Baking~

Whats a girl to do with two peach trees full of peaches? Bake 'em up of course :-) I made up this recipe....it is very good! I made these little peachy treats in muffin form....it is like eating a handful of peach pie! Ohhhhhhh my gosh, soooooooo darn good. I am going to have to send them off to my hubbies work so I don't eat them all lolHere is my recipe:

2 1/2 cups of flour, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 2 cups of sugar, 1 cup of applesauce, 4 eggs, and lastly 4 cups of cut up peaches (no skins) Just mix it all together and scoop into muffin papers about 1/2 to 1/3 full....

then...like it isn't going to be sweet enough...

I added on top a crumb topping! here is how you make that: 1 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 half a cup of flour, 4 tablespoons of cold butter and 2 tablespoons of cinnamon. Mix it all together into a crumbly mixture and just place a handful on top of each muffin. Trust me, its worth putting on top of these peachy muffins!! (I added some nuts on a few of the muffins) It is sooooooooo good! Anywho, you bake the muffins at 375 for about 20-25 minutes. Sooooooooo darn good!! I am wanting to enter a baked good in the local fair this year, this may be it. Any suggestions for what I should call it?

Cleanin'....

While cleaning out my fabric stash, I came across some fabric from the Pottery Barn (actually its a sheet) that I just LoVeD and had been meaning to use for something-someday...so I stopped cleaning and started sewing and whipped up this little number. I used a plastic bag for the pattern and made an enviromentally friendly bag. It has a pocket on one side that the whole thing folds into to make a little "pillow" (excuse the wrinkles, but I had it folded up!) Upon finishing that up...I went outside and spray painted two matching small bulletin boards I just picked up for $1.50 each~ *I know, what an oxymoron...lol... lets save the environment/spray painting LOL * Anywho, I used the same Pottery barn fabric to cover the bulletin boards. I then shabbied up the frames a tad by rubbing a black ink pad along the edges :-) I LOVE matchy-matchy! these two bulletin boards are going in my studio... I am still wanting to put ribbon cris-crossed over the two bulletin boards, but I'm needing the right color of ribbon to finish it off. Hmmmm I guess I'll just have to go shopping! I had some long bits left over... so I made some flowers as well!
Anything to get out of cleaning~

Suit-able for Dietrich

Marlene Dietrich was a major factor in making menswear looks popular for women. She wore a tuxedo and top hat in her first American film Morocco, made in 1930.



She continued to wear trouser suits off screen as well as on. Travis Banton designed many of them, which she would wear with a man's shirt and tie and a fedora style hat. No one but Marlene could manage to look so feminine in such severe styles.



We just listed this 1940's tuxedo style suit at our site. Certainly Dietrich worthy, it will look great with or without that shirt and tie!

See this suit and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion.

Goofing around~

Look at this huge box of cards I picked up from a boutique for only $3 buckeroos~ coolio huh~Well, I've been goofing around trying hard not to "clean" my studio like I've been wanting to.... so with the "clean & cute it up" attitude, it was all I could do to cover this little box thingy which houses some of my scissors. I'm going to show only 3 sides as the 4th doesn't look all that cute :-P ohhhhhhhhhh and I did paint my lazy susan pink~ I love it now!!! I've still got to cute-up my two spinny thingies that house my paint brushes & other supplies~ All of which sit on the lazy susan on my work table. Anywho-- here is my scissor container in all its glory :-) Here is Pete...

Here is my father in law when he was a toddler...

The third side has my hubbies great-grandmother on it...The fourth side needs some work :-P

I Am in Love with Irving Schechter

And I don't know who he is! This 1940's suit jacket makes my heart swoon. The label says "Irving Schechter Original of California" and I can't find any information about it. But if you know Irving, please tell him I love him.

Air Conditioning - or Baby! It's Cold Inside!

Air conditioning - ahhhh. In my opinion, it's one of the 20th century's greatest inventions, but only when I control the thermostat. Here in Boston, we've been dealing with hot weather and unusually high humidity the last couple of weeks. I hate hot and humid almost more than the below-freezing artic winds we get in February and March. As long as my AC is set to 75 degrees, I'm happy.

But try going out to a restaurant or to the movies! I swear, corporate and retail America has no concern for the environment with thermostats set at what feels like 65 degrees. I have to carry a sweater or hoodie with me whenever I go out. It makes no sense!



That's why this 1950's dress is just so perfect. Made of lightweight rayon that has the look and texture of linen, it will be cool and comfortable out in the heat. And it comes with a cute matching jacket to throw on when you go indoors, so your shoulders don't turn into ice cubes.

See this dress and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion.

Whats this?

