How to fill a vintage compact.

Gather all materials. You will need: loose powder, rubbing alcohol, new powder puff or sponge to fit in compact, spoon, small bowl, scrap of fabric, and an item such as a knife or thick paper for smoothing.

First thing to do is wash out your vintage compact very well. Bacteria can spread through the leftover makeup so make sure it is washed with soap and let to dry.


Scoop some powder into a small bowl.


Add about a cap full of liquid to the powder.


Mix to a thick paste. You will need to add more powder and liquid as you mix to reach the correct consistancy.


Scoop the paste in and spread the paste around the dish and press a little to make sure there are no empty bubbles hiding.

Smooth out the top with a flat item such as the back if a knife or strong piece of paper.


This step is optional, but I like it because it feels more finished.
Take a scrap of cloth (a woven cotton will work best) and lay it on the powder. Press gently onto to cloth with your fingers, making a mark in the powder. If the powder is of the correct thickness, then it will not stick.


Now you have that professional "woven" look.


Set it in a safe dry place for about 24 hours and after that you are ready to go! As with any other pressed powder compact, be careful not to bang it around in your purse, or drop it as the powder will break. But if that does happen you can just do the process over again reusing the broken powder.

A few simple 1940s hairstyles.

So I'm not really up with my generation as far as youtube goes. I'm not always watching the latest and most popular video. My friends know if they send me something chances are I wont watch it (aside from the occasional funny cat video). But today I googled "1940s hair" to try and get some styling tips for Thanksgiving and was suprised to find a few youtube videos listed as tutorials. Since I am a monkey see monkey do kind of girl I gave a few videos a try and found a couple that inspired me. "Victory curls in under 5 min" is a great way to do your hair in those upswept tubular curls in a very short time, but would be better suited for costume purposes than what I would use for everyday wear.
The Pin up updo is something I experimented with today, and it was so easy and quick, with such dramatic and authentic results.
I was lucky enough when I had a bob to have a natural perfect fingerwave, so as my hair gets longer I'm having to actually style it so I dont look like a madwoman. With a fair amount of hairspray and bobby pins the second technique held up very well, pictures of that soon.

*coming this weekend*
Some more "New looking vintage" and a way to fill that lovely vintage compact with pressed powder so you can actually use it! And if you dont have one yet, once you see how its done you'll want to get one, just to looks so cute while powdering your nose :)

New dress.

So there was a tiny hole on the back strap and this was my solution....I'll list it soon, along with a red Lili Ann coat I relined with matching leopard fabric.

Yeah. Its pretty hot, I'm trying not to like it as much as I do...

Inspiration

I was checking one of my favorite style blogs The Satorialist and came across this amazing photo (They are all amazing) with these vintage dressed girls. The the gal on the left is the look I most relate to, and I've been on the lookout for the perfect fur coat just like that, I love the color. It's been a little difficult to find a good vintage fur coat because, well, I live near Portland and everyone is anti-fur so the fur coats people inherit from their grandmothers get thrown out. Since Christmas shopping is over (thank you Etsy) maybe I can save up for one this winter and hope I find the perfect coat before the season is out.

Dressing gown.

Here is the dressing gown I found yesterday for my shop, and decided after ironing the mile deep wrinkles out that I couldnt let it go. Could you?
?

Saloon Girl.

I always forget I have this coat until its too late to wear it, so luckily I remembered before it got too chilly. It came from the Portland Antique Expo a few years back, and its a 1970s dress/coat, works perfect for full skirts. Sam and I went apartment shopping and then he took me thrifting (what a darling) I found some great stuff for my shop, but one thing I cant let go of, a 1940s dressing gown, pictures of that later. I love this hat, its pretty beat up (felted wool), but I love the bonnet style and fluffy plume, I'm constantly looking for hats like it, but they are always expensive. I bought this from a woman who was closing her B&B and had a trunk full of hats at $5 a pop. I got some pretty ones.

There is no on switch.

Sam and I went to a local antique mall the other day and came across this super cool stove.

Thats hot.

You have plans tonight.

You're watching Pushing Daisies.

Cool November day.

I've found I really like wearing short skirts with long jackets, and this look seemed to work.

New look

Here is a little peek at what my shop will start to look like tonight. I've got a banner all ready and took a bunch of photos with my new backdrop, and lovely maniquen. Someone gave me this wire maniquen a few years ago, its about 50 or 60 years old, and she gave it to me unused and still in the box. So last night I got to put it together reading the adorable instructions (yes, they were cute). I think she looks pretty cool, and now I have an actual area for photos rather than taking down all the things against the pink wall in the living room.

Plus I can do it all in my PJs :)

New Window

2nd Anniversary

Sam and I celebrated our 2nd Anniversary (Of dating) yesterday, and got all dressed up, me in a vintage black strapless wiggle dress and leopard coat, and him in his wonderful gray suit.

Of course I forgot my camera.

But we had fun and saw the new James Bond film, where a couple of people said I looked like a Bond girl, I think it may have looked as though we had dressed up for the movie :)

Next time I'll remember my camera....

Light and Shadow Photography

My wardrobe seems quite boring after looking at this site...

Vintage Textile

Too bad its a pattern.

I could buy the pattern, and the materials, and get started and have it sitting next to the couch, but....

Thats about as far as it will go.....

Kallie Designs

Ice Cream...

