Icon: Eve Arden

Last night when I was making a late night run to the store for some Nyquil for Cory, I happened to have the local NPR station out of American University tuned on the radio. I noticed they were playing an old time radio program, and I really love those sort of things, so I decided to tune in a bit.

It didn't take long to figure out that the main character, Miss. Brooks is a lively, quick witted teacher who is bombarded by people trying to "help" and "fix" her, even though she is just fine the way she is. I was happy to hear the program still on when I returned from the store, so I drove a little slower than usual to listen to the final moments ;).

Not realizing at the time, but when I did a search on the internets, I realized it was the popular radio program Our Miss Brooks, which was very popular between 1948-1957. Miss Brooks, the character that I adored so much, was played by the stunning Eve Arden.

If you're thinking to yourself, that lady looks oh so familiar with me, but I'm not very familiar with that era, it might be because Ms. Arden played Principal McGee in Grease!

I just love it! Apparently the radio program is available on CD and you can bet that it's going on my list!

Happy Monday!

liz

Oh happy day!

I love me some Netflix streaming, but often it doesn't supply my need for classic television shows or movies (I mean come on, no Breakfast at Tiffany's?).

I did a littling hunting on the interweb and found out that CBS hosts free episodes of classic shows on their website! Hooray! Other than a few ad videos every few minutes, the videos are clear and perfect.

All you have to do is go to CBS, click shows, and then look under classics! So fun!

Here are my favorites..

I may be late to the game in finding this out, but it is making my day!

The Power of a Yard Sale

Could you imagine going to a yard sale, findinga box of old negatives, coming home, printing them, and realizing you just developed pictures of Marilyn Monroe? Goodness... talk about a heart attack.

To me, this story is incredible. Read it here.

The deal of the year.

Greetings! I hope you're enjoying this Memorial Day weekend if you're in the states; if you aren't in the states, I still hope you're enjoying the weekend!

This morning I had a pretty solid to-do-list infront of me comprised of typical Saturday errands (bank, post office, grocery store, etc.). I promised myself a little yardsale shopping or thrifting once the errands were finished up. After all, it's Memorial Day, and I thought the yardsales would be in excess.

Once I finished my errands, I was feeling a little sheepish about stopping at random yardsales and sifting through stuff infront of the owners, so I decided to head to the thrift shop closest to my house.

I am so glad I did! The thrift shop was selling this mid-century modern credenza for a grand total of.... $40! I couldn't believe it. Just the other day I mentioned that I noticed a crendza at the Vintage store in town, but it was a bit out of my price range. Looks like it is no longer an issue! I was only able to snap a quick photo on my cell phone before we had to leave, but here's a little peak!

oh. em. gee.

I can't believe it's coming home to me tomorrow!

So, in order to have it in top shape before we move into the condo, we're going to have Cory's uncle (who builds furniture) look at it. I'm pretty sure the top is going to need to be sanded and refnished, but it will be SO perfect once it reaches our front door!

I did a little research online and here is a very fair comparison to what it looks like in top shape, post-cleaning, non-flourecent lighting.

And hey... it was only $40!

Liz

Vintage Crochet Inspiration

I've been collecting a pretty massive set of old-school crochet books from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. There are so many cool stitches and patterns, that I just can't seem to get enough. In June, I'll be giving a few of these special collections away ;) (stay tuned).

I've also been trolling the internet for some vintage crochet inspiration and I defintely want to share that with you right now! Enjoy :)

Vintage Ads

I've been looking up vintage ads/posters for a place in our new condo, and I stumbled across a few that particularly caught my eye. Although the last one is a little provocative, it made me giggle. People can be so clever ;).

Baltimore's Belvedere

For Valentine's Day, Cory and I stayed in Baltimore, remember? One of the bars we visited that night was The Owl Bar at the Belvedere hotel. The Belvedere is a classic staple in Baltimore history and has been kept in pristine condition over the years.

In fact, it was featured in an episode of Mad Men!

(You may not know, the head writer of Mad Men, Matt Weiner is from Baltimore, and so is Roger Sterling's young wife, Jane Seigel Sterling! What up, Charm City!)

The Owl Bar is where F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote some of his most famous pieces:

Long story short, the inspiration for this post comes from an idea of one of Cory's colleagues. A teacher wants to promote an oral history class of western Maryland and discuss various events. Personally, I think the class would be better served if the students studied oral histories of various locations in Maryland. I think this would be cool because you could interview countless people who have drastically different perceptions of the same place. Wouldn't it be cool to know what other famous people have visited the Belvedere or the Owl Bar?

 I think so!

Maybe one of these days this idea will make me famous :)

xo,

Liz

Style Icon: Mary Tyler Moore

When I was in elementary school, my grandmother was in charge of organizing the local Memorial Day parade. It was a big deal to me--because at that time--my little teeny tiny hometown was the only place I knew that hosted parades. Imagine my surprise, as a child who favored black and white episodes of "I Love Lucy" and "The Dick Van Dyke Show" over any Saturday morning cartoon, when my grandmother told me that Mary Tyler Moore would be the Grand Marshall of our parade! oh.em.gee.

MTM's father is from my hometown and was friends with my grandmother for a long time, which is how she swindled Mary Tyler Moore to come to our little parade. Hooray! Thinking back to my favorite style icons, I must include Mary Tyler Moore for not only her clothing, but the fact that she really made a name for herself and became the quintessential independent woman.

Mary Tyler Moore became a household name when she appeared as Dick Van Dyke's character's wife on his namesake television show.

Then, in 1970, she created her own show, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, in which she played a 30-something women placed in a newsroom sitcom. This is what I remember watching for hours at home. This is when her fashion, poise, and moxie were so evident on the screen.

 

Which inspired this moment of happiness and independence:

xo,

Liz

Blog Love: Free People Blog

(source)

I'm always looking for new blogs that have a healthy dose of information, diy, and inspiration. I started following the blog for the beautiful and totally to-die-for clothing boutique Free People.

Their writers take turns showing readers sneak peaks into their office life, what is going on in their studios and what's up with their most recent photo shoots. Each post is inspirational, full of color, and usually the most perfect blend of vintage and modern work. Ahmazing, Here are some of my favorite photos from their recent blog posts:

If you don't follow Free People, you absolutely must. Multiple posts in a day that are full of the beauties of life. I loooove it.

xo,

Liz

tea for two and two for tea.

One of my favorite things right now is tea cups. They're so dainty and adorable, let alone fantastically feminine; I really can't get enough of them. Whenever I go thrifting, it's usually the first thing I look for. Unfortunately, I don't have a proper place in my house to display them (as my cats would probably knock them over and make me cry...), so right now, the best tea cups I can have, are the photo kind.

 

How do you manage a love for a specific item or quality (color, shape, design), but limited space? Do you thrift, buy, and store them away until you have the room? Do you leave them at the store? Or do you just figure it out?

I ask because I feel like I never have enough space to display all these amazing collections I WANT to have. I know it's all a want, I do not need them, which is why I do not buy them... maybe I'm looking for someone to convince me to start buying them and just figure it out ;). Who knows! I'm just interested if any of you have a similar perdicament.

Here's to you and to taking a moment to enjoy a cup of tea!

Liz