Youtube: Beginner's Vintage Beauty Kit

Getting started in vintage can be pretty intimidating! But vintage make up can be simpler than you think! Here are my top beauty products that you need for a vintage look.


What are your vintage beauty must haves?

A Rainy Bolero for Spring

I've been knitting again! This is the Lavenda Drop Bolero from A Stitch in Time Vol. 2.

It's got this super cute drop pattern that looks just like rain drops.

I paired it with my favorite vintage spring dress. I finally got around to letting out the hem so now my petticoat doesn't peak out anymore.

The weather was so nice! Yay for no rain!

Happy Spring!

Birthday and Anniversary Swag

It just so happens that my birthday and wedding anniversary are just two days apart (and usually right up near mother's day for when we get to that stage). Which means May is everybody loves Stephanie month. :) And this year I got gobs of vintage and sewing related things from people who love me.

Patterns! These I picked out myself with birthday money. I love birthday money especially since the stuff I really like other people would have a hard time picking out for me. But I never ask for it because it's just awkward.

This little beauty I had spied a few months ago at a used bookstore. It's a huge 1951 catalog.  It was still there when we went back last weekend and my hubby sneakishly bought it for me. :D

And look at all of the pretties! I really want to make some scans to share but we'll have to see how the scanner behaves.

I also spied these vintage confetti earrings at a near by vintage store the same day I spied the catalog. They too were still there so they just had to come home with me! I like to do that sometimes. Wait and see if something is still there. If they are, great. If not, it's not meant to be. If I completely forget about it, then I must not have really wanted it that much in the first place.

A local sewing store called Sew Dayton was having a vintage fabric destash sale so I picked up these two beauties. The left one is a suiting and someone had bought almost the whole bolt because there's 7 3/4 yds here! The right fabric is possibly cashmere and it feels divine. Only 5/8 yd here but I couldn't pass it up! My dad also got me a Jo Ann's gift card. Yay for sewing!

And last, but certainly not least, Wearing History's 1940s overall pattern. The hubby and I weren't planning on doing anything big for our anniversary this year. (We did go to Disney for last year's though.) So this is what I asked for.

What kind of birthday gifts do you like? Do your friends and family buy you vintage or sewing related things?

An easy weekend look

I love things that are classic, easy to wear and look great too! This dress certainly fits the bill!

Fabric: black and white gingham cotton ($4/yd)
Pattern: Simplicity 2502
Year: 1948
Notions: buttons (from stash)
Hours to complete: 6-ish
First worn: May 2012
Total cost: ~$12

I love the shape of late 40s dresses! And it's crazy comfortable. It was a bit light for the weather when I wore it but it'll be perfect all summer long!

 I made a self fabric belt, but I can imagine this paired with all manner of brightly colored belts and accessories!

I had a lot of fun with the construction on this dress. I used black and white striped bias tape for several of the seams. I found this delightful vintage bias tape at Sew Dayton, a super cute local sewing store.

This pattern uses a button fly front so the buttons are hidden! I happened to have matching black buttons but this would be a great option for left over or odd ball buttons since you can't see them anyways.

Here you can see the two layers that the buttons are hidden between. It was quite easy to do and I really like the look of it.

The first Friday of every month, Dayton hosts an event called First Fridays to encourage patronage of local businesses and this is what I wore my dress for. We popped in to quite a few local places including a new to us wine bar!

I was quite happy with my hair since I did a hot set! It's been pretty dry for this time of year and the lack of humidity has really made my hot sets last.

I'm so excited that I can go out and do stuff and look cute since the weather is finally getting nice!

Youtube: Hats-It's not what's in your head, it's what's on it.

I adore hats! I know a lot of you too so I decided to share some of them! I have posted about my wall of hats before but I got a few new ones to show you!

Prepping for a Vintage Trip

Packing for a trip is always a lot of work and just like most things, it takes a bit more effort for us vintage gals especially when you are just starting out. Planning is key!

Step 1: Pack

This is me packing for a weekend trip to a photography conference! I love laying out my outfits if I've got enough space. If not, I write out my outfits on paper though I might take them out one at a time for a closer look. If you have an itinerary or general idea of the activities/social events you'll be going to, that helps a lot!

If I was going on a cruise, I'd need different outfits than if I was road tripping to State Parks. If you don't have specific list of activities, try to come up with a list of likely events- casual day events, parties, dinners out, outdoor activities, etc. Consider which which activities are vintage friendly, which are me-made friendly and which might be more appropriate for repro or modern pieces.On my trip, I'd have one day of travel, two days of classes and one evening social event.

Once you have your activities, decide how many outfits you'll need. Will you want to change outfits during the day or perhaps bring a day-to-evening outfit with different accessories? Can you wear something more than once on a trip? For long trips, I prefer mix and match separates but for short trips, I'd rather bring really different outfits and bring one set of accessories that can go with more than one outfit since accessories are less likely to make an impact than an outfit.

Here's my outfits again. The left two dresses are my day dresses and the right dress is my evening dress. The outer two dresses are jersey which is great for travel since they won't wrinkle!