Awhile back when I had puchased some flowering pony packs....there was one plant growing in amongst the flowers that was a "stow-away" it was healthy and thriving so I planted it-- what the heck~Well, it turns out it was a zucchini plant and upon checking on it (for the first time since I planted it) it already has 4 huge zucchini on it LOL I am going to shred the zucchini and make some pineapple-zucchini bread!Here are some peaches on one of two peach trees that are destined for pies! They smell so good standing underneath this tree taking this photo :-)Lastly, my tomatoes. I purchased some retaining blocks and stacked them 3 high into a small circle which I then filled with dirt to hold my tomatoe plants. I have this sitting on cement-- and it seems to be working just fine~
I had purchased for $5 bucks a huge home-made (welded) tomatoe cage that stands about 7 feet tall. Wow is all I can say. No whimpy tomatoe cages for me!! I have a cherry tomatoe plant planted along side with a beef steak tomatoe plant.

My favorite thing....

ok, ONE of my favorite things around my house is this antique pine hutch that I picked up for the huge sum of $10 bucks :-P It sits atop another "find" that I picked up for $20 bucks-- which just needed to be painted white and then I added new knobs to match my kitchen. The two pieces married together sit in my sitting area next to my dining area. The hutch holds part of my milk glass collection and the bottom part holds flat baskets I use as serving trays for cookies & pies~

Below is a bunch of photos of my house and ALL my favorite things! lol If you drag your mouse over these photos you will get a "magnifier" to poke around even closer :-) If your interested in viewing more entries from my blog you can click here!

Introducing the New Couture Allure Website!

www.coutureallure.com

We've been working for months on our new website at coutureallure.com, and today we are proud to say, "Welcome!" This has been a true labor of love, and we hope it shows. We've been saving the "best of the best" of our vintage finds for quite awhile in order to offer you a wide selection of hand-picked vintage dresses, suits, coats, and accessories.



We've listened to your requests, and have made each category searchable by size and era. There's a handy Search Box if you prefer to shop that way. We now accept major credit cards through our secure server.



We'd love to hear what you think! Enjoy!



P.S. - That 1960's yellow beaded silk evening ensemble I posted last time? Here it is.

Here....

kitty-kitty. All dolled up with a new red collar & bell~

Big news? Secret??? Yes, I must tell...and tell NOW :-) My daughter is two months pregnant with her second child. *hooray!* AND.... they are putting their first home on the market and will be buying a larger home-- *hooray again!* I have been busy helping them do things at their house to help them get top dollar for their home-- busy, busy, busy. I just finished putting in a small brick patio, crazy huh~ This weekend I will be doing more of the same :-P painting, laying bark in the flower beds.... and whatever else needs to be done. *fun times ahead!!*

Puttering around~

I saw a picture in a book of a kitchen appliance cover that was made to look like a sleeping cat (so 1970's!).... well, I didn't read the instructions *never do* and whipped up my version of a sleeping kitty to cover up my sewing machine. I held up some paper to the sides of my machine to get a good idea of how big to make a pattern, then I just pinned those pieces to some fabric to go over the top & sides-- and just started cutting & pinning & cutting some more until it was a good fit-- sewed a little bit and taaaaaaa daaaaaaa it was made "lickety-split" :-) In the original photo of this sleeping cat cover-- it had a collar... I'm going to do this as well, plus add a little bell! I'll post an updated photo when I've finished that ;-)

Button Bouquet~

Well I finally got around to making a button bouquet. I kinda like it.... I think I will cover the wire with florist tape and add some vintage leaves to really make it pop... (not any time soon-- but one of these days) I'm also thinking of doing a bouquet of only white buttons--that might go better with my milkglass collection :-) This little tray of "whiteness" is on a shelf in my bathroom. Yes, I am such a pac-rat that I have to display things in my bathroom :-P

Saturday finds~

Here are some fun things I picked up this Saturday from the boutiques. An oval frame <$2 dollars> (sooooooo needing some white paint!) a 3 tiered wire etagere <$2 dollars> The huge shell... <$1 dollar> a huge basket filled with polished rocks <$1 dollar> some are pictured in the etagere and I've got some in the backyard as well. More clutter..... I just can't help myself :-P

Bird feeder~

Here is the base to the bird feeder that I just finished placing the glass blobs onto. It had black chippy paint peeling off of it. I had to paint the whole thing white before attaching the glass blobs because the black shone through and made each colored piece of glass appear dark and all the same color. Here it is sitting on top a furniture "lazy susan"--on top of a play table in the play room. It has just been to hot to do anything outdoors lately~ And yes, thats a scrabble game board under the bird feeder. I like to use them as "paper" under projects...what else do you use them for? lolI rescued this cement bird bath (stand only) from a curbside trash pickup :-) It weighs a ton. To hold the bird seed I bought a large wooden bowl which I drilled a hole in the bottom of and then screwed it to a long piece of wood which will help it stay atop the cement stand. There are some pretty chubby birds that come to eat at my house :-P I had originally had a clay plant saucer to hold the birdseed, but my cat knocked it off and broke it going after a bird. (darn cat)
Here is the bird feeder all finished. Not to shabby. I think I would like to make another one using actual tile. The hardest part on this stand was filling in the spaces where there was no glass-- instead of rubbing the grout away with a sponge, I had to dab those areas so as not to take away the grout. I've got to add a lot more bird seed.... the birds around here won't even fly down unless the bowlie is filled to the brim!

