Merry Christmas Wishes, One and All!

On this endlessly marvelous and magical of mornings, with all our might Tony and I (and our pets, Stella and Annie, too!) want to wish you each a truly happy, fun filled, safe, fabulously festive holiday!

{Victorian Christmas greeting image source}

Without a doubt one of the most precious and important gifts in our daily lives is all of you and the support that you give to my blog, Etsy shop, YouTube channel, and other online presences.

Today, tomorrow, and every last day of the year, I hope that you know how much I sincerely cherish, appreciate, and am forever grateful for each and every one of you.
 
We'll be delighting in the joyfulness of the next few days with loved ones, while also continuing to bring you fun new posts throughout these final days of 2015, such as December's vintage blogger interview and my glamorous vintage New Year's Eve party outfit (which I can hardly wait to share with all of you!).
 
Merriest Christmas and happiest holiday season wishes from our hearts and home to you and yours!!!

The times they are a changin'

The last morning of the last day of the last month of the year. So many lasts in order to usher in a brand, spanking new year tomorrow. But that is how change is born. We must part with the old, to usher in the new. It is the natural order of things and something that I'm personally very grateful for.

{May it truly be for each of us! Image source.}

It is entirely normal, as one year end and another draws so close we can all but taste it, to reflect on not only the past twelve months, but on the dozen that stand to follow ahead. At the very beginning of 2014, when it was as rosy cheeked as an hour old infant, I penned a heartfelt and personal post about twelve things that I hoped to accomplish in the year ahead. At various points throughout 2014, I've talked (to some degree at least) here about how most of those were coming along.

In certain areas, I've excelled, in others (for various reasons), there is still a lot of room for growth and further improvement. I did not fail to address any of them to an extent however, and I see that as a wholly positive move forward. Most of these twelve things will continue to be ones that I purposefully work at in the coming year as well.

In the nearly mystical realm of tomorrow, where everything and anything is theoretically possible, I know that I want to continue to simplify my life, to spend less and buy more of what I truly need and want (which won't be a problem, as for the sake of our household budget, my own modest monthly personal spending allowance is being slashed in half from January 1st onward), to shake off the small things that niggle at your mind all too easily, and to continue to get better at asking for more, taking on less other other peoples' problems as though there were my own, and finding ways to continue to experience the exhilarating joys of travel (even if it's close to home).

But what else will I do? I will continue to remind myself that I own my time. I will set aside a greater number of days when I'm not online, with any luck craft more again (for all intents, I haven't done so in two years and to any real degree for well over three now, and I miss it with a fiery passion). My blog and Etsy shop will be at the forefront of my professional world, whereas spending time in the company of Mother Nature, my family, great books, hobbies, and periods of genuine relaxation will, I sincerely hope, fill my hours when I'm not working.

As 2014 began to dwindle down like the last pointy tip you've licked into existence on a candy cane, I started to feel a powerful voice deep inside my soul telling me to focus on the things I just mentioned. Each time I listened to it, my day was better, my life (if only briefly) was less stressful, my anxiety levels dropped, and often (perhaps not surprisingly) I also felt various positive effects on my health.

I'm not the same person I was when 2014 began. None of us are. We've lived and grown, laughed and cried, tried and failed, been jubilant and distraught, smiled and frowned, and through it all we've hung on and hopefully we're better off, at least on some fronts, then we were twelve months ago. I feel the winds of change a blowin'. I've always been the sort to follow my gut, but I know all the more now at the age of thirty now, to truly listen when it speaks and to follow my heart in the process.

I feel certain old skins, so to speak, falling away and the prospect of an amazing year ahead. Will it be? Only time will tell, but it certainly has the potential and that alone should be plenty to light the spark that will ignite each of our dreams, goals, and ambitions for the coming year.

{Beautiful vintage words of poetry with which to cap off this year and wave a hearty hello to 2015. Image source.}

Let us neither mourn the loss, nor blindly celebrate the end of 2014. Whether is was staggering awful or incredibly awesome, or anywhere in between for you, for none of us would be here without it.

That fact alone makes is worth raising a glass to as we watch the ball drop and indulge in an evening of daydreaming, hoping and believing in the ingrained power of a whole new set of months upon which to write the next chapter of our lives.

