Vintage Levi's Ads │ Levi's Through the Years

Vintage Levi's are one of my favorite items to wear, collect, sell, and research. And over the years after researching each pair I've found to sell or wear,  it's just as much fun to see what they looked like when they came out originally. 

Here's a nice sample of vintage Levi's ads (and here's one of the oldest ad that isn't a paper ad at all) that make me smile and only serve to make me want to find even more vintage Levi's items.

I love this piece- something attached to the actual vintage denim item.
What a great historical piece of ephemera.

I recently finished a book about Levi Strauss. It was written by a former Levi's archivist named Lynn Downey. She is a beautiful writer and is up there in quality with any other comparable best-selling historical biographer. 

With me being a northern Californian, and one who lives in Gold River (an area that was a huge part of the gold rush), reading about how Strauss came to America to be a part of the gold rush was enlightening. And something I'd been wanting to know about for years. 

I am shocked by the origins of Strauss and how little he came with to America from Bavaria. The story Downey weaves filled with his background - along with the origins of the Levi's brand and how it came into being - is fascinating. 

I will probably be buying the book in print it's that good. I highly recommend it if you're even the slightest bit interested in the history of Levi's. The denim part of Strauss' dry goods business began in 1873 and over 151 years later, it still has a strong presence, not only in American culture but in the fashion community worldwide.

As a counterpart to the book, check out the Levi's Strauss Archive blog. It's years of blog posts about the history of the company and, my favorite part, the acquiring of rare vintage denim pieces.

 

It's a gold mine of information.

-Heather

My Vintage Garden | Planting Anise in my Perennial Garden

My goal was to grow dill in my perennial herb garden this year. But I’m finding the slugs are drawn to it like it’s candy. 

It broke my heart when our neighborhood gardeners took out an incredible patch of anise growing wild on our trails. I loved that patch of anise! Whispy and willowy, it was beautiful to watch it grow and bloom every spring.

Despite the broken heart, I was also slightly encouraged. I knew it wasn’t really gone. Perennials like to reappear even when you think they’re gone for good. So I watched that area.

And I knew what I had to do when I saw a single anise plant growing this last week. If the HOA gardeners obliterated the natural growth of that patch of anise, then surely they wouldn’t mind me keeping the anise “in check” as well. So I did what I had to do. 

I poached the anise. 

It sounds harsh when I put it that way because I can't take something that was already "gone." Perhaps "poached" isn't the right word. Maybe "borrow" is the better word... borrowing a plant that shouldn't be there.

This beautiful plant smells great (like licorice) and will sit next to the little dill plant that, hopefully, will perk up despite the slugs. 

The anise looks perfect in my garden and I feel like I’m carrying on the natural patch of anise that used to sit about 20 yards from my house - I’m keeping the herbs going. Only in my own yard instead. Waste not, want not. 

Perennials rebirth themselves every year. It's why I love perennials so much. They keep going, like deciduous trees, losing their leaves... losing their life after giving it up, only to regain it back.

This feels like a perfect analogy for the weekend while I'm writing this. Death is not a finality. A temporary setback, perhaps. But not a finality.

A victory garden of the highest caliber.

Have a wonderful Easter weekend. my vintage friends.

Vintage Dog Photo | Thank God it’s Vintage Friday

This photo cracks me up and melts my heart at the same time.

This dog is the sweetest vintage pup and was so good to sit for this photo.

Have a wonderful Friday, my friends.

Thank God it's Vintage Friday!

TGIVF

Levi's Jeans │ My Favorite Vintage Jeans are Levi's

Everyone has a favorite pair of jeans. 

My favorite Levi’s eight

Either they fit just so, or it’s as if they were made for you (and perhaps you did have them altered to fit right). 

But there is nothing like that feeling. The snug, but comfortable, fit of a favorite pair of jeans. There's especially nothing like the feeling of slipping on a pair of jeans after a long day in formal clothing. 

