I shared this freebie download on my monthly email newsletter earlier this month. It's a very popular booklet and widely available all over the place but just in case you don't already have a copy of your own, download it here for free! Sign up for the newsletter for monthly freebies, exclusive sales, coupons and vintage inspiration.

Mrs Depew Vintage is known for summery swimsuit, playsuit and lingerie patterns but don't overlook the vast collection of fall/winter selections! Va-Voom Vintage readers always save 15% off with code VAVOOM at the checkout




 With fur or faux trimming, over-sized lapels and different lengths, sew the vintage coat of your dreams. When October hits, I practically live in a 1940s jacket like the one pictured bottom middle but a month later when the bitter winds start to cut through it, it's time for something longer and in wool. By February, St Louis is coated in ice and its so cold the air hurts to breathe so I step out with a fur collar to keep my cheeks warm.

Many of us vintage girls wear dresses year round. Here are a few exquisite 1930s frocks with long sleeves and longer skirts than most of our 40s and 50s looks. I especially adore the 1930s dress in red with the lovely capelet- so wintery but you could make it again in the spring in a beautiful linen with eyelet lace capelet


I believe that  my separates get the most wear in the winter. Long sleeved blouses, knit sweaters, wool skirts and trousers are easy to pair together and accessorize. The bottoms are very basic and can be made in a variety of fabrics to suit your color palette and style but the blouses are really unique!




Enjoy snow-days in style with some 1930s pyjamas and robes. Wouldn't the robes be stunning in an extravagant jewel tone or wild chartreuse? When you have to brave the streets for milk, eggs and bread, don't forget a wooly vintage beret!

One of my favorite things on a late Sunday morning is a spinach and artichoke souffle from Panera. Unfortunately, they don't always have them because they are so tasty and sell out quickly. Also, they're about $4 a piece so I decided to make my own.



This is not quite a traditional souffle but still very delicious! Begin with a simple bechamel sauce base. Pj is the sauce boss in my house so he whipped up the bechamel. Next, turn to medium-low heat and add your choice of cheese and fillings. We used asiago cheese, frozen spinach and chopped artichoke hearts. The sky is the limit here. Try ham, bacon, prosciutto, any kind of cheese or veggies.

Next, whisk in some scrambled eggs. We put 5 whole eggs in....because we had only 5 eggs!


Cook this on low until the mix gets a little bit thicker. If it's too runny, the dough won't cook very well. You don't have to cook the eggs completely since they will be baked. Just warm them enough to get a thicker filling.



 Panera uses croissant dough but Aldi only had crescent roll dough so we used that this time around. I'm interested to try some puff pastry for a lighter crispy crust or make my own croissant dough. Lay the dough in your muffin tin, spoon in some filling- maybe 1/2 way full and fold the ends of the dough over the top.

Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes until dough is golden and filling is nice and firm

sprinkle the top with cheese and enjoy!

Also, if you make too much filling, spoon it into a freezer bag and when you're ready for more next weekend, un-thaw, fill the dough and bake!

 
 I fell asleep watching Mad Men on Netflix the other night and when I woke up, I had to try a beehive on my new short hair. I teased the hell out of it and used a lot of hair pins and spray but it worked! I think next time, I'll do a flip on the part that's left down.



I also wore one of my favorite jackets that I thrifted last winter. I love the piping and buttons on this jacket!

This month, I have a few fellow bloggers to introduce to you as well as giveaways, sales and coupons for your pre-holiday vintage shopping.

Dividing Vintage Moments

My dear friend, Joanna writes Dividing Vintage Moments. I recently had the pleasure of designing her new blog look, which was an absolute blast! To celebrate her pretty new look, Joanna is hosting a huge, fantastic vintage giveaway on Dividing Vintage Moments, including Bakelite, Lucite, vintage magazines, designer accessories...and she's adding something else to the package!




This morning, she posted an amazing collection of vintage bloggers and their "vintage twins"! Joanna's personal style is always so immaculate and haute couture. Do pop over and say hello!