Next, start thinking about accessories for your outfits-shoes, tights/hoes, belts, jewelry, hat, hair accessories. And don't forget undergarments! Does one of your dresses need a special bra? Will you bring a sip or crinoline? Might you be inside where the ac could be on? Pack a cardigan or too!

For my trip I picked a black belt that could be worn with any of my dresses, just two pair of shoes and one pair of black tights. I also decided to bring just my small crinoline so it wouldn't take up valuable suitcase real estate. I also chose a classic faux pearl necklace and earrings that would go with any of my outfits.

Then go pack! I got all of my clothes into my small vintage suitcase and the gold bag held all of my modern stuff-toiletries, curling iron, laptop, stuff to do in the car, etc.

Step 2: Prep your hotel room

I know that once you hit the hotel room, you'll either be super tired and want to crash or so excited and ready to start on your vacation but prepping your hotel room will be essential to making your vintage look easy to maintain on your trip!

Most hotel rooms have a closet so hang up your clothes right away to prevent unnecessary wrinkles. If you need to and have time, iron anything that needs it right way so that it's all ready to go! If there's not an iron in your room or you are running short on time, try hanging the wrinkled garment in the bathroom while you shower and the steam will help remove the wrinkles!

I also organized my shoes and stowed my suitcases in the closet so they'd be out of the way!

Don't forget to prep the bathroom with all of your beauty and hair products so you're ready to go the next morning! Plus this is a great way to discover if you've forgotten something important-like your hair brush! *facepalm*

Also, be on the look out for great photo locations! If nothing else, the bathroom mirror tents to be handy!

Step 3: Enjoy your vacation!

Now you're all set to enjoy your trip! Your plan will help with outfit decisions but feel free to switch it up if something isn't working! All that prep will help loads on busy mornings when you are tired and need to get going early.

Do you have any trip packing tips?

1950s Housewife Hair

Yay for another youtube hair tutorial! Today's look is 1950s housewife hair.


Also, I want to know your favorite youtube gurus for vintage hair and beauty.

Christmas Part 2

My in-laws, my hubby and I have a tradition where we get together at their home on Christmas eve for a fancy dinner and presents-no kids allowed! And it's always very nice. This year due to my father-in-law's work schedule we had it on the 23rd instead so this outfit did double duty for church and Christmas dinner.

I found the gorgeous 50s vintage suit at a local vintage store while shopping with a friend. Can you say wow! Velvet, peplum, a fabulous pinky red color and I could get it on my body!

Feline photo bomber!

I did move the button on the jacket and one on the skirt over a bit for some extra room and I let it out a smidgen over the bottom area just for a bit more wearing ease, but really, vintage suits are never ever this close to my measurements! And I got it for $45!

The condition was great! I could tell that it had been let out on the sides previously but it was barely noticeable. The only other issue was a bit of wear on the covered button. But it was sooooo fabulous!

I paired it with black hoes and some cute black shoes.

This is my in-laws' kitty Tuffy. He's crazy affectionate and kept begging for lovings while we were taking pictures.

So I gave him some before we had dinner. They have another kitty who goes by Baby but she's super shy.

Dinner set up! We turned off all the lights and ate by candle light. It was fabulous! 

Our contribution to the evening was a bottle of Delicia malt beverage (technically a beer I guess but doesn't taste anything like a beer.) We'd previously had the whipped cream flavor (nom nom nom) and brought a bottle of the red velvet flavor to try. And it tasted exactly like red velvet cake! It was a bit weird because it was a beverage that tasted like a food but it was good. If you need something new to try for your holiday festivities or New Years, I highly recommend it. It's available at Walmart (and other places I'm sure).

Pixie does 40s

The decade I've been most nervous about pulling off with my pixie is the 40s but I finally decided to take the plunge and see if I could rock it!

It was unseasonably warm so I pulled out this vintage 40s dress for one last hurrah before the cold set in.

While this sort of pixie definitely isn't period, I think it looks super cute!

My husband was taking Christmas photos for clients but I made him take some shots playing around on the set!

The good news is that this set up is at my church so I'll have a good backdrop for photos for the whole Christmas season!

I really love the cut of 40s dresses. The skirts are so swooshy without being bulky like 50s skirts can be.

I just love the darling print on this dress! It's almost as cute as my hair!

Is there a decade that you are afraid of wearing? Be bold and believe in yourself and you can do it!

Pencil Skirt Sew-Along Complete

I had some free sewing time this weekend so I finished up my pencil skirt for the pencil skirt sew-along!

I had just over a yard of cute plaid fabric in my stash that I had to buy as a steal on clearance and it looks smashing. It's McCall 5121.

It has a cute kick pleat. I also added a lining so that the white was a bit more opaque.

The blouse is also a new finish. I finally picked up some covered buttons to finish it. It's from Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing (review coming this week!).

The skirt called for closing with hooks and eyes but I grabbed one button from the stash instead. Just goes to show you that you should keep all those odd and end buttons.

And it's not a photo shoot without some silliness!

A New Hat

I love hats! And I picked one up at the local vintage store last week and just had to wear it on Sunday!

It was windy!

Hold on to your hats!

It was super warm too so I decided to let me legs out without tights! Might not get to do that for a while.

Pretty flowers!