I kind of equate jeans to sweatpants; they’re that comfortable to me and cotton denim should be comfy like sweatpants. Cotton softens as we wear it. Plus it's a natural fiber without synthetics. It's good for your skin. 

So the more you wear your cotton jeans (and wash them) the softer and better they get.  

My favorite brand is Levi Strauss. And they know all about real fabrics. I know it's a classic and common choice, Levi's. I’ve tried to branch out but I always return to the original.  

One of my favorite pairs- look at that patina.

Vintage denim Levi's feels even better to me because of the cotton and the way it was manufactured. Thick denim, amazing fading, vintage denim is so special. 

Fortunately, Levi's has a heritage line today that is a throwback to how they used to make them: all cotton with this quality thick selvedge denim. 

So, I feel like they're trying. Which makes me happy.

I own many pairs of Levi's and have since pared down the denim in my closet to jeans I only wear. Meaning, there aren't any I don't wear. And most are Levi's.

I used to have a few pairs (of other brands) I wouldn't wear and they sat there unhappy. I donated those. Today, 8 out of the 10 pairs of jeans I wear are Levi's. Some are modern pairs, but most are vintage. I've got some from the 1950s up to a couple years ago from 2020. They vary in cut from 501 to 511.

Levi's are it for me and probably always will be. The more I research the old archival information out there, and the more I read about Levi Strauss, as well as my quest for vintage Levi's as I thrift and treasure hunt for vintage denim (mostly Levi's) for my vintage shop, the more I love Levi's. It can't be helped.

What's your favorite denim brand?

Let me know.

-Heather

Vintage Diane Von Furstenberg Wrap Dress │ Target for Furstenberg

I remember thrifting my first (and only) Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dress. It was the year 2013. I’d only been selling vintage for a few years. 

This is it. 

What I didn’t know - and couldn’t have known - was that these dresses aren’t common. Finding another would be the goal and it still remains a goal unfulfilled. 

After searching through hundreds of thousands of items of clothing since then, I haven't come upon another.

Rare, beautiful, and in-demand, vintage wrap Furstenberg dresses are not common. And many women want them. Furstenberg rose to fame with her famous jersey knit wrap dress in 1974 and the rest is history.

So when Target decided to team up with Furstenberg - something they do with haute couture designers yearly - I had to severely control myself. I wanted to buy them all. Every dress. One of each in my size. 

Look at the displays. 

The wild prints, bright colors, and easy and beautifully draping fabric beckon me. These new dresses are very similar to the 1970s throwback. The quality is not the same but I know that’s not the point. 

The point is to bring a new generation of girls into the knowledge of this designer. And what better way to do that than team up with Target. 

This was the dress I was a few seconds away from purchasing yesterday. It reminds me much of the vintage one I found years ago.

In retrospect, I shouldn’t have sold the original vintage dress I found 11 years ago. 

But how would I have known how rare they would be to find? How would I have known that some vintage pieces are once found and never to be found again? 

My young mind thought there would be plenty more. And it wasn't just a naive thought... there should be more to find! And yet, these are hand-me-down quality and classic dresses. Maybe the women who used to wear these are passing them down to their daughters and nieces?

Maybe I’ll find another one soon. I’m always looking. And for me to help manifest what I'm looking for, I'm going to say something about it out loud. But in print. 

So let this post be my verbal words as well: I want to find another vintage Diane Von Furstenberg dress!

There I said it.

If you've been to Target to check out the new Furstenberg line, let me know what you think.

There have been many "one-hit wonders" in my life - meaning, I only find one amazing vintage item and haven't found another duplicate since. It's incredible how rare some "un-rare" pieces truly are.

Hopefully, this Furstenberg wrap dress isn't a "one and done" for me.

Hop into Target to take a look. They're all beautiful and vibrant. I sincerely hope to refrain from purchasing one (with my bent more on finding a vintage one) but sometimes (as my once three-year-old oldest son used to say all the time two decades ago), "Sometimes, you just never know."