Lady Eve Millinery

Lady Eve Millinery returns this month with her exquisite hand made vintage inspired hats.  She has a beautiful collection of 1920s-1940s styles in stock for the winter. I don't know about you but a cloche to keep my ears warm is a must! See Lady Eve Millinery's cloche collection

Livin' Vintage

Earlier this month, Emily and I collaborated to bring you the Etsy Shopper Survey and giveaway. In addition to blogging her retro looks and amazing vintage ephemera collection (see Free Pattern Friday), Emily runs Livin' Vintage Shop as her full time job! Soon, Emily will provide etsy sellers with informational articles on how to succeed with selling vintage on her blog. Right now, Emily is gearing up for the holidays with a big 25% off sale in her shop (includes sale items) beginning Thanksgiving Day to December 2nd but if you want the early bird deals, you have to check her blog in the coming weeks! 



Curvy Elle

A new sponsor this month is the beautiful  Laurel from The Curvy Elle. Laurel blogs her fashion inspiration as well as her own adorable personal style looks, diy projects and more. Check out The Curvy Elle Shop for one-of-a-kind vintage pieces in sizes 12-24+. Save 15% off at the Curvy Elle Shop for the month of November with code VAVOOM15 and check her blog on the 27th for her black Friday sale!




Additional Deals.....

15% off with cide VAVOOM from Mrs Depew Vintage

25% off at Big City Small Town Vintage November 24th-December 6th with code HAPPYTHANKS25

20% off your first order at Vintage World Rocks with code FLASH

We took the kids to Bass Pro Shop to see Santa. We've been taking them for the past 2 years and its a much nicer experience than waiting in line for an eternity at the mall. They have a great set-up for kids with coloring and crafts, free photo with Santa and lots of fun things to see and play with. Santa was really awesome too. 

My kids are terrified of Santa and strangers in general but he was great at breaking the ice and getting the kids interested in talking. It's just a dude in a red outfit but when you see how he talks to them and takes his time and he has such a twinkle in his eye, you feel the magic of St Nick.




I posted my Pendleton 49ers on Instagram yesterday as I was trying to decide which one to wear but of course, I went with the most festive option.

This 49er was an unbelievable find.

There was once a dream of a vintage shop here in St Louis called The Bale-Out where you could buy bags and bags of vintage for super cheap. See my adventures at The Bale Out in a previous post. Sadly, they closed last year and I didn't even get to go to the store closing sale. I was a heart broken. One day a few months ago, I was at a Salvation Army thrift store when I found this Pendleton jacket with tags from The Bale-Out for $12! I know, I told you they were cheap.

 Well, the thrift store price was a buck. One whole crisp green dollar.  This jacket had quite a bit of moth damage but hello- for a dollar?! Shoot, I would have happily paid $12. I brought it home, gave it some extra love with a needle and thread and its good as new! It still needs a matching button on one of the cuffs but I rolled the sleeves and you cant tell that it's missing one.




I also finally  got a chance to take photos of my beautiful holiday hair clip from Belle Blossoms. Right now, she is having a sale on hair flowers. Save 20% off using code BLOSSOMS2013 and get a free gift with purchase of $50 or more now until November 23rd. I love this wintery clip so much, you'll probably see it a lot in the next few months!



I wore all of my chunky red and green bakelite to match my lovely Pendleton, including the 2 light green ones, which I scored a Goodwill recently for $2 each!


I think this will be my new autumn uniform.

I haven't pin curled my hair in a while but I've wanted to try some different sets with my new hair cut so I experimented and this one turned out pretty good, I think!

I hope to do a proper how-to but if you're aching to try it here's the basics:

part bangs to the side and do 2 rows of 2 pin curls. The first row to the back, the back row to the front

sides 2 rows of 3 pin curls. row 1 back, row 2 forward

the rest all willy nilly


I wore one of my favorite winter pieces- a plaid flannel dress. Seamstresses, do yourself a big favor and sew a dress in flannel this winter! It feels like pajamas but looks put together and is so cozy. I think I may sew up some 50's style full-skirted dresses in plaid flannel by next fall.


