1930s sailor girl

Photos by Sam

I don't think I've photographed this blouse before. Oh wait, yes I have, in Astoria. Well my point is I wear it way more than you see it. Wouldn't you?

I got it for less than a song, and while I'm certain at one time long ago it had a cute little matching skirt or sailor pants, this is what survived. I've only ever seen this top from the 1940s in old catalogues, so I'm sure it's rare, and even rarer to find a set.

It's also rare that my attempt at waves looks decent. These are...ok. But I quite like the look of spitcurls :)

Top-Portland Antique expo

Skirt-Handmade by me from a 1930s pattern.

Shoes-Etsy

Sailor hat-Magpie Vintage

Two silly girls

Photos by Toma, of Blank Pages Zine

Saturday Twila Jean and I loaded up the kiddies in the car and headed to the Hawthorne district for some shopping. We both found some good stuff, I got a pink velvet coat I had wanted at Anthropologie back in 2005, but instead of paying nearly $200, I got it for under $20!

Patience was key for getting that coat.

Dress-Gift from My Aunt

Hat-No idea

Purse-Antiques Warehouse, Solana Beach

Shoes-Urban Eccentric Vintage

Pearl necklace-A gift from Stephanie of Rock Candy Art

My skincare routine

Every once in a while I get a comment that asks how I keep my skin so smooth.

And it makes me laugh, because if this blog took place about five years ago, you wouldn't have any reason for asking that.

Like so many teens, I had acne. It took years to make it go away, thanks to a retinol cream my doctor prescribed, and just simply growing out of it, which I really thought would NEVER happen, at least not when I was still so young. Retinol is used in acne treatment and anti-wrinkle creams because basically it speeds up the turnover of your skin, producing collagen and sloughing off dead skin cells, so they don't clog your pours. It doesn't dry out your skin like other acne treatments do, it nourishes it.

I stopped using the cream about a year ago and instead of using anti-acne cleansers and creams, I decided to try a gentle routine, mimicking the retinol cream, something that provides nourishment.

Here's my list of skincare products:

Cetaphil For normal to oily skin (I buy the generic version from Walgreens.)
Pond's dry skin cream
Pond's cold cream

That's it. No toners, no scrubs, no weekly masks, just the classic, gentle stuff.

Every morning I wash my face with cetaphil, and LUKEWARM water. This was one of the best tips I ever learned, using warm instead of hot water. Hot water dries out the skin, and that's just no good.

After patting dry, I massage the ponds cream on my face, it only takes a little since it's so rich, but I do use a bit more in the winter when my skin is prone to dryness.

Then I let the lotion work it's way into my skin for about 20-30 minutes before applying makeup. I use:

M.A.C. StudioFix Fluide, with spf 15
Covergirl undereye concealer
Coty loose powder

Foundation applied with a sponge, concealer under my eyes and around my nose, then a dusting of powder.

At night I remove eye makeup with Ponds cold cream, wash my face with the same cleanser I used in the morning, pat dry, and massage a thin layer of the same cold cream all over my face.

So there you have it! My own skincare routine. Everyone has different skin needs which depend on genetics, climate, and health, but I do urge you to try something gentile, without alcohol or fragrance if you are having skin troubles. Sometimes taking away all the harsh unnecessary chemicals can do just the trick.

Meow meow meow!

It was time to wear the kitty dress again. Although ideally I would have a tiny little kitten peeking it's head out of the kitten head pocket.

A girl can have dreams.

I tried taking a decent photo of my fabulous (if I do say so myself) hairstyle today, but my face was so funny looking in all of them. Really it was only fabulous because I can FINALLY style my bangs. Does that even make them bangs anymore? Or do I have lure that word into the secret passage and shoot it before blaming an innocent boy for it's murder.

....I may be watching too much Miss Marple.


Dress-Handmade by me!

Hat-Thrifted

Shoes-Etsy

My grandma in the 1950s and then some

Taken in 1949, look at that romper! And those shoes!

Grandma and some friends in the slammer

Here she is with her friend, I love their outfits, especially my grandmas jeans.


