A Timeless Affair - Life with a Vintage Touch

Now on "The Road to the Good Life"

2012-05-21T17:45:00.001-07:00

We've moved! The blog's moved in with a few others over at The Road to the Good Life, and cubes and I have traded in our cozy Edwardian apartment for one on the other side of the Mission.

After the boxes get unpacked and a routine gets established, look for your favorite columns -- Details to Love, Fashion Friday, In My Closet, Thursday Purseday, and Tuesday Shoesday -- to resume over at The Road to the Good Life.

Ciao Bella!

Eden

Credits: All images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for The Road to the Good Life.

Thursday Purseday: Latest Kate Spade NY Crush

2011-11-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I revealed some of the bows in my closet. Today I share some bows from Kate Spade NY that have caught my eye. They're the perfect accessories to dress up a little black dress.

The Finds: Bow Bridge James, Cliff Grey, $247; Double Bow Studs, Black, $48; Susan, Black Suede with Black Patent Bow, $325

Ciao Bella!

Eden

Credits: All images taken by Kate Spade New York. Collage created by Eden Hensley Silverstein for A Timeless Affair.

Details to Love: Bows

2011-11-23T16:37:00.000-08:00

Bows are a detail that scream femininity for me. Big or small. Visible to all or just to me.

Ciao Bella!

Eden

Credits: All images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for A Timeless Affair.

Tuesday Shoesday: 1930 Reproduction Shoes

2011-11-22T11:00:00.000-08:00

This past June I featured vintage, 1920s reproduction shoes by Re-Mix. Recently I came across a few 1930s reproduction shoes by Aris Allen Vintage Shoe as well as Re-Mix. As right now I'm loving strappy shoes, these pumps tickled my fancy.

The Finds (top clockwise): Cloche 1930s Shoes, Ivory with Yellow Patent, 159 by Re-Mix from Revival Retro; Amelia Three Arch Strap with Vintage Roller Buckles Shoes, Black, $188 by Re-Mix; T-Strap 1930s Shoe, Black, 75 by Aris Allen Vintage Shoe from Revival Retro.

Ciao Bella!

Eden

Credits: Collage created by Eden Hensley Silverstein for A Timeless Affair. Product images taken by Re-Mix and Revival Retro.

Etsy Tuesday: Vintage Maternity Wear

2011-11-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

In terms of ready-to-wear, form flattering retro 1950s and 1960s maternity wear the pickings are slim. (From all of the maternity wear patterns available on Etsy, it appears that many women had to sew their own attire. If this is true, where did they find the energy?) Worse is that many designers who once provided maternity options, such as Betsey Johnson,* no longer do. So what did this girl do for inspiration? Turn to Mad Men of course.

Inspiration (top to bottom): My Old Kentucky Home Episode 3, Mad Men Season 3 2009, spotted on TV Fanatic and Episode Unknown, Mad Men, spotted on Moosifer Jones' Grouch. Etsy Finds (top clockwise): Sleeveless black lace trapeze dress, c.1960, no label, $72 from Story Boutique; Aubergine lace empire waist dress, Arkay, $65 from Vintage Mouse, and Sleeveless hot pink A-line dress with duster, Toni Lynn, $95 from FruFruChicks. Any guesses to which of the three dresses I chose?

My one regret about getting pregnant before Mad Men Season 5 airs? I won't be able to use Joan Harris's pregnancy attire for inspiration. Most of the clothes I've come across have been trapeze or tent styles, suitable for Betty, but less so for Joan. I can't wait to see what she wears.

Who were your vintage fashion role models for your pregnancy wardrobe?

Ciao Bella!

Eden

Credits: Collage created by Eden Hensley Silverstein for A Timeless Affair. Product images taken by their respective Etsy sellers: Story Boutique, Vintage Mouse, and FruFruChicks. Madmen screenshots found on Moosifer Jones' Grouch and TV Fanatic.

*According to Etiquette Girl, Betsey Johnson only designed the Jeanette line of maternity wear dresses for one year, 1974-1975. Etiquette Girl had an adorable maternity sundress available for sale earlier this fall, alas not in my size.

In the Moment: Treats for the Mommy-to-be

2011-11-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

When you're pregnant, you can become invisible behind your baby bump. Everyone - whether they've carried a child or not - is an expert on childbearing. All this unwanted advice can be a little tiresome. (NOTE: Advice from recent mommies or women who have had children does not fall into the unwanted category.) So, it was nice for me to be spoiled by not one, but both of my sisters-in-law last week.

