A Sip of Sarsaparilla

1952 Spring Break Wardrobe: Vintage Jantzen Lastex-Powered Swim Suits

2011-03-19T08:23:00.001-05:00

I work at a university, and this past week the talk among the students was all about - "So where are you heading for Spring Break?"

Whether the destination is Cancun, Key West or Montego Bay - here are the perfect swimsuits to take along to wow your friends...

Jantzen swim suits advertisement - Life magazine, June 9, 1952

Love this vintage ad copy. "Figure shaping genius...frankly alluring lines...Jantzen streamlining...the most exciting swim suits in all the world."

Isn't the heart shaped bodice and the shirring on this brocade Delilah swim suit fabulous? Her suit is laton-powered - his is lastex-powered...

In the 1980's Real Men Didn't Eat Quiche - and they probably didn't in the 1950's either. But real men of the 1950's were apparently wearing skimpy Jantzen swim trunks like these.

Jantzen has named these red trunks: "Daredevil." An appropriate name considering a guy would have to be pretty daring to go out in public with this peek-a-boo criss-cross design on his hips - don't you think?

Love this Jantzen ad, but I was lucky enough to own some real live 1950's swim suits for a short time...

This past summer, I found a group of three vintage swimsuits - two Jantzen, one Catalina - tucked away in the zippered pocket of this suitcase.

The thing is - when I bought the suitcase at an estate sale for a couple of bucks, I hadn't bothered to investigate the inside of the suitcase thoroughly - and apparently neither had the estate sale pros. What a nice surprise I had waiting for me when I came home and pulled a family's trio of swimsuits out of the pocket!

Here's Junior's suit - a pair of boy's size 12 black swim trunks with a colorful striped band, and a Jantzen label inside.

The Mrs. wore this buttery yellow 1950's swimsuit with a Jantzen label and "diving girl" emblem.

It's hard to tell from the photo, but it's a rather sexy swimsuit. The cups have a pretty pleating, and have boning to help hold it up when the straps are removed!

This suit deserved a curvier bosom than mine - so I decided to put it up for bid on eBay last summer. It was popular with the bidders ($92), but not nearly as hot as the men's swim trunks that Dad wore...

These vintage 1950's swim trunks have a Catalina label inside that says - "Styled for the Stars of Hollywood."

I love the five bold brown and orange sharks swimming from back to front!

Apparently eBayers liked the sharks too: these trunks sold for $142.

Note the elastic around the legs. Like the swim trunks in the 1952 Jantzen ad, these Catalina trunks show off a bit more leg, etc. than American men these days are generally comfortable with.

But Spring Break is a good time to be a bit of a "Daredevil" and let it all hang out (figuratively speaking, of course). So guys, toss a pair of trunks like these into your backpack before you head south. No question, you will impress the ladies when you step out onto that beach.

Better yet...

...make sure you bring along a pipe. That will impress her for sure. :-)

To Be, or Not to Be...

2011-03-04T20:12:00.003-06:00

Sorry for the long absence. Like Hamlet, I've been caught up in an internal debate...

Hamlet has been filmed many times, but few can hold a candle to Sir Laurence Olivier's portrayal of the Danish prince in 1948.

My dilemma is (thankfully) not quite as serious as deciding whether to live or to die, but rather...

To Blog, or Not to Blog? That is the question.

Whether 'tis nobler to keep my blog alive, even if it suffers terribly from neglect.
Or simply end it - so that I can focus all my energies on my latest passion of selling on eBay and Etsy?

I know that many of you have faced this same dilemma. So what do you do when something important comes along that steals away all the time that you used to spend on blogging? The easy answer is - Well, just stop blogging! Or - just blog occasionally whenever you have the time...

But it's not that easy for me. When I truly care about something, I want to do it well. My blog is my baby! I gave it life, nurtured it, watched it blossom!

And these past few weeks, while I've been devoting all of my time to my antique business - I can hear it calling out to me in the night, like a child....

Feed me! I'm hungry for attention!

So I'm torn between two loves right now. And I'm not quite sure what the future holds for "A Sip of Sarsaparilla." I know that for at least the next month or so, I will likely be visiting your blogs less often (which makes me sad), and my posts will be sporadic. And then maybe after a little break, I might find a renewed energy for blogging. Or this could be my last post...

IF this does turn out to be my last post...this is the dress I want to be wearing when my blog is laid to rest...

A beautiful ivory Edwardian era lacy dress...worthy of its own Shakespearean soliloquy or sonnet...

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Thou art more lovely and temperate..."

I discovered this antique dress at a high-end estate sale last summer - and my heart stopped when I saw it! I paid $70 for it - quite a bit more than I spent on any other vintage purchase all year. But I think it was worth every penny, and more!

Look at these romantic bell sleeves...

And the variety of laces and pleating and embroidery...

I think it's almost more beautiful from the back view...

These photos were obviously taken months ago, before winter settled in. Ah...green grass, and sunlight shining through the airy lace! Can't wait for spring!

Lots of snaps on this early 1900's dress - years before zippers were used in clothing...

I hope you enjoyed the dress - because I enjoyed sharing it with you!

You know, I'm pretty sure I'll be back.

In the meantime, warm spring wishes to you...

Susan

Cafe au Lait Sunday...and Dreamy Vintage Milk Glass

2011-02-20T10:35:00.004-06:00

Sipping on a latte...slowly waking up...and looking forward to a Sunday that's wide open for me to do whatever I want.

I can be very productive, or very lazy - and nobody will know which I choose to be today. One of the luxuries of living alone...

Today I thought I'd share with you some of my milk glass collection because it kind of fits with my dreamy state. And it definitely fits with my love of adding lots of frothy milk to my espresso each day!

I can imagine a few of you are rolling your eyes at the mention of "milk glass." I used to turn up my nose at it too. No wonder, since many of the newer pieces from the 60's and 70's, the stuff you and I run into most often, has a flat chalky look - and can be downright ugly, and old-fashioned in a tacky way.

But some of the glass, especially the older milk glass, has a beautiful depth and fire to it. And there are an endless variety of designs and patterns to capture your imagination!

Look at these milk glass treasures that I found on Etsy. Milk glass comes in several colors, including a soft blue and pink - but my favorite will always be white...

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

'A Splash of Milk in Your Morning Coffee...' by SarsaparillasBoudoir

My mornings aren't complete without a bit of white milk in my dark coffee. I think it's the combination of colors I enjoy more than the taste. In the same way, you can add a splash of white to your home with milk glass pieces - and get the thrill of white against dark woods or bright spring colors.

Vintage Westmoreland Lattice... oakhillvintage $30.00	Large...Vintage...Fire King.... HannahBellaMem... $28.00	Vintage Hobnail Milk Glass P... VintageKats $17.50
decorative small milk glass ... bluepearlhanda... $4.50	Vintage Milk Glass Hobnail V... chikkie55 $14.95	Fenton Hobnail Creamer - Vin... jillhannah $15.00
Vintage pink milk glass comp... honeyandfitz $27.00	8 Vintage White Cut Milk Gla... hillplace $22.00	Vintage Milk Glass Compote P... passionateflea $8.99
Vintage Milk Glass Candy Dis... thevintagebutt... $24.50	milk glass platter bluepearlhanda... $	Dreaming of Spring . large w... stellabystar $14.00
Vintage Rustic Milk Glass We... BarkingSandsVi... $92.00	Fenton 4 Horn Milk Glass Epe... AuntiePrincess $189.99	Vintage Westmoreland Milk Gl... mymilkglasssho... $99.50

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com A/B image testing.

I'm pretty new to the world of milk glass, so I'm not going to attempt to give you an overview of the Who What When and Where of milk glass collecting. But if you're interested in exploring further, here are a few links to articles and websites that might be helpful:

Article: A Menagerie in Milk Glass
Milk Glass (lots of good stuff here)
National Milk Glass Collectors Society
Glass Encyclopedia
National Westmoreland Glass Collectors Club

In the meantime, I view my job as simply providing you with some visual candy, and hopefully persuading you that milk glass can be beautiful.

Here are some favorites from my own collection that I thought you might enjoy...

This lacy milk glass centerpiece bowl was produced by Westmoreland Glass Co. in the 1950's, and is in the gorgeous Doric pattern (D-19). Offering this one for sale on Etsy, if you're interested...

And these are some pieces from my collection that I'm not quite ready to part with yet...

I'm keeping this set of six milk glass plates because I am envisioning how lovely these would look topped with pretty slices of celebratory cake and buttercream frosting. My daughter and/or son are bound to get married someday down the road and will need an engagement party...

I love the pretty "Forget Me Not" and lattice border on these plates. These are unmarked, but look very much like Westmoreland plates I've seen. Mine have age cracks on the base of the plates, which I think adds to the charm!

I purchased this beautiful compote years ago in a local antique store - back in my married days when I had enough "play money" to be able to occasionally afford antique store prices.

I fell in love with its elaborate swirls and scrolls. Quite elegant, don't you think?

Until just recently, the maker of this compote was a complete mystery to me. But I've discovered that it was likely produced by the French glass company, Portieux Vallerysthal. I'm still uncertain of its age. Whether new-ish or antique, I think it's gorgeous.

I bought this milk glass compote just this past summer. I haven't yet had time to research it, so the glass maker and pattern is still a mystery to me.

It's a large compote - about 9" tall - and quite heavy. I think that it's so majestic looking. Right now, it's sitting on top of my antique upright piano - which is the place of honor in my home for all my favorite vintage finds. I like the way the light comes in through the old 1920s piano window and makes all of my antique glass look so bright and cheery!

So have I piqued your interest in milk glass...just a bit? I hope so...

And now it's time for me to head downstairs and make myself another dreamy latte. What's your bet on the kind of day I'm going to have today - lazy or productive? I'll never tell!

A Romantic Fool...

2011-02-14T09:40:00.005-06:00

♥
♥
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Happy Valentine's Day to you!

"Have A Heart--It's Leap Year" illustration by James Montgomery Flagg, from 1920 calendar, copyright Judge, New York

I love Valentine's Day for some odd reason. I say "odd" because based on a pretty pitiful history with this day, and an unlucky love life in general - I really should hate Valentine's Day.

But I don't. Because I am, and probably always will be, a romantic fool...

Just look at what greets visitors when they enter my front door and step into the porch - a 1950's wedding dress!

The dress is sort of there by accident. I keep my mannequin in my front porch because that's where the best light is for taking photos. And the last clothing item that I photographed in December was the wedding dress. It looked so pretty, I decided to keep it there...

Do you think I've been frightening away potential suitors with this dress? Haha...never thought of that...

Other than my wedding dress, I don't get too carried away with Valentine's Day. All I've got displayed in my home right now is this sweet little ceramic made-in-Japan heart, which is perfect for holding old Valentines...

...and an old Fanny Farmer heart-shaped candy box under my...

...Christmas tree!

Yes, I will sheepishly admit that although I put away (most) of my Christmas decorations a couple of weeks ago, my 1960's silver aluminum tree is still up. So, not only am I a romantic fool, but I'm a procrastinating romantic fool!

I've had a lovely start to my Valentine's Day so far... My daughter called at 6:30 this morning asking me if I would please, please, please consider driving her to work today so that she wouldn't have to rush to take the bus. Since I only get to see her about once a week these days, I happily said YES. Then when she got to work (she works at a coffee shop) she happily treated me to a yummy mocha-hazelnut latte.

That little exchange of mother-daughter love may be my only Valentine gift today - but it's plenty for me!

How did you celebrate Valentine's Day today?
I hope that I'm not the only romantic fool in Blogland...

♥ x ♥ x ♥ x ♥ x ♥

Lipstick on Your Collar...

2011-02-12T10:30:00.004-06:00

All of you Mad Men fans out there are probably familiar with the Clorox ad that was created for the show’s second season DVD. The ad features a lipstick mark on the collar of a Draper-style white shirt. The headline says Clorox has been "getting ad guys out of hot water for generations."

Well, back in 1959 Connie Francis had a hit song about a guy who was in hot water because of a telltale lipstick stain...

Here's adorable Connie and "Lipstick on Your Collar." Sorry the sound quality is occasionally spotty - but I thought you'd get a kick out of seeing Connie singing live.

I haven't been running into very many men lately who have inspired me to leave my own lipstick mark. But a girl's gotta be prepared for that possibility down the road...

I adore the vintage lipstick case I currently own (a $1 find at an estate sale) - mainly because it's so practical. The enamel decoration has a texture that makes it easy to find in an overstuffed purse. But it's definitely seen better days.

