Pastel Icing and Vintage Reads

For Christmas, a friend of mine gave me a neat stack of vintage magazines, ranging from 1955 to the early 1960s. I love this kind of thing and they now have a place on my side table, topped with my vintage brass whale. 

As I start to read through these I'll be sure to scan in some of my favorite ads and share them here. :)

Household, American Girl, Good Housekeeping, etc...

 

 Look at that pastel 50s icing! Super cuuuuuuute.

Things I Love - 001

These White Rabbit rings are way too cute. Especially the one in the little heart cup!

The best wooden hedgehog clock. Actually, the only hedgehog clock that I've seen. But still amazing.

This dress from Asos that's covered in ships. I love the color, collar, and print. It's pretty perfect!

I covet this Copic Sketch Marker Anniversaray Set so much. So much coveting. 

Animal ear rings! So much love going on here!!!

Mini Review - Super Paper Mario for Wii

 I have a really bad habit of getting really close to the end of a game and just...stopping.

It's not that I don't want to finish it, I just get distracted really easily. Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy X (which I finished 2 years after I started...seriously...), and Kingdom Hearts 2 have all been victims to my laziness. More recently, however, has been Super Paper Mario for the Nintendo Wii.

A couple of years ago, I rented this game and played through it for a few days until I had to return it. (Seriously, does anyone actually finish a game by the rental deadline?) Fast forward until a couple of months ago when my lovely boyfriend purchased the game for me as a gift! Fortune! Immediately I started it up and began to play it again. I loved it just as much as I did the first time. Of course, I got to the very last part where you're re-fighting all the bosses on your way to Count Bleck...and stopped.

I'm a terrible person. I also got very distracted by Dragon Quest VIII. Which is amazing.

Anyway, I eventually finished the thing and here's what I thought!

image from garethrees.org

Pros

 - It's freaking adorable! Even Bowser is cuddle worthy.

 - The ability to flip dimensions (2D to 3D) to find treasure, secret passageways, and lots of coins.

 - Great humor! From a simulated dating game to obscure Earthbound references, it's lots of fun.

 - The levels are all pretty well designed with just enough puzzle fun to give it some difficulty.  

 - There's a fun horizontal shooter level which was a nice surprise.

 - You can switch between your main characters! They each have their own specialty, from Luigi's
    super jump to Bowser's flame attack. It makes for some fun strategy in battle.

 - There's so much to do! From collecting recipes and enemy cards, to the Pit of 100 Trials, there

    is a lot to do besides the main story.

Cons

 -The only problems that I had with this game were a couple of the levels. The OverThere and Outer Space were just pains. Not particularly difficult, just repetitive and annoying.

Overall, I think this is a fantastic game! Some may think it's childish, but it's well designed and has enough humor to keep you smiling throughout. Especially level 3. So great.

Retro Games and a Newfound Obsession

I'm going to be honest. Nintendo was not a big part of my childhood. Neither was Sega. In fact, my first console was a Playstation 1 when I was in, like, 6th grade. I had my gameboy color and played the shit out of some Pokemon Yellow, but I don't have the fond memories that most people my age do of afternoons after school playing Battle Toads, Sonic the Hedgehog, or The Legend of Zelda.

Thankfully, my boyfriend has always been a video game lover and has an extensive collection. He's introduced me to some great games (Earthbound, I'm looking at you) and I've developed a love for retro games. 

So! To celebrate my new found love, I'd like to start sharing my favorite systems, games, moments, and memorabilia. 

What's your favorite retro video game?

Pretty in Plaid

Pretty in Plaid #1 by wastedwishes


 

Pretty in Plaid #2 by wastedwishes featuring butter london nail polish

I'm head over heels in love with plaid again. It happens every year around this time, but I blame my local thrift stores for this instance. I recently thrifted a bag of vintage wood plaid fabric and it's just making my dizzy with ideas. I have a yellow colorway that would make a great weekender bag if I mixed it with some dark leather...and some purple that would make a cute mini dress. 

Yay for plaid!

Triforce Tote - First Attempt!

So lately I've been playing a lot of retro games. Okay, I mostly play retro games...but one of my more recent plays has been 'The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past'. I never really played video games growing up, so I'm late to this party but I'm starting to become quite fond of the series!

Another thing I'm starting to experiment with is painting fabric. It is so much fun and such a great way to personalize bags, clutches, shirts, etc. You get the picture. This was one of my first attempts at a painted tote! I picked the Triforce because it's iconic and fairly simple for a first attempt. Although I will admit that drawing an equilateral triangle was embarrassing difficult for me.
 

I'm not really a fan of the basic totes that you can buy in bulk. They never seem to be the right size or shape, so I decided to make my own base. I used a heavyweight cotton duck fabric and lined the bag with a green cotton fabric. Cotton webbing was used for the handles.

For the paint, I used a mixture of a basic metallic craft paint and a fabric medium from Martha Stewart's line of craft products. After it sat for 24 hours, I heat set the design and now it can be thrown in the washing machine with (hopefully) fantastic results. 

I can't wait to make more!

Etsy Favorites - October

 Here's a selection from my Etsy favorites this month! Fall themed, handmade goodies!