Ain't that the truth. Sometimes, you just never know.

-Heather

Thrift Haul │ My Vintage Thrifted Finds March 26, Week 4

Tuesday is my main thrifting day of the week. 

Some weeks, I can barely find a stitch of vintage out there. On other days, the vintage is practically throwing themselves at me. Those are rare days, but they're fun. Those are the days when I find exactly what I'm looking for... and more.

Well, that was today! In fact, I'm still so excited I can barely write this post.

I found more than a handful of great things today. I found two huge handfuls of things. 

There are the usual regular suspects I'm always looking for like denim, or bandanas. I found plenty of that. Which makes today amazing. But that's not all.

I also found a couple of incredible skirts and a beautiful black wool cardigan that I'd love to keep (but won't). And a piece of Pyrex I don't have that helps complete a set of mine. These finds also make today doubly amazing. 

But that's STILL not all.

Today's biggest find was a thrifted Yves Saint Laurent velvet and taffeta blouse. 

Okay, hold the presses. Genuine YSL. Y'all, let me state the obvious: this brand is hard to come by!

Finding vintage YSL is equivalent to finding a unicorn. They're rare. 

And in my world of hunting and searching for a lot of men's workwear, sweaters, denim, and the occasional vintage dress (where haute couture fashion is NOT a common find) this wonderful piece presented itself to me like a ray of sunshine peeking through the clouds.

In the last 14 years, this is "only" my fifth piece of couture YSL. As I said, it's a unicorn-quality piece.

I plan on writing a separate post about it with a little YSL history, so stay tuned for that. This blouse deserves all the attention it can get.

So, was today a good thrift haul? You better believe it. Lots of vintage goodness in this pile and (most) all of it is headed to the shop late this week.

Thanks for sharing in my excitement. YSL is the winner of today's thrifted haul.

PS. I didn't try the piece on because I didn't want it to fit me. Ha. It actually looks a touch small for me, so I think I'm in the clear. Maybe. Fingers crossed...

Vintage Outfit of the Day │ Vintage 1940s / 1950s Women's Denim Outfit

After looking for years for some vintage '40s/ '50s Levi's women's jeans (finding men's vintage isn't the problem... it's finding the women's Levi's) with a side zip closure, I finally caved last year and bought a pair off of Etsy.

Jeans, for me, are hard to find. I think most women feel this way. I love vintage Levi's and modern Levi's, so that's my chosen brand I tend to stick with. And when you find what works, it's easy to start only wearing that particular brand.

But, women's jeans - especially vintage jeans, which is what I like to wear - are very difficult to find that work for my body type.  This is mostly because of my height. I'm on the taller side, so finding an inseam long enough that doesn't make me look like I'm treading water is hard to do. Plus, women back in the day were (on average) shorter than me.

When I saw a pair of vintage 40s/50s ranch wear women's Levi's jeans with my needed measurements, I kind of zeroed in on it and watched it like a hawk. They were perfect. I couldn't think of anything else. After a few nights of watching them and hoping no one else bought them (I saw they were in someone else's car), I had to get them.

Since I don't buy a whole lot of clothing for myself (unless it's thrifted and even then, it's few and far between as I'm a minimalist these days with my wardrobe) spending a few dollars than I normally would on a pair of vintage jeans was risky. But, so worth it. 

My mantra for the past 10 years has been to buy less but buy better. Vintage clothing is all of that. Quality fashion, sustainable fashion, and fashion that will last decades more if you take care of it. I still abide by this slow-fashion ideology.

These jeans are stunning and the best part, they were never hemmed. They actually feel more like deadstock vintage, or maybe worn a few times, then the previous owner folded them back up and never wore them again. The waist is right, and the inseam is right... these were meant for me.

Levi's are my choice of denim. And today's vintage outfit of the day look is all about the 1940s-1950s. 