Flickr Favourites: Easter 2014 edition

{Girl with Easter Basket and Bunny ~ ChrisWarren1956}  


{Easter Delight ~ Patsy L Smiles}



{Celluloid tiny rabbit 13 ~ grindstonegirl}      
{Buster Brown Easter ad - 1959 ~ PorangiKui}  


{Easter 1940s ~ hbk1955}  


{Mini Easter Basket Favors ~ such pretty things}


{Gail Patrick Easter, 1938~ carbonated}

{Whitman's Sampler Easter ad - 1948 ~ PorangiKui}

{Lilacs ~ Cindy {K}}  


{Betty Bunny ~ ozfan22}

{All images above are from Flickr. To learn more about a specific image, please click on its title to be taken to its respective Flickr page.}


♥ ♥ ♥

Twelfth century French occitan troubadour Bertran de Born once said of this glorious day, "Well pleaseth me the sweet time of Easter, that maketh the leaf and the flower come out", a sentiment which all those who live in Northern Hemisphere can certainly relate to. By now, with May rounding the bend in just ten days, most of us have shaken free from winter's icy shackles - and if not, then we at least know, we're very close to that point arriving.

Here, the snow shovels have been tucked away again, the winter boots cleaned, stuffed with crumpled up paper, and stored out of site until next fall, and slowly Mother Nature is beginning to slip out of her ski gear and into her resort wear. There is life, fresh and sparkling, dangling in every drop of dew and on each soft-as-a-cat's-paw-pad flower petal.

We've had spring, if only on paper, for a month now and still two more wait before us, promising everything from snow cones to the first dip of a foot in local waters every bit as chilly as a frozen dessert. Rain is plentiful, but so is hope and beauty. Pond sized puddles catch reflections of rainbows, the farmer's market will soon overflow with carrots, berries, early greens, tender stalks of asparagus, goat's cheese, and new season potatoes. The mood that fills us all, old and young alike, is one of cheerfulness bordering on glee.

We made it through another lengthy Canadian winter, stronger and wiser, I'm sure, for having done so. Now it's time to celebrate - to sing, and dance (if only in spirit) and give thanks for the bounty, blessings, and unrivaled gentle soul of spring. It is a time for fresh starts, age old favourites, sweet treats, walks in the tender sunshine and Sundays, like today, spend in the cherished company of those you care about.

With all my heart, I wish you each a glorious, peaceful and endlessly lovely Easter and rest of the spring. May it be every bit as sweet as a chocolate egg the whole season long!

Looking back at December 2013

What a month! As much as this post is about reflecting back on the past thirty-one days, and that we will indeed do, like so many people the world over as the very last day of 2013 kicks off, I am exceedingly exciting about what lies ahead - so much so, in fact, that I debated calling this post "looking ahead to January 2014" instead! I feel the winds of change afoot in many areas of my life, and I absolutely love this.




{Can you believe it? Another circle of seasons, block of 364 - nearly 365 - days is behind us once more. This year has been a million and one things, not all of them perfect or fun, but many of which ultimately I'm very grateful for and which I feel helped shape and propel my vision for 2014 onward. Image via Betters Homes and Gardens on Facebook.}



No year will ever be an unending bed of roses where lollipops grow on trees and unicorns frolic in perfect early June sunlight day in and day out, and I certainly don't expect 2014 to deliver as much, but I have a heady dose of optimism coupled with concrete plans to change and better various elements of my life in place that makes me feel more confident and excited about the upcoming year than I have about any other in a long time.

First though, as much as I'm champing at the bit to say hello to January 1st, let's take a quick gander back at what the exciting, action filled month of December held in store here on the blogging front.

After my trusty old laptop that had been with me for some four years decided to give up the ghost at long last, I was left 'puter-less for part of November. Thankfully however, my snazzy (and wonderfully powerful) new Lenovo arrived at the start of the month, ensure that all was able to get back on track as the year wound down. That was wonderful, because it ensured that I was able to write and get this year's exciting travel themed Vintage Holiday Gift Guide, inspired by our adventures in Calgary earlier in the year, out well in advance of the 25th (after all, a holiday gift guide isn't nearly as helpful if don't have time to actually shop, or garner inspiration, from it before the big day arrives!).

