Obviously I have Nothing Better To Do

First, I spend hours in the black hole that is the Life Magazine Archives on Google and now I have been pointed towards Ugly Shit On Esty.

What is the first item up?
A TP Pendant:

Nothing says I love you like a toilet paper pendant.

Harem Jumpsuits are Never a Good Look

Not in 1939, not in the 80's and not in 2008.
Sorry ladies.

Via Jezebel:

Even though Life magazine is no more, the Life photo archive is now available through Google's Image Search feature. There are more than 10 million photos, many of which were never published. About 20% of the collection went online yesterday, and Google will be adding more in the coming months.

A good search to start with?

Dior

My Mother Will Kill Me

Hi
My name is Julie and I am a pie crust snob...or I was until my husband (who does the grocery shopping. i think grocery shopping is a form of purgatory, not unlike bra shopping...plus I spend too much money when I go, I think it is all the bright lights, they confuse me) brought home the roll out Pillsbury Pie Crusts.

Really, they taste almost like homemade, super flaky and so easy.*


You just roll them out.

Tonight I made Chicken Pot Pie.
(yes I know there are no carrots, I had no carrots so I put in potatoes, green beans and corn)
Very yummy and The Boy, who is really picky about food even at almost 17 and still hates all things green, liked it.

The reason my mother will kill me is that I gave her such a hard time when she started using frozen pie shells after a lifetime of making her own pie crusts. It must be genetic since I am probably close to the age she was when she decided "fuck it, life is too short to make pie crusts".

Smart woman.

*The Pillsbury folks are welcome to send me a check for this endorsement....

In Which I Begin a "Project"

I traded a cool sweater with a vintage friend for this great coat.



It is perfect for the weather here. Not too heavy and it almost fits me.

Almost......

It has the smallest freaking sleeves...just at the wrist. Now part of that is because I'm a big gal with huge wrists, but they really taper down from just below the elbow. I have decided that since I have spent no real money on this and I really want a vintage coat that fits, I am planning to do a bit reconstruction.
Since I would prefer that it was a jacket I am going to cut about 5 inches off the bottom, cut the sleeves off where they begin to taper and add that 5 inches to the sleeves.
I hope it ends up working out.
Wish me luck.....

Vintage Auction

Kerry Taylor Auctions is having an antique and vintage fashion/textile auction on Nov. 18th.
Bids can be placed though Live Auctioneer.
Tons of wonderful eye candy for the vintage lover, like this:



I. Magnin 40's evening gown.

Yummy, there are some really nice "lots" of 30's, 40's and 50's print dress to be had....if you can afford the 22.5% "buyers premium".
You can view the catalog here.

The Queen of Garfinckel's

This is a fabulous article on the Garfinckel's website about Elizabeth Fairall who was called "The "Queen of Garfinckels".

The following is an article from Colliers Magazine, February 10, 1951. This was a time when there were no racks of clothing in the store: Ladies came in to shop, sat on sofas and were shown the clothing on models. And strangely enough for the time, the merchandising operations of the Garfinckel's stores were run by a woman, Miss Elizabeth Fairall, who had been with Julius Garfinckel since the beginning of the company in 1905. During a time when corporations were run by men, I'm sure this article about the female vice president of one of the most important fashion retailers in the United States was unique.

Human Right

Good quote via Andrew Sullivan:

"The right to marry whoever one wishes is an elementary human right compared to which ‘the right to attend an integrated school, the right to sit where one pleases on a bus, the right to go into any hotel or recreation area or place of amusement, regardless of one’s skin or color or race’ are minor indeed. Even political rights, like the right to vote, and nearly all other rights enumerated in the Constitution, are secondary to the inalienable human rights to 'life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness' proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence; and to this category the right to home and marriage unquestionably belongs," - Hannah Arendt, Dissent, 1959.


I guess I should mention that the bridesmaid in the top vintage wedding photograph is my paternal Grandmother, Leona Meier, the dude behind her may or may not be my Grandfather....I'm not really sure.
(Seriously. My image of my Grandfather is of him as old, wearing an undershirt while sitting in his recliner and smoking a pipe. Which is why my husband is not allowed to sit in a recliner wearing an undershirt. Though, I do wish he would smoke a pipe. I like the way pipe tobacco smells.)
The bottom photo is just part of the collection of vintage pictures I have picked up over the years.
I liked her "Gibson Girl" style and as a bonus, thought the groom looked scared to death.

Back to Vintage

Election is over, Obama is President-Elect and Michelle wore an awesome dress to the White House.
Back to vintage.
Here are scans of a couple of vintage purses on my desktop calendar.


Mice at play basket bag with woven ribbon, 1960's.
Am I bad to think that "mice at play" means mice playing poker? Or even better Mice Plotting to Take Over the World?


Phone-cord bag in multiple colors, 1950's.

I love these bags and they were pretty popular from the 40's to the 60's so they come up quite often on eBay and vintage sites.
Here and here and here and here.

Why Do You Care?

Keith Olbermann's Special Comment tonight.
All I can say is...well, why do you care if Gays marry?
"Separate but equal" never works. It is always separate and never equal.

By the way here in Arkansas the evangelicals seem to get divorced more then anyone else.
Can you say "sanctity of marriage"?
I knew you could.

Fat Kitty

...is not pleased.

Dear America,

THANK YOU!

Sincerely,
The World

All That is Left

People died so you have the right to vote.
So go exercise that right no matter how long the line is.

Chill

The Boss

The Boss is in Obama's camp.



This generation's Woody Guthrie, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band on Letterman earlier this year performing The Rising.

The Queen of Mean

Wow, and people thought Leona Helmsley was a bitch, but this gal takes the cake.
Mom and Dad Obama supporters?
No candy for YOU!

Wanna bet she calls herself a "Christian"?


Way to stay classy Republicans......

In Praise of Candy Corn

Don't judge me!
I love candy corn. I know that a lot of you purists out there will remark that it does not taste like corn.
So?
What it is is soft, pure sugary goodness.
No one else that lives at my house likes it.

More for me.

Cheif in a Box

Happy Halloween

What Obama did Not Say Last Night

While Palin is being snarky about Obama today in her speeches John Cole over on Balloon Juice reminds us of what Obama did not say in his infomercial last night.

Notice what is missing from that, conservatives? Attacks on John McCain. For 30 minutes, Barack Obama talked about what he thinks are the problems currently facing the country, about what he thinks he can do to help fix them, how you can help him, and why it is important to elect him. He did not spend his time telling you why you should not vote for McCain, he spent his time telling why you should vote for him. You may not agree with his ideas, but you can not argue he has them and is presenting them to the country in a clear and nonthreatening manner.

Since John and Sarah can't give a speech without lying about Obama I have a feeling their infomercial would be POW!WAR!AYERS!SOCIALIST!ISRAELHATER!TERRORIST! oh and did I say POW?!!!
I'm glad my candidate is the one who tells me what he will DO not what is wrong with his opponent, who lets me know what is ideas are to fix this country and who talks to me like an adult.

Vintage Monte-Sano Coat

Mrs. George Pope, photographed above in the I. Magnin hat
department, wears a rust tweed coat with fluted pockets,
pleated skirt; by Monte-Sanyo in Hockanum's
super soft nubby tweed. About $235

Vogue, 1948