Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone! I hope that 2012 brings you lots of new adventures, happy memories and plenty of Vintage goodies.

BBV is celebrating the new year with a 50% off Sale, I only have them twice a year so here is the first one of 2012!!! 

Clearing out the old (inventory) to make room for the new (goodies) 

also, check out BBV's new look for 2012

Sponsor BBV

Hello! You may have noticed I haven't had any new sponsors for a while. Well life got so busy I actually closed the blog to sponsors but I'm ready to open it back up again for 2012. Please see the "Sponsor" page at the top for more details but you can choose from a 200x300 ad for $20 a month or a 200x100 ad for $15 for 3 months.

NEW: Return sponsors get a special discount if they return for January 2012 and a crazy discount if they sponsor for a 3 or 6 month block...

Iron Orchid Vintage, a long time sponsor will be returning 

as well as a new sponsor...

Soul Rust Vintage (currently on vacation)

So that leaves only 2 more $20 spaces & 10 more $15 spaces for new sponsors if you're interested...

Top 5 Sales of 2011

Over the year I sell hundreds of different pieces of vintage clothing, shoes, jewelry, handbags and baby clothes of course..well I'm going to provide my top 5 favorite items that have sold this year in each category. Starting with Clothing..

DRESSES

 1. I've always loved the dramatic drape of this dress, soft rose champagne color. I wish I could find one in my size.

 2. This Jonathan Logan dress took in my opinion way too long to sell, its got that gorgeous belted cummerbund, v neck and back and a nice full skirt..it did eventually find a loving home though.

 3. The Judy Garland Frock. My first and probably only "collector" piece in the shop..it went to a private collector who has it on display and loves it :)

4. The saffron color of this dress is a killer, It didn't even last a day in the shop. So beautiful!

5. I love this little cupcake dress, pale green chiffon, lace bodice and bolero. So sweet and the woman who received it just loves it and that is really whats my favorite thing about selling vintage.

SEPARATES (skirts/sweaters/tops)

 1. Deep mustard hand knit fisherman's sweater..I'm pretty jealous of whoever purchased this.

2. I know this is a set...but I just fell in love with it. Made by Jantzen its got a full skirt and fitted vest. I can just picture someone wearing this for christmas

 3. The "Fish Scale" skirt..the volume on this skirt was crazy!

 4. Embroidered cashmere cardigan with beautiful red flowers..saved this one for a long time..sold within a day.

5. The "cowboys and indians" skirt with teepee and fort print. One amazing novelty print!!

COATS/BATHING SUITS (seasonal)

 1. Bright magenta wool jacket with beaver collar. You can't beat the color of this jacket.

2. Fox collar plaid jacket, I wasn't the only one who loved this coat...it sold really fast.

3. This truly stunning coat was only in the shop for about a day, white mink collar and all over acrylic fuzzy fur...I haven't seen one like it..so beautiful!

4. This white 60s "bond girl" bikini took forever to sell...I was in love with in from the moment I saw it. great full coverage bottoms and halter top..so so so sexy!

5. Leopard print bikini by jantzen. 50s style bombshell..this is actually the second one of these I found...sometimes I'm so lucky!

SHOES/BOOTS

 1. 60s leather mary janes with wood heel. I love these. Went to a woman for her wedding!

 2. White leather ankle boots with a nice low heel. They go with everything and went fast.

 3. OTK white leather boots with lace up backs. It seems I have something for white shoes.

 4. 40s french neon canvas platforms. Perfect for the beach, never been worn.

5. Just sold yesterday 5in pumps with arch pattern that reminds me of a giraffe. 

JEWELRY/HANDBAGS

 1. Sparkling tear drop earrings, I really hope these made it to a wedding.

 2. 40s black corde half moon bag with twisted lucite handle

 3. 80s chandelier earrings in vines with peachy crystals. They're so pretty.

 4. Over the top, maybe...but I love the large scale of these :D!!!!

5. Lovely scalloped edge fabric clutch with eyelet pattern and wood handle. Featured in many treasuries, I can see why.

BABY

1. Infant dress & diaper cover, never worn. So darn sweet!

 2. Whoa...Don't you wish this was an adult size? Child's MOD dress made in finland. Stunning!

 3. The little mermaid sweatshirt, original 80s release. I could swear I had one of these too!

 4. Sold the week before I found out I was having a boy darnit! Such a cute sailor suit. Au Revoir. I'm sure there is an adorable toddler wearing you right now.

5. Floral bubble pants with suspenders...these went to a friend and her daughter looks SO cute in them :)

Now for those "I wish I hadn't sold that" as a vintage seller, we've all got those pieces we regret selling...well here are my 5..

 1. Leslie fay watercolor dress with original ribbon belt...seriously, why did I list this?

 2. I debated listing this. The perfect cocktail dress with mermaid hem and built in crinnie. It was a little big..but it would've been worth it to have it taken in. Oh well..

 3. Its very hard to find a princess trench in my size. I loved the details of this one..dont know why I thought it was a good idea to list it.

 4. I know what you're thinking...a MOD dress? really? yeah. I've always loved the style but they're usually too tight in the hips..this one was just right.

5. I should've pulled these from the shop, adorable overalls for baby. He would've looked so cute in these.

What are your favorites? Did you buy one of my favorites? Do you have a favorite in my shop right now?

