A Birthday Luncheon

My Mom and my niece, Abigail, share the same birthday.... which is really neat because Abigail is also Mom's first grandchild. So yesterday was the big day, and to celebrate, I hosted a lunch with just the family girls, no boys allowed. I frilled it up.

 I find that young children actually do quite well with china, crystal and other table finery. So I got out some of my vintage china I never use; table linens that hardly ever see the light of day, and my mismatched vintage sliver and cute things.

 
 
 

 

 I made chicken salad for the ladies, and little cut out pbjs for the girlies. Cole slaw, fruit with brown sugar fruit dip, homemade dill pickles, and deviled eggs were our simple menu. I also made raspberry-mint lemonade punch... mmmm

 

 The birthday cake was strawberry - with strawberry cupcakes for the littles! I served raspberry sorbet with that, in keeping with my pink and frilly theme.

 

 

 Birthday girls:
 
 

 Afterwords, we put the girls in some white frocks and took some photos in the yard.

 

 

 

 As you can see here, I was wearing Victory Rolls in my hair.... I am still struggling with getting them even on each side; but am doing better with the "roll" part staying up instead of getting flat on top of my head. I think my issue this day was that I was in a rush when I rolled my hair; and didn't keep each side with equal amounts of hair in the rollers. Which made for unequal rolls.

 
 Alana, striking a lovely Southern Belle pose.
 
 Ooops... a blooper.
 
 (Dodge)

 The party was enjoyed by all and we agreed to do more girls only teas and lunches whenever we can find an excuse! I think it is good for young girls to dress up and use good table settings and feel special and ladylike.
 And it is tons of fun for me to do!

Spook.

When you give your whole heart to your pet, you risk your heart to the worst kind of pain. But I have always said; no matter how much it hurts to loose them- whether from old age or a sudden, tragic accident - those moments of pain and grief are worth all the joy and love of their companionship and love. And I have always said, I would do it over and over again - even with the grief and pain. I never regret rescuing or adopting any of my pets - even when their happy little lives end tragically and leave us so heartbroken.



But I especially hate loosing them when they're so young.

 
The day I rescued Spook from the street last summer.
  


 

 

 

 

 

 I loved her with all my heart.

My Patio and Garden Salvage

When I moved in to this house, the small side yard in between the driveway and the house was a bare spot with a pecan tree. The following spring (about a year later), I embarked on a project to transform the area into a raised kitchen/herb garden and flower bed. Later, I added an attached patio.

 I did it all with old bricks and flat rocks from a chimney my husband tore down on the property. The fill dirt was from our property also. I recently had to dig up the patio because it had been overtaken with grass and weeds; so we laid landscaping fabric down underneath, replaced the brick and rock, and decided to cover it with small pea gravel. I am still working the pea gravel in, but it is looking much tidier.

 

 

 

 Rocks:  Free.
 Bricks: Free.
 Dirt for the raised garden: Free.
 Landscaping fabric: Maybe $10.00?
 7 tons of pea stone; some of which also went on the driveway: $50.00

 Something I am really getting into now: "Salvage" garden items. I am fascinated by items in people's gardens created from found, salvaged, junked old stuff. And I want to do it in my own gardens! Here is Some of what I've collected so far:

 
  I bought this at an antiques shop.

 
One cute thing to do is to stick old broken plates in potted flowers. This is an old plate I dug up in an old trash pile on our farm.


 This is an old bed frame I dug up from the dirt by an old cabin back in the woods on our farm.

 
 This  is a wrought iron bird bath I inherited from my Grandmother. I have no idea where she got it; probably a flea market or antique shop or some such place.The piece of glass in it is one I dug up and plan on using in a pot of flowers at some point.

 I plan on scrounging around in my barns and other places for more "junk" I can make into nifty garden sculpture or other decorative garden items!

Twin Dressers.

"Romantic Country" is a magazine I really adore and don't often buy because they're super expensive - I paid $8.00 for it. (Shhh. Don't tell my husband.)
 
