Snowflake Vintage Rhinestone Brooches

 

A few of my vintage, rhinestone brooches ~ the ones that look like snowflakes.

 

 

They're sparkly

 

 

And this one!  My all time favorite.  Snowflake-like, I actually wear it year-round.

 

 

Closer:

 

 

And a couple of newer ones (not vintage).

 

 

It's bone-chilling cold here today, making me pine something fierce for our Florida farm!  Think I'll pin on one of these beauties which will give me a warm smile.

Glad Rags Vintage Clothing Documentary Filming

(Photo courtesy Glad Rags)

 

The Glad Rags team (that's Vallerie Perrault on the left and Brianne Richard on the right) visited Retro Revival to film a segment for their documentary film series, "Glad Rags."  The gals are traveling across the USA, from Boston to Los Angeles, exploring the history of textile production and sustainability of vintage clothing, by interviewing people who buy, sell, live and love vintage.

 

Brianne contacted me a few months ago after discovering this blog.  Isn't Blogville an amazing place?!  She and Vallerie were interested in filming me and learning more about how I collect and upcycle my found vintage linens into aprons.

 

I was nervous about their visit, not knowing what to expect and never having been filmed before this.  Turns out, I had no reason for worry because they were the sweetest young ladies!  So smart and passionate about vintage linens and clothing, and within minutes we were laughing and chatting like old friends!

 

(Photo courtesy Glad Rags)

 

They're heading to Raleigh and Florida next, and then on to Atlanta, Tennessee, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and ending in Los Angeles.  If you know a person or place of textile interest, please let them know!  Their email is gladragsdoc@gmail.com.

 

(Image courtesy Glad Rags)

 

 

The team, including their friend Heather on the left, wrapped filming by playing a bit of dress up in my aprons ~ so fun!

 

You can learn more about Glad Rags and their mission by visiting their website.  You can also follow the adventure on their Facebook page, Flickr page, and Instagram.  The documentary series will hopefully be ready to debut sometime after the new year ~ of course I'll keep you posted.

 

Sew a Vintage Tablecloth Skirt

Have a vintage tablecloth laying dormant in a closet?  Do like I did and repurpose it into a summer skirt!

 

I trimmed off the edges of the tablecloth:

 

 

Then rounded the two corners of what would be the hem line:

 

 

Gathered the top, then using an old hospital sheet (Did you know you can find these at thrift shops for about a buck?!  They're great for sewing projects like this), I made a waist band and sandwiched it over the gathered top before sewing it together.

 

Then I sewed coordinating bias tape along the bottom edge, and walah!

 

Probably the prettiest skirt in my closet!

Easiest Bathing Suit Shopping! {Custom Bathing Suit}

I know there are a lot of bad things in this world.  Serious, dreadful situations.  I rank bathing suit shopping near the top of the list;)

Right?!

It's been a few years since I've bought a suit and I really needed one because my old one's just about threadbare.  I searched Etsy and look what I found!

 

(Sparing you pictures of me in the suit!)

 

I found it in Diane's shop.  All I had to do was describe to her the type of fabric I wanted and she sent me pictures of options.  Then I gave her my measurements and wahla!

I love all of the stitching and button detail...

 

...And the buttons and the zipper on the back of it.

 

My first ever custom bathing suit and it fits perfectly!

 

It reminds me of the suit my mother wore in the late 1960s (Virginia Beach with my sister and me/I'm in the red suit).

 

Best of all?  I didn't have to try on 20 different suits in a cramped fitting room with hideous lighting!

 

Hope you all have a beachy keen day!

Wilendur Tablecloth-inspired Skirt

You all know how deeply obsessed I am with vintage tablecloths, right?  I'm forever traipsing through thrift stores and flea markets looking for tossed-aside beauties like these to up-cycle into fabulous Retro Revival aprons.

 

Occasionally, I'll find a real treasure ~ a pristine, vintage tablecloth with no stains or holes, like this perfectly preserved Wilendur (with the original tag):

 

 

I think this pattern is called, "American Beauty."  Aptly named!

Recently, my bloggy friend CoriLyn from Poodles And Pincurls mentioned one of her favorite online dress sources, Trashy Diva.  I clicked on over to their website and found this!



OMGosh!  A Wilendur-inspired skirt!  Eke!



You can see how closely it resembles my tablecloth!



OK, I'll stop with the exclamation points, but you can imagine my excitement when I found this.

 

This is now my absolute favorite skirt.  It was the perfect skirt for sipping cocktails with Captain Project last weekend.



Cheers!

Vintage Clothing $50 Gift Card Giveaway!

Are you familiar with Shabby Apple?  I'm obsessed with this online, vintage style clothing, woman-owned business!

I've got my eyes on these beauties:









Vintage-inspired with a modern twist ~ gorgeous, right?!  They also offer a big range of other vintage clothing and accessories including skirts, tops, home accessories, maternity wear, kids clothing, and awesome retro bathing suits.

Thanks to Shabby Apple (they have not compensated me) you can take a bite of the Apple!  I'm giving away a $50 gift card ~ woo hoo!

You can view all of Shabby Apple's vintage clothing by clicking on this link:

Vintage clothing http://www.shabbyapple.com/c-458-vintage-style.aspx vintage clothing.

Shabby Apple's website is full of pretty images.  Head on over and I'm sure you'll enjoy it!  Then come back here...

1. Become a follower of my blog

2.  Leave a comment

...and you're entered!  Hurry though, contest ends in one week, at midnight EST, May 9th.  {Shabby's rule that this contest is only open to US residents ~ sorry!}

Have fun & good luck, friends!

I Can See {I Got Glasses}

I'm pretty vain.  I try not to be, but really, I am.  Case in point:  my vision's been deteriorating for years, yet I've refused to get glasses, instead, relying on drug store cheaters, and when I don't have them on, driving my family and friends nuts with, "Read that for me, please."

So, I finally went to the eye doc.  I don't know what news was worse, hearing that I need to wear them all the time or the fact that they're bi-focals!

I wanted a retro-inspired pair.  A fashion showpiece, just like this vintage ad suggested.



Something comfortable and beautiful.



I didn't want to end up looking like Don Draper's cranky, incompetent secretary.



I'm afraid I ended up choosing a pair that's a bit Buddy Holly-ish!



Note to self:  Do not choose your frames while your eyes are still dilated!

After walking around looking goofy for a few weeks, and when I was visiting my BFF in Iowa, I found new frames!



I like them!  Thank you for helping me, Melanie.

The good news is that I can see!  Ripping out those stitches is so much easier.  My headaches have diminished.  I can read road signs.

The bad news is that I can see!  It's like hundreds of wrinkles have suddenly appeared on my face, especially around my eyes.



And OMG, is the white tiled bathroom floor really that filthy?!



Jeepers peepers!