The Look for Less at Country Porch

Vintage Fan Lamp at Country Porch

If you love vintage but can't bring yourself to pay prices for antiques you love, Country Porch has a lot of vintage styled reproduction functional objects for the modern decorator. Get the look for less! Here's a few of our favorites.   Above, a vintage fan lamp that will blend in with any decor. The cost of this look? $97.95.  If you were to have a lamp, and a vintage fan, expect to pay over $300.

Country Quilt at Country Porch

The vintage style throw above looks just like those expensive patchwork quilts.  Note this measures a whopping 50"x60" for $89.95 and is machine washable, unlike those fragile quilts of yesterday that you can expect to pay upwards of $250 for this size.

Vintage Candy Buckets, here at Country Porch.

Adorable Vintage candy pails are a hit at Halloween, but also make an eye-catching display for the modern decorator for any time of the year.  These are a great conversation piece.  Feel great having all three pails for $59.95 (about $20 each) versus paying up to $99 per item for fragile paper mache' antiques online.

See more great vintage styled items here: Vintage on Country Porch

Antique Engagement Ring The Vintage Wedding Checklist Part One

Apples of Gold Engagement Ring, this one here. 

Vintage weddings are hip, trendy, and in style.  This three part checklist will give you a start to finish step by step process on how to have the perfect vintage experience from start to finish.  Your checklist is simple yet the engagement rings are the most important. This is going to be something symbolizing the love that you carry, on your finger for the rest of your life!   Simply put, here is your checklist:

1. Antique Engagement Ring
2. Proposal in a Vintage Setting.
3. Finding the best Vintage Wedding Dress
4. Costumes and or era clothing for the wedding party.
5. Venue with an "Old Feel"
6. Retro invitations.
7. Catering that's Delicious on vintage china!
8. Decorations, from vintage banners to a retro cake!
9. Wedding music set in the era.
10. The Perfect Vintage Wedding Ring.

Let's start at the beginning.


1. HOW TO BUY THE RIGHT ANTIQUE ENGAGEMENT RING

For your retro wedding, it’s probably crossed your mind to buy an antique engagement ring. Such a thought is dismissed fairly quickly when you’ve seen some the amazingly high price tags displayed in jewelry stores or online. Also many men believe that antique engagement rings are in a class of jewelry that is fit for only the rich and famous.  While this might be true in a lot of cases, you can still purchase a very good quality antique engagement ring without any serious risk of becoming bankrupt. Choosing the right antique engagement ring is just a matter of knowing some of the basics in shopping for antique jewellery.

The following is our shoppers guide for choosing the best antique engagement ring suited to your loved significant other.

• Is The Style Suited? One of the first areas you need to address as you browse jewellery stores is to work out what antique engagement ring style is going to suit best to the tastes or preferences of your loved one. Ask yourself is this going to be something that she’ll adore for the rest of her life? 
• What about quality? Look at the design and craftsmanship of the ring rather than just focusing on the size of the gem. Consider the main aspects of the stones such as the colour, cut, clarity and then carat size. A lot of women find the actual design more important than the sizing of the stone or diamond. Also having a smaller diamond of higher quality is going to be better in some cases as it’s harder to pick up any obvious flaws. You’ll also find a lot of antique engagement rings have very decorative surrounding design it that creates an illusion of a larger size stone or diamond. 
• Focus On Time Periods You can also make some very appropriate choices in antique engagement rings if you focus on the right time period. For example if you know that your loved one is really into gemstones and not diamonds then you focus your search within the Art Deco era. This era consists predominantly of stones that are rubies or emeralds and also include sapphires and amethysts. You also can potentially find some amazing and stunning designs with the Victorian and Edwardian eras. It’s quite remarkable the level of detail and attention that has gone into the designing of rings in these eras. 

Final Steps – Checking The Authenticity 

 After using the above guidelines, chances are you will find what you consider the most suitable antique engagement ring for your loved one. However as a final step, you still must ask the jewellery store for a report or certificate of authenticity that has been done by a gemologist. This will verify if the engagement is as old as the jeweler claims.


As another added precaution you should also get the ring appraised and seek insurance from a 3rd party. This is extra way of getting verification of the quality level of both the stones and metal. Taking these necessary final steps is going to be reassuring for you and will go a long way in giving her the perfect antique engagement ring she’s always been dreaming of.   Get more information here.

 Looks like a romantic setting for a proposal , at least it did circa 1920, this from EphmeraObscura

2. THE PERFECT PROPOSAL

When you think of earlier days, romance was simplistic yet beautiful. A kiss under the moonlight, a walk in the park, sitting on the park bench holding hands, or walking together after getting the best ice cream sundae at the local pop shop.  Perhaps your soon to be hubby needs to find the perfect place to utter the words , "Will you marry me?" , even if it is in a retro car at the top of point lookout, after smooching and listening to some 50's be-bop music.

Edwardian anyone? Great for a vintage wedding. Pic: BeigeVintageCo

3. FINDING THE BEST WEDDING DRESS

Fit and fabric is very important. If you are going vintage, expect to have some minor imperfections from the previous life. You can life with a few minor tears or small rips in the fabric but the big worry is the OVERALL condition of the fabric. Make sure it's not fitting you like a glove because , if it dry rotten you will find yourself making a quick turn and your dress is blown out of the side, leaving your wedding party staring in horror.... How will you know? Make sure to test a small section of the fabric where no one will see, stretch it and pull it with your hand, is it ripping that easy, if so, as much as you'd like the dress, you may not have found the right one.

