When Shopping For Vintage Wedding Dresses

Author: Sarrah Beaumont

There is something good to be said about wearing vintage wedding dresses. They are exquisitely made and amazingly designed considering their age, not to mention that you can actually wear your "something old" and show it off!



Still, shopping for vintage wedding dresses can be easier said than done since you have to contend with various issues like stains, rust and missing parts. Not to worry though if you have your heart set on a vintage wedding dress with these tips.



Check Your Measurements



Vintage dresses are often sized differently than the more modern clothes you shop for. As such, you should be armed with a full set of body measurements, your measurements of course, from your arms to your shoulders.



Better yet, buy a corset or a girdle and put it on before fitting on the dresses. This is because most women for whom the dresses were made often wore corsets and girdles to achieve a sculpted look. Besides, it will look good to have curves on your wedding day!



Check for Stains



Some stains are harder to remove than others. If you think that a stain will not come off and it shows in a very visible area, then you probably should just walk away and look for other vintage wedding dresses.



Some tips to help you remove stubborn stains from your dream vintage wedding dresses, which is assuming that it can be removed without going to a dress restoration expert of course.



* Place your dress in a bathtub filled with either lukewarm or cold water mixed with a gentle liquid detergent. Be sure to remove metal and plastic accessories first as these can add to your restoration problems. Soak it for at least 24 hours to loosen stubborn stains and lessen yellowish discolorations.



* Remove stains with a sudsy spray solution and then gently brushing them with a toothbrush. Just don't apply a club soda solution as it will worsen the stains, even make them settle more into the dress.



Whatever you do, avoid rubbing vigorously on the fabric. It can be fragile that any drastic wringing, rubbing, pressing and cleaning performed on it can make it fall apart. And then where would you be? Perhaps, you will be saying goodbye to anything vintage, wedding dresses or not, and that would be a shame.



Check for Missing Parts



Some vintage dresses may be older than your grandmother so checking for missing parts - buttons, embroidery, ribbons, and other stuff - is a must. If you can find a store that sells vintage accessories, it will be better for your restorative efforts.



If you don't have any knowledge of such a store, try looking for possible replacements. Some stores may even carry reproductions of vintage accessories that you can use to cover up the missing parts.



If you have your bridal heart set on vintage wedding dresses but can't find one that meets your requirements in terms of it being able to withstand wear for more than 8 hours, then you can always ask to have it reproduced. There is no shame in that and you can even pass it to your daughter!

About the Author:
OnlineBridalShop.ca sells bridesmaid dresses , mother of the bride dresses and wedding dresses in all colors. Visit them now!

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - When Shopping For Vintage Wedding Dresses

The Difference Between Classic And Vintage Cars

Author: Levi Quinn

It is not always easy to determine if a vehicle is considered to be a vintage car or a classic one. The definitions seem to be changing all the time. A vintage car is usually considered to be any that was built from 1919 to 1930. However, the classic era seems to have crossed into the vintage, at least according to some experts. This can make defining the two tricky. Sometimes knowing the two are different is simply not enough information. If you have an older car and you need facts, you will want to do your homework.

The reason most people need to define their car as classic or vintage is for insurance purposes. You should always have insurance coverage on your vehicle. If anything were to happen to it you would otherwise have to pay for it out of your own pocket. And that's a chance that should never be taken with any old vehicle. Many insurance companies have a rule that the car must be at least 25 years old or older to be considered a classic. If the car is older than the 1930s it will likely be considered vintage. Of course some agencies even have a historical status for vehicles of certain ages so be sure to inquire fully.

Currently it seems that there is no concrete definition of a classic car. To some it is an old hotrod from the 1950s and for others it is the muscle cars of the 1970s. This term gets a little sticky because the definition seems to change with every person asked.

According to the Classic Car Club of America a classic automobile is any one that has been built between the years of 1925 and 1948. This is an indication of how drastically different the opinions are from resource to resource. That definition does apply to cars that were either domestic or foreign built. If you check out the club's website and find a car missing from their classic list that you feel should be there, you can actually petition the site to add it to their list. It doesn't mean that they will but it's certainly worth a try.