First Arrs with her delivery of Steven Smith No.45 Peppermint Leaves hand delivered to San Francisco.

And now, Jaime with her unexpected gift of A Little Something for the Mama-To-Be by Earth Mama - Angel Baby Organics.

What do you do to treat yourself?

This week Tuesday Shoesday and Thursday Purseday return. I'll reveal some gorgeous reproduction shoes and share my latest Kate Spade NY crush. Wednesday, it's all about bows: bows on shoes, bows on purses, and more! Friday, I'll leave you with a couple of comics from Marital Blitz on courtship. I hope you'll join me.

Ciao Bella!

Eden

Credits: All images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for A Timeless Affair.

Registry Woes Continued

2011-11-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

One would think a year after getting married that you'd no longer be frustrated by a wedding registry. Thanks to an unpleasant first encounter with returning duplicate gifts at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, we've been staring at unwanted duplicate gifts gathering dust in our bedroom for over six months. Yesterday's experience at Bed, Bath, and Beyond proved even more unpleasant than the first and will be our last trip to that chain.

I used to love Bed, Bath, and Beyond. I've shopped there since the mid-1990s. We chose them for one of our registries because they had a wide range of quality products offered for a fair price. They also offered convenience; a couple could set up a registry without ever having to set foot in the store. But their arbitrary and inconsistent registry policies are too much. Registry items can be selected from online goods and gifts can be purchased online, but returned items may not be exchanged for online goods. Worse yet is that in-store credit cannot be issued for returned items. You must purchase replacement goods from their inventory. Don't like what they have? Take your unwanted gifts back home with you and return another day with gifts in hand.

Last December, cubes and I braved the holiday crowds to return eight Noritake place settings. We'd requested twelve and had received twenty. Attempting to return anything during the holiday shopping season was our first mistake. I carefully stacked the boxes, four each, in two IKEA shopping bags. cubes took one bag. I took the other. Let me tell you place settings are heavy. We loaded up the car and headed to our nearby Bed, Bath, and Beyond store.

We patiently circled the parking lot, waiting for a space to open up. When it looked like we'd finally found a spot, a guard forced us to move on, the car behind us scoring the spot. Undaunted we parked across the street in 1 hour metered parking. Dropped our quarters in and walked back to the store. Having thought this would be a short trip, we'd planned on grabbing lunch after our errands. In the store, we were greeted with a four person deep line at the Customer Service counter. We decided that we'd exchange the dishes for gift cards and come back another day.

After 15 minutes, it's our turn. A woman politely tells us that she cannot issue a gift card, we need to find items in the store so that we can make the exchange. She's about to hand us back our dishes, our heavy dishes. We look at one another and decide that we should be able to find something. Our second mistake - not coming to the store prepared with what items we want.

Off we go to the pots and pans section. We know we want AllClad and we know that Bed, Bath, and Beyond sells the line we want. Unfortunately, the line we want is not offered in this store and the other lines have been picked through. First idea shot down.

We'd been told that Bed, Bath, and Beyond had the super-soft towels we'd seen at Macy's. In the linens section, we discover that they don't have the colors we want. Our existing towels were a combination of Black, Charcoal Gray, and Blue. Bed, Bath, and Beyond only had white, cream, or pastel. Second idea shot down.

We know we need a new tea kettle so we decide to pick one up. It proves incredibly difficult to find the tea kettle section. When we finally do locate the proper section, there's only one tea kettle. The brand is OK, but the positioning of the handle guarantees that I'll burn my hand trying to pour steaming, hot water into a cup or French Press. Third idea shot down.

Finally we decide we'll get new down pillows and a mattress pad. Not things that we really need, but things that will at least let us leave this store without eight sets of dishes in tow. We return to the Customer Service desk. The line is now over ten people long. Forty five minutes later, we leave the store, hoping to never need to return something. Luckily we did not return to our car to find a parking ticket.

Our luck holds until June when four more place settings arrive. Our excitement about new gifts fades as we realize we have to go back to Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Deciding it would be better to get the unpleasantness over sooner rather than later, we go online. We don't find anything that we need. We pack up the place settings and stash them in a corner of our bedroom, where they'll sit until yesterday, gathering dust, laughing at us.

