On the Radar: Good as Gold Pt. 2

This fabulous color continues to present itself to us. Just a few days ago, we bought a great mustard hat and some groovy floral curtains with golden fringe. Those are soon to be listed, but while you wait, here is what Etsy has to offer for that perfect touch of yellow in your home:

On Etsy

On Etsy

The Blackbird girls are suckers for ice buckets, so we had to pull one for this post. Oh, and did I mention that we also collect vintage fondue pots and typewriters? I'm drooling for that Olivetti!

On Etsy

On Etsy

On Etsy

For a classier, less overtly vintage splash of color, try a cool print or delicate piece of blown glass:

On Etsy

On Etsy

Normally, I don't go for painting perfectly good mid-century credenzas, but this one is perfectly wonderful. I love the yellow and gray--one of my favorite color combinations--and check out the fabulous coordinating knob that I found in another shop!

On Etsy

On Etsy

On the Radar: Good as Gold Pt. 1

There are trend-setters in this world, and there are trend-followers, and it doesn't matter which category you belong to as long as you do the trend justice. And vintage is always a great way to fall in line with the herd while still maintaining your originality. I mean, how many other people in your circle are going to have the same dress, or necklace, or belt? So, as we see these trends pop up in magazines, malls, and boutiques, we also see the same conversation happening in the vintage world. For the past few months, this beautiful golden yellow has been popping up everywhere, and our savvy Etsy compatriots have made their own contribution. And while we normally incorporate modern iterations of trends in our On the Radar blogs, we've decided to highlight nothing but vintage this time around. Like this AMAZING dress:

From here

Or these daring darlings:

On Etsy

On Etsy

Sometimes, all you need is a little spot of color to stand out in a crowd, like this funky patterned scarf:

Echo scarf, On Etsy

 And jewelry is always a girl's best friend!

Golden tiger eye ring, On Etsy

On Etsy

There's nothing better than versatility, especially when it looks good. Check out this reversible bracelet:

On Etsy

This ring is awesome, and we love the enameled cufflinks:

Gold and yellow jade ring, On Etsy

Swank enamel Pisces cufflinks, On Etsy

May your world be filled with sunshine and great yellow vintage!

On the Radar -- Needing Some Needlepoint Now!

Thanks to designers and celebrities (Taylor Swift is a fan), needlepoint is the hobby of the moment.  We've been seeing it everywhere!  In shops, online, in fashion...and we love it.  Both of us Blackbirds have fond memories of doing plastic canvas needlepoint when we were younger, and I've been collecting vintage needlepoint books for years, in hopes of one day having the time to actually make some throw pillows or seat covers.  It's hard to find, but we do buy good Mid Century needlepoint when we find it.

Even Bergdorf's 2014 Holiday Windows gave a nod to needlepoint with this red beauty:

We saw this recently on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (one of our guilty pleasures -- along with all of the other RH franchises!):

Pillow by Richard Rothstein.

Jonathan Adler's been on the needlepoint bandwagon for years.  His Jackie O pillow is one of my faves:

Or you can make your own pillow with this kit:

From Modern Needleworks on Etsy, here.

 Needlepoint's not just for pillows.  This vintage brooch is so sweet!

Vintage Petit Point Brooch, from The Birdcage Vintage on Etsy, here.

And you can also hang it on your wall:

Vintage framed needlepoint from edgertor on Etsy, here.

And from our shop, you can cover your tennis gear:

Vintage tennis racquet cover, from our shop, here.

Or wear a jacket that looks like needlepoint (it's really made from a fabric called grospoint, which has a needlepoint look):

1960s Lilli Russell jacket, from our shop, here.

On the Radar -- Back in the Saddle

We Blackbird girls have subscriptions to tons of home decor and fashion magazines, but we haven't had a bit of time to actually sit down and look at any of them since probably last spring.  I'm sure you're aware we've been busy -- since, dear readers, the blog has been sporadic, at best -- but not taking the time to look at our monthly dose of the great-big-world-out-there, in the form of Harper's Bazaar, Martha Stewart Living, Vogue, Country Living, and our other fave publications, is just downright sad.  So excuse us for not noticing that the rest of the world has been trying to tell us that the biggest trend for Fall 2014 is Equestrian Chic/Horsey Blue Steel. 

Yeah, we didn't see that McQueen's doing it (see above).  Or Tory Burch (that's horse tack hardware in the print):

Or Alexander Wang:

Here's Massimo Dutti:

And it's happening in the home:

Here.

Nope, we were oblivious.  Until we went out junk shopping in August.  And in one antique mall, found 28 riding helmets in 28 different booths.

From The Curious Moose on Etsy, here.

And we kept seeing other equestrian-themed things, like these two items.  Sorry, these are last two we saw.  I didn't start taking pics until we had already passed a zillion other things, and I thought, hey, maybe I should do a blog post about this.  Hmmm....

 

Then we found this lamp, in need of some TLC.

We glammed it up a bit and added gold leaf. 

Now available in our shop in Liberty, NC!

 
So, how can you get on this trend bandwagon?  Here's a few finds from Etsy that I fell in love with --

Vintage hankie from Girl Makes Goods, only 2.99!  Here.

Vintage paint by number, from Southern Gilt, here.

Vintage corduroy, from The Selvedge Shop, here.

Our 1940s silk scarf, with saddles and horsehoes, here.

Our 1970s Gucci saddle scarf, here.

Or go all out and wear it all -- and buy vintage, of course!

Check our Pinterest page for links to these items, all found on Etsy.

On the Radar -- Latin Influence

We Blackbirds get inspiration from many places, and we recently watched "Anchors Aweigh" one night when it was on TCM.  (Hey -- if Gene Kelly is on the TV, we're going to watch it.  Unless it's "The Pirate." Then no, no, no!)  Now, I'm sure you know by now that we love us some color and pattern.  The more, the better!  And what I had never really paid attention to when watching this movie is the 1940s fascination with Mexico that runs throughout.  Kathryn Grayson's Aunt Susie character works as a singer at a Mexican restaurant, and the backdrop that the restaurant provides is full of amazing inspiration, from clothing to music to the village-like atmosphere outside the restaurant, which even has a little lonely senorita for Mr. Kelly to dance with around a fountain. 

When I decided to write this week's On the Radar (finally!), then, of course, I just had to talk about the resurgence of Mexican, Spanish and otherwise Latin print, patterns, and colors.  Designers pulled it out for Spring 2014, but it's not really going anywhere quite yet.  Here's a roundup of some of my favorites, new and vintage -- and I'd like to think Aunt Susie would approve of everything!

Nicolas Jebran, 2013-2014 Couture

Valentino resort, 2015

Valentino resort, 2015

Mara Hoffman, 2014

Embroidered tunic, from Living Textiles on Etsy, here

1940s jacket from Red Poppy Vintage Shop on Etsy, here.

1970s Purse from Sunday Girl Finds on Etsy, here.

1970s rug, from our shop, here.

1980s embroidered caftan, from our shop, here.