Giveaway reminder and a Happy New Year

Don't forget to enter the 200th follower giveaway, if you want to get the chance to win some vintage perfume samples.

And a very Happy New Year to you all! I have had so much fun writing this blog and I'm so happy you enjoy reading it! I look forward to next year!



The lady on the picture is my grandmother Greta at a New Years Eve-party in the late 30's. I still have the blouse, it's in pale green with darker green leaves and is probably one of her "America-blouses". I have forgotten the exact story, but a relative or friend worked in a clothes store and they were sent blouses from America to get to choose what to buy to the store. They came in a very small size and my grandmother who was very petite was just about the only person who could really wear them, so she was given a lot of them. I really need to take pictures of that blouse, doesn't I? (And no, the gentleman is NOT my grandfather, it muct have been taken before they got to know each other around 1940.)

Revlon lipstick

I found this nifty piece of information on The Fedora Lounge. Mosly 50's shades, but still. Now I don’t really need more lipsticks, but I get cravings nevertheless…



I do wish Raven Red were available as a lipstick too.

Looking back and forward

A new year is almost here and I realise that I will need to start on my spring/summer wardrobe soon if I am to have anything to wear. I'm a little annoyed with myself for not completing the autumn/winter wardrobe this year, but I shan't be too upset about it. This first year demands more clothes to be fixed than the rest as it assumes that a lot of clothes already exists in the closet when you start. Looking back I realise that I could have made this into a five-year plan instead, splitting the first year into two, but now it feels a bit too late. So instead I will finish the clothes I have already started, but will leave the grey wool dress , the brown wool jacket and the faux fur to next autumn instead. There are also a few details I haven't been able to get to yet.

I don't do New Year resolutions but I will try to focus a bit more on my sewing time. Much too often it gets neglected, which is bad as sewing makes me relaxed and happy (if I'm not stupid enough to give myself deadlines). We're also going to fix the sort-of sewing room up and make it a proper working space both for sewing and writing. Right now the sewing room is a bit of a place to store furniture that really isn't practical to have in a sewing room like a Regency sofa and a 1950's radio gramophone. Beautiful, but really no help at all when you work.

Here's an overview with links to the completed items.

A 1940's updo tutorial

I was asked how I did my hair here and as that may interest more people, here is a little how-to. My hair is cut in a middy that is quite long- soon it will be a femme fatale. The longest part is a little below my shoulders and the shortest layer reach me to my chin. It's also rather thick. You can do this style with both shorter and longer hair, if shorter it needs to be long enough to roll and with longer hair your rolls will be bigger.

What you need is booby pins, pomade, hair spray and some patience.

You also need to know a few things to start out. First you need to curl your hair. I always do my standing pin curls, but you can curl you hair any way you like best.

Nuit de Noel

I hope you are enjoying your holiday! Let’s have a perfum-y Christmas-post today, shall we? It seems rather suitable. I could say that I have eagerly waited to try this perfume until Christmas Eve, but that wouldn’t be quite true. I did try it before, just to make sure I liked it, but I have waited until now to talk about it. Nuit de Noel was released by Caron in 1922 and in case your French is lacking (mine is very rusty) it means Christmas night. It has a bit of a romantic story; it was created by Ernest Daltroff for his lover, who loved Christmas and its scents.

Merry Christmas

It’s Christmas Eve tomorrow and as that is THE big day in Sweden as opposed to Christmas Day, I will take the opportunity to wish you Merry Christmas today. I do so with a flood of glamorous winter and Christmas photos from the 1940’s. They are all courtesy of Mothic Flights and Flutterings, an absolutely wonderful source of beautiful pictures!

I wish I was a rich girl #5

I’m still feeling very un-intellectual, so here comes an easy shopping post instead. There’s a life after Christmas too, after all and plenty of time for long and interesting posts. Up until this week the weather in Sweden has been very unwintery and there have been more need for umbrellas than warm coats. So here is a little umbrella post- I especially love the fanciful handles!