This Vintage Chica

What Is Vintage?

Last week Lauri of ArtSmith sent me this question via email:

I've been wondering this for a LONG time, and you seem like the person who might know the answer...When is something...aprons, kitchen and decorative items, and especially fabric...considered vintage?  It seems like there is no precise answer, or that people use the term liberally. I would think something from the 70's could be considered vintage...I guess because that decade had a distinct style...and of course everything before then, but no later than that, like the 80's or 90's.  Or, could it be something that 'new' but just discontinued?

So, Vintage Chica...what's your take on it?  I'm really wondering because there don't seem to be any hard and fast rules on it.

Thanks Lauri for the question and I am humbled to think that I might be some sort of "go to" person for this.  In my opinion, I would think anything 20 years old and older could be considered vintage.   Sort of an in between to the term antique (100 years old or older) and contemporary.

As the day went on, I really started to think about it more and wanted to actually find the answer.  I consulted wikipedia as I do for all important questions and found mostly information on the term being used in relation to a bottle of wine.  But then a little more digging and I found this regarding vintage clothing.  And this about vintage cars.  A vintage car is commonly defined as a car built between the start of 1919 and the end of 1930.   Apparently the definition of vintage depends on the item to which you are referring.

Sometimes I just can't let go of a question until I find a definitive answer, like when you have a song playing over and over in your brain.  I decided to take this one step further and ask an expert.  I phoned Diana Hays, owner of the Texas antique shops County Mercantile and Main Street Mercantile (and also my extra talented mother).  She said she would define an item to be vintage if it were "a collectible item between 20 and 100 years old.  However, some items including clothing and dishes could be considered vintage at 15 years old depending on the item.  And the term "collectible" is debatable as well."  Thanks Mom!

So, there you go Lauri.  Your statement was absolutely correct.  There does not seem to be a precise answer and yes people do use the term very liberally, including myself.  But way too liberally on ebay.  If you look up the keywords vintage china and you get everything from 1890s fine English china to Fiestaware bought at JCPenneys last year.  So, here I pose the question to all of you.  What do you all think?  How would YOU define vintage?

And Im leaving you with a photo of some "vintage" Christmas finds from the Value Village trip this past week.

Tie One On - November

Im so excited to finally participate in Tie One On!  I've been following along for months (almost a year now).  And every month I see the theme and think, oh I can do that.  Only to be disappointed that my world does not slow down enough to whip something up.  This month participants were asked to post a photo of ourselves in an apron (handmade, vintage, whatever) and a holiday recipe.  Wooohooo!  So, here is my submission.

Me in my holey jeans...and my latest thrifty find.  Can you believe I found this at Value Village for $1.50???  It was marked $3 and then it was 50% off day, score!  And as far as the recipe...I dont share my Grammer's cranberry salad recipe with just anyone...really, I don't.  Not because she doesn't want me to, but because this is the one and only cranberry sauce/salad recipe I wille eat.  I dont really like traditional cranberry sauce.  And after growing up with this version, nothing else tastes as good.  The perfect combination of sweet and tart, leaning toward the sweet.   Thanksgiving and Christmas just aren't holidays without this on the table for our family.  Here it is (shown as breakfast with pumpkin bread the day after Thanksgiving): 

Grammer Shirley's Cranberry Salad

1 orange - juice and pulp
2 apples
1 cup cranberries (frozen or fresh)
1 cup sugar
1 small can crushed pineapple - drained
3/4 cup pecans
1 package red jello (cherry or cranberry work best)

Grind all fruit ingredients together using a food grinder (or food processor), add sugar and pecans.  Then add to jello which has started to gel.  Make the jello according to the directions when adding fruit - using less water than original calls for because the oranges and pineapple will add their own liquid.  I also like to sprinkle some of the pecans on the topPut it in the fridge for 2 hours before serving.  Enjoy!

And Thanks Was Given...

It could not have been a more perfect Thanksgiving!  The turkeys were done right on time.  I have never cooked two turkeys at once and wasnt really sure on how long it would take.  I really had my fingers crossed.  The cranberry salad was perfectly tart and sweet.  Football was enjoyed.  Everyone had a chair/bench/barstool of some sort on which to sit.  The mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, rolls, dressing and gravy were all completely gone by meal's end.  And what was left was boxed up and sent back to the barracks with them for snacking later ton ight.  All that was left for us was enough turkey for soup tomorrow and a couple of pieces of pie.  They all seemed to have a good time and were amazingly compimentary of the food.  I mean, its not hard to please Navy guys who would have had to eat turkey at the mess hall.  But I am thankful.

Thankfulness is a topic that is so near and dear to my  heart that I want it to ooze from every pour in my skin.  However with little ones it is a most difficult idea to explain.  But after talking about it quite a bit and a few projects on the topic, the past few days I have gotten little glimpses of thankfulness from the older two boys.  And I felt like my heart would just burst. A few years ago anothre mother told me about their family's "thankfulness journal" where they write down or draw pictures of all things for which they are thankful.  We've now adopted this same idea in our own home this year and it is working wonderfully.  Thank you Katie!  A few of tonight's entries appear at the bottom of this post.