You will likely find that different organizations or car clubs will have their own definitions of vintage and classic cars. Many different factors affect these choices too such as the popularity of the car then and now as well as the make, model and historical value. For instance, models of vehicles that appeared on TV or in movies tend to have a higher ranking classic status than those that did not.

The rarity of the vehicle also may play a role in if it is classic or vintage. A car that is exceptionally rare will likely have a higher numerical value attached to it. This can affect what category it falls into. Do not stop searching for definitions at just one source. Compare and contrast them, form your own definition if need be based on what you find. A professional opinion is recommended for extremely valuable or rare vehicles.

About the Author:

Have a fun and safe time on the road, and visit us to find the best deal on the insurance coverage you need. Get money-saving tips, free quotes for affordable auto insurance and helpful recommendations about your automobile policy at Auto Insurance Rates Direct today.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/classics-articles/the-difference-between-classic-and-vintage-cars--793676.html

Antique Jewelry – The Fitting Choice For All Occasions

Author: M Roger

Indian jewelry symbolizes the great tradition and culture of India. The exquisite designs are hand-crafted and have distinct quality that can fascinate anybody having eyes for creativity. The antique jewelry designs exemplify Indian culture and the vivid past which have constituents of love, passion, artistry and beauty – all ingrained in one. The exquisite jewelry comes in beautiful pieces of shells, precious stones, glass beads and turquoise.

Antique Jewelry makes a perfect gift for the jewelry enthusiasts as they get phenomenal designs which are evergreen in nature. The best part of the antique jewellery is that there is a wide variety available ranging from bolo ties, rings, watches, bracelets, necklaces to rings.

Nowadays, you can buy Indian jewelry via internet. The prime advantage attached with buying antique jewelry online is that they are available at low prices. This is because the website owners buy them in bulk and as a result offer huge discounts on each purchase. This makes online purchasing one of the most feasible solutions to get your hand at a wide variety of designs.

Another advantage attached with online purchasing is that you get your hand at the original designs that are free from imitations. This is due to the fact that a website owner buys them from manufacturers eliminating the role of middlemen. So, you can be sure of enjoying the factor of originality and creativity to the maximum extent. On the other side, new designs keep on getting updated. Therefore, you can have instant access to the latest trends and designs with just few clicks.

Antique jewelry can be a fruitful investment as the value of antique jewellery keeps on rising with each passing day. Through market surveys, it is seen that proprietors of antique jewellery generally sell them at inflated price as they are in high demand in the international jewelry market.

Be it any special occasion, such as wedding or engagement, or you are going casually, the antique jewelry designs are more than perfect for all of them. So, buy them and make your jewelry collection more exquisite and phenomenal as they have factors of both artistry and creativity.

About the Author:

Providing Consumer Information on various subjects.
- Online Gifts

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/jewelry-articles/antique-jewelry-the-fitting-choice-for-all-occasions-779012.html

WWII, Fly! Buy From Art.com

War and Military Vintage Posters- Available Online

Author: Editor-123

Are you hunting for war and military vintage posters? If the local antique shop doesn’t suffice your tastes, you needn’t get a slightest brink on your forehead, coz now you can avail them all online. With a splurge of options to select from, online stores are soon catching up as one of the best ways of buy, in general (leave alone vintage posters!)

War and military vintage posters –the choice aplent

War and military vintage posters aren’t all about bloodshed, in case you are thinking so! War and military vintage posters, narrate a story (a true one, for a change!) of patriotism, pride, valor, sacrifices, victory and honor.

So, how can war and military vintage posters be used? Firstly, it can be a great gift to people with an affinity towards military and matters (you can gift it to Uncle Sam, who just returned from the base camp!). Next, you can even decorate your house with it and if you are a military person, you would know more about the glory of having such a collection. You can even patch it on your son’s room, to just inspire him to serve the country, the military way!

