Vintage Furniture Part 1 - The Vintage Kitchen - By Annie Ef

Wednesday 18 September 2013

Vintage Furniture Part 1 - The Vintage Kitchen - By Annie Ef

Ever the cheerful: a lady beside her fridge

Vintage furniture! Which one of us, vintage lovers wouldn't want to have an old fashioned couch in our houses? Where to start with a topic so big? In the kitchen of course! 

The idea behind a vintage kitchen is simple, it has to have a warm feeling to it. Sharp edges, sterile whites or cold silvers and blacks had no place there. It has to be a place where you wouldn't mind spending most of the day on cooking, baking or just gossiping with friends.

The kitchen was the woman's kingdom, a place where she held absolute power. You got on your wives bad side, and the fridge was out of limits. It was also a place where she spent a vast majority of her time. This manifested in the style of it. The colours were well matched, and the whole concept of it kept within the same style. Weather is was a traditional or modern kitchen, every little detail was refined. It was a place the women could, and would show off. The kitchen was the one room that reflected current trends the most.  The design of kitchen accessories was very similar to the one outside of it. Round edges, pastel colours, all of this could be seen in the design of cars, for example. The husband had his 1953 convertible Cadillac, and she had her fridge, that looked like it was about to drive away at any point.

On top of being very visually pleasing, the vintage kitchen is also set up to be as comfortable to use as possible. Big fridges, working areas and stoves allowed not only for fast preparation of meals, but also made it possible to cook a huge thanksgiving dinner for the entire family, and bake a pie in the meantime. The cabinets were large enough to be able to hold everything, and, in case guests arrived early, allowed the lady of the house to hide everything she didn't have time to clean up yet. She might not look ready for the guests yet, but her kitchen was spotless at all times.

There wasn't much a woman couldn't handle in her kitchen!

Smaller kitchens had a different feel to them

If someone lived in an apartment, they didn't have  the luxury of a big kitchen. As such a lot of women settled for a "bar" set up. An open kitchen, with a counter that served as a table gave the impression of bigger space, provided a dining area, and made it possible to keep an eye on the rest of the family. This had it's disadvantages as well, with a kitchen like that it had to be held clean at all times, and, of course, was much less comfortable. The style of this kitchen was usually a bit different from the one found in family houses. Because it was exposed, the design of it often matched the style of the rest of the apartment. Nonetheless, these kitchens had a definite charm to them as well. While the suburban kitchen was warm and pastel, this one had sharp colours and edges. It was much more modern, and, in the later years, usually had a slight futuristic feel to it.

A modern take on a vintage kitchen

It's easy to generalise like that, but keep in mind that vintage kitchens varied as much as the ones we know now. Every one had a unique touch to it, and even though it's easy to point out some trends, our image of it is usually very different from what most of them actually looked like. Then again, we, vintage lovers, like to operate with stereotypes as far as oldies are concerned, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with is. After all, the stereotypical vintage kitchen is lovely!

Read More

An introduction and Vintage Posters - The perfect life

Monday 2 September 2013

An introduction and Vintage Posters - The perfect life

I'm always hoping to bring you guys a fresh perspective on the beautiful world of vintage paraphernalia but sometimes this is easier to say than do. So what better way to achieve this than to ask one of my lovely fellow vintage vixens to join us here? That's exactly what I've done, you can thank me later.

So without further ado, it's my pleasure to introduce our new guest blogger - Annie Ef! 

You either love them or hate them. There's no middle ground. They are explicit, sexist, racist, and just straightforward. Whenever I come upon one, I always imagine a white guy in a suit, smoking his cigar, drinking his whiskey, and coming up with marketing ideas. Political correctness? Pffff.

