Party Like It's 1899

(Okay, so maybe 1899 is a bit of a stretch. This post will probably be more about partying like it's 1938 or something like that, but who can resist a good Prince reference? Obviously, not this girl...) Our wonderful vintage items are commonly sought out to lend some patina to photo shoots, wedding ceremonies and receptions, but they are equally at home as party decor. In the interest of full disclosure, the party that follows just happens to be the Christmas party my husband and I threw, but nearly everything we used can be easily adapted for any occasion.

One of the most important parts of any party is setting the stage early. I knew I wanted guests to feel the theme immediately, so in stepped one of our gorgeous vintage bikes. They're a great greeting for any party with a small chalkboard sign and a quick change out of the items in the basket! The basket could also be a great place to put party favors.

A perfect place at a party to let vintage items really shine is the food setup. The centerpiece was something I saw on Pinterest that utilized a vintage Pepsi crate and mason jars and I think I did a pretty decent job with my copycat version. It would look precious at a baby shower or birthday party with flowers instead of greenery.

You can use almost anything to add interest and height to a table, but one of my favorite options is a great vintage scale. Topped with an old pie plate, it was the perfect piece to hold lemon tarts! We also have a great tiered server made from vintage pie plates and a rolling pin that helped display the rest of our desserts.

We pulled a vintage typewriter from inventory and typed out the first few lines of "Twas the Night Before Christmas," though obviously you can change that to any event-appropriate quote, or simply an invitation to leave the guest of honor a message!

Whether you're celebrating a particular holiday or a milestone in the life of someone special, if you're shooting for a vintage theme, we're here to help. Be sure to stop by our website to view more of our inventory and start thinking about the creative ways you can add vintage flair to your next party!

Baggage? Check!

I recently had a precious bride, Brittany, contact me about renting some vintage luggage for a travel-inspired shoot at the Birmingham International Airport. I could tell Brittany was smart, organized and had a great eye just from her sweet and descriptive emails but I was blown away in person. She showed up with a full inspiration/style board including a photo of the vintage dress she had just purchased on Etsy specifically for the engagement pictures. Amazing!

Brittany worked with Milanes Photography out of Atlanta, Georgia and the pictures are just breathtaking. Is it wrong that I like these engagement photos more than my own?!? ;)

If you're interested in renting any of our luggage (we have several pieces of varying sizes, shapes and colors plus hat boxes), the rental fee is $5/piece for a 3-day rental. For an easy $10-20, you can make a huge impact on an event or photo shoot with our sophisticated suitcases. See for yourself!

 www.milanesphotography.com

  www.milanesphotography.com

 www.milanesphotography.com

 www.milanesphotography.com

Tea for Two (Or More!)

The days may be gone when afternoon tea parties were commonplace, but that doesn't mean there's no need for cups and saucers anymore! We recently loaned ours out to hold business cards at an event put on by P.E.W.S. and, if we do say so ourselves, they looked adorable.

Of course, you can also go the traditional route and rent these cute vintage pieces for bridal showers, baby showers, weddings or parties but there are many other creative ways to use cups and saucers if you've got a collection of your own that's gathering dust. Without further ado, some great ideas from (where else?) Pinterest. 

If you have just one or two cups, they make precious planters for herbs or handy pieces to use in small flower arrangements. One of the craftiest uses of cups and saucers we found was this nifty chandelier. Whimsical, unique and could be a great addition to a little girl's playroom. We have to imagine, though, that this project would rank pretty high on difficulty level!

Our favorite idea by a landslide is turning cups into candles. This is actually an idea we are familiar with, as we make these as gifts for clients who place large rental orders. 

If you want to tackle this project at home, you'll need: wax, wicks, dye, essential oil or other fragrance, a double boiler and a candy thermometer. (You can also buy a kit with everything you need from Michael's or another craft store. It comes with enough supplies to make two candles, so initially we went that route for the first batch. If it ended poorly, well, we weren't three pounds of soy wax into it.) It's not necessary to have a "real" double boiler. We just stuck a Pyrex measuring cup on top of a small pot and it did the trick just fine. 

The star of this project is, of course, your cute receptacle for the wax. The options are endless and, frankly, could probably warrant another post but a few ideas are tiny terra cotta pots (with the bottom hole filled in) for a fiesta or garden party, mason jars, champagne flutes or wine glasses, or even hollowed out fruits/vegetables. Most of these items can be picked up for less than a dollar each at thrift stores or garage sales, so get hunting and have fun!!