 

dress- from Emily of Livin' Vintage
vintage Gaytees winter boots- ebay (shop in the summer for best deals!)
black and blue bakelite bracelets
confetti Lucite earrings- I have no idea where these things came from....
new lip color- Holiday Red from B AStar

Tuna noodle casserole was a staple in my house when I was a kid. With this dish, you can feed a whole lot of mouths with very little money, which is why it was so appealing to vintage housewives. With a house to clean, kids to take care of, errands to run and so on, a 1950s wife often depended on quick, one-pot meals.You can find almost every ingredient for this recipe from the pantry.


The 1950s was a great time for canned tuna. Every womens magazine had at least one recipe for the convenient meat and although not all of them were worthy of cooking twice, this classic meal has stood the test of time.



The basic recipe is:
1 bag egg noodles, cooked
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
2 cans of tuna, drained  (note, that modern tuna cans are smaller than they used to be so we use two)
1 can peas (or frozen if you prefer)

mix it all together in a casserole dish, sprinkle with shredded cheddar and bake until melty


If you're feeling really fancy and have a few extra dollars for the grocery budget this week, add pimentos, sauteed onions or make your mushroom bechamel sauce from scratch. For toppings, sprinkle with  french fried onions, buttered bread crumbs or the classic- crunched up corn flakes. I made this for the first time for my husband not long ago and it has quickly become one of his comfort food favorites.

Today I'd like to share some classic vintage recipes from the kitchens of some our favorite old Hollywood celebrities. From Marilyn Monroe's Thanksgiving stuffing to Judy Garland's solution to Thanksgiving left-overs, cook up an unforgettable autumn feast this year!



 Marilyn Monroe's Thanksgiving Stuffing
Surprisingly complex in flavor and preparation, this is a good one to test in advance! Check out the New York Times article on the history of this recipe and fascinating evidence that suggests Marilyn may have been quite talented in the kitchen



Mamie Eisenhower's pumpkin chiffon pie
The beloved First Lady shares a simple and delightful pie recipe from her White House kitchen. This much-adored and lighter twist on the classic is recommended to be served with a gingersnap or shortbread crust.




Lucy Ball's Persimmon cake
If you're in the mood for something unique for the dessert table this holiday season, take a tip from Lucy and whip up her beautiful wintery Persimmon cake. This one makes a gorgeous Christmas dessert as well. 




Myrna Loy's Broiled Green Onion and Cheddar Cheese Puffs
Forget the boring ol' dinner rolls and pass on store bought biscuits for Christmas morning. Here's a beautiful bready recipe from the equally beautiful Myrna Loy. This one is destined to be a year-long favorite in my house!




Judy Garland's shepherd's pie for left-overs
It's not easy being a holiday hostess, as Judy Garland new, I'm sure. When the cooking, feasting and merriment is over, what's a girl to do with all of those left-overs? Throw together a quick and delicious shepherd's pie. Substitute the chicken in the recipe for left-over Thanksgiving turkey.

Today I wanted to share some beautiful and affordable vintage delights for your holiday and new year celebrations  from sponsor, Vintage World Rocks.


                                                    

 Vintage World Rocks stocks dresses, separates, coats and accessories from the 40s-80s. This season, check out the shop for your holiday dresses, shoes and cold weather must-haves.

 Save 20% off your first order with code "FLASH"



                                             

I'm collaborating with Emily from Livin' Vintage to collect some information on how you shop on etsy. The results of this survey will help Emily provide some great informational articles for vintage etsy sellers and provide a better shopping experience for all!


Emily is also offering a $25 gift certificate for her beautiful etsy shop for one lucky participant. Please leave a comment with the link to your completion page so we can track giveaway entrants. One survey per person, please!

The Vitage Etsy Shopper Survey is 15 multiple choice questions.

The survey will close on November 18th and results will be posted on November 19th with the giveaway winner.

With over 123,000 page views last month and affordable rates, Va-Voom Vintage is an ideal place to advertise your holiday sales. Grab your November ad space for your blog, website or business with rates ranging from $15-$35 for the month. Ads sell out very quickly so if your ad size is booked, you can reserve for next month.

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