 If you look at the world through vintage ads goggles, things seem to be so… easy. You know exactly what the commercial is for, and the message it conveys. Don't believe me? Here, take a look:

A bottle of ketchup with a cork you can unscrew? *You mean a woman can open it?*

A commercial for Dormeyer electronics store? Just read through it, there's nothing to add.                                                                                                                                                                                   






It not only shows the store off, it gives you tips. Wives, cry just a little. Husbands, go buy what she wants before she starts to cry. It's that simple.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          The image painted by those ads is very clear. The man is independent, smart, strong, and handsome. He gets his women, and he does so thanks to our cigarettes!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             





                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 He then falls in love with the sweet girl next door. She, on the other hand, is pretty, a bit silly and clumsy, and she needs her men to protect her. She might not be too smart, and messes up sometimes, but he forgives her.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

They live in this paradise for a while, then a baby comes along. It's obvious that parents want their children to have a good start.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Your kid isn't doing that well in school, seems a bit slow? Get your medical advice from us! We take care of you 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Speaking of medical advice, did you know that more doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarettes?

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 However, your dentist recommends Viceroys.  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Lucky Strikes on the other hand are good for weight loss. Take your pick!

Vintage ads took care of you. People who made them understood your problems, and wanted to help you with them. The product they tried to sell was the solution to your every day struggles. This might be the reason why they are so appealing. Yes, they are offensive, and yes they paint a sugary version of life. At the same time they are down to earth, they portray simple people with simple problems. It's easier to relate to a housewife trying to make her husband happy, than it is to a supermodel. The ad tells you how to fix your problem, promises you a better life, if you only buy what they are selling!

Now, I see why a lot of people don't like vintage commercials. They take harmful products, package them nicely, and sell as medicine. They show women as naive and completely dependant on men. Then again, when's the last time you turned your TV on? Were those ads that different from what we're used to now?
                                   

Read More

A different perspective...

Monday 27 May 2013

A different perspective...

Marlon Brando from his screen test for 'Rebel without a cause'

There's a line in the picture where he snarls, 'Nobody tells me what to do.' That's exactly how I've felt all my life.
Marlon Brando 

On this blog we've mostly covered vintage life from the perspective of us ladies so I thought it was high time that we change that. I went and bothered a fellow (male) lover of vintage clothing and asked him a few questions. Here's the insight he gave us to the masculine side of vintage love.

Q. When did you first take an interest in vintage fashion?

I suppose when i was 14-15 and started exploring various subcultures. First came punk, then came the rest.

Q. So how long in total have you been wearing these clothes?

Vintage, as in 50's-60's? A small time when I was 16. They sure were comfy.

Q. What first attracted you to this type of clothing?

Mostly the comfiness. I don't care much how it looks, though I can appreciate the aesthetics. 

Q. If you could pick any era to live in, which would it be?

Hmm...The Italian Renaissance, Victorian England, California in the early 20th century or the 60's anywhere...

Q. Why those eras?  

Renaissance: Rome and whatnot were getting built and many great inventors and authors lived around that time that I would have wanted to meet. 
Victorian England: The pseudo-romantic chivalry and the whole thing with suits, top hats and being a gentlemen had a thing to it. 
California in the early 20th Century: It was crazy times, I've heard. I like crazy. 
60's: There's not much to say, really. 'Cause, you know. 

Q. How do you view the trend of vintage clothing coming back into mainstream fashion?

Not too surprising, history is a wheel of a unicycle. The cart may have moved further, the unicycle's wheel is simply repeating it's own circular motion. Over and over. 

Q. Who are your favourite designers?

Don't have any, I'm DIY with clothing. Although Vivienne Westwood is cool, so is Marc Jacobs.

Q. Where do you go to purchase your vintage clothing?

Probably on the market on Waterloo Square, Amsterdam. Or find myself in one or another shops.

Q. Do you think it's harder for guys to find vintage clothing?

Not at all, just need to know where to look.

Q. Also, do you think it's less acceptable (with regards to society) for guys to dress this way compared to women?

A guys wardrobe may be less experimental, in general, but I believe that there is no consensus against it, no, at least not with what I've experienced so far.

There are many things that this interview tells us but one thing that makes me happiest is the fact that this is a glowing example of there still being men who think about the way they present themselves, not just with clothing or styles but also the way they approach their fellow human beings. There are still men out there who want to be gentlemen and that alone is a promising thought!

P.S. Ladies - if you're loving the sound of this man already, just read these two quotes from him as well - I asked him what his favourite colour was and he said  -
A deep dark blue, whose name I never knew. Wise, serene, cool, distant. Mysterious.

