Another vintage goody from Cincinnati trip

I love this Holly Hill by Levin & Co polyester polka dot shirt that I found in a cute consignment store in Ohio last month. The consignment had several special sections just for "vintage" goods. This shirt was fairly cheap, but I discovered it needed some work. I wore it to church once and realized I spent most of the day looking like a stegosauras. The zipper was very bumpy in the back, so I was left with the dinosaur look. I have removed the zipper and plan on just sewing the back up. It has enough stretch as a vneck to not need the zip. It also has some seam issues in a few places that I am repairing. It will end up being a great top, it just needs a little TLC. Don't we all!

Margaret Smith -Gardiner Maine

I posted a while back that I had made a trip with my husband to Hebron KY which is very close to Cincinnati Ohio. I managed to find Casablanca Vintage and they were in the middle of remodeling. It was hard to see everything they had, but I spotted this cute handbag and carried it around with me the whole time. I asked, "How much?"and the sales clerk said $20. I was thinking that seemed a little high to me, but I really like this cute floral handbag. It was in perfect condition and the little twist clasp worked, so I bought it. Recently I noticed it has a tag in it that says Margaret Smith, Gardiner Maine. I googled it and she is evidently a pretty collectible gal. She started making colorful beach totes in the 1940's. Some have labeled her as the "vintage Kate Spade," but I just like the cute little handbag. There are quite a few on ebay and etsy that are selling for $40 or $50. I guess I got myself a pretty good deal!

No Foolin' Vintage Pattern & Jewelry Giveaway!

Even though it is April Fools Day, I am not foolin' when I say that I am trying to clean out my patterns. I have twelve patterns and 4 sets of vintage(clipon) earrings to giveaway. All patterns have all pieces. The envelopes are questionable, but the back area that gives fabric and notion requirements is fine on all of them. So you have a chance to win one of these! Here's the scoop on how to enter.

For one chance: leave a comment including an email where I can let you know if you've won

For another chance: You can follow my blog (make sure you post that you are following as an additional comment-if you already follow you can post that you follow as well)

The giveaway is open to US readers due to shipping costs. It will stay open until April 8th and then I will use a random number generator to pick 16 winners!

So here's the loot:

Butterick 6042 size 12 Bust 34(70's?)

Simplicity 5854 size 12 Bust 34 (1973)

McCalls 5214 Girls 12 bust 30 (1976)

Simplicity 5854 size 16 Bust 38 (1973)

Simplicity 9361 size 16 Bust 38 (1971)

Butterick 4681 size 12 Bust 34 (60's-70's?)

Simplicity 8314 size 18 & 20 (1977)

Simplicity 9519 size 12 Bust 34 (1971)

Butterick 5215 size 12 Bust 34 (late 60's?)

Simplicity 8051 girls size 12 Bust 27 (1977)

McCalls 2697 girls size 12 Bust 30 (1970)

Simplicity 5688 girls size 8 Bust 27(1982)

The four pairs of earrings are shown in the pictures above. They are in pretty good shape. May need a little TLC. All clasps work.

A little thrifting

My husband had to work in Cincinnati yesterday and he invited me to go along. We enjoyed the 2 1/2 hour drive and listened to economics lectures (we are geeks). I dropped him off and then with GPS in hand set off to find a few thrift stores. I managed to make it to the St. Vincent De Paul location and they had tons of stuff. I managed to pick up the vintage sheets and pillowcases which will probably become skirts/aprons etc. I also found 3 vintage full slips for 1.99 a piece. I picked up patterns as well. I had to do some digging at this place, but it was fun. I have a few other goodies I'll post about later.