Yesterday, cubes reached his limit with the place settings taunting him. We sat down and scoured Bed, Bath, and Beyond's online store. We researched their product offerings and compared them to Consumer Search ratings. I armed cubes with a list of items we needed that they sold: a baby monitor, a humidifier, a diaper pail, a water filtration system, and a tea kettle. Off he went. I thought all was going swimmingly until my phone rang and I saw it was cubes. First baby items other than diapers are only sold online. We can't use our exchange for online purchases. Their store selection pales in comparison to their online store front. The humidifier we want, not available in store. The water filtration system, not available in store. They do, however, have a tea kettle. While cubes stands in front of the available faucet filtration systems I research the model numbers he reads off. Finally we find one that's highly recommended. We decide to purchase the system. To cover the remainder of the exchange we'll purchase a bunch of filters - enough to cover us for a few years. On his way back to the Customer Service desk he sees a Vinturi Red Wine Aerator. (Now we have the Vinturi White Wine Aerator and love it. We actually use it for both white and red wines.) He calls me back. After a quick exchange, he puts back the extra filters and checks out with a Vinturi Red Wine Aerator, a Brita faucet filtration system, two replacement filters, and a KitchenAid tea kettle.

I really wish we had taken photos of our experiences so that I could create a black and white silent film set to the music of the Keystone Cops. You'd better understand my level of frustration with Bed, Bath, and Beyond and I'd be able to laugh about the whole ordeal. Seriously, shopping should not be this hard.

I will not be shopping at Bed, Bath, and Beyond again. I will not purchase a gift for a friend from a Bed, Bath, and Beyond registry. I understand Bed, Bath, and Beyond's goals with forcing couples to make selections from in-store inventory, it helps keeps store costs down. While I understand their goals, their treatment of customers at the expense of the bottom line means they'll now have two less customers.

Crate and Barrel, on the other hand, will keep two customers. Their staff went out of their way to educate us about products, to answer any question - even if asked twice, and to order products from another store. They made creating a registry fun. They even made returns fun. We looked forward to spending our gift cards. They treated us as though we were special and they had nothing better to do with their time than help us.

Of course now that we're pregnant, people are asking where we're registered. I know one place we definitely won't be registered at - Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Based on our experiences with Crate and Barrel, I'd love to try Land of Nod. Unfortunately the closest Land of Nod store is in Seattle, WA. Anyone have any baby registry recommendations? We're looking for a company that has great customer service from initial sale through to returns.

Ciao Bella!

Eden

Friday Funnies: Furniture Purchases

2011-11-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

This weekend we're getting a new mattress. The neatest thing about our mattress is that the manufacturer, European Sleep Works, designed it so that both cubes and I get the firmness we prefer. So this week's smile is a nod to our new mattress and comes from Marital Blitz, "A Sort of A Guide to Love and Marriage," by Stan and Jan Berenstain.

Ciao Bella!

Eden

Credits: All images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for A Timeless Affair.

DIY: Coupon Book for Our Paper Anniversary

2011-11-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

Earlier this year, Sarah of Inconceivable Life had to alter her wedding plans, accommodating a venue change from San Francisco to Arizona. Sarah, like me, loves yesteryear ephemera and had collected a couple of sets of postcards showcasing San Francisco in the 1960s. When she began selling her San Francisco-themed wedding decor, I jumped at the chance to get my hands on the postcards. They would be perfect for my first anniversary present to cubes.

Somewhere on the Internet, I'd seen a series of photographs where people had taken either an earlier photo of themselves or their parents and then gone to the location in the photograph and taken a new photograph. With Sarah's postcards, I wanted to create a coupon book of dates that cubes and I could enjoy together. The catch? To redeem, we'd have to take a photograph that recreated the view in the postcard.

This project took about an afternoon to create. The hard part? Selecting which postcards to include and why. For our wedding, we'd used our favorite restaurants for table numbers. Each table number card had a filmstrip of photos - us or food from the restaurant - and a story about why we chose the particular restaurant. I wanted to carry this show and tell theme on with my gift.

With the exception of Sarah's postcards, all of the other supplies came from our wedding. Left over paper from our programs. Photo corners from our guest book. Raffia from our favors. Paper glues from our table numbers. (When purchasing for our wedding DIY projects, I over-purchased everything for fear of running out in the eleventh hour.)

Assembly was pretty easy once I chose the thirteen postcards. I took 27 sheets of paper and cut them in half.

The cover was the only "tricky" part. By tricky, I mean that it wasn't a simple half sheet of 8.5 x 11 paper. I wanted a wrap around binding. To achieve this look I cut a piece of paper 9.75 inches to give me an inch wrap on the cover and a .25 inch "spine." I then lined up all the pieces of paper, and secured them with a binder clip.

I punched two holes in the binding, threaded the raffia, and tied a bow. To determine the location of the photo corners for securing the postcards, I placed a postcard on a page and made two marks with a pencil. I then placed the photo corners over the marks. Voila! A handmade custom album.