And when I asked him who his favourtie star of the silver screen happened to be, his answer was as follows - Marlon Brando, The guy who got me into the more distinguished form of fashion. Suits and everything.

So any girls out there in Amsterdam, maybe you'll want to snap him up ;)

All thanks for this insight go to C.J. Boon, Student of Artificial Intelligence, in Amsterdam.

Read More

Accessorize yourself (Part 1)

Saturday 27 April 2013

Accessorize yourself (Part 1)

Solene Percher by Stephen Plumb, hair bow by  Diablo Jo's

"You can't put a price tag on love, but you can on all its accessories" - Melanie Clark

         What do you look for when choosing accessories? Is it value for money, brand appeal, quality, design or a mixture of all four? 

I personally like to try and achieve a good balance of value for money, quality and design . I also like to try and buy locally and/or hand crafted items.

When I find something new and exciting (even if it's only new to me) I love to share it, and this is exactly what I'm going to do now. 

Obviously, there are many good accessories websites out there and that's without mentioning the abundance of creative and talented artists on Etsy but I want to concentrate on an incredibly talented lady, and her shop Diablo Jo's. This site is beautifully designed, so easy to navigate and has lots of lovely goodies for your perusal and buying pleasure.

I can't resist but to tote some on here (especially as my geographical location at the moment prevents me on buying any!).

Hawaiian Barkcloth Bow

This Hawaiian bow is first on my want list. I think it's so cute and would work well with any hairstyle and colour, I can't wait to get my hands on it and for only £3.50 it's a bargain!

Red and Gold Hawaii Fascinator

My next pick is the beautiful Red and Gold Hawaii Fascinator. How stunning would this look on luscious ebony locks or shimmering crimson tresses? Us redheads sometimes find it hard to match accessories to our hair that don't dull our colour or make it too coppery so this beaut is a definite must. At only £20 it's a worthy addition to your collection.





As you can tell I love Hawaii prints and hibiscus flowers but I promise not all of my recommendations are not based around this theme...instead the lovely Diablo Jo's also provides accessories to cover all tastes and obsessions...even my other one - cherries!

This headscarf is such a simple classic design, and by no means do
I mean this in a derogatory way. This is a perfect design and a necessary part of everyone's collection, whether it has cherries on it or not is up to you. The benefits of having a classic design like this is flexibility  you can match it with most outfits and it will definitely go well with any hair colour...literally any! Another steal at just £4.00


I'm going to now wrap up this article with one more precious piece from Diablo Jo's as I fear otherwise I will just end up adding the whole site here!

'Lil' Cherry' Scroll clip pack

So my last selection is to fit with the above headscarf, this lady has come up with a brilliant design of securing the item - matching hair clips! She has these for most of her headscarf designs so you don't have to have any boring or unsightly bobby pins popping out and ruining the whole ensemble. Just £10 to have this peace of mind.







I suggest you get your little fingers over to her site so you don't turn blue holding your breath from excitement!

Enjoy shopping ladies ;)

Read More

Vintage Hairstyles

Thursday 25 April 2013

Vintage Hairstyles

“I think that the most important thing a woman can have- next to talent, of course- is her hairdresser.” 
― Joan Crawford

I think all, or at least most, of us can agree with the above statement, right ladies?
We've all been there - looking for that elusive new hairstyle, finally finding one that fits our face and what we first envisioned it to look like, then the sense of anticipation as you head for a hairdressers...only to find either your usual hairdressers has closed down or, worst still, they've gone and hired someone who doesn't know your hair...or theirs...or anyone's hair!
Still, You're a lady and so not to be impolite, you sit down cautiously in that chair, they tie that noose like gown around your neck and begin.

Not hairstyles to emulate now are they?

You try your hardest not to judge the cut every time you glance in the mirror but cannot help it - you may not be a hairdresser but did this style really have that shape to it at all?
Common sense denotes this might not be going well.
Then, they 'finish', take that gown from round you, dust you off (all with a satisfied grin) and then they ask if you like it...
You see yourself and the end result in the mirror for the first time and wish it were the last! What have they done? This looks nothing like the photo(s) you showed them! You feel like crying but again, something in us compels us to be polite, nice and even grateful to this person who just made you look like a prepubescent boy (or something resembling a member of The Ramones, not that I don't love their music...it's just not a good look for a woman). So you say you like it, managing the best fake smile you can, part with your hard earned cash and walk out vowing never to go back there again (to yourself of course).

