Twenty Second Peek Inside My Vintage Paper Party Box!

I've never posted my own video on here that I remember, but thought you might like to see one of my FAVORITE boxes of paper. It will all be in the shop soon...after all...only 15 more Fridays until Christmas. You're welcome. :) Next time, I'll show you the wrapping.

Let's Pretend: Bring Back 1950s Bridge

"If you would like to be known for the parties you give, there is really no secret: just invite congenial people and entertain them graciously. It sounds easy and it is--when you know how." Betty Crocker's Party Book, 1960.

For a long time, I've been wanting to invite friends over to play bridge, if I only knew how! So let's pretend tonight that I do, and plan a bridge party from the 50s. Shall we?

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Of course, it starts with the dress, right? Mill Street Vintage on Etsy is one of my favorite shops to dream about. This dress would be perfect for a gathering of ladies on a Sunday evening.

You can find this dress here.

And then you need pretty playing cards! I love these from A Backyard Creation on Etsy. 

And tallies, too! Especially cute kitty ones you can find in my shop! 

 Find them here.

What about food? Party Chicken Salad with Grapes sounds yummy and light. Here's the recipe.

Party Chicken Salad with Grapes

Toss Together 2 cups cut-up cold cooked chicken and 1 cup cut up celery, 1 tbsp. lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Add 1/2 cup mayo and carefully fold in 1 cup halved green grapes. Arrange mounds of salad in lettuce cups or in tomato flower cups. 6 servings. (from Betty Crocker Party Book mentioned above)

You can serve it in these pretty Pyrex hostess bowls.

Punch is always good. Try this:

June Punch

4 c. sugar

4 c. water

2 c. strong black tea

6 cans frozen lemonade concentrate, undiluted

2 cans pineapple juice (5 cups)

2 c. cut up strawberries

1 gal. water

2 qt. dry ginger ale

Make syrup by boiling water and sugar for 10 minutes. Add tea and fruit juices. Chill 2 to 3 hours. Add remaining ingredients. Pour over ice in punch bowl or ice in cups. 60-70 servings (whew! I'd cute this recipe in half. From Betty Crocker's Party Book mentioned above.)

Top it all off with these cupcakes from Kevin and Amanda (P.S. If you haven't cooked from their web site before, do it. Yum. Everything.)

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Then a hostess gift is needed for sure if you are going as a guest. How about a unique little cookbook or some pretty napkins tied with a bow? 

Play and laugh with your friends and call it a night a few hours later. Drive off in your 1957 Chevy and then head home to your husband, who, in all his glory, has the kids in bed and a nice cocktail ready for you when you come in the door. What a night! Want to come to my bridge party? For real? Let's do it!

The Teacher from the 1950s: My Wardrobe this Year and Why I am DoingThis!

So, I've taken on a BIG change as far as clothing and my wardrobe is concerned, and cleaned out my closet to replace it with vintage! I have to admit, it was super scary taking out my go-to GAP cotton elastic-waist cropped pants and all those plain black t-shirts I wore on a regular basis (how boring), but I did it. I was determined to make a change, and I just kept on pushing.

Skirt is handmade, vintage croc bag, vintage Naturalizer shoes (what??), sweater from GAP, vintage brooch)

A lot of my friends ask why I am doing this, and here are my thoughts. I love vintage everything, and for the last ten years, that has been true and an ever growing passion, so I should and want to dress this way. But, as a teacher, one of our biggest struggles on campus has been dress code. If you look at the difference between what students dressed like in mid-century times versus what they dress like now, there is a huge gap, not only in what is appropriate at younger and younger ages, but the influence peers have on what they decide to wear. Right? If I can influence or inspire one girl on my campus to not only be herself, but to realize that covering yourself up is OK and it's actually very fun and attractive, then my job is done. If I inspire more than one, then that's just icing on the cake. You can be modest and still be pretty. That is my message. Plus, it doesn't matter what size you are!! 

(Skirt is vintage square dance from eBay, top from Heart of Haute, shoes from Salt Water, petticoat from American Apparel, waist cincher from Orchard Corset, hair flower is hand made)

I've been on a roll all summer, hitting estate sales from Wednesday through Friday and sometimes Saturday, hunting and picking and trying on vintage clothing from the 50s, mostly, to add to my collection. You guys, if you've never shopped estate sales for vintage clothing, it's so much cheaper than visiting a shop (although much more work). I found dresses for $2, and on one lucky day, came home with a black 100% cashmere full length winter coat for the same price...two buckaroos. I'll show it to you when I've had it cleaned and ready to wear.

