While I certainly don’t have a library the size of MyVintageVogue, I do have a respectable stack of old magazines and what I love most about them usually isn’t the articles, but the ads! It’s about time I start sharing some with you guys. Let’s step into the WABAC machine and visit Montgomery Ward during the fall of 1952. (Click on images to see them larger)
Ta-da! Presenting the thingie what I’ve been so busy working on these last few weeks. Restauranteurs would call this a “cold open,” but I want you guys to be the first to know about Winkorama Vintage Sewing! Sewing patterns (and books and magazines and fabric and notions) from the 1940s to the 1970s… and sometimes beyond! What’s currently listed is just a start; there will be plenty (and I mean PLENTY) more to come. Check back daily!
Filed under collections, fashion, life-threatening clutter, sewing, shopping, vintage
Subtitle: The story behind the Instagram pics
Okay, so it’s Sunday, right? And I could probably be doing USEFUL things but my neck is hurty and it’s 4,000 (give or take) degrees outside and I’ve just photographed, like, a dozen (gorgeous, still not yet listed) 1940s neckties for the shop, so what do you want from me? I know what I want, and that’s ice cream. It’s about time to check out that one ice cream place in Louisville. And as long as I’m aaaaalllll the way up in Louisville, why not head over to the Lafayette Flea Market a few miles away? They don’t close for another… um… half hour. Half hour!
Fine, I’ll rush. I’m not running through the store, but I’m visually scanning at high speed. Woody, my shopping partner this afternoon, points out a cute hat that I would have missed. In good shape, nice color, $4. $4? Mine. About 2/3 of the way through the shop, I spy a vintage lamp that knocks my socks off. In no way do I need a lamp, and while Woody declares it “hideous,” I can’t resist at least posting a pic to Instagram:
 
Within minutes, people are “liking” the photo. As you can see, that is clearly not a result of the styling or composition. “See,” I ask/accuse Woody. “It’s not hideous! LOOK AT THAT AMAZING DRUM SHADE!!! What is it, four feet tall?”
Fast-forward to Monday, and I am still thinking about that lamp. The lamp I DO NOT NEED. The lamp that I know is amazing, not just for its Googie, space-age styling, but because A. matching vintage lamp bases and shades are all-too-often separated by now and B. I once spent far too long looking for TALL replacement drum shades for a pair of vintage lamp bases that had been permanently loaned to me, so I know this is an extra-rare rarity.
Now, it just so happens that the client I’ve been working for is based in Broomfield. And while Broomfield is not next door to Lafayette, it’s pretty close. Pretty darn close. Just a few miles away, in fact. Why, it would only be about a 15-minute drive.
Approximately 22 hours after first spotting The Lamp, I’m trying to figure out how to fit it in my car. (Answer: shade removed and horizontal across the back seat, unexpectedly heavy base in the footwell of the rear passenger-side seat, with the front seat pulled forward.)
Once home, I posted a new pic to Instagram. Still not beautifully styled, but with less visual interference:
Though minor, the lamp is not without its flaws. The shade, as evidenced by a peek under the ring of trim embellishment, used to be the same turquoise shade as used on the base. No big deal, I actually like the faded color. The base is lightly chipped, but I think I can fix them enough to be less noticeable. There are a few, but they all look pretty much like this:
To start, I need to mix up some paint:
That’s a mix of an ancient tube of Liquitex Phthalo Green left over from my Pratt days (kudos to Liquitex; the paint consistency is still perfect), and some more recent Windsor & Newton Titanium White. Next step: fill in the “blanks.”
Not too shabby a job of matching color, if I do say so myself. But I still need to add that bronze-gold “wash” effect once the base color dries. My daylight has disappeared and the wash still isn’t dry, but here’s the end result photo:
Much to my surprise, I actually had a difficult time getting the lamp lined up in the same position, because the “fixes” are so hard to find! I’m a little off in this final shot. Look for the more horizontal “scratches” in the plaster base (originally in between the two larger chips) to get your bearing.
I still have no proper place for this amazeballs lamp, but I’m thinking that it will go in the guest room, just in time for my friend Amanda’s visit. Fitting, that a fellow lover of Mid-Century Mod will be the first to get to use it!
