $8.50 and I am completely in love with it. Now if only I could decide what to actually do with it... Anyways here are a few pictures of what I bought:

Three of the postcards. Two of them are from 1912 and the other is from 1917.

What I consider the post interesting part of the postcard: the back. I love reading the notes people have written and that's how I choose to buy which ones I do.

Ok, this one I bought for the front. It looks so romantic then you read the words. "I wonder who's kissing her now". It makes me giggle every time.

And this is my new candy dish. Isn't it pretty? Any suggestions on what to use it for?

Oh and while I think of it, what do you think of my new favourite hairstyle? (Photos taken before I was dumb enough to go out in the blizzard and completely ruin both my hair and makeup). It is so easy but I think it still has a vintagey feel. Good for those mornings when I don't have time for anything elaborate.

By the way, I am pointing to my new brooch, not my boob. I got two lovely new brooches at Michael's for only $3 each! The other one is more oval shaped and has faux pearls on it. I think they are just darling but I really need to come up with more outfits I can wear brooches with.

If you are interested in how I did my hair, I got the idea from this video from ThePinUpSweetShoppe on Youtube. She makes lovely hair tutorials and this one is my favourite at the moment.

5 Old Fashioned Hobbies

Everyone needs a hobby. Hobbies are especially good things to have when you are stuck at school, away from friends and family, and really don't feel like studying for your upcoming midterm. It's nice to have something to do that lets you relax and take your mind off your troubles. With that said, here is my list of my top 5 old-fashioned hobbies that you can do alone.

1) Knitting

Knitting has officially become cool again. Which makes me like it slightly less. But it is still a lovely way to relax and be productive all at the same time. There are lots of tutorials on YouTube on how to knit but I suggest getting someone to actually show you, as it is a lot easier to learn that way. Soon you will be knitting scarves for your friends and their stuffed polar bears.

Aren't they cute? :)

2) Crosswords

In true 1920's style, curling up with a good crossword is a wonderful way to while away the afternoon. The trick is to find puzzles that are challenging but, at the same time, not impossible. The paper is a good place to start but they get progressively harder later in the week. Another option is one of the many crossword puzzle books available. These are good but tend to reuse the same clues a lot.

3) Baking

The favourite pastime of many 1950's housewife's. Baking provides a good way to let off steam (whisking and kneading dough are great tension relievers) and you get a tasty treat at the end. What could be better?

4) Embroidery

Embroidery is surprisingly easy to learn (Threadbangers has some good tutorials on YouTube) and is a great way to customize your clothes, bags, linen, etc. I am working on a pillow at the moment while I am stitching on examples of fashions from the 1920s and 30s. (There will be pictures posted when I am finished).

5) Reading

This is likely one of the easiest and oldest hobbies. For authenticity I recommend reading Agatha Christie or PG Wodehouse. Or if you prefer to go farther back in time try reading North and South or Jane Eyre for some Victorian romance.

6) Old radio shows

Ok I lied, there's six hobbies I wanted to list but this last one involves cheating a bit. I am a huuuuuugge fan of old radio shows. The only thing is that you need a computer or a DVD player in order to listen to them. Not very authentic but it works. I buy mine from http://www.otrcat.com/ but they also have a lot of shows you can hear for free on their website. Philip Marlowe is my favourite show, with Bob Hope a close second. The next one I think I will buy next is "I was a communist for the FBI". They tend to be a little cheesy but that is what makes them so endearing. Perfect to listen to while you are knitting or embroidering.

Here's a few pictures from their website (in order, for the shows I mentioned):

Now go, unwind, relax and spend some quality "me" time. After a long day of studying, work or whatever, you deserve a nice break :)

I'm Old-Fashioned

No time for a full post today I'm afraid. I am drowning in school work but I promise to post something tomorrow night. In the mean time here is a lovely little song from a movie I have never actually seen. (Don't you just love Fred Astaire?)



I giggle when he says "I am strictly from corn". I never think of him as "from corn" although I suppose technically he was. Fred always seems such a gentleman. Why can't modern actors be more classy?

Speaking of old-fashioned, what do you think of the pic? It is from my tea party. I look so serious...

More ephemera for my collection!

