funkoma vintage*the recycled life

Winter blues and water woes.....

2012-01-28T17:50:00.002-08:00

No pictures of my vintage Winnebago ...this post, but here's my bedroom....
I survived quite well during the nasty snowstorm...I didn't lose power and no branches fell on me, my garage or my house. I know many many folks had to endure days of misery. My neighbors lost several tall branches of their beautiful birch tree due the weight of heavy snow and ice. I had a branch from one of my trees, fall in my backyard and it missed the fence,the power lines and anything of value at all !

this is my hall, and see that rug? yes. I got that off the street in 1984, when I lived on N. 13th. Sweet! 40s magnolia wool rug....Tacoma used to come pick up your crap during the spring and fall home clean-ups and lots of stuff was left on the sidewalks and driveways...and the Free Pickings was good! (this was back in the day before rich people started buying chipped-up "Shabby Chic"...us real people just found...stuff. We saw the beauty in wabi-sabi, and hey, the price is right! )

Unrelated to the weather (probably), my basement sump pump went Kaput! "Hello Mr. Landlord!"
... the water was almost knee-high, and it extinguished my water heater so we had 3 days with no hot water! I can put up with a lot of crap from life....if I can have a hot shower at night. The plumbers arrived and pumped the basement almost dry, and installed a new sump pump. My bedroom is over the basement/sump pump, and that new sucker was LOUD.

I thought if I just moved my bed to the other side of the room.......but no!
I'm leaving it like this....tho.

We haven't had a good night's sleep for the last few...and we are cranky! But today, I figured out the problem and fixed it. The hang strap for the exit pipe was transmitting the pump racket to the joists and throughout the house. So I moved that strap sucker! and....
QUIET!

sleeping dog, hippie bedspread, vintage slips, Indian camp blanket, and purple....

Little doggie basket, and I love the closet door and doorknob...original to the 40s house.
On the right is Mark's dresser, we got from Jan in a dresser swap a few years ago.

Mark's clothes and his huge HUGE vintage suitcase.
My Guitar Girl picture (free) and vintage fabric on the window. Thrifted Nighthawks (mercilessly copied and Marilyn, Bogie, and Dean inserted (crap)) But, Edward Hopper, my favorite American artist, painted it in 1942, and I love it. The painting (not this print!) is the same age as my house....

After years of looking for a vintage scalloped padded headboard, I finally found one (thrifted). I was gonna cover it (maybe someday) but I actually like the 70s avocado vinyl. 1920's tux shirt, and a 40s chenille peacock on deep blue velvet. Map of the San Francisco Bay area. (all thrifted, except the map, which we bought 15 years ago on our honeymoon)
Purple pillows!

Love the closet !

Mark's vintage suitcase and his wool socks. This is just what it looks like...daily. No, I'm not expecting Martha Stewart and don't give a fig about phony stage sets.
I bought that wool needlepoint rug at a Country Living show at the Tacoma Dome back in the 80s. $50 Bucks.

Nighthawks (no TV !!) I have a lot of paperbacks, and this old dresser (free) used to hold the TV and DVD and VCR players (free), and 2 of the drawers are full of VHS tapes and DVD's...which are mostly going to the Goodwill except for a few....Like Harold & Maude on VHS !
The mermaid-San Francisco-water globe was bought on vacation, when we took 2 of the kids on vacation about 13 years ago in the VW bus. That was a lot of fun! No really. It was so much fun.

You might have seen Tom Cat as my etsy avatar.
"So long for now......thanks for visiting and yes, we belong to Mark."

I Own Wheel Estate

2012-01-25T17:39:00.000-08:00

Drunk octopus wants to fight you...

don't worry...be brave.

I'm a homeowner again....or a home-moaner.
A 1973 (ah yes I remember it wellllll) Winnebago Brave motor home.

More details than you will ever want to know to come later as we begin the saga of The Rest of My Golden Years..... I'm proud to own a Winnie, from the last great era of American Awesome...the name of the interior (pre-blue carpet, it was gold!) the decor scheme was called "Inca".....
Bearable tapestry upholstery, blue carpeting (gag), Acres of Faux Bois, Almond counters, Chrome and stainless steel appliances, Vera golden fern showers...my very own plastic crapper....
A CB radio!!!

This was on the AM radio, or on the Cassette tape player in the dash!

I can hardly be happier!
Well if there was a bucket of money in a storage bay and cold bottle of Vodka in the refrig...but hey. I definately wanted the built-in bedroom in the back, with the entry door just behind the passenger seat. There's a bed above the front seats, but I don't wanna climb up a ladder in to my bed (maybe I'll change my mind about that) ...those dinette bench seats are going! I hate them, and along with the dinette table...

Just feast your eyes...and as the days of our lives drip drip drip away....You can follow along as we repair everything, make curtains, say a lot of swear words (speaking of swear words. ... watch the Winnebago man vid at the bottom).......

that's the blue carpeted doghouse (cowl over the motor that sits between the front seats)

here's an ad for a '72 Winnie

Hey Winnebago man...we understand.

Vegan Skip It Hoppin' John

2012-01-23T16:25:00.001-08:00

Feeling nostalgic, I wanted to make something with my bag of black eyed peas. You don't grow up with Oklahoma Okies and Indians and an Idaho country girl without eating your share of Hoppin' John and lots of greens.
I don't do bacon, nor do I do meat....and all the substitutions didn't harm the stunningly delicious flavor....Yes, that's a White Russian......with dinner. A gal has got to keep up her spirits !

*****Vegan Hoppin' John*****
1 T Olive or canola oil
1C chopped onion
1/2 C chopped celery (I had to sub with chopped bok choy and cabbage)
1/2 C chopped bell pepper (I used 3 colors)
1 T minced garlic (I love my garlic mincer)
1 lb of Black Eye Peas
1 Qt stock or buillon (I used 2 vegie soup cubes and some left over kale water)
1/2 t each salt and pepper
1/2 t poultry seasoning
1/2 t liquid smoke
1/4 C maple syrup....(these last 2 ingredients were swapped out for the same measures of Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar) (be creative)

Cook the black eye peas in enough water to cover for about a half hour, in a big pot, and set aside.
Saute the onions, celery or vegetable subs, garlic and pepper in the oil, until soft and gently browned.
Add that to your big pot of cooked peas, the qt. of stock, s & p, seasonings (or the subs) and the syrup (brn sugar)
Bring to a boil, hold it there for a minute, and then simmer for about 45 mins until most of the stock has been absorbed.
Serve with hot (brown) rice and your favorite vegetables.........kale, hot potatoes, cabbage...whatev!

...the nasty snowy weather drove me batty....the only good thing about cold weather is cute sweaters! When 7 layers of clothes didn't keep me warm enough...I turned on the stove...and baked dozens of cookies, and ate them, and then shoveled a lot of snow to work off all that cookie-fat.
I made a lot of yummy food. I stocked up the day before the snowstorm with lots of coffee, booze, baking supplies, dried beans and fresh vegetables....

right now it's sunny and warm at 50 degrees and the snow is melting....
these pics are from when it was 27 degrees and too damn much snow !! my bamboo was iced over...but he recovered when it melted..

I don't do fashion ...

