Bronze and Brass

I carried this purse at the wedding I recently attended. Finally, after a long childhood of it lurking in the dress up box, I put it to real use! It was my grandmother's, circa the '70s, though it could pass for the 1940s. I love its metallic beading and bronze satin interior.

Grandma's Strawberries

As I mentioned, my grandma, a painter, was a big fan of strawberries. These are some of her personal projects. The strawberry pendant has a twin--it used to be a pair of earrings she wore often. The strawberry pin is actually from my great grandma, so really we're spanning 5 generations of strawberry adoration!

Heidi

I found this beautifully illustrated vintage edition of Heidi by Johanna Spyri at a local thrift store for $0.50! It doesn't have a copyright date on the inside, but it looks like it's from the 1960s or '70s.

It was illustrated by Roberta Macdonald and, apparently, coloured by a creative reader! 

I've yet to read this classic, so I'm happy to have acquired a pretty version of it to read.

Vintage Louisbourg Pennant

I got this fun '60s or '70s felt pennant from an antique store shortly after my trip to Louisbourg.

Retro Floral Aprons

 This fun apron hails from the 1960s, is in perfect condition, and is trimmed with piping. The sky blue floral print is complete cheer.

 This longer ditsy floral apron is probably from the '70s. Note the lacy pocket and ruffle--very Little House on the Prairie.

The rickrack and funky diamond floral date this apron to the '50s. It also features an interesting coiled plastic one-size-fits-all waistband. Perfect for whipping the apron on and off!

Vintage Barbie Clothes

I admit it. I have slunk back to my Barbies on several occasions over the years following the acknowledgement of "being too old for them". From time to time, I visit them in their Rubbermaids and waste a good chunk of an afternoon creating outfits. I've realized, though, that it's not really the dolls I love, it's their clothes. I never want to get rid of them. Even as a child I sensed the difference between my Barbies' authentically classy attire and the synthetic frocks wrapped in plastic and horribly twisted wire on the toy store shelves. My Barbies wear vintage! The majority of their clothes are actually hand-me-downs from the Barbies my mom played with in the '60s and '70s--mostly handmade from old dresses and rag bag scraps. In one of my recent Barbie sessions I took advantage of the styles and dressed up my drawing mannequin as a sophisticated model for some of the larger clothes.

I adore the gathering on this skirt, and, of course, the floral of the shirt and dress.

This fuzzy jacket has always amused me.

A very cheerful dotted Swiss and rickrack number.

Two different strawberry prints!

Some cute outfits for fall--a cape with a bow!

This dark orange fabric has excellent body and texture.

Audrey.

A look that seems very Parisian!

This display was an elegantly humorous addition to my desk. Now I only wish the clothes were human size!