THOUGHT PATTERNS

Collecting and creating

A few snapshots of things I've been collecting and creating lately...

A tiny 5x3" painting of a Salem Witch by Naomy Hughes. As soon as I saw it I had to have it. Love the expression on her little face.

My collection of vintage photos is growing. Click to expand and see the photos in more detail. I'm particularly fond of the three gals in the bottom left corner, heading for a picknick, dated 1922.

I was so excited to stumble onto the 1942 bottle of morphine from Liverpool, marked "poison" (empty, of course:). I love apothecary jars and this was indeed a wonderful find. As was the huge rusty skeleton key, beautiful blue japanese glass fishing ball and a delicate sea fan coral.

I've been playing and experimenting with the idea of creating some glass locket-type necklaces with my original tiny papercuts in them. This is one of the examples I've made. There might be several available in my shop soon.

Hope you're having a lovely Sunday.

xoxoxo

{photos by Tina Tarnoff}

Oh, dear

I think this must be the cutest thing I've seen in ages...

vintage kangaroo cookie jar

like we need more temptation to reach for that cookie. he want's you to have one. c'mon.

alright, gimme that cookie

and the little fella, well he's just darling. I'm sold.

xoxoxo

{found at harmonica jane vintage shop}

On Dior's New look and our kitchen becoming a greenhouse

My husband is working on his new book which is partly set in the 1940s. I've been doing some research for him on clothing (gladly!) and found some hilarious details about the upheaval Dior's New Look caused when it was first premiered in the U.S.

 

 

(About the New Look: In 1947 Christian Dior presented a fashion look with a fitted jacket with a nipped in waist and full calf length skirt.  It was a dramatic change from wartime austerity styles. After the rationing of fabric during the Second World War, Dior's lavish use of material was a bold and shocking stroke.  His style used yards and yards of fabric. Approximately 10 yards was used for early styles.   Later Dior used up to 80 yards (WHAT!) for newer refinements that eliminated bulk at the waist. The New Look and new approach to fashion was a major post war turning point in Fashion History.)

 

 

 

 

The fashion and news world were absolutely delighted and head over heals in love with Dior's line, but, not everybody shared their enthusiasm...

 

"Christian Dior himself encountered negative reactions to the New Look later in 1947. On his first American trip, he was promptly whisked away from a Chicago train station as 'embattled housewives brandishing placards bearing the words: "Down with the New Look," "Burn Monsieur Dior," "Christian Dior Go Home" advanced'.

 

Chicago was not unique. In Louisville, 1,265 women believed that the New Look was not only impractical but also anti-feminist, and signed an anti-Dior petition as members of The Little Below the Knee Club. In Oildale, California, Mrs Louise Horn gave a timely demonstration of the dangers lurking in the New Look. As she alighted from a bus, her new long, full skirt caught in the door. The bus started up and she had to run a block alongside it before she was freed. In Georgia, a group of outraged men formed the League of Broke Husbands, hoping to get '30,000 American husbands to hold that hemline'." {source}

Haha. "Burn Monsieur Dior"?! 

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We have officially turned our kitchen into a greenhouse. All of our plants had to be taken in because our house is undergoing a major paint job. And, I'm kind of liking being overwhelmed by green...

 

 

 

 

Luckily, we have three big windows in the kitchen, so the plants are getting plenty of light. We might consider keeping them here through the winter.

 

(Hurray! said the plants in unison)

 

xoxoxo

 

{Dior's New look images via Glamourdaze, Showstudio, 1000fragrances}

What to do this weekend

If I had time this weekend, I would try and create 40s faux bangs following the tutorial below (although I would probably not be very successful considering my bangs are short!)  
I was so astonished watching this tutorial. I never new they used "hair rats" (a form of padding incorporated into hairstyles to give them some oomph, usually made out of one's own hair) to help create those crazy cute big 40s bangs!

Fleur - of the Diary of a Vintage Girl blog fame and  the creator of the tutorial, is my new favorite lady. I love her blog and her tutorials. She's such a doll. The video is about 9 min long, but fun to watch...

She has many more on her blog - like how to create glamorous 40s lips - so do visit Diary of a Vintage Girl!

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I would also make this Pin-up brooch holder for my brooches...

Pretty!

Created by Mena from The Sew Weekly blog. See full tutorial here.

Mena's blog is also one of my new favorites. Mena sews a dress a week for herself, all vintage inspired. She started in Fall 2009 and now has a closet full of gorgeous dresses!

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Instead I think I will have to spend my weekend in my studio working.

