Holiday Sales!

I'm sure you're getting a jump on the holiday shopping just like I've started to do. To helps spread a little holiday cheer this year we're launching a big sale on both Candy Violet and Cute Salad!

New items added to the clearance sale including 2 one of a kind wool coats and kimono hoodies!
Free Priority mail on domestic orders!
10% off regular Items with coupon code: XMAS10
20% off for the first 5 customers with coupon code: EARLYBIRD10
(10 and 20% off offers exclude, atelier, gift certificates, custom and clearance items)

We're sure you'll find something great for the people on your list, or for yourself, you deserve a little treat too!

Table Top Living

This Thanksgiving, just as every day I was thankful that I married a fella that not only loves to cook, but is also mind blowingly good at it! In an effort to create a table worthy of the food, and bring a bit of extra retro charm to our "so close to finished" new kitchen/dining area I took to the thing I do best, sewing!

Long time blog followers know we've been working on a 1950's inspired red and turquoise kitchen for a while, and during Thanksgiving prep this year I managed to pull together a new red cotton table runner (reversible with a super cute Route 66 print on the other side) and a set of 6 gingham oil cloth place mats.

A super simple project the table runner is padded with thermal batting to keep the table top safe from hot serving dishes, and the oil cloth mats wipe clean fast for easy day to day living!

All little touches, but it's the bright little details that make a meal feel special and table seem inviting.

Vintage Vanity

1940's ad currently on ebay

I love vintage style, and love a bit of vintage lifestyle too! A while back I fell in love with the idea of owning a vintage dresser set. There's something so glamorous and appealing about the idea of a lady picking up pretty matching beauty tools at a beautiful vanity table getting ready on a morning or, for an evening out (even if the reality has always been a million miles away from a Jean Harlow boudoir scene)

These days of course it's all high tech curling irons, throw away plastic combs, and hair brushes that look like they were developed by NASA. I love how the new stuff works, but miss how the old stuff must have felt. I was lucky enough a bit back though, to find a practically unused (maybe even unused) set, with  all it's pieces, even in it's original box from the 1940's!

Some items have been ready to go from the start, things like trays, pots and mirrors which just needed a bit of a clean, other things like the manicure set and brush need a little TLC before they are going to be usable again. The plan is to fix them up so that they can get a new lease of life all over again!

My vanity set!

 I hope I can bring things like the nail file back up to working condition, but in the mean time I'm pretty happy checking the back of my hair styles with the pearly pink mirror, and pulling bobby pins and cosmetics from the various pots, boxes and trays!

(have a spare $4,400? you could pick up a set that belonged to Ms Harlow over on Ruby Lane )

Mocktail Dressing

Our house is inching closer and closer to being truly civilized! tiling has half happened and painting is happening right this second. It'll be time for that Mocktail party in no time! the good news is not only is the house just about mocktail party ready, but as of today so am I! We launched a collection of 4 items perfect of party season over at Candy Violet today.


2 lush brocade cocktail dresses (I'm told the straight one is very Jackie O) and the first 2 items in the faux furrier collection. I love the way those vintage ladies looked in all their opulent furs, but I don't feel comfortable with modern fur, and still a little unsure how I feel about the vintage fur I inherited (Which still needs some care from a professional fur cleaner).
I love a good faux fur because you can get the glamor without the drama or ambiguity that surrounds the real thing. A lot of faux fur I've come across over the years isn't all the soft on the eye or to the touch (or is murder on the bank balance!) this little lot was a pleasant surprise when I first got to feel it. It's super soft and silky, and has a nice sheen to it. Really luxurious! Total glam and no one has to get hurt!

The hope is very much that the faux furrier collection really takes off, it would be so wonderful to give it it's own section, and to be able to bring to life even more of the ideas that have been floating round my head for so long now. I hope you'll be cocktail hour perfect this year in some of these new dresses, and that we can get you to snuggle up like a silver screen queen in some of our faux fur too!

Syrup Bonanza!

A big order of syrups arrived today for our soda making adventures here at Quaintrelle HQ! 6 full size and 24 tiny samples to play with. Rose and Violet are already 2 of my all time favorite flavors (I can never decide which one of the 2 is my all time favorite), the rest I'm just excited to try. Almond sounds like it should be a good mix for some interesting flavors maybe?

We're still moving on with our home re-model project, as soon as it's all done it'll be time for a fancy mocktail and soda party in our shiny new home!

Vintage Nails

When it comes to vintage style, every once in a while you come across a little flourish that is as practical as it is retro chic! Today I thought I'd make a post about the wonder that is the vintage manicure or reverse French manicure. Back in the day ladies would leave the tips of the nail and/or the lunula un painted. I personally love the style for the way it looks, but for girls like me who work with their hands the extra couple of minutes it takes to do, saves plenty of time because your manicure lasts so much longer!

I know for me that the tips of my nail polish are always chipped by the end of the day when I paint them, and the base of the nail is quick to show wear shorty after. With the reverse French manicure these places are bare save a little clear topcoat, so upkeep is as simple as an extra lick of clear topcoat every couple of days, and your nails look spiffy for so much longer! The downside (there always is one) is that you do need to keep your nails a decent length, which is just as tricky for us handy types as getting nail polish to stay put. A basic nail care regimen can help with this though!

My Nail Care Routine:

• Use a clear nail treatment as a base coat such as Sally Hansen's Miracle Cure To help fight flaking
• Moisturize your hands every night with a good hand cream (Always a good idea for crafty types to help fight painful callouses caused by lot's of handy work)
• Rub your nails and cuticles with cuticle oil every night to help promote nail growth, and healthy nails.

My nails still get broken when I'm working on heavier tasks such as metal work, but if I'm able to stay mindful when I work, it is possible to save nail disaster!

How to Paint the Reverse French Manicure:

Not as hard as it might seem. Instead of painting 2-3 stokes vertically top to bottom, paint about 2 strokes side to side with a nice curve to get those half moon shapes. Clean off any excess at the side with a Q-tip dipped in nail polish remover and "jobs a good un" as they say in Yorkshire!

This might qualify as a slow news day in the world of blogging, but for any crafty quaintrelle out there it might be as useful to you as it has been to me!

Retro Sale

 A few people told me they were planning Mad Men based costumes for Halloween this year, so for anyone else having a similar idea, we're having a Candy Violet sale this week!! Daisy Cutter, Lady Luck and Day Trip items are all on sale till next Monday!I hope you'll stop by for some retro bargains (also great for people like me who are just always looking for new vintage styles to wear every day) Check over at  www.candyviolet.com to find out more!