Buying a Vintage Wedding Gown

There are many places to find an expensive vintage wedding gown such as: thrifts shops, yard sales, consignment shops, antique stores, and even on E-bay. Shopping on E-bay will require you to look at the seller’s feedback. Make a list of questions, and offer to speak to the seller by phone.

When inspecting the gown, look carefully to see what damage, if any, has occurred over the years. Some things are very easy to repair. These might include: missing beads and buttons, broken zippers, open seams and loose hems. Fabric deterioration is much harder to repair. Dry rot in fabric or lace, or badly torn lace (especially on the bodice), might come apart during the course of a normal wedding day’s events.

Small, inconspicuous stains could be covered with well-placed appliqués that match the gown’s color and fabric. Minor hem dirt usually cannot be detected unless you lift up the edge of the gown. Visible underarm stains are virtually impossible to repair.

Be very careful before sending your vintage gown to the dry cleaners. Pearls can disintegrate or become discolored, beads and sequins fall off or become loose. Many dry cleaners will steam or press your gown at half the cost.

If you know an excellent seamstress, you can have a vintage looking gown made. You will have fun looking for vintage fabrics (silks, brocades, chiffons, satins, taffetas and velvets). Vintage lace, buttons, bows and appliqués will be needed to add glamour to your gown.

There are several companies online that sell discontinued vintage sewing patterns. They range from $5.00 to $100.00, depending on the age, condition and availability of the pattern. This is a “hit or miss” way of looking at patterns, and it might be time consuming to find a style that you like in your own size. These sites usually show a picture of the pattern, the pattern number, the date it was made available, the size, and also whether instructions are included. They will tell you if the pattern is in mint condition, or has been cut. These are the same things you will want to ask the seller if you are shopping for vintage patterns on E-bay.

You can match your vintage wedding gown with an authentic headpiece, shoes, gloves and antique jewelry. And don’t forget a Victorian bridal bouquet. It consisted of loosely arranged blossoms, with slender streamers of white silk ribbon and greenery cascading halfway to the floor.
Kathleen Terrana is the owner of Beautiful Bridal specializing in discount tiaras, veils and bridal jewelry.

Vintage Dolls: Do You Own Any Of These?

Vintage dolls might just be the next hot trend in collecting. There are many reasons that they could be a smart place to invest your collecting dollars. However, even beyond the potential resale value, they are beautiful to look at and nice to have around.

Another positive aspect of collecting vintage dolls is that they have a really interesting and unique historical value. Different types of dolls, whether mass marketed or rare dolls, were made at different periods in history. Getting an antique doll can encourage you and/or your children to look into the background of the doll and learn about what was going on in history at the time it was made.

Antique dolls are also a great monetary investment. Their prices vary depending upon rarity, age, and condition. They increase in value and have done so for years. Buying an older doll is a good way of decorating a home and building oneself a small nest egg for the retirement age when one is prepared to sell them off.

There are many places that offer good deals on vintage dolls. Among the most popular places to purchase them is through the internet, where there are many retailers that offer them for sale, as well as a variety of auction sites where people place them for bid. One of the best things about purchasing dolls through the internet is that you can do price comparison and research about a specific doll's value in the current market all at one time.

Some great places to find some of these older dolls include flea markets and antique fairs. These work well because not only can you physically inspect the dolls for quality, but also you might be able to bargain with the seller and purchase the doll a bit cheaper. However, if you aren't very educated about the dolls prior to attending one of these functions you might not know a great value when you see it.

Wherever you buy your dolls from, be sure to keep them in good condition. Keep all of their original clothes and accessories on them to ensure they maintain their maximum value. Keeping them out of damp places and direct sunlight is also an important step to take toward ensuring they maintain their luster.

Discover the amazing world of vintage dolls at The Vintage Doll Shoppe. We're the net's one-stop for vintage doll collecting. Browse a huge selection of rare dolls for sale including Bisque, composition, celluloid, china, tin/metal, wooden, and other antique dolls. We share our latest interesting finds in The Doll House, our blog devoted to vintage dolls. While visiting, enjoy our collection of videos showcasing antique doll collections, restoration tip videos, vintage commercials, and much more!

Vintage Halloween Decor - Have Fun Collecting Antique Halloween Decorations

Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year and when it comes to decorations, only Christmas can compete with the many types of decorations available for Halloween. And since I’m also a vintage lover at heart, most of the items I find to collect tend to be either vintage or antique Halloween collectibles. Since so many early Halloween decorations were actually handmade, I find them much more interesting than their contemporary mass produced counterparts.