Jeans: Vintage Levi's Side Zip Ranch Jeans - 1940/1950s

Jacket: Vintage Big Dallas 1940s /1950s Ranch Jacket - For the few years I've had this jacket, I thought it was from the 1960s and maybe from the 1950s. But I just read that a "laurel wreath victory circle" button implies it's post-WW2 and sometimes post-WW1, depending on the design - so this jacket is probably from the late 1940s. I'm so happy to know this. And now, I need to do a lot more research on laurel leaves, stars, and button history.

Bandana: Vintage 1940s/1950s Red Bandana

I plan on doing a few more Levi's posts because I just finished a phenomenal biography about Levi Strauss. My number one love is vintage denim, particularly vintage Levi's (because it's part of the Northern California culture) and it's been around me for decades.

Write about what you love, they say. So, that's what I will continue to do.

Hope your day is wonderful. And wear your Levi's!  

Marilyn Monday | March 25, 2024

Happy Monday.  

I like to post a Marilyn Monroe photo on Monday. It’s a throwback to when I used to send my sisters and mom a Marilyn photo via text every Monday and I called it “Marilyn Monday.”

I love finding photos of her that show her true side: the ones where she may not even know she’s being photographed.  

Sweet Marilyn. Photo courtesy of Pinterest. 

Last night, we had a delicious ribeye steak and we opened a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon to go with it. 

This is by Four Vines  - a central California coast label -and it’s not an expensive bottle but it was sublime. I had to share the label. What’s a woman and her wine without a mention of the label?

Such a fun vintage-style label, circa 1920s photo. That gal is flexible. I’m headed to yoga class this morning. Maybe this look needs to be my next flexibility goal?

Have a great Monday, my vintage friends. 

Coffee + Thrifting with a Friend = The Perfect Saturday

I went to coffee with a friend today.

This friend happens to be "family" (she's the sister-in-law of my sister so I'm not sure what that makes us...) and we end up seeing each other - to do this wonderful "coffee thrift" event - once a year. It should be seasonal at best. But, life sidetracks us.

We live in the same town. It's kind of a deplorable thing to see one another so little. But it's always a great time to catch up on life events over a cup of coffee.

It's also a great time to head to a thrift store together and treasure hunt.

While she found tons of things she needed, I only found one thing and I definitely didn't "need" it. I didn't even find anything for the vintage shop.

But this mug I found was perfect. I'm adding it to my vintage mug collection. 

Do you know what I love about '60s and '70s vintage mugs? They're either obvious in their design or abstract. Like, you know it's a flower because it looks like a flower or you end up with a design that you think is a flower.

It's either one or the other.

This mug is of the abstract kind. I believe these are flowers with designs all around them. Maybe.

And I love it.

Today was a success. Friends, family, and finds.

-Heather

Saturday Morning Rain │My Vintage Garden

The rain returned to Northern California. I’m always so happy to have it. Perpetually deficient in the wet stuff, our state can use every drop. 

I took this shot while the sun was just beginning to come up but with cloud cover a few minutes ago. The green of my "victory" herb garden looks lovely with it, to me. 

My herb garden

The Hobbit Garden will always be my quest. I’m hopefully getting closer to the Hobbit home and garden I’ve always wanted. 

From the movie, The Hobbit

Tolkien figured out that the best things in life are simple and generally budget-friendly. And made one of his main characters yearn for it amidst great adventures. The vintage garden I aspire to is a Hobbit Garden.

Great Book!

As Bilbo Baggins says in The Hobbit, "I miss my books, and my armchair, and my garden. See that's where I belong; that's home."

I feel the same way. 

March 23rd is National Puppy Day │ Vintage Puppy Photo

Courtesy of Pinterest 

I’ll take any day to think about puppies. 

But on National Puppy Day, it’s definitely a perfect day to think about a pup. This photo is adorable.

Due to my pup passing a few months ago, I have many people asking if I’ll get another. A normal question. Especially for, or from, a dog lover. 