On other news, our house is being painted so there is a lot of construction going on outside. Scraping old paint, sanding, painting, scaffolding, big black nets enveloping our house and keeping the daylight out. Yikes. I think it will be a couple of months before they finish.

The view from our window - worker's feet.

 Today the noise was so bad that Terry and I had to drop everything and escape. We didn't really know what to do or where to go, as we didn't plan anything. The weather was a bit too cold for strolling in the Arboretum so we ended up going to the Mission District to a new-ish organic vegan Mexican restaurant Gracias Madre. Vegan Mexican, you ask? Yes, absolutely possible. They even serve their own version of Nacho cheese (I think it's made of almonds.) It was pretty good, not fantastic, but wholesome, satisfying and good. The refried beans were delicious. If you're ever in the neighborhood and in the mood for some Mexican food - I would absolutely recommend it.

Have a happy weekend.

xoxoxo

Juxtaposed

I discovered some amazing colorful ethnic rugs, textiles and throws the same day I stumbled onto a collection of delightful vintage Vogue posters. They seem even more striking juxtaposed... Enjoy...

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Aren't they just ment to be displayed together?

Find the rugs and textiles at BlueTeddy and Bukhara and Vogue posters at TwoEunices on Etsy.

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We just returned from the most sublime brunch at my favorite Indian restaurant Amber India. My tastebuds had a blast savoring all the amazing flavors and textures. The ambiance is very pleasant as are the people. We had some bubbly, too, which I would never think of pairing with Indian food, but, it goes so well. I'm all giddy. :)

They serve this unbelievable semolina-almond-cardamom dessert. I'm not sure of its proper name but after googling the ingredients I found this recipe which just might be it - Semolina and Almond Halwa (some call it Rava Kesari, here is another version.) I'm definitely going to attempt making it. This is our ultimate favorite dessert.

Have a great and productive week!

xoxoxo

On fern and Victorian button shoes

My fern finally dried and pressed nicely and was ready to be popped into a frame...

To press fern: I placed the leaves in between two sheets of wax paper before pressing them with several heavy books. That way it was easier to straighten the leaves and put them in place - they kept curling on me. I just used a knife which I slid in between the wax sheets and uncurled the fern leaf and then pressed that part with a heavy book before it curled again. It sounds more of a pain than it really was. :) After about 10 days the leaves were pretty dry and flattened nicely. For framing I used vanilla colored art paper and affixed the leaves with some museum putty (just a few bits of that here and there to keep it in place and from sliding down.)

The structure of the leaves is so striking isn't it?

I'm even thinking of getting some mixed fern for our porch. But, I have no idea if it would grow in pots (I suppose it would.) Still, I like the idea of having a compact jungle right in front of our kitchen window.

Fern Paradise in Chiang Mai - see more incredible photos here.

Hey, I just found a bunch of fern in pots {via}...

... and some Bali Fern Batik fabric...

Me love fern.

Fern aside for a moment, I've been on the lookout for a pair of antique Victorian child button shoes. (I find myself quite sentimental over these Oliver Twist kind of wearables.) And as always didn't care (nor could I afford) to spend a lot. I finally found this wee fellow and I'm very pleased about it....

It's perfectly torn and worn and quite solitary, missing its right pair. It found itself a cozy spot on our bookshelf.

xoxoxo

Meanderings

Watching all these old movies from the 30s and 40s lately while working made me thoroughly miss the old endings....

For some reason seeing that The End sign at the end gave one proper and fulfilling closure.

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I've been drawn very much to WWII nurses lately. Don't ask why, I have no idea.

Maybe it was these contemporary photographs by Billy und Hells that initiated my attention and spoke to me visually. But the attraction is somehow more than that. Who knows why we feel connected to certain things or periods?

If you saw the movie Atonement you will remember the scene when the younger sister, now a young nurse in WWII, is asked to sit at the bedside of the soldier dying from a head wound. And he's delirious and thinks (or pretends) that she is his loved one. And she goes and pretends along. To make his last moments bearable.

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This painting made a huge impact on me when I was a child. It's not something an 8 or 9 year old would usually appreciate, but there you have it. It was on the cover of one of the art books we had in our house...

Metropolis (triptych) by Otto Dix (click to see it much larger.)

I initially only saw the middle part...

Quite something. Grotesque and appealing at the same time.