So now ladies, what's the solution? Needless to say - find a better hairdresser! Ask for examples of their work before letting the loose on those locks, look at reviews, ask friends and family and most importantly - trust your instincts! If you are looking for a particular vintage haircut I would advise against going to a regular hairdressers like Supercuts. However, don't get me wrong, there are hairdressers in those places and private ones that don't specialise in vintage cuts but still do a darn good job (I'm lucky enough to have a friend who is just this kind of hairdresser :D). There are tons of specialist hairdressers, pretty much wherever you live - believe me on this one as I come from a...not very enlightened town north of London and even we now have a vintage hairdresser! Look around, ask people, and keep your eyes peeled at local events and clubs.

Next on my hair hit list is those hairdressers that don't even cut your hair but manage to still mess it up - not helpful when you've gone to them in preparation for a special day like your wedding. My best tip, which again is an obvious one, is to follow that age old saying - if you want something done properly, do it yourself.

There is a plethora of resources for you to follow and learn from. These include books on the subject (like Style Me Vintage by Belinda Hay, Vintage Hairstyling: Retro Styles with Step-by-Step Techniques by Lauren Rennells, 1940s Hairstyles (Vintage Living) by Daniela Turudich or Style Me Vintage Look Book Step-by-Step Retro Look Book by Naomi Thompson,Katie Reynolds & Belinda Hay), websites, and - my favourite - Youtube!

Two of the people I absolutely adore on Youtube are Lisa Freemont Street and The Cherry Dollface. These women are amazing, if there's something they don't know about hair and make-up, then it's not worth knowing! They do a variety of styles from a variety of eras so there's something on there for everyone. Check them out, use their videos and advice, like them on Facebook and all the other social media sites and most importantly, thank them for doing such a wonderful and informative job! Also, check out Lisa Freemont Streets blog for more tips!

Let me know if there's anything I've missed on here, or  something you want to know and I'll do my best to either answer your queries or send you to a place that can :)

Read More

Vintage Wedding Inspiration part 2

Saturday 15 December 2012

Vintage Wedding Inspiration part 2

If men can run the world, why can't they stop wearing neckties? How intelligent is it to start the day by tying a little noose around your neck?

Linda Ellerbee

So in Part 1 I focused on our dresses and where you could buy lovely vintage ones, now to focus on the other, equally important, half of the wedding - the men!

So let's start off with U.K. suppliers :

Tweedmans Vintage is a great site if your beau wants to go completely traditional. They have some very expensive looking items on there for a good price.

Rusty Zipper has a great collection that's also searchable by decade. Good prices all round and a friendly interface too :)

Revival Retro is probably my favourite pick for vintage mens suits, the one problem is they can run quite expensive when you add all those separate bits up, but when you look at the clothes they have for sale, you'll understand why this is.

40s Clothing - a website that has ever changing stock, so keep an eye out and see if you can grab a bargain

U.S. suppliers :

Posh Girl Vintage - I know, I know...this doesn't sound like a place to find stuff for you boys but trust me and click the link - they have a mens section of the website and you may just find that scarf, bow tie or shirt that you've been looking for!

American Vintage - This is a good site for shirts and accessories, have a look and see what goodies you may find!

Other than that I don't (currently) know of other 'specialist' sites, there's all the usual sites like Ebay, Etsy etc and other sites selling vintage clothing but not necessarily for weddings.

Always head out to your local markets as well as you never know what someone might get rid of, you know what they say - one mans garbage is another mans treasure!

Happy Shopping!

Read More

Vintage Wedding Inspiration part 1

Tuesday 4 December 2012

Vintage Wedding Inspiration part 1

A kiss is a lovely trick, designed by nature, to stop words when speech becomes superfluous.

Ingrid Bergmen 

          I thought that since I am in the throws of planning my own wedding (all set for 28th January!), and of course I've added some vintage touches to it, that I would offer some 'advice' if I may call it that on where to find some gorgeous vintage wedding inspiration for all different budgets.

