During WWII, many professional baseball leagues fell apart because players went off to serve in the war effort. In fear that the stadiums would close down, Phillip K Wrigley of the chewing gum fortune teamed up with baseball managers and business men from across the country to form the All American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) in 1943.

This week's Fashion and Film Friday post presents A League of Their Own, which tells the story of the AAGPBL and the amazing women who played baseball for their country and their men overseas.
A League of Their Own is one of those timeless flicks that is still on many favorite movies of all time lists. Starring Tom Hanks, Genna Davis and Madonna with costumes by Cynthia Flint who also designed for Stateside and Riding in Cars With Boys.


If the 1940's is your era of choice, this flick is a great inspiration for ladies hairstyles, clothing and even under garments. Since I have been having difficulty finding 1940's inspired blouses to wear with my skirts, I had my sketch book in hand while I watched the movie this morning. And don't even get me started on the shoes and hats.


You can see more photos and read about the real All American Girls Professional Baseball League at their website.

(This is Olivia and I, with my hair looking like a total mess!)
Weeks ago, we took Olivia to the zoo for the first time. I've been so busy, I forgot to make a post about it! I made this great 50's walk away dress. The walk away dress was named as such because "you could start it after breakfast and walk away in it for luncheon." The butterick walk away dress pattern 6015 was such a great seller in the 50's that the butterick company stopped producing all patterns except for the walk away dress until they could fill all back orders.




Now, I wouldn't say that you could really start it after breakfast and finish before lunch! It took me about one whole day to do it from beginning to end. Cutting takes a while and so does pinning the bias tape on but it really is very easy to sew. I suggest it for a beginner's first dress! I will say that the under skirt needs an extra tie at the back to keep the hem even and this dress is not suited well for gals with a smaller bust or hip area. It really is a great pattern for curvy gals. I altered mine by adding a front zipper for breastfeeding purposes, which I think needs to be fixed just a little bit so it isn't so loose in the bust area. This dress looks particularly fantastic with a crinoline to give you that extra 50's poofiness, however, I didn't wear one for these photos. The great thing about this pattern is that you can dress it down for a daytime look or use nicer fabrics and dressy accessories for a really posh evening look. A lot of people hate the walk away dress but keep in mind, this dress was intended to be worn with proper undergarments of the 50's, so if you plan to wear it with a non- supportive bra and modern undies, it would probably look a little off. Fabric choices are also a big factor in determining is this dress is fab or a flub.
Anyway, we had a great time at the zoo. We went with Pj's mom, sister and our two beautiful little nieces. Olivia slept through most of the zoo but I really had fun with the other girls.


Hannah, my oldest niece really loves the penuins or "pwang-wins" as she calls them! Here we are, tossing coins into a fountain


After the zoo, we went to the Courtesy diner for lunch. The place was completely emptied so we had it all to ourselves.

As some of you may know, Emily from Livin' Vintage flew in to St. Louis from Michigan this weekend to meet up with Amanda and I for some St. Louis vintage shopping. It was a crazy weekend and we are all completely exhausted but we had a good time and found some good finds. A lot of it was a blur so I really can't remember exactly what I bought but here are the highlights....
Emily flew in on Friday and Amanda and I picked her up from the airport. She looked super cute in black and white, sporting a black veiled vintage hat and toting her vintage Samsonite train case. Sadly, I couldn't find my camera that morning so I have no pics from her arrival day. After picking her up, we dove straight into our adventures in shopping by stopping at two estate sales in the downtown St Louis area. We also drove right by Value Village, which is a huge thrift store that none of us had ever visited. Amanda made a quick turn around and we went inside. I found a great navy purse and a few cute dresses. Amanda made quite a find at the antique mall next door with a fabulous green, black and cream leather purse. I really think her purse was the big find of the weekend!
The second estate sale that we hit had a whole room loaded with clothes and all three of us left the house with a few goodies in hand. We went back to my house where Pj had mushroom barely stew and salad waiting for us for dinner.
The next morning, we went back to that crazy warehouse from my Extreme Vintage Hunting post. This time, we were prepared with large tote bags and Rosie The Riveter gear (because we didn't want to ruin our good vintage in that mess!)
We headed straight for the clothes and after a few hours of digging, packing and finding really gross old chow mein noodles, we left with 4 bags in hand. Amanda's boyfriend, Joe and my husband, Pj were kind enough to help us carry our loot!

