Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Vintage Volvo, Vintage Men, Vintage Levi's

It's classic, it's rustic, it's mid-century, it's fancy junk.
And right now...it's Modern Vintage.
funkomavintage  is in shades of red farmhouse patina, golden suede, honey yellow, plaid cotton flannel, desert sunset, indigo blue, summer seashore...and always...old faded Levi's.




A vintage Red plaid 30s 40s Hunting Coat
looks great sitting on the back seat of a '65 Volvo, or on you.




60s mustard gold trucker Suede jacket 
  looks ready to go to work...in a red and blue cotton flannel plaid shirt...like this....

Sears Work Clothing flannel red plaid vintage shirt





hey look....here's the classic trucker jacket! it's a 70s Levi's denim jacket.




Or maybe, you'd prefer a little native flavor, a little Southwestern style with your vintage gold Volvo.

a Vintage deerskin leather frontier style shirt...




Gant Indian blanket cotton button down vintage shirt
will do it just fine.





So, maybe a vintage Volvo 144 sedan isn't for you. Maybe you prefer the curvy lines of a vintage Volvo 1963 PV544, in fading summer sky blue.


Well, if that's true....you are definitely a blue denim Levi's Redline jeans guy.
flip the cuffs up...
70s Redline indigo Levi 501 jeans




but don't forget about a pair of 70s 517 indigo blue Boot cut Levi's jeans.....these are the most awesome Levi's worn with cowboy boots....



Cowboy? Western? oh yes. Southwest sunset cotton stripes vintage shirt

Monday, March 28, 2011

The shades of Spring...

the buttery light, the fresh air, the longer days...Toss off those heavy sweaters and put on something light...how about a plaid shirt and some shorts....
Climb on a sailboat and be perky!


 Audrey Hepburn pic from www.imdb.com/name/nm0000030/

A plaid shirt....just listed. by J.G. Hook in pretty pastel shades in a M - L size.




Spring brings soft pretty flowers and the green green grass....


Here's one of the prettiest skirts, in a lovely cotton in sunset evening blue. It has 2 big pockets on the side. A pretty preppy standard from the 80s, in a small to medium.
Just listed !




 this is  a style that becomes a wardrobe staple...the kind of thing you wanna wear all the time..practical, comfy and Pockets!
My Artfire shop, with lots of goodies. No need to join...you can click and buy.

I found this gorgeous pic...that is the same style as my blue skirt...It's a classic shape....


pic via http://www.sfgirlbybay.com
http://www.sfgirlbybay.com/2011/03/22/tuesdays-girl-toast/

Sunday, March 27, 2011

The sailors life for me!

I'm not a big fan of Tacoma....but the secret is out...we have water all around us here...Lots and lots of water! so...I spend a lot of time at the water and on the water in my canoe or in someone's boat....
And that makes life here bearable...that and June, July, and August....
I designed some new tote bags....I had the stripe fabric, which goes with the sailboat fabric, and that needs some rope....and adding whimsy....a lining of alphabet fabric.....typical thatyountvillegirl sturdy and quirky unique handy dandy handmade goods........


see/// a lot of water........

----and now---
Inspired by supreme writing....of the sailor's life....and the ships at sea.......by Joseph Conrad, from his story , Youth.
"We had fair breezes, smooth water right into the tropics, and old Judea lumbered along in the sunshine. When she went eight knots everything cracked aloft, and we tied our caps to our heads: but mostly she strolled on at the rate of three miles an hour. What could you expect? She was tired--that old ship. Her youth was where mine is -- where yours is -- you fellows who listen to this yarn: and what friend would throw your years and your weariness in your face? We didn't grumble at here. To us aft, at least, it seemed as though we had been born in her, reared in her, and lived in her for ages, had never known any other ship. I would just as soon have abused the old village church at home for not being a cathedral."
**********************
and by way of contrast...here's a bit of pretentious horseshit..This is what someone actually said about their real Etsy shop...I've changed the name to protect the jackass....on second thought--- No I didn't !!!!....."My Etsy shop,  Affaires Nomades (Nomadic Things), comes from my fascination for the ever-changing moments of life. Although a home symbolizes stability, I want to explore the idea that it can also reflect change. Therefore, my work is about a search for decor, which reflects this ephemeral nature."

