Shop Preview: Party Party Party

With the holidays coming up, there are sure to be all sorts of fancy occasions requiring a new party dress. Here's a few hitting the shop soon:

Be sure to follow us on Twitter to know exactly when we post them.

Video - 3 Minute Heather Remake

The other day we went down to my backyard to shoot some clothes for the shop, and found that we weren't the only ones down there for once. There was a music video being shot, but all we could tell was that it had an awesome vintage 80s vibe to it and some pretty creepy mannequins.

Turns out, they were filming a three minute musical interpretation of the first scene from the movie Heathers to promote the 80s dance club Darling Nikki. Glad to know the backyard is a home for so much creativity:

Shop Preview: Fall Jackets

Just a sneak peek at a few things hitting the shop this week - long sleeves and tweed, perfect for fall.

Don't forget to follow us on Twitter to find out exactly when we post them.

Vintage Shopping: German Science Posters

I was at the Alameda Flea Market last month and there was a gentleman there selling beautiful German pull-down posters with all sorts of science related diagrams out of the back of an old van. I haven't stopped thinking about them since, and may have to return next month ready to pony up some cash for one.

In the meantime, I've been looking around for them online. I spotted these from Berlinner Strasse. They are all original (instead of all the reproductions out there), ship straight from Germany, and range in price from $200-$300 - and they are so pretty:

(and other similar posters can be found at Ekho Vintage or Bonnie & Bell as well)

Shop Preview: Costume-y

I was in a vintage shop the other day when a girl came in and told the shop owner that she was looking for a costume, and she was thinking of going as a flapper in an authentic dress. Vintage shops must get that kind of thing a lot around Halloween, often coming from people that probably don't wear vintage in their everyday life, and seem genuinely surprised that their local vintage shop doesn't have racks of pristine 20s dresses hanging there, waiting for someone to wear them for Halloween.

I guess the idea that vintage clothes are costume-y to a good portion of the population leads to one of my best thrifting secrets - I always check out the costume racks for pieces that the thrift store worker thought looked weird and retro but that I want to bring home and actually wear.

In honor of Halloween, I'm previewing a few gems that could be costume-y if you wanted them to be ... (but just know that I'd wear all of em on a non-Halloween occasion too).

Mad Men:

20's Inspired:
(or we have a fun fringe dress here)

Prom King:

Picnic Food:

A fabulous sequined party witch?

Make sure to follow us on Twitter to know exactly when we post em!

Estate Sale Finds: How to Be a Super Secretary

This week's estate sale find is a little booklet that I found stashed with a pretty old typewriter. There isn't a date on the pamphlet, but it was produced by the typewriter company Remington Rand, and is full of all the bad advice you'd expect from a piece written for women in slightly more sexist times (aka the 50's).

The pamphlet takes on a very Seventeen "do's and don'ts" tone, and I've picked out some of my favorite tips to share:

My biggest takeaway is that the author really didn't think secretaries should wear bobby socks.

Shop Preview

We've got some new treats hitting the shop this week. Ooo la la:

Be sure to follow us on Twitter to find out exactly when we post them!

Vintage Inspiration: HD Buttercup

HD Buttercup is a really lovely furniture store located in SOMA in San Francisco. Aside from being huge and full of the kind of furniture that is pretty enough to make you feel okay about dedicating your next several paychecks to it, they have worked in a lot of really great vintage decorating ideas that could be some DIY inspiration for around the home.

A wall of vintage plates:

Bowler hats turned light covers:

Old shoe stands painted for display:

And lots of vintage pieces around every corner, like this trophy collection:

DIY: Large Vintage Prints

I'm always looking for something new to put on the walls, and large-scale art makes such a statement. Catherine of Design Editor photographed a couple of her vintage cameras, then made 24"x36" engineering prints of them for a whopping $3.29 each. Voila! Interesting DIY wall art!

Want to make your own? You can download her camera images for free right here. Or...see what kind of vintage gems you have around the house that would look good on the wall and try your own.

(Spotted on How About Orange)

Music: MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS - THRIFT SHOP

MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS - THRIFT SHOP

This song kills me. It is everything I love about thrift stores:
(don't be mad about the f-word so many times)

Favorite lyrics:

I'm gonna pop some tags
Only got $20 in my pocket
I-i-im hunttin lookin for a come up
This is f-ing awesome

Bout to go and get some compliments passin up on those moccasins
Someone else has been walkin in but me and grungie f- em in
I am stuntin' and flossin' and savin' money and I’m hella happy
thats a bargain b*&@h. Ima take your grandpa's style. Ima take your grandpa's style.
No for real - Ask your grandpa can I have his hand-me-downs?

***

They had a broken keyboard, I bought a broken keyboard
I bought a ski blanket, then I bought a knee board.

Estate Finds - Mod Tote

Sometimes the estates that I visit are orderly and clean ... but the ones I have the most fun in are those that make you dig a little bit. Don't get me wrong - I love walking into a house and seeing everything hanging perfectly in the closet, but there is something satisfying about having to work to find buried treasure as well. I went to this storage unit clean-out last week, donned a head lamp and sturdy shoes, and dove into this:

There were all sorts of gems to be found in there. One of my favorites that I brought home to my personal collection was this mod tote bag.

Complete with a matching small purse and "hidden" zippered compartment underneath for your secret feminine accessories.

So basically I have the cutest tampon holder around.

Vintage Destination - The Longest Yard Sale

One of my favorite annual traditions is the Longest Yard Sale in the World. Someone in Tennessee devised this genius idea to encourage more tourism to the area, and got everyone along little Route 127 to hold garage sales and antique fairs on the first weekend in August. Now the route stretches from Alabama to Michigan, and is full of everything from novice sellers just cleaning out their attics to big barn sales to fields full of antique dealers.

For four days straight, I rummaged and haggled and poured over old treasures, and came back with several suitcases full and even more photos:

One of my favorite old finds of the trip was a viewmaster projector. Mine came pristine and perfect in its box, with a handwritten note by the previous owner:

I'm feeling the same way about many of the treasures I brought home. I'll probably be writing the same thing on many of them.