2012-01-21T20:53:00.000-08:00

I just like neat clothes. I like to make cute and nifty things. I like things to be well-made and last a long time.
This is why I've worn "old clothes" .....now called "Vintage !"

This is why I make a lot of things. I often can't find the things I like...so I make them....and I hope others like them too.
I was snowed out of my photography space...so cold in there...but Look ! the sun has come back...and a lot of the snow has melted. Sunday and Monday, new listings shall be listed!

Lots of shoes and boots, vintage Levis, some jewelry and other stuff I can't remember now.

I only lost one branch and my summer tent is destroyed....the yard looks like the shrubs had a war....Look, my gnome is peeking thru the snow-blanket.......so better days are ahead.

3 necklaces I just made and will list on Sunday the 22nd day of January 2012.

This one has a golden chain, with a simple geometry-inspired metal tube.
simple.

this necklace is a long pendant with a vintage skeleton key and an Alice in Wonderland theme with its teapot, blue heart and tiny Excelsior vintage key.

this little cutie uses a vintage chain, and a zipper head...that's all. The zipper pull says COED ....really.

Stop calling shirts with buttons "Button-down"

2012-01-19T16:40:00.000-08:00

About 7 years ago* some moron on ebay started calling all shirts with ....buttons...down...the..front....a BUTTON DOWN SHIRT. No. it's. not.This ill-informed "fashion" editorial on Stylelist "The Classic White Button-Down: 5 Days/5 Ways", does not use a button-down shirt styled (?) 5 ways....they use a shirt that buttons down the front. Big Difference!
(not to mention, but I will, Leggings as Pants)
(and people who say "think" when they mean "imagine" or "remember")

Since I love the Classics ! mis-naming mistakes made by People With A Job in the Fashion/Styling/Writing industries, that don't know wtf they are talking about...really ----- me.....and if that is an actual button-down, please, tell me that it is. She could be wearing the buttons undone....In any case, the distinction needs to be made.
A century ago, Brooks Brothers popularized putting a button and buttonhole on the collar corner, and Viola! it's a button-down collar.
yeesh, even Wikipedia can supply you with the correct answer. "Button-down" is sometimes used incorrectly to describe the front buttoning of a shirt; a "button-down" shirt refers to a shirt with an American "button-down" collar introduced by Brooks Brothers in 1896, discussed below.[1]

These are button-down shirts.

*that was the first time I saw a moron misusing the style term.

I can only blame the herds of Quick Buck artists that decided 10 years ago, to sell crap on ebay, and the sudden influx of vintage clothing sellers that bred like rabbits over there too.....People who don't know the difference between a flat-felled seam and a waffle iron, are buying Forever21 crap, and selling it as "vintage". Beware!

hearts and moon and star.

2012-01-18T21:20:00.000-08:00

"Love doesn't make the world go round, love is what makes the ride worthwhile." - Elizabeth Browning ....

Moon and star cosmic geometry necklace....

Wes Anderson's new movie, Moonrise Kingdom as an etsy treasury....

new handmades in my "other" shop....
all here: thatyountvillegirl

angora sweater heart and Key !

girl you know it's true......

Ice white angora leaves, red cashmere little mitts....

....vintage Key, jade heart, faux suede....

Hearts and Love...

Big heart, little black dress....

so happy together....

Bruce rainbow love.....

and if it doesn't work out....well....

sunny winter day

2012-01-14T15:40:00.001-08:00

sparkles on the water....tug moving logs around

vintage indigo selvedge denim scored in the wilds and will be turned into some of these utility aprons, and some of it will become a tote bag or 2 or 3. I also scored dozens of 40s/50s military zippers...and they will appear on some Pendleton Indian blanket, denim, military canvas, and feed bag tote bags.

old Navy (ha ha) military shirt, old WWII denim duffle bag, and some of the vintage selvedge denim....cut up, add straps, and snaps and buttons, line with quirky fabric = utility fabulousnesssss

and from old denim, some Fender guitar strap braid, is a little pouch with a vintage button....perfect size for an iPhone....

Home is where the art is

2012-01-09T21:42:00.000-08:00

when I wasn't being sick over the xmas weeks, I was cleaning out my house. I pity my poor kids...if I died tomorrow, they would have to sift thru 55 years of ~~crap~~ valuable things to list on ebay.
One of the home projects I've decided to complete after laying dormant for only 14 months...my dining chair seats! I've completed one ! I only have one left to do!
here's the after....and then the before....and then the easy-peasy step by step...

(before)

Choose a sturdy fabric like...upholstery fabric or duck or sailcloth or denim.

1st, Unscrew the seat cushion (turn the chair upside down, and look underneath at the 4 corners for the screws), remove the wood and foam and fabric sandwich from the chair frame and disassemble. Toss the old fabric away. I reused my foam, but if yours is flat after years of butt, go buy new. Like at Joann's or a local foam shop. It's in the yellow pages, ie...411. or ask Google or Siri.
Then lay the foam on your new fabric, and cut your chair fabric about 3 - 4 inches larger than the foam and wood seat. Yes, save and reuse the wood under the foam. (don't lose those screws!)

2nd ... Be sure to lay the foam on the Wrong Side of the fabric first, evenly with 3 -4 inches all around. Lay the board on top of that, fold an edge of fabric about an inch and gently pull it up to the wood ...start on any edge of the wood, about 1.5" in....and staple. Put a staple about every 2". I love my new yellow Staple Gun!

3rd...Go all the way around the seat. Start on one side...go to the other side, then the 3rd side, and finish the fourth side. Pull and smooth as you go. You want the foam slightly compressed....but not tight, or the staples will pull out when you sit down. Bad. You can always pull the staples out and start over if you aren't happy when you turn it over and check it.

4th.... the corners are a bit tricky. Pinch the fabric together and artfully fold the corners flat and staple. It is OK to chop a bit of fabric away....but be careful! don't take too much. Be sure you have about 3 - 4 inches to fold over and staple. This is tricky, but you can do it!

Check it out !!
lastly, put it back on the chair, and screw the screws back into the 4 corners underneath the chair. You may have to unscrew the screws a bit so they don't poke you when you sit down. As long as they bite and go thru the wood under the seat, you'll be fine.

elvis

2012-01-08T14:13:00.002-08:00

My first 2 wheel bike* was an old 50s model with fat tires, fenders, a big saddle seat, and a wire basket. I got it in 4th grade, in 1963, just after I turned 9. Tom Roe painted it green, sparkle green, in his Auto Body Shop in Yountville, down Washington St, near the Catholic Church. As a special treat, my dad let me choose the color and I asked him to ask Tom to paint "Elvis" on the front fender.
Yeah, that's right.
I do love Elvis but not in the mindless white trash way. That's my Elvis tapestry, that's my Elvis tshirt Annie gave me (awesome!), and that's my Elvis watch. No really, I love Elvis, but not like that....
Happy Birthday !
*first full size 2 wheeler,that is.
similar to this:

Elvis Aaron Presley was born January 8, 1935 and is a cultural icon.
Last weekend Mark and I went to dinner with his dad and Sally to celebrate Dick's 70th birthday! As we passed the theater in the mega-mega-huge Muckleshoot Casino in Auburn (which is an acid trip without the drugs)...an Elvis impersonator, Steve Sogura, was singing.

