Vintage Blanket Attack

Confession: I am a vintage blanket junkie.

It's true. I love them. The textures, styles, yarns, colors--the colors! They just speak to my inner finger-painting lovin' free-wheelin' self.

The trouble is I'm SO out of room--not just for my own keepers, but for the shop's too. My linen closet runneth-over. Is there a 12-step program for that? If so, I don't want to know.

These are my latest finds:

Chevron afghan in orange! What's not to love?

The Elizabeth blanket. Pure wool, nice and cozy with a lovely white blanket stitching. 

Every time I look at this blanket I think of the movie Elizabethtown. I love that movie.

I just found this one tonight and I'm in love. I see a lot of granny square blankets, and some as garishly wonderful as this one, but rarely in wool. It's all wool & warm, baby. 

Since I edited the photos, put Scout and Rescue on most of them, I guess that's where they're going. Sometimes I'm not sure which shop to put things in, so visit them both. :-)

Scout and Rescue: vintage home decor & kitchen fun.

Dahlila Found: mostly fashion accessories for men & women, linens too!

New Fall Finds

There's something about Fridays. They're the end of a harried work week for most, but they're the beginning of mine. On Fridays, I can't resist thrifting, as if Saturday were just to long a wait. Also, it gives me a jump start on what could disappear by the weekend.

Apparently, I'm all about fall colors, even with the temperature hovering near 9o degrees. The feel of autumn is still here. So, check out the bright fall colors coming to Dahlila Found.

From left to right:

1) a FABULOUS palm print vinyl jewelry box with orange velvet lining. It has a drawer AND a secret stash beneath the top shelf. Dreamy!
2) A handmade needlepoint throw pillow in great 70's avocado, mustard, rust, white and yellow--the back is golden brushed cord--in great condition.
3) the box heeled pumps: a bit worn but I couldn't resist the geometric toe pattern. Groovy!
4) A Princess Gardner wallet, with all the original ad slips inside. I'm pretty sure it's dead stock. Love it!
5) Lastly, a Boy Scout belt, which I'll sell with a Boy Scout bandanna I already have. Show off your inner scout! :-)

Note: items will show up in  Dahlila Found and Scout And Rescue. They're both my shops and  I will gladly combine shipping between both. Just ask!

Enjoy your Autumn!

d xo

Summer Allstar Sneaker Circus

I love canvas tennies in all the brands you know: Keds, Vans, Converse. I grew up with them in a plethora of colors, but I always love the basics best: red, white & blue. The more you wear them, wash them & bicycle in them, the better they get. When we were young we wrote boys names on the white bumper sides. And when they got weary we pasted them up with shoe goo.

All these great vintage tennie runners are in the shop--or on their way. My house is filled with brightly inspiring tennis shoes and NOT A SINGLE PAIR FIT ME. Sigh.

What we have:  navy blue Converse All-Stars, red Converse All-stars, white Converse Jack Purcell's--SO big (men's 13) I can't find laces for them, & red canvas deck shoes (like Keds or Vans).

So, without further ado please welcome

The 2011 Summer Allstar Tennis Shoe Circus!

Enjoy! 

Formation

 Acrobats

 shoulder stands

Circus Sandwich

The Rockets!

Savory Scones

I may have picked the wrong night to turn on the oven (heat wave, 83 degrees today. Yuck.) but I had to make these Tomato Feta Scones by Savory Sweet Life on the Etsy blog and they are delish!

I had to make a few minor adjustments to the recipe. I didn't have garlic salt, a food processor, a baking stone or even parchment paper, but I made due and if someone doesn't take them away soon, I may eat another. I really love savory baked goods. If you have the ingredients, they're an easy to prepare treat. Great with wine or coffee. :-)

My adjustments:

1) For garlic salt I used Mrs. Dash, Original Seasoning Blend (salt free, which is good because the feta & the butter (oh, I didn't have unsalted butter either) are plenty of salty.

2) Instead of roasted red tomatoes from a fancy (read expensive) deli, I used Green Chile & Roasted Tomato Chunky Salsa from Archer Farm. Next time I want to try real roasted red peppers (I roast them straight on the gas range. Super yummy, but tomatoes, I'm not sure how that works. Experiment. You may find something better.

3) I love feta cheese so it was a must, but cheddar or Swiss would make a good substitute if you're making them for kids or someone who's not a feta fan--I can't imagine.  

4) No parchment paper or baking stone, no problem, a lightly buttered baking tray worked great.

5) Mine were thicker than 1" when I flattened the dough & stickier (surely from the salsa) so I cut them into 6 pieces instead of eight. They're big, fluffy and dreamy.

