That Touch of Mink

More holiday craziness around here and I'm just scrambling to keep up.  Last weekend my parents visited along with their exchange student Kamila.  She's from Kyrgistan and has quickly become one of the Little Dude's favorite people.  We went to Longwood Gardens to see the holiday light display and it was so much fun!  Cold, but fun.  Here's a dorky picture of the myself, the little guy, and Kamila.   If you live in the Philadephia, Baltimore, or Northern Delaware area Longwood is so worth a visit this time of year.  The lights and decorations are amazing!  And they have a great train display too!

Okay so I know it's not for everyone and all, especially these days, but I really LOVE these vintage fur collars this week.  They're all from the 60s or even earlier and they are just fabulous. 

The first one is this early 1960s mod style Gray Mink collar.  So warm and pretty.  It's fully lined/finished with navy blue wool too! 

The second collar is a brown rabbit fur that's so soft and fluffy.  I do a lot of costuming for friends and Etsy and this would look great on a Henry VIII style surcoat!

 

The last and my favorite is this amazing curly fluff wool collar.  The wool is creamy ivory tipped with brown.  I just want to snuggle it!   All three are up in my Etsy Shop this week!

 

I'm hooking up with Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday  Head on over and take a look at the vintage treasures!

Holiday Insanity

The Christmas prep insanity has me in its grip this month.  Not that I've actually been able to DO much prepping as yet.  Between visiting family and family visiting us I've been lucky to keep the laundry under control and the dishes done!  I did get a chance to do some thrifting with my mom and sister this past weekend but I really came up with not much of anything for once.  The bins were slim pickings.  Don't know if that's due to it being a Saturday morning, or the holiday season?  Usually I thrift during the week so I'll hit them up Wednesday and see what it looks like then!
Here are a few things I've found recently...

The pink and red fabric below is another vintage cotton, probably from the 40s?  It's already cut out in 36" x 40 panels so maybe it was a never finished project?   It has some staining so I'm going to try to wash it before listing in the shop. 

The fab Mod fabric below is 37" wide and a cotton pique.  I think it would make fabulous napkins or pillows for a bright sunny room.  It's up in the shop already :)

Admit it, you had a pair of jeans like this fabric in the Eighties didn't you?  I know I did, and I LOVED them.  I've got two yards of this great denim up in the shop right now.  It would be an adorable dress or jacket for a little girl, or for the lady who's a girl at heart.

 

 

 

The last item from the way back machine is this plaid taffeta dress.  The perfect holiday party dress as far as I'm concerned.  Who says the 80's can't come back in style? This one's in the shop too this week. 

 

Thanks for taking a look!  I'm linking up with Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday  Stop on by and check out all the holiday coolness going on! 

Long time no see!

Wow it's really been a while since I've updated this blog.  Sorry about that if anyone missed me.  I haven't gotten a chance to do much thrifting lately but luckily my dear mom is keeping me in stock.  I visited my parents house a few weekends ago and she offloaded a huge paper box of vintage fabric on me.  Some of my favorite bits are below.

I'm fairly certain that the blue fabric is feedsack cotton.  All the pieces are 36 wide by 40 long and I can find faint sewing seam holes along the long edges.  It's lovely stuff but a bit stained up.  I stuck it up in the shop to see if anyone can make use of it for quilting. The golden yellow Scandanavian print fabric below didn't even last a day in the shop.  I love the little animals traipsing across the cotton. 

 These napkins are in perfect shape, not Vera, but definitely Mod and fabulous.  They're up in the shop now.

On the fashion front I have a great Hawaiian dress to showcase.  It's so ORANGE, really bright almost neon orange, and a maxi length that looks great on everyone.

Thanks for taking a look at some of my newest goodies!  I'll have more up this week, and I'm also running a Cyber Monday sale in the shop  15% off when you use the code CYBRMON12.  There's a bunch of new stuff in the Sale section as well!

I'm hooking up with Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday  and The Pennyworthy Project  hop on over and take a look at the holiday shopping goodness and other cool thrifted finds!

Thrifting with a friend is always more fun.

Most of today's blog actually comes from last Monday's thrifting adventures with my friend Dawn.  She came down to visit and since it was her birthday we went on a shopping trip to the thrift stores. It's always a great way to get more bang for your birthday buck don't you think?  She found lots of great lace curtains and bits for Steampunk costume projects, as well as that great black and white comforter in the background. 

Here's a photo of our "epic" haul at the end of the day.  Even though I TRIED to behave myself I must admit that four of those overstuffed bags are mine.  But how can I resist when it's such good stuff, and cheap to boot?  On the practical side I found 3 work shirts and a pair of linen pants for myself, as well as two shirts for the little guy and a pair of nice khakis that he can use for church or dress up occasions.  Then there was the couch throw, which I don't have a picture of.  It's green microfiber and down filled. I can't have down or feather pillows or blankets on the bed because it makes the mister all stuffed up, but on the couch is okay.  I was enjoying it this weekend when the temps dropped and we didn't want to turn on the heat yet. 
A while ago I posted a picture of a Steampunk hip scarf in progress. It's finally done and here are some pics to show you.

