Wednesday, December 22, 2010

A Very Vintage Holiday Season to you!




I adore the Holiday Season. All the holidays..... it's wonderful that there are so many different celebrations that take place, all the world over....festivals of light, days of thanksgiving, the birth of a new year... Christmas is my personal favorite. Besides having been a magical part of my childhood it is also a reminder to me that hope, love and peace are the greatest gifts mankind can ever wish for.

I love everything Christmas and being a vintage kind of gal, it's no wonder the nostalgia that permeates this season touches something deep inside of me. I'm a complete sucker for the old movies (Miracle on 34th Street STILL brings a lump to my throat). I love traditional food, especially old family recipes that take time to prepare AND I am addicted to vintage Christmas decor.

I began collecting Christmas memorabilia when I was just a teenager. My Mom was an antique dealer so we went to a lot of yard sales. My first find was a box of never used, 1950s Christmas cards that could be used as tree ornaments. They were utterly charming! Colorful gingerbread men, singing angels, snowmen, wreaths and lanterns and of course Jolly old Santa! I was SO hooked!

I never became a serious collector and I must confess I never really spent any time researching my finds. Rarity and value were never the point for me. Mostly I just picked up things that struck my fancy. Angels and elves, interesting ornaments, figurines...I treasure them all, from my silly plastic Snoopy with reindeer horns to my one and only Victorian glass bird.

It's been a while since I've taken the time to blog. Time just gets away... but today I decided to put everything down and take a few pictures so I could share some of my favorite vintage Christmas pieces and to wish you all the very best during this beautiful season.

Melody






Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Vintage Fashion Guild News!



Illustration above from the exhibition - "Fashioning Fashion: European Dress in Detail, 1700-1915. Los Angeles County Museum of Art."

If you are already familiar with the online website The Vintage Fashion Guild you know what an amazing resource it is. If not you simply MUST check them out. The website features a public forum where you can ask the experts just about any question regarding vintage and where you can share your passion for past fashions. They also have an amazing labels resource section with pictures and a brief history of hundreds of vintage fashion labels. There are articles and workshops and for eye candy, a seasonal parade of vintage fashions. Just when I thought it couldn't get any better they debuted their new Newsletter!

I joined the Guild a few years ago and it has been such a joy to be a member. If you are drawn to the world of fashion and love vintage I highly recommend you hop over there this very minute :)

Best to all, Melody