Filed under life-threatening clutter, shopping, vintage
I’m retiring some items in the Vintage Home category this weekend so if you’ve had your eye on any Melmac or the lovely Franciscan Ware divided serving dish in the Larkspur pattern shown above, now would be the time to buy! 30% off the entire category through Monday, July 4th.
NOTE: The sale isn’t yet live as I type this, but sale prices should go in effect at/around 9am MST today. Good luck getting what you’re after!
Filed under collections, kitchen, nostalgia, shopping, vintage
For someone who wears her contact lenses as much as possible, I sure do spend a lot of time in eyeglasses. Sometimes because my eye is having an inexplicable physical “reaction” to wearing lenses, and sometimes because eyeglasses can be so stinkin’ cool! In a previous post, you saw my current lineup of prescription glasses in addition to one pair of frames that I managed to part with and sell at Tiddleywink Vintage. Yup, that means that I have three pairs of Rx-filled eyeglasses. Now, to be fair, one of those pairs is an outdated prescription, and they were my “backup” glasses when something was awry with my “go-to” pair. Last spring, you may recall, I added the vintage aluminum cat-eye pair just in time for wearing during the wee hours of the VLV weekender, when the cigarette smoke and long hours are too-too much for my contacts to handle.
Recently, my “go-to” pair started to lose its anti-reflective coating.* The scratches and imperfections in the coating were now starting to give me a headache, and my first instinct was to have fresh, new lenses put into my frames once again. I usually go to Costco for this sort of thing, and I have had nothing but pleasant experiences with the staff at the two Costco optical departments that I’ve used. But…
You may recall that after asking around at what seemed like EVERY local lab, I wound up sending that previously-mentioned vintage pair of aluminum frames to 39DollarGlasses.com to be re-lensed. That wound up working out so well that I decided to have another pair of vintage frames fitted with prescription G15 lenses and I thought that perhaps I’d send these frames in along with that pair, or hey, maybe splurge on a whole new pair, since the cost would be the same!
I don’t recall what unrelated thing I was looking up when Google came back with a Sponsored Ad for ZenniOptical, but I was intrigued by their promise of a complete pair of (single-vision) eyeglasses with prices starting at $6.95. I mean, really. $6.95? Who are they trying to kid? I took a look. I got distracted. I went back a few days later (the tab was still open in my browser) and did a new search… and found the frames at the top of this post. Advertised for $29.95, they’re one of the more expensive pairs on the site. I uploaded my photo so I could “try on” the frames, decided I liked them, and went ahead and filled out the order form so I could find out what they’d actually cost when filled with my prescription (My Rx is affordably single vision, but the strength that I require often results in an extra fee).
There was no surcharge for my strength. I placed my order. I looked around for reviews of the site (NOTE: I recommend that you do this BEFORE buying from a vendor you’re unfamiliar with). It was all too easy to find reviews written by folks who had to wait three or more weeks for their order to arrive. Folks who complained about the quality of the frames. Folks who complained about the quality of the frames, and then noted that, well, they did spend all of $10 so maybe you get what you pay for. I was a little nervous, but not too much. After all, this wouldn’t be my only pair. I’d still have back-ups. And I’d only be out $30.
I placed my order on the evening of November 29th, and received my new glasses in the mail on December 9th. If you don’t want to do the math, that’s 8 business days. They arrived in a padded envelope, packed inside a hard case with a lens cloth and a PD (Pupillary Distance) ruler. I wore them for three days before writing this post so that I could give an accurate review, and I report no headaches, no wavy lenses, no problems whatsoever.
If you need your existing frames, particularly vintage frames, re-lensed, I still heartily recommend 39DollarGlasses.com, where there is also a large selection of attractive new frames, and top-notch customer service. But now I know that ZenniOptical is also a fun option, and while the frames won’t likely last the 50+/- years that my older frames have, or perhaps they won’t last even three years, it’s a small investment to make to have some pretty nifty specs.
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*Having worn glasses for nearly 30 years, both with and without anti-reflective coatings, and working daily on computers (the usual excuse for needing ARC) for 15+ years, I believe I am fully qualified to say it’s a crock. Skip the coating, save your money. The ARC coating does photograph better, if that’s something you’re concerned with. And if you are, you probably wear contacts anyway.
Filed under collections, reviews, shopping
shoes and pie 