Here's are some of the coupons I presented to cubes.

Every holiday season, we used to go down to Union Square to see the store windows. After looking at the windows, we'd stop at Macy's and pick up an ornament.
The girls and I started the hunt for bridesmaids' dresses with drinks on the patio at the Cheesecake Factory. We started our hunt for supersoft towels and sheets at the Burger Bar overlooking Union Square.
This coupon is good for drinks with our wedding party.

Once a month we'd get hamburgers and chips from a burger joint on Geary and then drive out to Ocean Beach to watch the sun set. Sometimes we'd sit on a bench overlooking seal rock. This coupon good for a sunset dinner.

One of my favorite places growing up was the California Academy of Sciences. I took classes at the Junior Academy where I learned photography. I got to go behind the scenes at the aquarium. This coupon is good for either a morning or afternoon at the aquarium and a lunch in The Moss Room.

For being a person who enjoys romantic gestures, redeem this coupon for surprise flowers in the month of your choice.

What did you do for your first anniversary? For newlyweds, what are you planning?

Ciao Bella!

Eden

Credits: All images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for A Timeless Affair.

Wedding Wednesday: A Stormy Night

2011-11-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

Last Friday, cubes and I attended two of our friends's wedding - Ava and Conor. Each touch was uniquely them, from throwing stars as favors to a fully stocked open bar to two fighting eagles atop their wedding cake.

Ava and Conor gave each guest a throwing star with their escort cards. At the beginning of the ceremony, the officiant had us take out the stars and raise them up. We were instructed to tap our star with the star of the guest nearest us whenever we heard something in the ceremony we really liked.

To help guests find their tables, each escort card included an image which guests matched to a 3-D representation.

They stocked their bar with top-shelf alcohol and freshly squeezed juices, including grapefruit. Being pregnant, I especially enjoyed the fresh ruby red grapefruit juice.

While the rainy night was free from thunder and lightening, lightening from their invitation reappeared on their wedding cake along with a cake topper of two eagles.

Congratulations Ava and Conor! May you share many adventures together.

Ciao Bella!

Eden

Credits: All images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for A Timeless Affair.

Tuesday Tips: Buying Vintage Shoes

2011-11-15T07:00:00.000-08:00

It's no secret that I love vintage shoes - not for buying and admiring, but for buying and wearing. At first buying vintage shoes online without trying them on may seem daunting, but with a few tips it can be easier than buying new shoes.

My Latest Acquisitions (top clockwise): Vegan Red Patent Mary Janes by Naturalizer, Burgundy and Black Leather Mary Janes by Creation Dorian, Brown and Black Leather Mary Janes by Personality

With my pregnancy, my feet have swollen. This means that most of my vintage shoe collection doesn't fit my feet at the moment, which makes me very sad. Rather than dwell on it, I decided I'd get a few more pairs of shoes that I can wear now.

Determine if the shoes are odor-free. You don't want a pair of shoes that smell of mothballs or cigarettes. These smells are almost impossible to get rid of. Check store policies and ask.
If a photo of the toe box is not shown, ask the seller for one. You want an insole that's in one piece. Loose insoles are easily repairable, so don't leave a pair of cute shoes on the shelf if that's the only flaw.
Ask if the shoes have been repaired previously. If they have, what repairs were made? If the leather has torn previously and been fixed, be cautious, it may tear there again.
Use the marked size as a guideline, go by measurements instead. If measurements are not provided, ask for the following lengths and widths:

Heel height
Length of insole from toe to heel
Interior width of toe box
Outer width of toe box measured from the sole
Length of sole from toe to heel

One last tip: be sure to check a store's policies. Some, not all, will let you return your finds if they don't fit.

To determine if a shoe's measurements will work for you, measure a similar pair of shoes you already own. For my recent Mary Jane purchases, I compared their measurements against a pair of Via Spiga Mary Janes that I owned.

Now that I've demystified shopping for vintage shoes, happy hunting!

Ciao Bella!

Eden

Credits: Etsy product images taken by their respective sellers (top clockwise): Secret Lake, Maryika Vintage, and Fox and Fawns. All other images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for A Timeless Affair. All collages created by Eden Hensley Silverstein for A Timeless Affair.

In the Moment: We're Pregnant!

2011-11-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

In case you missed our news, cleverly hidden in a post about getting inspiration from store window displays, cubes and I are expecting a baby girl this coming March. Like many soon-to-be parents, we were keeping the news quiet until we received our amniocentesis results, which we got a couple of weeks ago. Without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to Gates.

