 Knitting. What does that make you think of? Little old ladies sitting in rocking chairs? Your elderly relatives gossiping and knitting at family reunions? Itchy, unfashionable sweaters that you received for Christmas?
Well if you haven’t heard, knitting is making a comeback, and there are lots of updated patterns and designs out there for inspiration.
I started knitting about 6 months ago because it’s a classic vintage skill (ok, and I have a scarf addiction. And what could be better than an unlimited supply of one-of-a-kind scarves?!) After a couple weeks of really slow-going and lumpy, holey scarves, I finally figured it out. So if this is something you’ve been wanting to try, hang in there!
Continue reading Get your knit on!
 Breakfast crisis on Saturday morning: no sausages or bread in the house for a Proper English Breakfast! What to do?!
I usually eat a bowl of oatmeal with cinnamon for breakfast … but on the weekends when Zak and I eat together, we like to have something a little more interesting. So this weekend, with sausages nowhere to be found, I dug through the pantry and found the ingredients to make these yummy muffins.
Apple and Blackberry is such a British Autumn combination for me. Apples are easy to find year-round, but the blackberries I had stashed away in the freezer a few months ago after Zak’s mom came to visit (she always brings a supply of home-grown produce in-season. For a city-dweller like me that’s such a treat!).
Continue reading Apple Blackberry Muffins
 Tincture. To me the word seemed like something out of an 1800’s pharmacy advertisement.
But after my herbal medicine class this spring, I realized that tinctures are a great way to preserve and take herbs. They also feel more like you are taking traditional ‘medicine.’ They keep a long time, are easy to mix in combinations based on your needs, and end up creating a nice herbal ‘apothecary’ in your house (with your stash of glass bottles.) Or, you can forget that they’re ‘tinctures’ and just make some tasty herbal liquors to serve to your friends!
Tinctures are super easy to make. You just need a few weeks of waiting time.
Continue reading Stock your retro apothecary with homemade tinctures
 The definition of cooking has changed in recent years. Is reheating a can of soup cooking? How about putting a frozen pizza in the oven? Or making mac&cheese from a box? I suppose technically, yes, you are “cooking” the food, however, our grandmothers would not recognize this as “cooking”.
I really believe we all need to learn how to cook. Each and every one of us. Feeding ourselves with healthy food is crucial to our well-being and survival. Food that we know where it came from. We know what’s in it. (“What’s in it” is a huge problem nowadays – have you read the ingredients on a prepared food package recently? Yikes.) Food we can tailor to our taste. And that won’t cost us an exorbitant amount. It all comes down to cooking.
Continue reading Why you should cook more
I practically fell over the first time I read that you could make yogurt. I love yogurt. I’ve eaten it since I was a kid. But I thought yogurt was made in some mystical process that required lots of special equipment and knowledge. (You may notice a theme around here – demystifying things. So many things we eat, drink and buy are just given to us without any explanation of HOW they’re made. Turns out, most of these things are really easy to recreate yourself!)
When I first read that you could actually make yogurt yourself, I didn’t believe it. Then, I was slightly grossed out – you’re supposed to leave milk slightly warm for 12 hours?!?! (This is my germ-phobic American side showing…) Wouldn’t that give you food poisoning?!?!
My first attempt at yogurt-making was while I was living in Paris. I bought a special yogurt making set on Craigslist. Turns out it was a faux-yogurt powder that you put in milk, and are supposed to ferment in little jars with individual lids. After 12 hours I had … milk in little pots.
Continue reading The lazy way to make yogurt
 Image from Schnittke Walking down the household cleaning aisle (or aisles!) in a big box store can be overwhelming. Not too long ago, I too had a cabinet full of cleaning supplies for every situation imaginable. Glass & mirror cleaner, kitchen cleaner, bathroom cleaner, degreaser, kitchen scrub, bathroom scrub, toilet cleaner, shower cleaner … the list goes on! Until recently, all of these specialized products didn’t exist. How did our grandmothers keep their houses so sparkly and clean?
Continue reading Get a Clean Home with these Vintage Tips
As winter drags on (February is always the worst for me!), here is an old fashioned recipe that can really brighten things up.