Vintage Halloween postcards are some of my favorites because I move fairly often and postcards are a nice and easy to transport collectible. I also like to send them to friends as well, especially those I know will hang onto them! There are many types of vintage Halloween decorations available though and as with any collection, in order to avoid it getting out of hand, it usually makes some sense to decide what you’d like to collect.

If you find yourself drawn to antique Halloween items in particular, you’ll have a lot of collecting niches to consider -- including die-cuts, papier-mache, lanterns and vintage candy pails -- the pre-cursor to the “trick or treat“ bag. The most popular Halloween decorations are American or German made. All of the early German made Halloween items were actually made and exported to the American market during the post-war period after World War I when Halloween was increasing in popularity as a holiday in the US.

Other Halloween collectibles that are highly sought after currently are hard plastic items, mostly toys, but also cake picks, candy holders, plastic pumpkins and Jack O’Lanterns. For years, most of the plastic collectibles were easy and cheap to purchase, but now they are so hugely popular that you’ll see these plastic Vintage Halloween collectibles go for big prices in Ebay auctions. So if you’re looking to get into collecting, but need to mind the budget, you may consider a different Halloween collection focus or just be very selective about your hard plastic toys.

One area that I find a fun place to focus attention is on some of the vintage German Halloween decorations. Most of them were made by homemakers so each addition to your collection will be completely unique, unlike the hard plastic Halloween toys. One of the popular themes in Germany at the time was the creation of vegetable people, so you can look for various German made Halloween decorations featuring them to pull together a well-themed collection.

You can find collectibles for all of the holidays, including vintage Halloween decorations and vintage Christmas decorations at Emma's holiday website: http://www.retroholiday.com/

Vintage Shirts - Oldies But Goldies

Shirts today have taken an irreplaceable position in the fashion world. Whether they are collared or button-less, or graphic or designer wear, they have undeniably become a significant part of our everyday life.

In the past, vintage shirts were not very popular. However, as time passed, collectors and shirt aficionados have come to realize that vintage shirts are great collectibles, as they could also be worn, provided that the shirt's condition is still good for wearing. There are a lot of popular companies who have started to market these as they become more and more in demand.

Vintage shirts are those, which are not really that old, but are designed in such a way that their overall appearance gives a kind of an antique impression. If you find a relatively old shirt lying around in your closet, you might just have found yourself a piece of treasure. Everybody has their own definition for the term vintage, however with shirts, it would depend on how old it appears. So, even if you have a five-year old shirt that looks fresh and new, it might not be considered as a vintage piece of clothing.

They come in different forms and designs. For a shirt to be called a vintage shirt, the theme should look old but fashionable. Probably the most popular would be the concert shirts. Prices of these shirts would also depend on the themes that have been printed on them.

Vintage shirts could be paired with jeans or any bottoms and you could easily transform your look into a funky and stylish one. They are very versatile and comfortable and could probably be the true definition of the best shirts ever.

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Vintage Perfume: Bring Back Old Times!

Latest perfumes are so many times often in vogue, this makes it possible that many around you are using the latest ones, making these perfumes instantly common amongst general public. If you are tired of trying out the latest ones, you can try out the vintage perfumes that once were famous.

Where will you find discontinued perfumes?

There are several discontinued or vintage perfumes available in the market. Other than the market you can even try your mom’s closet, you are sure to find some there. However, if you do not have any other source of searching for vintage perfumes, you may have to check out stores for those perfumes.

You will find discontinued perfume at many large stores, these stores often have old and discontinued perfumes which go out of fashion in their stock, and you can also enquire whether they will release any stock during their annual sale. However, sometimes companies accept back the remaining stocks of discontinued perfumes, at such times you will need a lot of search for any particular one.

How much would these perfumes cost?

The perfume is vintage or discontinued does not mean it would be inexpensive, most of these are sold at the market price, it was being sold at during those times. There are quite some numbers of designer created perfumes, which were quite good, but were discontinued for making introduction of more sensational range of perfumes, you can check out entire discontinued or vintage perfume range at certain shops that have been there and specialized in perfumes only.

You can check out the mini perfumes, small perfume bottles, you can check out discontinued perfume range like the Marilyn Monroe perfume, Cher perfume, Michael Jackson perfume made in 1989, Elvis mini perfume, etc. these perfumes have gone out of vogue. You can expect the quality of these perfumes to be intact, though these perfumes are not according to latest fashion, these perfumes may remind you of the times that have gone by.

