The youngest one in curls (read: Mullet)

Lately Annabel has been channeling the Brady Bunch in the form of a  Florence Henderson mullet. The poor girl's hair just won't grow in right, maybe it was too much exposure to polyester in my first trimester.

she's not really cross-eyed

                                                   

Behind the Seams

How epicurious my children's initials spell jam

Love little chairs

Restored 1873 Mural(living room)

Floor use to be battleship grey, room still needs chandelier replaced and paint

                   


When I'm not working on vintage clothing and taking care of babies I'm very busy restoring my 1870 Italianate 3-story brick monstrosity of a building, a building which hadn't been lived for over 30yrs that my husband and I found while looking for a larger home to accomodate the impending arrival of our twins.  I actually really did have something more traditional and practical in mind and never in my wildest dreams did I think in my 6th month of pregnancy with twins would I be taking a huge risk by going under contract for a building that the city would not allow us to live in and we would not be able to get a mortgage for unless we could get the city to change their minds....and so with our future looking a lot like a toddler unsupervised at the edge of a pool we hired a lawyer and made a case, asked ever so nicely pretty please and won.  A relief because I had visions of the little ones sleeping in dresser drawers.

 So if you are  looking for unique (cheap)architecture, a place to work and live.... Bridgeton may be worth a looksee...there is a lot of inventory available at the moment that includes a business on the first floor with living quarters above.

WARNING: This post may contain graphic images

Graphic and disturbing images that is if you are a piece of technology.  I'm incapable of having meaningful long term relationships with anything electronic. Perhaps it's a reflection of the quality in craftmanship, they just don't make things like they use to and I am sure a digital camera from the 1920s would still be in fantastic working order today.  Or it could just be I'm an abusive beeyatch, I never got a long with technology and technology doesn't get along with me, in fact I did get hit in the face once with a didgital camera(don't ask).

Below is a photo of the latest casualty, and I am glad to report I am not responsible for this one, maybe it's because I have a price limit on things I damage.  My husband is the actually perpetrator in this incident which is unusual because he get's along pretty well with most of the electronics in the house, just to make that point he made it possible for me to be using my laptop right now despite the busted screen by hooking up the old PC monitor to it, very Macgyver of him I know.  But the set up is looking very akin to something you'd see rolling through a trailer park. It's a hoopty laptop.

What is an Oscar compared to free couture?

So last night was the Oscars, I know a lot of people watched them. I didn't, watching award shows are just not my thing. All I really care about though when it comes to the Oscars and I think this applies to a lot of people is to see is what people are wearing and who won(of course) and I can experience the cliff notes version in 20 min online the day after. Of course the only other thing I care about too is it's a really good reason to get dressed up and throw a party , just like with the Superbowl...I hate football, but love superbowl parties. Give me a reason to plan an event, I'm for it.

So below I have a shot of Vera Farmiga in her Oscar finery, I do believe my Barbie had a dress just like hers, you be the judge:

                                              Vera Farmiga does Marchesa does Barbie

Screw vintage Dior, it's all about vintage Barbie!

Even though everyone get's all decked out for the most part everyone does look the same. The dresses are beautiful but the cuts and silhouettes are pretty much similar, it has been for a few years now as in a very structured ruched bodice w/ flowy bottom. I don't think I heard of one big celebrity wearing vintage except for the jewelry. So my favorite overall look had to have been Cary Mulligan, a combination of the simple black dress with off beat embellishments, the shoes and blonde pixie cut spoke to me in different decades, it really stood out for me.

                                                                   Cary Mulligan in Prada


On a final note what the heck is up with Sarah Jessica Parker's old lady hand? I thought it was a close up of Helen Mirren's jewelry at first. Sort of freaked me out when I saw whose it was. I love you Sarah but get yourself some Borghese gloves.

                                                            Sarah Jessica's old lady hand





**All photos(except for Barbie) courtesy of dailymail.co.uk

My Vintage Baby

top 3 images courtesy of Olive Juice

Annabel

Child's 40s Scottie dog sweater via amywren

Delicate embroidered dress via giggleboss

                                                             Simple lined dress via babytogs 

1940s Gabardine "Stork Dater" Maternity top, via thechurchofvintage

I find it very difficult to buy clothing for my children.  I am very particular about dressing my children like children. I try not to be too anal about it always allowing room for whimsy and expression, I mean I have been known to put them in garrish prints and cookie monster slippers, it is childhood afterall.... BUT a lot of what is out there lack simple design, classic lines and quality.  There is nothing cute or amusing about seeing a tiny infant in an outfit that has lines that were meant for an adult body and you can see how forced and rigid it is, we dress our children as some might dress a trained monkey.  I prefer simple linen and cotton dresses, muted prints, smocking and embroidery.  For babies I favor turn of the century to the 20s gowns,delicate shirts and bonnets, and as they get older and start walking I love 1940s and 50s smocked cotton dresses to match up with mini cardis and cowichans. 

Above I have some lovely modern pieces with classic appeal from Olive Juice , these are some of my favorite pieces(that swimsut KILLS me!).  Also a picture of my little Annabel modelling her very pretty 1960s sundress from last summer and some Etsy picks, including an outstanding 1940s gabardine maternity, you can never start dressing baby too soon!  It's amazing how quickly my children are dressing better than me.

Vintage Hell

This is what my store looks like right now.  This is what I will be working on today no matter how claustrophobic and stressed out it makes me.  I am currently revamping and restructuring the shop in preparation for the Spring/Summer season.  I'm trying to free up more space so I can bring in different items and to just have more space...space is good:)  So that involved pulling almost everything out of the stock room to sort it(and developing an anxiety induced rash).

 You see my father is a minimalist who married my pack-rat hoarding mother, needless to say they are divorced now and I am the abomination that was the end product of their unnatural union.  I like to collect, I was born this way,  BUT I can't stand to accumulate(born this way too), so you can maybe understand the conflict I deal with daily having a shop as stocking it, having "STUFF" is a key element to it. So not only am I an abomination to the natural order of things, I am a contradiction as well.

I am a firm believer that personal enviroments are a reflection of ones mental state and the effects an enviroment can have on ones overall state of well being.  If your house is clutterd your brain will be too.  If you are constantly stressed/tense, struggling with cognitive issues or are depressed, take a look around, maybe you need to clean yo' damn house;P you might just feel better.  If anything the act of organizng/cleaning/purging can be cathartic.

I've procrastinated enough, now it's time to follow my own suggestions and get it done.

Goodbye Manhattan

We travelled a long road together, but now upon a divide we must go our separate ways. 

So I stamped out my sentimental attachment to the Manhattan dress long enough to get it into the shop only to go to bed soon after and wake up the next morning to find it sold....in my sleepy wake a "GASP!"  followed by a "NOOOOoo!" emitted out of every orifice of my body!  No really, it felt like there was an echo in the room, if I hadn't known better it felt as if God had spoken at the exact same time and was feeling my pain.

 Somehow I thought it would stick around for awhile still or even better no one would want it, (YAY!)...it was what I needed to tell myself to get it listed.  It's actually a bit of reverse psychology I employ rather often when I work. On a positive note it did sell to a great fellow seller on Etsy with impeccable taste and appreciation and the dress is actually gong back to the exact city from where I found it.