Hot honey, lemon and ginger is quick & easy, and uses ingredients you probably have in the kitchen. Don’t keep fresh ginger root on hand yet? You can always use some powdered or dried crystal ginger too … but fresh is best! In traditional usage, honey, lemon and ginger were used to help get over a cold. However, I like the fresh citrusy/spicy taste from the lemon and ginger, and I just like it as an easy warming drink (you can also add a shot of whisky and have a nice hot toddy!)
Continue reading Honey, lemon and ginger tea for a cold (or anytime you need a lift!)
 My mother would be proud – I’ve definitely inherited her inability to throw away anything that ‘might be useful someday.’ Especially if that thing involves chocolate!
Going through my pantry the other day (full disclosure: My pantry is really one small kitchen cabinet crammed to the brim – ahh the joys of apartment living!) I found unopened dark chocolate Easter bunny that I had stashed away last year. Since Easter is just around the corner, I figured I should really use this one up before the new season of chocolate bunnies appear on my doorstep.
OK, I could just eat the chocolate bunny. But it was the weekend and I was feeling more adventurous. I’ve been having a wicked craving for 7-layer bars recently, but haven’t quite made the effort to figure out substitutes for graham crackers etc. here in England. These blondie brownies have that toffee-coconutty goodness of the 7 layer bar, with a very dense chewy consistency. Don’t be discouraged by the super thick batter (mine was basically a dough) of this recipe, just press it into the pan like a cookie dough.
Plus, you get the added enjoyment of chopping up an easter bunny, if you have a little pent-up frustration to get out 
Continue reading Easter Bunny blondies
 I admit I’m a beauty product junkie. I used to work across the street from Sephora, and was too frequently tempted to pop in during lunch and pick up a few items. That was a fun but expensive habit.
On my continued quest to learn how to make stuff, I’ve turned my attention to beauty products. I recently wrote about using honey as a face mask. Creating homemade beauty products is a lot like cooking – you can start with a recipe to learn the basics, and then embellish as you get more confident. But most importantly, you can customize the products to your own skin type (and use really high-quality ingredients, without paying retail prices!).
Making creams is a lot like making mayonnaise. It’s a bit of a miracle, getting oil and water to mix together in a beautiful emulsion. The first time I saw it happen in the herbal medicine class, I was amazed! (Almost as amazed as when I made yogurt!)
Continue reading The ultimate indulgence: customized beauty booty
I spent a few hours on Saturday morning rummaging through my local charity shops and came across these great books.
 In my continuing quest to learn vintage skills, I’m always on the lookout for cooking / gardening / beauty / household books from pre-1950. I asked at my local Oxfam bookshop, and they had just received these cookery books which they sold to me for £2 each. Bargain!
“Instruction in Cookery: Cookery book and general axioms for plain cookery” was published in 1890. It’s filled with handwritten notes by the original owner, and even some magazine clippings!
“Sweet making for every woman” is from 1936 and is filled with recipes to make candies and confections.
The UK has a great charity shop culture – the closest thing we had in the US is the Goodwill store. The difference is that UK charity shops are smaller, and everywhere – with lots of them to choose from depending on which charity you want to support, or which product they specialize in. (For example, I have several Oxfam charity shops near me – one is a general store, one is for music and one is for books).
When I have time and am in a hunting mood, other great sources for vintage finds are flea markets, garage/yard/boot sales and estate sales. And if you’re really lucky, an older friend/relative will let you know when they’re cleaning out their basement or attic, and let you have first pick!
What’s your best second-hand find?
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What do YOU want to learn? Have a question, or really want to learn a certain vintage skill? Let me know! Email me:
Amanda {at} VintageSavoirFaire {dot} com
Friendly Reminder Please remember that I'm not a doctor or expert practitioner of anything we discuss here on Vintage Savoir Faire. I'm still learning and trying these traditional skills and remedies like you are. So please, speak with your doctor or a qualified herbalist before trying any traditional remedies. All the information on this site is provided on an as-is basis. Thanks!
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