My first Elvis album was Acapulco. I still know all the words by heart to "No Room to Rhumba in Sports car"...

Oh No! Elvis joins the Army ! He entered the United States Army at Memphis, Tennessee, on March 24, 1958, because Selective Service told him to do so....

Army clothes! yes. Love the clothes hate the war. I am a flower child after all.

The AAF, The Army Air Forces began on June 20, 1941, six months before Pearl Harbor.
>U.S. Army personnel have traditionally been assigned to branches and so
air services were in the Army long before that and their names changed over time.
1907 - Aeronautical Section of the Signal Corps.
1914 - Aviation Section (Signal Corps).
1918 - United States Army Air Service
1926 - United States Army Air Corps
1941 - United States Army Air Forces
1947 - United States Air Force ....left the Army and became their own service branch.

and the ladies? yes, Immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Jacqueline Cochran, one of the most well-known aviators of that time, tried to interest the Army Air Corps in women pilots who would be trained to fly military aircraft within the United States. On Sept. 10, 1942, Nancy Harkness Love, with the support of the U.S. Air Transport Command, organized 25 women pilots into the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS).
The purpose of the WAFS was to deliver planes from the factory to military bases. On Aug. 5, 1943, the WAFS and WFTD (Women’s Flying Training Detachment ) merged into the Women’s Air Force Service Pilots (WASP). The history of the WASP

Early 40s Army Air Force shirt, AAF patch on the shoulder soldier.
Dark Olive wool officer uniform shirt is early 40s, World War Two, with a felt embroidered AAF patch.
The AAF patch dates to 1942, and the felt is the first in the series of these patches issued.

40s WWII US Army HBT Trousers

WWII Planes B17 B29 with Nose Art casual print Mens Shirt
What a great tribute to the fighting men and women of World War II !

Fun print of many Boeing planes..B17 Flying Fortress, B29 Superfortress, B25 Mitchell, B24 Liberator, B26 Marauder.

50s Field Trousers M 1951 Olive Drab US Army HBT

There's certainly many wonderful sad and evocative songs from the Big Band era, and the years of World War 2....but this one by Vera Lynn never fails to make me tear up....just a bit...after all these years...every time I hear it....Lynn's song in the final scene of Kubrick's 1964 film Dr. Strangelove, and was also used in the closing scenes of the 1986 BBC television serial The Singing Detective....and I love that series and Michael Gambon. oh yes. Songs by the Ink Spots were in it too...songs of my little childhood.

It's Over !

2011-12-31T19:38:00.004-08:00

the Christ-mas calendar says it's over.....which is only partly true. for me, the year begins at the winter solstice and not in a nature-religion kind of way....it just is what's the real thing. The Earth. The Moon ...and the stars.
A West coast girl I've always been, and a West coast girl I will always be.
There's always changes going on...Once the kids grew up, I knew I'd be leaving Washington state...the good thing I can say about Washington is that I-5 goes south.

I've been looking for a motorhome ....an RV. I know what I want ...so I just have to find it. At first I thought, for the last 42 years, I wanted a trailer to pull behind a truck. But.. Knowing that all dreams, plans and journeys are not always pleasant.....

I have always wished for a big decrepit house on an acre or so. That's all. Nothing special. Now, I know that will never happen. The world has changed so much in the last 5 years and it won't be set right again in my lifetime. All the hard work done by my parents and grandparents, The New Deal, has been destroyed.

The whole reason we can even buy a RV and drive it around, is because people pay taxes and build roads, parks, fund Highway Patrol/Police so we can feel safe...So that we don't become Mexico with 100% corrupt politicians and police, and drug-infested cartels that roam the cities and country and murder hundreds of people a month...and don't forget. Poverty. So thanks for voting for the very people, the Republicans, and their failure in letting "the market" control goodness, those that hate community and the Social Contract, and everything good about America. Except profit.

So....on to the search for the right RV. I'll come back to the RV chat many times. So much to know! Looking for one and I'll know it when I see it !

an RV in tiny versions....a tootsie toy

...Here's some sweet pics from around the interwebs of inspiring rvs and nice interiors. It's important to know what I don't want....no cutesy, no Marilyn/Betty Boop/words of Inspiration decals/no Coca-cola/no Diner....So Done..Done! Also, I love authentic vintage decor....but I don't want that.....day after day after day after day.....

(look at grandma vacuum!) photo from

More like the way I decorate in my home.....

Winnebago RV made in Iowa.

Even Barbie likes to RV it !

so the huge plaids and dirty orange carpets will be the first to get tossed out. Also, say bye bye to the built-in dinette benches and fold up half-table. Out! A real couch, and a real table with real chairs. Add in a composting toilet, then the propane oven and the stove top will go too...Only a heater will remain...to run on propane maybe. Very little cooking will happen in my portable home. I'll use a camp stove...or cook outside. ....And solar panels will be added to be able to boondock more, rather than always be tied to an RV park...tho I've got nothing against them at all. I love them!!

I've been doing a lot of research.
folks who RV full-time seem to break down into 4 groups:
1)A lot of Christians/Mormons. Jesus wants you to live in mobile home.
2)Bums. Homeless. The Slabs.
3)Retired old people. Retired young people. (yuppies who have kicked the corporate job/or fired with a nice package)
4)Hippies. Weirdos. The Self-employed.

For seeing how the middle class and yuppie types in general do the trailer thing,
.....you can go here: Tin Can cottage Blog
for a jumping off spot to see the cutesy wootsey kind of campers and trailers and generally man-repeller design. As cute as my Xmas cards.

Here's a cute trailer...Light on over-decoration.....Darcy and Paul's Shasta. yes, a man lives here too!

So while the vintage Trailer bunch is growing in popularity, and is quite huge with trailer meets and such............the vintage RV group is more sedate and more male. ....but, it is growing ....More people are finding the vintage RV's and motorhomes and fixing them up, and beginning to attract a younger crowd, and more folks with kids. I think the extra room and the ideal of living in them full time is a big draw.
Even the websites......are vintage 1997!
Dedicated to classic Winnies and vintage RVs

Great RV forum

so our last camping trip was the best ! and including the car camping trip to California last September.
tho the tent...is comfy but now that we're getting older, we want a unit that's self-contained. We want to pull up to a spot and have it all at hand. No more setting up the tent, unpacking, blowing up the bed, getting out the camp stove, the ice chest, the folding table and chairs......I do love my tent, and my pretty bed....

the inside is always cute and cozy......just the way I like it !

Best Costume for the Day

2011-12-26T20:56:00.001-08:00

there's a lot one can say about getting dressed....Warmth, not getting arrested for indecent exposure, comfort, and function. Lots of women dress (or undress) for attracting a mate, a date, or Mr. Right Now.

and well, Matt Dillon. hubba hubba.
I have mostly dressed for function, and then, Imagination!