After the warehouse sale, we drove through downtown and went to the Courtesy Diner for lunch and a wardrobe change.


Amanda knows where all of the good thrifting in St. Louis is so she took us to the big Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul and Goodwill. I found a pair of super cute shoes at Goodwill for $3!
After Saturday's shopping expedition, we came back to my place for Chinese food. We had a pretty rough storm brewing in our area and the tornado sirens went off in the middle of our chinese feast but we just hung out in my living
room and kept an eye on the sky. In many places, when sirens go off, people run for cover. In St Louis, we all go outside to see what's going on! *lol*
After the weather cleared, we went to the St. Louis Mills Mall and found snoods in every color for $3 each!!
Sunday, we all slept in and met at noon for the end if our shopping adventures. I took the girls to my two favorite antique malls and as an early Mother's Day gift, Pj bought me a pair of bakelite earrings that I've had my eye on for a while. Amanda wanted some carved bakelite so I found bakelite buttons in green (her favorite color) so I can make a pair of carved bakelite earrings for her. After lunch, we took Emily to the airport so she could fly home to Michigan with her vintage treasures in tow. Hope you had a great time in St. Louis, Emily!

For this week's Fashion and Film Friday, I present Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds. I'm a big fan of Quentin Tarantino movies and this one was filmed in classic Tarantino style: brutal gore, outlandish story, over the top characters and of course, well dressed women kicking some serious butt!


In war torn France, a group of elite Jewish American soldiers called "The Basterds" led by the infamous Lt Aldo Raine, terrorize the Third Reich by hunting and scalping Nazi soldiers.
Meanwhile in Paris, a young Jewish girl named Shoshanna hides out as a French citizen and manages a theater. When a Nazi war hero falls in love with Shoshanna and plans to host a German propaganda film premier at her theater, she begins to plot her revenge for the massacre of her family.

The Basterds also hear of the film premier (and of Hitler's plan to attend the gala) and with the help of the lovely German actress, Bridget Von Hammersmark, they gain access to the opening night event. Will history be re-written or will the conspirators be caught before the plans fall into place?

The costumes in Inglourious Basterds are sure to please since they were designed by Anna B Sheppard, the amazingly talented goddess of WWII film fashions (at least in by book, anyway!). Anna Sheppard designed costumes for The Pianist, Band of Brothers, and Schindler's List among many others. I particularly adore the costume for Bridget Von Hammersmark when she's at the bar. She is so glamorous!

*please note, this movie is full of blood, gore, guns and general war themes that may not be suitable for the faint of heart *

Happy 48th Earth Day! Sadly, I think earth day is one of those holidays that are forgotten until you hear it on the news or get to your office and notice a little leaf or planet icon on your calendar. I try to remember and celebrate by planting things, cleaning up trash outside and being eco-conscious all year round. Yesterday, I worked on a 1940's dress, using fabric I recycled from a REALLY ugly vintage dress and luckily, it turned out pretty cute! I also picked up some re-usable shopping bags with funny Anne Taintor-like women on them for our shopping adventures this weekend! We did a little Earth Day celebration early last weekend by planting a new garden!
I love to be outside. Sometimes, I just go out on my patio and sit and it's fabulous, soaking up the sunshine. We live in a townhouse so I don't really have a yard to speak of but I do have a little patio and a large commons area behind my house where bunnies lay in the shade and graze like little cows and hummingbirds and dragonflies dive-bomb your head. We had a little squirrel without a tail who would come and eat all of our bird food. His name is Alonzo but we haven't seen him in a while so he may have moved out of the neighborhood. I have a well-stocked bird feeder too so my patio gets many visits from winged critters, which drives my 3 cats completely insane.