Gates' Profile, 9/8/2011

The Top of Gates' Head and Her Hand, 10/13/2011

3-D Image of Gates, 11/4/2011

This week on the blog, I'll be sharing tips for purchasing retro shoes online, my favorite details from our friends Ava and Conor's wedding, what I did with some of the vintage San Francisco postcards I got from Sarah of Inconceivable Life, and an excerpt from Marital Blitz by Stan & Jan Berenstain.

Ciao Bella!

Eden

Credits: All sonograms taken by San Francisco Perinatal Associates.

Daydreaming

2011-11-10T19:15:00.000-08:00

Ever since I took Blogging Your Way, an e-course co-taught by Holly Becker and Leslie Shewring, I've been keeping an idea notebook. I went from merely clipping images and shoving them into a manila folder never to be seen again to organizing my thoughts. I started noticing shop windows more and thinking about how I could take displays and use them in home decor and snapping photos for my idea notebook.

This summer I came across two window displays that I especially loved: the first, a bed festooned with silk flowers in Las Vegas; and the second, an arch of paper flowers in the window of Papyrus at the Embarcadero in San Francisco. In my mind both ideas would be perfect for either a little girl's room or a wedding.

When I saw these displays, I had no idea that we were expecting a little girl. Now I'm daydreaming about how they might look in a nursery. Over the next eighteen weeks, I'll share with you the transformation of cubes' office (formerly our storage closet) into the nursery.

Ciao Bella!

Eden

Credits: All images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for A Timeless Affair.

Etsy Tuesday: Overshoes

2011-09-21T07:20:00.000-07:00

Recently I binged on Mad Men, watching Season 1 to Season 4 in a marathon session, in anticipation of the upcoming season. Unfortunately filming was delayed so I'll have to wait until February for my next fix. But one thing I noticed when watching was how impeccably dressed and coifed everyone was. You'll rarely see some rushing from the house in a pair of sweat pants or with their hair casually pulled up in a pony tail.

With the beginning of Indian Summer here in San Francisco, I've been dreaming of cooler weather and wondering how Betty Draper would keep her shoes from being soiled. While today's finds aren't Mad Men era, they're from the 1940s - 1950s, I was amazed to see how women protected their leather shoes.

Finds (from top clockwise): Brown Rubber Galoshes, L'Enfant Terrible, $42; Black Rubber Overshoes, c.1940s-1950s, Spazzy Meal Ticket, $70; Gray Day Galoshes, c.1950s, Fanciness Vintage, $48.

What do you think? A fad you're glad is in the past? Or, something you'd try to keep your feet dry?

Ciao Bella!

Eden

Credits: Collage created by Eden Hensley Silverstein for A Timeless Affair. Photographs taken by their respective Etsy sellers: Fanciness Vintage, L'Enfant Terrible, Spazzy Meal Ticket.

Wedding Wednesday: Julia and Simon, The Street Fair

2011-07-28T07:41:00.000-07:00

How do you guarantee a good time for young and old alike? Bring on the clowns.

Throw some sausages from Rosumunde on the grill.

For more photos, check out my set on Flickr. To see more details, see Part 1 of Wedding Wednesday.

Ciao Bella!

Eden

P.S. I know it's no longer Wednesday, but I was having out of memory issues with Photoshop, which delayed the post.

Credits: All images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for A Timeless Affair.

Wedding Wednesday: Julia and Simon, The Details

2011-07-27T07:34:00.000-07:00

How do you transform an ordinary street into a extraordinary venue? Decorate every surface with flowers.

Offer fresh in season vegetables. Carefully arrange everything in a buffet.

Throw in some butterflies.

What do you think of the cake? The lovely bride made it herself - completely vegan, no eggs or dairy, and absolutely a dream to eat.

For more photos, check out my set on Flickr. Come back later this afternoon for more goodness from Julia and Simon's wedding when I share photos from the street fair.

Ciao Bella!

Eden

Credits: All images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for A Timeless Affair. Vegan cake designed and made by the bride, Julia Barber.

Tuesday Shoesday: A Touch of Gold

2011-07-26T07:07:00.000-07:00

Julia and Simon were married last year in Italy. For their one year wedding anniversary, they held a second celebration in the Bay Area and invited all of their friends. I had the honor of being able to capture it.

Today I share their shoes with you.

Tomorrow I'll share the cake and the decorations.

Ciao Bella!

Eden

Credits: All images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for A Timeless Affair.