So, if you are on a lookout for war and military vintage posters, you could very well search for your posters online. By going online, you can get things done right from the click of your hand at home! However, make sure you are investing your money on an authentic store. Do check out the display images of vintage posters to ensure about the quality and print. Further, do let yourself to go through a couple of sites before narrowing down to one! That way, you’ll be getting a wider exposure of the choices available. Exclusive war and military vintage posters can be availed in certain websites too. You can even request or order a certain poster online, in some websites and they would try their best to get it for you!

About the Author:

Poster Group has everything you need to know about Vintage Poster and every poster to buy that you can think of. You can also directly check out Vintage Posters and allPoster Online by clicking www.postergroup.com.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/visual-art-articles/war-and-military-vintage-posters-available-online-764103.html

Buick War Poster Buy From Art.com

Interesting Sources Where You Can Find Information on Old Coin Prices

Collecting old coins is an interesting hobby that several people get hooked onto for their whole lives. All said and done this hobby is a relatively expensive hobby when compared to the others. Most of the coin collectors face problems during their early days when they find it difficult to evaluate old coin prices. If you are someone who has just about started collecting old coins, then you need to do a bit of research in order to determine the value of old coins.

There are several hardback books available that you can use for determining old coin prices. These price guides offer a convenient way of checking prices of old coins. Moreover, they also help you save lots of money in the long run, which otherwise you would have used to pay appraiser’s fees or paying different dealers. Printed price guides are a virtual treasure house of information on old coins and their prices. You can easily shop for these books in your neighborhood bookstore or at a coin shop near you. You can also find them being sold at online book stores these days. You can also choose from the older editions that are sold online over many auction sites for cheap prices.


You can also determine old coin prices using online price guides. Even if you were to not know the kind of coin that you have got, you can still find out a range of possible prices with the help of online guides. The advantage that online price guides have over printed editions is that the former are always updated at regular intervals of time. So the next time around you need to find out old coin prices , you can easily do so by either buying printed price guides or hopping online and going through online price guides.

Antique Lights

If you’re looking for some classic antique lamps to complete your home, office or study, look no further than our type 1227 and 1228 antique lights ranges.

Based on our original antique table lamps design in 1930, the 1228 mimics a banker’s lamp to help give your desk an authentic air while writing out bills to the utilities or making out cheques. In addition to this, our 1227 range tweaks the original George Carwardine design and is also noticeable for the new floor standing version of the original design.

Our designs are such classics that they are perceived as being part of standard office furniture for professionals such as architects and interior decorators - providing a stylish antique light that can show your personal vision in its best light is our speciality. In fact our antique table lamps have helped many professionals get through to the other side of a creative block since the thirties and continue to do so today.

Our range of antique lamps can help to emulate the quiet of a study area or to inject a sense of character into an otherwise modern office situation. Antique table lamps may seem like a thing of the past, but Anglepoise knows how to position a product and can light the way for you to have a new look office or study that will inspire you. If, however you are looking for a modern twist on this brilliant timeless design why not look into our latest 'Fifty' range, developed by British designer Anthony Dickens so that all of our customers can experience the fun side of this indispensable design.
Article Source: http://www.articleset.com

Vintage Spectacles - What You Need to Know

Author: Debbie Mendoza

Spectacle frame fashions undergo as many variations as hemlines have!



Lens Materials



The mineral quartc is relatively weighty - another very good reason for keeping the lens size down. These days eyeglass lenses are generally made from lightweight plastics called allyl diglycol carbonate. The plastic's name is often abbreviated to CR-39, standing for Columbia Resin, and it is less than half the weight of glass, which supplanted quartz in the early twentieth century. There are lighter spectacle lens option such as polycarbonate which is feather light and able to withstand heavy impact. Digressing slightly, it is the material of choice for vandal-proof light fittings.



Unfortunately, although impact resistant, the material is certainly not scratch resistant which is an important quality to bear in mind when fabricating spectacle lenses. These days polycarbonate lenses, which are a feature of safety eyewear, are surface treated to make them more resistant to scratching.



Vintage Frames



Most people want to collect vintage frames to wear them. There are a number of possible pitfalls to bear in mind. For example:



What materials deteriorate?