Why use vintage or discontinued perfumes? Well if you want a refreshing change from the current trend, this is your best choice, these qualify as good perfumes, therefore you do not need to bother about the quality, and you may bring out a refreshing change from the current fashion. You can be sure you are going to be asked about the perfume you are wearing.

If you do want to possess vintage perfume, but are not very interested in scouring the city looking for it, you can find one shop stop on the Internet, there are several websites that deal in old, discontinued and vintage perfumes, you can easily locate your requirement on these websites and get yourself that nostalgic perfume bottle delivered to your doorstep.

You will find beautiful vintage perfume bottles, you can use or fill up or simply collect different bottles, and empty bottles are available at rock bottom prices. Many bottle collectors keep a look out for empty or filled vintage perfume bottles just for purpose of collection; most of these are unique and special.

Author Bio: Ursula McLean is a IA and ITEC qualified beauty therapist working with Feel Confident an online retailer of Eyesential and Eye Treatment, Aftershave, Bags & Cases, Bath & Body Care, Candles, Condoms, Cosmetics, Digital Cameras, Hair Care, Hair Removal, Hands & Feet, Lingerie, Lip Balm, Lubricants, MP3 Players, Oral Care, Perfume, SkinCare, Slimming, Tanning, Tools & Accessories, Drinking Games, Gifts, Hen Night Novelties, Personalised Gifts

Vintage Interior Design - The Perfect Nostalgic Look for the Modern World

Vintage interior design is a really popular look -- and rightly so -- it is a really relaxed, traditional style -- warm and comfortable in feel, and very easy to achieve -- and to live with!

In the loosest sense, a vintage interior design scheme is just a look that is old – traditional, classic styling.

In a stricter sense, ‘vintage’ refers to the 1940’s and 1950’s – an era of hope and new beginnings!

In many ways, the 1940’s and 1950’s were a safer, simpler time – a slower, more relaxed pace of life … you could leave your back door unlocked, while you popped down to the shops! Family and the home were a very important focus to life – and this led to a very comforting and welcoming feel to vintage home decor and interior design.

The vintage era is a period that most people can actually remember – either from their own childhood (or even adult life) or at least from the home of their grandparents. This is a very nostalgic look and feel. It will recreate comforting memories and emotions from childhood – feelings of comfort and safety.

This is an easy, relaxed feel – there are no strict rules to getting your vintage interior design look – only a few simple guidelines to follow:

After the War, people did have to ‘make-do and mend’. They used old furniture, from all different eras – fine antiques and family heirlooms, handed down through the generations, and simpler pieces, that were made over and repaired. So, feel free to mix and match all kinds of traditional furniture pieces in your vintage decorating scheme.

Look out for loads of hand-made goodies too – such as patchwork quilts, made from pretty scraps and fabric remnants.

A vintage interior design style is definitely not an expensive look to try in your home. Scour antique stalls and flea markets for solid, quality items – the slightly worn look will enhance the ‘pre-loved’ charm of the unique pieces.

If you find furniture in different styles and different types of wood, why not try painting all your furniture pieces in white, or a colored paint. Try going for a deliberately distressed look, by applying wax to edges and corners that would wear naturally. Paint over the top, then rub down these areas, and create your own ‘genuine,’ distressed and worn look.

Choose muted and pastel tones for walls and fabric – any color will go, so long as you don’t choose something that is too fresh, modern and bright. Add a little interest with accents of patterned wallpaper, and pretty fabrics for upholstery, slip-covers, throws, cushions and curtains. Look out for pretty, floral designs – particularly those typical 1940’s and 1950’s attractive rose patterns.

Don’t be afraid to mix and match patterns and fabrics – and pile on all the pretty layers – slip-covers, throws, patchwork quilts, crochets and lace will all give you that really warm and comforting, nostalgic feel.

Display period accessories and collections on open shelves, or in glass-fronted display cabinets – look out for pretty ornaments, porcelain figurines, and all types of pretty ceramics and pottery.

This is a really good style for anyone who loves knick-knacks and collections – indulge and display your hobby collection – or start one right now…!

I am sure that you will find vintage interior design really comforting and comfortable look – as well as really easy to live with, and really easy to achieve. Don’t worry about any rules, and just include all your favourite bits and pieces and styles – regardless of era…

Create a home and style that is uniquely yours – stamp your personality on your space, and relax into a comforting, safe space – that makes you feel really good!

More information, and pictures to inspire your vintage interior design scheme.