 Anyway, as I am flipping through it, this dresser caught my eye:
 
 I was excited to see it; because I have one just like it that I bought and painted earlier this year, as documented in this post:
 
  The difference is that theirs is pink, and has beading and decorative glue-on "carvings" on the front. And theirs doesn't have a bunch of stuff being stashed on the top; like mine at the moment. And, mine has antique reproduction pink glass knobs.

 I highly recommend the magazine, if you like shabby, cottage, flea market style decor. It is really inspiring.

My Vintage Bedroom.

My niece Abi and I did some major spring cleaning in my house this weekend and I thought I'd share some quick pics while it was so sparkly!

 

 I determined when I moved in this house that all of my decor would be vintage; antique, or inspired by vintage and antique things; and that nothing would be purchased "new". So far; with the exception of appliances, I have stuck to this plan. I've been here three years and my decor is still evolving.

Our vintage 1940's mahogany/walnut 4-poster bed was a Salvation Army find I got for an astonishing $30.00. I adore this bed. The vintage bedspread was also a Salvation Army find. The floral pillows were from Goodwill and the white ones are antique linens I embroidered with monograms and stitched together with lace and trims. The cat, Splat, was found along side the street and was totally free - except for the vet bills. (Teehee...)
 The big antique mirror on the mantle  was found in this house when we moved in; and the other items on the mantle are little odds and ends I collect.The sage green rug was inherited from a friend who was moving.

 

 This wardrobe is on the opposite end of the room from the bed. My husband picked it up at an estate auction one weekend when I was out of town. It's a classic 20's - 30's "waterfall" style. I think the handles are Bakelite. I stash some of my hatboxes and other vintage goodies on top. Next to it is a wooden shelf I store shoes and purses on; since we have not built closets in the upstairs rooms yet.

 

 

 I hang some 1920's - 30's nightgowns on my door for a dreamy effect..... I got them at an antique auction. The vine and berry wreath was a thrift store steal that I am trying to figure out how to use.
 
 The palette in my bedroom is rather nuetral; made up of creams, white, greens, and of course my unpainted dark wood furniture. This way I can indulge my love of "shabby cottage"  without doing the frilly pink and turquoise palette and make my manly- man husband sick to his stomach. :) I like this color palette because it is very relaxed; calming, and not busy - perfect for a room where you go to relax and rest.

 
 
 As I said, no closets in the bedrooms (we're going to build them eventually) so we improvised: in the upstairs hall, we simply created a walk-in dressing room type of closet; including the dressing table to match my wardrobe in the bedroom.
 
 

 See all the piles of hatboxes..... they contain my ever growing collection of hats.

 
 
 I made a seemingly useless corner of the hallway outside the bedroom a cute little nook with this chippy cream kitchen chair, a peg rack, and an antique cotton camisole, scarves, and little bits. The antique pitcher and bowl are a loan from my Mom, who bought them at auction. The antique hooked rug is also a loan from my Mom - she found them at an estate sale. (See where I got the "junking" bug from?)

 I didn't show the guest room, because I've shown it before (somewhere). That is the room where I get to do the pink shabby chic thing!

 So that's my cottage-y, vintage bedroom and "walk-in-dressing room". Freshly cleaned.

 :)
 

Violets

I bought this old milk glass, silver plate footed cold cream jar at my friend's antiques shop. It's such a cute little thing; and missing it's lid. Perfect for a tiny bouquet of wild violets I picked in my yard. 

 Violets are my favorite wildflower. I wanted to carry a bouquet of them for my wedding but we couldn't find them to  buy. So, I made do with sugared violets on the cake.

 Did you know you can make jelly from violets? I made some last year! It's pretty neat.

Black Shoes and Summer Sandals

How many pairs of black shoes does a person need? At least 10, apparently. I've been sorting through all my clothes and things while I get out all the summer stuff; and I realized that most of my shoes are black. I have the boring tendency to wear black shoes with everything. I need to remedy this.
 
