Thursday, December 22, 2011

Creepy Christmas

Well it is not really all about Christmas.
First though is the need to just post this picture that Ang over at Dorthea's Closet found.


Really, do I need to say anything?

Then there is this gloriously creepy, but beautiful rosary from The Metropolitan Museum of Art. via ArtFire.




Each bead of the rosary represents the bust of a well-fed burgher or maiden on one side, and a skeleton on the other. The terminals, even more graphically, show the head of a deceased man, with half the image eaten away from decay.


I think there should be a swell in reproductions of items like this.
Need.
Now.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Saturday, November 26, 2011

A Vintage 50's Christmas: Tablecloths

I pulled the tablecloths out today.
Normally I use this as a curtain in the kitchen.


This is my Christmas Tree Skirt/ under the tree cat bed.


This on is my favorite.
Love the stylized trees and the color combination.


Friday, November 11, 2011

As Advertised

Sometimes things actually work the way they are designed too.
I have dogs.
Large stinky dogs with skin issues that live in my house and even with all the washing and medication and vacuuming the house still smells like dogs live here.
The litter box goes unnoticed.
What does help are those Glade Plug-Ins.
(Yankee Candle ones are good too, but pricey and Air Wicks are just disgusting.)
BUT and this is a big but, my husband and son are picky about the smells I use because said smells irritate their noses and/or give them headaches. I actually would not care a jot if it was not for the incessant whining from the two of them.
Candles are OK, but they don't get the job done and I am always afraid one of the evil cats will knock them over in a bid for freedom to escape their fur less monkey oppressors.
So I am always on the look out for fragrances I like and that my family will keep their pie holes shut about. The problem is I don't like florals much or vanilla or "clean linen" which normally leaves me with apple cinnamon.
Boring.
I like a citrus herb smell or something with peppermint in it.
Normally those are very hard to find at my local Wal-Mart and sell out really fast on-line.
Now because it is almost the holidays I decided to see what was going on in fragrances for Christmas.
Oh peppermint and some kind of tree stuff that will make my worn out fake tree smell "real".
HAHAHAHAHA.
Sold out.
(we have now reached the point of this post.)
EXCEPT on the Home Depot (of all places) website where you can pay via paypal and then go pick up at your local store which avoids shipping charges. I have tried other stores "buy online pick up at store" ventures and they normally are rubbish.
This time it worked.
I walked into Home Depot, went to the service desk gave them a print-out of my email and in 5 mins (it would have been less if not for the annoying humans in front of me)  I was out of the store and on my way home.
Happy.
I even noticed what a lovely day it was. NPR was playing a bit of music from LOTR, the leaves were falling from the trees as I drove underneath and it was almost, dare I say, fucking magical.



(BTW, I also noted that they have a couple of really lovely pre-lighted fake trees from Martha Stewart and very retro wrapping paper and a great collection of aqua ornaments.)

Sunday, November 06, 2011

Stop Seeing Yourself as a List of Problems....

I fucking love Caitlin Moran.
Why?
Just watch this bit from the Edinburgh Book Festival 2011.



I'm a feminist and I'm quite annoyed how the word feminist has been fucked with by the work of conservative twits.
Here's the deal, if you have a habit of making statements like this, "I'm a feminist, but..." then you are really not a feminist you just enjoy the benefits of the things feminists fought for and still fight for to this day like, I don't know, being able to buy birth control as an adult without your husband or parents permission.
The comment is like working against access to abortion, but then being relived that that option is available for yourself or your daughter or your girlfriend.

It is too bad that we can't get her new book here in the US until NEXT YEAR and there are too many great quotes to choose from, but I'll leave you with my favorite:
"If you think that some sexism might be happening the question you have to ask yourself is are the boys doing it? Are the men having to deal with this kid of bullshit?"

Friday, November 04, 2011

Men's Wear

 Hello, Tailor  (one of my new favorite blogs) has an interesting post on the costuming in Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy (opening in the US in December) and how, when done properly, costuming is not just about getting the look of a specific period right, but also the effect proper costume design has on characterization.  I'll not delve into his points, I'll just use this as an excuse to post a few pictures of the lovely Benedict Cumberbatch in his snazzy flare trouser suits.





Jonathan has another informative post up on Kickshaw Productions, this time about the Zoot Suit. I had no idea it became unpatriotic to wear them during WW2.

And for the Hobbit fans out there there is a new production video from Peter Jackson on You Tube. I mention it not just because it made me squee, but there is a short bit with the costume designer discussing how the filming at 46 (?) frames per minute effected the types of fabrics she has chosen to use.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Vintage on the Runway, Dita in Howard Greer


 Dita Von Teese in what looks to be a vintage 1940's Howard Greer gown...or a good copy.

Howard Greer gown from the archives of Dorothea's Closet Vintage.

From the VFG website:
"Greer opened Greer, Inc. in Los Angeles late in 1928 with a legendary star-packed opening. He was the first major costume designer to take the leap of establishing his own couture house. He started with custom design, then added ready to wear alongside it by 1947. After that his clothing was sold around the country and he was in the top tier of American ready-to-wear designers . Greer specialized in cocktail and dinner dresses that he specifically designed to look good seated at a table with stunning necklines.....In many ways, he remained true to his training as a costume designer. He didn’t follow the padded shoulder line of the 1940s, and liked to work with black combined with a range of pinks for contrast."

