Not every shirt tells a story...

 So the boy-child has now decided that he can make some college money modeling.  He may be right, but for now, I need him to help me show off some of my thrift finds.  No, he is not getting paid for this.

 I posted this outfit before, folded up on a chair.  The jeans caught my eye, even though I'd never heard of the brand.  A quick search on my phone turned up Buffalo jeans at high-end stores like Nordstrom.  They're pricey and fit my son perfectly.  BUT he doesn't care for them, so I guess they're up for sale.  The sweater is a different story.  He really likes it, and I do too.  It has a "Cosby" vibe, with suede and leather detailing on the front.  He would never have worn this a year ago but now, suddenly, it's cool.  His tastes are constantly changing, but I knew this one was a winner.  

This shirt is by Robert Graham, another very pricey line.  I saw this shirt as I was leaving Goodwill and I turned around to take a look.  I have to admit that I knew nothing about the label, but I could see the quality and the graphic is amazing.  It's a pretty comprehensive history of African Americans in the entertainment industry.  Even on Ebay, his shirts sell for upwards of $75, so this was a good investment, even if my son says "Meh".  Which he did.  

Not every shirt tells a story...but this one does!

I haven't been thrifting quite as much lately, but I have been finding some great things.  No longer mortified by the idea of wearing clothes from the thrift store because it has become trendy, I am having a great time dressing my teenager.  The savings are pretty exciting, too.

Over the weekend, I set up at a health fair.  My sister signed me up.  I am not in the healthcare industry by any means, so what on earth was I going to do?  What on earth was she thinking?  Well, I was stuck so I had to so something.  I decided to make some lip balm to sell or give away.  I did both.  It actually turned out a little sticky, due to my refusal to use a recipe.  Someday I'll learn.  It did look good though!  I used shea butter, cocoa butter, olive oil, beeswax, tangerine oil, vanilla extract and rose petals.  I used some of my gold spray painted items, made some tags and flyers, and set up this impromptu display: 

Last minute, but it worked out.

Be sure to visit me on Facebook and Etsy at 14th Street Vintage.  

Probably Too Much Information.

My daughter needed to get some blood drawn, so I tagged along and had some tests done that I'd been putting off.  As luck would have it, it was walk-in mammogram day, and I only had to wait 20 minutes. In the meantime, I had a x-rays of both my feet.  Ever put off something, like getting a pedicure, and then having that something front and center and being manipulated by a stranger? No?  Well I have, and I'm ashamed to say that this wasn't the first time that I was less than presentable when I entered that lab. There was a cute little blond girl who had the pleasure of taking my x-rays.  I apologized more than once for the ashy, peeling feet, complete with flakes of the bright green polish I put on there before Christmas.  That's two months, in case you're counting.  Trust me when I say that my feet were a fright.  In my defense, they always tell you to refrain from lotions and creams before imaging tests, so I guess there was a good reason that I took my greatest embarrassments out and trotted them around for all the world  lab staff to see, with no attempt made to improve the looks of them before I left the house.

I started this post a few days ago, then fell asleep.  Let's try this again:



I normally have a pretty high threshold for pain, but today was a little different.  I looked at the machine at one point, and it was exerting over 16 pounds if pressure.  If you need a reference for what that feels like, look no further than OWWWWWWW!  These techs are always the nicest people, and they try to make it as pleasant as possible, but today that machine hurt.  On a more fashionable note, I really like the new half gowns they have there and I think I'd like a couple for myself.  (Always eyeing the latest trends!)  A few high-pressure, boob squeezing moments later, and I was done, but still...I dread going.  You have to undress.  You have to put your stuff in the locker.  You have to take your key with you.  You have to be cold because the machines have to stay cold.  They give you a cover-up, then promptly tell you to remove it.  More cold. The x-ray room was the same...cold.  It's been the coldest winter that I can remember and I don't appreciate being cold while being made otherwise uncomfortable.  But it's over for another year.  
I made soup!  My attempt to "cure" my nephew's laryngitis.  It was good, and we're still eating it today.  Four cups of stock: 1 veggie, 2 chicken and 1 thai ginger.  1 cup each: chunked red onion, chunked yellow onion, leeks, red cabbage, tomatilloes, carrots, watercress, kale, celery, turnips, parsnips, red pepper, zucchini, flat leaf parsley, cooked chicken, 3 tablespoons maple syrup.  Yes, you read that right.  I made it up as I went along, which is pretty much how I do everything.  Oh yes, be sure to get the stems off of the kale and watercress because if you have a sore throat, you don't want to deal with them, trust me. 