I start with a theme in mind, and choose colors and a style to fit whatever dream, movie, object, nightmare...I woke up feeling like ....

the violet of the night sky....

the Moon........the sunflower..........
whatev'

Allow me to explain.
Once, I wanted to be the sky. Oh sure, dress in Light Blue, you say. done and done.
It's not that easy, Jeff.
With me, I made a pair of pants from rainbow stripe fabric, and then topped it with a white fluffy angora sweater. so yeah...... fluffy white cloud...and a rainbow. True. Story.

I mostly dress like a mash-up of Miss Havisham/Morticia/Laura Ashley/a boy. works for me.

With this dress, clearly, some spider earrings, a pair of tall black boots and a little handknit 80s cardigan in black angora.

Other days....oh you know. Amelia Earhart.
Sailor.
Elf.

Beach bum.
English professor.

Tank Girl's mom.

So, I'm only a bit ashamed/proud to be an out and out follower of Disneybound tumbler and on Pinterest.
They do exactly what I do, and have done as far back as I remember...that is, I dress my mood and I don't give a flip what's in or out of style. I stopped following anything in a fashion magazine one day when I found out that wearing Cover Girl make-up and Yardley's Twiggy Slicker lipstick, did not turn me into Penelope Tree or Twiggy ..(what is up with the English naming people for objects? I like it !!)

photo from Dedicated Follower...

Here's some of my current faves from Disney Bound !

Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer.

Storm Trooper from Star Wars

Sam the Snowman from one of the Best Christmas cartoons ever made !

The Vintage Doll for a Vintage Christmas Dream

2011-12-22T17:10:00.000-08:00

Can't we all just get along?

A 1946 combination live-action and stop-motion animation film by the Czech brothers Borivoj Zeman and Karel Zeman. Originally titled Vánoční sen, it was dubbed in English for international audiences.

via mentalfloss

Archive post from July 2008

2011-12-22T16:36:00.000-08:00

There are actually about 12 vintage and retro clothing and accessories sellers on Vintage Row....in Tacoma.....
yeah it used to be Antique Row.....but times change !

Yup come on Down!!

And Hot Rod A Rama!!!! is August 1 & 2 ....
Yippiee...come on let's celebrate the death of middle class car culture...and the LIFE of Outta Control Lowbrow Hot Rod Kulture.......

Summer wardrobe got the blahs? I got lots of fresh new stuff I just put out and.....Wednesday...come and visit
Lots of stuff for guys too....vintage cowboy shirts, holey jeans...and a few cons left.......

Archive Post December 2007. Back to Happy times....

2011-12-21T20:53:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite blogs..Lulus vintage..did a lovely post about buying vintage for Christmas.....great advice for any holiday or birthday.....
Now on to Biba ..one of my favorite clothes designers....here's a vid..

And by way of Senorita Hollywood comes word of an article on Biba in this month's BUST ....

and take a trip to 60s London.....

McQuay Norris, USA. weird car

2011-12-12T20:34:00.000-08:00

photo from

This is a 1934 McQuay-Norris Streamliner. Only 6 were built, and were made to be test cars and a promotional vehicle for the McQuay-Norris Company of St. Louis, USA, which manufactured car parts, that a mechanic needed to rebuild a car engine or body.

The 6 tiny cars were made by Cincinnati, Ohio's Hill Auto Body Metal Company. Using a stock 1932-33 Ford V-8 chassis and engines, they are made of steel sheet metal attached to wood framing. There's no rear windows or windshield wipers...so they had to be driven fast !! to roll the rainwater off the Plexiglass windshields.
To see behind, there are rear-view mirrors mounted on either side.
The McQuay-Norris cars had bigger-than-normal tires, and McQuay-Norris engineer George E. Leutwiler related that, "These cars were easy to drive, but they had some peculiarities. For instance, you needed good shocks or the car would dance around a lot, because of the donut tires. In those days most of the roads were nothing but gravel."

There's only 2 left, and 1 belongs to Hemmings Motor News.
Read lots more here.

photos from

Why did I need to know this? I snagged this neat tshirt...The neon cobra is awesome enough....and a google search brought me all this info....
Neon. Cobra. Deadstock 80s vintage t shirt !! McQuay Norris

Vintage 80s T shirt, deadstock.

Decor, vintage style.

2011-12-07T16:52:00.000-08:00

about the only thing I really miss about having a shop ....is...display !

It's all junk...old boxes, milk crates and old books...leaves, acorns, sticks, cookie cutters,vintage photos, bones...just making displays with my junk and the things of the daily life..... My kids will back me up on this...I love the old wood crates! I never "moved on" and bought new furniture except for a new couch from time to time and mattresses....I love using what I find on walks, and finding free stuff and shopping the yard sales and junk shops.

"If it ain't junk, it ain't much"
the display started like this... and then it grew...

The light up snowman seems pretty rare in the holiday blow-mold light-up universe.
Here's a flickr stream of lovely wacky blow molds....I'm far from the the only one who loves them like crazy.....

Union Products of Leominster, Massachusetts, was known as the "Plastics City", hired Don Featherstone to create fun blow mold decorations starting right after his graduation from Worcester Art Museum’s art school, in the mid-50s. We know him best as the creator of The Pink Flamingo in 1957. Union Products closed in 2007, and the flamingo molds were bought by HMC International LLC and are now made in New York.
Polaron, Union, Bayshore and Empire were some of the best known American companies that made the weird and wonderful light up blow mold decorations.
Reaching its hey-dey in the 60s and 70s, the blow mold decorations were in every middle class home. Easter bunnies, Santa, snowmen, angels, and the rare Candlesticks...a pair of which I had at the shop. This faded Santa was a fancy part of my "Jews in Miami Beach" theme I used in my 2009 xmas display in the shop on Broadway, and now sits in my front yard ....
I never wanted you to mistake FunkomaVintage for an ordinary boring store....I like to say " I'm a dinner and a show!"

here's how he started life...

2 light up toy soldiers....from my shop display....

crazy Easter bunny...and also from a shop display....

and of course, my pride ! Dracula by Don Featherstone....

and 2 Don Featherstone pink flamingos ...flamingii....

and an Empire Pumpkin and cat.....

Using my stacked crates, I keep the few cookbooks I use, a few gardening books, and my bird identification book, with binoculars handy. There's a stack of Polaroids, a Mercedes hood ornament I found in the yard when I was digging a patch for sunflowers last spring.....maybe the whole car is buried in back yard!

The old canning jar was a beach find...it's covered in sea dirt and tiny barnacles. The white ironstone bowl is full of beach glass and other sandy finds, with a square of old barkcloth.
There's a Santa I made about 15 years ago.....and I think 2012 will find me making dolls again. Rolled up is a length of rustic canvas punched with grommets and cords.......I'm pretty sure it was used to cover a furled sail on a boat's boom. Helms alee !

Button Up Your Overcoat

2011-12-04T21:14:00.000-08:00

it's cold....so button up your overcoat...or your jacket...or zip it !
The song Button Up Your Overcoat, was written in 1928, a singing lady makes a plea for her fella to stay warm and healthy!
"Button up your overcoat,
When the wind is free,
Oh, take good care of yourself,
You belong to me! "

It was recorded early in 1929 by singer Helen Kane. Kane's little girl voice was the inspiration for the voice of cartoon character Betty Boop, who used Kane's famous catchphrase Boop Boop a Doop !