I deserve something a bit more glamorous - don't you think? So, I did a bit of shopping on Etsy and eBay, and discovered a wonderful world of vintage lipsticks, cases and vanity holders. If money were no object, here are a few that I'd be drooling over.

Ornate Vintage 1950's Vanity Set, Lipstick Holder - Etsy: ShesFancy

Vintage Florenza Vanity Set - Lipstick Holder and Match Holder - Etsy: EyeCandyAntiques

Vintage Josef Original Young Lady Lipstick Holder - eBay: MauiGirl

2 Vintage Lipstick Cases, Red, Gold, Black Design (Made in Italy) - Etsy: LucillesAttic

SALE Vintage Rhinestone Lipstick Case with Beveled Mirror and Coty Lipstick - Etsy: SugarPopVintage

Vintage Nite Club Lipstick in Box, Tempting Red, J.R. Watkins - eBay: Suvee77

Vintage Lipstick Tube Container Lot Revlon Coty Bishop - eBay: T-Time2005

Rare Purse Set by Ann Jackson Originals -1950s - Etsy: MomsVintageTreasures

Fabulous Vintage Ciner Compact and Lipstick Set Lots Of Rhinestones - Etsy: Compactastic

Princess Pat Vintage Lipstick Attached to Selling Card - eBay: Lonestar1845

Vintage Enesco Teen Girl on Phone Lipstick Holder Figurine - eBay: Vintage_Vanity

Lipstick Hanky with Kitty - Etsy: CarpeBellus

>Vintage Revlon Cosmetics Advertising Pin - Etsy: BunnyRabbitVintage

So...are you drooling yet? Which one is your favorite?

My favorites: the Revlon Advertising Pin! Also the lineup of Revlon, Coty and Bishop lipstick tubes. Why? Because I can imagine an intriguing collection of vintage lipsticks displayed on a pretty shelf above my bedroom vanity - and at just $7.99 (opening bid) this would be a thrifty way to get started on the collection. But I'm not planning to bid - so grab it for yourself if you'd like!

Enjoy your weekend! And don't forget - Valentine's Day is just around the corner...

Make sure those luscious lips of yours are ready for a little action. :-)

Trumpet Advance Lip Flexibilities - Etsy: AnotherWomansTreasur

The Color of Love

2011-02-06T17:20:00.002-06:00

It's a lazy Sunday afternoon (probably shouldn't be, but I've chosen to make it that way) and I've been having some fun collecting vintage fashion images that make me smile.

In honor of Valentine season, I bring you...
The Lady in Red

Vogue - January 1953

- from a 1959 issue of Vogue, herecomesthesky

1940's Carnival Chalkware - Snow White (from my collection)

Pictorial Review magazine, April 1933 (from my collection)

Late 1950's "Plastichrome" Postcard (from my collection)

Illustrator, Gil Elvgren - via Coca Cola Art Gallery

Vintage Coca-Cola ad - via PictureStore

sparkling vintage Coca-Cola ad, via The Mad Jewess

Hope you all have a little red dress, or a little red something that makes you happy when you wear it...

Have a lovely week,

Sarsaparilla

Short Post Therapy...and an Antique Lacy Fan Valentine

2011-02-04T19:45:00.003-06:00

I just got home from work a bit ago, opened a bottle of merlot (after a 5-minute struggle with a way-too-complicated corkscrew) and poured myself a hefty glass to celebrate.  Yay! I'm so HAPPY that it's Friday! Aren't you too?!!

I wasn't going to write to you today because all of the creative post ideas that I had floating around in my head involved way too much writing & research & photos. And it wore me out just thinking about it!

I realize that my tendency to write looong posts is a wee bit neurotic. So today I am practicing Short Post Therapy.

All you're going to get from me today are some highlights of my week...

** I've been taking Yoga (vinyasa power yoga) classes twice a week for the past month, and yesterday my yoga instructor (who is about half my age) remarked how flexible I was.  Flexible? Moi?  I was beaming. You see, I used to be very flexible as a teeny bopper, but I never expected that I could get it back after all these years. Yoga is really good for the soul!

** I have signed up for Apron Thrift Girl's "Reseller's Listing Challenge." Me (and 29 other vintage sellers, so far) have set listing goals for the month of February. My goal is to list 10 items a week (or 40 a month) on eBay and/or Etsy.  This will truly be a challenge for me - but I'm doing great so far...

** My daughter had generously given me a $50 Trader Joe's gift certificate for Christmas, and on Tuesday I went on a little shopping trip.  Because it was a gift, I decided to only buy splurge items that I wouldn't normally buy for myself - interesting cheeses and spreads and crackers and desserts.  I've been in food heaven these past few days. This was the best gift, Rachel - thank you!

** I actually pulled myself out of my cave on Wednesday and went out with a good friend that I hadn't seen in months. After a yummy Italian risotto dinner, we went to a north Minneapolis bar to do a bit of karaoke (him, not me). Very fun!

And finally...
Because it's February (Love Month) and because I'm a romantic fool...I thought I'd share photos of a favorite early 1900's Valentine from my collection.

"...To wish that sweet and fair as spring

Thy future life might be"

Isn't that sweet?

Okay, so this post wasn't quite as short as I thought it was going to be. Clearly more therapy is needed!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Anyone have interesting plans? When you stop by, I'd love to hear what you've been up to.

Catch you later,
"Sarsaparilla" Susan

Failed Resolutions, Etsy Love, and The Aqua Velva Man

2011-01-30T10:03:00.003-06:00

It's January 30 already, and the coldest month of the year for Minnesotans is almost over! Yay!

So, I'm curious... How are y'all doing on those New Year's resolutions that you shared at the beginning of the month?

I'm afraid that I'm not doing too well with my "Social Butterfly" goal - or my goal of losing 10 lbs. by March.

I feel a bit like the plump lady in this 1920's cartoon from The New Yorker...

It's not that I truly "wish to be alone." I just haven't managed to find a way to fit in an active social life along with the two main after-work activities which suck up enormous amounts of my time: blogging (and reading/commenting on other blogs) and selling on eBay & Etsy.

Those of you who have full time jobs AND blog AND sell in a shop AND manage to have a social life too - PLEASE tell me how you do it?

I feel like I'm always trying to wear too many hats at once, and it's not a pretty sight...

I'm a bit of a perfectionist (just a wee bit) and it pains me that I'm not able to devote the time necessary to looking marvelous in each of the hats that I'm wearing.

So I'm often tempted to just say - the hell with it! - and let them all topple over and fall to the ground. (You perfectionists out there - and I know there are plenty in BlogLand - you know what I'm talking about, don't you?)

Hey, thanks for letting me blow off a little steam. I don't mean to be so negative. Actually, there are some Things In My Life That Are Going Well Right Now...

1) I'm LOVING being an empty nester. I was lonely for about 10 minutes - and after I got that out of my system, I have just been really truly enjoying my FREEDOM.

2) Etsy, Etsy, Etsy...How do I love thee? Let me count the ways... Oh, how I adore selling on Etsy! It's the best thing since sliced bread. It's a perfect companion to eBay for me - and I want to thank all of you for nudging me to start selling there.

3) I've been graced with some lovely blog awards recently (thank you La Dama, Piroska, and Lady Cherry!) and am having fun coming up with a little list of bloggers that I'd like to pass the awards on to. I'm a big procrastinator, though, so don't hold your breath for that. In the meantime, take a peek at Lady Cherry's clever awards post: A Night At the BLOscars. She's so witty!

4) I've been doing the online dating thing for the past month, and... Wait a minute, how did this slip into my list of things that are going well? Online dating - Ugh! To be honest, I have been a big fan of online dating in the past and have even had some success with it (short-term, obviously) - but lately the crop of interesting men seems to have dwindled. Maybe it's just me - guess my heart isn't in it.

Or maybe it's just that I'm still looking for this man...

"Ice Blue" Aqua Velva ad - Look magazine - December 11, 1956

I keep forgetting that the Aqua Velva Man has aged a bit.
And so have I.

Happy Sunday! Hope you enjoy the rest of your week. I promise to put on my Blog Reading hat and find some time to stop by and visit soon!

Sears Roebuck 1938 Catalog...Glorious Colors "Good Enough To Eat"

2011-01-25T22:34:00.001-06:00

Last week I promised you that my next post would bring you some SPRING - and I am a woman of my word!

The Sears Roebuck 1938 Spring & Summer Catalog is bursting with glorious colors, prints and springtime fashions.

Silk Print fabrics are featured above...and a variety of Rayon textures & weaves are pictured below...

Look at all of the varieties of "Celanese Rayon": Sharkella, Sharkskin, Faconne, Pebble Crepe, Crepe Romaine, Satin Crepe...and "Sweet As Sugar"! Wouldn't it be fun to have a few samples of each - so that when you came across a vintage dress you could say with confidence, "Aha! This must be Sharkella!"

Have any of you started a collection of vintage fabric samples? Finding different samples would be challenge enough - but I would think that figuring out exactly what it is that you've got would be much trickier!

Another fun research project: identifying what colors & color names were popular, year by year...

These two "Ice Cream Color" dresses were photographed in black & white...

...but they came in four ice cream shades: "Pistache" (Lido Aqua 901); "Strawberry" (Pink 525); "Vanilla" (White); and "Lemon Ice" (Maize 705)

Isn't that long zipper in the second dress fun? It begins at the neckline and goes all the way down to the hemline!

The first dress not only comes in four ice cream shades, but also two choices of fabric: Celanese Rayon Sharkella and "Star-Shan," a shantung effect spun rayon.

That year - 1938 - Sears included a Color Chart in the back of the book - so that a potential buyer would know what the clothing color names looked like:

These six "Mediterranean" colors highlighted in the corner of the chart were hot that year...

And these are the four "ice cream" colors available in the dresses above:

basic "Vanilla" (white), and...

"Pistache" (Lido Aqua 901)

"Strawberry" (Pink 525)

...and "Lemon Ice" (Maize 705)

I'm not sure I'd find a bowl of ice cream in those colors all that appealing - but the fashions are certainly yummy!

Here are four more dresses in the Sears 1938 Spring/Summer Catalog - and these were photographed in Glorious Color!

I've said this before... I enjoy the colorful "vintage" language used in the catalog descriptions just as much as the vintage fashions.

The dress above is shown in one of the ice cream colors - Lemon Ice (Maize 705). Can you imagine this two-piece dress for just $2.98! And it came with a scarf too!

Buttons & Bows, Flowers & Lace, all in one perky dress! It makes me smile...

More bows and buttons in this "corselet" dress! I like the Wine and Aqua color contrast.

The first dress in the black & white "ice cream" photo above was available in "Star-Shan." Well, this dress fabric is called "Sun-Shan"! I love the names they gave to fabrics back then...

Here's a full length illustration of each of the four dresses modeled above - plus another view of the hats. Which dress do you like best?

I'm partial to the first one in Lemon Ice. And I want the whole outfit - 2-piece dress, scarf, striped purse & hat! I'm going to fill out that Sears order form right now...

Isn't it fun to dream?

One last vintage coat...then Winter gets the boot!

2011-01-17T16:06:00.003-06:00

Early last month, when I was still starry-eyed over all the beautiful snow we'd been getting in Minnesota, I posted a few of my 9 vintage coats with a promise to share more of them soon.

Well, even though Minnesota winters last forever, my excitement over the cold & snow and wool sweaters & coats faded very quickly. We've had 52 inches of snow in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area so far this season, with another 25" or so expected to fall between now and April - and I've had more than enough of this white stuff for one year!

But before I give Winter the boot...let me just show you one more fabulous vintage coat that I found...

I'm acting a little giddy modeling this coat partly because I'm seeing sunlight shining through my kitchen windows after a long streak of dreary, overcast days!

What intrigued me most about the coat were the unusual fur-trimmed bell sleeves, which gives it a bit of a Victorian look.

The fur on the sleeves and collar is so soft and cozy. I believe that it's mouton fur - which is "a high-grade lambskin that’s specially processed to mimic the density and radiance of sheared beaver or mink fur." Most commonly mouton fur was dyed to a chocolate brown, like my coat - but it was also dyed in other shades, including white.

One thing I don't like about the sleeves is that they are oddly about an inch too short, as you can see in my photos. I'm pretty sure that I don't have unusually long arms, so I don't get it.

Was this look intentional? maybe to show off gloves? - or was this coat simply meant for a much shorter woman (I'm 5 ft. 5 in.)? I know that the trend in the mid-to-late 50's was to push long coat sleeves up on the arm to three-quarter's length. But that doesn't make much sense with this style. Any thoughts?