Pew Decorations

This week, we had the opportunity to participate in a pew decorating competition put on by P.E.W.S. at  the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Rebecca Hassee of P.E.W.S. did an amazing job securing food, drinks, live entertainment and, of course, some of Birmingham's most talented wedding professionals to make this a truly special event.

We were paired with Andy Boyles and Rachel Gaudel, who (let's be honest) did all of the heavy lifting when it came to our pew. We provided the vintage items but Andy and Rachel were really the magic makers. One of our favorite people, Breanna Conley, took the photos of the pew decorations, including the image to the right.

If you're planning a wedding and looking for aisle inspiration, be sure you check out the creativity featured here to get your wheels turning.

Got Milk Glass?

If you've ever been to our office/warehouse, you know it's no secret that we adore milk glass. We have what borders on an obsession with these gorgeous, versatile pieces that are equally fitting with soft, pastel blooms at a baby shower, with colorful Gerber daisies for a bridesmaid's luncheon, with bunches of baby's breath for a bridal shower or with bold sunflowers for a Mexican-inspired rehearsal dinner. Pair them with light-colored neutral tablecloths and let the flowers be the star, or set them on brightly-hued linens for a pop of contrast. Here's a sampling of the pieces we have. (Not pictured are 30 punch cups, various plates, candleholders and cake plates.) From bud vases to serving pieces to punch bowls, we've got you covered if you share our love for milk glass and want to incorporate these beautiful vintage treasures in your next event. Contact us today for our reasonable rental and delivery rates!

Baby Love

A very special lady in my life is expecting a baby next month and happens to share my love of all things vintage. I headed up to Memphis this past weekend to help with her shower and, of course, brought all of my favorite baby-related pieces to help decorate. I also brought mismatched china and pink depression glassware to make it extra special. Enjoy the photos...and it's good to be back. Expect more frequent posts now that our jaunt around the globe is complete!

Sweet vintage building blocks.

 Antique baby carriage. It was a great gift holder!

 Framed chalkboard, milk glass and burlap banner.

 My favorite piece: pink and blue vintage baby scale!

View of the whole table with vintage lace tablecloth.

World Tour

Well, readers, we are off. Perhaps "World Tour" is a big of an exaggeration, but from today through August 3, we will be out of pocket and/or out of the country for the most part. The first couple of weeks, we're headed back to California and to Orange Beach. After that, it's on to Europe...The Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Belgium and France to be exact. Paris will be our longest stay, where it's going to be all about YOU. We're devoting a lot of time to finding, buying, packing and shipping incredible vintage French finds back to Birmingham, where you can take advantage of them as part of our rental inventory. It's going to be flea market heaven!

As long as we're stateside, you should still hear back regarding rental inquiries within one business day. Please bear with us, though, as our turnaround time may linger closer to two to three business days while we're in a wildly different time zone or if we're flying. We'll do our very best to get quotes to you quickly so you can keep your planning rolling. We're still renting items while we're gone, too, so don't count us out if you have a last-minute need in July! Any rentals through August 3 will be pick-up only, as we can't really ask family or friends to haul things around the Birmingham metro area. :)

Once we get back, it's going to be a mad dash to get ready for the SoHo Bridal Show. It may just be our busiest month yet, but it's going to be a blast. So until then, au revoir mes amis!

Engaged

I realize I've brought up Engaged a few times without really talking about what it is. Y'all, it's a free wedding planning boutique. Free. You meet with a consultant who talks to you about the type of wedding you want, shows you portfolios of various vendors and invites you to free events the whole time you're engaged. There's a bouquet day where you get to check out flowers from and meet various Birmingham florists. There's a mini-makeover day...same concept, lots of make-up artists. Cake tasting day. And the list goes on. You can sign up for any of these events free of charge and get to meet a whole heap of vendors in one fabulous sitting. Sigh...my life from March 2010-May 2011 would have looked really different if I had found a resource like this in San Francisco. This would have saved me stress, mileage and more stress to have a one-stop shop.

Anyway, the point of this is that their most recent free event was a bridesmaid's luncheon for brides-to-be and their moms, maids of honor or whoever they wanted to bring as a guest. I asked if I could bring a selection of our vintage china, flatware, glassware and vases and they obliged. It was great to time myself on how quickly I could unpack and set a table with plates, glasses and utensils (hint: not fast). The flowers, linens and food were just perfect and Sandra from Bags and More in Hoover came to show the girls some great selections for party/shower dresses. Say Bre Photography took the gorgeous shots of our china, flatware and milk glass in this post. Bre Conley, who owns Say Bre, is friendly, laid-back, incredibly talented and just a pleasure to be around.

