A little bitching, and a weird dream

Bitching - Why do they rearrange the entire foodstore during shopping hours? I just came from the foodstore and wasted most of my shopping time walking around in a daze, unable to find anything. I wandered the aisles saying outload 'where's the wheat bread? and 'I want Creamsicles' I never did find brillo pads. Old folks were really upset and the people moving the stock are no help and kinda rude, like you're in THEIR way. I worked retail/merchandising for 11 years, so suck it up people, it's part of the job.

Weird dream - Let's start out saying that I'm not a fan of Joaquin Phoenix. Not that I dont like him, but I don't stay current with new movies, so I haven't seen anything that he's been in recently. No, I've never seen Gladiator, I saw maybe 20 minutes of Johnny Cash on tv.
But the other night I had a dream about him. He was my boyfriend and we worked in Lowes or Home Depot. We both had our hair dyed red. Not a nice red but a Demi-Moore's-daughter's-bad-red-hair-dye-job kinda red. So we must have really been in love to have matching bad hair dye. We were moving stock around the store with other workers (was this a premenition of today's foodshopping daze?) I walked by the garden department and saw this hanging basket of pretty flowers, but I didn't have any money to buy it. I was hoping that Joaquin would see me looking longingly at the flowers and maybe buy them for me. Then we were done work and went out into a parking garage (weird, because I never park in parking garages, there aren't any even around here) There were other guys milling around and Joaquin was very distracted and I was worried because I didn't know why. Then the dream was over.
So what does it mean? Why him? Maybe because I saw the wacky behavior beard and long hair story about him on tv, or maybe it was the post I read over at The Girl Can't Help It . I woke up like, 'Oh Joaquin' and I had to google him.



On a positive note, some of you may know that I maintain a website about the history of Strathmere NJ. I'm always looking for old photos and stories to add to the website. A longtime follower of my website got together her friend's old photos from the late 1940s and sent them to me on a disk. The photos are mostly like this one, groups of teenagers hanging out on the beach. I love the photos because they are about fond Strathmere memories and also because of the awesome swimsuits!

A hidden Vintage Blessing tucked inside of a dress

I sold this strapless tulle gown this week. It has a row of red flowers and two layers of ruffles along the top of the bust. As I was steaming it to pack it for shipping, I found a little surprise stitched and tucked in the ruffles on the bodice - a red felt oval with a paper blessing on each side.
Now I'm wondering who put it there, the previous wearer, or a family member? What special occasion was it worn for? How did the occasion turn out?
It's part of the fun of selling vintage clothing, wondering what a piece of clothing meant in someone's life. I won't find out the secret of this dress, but it has found a new home, to be worn with it's special blessing for another special moment in someone else's life.

1927 Better Homes and Gardens covers

I have a 'collection' of Better Homes and Gardens magazines. The 'collection' actually consists of 6 issues from 1927. You know, I kinda forget where I got these! I think I bought them at a lfea market. I had more issues, but kept the ones with covers that I liked and sold the others. They just sit in a basket here in my office.
I enjoy the old decorating tips and garden and floor plans for houses. The cover artwork is beautiful. The lady under the umbrella in the first cover - that's me in my yard, during my leisure time.

Vintage Classifieds on the Vintage Bulletin - post what you are looking to buy/trade/sell

A new free service to post about vintage clothing and accessories that you are looking to buy, trade or sell. (not for promoting websites)

The Vintage Classifieds can be found on the Vintage Bulletin

What a goofball! Harlow eating snowflakess 1/19

I have such a silly little doggie!

Cool Vintage Hawaiian Wedding Dress

I bought a load of about 100 vintage dresses on Monday and this one was in the lot. I love it. As soon as it came out of the wash I had to try it on my mannequin. It's a cotton print, great bold flowers, by Watumull's.
So I've got the dress, I just need the man and a warm beach! Do you think I could get away with wearing this to the foodstore? It has a loop to hold the train up, so it's not like I'll be walking through the foodstore trailing a train like some wacko, right?



I've already washed 2 loads of the dresses, and I have some out for cleaning. You'll start to see a few of the dresses on the website next week. Not this one though, I think I might just look at it for awhile.

My Gals are here - and they are awesome!

My vintage 1940s mannequin display heads arrived today. Thank you FedEx and Thank you to a seller who knows how to pack super-safely!
These gals are awwwwwwwwwwwwesome, I am super happy with them. They already have their places on each end of the mantle in my office (just a mantle, no fireplace) They are displaying two of my favorite hats. Both hats were bought together at my favorite old (closed long ago) thrift shop, about 20 years ago.

The painted gal has a few minor nicks and is a little dirty, but really great condition.




The white gal looks like she has a layer of white and a layer of light tan painted over her original paint. I used a little nail polish remover to take off some of the paint, but I really think I'll end up leaving her like this, because I kinda like the look with some of the white paint worn off.




So it was a splurge for me, but turned out to be well worth it.

Happy Birthday Boris!

Today is Boris' 8th Birthday! This is the earliest photo that I have of him. It was taken the first time we saw him, when he was 6 weeks old. So tiny and sweet! We had to wait 2 more weeks before we could take him home. It was a long drive up to PA and back to get him, and he peed on my lap on the way home, but it was worth it.