I bet these girls have cold legs...don't forget to wear pants !

whether you like wool, plaid, twill, denim, a letter jacket, or a wool sport coat....I can hook you up!

2 classic 50s jackets, in a red/black twill, and a zipper front Black Bear shadow plaid....

'74 Letter jacket...

Sears 70s denim with a fake sheepskin lining....

vintage Harris Tweed

50s fleck tweed wool jacket....

and for the ladies... A black wool cape with a long pointy elf hood & ...

...this beautiful 60s mohair and mouton ivory wool and fur coat from Roos-Atkins, a very high-end California department store.

Silky black real fox, a 40s jacket, a very glam noir classic...

a vintage 60s red wool coat, a sweet basic that can be dressed up with a big fluffy muffler, or a tie-on fur collar....

And now, a little Hard To believe...tap-dancing to Button Up Your Overcoat.

BUTTON UP YOUR OVERCOAT
(DeSylva / Brown / Henderson)
Helen Kane

Listen, big boy,
Now that you got me made,
Goodness, but I'm afraid,
Somethin's gonna happen to you!
Listen, big boy,
You gotta be hooked, and how,
I would die if I should lose you now!

Button up your overcoat,
When the wind is free,
Oh, take good care of yourself,
You belong to me!

Eat an apple every day,
Get to bed by three,
Oh, take good care of yourself,
You belong to me!

Be careful crossing streets, ooh-ooh,
Cut out sweets, ooh-ooh,
Lay off meat, ooh-ooh,
You'll get a pain and ruin your tum-tum!

Wear your flannel underwear,
When you climb a tree,
Oh, take good care of yourself,
You belong to me!

Button up your overcoat,
When the wind is free,
Oh, take good care of yourself,
You belong to me!

When you sass a traffic cop,
Use diplomacy;
Just take good care of yourself,
You belong to me!

Beware of frozen funds, ooh-ooh,
Stocks and bonds, ooh-ooh,
Dockside thugs, ooh-ooh,
You'll get a pain and ruin your bankroll!

Keep the spoon out of your cup,
When you're drinking tea,
Oh, take good care of yourself,
You belong to me!

Don't sit on hornet's tails, ooh-ooh!
Or on nails, ooh-ooh!
Or third rails, ooh-ooh!
You'll get a pain and ruin your tum-tum!

Keep away from bootleg hooch
When you're on a spree,
Oh, take good care of yourself,
You belong to me!

*****

you gotta fight for your rights....

2011-11-28T19:44:00.003-08:00

While this picture has fired up the righteous outrage over US police brutality....and rightly so...I confess that I was also quite transfixed by the poor protesting girl wearing Levi's and LL Bean Boots.... and now, maybe it will be the Go-To wardrobe choice for protesting in America when one is expecting rough anti-Constitution conditions, or hunting in the woods....or anywhere the words "Don't worry, I'm going to spray these kids down." may be spoken with a lackadasial air....this combo is a standard in my wardrobe.
infamous/famous photo credit: Brian Nguyen/The Aggie.

"Introduced in 1912 for navigating the wet, muddy Maine woods, these boots have been appreciated for over 99 years." So says the most current catalog of LL Bean, and shipping is free!

Made in America, In Maine, the Maine Hunting Shoe by L.L.Bean Inc. of Freeport,ME.
LLBean is one of the many labels I always buy......because I'm trying to raise the level of usability and do it with style........
You can change the world if you refuse to buy CRAP. If you buy things that are quality to begin with, you tred lighter on the earth. Quality will last. And refusing to fall for every stupid fast-fashion 3rd world manufactured crap....you can create a serious style, based in ethics and smartness.....
The Pacific Northwest, the West Coast has its own style....mostly rugged, but not afraid to be stylish and fun....
Oh sure these boots are from Maine...but Levi's are San Francisco, California, USA. Born, bred, designed, invented, and until 2002, sewn there too..... I only deal in the Made in USA Levi's...because I only deal in quality.
The back pockets of Levi's have the trademarked arcurate stitching...which looks like the pocket stitching (I think) on the butt of the poor unfortunate protester girl.

...and to show that indeed I do have a Sense of Humor....here's a great little article about the history of Levis in San Francisco, otherwise and sometimes knows as Baghdad By The Bay....(I ooze irony and satire)... in the Wall Street Journal.....the Wall Street, those kids are all kinds of pissed off about...a little movement we revolutionaries like to call OWS. The kids in the UCDavis protest had more to do with a crazy tuition increase, but it is all connected...the destruction of the American economy trashed the budget of California....leading to, (maybe) a huge tuition increase at public universities....or they could have taxed rich people more....

The beloved Levi's jeans....and a staple of covering my butt sartorially since the 50s....
"Levi Strauss & Co. has been innovating since 1873, the year we created and patented the world’s first blue jeans. And while that patent has long since expired, our commitment to innovation continues. Throughout our long history we’ve inspired change in the marketplace, the workplace and the world. We invite you to take a look at our proud heritage."

Why LL Bean? Why Levis? Quality. Longevity. No Fads. No Trends.

If it has leather and a buckle I'm
probably wearing it......
I have worn out a few pairs of LL Bean boots...a few pair of lace-up calf high boots, and most recently ..a pair of LLBean mocs that I wore for the few years I gardened pro-style on the water for the Rich People.
I just passed them on to a thrift, so the next person could buy them for a couple of dollars and have the rubber replaced for about 25 bucks. Yes, these are items that are Fixed. Repaired. To wear again.

This is a weird concept in the throw-away culture that has boomed in the last 25 years. I'm glad I'm old enough to know what life used to be like...and I'm thrilled to see the very beginning of a turn-back to the ways of buying quality and not spending every penny on crap clothing.
Of course, giving you excellent quality things is what funkoma vintage is all about. I don't deal in the stupid fast fashion......Every item I deal in ...has to be something good.

I'm a classic-sturdy-quality-tomboy clothes nerd.
I love rubber, and stitching and leather, and canvas, and rawhide, and denim and wool, and tweed and corduroy....
So can you imagine my delight when I found these last year?
a LLBean boot with a belted buckle across the vamp.

I love them better than the lace up kind or the mocs...and I lurve them....
I don't know exactly how old this style is...that resembles an Engineer or motorcycle boot....I'm gonna guess 80s or 90s tho.
And that's the deal with The Classics.

Because the style changes very little over time, it can be hard to date.
At the very bottom of this post is a little video to watch of the real LLBean factory right here in the USA.

Here's more more more on the Pepper Spraying Cop and the 'shopped photos that ruled the internetz for a few days, and has its own tumbler....

rustic and then we move right to the plaid

2011-11-27T22:56:00.000-08:00

take a beat-up old license plate and make something of it!

Vintage Wyoming License plate clock

It's recycled....a vintage license plate that once rode on the bumper of a Wyoming truck.
Love that bucking bronco and the cowboy with his hat in the air. A perfect clock for the Wyoming native, the man cave, or the cowboy who lives in a condo.
Deep gold metal vintage license plate, brown cowboy and horse, with a new clock movement. It's in rustic condition.
**********
It runs on one AA battery. You can hang it from the hook on the back or thread a rope thru the holes in the plate, that once were for screws....
I have a few other plates that I'll make a clock with if you'd rather have....
Maine, Montana, Arizona, Minnesota, Wisconsin, or Washington state.

more handmade goodies....
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
http://www.etsy.com/shop/thatyountvillegirl

Clock Lobster

Rather have Arizona? I can do it!