As winter weather came barreling into town, a powerfully chilly force to be reckoned with, we took at gander at Ten Cold Weather Wardrobe Staples, then enjoyed the first new edition of Saturday Snapshots since last spring. Mid-month, one of the best and most exciting things to ever happen to me as a vintage blogger (or vintage lover, for that matter) occurred when Queens of Vintage honoured me with the title of being their 136th Queen of Vintage, an accolade that I'd been daydreaming about receiving ever since the series launched a few years ago. Hands down, this was one of the biggest highlights of 2013 for me!

On the vintage outfit front, summer's glorious weather was briefly revived when I shared what I wore for, and bought during, a lovely day of antique shopping in Vernon last August, though winter fashions very quickly came back into sight in Fear Not The Poodle Skirt, which featured a look at the history of poodle skirts, offered tips for vintage gals on how to wear them without looking overtly costume-y, and highlighted a fabulous royal blue poodle skirt that I received as a review gift from Hip Hop 50s Style.

This month I had a profoundly awesome experience when I was offered a modeling job from a local vintage jewelry seller named Anja, whose breathtaking offerings made for one of the most enjoyable and unique photo shoots I've ever done. For those who may have missed the addendum that was added a couple of days after the post went live, I wanted to mention again here that Anja is happy to sell any of the pieces shown in those photos, that are still available, to readers worldwide (contact her via email or phone, both of which appear towards the bottom of that post, for prices and further details).

Another marvelously fun, though exceedingly more chilly, vintage outfit post, called Baby, it's cold - and festively fashionable, took place as the Christmas season rounded the bend, featuring a thoroughly gorgeous red and white 1950s style halter dress from Blue Velvet Vintage (pictured again below). Without a doubt, this is one of my favourite outfit shoots we've ever done, not only for the wonderful holiday season backdrop and fabulous frock it featured, but also because it's the first we've ever done outside at night in the pitch black darkness (something I eagerly look forward to trying our hand at again when the warmer weather returns).




Also on the festive attire front, we celebrated the holidays with a special Christmas edition of Vintage Fashionista Friday, got our baking grove on with 12 timelessly lovely Christmas cookie recipes, and a Heartfelt holiday wish for one and I all.

In the final week of the year, we enjoyed the latest (holiday themed) edition of Flickr Favourites, I spoke candidly about how I'm actively Learning to delight in opening up about myself, and two days ago, in the last outfit post of 2013, I posed like a pool player and gave you a peak at my parent's basement while sporting a beloved mustard cardigan and vintage Austrian glass fruit brooch. A fun, cozy sartorial note to wrap up a year of wonderful vintage outfit posts on.

Outside of the blogging realm, the past couple of weeks, especially from December 24th onward, have been immensely busy ones for me - as I know they were for many of you as well. Unintentionally, between the hecticness of the holiday season and some personal issues (including that our dear 11 month old puppy, Annie, needed to have surgery last Saturday), I haven't been online for the past few days and just wanted to take a moment to say thank you very much to all those who have left recent blog comments here during the time. Once the new year is underway, I hope that life will return to a calmer pace and my usual online activities will get back on their usual track.

I've been giving it a great deal of though over the past couple of weeks, and I've decided that in 2014, I won't be doing a month-in-review post any longer. I wholeheartedly enjoyed capping off each month of 2013 with one, and though I may bring them back at some point down the line, right now I feel so charged about the future, that (as much as someone who wears, loves, dreams about and can never get enough of decades past can) I just want to look forward.

As such, coupled with a desire to more frequently feature things that truly catch my eye and inspire my life, my wardrobe choices, my passions, some of my blog posts, and other areas of my life, I've decided that starting from the end of January onward, throughout 2014, I'm going to aim for a post at the end of each month that will be filled with various things, including posts written by fellow bloggers the world over, that are inspiring, educating, delighting or otherwise impacting me in the moment (they'll be a bit like a cross between Vintage This and That, which is long overdue for a new post, and a much older reoccurring post series that appeared here super early on in this site's life called Pretty Link Roundup).

I'm really psyched about this new series (the precise name of which I'm still brainstorming - suggestions are totally welcome, if you have any), which will help celebrate each month of the coming year with a look at some of the most influential and inspiring things that have crossed my radar recently.