His mother was Sophia Ain't Misbehavin and his Dad was Cherokee Dakota Robert (who won best Bulldog at Westminster 4 years in a row)

The photo on the left below is our first Bulldog, Ms. Fatty. The look on her face sums up exactly how she felt about having a new puppy in the house.

The photo on the right is Boris and Harlow, taken during the first week after we bought Harlow home.

These two are great buddies though and Boris is alot more playful now with Harlow around. She is tough though and even when she was tiny she was ready to play with the big guy.

Boris weighs in at 75 pounds and Harlow is now 57 pounds!

Big splurge, feeling guilty, feeling nervous

I like to buy little cheap stuff for myself. I guess I buy alot, but I definately don't spend alot of money, because I'm cheap with what I buy. I don't usually spend big bucks on myself, rarely over $30 for a single item.

I have always wanted a real vintage mannequin display head from the 1930s or 1940s. But they usually go on ebay for over $200, unless they are really beat up. I have 2 repros, but have been waiting to get my hands on a real one for years.

This week I bid on 2 heads on ebay, they ended up going for $210 (left, which had cracking in the face surface) and $184 (right)



But the night they were ending, I also spotted a 'Buy It Now' with 2 1940s heads for $350.00.

ehhh, $350 seemed like alot, but if you think of it as $175 each- it seemed not so bad. Below are the heads, I don't have them yet, so I'll be biting my nails until they get here. One has been painted white but the seller said that it looks like the original paint is still underneath and you can see it in the photos. You know though, I kind of like the look of it like that.
They'll be here later this week. I'll let you know if they are awesome-splurge-worthy when they get here.

Have I told you that I love Kewpies?

Rose O'Neill Kewpies that is. Rose was an illustrator in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It was her Kewpies that made her famous though. Starting in 1909 they appeared in different publications like Ladies Home Journal and Good Housekeeping as a full page 'comic'. In the Teens, merchandising of the Kewpies started and that's when the first Rose O'Neill Kewpie dolls were made.
I spotted my first Kewpie doll when there was a resurgence in them in the 1970s, and they began to be produced again with the permission of her estate. My Mom started my collection of original Kewpies and later I became more obssessed with the old magazine illustrations by buying them up in the early days of ebay.

Here is a reproduction of one of my favorites. What I love about her Kewpie drawings is that there are so many things going on. Look at the one Kewp up in the tree, the little birds and frog. The Kewpie cook with her apron is looking right at you at the bottom of the rope, and a little sweetie is waving at you from inside of the bucket. That is a Mer-Kewp hanging on the side of the bucket. A Mermaid Kewpie - now how perfect and cute is that?! Check out the shiny fanny on the Kewpie pointing down the well, and the one with the life preserver on.



Below is an original postcard. Check out the Kewp with her legs hanging over the side of the carridge!




Below is part of a 3 page story that appeared in Good Housekeeping. The story was 'The Kewpies and The Sad Fairy' - again look at everything that is going on. The pretty fairy is doing housework, the Mer-Kewps are helping to clean the floor, they're sweeping the floor, the soldier is going after a bug, some mending is being done in the chair while the chair gets repaired and polished.




Mermaids! This is from 'The Kewpies and The Ancient Mariner' another 3 page story from Good Housekeeping. So you already know I love the Mer-Kewps and the real mermaids, but check out everyone on the beach! So cute.




From the same story comes this image with the Kewpies' dog, Kewpie Doodle. Now how sweet is she! The Doodle was drawn after Rose's own dog, which was some kind of terrier. I like to pretend that she is a bulldog, but I'm just weird. Now, don't the Kewpies make you happy?

Vintage photos and random thoughts

Here are some great photos that came from the estate of Florence K. I didn't get many clothing items from her house, but I got some great photos. She's one of the gals in my website logo and she's over there in the logo for this blog too.

These photos are from the Teens. I love the gal in the beret with the big bow on her blouse, probably a very bohemian look for that time.
The 2nd gal looks like a tough smart-ass, maybe better suited to the 1950s.

If the hair of the 3rd lady had been down, she would look like she could have stepped out of a Waterhouse painting



Some random thoughts,

*What's with all the media coverage on the death of John Travolta's son? It is very sad, yes, but is it that big of a story? I think it's really being overdone in the media. Plus, show some respect for the family, geez.

*Queen's 'We Will Rock You' + WalMart = Sign of the approaching Apocalypse

* The new Doctor Who - I don't know what to say. I'm unqualified to judge really, because I only started watching it with Eccleston and Tennant anyway. The new guy isn't much to look at, but neither was 9 in the beginning until his personality made him seem more attractive. I like a big nose though, that's probably what won me over with him.

* Sirius Black gets married for the 4th time. Gary, are you a Hopeless romantic?

I love dogs, love elephants. I love this video

This news story was on CBS. I've been kind of following the Elephant Sanctuary http://www.elephants.com/ - since I saw a special about elephants that included a story about the sanctuary. Located in Tennesse, it takes in elephants from circuses and zoos. The show I watched had a super sweet story of Jenny and Shirley who were reunited at the sanctuary after being separated 20 some years.


This super sweet story is about Tara and Bella. You have to watch a commercial first though.


Watch CBS Videos Online