Lots of Levis coming this week....One pair of new old stock....

Plaid...

and another US Navy pea coat...

and now...a delighful poem...

Mambo Cadillac

by Barbara Hamby

Drive me to the edge in your Mambo Cadillac,
turn left at the graveyard and gas that baby, the black

night ringing with its holy roller scream. I'll clock
you on the highway at three a.m., brother, amen, smack

the road as hard as we can, because I'm gonna crack
the world in two, make a hoodoo soup with chicken necks,

a gumbo with plutonium roux, a little snack
before the dirt-and-jalapeño stew that will shuck
the skin right off your slinky hips, Mr. I'm-not-stuck

in-a-middle-class-prison-with-someone-I-hate sack
of blues. Put on your high-wire shoes, Mr. Right, and stick

with me. I'm going nowhere fast, the burlesque
queen of this dim scene, I want to feel the wind, the Glock

in my mouth, going south, down-by-the-riverside shock
of the view. Take me to Shingles Fried Chicken Shack

in your Mambo Cadillac. I was gone, but I'm back
for good this time. I've taken a shine to daylight. Crank

up that radio, baby, put on some dance music
and shake your moneymaker, doll, rev it up to Mach
2, I'm talking to you, Mr. Magoo. Sit up, check

out that blonde with the leopard print tattoo. O she'll lick
the sugar right off your doughnut and bill you, too, speak

French while she do the do. Parlez-vous français? So, pick
me up tonight at ten in your Mambo Cadillac

Chile, Argentina, Peru. Take some time off work;
we're gonna be a lot longer than a week

or two. Is this D-day or Waterloo? White or black—

it's up to you. We'll be in Mexico tonight. Pack
a razor, pack some glue. Things fall apart off the track,

and that's where we'll be, baby, in our Mambo Cadillac,
cause you're looking for love, but I'm looking for a wreck.

"Mambo Cadillac" by Barbara Hamby, from All-Night Lingo Tango. © University of Pittsburg Press, 2009.

Random Message

2011-11-22T14:06:00.000-08:00

Pug pillow, from Nicola Rowlands, see him here on etsy

Print cute stuff ,from mibostudio , see them here on etsy

Octopus in the wine, from Dellamorteco see them here on etsy

Keep your head warm in Valkyrie style, from Everett Washington etsy seller, FairlyEnchanted

Vintage Black sparkly silver knit gloves from Sydney's Vintage Clothing

Favorite video of the Day...

A few of my favorite men things...

2011-11-16T22:24:00.000-08:00

When there's Red Wings, when there's belt buckles, and plaid cowboy shirts.....I simply go look at Brown boots, Levi's and safari shirts....these are a few of my favorite men's things....

like the song says.....

Willis and Geiger. Hemingway wore shirts like this. nuff said.

source.

Old school...the real good stuff from the 70s, not like the crap made today.

More stuff of legends..... Red Wing Boots at funkomavintage

Cashmere scarf... handmade from a recycled cashmere sweater.

Men. Men. Men. Vintage men.

Men. Men. Men. Vintage Levis, and an LL Bean jacket.

Today

2011-11-16T12:21:00.000-08:00

sittin' in the Chrysler
Listening to Liza
Gaying off with the hand sanitizer
You're no wiser
you're a miser
you're a Neo-con in a diaper.

You a swiper
a coniver.
You'd rat off your brother for a fiver.

Sell out the country
soft and crunchy
funky monkey
Power junkie.

You're so lucky
you got all the money.
We're gonna get it back
sonny
come Monday.

It ain't funny
gonna do ya like
Quaddafi
It ain't gonna be pretty
Hard times in the city
ain't life shitty.

(c) 2011Mark Schindele

The bride/party girl/housewife/gardener wore black...

2011-11-14T19:26:00.002-08:00

this week...there's a lot of black.
I like black. a lot. It's always right....here's a few looks from around the internetz, and then the new stuff in my shop...Including a jacket modeled on the suit that Marilyn wore when she married Joe DiMaggio in San Francisco in 1954. I got married in San Francisco, but I wore an antique lace 2 pc set I made myself...mmmm..must scan those photos.

....if I had to wear only one era, it would be, with no hesitation the 20s. Jazz Age, Roaring 20s....ha cha cha ! some of my favorites are the Gish Sisters, and Louise Brooks, and of course....Chaplin.

The Gish Sisters, Lillian and Dorothy, with a friend, Richard Barthelmess.

Theda Bara with a skeleton.

-------------------------
a leather top hat.....I used to make these in the early 70s....

Cute 1969 pattern

from my new shop update...

this jacket is like the one Marilyn wore on her 1954 wedding day to Joe. Her's was a brown suit with a mink collar....but it was made up in black wool, mostly, with mink, fox or rabbit collars....so cute !

this pic is from the San Francisco Examiner newspaper

deer dear

2011-11-11T16:42:00.000-08:00

deer are so cute...who doesn't love them? gardeners perhaps... they eat the lovely flowers..especially the roses. When I lived in the country, I tried so many methods...tying bars of Irish Spring soap to the roses and trees...fences...wire cages...Nothing worked until Mark peed around the perimeter of the yard.

Inside at the Deer’s Head diner in 1938, the long counter with round stools, tile work, and stainless steel trim completes the look, a design that still dominates at most diners in New York today.

source

vintage kids deer sweater

deer mitts

deer antlers

deer shadowbox
from etsy seller, Other Such Nonsense

Supayana deer top
from etsy seller Supayana

Bambi

Handmade is the Ultimate Luxury

2011-11-08T19:17:00.001-08:00

the latest from the hand of me.

Fox pine green cashmere mitts, trimmed with black buttons...
and basic pine green cashmere mitts, with black lace.

Barkcloth, lace, and a bit of cashmere in a little hat. Cute button.

Cashmere and cotton hat.

Scarves.

Trees.

glittery blue angora scarves....

a restyled vintage bracelet of silvery winter leaves....is improved with keys...

Save The Dates

2011-11-08T09:07:00.003-08:00

The world is a lovely place....you may have noticed this. I've assembled a few garden pictures in a 2012 calendar...and you can buy one!
no pressure.
The cover is a picture of the guerrilla garden I made in downtown Tacoma in the fall of 2008 when I had my shop. I used bricks found in a parking lot, and I jumped the cyclone fence, cleaned up the garbage, stacked the bricks, hauled in soil, planted jonquils, daffodils, tulips, crocus....pansies, primroses and lots of flower seeds.
I watered it when needed with a bucket of water I carried across the street from the shop. In early 2009, the city of Tacoma ripped up my street and the rest is history. The garden was a miracle of small proportions....Beauty in the midst of abandonment....something sweet in the middle of a ruin. When I left the bldg. in May 2010, the garden was destroyed by vandals and stupidity.