Here is a little bit about Otto Dix and this paiting which you might find interesting:

"Many of Dix's post war paintings show what Germany looked like in the 1920s, a reality not everyone was comfortable looking at. Dix's grotesque depiction shocked most of German society, following the war. Two subjects he particularly focused on were soldiers crippled, killed, and forgotten in the war and the large number of prostitutes spread all over German cities, with the revelers having optimal fun. His most famous painting is the triptych "Metropolis" (1928), depicting the major elements of the German society post the World War I.

The left-hand panel of "Metropolis" depicts a crippled war soldier entering a poor area of Berlin and welcomed by a line of prostitutes beckoning. A man, probably a soldier is shown lying dead on the street. The central panel of the painting shows the prosperity of the city in the so-called German "Golden Twenties," influenced by American jazz and dance. The right panel of the creation reflects flashy and classy prostitutes searching for clients in the more affluent parts of the city, depicted by the elaborate architecture. Therefore, the two side panels of the painting reflect the contrasts coexisting in German society at the same time." {source}

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And last.. I've never gambled, nor have I a desire to, but seeing these photos of Marilyn throwing the dice made me feel like I would LOVE to throw dice down that table wearing a sexy dress at least once, win a huge amount and leave in a hurry with my beaded purse stuffed full of casino tokens. :)

xoxoxo

{image source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7}

If only I had my hands on...

... this lot of vintage 20s silk chiffon beaded flapper dresses, parts, etc. spotted on Ebay. 

The lot included beaded dresses, skirts that have been cut off dresses, and remnants. They are in poor condition, shattered and not wearable, sold for study, beading, doll clothing or diy projects. But, nevertheless stunning.

I think the initial bid was $39.99 and ended at $810. I'm not entirely sure what I would do with these if I was able to afford them. Frame them? :D

For some reason they appeal to me more torn like they are than if they were complete and well preserved. Why? No idea. There's something about decaying but beautiful interiors and shattered but exquisitely made dresses that is particularly appealing to me.

Do I need to have my head examined?

Take a look...

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And the dress that was the absolute star of the lot...

So gorgeous. So, so gorgeous.

I can just imaging how excited and thrilled the woman wearing this dress must have been, going to a Gatsby style madcap party sometime in the 20s. With the times changing, prohibition going on... Ah, the decadence and the thrill of it all.

xoxoxo

{from cheap thrills vintage on Ebay}

Sassy Saloon Girl

I love old photos and wanted to start my own collection for a while now. I have only several criteria - that the photo makes me feel good and it doesn't creep me out (as some of these old photos can do.) I like photos of people just posing - they are a great source of information about vintage hairstyles and clothing - but I prefer the ones that are in some way unusual. More like a slice of life rather than just a snapshot of a moment.

When I saw this photo of a Sassy Saloon girl - girl dressed in a costume of a saloon girl - taken sometime in the 40s, I knew I found my vintage photo collection muse...

There's something real fun and real about her and the expression on her face. I also like the characters around her.

Especially the little boy in the right corner.

A month or so later I was browsing through Etsy vintage and I saw this...

Another photo of my Sassy Saloon girl!

Seeing her I had this weird nice feeling like I bumped into a good friend I haven't seen in a while.

Crazy, non?

So, I had to snatch it, of course.

Now there are two.

Now, why did I choose to do this little photo shoot using a parrot, a monocle, a sailor striped shirt and a doll hand with sailor tattoos (which I drew on the hand - that's what I do with my spare time:)? For some reason my mind twisted sassy saloon into sassy sailor girl. After I realised I was a bit off with my props it was too late and getting dark. Well, at least there is a bottle of rum in there somewhere - that should satisfy both parties.

xoxoxo

{photos purchased at A Vintage Vignete}

Odd and wonderful

Odds and ends for dining (real or pretend) and such that have caught my attention. I'm always in the mood for something different....

 

Antique Japanese geisha tin dishes

These are quite tiny - I guess better suited for dolls than humans - but so wonderful. I would love to have a whole set of dishes (how about pots and pans!) with this design.

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Art Deco salt and pepper

Now, it doesn't get cuter than this.

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Mr. Albert Cervidae Altered Antique Plate

Love the idea behind these plates. Unloved, often over the top china, altered and made quirky and interesting by adding digitally altered images. Need a wall of these.

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Vintage risque embroidered tea towel from 1940s

What can I say, I'm floored. And there are more (so you can have a set) with different pin up embroidered risque images.

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My mister and I have a movie night ahead of us - Woody Allan's "Play it again, Sam" is first on our list. Mr. Allan is doing a lot of physical awkward comedy in this one and he is hilarious. It's also filmed in San Francisco which is an added bonus.

Have a great weekend!

xoxoxo