In Memoriam

Posted on May 22, 2014 by Crashing Nightingale

Here it is, another three-day weekend coming up. The weekend to kick off all the summer weekends. Many cook outs and pool parties are surely planned for this up-coming weekend. But let’s not forget the true meaning of Memorial Day. The day for us to remember those that have lost their lives in many wars.

I love patriotic holidays. The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays. I love seeing the colors red, white and blue together, the fireworks and celebrations. Although Memorial Day isn’t necessarily in the top of my list of favorites (Halloween, New Year’s Eve and 4th of July are my top three), I do have respect for what it’s about. The act of remembering those that did not make it to through the other side of war came three years after the Civil War ended on May 5, 1868. The Grand Army of the Republic established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers.

It was declared that Decoration Day should be observed on May 30th by Major General John A. Logan. Many states around the United States declared their cities as the “birthplace.” In 1971 it was declared a national holiday and permanently placing it on the last Monday in the month of May.

I grew up with a lot of Veterans. My father retired from the U.S. Navy, my paternal grandfather served in the U.S. Navy in WWII, and uncle on my dad’s side and now my youngest brother were/are U.S. Navy. Another brother was in the U.S. Marines and my maternal great-grandfather served in the U.S. Army during WWI. There are many more going back to the Civil War but those are the closest relatives. So I grew up around this environment my entire life. Always around Veterans and hearing so many stories of what happened while they served their country. Luckily all of those I’ve named survived with the exception of my great-uncle Lynn West who was killed-in-action (KIA) in 1968 during Vietnam.

So to remember and honor those that have died in service, take a moment to pause at at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day for a minute of silence. As Moment of Remembrance founder Carmella LaSpada states: “It’s a way we can all help put the memorial back in Memorial Day.”

Love & Lockets

Posted on May 14, 2014 by Crashing Nightingale

Lockets are one of my favorite pieces of jewelry. There has always just been something about them. For some reason, as a kid, I was fascinated by the fact that you could insert a tiny photo into the little case.

Lockets have been around for a while but have always served a one true purpose: to carry something sentimental for the one wearing it around their neck. Whether it was a photo, a lock of hair, a little love note, perfume or even ashes, it’s been the little keeper of our true love for centuries. It’s the piece of jewelry that has transcended through time and has never gone out of style.

These little keepsakes fascinate me in that they seem to have a story to tell or hold some little secret that is just hanging around one’s décolletage.

I love the idea of carrying a tiny photo of your sweetheart. Keeping your loved one close to your heart; always with you.

I recently found a locket that my dad gave my mom. His name with a simple message and the date are inscribed on the back. The date reads 12-25-67. I’m uncertain if this was a Christmas gift or wedding gift as they were married on December 28, 1967. I truly cherish owning this little love locket.

Do you have a locket with sentimental value?

My mom’s locket given to her by my dad.

Motherly Love

Posted on May 11, 2014 by Crashing Nightingale

Today is the day we celebrate the women that brought us into this world and/or raised us to be who we are. Whether the lady in your life is your biological mother, stepmother, a friend that has been like a mother, today is the day we think about them.

I’m fortunate that my mom is here as I know some do not have their mothers with them today. My mom is one of those people because her mother passed away when she was 25. It dawned on me today that my mom has spent 36 mother’s days without her her. It made me cherish the fact that I have celebrated 31 mother’s days with my mom and hope to spend many more.

This year we celebrate 100 years of giving thanks to the mothers in our lives. Mother’s Day was proclaimed on May 9, 1914 by President Woodrow Wilson. He asked Americans to give a public “thank you” on that day to their mothers and all mothers. See President Wilson below with his wife and daughters in 1912.

Recently I helped my mom clean out her garage and one would think this was a daunting chore that no one wants to volunteer for. But fortunately for me, my mom’s garage was filled with so much of my family history. I found so many family photos that it was somewhat overwhelming. So many pictures of family members captured in those brief moments of time. I took home with me many of them which I am sharing here. I truly cherish family photos. They are my most prized possession.

Below are some of the photos I found:

My great-grandmother, Kate, with my grandfather. Words cannot describe how much this photo warms my heart.

My grandmother, Sue, holding my mother when she was a baby in 1952.

My paternal grandmother, also named Sue. She is my only living grandparent.

My mother is pregnant with me in the two top photos. My mom holding me on New Year’s Day in 1983 in the last photo.

I hope you enjoyed your mother’s day whether you are a mother of a two-legged or four-legged being 🙂 Happy Mother’s Day to you!

Tap pants: The Little Undergarment with Big Appeal

Posted on April 27, 2014 by Crashing Nightingale

This is not my first time declaring my love for vintage lingerie. I posted in an earlier blog about my admiration for vintage lingerie here. My current love affair is with tap pants. There is just something innocent and naughty about this little undergarment.

Tap pants, french knickers, side-pants shorts, whatever you may call them, they are a little piece of fabric that packs a pretty little punch underneath it all. They look like little shorts and the name derived from tap dancers wearing shorts while practicing their routine in the 1930s. You can find vintage photos from the 1920s-1940s that showed these were a common undergarment women wore.

When it comes to lingerie, I typically don’t buy it just for the bedroom. It’s usually not worn long and I don’t want to buy it just for it to come off in minutes. Confession: my favorite reason to wear lingerie is underneath my clothing while my outfit disguises what is underneath. Garter belts, corsets, lace, silk, vintage or vintage reproduction brassieres, seamed stockings, I love it all. To be all bundled up under a vintage dress or skirt and blouse is the bees knees.

I recently came across a sewing pattern by Mrs. Depew Vintage. The pattern seems slightly simple so I’m interested in giving it a whirl to see if I can make my own vintage reproduction tap pants. If I’m successful, everyone can expect a plethora of tap pants in my undergarment wardrobe.

If you’re looking to incorporate these beautiful knickers into your attire, I suggest searching through Etsy for the various vintage shops. I usually order vintage apparel on Etsy because I like supporting the small online business owners and the site is easy to navigate and find what I’m looking for. I also suggest other vintage manufactures such as Dollhouse Bettie and What Katie Did.

Now it’s time for tap pants eye candy 🙂

Myrna Loy: A True Silverscreen Siren

Posted on April 6, 2014 by Crashing Nightingale

Allow me to introduce to you Myrna Loy. The first time I saw a picture of Myrna Loy I didn’t know who the person was in the photograph. There wasn’t a name, it was just the picture, and I was captivated by the photograph. It was the one you see above. The hair, her face, and eyes made me stop and notice. Even the way her shoulder is peeking out from the bottom of the picture just made me stop in my tracks and stare. It was later on that I found the same picture but then it was identified as Myrna Loy.

While scouring the interwebs for Jazz Age photos, I came across many other pictures of Ms. Loy. She’s even more captivating seeing a front faced photo. So naturally, I took it upon myself to learn about her and her career.

Myrna Loy was born August 2, 1905 in Helena, Montana. Her mother moved her and her brother permanently to California after their father died from the Spanish influenza in 1917. Myrna had already been dabbling in the fine arts by this time which was the catalyst to her career during the 1920s. I read that during her silent film career she often played vamps or femme fatales. She most often played characters of Asian or Eurasion background. She worked to shake this stereotype. She continued her career through the 1930s up until the start of World War II when she put her career on the back burner and focused more on the war effort. I read that she was very outspoken about being against Adolf Hitler (go Myrna!) and because of this, her name was on his blacklist. She picked up her acting career after the second World War, although the acting train slowed down again during the 1950s.

Throughout her career she worked to ensure black actors had rights in the film industry. She seemed ahead of her time which makes this silent film star actress even more cooler. She made a few other films during the span of the 1960s and 1970s but stopped acting after 1982. She married four times and had no children of her own. She didn’t stop rallying for human rights as she was Co-Chairman of the Advisory Council of the National Committee Against Discrimination in Housing. She was a big fan of Franklin D. Roosevelt and became a personal friend to his wife, Eleanor. She was a member of UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and was the first celebrity to do so. Her last public appearance was in 1991 when she accepted the Academy Honorary Award for her career achievement. Throughout her life, she was destined to make a mark in history either on film or her work outside film.

Myrna Loy passed away on December 14, 1993. She was cremated in New York but her ashes lay in Helena, Montana. She published an autobiography in 1987 called, Myrna Loy: Being and Becoming. I’m planning to pick up a copy so I can hear from her words her transcendence through the 20th century. I noticed she even had a “shout-out” in the 1991 film, The Rocketeer, when the main character told his budding actress sweetheart, “You got a big part. You stood behind Myrna Loy with a bowl of grapes.”

In the majority of the pictures I’ve seen of her she doesn’t smile. The one I did find, she seemed just as charming and alluring as when she doesn’t smile. However, not smiling never seemed to deter her look because her eyes spoke volumes. I can only imagine how many hearts were stopped when they met her. Her eyes are just mesmerizing. She is truly the definition of the phrase, “the cat’s meow,” and then some. Now for some Myrna Loy eye-candy.