The Great LA Air Raid - 2012

As I mentioned in my last post, this weekend we attended the Great Los Angeles Air Raid of 1942 (2012 edition). We had a great time - the weather was beautiful, the band was great, and I had a new outfit! ;) Other than dyeing my shoes I didn't have time to make anything new, but I picked up a few new pieces recently that luckily went together nicely.

I've never been a hat person in the past because they're usually awkward on the dance floor, but I'm challenging myself to wear them to more events. This turban hat was great though - it stayed put nicely the whole night!

Dancing to Dean Mora and The Fort Macarthur Officers Orchestra

Photo by Dave Welch - follow the link for more pics of the event!

There were tons of military vehicles and displays. I think it gets bigger every year!

Cait, Lauren and me - offering a little morale boost for the troops!

Heading to watch the Sherman Tank demonstration.

With Rusty Frank, one of our favorite local swing instructors. She taught a free lesson before the band started.

Sirens with the siren. :)

Climbing up to the top of the Sherman tank was a huge highlight - we felt like conquering heroes. Or at least really tall!

In addition to the military vehicles, there was a vintage car display - Lauren's husband Matt made the clever display below with vintage tires. 

With Joshua Curtis, the author of Sunkissed. Love that book.

V for Victory! ...-

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Dress: From Brooklyn With Love

Gloves: MartasRose

Hat: antique store

Shoes: Aris Allen, dyed by me

I've got a new boyfriend...

Look who came in the mail today! My new Sailor Buddie. I've wanted one of these guys for SO long, and last weekend I saw one in an antique store priced at $150. Insanity! I knew there was one listed on the internet, so I bought it as soon as I got home - he's in better condition and cost less than 1/3 of the other guy!

I think I'll call him Joe.

I've been on a big brooch kick lately - quick, I better make a brooch board like Tuppence Ha'penny's!

LA Air Raid of 1942

It seems like a long time ago since the Air Raid happened (really, 1942 was a long time ago!), but I've been hanging onto my measly few pics to share.

Because it's always cold at this event, I asked my mom to knit this Victory scarf for me - isn't it great?

It looks like a simple pattern, but I haven't knitted anything in about 7 years and I didn't feel up to relearning at the moment. (I never did learn how to cast on and off properly!) I asked her to make it a little skinnier than the pattern states, and I think she just used smaller needles instead of redesigning the pattern. That also made the tension tighter, so the V popped a little more. Smart lady!

Muddy shoes! But they kept my feet warm, and now I can try dyeing them like the website suggests. Perhaps mudbrown, so they'll be ready for next year...

I don't have any pictures after the dancing started, cause I was on the floor the whole time! But here's a few links with more pics if you haven't had enough.
The Sky is Falling!
WWII Factory Coveralls
Air Raid Outfit Post
Inspiring Outfits
Gar Travis Photography

V is for Valentine's Day!

I know you'll forgive me for this belated post, as we just moved and I'm lucky if I can find my toothbrush! But I wanted to share our Valentine's gifts with you! I'm still excited about them.

I gave Chris a vintage tie - his favorite movie star is Fred Astaire, and a while ago a friend showed a picture of this tie to me because it's just too perfect for him! I randomly searched on Ebay last month and the same tie popped up! It was a promotional tie for Philco Radios, probably given out to top sellers as an incentive gift, so there are probably a few more floating around out there.

Chris gave me a wonderful little piece of sweetheart jewelry, my favorite! This one is two gold hearts, attached to an expandable gold band. The best part is that the center of the hearts are still blank, so I can have our names engraved on it. I think I'll wear it to the Air Raid this Saturday!

And I love that Chris has his own Etsy account so that he can surprise me with the cute things I want! :)

Air Raid Picnic!

I finally remembered to buy my tickets for The Great Los Angeles Air Raid of 1942! It's coming up next weekend - it snuck up on me! You save $10 if you buy them in advance, and I'm all about that.

I better go get my picnic basket out of storage! (I mean, right after I move the contents of my whole house 30 miles south tomorrow. ;) In case you were wondering, there was not yet US government rationing of food in February of 1942, so if you want a period-accurate picnic you don't have to skip the meat and sugar! I'm glad - I've tried a couple wartime ration recipes and they aren't very good. I quickly learned why people hated rationing so much!

Sugar was the first food to be rationed in the US, starting in the spring of 1942 - but tricky homemakers found ways around the rules, like using marshmallows to make desserts instead of plain sugar.

Sugar Ration Coupon, Home Front Coupons, Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke University

If you're interested in more info about WWII ration cooking, check out Grandma's Wartime Kitchen: WWII and the Way We Cooked. It's out of print now, but I found a copy at my library. It's interesting reading even if you don't try the recipes!

I think we'll probably have sandwiches and cookies in our picnic. I think that's about all I'm up for cooking this week!

The Great Los Angeles Air Raid of 1942

We're absorbed with Regency around here, between working on costumes and attending dance classes for the upcoming Jane Austen Evening, but I'm starting to get excited about my favorite vintage event of the year - The Great Los Angeles Air Raid of 1942.

It's an outdoor event down at Fort Macarthur in San Pedro, and they have vehicle displays, live music, and of course, an AIR RAID! It's all very exciting, and they improve the event every year, adding food, better seating, etc. Being February, the weather can be a little iffy, but this year I'm planning to stick it out barring a tsunami. That's what galoshes are for, right?

Ft. Mac Air Raid
Facebook Air Raid page

...- is for Victory!

During WWII, the "V" was adopted by the allies as a patriotic symbol (Victory!), and was plastered on jewelry, clothing, dishware, and all sorts of homefront items so that people could show support.

One of my favorite Victory tidbits is how the Morse code for "V" was frequently used as a design feature on these items. Dot-dot-dot-dashes are all over once you start looking for them! It's almost like a secret code or sumpthin...

Here's a couple pins from my WWII Sweetheart Jewelry collection that feature the ...- V 

Brass Victory Pin with Jeweled Inlays

Victory Lapel Pin