Tonight at dinner, Zane went up to one of the sailors eating with us and gave him a big open armed hug and told him " I am so glad that you came to eat with us today because if you didn't, our house would not be so full."  And yesterday Ian came home from pre-school and said that he was thankful for his teacher Miss Melissa because "she is sssoooooooooooooooo funny".  Thankfulness.

So tonight my heart is full.  And full of thanks.  Thankful for the 21 sailors and 10 friends and neighbors who came to eat with us.  Thankful that many of them have volunteered to protect our country and my family through their military service.  Thankful that one single mother had a place to hang out for a minute or two tonight and unload some of her gravitizing burden.  Thankful for our health as so many of our friend's kids are sick right now.  Thankful that I have a husband who is so loving and ever involved in the details of the boys' lives.  Thankful that he loves even the hard to take parts of me.  Thankful for my family who has handed down so many grounding values.  Thankful that a new baby (my nephew Aiden Michael) has come into our family safely and brightly.  Thankful for enough food to feed everyone tonight.  Thankful for all of you that I have gotten to know and who have sent such kind comments.  And most of all, thankful that everyday I feel more and more comfortable being me.

Here are a few of tonight's entries from our Thankfulness Journal. Everyone who ate dinner with us tonight was asked to jot something down. It began, "I am thankful for..."

• The new adventures and people life brings
• Legos and the color yellow
• My three boys who are healthy and love, love to run!
• My secure job and that I am able to stand on my own two feet like a man should
• My friends and family and dinner tonight
• The sunshine
• My son
• The opportunity to better myself
• My toys and my dog Scout

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving...we did.

P.S. Please do not think I actually "made" the whole dinner myself.  A neighbor volunteered to make the dressing and Boston Market was responsible for the pies few of the sides.  But no one seemed to even care it was all so good.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! 

This is a turkey transferware platter that I found while thrifting a few weeks ago.  Its been sitting out on the dining table since I got it and Im glad to get to put it to use tomorrow.  We are hosting twenty-one single soldiers from the Navy base at Great Lakes which means two turkeys and a spiral ham.  So as much as I love this platter it will not be sufficient for all the meat that will be inhaled.  Insert platter number two!

This tin platter I picked up this summer.  I hate to even tell you that I rescued it from the trash.  I have to admit that I am shameless when it comes to junkin'.  And I'm not above dumpster diving.  Our neighbor across the street had put out quite a few things for garbage pickup and when I went to investigate, I couldn't believe they were getting rid of this platter.  I snatched it up faster than you can say jiminee cricket. 

And a little shot of the Thanksgiving table (I just noticed the wrinkles in the table cloth, darn it!).  Our menu will include...

Citris Oven Baked Turkey (times two)
Spiral Maple Glazed Ham
Harvest Dressing
Fresh Green Beans
Candied Sweet Potatoes
Mashed Potatoes
Green Salad
Corn On The Cob
Wheat Rolls
Pies (pumpkin, pecan, and chocolate)

Have a wonderful, blessed day everyone!

Still here...but barely!

Just when I think life cant get any busier.  It gets busier.  Big changes on Ms. Darla's site, doctors office visits (5 casts in 5 weeks...geez!), long work hours for S, laundry, cooking, reorganizing closets and more.  But Im still here.  Thank you Lori for taking the time to email me and ask.  It is nice to be missed.  I don't have much time to post as my to do list is longer than a legal sized sheet of paper, but thought I would quickly share just a few things.

I've started my first quilt!  And I am really excited about it.  I've decided to start small with a baby quilt patterned after one in the Denyse Schmidt book.  But in true "me" fashion, I'm not following the pattern.  Im just eyeballing it as I go.  This usually works for me on most projects, but the sewing fairies are whispering in my ear that quilting might be a tad different.    I'll keep you posted on that. 

The fabric is from some of the stash I swiped from Grammer Shirley last summer.  The colors are mostly pinks, yellows and greens and when completed will be mailed off to Texas to a new baby that will be joining the family in February. My cousin and his wife will be welcoming their first baby (a girl) who I think will be named Virginia Grace.  Don't you just love all of the traditional names that are coming back in vogue?  I do.

And that little piece of machinery doing the hard work is my Grandmother Florence's 1950s Singer Stylist 534.  I have to admit that it sat patiently in the closet for many years, only being brought out when my mother visited to make throw pillows and curtains. Only now does it have a permanent place to be.  I like this sewing machine for many reasons...it it simple and I love that if it breaks I know how to fix it for the most part.  I also love it for the basic reason that my grandmother used it.  Many doll clothes and itchy-necked Christmas pajamas were sewn on this exact machine and I guess it is a way to continue to connect to a woman that I dearly loved and still miss.

And  many thanks for all of the comments and emails regarding the rag rug tutorial.  Im so glad that so many of you are finding it helpful.  I have spoken to my Grammer about the great response and she is thrilled too that so many young women are rediscovering repurposing and rug making.  If you are making a rug, please post it on the flickr group.  I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with. 

More later (hopefully sooner than later).  I am so behind on all of my blog reading.

P.S.  If you are a quilter and have any good tips for a first timer, please share.  My "eyeballing" can use all the help it can get.