Dainty Vintage Tops

I am in love with these pieces added into my shop today! Living in California I am constantly in jeans and looking for easy ways to add some effortless feminine pieces to my wardrobe. These are perfect to add that girly spice to your day.

To see more Vintage Tops Click HERE

The Value of a Vintage Sweater

Ah, the Art of the Sweater. In my opinion, one can never and I mean NEVER have enough Vintage Sweaters. They add a unique touch to what you are wearing no matter what the season it is. The same sweater can take you from a lovely layered look in winter to thrown over a swimsuit in summer. Plus when complimented who doesn’t love to respond “Thanks. It’s Vintage.” Or maybe that’s just me…

Take the time to browse MY SHOP for new sweaters to fill your wardrobe.

Lost the camera Found some style

Today I laid out new items to post in my shop, prepped my new location for the shoot and made sure my husband was busy so I didn’t get distracted… then went to get my camera. It’s gone. After a crazy weekend of events I spent the last 2 days completely exhausted and due to the tiredness I don’t have a clue where it went. The apartment has been searched, the car has been searched, I have made phonecalls to try to find it… nada. So I spent the day lamenting my lack of style, weight gain, horrid growing-out hair length and the loss of my camera… on the floor… in the corner of my etsy room….

 

It’s 8 hours later. I have read multiple fashion blogs and am feeling a little perkier about things. Just because I stay home all day and live in a “lower income” area with mariachi music blasting doesn’t mean I can’t step things up and rev up the fashion engine.

 

To start off I impulsively used up a bottle of hair dye in a great ebony brown, a few shades darker then my own hair, but with my hair being one solid color it looks more purposeful and makes my bluish grayish eyes pop.

 

I also dug through my nail polishes and choose a deep raspberry color for my nails. I have been avoiding nail polish and hair-dye for a while now because I have been on a natural beauty product (and Burts Bees) for about 1 year… BUT, I need a break and a boost to get me going! I’ll detox when I am bored with the two.

I am hoping to pick up a new camera tomorrow if nothing shows up and hope to get my new items in the shop soon. I am adoring sheer 1960s robes as cropped jackets and had a few to post for you. Plus a Great 1950s atomic dress that I am going to try to squeeze into…

I’ve decided the easiest way to look nicer then I do is a good pair of straight jeans with a loose vintage top and flats OR  straight/skinny jeans with a loose top and a cropped jacket/fitted sweater. The flowy should hide my new love-handles while the cropped jacket will trim me up…. thank goodness I still have good legs!

 

New VINTAGE DRESS (ES) 60s, 70s, 80s..

Countdown to the Move

Super Excited. Moving in about 1 week and although the furniture is not yet ready I am! I can’t wait to get my shop running at full speed again. I have so much vintage yet to add to the site and I can’t wait!

Vintage for my Home

My husband and I have been hunting far and wide on craigslist and in thrift stores to create our new home: We have two industrial desks from the 70s for our home office, he will be refinishing them and I hope to post photos of the projects before and after. My dearly Beloved is driving to Venice Beach to hopefully pick up a danish mid century couch which we will also be refinishing and reupholstering . But we have some fun decorations that I wanted to share. All purchased at thrift stores.

First my MAGNIFICENT Will Barnet Limited edition poster from 1978!! I walked by this in a thift shop and immediately and gleefully bought it and put it in my car. I just found out today  that it’s worth a pretty penny because it’s signed in pencil =) I am very excited because my hubby and I commited to trying to only buy things which go up in value and I really did it well on this one: Best $19.99 I ever spent!

 

The one problem with it being worth money is I was hoping I could get on ebay and find numerous prints by him that I could afford because I loved it so much. Oh well, guess I will have to save to get one now.. bum deal.

Other randoms including more coffee cups and also an awesome inspector gadget “Vase”

 

If my hubby gets the couch then I will try to post before and after photos of it too!

Why not to live in Southern California Part 1.

 

1. Layering clothing is not an option 345 days out of the year.

2. Heavy Vintage coats sit in your closet haunting you for 345 days out of the year.

3. If you drop off items at the Salvation Army you are surrounded by polished people with make up and their hair styled…. at 6AM!!! Ever heard of sweats and tshirts without showering people?? Do you know how much pressure you put on me?

4. To be frank… anytime I leave the house I am not rocking my cool style with my perfectly accessorized outfits unlike the rest of you are. For instance, I go to a hole in the wall catholic thrift store that I am normally in alone… in walks some chick with fake ones, 4 inch wedges, a perfect blond puff at the top swirl down to the midback ponytail and wearing all white! She looked like she should be in Palms Springs. Why was a girl looking like that in the ghetto of California? I don’t get it! Doesn’t she understand the deep emotional impact on a hormonal housewife that seeing something like that has???

5. Traffic…

6. Smog.

7. Smog

8. SMog

9. Mountains that dissapear all summer because of smog.

10. Raided thrift stores devoid of Mid-Century furniture.

11. I think that’s it for now.

At least I have a wonderful church, good friends, family and no snow… it almost makes me not want to run away to Vancover Washington.

Lady Grunge Pre-Christmas Story

So, it’s Christmas time…. let your mind drift to what you think should be happening 4 days before Christmas… dwell on how you should be feeling…. get the warm fuzzies…..