My grandma told me that this was taken on the way back from the Seattle worlds fair, at Multnomah Falls. I love this photo so much because she's wearing red keds, to match her red dress, and a darling red headband. I am now on a mission to recreate the look, just need all of the above!

Hope you enjoyed these photos, you can see my first post on my grandma with more photos here. Next time I do a family photo post it will be of photos from the 1930s of various family members, there's some really cute ones!

Silly you, um, I mean me.

A while ago on Calivintage, Erin did a post on her photo outtakes, which were pretty hilarious to see, and made her just a bit more real and relatable.
I'm sure most bloggers are with me when I say I take A LOT of photos for one blog post. The average is around forty.

Forty photos for one blog post that has two to four pictures. As a result, there are often some funny pictures that never see the light of day. But those are junk.

These are photos Sam, Ruth or Twila Jean took, for when I have a human photographer and not a tripod, I tend to be cheesy. Actually the fourth one is me telling Sam to hurry up and take the picture.

So hope you enjoy the few I dug up, in the future I won't toss them all in the trash and do another silly post ;)

xoxo

Turquoise and pink

Photos by Josh

I want my kitchen to look like this skirt. Loads of turquoise with a dash of pink. Perfection.

Speaking of cute kitchens, did anyone else catch Dita Von Teese's pics of her kitchen on her Twitter? Well ok, they were photos of brunch food taken IN her kitchen, but that peek at her oven made me drool. I can't read the brand name on it though, if anyone knows, let me know! *Yay! Nicole of Bombshell Bettie found the ovens, she is after all master of finding just what you need ;) Oven found at Bars and Booths*

This is what I wore the other day to the Duchess showroom. I wanted to wear a suit, but wool and summer don't quite mix for me. I do have a pretty white linen 1940s suit jacket, but just need to find a matching skirt. Then I would have a nice summer suit :)

Blouse, skirt, and purse-Urban Eccentric Vintage

Hat (From September 1958)-Antique Expo

Shoes-Gift from Brother

Necklace-Inherited from my great grandmother Lois.

Gloves-Estate sale

Duchess Clothier

So now I'm officially ready for fall. Seriously, tailored wools and hand knit cardigans (I am waiting for new yarn in the mail!) are constantly on my mind. This autumn craving was encouraged by a trip to Duchess Clothier, a specialty shop that deals in custom mens suits based on antique and vintage designs.

It was upon walking through the door that I wished I was a man.

But then I remembered how much I love red lipstick. Soooo....

I went with my brother, sister in law, and nephew, to the Duchess showroom to help my brother pick out fabrics and buttons and linings for a custom made victorian suit. Yes, my family is awesome. Sometimes I can't believe my luck for having them.

The staff was so helpful and relaxed, not stuffy or snobbish at all, which makes everything more enjoyable. And the range of fabrics they had to choose from! I was in heaven.

I can't wait to see how the suit turns out, there will of course be pictures!

I've spent 15 minutes trying to think of a title. There. I thought of one.

Sweater, skirt, shoes, and bow-Urban Eccentric Vintage

Hat-A gift from Twila Jean

Socks-Courtesy of We Love Colors

Jammy jam.

The other day I helped Twila Jean make yummy berry jam, in her more than adorable vintage kitchen, with her more than adorable little kiddies. So pop over to her jam making post to see more pictures and instructions on how to make your own!

Learn how to tie the headscarf here

Ikea

It's been pretty hot here this week, at least for us NorthWesterners. So since a lot of people here don't have AC, they flock to movie theaters, target, or the beach.

Sam and I just hang out at Ikea.

Mostly because it's not hot, there are couches, we get decorating ideas but are not tempted to buy anything, and there's endless hilarious people watching.

Oh, and there are numerous sets for cheesy picture taking.

Aaaaanndd, I have now decided that when I have a house, the walls of my kitchen will be pink, which will be an amazing backdrop for my blue appliances. I need a house!

Dress-Gift from mother

Necklace-A gift from my husband on our honeymoon

Learn how to tie the silk scarf here (it's the third version shown).

Family picnic

Yesterday was our annual family picnic, and of course it was loads of fun! There was lots of eating, games for the children, and catching up. A perfect day for a picnic, even if it was a bit warm, but lovely nonetheless :)