Friday Funnies: The Computer Never Lies

2011-07-22T08:03:00.000-07:00

I'm sure almost every one of us has tried online dating at some point. Some couples I know who are happily married met through one of the services. Before there were computers in every house, there were computer dating services. Now do you believe in computational relationships? Or do you think chemistry can't be measured? See what happens in this comic from 1970.

Determined to find the one she tries computer dating. Success! The computer has found her match: Louis Dumas.

He likes the outdoors. She the indoors. He takes her fishing. Skiing. She'd rather sit in front of the fire than put sticks (skis) back on her feet again. But they have chemistry.

She takes him to her theater group. He hates it and walks out. They have nothing in common. Perhaps the computer made a mistake? They continue to try.

Ignoring chemistry, they decide it just won't work; they break up. She finds her original hobbies bore her. She goes fishing with her dad. She picks up skiing. Why not give the computer another try?

Which knows more: The Heart or The Computer?

Have a great weekend! Be sure to come back next week as there will be a sneak peek from a Street Fair Wedding Celebration, a his and her shoe shot for Tuesday Shoesday, and a DIY wedding cake that will astound you.

Ciao Bella!

Eden

Credits: All images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for A Timeless Affair.

Thursday Purseday: Deitsch Brothers Leather Goods

2011-07-21T07:36:00.000-07:00

Recently, I stumbled across a Deitsch purse while searching for I. Miller shoes. Having never heard of Deitsch Brothers Leather Goods Corporation, I was intrigued. Bag Lady University had a nice write up as well as some advertisements, but I wanted to know more.

Deitsch Brothers was a family business, operated and run by two German brothers, Charles and Edward. In 1903, the brothers hired Henri Weil to "ornament their leather goods with silver and gold decorations, called “trimmings” in the trade." In 1906, fashion changed and Deitsch stopped embellishing their goods with cast silver and Henri Weil was let go. In 1908, Edward spoke in front of Congress in opposition of reducing a tariff on fancy leather goods (pp.2549-2554). He claimed that prior to 1898, they saw a net profit of 7.5%; between 1898 and 1908 they saw a net profit between 4.5% and 5%.

Ads shared by Cheryl (dragonflywink) on 925-1000.com.
From left to right, advertisements were printed in 1891, 1893, and 1899.

From the mid-1800s to the late 1960s, Deitsch offered exotic leather bags, including lizard and snakeskin (Anaconda and Cobra). "By the mid-1960s, the hype for the crocodile and alligator accessories reached its peak and caused a sharp decrease in the availability of the skins. By 1964, they cost twice as much as in 1961. Finally, in 1969, the ban on alligator and some crocodile skins had been announced in the U.S. (Source: Lucille de Paris: Collectible Designer Vintage Bags on eBay)."

In the 1930s, bags retailed for between $7.50 and $9.98, $122.67 and $163.24, in today's dollars - not accounting for the ban on skins. Today bags in good to excellent condition without gold or silver work, depending on where you find them, range from $60 to $500.

There are a lot of bags available at the moment from vintage handbag shops, as well as on eBay and Etsy. Vintage Skins had over a handful of Deitsch bags, starting at $220, from the 1940s to 1960s.

Would you sport a bag made from an exotic leather?

Ciao Bella!

Eden

Credits: All collages created by Eden Hensley Silverstein for A Timeless Affair. Advertisements photographed by Cheryl (Online Encyclopedia of Silver Marks, Hallmarks, and Maker's Marks). All product images taken by Vintage Skins.

Wedding Wednesday: A Classic Alcoholic Beverage for Summer

2011-07-20T06:50:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, we saw two of our friends Julia and Simon celebrate their one year wedding anniversary with a local wedding celebration (they were married last year in Italy). They picked the one day so far in July when the overcast gloom lifted in San Francisco and sun shone down.

For refreshment, Steve23 whipped up a batch of Pimm's Cup, using fresh local fruit - strawberries, nectarines, and blueberries - with cucumber, lemon, and mint.

To make sure he could accomodate all of the guests, he prepared the beverage in a cooler. (If you're curious, yes, it was thoroughly cleaned out before the mixing began.)

There are a few twists on the basic recipe which was created by James Pimm in the 1840s:

Pimm's Cup recipe from Brooke Arthur, bar manager of Range
The Craftsmann's Pimm's cup recipe
Traditional Wimbledon Pimm's cup recipe

The keys to a heavenly tasting beverage are quality ingredients and fresh ripe fruit. (If you find yourself without Pimm's No. 1, you can improvise with Darcy O'Neil's Pimm's No. 1 Cheater Recipe.)