It's time for sandals! Here are a few I like:

 
 American Eagle Outfitters


Ruche

The basic problem I have with sandals is this:
Cute = uncomfortable and too dressy looking. Comfortable = bulky, chunky, ugly clodhoppers. Why can't there be a happy medium (that will not also make my husband choke and cough and frown when he sees the price tag)?

- The "flat" sandals being sold today hurt my feet and legs so bad, I can't stand it. I have high arches. This is a problem.
 
 - I find most styles unattractive. Gladiator sandals are just not for me.
 
 - High heeled, cuter sandals are not very "casual" and I need something to throw on with shorts or a skirt for running to the grocery store or out to a church rummage sale on the weekend.

I think I might just forget sandals this year and go with ballet flats I can stick arch supports in.

 This makes me very....very.... sad.

Vintage Summer Dresses

It's finally starting to stay warmed up around here; and I've been breaking out the summer dresses. Mostly sundresses. Here are some of the vintage dresses among them:

 



 This is one of my favorites. I bought it last year. It's "deadstock" - never worn. It has a union tag - a newer version - so I think this is probably 70s - 80s; when there was a "50s revival" look. I love the bright red color. The straps are meant to be buttoned into the back of the dress, but I prefer to wear it with the straps tied behind my neck as a halter. Dress: thrifted; Milk glass earrings: thrifted; milk glass necklace: antique store; Milk glass and black glass beaded cuff bracelet: Etsy; Shoes: thrifted.



 This is actually a vintage repro dress. I  bought it when I first started getting into vintage clothes as a teenager. Hat: Dandelion Vintage; Bracelet: Etsy; Shoes: thrifted

 
 I love this dress; from the 70s or 80s. I love the plum color; and full skirt... it is so light and comfortable to wear. It has a 1940s "vibe" that I love. Dress: thrifted; Silver and amethyst bracelet: rummage sale; Shoes: thrifted

 

Another deadstock dress! This one looks very similar to ones sold at Wal Mart last year; but I promise it isn't. It is another deadstock dress I bought recently! 1970s, with a "elasticy" bodice. I remember wearing these when I was little. Dress: thrifted; Vintage cowboy boots: gift from my Dad when I was a teenager; hat: vintage find.



This is a 1970s maxi dress; I believe it was hand made. It is available in my Etsy shop right now.

 

The Official Find Of The Day: 1950s Bathing Suit!

Boy, am I glad we ran out of cat food this morning. I had to make an unexpected trip to the grocery for more cat food, and stopped in the Goodwill store across the street while I was in the neighborhood. I picked up a few things: like a pair of brand new, black lace covered, peep toe high heels for $4, a pair of shabby chic Waverly "Garden Room" throw pillows with a cottagey floral print for $5; a couple of cute things for my nieces; and a vintage empire waist, blue floral satin,  1930's style dressing gown with ruffled collar (LOVE) for $3 - but as I passed by a rack of bathing suits, one really caught my eye. (I rarely look at bathing suits at thirft shops. I just don't buy used bathing suits. For obvious reasons. Unless they still have the tags.)

 (I apologize for the rubbishy photos. I was in haste when I took them.)

 (Listen to me, sounding all British! It must be the upcoming Royal Wedding getting to me......)

 

 It's black, with pleated skirt and bodice. NO damage, and hardly any wear! It's in simply amazing condition.
 The legs are cut low, in old-fashioned, modest "boy short" style:

 

 The back buttons up with the cutest covered little buttons:

 

 

 The shoulder straps button in the back also; so you can adjust them as needed:

 

 And inside, the cups are padded, and there is this cute little satin bow with a rosette. The tag is "Elizabeth Stewart, California".

 

 And the clincher? ............................ This suit fits me. Yes! I put it on! In fact, it fits "big" on me! I guess it's about a modern size 12. So, it's a keeper. I have never, ever found a vintage bathing suit in my thrift shopping; and never, ever thought I would. They're pretty rare for thrift shops. And the first one I find is in such good shape, and fits me to boot?!

 Oh; here are the shoes (and the pillows shown in the background).

 

(That's my cat, Brutus.)

 PS: I paid $4.00 for the suit. I am still amazed at the luck of it!