This incredibly cute Red Riding Hood doll pattern is just amazing. The amount of detail is great and it's great for adults or kids.

This teal suede bracelet is so simple, but I like that it doesn't look cheap. I think there's a tutorial for this somewhere on pinterest, but in case you're not crafty this is a great option!

This Alice in Wonderland journal is so great. It's perfect for having something in your purse to write quick notes.

This cute stitched mushroom pendant is so whimsical.

Thrift Finds - 10/25/12

Today was a great thrifting day. Like...super great. Here's what I found!

 

This neat 70s Lord of the Rings framed puzzle was $3. It might be a little sun faded, but I mean...something LOTR for cheap-o? Yes.

 In a little dish of Christmas tree brooches and such, there were these two cuties! If any two pins sum me up as a person, that would be these two. Amazing. And a quarter each. 

 Cute animal decals from 1981! So great!

A lot of Disney/Sesame Street records from the late 60s to late 70s. I'm going to frame the Alice in Wonderland one as well as Bambi for some cute decor. 

Back to Hogwarts Swap - Packages

If you like to sew, crochet, draw, bead, etc, etc, etc and you have not visited Craftster.org....you need to go there right now. Like now. Not only can you share the wonderful things that you make, you can participate in themed swaps. I've been involved in these for years, and they're the best. Okay, so sometimes you get some duds or you get flaked on...but other times you get great handmade things that are made especially for YOU. Like I said, the best.

My most recent swap was the 'Back to Hogwarts' swap, where you made things that were, you guessed it, themed around Harry Potter. 

This is what I sent to my partner.

That Ravenclaw embroidery took forever and a day. I can't even say how many episodes of Dirty Jobs went into the making of that. Apart from that, I made two ornaments (a potion bottle & a snitch), and a canvas pouch with the name of her favorite wizard book shop.

This is what I received. 

Three glow in the dark hooplas with constellations, a Ravenclaw hoodie, and a dishrag with a Chocolate Frog in the stitches. So great!

This was a really great swap and I enjoyed the heck out of it. :)

Starlight Castle

I'm a BIG toy lover. I'm constantly rummaging through bins at flea markets and thrift shops for colorful plastic and vinyl and my shelves show it. I have a very special place in my heart for any toys from the 80s and 90s, especially toys that I grew up with.

This Polly Pocket Starlight Castle was my favorite when I was in Elementary school! Actually, I don't remember if it was mine or my sisters, but either way it was in constant rotation with my other favorites. I was browsing on Ebay the other night and found one in near perfect condition and with all the little characters (even the swan!) for 30 bucks. That may seem like a lot, but honestly it's not a bad price for the condition that it's in.

Oh, it also lights up. Just the coolest.

Zapped.

Fall is really starting to show itself here in the mountains! Which is great. Obviously. Also, the weather is pretty amazing. Which should also be obvious. 

Naturally this means a mini photo op with a Nintendo Zapper. 

Thrift Haul - Craft Books

 I love craft books. Regardless if it's a craft that I actually know or not, I'm drawn to them from across a thrift store and immediately start digging through piles of dusty novels. 

Today it seemed like someone's collection was donated, as there was a ridiculous amount of needlework and cross stitch books available. These were the only ones that appealed to me, as I'm not overly fond of country bears and bunnies wearing bonnets. Plus, they were only 50 cents each. Win.

I also have a 'thing' for Victorian needlework. Especially those huge embroidered rugs (how could you walk on those?). This fox design is just the best. Everything in my house will be covered in foxes. In addition to cute animals, this book also has patterns for some great geometric patterns. Which is pretty neat.

 There was also this book (Chinese?), which was a random find for this small Georgia town. I don't understand a thing, but there are some really cute designs and I'm sure with some study I can make out the patterns if nothing else.

 Lastly, "Complete Guide to Sewing - Reader's Digest 1976". These books are great. Instructions are included for anything you could want. From including pockets, to tailoring a jacket, etc. Amazing. And dead useful. There are even patterns in the back of the book for pencil pillows and such!

Feeling French.

This day was spent perusing thrift stores and eating amazing sushi. 

There are worse ways to spend your time. 

For some reason I felt very French in this outfit. Must be the stripes. 

Shirt - TJ Maxx

Skirt - 80's and Thrifted (25 cents!!!)

Necklace - Handmade (Previous Keychain)

Bag - Modcloth

Flats - Thrifted

Vintage Toys - 1940s Tin Army Plane

Today we found this super great toy airplane! It's from the early 1940s (or thereabouts) and was made by Marx Toys, one of the most popular toy manufacturers at the time. Fun fact : their brands produced the Rock em Sock em Robots and the Big Wheel tricycle!

Anyway, it's got quite a bit of rust happening, but I kind of prefer that to a pristine version. You can really see the 70 or so years on that toy. Obviously, it's way past play time, but I think it would make a great piece of decor. Maybe on a bedside table or perched atop a stack of vintage books?

So great.

You can find it here.

Thrifty Finds 8/15/12

The thrift store gods bestowed upon me this wonderful crinoline! It seems to be from the 60s or early 70s and is super poofy and soft. So great. Plus my circle skirts look wooonderful.

 

I also found this great dusky pink trench coat. It's officially the best. It's by London Fog and from the 1960s.