I boiled three chicken thighs in a quart of water, reserving the liquid.  I added the stock and brought it to a boil.  I added the turnips, parsnips, celery and carrots, boiled for 10 minutes, added the zucchini, onion, pepper, tomatilloes and leeks, boiled 10 more minutes, added the kale, cabbage and watercress, boiled 5 more minutes, added the parsley and chicken, boiled 5 more minutes. Add the syrup.  Let it sit for an hour.  Add seasoning to taste:  garlic, salt, ginger, black pepper, and a few dashes of cayenne.  Heat it up when you're ready to eat!  I call it "Singer's Soup".  We will see if it works...

Looks pretty, tastes great.  And I hand-delivered a quart to my nephew so he could start getting well.  I drove 20 miles to take it to him.  We spoil kids in this family, even if they are in their 20's.

I ended the day at my son's high school choir concert.  You never get tired of watching your kids perform.  From preschool and Sunday School to high school, college, and the soccer field, it is one of my greatest joys.  

And now, I'm going to have a well-deserved bowl of chocolate ice cream, which has already been proven to make you feel better.  

It's fat free!

Enough Already!

Some say the world will end in fire.
Some say in ice.

So begins one of my favorite poems by Robert Frost.  It's one of the first poems I remember liking so much that I committed it to memory.  I think it was 6th grade.  I never quite decided which one I favored, but I do know that both are wrong.

The world will end in snow.

It snowed all day today, adding over six inches to the 12 or so that was already on the ground.  This could be the snowiest winter ever, and as much as I am used to driving in it, today was stressful.  I would have loved to just stay in, but I had a few places that I needed to be, so I made several trips out.  Visibility was so limited that I was a little nervous.  $25 million dollars so far this year in Chicago spent on snow management.  Why didn't my parents advise me to major in snow management?  I'd be so rich right now.

Every winter has it's own special stories, and this season we have quite a few.  Today, we get "ThunderSnow".  Yep, it was thundering as the snowflakes came down.  Add in a few bolts of lightning and not only would I have some amazing pictures to show you, I'd also probably have a much longer blog post to write.  However since I didn't actually witness it, I can only post what the internet says it looks like:



Pretty cool, huh?


The dog doesn't want to go out, the car coughs more than I do in the morning, and I can't see my hand in front of my face.  I didn't even hit half price day at the Thrift Store. When will it end?  It's supposed to reach 40 tomorrow, which means that everything will melt, only to refreeze the next day.  ICE.  My life has become one big blur of white and I feel like I'm living in the fridge.  If I keep writing, I'll start complaining.  Or is it too late for that?

Fashion Week!

Well, my "nieces" Britney and Ebony are stuck in New York--and have been since Thursday.  I feel for them...they are tired and cranky and missing home.  BUT, they were full of energy a few days ago and were able to get a couple of great celeb-style shots wearing vintage items from my collection.  Do I feel bad for them?  Heck no! ( I said I "feel" for them, I didn't say how I felt!)  I admit it, I totally used their youthful exuberance, small waistlines and supple joints to complete my mission.  Getting some big attention for my little online store.  Dastardly.

Ebony 

Britney

Seriously though, they do look very stunning and I was really excited to see these great pics pop up on Facebook.  They got in a few days of work and a chance to hang out in the Big Apple.  But all good things must come to an end and it's time for the snow to stop and the flights to start.  Here's to hoping they get home soon...and safe.  For their trouble, they can keep the clothes!

DIY Day. Hand-Painted Tights!

I saw an article on Etsy awhile back on painting designs on a pair of tights.  I stuck it in my memory bank for later use.  A few days ago I decided that this would be the perfect project for Valentines' Day.  

I really wanted pink hearts on brown tights, but a pair of tan ones(which ended up looking a little like surgical stockings before they were painted) were all I could find on short notice.  I stopped at WalMart this morning for the tights, paint and a sponge because for the life of me, I couldn't find one anywhere in the house.

I cut a heart freehand from one of the sponges.  My scissors weren't super sharp, but they worked.  I'm pretty good at freehand, and this heart took me about two minutes to cut.  

It was easy!  First, put the tights on so that you can control placement of your design, taking into account the stretch factor. My sponge is about 2.5" across, so I got a fairly bold design.  Initially, I thought I would be very careful and deliberate about the placement, but the random hearts, although large, were fun but not overwhelming.  Paint the front and sides then just sit there and let it dry. The paint dries quickly, but if you're in a real hurry, grab the blow dryer.  After they're dry, peel the tights off carefully, turn them around and put them on again.  Now, you can paint the other side!

Because the paint will soak through, you'll need to remove it from your skin.  You can use a little soap and water, or in my case, I covered my legs with lotion and wiped with a dry towel.  I can always use the extra moisturization.  

And the finished product looks pretty cute!  See?

...The More They Stay The Same.

Picking, curb surfing, junking...finding and dragging home other people's castoffs, toss outs---garbage--- has a lot of names, but it's all the same.  For some, it's disgusting.  For others, it's exhilarating.  I happen to fall into the latter category.  

A few years ago, my sister and I started keeping an eye out for "curbside donations" in earnest.  We knew where the good stuff was, which nights were "Garbage Day Eve" in what neighborhoods, and what time each neighborhood got busy dragging it out to the curb.  We turned off the dome light inside the car, packed the kids in the back (they even went so far to put on all black, like cat burglars) and off we'd go from one neighborhood to the next.  It was fun, and became a Thursday night ritual during the summers.  We'd be out until after midnight, sometimes stopping at the house to drop off a load, and going back out.  Back then, we did some hard core "skulking"...a name we gave our Thursday night adventures.  You'd be surprised at where I found some of the beautiful furnishings in my home.  

Prior to '08, I might find the occasional treasure in front of one of my neighbors' homes, like the brass chandelier I brought home about fifteen years ago.  My then-husband disregarded it as a piece of junk that probably didn't work and refused to put it up.  It sat around for ten years until I got divorced.  Then, I had my brother to install it.  Of course it worked perfectly, and I still consider it one of my greatest finds.  I went with my gut (well, actually my heart) and put aside my fears (embarrassment) to grab that baby.  It took ten years for me to finally enjoy it, but it's a beauty and well worth the wait.  Over time, I've gotten less and less concerned with who might see me and what they might think.  

When I drove a minivan, and was a lot stronger, I singlehandedly picked up a vintage exercise bike (extremely heavy, but the adrenaline was flowing!), made my kids jump out and help me load an antique desk into the van, and brought home enough carpeting to carpet half of my basement.  You know those extra pieces that are left after a carpet installation?  I never took a picture of my amazing patchwork wall-to-wall carpet, but it was soft and cushy and free.  Double-sided carpet tape did the trick on a concrete floor.  It took time and patience, but the whole floor was covered in about two months.  It also took a keen eye and general nosiness to know when someone was getting new carpeting.  I found a set of wicker chairs and table, painted them with Krylon, hung a few sarongs and a string of lights, some candles, baskets and magazines and created what my son dubbed "The Chill Zone".  After my separation, we spent a lot of time bonding in the "Zone", complete with furniture, carpet, exercise equipment (including that bike) and Netflix.  We created a similar area in the yard with lots of polyurethane-coated free furniture, windchimes and the 100 or so trees that we had the privilege to live among.  My son, the official "namer" dubbed this area "The Beach".  I was sitting on the beach with Gizmo the Dog when my son came home from school one day and learned that we had...well...Gizmo the Dog.  I picked him up from the shelter and sat in my painted wood Adirondack chair with Gizzy staying close by.  It was a nice after school surprise.

Over the next few years I acquired tables, garden decor, benches, and more.  I never took (or take) anything that's upholstered.  Hard surfaces only!  Except for that carpeting--but I was careful and patient about that, which is why it took over two months to finish the job.  Everything stopped in the garage first, for an overnight visit.  Sometimes daylight revealed flaws that I preferred not to deal with.  A hosing down and disinfecting took place before anything was brought in.  Sometimes my very picky brother would see something that he had to have, even though he condemned the very manner in which I'd acquired it.  To this day, he has never joined me on a "skulk".  Nope.  Just bring him the goods.

It's been over a year since I went out on a hunt.  I miss it, but I have enough stuff, the kids aren't into it any more and I no longer have my van.  I guess that's why I was so excited to see this wooden valet sitting on the curb tonight.  I didn't even have to think about it, I just had to go around the block to get a closer look.  My daughter knows me and didn't even wait for me to ask.  Car slows down, dome light goes off, valet is in the back seat in a flash.  Just like the good old days.

My son already has one of these.  I think I'll paint this one for my daughter!  A new project for me...I'm so excited.

I think I'm back.  The mojo is obviously still working. 

Yellow Daisies vs. Blue Plaid: The Battle is On!

I am officially SICK and TIRED of winter!  I'm from Chicago, so I am completely used to the cold, wind and snow.  I laughed at the tiny dusting of snow in Atlanta, that sent the city into a tailspin.  But I'm not laughing anymore.  With predictions of sub zero weather again tomorrow, I am trying to think of ways not to leave the house.  They can't close the schools again...we've already had four "bad weather" days, which is more than I think my kids have had in the past 15 years.  

I am thinking Spring!  I even have my Easter outfit picked out.  I went to Unique last Monday and took this dress off the rack.  Put it back.  Picked it up again.  I did this 3 or 4 times, finally deciding that this would end up being one of those times that I'd wish I'd bought it, and end up regretting it for the next several months.  Or, as in the case of the vintage wicker dress form that I passed up in college, several decades.  (I'm still waiting for that opportunity to present itself again.)  So, at $5.99, with 50% off, I gave up the three bucks and brought this cutie home:

The yellow t-shirt was already on Gertrude. Not in the plans for the big day.

The color is yellow.  That takes care of that.  But I wasn't sure about this.  I knew that I loved the print immediately.  What's not to like?  I also loved the cocoon-style top.  The rhinestone trim looks a little cheapy, so I may remove it.  The skirt?  I think it's too long, but that may depend on the shoes, which as you may know, offers me just a few choices.  Low heels, sensible heels, kitten heels... Nikes.  My knees mock my efforts to be fashionable.  I am a little worried about this being "frumpy".  I can't pull off the vintage/dowdy/old-fashioned turned high-fashion all the time.  The shoe limitations contribute greatly to this phenomenon, so I will be looking at a LOT of shoes over the next two months.  I'm feeling--hopeful (insert emoticon)!

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AND, on the chance (I won't even say outside chance) that the weather does not cooperate, (as in Warm UP), then I may be in this vintage Pendleton wool suit.  I really don't want to be in this vintage Pendleton wool suit.  I don't want to be anywhere near wool, for a few reasons.  I don't want to be in a suit (I hate suits). I don't want to be in long sleeves.  And I don't want to iron the darn thing.  

Stay wrinkly, my friend, 'cause I don't want to wear you anyway.

NEED.MORE.SLEEP.

I searched my Etsy store and put together a list of items that would be so appropriate, so pretty and so ViNtAgE for Valentines' Day, 2014.  Either as gifts, or purchased to wear to a romantic Valentines' dinner, vintage never goes out of style, and will look gorgeous for a night out on the town or a cozy and friendly morning meetup for coffee.  I'm 99.9% sure that no one else will show up in the same outfit.  




  


After a super cold day, spent battling the elements while on errands, I came home to find a nice surprise.  A package in the mail (one of my greatest joys) containing a glass jar filled with vintage glass buttons.  No plastic here folks, these are real glass class.  

Are they not the prettiest?  I plan to replace the buttons on a couple of sweaters, but what else should I do with them?  I absolutely love glass and these buttons, some with very intricate cuts, are fun to look at and to hold.  They sparkle like diamonds!  The largest ones are big enough for a coat!  A big shout out and thanks to Linda at Rags and Lace Vintage in Washington.  She has quite a collection--you should check her out!  

And for the WEIRD file...

...I never noticed this before, but the bathroom window does some crazy things to the lights outdoors.  Weird thing is, there weren't any lights on.  This is 5:30 a.m.  I got up to get in the shower and had to get my camera.  Cue the Twilight Zone theme:

Now mind you, these things appeared to be about eight feet tall, hovering in the back yard. 

 This is what I get for staying up until 3a watching Twilight Zone, Thriller and Night Gallery.  I need to get more sleep.

Finding History.

So...I've been on hiatus again.  The past week really flew and I had no idea that I had let a whole week go by without reporting in about anything.  Bad, Bad, Bad!  Good thing I have a story to tell.

Yesterday, I went to my mom's safety deposit box.  I thought that I remembered being there in the last 10-15 years, and there wasn't much in there.  WRONG!  While there were no crown jewels or rare coins, what I found was much more valuable.  I found history.  My daughter spent some time a couple of years ago on our family tree and she researched further back than these papers would reflect, but just to see and hold documents that were probably last touched by my dad, who passed away in 1989, or my grandfather, who passed away in 1969, was pretty powerful considering that there were tax bills, licenses, deeds and old insurance policies that dated back to the 30's.  My dad's savings account passbook that he must have opened when he was a young teenager, probably with his first paying job.  $10 in, $4 out.  $15 in, $12 out...it made me wonder if he really needed that four bucks for necessities (which could go pretty far in the 30's) or if he just saw a really cool Dobbs hat with a black feather and striped band that he just had to have, fashionisto that he was. (Yes, I just said FASHIONISTO).  The documents weren't in any particular order, but they were beautifully preserved.  Added now to my list of things to do:  Organize and photograph everything.

I found the hospital bill from my brother's birth.  Did you know that you could spend 7 days in the hospital in 1945 and only owe $53?  Still, it was placed on account, in my father's good name.  I don't know how long it took to pay that bill, but I'm sure that $53 was at least a week's salary. I found pictures of the house I grew up in for the first six years of my life, a house that I vaguely remember.  The house that inspired me to jump out of the window one hot summer day. I remember it as being a lot prettier than it looked in that old black and white photo.  It looks like it's out in the country instead of a suburb 20 miles outside Chicago.  What I do remember correctly, I'm sure, is running around barefoot, getting "grass cuts", playing "Mother May I?" and singing around the family piano.  I remember fun and not a care in the world.  I remember happy.

I found other papers, like my parents' marriage license, several copies of everyone's birth certificates, and deeds to property long ago demolished, including my grandfather's amazing little self-made house with the mini-vineyard in the back, where my parents lived with them and their first four children.   He later added a garage and turned it into a print shop.  I really hate that I have not one memento from that shop, nor do I have my grandmother's locket, my only true heirloom, which was stolen a year ago.  Having these papers bearing both their signatures was like finding gold, albeit not a gold locket.  Both born in the 1890's, less than 50 years post-slavery, they worked hard and made a good life for their small family.  Holding documents bearing their signatures was nearly overwhelming, especially since they both died when I was very young, and I don't remember them very well.  Having a real, tangible piece of their personal history, and mine, is priceless.

Bills of sale from some of my dad's cars over the years, home appraisals, and lottery tickets from the early 1900's held my interest for over two hours, until my daughter reminded me that she had to go to work.  I carefully bundled everything up and put it back in the box.  That temperature controlled, airtight environment is worth every penny of the whopping $28 it takes to keep it each year, even if we don't bother with it for 15 years at a time.  Everything was in pristine condition--like the ink was just-dried.  Clean, crisp, no tears, no crumbling, no yellowing.  With my family mementos all being on paper, the beautifully preserved condition means a lot.  I plan to take them out and bring them home the next time I know that all my siblings will be together.  It will be a great trip down memory lane, a learning experience, and besides, I need help getting it all organized. 

$53 got you a full week at a Catholic hospital.  Talk about affordable healthcare.