Blog Rant

Des of Pretty Little Things blog posted this on her wall today:

- At the store,random lady says "well,well,where are you off to all dressed up?" um...this?maybe I'm not dressed up,maybe you're all dressed horribly down.Wrap your mind around that.

which sent me into a mini rant:
- WTF?! Thats so true. Ever notice that the older generation dresses "up" to go everywhere. They've always got their "face" on and they're accessorized like there is no tomorrow...and then the 20 something behind them is wearing sweat pants hiked up to her knees, ugg boots and a tank top with her bra straps showing and her hair in a messy un-washed bun on top of her head...what happened to us?
And then I got to thinking about how TRUE it really is..when you walk around today think about how many people are "dressed up" and then think...would they be "dressed up" 50 years ago. No, they would be dressed down. Ever notice how many cocktail dresses you find from the 50s and 60s...if you went out..you were dressed to the nines. Hair done, makeup, bullet bra, girdle, stockings, dress, shoes, bolero, jewelry..everything. It took 2 days to prep to go to a party...now. Buy a dress, grab some shoes, shave and go. I mean..do you even own stockings? (well if you read my blog you probalby do..but when did you wear them last..when you went to the grocery store?..probably not) There is a big difference between dressy now and dressy then...and what is so irritating is that it takes NO time to "dress up" I mean, when I wear a dress people are like "Why are you all dressed up?" Wearing a dress doesn't mean I'm dressed up. Now granted, I'm pretty lazy when it comes to my wardrobe, but I would never go out of the house not put together. I am laziest when I go to work..because I'm sitting at a desk for 8 hours, in front of a computer, lifting heavy things and passing out things bending over and what not. Its not the best time to wear a dress..but I have and I do. I think we've become a society so hurried and panicked that we don't put the effort in for anything anymore we just want to get in and get out, who cares....
Now don't get me wrong, I enjoy not dressing up as much as the next person, I'm currently bitching about this in my hello kitty pajama pants (In my defense, Its pre-shower time) I just can't leave the house in anything I wouldn't want to be seen in.
But yeah...think twice before you leave the house kiddies...as Catherine Zeta-Jones's mom says "You might meet the president"...hey, it could happen...

You don't want to end up here!

Adventures in Crafting

Ok, I'll admit it, I'm kind of a craft nerd. I like scrap booking and making hair barrettes and all sorts of nerdy craft things. I've been working on turning these adorable wood pin up girls into brooches. I ordered these from Etsy (AU).Here is what they looked like when I got them. I still had to seal them and I used MOD Podge, which was the sealer the seller recommended. I had to wait until I got them to order the pin backs because I wasn't sure how big they would be. Most of them are around 2.5 inches so its a good thing I didn't order the XL 1.5 in pin backs.I got these 20mm "antique" ones instead. I think the color will go well with them. :DHere they are, all sealed and waiting for the backs.
1940s-1950s fashion figures
1960s figures
Pin-Up girl's
Here is what the backs look like, they're made of wood.
A picture of all of them.
All of them, straight on.
I am keeping some for myself, I'm keeping these three. BUT I did order another set of the fashion ones (no more pin ups) so they will be available for purchase with the next set.
I used the luster finish, I thought it would be better than a matte finish. I didn't want to dull the color.
Well my glue gun "pinky" is all ready and waiting for those pin backs to show up....still waiting.. I hope they come in the mail today!

Past craft projects include hair flower clips.
Here I am with my pretty birdy trinket box. It broke on the stairs right before I got in my front door and my husband fixed it for me! :D
My over the top orange hair flower...this thing is HUGE
Pretty blue daisy
Pink um..crap I forget the name of this flower..oh well, I had such a hard time getting this one right...I had to rig a huge hair clip to one of the petalsIt works just fine, but would look best on someone with curly hair so it would be easier to balance out the size of the flower with the volume of the hair.

Oh, p.s. the mail just came and no pin-backs :'( wahhhhhh

All your pretties are belong to me

My birthday is FINALLY on a weekend this year so I don't have to work. I want to go out and have a fancy dinner and other things that normal people get to do on their birthday's since I haven't been able to in 6 years. And now I have even more of a reason because I won this dress from slapsymaxi2 on ebay (aka Dawn aka SlapsyMaxi on etsy)
Its a light blue with the most amazing neck and pocket details..
AND it was a steal! Just $31 if you can believe that!
I can't wait to hit the town in my new birthday dress! YAY! Thanks Dawn!

Also, the SUMMER SALE is going on now in the shop! And I've got still only got 2 confirmed sponsors for the giveaways in October (Dawn is one of them!) I'm hoping to hear back from some others and get as many pretties for you as I can. I want to do a giveaway twice a week, one small item (from me) every Wednesday and then every Sunday I'll be giving away one of the sponsored items. You have all week to enter for the big prizes and 24 hours to enter for the small items.
If you are interested in donating a giveaway item please email me through my profile! I'm offering 1 month of free advertisement on my blog in exchange for the item(s).

Room Re-Do

My inventory room has been driving me crazy! Clothes on every surface, packing and shipping materials, this and that. Hangers everywhere....and I was getting really annoyed by the sewing desk is in the corner of my pictures...

