Retro laundry room

I've been flipping through some late 1950s magazines recently, namely Better Homes and Gardens and Life magazine.  I love looking at old advertisements for cosmetics and clothing, but the adverts for household items are beyond amazing.  It's no secret that the color pink was especially popular in this era.  After about four ads for pink appliances, I became smitten with the idea of a pink laundry room, with a blush colored washer and dryer, of course!

Pink chevron ironing board cover, metal coin laundry sign, and vintage 1950s Presto irons

Atomic Abstract Sky fabric for curtains, and an amazing DIY painted concrete floor with laundry theme

 Retro wall plaque, vintage aqua plastic containers with free printable labels, and

vintage Dreft detergent box

Homemade pink laundry detergent: recipe here

DIY light fixture made from an up-cycled washing machine drum, and a lovely array of candy colored, stacked linens and luggage by Cath Kidston

 Free printable vintage style laundry instructions, and wooden cursive laundry sign

What do you think? If I owned that iron, I might actually offer to iron shirts for my husband!  Stranger things have happened.

XOX, Hannah

Black cherries (outfit #50)

I bought this darling 1940s dress, from a vintage shop in Old Colorado City, called Swish.  I love the bow at the collar and the fact that it zips up the front.  Front zip dresses are my favorite, perhaps because I have a fear of vintage metal zippers.  If you've ever been pinched by one, you know just how painful those tiny metal teeth can be when you aren't paying attention!  There are tiny grapes or black cherries printed all over the fabric, which match my rhinestone cherry clip-ons.

Happy Sunday!

Black and white and red all over (outfit #49)

Thwack!  That is the sound of my hair being cut off! I was enjoying having longer hair, but due to a really dry winter I started noticing that it was breaking really easily and no amount of deep conditioning was going to save it.  ...So off to see my cousin, a fabulous hairdresser, and pull the plug on my unhappy tresses.  I always enjoy the first time you wash your hair after a dramatic haircut, I find it really satisfying to to run my fingers through my hair and have it end way before it's supposed to (you know what I mean!?)  I'm going to have to rethink how I style my hair, because my hair is too short for hot rollers.  Maybe I can finally pull off victory rolls with shorter hair, and it will look less like Minnie Mouse ears.  Yes, a new haircut makes me vogue, that's normal, right?
    I'm wearing a 1950s Bobbie Brooks dress, but I think it really embodies that wholesome 1940s farm girl look, which I adore.

XOX, Hannah

Horsin' around (outfit #48)

Yesterday was Easter, and the weather was perfect for a lovely family filled day.  We started the day with an Easter egg hunt, and then drove 40 minutes West to my mom's little horse farm for lunch.  The kids always have a great time in the country, going for long walks up the mountain, through the tunnels, jumping on the trampoline, and swimming in the ditch when it's hot.  My mom recently acquired a sweet little pony, named Brownie, for the kids to ride.  My daredevil 4 year old had no problem jumping on its back, but the other two had to be convinced (I actually paid the 6 year old a dollar to get into the saddle!)  The two youngest boys really loved it, and talked about it the whole ride home.  I foresee lots of time spent with the pony this summer.
   I wore my 1950s denim, deadstock pedal pushers, and  a1950s coral pink puff blouse, that just happened to perfectly match the stitching in my jeans.  

Happy April Fool's Day!

XOX, Hannah

Aztec skirt (outfit #47)

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday, and since I'll be busy imitating a magic bunny, I'm going to post these outfit pictures today.  My Sunday schedule has gone offtrack anyway with all these cold snowy days that just make a girl want to procrastinate.  This is a 1940s, hand painted Mexican themed skirt that ties at the waist.  The chocolate cardigan is by Bobbie Brooks and was purchased with a birthday gift card from an antique mall, thanks to my sweet friend, Jenny B.  Thanks Jenny B!  I'm wearing yet another Sarah Coventry Brooch, this one with tiny precious stones.

Happy Easter, dearies!

Pinstripe Pinafore (outfit #46)

I have a strange little wishlist of random vintage goodies that I'm always looking to find.  The list borders somewhere between random and bizarre, and I'm not sure exactly where I get the ideas.  Currently on my list is; a horse head brooch (preferably Bakelite), a rooster brooch, a fish themed novelty skirt, a hat with a bird's nest, and pinafore type dress.  I told you I was random!  I started a search for pinafore dresses, and discovered that many on the uniforms from the 40s-50s were made in this style.  I liked the idea of a candy-striper style dress and was preparing to purchase one, when I came across this blue and white pinstipe one on ebay.  I'm wearing it with a cocoa 1960s, cropped blouse, and my Sarah Coventry seagull brooch. My 1950s mustard yellow cardigan is made by a company called Blairmoor.

Nurses uniforms in 1950

Or perhaps a school uniform from the late 40s?

XOX, Hannah

Light fixture DIY

We started with an ugly ceiling fan in our kitchen, which was later replaced with a prettier ceiling fan.  First the fan stopped spinning, and then eventually it stopped lighting up as well.  It was a dusty, non-functioning, eye sore that had to go.  I started looking at suitable lighting to take its place, but the prices were a little disheartening.  Then one day my dad showed up with a glass globe light.  He had an extra that he'd picked up from the RE-store, and it was mine if I wanted it.  The first thing I did, was spray the rusted brass with a metallic silver spray paint.  I felt like it still needed something, but I wasn't sure how to precede.   I ended up going to an estate sale a block away from my house.  It was the sort of sale that said in big, bold letters; "NO EARLY BIRDS"!  I dutifully obliged, and showed at exactly 9 o'clock.  It was apparent that they had started earlier though, because the couple of great finds were already spoken for.... I found a cool Samsonite makeup case that matches a suitcase I bought last year, but not much else.  Then I went into the garage and buried under an inch of dust was a 1950s drum light shade with hand stitching.  They didn't even charge me for the shade, b/c it was trash to them.  The shade was originally tan colored, so I sponge painted it a minty aqua and drew gold stripes with a paint pen.  I love the way the final light turned out.  It has a sort of art deco vibe, and it cost me $4 total (the cost of a paint pen!)

What do you think?