Inspired by the Conrad quote, here's a picture of the tiny village church I attended off and on in my Youth....and sang in the choir, too....It always reminded me of a large sailing ship....Like the Pinta, or something. It's old, and creaky...and the wood is remarkable. Wide boards, the details made by carpenters with old hand-crafting tools.
When I read that Conrad story, in my youth, I thought of the tiny church, and forever after, when I was here,  imagined I was in a ship with Joseph Conrad. It wasn't too far off.....Jesus being a fisher of men...and his Dad, who, made the sea, and everything else, if you're really into fairy tales that could make sense.



--------and now ....back to my sewing project...the Cotton canvas nautical tote bag......

The handle is sewn to the stripe side, and the rope goes all the way around the top in a casing....but it mostly only pulls together the sailboat side.......



I added pockets on the stripe side...big enough for a phone or a small wallet.....and the whole thing can carry a bunch of smaller things.......or you can fit a laptop, or i-pad or Kindle....if that's how you swing......

from the beginning.......one has lace on the pocket.....the other is plain....one for the girls....one for the guys....






the tag....and a good shot of the lining....


Monday, March 21, 2011

The first seeds of spring...

when I had the farm in Lakebay in the early '90s, by the first day of Spring...... the heirloom tomatoes, the weird bell peppers and the hot and mild peppers were sprouted in the greenhouse, and growing  strong .... 6" tall was about the average, and often strong growers like the Brandywines could easily be almost a foot. Also by now, I'd transplanted almost everything into 4" pots for selling at the first Farmer's Mkt in May.
After people got past the idea that I was crazy, with my black flowers, green flowers, and weird tomatoes....my homegrown tomato best sellers were Black Krim, Mr. Stripey, and Yellow Cherry.

Black Krim pic is from http://luckymoonfarm.blogspot.com/

Mr Stripey pic is from http://www.tagawagardens.com/tgg_kids_kitty.htm

Yellow cherry pic from http://www.landrethseeds.com/

How did I find all these weird seeds before Google? There is this very quaint place in every city...it's called the Library!
fer instance...
Landreth Seeds is Americas Oldest Seed House established in 1784....they supplied seeds to George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and the Bonaparte family.

"Our founders introduced into the United States some of the most beloved flowers and vegetables known today including the Zinnia, the white potato, various tomatoes, and our own Bloomsdale Spinach. We have become the oldest seed house in America because we are passionate in our quest for excellence in quality, service and innovation."

Since I don't know how long I'm gonna be in this house, I'm gonna plant seeds and a few summer bulbs like gladiolas, and lilies...hardy things that can take neglect. This turn of events does cut down on the truly weird....but not much. When the weather gets a bit warmer, I'll plant some odds in the big pots I scored last fall.
The seed racks are still really full, so I'll probably buy a few Territorial Seeds, a pot or 2 of  black Mondo grass, and a lot of  Hume Seeds.


I should have started the Sweet pea seeds in January...but it's not too late for them
The most heat-resistant varieties are Old Spice which are so so so Fragrant! and I like the little Super Snoops too. I soak my seeds for a day to get them ready for the rainy Northwest.....no really, it helps them crack the shell and get growing. I am famous, however, for having 15 tin cans of soaking pea seeds with the packet clothespinned to the edges, scattered all over the house........these are perfect for the Official Washington State Fence...Cyclone..
Sweet Peas need a very rich soil...this is the time to use a lot of that compost. Fish meal, bone meal, egg shells, and a few alfalfa pellets...but I avoid most nitrogen-heavy fertilizers...I want something like 0-20-20. Don't forget the Slug bait!

pic from http://www.laobserved.com/malibu/2009/05/sweet_peas.php

 ..... Of course ...bunches of Alyssum. It really does smell like Honey! The white is most fragrant but I love shades of purple...so I mix and match.
Then Night Scented stock and the other fragrant charmers  will be planted near the doors and the windows that open on a warm day.......the flower bed under the living room window, the kitchen windows, and my sewing room...the  Regular old Stock..... and tiny Mignonette. I think I'll put some in a few pots, mixed with other summer faves, and then on warm days and evenings, I can place them under the windows and enjoy the fragrance as it wafts in the breezes....and bring a pot inside for the night....

