Aurora Books

Whew. I'm finally back and falling back into my normal pace. We were in Wisconsin for two and half weeks, and it was glorious! Besides being beautiful and my favorite place in the world, Wisconsin is a treasure box of vintage goodies.

Five minutes from Marinette, WI, is Menominee, MI. They have one of the most lovely down towns! One of my favorite stores is Aurora Books. If there's a vintage or rare book you are hunting for, Aurora will probably have it.



This only half of the store!







I purchased these two vintage novels, as well as a book written by Bob Hope during WWII that he dedicated to the soldiers.







One of my favorite things about collecting old books is finding inscriptions and dates written inside:




I have so much more to share with you! More to come, plus a giveaway!

Vacation!

Currently is Wisconsin visiting family. I'm taking lots of pictures and buying tons of vintage goodies - including some things for a giveaway!

Everyday Vintage #5: Retro Kitchen Decor from Target

All priced at $14.99, these metal pieces from Target will add retro flare to your kitchen.







The bread box is adorable!




I love this yellow lazy-susan holder. What would you use it for? Utensils?

Everyday Vintage #4: Sunbeam Heritage Series Handmixer

This BlogPress app is making it entirely TOO easy for me to blog! I love it!

Another retro find from JCPenney: this lovely hand mixer from Sunbeam features the classic styling for which Sunbeam is recognized. I've always loved that they still sell their classic stand mixer - a mixer that I often seen in kitchens when watching 40's movies. However, since we already own a Kitchen Aid, another stand mixer is not in my future. We will be needing to replace our hand mixer soon, and how great that there is a vintage option!

Priced at $49.99, but currently on sale for $39.99. Available in white, red (my personal favorite!), and black. The mixer comes with a little stand that also holds the beaters.

Everyday Vintage #3: The Diner Collection

This is my first post via iPhone, so we'll see how this goes!

Check out these stylish mugs and the cute dish from "The Diner Collection" at Barnes & Noble! The mugs are priced at
$7.95, and the Check Plate at $6.95.













That Check Plate is really calling me. Think I should go back and get it?

Everyday Vintage #2: Forever 21

I spotted these cute wedge sandals at Forever 21. They're priced at $24.95. I thought they had a 40's feel, but I wasn't sure about the "rope" finishing on the sides. Was that sort of styling around in the 40's or 50's?

Everyday Vintage #1: American Living Belted Peplum Dress

I'm going to be starting a new blog series called Everyday Vintage. I'll be posting modern findings that are vintage inspired or vintage repros.

While walking around JCPenney's yesterday I found this adorable peplum dress!

It is by the Penney's brand, American Living. You can definitely see the 1940's influence. Especially when you compare it to the vintage sewing patterns at the end of this post.

The dress is made of polyester/elastane, which feels nice but is not a fabric I find to be very flattering — unless you're

wearing Spanx!

Priced at $100.00, but currently on sale for $75.00. I find $75.00 to still be a little steep. Being as it just came out for spring, the price will probably go down a little more in the coming months.

I always find it very exciting to find vintage style being sold in everyday stores. For those who can't sew, dressing in 40's style clothing can be very expensive — whether you buy reproductions or the real thing. Pieces, like this American Living dress, help make that classic style more accessible to those of us on a tighter budget.

Click here to view the dress on the Penney's website.