Okay, enough about the flaws! Back to why I adore this coat.. I love the double-button detail. The buttons match the chocolate brown coat perfectly, and have pretty gold lucite centers.

I've mentioned this before - I think that vintage clothing labels are so beautiful! And this coat has three lovely labels: "Friess Original", "Forstmann 100% Virgin Wool", and "Brucewood - Maurice L Rothschild - Young-Quinlan Co."

There's a wonderful guide to clothing labels on the Vintage Fashion Guild site, which is a big help in dating vintage clothing. The guide includes quite an extensive A-Z list of label samples, and my "Forstmann 100% Virgin Wool" label was noted as being found on an early 1950's dress.

Do you think this coat looks early 1950's? Or possibly late 1940's?

In paging through my Sears and Montgomery Ward catalogs from the 40's through the 50's, I didn't find any coats with a similar sleeve design - and just one coat in a 1950-51 Ward's catalog with a mouton collar of the very same shape. Maybe this shouldn't be a surprise, though. The Young-Quinlan Department Store sold a lot of higher-end designer fashions, and these sleeves might have been too unusual for the average Sears and Ward's customer.

Back of card: Young Quinlan, 901 Nicollet Mall, combines the decor of old world elegance with the most famous names in apparel for both men and women. This Twin Cities landmark also offers a gourmet galley, exquisite home furnishings gift shop and the well-known Fountain Room restaurant.

Here is an early 1960s postcard of the Young-Quinlan building, erected in downtown Minneapolis in 1926. (Postcard courtesy of Remembering Great American Department Stores.)

The building is still there, but the Young Quinlan department store, where my coat was originally purchased in the 50's, sadly went out of business in 1985 after a 59-year run. The store's founder Elizabeth Quinlan (1863-1947) had been in the retail fashion business since the 1890's. She was the first merchant to sell ready-to-wear clothing west of the Mississippi. A fascinating woman, The Saturday Evening Post did a four-page spread on her in 1927, and in the mid-1930's Fortune magazine named her one of the country's top businesswomen.

Here's a pert little Mabel Ellsworth brown hat, ca. 1940's, that would probably have gotten Miss Quinlan's approval. Isn't it sweet? This was another estate sale find this past summer.

Unfortunately, my mannequin looks much better in it than I do, so I'll probably be selling it next year after I've squeezed every last bit of enjoyment from it...

Ta Da! So that's it - we're done with Winter now...

From this point on, even if it's 10 degrees below zero outside, in this blog it's going to start feeling like Spring...

...beginning with a song from the 1945 film musical, State Fair: Rodgers & Hammerstein's "It Might As Well Be Spring." The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song that year.

Shirley Jones in Oklahoma - photo by J. R. Eyerman

In this 1950's video clip from The Danny Thomas Show, it's sung by the lovely and talented Shirley Jones.

I grew up knowing Shirley Jones as Keith, Laurie and Danny Partridge's mom in the early 1970's Partridge Family television show. But before that, she had an amazing career as singer and actress, starring in the wonderful film musicals Oklahoma (1955), Carousel (1956) and The Music Man (1962).

Happy (it might as well be) Spring! Enjoy...

It Might As Well Be Spring

Lyrics by: Oscar Hammerstein II
Music by: Richard Rodgers
From the Film: State Fair 1945

I'm as restless as a willow in a windstorm, I'm as jumpy as a puppet on a string
I'd say that I had spring fever, but I know it isn't spring
I am starry eyed and vaguely discontented, like a nightingale without a song to sing
O why should I have spring fever, when it isn't even spring

I keep wishing I were somewhere else, walking down a strange new street
Hearing words that I've never heard from a man I've yet to meet
I'm as busy as spider spinning daydreams, spinning spinning daydreams
I'm as giddy as a baby on a swing

I haven't seen a crocus or a rosebud, or a robin on the wing
But I feel so gay in a melancholy way, that it might as well be spring.
It might as well be spring.

Voices From the Past: Iva Swift's 1883 Autograph Book

2011-01-13T07:44:00.003-06:00

Those of you who have been following my blog for a while have probably figured out that it's impossible to pin me down into one particular era.

I may appear to be a 1940's vintage fashion blog for a few posts, and then suddenly I've moved into 1950's films or 1960's advertisements, and then back to the 1920's for a bit more fashion and music, and then into the 1930's for some closeups of my "scary" doll collection. (Scary dolls? You're all crazy - I think they're adorable.)

And now with this post, I've just jumped back 60 years in one week - from 1940's catalog fashion to 1880's schoolgirl poetry and art.

I apologize for my blog's multiple personalities. I hope I'm not too schizophrenic for you. But I did warn you in my "About Me" that I would be sharing with you "my passion for vintage advertising & clothing and other intriguing finds from the Victorian era through the 1960's." And that covers an awful lot of territory!

At this point, I'm too much in love with everything vintage to be willing to focus on just one era or subject. So fasten your seat belts - it's going to continue to be a bumpy ride...

...beginning with today's look at this fantastic 1883 Victorian Autograph Book that I found at an estate sale this past summer.

I've had the pleasure of owning this Victorian autograph book for about 8 months now, so I've decided that it's time to pass it on to a new owner.

(It's up for auction on eBay right now if you'd like to take a peek.)

I love the name - Miss Iva Swift. She sounds like she belongs in a Victorian novel.

The book is filled with more than 50 charming little poems and quotes...

Hiram Hill (another great name!) got fancy by adding a tiny red dot under each of his letters.

Emma Templeton wasn't very creative with her note to Iva, but she added a frame around her words so that she won't be forgotten...

Others added artwork. Isn't this girl with the daisy sweet? The author wrote this little poem:

"Let me see,

One - two - three;

I don't care what the daisy says,

I'm bound to be married one of these days."

Christmas 1883 - James A. Butler

Was this James' way of flirting with Iva? Cute...

Iva's piano teacher coudn't resist another opportunity to remind her to practice!

Some of the artwork got pretty fancy. Like this scenic view...

Here's my favorite - an owl reading to two cats on a park bench - drawn by Iva's teacher, Jeanie Blair.

I love the birds with the red and black flourishes in the photo above. The poem is rather quirky, though:

"Be plain in dress My dear

And sober in your diet.

In short my deary: Kiss me and be quiet."

- Yours truly. P.A.S.

Is P.A.S. another suitor of Iva's? These young men certainly have an interesting way of showing their affections.

And finally, here's a fun little poem of B's from one of Iva's teachers, Edwin A. Sawyer...

I thought that this wise and clever poem was well worth the effort of typing out:

"B patient, loving, good and kind;

B quick to hear, B quick to mind;

B earnest in the cause of right;

B brave for truth and shed its light;

A blessing B to all around

And you'll B blest, as all have found.

To you may such B's always cling,

A swarm of B's that never sting."

Good advice for all of us - don't you think?

Hope these next days will B happy and productive ones for you. B good! - but not too good...
- Susan

Position Available: Queen of Vintage Catalogs

2011-01-08T11:52:00.001-06:00

I've been holding out on you...

I'll bet you didn't know that for a few months this past summer I was on the road to becoming the Queen of Vintage Catalogs.

This was the catalog that started things off: a Montgomery Ward - Spring and Summer 1943.

I have owned a few vintage catalogs for years - a Montgomery Ward's and a Butler Bros. from the 1920's and a J.C. Penney catalog from 1972, and had always enjoyed paging through them. But last June when I purchased my first 1940's catalog on Etsy - the 1943 oversized Ward's catalog pictured above - I was completely enchanted. What drew me in were the big and beautiful full-page color fashion photographs. They were breathtaking.

Montgomery Ward Catalog cover, 1949 Spring and Summer

Shortly after that first Etsy purchase, I was the winning eBay bidder on this lovely 1949 catalog. Again, stunning photographs - a number of them in color - and they were huge!

I've discovered that vintage Montgomery Ward catalogs, at least up through 1960, are all oversized catalogs measuring 13 1/4" x 9". Sears, Roebuck and Co. catalogs are wonderful too, but they've always been smaller - 11" x 8 1/4" - at least from the 1920's on.

Those first two catalogs got me hooked, and soon I was on Etsy and eBay constantly, hunting for good deals on vintage catalogs - and spending every bit of the money that I earned from selling on eBay as quickly as it came in. Sears Roebuck, Montgomery Ward... it didn't matter... I loved them all!

It didn't take long before I had added these seven catalogs from the 1940's to my collection. (l to r) Spring and Summer 1940; Spring and Summer 1943; Spring and Summer 1945; Fall and Winter 1945-46; Fall and Winter 1946-47; Spring and Summer 1948; Spring and Summer 1949. The two shorter catalogs in the top row are Sears Roebuck, and the rest are Montgomery Ward.

Do you think I stopped with the 1940's - no way! Next I started on the 1950's and the 1930's (those were tough to get for a decent price), and my next decade of focus was going to be the 1960's.

I was bidding on so many at once, I started to worry that I was going to end up with two of the same catalog. So I made an Excel chart to track, by year and season, which catalogs I already owned, and which were on the way in the mail.

I was definitely a woman on a mission!

I remember going out to a Chinese buffet with my son one evening, and during our meal I couldn't contain my excitement. "Daniel," I said, "I've decided that I want to own a copy of every single Montgomery Ward and Sears Catalog from 1920 to 1969! I want to be known as the Catalog Queen!"

He laughed at me, of course. Then we quickly figured out that if I ever reached my goal I'd have a staggering 200 catalogs in my collection. "Why would you want to do that?" he asked. "What's the point?"

What's the point?! Well, first of all, it would just be really cool to have a complete collection of those two famous catalog names - don't you think? I wonder if anyone's managed it? Yeah, probably. Maybe even one of you has come close?

Also, how fun it would be to have the resources at my fingertips to become an expert on vintage catalog fashion, and be able to answer important questions like:

1) When did the snood, the halter, the peep toe, the turban, the bolero, the circle skirt, the mini skirt, etc. first appear as a new fashion item in a Sears or Ward's catalog?

The snood is "fashion's newest whimsey" in the Sears catalog, Spring and Summer 1940.

2) Which company was the quickest to share the newest fashion trends - Sears or Ward's?

3) What distinguishes a Beret from a Pillbox from a Derby or a Cloche, a Toque, a Breton, a Bonnet, a Calot or Bumper hat?

4) When did wonder fabrics like Sharkskin and Lastex first appear - and then disappear?

Rayon Sharkskin dresses featured in Sears catalog, Spring/Summer 1940.

5) Year by year, what direction were hemlines and necklines, shoulders, sleeves and skirts going? - Were they going up or down? wider or narrower?

I'll never know the answers to all these questions because I never managed to get even close to reaching my goal of being the "Queen of Vintage Catalogs." After buying 21 catalogs in less than three months, I decided it was time to quit.

I finally took a break from my buying frenzy to add up what I'd spent on catalogs that summer - nearly $300 - yikes! There was no question that this rather expensive little addiction was one I simply couldn't afford. At the same time, I was also beginning to lose my enthusiasm because of information overload. It was clear that in order to have the time to do all the research necessary to truly become an expert on catalog fashion, I'd have to quit my day job - which was not an option!

Montgomery Ward Catalog cover, Fall and Winter 1945-46.

And so my dear readers, visions of being catalog royalty are no longer dancing around in my head.

I'm back to being just a common ordinary lover of vintage fashion who knows just enough to get by, to be a little dangerous, and to have some fun...

These days when I look at catalogs, I mostly just turn the pages and enjoy the pretty pictures - like these winter coats and suits from my 1945-46 Ward's catalog...

I've included the catalog descriptions for your reading pleasure, because I think that the words are just as lovely and intriguing as the fashion photographs.

Color-Gay Cardigan...Scrolled Braid Perked Pockets...Ebony Spiced Buttons... Those words sound good enough to eat, don't you think?

Have you noticed Ward's use of the word "revers" to describe the coat lapels? Coat "C" above, in the American Beauty color, has "Sweetheart Revers." That term wasn't used by Sears Roebuck. The same style of coat collar in my Sears 1945 catalog was referred to as having "Heart Lapels."

Here's a closer look at the hats worn by each of the models above.

Taking the photographs drew my attention to their makeup and hair too. Notice that each of the three models has pretty much the same hairstyle - parted on the side, pulled off the face with some sort of clip, and then curled under along the neckline, from the ear down to the shoulder.