We went to Walmart Sunday morning to pick up some more hair pins and veggie burgers and I stopped in the garden section to see about some cheap, full-sun flowers. My favorite flowers are snapdragons and all they had were about 4 little dried up flats, but I grabbed two of them and promised them that I will bring them home and make them feel better. We also got some mums, columbine, marigolds, bugle weed (good for hummingbirds), begonias and a basil plant for Pj.
While in the garden section, Pj spotted a sweet little grey bellied salamander crawling across the concrete floor! Poor little dude! We gently set him in one of the mums and he crawled down between the roots and side of the plastic container to hide. He was so scared so we rescued him from the perils of Wally World and brought him home with the intention of driving him over to my grandma's neighborhood pond. To quote Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? "He done r-u-n-n-o-f-t!" Oh, well! He's sure to find lots of good little buggies and hidey holes in my neighborhood.


So, I spent Sunday afternoon digging in the dirt and yelling at my ivy to stay on it's own patio and not invade my neighbor's house. We refilled the bird seed and nectar for the hummingbirds and got a visit from a dragonfly, who took one look at me and flew away as fast as he could!
I'm so excited because we plan on expanding our patio with some stepping stones and buying a little bistro set this year so we'll have a great little breakfast nook! There's no better way to start a day than to eat breakfast outside in the garden!
Oh, in case anyone wonders "what does a vintage gal wear while digging in the dirt and weeds?" This was my outfit...New capris I picked up from wally world today for $12 (*yay*), simple blue button-up top and pin curls set under a scarf. Not terribly glamorous but cute, comfy and machine washable!
So, while you're out and about today, pick up a bag of bird seed, grab a trash bag and clean up litter or do something else to show a little appreciation for mother earth. Oh, we had this little visitor in our garden this morning! Bunnies also drive my cats crazy!

Vintage hunting has become an extreme sport for me. A few weeks ago, on a Saturday morning, Pj and I woke up at 6:00am , packed up the baby and met my new vintage-loving girlfriend, Amanda so we could car pool down to North St. Louis. We found an ad online for a big warehouse sale where you could fill a bag for $10. They mentioned hats, belts and vintage clothes so there was no stopping us!

The place wasn't at all what we expected. It was a very dark, very dirty 6 story building, loaded with random stuff. We think that one floor of the building was a mattress factory because there were bolts of mattress fabrics and rusty box springs all over the place. Of the 4th, 5th and 6th floors, we did find some great vintage clothes.


What the heck is this? That's a box spring with necklaces tied to it, hanging from the ceiling! Nice chandelier, huh? (*lol*)
We crammed as much into our bags as could fit and after about 2 hours, we were ready to get out of there. We got back to St. Charles and sorted through our treasures. We both ended up with some good finds! Since I had a feeling I'd be having to dig through a lot of crap, I opted for jeans and a cute top and at 6am, there's NO way, you'll find me attempting victory rolls, so my hair was au naturale that day. Amanda is cute and vintage every day, though!


The adorable Emily from Livin' Vintage is coming to St. Louis this weekend so we can go back but this time we'll have boots, old jeans, dust masks, flashlights and possibly even safety goggles. What an adventure!