I didn't tear down to build up...I made something from nothing. There was nothing wrong with my old street, but rich people demanded a new street, so the city destroyed many small businesses, so one big corporate business would sign some papers.
Doesn't matter. I have the pictures. I did something besides commit commerce.

I included pictures of empty trees and a lone crow.

I included pictures of the first Spring harvest of radishes.

If you like it, you can order one from Zazzle, using the link up on the right side.
I'll also be listing them in my funkomavintage shop on etsy.
Free, with each calendar, is a small hole. You can hang it on a nail, or tie on a loop of string, and hang it like that if you prefer. It will work either way....

I have close-up pictures of pear blossoms, Iceland poppies, and my bowling lady from an old trophy, that I had installed on the hood of my 1979 Mercedes that we ran on biodiesel.

I included one picture of a huge sunflower and the deep summer sky, from the row of sunflowers I grew along my front fence. And a picture I took of a wild strip of woodland hyacinth in a very ritzy neighborhood in the North End, posing with Mark's vintage bike.

I will probably make another calendar of just my sunflowers, and postcards and greeting cards of other pictures I have.....I have a lot of pictures. ;-)

There's homegrown tomatoes, and a tomato blossom..... A lovely day in June...so rare.
14 pictures....each one, suitable for framing....and keeping track of the days of your life.
It goes by fast.

Harris Tweed mash ups

2011-11-01T07:57:00.001-07:00

One of the many reasons I sell vintage, is because I know what good quality is....and isn't. Funkomavintage loves the good stuff. Long before the "heritage, classic, old-school" trend, Levis, Harris Tweed, Filson, Pendleton, and LL Bean, are just a few of the labels we always try to have in stock. Not because we are Label Snobs, but because these companies made, back in the day, and mostly, now too, the Good Stuff.

It's so good, that even if the jacket is damaged, I buy it and turn the gorgeous fabric into something else....like this lacy tote bag....by thatyountvillegirl

One of my most fave finds is anything Harris Tweed. Since 1846, this wool fabric has been woven in the weavers homes in Scotland on the small islands using local wool and local dyes. Things have changed very little over the decades, except in our modern throw-away world, Harris Tweed is having a tough time. But I say, why buy one crappy Gap jacket that will pill and fall apart in 8 months, when you can have a beautiful coat that will last for many many years.
As wikipedia says,
Harris Tweed (Clò Mór or Clò na Hearadh in Gaelic) is a cloth that has been handwoven by the islanders on the Isles of Harris, Lewis, Uist and Barra in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, using local wool.
Traditional Harris Tweed was characterized by subtle flecks of colour achieved through the use of vegetable dyes, including the lichen dyes called "crottle" (Parmelia saxatilis and Parmelia omphalodes which give deep red- or purple-brown and rusty orange respectively).^[1] These lichens are the origin of the distinctive scent of older Harris Tweed.^[2]

High quality fabrics, simple classic style is the best luxury. Yes, they cost more when new, but you won't have to keep replacing your clothes every year. That's value, That's luxury. And...it's the ultimate way to Live Green and be conscious of your Footprint on the earth. If you spend wisely, wear it well, and are comfortable and look good...I don't know what else you need ! Family, good friends, and tasty healthy food, quality spirits and hand-crafted beer....yeah, That's the Good Life !
Here's a few of my favorites in Harris Tweed now on Etsy.

Cute Purple Harris Tweed Coat
Look at the cute cute collar, and the cute cute Scotlander label with a bagpiper ! "Quality endures like tradition"
Yep.

Hey look, here it is in Harris Tweed pink !
Another cute Harris Tweed 60s coat in Pink.

From a seller in Scotland, a fine example of a classic Harris Tweed blazer.
This snappy fella sure dispells the idea that classic heritage is dumb and dowdy ! Check plaid pants, a plaid waistcoat and a simple white shirt and a pocket hanky...and lots of awesome attitude.

Here's the latest Harris Tweed tote bag made from an 80s blazer. I used a jacket pocket with its flap as a ....pocket ! Accented with lace, and lined in a canvas print, it's sturdy, and really has tailored menswear for the ladies vibe.

Mash-ups from Vans, Nike, Schott, North Face, J Crew, Marks & Spenser....and there's even more !
From Sneakernews is this fun mash-up between upstart Nike and grampy Harris Tweed in a sneaker from 2010.
".....with brown molded leather on the toe, a leather-wrapped midsole, and Harris Tweed on the upper as well as the tongue....available at CaliRoots.

Take look at this ! I love motorcycle jackets too... American classics are they. Schott, the maker of the Marlon Brando-style motorcycle black leather jacket that drove the squares crazy, has used Harris Tweed to make this motorcycle jacket.

"... from Schott NYC. For Fall 2011, their classic Perfecto Jacket will come in a check pattern Harris Tweed.
Photography: Highsnobiety

.....another mash-up, from used-to-be-good North Face, Houndstooth Harris Tweed, in a parka, a vest and a backpack.

How about a whole blog about Tweed ? sign me up !

More Harris Tweed.... from Bathing Ape.
... jacket, high top sneakers, slippers, a down vest and a cushion, which are all styled in a traditional checkered fabric."

and the New Dr. Who....oh yes, in Harris Tweed. geek mash-up with grampy !

2011-10-23T18:10:00.000-07:00

there was not enough time to see everyone and go everywhere...but here are a few pictures....that mailbox in St. Helena is the house I lived in when a precocious 5 yr old.....
where I went to Kindergarten and where I lived in St. Helena.....
places in Yountville....the graveyard where I spent my days and nights....and where family is buried....
where I played...where I lived....
where I walked....
the Veterans Home....
family.

What I've made lately....

2011-10-16T21:46:00.000-07:00

Scary....Skulls....Pirates...Dead....hey it's the Witching Season.... so get some scare on....
all the Zombies need Fashion and Style everyday!
Carnival
Circus
oh yes!
Not just for Halloween..

Gray knit with sheer black skulls and bones....Sheer jersey scarf is printed with burnout Skulls and Crossbones ....
Long lightweight jersey scarf in gray and black has fringe and wraps and flutters .... LAST 1 !!

Shiny black knit with silver metallic Pirate skeletons, swords, skulls and bones....Silky jersey scarf is printed with shiny sparkling silver pirates smiling skulls and bones ....Wrap once or twice, tie or let it hang....Long lightweight jersey scarf in black has fringe and wraps and flutters ...

Like teeth? Cameo? Creepy?

Yes a tooth.
Ceramic tooth, from a dental supply, is a creepy cameo...
On a metal adjustable ring, plated with sterling silver, is a scalloped circle of vintage black lace, and....
a tooth...and unlike most other adjustable metal rings, this one hides the adjusting area....
and no pinch!
It can adjust from a size 5.5 to about a 10.5.

Still not creeped out? Like a laugh?

handmade fabric pins...DEAD.....witches....brooms....handbags and shoes....bones....teeth....all in thatyountvillegirl shop!

and some melted zombie leggings.....

How to Occupy without leaving the couch....

2011-10-16T14:47:00.002-07:00

well, almost.

It is time, again, to tell the Rich people and the Rich corporations to bugger off.
Here is a short history of what was done to repair the damage done by the Rich who caused the last Depression....too.
These small changes will cripple the large corporations, and grow the smaller companies and small local business.
Remember... Be the Change.