Sam and I stopped at Dairy Queen today for lunch. I just realized that they have pumpkin ice cream right now, and regret not getting it. I've been obsessed with pumpkin flavored things this fall ever since I had a pumpkin truffle at Moonstuck at the crisp beginning of fall. Then last night I found These truffles and am thinking I need to just try every pumpkin chocolate I come across. There is a fast food restaurant in Vancouver WA and Portland OR called Burgerville, which serves food with local fresh ingredients, and they have a seasonal milkshake. Pumpkin is the featured flavor at the moment, and oh my gosh it's so good.
Jacket-Buffalo Exchange
Shirt- Anthropologie
Mink collar-Discovery thrift shop.
Purse-Coach

Frosting!

Today I was featured on the Frosting Couture blog, and thought it would be the perfect time to share her shop too!
Frosting Couture is a shop on Etsy full of lush and luxurious items such as detailed floral headbands, adorable appliqued caps, felt and jeweled tiaras, and the most beautiful baby shoes you've ever seen, you'll want to squeeze into a pair yourself. Frosting Couture is that little reminder for everyone, to always indulge in the rich and sweet. This is a culture I'd want to be a part of :)

Petticoats and velvet.

I loooove the Victorian era. It's so elegant, and shapely, and full of pretty little details. One reason I make those bustle skirts :)
This outfit was a little mix of Victorian and 1950s.
Bolero and flowers-Portland Antique Expo
Skirt-Retro Renegade Vintage
Hat-Nikie Frye

New looking vintage, part 2.

I'm a fan of two opposites, full petticoat skirts, and hip hugging pencil skits. It can be difficult to find full skirts, but even more so to find that perfect pencil skirt.

Problem solved!

While checking one of my favorite blogs today, Behind the Curtain, I saw a post about an adorable website where you can actually build your own pencil skirt, and have it made especially for you! Sophistikitten is a website that began as a place to get 1930s style french knickers , and all items are made to order, not in a sweat shop.

On the skirt you can choose details such as buttons, belt loops, arrowheads (I love those), pleats, and more.

So if you are searching for that perfect pencil skirt (Which everyone does at some point in their life) then have a look around here before getting frustrated, you'll love it!

New coat!

So yesterday at work Chris asked me to put the giant pile of coats out on the racks.

It was pretty inevitable I would find at least one I loved.

I have a LOT of coats. I mean a lot. And why not? When you live in a part of the world where seven months out of the year require a coat, that pretty much becomes your wardrobe when you go out of the house.

My friend Ellery got one like this at The Urban Eccentric last week in red, so now we can go out together and look like Christmas.

In order to justify me taking this coat home, I've decided to sell one of my four leopard coats on Etsy. Maybe...Its really cute...

*sigh*

This is why I have so many coats.

Pushing Daisies

When I tuned in to watch "Pushing Daisies" tonight and got "Dancing with the Stars: Live" instead. I was not happy.

Not happy at all.

Infact, I was most unhappy. For I have one show, ONE SHOW on television that I tune into ever week, and that is Pushing Daisies.

Why?

"Why?" You ask.

Well I'll tell you. And you will listen.

Becuase it is the best. Among all the dark crime shows and countless medical dramas, there is sunny, comical, interesting, magical tv show that shows us the meaning of good entertainment.

The set is spectacular, based in a pie shop (In the shape of a pie) and scenes where everything from the wallpaper, to the carpet, to the pajamas, to the bedspread match, it never disappoints.

And my favorite: The costumes are vintage. Really. Bright colors, petticoats, and hats, I get inspired by every episode. I want to raid the wardrobe department, and I'm sure you do too.

So after much panicking and sulking, and holding back tears, and cursing ABC and Dancing with the Stars, I find that it will resume in two weeks.

*Exhale*

And I'll remind you, becuase I know you'll want to know.

Did I mention there was pie and petticoats?

I want to wear bow ties

I love vintage bow ties. Love 'em.
So when bought a bunch in my trip to California, I wore them in my hair, but they never stayed in very well, however looked really cute. So when I got back home I disected them, and rebuilt them with clips glued and sewn in. Voila!

Instant adorable.

I've been tagged!

On my second post WhichGoose tagged me, which basically means I share seven random facts about myself, and tag seven other blogs. I'll just do five and five though :)
The Rules:
1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blog.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Alright, here it goes:

I. Love. Bacon.

When I went on a camping trip with my friends years ago, I insisted on wearing red lipstick the entire time.

I eat slices of lemon whole, peel and all.

When I was little I wore a full petticoat everywhere as a skirt, and now have a great collection.

I'm so excited to get married in July. And I love that all my friends are collecting birdcages for me :)

Here are the blogs I've tagged, so fun!

Frosting Culture
So Zealous
Market Publique
AD Love
Circles are Forever

Workspace.

Some photos from a few months ago, but I still love the colors. In the first photo of my vanity, there is the little green jewelry box from the last post. As much as I clean it it seems to accumulate stuff. Then there is a Japanese doll my grandmother gave me years ago, stationary from Venice my costume teacher brought back for me, a photo of Sam and I when I was blond, and some little trinkets that I cant get rid of.

This little fairy helper holds my pins.

I covered my vintage sewing table ($4 at a garage sale) with vintage fashion photos and art. There are some really pretty ones under my machine, but I never get to see them :)

Judy's Boat Trip.

I havent done any box covering lately, so while watching Dr. Who I thought I'd cover this little jewelry box with pages from a 1939 childrens book. In the past I have put things in Urban Eccentric to sell, but I may try Etsy this time, its a very little box, so shipping wont be too much.

The base.