There's nothing I love more while I'm cleaning house or pinning up my victory rolls than listening to my favorite tunes. Nearly every vintage lover adores the Andrews Sisters and Elvis, of course- but check out some of these other musical talents from the 1930's to 1950's

Edith Piaf-I fell in love with "the little sparrow" while studying French in high school.
Milord-
La Vie En Rose-

Cole Porter-If you've never heard of Cole Porter, you may be surprised to find how many of his songs you probably already know!
Anything goes performed by Frank Sinatra

Cole Porter Medley by Judy Garland

Billie Holiday- you gotta love the sultry jazz sound of Miss Billie Holiday. Here are two of my favorites...
My Mother's son-in-law

Miss Brown to You

Bing Crosby- You may have heard the amazing Mr. Crosby jammin' with the Amdrews Sisters on a few of your records at home. Bing Crosby was voted one of the most admired men alive and is credited with doing the most for American soldiers during WWII.
Swinging on a Star

Sweet Georgia Brown


For more great vintage tunes, check out music by: Dinah Shore, Tommy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra, Glen Miller, Ella Fitzgerald, Perry Como, Mario Lanza, Frankie Laine, Doris Day, Rosemary Clooney, Nat King Cole, Chuck Berry, and The Chordettes

What are some of your favorite vintage songs or musicians?

What a peculiar place to have a tea party....


The sun is warming all of the plants and the trees have bloomed in colors of lilac, peach and pink. Originally, I wanted to find a bright, spring like meadow with plenty of lovely flowers and sunshine but something drew me to this dark coniferous forest last Sunday afternoon. I almost expected to find little traces of Hansel and Gretel's trail of crumbs so they could find their way home.

I've enjoyed a few picnics in these woods, especially on very hot summer days, the pine needle carpet is crisp and cool and it is always so comfortable enjoying tea and sandwiches in the shade of these trees.

I found these lovely little antique buttons on Easter weekend. I love the ones with real flowers in them. I don't know what I will do with them yet but I'm sure it will be something wonderful!
Tall, straight trees like these remind me of soldiers. I think they are guarding the secrets of this little pond. I scared a few frogs as I walked up on the pond. They screamed "EEeeek! It's a girl!!" and dove into the dark water.

I've always loved fairy tales and these pictures reminded me of something from an enchanted forest or a daydream. When I was a little girl, my mom used to read the fairy tale "Snow White and Rose Red" to my little sister and I. She said that I was Snow White and Chelsea was Rose Red. Click on the highlighted link above to read the annotated version of one of my favorite childhood fairy tales. (P.S. I -did- marry a bear!)What are your favorite fairy tales?


"I hope I never find my way home"


Hat-my very first vintage purchase, bought for a tea party, actually!
Long pearls- from my great grandmother
pearl choker with amethyst pendant-creve coeur antiques
lace blouse- had it for years, don't remember where it came from!
white pleated skirt- thrifted this past Friday
gloves-estate sale
Brown Victorian style boots-my new favorite shoes thrifted from the Salvation Army
Umbrella-St Charles Antiques a few years ago
White beaded purse-heirloom from my great great grandmother, Florence
Tea service- my wedding china
little cow creamer-Home Goods
Quilt-handmade for me by my great grandmother

Happy Friday, dolls! I am so excited that it's finally Friday because that means that today is vintage repair day with my girlfriend, Amanda. She's coming over to work on fixing hems, sewing on buttons, taking things in and letting them out and all of those other things that some of our well-loved vintage garments need from time to time. Anywho, as promised, this week's Fashion and Film Friday pick is Pleasantville, Starring Tobey Maguire, Reese Witherspoon and my sister's favorite star, William H Macy.


When teenage siblings, David and Jen fight over the remote and break it, a strange old man appears at the door with a new, magical remote which transports the teens into the world of David's favorite black and white television show, Pleasantville. Plesantville appears to be a perfect world of innocence, high morals and straight A grades. When their modern day influence brings a little color to the world, the people of the town begin to notice and as we all know, people of a different color are treated differently sometimes.

The fantastic 50's costumes in Pleasantville were designed by Judianna Makovsky. This talented film fashionista also designed costumes for A Little Princess, Practical Magic, The Legend of Bagger Vance, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, X-Men: The Last Stand.

Pleasantville is an absolute must-see for your netflix queue or next movie rental.