Let's start with arguably the most important piece of the puzzle (for us girls anyway!) - the dress or gown or whatever terminology you feel like using.
I have found a gorgeous art deco inspired dress here in Tel Aviv, in an unknown shop called Los Angeles and the girls in there are lovely, my dress was also a very good price - around £250/₪1,500/$400. So if you're in Israel definitely go and look them up.
On the other hand, if you do live in Israel or don't mind paying postage and you have a bigger budget Erez Ovadia has some gorgeous gowns that are vintage inspired.

Erez Ovadia gown 

I personally enquired about the above dress' price when I was still looking for a dress, the quote I received back was £1,200/₪7,200.

Now, if you don't live in Israel (which I know many of you don't) there is a whole host of sites, designers and shops you can go to but I'll list some of my favourites to hopefully help you narrow the search down. Just to let you know, they don't become my favourites just on design alone, I've taken into consideration the price, customer service, fitting and alteration times etc.

In the U.K

Let's start with one of the most expensive - Circa Brides has some lovely wedding dresses with hints of vintage design, I enquired about their 'Kate' dress (shown below) and they said it was made to measure, from silk. They seemed nice and friendly and they responded to my questions the same day so I was impressed it's just a pity the dress was out of my budget and I couldn't go back to the U.K to fit it. 

'Kate' wedding gown - £2,300

Then, of course, you have The Vintage Wedding Dress Company You can browse by decade or original vintage dresses, I'm sure you'll fall in love with at least one dress on this site. They don't have prices on the gowns but they do give you direct links to the individual stockists for each dress so you can enquire there for prices etc.

Next is Abigail's Vintage Bridal which is just a gorgeous site with much to offer. They state on their site that prices start from a very reasonable £300 up to £2,000 but most fall between £500 - £800 which I think is a steal. They separate their wedding dresses into 3 sections - 1920's and 30's, 1940's and 50's and then 1970's and 80's.

Abigail's Vintage Bridal 1930's wedding gown

JenJen House is a great site to try and get a discount, I saw some beautiful dresses on here and the only reason I didn't go for them is the messing about sending them back all the way to the UK and the turn around time if they hadn't fit. Here's a very pretty example of one of their dresses -

A-Line/Princess Halter Floor-Length Chiffon Satin Wedding Dresses With Ruffle Lace Bead work £95. 

My last 3 UK links come in the way of non dedicated sites - 

ASOS Marketplace - always worth a look as they not only have vintage inspired new goods but also pre-loved items.

eCRATER UK - you can search this site for vintage wedding dresses and the most expensive I saw on here recently was just over £400! Such a bargain.

And last, of course, is Ebay - you all know all too well by now about the bargains that can be found on here, so why not try it for your wedding too? The Ebay link I've provided will take you straight to a selection of vintage wedding dresses showing price lowest to highest.

In the U.S.A

Obviously, you can give Ebay a go as well and you really should but below I'll give you some awesome links for lovely gowns straight from the U.S as well. The Ebay link above will take you straight to a search for vintage gowns again, but this one Ebay will give you the same search but in vintage, so then you can further narrow it down by the decade you desire :)

My first one is a site that looks lovely and seemed very good with replying to my enquiries - Dress Firm - they have some lovely dresses anyway but they also have a little link on the left hand side menu for vintage dresses, now, not all of these would I say have even the slightest hint of vintage inspiration but they are still worth a look for the odd one in there.

This dress reminds me of a mix of Greek goddess and 1930's art deco with the drop waist

Light in the box - I LOVE this site! I visited a lot in my search for the perfect dress and once again, one of my main reasons for not picking one from here was the postage to Israel, so if you're already there you're a OK ;) Very good prices with some cute dresses on there, although many have a big modern twist on them.

If you're looking for more of the 1950's style then look no further! Whirling Turban has the solution to your search. They have gorgeous dresses for a good price, their customer service is great and they also have some lovely other tidbits that might take your fancy, and hey, why pay twice for postage? ;)

No this next site is a bit more expensive so be forewarned! On the other hand, one look at the dresses and you can really see why - Mill Crest Vintage located in NJ is a beautiful, user friendly site. What's more, their dresses are actually vintage! Hence the price. They go all the way through the decades so you'll have a long and enjoyable time browsing their goods.