“Maybe one day,” is my answer, but not now. 

We had her for 13 years. It was a wonderful time. But having the freedom not to worry about her is where I’m at. I’m taking a break  and my heart is still healing  

So, I pet random dogs, look at puppy photos, and watch dog videos to fill in the void in my heart and get my dog "fix." It's not the same, but it helps.

Happy National Puppy Day 2024.

Thank God its Vintage Friday │ TGIVF with Mark Twain

After posting about my "vintage quotes" era in a previous post this week, coming across a Mark Twain (aka Samuel Clemons) photo with his dog did it for me.

What a beautiful dog. The dog looks like he's waiting for dinner.

Mark looks like he wants to say something clever.

Or controversial.

Or perhaps a combination of the two.

His hair though... I love the picture. If there ever was a vintage author I'd want to meet, it would've been him. He spoke out very clearly (and hilariously) what he believed in and didn't back down from it. That's a character trait to aspire to.

Sometimes, all I need is a vintage photo with a dog and its author, and my Friday is made.

Happy Friday and thank God it's Vintage Friday.

Einstein’s Desk | Vintage Desk

This is neither here nor there, but I came across this photo of Einstein’s desk. 

I’m both appalled and pleased by it. And I’ve figured out that:

1. Genius’s do things their own way. 

2. I’m not a genius. This desk and its’ mess drives me bonkers. 

3. If you have a chance, watch Einstein and The Bomb via Netflix. Very insightful, historical, and there’s beautiful vintage clothing all over it. Not to mention, that desk of his…

But I do love the books and the quality of his desk. It vaguely reminds me of my grandfather’s vintage desk. The one I now use  

Hope your evening is mellow and sweet  

-Heather

Vintage Outfit of the Day │ Vintage '60s Washington DeeCee Overalls

A portion of my back fence is being repaired today. 

It blew over a month ago from a particularly gusty storm. This meant that many other fences in the area were being repaired, so we're finally getting ours back too.

While I'm not doing any of the work on it, in honor of the work being done - and in reference to the workwear of old - I'm wearing my overalls.

Now, mind you, I wore overalls in the 1990s. I sort of told myself I'd never wear them again. But, things change and truth be told, never say never. It'll always come back to bite you. 

I found a pair of overalls that made me look like I wasn't actually swimming in them.

These are DeeCee Overalls, probably made in the late '50s to early '60s. They're super slim, so I think they were made for young tween or teen boys. 

This company is still in business after starting in the early 1920s. They're from Nashville, Tennessee even though the name implies our nation's capital.

Regardless, they fit me great. I love them. 

So counter to my previous "never" statement of not wearing them ever again, here I am wearing them again.

I found an old ad to go with the company. While the ad is from the 1950s, and I'm pretty sure these are from the 1960s, it's fun to match clothing with what was actually advertised back in the day.

Again, this makes me feel like I'm literally traveling back in time.

DeeCee Ad

Hope your Thursday is fantastic, my vintage friends.

-Heather

Vintage Pendleton Skirt │ Blue and Green Plaid 1950s Pendleton Skirt

There's something incredibly real and powerful about saying out loud (or writing out) what you want to make it appear. Words have power. They literally give life to what we're talking about (which is why we have to be careful what we say).

A couple of days ago, I wrote a blog post about Black Watch Tartan and how it's my favorite plaid pattern. I've been looking for this pattern for years, and have rarely found one (I want a vintage Pendleton skirt) in my size.

Today, after popping into a thrift store for 10 minutes after going to the gym, I came across a 1950s Pendleton blue and green plaid wool skirt. I almost fell over. While it's not Black Watch, it's very close. Pendleton wasn't even making tartan patterns until later, like the '70s. So this green and blue one is the closest to that pattern that was out there in the 1950s.

