Getting ready for the 10th Anniversary Extravaganza!

I'm getting ready for the December 10th Anniversary Celebration here at Dandelion Vintage! In case you haven't heard, December will mark my 10th year of selling vintage clothing online. I'm planning some website specials, gift bag giveaways and drawings for prizes during the month. So Far I have a few vendors lined up who will be participating in the festivities by providing items for giveaways. Thank them for their generosity by checking out their websites -

• Four Seasons Fragrance - Our perfumes are a masterful blend of concentrated scents created by our perfume source. Our Roll-On Perfume Oils and Solid Perfume Sticks™ are concentrated and very easy to use...and both travel well, too. (providing item for gift bags and a giveaway item)
  
• Country Meadow Ltd. - a manufacturer and distributor of skin care and spa products. Most of our products are based on natural ingredients such as shea butter, avocado butter, coconut oil, rice bran oil, plant extracts and various emollients and conditioners. (providing item for gift bags and a giveaway item)
  
• Lady LaBelle - Victorian Greeting Cards and Invitations (providing a gift certificate for giveaway)


• The Wistful Republic - a mouthful of whimsy. And on etsy - Wistful Supplies (providing promotional item for gift bags)


• Country Heart Gifts - Bath and Body, soap, lip balm & more! (providing item for gift bags and a gift certificate)


• Yancey Candles - If a candle is your fancy, then just buy Yancey (providing item for gift bags and a gift certificate)

If you are a vendor, and you would like to participate in the December promotions, please contact me at carol@dandelionvintage.com for details. It's a great opportunity to promote your business.

Welcome back Project Runway 4

Finally, the wait is over! It's time to bitch my way through fresh episodes of Project Runway again!
Heidi and Tim have been raving about this season's designers being the 'best' ever. I wonder if they meant the best 'designers' or the best 'drama queens' because it looks like this season's crowd are a bunch of divas. I love the drama, the egos, the hissy fits, the wacky behavior etc. - but I don't like it when it gets in the way of the real competition.
I was disappointed that they didn't do the 'Road to the Runway' episode this year. I like seeing how they choose the designers to be in the show. Instead they jumped right into the competition and for the first episode they took the designers to the Fashion Week park and made them run across a field to tents that were set up and stocked with beautiful fabrics from Mood. I loved it when the tattooed gal named Sweet P took off her wedge heels as soon as Heidi said they were going to have to run! They had to grab the fabrics they wanted, and then go back to the studio and make a dress that represented them as a designer.
The winner, to the left here, was Rami, who designed an amazingly draped silk dress, and I liked the flower even though Michael 'I think it vulgar' Korrs didn't. Bravo's Project Runway website kind-of improved their website photos - instead of the small runway photos that they've had in the past, they are now larger, usually badly posed photos of the garments. Two other favs of mine last night was Steven's suit and Christian's Plaid Jacket and shortened Hobble-style skirt. Simone got the boot because her dress was poorly made and unfinished. I really liked the color of her hair and her dark eyebrows (weird I know, but I'm currently thinking of changing my haircolor/style)
I didn't really like Marion's dress with that jagged style hemline, it reminded me of what Jeffrey did last year again and again (still not a Jeff fan) The 80s style orange bubble-skirt with pockets wasn't a fave either.
Now onto Elisa. The shot of Tim watching her put grass stains (yes, I said grass stains) on white fabric during the fabric grab in Bryant Park was priceless! She's a very artsy, free spirit kind of gal. Think of Angela and Santino combined (creativewise) and I think you can get an idea of Elisa's creative process. She made a turquoise fitted gown that looked fairly good from the front (except for the scrunched turquoise boots that she paired with it) but in the back she had a 5ft+ train of shreaded chunks of fabric that her model tripped over on the runway.

I was very happy with the episode and I can't wait until next week!

Must read Project Runway related blogs -
Blogging Project Runway
Manola's Shoe Blog
Project Rungay

Ribbon Art Ladies

Ribbon Ladies or Ribbon Dolls was a once popular crafting project and I've seen examples from the 1920s to the 1940s. I'm a big fan of Ribbon Dolls and always wanted to try one myself. The face and any showing skin was typically paper and their clothing was made from old fabric and ribbon scraps, and in some cases silk flower petals. They were mounted on a fabric background and framed. I don't actually own any example myself - No, I can't believe it either! It's because I'm not the only fan of ribbon dolls and I usually get outbid on any fabulous ones that I see on ebay. Here are a few examples of Ribbon Dolls that I spotted on ebay today - click the images to see the auctions.



Here are two really, really fabulous examples. The girl in the ruffle skirt is an elaborate example with layers of ribbon making up her skirt. The smoking lingerie gal actually doesn't use very much fabric at all, but she is really great! She looks like she has some mohair hair too. I love her!




You know that I'm a fan of half dolls, and I found this exotic parrot holding beauty on ebay today too. She's really amazing and of course, out of my price range.