Due to craziness at my house as of late, I have taken forEVER to post about a few blog awards that my darling fellow bloggers have given me. I figured I'd better hop to it or I never would! (*smiles sheepishly*) If I ever forget or didn't notice a blog award, please feel free to drop me a line and tell me I'm a mess and a dork and I forgot to post it!

The first is from the very sweet and adorable Francy from Pixie Drive-In, who gave me the Beautiful Blogger Award, which is my second nomination for the award...does that mean that my blog is doubly beautiful? I hope so!! Thank you, darlin'!!


The Second is from my darlin' Riikka of Harlean's Heyday who gave me the Breakfast at Tiffany's Award. Here's a sad little note about me in regards to that, I have never seen Breakfast at Tiffany's....yes, crazy, I know! Even my husband yells, "What? You've never seen Breakfast at Tiffany's!?!" Don't worry, it is now numero uno on my Netflix queue!

The third, which I just recieved this morning is from the gorgeous Bombshell Bettie of Bombshell Bettie's Vintage, who gave me the Sunshine Award, thanks for brightening my day, doll!

For those of you who entered my giveaway and wondered "How'd she do that?" I'll share with you my secrets for refilling a vintage lipstick tube so you can do it too! You'll be surprised at how incredibly easy it is!

1.) Find a vintage lipstick tube. I have found them at antique shops, on ebay and etsy and auctions. You should be able to find one for between $5-$10.

2.) Take the container apart completely and soak in soapy hot water. Use q-tips, small tooth brushes or baby bottle brushes to thoroughly clean the tube inside and out. Make sure to remove any remaining lipstick and scrub off any grit on the inside of the tube. It is very important that each part is thoroughly cleaned because this case will be holding a lipstick that you will probably wear every day. Tubes that aren't cleaned and sanitized can be a breeding ground for bacteria, so be sure to clean each individual part very well.

3.) Rinse the pieces in rubbing alcohol, then rinse with warm water to sanitize. Reassemble the vintage tube and turn the bottom so the base is all the way at the top of the container.


4.) Find a lipstick that fits the tube. As long as it's a normal size tube, most modern lipsticks should fit. I tend to experiment first with a less expensive lipstick to get a good idea of how big the base should be.

5.) Here's the big trick...put the new lipstick in the freezer right next to your blueberries and veggie burgers for 2-3 hours.

6.)After lipstick is frozen, turn the base so the lipstick is all the way out of the tube. Using a piece of waxed paper, gently pull the lipstick from its base, wiggling it back and forth a bit until it comes out.


7.)Insert it into the base of the vintage container, putting a slight amount of pressure on the lipstick to push it onto the base. If the lipstick needs to be adjusted, continue to use the waxed paper so fingerprints aren't left on the lipstick.




That's all there is to it, my lovelies! Have fun and ask any questions in the comments box below!

Why do we wear cruel shoes? What is wrong with us?! When I go shoe shopping, I am automatically drawn to the most incredibly uncomfortable torture devices in the entire store! I have recently bought a few pairs of comfy flats to wear with vintage ensembles but for the most part, I'm all about very high heels that dig into the sides of your feet and make me want to crawl in a hole and die. I like my feet, honestly. Why do I treat them so badly? These fabulous green heels are my cruel shoes. They are so cute, match my two favorite dresses perfectly and make me feel miserable when I wear them. Why don't I throw them away? Because I love them! Yes, very stupid, I know. I have been on the look-out for new green shoes that treat my feet well but so far, no luck! Do you wear cruel shoes? Do you have a trick to combat the very unfashionable limp by the end of the day?


My husband has a very silly sense of humor and is a big Steve Martin fan. He brought home his book "Cruel Shoes" and this short story made me laugh....but only because its SO true!

