Coming Soon, or, My Land! I Have Sew Many Patterns!

I've been busily working away at transforming my Vintage Selling Stash Room (yes, it has consumed an entire room!) into a full-fledged Sewing and Handicraft Room. Let me just say that the process is taking longer than I want it to, but I'm trying to stay true to my vision of a comfortable, well-lit, reasonably organized, spacious work area. Okay, so that could take years ;)

Anyway, whilst shoveling (well, it felt like shoveling) out the scads of things in the VSSR, I struck oil, er, I mean the motherlode... of sewing patterns. There are so many that I've decided to un-hiatus my Etsy shop, just to get these terrific patterns to new homes where they'll be loved. So, if you love vintage sewing patterns, keep an eye out on CherryBubblesVintage on Etsy.

Here are a few pics to whet your appetite...






If you see something that catches your fancy, drop me an email. I'll be glad to get it listed sooner.

May your bobbins always be full!
~ Author Unknown

A Belated Thank You and A Bit of Blog Love...

The two gals mentioned in today's post are truly the bee's knees! Both of them are fun vintage enthusiasts with equally fun blogs full of interesting and thoughtful posts. Please visit them... knock three times, and whisper low, that you were sent by Joe, er, I mean, Miss CherryBubbles ;)

Just before I began my February giveaway madness, I was fortunate to win a giveaway hosted by the fabulous Inky of Shrinky Inky's Fine Adventures. Thank you bunches and bunches, Inky!!


I love everything in this lovely vintage romance prize package, but my favorite is the gorgeous flower barrette handmade by Inky, herself! What a lot of work and creativity must have gone into the making of this beautiful barrette! And here's a neat coincidence - I have a sweater with flowers that almost perfectly match the color of the flower on the barrette.


If you're not familiar with Inky's terrific blog, go visit! I'm sure she'd love to meet you :)



Speaking of giveaways and vintage-y blogs... the lovely Emily at Livin' Vintage is hosting a fantastic giveaway of a 1940s pattern history book and a 1940s dress pattern. If you love sewing from vintage patterns, collecting vintage patterns, or just 1940s fashion in general, this sounds like a great book to have. And isn't that dress pattern simply lovely!


Go, enter, and you just might win! While you're there, do have a look around Emily's swell blog!

Thank you for dropping by - it's always nice to see you!

Giveaway no. 4 Winner!

And the winner of the snood, cookbook, knitting booklet, and sewing booklet is...

Inky!

Congratulations! Victory is yours!

This week's winner should contact Miss CherryBubbles at

so I can make shipping arrangements for your winsome winnings!

Congratulations to all four winners of Miss CherryBubbles' giveaways! And if you haven't visited the fabulous blogs of these four lovely ladies, what are you waiting for?

Adri - The Girl Blogger

Kristen - This Homemade Life

Steph - Tart Deco

Inky - Shrinky Inky's Fine Adventures

Thanks a bunch to everyone who joined my birthday & blogiversary celebration!

Stick around for lots more vintage fun ;)

Giveaway #4: Victory on the Home Front...

Welcome to the fourth Giveaway of February! This is the last one in the 4-week series, so if you haven't won any of the previous week's giveaways, you've got one more chance.



This week, the prize package is my tribute the women who kept the home fires burning during World War II....

1. Make and Mend for Victory, c. 1942 - A 50-page book covering alterations, making over clothing, mending, darning, and making your own accessories. By the Spool Cotton Company.


2. Knit for Defense, c. 1941 - 22 pages of patterns for every type of knitwear a military serviceman might need, including sweaters, gloves, hats, and socks - all "patterned after regulation specifications." By Chadwick's Red Heart Wools. (Note: Back cover is separated from booklet.)


3. The Victory Binding of the American Woman's Cook Book, c. 1943, Wartime Edition - An excellent cookbook jam-packed with great recipes and helpful cooking tips. I have two other editions of the American Woman's Cook Book and have found them an invaluable resource in the kitchen. Edited by Ruth Berolzheimer. (Note: Front and back covers have edge fade, but the interior is in excellent shape.)

"The machine beats time as well as batter
while you supply the brain that makes the cake."

4. Red Crocheted Snood with Grosgrain Ribbon Bow - made by Miss CherryBubbles herself from a 1942 pattern.



To enter this week's giveaway, leave a comment below and tell me what you would have found most difficult to do without during World War II. So many things were rationed at that time, but I could get by on less or none of most, with the exception of cheese!

New followers will receive an extra entry, so make sure to mention this in your comment. If you post this giveaway on your blog, tweet about it on twitter, or post a link to it on facebook, you'll receive an extra entry - be sure to let me know in the comment section.

Entries will be accepted until midnight on Friday, February 26. I'll be drawing and posting the winner's name on Saturday.

Good Luck!

Recently discovered treasures...

Since I'm experiencing the calm before the storm (a.k.a. The Holidays), I thought I'd take a moment to share my recent vintage finds with you.

I'm frequently surprised at the places I find a treasure that I can't live without. An inauspicious-looking moving sale, featuring primarily modern furniture and housewares, yielded these fantastic vintage metal lawn chairs for $5 each. Where the green paint has flaked off, one can see that these chairs have been painted at least 5 different colors over the years.

We also bought an L.L. Bean camp cot there for $3, which Mr. Lucky has claimed for himself...



Now, barn sales always seem to bode well for the vintage treasure hunter. I got a fabulous red plastic Solo barrette - still on it's cardboard holder (50¢), an adorable little necklace with red bakelite beads ($2.00), and a green polka-dot chiffon scarf ($3.00). There were many other things I wanted to buy, but, unfortunately, they were too pricey for my purse. Here's the barrette, necklace, and scarf...

The barrette is a nice size - about 4.5 inches long, although I couldn't possibly put all my hair in it as the ladies in the picture have done.

I love the color combination on this necklace and the length is perfect for dresses or sweaters with a round neckline.

The scarf was a must-have. I mean, I love polka dots. And green polka dots are big fun in my book.


These final two finds came from a small multi-dealer antique shop in the next town over. When the prices are this good, I say "buy them all"! Okay, well, actually, my dearest was the one who suggested that I buy them all.

A crowd of cookbooks...


Yes, the book in the foreground does have a real wood cover. I have a couple of similar vintage recipe books, each featuring a chef on the front and blank pages to fill in your own recipes, and three cocktail books with wooden covers, as well. Do you own any vintage wood-covered books?

And a passel of patterns...

There are some absolutely amazing patterns in this bunch, including one from the late 1920s! As much as I love vintage patterns, I'm not well-versed in sewing, so these are headed for my Etsy shop. There are so many that it'll take the next several weeks to get them listed. If you're looking for a specific type of pattern, let me know and I'll be glad to get it listed sooner :)