NOW, let me tell you about mine: I am having to move One month earlier then planned and found out only a few days ago. The move date is Dec. 22, 2008. My Christmas shopping was to be done this weekend, but I am packing. Due to the short time my mail is going to be held along with my paycheck by the post office for the next two weeks. Today, while going to the post office to forward my mail I ran out of gas and had to be pushed by a kind man after everyone else literally sat there watching a girl in ballet flats push her car until it almost reached over the bump in the parking lot, then run, jump in the drivers seat and to try to pull the emergency brake just so the other cars could get by… but in the process the car would roll back to it’s original spot. The funny part is that I sat in my car drinking coffee blocking everyone for at least 2 minutes until the kind stranger who wasn’t blocked by my car asked if I needed assistance and then pushed my car over the bump and into a parking spot.  I didn’t get upset because the whole thing was so ridiculous that I just couldn’t!

One of the great small pleasures in life that has saved me this week has been finding an amazing wool orange and gray plaid 1970s knee length coat with a hood that I have since finding it, not taken off. I love it and I am so warm even when it’s 40 degrees outside! Amazing! Also, I have been listening to Johnny Cash NON-STOP which my husband is kind of over… but he loves me enough to let it continue. The best part is that my hubby isn’t nagging me about stress-eatting which includes milk-shakes, coffee, Mike’s Hard Cranberry, kettle corn and PeanutButter M&M’s which are all on my naughty-not-nice-foods list. Hehehhehe. Freedom from the Tyrany of healthy-eatting to help with my heath!!! Crap. I am so going to suffer next week…

Other fun things! The Christmas gifts I do have are for my BF who rocks my vintage world and is the coolest most supportive chick ever. She never reads this so I can say personal stuff like that because tough distant girls like us can’t let the other one know we actually care. You know how it is…

Her gifts are A 1960s Alfred Hitchcock Periodical from the late 1950s or early 60s, a 1970s coffee mug from Brittan with an amazing plastic lid because she spills coffee on her way to work all the time and also an adorable crystal jar with a cute lid with hippie art on it. I would have bought her more clothing but I have already bought her a 1950s dress, a few vintage coats and numerous purses plus jewelry and I can’t think of what else to buy for her wardrobe. If she wore used vintage shoes (she’s a bit of a germaphobe) then I have some amazing 1950s kitten heels but they have been worn. Before I found some deadstock wooden wedges with a leather braided upper from the 70s I gave her but they were unworn so she could deal with it. Dude. I spoil that girl.

Here’s some photos from my past few days I wanted to share….

1. I did not pose these, they were like this on a shelf in a thrift store. I just noticed and photographed them.

2. Too tired to care during my morning coffee run.

3. Gus and I watching a movie together and working on my etsy site together. I love him.

I will try to write more often and set it up so I am posting new items on here not only etsy.

Merry Christmas to each and every person who actually reads this! AKA Mom.

Creative Genius Turned Madness

Amazing Day. Flat-Out amazing.

1st I made photoshop work and do double photos for my shop…. like so…

You can actually buy this dress by clicking on this link

2nd I washed the dishes, put them in the dishwasher and as soon as it was done running the cycle I put them away. The dishwasher is empty!

3rd I went for almost 24 hours with no processed sugar- and I lived to tell!

I just had a very benficial conversation with my Friend Ione. I described my plans for bedding for my new apartment and as I went on and on about how I was going to buy a tapestry from urban outfitters and make a duvet cover out of it because it was screenprinted with cool clocks and the variety of pillows and colors I would incorporate…. when she brought up a good point. That was very far from my original simplistic plan of beige and gray bedding with a lavender pillow. I think my creative genius turned quickly into madness and I need to reign myself in again.  Everything in my house does not need a personalized touch by me.  Especially since that means that none of it will get done and then I’ll be crying and buy some cheap crap because I have given up.

Next paragraph….

I am now trying to post handmade items daily or as I complete them. I am still testing to see what will sell and what my cliental will be demanding of me.

The first peice sold in a few hours so I think I am on the right track. I’ll keep plugging away and hopefully will be going to LA for some fabric really soon.

SOLD today:

the link for more details: click these blue words

Well, that was sure fun. I’ll type at you again soon!

Lady Grunge is Redecorating Part 1

I am moving within a month!!! Finally a for real not almost moving. The most exciting part is that I get to redecorate!!!! I haven’t been able to see the floor plan yet but once I do I will be scouring the thrift stores for my new home!!!

I’ve already got new bedding on it’s way at Christmas. It will be 2 comforters- 1 gray and 1 tan then I will use White Sheets, coordinating pillows and lavendar accents.

The living room will also have a gray and tan base in the decorating (I already have gray couches) and I will be using the accent color of Green.

So, first I think the artwork is of upmost importance:

I have been obsessing over the 1960s Biology book artwork on http://flickr.com/photos/craftydogma/sets/72157604757159767/ and keep dreaming of all the creative ways I can use it in my home.
These are a few of my favs

I will also be NEEDING

from www.shanon1972.etsy.com

Vintage Pieces I will be looking for while shopping for clothes for my site will look like these…. I hope! All are from the Urban Outfitters Website

To hopefully find in Mint Condition in a neutral color…

To paint….To recover…

More as I progress in my plans!