In 1945-46, Ward's chose to have nearly every one of their featured models, who were sporting the newest fashion trends, wear their hair that same way. I wasn't seeing much that resembled a "Victory Roll" in this particular catalog - except on the more "mature" women. Were Victory Rolls becoming out of fashion by this point? Had that style reached its peak in the early 40's?

So, what do you suppose makes Hat A a "Bumper" rather than a "Beret" like Hat B? They seem to have similar styling and tilt. I just don't know...

I have lots of questions, but very few answers. See, I would have failed miserably as Queen!

So the position is still open. Anyone want to take a shot at it? :-)

Traces of New Year's Eve

2011-01-02T08:58:00.001-06:00

.
Saturday a.m.

Happy New Year, dear blogging friends!
I trust that you all had a lovely New Year's Eve, in one form or another...

I've been having a pleasant hangover-free morning, catching up on blog posts & reading about your latest adventures. I was hunting for others with New Year's resolutions, since mine aren't quite finished yet and I can use a little inspiration.

Snoodlebug came up with an amazing and ambitious list of "New Year's Revolutions" - and I have faith that she's going to do a great job with the follow-through. She already went to work on her Pincurl Project & posted about it this morning.

In keeping with my own "Social Butterfly" resolution, despite the warning of freezing rain, I courageously headed out the door at 7:30 pm last night and drove (very slowly) to a New Year's Eve gathering of friends on the far side of town.

Was I a little foolish to be driving on New Year's Eve in bad weather? Maybe. But I was a good girl. I only had one drink the entire evening! Pretty proud of myself about that, actually.

At the beginning of the night I went to the bar and ordered a Whiskey & Water. "Lots of ice," I said, "and just a little bit of water, but heavy on the whiskey." When the bartender heard that, he suggested I make it a Double "for just $1.50 more." What the heck, why not! I love whiskey - but oh my, this was strong! So I nursed that baby all night long by adding more ice every time the glass was one-quarter empty - and it gave me the perfectly heavenly low-key buzz I was looking for.

This wasn't exactly a glamorous affair...a neighborhood type "lodge" in a blue collar suburb. But on New Year's Eve anything goes. Many were very casual in jeans - but one brave soul wore a tux (good for him!) and some of the women were in glitz from head to toe.

I was somewhere in between... Purple dress, black tights and this pretty vintage bracelet that I picked up for a song a few months ago and have been dying to wear...

Isn't she sweet? This vintage bracelet is signed "ART (c)" - is anyone familiar with that company? I found some wonderful examples of other ART pieces online, including these at Enchantment Vintage Costume Jewelry.

I don't have any photos from last night, but here's how my hand looked in the bracelet. Wow, huh?

Oh yes, and I almost forgot - I also wore a pretty vintage three-strand pearl choker (costume, of course). This sweetie pie was only $2.00, and I've already gotten so much use out of it...

It looked lovely on my neck...really it did...

You're starting to wonder if I really went out last night, aren't you? You're probably thinking - "She's just trying to fool us with these props..."

Well here's further evidence...

Traces of New Year's Eve mascara on my bleary morning-after eyes...

A few friends from the party who may end up reading this blog post can confirm (please vouch for me guys, okay?) that I was there. But they will also probably question my use of the term Social Butterfly to describe me at this party...

Yes, I did a bit of dancing - and I smiled a lot - and met a lot of lovely new people...

But...I ended up deciding to leave the party at 11:15. What an awful party pooper I was! I guess I was a little nervous about the drive home...but it turned out to be just fine.

Too bad I missed out on a New Year's midnight kiss, though. Oh well, maybe next year.

Hope you all got your share of kisses last night - and the promise of many more to come in 2011.
Happy New Year!

---------------------------------------------------

January 2, 2011

P.S. - I have proof! One of the New Year's Eve party attendees took lots of photographs that night and shared them online. Here I am clearly enjoying (smiling so hard my eyes are squinty!) the company I'm with. Handsome devils, aren't they?

Oh, and there's that glass of whiskey I was telling you about. By the color in the glass, I think this pic must have been taken before I had started diluting it with ice. Forgot about those stunning green wristbands they chained to our wrists when we entered the door. Ugh.

Holiday Frivolity, Couch Potato Bliss and New Year's Resolutions...

2010-12-30T11:25:00.001-06:00

Hello dear readers! Long time, no see. My how time flies when you're having fun...
I hope you've all been having fun this holiday season too!

My son gave me an interesting toy for Christmas - a Roku. Have you heard of it? It's a little box that connects to my TV and let's me watch YouTube videos, instant Netflix, personalized Pandora radio, Flickr photos, etc. from the comfort of my couch. Lots of fun - and, unfortunately, very addictive!

Oh, and did I tell you that I've been off of work for a whole week? The university where I work decided to give all faculty and staff a paid vacation from December 23 - January 2. What a great Christmas gift!

But now - after a whole week of holiday frivolity and couch-potato bliss - I'm eager to get back to a more responsible, calorie-burning lifestyle.

Well, maybe I'll start after New Year's Eve. I've actually made plans to go to an NYE party this year, which is somewhat unusual for homebody me.

But it's in keeping with one of my New Year's Resolutions...
I've decided that after months of social hibernation that it's time to emerge from my cocoon and...

vintage postcard courtesy of flickr - chicks57

New Year's Resolution #1:

Become a Social Butterfly!

This is a good goal for me because I've been way too caught up with getting my new blog going, selling on eBay/Etsy, helping my kids move out of the house - and I can hardly remember what it's like to spend a night on the town getting crazy with friends...

I'm not exactly a Wallflower type, but Social Butterfly will be a bit of stretch for me.

Hmm, let's see... Who can I turn to for inspiration?

Ah, yes! The dynamic duo, Helga Von Trollop and the Vintage Vixen ...

vintage postcard, postmarked in 1911 - eBay - MrsHavasham

I'll just check out their latest blog posts to see what fun they're having, and then I'll tone it down by about 50% - and it'll be just perfect for me! (Sorry Helga & Vix - you're just too much fun to tease, I couldn't resist...)

Vintage Postcard, ca. 1910 - eBay - Jockriver

Speaking of New Year's Resolutions...do any of you have a tradition of making a list of resolutions at the start of each new year?

I tend to make my lists twice a year - once on my birthday in July, and then again five months later on January 1. I like the idea of wiping the slate clean....making a fresh start....turning the page to a new chapter....being born again.

Obviously the "born again" theme is not a new one. Aren't the babies in these early 1900's New Year's postcards adorable? They're currently up for bid on eBay...

"Unsigned artwork of Samuel Schmucker in conjunction with publisher John Winsch, copyrighted in 1910. Embossed surface with gold accents. Mailed in December, 1910" - eBay - Marbren

vintage 1913 postcard - eBay - Crappie4

vintage "Made in Germany" postcard, postmarked 1909 - eBay - MrsHavasham

Here are a few possible additions to my 2011 list of New Year's Resolutions. This is still just a draft, so please don't hold me to any of it!

#2 - Find some creative ways to bring in extra money so that I can a) manage to pay the mortgage each month, and b) have a little left over to cover my new Social Butterfly expenses.

#3 - List six items a week (four on eBay, two on Etsy) - consistently for one whole year. (Yikes! That might be a bit of a stretch...)

#4 - Lose 10 pounds by March 17, so that I can squeeze nicely into that 1960's green dress with the rhinestone buttons and wear it on St. Patrick's Day.

#5 - Hire someone to get rid of the squirrels that have taken over my bedroom. (Don't ask...it's a nightmare...)

#6 - Stop procrastinating and get that damn oven fixed! - so that I can start baking some of the fun recipes in my vintage cookbook collection.

#7 - Throw a party to celebrate being kid-free for the first time in 27 years!

#8 - Start playing the piano again. (This was a strong suggestion from my musical & mathematically minded son who has noticed that his mother's mind has become a bit foggy lately, and thought that practicing the piano might help sharpen it up a bit.)

#9 - Become a more thoughtful and generous person with those I love.

#10 - Discover the Fountain of Youth. (And if I find it, I promise to fill you in!)

Enough of this resolutions nonsense... How about a few more vintage New Year's postcards? I found these on Etsy. I think that the tinted photograph types are especially lovely...

Early 1900's French New Year's Postcard - Etsy - OldeTymeNotions

New Year Greetings Postcard, dated Dec. 29, 1911 - Etsy - Artypharty

Notice that the children in the photos above and below are carrying horseshoes & four leaf clovers, symbols of Good Luck...

Early 1900's "Made In Germany" Postcard - Etsy - Anantiqueaffair

Vintage postcard dated 1/1/13. Published by E.A. Schwerdtieger and Co. London B.C.

Etsy - Inspirationsnapshots

As the little boy in the postcard says:

"Be Happy on New Year's Day...

Enjoy yourself wherever you are

'Tis the brightest day on the calendar."

Have a fun (and safe) New Year's Eve - and a Happy New Year!

Oh, and have a Sarsaparilla on me!

Cheers! - Susan

Favorite Holiday Traditions: Figgy Pudding, Christmas Catnip, Picasso Gingerbread House...

2010-12-22T22:10:00.002-06:00

Isn't this a glorious time of the year!

I will admit that I tend to enter the holiday season with somewhat of a Bah-Humbug! frown on my face (Christmas commercialism, ugh!)...but the closer we get to Christmas Day, the merrier I get!

One thing that helped turn me into a jolly old soul were the wonderful favorite holiday traditions you shared when you commented in my giveaway post. There were too many treasures there to allow them to just stay buried in the comment field...so I'm bringing them out into the light for all of you to enjoy!

This will be an easy post for me - you're the writers!

My contribution: a small collection of 1950's vintage Christmas cards, and one early 1900's Santa postcard.

Enjoy...

Debi (My Happy Sewing Place): "One of my favorite holiday traditions is decorating our mantelpiece for the holidays....it's always so festive!"

Ivy Black: "My favourite Christmas family tradition is putting all the things the kids made that are still in one piece, on the tree. Oh, and listening to carols whilst making dinner."

Straight Talking Mama!: "I love Christmas so we have a few things we like to do, but my favourite is putting up the decorations. We have set music we listen to, first up is the Andrew Sisters Christmas Album, in my opinion THE best Christmas music. Then we move on to White Christmas soundtrack, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, you name it. I also like putting up the tree as we buy ornaments that remind us of different trips. We used to visit Switzerland a lot & in Basel they have amazing Christmas decoration shops! We've also got a couple we got when in New York.

Wow I've rambled on, can you tell I love Christmas!"

Twinkles1985 (Old At Heart): "Our tradition is watching A Christmas Carol and going and picking our Christmas tree..."

Mary Van Note: "I love staring at the Christmas tree. When we were kids my brother and I would play a game with the ornaments. Like 20 questions but it was about an ornament. My brother would always hide the ornament he picked so I wouldn't find it."

Vintage Sue: "Favorite holiday tradition? Eating everything in sight of course!!! hahaha"

Into Vintage: "When I was a child, we had the traditon of giving our cat a Christmas catnip gift every year. Starting year two, it was wrapped in a metal coffee can after he went into a frenzy the first year, clawing open packages under the tree until he found the right one. Good times."

Rosy (Sewing Addicta): We are Catholics, so the gifts are on December 6 in the morning, and are supposed to bring the Kings. So on the night of December 5, children leave cookies and milk in the living room, so that 'Reyes Magos' eat when you come to leave gifts."

Lady Betty (Betty's Vintage Musings): "As for holiday traditions, my father is from Norway and has lived in the US since he was 25. So per Norwegian tradition, we have always celebrated Christmas Eve with a big dinner and party. My parents' friends and neighbors come by and join us for cocktails, snacks, and dinner. My mother (who is from Ireland) will also cook a huge Christmas day dinner as well! Mom also makes an amazing figgy pudding! (Talk about holiday weight gain! Lol)"

Tanya904 (Starry Eyed): "One of our holiday traditions is to watch reruns of The Christmas Story and open one gift each on Christmas eve."

Gina at Vintage Junk in My Trunk: "One tradition I DON'T like is I invariably break a shiny brite (or two) as I hang my vintage ornaments from the tree. Doh! Guess that just means I need to find more the following year!"

Mrs. Cleaver: "When i was a kid i always loved going up to the mountains to find & cut down a Christmas tree.The pine tree smell always reminds me of Christmas with my grandma.