Finally, about two weeks before school started, I posted for my friends to come shop my closet and then soaked, washed, and hung all my vintage and new "vintage" in my closet, and started choosing outfits to try. So far, it's been fun and it's always different, and most of my pieces match other pieces, so it's kind of like having Garanimals from way back when. Remember those? I'm happy to say my collection of vintage is getting rather hefty at a very small price.

First day of school with the kids back! This dress is one I made this summer from my grandmother's Butterick pattern from the 1950s. Fabric is "Enchanted" by Michael Miller. Bolero by Ann Taylor. Petticoat by American Apparel and waist cincher by Orchard Corset. 

A few of my favorite companies to buy "new" from are shown in these pictures. For undergarments like my petticoats, I recommend American Apparel (I wear this one with my shorter skirts) and ModCloth (and this one with my longer skirts-even though it is listed as "short" in the description). I also wear this from Orchard Corset. What a difference a little cinch can make!

For skirts and tops, I love Doll Me Up, Darling, and Heart of Haute. I've also been making my own skirts from fabric and from random vintage linens! Shoes at ModCloth and Salt Water Sandals (my fav right now for summer) are the best. I have these in black and silver and these in red.

Skirt by Doll Me Up, Petticoat is by Hell Bunny on ModCloth, shoes by Salt Water, waist cincher from Orchard Corset, belt is vintage and top from TJ Maxx.

If you want to follow my daily dress, I'm posting on Instagram every day and I also tag all of my photos with the companies I am wearing plus identifying the vintage I have found. My username is @feedthebirdies  and I am using the hashtag, #teacherfromthe50s on all of my posts. I'd love to be friends and see what you are up to as well!

Until Sunday, keep it vintage, doll! I'll see you then. P.S. Don't worry...my paper hoarding instinct has not gone away...and I will keep sharing that as well as estate sales, fun little updates and projects, and my house. Have a good week!

Why You Should Read Vintage Magazines

Better Homes and Gardens is my top pick when it comes to buying vintage magazine issues. These three are 1956-58 and I pulled them out of a neat stack tied up with nylons in an old shed. They aren't in the best shape, but there are still lots of things to learn from them! Here's why you should buy...and read...old magazines. 

1. Design ideas. Even if you aren't a mid-century lover, you'll be inspired by tips and arrangements for your home.

2. The articles are very informative, especially if you purchase from estate sales like we do, and need to find out about details like dates, replacement parts, manufacturers, etc. (And then there are articles that are just plain FUNNY.)

3. Old magazines are a super cool history lesson. 

4. And you can see somebody must have cut some things from this issue for a school project, maybe?

5. The recipes. I've found Aunt Audrey's Puff Pastry and a pineapple salad recipe we've searched for, for a long time.

6. The ads and illustrations. Be they ever so sexist, they're still worth the giggles and the surprised look on your face! 

7. You can dream of owning a pink GE kitchen, for $35 per month. 

8. Christmas decor and gift ideas just got a little more nostalgic. 

9. The cars. I want a Nomad. 

10. And, last but not least, take the plans and patterns and create that decade, year, or childhood memory all over again. 

I buy most of my magazines at estate sales, of course, but you can also find them at antique malls, Etsy, or EBay. Others to look for are Family Circle and McCall's. Follow me on Instagram, @feedthebirdies, for my Tonight's Reading posts to see what issues I've read or will read. It's a fun little hobby! 

"You can see that Hitler had a grip on the people..."

I may have shown you a few of these before, but they are worth the repeat.  We were shopping at an estate in Garland and my husband bought an old drill from the garage.  In the box, in the owner's manual, wrapped up and hidden, were these pictures and letters. 

We've pondered the story of why they were hidden, and we are pretty sure these came from a French soldier that was killed and then a serviceman sent them home to his family. 

They are eerie and fascinating, and very much a thought provoking discovery. 

Finding things like this has made me much more interested in history itself.  They are real.

They tell a horrible story.

They depict the terror and the devastation of the war. I held back some of the more graphic ones out of respect for the men and women that lost their lives. 

We contacted the local Holocaust museum to see if they would want to use them on display, but we were told they would be placed in the archives. We decided to keep them. We have some of them framed and the rest stored with our own photos.  I suppose I should write the story of how we found them and place it with the pictures for safe keeping. 

