It's another Tuesday music post and this weeks post focuses on dance crazes of the 60s. There were so many great dances that originated in the 60s and I wish some of them would come back, I bet dances were much more fun. Let's start with a great one.
The Twist
I am really bad at learning dances but even I can do the twist. It's like a little workout and it's fun to do. Can you believe that at one time this was considered a provocative dance?
The Watusi
This is such a catchy song! The watusi became one of the most popular dances among teens and the surfer/beach crowd. Even Batman got in on the action with the Batusi.
The Jerk
You can also dance The Jerk to the song Cool Jerk by the Capitols.
These are only a small selection of 60s dances, there were many more and some dances changed based on the region where you lived. Does anyone have a favorite 60s dance?
I was never a fan of Valentine's day really. I'm not one of those bitter single types that wishes the worst for every loving couple they see nor have I ever been a saucer eyed romantic type. Really, I'm just excited for the candy. I do enjoy celebrating love on Valentine's day, Jeremy proposed to me in 2010 on February 14th, but I've never bought in to the whole idea that Valentine's day has to be over the top.
As Frank Sinatra once sang, "Love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage". Your valentine might already be your spouse or your soon to be spouse. Why not read this informative article from Collectors Weekly (http://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/how-romance-wrecked-traditional-marriage/) all about "traditional" marriage. The history of marriage is very fascinating , it wasn't always about marrying the person you loved it was a business transaction and the entire institution was extremely misogynistic. I'm not trying to bring anyone down, I'm just realistic.
I am a homebody and while I like to go out to a nice restaurant to celebrate Valentine's Day, I also like to celebrate at home. Another article from Collectors Weekly (http://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/vintage-romance-valentine’s-day-at-home/) gives some great ideas for couples to have a blast in their own home. One of my favorite things to do while spending a special occasion at home is dress up. Dressing up really does make all the difference on a special day at home, sweat pants do not a special occasion make. We're opting to have a Valentine's party at home on the 15th so Mommom can be with us. Every great party must have food and music, so here are some snack and music ideas for your valentines celebration, however you like to celebrate the holiday. Let's start with music.
I like songs that celebrate the entire spectrum of love, not just the highs. I will always be this way even though I'm satisfied with my love life now. That being said, none of these songs are overly shmaltzy.
For those of you that have been scorned one too many times here is a great Bobby Darin tune. For being so cynical it has such a jazzy beat.
Down with Love-Bobby Darin
For the odd couple, this Peter Sellers as Dr. Strangelove cover of "She Loves You" is the perfect thing to play for your valentine.
Who can resist the charms of Peter Sellers.
For the loving couple, why not listen to "Lovers Rock" by The Clash from their fantastic album London Calling.
The last and most beautiful love song from the 20th century is "Something" by The Beatles
For our little celebration, we have decided to have a popcorn bar. It was an idea that I found on Pinterest. You can have a big bowl of air popped popcorn and little bowls of add ins like m&m's, parmesan cheese, peanuts, rasins or whatever else you could think up.
So, what do you all have planned for Valentine's day? Do you have any special traditions?
I hope you've all been enjoying February so far! I've been trying to branch out more and get out of my comfort zone, it was one of my goals for the new year.
I found out about the website "Thrift Store Runway" when I went on the thrift crawl last month. There are some great articles all about thrifting but the highlight of the site is the outfit contest. Each month you can submit a photo of yourself in an outfit that is made from thrifted pieces following a $50 budget. Four winners are selected each month and they receive a cash prize. I submitted my outfit photo last night.
I got this awesome mini dress at the Glassboro Goodwill Thursday. I believe it's from the late 60s or the early to mid 70s.
Yesterday, my Mommom took my sister and I to the Vineland Public Library to see the Beatles exhibit that will be there all month. It's completely free to go and view the exhibit and every Beatles fan in Vineland, NJ should go see it. For more information visit: http://www.vinelandlibrary.org/pr/February_2014_Beatles_Display.htm
I had to take these shots with my phone so they're not so great. The wire art didn't show up so well.
The exhibit celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Beatles appearance on the Ed Sullivan show. I love that their music is still celebrated today. When I was a teenager I was obsessed with the Beatles and now my sister is too, she is currently borrowing all of my Beatles records.
Can you imagine how exciting it must have been to see this when it aired! Music has the power to change lives and The Beatles performances on the Ed Sullivan show changed a lot of lives. Tomorrow, CBS will air a special to celebrate The Beatles. For more information visit: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cbs-news-marking-beatles-anniversary-with-live-multimedia-event/
It bothers me that The Carpenters get dismissed as a soft white bread type band without a thought. These people are really missing out on the beautiful voice and drumming talents of Karen Carpenter.
Karen Carpenter died 31 years ago today from heart failure due to her struggle with anorexia. When I was little my mother had "The Karen Carpenter Story" with Cynthia Gibb taped and saved it in a box where she kept all the movies that she had taped off the television. I watched this movie more times than was probably healthy but it did get me interested in The Carpenters at the age of four. I wanted to play the drums and the piano but my parents enrolled me in piano lessons and I didn't start playing drums until I was 13.
People tend to forget that Karen was an amazing drummer especially during a time when it wasn't seen as the womanly thing to do to play drums.
