Vintage Link Love: January 2014

For much of this January, I pondered over what to call this new series (announced here at the end of December) in which, throughout each month of 2014 (and likely beyond) I'll be corralling a selection of interesting, informative, though provoking, beautiful, or otherwise engaging links that have caught my eye recently.

Then, on Monday night, the name "Vintage link love" popped into my head and I absolutely adored it (it trumped anything else I'd come up with so far this month). However, a mere second later I was hit with the distinct feeling that I'd heard or seen that term somewhere before. A Google search quickly revealed where: my lovely British friend Catherine Beck has used the term before on her blog, Vintage Frills (such as for the title of this post). It's an excellent term for a post of this nature, so with Catherine's full blessing, I'm going to be adopting it here for my new link roundup of series as well.

January might not have all the glitz and glitter of December, brimming as it is with holidays, but that certainly doesn't mean there wasn't plenty of wonderfully exciting things going on in the blogosphere throughout the first month of the year. On the contrary! I bookmarked so many stories for possible inclusion in today's post that I'll have to save a few to use in future editions, or else this one might stretch on longer than a Canadian winter! :)

♥ Hudson Bay Point Blanket Coats: A Bit of History: Speaking of my fine country and the chilly half of the year, my wonderful friend and fellow Canuck, Lisa, of Butterflies and Daisys Vintage, recently shared a thoroughly detailed and wonderfully imaged filled post all about the history of one of the absolute most famous Canadian outwear pieces, the iconic Hudson Bay Point Blanket, which has been keeping folks roasty, toasty from coast-to-coast for many a year now.


♥ Memorable Hollywood movie star quotes: Straight from one of Netherlands' most beautiful and engaging vintage bloggers, Lindsay Lane, comes a lovely assortment of photos of vintage Hollywood starts and starlets partnered with a notable quote for each one featured. I'm especially fond of the one she shared from Ginger Rogers who said, "When two people love each other, they don't look at each other, they look in the same direction." Wise and very true words indeed.


♥ Premier edition of Judy's Affordable Digest: No one, and I mean no one, does vintage fairs better - or in greater abundance - than the UK. From top to bottom, the country is filled with a vast array, many of which are organized by way of Judy’s Affordable Vintage Fair, a leading vintage fair production company which has hosted events in 30 cities across Britain. To further reach a wider audience of buyers, sellers and vintage aficionados alike, Judy's has recently launched a fabulous online magazine, the first edition of which just came out a few weeks ago, and is a thoroughly enjoyable read for vintage fans the world over.






♥ Symbols of hope and love: WWII Sweetheart collectables: Earlier this week, in my most recent vintage outfit post, I featured a gorgeous gold plated 1940s WW2 sweetheart bracelet that I received from stellar etsy seller Maejean Vintage. It's the first of its kinds that I own, but not my first piece of sweetheart jewelry, of which I also have a small collection of brooches and a pendant. I've long been enamored with these powerful tokens of adoration and hope that women sported to honour their loved ones who were embroiled in the war, and was delighted to see Queens of Vintage shine the spotlight on the vast and highly collectible market that is sweetheart jewelry, gifts and souvenirs this month.


♥ Novelty plastic fruit brooch tutorial: Even if you don't fancy yourself much of a crafter, this super cool - and super easy - vintage style plastic novelty brooch project from Technicolor Cutie is one that you're going to be champing at the bite to make a whole lot sooner than later.


♥ Taking Vintage to the Office: Vintage blogging newcomer Jennifer Rainey from Singing Bird Vintage delves into a topic that many a vintage fashion enthusiast the world over can relate to: what, and what not, to wear to work when it comes sporting vintage clothing on the job.





♥ 10 Styles of Vintage 1940s Dresses to Wear Again: From the classic shirtwaist to the youthful pinafore, chic peplum to the darling sailor inspired frock, this terrific post from the The Vintage Dancer highlights ten of the most popular dress styles of the 1940s (partnered with reproduction sources for each), all of which still find great favour with fans of the era's fashions to this day.


♥ What mannequins say about us: Collector's Weekly, always a true treasure trove of excellent information about myriad yesteryear topics, many of which pertain to vintage fashion, takes an in depth look at the history of fashion mannequins, including the role they've played in marketing and how they've evolved - right along side our sartorial tastes and the types of female figures that were most revered at the time - over the years.


♥ Leopard print: No matter if you prefer just a wee touch (say, in the form of a silk scarf or fun belt), a full length winter coat or anywhere in between, if you're a fan of vintage leopard print fashions, this lovely assortment of images featuring this most iconic of animal furs that Johanna Öst put together is sure to whet your fashion appetite.





♥ Women’s 1940s Hairstyles: An Overview: For those who are new to 1940s hairstyles, looking to further their knowledge, or just want a quick refresher course, this fabulous imaged filled introduction to the topic from Hair and Makeup Artist Handbook is sure to inspire, help and delight.


♥ 10 Nail Polish Storage Solutions: Whether your collection can fit in a soup bowl or takes up the whole surface of your kitchen table, if you're a fan of nail polish, chances are you have at least a few different bottles and may be on the prowl for a great way to efficiently store them. This handy post from Your Put It On rounds up ten great ideas, for spaces ranging in size from a small box to the whole length of the side of a bookshelf.


♥ Simply leap frog: We end today's mixed bag assortment of links with one that is nothing short of just plain, smile inducing fun! A rather good sized collection, including the example below of vintage photographs over on Avax News of people - kids, men and women alike - playing the classic childhood game of leap frog.





{All images throughout the list of links above come by way of the post that they are displayed directly beneath the write up of here. Please follow the links provided to learn more about these images.}

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I will readily admit that after a year (2013) of wrapping up the month by recounting the bulk of the posts I'd shared here during said month that had just transpired, it is a touch strange to break from habit and embark on this new way of concluding each month. Change is good though, in fact, I'm all about change (for the better, new opportunities, thinking outside of the box, etc) for 2014, more powerfully than I've been for quite some time now (which certainly helped spur me on in my recent hunt for a new blog design).

Loving, wearing, studying and being more than a little bit obsessed with various elements of the past doesn't mean that we can't look towards the future, make big plans and embrace newness in our worlds, especially if the daily grind has been getting especially ho-hum recently. I wouldn't say my life is dull in the slightest, but as my 30th birthday approaches later this year - another big change unto itself - I'm more psyched to create and embrace new things than ever before.

One can only guess what the remaining eleven months of 2014 will hold in store for any of us, but if what I've experienced already in January is any indication, this is most definitely going be a year of fabulous new beginnings, including this, the inaugural edition of Vintage Link Love.

Here's to an awesome February ahead, filled with countless things that you love and oodles of plans you're excited to see unfold!