Have you ever found anything of such historical value?  What would you do with them? We've sat in the floor and stared at them...trying to figure out each minute of what happened. We have negatives, too.  And two letters. The letters are about family and buying cigarettes, interestingly enough. But the "Heil Hitler" and the swastika are enough to rattle you to the core, no matter the message in the body. No wonder they were hidden. 

No Envelope, No Box: How to Mail a Letter Vintage Style!

My pen pals really inspire me with the unique ways they send their letters, so I have been brain storming fun ways to reply...and not just in the letter, but how it gets to them from here. And, since I am a scavenger for all kinds of vintage paper, I've come up with a few ideas to share, so you can send mail (of any personal kind) in something other than an envelope or a box.  Grab your packing tape and let's get going!

Vintage Record Sleeve--you can find orphan record sleeves in all kinds of places, maybe even in your own collection.  I've seen them in book resale shops, thrift shops, and estate sales.  Find a cute one, add your letter or paper bits, seal with tape, and send it! I used vintage Dennison labels to address mine.

Or try this--a vintage children's record/book. Write the letter on the pages of the book, and fill the sleeve for the record with little treasures, tape closed, and mail. Who doesn't love a memory of a good Disney story?

Adding vintage ledger paper to the inside and securing with washi tape makes a great place for your letter. And it's kind of like a treasure hunt through the book to find the letter! This idea was from Xenia of Saturday Morning Vintage.

Vintage Bound Photo Album--There are almost always old pictures at the estate sales we shop, and I've picked up a few old photo albums from family trips.  Write your letter on the back of the pictures, and let the photos be a trip down memory lane, or if they are not your own, they are cheap entertainment and the subjects remain anonymous!

An old library book makes a great presentation. Xenia, of Saturday Morning Vintage, sent her last letter to me using one.  She wrote the letter on ledger paper that was taped to the pages using washi, but the pictures of the birds in the pages were left untouched for me to enjoy.  This was one of the cutest things I have ever received, and I love her letters. She taped it shut and put the postage right on the cover of the book.  It is beautiful!

What will you mail your next letter in? Show me!

Don't Have a Pen Pal? 5 Reasons to Get One!

I love having pen pals.  They are new to me, but in the last year, I have four new friends from places I wouldn't have before:  UK, Oregon, California, and Pennsylvania.  Friendships truly can be built on the written letter, and, isn't it so much fun to find one in your mailbox after a long day at work?

Most of my new friends have come from Instagram, and I also found one through Postal Society.  I hear they are sparkling up their web site and it will be all new soon!

This month, I'm participating in a city swap, and sending all kinds of things from my hometown to a new pen pal, through Raquel, or @marionbcn on Instagram.  Her work is fabulous and her ideas are cool.

I'm a firm believer in finding new friends through social media that enjoy the same hobbies that you do, and while it's fun to communicate online, it's also tons more fun to find a parcel in your box.  Later this week I have fun and non-traditional ways to share to mail your letters.

Here are five reasons you might want to find a pen pal:

1.  It boosts your creativity.  Finding new things and fun ways to send them always make you think outside the box, literally.

2.  It's very much a stress relief to write.  And you don't always have to write in a journal; write a friend instead.

3.  You'll find very quickly just how small this world is.  I've already made a connection from a sweet girl I met in Disneyland to a pen pal I met on Instagram!

4.  You can collaborate with those that share your interests and generate new ideas for almost anything.

5.  It's fun to get mail!

What are your favorite ways to communicate?  Are you willing to disconnect and sit down with a pen and some paper?  I promise, you won't be disappointed.  I'm hoping that one day I will travel to the places my friends live, and hug them in person.  Until then, I have some letters to write tonight.

Ideas for Using Old Photo Slides in Everyday Projects

On Sunday, we talked about whether or not you should buy those old photo slides and slide mounts you might see at an estate sale or thrift shop.  If you do bring some home, here are a few ideas for using them. You don't want them to just sit around in a box (you would have left them there if you did)...enjoy them!

Use them to frame or highlight part of a picture, such as a flower or a kiss! I've used this slide mount to frame part of this photo of my husband and I that I had printed on a Moo card. Add a few layers of patterned card stock and any embellishments you choose, and you've got a pretty nifty Project Life card to add to your pages.

You could also:

• use the frame as a "word window" to frame a word in your art journal
• make a cute little gift tag for the next package you need to deliver
• take the slide (with negative) and have it printed and hang some cool art on your walls
• show your friends what you found, and put on a neat vintage slide show at your next party! 

I'm crazy over finding these now, because the last few boxes have been treasures.  I hope that you will watch for them, too!  What would you use them for?