Jumping from instrument to instrument, amazing!
Not only could she play the drums but she could sing beautifully as well. I dare you to listen to her sing and not be moved, you won't be able to.
"A Song for You"
I encourage all of you, especially if you are in that group of people that think The Carpenters are soft muzak, to explore their music. There are too many people that dismiss this great band. Disturbingly there are also a lot of people that regard Karen Carpenter's death with great disdain as if her illness ,which is something easy to trap yourself in, negates her immense talent and the impact she left on the world. So, go put your favorite Carpenters album on and remember this amazing woman.
This links post is going to be packed with photos, I helped my Mommom clean last week and I found some treasures. My favorite find was a little paper cookbook given out by the Shop Rite chain of grocery stores.
As soon as I saw the graphic on the cover I was instantly reminded of the beautiful graphics on The Glamorous Housewife. The Glamorous Housewife does it all! Her blog tag line is "Inspiration for Living" and she truly is inspirational and such a nice lady. I sent her the cover image as soon as I found it and she said it was the look she was going for. I'm glad that the vintage community is so sociable, we are all willing to share with each other.
This was the only photo in the cookbook that I found a bit...odd.
I have a feeling I am going to experiment with this cookbook pretty soon, there are so many interesting dishes!
Vintage hats have been on my mind for quite a while. Hats are the only way to look like a put together lady especially if you are going for that 00s to 50s look. No one had ever taught me to properly wear a hat. The only hats I knew about were winter hats for function, not style. My Mommom and a lot of other amazing vintage bloggers have been my guide through the world of vintage hats!
Tuppence Ha'Penny's blog gave me a good beginner guide to wearing vintage hats (http://blog.tuppencehapenny.co.uk/2010/02/if-hat-fits-wear-it.html). Wearing a 40s fascinator is different than wearing a baseball cap and these are skills that aren't readily passed down to women now. Her blog is amazing and you should all check it out!
This is a camel hair coat I got from my Mommom, it was her mothers. I bought the hat at Twice Loved Treasures in Vineland.
This was the dress I wore at Christmas and my foxes!
The top view of my hat with my three hat pins. My Mommom never heard of anyone putting three hat pins in their hat but I wanted it to be secure!
If anyone has any tips on hat wearing I would love to know! I hope you all enjoy the links this week. I know I usually have more but I think you'll want to explore these two blogs for awhile.
Hi, I'm Megan and I am a perfume junkie. I love practically every perfume there is with a few small exceptions (I can't stand Poison by Dior, sorry). I love body sprays from Bath and Body Works as well, especially the ones with glitter, everyone loves glitter.
Vintage clothing is great when the garment comes with a story. Perhaps your Grandmother passed her favorite cocktail dress down to you and she told you all the fantastic things that happened while she was wearing the dress. It turns something many see as just a dress into a dress with a rich history and a bonding tool between two people. Perfume can be the same. Many perfumes that people wear today have been around for over 30 years. My Mother wore Cinnabar in high school and I began to wear it then too, we bonded over perfume. My Mommom wore Chanel number 5 and so do I, when I wore it around her the first time she told me about how Poppop would go out and buy it for her. Scent is a big memory trigger, a whiff of perfume can bring back a flood of memories. Think about the perfume you save for special occasions, one day a whiff of that will bring all those good times.
Much like what I said about dressing in the post titled Let's Pretend, the right perfume can make your confidence soar. You can be a sophisticated lady one day, and a bombshell the next. The book "The Bombshell Manual of Style" by Lauren Stover dedicates an entire chapter to perfume, listing and describing in detail scents that will bring out your inner bombshell. One perfume on the list is Shalimar by Guerlain. Shalimar is a beautiful powdery scent that has it's own love story attached to it. The perfume is named after a garden built at the Taj Mahal by an Indian emperor that adored his queen.
Even the bottle is gorgeous!
I like to change my perfumes with the seasons. I wear heavy spicy scents in the fall and winter like Cinnabar, Halston, and Opium. In the spring I break out Red Door by Elizabeth Arden, even Shalimar is light enough for the spring and summer months. I always save my Chanel No. 5 for special occasions, and I'm sure it brings out the confident bombshell in everyone.
Have you bonded with a family member over perfume? Do you have a treasured scent that your mother or grandmother wore?
Greetings from the winter wonderland that is south Jersey! Here are some great links to keep you entertained for hours if you are snowed in like I am.
I have been wanting to learn to sew for a long time, now that I have a sewing machine the only thing that is stopping me is getting patterns and fabric. At The Vintage Pattern Files you will find sewing and knitting patterns from the 1900s to the 1970s
I want to get some fabric and make this bed jacket. I already have a black 1930s bed jacket but it's a little fragile so I want to make a new one.
The bed jacket is reversible but the pattern side is fraying a little.
The thrift crawl I went on this past Saturday was a part of celebrating National Thrift Week. I found this website that will give you a complete education about National Thrift Week. (http://www.bringbackthriftweek.org/history.asp). There are plenty of links within the site so set some time aside to explore.
Another site that is amazing but time consuming is Collectors Weekly. There are articles about vintage fashion and culture. There is even a great show and tell section where you can show off your goods. (http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories)
I hope you all enjoy the links and prepare to spend hours on them.
