Weekend Getaway – Healdsburg, CA

Pinup Dress

Hubby and I headed out for a lovely weekend getaway to Healdsburg, CA. We were excited to enjoy the perfect weather that we have been having in California. I love how Northern California is dotted with little towns that all have a charm and personality. My favorite are the wine country towns and soon the vineyards will be blooming and turning a lush green and then the grapes will start to grow. For our adventure today we headed to Healdsburg, CA, a delightful town that is always popular with tourists that come up from San Francisco to tour the multiple wineries, experience wine tasting’s, renowned spas, restaurants, and shopping. I wore my new Veronica Atomica dress by Sourpuss Clothing. The print on this dress is fantastic with bright turquoise blue starbursts against a stretchy, and twirly skirt, and it also has pockets. I love how figure-flattering this dress with the classic 1950s silhouette is sand, it is so comfortable. I added my blue cardigan, blue petticoat, and my blue purse and shoes for pops of color. I received so many compliments, it really made my day.

As the late afternoon approached the weather cooled off (we are still in February I keep reminding myself) and I put on my Mid-Century Retro Coffee Time turquoise blue cozy sweatshirt from Crazy4 Me Style (also available in t-shirts) that matched the dress perfectly as we headed to the coffee shop. Lots of folks asked about my sweatshirt and dress and wanted to know where they could get one. Wearing vintage-inspired designs matches my aesthetic perfectly and it is so nice when people respond to it and like it too!!  

Pinup 1950s, 1960s, Rockabilly Hot Rod Style T-Shirt - Crazy4MeStyle

You can see a what our little adventure was like on my Instagram as I had so much fun putting a little day-in-the-life video together.

Mid-Century Modern Valentine’s Day

Anthropomorphic Bluebirds

Love is in the air with our latest vintage-inspired Valentine’s Day collection at Crazy4ME Style. We’ve taken our love for 1950s and 1960s Pyrex and Catherineholm enamelware and created one-of-a-kind designs that you will love and can wear all year round!! We also have our customer favorite anthropomorphic bluebirds Be My Tweet Heart back in stock. Our designs are available in sizes Small-4XL at Crazy4MeStyle.com

The Cheesecake Factory’s Flatbread Pizzas: A Foodie’s Dream

The Cheesecake Factory Flatbread Pizza
The Cheesecake Factory Flatbread Pepperoni Pizza

If you’re a foodie visiting the Bay Area, you’ll undoubtedly want to check out The Cheesecake Factory just outside San Francisco. This iconic restaurant chain has been serving up their unique take on this Italian classic for years, and it’s definitely worth a try! But what exactly is so special about their pizza? Keep reading for my review!

Today, my final pizza review of 2021 comes to an end as I am eating the flatbread pizza from The Cheesecake Factory. This is a restaurant chain that has an incredibly vast menu of appetizers, salads, glamburgers, pastas and pizzas and so much more.

Hubby and I stopped at The Cheesecake Factory right before New Year’s Eve. I love visiting this restaurant because it has a really great ambiance with their mosaics, palm trees, almost Greco-Roman design, and Egyptian columns. You really have to see it to appreciate it. The feeling inside is of a higher-end premium scale eatery chain where ‘denim and diamonds’ and designer handbags are the norm. 

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2021 Year-end Wrap Up

Yasmina Greco 2021 Highlights

As the year 2021 comes to a close, we take a look back at some of the biggest Pinup fashion, tech, and antiques and collectibles news stories, from the past twelve months. From must-have items of the season to game-changing technological advances, here are some of the highlights that defined 2021. Happy New Year!

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Visiting the Christmas Tree Farm & Holiday Barn Decorations

Yasmina Greco Pretty Retro Christmas Girl Pinup

Christmas time is here and that means a visit to one of our favorite places today, Grandma Buddies Christmas Tree Farm. This Christmas tree farm not only has loads of amazing trees, but they have a magical holiday barn decorated with gingerbread, flocked trees and wreaths, and lots and lots of decorations and special holiday touches. You can sip hot cocoa from their cocoa cart and walk around the farm to pick out your holiday tree.

On our visit today the sun came out for a little bit on this chilly December day, and we made the most of it by not only picking out our tree but also doing one last photo shoot of the year.

Grandma Buddies Christmas Trees
Grandma Buddies Christmas Trees

The theme for my outfit today was a mix of holiday cheer and half wonderland because my accessories are brooches from the Erstwilder Christmas collection and their brand-new Kitschy Witch collab for the Alice in Wonderland collection.

I wore my crimson red holiday top and matched it up with my Alice in Wonderland vintage-inspired Pinup circle skirt and my turquoise blue coat added the much-needed warmth that day.

Christmas Holiday Pinup Retor Girl
Yasmina Greco at Grandma Buddies Christmas Tree Farm
Christmas Barn
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Vintage Christmas Tips: Collecting Figurines & Candleholders

Thrifting Vintage Christmas Noel Sets
Thrifting Vintage Christmas Noel Sets

Vintage Christmas tips: collecting figurines & candleholders. Learn the tips about manufactures like Holt-Howard, Napco, Lefton, Norcrest, and more. For many, the holiday season is filled with love, warmth, and cherished memories. It’s also a time to appreciate and celebrate traditions, both old and new. One such tradition is the fascination with vintage Christmas noel figurines and candle holders from the 1950s, made in Japan. These collectibles not only add a nostalgic touch to your holiday decorations but also carry with them the rich history and craftsmanship of Japanese artisans.

Today’s post in our 2021 Vintage Christmas Collecting Series features some of my favorite vintage Noel sets that date to the 1950s-1960s and feature candle holders, bells, and figurines. Some of these sets were featured in last year’s Vintage Christmas Collecting Series of 2020 but have been updated with current pricing and colorways. When it comes to vintage Noel collectibles there are so many varieties and themes from Santa Claus, Elves, Poodles, Snowmen, Angels, Candy Canes, and even Pixies that there really is something for everyone and you can easily have a theme each year for your holiday decorating too!!

Note: Blog post has a lot of photos and pricing source is recent Ebay, Etsy, Worthpoint, and my own personal sales data.

One sure way to any collector’s heart is items that come with their original boxes. For me, the box can also be used as part of your vintage holiday decor as they usually have timeless graphics that add so much charm to your displays. Since these vintage items are usually 70 yrs old, if you do find an original box it will probably have some wear and tear or even water damage from being stored in basements and attics and that is completely okay and in my opinion, adds that much more to the story and history of the item. 

Here are some of my very favorite Noel sets from my personal collection and I think they are just dynamite. Each set is so unique and has loads and loads of vintage Christmas charm. I actually have them up year-round in my cabinet and they always make me smile when I stop and admire them. 

Stacked Santa’s NOEL Totem Pole Candle Holders

Vintage Christmas NOEL Santa Candleholders Napco Brinns
Vintage Christmas NOEL Santa Candleholders Napco Brinns

Near-and-dear to my heart are these vintage Santa Claus stacked NOEL totem pole candle holders.  These have such fun, witty, retro charm. Pictured are two matching pair made by Tilso in Japan in the 1950s. The Santa’s have  gold little curly-q’s in their beards, have expressive eyes, and each hold a letter to spell NOEL. Tilso sets (sometimes referred to as Brinns) tend to fetch $225-$300 each, having the original box really can impact the price.

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