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Monday, July 15, 2013

Bringing 60's into the Kitchen!

For a number of years now the 60's have been a huge inspiration for me- both in my personal style, music tastes, and in just a general flair for decor.  I challenged myself to wear all vintage last week, and it really pushed me to use the pieces in my closet that I absolutely love but somehow surpass for more "updated" pieces time and time again.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my vintage clothing, but I have a habit of intermittently holding it in the back of my closet and regarding it as precious, almost more like art, and try not to wear it as often.  I decided that's sort of silly, considering they are my favorite pieces and I value them so much.  Why not wear the crud out of them, then?
Vintage clothing has so much character and so much history.  I love thinking about where the pieces I own have been, and what journey they took before they came to me.  I love the colors, the patterns and bold prints.  They just don't make them like that anymore!  And then there's the fact that you are recycling and reloving a piece of clothing and saving resources in the process.  Working with vintage is exhilarating.  I love when clients bring in their old things and tell me stories about them.  "I went to the Virgin Islands in that dress", "That was my prom dress from 1951", "I wore that in Australia as a traveling actress".  The stories that I hear really give me a special relationship with the merchandise that I sell, and that really means something to me.  The dress I am wearing above was part of a private estate sale that Sandi and I went through for the store.  I saw a square of the fabric peaking through heaps of other dresses and tops and was mesmerized.  It is a little large, but after a quick hem and bright orange belt, you can hardly tell how roomy it was! 
 So, with all of the inspiration I take from 60s fashion I have really started to adore 60s decor- flower power tea towels, mushroom printed aprons, and brightly colored recipe boxes...oh, I could go on!  This weekend Daniel and I went picking in some of our favorite flea markets and antique malls to find some deals and bring the 60s inspiration into the kitchen! 
 Moth balls are one 60s trend I won't be getting on any time soon, haha!  Especially considering that moths are my favorite "animal" and I do love them so!  (Not really the clothes eating kind, but luckily I haven't had any trouble with that).  As a kid I associated that smell with my Great Aunt, as she had a home chock full of them, and everything we received from her always carried the aroma.  I guess you could say it's sort of a nostalgic smell, or at least one that brings back childhood memories. 
 
These are the beauties Daniel and I came away with this weekend!  I had to have that 50s "Orange" teapot and the Strawberry sugar bowl was just too cute to pass up.  The deals?  $9 for the teapot, $10 for the sugar bowl, $3 for the entire set of short flower glasses, and $7 each for the tall flower glasses (They are just so gorgeous, and they used to be peanut butter jars, how rad is that??)  My goal was really to bring some more "flower power" and kitschy inspiration to our already colorful kitchen, and on a budget too.  With enough hunting around, we had a total success! 

Looking for your own vintage flower power treasures?  The best places are of course Thrift stores, vintage boutiques, goodwill, flea markets and antique shops (not to mention Grandma's house)- still not finding what you're looking for?  Not to fear, etsy is here!  I have plenty of groovy items on my wishlist, and if you are a fan of the flower, I am sure you will find some for yours too! 
My Etsy Flower Power Wishlist:
1.Vintage japanese plastic floral necklace  2. Vintage Floral tray 3.  Vintage recipe Box   4.  Vintage flower power pans  5.  Vintage floral suitcase  6.  Groovy floral curtain panels  7.  70s Flower bowl/plate holders  8.  Orange floral blanket made from vintage fabric
 Are you guys fans of the flower too?  Do you garner any inspiration from the mod 60s?  
 xo, Alyssa

18 comments:

  1. I love your dress and all your Etsy finds, sweet lady!

    Love, Amy

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  2. Oh my...that teapot and sugar bowl are so cute! I love tea accessories, and I love fruit-themed things! 60's style is definitely really fun to get into and wear. The colors are bright and the prints are bold. So awesome! You look great! I also love the oldies music from back then. :)

    I agree with you about vintage clothing. I love that it comes with a history to it. You may not know what exactly that history is, but you know it's there and it's like you're carrying the torch when you wear a vintage piece.

