Jul

The Way Things Were: Life In The 1950’s

Posted by: admin in Good Ol 1950s

Millions of nostalgic baby boomers can tell you in great detail about the amazing decade they grew up in, while generations before and after can only muse about that golden era. The 1950’s were a time of relative peace as the country rebuilt after World War II and the Depression and before Vietnam and the Social Revolution of the 1960’s tore it apart again. It was an idyllic decade full of icons that would change the face of pop culture forever.

Who They Were

America in the 1950’s is most often characterized by its nuclear families, by the American dream: a middle class father, a homemaker mother, one boy, one girl, and a golden retriever all standing on the lawn of their bi-level home and waving from behind a white picket fence. At the other end of the spectrum was 1950’s Hollywood: the movies, the music, and the unfading stars. This was the era of Marilyn Monroe, Bette Davis, both Hepburn’s, and Sandra Dee. It was also the era of Elvis, James Dean, Marlon Brando, and Jimmy Stewart.

And somewhere in the middle were the teenagers, staging the most non-violent rebellion this country will probably ever see. The squares in their ruffled dresses and white evening jackets. The teeny boppers watching the Mickey Mouse Club and leaning close to their black and white TVs for American Bandstand. The greasers sitting in their hot rods at the drive-in.

What They Wore

Women with prim bobs or permanents vacuumed their homes in kitten heels and short-sleeved A-line house dresses, tying on frilly white aprons to start dinner. Men wore creased slacks, sports jackets, and starched white shirts. They belted their pants high and slicked their hair back or to the side. Meanwhile, the teenagers of the 50’s were branching out. The girls wore pageboys and beehives, swinging their poodle skirts and tapping their saddle shoes while the boys got flat tops or greased their hair into pompadours. James Dean set the tone for young male fashion with his white t-shirts, motorcycle jacket, and dark denim jeans rolled at the cuff.

What They Saw

Some of the greatest movies in cinema history were first seen at nickel theaters in the 1950’s. This decade saw the birth of the American thriller via Alfred Hitchcock and simultaneously the introduction of foreign films via Japanese legend Akira Kurosawa and Italian visionary Federico Fellini. It was also an era rife with romance and music. American Bandstand and Ed Sullivan were two of the most popular shows on television, Gene Kelly was “Singin’ in the Rain,” and Bing Crosby filmed “White Christmas.”

What They Did

While the 1950’s were considered a peaceful time, the foundation for great change was being laid. The Beatniks were writing about an alternative society. Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of the bus. Young women were preparing for a sexual revolution. Trouble was brewing in Vietnam. Oblivious to it all, the middle class 1950’s family was barbecuing on a Saturday afternoon. The father turns the burgers. The mother puts a checkered cloth on the picnic table. The daughter is on the lawn with her hula hoop, and the son is bouncing up the sidewalk on his pogo stick. This summer they will take a trip to a new theme park, Disneyland.

Alana Morgaine

Alana’s Cherished Treasures

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Jul

Collecting Old Buttons

Posted by: admin in Vintage Buttons

Who would want to keep a pile of old buttons? It’s a valid question with an easy answer. In the past buttons weren’t mass-produced like they are today. It took someone with skill to craft a button and there was a lot of work involved. Because of this, you might have thrown away your old jacket, but you definitely would have kept the buttons. Before you knew it, the buttons on your son’s new jacket were a hundred years old and suddenly worth keeping.

Collecting old buttons can be a neat way to securely fasten a bit of history into the present day, so to speak. There are some avid collectors of buttons. There are as many different types of buttons as there are people who’ve used them. (Not quite- but you get the point). There are metal buttons, ivory buttons, wood buttons- even buttons made of vegetables. The vegetable buttons were made from the tagua nut and considered the “environmentally friendly buttons”.

There are buttons that were used in the military called “military buttons“, cloth buttons, glass buttons and even shell buttons. There are so so many different styles, types and materials used in button making that it seems almost endless. What an amazing journey for the button collectors who take this stuff very seriously.

One especially beautiful type of button that I love is the Moonglow Buttons. These buttons are made of glass and usually have some sort of design in them. Moonglow were introduced to us from West Germany around 1953. You don’t see a lot of these much anymore since a lot of the glass buttons have been replaced by plastic ones. A Moonglow button has some clear glass colorless glass over the top of each one. Some people still have these made for them from W. Germany. These come in all kinds of shapes and sizes and really neat to look at. Can you imagine using glass buttons on our clothing today?

Wood buttons, another popular button, made from a variety of different type woods. There are what seems like endless types of buttons to collect and button types. Your button collection can be full to the brim with beautiful and different buttons! But what do you have? How rare is it? What is it made from? How do you sort your collection? Lots of research out there on various buttons, styles and types which include a little history on their makers. Well worth checking out some of the links below related to buttons.

I definitely can understand the avid button collectors out there, these are some beautiful little pieces of artwork and history!

Here are some resources for our button collectors

Antique Button Collecting

Button Collecting A Life Time Voyage Of Discovery

Alana Morgaine

Our Vintage Buttons

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Jul

Beautiful Vintage Tablecloths For Special Occassions!

Posted by: admin in Vintage Linens

How many of us are willing to spread out those beautiful vintage tablecloths to use for special occasions?

Vintage tablecloths are beautiful accents to your holiday decor. How do we display these beautiful pieces and avoid damage to them? Is it worth the risk of using them, during a time when family and friends are celebrating together the joyous season of the holidays and other special occasions?
Here are a few tips for cleaning and maintaining the beauty of your vintage tablecloths.
First off, vintage tablecloths are going to probably require some extra care when using. Vintage tablecloths cleaning is not like cleaning new textiles. You may want to hand wash all your vintage tablecloths to avoid damages to the fibers. Too much cleaning of these delicate linens, can cause damage and wear on the material.

Oxygen Bleaches
These bleaches can be used for cleaning some tablecloths but not all. The rayon, and metallic threads and dyes can not be safely cleaned with oxygen bleaches. Be very careful when using oxygen bleaches as this can fade your cloth and cause color runs. If your tablecloth can not be cleaned with oxygen bleaches, you can try a mild Biz soak.
When you are cleaning your tablecloth, check frequently when soaking or during cleaning to ensure that the colors are not fading, the fabric hasn’t become damaged or disintegrate. To safely wash out stains, take a tip from Martha Stewart. She recommends lining a basin with a clean sheet before you fill it with soap. Put those pieces that are fragile into the basin in order to soak. It is best to lift the tablecloth from the basin by its corners to avoid stretching fragile linens when you are through. Never knead, push, or twist your vintage tablecloths. They may be fragile and rough handling is the quickest way to ruin them.

Make sure all the cleaning solutions are rinsed thoroughly to avoid breakdown from the chemicals of the cleaning agents. Once rinsed there are a number of ways to dry. One of the best drying solutions I have used is laying your tablecloth outside in the sun on the grass. The chlorophyll in the grass creates a natural oxygen bleach.

Letting your vintage tablecloths dry on a clothesline if it’s not too breezy is a great way to let nature assist you in the drying process. This will give them a fresh, clean scent too. Don’t stretch the tablecloth on the line; use several clothespins to hang your precious linens. If you don’t feel comfortable hanging it on a line, you can lay it on a sheet to dry in the sun. This a great way to lighten any yellow stains in the fabric.

Alana Morgaine

Our Vintage Tablecloths

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