Waverly chair~

Well, I finally finished reupholstering the little chair for my grandson. This is how it looked when I picked it up for $3 bucks.... the structure is solid, so I figured it would stand up to just about anything a 15 month old could do to it. *Before photo*Here it is after I reupholstered it~ I used Waverly fabric that matches my house & my daughters house...lol. smart thinking huh. It could be deemed a bit "girlie" for a little boy, but it is going to be sitting in a "girlie" house so there you go! Makes total sense now doesn't it~ *after photo*

From Hanger to Heavenly

I went on a vintage buy the other day. I found this 1960's beaded evening gown - I've seen what seems like a million of 'em in my time as a vintage seller. Hanging next to it was what looked like a matching maxi vest. It seemed odd and was likely to be really ugly in that designer knock-off "trying too hard" way, but I bought it anyway. Today, I pulled it out and put it on the mannequin.

Did you ever have the experience while shopping that a dress has absolutely no appeal on the hanger, but when you put it on, it was magic? Take a look at this.



That's not a maxi vest - it's a cloak! A gorgeous, sophisticated evening cloak that takes the dress from simple to sensational - from basic to breathtaking.

Here's the hard part. It's not listed yet. But I promise it will be available soon!

We're having a

heat wave.... Whats a girl to do? but go shopping early in the morning to avoid the extreme temps! The news said something about the temperatures ranging from 100-112. Soooooooooo I just had to go out today and pick up some supplies so I don't have to go out & about when the heat really picks up. I am going to start working on the mosaic bird feeder s-o-o-n so I was needing some grout & tile snips. Not that anything on the bird feeder is going to be getting "snipped" it was just that they were ON SALE for $15 bucks....so, now I've got them :-) and now I can snip tile or plates to make even more mosaics (if the mood hits me!)

I also hit two boutiques~ Lookie at my treasures :-) I got 4 bunny statues for $1.95 each~ and the white metal tray (which I love) for $1.95.... and the tiny hand painted blue plate .95cents and the embroidered piece for .65 cents...and the metal standing piece in the back with the bird on top for $3 bucks. Cute stuff huh~I got the two matching hat boxes for $4 bucks~Lastly a photo of the lovely wreath I got for $3 bucks. The colors are very muted and understated...its very "romantic" looking~

I also got several pieces of vintage fabric which are all in the wash as I type :-) good shopping!

Bananna muffins~

I've been busy cleaning out my studio-- seems thats all I ever do lol... I just can't get into doing anything "artsy" lately. I'm more "fartsy" than anything else (not literally) I am wanting to make some fabric grocery shopping bags-- like the plastic ones you get at the market-- but made out of fabric. I think they would be so darn cute and sooooooo environmentally friendly. I have to do my part to make up for all the spray painting I do lol. Although...I do "need" plastic bags to hold the cat litter that I scoop out of the cat box :-P (3 indoor cats, says it all doesn't it?)Soooooo today I made bananna muffins. Yep, I HAD to do something creative-- so I made muffins :-P I can never get the right amount into those little muffin papers you would think 1/3 full would be perfect..nope...The tops should have a brown-sugary-flakey topping...but it melts onto the cookie sheet because it rises so much. lol....... extremely tasty muffins even though they don't look "pretty"

Work In Progress

Here is a snapshot of the blanket I'm making to enter into the local fair this upcoming October. I love the look-- but I don't ever think I'm going to be making this one aGaIn! To much starting & stopping and "hiding tails" for me~ I probably would have had this completed by now if not for all that! I better at least get a third place ribbon on this one or I'm going to come unglued lolThese glass "blobs" I recently purchased (from several different thrift stores this past Saturday) are going to be put to good use...soon... I have been wanting to do a mosaic bird feeder for my backyard. I was thinking I was going to use old rose patterened plates and do a loosy-goosy random pattern-- but who am I kidding.... I prefer things to have symmetry so I am hopeful this will do the trick so I won't get bored and not finish it lol

Train Your Vintage Eye

Here's another vintage 1950's dress similar to the one posted yesterday in our Vintage Quiz. Can you see the difference? The length on this one is 46" from shoulder to hem and the hem is original. Compare that to the 38" length on the dress posted yesterday. To some people, those 8" don't make a bit of difference, and they'd be very happy wearing the second dress. I prefer authenticity, and in my opinion, a cut hem does affect the value of a vintage dress. How do you feel about it?

See this dress and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

I've got a secret....

I love secrets, and I've got one :-) I can "tell" this secret on July the 9th.