I feel so blessed to be partnering with Engaged. There could not be a better group of ladies to tell brides about everything Cameo Vintage Rentals can offer them. Looking forward to the next event!

  

Just Beachy

Is there anything more relaxing than being at the beach?!? I just got back from a weekend at the beach with close girlfriends and I feel completely rejuvenated. Because I'm so relaxed right now, I just want to direct you to some gorgeous photos of vintage themed beach weddings. Combining old stuff with a gorgeous beach setting makes me want to renew my vows. :)

From www.perfectoutdoorwedding.com

From www.everylastdetailblog.com  

From www.onewed.com  

From www.lovewedbliss.com

Farm Fresh from Tennessee

I'm going to share something my friends and family already know. There's not a better mom out there than mine. Now, I don't want to alienate any readers by saying that my mom is the best mom in the world, and in fairness and rationality I haven't met them all, but I can say with confidence there are none better...equal, sure, I'll give you that. :)

 My mom is also a fantastic aunt to her nieces and nephews and drove to Knoxville for my cousin's 21st birthday yesterday. All the way to Knoxville and back, she was stopping and picking for me! And Momma has a good eye. She's one of the reasons I love all things vintage, and she found a gorgeous old plow, scads of enamelware (I can just see the pieces brimming with flowers!), buckets, old gasoline and kerosene cans, a gigantic punch bowl the size of which I've never seen before and the crowning jewel...this super neat tiered dessert dish. It's made from a rolling pin and pie plates and it's begging to go to a rustic wedding or shower and hold truffles, cake pops or petit fours. It wants to sit on a farm table, maybe even holding napkins at a drink station with mason jars. I can't wait for someone to rent this little cutie!

Weekend Haul

Even on the fullest of weekends, my husband and I always find time to look for unique vintage pieces we can add to the rental inventory. I had a cousin in town this weekend, the bridesmaid's luncheon event at Engaged on Saturday (photos and post to come soon) and of course, Father's Day. Nonetheless, we squeezed in a few hours to do some hunting.

For the most part, it was a weekend of small victories. We found a great vinage Kodak (you can never have too many), an adorable Royal typewriter (hello, guest book table), some awesome silver plated flatware and a couple of really cool boxes that were used for packing anchovies. I just love the font on those boxes!

The big win, however, was another church pew. I already have a white one and this one was a precious size, painted brown. We were ill-prepared for a large find and were in our small car, so the pew has to be picked up later this week. But don't worry...I'll share it's beauty as soon as it's safely in our warehouse. In the meantime, take a look at our cutest new cast members!

Lounging Around

These days, you can't read an article in a wedding magazine or cruise Pinterest wedding boards without stumbling across vintage inspired lounge areas. My husband and I got married outdoors in Sunol, California and there was a deck area off of the reception room that would have been perfect for arranging a comfy couch, unique coffee table and sitting chairs. Too bad we weren't in the vintage rental business, then, no?

For those of you who are still in planning mode, we stock fullsized couches, loveseats/settees, chairs and an array of coffee table options including antique chicken carriers, industrial carts and trunks. And don't forget about the details...old bottles, small silver trophies, vintage cameras and more. These are the kinds of pieces that will make your lounge area look as if it's always been there. We'll even arrange and style them down to the little details for an extra charge. Here are some of my favorite lounge areas, courtesy of Pinterest.

From Archive Vintage Rentals 

From Jesi Haack 

From Rust and Lace 

Styled by Danielle Pasternak, from Heart Love Weddings

China Town

One of the biggest hurdles in moving into our new space has been carefully, lovingly, gingerly moving mass quantities of fine china from our kitchen "temporary warehouse" to the new office/storage space. I pretty much hold my breath the entire drive from Homewood to Cahaba Heights each time we have a load of breakables in the car, but so far no casualties.

I didn't know much about china before we decided to start this business and I've kind of fallen in love. There are so many variations not just in terms of pattern, but shape, size, and details. Hunting for this stuff is no joke! It's expensive, fragile and not extremely easy to find, which makes me all the more proud of our collection.

We're working toward an inventory of china that can serve 150+ guests but right now we hover somewhere around 75 five-piece place settings. We carry everything from Royal Doulton and Noritake to dainty flea market and thrift store finds. In addition to renting out 5-piece place settings, Cameo Vintage Rentals is happy to offer a variety of serving pieces and smaller place settings for less formal meals (2, 3 or 4-piece settings available). We're excited to supply gorgeous, eclectic china for your shower, luncheon or intimate wedding reception!