This is a slightly silly question as all frames deteriorate over time. Those the least susceptible to deterioration are metal-rimmed frames. However with frames from around the mid twentieth century and onwards it is common to find the end tips and the nose pads are plastic coated. The core of such frames consists of nickel, which can set off marked reaction if it is contact with the skin (nickel dermatitis). End tips & nose pads on such frames do deteriorate due to acid in perspiration, but fortunately a good optical outlet can generally fit replacement pads and tips - these may not totally match the originals, but their positioning means they will be hidden behind your ears or behind the lenses.



Other eyeglass frame material fare less well. Various plastics were utilised in the 20th century:



Cellulose Nitrate



This material, first developed in 1850, was originally used for the production of movie film and for a short while was used in spectacle frame production. However it is essentially the same material as guncotton (!) and it is now illegal to supply this, either in spectacle frames (or in films either). It deteriorates over time, and with heat gives off an acid smell. Should it catch fire it produces its own oxygen and burns really fiercely. This plastic decomposes over time and becomes dangerously inflammable. This material is so dangerous that museums are not allowed to have examples stored or on display. You should defnitely avoid nitrate frames!



Cellulose Acetate



This material was developed and used for the production of glasses frames in the early 1920s in France. Unlike its nitrate cousin this material was not flammable. It is a stable material and easily worked and colored. It is still used today for spectacle frames. Over time, if stored in overly hot conditions it will tend to lose its plasticity and elasticity, making it brittle and the shapes to warp.



Perspex



This very strong material gained popularity in the fifties and sixties for upswept cats-eye supra frames. These eliminated the lower frame rim, substituting a nylon cord (like fishing line) which was held under tension in the lower rim of the spectacle lens that had a groove cut to take the nylon cord. Although the nylon supra design was strong, the material is very brittle, needing a great deal of heat before it can be adjusted to fit the person's face properly. If the frame is not sufficiently hot it will snap and cannot be repaired. However it is actually relatively straightforward for the nylon cord to be replaced, should that break over time.



There are various other materials such as carbon fibre, which enjoyed brief popularity in the seventies, but there is not enough space in this article to cover less popular materials any more comprehensively.



Are the frames safe to wear?



Well, with the exception of cellulose nitrate (see above) yes, they are all safe.



Can prescription lenses be put into a vintage frame?



Naturally every pair of spectacles must fit you properly. Some prescriptions are not suited to certain frames, and the interpupillary distance (how far apart your eyes are!) will influence how thin the lens can be at the edge. You will need to show your chosen frame to your eyecare practitioner as it is possible to calculate the expected thickness of the lens edge for your prescription and frame chosen.



Those frames with plastic rims need to be tough enough to be heated to stretch around the lens bevel, then able to shrink back to hold the lens securely. Your eye care specialist / optometrist will be able to advise on potential problems - glazing an old frame in this way will probably only be undertaken at you own risk. Opticians canot predict just by visual inspection how fragile and brittle your vintage frame might be. Reputable companies supplying vintage spectacles from the fifties will be able to give an indication on how robust the frames are likely to be but it is likely that they too will be able to offer any cast-iron guarantees, for the same reason.



Vintage spectacle styles can undoubtedly give your fashion sense a unique flavor. You may collect simply for the joy of owning a piece of history, or for use in costume drama, or to wear yourself, but whatever the reason - good luck with your hunting!

About the Author:

Debbie Mendoza has studied fifties fashions over many years - she specializes in the history of vintage shapewear & stockings. Her passion for the 40s & 50s led to her founding http://www.sleeknchic.com, first in America and for the past 5 years in England, where she now lives.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/vintage-spectacles-what-you-need-to-know-726557.html