Now that i have kids i always love leaving the milk & cookies out for Santa & carrots for the reindeer :) My hubby & i try to do things to make it look like Santa has been nibbling the carrots & making sleigh tracks in the dew on the lawn etc:)"

Lexy Mademyday: "Everybody tells me my Christmas tradition is pretty boring but I like it!! I simply eat the best foie gras (made by my mum) and drink a good champagne in front of the chimney...and to top it all we watch "Pearl Harbor" snuggled up against each other on the couch!!"

Diamond Events by Tiffany (Ramblings of a Girlie Girl Housewife): "We have many holiday traditions but my most favorite is riding around looking at all the holiday lights. We have done this since .... well forever....and just always have so much fun."

Nancy (Waiter Waiter Percolator): "Favorite holiday tradition: Gotta be watching "It's a Wonderful Life" while wrapping presents and drinking hot chocolate. (Before I had a 16 pound, Christmas tree-climbing cat, it was decorating the tree, but haven't had a tree for 8 years now. We go to Granny's and enjoy hers on Christmas Day!)"

Moviemag46: "For the last 26 years Christmas at my house has been all on Christmas Eve. I love how the lights look after dark, and it leaves all day on Christmas to play with any new goodies."

Helga! (Helga von Trollop): "G and my Christmas tradition is to try and get out of town and away from it all!!!Yeehaaaaaah! XXX "

Vivi.Deluxxxe: "When I used to live with my parents.. on Christmas morning after opening presents, we would make hot chocolate & drink it out of santa mugs and eat Peruvian fruit cake bread. =) "

Lili M.: "This is the third year in line that I'm sick when I think I should be decorating for Christmas. Does that sound like a holiday tradition? I hope not! We over here have two days of Christmas, December 25th, the first and the 26th the second day of Christmas. Now the first day is the 'family dinner and gifts day' but the second is the stay in your pajama's as long as you wish and play with your presents day. I love that 2nd day of Christmas. There are more than plenty left overs so you don't have to do anything. Everybody should have at least 2 days of Christmas and ending with a third (Sunday) to rest!"

Kristy L.: "My best Christmas memory is my sis and I in our pj's with messy hair ripping open our gifts with much delight. And then looking back on the couch seeing our parents in their pj's with messy hair drinking coffee, also getting much delight watching us. So fun, I wish I could go back just for a few minutes."

ZeldaFitz79 (My Pretty Baby Cried She Was A Bird): "My favorite holiday 'tradition', I guess, is the fact that my mother, in spite of staying up super late to play Santa and make sure all the gifts are in place, has always, ALWAYS been the first one up on Christmas morning. Sometimes she would have to wake US up...her anticipation level for opening presents is like a hundred times higher than either my sister's or mine. :) "

Starz (Vintage Down Under): "Ooh love it.We always have the big cooked breakfast drowned in maple syrup and the kids have to wait until Dad has cooked it and everyone has finished before they can touch a present:) We did stop the 'Mother has been getting into the sherry' tradition though after a few 'Mother is drunk by lunchtime' events...."

Nancy (The Hem M A Blog): "I don't have my own Christmas traditions yet, both this year and last year I've gotten a live tree - last year it died...Oops, I'm hoping that's not the Christmas tradition. I always remember the great huge boxes of goodies we would get from my Grandmother though. One was full of grapefruits and the other had tons of different types of cookies and fruitcake and little presents. Sometimes bakelite buckles remind me of the shapes of her shortbread cookies now."

Modern Suzie: "My favourite Christmas tradition? That's a hard one but I would probably have to pick our activities for Christmas Eve. We always go out for Chinese food on Christmas eve (aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and all) then to my parents place to watch Christmas movies and drink "Moose Milk" (my grandpas recipe which contains egg nogg, ice cream and a lot of liquor).

That or opening stockings on Christmas morning. My parents always put in a mandarin orange (as a treat) and a dirty potatoe (to remind us that we weren't perfect all year)."

Tamarah (Shabby Vintage Junk): "There's just Mr SVJ & I here & our Christmas is a fairly relaxed affair....The only REAL tradition we have is that we absolutely POSITIVELY have to get our REAL Christmas tree on the 6th December....That's Mr SVJ's birthday & the START of Christmas for us....Mind you....We get the tree on the 6th but it's often NOT decorated for a couple of weeks....As a matter of fact....That is the ONE THING I have to do today....hahahahaha....!!"

Luna (No Soap, No Glory): "Me and the kids make a gingerbread house the first weekend in December. It's never the same - we draw a new one each year. And it usually ends up as a Picasso creation, haha. When Christmas is over, we smash it to pieces and eat it ;) "

Ann (Madeline's Memories): "Our family Christmas traditions are not very original: we always cut our own tree and bring the dogs along. We always have appetizers for dinner the night we trim the tree. We always go to midnight mass and then have hot chocolate and cookies before we go to bed. And we always stop opening presents halfway and have breakfast on Christmas morning. (Our boys are in their 20's and no little ones yet.) Merry Christmas!"

Merry Christmas!

xx00xx
Susan

On the First Day of Winter, Antiqua Picked for Me...Two Vintage Winners!

2010-12-22T05:22:00.001-06:00

It's December 21, the first official day of winter - and it's time to pick two winners for my Vintage Christmas Giveaway.

I wanted to do it the old-fashioned way - so I've collected all the comments, tossed the names in my Santa hat, and now I am just waiting until midnight (because I said I would) to draw the winning names...

"Pretty Kitty Kelly" Sheet Music, 1920. Words by Harry Pease - Music by Ed. Nelson.

(Yes, poor Kitty has a bite taken out of her last name, but for 25 cents she was just too pretty to pass up...)

Patiently waiting...
10 p.m....
11 p.m...
....oops fell asleep! now it's well past midnight!

Okay, I've stirred up the names and am going to close my eyes and summon the Goddess Antiqua (you haven't forgotten about her, have you?).......

...to help me pick two special vintage-loving winners...

And the winners are...

Garnet Scarabin

and...

Straight Talking Mama!

Congratulations to both of you! I'll send you an email to find out which of the four giveaway options you like best...

Straight Talking Mama (Fiona) is a 50's loving gal from Hampshire, UK and has a wonderful blog! Be sure to pay her a visit if you haven't stopped by yet. And Garnet (Arizona, U.S.) is a student currently working toward her undergrad in History, and planning to focus on Minoan civilization in grad school. I don't think Garnet has a blog (yet), but she certainly has a clever profile - so I hope to see more from her soon!

Wish I could pick about 10 more winners - you're all wonderful!

Happy Winter!
"Sarsaparilla" Susan

Christmas Wish List: 1928 Bulova Watch, 1937 Evening In Paris Perfume, 1956 Fosta-Grantly Sunglasses...

2010-12-17T15:46:00.006-06:00

First - a little reminder that my Vintage Christmas Giveaway ends at midnight on December 21. Thanks to those of you who have already stopped by and left comments. I've been having so much fun reading about your favorite holiday traditions. Take a peek - you might get some great ideas. Modern Suzie has a fun Christmas Eve tradition of drinking "Moose Milk" while watching Christmas movies. Here's what's in the "milk" - egg nog, ice cream, and lots of liquor. Sounds perfect to me!

I wish I'd had a refrigerator stocked with the makings for Moose Milk this past weekend. I was snowed in for a few days because of a major snowstorm that swept through and dumped 15"-20" of snow on the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area. Crazy, but kind of fun - I love extremes in weather. I guess I'm living in the right place for that!

Since I couldn't get out of the house to get any Christmas shopping done, and I didn't really feel like spending big bucks online - I just curled up on the couch with piles of vintage 1930's - 1960's magazines and did my shopping there...

Ladies Home Journal Magazine, December 1959

Can you imagine if you could magically be transported back in time to the year the magazine was printed - and be able to look through the advertisements and say, "I want this...and this...and this"... and then run off to a nearby department store, and buy them at the low prices of the day?

Well, that's the dream world I was in when I came up with this list...

Wanna go shopping with me?
Let's start small, and work our way up...

Kathryn Grayson, Lustre-Creme Shampoo ad - Life magazine - July 28, 1952

Wouldn't it be fun to find some unopened bottles of some of the glamorous shampoos of the 1940's and 50's like Lustre-Creme...and Drene....and Halo...

Revlon "Persian Melon" Nail Enamel ad - McCall's magazine - July 1957

I like the long sculptured stem on this Revlon nail polish. But I love the model's dramatic gold and coral outfit even more! I'll take those pillows too...

Tangee "Bright 'n Clear" Lipstick ad - Life magazine - June 7, 1954

Wish those stunning jewel earrings came along with the Tangee Lipstick...

Max Factor Lipstick ad - Good Housekeeping magazine - November 1946. Two-page Ad.

Three lipsticks in Clear Red, Blue Red and Rose Red. Checking the chart...I'm a Brunette so I guess I'm a No. 3. (Not very creative names, are they?)

Wembley "White Look" Ties ad - Life magazine - April 23, 1951

Aren't these men's ties gorgeous? And just $2.00!

Fosta-Grantly "Continental" Sunglasses ad - Life magazine - June 4, 1956

These glamorous Foster Grants will be perfect for all that snow glare...

Prince Matchabelli Cologne Spray Mist ad - Life magazine - May 2, 1960. Two-page Ad

Prince Matchabelli promises: "In This Push Button Age... He's Yours By Remote Control!" Wouldn't that be great if it worked!

Daniel Green Satin Mule Slippers ad - Ladies Home Journal magazine - December 1959

Air Step "Vanity Case Collection" Shoe ad - Life magazine - March 5, 1951. Two-page Ad.

Did you know that "A Pretty Face Starts At Your Feet"? A perfect excuse to buy the Daniel Green satin mules ($8)...and some Air Steps ($12 to $14)....and some warm furry rabbit fur Oomphies ($11) !

Furbelow fur boot by Oomphies ad - Good Housekeeping magazine - Sept 1946

Cannon Towels ad - Life magazine - January 9, 1950. Two-page Ad.

Wish I could stock up on bright and thirsty Cannon towels at these great prices - 39 cents to $2.79...

Melmac Dinnerware ad - Life magazine - November 19, 1956

A few items for my kitchen... A new set of Melmac dishes in modern atomic age shapes. I'll take Pink, please. :-)

Anchorglass "Tulip" and "Polka Dots" Deep-Bowl Sets - Life magazine - April 12, 1954

...and some Anchor Hocking mixing bowls! I've run across the Tulip pattern before...but not the Polka Dots. Aren't they fun?

Pyrex Ware Serving Sets - Ladies Home Journal magazine - December 1959

What a perfect hostess I'd be if I had this Pyrex Golden Casserole in a "Shining Cradle"....or the Kaffee Klatch set...

Universal Electric Iron ad - Good Housekeeping magazine - April 1946

Isn't this Universal Cool Grip "Glider" iron a beauty? I iron my clothes for work every morning - so I deserve a lovely iron...

Max Factor "Hi-Society" ad - Life magazine - Dec. 7, 1959

A case, mirror & lipstick all in one! I'll take F. "Mother of Pearl" design, $4.50....and G. "Modern Florentine" design, set with a glittering gem - just $3.50!

Lady Buxton "Parisian Pleats" Leather Accessories - Ladies Home Journal magazine - December 1959

I'm not a smoker, but I'll take the whole lot - cigarette case, and lighter too! How fun to have a red leather covered lighter with pleats!

Richard Hudnet Makeup, featuring Hollywood Star Merle Oberon - Woman's Companion magazine - December 1937

"They Teach Charm in Hollywood. And a few lucky girls seem to be born with it...seem instinctively to make the right gestures, choose the right clothes, wear the right makeup. It's girls like these who are quick to praise the new, certain way to beauty...Marvelous Eye-Matched Makeup."

Rhinestone Heels and Sequinned Stockings - Life magazine - January 9, 1950

These rhinestone heels, imported from France, and sequinned stockings are a bit extravagant at $30 and $25 (especially back in 1950) - but I'm worth it!

Trifari "Punctuation White" Jewelry ad - Life magazine - May 2, 1960

White jewelry to match the winter snow - just $5.00 each!

Lady Buxton Jewel Cases ad - Ladies Home Journal magazine - December 1959

Lady Buxton says that there are two ways to protect your jewels: 1. Stay up all night and guard your collection with a six-shooter. Or 2. Keep it in your Buxton Jewel Case. I think I'll opt for #2 and the Gold Jewel Case for $20. Look at the pretty gold satin under the lid!

Lady Schick Electric Razors ad - The Saturday Evening Post - September 29, 1956. Two-page Ad.