Today though, let's begin by celebrating this year that has just been. No matter where it fell on the good vs bad scale for you, I'm certain that there were at least a few silver linings, favourite purchases, joyful experiences, new adventures, and other awesome, worthwhile, important events and moments that you're keen to cherish the memory of as we welcome 2014 with open arms.



{It's time to toast the best of what has been this year and the thrilling prospect of what what lies ahead in 2014! Image source.}


So pop that champagne (or sparkling cider) cork, bust out your absolute sparkliest or shimmery (gold lamé, anyone?) vintage attire and tell 2013 you loved it, no matter what it dished out. You wouldn't be here right now without it - none of us would - and for that point alone, if nothing else, it's worth remembering and being grateful for.

Have a fun filled, safe, rockingly awesome New Year's Eve and incredible start of 2014, everyone. I'm excited beyond words to experience another exciting vintage filled year with all of you!!!

A heartfelt Christmas wish for one and all

This is a joyous day, the last before Ol' Saint Nick comes bounding down the chimney, the turkey slides into the oven, stockings are unpacked, squeals of bliss are heard echoing throughout the neighbourhood as the paper coming flying of of long wished for gifts, and a spirit of wonder fills the hearts of one old and young alike. It is also one on which I know the overwhelming majority of us are up to our eyebrows in ribbon and bows, sugar cookies and perhaps even a beloved holiday sweater.

This is neither the time nor the place for lengthy posts, and I certainly won't be sending one your way, my dears. Instead a wish as simple as a candy cane's stripes, as pure as the new fallen snow, and as lively as a team of reindeers taking flight, that this day and the next, and each beautiful moment of the holiday season is nothing but incredible for each and every one of you, is coming your way straight from my heart.

{Image source}

With much love and bliss, cheer and good tidying, sweet friends, I - as well as Tony, Annie and Stella (depicted in vintage form in the charming card above) - truly wish you the best Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and holiday season ever!

We're off to sip warm cider, sing vintage Christms songs, and strain our ears to see if we can hear the sound of Santa and his team far off in the icy artic air that's blowing through town on this fine, festive morn.

Merriest Christmas wishes to one and all!

Joyful vintage Chinese New Year wishes!

Unique amongst the animals used in the classic Chinese zodiac as being the only one that is mythical, the dragon begins its reign with today's arrive of the Chinese New Year.

Though I'm not Chinese myself, like many people, I enjoy celebrating this winter festival nevertheless and have long delighted in watching dragon parades, fireworks shows, and other festivities that were put in by the local Chinese communities in B.C., Alberta, and Ontario. (Not to mention whipping up a tasty Asian inspired feast to further celebrate this special day!)

{A cute youngster holders what appears to be a string of firecrackers in front of the mouth on a large dragon costume in this fantastic vintage Chinese New Year's photo from 1937. Image via carbonated on Flickr.}

Like each of the one dozen creatures assigned to the Chinese zodiac, the dragon appears once every twelve years. It is said that those who are born in the year of the dragon are often ambitious, passionate and successful risk takers who are not afraid of challenge or change.

While I wasn't born under the sign of the dragon, there's something quaintly charming about extending to those same traits to the type of year that one hopes lies ahead, as well as to how they carry out their own lives.

Metaphorically, I'll soon be taking to the skies like a dragon to travel across the country and settle in British Columbia, all the while tackling change and challenge with passion - and I hope - a great deal of success.

Likewise, I hope that this brand new year in the Chinese calendar will bring success, happiness and positive change into each of your lives too, dear friends.

Here's to a fabulous year ahead for all of us! Gong Xi Fa Ca!

Party like it's 1949!

✯ Day 365 of Vintage 365 ✯

We've done it, sweet friends, through the highs and the lows, the smiles and the worries we've reached the last and final day of the Vintage 365 Project.

Amidst record breaking heat waves and an (albeit minor, in terms of how much we felt it up here in Ontario) earthquake, a broken foot, three surgeries, anniversaries, beloved holidays and a lot of personal turmoil in my life this past year, like a shinning beckon of old school hope, this project helped keep my spirits up and was nothing short of a joy to work on every day.

As I covered pretty much this same point in yesterday's post, I won't rehash it again, but I did just want to clarify one point (which people have actually been bringing up for several months now): while I will no longer be blogging here absolutely every day of the year, this blog is definitely still remaining active and will hopefully see the inclusion of two or more new posts each week.

