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Translation: “Thank you darling for giving me a vacuum cleaner … and a blender” From Arts et Menager magazine, France, 1952 (click for bigger image) And to make it even more interesting, check out the vacuum attachments … one is a ‘seche cheveux’ = hairdryer? That seems to be stretching it a bit, non?  During my Big Beauty Cleanout, I found 115 products, most of whom have unpronounceable ingredients on the labels, destined for the bin in the basement. But I also found these few products, which I’m hoping will be green enough to remain in my routine this year. I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed by all of the information and mis-information on the internet about cosmetic chemicals. I’ve been looking up some products in the Skin Deep database, but even then, I’m perplexed by many of the answers. I’m going to focus on creating handmade beauty products that work well and smell delicious, and will worry about the chemicals later. But I do hope I can let some of my existing products see the light of day again this year!  Beachgoers at Burleigh Heads – 1938 Think our lives are busier and more stressed out than ever? That’s what they thought in 1934 too. In honor of the long, lazy days of summer – here is an excerpt from “The Home of To-Day”, one of my favorite vintage household guides, on the dreadful “Hurry Habit” (aka, multitasking, stress, modern lifestyle, being super woman, having it all, etc etc…) Hurrying is an insidious vice, if we were only aware of it – one of those things that lead to a nervous breakdown as surely as taking drugs. It is death to health and good looks. The remedy is to begin at once to see how calmly the days tasks can be undertaken. At first it may mean letting something go undone but with mistakes eliminated and an increase of organizing effort, things will come out even. Think of some … Read the rest of this post >>  I’m back from a long stretch of travelling that included Budapest, Singapore and Australia. Trying to conquer jet lag again, and seem to have forgotten the day of the week, so apologies that this post is one day late. I’ll just give you a few updates on happenings around Vintage Savoir Faire, and will resume projects next week!
In Budapest the other week, I found this shop window filled with old corsets of all shapes and sizes. Really gorgeous display. I love the yellowed, aged fabric set against the white background. They look so ephemeral and delicate, which contrasts with the strong (and uncomfortable) boning. Makes me happy I don’t have to wear one on a daily basis. I’m thrilled to see that the 2010 Summer Grow A Long has 40 participants! If you’re still interested in making some fun, crafty projects this summer, sign up on the right side of the blog. I’m working on creating a forum where we can interact and discuss our projects this summer. Stay tuned! If you’re a member of the Grow A Long already, leave a comment and let us know how it’s going for you! Continue reading Jet lag, sewing machines and Hungarian corsets   From Nationaal Archief on Flickr I hate housework. I can spend hours in the kitchen cooking, baking, experimenting and losing track of time. But when it comes time to clean up, I notice every single second of it. “Properly done, housework can become an important health factor.” says The Home of To-Day from 1934, one of my vintage household reference books. ”The natural rythmic use of the body will – if practised – turn housework from jerky, wearing activity into health-giving exercise.” Um, this may be true, but I can’t help but believe it’s just clever marketing to try to keep the housewife content! I like trying vintage techniques for cleaning since they often use fewer chemicals, and reuse basic products for many things (so you have to buy less stuff.) But I’m still a sucker for modern technology. Handwashing dishes is fine, but would I use a dishwasher if I had one? Oh yes. One vintage cleaning product I LOVE, is baking soda, and I’ve found another use for it – cleaning my glassware! |
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