While Steve23 and his helpers sliced, many of were drawn in to the kitchen by the fresh mint and watched patiently. (If you're curious how this translates for an outdoor wedding or a picnic, check out Recipes for a Good Life today. Photos of the Pimm's Cup assembly line from Krissia and David's wedding in June are shared.)

Are you having a summer wedding? What are you serving your guests?

Be sure to come back next Wednesday for photos of Julia and Simon's wedding celebration.

Ciao Bella!

Eden

Credits: All images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for A Timeless Affair.

Tuesday Shoesday: I Miller Shoes

2011-07-19T05:05:00.000-07:00

There are lots of shoes on Etsy. Some are from yesteryear designers while others are from discount outlets; the buyer definitely needs to beware. One of my favorite brands that I've yet to score a pair from is I. Miller Shoes - a high end designer.

The Finds (from left to right): Color I. Miller Advertisement, c.1951, $6.99, mirluck; I. Miller Advertisement, c.1961, $9.95, genpaper; 2-page I. Miller Advertisement, c.1954, $10, devocanada.

From Shoes A-Z: Designers, Brands, Manufacturers and Retailers by Jonathan Walford, p.116:

"Israel Miller was born in Russia and moved to the United States, where he was taught by an Italian shoemaker in New York. In 1880 he established what would become a family company, opening a store and factory on 23rd Street, making and selling theatrical footwear. By the 1940s the company had become known for its fashion footwear, created by freelance designers such as Andre Perugia and David Evins, as well as its own growing studio of talent, including Margaret Clark. The company is often remembered for hiring the young Andy Warhol in the late 1950s to dress windows and produce charming shoe sketches used for Christmas greeting cards."

The Finds (left to right): Color I. Miller Advertisement, Date Unknown, $10, devocanada; Color I. Miller Advertisement, c.1958, $10, devocanada.

"Expensive, but wait 'til you wear it."

The Finds (left to right): I. Miller Advertisement, c.1950, $10, devocanada; I. Miller Advertisment, c.1958, $9.99, 237; I. Miller Advertisement, c.1961, $10, devocanada.

"Light and Lovely" "Sleek New Mobility" "Built to Comfort, Coddle, and Make the Most of Your Foot"

In 1958, Millerkins, a walking-suit pump, cost about $20, roughly $154.35 today (calculated via DollarTimes). Today, vintage I. Miller shoes can be found from $24 to $120, or even lower in thrift shops.

The Finds (top, clockwise): Brown Gray Lizigator Purse, Deitsch with matching Pumps, I. Miller, c.1950s, $60, NorthStar Vintage; Tan Lizard Pumps, I. Miller, $110, Sweet Trash Vintage Clothing; Midnight Blue Suede Sandals, I. Magnin & Co. I. Miller Beauty Shoes, c.1940s, $58, Thirteen Bees Vintage; Navy Peep Toe Slingback Pumps, I. Miller, c.1950s, $24, Thunderbird Vintage.

Have any vintage shoe designers caught your eye?

Ciao Bella!

Eden

Credits: All collages created by Eden Hensley Silverstein for A Timeless Affair. All product images taken by their respective eBay: devocanada, genpaper, and mirluck; and Etsy sellers: NorthStar Vintage, Sweet Trash Vintage Clothing, Thirteen Bees Vintage, and Thunderbird Vintage.

In the Moment: Still Working on Wedding Favors

2011-07-18T14:22:00.000-07:00

Who says we're traditional? (Okay no one even thinks that, but it makes for a good lead in to the post.) No one would (will) think traditional when it comes to our wedding favors. First, they weren't distributed at our wedding reception. Second, they're going to require our guests to once again interact with each other.

We love to cook. We love to entertain. For our wedding favors, we wanted to share some of our favorite recipes with our family and friends.

Creating a cookbooklet at first nod seems simple enough. More than nine months after our wedding, with covers, bindings, and content in various states of completion, we're still not done. First, we pondered whether the favor should coordinate with our wedding invitations or tie in with Recipes for a Good Life. Next, we started flipping through various cookbooks from the 1950s and 1960s for design inspiration. Then, we started outlining stylistic choices we must consider in our design (Part 1).

On Saturday, I lamented to cubes that I wished we could break down our cookbooklet into manageable pieces. And that was when a plan was hatched. Guests will receive a section or chapter. To obtain a complete cookbooklet, they'll need to meet (or at least chat) with other guests. We will provide a "map" as to what a complete cookbooklet includes and "clues" as to where (who holds the other sections) the other sections can be found. It's up to our guests what their complete booklet ends up like.