The skirt is a great fit. So, until I find an actual Black Watch Tartan, this one is a perfect stand-in. The odds of finding one after just conveying my feelings about not finding any these days is what makes this request so amazing to see manifested.

The great thing about having a selling account on Etsy is I can see all of my past sales and search by pattern or product. I did a quick check on Black Watch. In the last (almost) 14 years, I've only sold eight Black Watch items. Eight. That's it. One Black Watch item every year and a half isn't the best odds.

But after finding this blue and green beauty today, my faith has been restored. 

This skirt will fill in for now. I love it because it's an old Pendleton. Remember, the "wool" mark logo appeared after 1964 when wool producers put the logo on an item to validate and authenticate true wool.  

This one does not have that mark, so it's probably from the late 1950s. The side metal zipper (Talon) is also a dead giveaway to it being older. Also, the vanity sizing of modern is a giveaway as to the skirt's age. This is marked a '50s size 14. The waist is 26" which is a modern size 2. Vintage and modern sizing do not correlate.

The Vintage Fashion Guild has a great article about old Pendleton labels.

Thanks for reading about my Pendleton Black Watch journey. When I find a true Black Watch Pendleton skirt, again, I'll let you know.

In the meantime, I'm still over the moon about finding a rare item after just finally putting it into words a couple days ago.

Words have power.

-Heather

My Vintage Pyrex Collection │ What Does it Cost to Thrift Pyrex?

Because of the uncertainty of TikTok, and whether or not they will be banned from our phones, I wanted to answer a question that I know many of my Pyrex TikTok fans want to know: 

How much money have you spent on Pyrex?

I officially started collecting Pyrex in March of 2021. It began when I wanted to collect something for myself. Having sold vintage clothing for 11 years at that point, and selling 99% of the items I thrifted, I wanted to treasure hunt something I could hold onto. 

But it had to be something I loved.

It was a way to spark the humdrum attitude that had pervaded my thrifting routine. I loved vintage clothing; I loved selling vintage clothing; I couldn't imagine doing anything else (other than writing or blogging). But after so many years of it, the joy was diminishing. And I didn't want it to.

So I began on my quest for hunting Pyrex. I had always held off on collecting it because I had a Fire-King collection. But it wasn't that large, and I knew I was going to sell off some pieces one day. So, if I was going to collect something, this something had to be an item I could both love and use. 

It needed to be a utilitarian collection. Sure, clothing is utilitarian, but I wanted something different than that.

From the first piece I picked up at a thrift store by my house (it was actually three pieces, three of the smallest casseroles to the Autumn Harvest pattern) I began to keep track of every dime I spent. I also had a rule of not spending more than $15 per piece. (If it’s a rare piece, I will spend a little more but it doesn’t happen often.)

On average, I spend $6-$8 per piece. Sometimes it’s $10-$12 per piece and sometimes it’s $3-$5 per piece.

I knew there was a rise in the popularity of Pyrex, but I also wanted to challenge myself: I wanted to see if I could amass an entire (or nearly entire) collection of vintage Pyrex all thrifted, or at least, mostly thrifted. I wanted to defy the odds: to work my butt off and get out there and thrift for those pieces. I knew they were out there because I passed them up all the time!

While thrift stores do price gouge these pieces sometimes, oftentimes actually, they miss pieces! They can't see everything, and sometimes if they do, they don't care. Yes, there are some outrageous prices. I laugh at them and tell myself, "I will find this one for cheap somewhere else." And guess what, I do.

I firmly believe in the power of working hard and believing in what you want. I wanted to find these pieces, so I thrifted like crazy (20 thrift stops or more a week) and mentally envisioned myself finding them. And sure enough, they began to appear. Now, it's not all "law of attraction"  but it is definitely a manifestation.

When you look for something, you will find it. You can manifest nearly anything from friendships to groceries to money on the ground or Pyrex. 

What you focus on becomes what you find. So be careful what you focus on and what you ask for.