6) Also, because of the size & density, I baked them for nearly 25 minutes. Check on them often.

Thank you Savory Sweet Life. This is exactly what I've been wanting.

dahlila xo

Moroccan Autumn: New Fall Finds

Wonderful new finds for the coming autumn. I am so taken by the rich colors, deep chestnut browns, sunflower yellows, soft wheats and bright oranges. Ah, fall. :-)

Vintage tan and white spectators, Stewart Weitzman

Indian Summer Sunset: vintage bedsheet, Queen/King Flat, Burlington, 1970s

Bold vintage orange pumps, Howard Fox, San Francisco, 1970s, 8.5.

Moroccan Design, Full Flat, bed sheet, J.P. Stevens for Utica, 1978

Vintage acorn brown pumps, Anne Klein, 8M

Vintage Rock-n-roll cowboy boots w/double zippers, chocolate brown, golden wheat. orange yellow stitching; women's 8-8.5

More to come,
dahlila xxoo

Fall Scarves at Dahlila Found

If you know me at all, you know I love scarves. They are the perfectly elegant accent to nearly any outfit. Toss it around your neck, tie it up in your hair, drape it over your shoulder, wrap it around your waist. People will always notice a touch of elegance.

Vintage silk Oscar de la Renta in plum, goldenrod marigolds.

Satiny bold vintage polka dots in black, white, copper. So fun!

Vintage Oscar de la Renta scarf in mauve, plum, dusty rose.

The Wild Card: Silk Vera Neumann in bold aqua, teal, yellow and pink florals.

Enjoy!

dahlila xxoo

Dahlila Found

Blankets: Fall 2010

It's hard to imagine on this triple digit summer day, but I've been storing up for my fall collection. I should be out at the beach but I'm deep in wool blankets. Send iced tea. :-)

p.s. You can follow Dahlila Found's RSS feed for first dibs on postings: http://www.etsy.com/shop/dahlilafound/rss

Vintage wool blanket in the perfect Pink Grapefruit. Great for chilly summer nights, evening beach parties, picnics in the park.

Gorgeous stripped yellow wool blanket. Vintage L.F Foght, Denmark.

 Sweet vintage crochet and knit blanket in deep pink w/embroidered fruit. Precious.

Stay tuned for fall shoes, curios, back to school train cases, luggage and fashion accessories.

dahlila xxoo

VERA at the Beach House

Life is so funny. Sometimes what you want is right in front of your face and you don't even see it. Well, I don't anyway. Our family has a beach house that my grandfather built in the 50s. It's funky & fabulous, and our family rotates through it all summer long.

While I was there through the holiday I was searching through the linen's closet when I spotted a bright yellow and orange sticking out from the bottom pile. I knew at once. I just knew.

I got more excited than a minor striking gold. I pulled them out and was enveloped in bold butterflies! I fondled for a tag and there it was "Vera Collection, Burlington." I nearly shrieked.

All these years--all those eras!--there they sat, mostly unused, my mother later tells me--just waiting for me to discover Vintage and Vera.

So, of course, I had to share them with you. Do I keep them or sell them? There are two twin fitted & one flat sheet. They won't fit my bed. Decisions, decisions.

Meanwhile, I'm enjoying just having them and knowing where they were hiding out all these years, at home. :-)

d xxoo

Orloff Parfumes, Jean Vivaudou Co.

This is a Jean Vivaudou box of perfumed sachets from his 1939 Orloff parfumes collection called Nikki. The beauty of this treasure is I had absolutely no idea what I had found. The satiny sachets just appealed to me, so I rummaged it out of a throw away bag at an estate sale!
There are six sachets in the 5 inch square box and they still smell heavenly. Each one is silk in pink and creamy white.

Atop the box is the Orloff coat of arms famous on Vivaudou perfumes.

Inside the box I found this hand type set advertisement. You can feel the indentation of each letter and the roses. So lovely.

I found some fabulous vintage perfume enthusiasts on line that told me what a treasure I had uncovered. Thank you to The Vintage Perfume Vault and Cleopatra's Boudoir.

This fabulous goodie is going up for sale on Ebay. If you have any questions please ask!

dahlila. xxoo

Bella Pink

My family dropped by today, unexpectedly. My niece looked so lovely, so fabulous from head to toe I made her pose with a plethora of shop accessories. The pink purse looked especially darling with her pink posie hair band. I was thrilled at how wonderfully navy blue and pink work together--bold and soft--bella signorina.

Thinking of Dahlila

Dahlila has gotten little if any attention for a while. Her shelves are quiet, neglected. The typewriter a bit dusty, the ribbon, faded.