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  3. Oh my GOODNESS, so many things to love about this post! First, I absolutely agree with you on keeping certain items in your closet as 'art pieces' or just too special to wear. When I know I need to have a busy day, I don't want to sweat in or get dirty in my favorite vintage dress! But you're right, they're too awesome not to wear, what's the point of having them if we don't?
    Also, this really inspired me to want to decorate a bit in my house! I ADORE those flower glasses so much! I'm sure I've seen ones like that around, but didn't really give them a second look. Now I'll have to be on the lookout for some because I want a set as pretty as yours! What great finds :)

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  4. Yay! Flower Power! ♥ I'm a big fan of the 60s too. I love your teapot, it's amazing. A really good designer who has added a modern twist to 60s/70s patterns is Orla Kiely. :)

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  5. This looks so fun! Your dress is seriously to die for! Love it!

    xo-
    Jody
    www.jodybchic.com

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  6. I love 60s kitchenware and those flower glasses are amazing! I also collect vintage suitcases so that blue/green floral one is speaking to me! xo

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  7. Thanks for your lovely words on my last post!
    I would love to see your whole kitchen someday, I'm sure it's pretty and colourful!

    Have a great day,
    -Kati

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  8. I too sometimes save my good vintage pieces for special days but why they should be celebrated everyday! Your new teapot and sugar bowl are just too cute! The 50's and 60's are just incredible for vintage! Your dress is fantastic! Flower power!

    Rebecca
    www.winnipegstyle.ca

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  9. Oh man, I love that you put how you put things in the back of the closet, saving them almost like they're art... because I tend to do that with a lot of my "nicer" clothes, too. Maybe not vintage pieces, but sometimes it's hard for me to wear my more expensive shoes sometimes! It's an awful habit I've gotta kick, but I totally feel ya, Alyssa!!

    60s seems to be the right era for you, yup. It's bright and mod and kitschy cutesy. :) And colorful, duhhh! I love that you're so into it and I can really tell that vintage fashion is something you love. I get giddy when people get giddy over things. :) :)

    That all being said, I adore your dress and was glad that you were able to take it in and make it work for you!

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  10. oh man, I treat my vintage stuff the same way, actually. keeping it hanging up in the closet, occasionally checking on it to make sure it's okay, but never wearing it, haha. Like, yeah, I'm afraid it'll get ruined or something. but you're right, what use is it tucked away in a closet? I love your dress, it's so cute and so perfect on you :)

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  11. I love flowers too! But for me there always need to some more "calm" areas in a room- so I would decorate things rather "pure" with a few colorful and flowery details :) Anyhow, I LOVE to spend days in thrift shops and on flea markets and to buy lots of wonderful things. The other day I found this travel- chess game on a flea market which I am soooo much in love with and I just have to look at it to put a smile on my face :)
    I also love when my dresses have stories and some of them even have names like Vienna- dress (bcs I bought it in Vienna) or Engagement-dress (bcs I wore it on the day J. asked me to marry him :))
    And I was very happy to read that you are also a fan of lentils and Indian food :)

    Lots of love!

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  12. The print on that dress is amazing! I also love those flower print tall glasses too, I am a huge fan of vintage and floral! I am swooning over that yellow pan set from your etsy wishlist! Hope you're having a great day!
    xo Hannah

    thebraidedbandit.blogspot.com
    thebraidedbandit.etsy.com

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  13. I love 60s fashion too, especially those bright fun floral prints. I always see the 60s inspirations in your style. I wish I could find more of this around. You're etsy wish list is incredible, ever since I got my own place last year pretty items for the house excite me almost as much as clothes do.

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  14. So much 60s goodness! Your dress is just adorable, as always. Hemming and belting is a wonderful solution for roominess. I'm absolutely loving that orange teapot you got too. If I had the room I'd have so many teapots!

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  15. Hey Marlen!

    This is the Antique Mall in Newark where I live. It's basically a little house chock full of vintage/antique treasures. It is pretty magical :) If you're ever in Delaware def. come see it! xoxo

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