The four jewel-like colors on the right are awfully pretty - at $14.95. But I think I would prefer the "slightly more" expensive Lady Schick Goddess and Lady Schick Classic (below) in silver and gold, with individually tailored Carrying Cases.

Evening in Paris Christmas Sets ad - Woman's Home Companion magazine - December 1937

"Take the advice of le Pere Noel, the Santa Claus of France, if you would win most fervent feminine thanks for your gifts...Give beauty, as every lady loves it best...with a French accent...Give Evening in Paris Christmas Sets." Thirty-one sets, $1.10 to $25.00.

Sonja Henie Ice Skates ad - The Saturday Evening Post - Jan. 14, 1939

All I have to do is buy gifts of four 1-year subscriptions of Saturday Evening Post at $2 each ($8 total), send in the coupon - and these skates are mine!

Mojud "Year-Rounder" Slip ad - Life magazine - April 23, 1951

Mojud has such beautiful lingerie. Aren't these pastel strapless, boneless slips lovely?

Borgana Dawn Beige Like-Fur Coat ad - McCall's magazine - August 1957

"Warm and Sunny When It's Icy Cold" - That's exactly what I need...

Bulova Watches advertisement - The Saturday Evening Post - Sept. 22, 1928

Love the Art Deco design of this ad. At $75.00 (in 1928!) the "Carolyn" watch of 14 kt. solid gold, 2 diamonds and 4 emeralds is a bit extravagant - but since I'm dreaming...why not!

Royal Portable Typewriter ad - The Saturday Evening Post - August 31, 1957

I miss typewriters! I'll take this Royal Portable with a "quick-change, no-smudge ribbon...Magic Margin...and extra light touch." It will only cost me pennies a day and I get two full years to pay it off!

Kroeler Lounge Chair and Ottoman in Red Mohair Frieze - Life magazine - Nov. 16, 1953

My living room needs a little perk up - and this RED chair should do the trick! Look close at the mohair "frieze" texture and the huge ottoman - perfect as an extra chair!

Admiral Television / Automatic Phonograph ad - Life magazine - March 5, 1951

This TV has a big 17-inch screen - WOW! And the record player is automatic - very cool!

1938 Frigidaire "Meter Miser" Refrigerator ad - Woman's Home Companion magazine - December 1937

I've got an ugly 1980's beige refrigerator and I'd love to replace it with this 1938 model - as long as I can also have the refrigerator dishes with fruit decals inside...

Whirlpool Refrigerator and Freezer - McCall's magazine - July 1957. Two-page Ad.

Better yet - a PINK 1950's set!....

"New Freedom Gas Kitchen" - American Gas Association ad - Good Housekeeping 1946

...OR an entire 1946 kitchen in Red, White and Green. It would be Christmas all year long!

Chrysler Royal car ad - The Saturday Evening Post - Jan. 14, 1939

I'd love to have any one of these three vintage car beauties!

'57 Pontiac "Star Chief" car ad - Life magazine - November 19, 1956. Two-page Ad.

I'm partial to RED... Do you think I'm going through a mid-life crisis? :-)

Cadillac Car ad - Life magazine - March 17, 1961

Love the Cadillac convertible...but I'm almost as impressed by the ad design. The French Embroidery background is from the Brooklyn Museum. The Jeweled "V" and Crest were created by Van Cleef and Arpels.

"Ice Blue" Aqua Velva ad - Look magazine - December 11, 1956

I said that I was starting my Christmas Wish List off with small items and working my way up.

So you might wonder why the list ends with a cheap bottle of Aqua Velva After Shave.

Well....that's because it's the Aqua Velva MAN that I'm after - not the after shave. That's a TALL order!

Let's see...he was born in December 1956. Yep, that would be just about right. :-)

Happy Holidays! Stay warm...

I Come Bearing Gifts: A Vintage Christmas GIVEAWAY

2010-12-07T21:27:00.002-06:00

Back in April when I timidly wrote my first blog post, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. My kids were shocked that their techno-primitive mother managed to figure out how to design a blog. Then I was shocked when I got my first follower, and then 2 and 3...

And now seven months and 74 posts later, I'm celebrating 100+ followers! Yay! Thanks so much for hanging in there with me over these past months. I couldn't have done it without your support and friendship. You were my inspiration...and my free therapy!

You helped me survive the breakup of a relationship, another birthday, blogger's burnout and seller's block. You were there to help share in the excitement of my estate sale finds each week. You forgave me for my sometimes outrageously looong posts. And most recently...you helped me celebrate finally getting Sarsaparilla's Boudoir up and running on Etsy.

And guess what? I already sold 8 items! I'm not bragging - just surprised! I need to restock soon! Thanks so much for your encouragement and good suggestions. You're the best!

You've given me so much - and now it's time for me to give a little back. So, I'm having a little vintage Christmas Giveaway...

I'm going to pick TWO winners. And each winner gets to pick one gift package from my selection of four. I thought it might be nice for you to have a few options so that you can choose the giveaway you like best.

If both winners pick the same item for their first choice - then I'll toss a coin (or something like that) to figure out who gets to choose first. Sound reasonable? I really wish I could give all four packages away - but I don't want to spoil you too much... :-)

Gift #1 - 1960's Vintage Christmas collection.

or...
Gift #2 - 1930's and 40's Paper collection.

or...
Gift #3 - 1960's Frilly Pink Nylon Negligee

or...
Gift #4 - 1960's 2-Piece Green Dress

Here's how to enter:

Just leave me a comment by Tuesday, December 21 (first day of winter) at midnight! AND since it's the holiday season, it would be really great if in your comment you'd be willing to share one of your favorite winter holiday traditions... (Not required - just an idea!) To get things rolling, I'll share one of mine. Each year on the night that my little family decorated our Christmas tree, my daughter and I used to pull out the bed on the sleeper sofa in our living room - which is right in front of the Christmas tree - and we would have a little Christmas slumber party with music and reading Christmas stories and staring at the pretty Christmas tree lights. Okay....your turn!

If you aren't already a follower, I'd love it if you'd like to start following my blog. But I'm not going to make you! As long as you leave a comment, your entry will have the same weight as everyone else's. If you don't have a blog with an email listing, please make sure to leave your email address in your comment so that I can find you if you win!

Note: one exception to "every entry will have the same weight." If you mention my giveaway in your blog, with a link, I would be so appreciative - and will throw your name in twice! Just let me know...

I live in the United States - but please, please, please know that if you are the winner I will be very happy to ship to Ireland or New Zealand or France or Norway or wherever you are. I'm not worried about the shipping cost. It's the least I can do for all the joy you bring to me each day!

Here are some more photos of the giveaway options...

These ceramic singers have a Ucagco - Japan sticker.

Soft vinyl reindeer - heads turn! Made in Japan.

Pair of vintage Santa Mugs, Napco - Japan stickers.

Set of 6 "The Family Circle" magazines. All are from 1940. These are slim mags, with approx. 18 - 24 pages each.

Set of 5 Culinary Arts Institute softcover cook books from 1940 and 1941.

Two "human hair" hairnets in bright packages - probably 1950s.

A variety of sheet music, ranging from 1925 to 1943.

This frilly 1960's 100% nylon pink negligee / nightie has an extra layer of filmy chiffon in the front. The gown can be tied at the waist - or the tie can be removed and it can be worn like the first photo above.

I love these rows of feminine ruffles! The sleeves are wide enough to form a bit of a cap across the shoulder. The label: Size M - Penney's "Adonna" (sounds like a Greek goddess!)

Here's what the green dress (photo above) looks like underneath the little sleeveless blouse. The top portion is a smooth satiny material. That same material is used as slip underneath the skirt.

Here are the labels inside the dress - "Carl Naftal Originals - California." 100% Dacron Polyester. Size 12. (Seems to be about a medium, but I will post the measurements soon!)

My favorite detail - the pockets with sparkly rhinestone buttons!

Those of you who saw my previous post about this dress...I know what you're thinking - "She's giving the dress away because she doesn't want to have to worry about losing those 10 lbs..."

Ha! Not true. I'm actually looking forward to the weight just slipping off with all the exercise I've been doing. I'm giving it away because I know that several of you really liked the dress - and it would bring me joy, especially at this time of year, to make someone happy!

I look forward to reading your holiday tradition comments. Thanks again for your friendship!

p.s. No need to figure out now what gift you like best. You can decide when you win!

Oops - please ignore that last post!

2010-12-07T16:00:00.000-06:00

This morning I was just starting to write about my upcoming Vintage Christmas GIVEAWAY - and then had to rush off to work. I had only written one sentence - but in my rush, instead of pressing SAVE NOW I apparently hit PUBLISH POST.

Several hours later I discovered my mistake. Anyone who saw it must have been totally puzzled. Sorry for the confusion! There truly is going to be a giveaway - I just need a little more time to write about the details!

More about the giveaway later this evening... Stay tuned!

How many vintage coats does it take to make it through a long Minnesota winter?

2010-12-03T17:53:00.003-06:00

I'm a pretty sensible and practical woman most of the time, but when it comes to vintage winter coats, my head goes foggy and my heart takes over.   If I see a pretty coat at an estate sale for a reasonable price, I just can't seem to pass it up!

The crazy thing about it is that I already have [walking over to my closet to count right now] NINE vintage winter coats - and most of them I've never worn yet.   Nine coats!   That's a little overboard, don't you think?   I promise you that I'm not like this with other types of clothes - generally, I'm Ms. Frugal - but there's something about coats...

Here are two that I bought at a sale this past July.  I remember it was bleepin' hot out that day and the estate sale was crowded with hot, sweaty shoppers - and there I was in the middle of the chaos trying on these wonderful vintage coats, attempting to catch a glimpse of myself in a little mirror. I got lots of smiles (who is this crazy woman?) but nobody seemed to want to bother with lugging around a heavy winter coat on a hot day.  Nobody except me.  And so I got some great deals!

This black coat has a "Stuart's - Milwaukee" label and the sweetest ball-shaped fabric buttons.

I think that my favorite feature on this first coat - the thing that convinced me that I had to buy it - is the embroidered "arrows" detailing on the back and front. I'm also a sucker for curly lamb trim. (Thanks Kitty and Kim Bombshell for reminding me that "curly lamb" is more often called Astrakhan or Persian lamb.)

This next vintage coat (mid 1950's?) is a much longer style, in a navy blue - and the label is: "Made expressly for Bloomingdale's."

This one's perfect for keeping warm during a cold Minnesota winter. It's long and heavy - and has the softest brown fur in the world on the collar and cuffs. I love the look from the back, with the gentle folds...

What do you think - is it a keeper?

But wait until you see the sweetheart of a coat, in chocolate brown, that I bought a few weeks ago! It's got a lovely "Brucewood - Maurice L. Rothschild - Young Quinlan Co" label.

(I have a thing for vintage clothing labels - anyone else with me on that obsession?)

As for the rest of the coat...I'll share some photos soon. Then maybe you would be willing to help me figure out which coat should be The Coat that will carry me through this winter? And I can eventually sell the others.

OR...I suppose I could keep all nine - one for each day of the week, plus a couple just for evenings - but that seems a bit on the greedy side, doesn't it? And I don't want to give the impression that I am a Greedy Grinch.

I'd like to think that my heart, like the Grinch's on Christmas Day, expands to three times its size at this time of year....

Narrator: "And what happened then? Well, in Whoville they say that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day. And then - the true meaning of Christmas came through, and the Grinch found the strength of *ten* Grinches, plus two!"

Narrator: "Welcome, Christmas, bring your cheer. Cheer to all Whos far and near. Christmas Day is in our grasp so long as we have hands to clasp. Christmas Day will always be just as long as we have we. Welcome Christmas while we stand, heart to heart and hand in hand."

This song sends shivers up my spine, and puts tears in my eyes. It's so joyful and uplifting! - one of my favorite Christmas songs of all time...

Silly me. I have no idea how I managed to turn the discussion from vintage coats to this 1966 Dr. Seuss Christmas television classic. I guess it means that I must be starting to get into the Christmas spirit. Hope you are too!

Warm holiday wishes,

Susan

Holiday Lights Blink A Bright Red, Green...and Pink

2010-11-28T18:28:00.002-06:00

Well, my little family survived our ovenless Thanksgiving just fine - thanks to an electric roaster loan from a friend. I'm trying to finish up the leftovers as quickly as possible so I can start my holiday diet.

Oddly, I tend to gain weight in the summer and then lose it during the winter months. I'm counting on that happening again this year!

My incentive is this great Mad Men era two-piece dress that I bought at an estate sale yesterday. The 60's label: "Carl Naftal Original - California."