Vintage Style Dresses has a great collection, including plus sized dresses which is fab and unfortunately sometimes rare. They're well priced, with most being around $200 odd. I think they have this vintage feel we so desire but with a romantic floaty essence at the same time.

Vintage Style Dresses -  Nataya 40115 Ivory Wedding Dress

My last dedicated link for you guys is Outer Inner - a lovely site with a vintage section! Really good prices as well, dare I use the word cheap even? But you don't feel like you'll be getting some dodgy knock off. The link I've given above will take you directly to their vintage section.

Now, for my very last link (otherwise I'm sure all you girls will be having heart palpitations haha) is Yolan Cris - they have a little link down to the right bottom side for the English website. These dresses are like a dream come true, the one I fell in love with and enquired about (pictured below) is called 'Paris' but do check out all the website and gowns. Unfortunately 'Paris' was more than I could afford at £2,400 odd but just look how wonderful she is! 

Stay tuned for the next part of my vintage wedding inspiration where I tackle the men in our lives!

Read More

How to get your favourite classic movies cheaply or FREE!

Monday 3 December 2012

How to get your favourite classic movies cheaply or FREE!

A film is never really good unless the camera is an eye in the head of a poet. 

Orson Welles 

I love old movies, all types - detective, war, mystery, Alfred Hitchcock (c'mon people, he deserves his own category), romance, comedy, musicals and a mixture of the above also. They had such a carefree vibe to them and you truly felt that the actors and actresses were in them for the love of acting instead of how big the pay check would be or how much they'd score at the box office.

Yes, we got fooled with some of the stars when they sang being replaced with trained professional singers but hey, who cares right? At least they still sounded good unlike more recent fools (*cough* Milli Vanilli *cough*). Also, we didn't get so many remakes. Don't you feel like screaming when they go and remake a good film, probably for the 20th time?! Ok that was an exaggeration, the 3rd...that's more like it, right? Sometimes of course, the remake is better than the original, for instance (and I may get lynched for writing this) but take 'Babes in Toyland' personally my favourite version is the 1961 film, maybe it's because I saw this as a child and before the 1934 Laurel and Hardy version (which I'm not knocking) but it's a million times better than the 1986 version with Keanu Reeves (as a friend of mine summed Keanu up when she watched the latter version - ' he keeps doing his gormless stare ' perfect way of describing the whole film).

But c'est la vie, we can't moan now when they've already made the remakes and, most of the time, ruined the job completely. Let's get to the actual subject at hand - where to get movies on DVD for cheap and where to stream them for FREE!

My first site to refer you to for this is an obvious one - Ebay - they have lots of good deals and there is usually an ebay dedicated site (or one that you may order from such as Ebay.com) wherever you live in the world. You can search by title, actor/actress or even by release date! Very handy if you just want to search for missing titles of your collection but can't remember the specific names.

My second site is also an obvious one but quite often overlooked - Amazon - for an example I put my search term in that link as 'classic DVD films' and just look at the wealth of results, so once again, you don't have to be too specific if you don't want to be.

My third link is more of an unusual one, most people I know don't know of it which confuses me - Ebid - this is a great site as most people don't know of it so you can get really good bargins on here, the only downside is that for exactly the same reason you might not always get results for your searches :/ They have international websites too, catering for Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, India, Spain, Sweden, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, USA. I'm sure that if your country isn't listed, you could use another one and just check with individual listings to see if they post internationally.

My fourth link is a nice cheap site - Classic Movie Store - this store sells so many box sets so cheaply in their sales. They also stock a range of decades not only movies but T.V shows from those decades also.
Here's a deal I'd love for a present ;)

Cary Grant box set for £2.97!

Now, my fifth link is for my American and Canadian readers (supposing you guys are out there) or even for others in the rest of the world who don't mind the postage fees :) Deep Discount - it has a classic movies section, which of course is where my link will take you straight to, and their prices are pretty good. Most DVD's are between $5-$10 not a bad bargain eh?

