Last Saturday we went to Disneyland - this was a bittersweet event because it was the last night of swing dancing at Carnation Plaza. Theyve had live music and swing dancing there since the late 50s,...
I have a confession to make. I like dancing more than I like blogging. :) At costume events, theres always a lot of time for picture taking (which is at least 50% the reason for going. The other 50% ...
Last weekend we attended the Lanterman Ragtime Tea Dance - this event is held annually at the Lanterman House, a 19-Teens home in north Los Angeles. The event consists of a dance lesson, live music p...
Here are a few cool links that have come my way this week, thought youd enjoy. :) Back to some actual content soon, I promise!~ Hilary Alexander, the proprietress of Camp Hollywood, is Expecting...
Im supposed to be madly working on a Teens dress for this Sundays Lanterman Ragtime Tea Dance, but I wanted take a minute to highlight a couple Balboa events Im involved with this month.March 17th: A...
Ive fallen off posting about dancing much in the last couple months, but a recent Facebook conversation reminded me that Ive been meaning to post this article originally published in a 1939 Look Maga...
As I mentioned in my last post, this weekend we attended the Great Los Angeles Air Raid of 1942 (2012 edition). We had a great time - the weather was beautiful, the band was great, and I had a new ou...
This week is one of my favorite events of the year, but unfortunately I dont think Hallmark will ever make a card in honor of the Great Los Angeles Air Raid of 1942.The Air Raid is held at Ft. Macart...
I just sent in my entry for the 2012 Your Wardrobe Unlockd and Foundations Revealed Double Period Project Competition. This years periods were 1812 & 1912, and since I created a new ensemble for ...
I picked up a new old toy for myself today - a while ago I took my grandmothers vintage Singer sewing machine into the shop, and today I finally picked it up! Shes a beaut, if I do say so myself. I c...
As I mentioned in my previous post, I have some process shots of creating my dress for this years Jane Austen Evening. My dress was inspired by this one from the exhibit Napoleon: The Empire of Fashi...
This past Saturday Chris and I attended the 14th Annual Jane Austen Evening in Pasadena, CA. This is our 3rd time attending, and I think we have a better time every year! Its such a fun event - we se...
Happy New Year! I hope its not too late to say that :) Ive had some writers block lately and havent felt like saying much, but then yesterday I received an eBay package that Im excited to share! I bo...
My Mantua Maker stays are nearly done (finally! I did most of the work last spring, then left them unfinished for months!), and theyre good enough to post about now.Overall, I like this pattern - I r...
Last weekend we headed out to Chriss office party, and I decided to wear the sparkly white lace dress I recently got from Banana Republic (part of their "Mad Men" line, but its only vaguely 6...
Today is the end of the long Thanksgiving weekend here in the US, and I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it! We visited with family on Wednesday and Thursday, and on Friday Chris and I met up with fri...
Todays the drawing for the Campus Five album giveaway! Thanks to all who participated - its fun having you play along, and I appreciate your feedback! Turns out everyone who entered is a sewist, so p...
In an example of Great Minds Think Alike, last week my aunt Laurie and cousin Lauren edited a couple videos of grandpas band, and my new Ebay purchase has already been put to great use. :) So he...
My blog has reached 100 followers on Blogger! And more than that on Google Reader/RSS feeds. Wowza! I want to give a big thank you to all my readers - due to other time-consuming but un-blog-worthy t...
I arrived home tonight to find an exciting package in the mail today - it contained the below advertising card for "Dale Simons and His Blue Denim Boys". Why was this so exciting? Dale Simons...
Over the past week or so, my friend and fellow swing dancer Heidi Rosenau in New York has been the subject of a 13-day blog feature at TheChicIndex.com. She dresses in exquisite head-to-toe vintage d...
Last Saturday night we went out to Pasadena Ballroom Dance Associations annual Harvest Moon Swingout. Due to other conflicts we only made it to the Saturday night dance, but we had a blast! It was pa...
1940s Mother of Pearl Sweetheart pinMy jacket isnt dirty, I was trying to be clever and "age" the photo!Last weekend we attended a wedding at the downtown Los Angeles Union Station. This vin...
I won another blog award! Lauren over at Wearing History passed along the Duchie Award for Excellence in Historical Costuming and Bloggery. Its a huge honor to be included in this group! This is a du...
I was playing with Google News Reader again, and came across this writeup from The Pittsburgh Press, Dec 23, 1943.Film to Reveal Origin of JitterbugHOLLYWOOD -- Filming of "Jitterbugs," Pete ...
As a follow up to yesterdays Arthur Murray post, heres a clip of the man himself teaching and demonstrating shag. Boy, do those kiddos learn fast or what?If you want to see more fun how-to instructio...
Here are some scans from Arthur Murrays book "How to Become a Good Dancer". Originally published in 1938, Arthur Murrays book illustrates the popular ballroom dance steps using the footprint ...
Its time to deal with a couple housekeeping items around here!First of all, if you click through to my blog here you may have noticed a new little red button on my sidebar - Follow Me on Pinterest. H...
Has it really been 3 weeks since my last post? As much as I enjoyed my little blogging break, Im glad to be back! As I mentioned in my last post, this past weekend we attended the 7th Annual Queen Ma...
I’ve decided to take a bit of a blogging break for the next couple weeks – I know you’re thinking I don’t post much (that’s what I was thinking at least), but according to my Google stats I’m holding...
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