Cruel Shoes by Steve Martin

Anna knew she had to have some new shoes today, and Carlo had helped her try on every pair in the store. Carlo spoke wearily, "Well, that's every pair of shoes in the place."
"Oh, you must have one more pair...."
"No, not one more pair....Well, we have the cruel shoes, but no one would want..."
Anna interrupted, "Oh, yes, let me see the cruel shoes!"
Carlo looked incredulous. "No, Anna, you don't understand, you see, the cruel shoes are..."
"Get them!"
Carlo disappeared into the back room for a moment, then returned with an ordinary shoebox. He opened the lid and removed a hideous pair of black and white pumps. But these were not an ordinary pair of black and white pumps; both were left feet, one had a right angle turn with separate compartments that pointed the toes in impossible directions. The other shoe was six inches long and was curved inwards like a rocking chair with a vise and razor blades to hold the foot in place.
Carlo spoke hesitantly,"...Now you see why...they're not fit for humans..."
"Put them on me."
"But..."
"Put them on me!"
Carlo knew all arguments were useless. He knelt down before her and forced the feet into the shoes. The screams were incredible. Anna crawled over to the mirror and held her bloody feet up where she could see.
"I like them."


Read Steve Martin's Cruel Shoes for other wild and crazy short stories such as "Women Without Bones" "How to fold Soup" "Dogs in my Nose" and "The Vengeful Curtain Rod".
Blouse-handmade by me
Skirt-handmade by me
vintage stockings-country meadow antiques in Alton IL
cruel shoes-payless shoes by American Eagle

 Today was an awesome day and I've been so busy, this post almost slipped my mind. But, it's still Friday, so here we are! Today, I went to an estate sale and several thrift stores with my new vintage gal pal, Amanda (pics to follow) and we shopped till we dropped! Sadly, even though I'm all shopped out, I still have to go out and do some grocery shopping tonight unless I want to make pancakes for dinner (which I don't!).

What a wonderful story. Angela's Ashes is the true life story of Frank McCourt's childhood in Ireland in the 1930's and 40's. I read the book, also titled "Angela's Ashes" years ago and it was truly fantastic! The movie really does stay true to the memoir. Frank McCourt and his brothers grew up in the wet, cold and grimy city of Limerick. His father was an alcoholic and could never keep a job so the boys were left with little food, clothes or fuel for a fire. Despite the circumstances, Frank's life wasn't without joy or occasional sinful adventures. Like many of my all time favorite movies, it will make you laugh and cry!

While the film is completely lacking in anything glamorous, it is an excellent study of typical clothing of the lower classes and children of the time. Consolata Boyle designed costumes for Angela's Ashes as well as The Queen and The Secret of Roan Inish (one of my childhood favorites!). If you happen to read the Pulitzer Prize winning book, I highly suggest also reading " 'Tis " another Frank McCourt Memoir detailing his later life in America. You can read more about Frank McCourt at the Academy of Achievement website


Please tune in for next week's Fashion and Film Friday: Pleasantville (I promise!!)
Have a good evening, my lovelies!

Hey out there to all of you gals who sew! Last week I found a modern playsuit pattern by Simplicity! Summer is just around the corner in the U.S. so I plan on making a bunch of these for myself. This pattern is Simplicity 2401, with view D as the halter playsuit/romper. Bonus for us voluptuous vixens, it goes all the way up to size 22! I think I'll whip up a matching circle skirt to wear over the playsuit.

You could easily jazz up this pattern by changing the colors of the bodice, middle section and shorts or adding some decorative buttons down the tummy section. I think my first one will be a sailor playsuit! *cute*!! Check your local fabric stores for pattern sales before you buy! Often you can find them for 99 cents at Joannes and Hancock Fabrics! I'll post pics when I get around to finishing one!

What's that, you don't sew? That's okay, check out some of these lovely options that you can buy!



I adore this sexy sailor playsuit from Pin Up Girl Clothing which will be available this month! Pin up girl clothing has a lot of gorgeous plus sized garments available! *swoon*