Lace is extremely fragile, and that's not the main concern, it's the fabric underneath and the seams that you must worry about, and the fabric that holds the zipper in tact.  There are plenty of vintage dresses made within the past century that will look simply lovely.!

Continue Reading: 

Vintage Wedding Checklist Part Two
Vintage Wedding Checkist Part Three 

This page last updated 12.2.18 and checked for good links. If you find a dead one please let us know!

Photo Frame Originals on Etsy Personalized Photo Frames

Found: PhotoFrameOriginals

Picture frames, I love using vintage or upcycled frames in my home, but sometimes I feel strange giving them as gifts. Not everyone may appreciate my style of decor.  So, I found a great shop on Etsy, PhotoFrameOriginals who has the best frames set up for the perfect gift idea.  The "I Love to to the Moon and Back" frame is $89. You pick the color of the frame. It's retro-style and would be great for a baby gift to your niece or nephew...something to hand in your child's room....or even to give to your loved one with a special picture of the two of you.

 Adorable Idea  : PhotoFrameOriginals on Etsy

The best thing is the idea of giving something nostalgic to the Father or Mother of the Groom or Father or Mother of the Bride!   They have a lot of double matted professional frames that specialize in this. I think this is a great touch as many people don't remember how emotional of a time this is for the parents of the bride or groom to see their baby all grown up and run off with the new love of their life.....What a great idea to capsulate the moment in time.  The one above is $89 and all are created in a new nostalgic way that even someone with a vintage home can blend them in. 

The owner makes everything herself, they are high quality double matting, and of course, you should support the small business!

See all the different models here at PhotoFrameOriginals!
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Madame Collage Vintage Furniture and Decor : Living Vintage

These outlet covers are collaged with vintage papers, and are only $9 each at MadameCollage.

We talk a lot about vintage items from Etsy here on VintageChalet, and recently I've added the Living Vintage page, which is essentially all the great vintage inspired products for our life! This is including new products, vintage inspired and recycled.  Today I'm featuring the latter, upcycled collage creations from a great seller from Austin, Texas.

Voyage Frame by Madame Collage, $15  on Etsy

We're having a virtual sit down with MadameCollage, a great Etsy artist who makes collaged items to look so wonderful in your home.

Q: Tell us exactly what you do and how you are inspired.  

A:  I revamp old things!  Essentially I make decor and furniture items for the home. One of the lines of my store is French artistry meets Austin originality.  (Wabi-Sabi Creations. 50% Texas, 50% France, 100% original! )  Each handmade functional art piece is completely unique , and a  reflection of "perfectly imperfect" design.

The Steady Woman Trunk in Madame Collage's shop has over 500 pieces of ephemera .

Q:  What brought you to Etsy and what does it mean to you?

A:  To me, Etsy is the best support to promote handmade and artist made products. MadameCollage is all about originality. I glue everything I find, give a new life to boring objects, boxes etc... Each creation is handmade and totally unique. All types of papers are used.

Details of Steady Woman Trunk, old ephemera adorns this creation by Madame Collage

Q: What else should people know about your products? 

A: These items are not mass-produced and show cute imperfections, They are unique and original.Our collages are realized using only the best quality media, always acid and lignin free (pictures, newspaper, book, scrapbook, washi tape...) Each piece is sealed and durable. Making new with old, making different...



Q:  Where can we find you ?

 I am selling through art and craft shows , my Madame Collage Etsy shop or you may visit my  Facebook Page .

Hey, can you guess what this is? 

Go here to Etsy find out. 

Living Vintage Roast Your Own Coffee with Happy Home Foods

Vintage Divas: Listen up, this coffee is for you!

The only thing I like more than vintage (or blogging)  is coffee.  You may have just read my post on vintage coffee pots not to long ago, and I have to admit, I'm a sucker for a good cup of java.


I just came across Happy Home Foods on Etsy, and they have taken things back into vintage ways.  For instance, half my life I finally realized while looking down through the clear glass table at the coffee shop that the beans started green--what???? Of course, they were roasted.

We are so set in our ways of buying regular ground coffee (or some of us buying beans and grinding them) that we forget how it used to be done. In the olden days, you would revel in the love of roasting your beans, and making your coffee. OMG! What a great idea! Smell up that kitchen !

Happy Home Foods : Roast your Own coffee, The Next Big Thing on Etsy

So, Happy Home Foods has figured out that perhaps, they can put a little vintage living back into your life and get you to  Roast Your Own Coffee .

What a great idea.  I asked them just what made them do this?

"We started Happy Home Foods in 2013 and really wanted to bring the joy of roasting your own coffee back to everyone. We aim to make it as simple as possible to teach people how to roast their own coffee. We think we all need a little bit of slowing down in life to stop and appreciate the simple things in life, like coffee."

I couldn't agree more.

So easy, I can do it, the instructions are on the back.

Oh, and did I mention it's canned in the USA?

Here's details, for  a $14.99 can you get:
• 18oz- 100% Premium Brazilian Arabica Beans - Quality Coffee Starts with Quality Beans
• Green Coffee Beans = Unlimited Types of Roasts
• Makes Up to 45 Cups of Coffee per Can (6oz cups)
• Sealed From the Elements- Oxygen, Moisture, and UV Light To Protect Freshness
• Easy to Follow Roasting Instructions
• Re-Usable Plastic Lid for Storing Roasted Beans
• Canned in the USA

What are you waiting for? Go stock up NOW at Happy Home Foods on Etsy

(We all know that roasting your own coffee is way fresher than you can buy. )