Antique pine furniture and reproductions

Submitted by analogik
Sun, 4 Jan 2009





A favorite for many centuries, the exclusive appearance of this knotty, light-colored timber has set itself graciously apart from darker and more traditional woods. Known as “pine,” this material has been, and still is, frequently used to build beautiful and comfortable furniture. These distinct pieces are repeatedly chosen by select decorators to give many rooms a preferred casual, rustic or country-style feel.
When purchasing pine furniture, take the various types of pine into consideration. Be it spruce, white pine, or fir, today, one can buy virtually any type of furniture in any of the various pine varieties. When at the shop, check the number of stains and colors which are presented and consider how they will fit in your home or office decor. Pay attention to the true character of the grain and verify that the wood is well preserved.
In the world of antique pine woodworking, many furniture builders will salvage the aged lumber from demolition sites, large-scale renovations, or larger furniture pieces that are beyond restoration. This means that, even if your Welsh dresser was only recently constructed, the storage unit may still be considered an antique, and almost as valuable as an original, dating back to the nineteenth century. In this case, the word “reproduction” may be subjective, and imply that the item may be a “look-alike,” rather than a “fake”.
Like with all natural wood, both new and antique pine furniture must be well maintained. The soft wood has a malleable texture and is easily susceptible to dents or scratches. Even if your furniture piece already contains obvious natural imperfections, which you may feel adds character you definitely do not want to add additional damage. Polish, wax or lacquer pine furniture when damaged or slightly discolored, and protect it by using general wood care products for daily maintenance. Furthermore, keep your furniture away from windows and vents, and try to avoid extreme temperatures, or lingering exposure to moisture. Taking good care of your timeless and original furniture pieces will keep them in fantastic shape, and will allow you to enjoy them for many years to come.



About the Author
CroSci is a non-government organisation which fosters science, technology and education development through a network of free online resources.

Top tips for investing in your first Vintage Tractor

As you are looking at this article, then its obvious that you have an interest in vintage tractors.
Make sure that your tractor performs all the basic tasks properly, so check the steering, gears, forward and reverse, PTO, lift, lights, indicators and hydraulics. Even if you want to work on it straight off, you may not be interested in a full reconditioning for some time and need to minimize the number of initial jobs. You should have a detailed check list which included at a minimum the following: does it start easily from cold, run well when hot, all the electrical components work well, does it have good traction If possible you should go to your test armed with a toolbox containing a compression tester, expensive Fluke digital multimeter, hydrometer, and other specialty tools. or bring somebody with you who has these tools.. If you don't have these tools, don't panic as these tools can end up costing more than the tractor itself.. You should in this case rely on your own common sense and your own observation skills.

Does it start from cold? - A tractor that starts easily from cold will eliminate several particular problems at once Good Battery, compression, ignition wiring / magneto, tune up, fuel flow, Carburetor can be assured (not guaranteed) by this. If it doesn't start quickly from cold, it still may be a good machine but you will have to spend some time and money on it. One thing you should be watch out for is if the tractor is out and warmed up when you arrived, you lose an important checklist item, namely the cold start, because as we all know a warm engine starts much more easily then a cold one..


How does it run when warm - Make sure you get it hot, as you will want to ensure it doesn't overheat. When warmed up you should watch out for a number of problems. Plan on spending a half-hour running it. Look for leaks, both oil and antifreeze. Lastly after warm up, shut it down and see if it will start.

How well do the brakes work - Although relatively inexpensive to replace, they are difficult to get at on many tractors and will require a lot of work to replace.

Does the tractor smoke - Blue smoke indicates many potentially difficult problems like rings, pistons, or valve guides. White or black smoke can oftentimes be corrected with carburetion or ignition changes but still represent work.

Does the engine run smoothly - A simple ticking from the top of the engine may be a simple valve adjustment but a deep thunk from the bottom or middle of the engine would point to very serious and expensive repairs. The clunk should be more pronounced under load. This may be an indication of problems with the bearings, crankshaft or piston rods. And mean a very expensive repair job.


Work the hydraulics - Check the full range of the power rams by extending them with a load. Let the load sit in the hold situation for a period of time to be sure that there is no slippage. Chattering noises from the pump while lifting indicate the pump is not getting enough supply of hydraulic fluid. The pump might have experienced excessive wear when run this way for long periods of time and may be ready to fail.

While many of the above examples may sound a bit negative, you should do your background research and understand the specific issues a tractor may have before you invest.Patrick Malloney is an internet entrepreneur who founded Youtractor.com which offers 1,000 of tractor videos showing Farm Tractors