This is, bar none, my favorite Jenny dress, mostly because of the print and color scheme. I wore this dress for Day Five of Miss Amy May's Jenny January, where you wear a different Jenny dress or skirt every day for seven days. This was the first Jenny dress I bought from Pinup Girl Clothing and the start of a bit of an obsession: I love the cut and style of this dress as well as the whole midcentury harlequin motif. So much heart-eyes.
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A plain black swing skirt is a must-have staple for any pinup wardrobe. It's simple, elegant, and pairs with virtually any top or blouse by virtue of its neutrality. The black Jenny skirt from Pinup Girl Clothing that I chose to wear for Day Four of Miss Amy May's Jenny January is a high quality choice for putting such a work horse in your closet. I found mine to be rather long when I got it - and I am pretty tall at just a hair under six feet - so I have hemmed mine 2 inches. While you'll want to keep a lint roller on hand - as you would with any black or dark colored apparel - the black Jenny skirt is such a versatile piece that I can't see how anyone wouldn't recommend it. For my Day Four outfit, I paired my black Jenny skirt with the Carole top in Villain's print (with art by Stephanie Buscema) and the perfect pinup shrug in black, all from PUG.
Like what you see here? Want to help me make more awesome stuff? Support me on Patreon.com and get instant rewards! You could get a custom song, free copies of my books, free jewelry, a say in my projects, and so much more! Thank you for your patronage!
Day three of Miss Amy May's Jenny January, and I chose to wear the Jenny dress in white harlequin. I love the harlequin diamond motif; it's so retro and 1950s kitsch... it instantly calls to mind that time period, and this print adds to that with its color scheme on a white background. The moment I saw it, I thought of this Sears ad:
And it doesn't get any more retro, 1950s than that!
When I was kid, my mom used to make this delicious coffee cake that would be waiting, warm, when I got off the school bus. I loved how the topping was crunchy and the cake was crumbly with gooey veins of sweetness running through it.
I don't get many opportunities to make a coffee cake - being as Pinochle and Bridge have fallen out of style, as it were - but I still like to make this authentic 1950s coffee cake recipe every once in a while. Call it nostalgia, but there really isn't any treat tastier than a real midcentury coffee cake.
Watch me make it in episode three of my Mid-century Kitchen series on YouTube, and be sure to subscribe to my channel if you like what you see!
Here is the 1950s Coffee Cake Recipe (Download PDF - Click Here) COFFEE CAKE Topping:
2/3 cups sugar
3/4 cups flour
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons butter, melted Filling:
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tbs cinnamon
1 tablespoon cocoa powder Cake
3/4 cup butter or shortening
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 tsps baking powder
2 tsps vanilla
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups milk
3 3/4 cups flour
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan or two 9" round cake pans.
Make the topping by whisking together the sugar, salt, flour, and cinnamon. Add the melted butter, stirring until well combined. Set the topping aside.
Make the filling by mixing together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa powder. Set it aside.
To make the cake: In a large bowl, beat together shortening, salt, sugars, baking powder, and vanilla until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream and milk till well combined. Add the flour to the butter mixture alternately with the milk/sour cream mixture, beating gently to combine.
Pour half the batter into the prepared pans, spreading all the way to the edges. If you're using two 9" round pans, spread 1 1/3 cups batter in each pan. Sprinkle the filling evenly atop the batter. Gently spread the remaining batter atop the filling. Sprinkle the topping over the batter in the pan.
Bake 55 minutes. When pressed gently in the middle, the cake should spring back. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool for 20 minutes before cutting and serving.
Day Two of Miss Amy May's Jenny January is the first Pinup Girl Clothing skirt I ever stalked on their "coming soon" page: the Mary Blair pink parasols print Jenny skirt! Literally, as soon as I saw this skirt, I knew I had to have it. I literally watched the "coming soon" page for months, waiting for it to be released. The moment I got the "your products are in stock" email, I rushed to the site and bought the skirt - as well as the cardigan I am wearing in the picture, which matches perfectly, BTW - ten minutes from receiving the in-stock email!
This is the first-run version, so it doesn't have pockets, but I love it so much. I wear this skirt all the time, even though the pink is a tough color to match. It really looks best with a white top and this pink cardigan, which, upon looking for it to link it for you all, appears to have been discontinued. :(
In this picture, I have accessorized my outfit with chrome Mary Janes from Zappos, vintage starburst jewelry, and a two-tone pink pinup hair flower from my Valentine's Day collection.
Jenny January is an event started by Miss Amy May in which pinup ladies dress in a different Pinup Girl Clothing Jenny dress or skirt every day for a week. It's a lot of fun, and you sometimes get to match outfits with other pinup ladies. It's a huge event on Instagram, and last year, I collaborated with over a dozen pinup ladies to match outfits for all seven days.