Yay! Goodies from the antique market! (Sorry some of the photos got a little cut off but my scanner wasn't quite large enough)

Postcard from December 4, 1908

The Chautauquan Magazine from 1883
(I am particularly looking forward to reading the section on Etiquette since studying old-fashioned etiquette is a hobby of mine)

Ad for stockings with Ginger Rogers (1951)

Ad for Mallory Hats (1946)

Ad for Singer Sewing Machines (1947)

And my personal favourite, an ad for Penthouse Platforms by Naturalizer (1946)

The most exciting thing about my purchases? There was a big sale on so I got everything for $13 including tax! I may have to head back next weekend since the sale lasts until next Sunday :)

Gorgeous Gingham

So I may have made the stupidest purchase ever. I bought the most beautiful yellow gingham duvet cover I have ever seen... that is the wrong size and doesn't match anything else I own. Oh well. I will just have to save it until I can get a new comforter to put inside it and until I have enough money to buy new accessories to match it (since everything I have now for my bedroom has red in it). But I just couldn't leave it. It was the last one left and I was worried if I didn't get it now I would never see one as perfect ever again.

Gingham is my new favourite pattern and although I used to hate yellow I am starting to love some of the softer creamier shades that remind me of fresh churned butter. It will look so perfect in my farmhouse. Imagine, a sunny yellow comforter, creamy off-white walls, a warm creamy white wool rug underfoot, the early morning light flooding in through the open window covered with sheer white curtains..... ahhh..... I feel happy already.

Dressed for Dinner

Yesterday's Outfit:


Sweater: Rickis
Dress: I honestly can't remember its name but the store isn't there any longer so I guess it doesn't matter...
Shoes: Bigleys http://www.bigleyshoes.com/
Crinoline: Hey Viv (see previous post for details)
Earrings: By me :)

So yesterday, my mother and I decided to go out for dinner together (since my dad was away at a car show for the day). We tried this cute little vegetarian restaurant. It is called The Jasmine Garden http://thejasminegarden.ca/ and although I found the decor a little underwhelming the food was amazing. I had their Chunky Tofu which doesn't sound all that appetising but it was absolutely scrumptious.

It was a lovely evening and I enjoyed getting dressed up. Nobody "dresses for dinner" anymore but I think they should. It's quite a lot of fun.

Valentines Day Tea Party

Here's some photos from my Valentines Day Tea party. :)

Notice how I am the only one who got dressed up?

*

The Menu:

-Lemon Strawberry Squares (from scratch)

-Vanilla Cupcakes (almost from scratch)

-Strawberries

-Chocolates

-Mini Biscotti (not from scratch but still tasty)

*

The Tea:

-Vanilla Strawberry Rose tea

-Sugar Cubes (including some hand decorated ones I got as a Christmas gift)

-Milk (instead of cream since with all the other goodies I figured we should try and be a little healthy)

*

The Table Setting:

-An antique lace table cloth over top of a pale rose pink table cloth

-My moms Royal Doulton teacups, saucers and plates (with a paper doily between the saucer and place)

-My white teapot and creamer

-Pink flowers from the farmers market ($10 for all of them including the pink roses!) in decorated jars (actually spaghetti sauce jars that I revamped)

-Biscotti wrapped with a paper doily and with a pink gift tag (with the guests name on it) attached with pink embroidery floss

*

The Decorations:

-Silhouettes I made with my face on them

-Some red heart shaped balloons my Grandma bought for me

-A book on roses

-The pink cards are actually Victorian Parlor games I wrote out in case we got bored http://oldfashionedliving.com/parlour-games.html

-More paper doilies!

*

The Outfit:

-Dress from Smart Set

-Crinoline from Hey Viv (see previous post)

-Black pantyhose from Giant Tiger

-Necklace made by me (go figure!)

My hair was done with hot rollers :)

Because Baby, Love is Power.

I have been going through my bookmarked links (I have a lot; last count there was over 800) and listening to a lot of love related songs in honour of Valentines Day. While doing so, I came across this clip from an episode of The Monkees.

I have always loved The Monkees since I was a little girl, and this is still one of my favourite scenes. Mike was always my favourite (Peter and Micky tie for second, then last but not least comes Davy). His speech is just so well done and one of the few serious moments in the show. And now for your viewing pleasure...