Everything on it was thrifted, which I'm pretty pleased about.  And it makes a very nice jingle jingle.

Stuff I found for the shop this week includes a whole stack of ladies gloves.  They're beautiful and in colors you don't often find.  The Tiffany Blue ones really caught my eye. 

And of course I'm still working through the pile of handkerchiefs.  This week it's a yellow and green lot. 

 More Gloves! I especially like the crocheted ones, so dainty and ladylike!

 

And of course I can never resist a vintage sheet. These two caught my eye this week. They're both up in the Reneesance Etsy Shop waiting for the right person with the right project to come along!  

 

 

 

I'm hooked up with Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday  and  A Living Space Go on over and take a look at all the goodies!  

 

Thrifty Crafty Weekend

I had the day off on Friday so I managed to make it to my favorite place, the Goodwill Outlet.  I really tried to focus on things I thought I could resell quickly, and that wouldn't hang around in my basement too long.  It's a bit of a mess down there! 

I love the bins because it seems like a lot of vintage things just get taken directly to the outlet and never make it to the stores!  Like these handkerchiefs.  There was a whole stack, or really a series of stacks, of them in one bin that must have come from someone's collection.  I pulled them all out and I'm selling them in color coordinated bunches.  Lots of great crafting opportunities here.  I've seen people on Etsy turn them into buntings, quilts, and even curtains!   As always I couldn't resist this great fabric 

I've also been doing a bit of crafting myself.  I finished up this pirate hat that had been laying around half done for a month.  The hat was thrifted and then I added the ribbon and trim.  The feathers are either from a craft store, thrifted, or bought from a lady I know who has peacocks on her farm.  she collects the dropped feathers and sends them on to me!

 

My other project has been a bellydance hip scarf, made from some of the lovely doiles and laces I have laying around.  Here's an in progress teaser shot. I thrifted a brocade sash belt with lovely beaded embroidery on the ends.  Then I'm adding the crochet lace dresser scarf as the base, and the drapery fringe was rescued from an ugly thrifted drapery.  Still cheaper to buy the drapery than to buy the fringe at a fabric store!  I have to add lots of shiny jingles but eventually it will be showing up in the Etsy shop as well! 

 

Thanks for taking a look at my finds!  I'm hooking up with Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday  Head on over and check it out!

 

And if you're interested in keeping up with the newest goodies posted to my etsy shop then please hop on to facebook and like Reneesance Hats and Vintage!

 

Finding Vera

I finally found a set of Vera napkins a few weeks ago!  This is very exciting because previously I have only found the occasional polyester scarf, and not any silk at all.   The set of four napkins has a great bamboo design in brown as you can see. 

 

They had some staining on them, so into the oxyclean bath they went.  But alas, the stains on polyester proved very stubborn and even after more than a week I could still discern trace spots on the napkins.  So instead of my hoped for $20.00 I listed them for $10.00 with spot photos and they sold in a day or so anyway!  Even slightly stained Vera is something special I guess. :)

 

 

This fall weather we've been having is my favorite of the entire year. Mid-seventies during the day, cool nights, light breezes.  I love it!  And of course it gets me thinking cosy jackets like the one below.  This jacket has been hanging in my closet for over a year.  When I thrifted it there was a belt loop hanging by a thread and part of the front patch pocket was unstitched.  It's been languishing in my mend pile since then.  I've been trying not to thrift too much until I at least list all my old stock so last week I pulled it out and fixed it up.  The pumpkin and kelly green plaid is autumnal and yet still so cheerful don't you think?  This one's still waiting in the shop for the perfect owner. 

 

 

 

 

 

Other little bits and bobs I listed included parts of the piles of fabric that have been patiently waiting for me to get around to it!  This piece of poplin has a great crisp hand to it, and there's enough to make an adorable sundress! 

 

I'm hooking up with Apron Thrift Girl: Thrift Share Monday  Hop on over and take a look at all the great thrifty finds!  You might find something you can't live without! 

Coats and Dresses and Flappers in Photos

I'm starting to load up the coats that have been patiently waiting all summer long into the shop.  I found most of these this summer at the Goodwill Outlet and I can't resist a fabulous vintage coat.

The first one is a faux Karakul wool or curly wool style coat.  It's likely from the 50s or early 60s and I was really interested to see the details of how it was made on the inside.  Most curly wool coats are made from a lambs hide with the wool trimmed and treated to create a curly moire pattern.  Really pretty but not so fun for the lamb, even if it happened decades ago many people prefer to go faux.  The coat is a woven cotton base with a pattern of "wool" curls laid down on it and sewn on as you can see in the photos.  It creates the same effect and was probably much less expensive for the lady who originally purchased it. 

The second coat I love soooo much I would keep it if only it was my size.  It's a 1970s red wool coat with some serious neo-Victorian styling details.  I love the braided trim and the Peter Pan collar don't you? 

I also spent a few days soaking this lovely little lace dress.  It was definitely made around the 80s just based on materials and the lace but it was made to look like a classic flapper dress.  The 20s sillouette had a big revival in the 80s and so did lace thanks to Madonna and Cyndi Lauper.  This would be an adorable dress for a vintage styled wedding! 