How Sweet It Is

We have a fun event coming up on June 16 that I'm sure I'll talk about more as it approaches, but long story short, it's a Bridesmaid's Luncheon event put on by Engaged over in Homewood. They've invited a caterer, a florist and a company who rents out linens and I'll be providing all of the vintage china, glassware and silver plated flatware for the event. I can't wait!


When thinking about what to bring as a giveaway, the standard promotional keychains, drink coozies and pens just don't seem classy enough, do they? Enter these super neat candy molds. I saw this picture in Country Living earlier this year and couldn't believe my eyes. You pour in the white chocolate and let it set for the white part and then add the background chocolate once the silhouette has firmed. I think they're going to be perfect!

New Cast Members

My 31st birthday was yesterday...tough for me to believe in some ways but definitely a good thing. I still feel young at heart, but one of the many signs that I'm 31 (and not 21) is that Saturday morning I was up and at 'em, hitting garage sales and hunting for more vintage rental treasures!One of the things I wanted to do on my birthday was have my husband accompany me on my trip (he usually skips my pickin' and opts for golf) so we brewed a pot of coffee and hit the road. This weekend's hunt yielded a great retro blue chair that you can see to the right, as well as a wingback chair that won't be featured until it gets reupholstered or slipcovered. It's currently featuring a blue flamestitch type pattern. The pattern isn't quite old enough to be considered vintage or retro. Just outdated. I looked at it and decided I didn't want to go through the hassle of a makeover when the lady running the sale made me an offer I couldn't refuse. So...another project in the pipeline!My favorite piece, though, is an antique white iron baby bed from the 1800s. The patent date is 1807 I think, which doesn't necessarily mean the bed is that old, but I've researched similar ones and it seems to be from the 19th century. Clearly it doesn't meet today's safety standards for little bundles of joy, but won't it just look fabulous at a baby shower overflowing with gifts?!?!

                                                                                              

Treasures from Kentucky

My husband and I headed to Bee Spring, Kentucky this past weekend to camp with my old roommate from San Francisco and her boyfriend. Mammoth Cave was an approximate mid-point between Birmingham, AL and Indianapolis, IN where our friends live, so it was settled.

Obviously, we couldn't resist doing some picking on the way to Bee Spring, once we arrived and on the way home. We found several treasures, including this sweet pink chair and cool selection of enamelware!

Movie Night

I saw these pictures on Pinterest the other day and couldn't take my eyes off of them. Turns out they originally came from Design Sponge. Does this look like the perfect backyard movie night or what? With summer officially here, this could be a great way to get together with friends in the great outdoors, even if you aren't all that outdoors-y. This setup has adorable details AND creature comforts.

Cameo carries a similar industrial cart that can be used as a popcorn bar, apothecary jars, assorted crates and boxes, small vases and bric-a-brac and a few old movie reels and quilts. Give us a call if you are looking to host a vintage-inspired movie night of your own!

Shelf Life

One step closer to being fully complete! My husband has been hard at work getting shelves put up in the warehouse/storage space of Cameo Vintage Rentals. We didn't realize when we moved in to the space that most of the walls were not, in fact, plaster over drywall, but were plaster over cement block. Oopsie! After several broken drill bits, a few killed drill batteries and a lot of elbow grease, he's created an amazing storage space for suitcases,  miscellaneous props and tableware. Check out our progress so far...but please excuse the photo quality/lighting. My "real" camera (which I only sort of know how to use) is at my parents' house.

How dreamy are those metal letters? My grandmother has had them for years just hanging out in the basement of her old shop. They came off of the Retail Credit Company building in Atlanta, which is now Equifax, where my great-grandfather used to work. So they're not only cool but they have a fun tie to family history, as well. I think I have 5-6 others that are waiting to be cleaned up and added to inventory. Until next time!

Maiden Voyage

Welcome and thanks for stopping by! We are almost ready to officially launch and are wrapping up the construction on the office space in Cahaba Heights. After years of flea markets, estate sales, garage sales, auctions, etc. we have a collection we can't wait to share with you and now we'll have a place for you to view items and meet with us to discuss your event.

The website is nearly complete, as well. You'll notice if you check it out now, it shows a slideshow of a cat and an 18-wheeler. Sorry, not for rent. :) Kinks will likely be worked out by the end of this week with a gallery of photos loaded, though you can always check out our facebook page or our Pinterest boards for up-to-date inventory pics!

Our upcoming buying trips include Bee Spring, Kentucky; Cullman, Alabama; and Paris, France and London, England! We head to London and Paris in July and I can't wait to bring back some Appalachian and European goodies for clients.