Friday, October 14, 2011

Photo Post: The last of The Summer


I know it is October, but here in Central Arkansas the summer is still hanging on by it's fingernails.
Just a few more days of 80's and then it looks like real fall might be around the corner.
I brought in the last of the Zinnias the other day and took a few pictures.



Also. TOMATO PIE. I got a hand full of green tomatoes from my mom about 3 weeks ago and just left them on the shelf and a last week they began to turn. Ate one last night, yummy as can be so I cut the rest up and made a tomato pie.
It is, as always, delish.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Vintage Lilli Ann Coat on Dita?

GASP!


Is it vintage? Not sure, but if it is I would not be surprised if it is a Lilli Ann coat.
Very dramatic.
Here's a few scans I have from early 50's Vogues.





Via Tom and Lorenzo.

Sunday, October 09, 2011

Photo Post: Evil Cat is Hungry


Evil Cat pondering who (whom?) to eat first.

We ran out of cat food yesterday.
Luckily we got to the shop this morning before she decided the dogs would do.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

For Those Who Love To Read

*

Since June I have purchased 13 books from Amazon for my Kindle.
Now I love to read.
And I love books.
I really love my Kindle.
I hate holding a book and I have an inability to get books back in time.
I lose books and my dogs have been known to find library books very yummy.
And I love libraries.

Today I found out that my local library now has the ability to lend books via Kindle due to a deal between Overdrive and Amazon.

Yippee!

My reading lists are heavily British and obscure, but there will be no more late or lost books fines and I will save some money on purchases.
Of course this all depends on what format my library has a specific book available in. From comparing what I bought in the last few months to what is available there are 4 books I purchased that could have been just borrowed. Plus there are a few I was not really sure if I wanted to read or not (Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) that now I can borrow happily.

I still have to go to the library and pay my $50 fine (I know....DON'T JUDGE ME) which I would have paid in May if they had a CC machine and took debit cards.
I mean really, who carries cash anymore?

*That is a Bryant and May mystery by Christopher Fowler. If you like mysteries and have a thing for London these are the best.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Mushroom Interlude




It has been pretty wet in the last week (finally) and mushrooms have begun sprouting from some potting soil.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Photos: Vintage Finds

We went on a short trip this week to visit my parents and in between great meals my mother and I did a bit of shopping.
I got a few new vintage 50's tumblers, some fun vintage hankies for wiping my brow and a Homer Laughlin serving bowl in a great starburst pattern I like.



Thursday, September 08, 2011

This is Not Sad...

There is way too much fucking "weigh you down" sadness this week.
Fires in Texas and all the 9/11 stuff.
I made the mistake of turning on NPR earlier. Christ, one depressing angst fest after another. Tragedy porn at it's finest.
Enough to make this depressed, broke and hormonal woman want to end it all with a butter knife.
To make us all feel better I give you a picture of Angus the Stray Who Lives Under My House Because He Sprays. That planter never got filled this year with flowers and what not because he decided it made a very fine cat bed. I have gone outside and found him sleeping in it on his back with just his kitty paws trust in the air.
Oh yes.
It is too laugh.

Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Last of the Summer Photographs

The other night we got the golden glow that shows up some nights right before the sun goes down.
I ran outside and saw this:


Nice.
It was better in person.
Also snapped a few pictures of the last blooms on my crepe myrtle which has been in bloom since late June.

Sunday, September 04, 2011

First Lady Vintage

I thought that looked like a vintage dress.
Mrs. Obama is on the cover of next month's Essence Magazine wearing a lovely vintage 50's dress from New York Vintage.
She makes it look totally modern.
Via Mrs. O.

Thursday, September 01, 2011

Amelia's Fashions

Interesting article on Huffington Post about Amelia Earhart's Fashion Line.
Nice bit of vintage fashion history.


The above is a 30's pattern available at Vintage Fashion Library.


Via ArtFire Vintage on Twitter.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

To Bed....


For the Sherlock fans out there, they have finished shooting the second season which will run in 2012 here in the US on PBS. If you have not watched season one yet, I think it is one Netflix streaming.

Vintage London

Wonderful film of very early 1950's London via author Christopher Fowler's blog.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Still Hard

I've had so many pets die (mostly because I've had so many) over the past 10 years, but it is still heartbreaking when it happens.


A friend had to put a lovely kitty to sleep yesterday (?) which reminded me that I had not posted that Alley Cat died about a month ago. Old age, over 100 degree weather and a ninja like ability to slip outside and disappear for days on end did her in.
Sweet kitty.
I'll miss her.




Change in the Light


There is a lovely phenomenon that happens in the summer when the air changes overnight from heavy and overbearing to, well, normal. When that happens breathing becomes less of a chore, the contrast between shade and light is more pronounced, colors richer.
That happened today.
It was still cool enough when I woke at 10 am (stop judging people) to catch a few morning glories still open.

I love the way the light illuminates the back of this flower.




 Angus in his jungle getting his chow on.


A cup of tea and I already feel less bitter.