My Vintage Vanity: New Finds For My Dresser Top

I've recently purchased a few vintage pieces for my bedroom on Etsy. The first is a vintage mirror tray that was painted white to give it a cottage look. I have it displayed on my dresser top. I've wanted one for awhile, and always wished I had kept mine from childhood. I wasn't sure I wanted to stray away from the common brass edgings, but I'm thrilled with the white!

You can see a little bit of the white edging here. I love displaying my ring swan on it!

Perfumes and other girly items belong on a mirror tray. 

Here you can get a better look at how well the white trim goes with the decor. I found this mirror tray at Tarnished Hinge. 

This lovely lady, is my first head vase. A Napco in pretty yellow and gold! Isn't she pretty? 

She is housing my make-up brushes on my vanity. A perfect spot for her! I found her in the Etsy shop Reminisce47.

Have you made any good vintage purchases lately? Please share! 

Fashionable History: Vintage Catalogs

Oh! The selection! Wish I could order from these now.

Catalog snippets from the 40's and 50's. 

My Vintage Vanity: Playclothes Vintage in Burbank, CA

 One of the many highlights of my vacation in California was doing a little vintage shopping in Los Angeles. Playclothes, located in Burbank, is my kind of vintage shop! It is filled with amazing finds from all eras, and compared to New York, with very reasonable prices. The interior is adorable with vignettes and dressers tops overflowing with jewelry and perfume bottles. The shop is located on a little stretch of vintage shops that must cater to the nearby studios. We were there on a Sunday and most of the other stores were closed.

 Although I was mesmerized with all of the vintage surroundings, I didn't score any real vintage this time. However,  I did buy these repro carved bangles from Classic Hardware. I love them! 

Here I am wearing my new bracelets in Laguna Beach with my Trashy Diva dress I bought in New Orleans! 




ps. Have you entered my Shabby Apple Giveaway? Hop to it! It ends 3/20/12.

Halloween and Vintage Shopping in Phoenix

This past weekend my beau and I went to Phoenix for a wedding on Halloween! Of course I can't travel without doing a little vintage shopping. Here are a few photos from the trip plus a listing of some fantastic vintage stores I visited for you to check out if you find yourself in town. The photo above is of me overlooking the beautiful Arizona landscape. As an East Coast girl, I was continually amazed by the desert and hills and felt like I was on a different planet! On this day we drove from Phoenix to Sedona and stopped to take this pic along the way. I am wearing my favorite 1940's rayon day dress.

At the masquerade Halloween wedding reception, my sweetie and I dressed as Dog the Bounty Hunter and his wife Beth. I've always wanted to be a platinum blonde and wearing this wig satisfied my desire for the night. Yes, blondes have more fun.

My "Beth" manicure! I've never worn fake nails before! A highlight for me!

Shopping in Phoenix was a blast! I treated myself very well, especially at the wonderful Hollywood Regency! This store is gorgeous with amazing displays of vintage clothing, shoes, purses, furniture....oooh I was in heaven! Clockwise from top left: A view of the shop displays. Gal Friday and my new friend, Jenny, striking a pose with Lance. She handmade her wonderful Halloween outfit from vintage patterns. She also invited us to her Halloween party and introduced me to my other new friend Lolita Haze. The party was a lot of fun and I'm still amazed at how friendly Phoenix is! Miss Lolita has some pics from the party on her blog; Vintage Starlet, where they both look adorable! Back to the bottom right is a 50's lucite clutch I bought and to the left is a photo of me quickly taken in the fitting room wearing my new favorite 50's sundress. Not pictured, I also purchased two pairs of gloves and a killer pair of 1950's gunmetal leather pumps with rhinestones. These were a real steal as I am a size 10 and rarely find vintage shoes in my size. Thank you Jenny!

Another gorgeous store is Nostalgic Alley pictured above. I had a lot of fun here and bought the gorgeous straw bag pictured in the bottom right. Shop owner Veronica is adorable and has a fantastic collection!

Here's my mini Phoenix vintage shopping guide. If in town, rent a car. Phoenix is spread out and not as walkable as New York City like I am used to. Also, most shops are not open 7 days a week and close by 6pm or earlier so plan accordingly.

Hollywood Regency: 708 W. Montecito Avenue. 602-277-5765

Nostalgic Alley: 4532 N. 7th St. #102 623-241-7432

Retro Ranch: 4303 N. 7th Ave. 602-297-1971

(not pictured but I bought a beautiful 1950's cardigan with fur shawl collar there)

Mint: 201 E. Camelback 602-256-9620
(not pictured but they have a good selection of clothes and a huge selection of MOD furniture)

Femme Fatale Vintage Update

Just a quick note to fill you in on some new updates for my vintage store, Femme Fatale Vintage. I have updated the website and now you can shop directly from the site! I have some added extras including modern "Fashionable Finds" (only available there) and some items from my retro handmade line, "The Sparkling Cocktail". Check it out at http://www.femmefatalevintage.com!

Love Etsy as much as I do? Don't worry. I am still there! http://FemmeFataleVintage.etsy.com and http://TheSparklingCocktail.etsy.com.