Made in the USA – The Cat’s Pajamas

I really am thankful for pajamas, because pretty much the only time a woman of 57 can get away with wearing a pink and black Scottie dog print is when she is at home and visitors are not expected.  The same can be said, I suppose, for prints with puppies and cupcakes, cats in trees and miscellaneous cocktails.  These are the sorts of prints for sale at my latest made in the USA find, The Cat’s Pajamas.

When it comes to pajamas, I’ve been a Bedhead devotee for the past ten years or so.  That’s when I bought my first pair – a pair I’m still wearing, by the way.  But I came across a recommendation for Cat’s Pajamas and decided to give them a try.

First, the fabric prints at Cat’s Pajamas are very whimsical and brightly colored.  I like that in a pj.  You can let your inner kid come out when dressing strictly for your home.  On the negative side, though the pajamas are sewn in the USA, the fabric is imported (from who knows where) and to be honest, it is not quite as soft as I’d like.  Still, after four washings, it has softened up without any color loss to the print.

Another plus is that they offer a variety of styles in most prints.  I’m short, so I ordered the capri length which was just right for me.  Some of the prints are available in both flannel and poplin.  And they have plus sizes.

Time will tell whether they hold up as well as Bedhead does, but for now, I’m very satisfied.  This pair was on sale, and the shipping is a reasonable flat rate of $5.

And if they would find a US supplier for the fabric, I’d really love them.

Nice packaging that includes a cute eye shade.

Southern Agriculturist, February, 1934

Sending love to the people of Newtown.  Peace to us all.

Illustrator:  Mary Anderson

Copyright: Kirk Rankin

Shopping with a Trusted Friend!

Desperately Seeking Vintage Christmas Gift Wrap

This is all I have of the best gift wrap ever.  It was on a gift from a vintage friend several years ago, and she must have loved it as much as I do because she was doling it out in the tiny sample you can see.  I think she was being quite generous, as I’d have kept it all for myself.  I mean, Santa and a martini.  A man after my own heart!

I’ve been on a quest for vintage Christmas wrapping paper ever since I stumbled across the flickr pages of xtinalamb.  If that’s not enough, then check out the Vintage Wrapping Paper pool.

And here’s one I found  on etsy.  I would say to hurry over there and buy it, but I weakened and now it is mine:

And then a few months ago, I found this great Scottie paper from the 1940s:

The next two are part of a three roll set that I found in an antique mall:

Sometimes You Just Get Lucky!

I’m talking about luck of the very best kind; the kind where you pluck the perfect vintage item from the bins of the last-chance thrift store.  And last week, I found the vintage 1940s sweater of my dreams:

I’ve written a lot about the clearance center, mainly because I keep finding great stuff there.  Most of the stuff never makes it to the thrift store floor and I’m astounded by the wonderful things that are not considered good enough for the store.  But, no complaints, as I’ve added some super things to my collection.

I have a few rules about shopping there, and the big one is not to look at what other people are finding.  Most of the other shoppers are not looking for vintage, but there are several people who shop there regularly who are vintage sellers.  Last week I broke my rule, not because I wanted to, but because one has to look up occasionally, and when I looked up there was a local vintage shop owner holding up a honey of a 1950s party dress, sizing it up.

My mental “Put it back in the bin,” did not work, but as soon as he moved away from that bin, I made a bee-line toward it.  That’s because so often, if there is one vintage item, there will be a bunch.  And sure enough, right next to where he found the dress, I found the dream sweater.

It’s made from wool in black and red, and has that distinctive two-tone knit one sees with 1940s sweaters.  (This technique was also used in the 70s, but those are always acrylic).  I got it home, carefully handwashed it, and sure enough, it was a perfect fit.  I was destined to find that sweater!

Vintage cards are from my personal collection.

Comments:

Posted by carrie:

A great story about a great sweater, Lizzie! Congrats! I’m not really a dog person at all, but 40s Scottie stuff makes me weak in the knees… (Your greeting cards are fab, too!)

Sunday, December 6th 2009 @ 11:17 AM

Posted by Audrey:

That’s a darling sweater!

If I had a dime for every time I nailed someone with a “put it back!” look at a thrift store, well, I could probably afford to stop shopping at thrift stores!

…not that it would stop me 🙂

Sunday, December 6th 2009 @ 4:28 PM

Posted by Louise:

What a fabulous find! It’s such a darling little sweater. I love the thought of you ‘mentally’ telling people to put things back into the bin. hehehe! Love your Christmas cards too. Well done.

Monday, December 7th 2009 @ 1:27 AM

Posted by Jennie:

Love the sweater and the vintage card at the top of the post! I’m a sucker for the scottie dog!

Tuesday, December 8th 2009 @ 10:10 AM

It Is Written

I think Lawrence of Arabia must have been wrong when he insisted that it is never written.  At least not in the case of a collector and her quest for a certain vintage skirt.

Several months ago, Karen, a VFG friend, pointed out a skirt she thought I might like that was up for bids on eBay.  It was travel themed, and even better, it had a Scottie in the print.  I watched in dismay as the skirt on which I thought I had placed a high enough bid went to someone else.

So I was thrilled to find another skirt with the same print two weeks ago, with a very reasonable BIN.  I clicked in the greatest of hurries, and now that skirt is mine!

Cute, yes?