 

 

Speaking of the 1920s here is a fabulous class photo I found and it's even dated in the corner 1923.  On the back an inscription tells us that it was the class of 1929 although unfortunately it doesn't tell us the school.  So this was a class of 7th graders with their teachers.  I love the girls pastel dresses and their adorable bobs.

 

And no 1920s miss would go out without a handkerchief.  Like the ones in this box that were never even unfolded!  I think most of them date from the 50's but they are just so pretty with their embroidery and lace and scalloped edges.

 

Thanks for checking out my finds with me this week!  Hop on over to Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday and check out all the great finds!  If you're interested in any of these lovlies they can be found at Reneesance

 



Today I learned something about fabric...

Last week at the Goodwill bins I found a nice linen curtain panel with a lovely bold design on it.  I assumed it was mid-century based on the color pallette and threw it in the cart after a fruitless search for it's matching panel in the bin.  No luck there.  It's been sitting at home waiting for me to get a photo taken.  Beautiful right?  Here's a close up of one of the panels.  Such amazingly bright colors and really interesting graphics.


So I started doing a little research and imagine my surprise when I realize that it's not actually from the 1960's instead it's a piece that likely dates to the 1920s!   The company,  Doulton Cretonne was an English manufacturer and printer of linen fabric.  One example that I found online had a list price of $1200.00!!   Now as we know that doesn't mean that my piece will do anything like that and just because something is listed at an outrageous price doesn't mean it will sell either.  More research is definitely in order though.  I may end up sending an email the the Textile Museum in D.C. to see if they might have a resource as well.

Here are some more pictures of the printed selvage. 

My other fun purchase today was this fabulous and colorful painting.  The signature on the bottom reads (Neptune)  but I can't find anything online about the artist.  I'm guessing it was just a talented hobby painter but I can't wait to hang this up!  I need to do a little re-gluing of the canvas around the edges of the frame but otherwise it's in perfect condition.  

I'm linking up with Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday hop on over and take a look at all the fabulous vintage finds!

A Vintage Mystery

Finally had a chance to do some thrifting this past weekend.  I went to my favorite location, that being the goodwill outlet in my area.  Some people don't like having to dig around in the bins and turn over piles of clothing to find the goodies but I love it.  Maybe I was a treasure hunter in a previous life ;)

The bins weren't as kind to me as usual this week, but I did find some goodies.  My favorite of which is this amazing indigo dyed coat. 

Look at the detail on the collar and sleeves.  The borders are beautiful silk pieces in a variety of textures and with different kinds of embroidery all over them. 

The mystery part is I still haven't figured out what part of the world it comes from.  The cut is very reminiscent of a Japanese working man's jacket, called a Noragi.  But I can't find any examples of Noragi with this sort of embroidery panels in it.  The embroidery looks much more Indian or Middle Eastern.  Does anyone have a suggestion on influence?  The jacket appears to have never been worn and is in perfect shape but has no label or markings anywhere.  I don't think it's very old and was probably intended for the tourist trade.  I just want to know where before I list it! 

I also picked up some adorable summer frocks but they're in the wash right now.  Pictures to follow soon! 

My sister in law found me a lovely 1950s wedding dress with a classic full skirt and long tight lace sleeves and collar.  It's such a pretty gown but has definitely seen better days.  The lace is dry rotted and very fragile but the understructure is still solid.  So I listed it in the shop as a tattered and torn gown.  I can see this being a fun piece for halloween.  Just add fake blood and you have an instant zombie bride costume! 

As always thanks for taking a look!   I'm linking up with Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday 

And Her Library Adventures Flea Market Finds

Hop on over and take a look at all the goodies!

Wedding Dress dreaming

I didn't have much time to go thrifting this week and what thrifting I did to wasn't fantastic. My usual Goodwill store didn't offer up anything of note and the small community yard sale I stopped by Saturday morning before work only yielded a Transformer for my son. 

I did make some progress on revitalizing some things that I've had in the stock pile for a while.  Two of them are wedding dresses.  The first one my sister-in-law found for me at a yardsale.  It's from the 1970s and it had some stains on it but I gave it a  soaking in oxyclean and soap for a few days and it came out bright white again.  I love the high ruffled neck and the relatively simple design.

The other wedding dress I found in the bins at the local Goodwill Outlet.  It was heavily stained but I figured that if it didn't come clean I could still use the lace for a project.  Have I mentioned how much I love oxyclean? A few days in the soak and it came out good as new.  I especially love how soft and delicate the lace is, as well as the color, a lovely antique cream. 

Isn't it dreamy?  It only needs a big picture hat to be the epitome of Edwardian style elegance. 

Apparently it's my week for lace and the 1970s version of the Victorian era because I also found this blouse on the same goodwill bins trip. 

It's polyester which isn't my favorite but it's so pretty that I couldn't resist.  I have all three pieces listed in my Etsy Shop and I hope that the wedding dresses get a chance for another special day!

I'm linking up with Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday 
Stop by and take a look at all the cool finds!