My faves are weird....but fragrant is also very much at the top of my What to plant list!




Those are my first choices for planting seeds directly in garden beds here at the Tiny House. This weekend, the first of Spring 2011, I'll mow the lawn (electrically) and get my flower beds ready.
These days, until I settle down in a bigger house again, I'll let someone else grow the heirloom tomato and pepper starts I like. I'll go to the Farmer's Mkt or a local nursery to get the heirloom plants....they're widely available finally and Huzzaaah!

Then the old stand-bys..Calendula, poppies, bachelor buttons, larkspur and forget-me-not...these pics are from Hume Seeds. I know once these are planted, I'll pop in some sprouts of Nigella, Canterbury Bells, Salpiglossis....and then in April, the nasturtium seeds......both the climbing and the little bushes....the Variegated Alaska series are a fave...with its splotchy variegated leaves....if it's weird...it's mine!


The sentimental favorites.......Bachelor buttons......


Forget Me Nots which only need planting .....once....you won't forget them...they do go wild.


And Dorothy Gale's nemesis....Poppies! Papavar somniferum paeoniflorum.
 Poppies from seed....Shirley...California poppies, Eschscholzia ...the red Flanders Field poppy....





pic from http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/7212
Van Gogh Poppy Flowers, article on the theft in Egypt in 2010 from Bloomberg news.


oh and later in May....the daisies, the cosmos, the zinnias, and the sunflowers! the sunflowers!
Let the Gardens begin!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

It was a pretty garden....


 the tiny garden on Broadway last spring, March 2010.





My my my...Industrious little daffs......went from this on February 23.......to.......



This on March 1 !!



The pansies and the primroses are spritely !



I adore how this little daff is folded......so much like a butterfly emerging from a coccoon..


Most of the daffs are King Alfred type, but there are a few renegades mixed in.....I wish I'd have planted a bag or 3 or 7 of Poet's Narcissus...they are my favorites of the Narcissus.......I adore the teeny minis also........




So....Before I retell the story of Narcissus....
All things in my funkomavintage....are on sale until March 23.

Sale! 15THANKS coupon code at checkout

Sale! 15THANKS coupon code...15% off because it's SPRING !
--------------------...15% off because it's SPRING !
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Clicky here....

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>........................
Narcissus flowers are named for the son of the River God, Cephissus and Leiriope, a nymph, in Greek mythology.........This boy Narcissus was a hawt babe according to legend. A prophet told Leiriope her son would live long and prosper if he avoided ever seeing himself in a reflection.
The boy had many women and men (this is a Greek legend) fall in love with him as he grew up into a man, but he chose none of them for a lover.

A nymph, Echo, who had her own curse to deal with, goddess Hera made poor Echo repeat again the last words she heard said to her.......loved Narcissus. But he did not have eyes for her!
Ameinias, another hopeful lover was also rejected by the handsome Narcissus, and Ameinias killed himself. Just before taking his life he asked for the gods to punish the sexy beast Narcissus.
The gods then set Narcissus to gaze on his loveliness in a clear pond......He fell in love with himself!
When he went to touch the beautiful image, he fell in and drowned......or he killed himself also....we're not too clear on that.
The gods thought the tragedy (this is a Greek legend) ought to be commemorated......and so named the lovely yellow late winter flower.......Narcissus.
Let this be a lesson to you Pretty People....Love one another....and don't be stuck-up!

Sale ! It's Spring ! Everything in the Etsy shop..



Sale! 15THANKS coupon code...15% off because it's SPRING ! Everything in the Etsy shop...Everything....