Christmas Day

We had a pretty mellow christmas day at our house. My hubs' family came over for dinner and pressies. My MIL made some yummy pies and we ate waaaaaay too many cookies. We made a double batch of chocolate chip & chocolate chip walnut, 1 of butterscotch almond, 1 peanut  blossom, 1 chocolate peppermint. They all turned out pretty good. I dont know if I'll make the chocolate ones again. I'm not a big fan of chocolate cookies. I did get a set of "A Christmas Story" themed cookie cutters for Christmas so I will have to make another batch of sugar cookies to test those out. The original outfit I was going to wear...didn't fit. Actually I'm concerned it won't ever fit, I bought it for post baby but its now too small in the bust...and I'm just going to get bigger from here. Hmmm...I guess we'll see. So I ended up wearing a dress/tunic I got last christmas that I dont usually wear but its nice and  comfortable for being prego in.

Sweater:vintage, thrifted
Dress:Macy's (christmas pressie last year)
Tights:Hue (Macy's)
Shoes:Payless

The tights honestly, didn't last long. They're not maternity tights and although they fit ok...I can't spend all day in them so I switched to a pair of maternity jeans.

I'm official in my 3rd trimester now 28 weeks..although it looks more like I should be in my 9th month. Its getting hard to find things that fit around my belly for more than a few weeks. I've been very fortunate to have an easy pregnancy, I'm proud to have a big healthy baby an if that means people are going to tell me how big I am all the time, well I'm sure it'll be worth it.

Happy Christmas Eve

I thought I would share some pictures of our "home for the holidays" with you. Its filled with nerdy, vintage, candley goodness and smells like mint, chocolate and maple. The hubs and I spent all morning cleaning and re-arranging for Christmas at our house. I like doing christmas at our house, to me its way less stressful than having to pack up everything and go somewhere else, especially if its somewhere I haven't been before. Some how we always end up going somewhere where we really only know each other and its just awkward...I'm not a fan. I'd rather have the whole family over for presents, dinner and usually some rock band on the 360.

 The tree, full of random, bright ornaments.

 My flicker candles, tinsel mini tree and a huge golden quail I thrifted this year

 I won that huge poinsettia at work, I have no idea what i'm going to do with it...but its a nice center piece for now. You can also see my stitched cardinal wall art and our super festive Christmas lights that stay up all year...because its never a bad time to be festive.

 The nummiest candle in the whole world. Bath and Body works "dark chocolate mint" it seriously smells like fudge. I thrifted the candle shade (also BBW) this year too. I've been looking for one for 3 years!

 Leg lamp, last  year's Christmas pic, candle, candle, owl, candle, candle, candle, candle, candle stick..yes, I like candles.

 my hubs let me have my christmas present early, its an eye-Fi card. It sends pictures directly to your computer as you take them! you can see it uploading my previous shot there in the corner of the screen. If you think the background on my computer looks familiar, you're right. Its one of solanah's christmas pictures. I must say I wish my christmas was that girly...i dont know how my hubs would feel about a pink tree though.

 This year I also thrifted this card tree, I really love it! One of those "didn't know you needed it until you have it" things.

 my best friend gave me my first wood wick candle this year, i love the deer on it and the sound it makes... so nice since our fireplace is currently covered by the couch.

 Here are some of my favorite ornaments on the tree

 I don't know if you can tell but the green light is actually a red light with a green cover...somehow we lost a red cover and a green light..haha

 We got two of these carts this year and we've already put them to good use. They're great for serving, this is a tray of desserts, cookies, caramels and some homemade almond roca and peanut brittle from my bestie and her mom.

 COOOOKIIIIEEESS

We also pre-prep all our dishes to make sure we've got what we want for each one...yes we make a lot of stuff out of cans...so sue me. I do use fresh veggies and I make/bake all my cookies from scratch (like that's hard)

My christmas eve outfit isn't very exciting. Its casual and comfortable..after all I gotta fit a huge baby belly in whatever I wear. I have something cuter planned for christmas...if it fits.

..and my bedroom looks very messy...we're in the process of washing bedding right now..sorry.

 My hubs made his first batch of peanut butter blossoms today. They are really tasty. We decided to roll them in large crystal organic sugar instead of the regular granulated sugar. It made them crack a bit more but the texture is really fun and they look so pretty and I like it. Its fun to play with your food.

 Peanut Butter Blossom Recipe
1/2 stick/cup vegetable shorteneing (I like the butter kind)
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup brown sugar (packed firm)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup AP flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Extra Granulated (or organic sugar) for rolling
12 oz bag of kisses >> put these in the FREEZER the night before (we had about 20 kisses left over)

Pre-Heat Oven to 375
**Unwrap your frozen kisses and put back in the freezer before you make your first batch of cookies.
To make the dough:
Cream your shortening, peanut butter, brown sugar and the granulated sugar together.
Add your egg, mix until the yoke is mixed in and you dont see any big yellow streaks
Add milk, vanilla. Mix until combined.
Add your flour, baking soda and salt to your mixture, beat until combined with your mixer on low-med until the dough feels stiff.
Roll into 1 inch balls, roll the balls in your extra sugar and then place them on the baking sheet (we could fit about 20 on each sheet, they don't spread out much)
Bake cookies about 10-12 minutes, they'll look a little raw on top..that is just fine. Once they have cooled about 10-20 seconds quickly place your frozen kisses on top, squishing the cookies down until they look like little sombreros. Then move off the cookie sheet onto a rack (or paper bag) and let finish cooling. Put your left over kisses back in the freezer for your next batch. Repeat ball rolling, sugar coating and baking until all your dough is gone.
Then enjoy a nice hot cookie with a melted kiss...mmm they're so good fresh from the oven.

Its a fun cookie to make with your kids, I remember unwrapping sooooo many kisses when I was younger. I'm quite the pro now ;)

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday!