Reusing Vintage Lipstick Cases

I own a few vintage lipstick cases, and I have for the longest time wanted to find a way to use them. Needless to say, you cannot just go to the store and get lipstick refills for them. Nevertheless I decided to go to one of the local beauty stores and ask if any of them had any ideas, and as it turns out, one of the ladies there had tried refilling lipstick cases herself.

This is how it's done.

There are two types of vintage lipstick cases. One type is essentially empty when you buy it, and you get the lipstick refill tube separately. If you have one of the empty lipstick cases you have to get hold of an old refill, remove the lipstick from it, and clean it thoroughly. If you have one of the normal lipstick cases, remove the old lipstick and clean it thoroughly. The lipstick case in the picture is the latter type. I prefer these, as they are easier to clean. You can actually dismantle it by pulling off the tube, clean it, and put it together again. You can see the different parts below.



Once this has been done you can go ahead and decide which replacement lipstick you want. I would recommend you to take a gauge measure of some kind to try and determine the size of the lipstick replacement. So far (I've only done two lipsticks so far) the sizes seem fairly standardized.

The lipstick needs to be firm, and it's probably easier to do this with a new lipstick than an old one.

Once you have decided on a lipstick, put in the freezer for a few hours. I left it for two hours. Then take a piece of tissue and use it to get a grip on the lipstick. Pull the lipstick gently out, insert it into the vintage lipstick case, and voilà, you are ready to dazzle your friends with your elegant, vintage lipstick :o)

Winter Already!

As I mentioned in yesterdays post, it was snowing quite a few places on the journey back from the north of Norway a few days ago, but as Lillehammer is in the south of the country, I wasn't expecting it to start snowing here today.

Stating that I was more or less prepared for winter was apparently not a good move.

The picture above is showing the view from my kitchen window. It really doesn't do the weather justice, the snow flakes are huge, and it is coming down pretty hard. I am not sure at what time it started, but I would assume that it was no more than an hour before I took the picture.

I left work early today, which in a sense was a stroke of luck (even if the stomach upset that led to the hasty departure was anything but pleasant), since I was wearing mary-janes to work.

I do feel a little bemused about this. When we were living in Ireland, snow was rare, and mostly a source of entertainment, as the traffic would grind to a halt, trains stop running, and people were generally be quite taken by surprise by snow. It would also usually never last more than a few hours. Now this - this is a prelude to what could possibly be 6 months of snow.

It could very well be that I'm not quite ready for winter yet...

Autumn Break

I offered myself the luxury of an autumn break this year, and spent a week at my mum's place in the north of Norway.

I intended to take pictures, but as the rain was literally pouring down most of the week, I didn't get around to it, so I have instead posted a picture taken some three years ago, when I was home for Christmas.

Imagine it without snow, with green, golden and red leaves, and sopping wet from rain, and there you have it - Korgen at autumn.

I had a lovely time, catching up with family and friends, some of which I hadn't seen in 3 years, and I also got to look through my mums box of old buttons, something I loved to do when I was growing up. It was just as exciting this time around as when I was 10 :o)

Talking about snow; it's still only October, but when I took the train home from holidays, it was actually snowing several places. I must admit it feels odd, after so many years spent in a place where snow is a rarity, to have start snowing in October. But on the other hand, I have lots of candles, I have stacked up on tea and books, and I reckon I'm ready for winter, although I would prefer it to wait at least a month longer.

More Aprons

Plaid apron front view
Originally uploaded by Vintage Granny

This is another apron I made using a 1940's pattern, from the booklet "Ten All American Novel Aprons". It came together very nicely, and I decided to use buttons for the back/shoulder straps, as I couldn't figure out how to get into the apron if I did what the pattern called for, and stitched the shoulder straps to the waistband.

I was planning on making appliqués for the bib; it's supposed to have an apple appliqué, but I couldn't decide on which fabric to use, so I never got around to it.

I think it looks good without the appliqué as well, so I might decide to keep it like this. What does my readers think? Apple appliqué or not?

Huzza!

I keep saying I will never again take on a new commission, but I made an exception for my future sister in law, and agreed to make her wedding gown, which is now finished, approved, and also, gladly, loved :o)

Stine picked up the finished dress today, and also tried it on with the most important accessories. There's no denying it, it looked lovely on her.

The dress is in a 1930's design, made of white crepe back satin, with a fitted high waisted, pleated bodice, and a bias cut skirt. It has a princess neckline, and a deep V cut back. I will not be able to post any pictures until after the wedding, but I cannot wait to see her all made up in a 1930's hair style, make-up, and wearing period accessories.

Thrift Store Find :o)

During my search for the perfect winter bloomers (say one thing for Suna, say she's persistent), I have given some thought to perhaps knitting a pair. But as yarn is expensive, the knitting pattern I have is from I think 1905, and it's hard to substitute the yarn called for, as well as tricky to estimate which needle size I'll need, I have been reluctant to give it a try.

Last weekend I visited my favourite thrift store, and one of the first things I saw what the wonderful knitted bloomers above :oD

Such luck, I could hardly believe my eyes! They are 100% wool, very soft to the touch, and they fit perfectly :oD

Of course I got them, and I'm really looking forward to wearing them this winter. I thought last winter was bad, but now I've been told it was rather mild (with -25 degrees!). Apparently, it's not unusual to get up to -32. If this proves true, I'll probably need knitted long johns...

Black Flannel Bloomers

The "Bloomers for Winter"-project is still running, and I have just completed my second pair of bloomers. These are made of black flannel (I dyed an old bed sheet for the purpose), with lace accents, and satin bows. I used my favourite pair of pyjama bottoms as pattern, or rather, I used them to make the pattern.

The bloomers turned out quite nice, I think. They are certainly very comfortable, and should keep me warm in winter :o)