Lifestyle: True Vintage Style

In the middle of helping my sister move and rearranging tons of stuff in my parents house, I stumbled upon some of the the coolest, most adorable, and truly vintage pieces of clothing I've ever seen. A pair of self-cut, hand-embroidered jean shorts, from roughly 1972. Seriously, how cute are these? And the fact that my mom cut off a pair of old jeans to make shorts and used her Brownie Scout skills to embroider all the the designs herself, just too neat! I could see the memories flooding back as she showed them to me.

So cute! It's crazy to see how popular styles of the past always make their way back around. My sister owns a couple pairs of shorts extremely similar to these, except she paid for hers to look this frayed when she bought them, and they aren't quite as customized!

And then, just when I thought it couldn't get any cuter, my mom showed me a few old school outfits from her childhood. Cue me completely GEEKING out over the little dress I'm about to show you. I mean, it's like a miniature 1959 prom dress for a toddler. I think the only think more precious than this dress would be a picture of my mom as a youngster in this dress! (I'll have to ask my grandmother to break out the old albums) Ok, maybe I should also mention that I'm totally and completely in love with the styles of the 1950's and 1960's. If I thought it was acceptable to wear Mad Men-esque dresses and my hair hived up on the top of my head every day to work, I totally would!

And here it is, the cutest little dress I've ever seen, that my future unborn little girl WILL be wearing!

So, so sweet! And pretty impressive that it's in such great condition considering its somewhere around 50 years old. If there was ever a reason to have a child, it would be this dress! Ok, ok, just kidding, but seriously, this makes me want a little girl some kind of bad. (And something tells me that our current little beagle girl, Harper just wouldn't be very happy in it)

Weekend Finds!

It's no secret, I love a good yard sale. And even though we haven't been to many this summer, we did venture out this past weekend to see what thrifty finds were out there. The town of La Plata in Charles County, MD held their community yard sale on Saturday, so we woke up early and made the drive North.

While I didn't find anything for our Etsy Shop, I did find quite a few little nick-knacks for myself! Check 'em out:

J.Crew navy blue maxi dress - $1.00 (best buy of the day!!), Multi-color faux pearl necklace - $1.00, Orange mini-watering can/planter - $0.25, Like-new garden snips - $1.00, Black and White New York skyline decorative plate (that will match my bathroom decor PERFECTLY) - $0.25

Technically, I only found the teapot this weekend, the groovy glass was from last summer. BUT they both have the 1950's vibe I'm looking for when I finally get around to re-doing my kitchen. How cute is this teapot though?! So retro, and only $2.00 I believe...

That old saying, "One man's trash is another man's treasure," sure is true. You never know what you'll find at a yard sale, I think that is why they are so addictive - You're always hunting for your next big discovery! Most of the time, when we find vintage glassware or unique home decor items, we list them on Etsy and sell them to shoppers out there who don't have the time to search for these rare finds or don't live in an area where they have access to such things. Our shop is currently empty, BUT I am hoping to have several new and beautiful crystal decanters and a couple other serving pieces listed by the end of the week. 

Oh So Inspirational

I am a big fan of Instagram, the photo-sharing app that lets you put cool filters on your photos so they look vintage, enhanced, etc. One day I was bored and looking through the "popular" page, and was instantly drawn to a user named ohsolovelystef because of her retro 50's-60's looking photos. I began looking at all her pictures, and began to feel as if I had met a kindred spirit. Not only is her house decked out completely in atomic-era decor, but she is also co-owner of a groovy vintage shop in Winnipeg, Canada called Rhymes with Orange, a mobile shop run out of a 1956 camper (!!!), Etsy shop, and blog Oh So Lovely Vintage. 

Stefanie and Erin's collection of mid-century modern housewares is incredible, from kitchenware (they, like me, have a soft spot for pyrex) to bakelite jewelry, kitschy wall art, knick knacks, and totally awesome radios. All of which is just scratching the surface. Their blog is a retro lover's dream, with featured products, a "Sixties Sunday" weekly post, vintage fashion, their personal inspirations, and even giveaways. These ladies are an inspiration to me and their shops are an example of what I hope Point Breeze Cottage can become someday, with of course, our own spin on things. For anyone who, like me, knows they were born in the wrong decade, or wishes they could go back to a simpler time, Oh So Lovely Vintage is a great blog to peruse. I hope to one day be able to travel all the way up north to Canada to visit their awesome shop!

Tropical Paradise

Featured Product

That is what I think of every time I look at this vibrant chair, Tropical Paradise. Given to our team from our fabulous yard saling partner in crime, Cathy, this retro chair was in great condition. Sturdy, solid, and structurally sound. Everything you want to look for when re-doing a vintage piece.

Our design expert, Donna, was the creative genius behind this chair, using Barcelona Orange AS Chalk Paint, AS Clear Wax, and a piece of fabric from Calico Corners. If you are looking to add a pop of Tropical to your home, sunroom, or beach house, this is the chair for you.

Please visit our etsy shop to purchase, or shoot us an email at ptbreezecottage@gmail.com for more details!

Colorful Memories

On that cold February morning, with the sun barely peeking above the horizon, we pulled in to the church lot for the first official yard sale of the year. There was a line 30 yards long of like minded yard “salers” who were ready to get back in to the Saturday morning fray! The doors soon opened and the warmth of the church hall welcomed us.

When I attend church sales, the first thing I try to do is scan the room for the tables or booths manned by the “mature” ladies of the parish.  There is absolutely no prejudice in my actions against the younger sellers, but the really unique and vintage treasures are usually those donated by the sweet “senior” ladies. This theory held true at the first sale of the year as I scanned the table operated by three darling ladies. There was a cute little lamp, doilies, scarves, and general bric-a-brac scattered about on the tables when an incredible array of color caught my eye. My mind raced back in time to my aunt’s kitchen table, waaaayyy back in the mid 60’s. Aunt Mary always served us our grape kool-aid in Heller Hostess Ware Colorama tumblers, but I had never seen these petite little serving dishes before!  The lady had just finished setting the last of the complete set out on the table when I asked to purchase them! She wrapped them up ever so carefully and told me they had been in her china cabinet for as long as she could remember but she just didn’t use them.

After a little research, I discovered in 1957 The Heller Hostess Ware Co. came out with the anodized “Colorama Serving Aids”, with my lovely church sale find being the “8-piece Sherbet Set-A very colorful service for Seafood Cocktails, Fruits, Sherbets, Desserts, etc.” These Heller Hostess Ware items were all the rage in the post WWII era when modern materials and “space age” designs were popular. If you would like to own this complete set of Heller Hostess Ware please visit our Etsy shop.