My sixth link - Where can you go if you feel like having a classic late night movie fest but feel like trying flicks you've never seen before? Classic Flix is the place to go for that, I have to admit they're a bit expensive to buy the movies but here you can RENT them! I love this idea and wish I was in the States to try it....so let me know what it's like if you do go for it :)

Now, onto the FREE ones! We all love free stuff correct? Of course we do!

My seventh link is one I regularly visit, especially when the other half is working late - Classic Cinema Online - this is a lovely website that's just had a redesign and update. It's really user friendly and doesn't have so many of those annoying adverts, plus I've never seen a pop-up on this site! No sign up required or hidden fees, literally you can just watch whatever they have on the site and they're always adding new ones.

My eighth link is an unknown one, Open Culture this website has an archive of all sorts of things and in amongst those they have some hidden gems of old movies, for an example - The 39 Steps - is on here :)

My second to last link comes from Internet Archive - This site has a wealth of old movies, of all different genres and decades, they even have a dedicated Film Noir section. If you select 'Feature Films' that's where you'll find all the goodies but check out the other categories as well, you don't know what you might find. Also, they have a spotlight item that changes every month that's usually worth checking out.

My last website (for now) is Solar Movie - this site unfortunately has A LOT of pop ups but if you persevere through them you get the goods without sign up or fees...and let's face it, if you can't find the film on the previous listed websites then closing a few pop up windows is well worth watching your beloved old movies.

I hope this list has helped you and that you enjoy rediscovering all those films!

Read More

All things Etsy!

Saturday 1 December 2012

All things Etsy!

Lot vintage costume jewelry on Etsy

Esty, if you don't know it already, is an amazing place to find vintage and handmade doodahs. I sometimes spend hours looking on Etsy, I have that problem of thinking 'I'll just look for X Y Z and that's it, 10 minutes tops' and then before I know it it's been 3 hours and I've looked not only at X Y and Z but also A B C D E and F! Just like Ebay, Etsy will show you suggestions you might like, and if you sign up for an account not only can you create a sort of 'wishlist/watch list' but also you can favourite the whole shop so you'll get updates on new products. With this favouriting, I find it a lot easier than Ebay, which isn't necessarily a good thing as it means you see so much more in such a small amount of time - for someone like me, that's not a good thing!!!

You can find pretty much anything on this site, again just like Ebay but the twist is that most of it is handmade and if not, it's usually vintage. It's like a dream come true for those of us who are picky at what charity/thrift stores we will shop in - Ebay is your regular run of the mill store where anyone gives anything in (with the exception of not having the discerning shop assistants to chuck the tat before the customers see it), Etsy is your specialist store where you might find that odd handmade skirt that everyone will ask about, or those shoes that came from someones great aunt in the 40's. Needless to say, it's really a worthwile site to check out. 

Gorgeous pearl job lot

The above photo of a job lot of various pearl jewellery I personally think is gorgeous...can you imagine teaming this up with a long Hollywood 1930's dress for a night out? Perfect pairing!

I have to say, Etsy isn't just for jewellery, you can find some really interesting little trinkets and clothing on there too. I've posted a few examples of ones I think are so cute...

Antique classic Underwood N 5 art deco typewriter from the 1920s

Pinup Series hand made stone cocktail coasters

Holy Rockabilly Dress Batman

Ok, so the last one isn't all that vintage but don't you just love the 50's shaped dress with the Batman print to it? You can be a total chic geek in that! :D

So now I've given you the low down on Etsy and a TINY example of what you can find on there, go off and start shopping people!

Toodaloo!

Read More

Hello my lovelies!

Hello my lovelies!

"The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mode but the true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives the passion that she shows. The beauty of a woman grows with the passing years." 

Audrey Hepburn 

I created this blog to share my passion of all things vintage, retro and kitsch and hopefully provide you, the readers and fellow lovers of mothballs, with some lovely websites and deals I come across.

As I am a avid baker, I will be highlighting vintage baking and cooking accessories and equipment too, along with telling you how to use some of the outdated bits and bobs. 

Of course, if you come across something not featured on here or you feel I missed out, please do drop me a line or post in the comments about your find - I'm all about sharing knowledge and credit of course.

So I hope you enjoy this blog and the journey we are embarking on, and remember to check back regularly for updates and new posts.

Au revoir, at least for now ;)

Read More