I can just barely squeeze into it right now...and I wouldn't want to risk wearing it until I've lost about 10 pounds...but I can already tell it's going to look great!

The dress is in a textured Dacron Polyester, and it has these wonderful sparkly gold and green rhinestone buttons on the pockets. Even though this is sleeveless, I think it could be great for a holiday party - especially with a vintage fur collar or wrap for a little extra warmth. What do you think?

Here are some more greens and reds to help unleash your Christmas spirit!

Everything you see here will be up for grabs at Sarsaparilla's Boudoir (Etsy) or Sarsaparilla on eBay either tonight (Sunday) or sometime during the coming week.

Musical 1960's Hickory Dickory Christmas Clock with Dancing Santa; Made In Japan

Vintage 1960's "Cherry Humps" Candy Bars Display Box; Schuler Chocolates Inc, Winona, Minn.

Vintage 1940's, 50's Dutch Boy & Girl Salt/Pepper - Made in Japan - never used! - F. W. Woolworth 39 cents price tag on hat

Simplicity 1950's Sewing Pattern 2757 - Skirt & Weskit

"In the Rough" Golf Balls of Pure Castille Soap; 1955 by MEM Company, NY

1950's Harold Gale 14" Display Santa Claus

Olga Baclanova - June 1929 Photoplay - (Cover illustration only)

"Night Before Christmas" - 1958 Whitman book - illustrated by Florence Sarah Winship

1960's Red knit two-piece dress: "Lofties, Designed by Lawrence"

Vintage 60's Christmas Elf Apron

The Four Seasons of Romance - Fanny Farmer Candies Vintage Tin

And here's a bit of Holiday Pink for good measure!

10" Magic Skin "Snookie" Baby Doll - by Ideal - 1951 to 1955; with original box!

Retro Pastel Christmas Trees Hankie, pink rolled edge

Vintage Pink Flamingo Ornament, Spun Cotton & Feathers

All this color! But sometimes the best things in life are in black and white...

Here's Bing Crosby in a 1965 Christmas special singing "Wonderful White World of Winter." Love the dancers in the first number! If this were about two years later, the women would probably have long hair and go-go boots, instead of suits & hats.

Hope your first week of December is a merry one!

The News From (a city near) Lake Wobegon

2010-11-23T19:48:00.000-06:00

First the good news: I'm staying home for Thanksgiving this year! That makes me happy because I'm a big chicken when it comes to driving in snowy weather - and this holiday is notorious for dishing out nasty weather either during the drive to my parents' house, or on my way back home.

Now the bad news: My oven died about a month or two ago - and procrastinator and penny pincher that I am, I haven't managed to get it fixed yet. So my Turkey Dinner will need to be cooked in the microwave or on my stove top...

Collier's magazine cover, November 16, 1932

Actually, I'm not too concerned. There will be just three of us for dinner on Thursday - me and my two munchkins. And as long as my son gets his pumpkin pie, my daughter gets her spinach dip, and I get my mashed potatoes and gravy, we will all be perfectly happy.

My children, Daniel and Rachel, toasting Times Square - 2008 trip to New York City.

This year's Thanksgiving gathering at our home is special for a couple of reasons. My son Daniel moved out of the house shortly before Halloween to live in Rochester, Minnesota (near the Mayo Clinic), so this will be his first holiday homecoming. And now my daughter Rachel has decided to follow his lead. She just found an apartment a couple of miles away from home, and plans to move out on December 1. I'm losing my babies!

Okay, I will admit that for the past few years I have actually been looking forward to having my house to myself. (Just think, I will have two empty bedrooms to spread out my antiques in!)

But now that it's only a week away from happening, I just want to turn back the clock about 20 years and be able to curl up next to them in bed at night and read "Goodnight Moon" over and over again.

Oh, look at me complaining again - when I have so much to be grateful for!

It's always something, isn't it?

Or as this little pup says, "If it isn't Booze, it's Something Else..." (Ha! I'd like to read that story - too bad I've only got the magazine cover...)

To those of you who will be celebrating Thanksgiving this Thursday - my very best wishes to you for a wonderful holiday! And to those of you who will be heading to work that day, as usual - perhaps when you get home you can have a nice glass of wine or two, and toast your American friends. And if you forget, I promise to have an extra glass for you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

p.s. For those of you who have no idea what "The News From Lake Wobegon" refers to, and haven't had the pleasure of listening to Garrison Keillor's radio show, "A Prairie Home Companion" - here's a little taste of quirky Minnesota humor for you. Watch it to the end to catch the fun Be-Bop-A-Re-Bop Rhubarb Pie ditty.

Mary, Mary Quite Contrary

2010-11-21T12:15:00.013-06:00

It was nice to get all those warm fuzzies, congratulating me for pulling myself out of my seller's slump.

But then Mary Van Note came along and had the chutzpah to say, "You should have easy to find links to your shops, though. I can't find them!"

Oh, Mary - must you be so contrary! :-)

I thought Marys were always supposed to be sweet like...

...silent film star Mary Pickford, "America's Sweetheart."

And Marys have sweet little lambs for pets...

courtesy of Lefton Collectibles

And they sing sweet, silly songs...

...like the early 1940's novelty hit, "Mairzy Doats." Here it's sung by a very young, cute-as-a-button Janet Lennon, one of the Lennon Sisters of The Lawrence Welk Show.

So sweet! I always think of my own sweet sister, Mary, when I hear this song.

Mairzy Doats
I know a ditty nutty as a fruitcake
Goofy as a goon and silly as a loon
Some call it pretty,
others call it crazy
But they all sing this tune:

Mairzy doats and dozy doats
And liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?
Yes! Mairzy doats and dozy doats
and liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?

If the words sound queer
And funny to your ear,
A little bit jumbled and jivey
Sing "Mares eat oats
And does eat oats
And little lambs eat ivy"

Oh! Mairzy doats and dozy doats
And liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?

- composed by Milton Drake, 1943

But actually, now that I think of it - most of the Marys that I love best have a lot of spunk mixed in with their sweetness.

courtesy of The Wordslinger

One of my favorite films of all time, Frank Capra's 1946 "It's a Wonderful Life," also features one of my favorite fictional characters: Mary Hatch Bailey, played by the beautiful Donna Reed.

courtesy of eeweems.com

Yes, Mary Bailey was as sweet and devoted a wife to George Bailey (James Stewart) as any woman could be, but it was her strength and spirit that made us all fall in love with her.

video courtesy of Sarbashrestha

This video features one of my favorite scenes and dialogues from the movie.

George: What is it you want, Mary? What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. Hey. That's a pretty good idea. I'll give you the moon, Mary.

Mary: I'll take it. Then what?

George: Well, then you could swallow it, and it'd all dissolve, see? And the moonbeams'd shoot out of your fingers and your toes, and the ends of your hair... Am I talking too much?

Old Man: Yes! Why don't you kiss her instead of talking her to death?

George: How's that?

Old Man: Why don't you kiss her instead of talking her to death?

George: Want me to kiss her, huh?

Old Man: Ah, youth is wasted on the wrong people.

*************************

Some other spunky Marys:

Actress Mary Martin...

...in the 1954 Broadway musical production of Peter Pan! (Mary was such a convincing Peter Pan, I grew up thinking that she was a rather quirky looking boy.)

...and as Nellie Forbush in the wonderful 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, South Pacific. Ms. Martin won a Tony for both of these roles.

And let's not forget about this famous fictional Mary...
Mary Poppins!

Julie Andrews in the 1964 Disney film, Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins is everyone's favorite nanny: mysterious, adventurous, no-nonsense - and she adds a "Spoonful of Sugar" to everything!

Also... how about the talented actress Mary Tyler Moore?

She helped define the modern American woman of the 1960's and 1970's through two of my favorite television characters Laura Petrie and Mary Richards.

photo courtesy of Oh Rob! The Laurie Petrie Fanlisting

Mary Tyler Moore as "Laura Petrie" in The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961 - 1966)...

photo courtesy of The 5 Magazine

...and as "Mary Richards" in the Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970 - 1977)

Switching gears a bit, lets move into the fashion world.

I'll bet most of you know this famous designing Mary...
...the fabulous Mary Quant.

photo of Mary Quant by Swinging_Sixties

Often when people think of Mary Quant, the name Twiggy immediately comes mind. Why? Because Twiggy was the perfect model for Mary's famous 1960's inspiration - the Mini Skirt!

photo courtesy of Strawberry Lemonade blog. (Take a peek - it's fabulous!)

And here's my favorite musical Mary from the 1960's...Mary Travers.
Miss Travers was the lovely female third of the popular American folk-singing trio, Peter, Paul and Mary.

photo courtesy of Reverb

Peter, Paul and Mary with Symphony Orchestra, “The Prague Sessions” (Rhino)

Sadly, Mary Travers passed away last fall, September 19, 2009 - but her wonderful music lives on...

video courtesy of Ppmcsk

This incredible video of Mary Travers singing "And When I Die" is from a 1969 Mama Cass television special. That's Mama Cass (of The Mamas and the Papas) and folk singer Joni Mitchell sitting on pillows, 60's style - applauding Mary. Isn't her mini dress fabulous!

Oh, that song was a little sad, wasn't it?

Back to Mary Van Note to cheer us up!

Mary Van Note having a Pajama Party in her 1930's/1940's silk pajamas and 1950's Daniel Green slippers.

Mary Van, it's clear you are in very good company...and I not only forgive you for your contrariness, but you also deserve a big thank you!

After I read Mary's comment, I decided that I had better quickly list a few more items on Etsy so that my shop had a little more oomph to it. And then, thanks to her strong suggestion, I decided to come out of hiding. So there are now links in my blog's side column to both my Etsy shop "Sarsaparilla's Boudoir" and my "Sarsaparilla" eBay listings.

Once again, a blogging friend has come to the rescue! What would I do without all of you?

Have a wonderful Sunday - and a fabulous Thanksgiving week...
"Sarsaparilla" Susan

A Warm Vintage Thank You from Snowy Minnesota...

2010-11-17T23:16:00.004-06:00

I am happy to report that I seem to have recovered from Seller's Block!

Tonight: two listings on eBay and one on Etsy! And if it weren't past my bedtime, I would just keep right on listing...

I feel light as air right now...

Thank you so much, dear friends, for all of your lovely comments, suggestions - and free therapy!

Seller's Block, Shipping Complex, and Shop Envy

2010-11-13T06:42:00.010-06:00

It's November 13 already (brrr, winter's coming!) and I'm a little embarrassed to look back at an old post from July 17 when I excitedly announced that I was opening up a new shop on Etsy - Sarsaparilla's Boudoir - and that you should keep your eyes open for items for sale there "soon."

My intention was to take a month's break from selling on eBay while I got my shop rolling on Etsy. And then I planned to start up again on eBay in October - in time for the Christmas season.

Perfectly sensible, right?
Well, 117 days later and I still have an empty Etsy shop - and I haven't sold a thing on eBay since early August!

I seem to have a dreaded case of........SELLER'S BLOCK!!!

courtesy of Stuart NG Books

Psychoanalysis no. 1 (Mar./Apr. 1955) edited by Bob Stewart and written by Steven Ringgenberg.

I wish there was a virtual couch that I could lie down on, and one of my blogging friends could play therapist and help me figure out what my problem is.

Or how about a "Psychiatric Help" booth like Lucy's?

Anyone willing to step in for Dr. Lucy? I'll bet there are plenty of bloggers that would line up at your window/screen. Just think of the money that would roll in at 5 cents a minute!

Has anyone else out there gone through a spell of Seller's Block? Any suggestions?

I'm so frustrated with myself because I have a house full of vintage things that I'd like to sell, and have even taken photos of a few of them...

But I can't seem to take those next steps to get them posted - and start making some money, which I could definitely use right now!

I think part of the problem is that I have "Shipping Complex." Because everything I sell is different weights and sizes, I spend enormous amounts of time finding the right size box and packing materials and making sure I've calculated the proper weight so that I don't overcharge for postage.

That whole packing/shipping process is looming large in my mind right now and is dragging me down. I'm thinking, do I really want to get into this again?

Part of me says YES, I need the money and I love the customer contact! And the other part of me says NO, you don't have time for this! Start selling again and you can kiss your social life goodbye!

I guess that NO seems to be winning the battle right now. Thus, my Sellers Block.

Maybe a little "Shop Envy" will help inspire me and get me out of my slump.

cartoons from Bizarroblog by Dan Piraro, creator of Bizarro

I've got some wonderful followers (thank you!) who have fabulous blogs - and some amazing things for sale right now.

