Vintage Value

Vintage is beyond trendy right now - it excites AND baffles me all at the same time.  I peruse Pinterest and wonder how the crap laying around in my grandparent's attic/home has become so in vogue.  I personally relish in it for nostalgic purposes - I am getting to retread adorable holiday items that were popular when I was a CHILD!!!!!  It is a daily struggle for me not to drive to Lafayette, LA and hit my grandparent's attic for everything I see sitting on shelves for insane prices.  I know my Mimi and Pampa wouldn't miss it - any of it.  They do not even know about 85% of it.  It has been sitting in some crusty crevice for over 40 years simply because our grandparents never throw ANYthing away.  In fact, mine still use a deep freezer in their garage from 1962.  I am pretty sure that their Whirlpool washer and dryer set were the original manufacturing design built over 50 years ago, and they STILL WORK.  When I enter their garage, it looks the exact same TODAY as it did when I was 8-years-old.  They have the exact same record player in their formal sitting room that I used to hook huge earphones up to so that I could listen to the musical CATS.  They have the same velvet furniture that I used to sit proudly on with my cousins in our matching smocked holiday outfits.  I love going there and returning with that smell from their house on my clothes as I open my suitcase.  As I walk flea markets and vintage gigs, I can't stop smiling as I run my fingers over retro chic items.  Then, I look at the price.  Holy Mother of God.  They want what for THAT?!?!??!?!?!?  Legions of sellers are hip to the fact that these dusty goods are gold, but there are still some exceptional deals out there if you are willing to hunt a bit!

This is a vintage Valentine's wreath!  I went to the antique market in downtown McKinney and bought about 15 different vintage cards from a booth for .25 cents each.  I bought a plain wire wreath at Hobby Lobby along with a set of small glitter paper clips in the craft section - I get tons of compliments on it!  It was inexpensive, easy, and has a very distinctive appeal!!

Another fun and affordable item that I use throughout my house are vintage bed springs.  You can buy them in various sizes, and they add instant height and character to the pieces you place on it!

SOOOOOO, I am having an affair with vintage scales.  I own it.  I love them.  I cannot get enough of them.  I pet them.  I cuddle with them.  I spend hours and hours playing with them - ooohhh, does THIS look good on it or would this look better??!!?  It borders on unhealthy and my husband might call a psychiatrist on me if I refer to them as 'my precccciouuusssss' one more time, but I will accept my fate.  In fact, I might even get some good drugs out of it!?!??!!?  In the meantime, I am advising you to invest in a vintage scale!  Or, four.  OH, the possibilities with them!  I have several, and I use them all over my house!  Above are two examples of how I have them staged for Valentine's Day.  WARNING:  you will need to hunt for good deals on the scales - I scour flea markets and such for good prices on them.  There are people out there asking for $80+ for them, but I have not paid more than $20 for any of mine!  MY PRECCCIIIOOOOUUUUSSSS. 

Another hip piece to own is a vintage, chippy wheelbarrow for your front porch.  The best part is all the charming possibilities that you have for it throughout the year!  I currently have tons of huge glitter hearts, felt hearts, and chalkboard hearts in it from the Dollar Tree!  The chippy wheelbarrow is another red hot item.  I only paid $15 for mine, but it took some time to find one - look around at flea markets, garage sale sites, and antique markets!  I promise that this will be an item to invest in!  Since we are chatting retro and grandparents, let's learn how to make a good old fashioned Manhattan!

My Mimi and Pampa's house is magical to me.  As a child, I got to turn in my favorite foods list to them for my visits - for all of the meals!  As an adult (or, perhaps a "few years" shy of drinking age), I got to turn in my alcoholic beverage list to my Pampa before I arrived.  They call The Manhattan "the king of cocktails".  And, my Pampa is The King of Bartenders.  He has a fully stocked bar at. all. times.  In fact, I would go visit my grandparents in Louisiana for every Spring Break when I was in college at Texas A&M.  It was just a short 4 hour drive and totally worth it!  The wildest party that I have EVER attended in my life was with my grandparents at their friend's home.  They have parties for everything including impending hurricanes.  The oil industry is a tight business, particularly if you are a geologist - geologists are the "fun ones".  TRUST ME when I tell you that my Pampa and his cronies could teach kids these days a thing or two about hosting the mother of all keggers!  

Ingredients:

1 ounce of Bourbon

1/2 ounce sweet vermouth

1 tsp of maraschino cherry juice

Mix ALL of the above ingredients in some ice or a shaker and drink it up!!!  Laissez Le Bon Temps Rouler!!!