Some will be chocked full of fascinating historical information, others (I hope!) photos of my vintage outfits, holiday celebrations (especially - and this will not come as a shock to any long time Chronically Vintage readers - Halloween), handy tips on a wide range of topics, gorgeous photographs and ads from days gone by, delightful web finds, scrumptious recipes, clothing sources, facts about historical figures, toe-tapping yesteryear tunes, and myriad other topics pertaining to the mid-twentieth century.

To say I look forward to what 2012 has in store both for my life and for Chronically Vintage, would be a rather hefty understatement! I'm planning on making this a year filled with as much vintage as I can possibly cram into every last nook and cranny, and cannot wait to share it will all of you!

For today though, let's all turn our attention to the holiday celebration at hand. In less than 24 hours we'll be whisking away 2011 (which I know many are apt to say "good riddance" to!), and welcoming the New Year with open arms and a highly optimistic outlook.

{Actress, dancer and comedian Olga San Juan looking shipshape and completely cheerful (just as I'm feeling right now, too!) as she rings in the New Year in this fantastic vintage image from the late 1940s. Photograph via carbonated on Flickr.}

 

The title of today's post is a spin on Prince's classic song, 1999, and in a nod to the fact that I want to make 2012 (as just mentioned) the most vintage filled year of my life. The past is constantly an invaluable part of my present, and I feel so blessed that I have an outlet like this blog to share my unyielding passion for all things vintage with each and every one of you.

I hope that whether you're kicking it old school tonight at a gala soirée, gathering in Times Square, spending a quiet night at home watching the ball drop (like me and the mister), or partying the night away, I sincerely hope you have a stellar New Year's Eve!!!

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, everyone for being a part of the Vintage 365 project this year. I couldn't have done it without you and am so excited to celebrate all that 2012 has in store together!

The most timeless and important role of all

✯ Day 128 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

It is an incomparable role. Ageless as star dust, invaluable as air. From the dawn of time to this exact moment in history, women have been stepping into job, the honour, the right, the incredible joy of motherhood.

Life would be impossible if not for mothers, yet their role goes boundlessly beyond creating babies. To say that mothers are life itself, would not be a far stretch.

{Touchingly precious 1940s mother and child photo via Wampa-One on Flickr.}  

Moms bring us into this world, shelter, guide, nurture, love, and protect us. They laugh with us, teach us, instil their beliefs in us. They are strength when the act of drawing air feels taxing, the champion of our every cause, the bearer of smiles that can set the cosmos right again in an instant.

To my mom, whom I could never in a million lifetimes even begin to describe how very much I love, cherish and respect, and to every women who has tread down the path of being a mom, grandma, step-mom, or mother figure, thank you for absolutely everything you have ever done, are doing now, and will continue to do for the children in your life now and forever.

Mothers,  you are the truest heroes in the world.

Joyful Easter wishes!

✯ Day 114 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

{Delightful vintage Easter photo via Captain Geoffrey Spaulding on Flickr.}

 

On this beautiful morning, solemn and bright, filled with thoughts of

hope and peace, rebirth and springtime wonder, I wish each of you, my

dear friends, a marvellously lovely Easter filled with every bit as much

bliss as is in the eyes of these two vintage youngsters!

Vintage 365: Joyful Valentine’s Day wishes!

✯ Day 45 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

February 14th means a great many different things to each of us. Some people (*shots hand up in air*) revel in a merry celebration of love, whereas would prefer it if the calendar went from the 13th and 15th, leaving out today all together.

Whether you're head-over-heels for hearts or prefer to eschew the sugary-sweet side of this festive day, I hope dearly that today fills you with positive thoughts about all kinds of love. From romantic passion to the wonderful kinship between you and your bff, love is never trivial; it's a highly important component to life and one that, I firmly believe, deserves to be acknowledged and cheered - both today and always.

One thing I think we can all agree that we adore is the wonderful world of vintage images, such as this positively delightful Motorola ad from 1950, which features a love-struck couple who are clearly crazy for one another. I hope that it’s beautiful art and chipper hues bring a smile your way and helps make your morning extra bright.

Please know, dear friends, that I'm thinking of you today and sending out my deepest heartfelt wishes for a Valentine's Day that radiates with joy in whatever capacity you most desire.

Happiest Valentine's Day (with love and best wishes), everyone!