And then a surprise. A customer returned from last summer, bought a card and a favorite bracelet: Mixed Salad, a colorful mixture of vintage buttons that remind me of it's name sake: radishes, squash, mixed greens, lemon cucumbers, tomatoes.

I have only two bracelets left to sell. I don't know if I will make more. They are time consuming, hand stitched, more a labor of love than lucrative, which is what I need to focus on just now. Don't we all.
Still, I am grateful this customer came back. It gave me a chance to visit my button box, bracelets, typed words and cards. The later of which I hope to make more, however computer typed this time. My fingers and the typewriter...ridiculous.

Thinking of you, dahlila xxoo

Interview on Catwalk Threads

Catwalk Creatives out of Manchester, England writes a vintage blog, Catwalk Threads that is great. This month she is featuring yours truly talking about vintage treasures, the perfect day & hot finds.
I was so pleased to be asked by Louise. She's terribly sweet. So visit Catwalk & DahlilaFound for great vintage finds. :-)
See the interview of DahlilaFound on Catwalk Threads. Thank you Louise!

Coffee & brioche

Thank goodness for Italian coffee, French brioche & apricot jam. My morning salvation.
Today I am running off to another estate sale--It's spring & sales abound! So, coffee in hand-- lists, purse, camera and I am off. Meanwhile I will leave you with my favorite typed word snippets from Dahlila. :-)
They're a nice way to send a friend a cappuccino and brioche without getting the envelope all soggy. ;-)
Have a nice day and wish me luck! You never know what I will find?


dahlila. xxoo

First Anniversary

I missed my first Etsy anniversary. It was last week. It came and went and I was non-the-wiser. I should really be better at this, having been schooled from a very young age to never forget a birthday, anniversary or RSVP requiring commemoration, even when it's my own.

So, without further adieu: HAPPY ANNIVERSARY DAHLILA FOUND! I've done well, shopped fabulously, sleuthed in the farthest corners and found the best forgotten treasures. I've made some great new friends and customers, learned lessons, and given the upmost attention to my shop. (I'm giving myself a pat on the back, just for this special day, since I did it all by myself.)

I'm making a wish and blowing out the candles!

Thank you all,
dahlila♥
xxxooo

Buttons

I made this bracelet last spring and it's still one of my favorites. I've been enamored by buttons since I was a kid when I would pour my mother's button jar out on the floor and play with the plethora of buttons. They're colorful, textured, smooth. They make great jewelry, lovely pocket charms. I love stringing them together to hold all my wishes, dreams and hopes then wearing them for good luck. This bracelet is called Pink Bubblegum. It would make a lovely Valentine's gift for someone special.

Three For Tea

I found two of these beautiful tea cups with gold embossed roses on them, then miraculously found a third several months later!

Three is a nice number: cozy, eclectic, a small book club, a fun lunch date, a good shopping trio (two to decide if that dress really is right or not) or a decadent menage a trois.

Three little tea cups make nice little gifts for two of your favorite friends. Enjoy! Dahlila.

Dark Blue

I just finished these lovelies and sent them off to their new owner. I had never thought of crocheting wristlets in dark blue before, but I like them. They'd look dashing with my dark blue beret (I bought the beret in Paris when I was 17 and I've managed to keep it all these years.) I suppose that makes the beret--and me--vintage. ;-)

Stilettos

Aren't these lovely? Vintage 1980's brocade stilettos. Wow.

I love heels, can dance backwards in them, but working stilettos is an art form I have not mastered. These will take a "Carrie Bradshaw" dazzler to pull them off. Is that someone you?

Enjoy! Dahlila.

Back to School

Dahlila hasn't been getting the attention she deserves. The typewriter sits idle. The yarn basket runneth over. Distracted by other projects & mishaps life just got in the way.

Back To School

I'm brushing up on my graphic's skills this spring, antiquated as they are. (I can run a Multilith 1250 printing press with feed control, cut and bind your paper reams, hand set your business cards, but in InDesign? I learned it then lost it. Oh my.)

Once that project is under way my Naughty Thoughts cards will be getting a makeover. My fingers can't take the typewriter anymore--neither can my neighbor or my dog.

So, keep your eyes open for new and improved cards. You never know what I will say. ;)

Curious Wonders

This is CuriousRobin an Etsy shop created by Nissa Nicole, a sweet young artist and photographer, who just landed her first wedding gig. Yay, Nissa!

These are some photos of hers that I happen to love. Enjoy!

Baby Blue Vintage Chevrolet

Red Dahlia


Lost Soul Vintage Chair