If you received a portion of a cookbooklet for a wedding favor would you seek out other guests to get the rest?

Ciao Bella!

Eden

Credits: All images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for A Timeless Affair.

Etsy Tuesday: Traveling in Style

2011-07-12T11:11:00.000-07:00

For our wedding, we treated the men in our wedding parties to vintage Trav-L-Bars. I spent months searching for and sourcing them. (I'm far enough from - a year in a couple of weeks - my meltdown involving these that I can laugh about it.) As the men in our wedding and I have all been asked where I found these treasures, I'll reveal my process today.

I had a few requirements: all components must be present, the bar itself could not exceed $50, and the case color needed to match (or complement) our wedding palette. The stocking of each Trav-L-Bar was handled by my bridesman, "The Massive Bri," with a budget of approximately $100 per bar.

Our usher and official Tweeter's Trav-L-Bar midway through the reception. His bottle of Scotch had already been shared in celebratory toasts with fellow guests. Photographed by Vanessa Naylon.

Over the course of four months, I successfully located four Trav-L-Bars from the 1960s, ranging in price from $15 to $35 each, for an average price of $25.50. In the 1970s, Ever-Wear began making the bars with hard plastic molded cases and replaced the elegant utensils with bakelite handles with simple ones and the metal cups with plastic ones.

If you're looking now for a vintage portable bar, there are a few manufacturers to search for Trav-L-Bar by Ever-Wear, Platt, and The Portable Pub by Londonaire.

The Finds: Londonaire, $25, Pirate Cat's Treasures; Platt, $20 with all components and key, price reduced for damaged corner, Toadsies; Unknown, $25, FaithandHope10.

The Finds: Unknown, $28, Collectique; Ever-Wear, $35, Knockouts Vintage; Londonaire, $24.95, Baby Kiki Yaya.

Keyword combinations I use on Etsy to ferret out travel bars are as follows: Ever-Wear, Londonaire, Platt, Trav-L-Bar, travel bar, traveling bar, portable bar, and portable pub. You can also find travel bars on eBay though unless they're buy now, the prices tend to get inflated with bidding.

For our six-month wedding anniversary, I surprised cubes with his very own Trav-L-Bar, which just so happens to match my bridesman's Trav-L-Bar (this similarity was discovered at Priceless when both were present). NOTE: The Padded Top Grain Cowhide Strapping bars in brown with metal trim tend to be the hardest to find.

cubes' Trav-L-Bar fully outfitted. Note that my Irish Mist Whiskey (safely ensconced in the bar in our living room) has since been replaced with a bottle of Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix Whisky. The coffee liqueur will also be replaced at some point with Bourbon or Scotch. Photographed by Eden Hensley Silverstein.

Now, you can buy Portable Bars new, if you're not excited by the idea of hunting for the perfect vintage bar. Kegworks and Picnic Time both make bars.

The Finds: Travel Bar by Kegworks, $69.95, Amazon.com; Deluxe Portable Travel Set, $119.95, Kegworks; Portable Travel Bar by Picnic Time, $129.95, Bed, Bath, & Beyond.

Happy searching!

Ciao Bella!

Eden

Credits: All collages created by Eden Hensley Silverstein for A Timeless Affair. Except where noted, all product images taken by Amazon.com, Bed, Bath, & Beyond, Kegworks, or their respective Etsy sellers: Baby Kiki Yaya, Collectique, FaithandHope10, Knockouts Vintage, Pirate Cat's Treasures, and Toadsies.

In the Moment: Our Nine Month Anniversary

2011-07-11T05:05:00.000-07:00

For our nine month anniversary yesterday, we watched Deadwood, brunched at Andalu,

and dined at Zuni.

It was a good day.

Did you have a good weekend?

Ciao Bella!

Eden

Credits: All images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for A Timeless Affair.

Friday Funnies: Happily Ever After

2011-07-08T07:49:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday! Did you enjoy your short week?

Well, hopefully you've recovered from your holiday and are ready to put on your creative thinking hats. Today I'm sharing another comic strip from Just Married, "Why am I here?" (previously I shared "A Ruined Life"). With this particular comic I didn't like the storyline. So with today's comic, you get to fill in the blanks.

Yes, like all Just Married strips, it ends happily, but I didn't like the particular arc.

I've provided snippets from the start of the story as well as the ending. Basically your challenge is craft an answer to "Why would a bride be remembering her wedding day and thinking 'Why am I here?'"

I'll post the true storyline next Friday. Best story will get the Just Married comic for their very own!

Ciao Bella!

Eden

Credits: All images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for A Timeless Affair.