Hosting a Pancake Party!

3 Comments June 10, 2016 aimeevictorianarmoire

Isn’t it funny how switching the norm around a bit can make something more exciting or unusual? This can definitely be said about having breakfast for dinner! It was one of my favorite meals growing up and still is today…especially if we were having pancakes. Easy to make and universally pleasing, having a pancake party, whether with friends or just the family, is the perfect way to spend an evening!

One of my 1960’s cookbooks offers some wonderful pancake recipes to get your party off on the right foot!

To start, you need the basic recipe, and believe it or not, the books says to start with Bisquik!

Basic Pancake Recipe:

4 cups Bisquik

2 eggs

3 1/1 cups of milk

Stir until combined then try any of the adaptations that follow:

Apple Pancakes

Fold 2 cups of chopped apple, 2 tbsp. of sugar and 1 tbsp. of lemon juice into the batter. Serve with Cinnamon-Maple Syrup.

Banana Pancakes (one of my favorites)

Fold 1 cup mashed ripe banana and 2 tbsp. of sugar into batter. Serve with honey.

Blueberry Pancakes

And 2 tbsp. of sugar into batter; gently fold in 1 cup of fresh, frozen, or drained canned blueberries. Dust pancakes with powdered sugar.

Spicy Blueberry Pancakes

Stir into batter 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1//2 tsp. nutmeg, and 1/4 tsp. cloves. Gently fold in 1 cup fresh, frozen, or drained canned blueberries. Serve with Lemon Syrup.

Orange Nut Pancakes

Fold 2 tbsp. grated orange peel and 1/3 cup finely chopped pecans into batter. Serve warm with maple syrup.

Want to try something other than pancakes?

Check out Retro Breakfast Recipes for many other delicious retro recipes!

So go ahead and treat the family, or yourself, to a fun pancake supper!! You won’t regret it!

Source: So Quick with New Bisquik: A Betty Crocker Cookbook 1967

Old Fashioned Window Boxes

7 Comments June 8, 2016 aimeevictorianarmoire

I love window boxes! I’m talking adore every little part of their sweetness and beauty! However, my house really can’t have window boxes…..its a long story that ends in bitter sadness and then a quick but effective switch to the “over the railing flower boxes.” 🙂 But if any of you lucky ducks out there have window boxes or are thinking of getting window boxes, than know you have my utmost love and admiration!

Below are a few of my most favorite window box ideas and their sources. I hope they bring you some wonderful inspiration!

This first one has amazing pops of color! Don’t you just love their use of a hot pink window frame?!

Image from Midwest Living

This example really has the feel of the 1800’s to me. Earthy, textural, and wild! Love!

Image from Better Homes and Gardens. Click link to see the flowers used.

Now this window box isn’t outside, it’s inside, and features potted herbs. A wonderful option for those out there, like me, who can’t drill holes into their siding.

Image from Pink Roses and Other Passions

I can’t tell what I love more about this next one….the robin’s egg blue shutters, or the varying tones of green used? I guess it must be all of it! 🙂

Image from House of Turquoise

Clean, soft, and very happy, these lovely shades of pink and rose geraniums are lush and perfect for window boxes!

Image from The Yvestown Blog

Whether you put them outside or inside, make sure you have a little pot of nature’s pretties somewhere to greet you every morning!

On My Inspiration Board: Striped Gowns

Leave a comment June 6, 2016 aimeevictorianarmoire

Did you notice anything different about my blog this morning?

That’s right, a new logo!!!!

I am so excited to have a brand new logo designed for me by Susan of LogoLane. Evoking the color, beauty, and love of historical fashion, this new logo continues to be a step forward in creating a better blog and a better business! Cue excited squeal!!! 🙂

Alright, now onto the real stuff!

I am delving into a topic that may be a joyous thing for some women or a bad memory for others. I’m talking stripes. Those pesky little lines that could either create a sleek line or make one feel (as I have in the past) that they are as wide as a barn (forgive the horrible analogy…but I’m sure we have all been there.)

Yet, despite the riskiness that these little parallel lines can hold, designers and seamstresses alike have been creating garments featuring the stripe for centuries. Why? Well, amongst many reasons, it is visually striking, allows for fun color coordination, and if properly done, can be very flattering.