GAHHHH! So enough was enough, I was going to clean and re-arrange my room...here is what I started with..Yes, I am quite ashamed that I let it get this bad... In the corner are shipping supplies, garbage in the VS bag, things to donate under the desk...oh what a mess...
Here is the view from the closet...this is seriously the worst I've ever let it get....I'm usually much cleaner and more organized.
I pulled everything out into the hallway and started re-arranging the furniture, I had the desks both on one wall and had the tall cupboard on the wall where the desks were..I ended up moving the far wall, back to where it was..and here is what it looks like now...I've got crinnies and hoop skirts all over the place..i wish they were easier to store.
This is the angle from the closet...This far wall is still kind of a mess because of all the boxes and now the luggage.
here is my new spot to take pictures hooray!
better view of the mess...ha..still have some work to do...but overall much improved...

The Etsy Seller's Best Friend

Doing treasuries has made me much more aware of the state of my pictures, I had no idea I was cropping them too small for etsy thumbnails as well as over exposure from my old white background. What works for ebay, doesn't work for etsy. So now I'm using a baby blue background, which is perfect for almost everything and I've discovered the etsy seller's best friend...the hanger on the wall.
If you sell vintage you know that 1 mannequin is usually not enough, a lot of the high-end sellers have 2 or 3 or more dress forms and mannequins to choose from because (and especially with vintage) things are all over the place size-wise. I have 1 dress form and one 1/2 mannequin and myself and that is still not enough, but I can't afford to go drop $100-$200 for another dress form...so I use the hanger trick. Its easy....so easy in fact I can't believe it took me this long to use it!
It works for baby clothes
CroatiaKidsVintage
That ONE dress that just won't fit on the mannequin (both mine have very wide shoulders so I have this problem..A LOT
PurpleDeerVintage
Bathing suits can be tricky if you don't have a mannequin with legs. I had to buy one!
Sometimes you don't even need a wall...just hang it from your mannequin
SimplicityisBliss
I find a lot of vintage dresses have really small busts..and its very difficult to get a small bust to look right on a mannequin that is too big.
..look at the colors in that..wowie!
MsTips
Rompers are another good example. You could probably fit it on the mannequin..but then you get that line right where the bum ends and it drops off..hate that
AdelaideHomesewn (who recently did a feature on one of my dresses, check it, she called me "the cutest" I could die happy right now!)
For some items it may just look better on the wall. I know that this shop has a lot of mannequins/dress forms to choose from but this light, dainty pair of tap pants look at home against the cool gray wall
DearGoldenVintage
Some sellers show you both, here its modeled and up on the wall
MouseVox
I've seen the collection of mannequins and dress forms this seller has and its amazing! but sometimes you can't beat the hanger...plus they have that super cute bug hanger...nice! I should get an anchor! :D
AllenCompanyInc

Also great for more "artsy" pictures
I adore this seafoam sweater with pearl details
Kids clothes! Adorable set of kid's jammies!
Classic example of things that you just can't get good shots of together, jackets and dresses..without arms and such...it just doesn't have the same feel.
See it in action in the shop...taking full advantage with the gloves (more to come) and hankie (I'll be adding to the shop this weekend)
See you soon!

Also if you happen to have an extra mannequin or dress form hanging out that you're not using.. I'd be happy to take it off your hands ;)

Quick Inventory Preview

here is a preview of some of the items I'll be adding to the shop this week.

Wool girl's dress with lace trim.60s groovy patterned dress with bell sleeves, I've never had a psychedelic dress like this before.
Never worn 80s white mary jane's
Amazing deerskin gloves, never worn. In orig. packaging
Stunning black gloves, look unworn also!
asian themed hankie. Would be so lovely in a frame!

Also, update on the 5 year anniversary extravaganza. I'm having a sale in the store, plus 8 (or more) giveaways in the month of October, sponsored by other shops and blogs! Lots of amazing things are coming up for grabs...I hope you're as excited as I am!

Hellova find

Today my hubs and I hit up my favorite thrift store, its the last day of my vacation and I've spent pretty much the entire thing working on my shop. New look, lots of listings and even more waiting to be listed.

I was talking to a newly accuired vintage shop owner Jenny and she was mentioning how when she looks through the jackets she always checks the skirts as well and I realized...I hardly ever look through the jackets or skirts. I usually look through dresses, shoes (which I have a hard time selling on etsy for some reason) hats, sweaters and lingerie...and now kids clothes. Well, I decided to look through the blazers today and I was rewarded with a stunning jacket. Amazing button details, wrap and belt closure WITH the belt. In such pristine condition I was convinced it was probably 70s or 80s. Well after looking up the tags on the VFG website I discovered my pretty little thing is circa 1940s! WHOOHOO And the price I paid makes that discovery that much sweeter!
I also found this beautiful french sweater with rosettes, there is something about this sweater...I just can't get over it!
a black dress like my pumpkin spice dress and this sweet little apron skirt for my new children's section.
I also picked up some things at the newly opened Carousel Vintage Shop. Its where Finder's Keepers used to be, the owner sold off all her clothing to Jenny and she has re-done the store and added over 600 pieces from her own vintage collection. The prices are lower and the selection is to die for! I'll be making it one of my weekly shopping stops. Here are the pieces I picked up at her shop this week. If you've been to vintage shops you know how over the top the prices can be, but most everything is priced $39-$59 very reasonable and she actually changes out the inventory (unlike the previous owner) so the shop is always going to be changing. Very exciting!

40s/50s skirt with dandelion print in the BEST colors.
And this satin cocktail dress, perfect autumn burn orange and red palate. I looove it. It will be in the shop soon I promise!