This year, I have been too busy to schedule any collaborations on purpose, but I am still participating. For Day One of Jenny January, I am wearing one of my favorite Jenny dresses: the chocolate harlequin Jenny dress! I love this dress because the color scheme looks great with my coloring, and it's a bigger size that I tailored to fit me, so the bodice fits all the way to my bellybutton on my freakishly long waist. It's eye-catching and a perfect precursor to Valentine's Day next month.
Nothing is more important to the mid-century meal time than the quintessential cocktail. Over the years, I've tried a lot of liquors; not many have suited my tastes, and fewer mixed drinks really call my name. So, I devised my own (you wouldn't really expect anything less from me, would you?). I call this drink "Cheerio's Cherry" because it tastes like cherry punch and my Grandpa called me Cheerio (because I had as much energy as the Cheerio Kid).
Watch me make a Cheerio's Cherry in the Mid Century Kitchen:
One of my all-time favorite dishes growing up was this rigatoni pasta and Spam concoction my mother made every other Sunday afternoon. It's creamy, the Spam adds salt, and the BBQ chips on top add the perfect crunch.
Though a lot of people turn their noses up at Spam, it really is the key component to this tasty dish of comfort food. This casserole takes less than half an hour to put together, 20 minutes to bake, and is also GREAT to take to potlucks! (You'll come back with just an empty pan, I promise!)
No, it's not gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, lactose free, low carb, or low calorie, but it is darned delicious!
Here's the recipe in text; a printable recipe card is below, in both JPG and PDF format, and you can follow along with my video (below), too!
INGREDIENTS
1 can of Spam (any flavor - I like Hickory Smoke)
1 box of rigatoni noodles
2 cups of milk
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 cup of butter
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup crushed BBQ potato chips
Salt & Pepper to taste
Paprika for color (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Pre-heat oven to 375-degrees.
Prepare pasta according to box directions.
Dice Spam into small cubes and put in foil-lined baking pan (no sense in making more work for yourself)
Melt butter in saucepan over medium-high heat.
Add flour to butter to make a paste.
Add milk to roux (your flour/butter mixture)
Whisk constantly until sauce reaches a medium-thick consistency. Add salt & pepper to taste. Remove from heat and set aside.
Drain pasta (do not rinse) and add to baking pan. Stir in white sauce and mix until fully incorporated.
Top with a layer of cheddar cheese, a layer of crushed chips, and a second layer of cheese. Top with a sprinkle of paprika, if desired.
Place in pre-heated oven and bake for 20 minutes.
Serves 4-8 people for a main dinner meal; many more at a potluck.
I've always liked the look of head bands and scarves, especially in the retro, pinup style, but I always get so frustrated because they lose their shapes, wrinkle, bend, fall out, and slip out of place. So, I set about fixing all those problems and made these awesome headbands.
I installed wig clips at the center, so the bands can be clipped right into your hair so they won't fall out or move around. I designed them to close easily at the base of the head, and buyers can choose from hook & eye closure, snap closure, and velcro closure. I also made them with an internal lining of very stiff interfacing so that they won't bend, twist, or lose their shape.
These head bands will stay in all day and look great, no matter what kind of hair you have or how you style it!
Available in 6 prints, I can custom make these to length or just whip one out and let you set it up how you want it!
Each headband is just $15.00 and handmade by me. Get yours HERE!
Thought that I would make a post detailing all the sewing projects I have done this summer...
This pink swing dress you know, if you've read my blog:
Here is a green atomic starburst/argyle swing dress I made with cream trim. This one turned out really well, especially for not having a pattern...
This skirt is a box pleat underskirt in cream and blue cotton with a sheer overskirt made of vintage organza. Love the tropical print!
Someone told me that harlequin print wouldn't work in a wiggle dress. I think she might have been mistaken.
Here is another swing dress I made without a pattern. This is made from some kind of cotton blend vintage fabric in a tiki island print. The bodice, lapels, and cuffs are aqua cotton.
Here is a peasant-style top I made from pink striped cotton. I don't like how this turned out so I plan to remake it soon.
Another skirt made from vintage fabric. I think this might be upholstery fabric, but I don't care. It's shot through with silver metallic threads that match perfectly with the mustard yellow and navy.
A yellow swing dress I made from vintage rayon, I think. I don't know. It's kind of stretchy and a little rubbery feeling. But it sure is pretty and drapes beautifully.
The first skirt I made: a striped swing skirt!
Aqua blue swing dress!
My latest sewing output: a swing skirt made of this cute and fun polka dot charmeuse satin.