Numbers

So here's the good part, the numbers part, the part you've been waiting for.

I tallied my three years' worth of purchases at thrift stores. They equaled $2050 for all three years.

That $2050 divided by three years (March 2021 to March 2024) comes to $683.00 per year.

That 683.00 per year divided by twelve months is $56.94 per month spent on Pyrex.

I spend, on average, $57 a month on Pyrex. That's less than $2 a day. You can't even buy a plain cup of coffee for $2 a day.

So for anyone who doesn't think thrifting Pyyrex is affordable, it really is. Choose what you're going to buy. I gave up my Starbucks coffee to only one a week (rather than three times a week) to pay for my Pyrex addiction.

What do I get back after that cup of coffee is gone? Nothing but a headache and wishing for more caffeine. Pyrex is actually worth a few dollars, stays with me, and is something I find pretty that I can use.

It's an all-around win for me.

Including lids, I have about 300 pieces. And because I have so many pieces, it's getting rarer to find ones I don't have. But that's fine.

Even if I only thrift one piece a month, that still brings me such happiness. It's the thrill of the hunt that keeps me going.

If you want to collect Pyrex and are willing to hunt for it and ignore the high-priced thrift stores, you will find them. As I always say to my followers, it takes a lot of persistence, patience, and the willingness to believe you will find them. They are out there. You don't have "worse" thrift stores than me. We all have good and bad thrift stores, and they all miss things!

Pyrex Passion Book

So there you go. A thrifted Pyrex collection costs (me) $57 a month, or about $14 a week.

Thank you for reading, my vintage friends! Comment below if you want to share your latest find or have a question.

And remember, anything is possible if you believe. Even the thrifted vintage Pyrex. ♥

-Heather

PS. I post semi-regularly about Pyrex. If you're looking for a new outlet to see my Pyrex, check back often, or sign up for a free blog post subscription at the sidebar of my page. I post about all things vintage here.

Reference book:

This book is the BEST book I've ever seen on Pyrex. I use it constantly. I highly recommend it if you're looking for all of the patterns in one place - it's worth every penny. I can't live without mine. 

Reference Website:

A fantastic and mid-century perfect website about Pyrex is Pyrex Potluck. Beautifully written by the Corning Museum of Glass (Pyrex producers) and displayed, the information is wonderful to browse through.

Thrift Haul │ Vintage Thrifted Finds for March 2024 Week 3

Tuesdays are great days. Today’s thrift haul was small but perfect. If I can find wool, denim, and Pyrex in one outing, my day is set. My day is wonderful.

Today, I foraged this gorgeous wool hunting jac-shirt. Probably made in the 1940s or 1950s, getting rare and harder to find, I love it when I happen across them, which isn't often. 

And though it's the first day of spring, I always buy off-season. That's when the best deals happen! And most shoppers aren't looking for winter clothing either.

It's missing its label, but it doesn't matter. It's super clean and no holes - it's beautiful with its thick, heavy-duty wool.

Also, found this1950s vintage bandana. Always a win to find an old red bandana. The stories they could tell.

While I have this Pyrex refrigerator dish (in the Butterprint pattern) the price was fantastic and too good to pass up, so it'll be headed to the shop as well. It's also from the 1950s. Today was a '50s kind of day which is what I wish most of my days thrifting were like. 

Found a few belts as well (from the '80s), and some vintage denim shorts (also from the '80s) to round out the thrifted haul.

Fantastic finds today. I couldn't be happier.

Happy first day of spring!

-Heather

Welcome Spring 2024

It’s here!

Spring has arrived and with it, beautiful temperatures. If you can believe it, we’ve had temperature highs in the mid-70s here in Northern California and it’s going to stick around for a few more days. 

Mother Nature is cooperating with our calendar this year.

Courtesy of Pinterest, circa 1940s. 

Enjoy your spring, my vintage friends. And if it’s cold where you are, I’m sending vintage spring vibes your way. 

-Heather