Stripes can also come a in variety of shapes, sizes, and directions. For example, this example of a diagonal, texture stripe as worn by actress Anna May Wong, is absolutely stunning and visually interesting.

Here this evening gown, worn by Lauren Becall, shows how stripes can vary in width.

Stripes can also be used in geometric patterns, like the fun sun dress worn by Dorothy Lamour.

So whether you like your stripes wide, narrow, colorful, or diagonal, wear them with confidence!

To see more examples, please visit this Pinterest Page.

Happy Monday!

Is it a Match? 1910’s Jewelry and their Modern Counterparts

Leave a comment June 3, 2016 aimeevictorianarmoire

How many times have you wanted something and just couldn’t have it? If you are anything like me it has happened only about a million times. And when you realize that you are one of those individuals that can trace some ancestry to a raccoon (as I too love shiny, sparkly things), than you may have to embrace a strategy I like to call “finding an alternative.” If I can’t find it, I will try to make it. If I can’t afford it, I will try to find a really good look alike. And if I can’t have anything but the original, than I will save and wait patiently until I can. The last option doesn’t happen all that often.

So when it comes to trying to find reproduction pieces, it can be rather tricky to locate an affordable and suitable option. But with a little bit of time and energy, you too can make all your sparkly dreams come true.

So with that in mind, I decided I wanted to write a post on late Edwardian jewelry and some modern alternatives. Edwardian fashion is such a wonderful dichotomy of simplicity with traces of its Victorian heritage, but not quite the art deco that will replace it. So, I have found three of my most favorite examples of this simplistic style with some lovely adaptations that all seem to hover around the $35 mark. So, if you love all things Downtown Abbey but can’t afford the real deal….than this post is for you!

To start with is a lovely young lady wearing a modesty brooch. I found a stunning example through Overstock.

Silver Brooch from Overstock – $34

This stunning necklace features a large medallion on a long black cord. While difficult to find an exact replica, I believe I found one that is the essence of the style.

Long Cord Necklace with Medallion from MarKi Jewelry – $34

I adore this necklace and love the dress that goes with it. Sigh….. The necklace I found features more beads than the original but I feel would be a perfect piece to wear with this dress.

Three Strand Hampton Necklace from Shoptiques – $38

So whether you are looking to accessorize a 1910’s outfit, or simply to bring a little nostalgia into your modern life, these pieces would fit like a glove!

Happy Hunting!

Did you know that Aimee’s Victorian Armoire Shop now features several instant downloadable patterns? Click HERE to see the current options available.

From My Sewing Table: June

Leave a comment June 1, 2016 aimeevictorianarmoire

Is there anything better than a warm June day where the sky is a soft cobalt and the trees are fully leafed out in their glory? If you ask anyone in my neighborhood, they would be in solid agreement that there is nothing better. I always find it comical to look outside of my window on days such as these and see so many people out and about… people who I don’t think I have seen since last October. Sidewalks become crowded as power walkers, joggers, and energetic dogs and children take to the great outdoors! Ahhhh….summer is here at last!

I have had one of the best and worst months in a very long time and am optimistic that June will stick with being just one of the best. Perhaps many of you know what I am talking about. Those days when you have so many wonderful things happen, yet they get bashed away with so much negative. Keeping a positive attitude takes work, patience, and a healthy dose of sunshine and BBQ!

With the warm weather comes wonderful afternoons spent in the air conditioning sewing away. And gracious do I have some wonderful projects planned! I have really been blessed with the ever flowing juices of creativity and I am eager to hang on for as long as possible. I have some new patterns I have developed that I can’t wait to share with you along with a few fun articles that really capture the essence of summer!

As many of you may know from my posts last summer, my most favorite place to write is on my front porch. Well, it currently is out of commission right now getting a whole new face lift, and I can’t wait to be able to get back out there and watch the world go by! Some people have a hammock or swing, but me? I have my front porch!

My inspiration board this month is full of wonderful colors, patterns, and a few cooking adventures that I can’t wait to start and share.

And as I patiently wait for my writing oasis to reappear from the contractor’s desert, I am eager to continue to share and write posts that are enjoyable to me and you! So with that said, I have created a little survey with a few questions to help me understand more of what you all like to read and learn more about. So if you have a few minutes, I hope you don’t mind spending a few of them helping me to focus and improve my blog!

Click HERE to take survey.