Look at what I found at these lovely online shops!

Adeline's Attic Vintage on Etsy. The lovely Jill / Baroness Von Vintage modeling one of my favorites - a 1930's Lush Merlot Crushed Velvet Evening Coat.

Createology on Etsy. The talented Sherry made this wonderful Limited Edition Wearable Art Boa. Lots more gorgeous things here! Check out the Caramel Cameo Choker Necklace too...

The Kitschy Collector Home of C. Dianne Zweig. This book looks like great fun - just like her fabulous blog! Here's her book, Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles, 2nd Edition, on Amazon.

Fiona aka "Straight Talking Mama" has an incredible selection of vintage inspired items on Notorious Kitsch. Isn't this a fun Anne Taintor What Can I Buy Today Coin Purse?

On Etsy... Mitzi's Collectibles . I love Mitzi's hand crafted Vintage Style Carnival Chalkware Flapper Girl Figurines. And how about that cool Vintage Firefighter Badge Pendant for Men/Unisex!

Lizzie's Etsy shop - FuzzyLizzie Vintage I've always wanted a pair of Vintage 1940's Daniel Green Comfy Slippers. And this 1950's Purple and Black Wool Plaid fitted jacket is so pretty!

Katsui on Etsy. Kat and Suz, my favorite mother/daughter team! Isn't the Vintage Repurposed Sparrow Necklace with Resin Bird Charm sweet? And the second one - Kat's Meow Vintage Repurposed Necklace - has a resin pendant of Miss Kitty flapper saying "Meow." Fabulous!

Shona's online store, Heyday! I love these Heyday Plum Ladies Swing Trousers! Lots more pretty things there. I was crossing my fingers that I might be the winner of Shona's Fleur Dress giveaway. But I will have to add it to my wish list!

Vintage-a-Peel from Miss Peelpants. A fabulous John Bates for Jean Varon - 1973 Dress!

Carol at Dandelion Vintage. What a lovely 1930's Black Satin Nightgown w/ Ivory Lace!

New on Etsy! Lady Betty. Isn't this fun? - Vintage Inspired Carved Bubblegum Pink Resin Bangle

Able Gable I love their custom order clothing - especially the Miss Ann Darrow 1933 Dress. The frock is worn by Miss Amanda Lee in Ivory and Mlle Fleur de Guerre in Kingfisher.

And one more dress from Jill's Adeline's Attic Vintage shop - because she's such a doll! This late 1930's/early 1940's Wartime Raspberry Velvet Dress with Scalloped Trapunto Style Details would be perfect for holiday parties...

Oh my, that little shopping excursion was fun! Especially because in the middle of posting photos, I decided to buy one of the darling handmade flapper figurines from Mitzi's Collectibles. My new little mascot flapper has a polka dot dress and is named "Etta." I'm so much better at buying than selling!

Seller's Block, Shipping Complex, Shop Envy... I can just imagine you thinking - "Excuses, excuses! Girl, you've got to stop complaining, get off of that couch, and just DO IT!"

Okay, I will. I promise!
The next time you see my happy face I will be the new Selling Queen.

Free therapy, and tough love. That's what friends are for... :-)

Channeling Dorothy Parker

2010-11-06T11:07:00.005-05:00

It's just 10:30 a.m. and I've already got martinis on my mind. My darling sister Mary turns 50 this coming week (sorry M - guess the cat's out of the bag now) and five of the six sisters (and a couple of nieces) are celebrating today with an afternoon of shopping fun - and then a sleepover at a nearby Hampton Inn.

It's during the sleepover part that the martinis will come into play. And play is exactly what I need after a particularly looong week at the office. (It's hard to go back to work after a week's vacation! I'm ready for another one...)

courtesy of Mind Bling

Dorothy Parker and martinis somehow led me to think of Helga von Trollop. Have any of you had the pleasure of meeting Helga or visiting her delightful blog?

lovely Helga in 70's frock

Helga is one of the queens of cheeky quips. Her motto (borrowed from Mae West - or is it the other way around?) is...
"Better to be looked over than overlooked."

That sounds like something Dorothy Parker would have said.
Are you familiar with Mrs. Parker?

Witty Dorothy Parker (1895 - 1967) was a poet, short story writer, literary and theatre critic - and was the darling of the New York literary scene in the 1920's and 30's.

Parker was the best known female member of the Algonquin Round Table. Each day at a 44th Street Manhatten hotel a collection of journalists, actors, writers, and other artists gathered around this famed table.

"Algonquin Roundtable" cartoon by Al Hirschfeld

Dorothy Parker is perhaps most famous for her tart sayings and playful turns of phrase - like the drinking quote (...four, I'm under my host) above. She had a reputation during her lifetime as being one of the wittiest women in America.

"If all the girls who attended the Yale prom
were laid end to end,
I wouldn't be a bit surprised." - Dorothy Parker

I was first introduced to "Dottie" through the rather grim (warning!) but still fabulous 1994 film "Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle."

The cast includes some of my favorites: Jennifer Jason Leigh (who won a Golden Globe for her performance), Campbell Scott, Matthew Broderick, Andrew McCarthy, Jennifer Beals, Sam Robards, and Gwyneth Paltrow.

If you're intrigued with the arts and literary scene of the 1920's and 30's - and adore fashions from that era as much as I do, you'll enjoy this film. (Tip: the entire film is available in a series of 13 videos on YouTube!)

courtesy of Paikov

Here's more fun from Mrs. Parker...

photo courtesy of frogsmoke

"Brevity is the soul of lingerie." - D.P.

"Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses." - D. P.

photo courtesy of Heartaches and Handbags

"It serves me right to put all my eggs in one bastard."

- Dorothy Parker

I would like to have seen Helga and Dorothy Parker sharing a table back in the 1920's. Better yet, add witty British bloggers Vix and Ivy Black to the mix. Now that would have been a hoot of a conversation to listen to.

Admittedly, I tend to be a bit on the prim and proper side sometimes. (My German Catholic upbringing, perhaps?) And I can always use a little help from martinis and such to loosen up a bit. So before I head over to meet my sisters today, I'm going to be channeling Dorothy Parker and all my lighthearted blogging friends to lift my spirits.

Here's to blogging, to friendship - and a drink that warms the soul!

As Dorothy Parker once said:

"I'd rather have a bottle in front me than a frontal lobotomy."

Yes, this is Greta Garbo...

Cheers!

Have a wonderful weekend -

Susan

1920's-1930's Composition Dolls: Ain't They Sweet!

2010-11-04T18:40:00.006-05:00

There she is! There she is!
There's what keeps me up at night
Oh, gee whiz! Oh, gee whiz!
That's why I can't eat a bite

Those flaming eyes! That flaming youth!
Oh, mister
Oh, sister
Tell me the truth...

Ain't she sweet?
See her walking down the street.
Now I ask you very confidentially
Ain't she sweet?

Ain't she nice
Look her over once or twice.
Now I ask you very confidentially
Ain't she nice?

Just cast an eye in her direction
Oh me, oh my, ain't that perfection

I repeat
Don't you think she's kind of neat
Now I ask you very confidentially
Ain't she sweet?

Tell me where, tell me where
Have you seen one just like that.
I declare, I declare
That sure is worth looking at.

Oh, boy! how sweet
Those lips must be.
Gaze on it, doggonit!
Now answer me...

Ain't she sweet?
See her coming down the street.
Now I ask you very confidentially
Ain't she sweet?

Ain't she nice?
Look her over once or twice

Now I ask you very confidentially
Ain't she nice?

Just cast an eye in her direction
Oh me, oh my, ain't that perfection

I repeat -
Don't you think that's kind of neat.
Now I ask you very confidentially
Ain't she sweet?

-- "Ain't She Sweet" by Milton Ager (music) and Jack Yellen (lyrics). Published in 1927 by Edwin H. Morris & Co., Inc./Warner Bros., Inc.

15" comp. head Bye-Lo doll, marked "Grace Storey Putnam". 19" unmarked comp doll. 14" Effanbee "Patsy" all-composition doll, poseable head/arms/legs. 21" Horsman Doll, mohair wig, marked E.I.H.Co. Inc.

13" Mama Doll, comp. head/arms, cloth body/legs, marked "Ideal Doll, Made in USA". Large 25" comp. doll, open mouth/teeth, unmarked.

Video courtesy of RReady555

This charming early version of "Ain't She Sweet" was recorded in 1927 by Gene Austin (1900 - 1972). Austin is often proclaimed the singer who gave birth to the singing form "crooning"

Hope you enjoyed the song...
...and my humble
but definitely sweet!
collection of dolls.

If you'd like to see another fun and eclectic collection of "little friends" from the same era - take a peek at Mitzi's Collectibles latest blog post.

I fell in love with her adorable Kewpie (below) and her sweet handmade flapper girl figurines!

courtesy of Mitzi's Collectibles: Vintage and Handmade Treasures from the Midwest.

Mitzi feels that "every room should have something with a face in it."
I most definitely agree.

Hugs,
"Sarsaparilla" Susan

Antiqua, the Goddess of Lost Vintage Items

2010-10-30T14:56:00.004-05:00

I have been a terrible bloggerette this past week. I just realized that my entire "vacation" has slipped away without a single post all week long.

"Vacation" is in quotes because it hasn't exactly been a week of lounging on a sofa and eating bon-bons. I've been sticking with my goal of getting all my antiques organized and my house back into company-ready shape. And so for seven days straight I have been cleaning (& organizing) cleaning (& organizing) like a good little Suzy Homemaker!

While going through all of my vintage/antique things, I had some items in mind that had gone missing at some point and I was hopeful that I would find them in one of the boxes or piles.

When I was a little girl, whenever one of us lost something my mother would say, "Let's say a prayer to St. Anthony."

If you grew up Catholic, you probably remember that St. Anthony of Padua is known as the Patron Saint of Lost Articles. He was pretty good at finding things for me most of time. But I have lost so many things lately, I decided I'd better summon assistance from another source...

Have you heard of Antiqua?

She is the Goddess of Lost Vintage Items.
You don't believe me? Well, just look at what she found this week...

For the longest time, I've been missing a pretty little gray button from this vintage 1940's wool jacket, but I discovered it earlier this week buried in a drawer full of coins. I was so happy, I sewed it back on right away...

This jacket is one of my favorites because it has a label from a popular downtown St. Paul, Minn. department store that dates back to the 1920's...

Antiqua also helped me find Charmin' Chatty's shoe under my bedroom radiator...

It was missing from this 1963 Whitman puzzle...

Any other Charmin' Chatty or Chatty Cathy fans out there? I always liked Charmin' Chatty best because me and Charmin' both had to wear nerdy glasses at a young age.

Antiqua came to my rescue again when she helped me find this Hood's Sarsaparilla 1889 Calendar top that disappeared shortly after I bought it on eBay earlier this summer...

She led me right to the Sear's catalog where it had been absent mindedly tucked inside.

Did you know that Hood's Sarsaparilla not only purifies the blood and helps invigorate the liver...but it also cures Scrofula, Rheumatism, Billiousness, Dyspepsia and just about any other disease that you can think of!

You don't believe these claims? Oh, yea of little faith...

Let me share one final bit of evidence of the goddess Antiqua's powers. Not only does she help find lost vintage items, but she is also a good luck charm at estate sales too!

On Friday I spotted this lovely antique ledger book at an estate/moving sale in my neighborhood.

Now I love beautiful old books almost as much as I love beautful vintage clothing - but I'm also very frugal. And I just couldn't bring myself to pay $10.00 for the book.

Since everything was going to be 50% off today, the second day, I decided to take my chances and plan to be one of the first in the door this morning when the sale opened and quickly grab it - if it hadn't already sold.

Oh, I didn't tell you the best part of the book. Mr. Chas. D. Freeman was apparently a pharmacist (or doctor?) or was studying to be one - and the first 43 pages are filled with his handwritten notes.

Here are a couple of "recipes" for Liquid Soap and Boeckmann's Eye Water...

...and here are his notes on Floating Bodies in the eye.

Last night I kept thinking about the book. How foolish of me to easily spend $10 for a couple of drinks at a bar, yet pass up the opportunity to buy this ledger book which has historical value!

Well, I'll bet you've already figured out that this story has a happy ending. This morning when I arrived at the sale, the book was still there waiting for me in the very same spot on the bedroom floor where I had found it the day before. And I got it for $5.00!

Hail to Antiqua!

She's a great gal to have on your side.