Corporate greed is the problem. Politicians are the enablers.
1. Stop voting Republican. oh sure Democrats are not so hot sometimes and surely screw up...BUT it is the Democrats brought you (a short list) 40 hr standard workweeks, Unemployment insurance, Work place safety regulations, Clean Air, Clean Water Act....all of these were opposed by Republicans,and they still do. Demand more from Democrats because Republicans now (they didn't always) support the huge corporations and no one else, ever.

2. Move all your money to a local Credit Union. Why? Your money helps your neighbor, and stays local. Banks, especially big banks hate you and send your money to God knows where ! Also, a Credit Union will lend you money for worthwhile projects or buys, if you have anywhere's decent credit and will help you keep and get a good credit rating. This link will take you to a Credit Union locate tool.

In other words, they care about you, because they are small. Need a refresher?
Watch "It's A Wonderful Life" for a 2 hr crash course on greedy bankers vs. community.

George Bailey: Just a minute... just a minute. Now, hold on, Mr. Potter. You're right when you say my father was no businessman. I know that. Why he ever started this cheap, penny-ante Building and Loan, I'll never know. But neither you nor anyone else can say anything against his character, because his whole life was... why, in the 25 years since he and his brother, Uncle Billy, started this thing, he never once thought of himself. Isn't that right, Uncle Billy? He didn't save enough money to send Harry away to college, let alone me. But he did help a few people get out of your slums, Mr. Potter, and what's wrong with that? Why... here, you're all businessmen here. Doesn't it make them better citizens? Doesn't it make them better customers? You... you said... what'd you say a minute ago? They had to wait and save their money before they even ought to think of a decent home. Wait? Wait for what? Until their children grow up and leave them? Until they're so old and broken down that they... Do you know how long it takes a working man to save $5,000? Just remember this, Mr. Potter, that this rabble you're talking about... they do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community. Well, is it too much to have them work and pay and live and die in a couple of decent rooms and a bath? Anyway, my father didn't think so. People were human beings to him. But to you, a warped, frustrated old man, they're cattle. Well in my book, my father died a much richer man than you'll ever be!

3. Stop shopping at huge, corporate chains unless you absolutely have to. Buy from the small local hardware store, the local department store, boutiques, second-hand stores, vintage stores, antiques stores, local drug stores, and buy second hand whenever possible. You will live without Target and Lowe's. And you will get personal service and make friends !

4. Buy more organic food, and buy more locally grown food. When you buy food that has been grown with chemicals and insecticides, it's poison, and you eat it. Literally. When you buy food grown within a few hundred miles of your home, it is fresher and you support Local ! There's a reason Farmer's Markets have become immensely popular. The food tastes better, and once again. Local ! Buying food that comes from thousands of miles away, the food has been altered to be "shippable" and it doesn't taste good. It looks like food, but it almost isn't....food. It tastes like the paper bag you put it in.
Also grow a garden. Even a little bit. Healthy food makes healthy bodies.

Slide Sideways graphics company.

5. Take public transportation, or bike or walk as much as you can. Cheaper. Better for the environment. It's pretty stunning how far ahead Europe is on this issue. Stop giving trillions of dollars to the Oil companies. Support electric transportion. And make sure your electricity is Green, or moving towards Green.

These 5 changes in your life, might sound Hard ! No, they are not ! I've been living like this for 5 decades. I have a house, a car, and lots and lots of stuff. I live without very much guilt about the damage I am doing to the Planet. I'm not perfect. Don't worry.....

Be The Change .....

Chunky Browns...

2011-10-08T09:31:00.000-07:00

Rustic. Practical. and good for Lookin' Good !

Irish Setter boots 60s Red Wing's
yup. coming soon to the Etsy shop.

a Northwest autumn...along the Snohomish River.

Bronze sharkskin 60s jacket...smart !

Armani stripe shirt, early 80s. Soft cotton in orange rust and camel tan...Old fashioned collar ...turn of the century !! last turn of the century style ...that is....in my website funkomavintage store

Beautiful quality wool plaid shirt. It's button-down..60s vintage...you don't see this everyday.

an old farm house a lovely photo by AmandaRaeK on Etsy.

Soft brown leather skirt....longer length.....Perfect with Boots !!

Adorable vintage tweed suit....always a perfect choice for strolling along the path of heathers.

Soft cream and camel striped vintage scarf.

Soft brown leather boots....classy !

Suede Bass bucks.....the preppy classic.

Short brown leather boots.....a must-have...match with short socks and a calico dress and relive the happy days on the farm...

Small calico print 70s cotton dress...

Acorns...Brown Leaves...All Autumn...

2011-09-28T14:38:00.001-07:00

all in the shop...

vintage Brown leather skirt...

New jewelry in thatyountvillegirl shop....

Tomatoes...ripe ripe ripe...

2011-09-27T21:24:00.002-07:00

Well it took them long enough....finally the last week of September !! oodles of tomatoes are ripening in my garden ! Yippee !

I am in love with the plumpy fluted curves.....so adorable.
I never ever buy out of season tomatoes....and only buy vine ripened in season, when I do buy...This means I will go without tomatoes, if I don't grow them myself.

Above is a Cherokee Purple......and below, is a very unripe Cherokee...

I planted Cherokee Purple for the taste and the color and odd bumpy shape, Mr Stripey because, it's called Mr Stripey, and the sweet tart flavor...... a Willamette typical round salad tomato that has a short season and so I thought it would ripen in mid July....Ha ha ha ha ha ah aha.
And also...Brandywine, which is long season.
What was first to ripen? Cherokee Purple !

Now they're coming about 4 to 6 a day.
I'm eating them as fast as I can...I slice them into quarters, and sprinkle them with pepper....
Cherokee is definitely a favorite for the look...and the taste....and when you slice them sideways .....they're red and green inside !

Here's a clump of Mr Stripey.....these ripen to stripes of deep pink and yellow....

Here's 2 Willamettes....pretty normal supermarket type tomatoes...they do taste great tho..........and can you find the Cherokees....I bet you can !

Look at the beauty of this little Japanese eggplant......and behind it in shiny red, is a Romanian Sweet Pepper.
the cap on the eggplant looks like a Fairy's cap !

...Oh these little peppers are sweet and spicy and amazing eaten chopped...raw, or sauted lightly......that seems to intensify the sweet taste, and the little edges become charred....
Just heaven!

and now....Guy Clark sings a little ditty he wrote about....
Homegrown Tomatoes....

It's getting spooky in Here......

2011-09-25T16:59:00.000-07:00

Havin' a ball Y'all......making some spooky things.
Who has old teeth laying around? I do.
I'm enamoured of cameos....so the oval frame, and with the teeth ..comes a little morbid anatomy...a little taxidermy....gothic Jewelry.
a silver-washed adjustable ring I added an oval black lace cameo, and a ceramic tooth...a fake tooth, from a dental supply.
Effective....
Spooky Halloween Tooth Ring with black Cameo Lace

I adore this quality ring...I searched high and low for a lovely thing....I love the baroque designs all around the ring....
and unlike most other adjustable metal rings, this one hides the adjusting area....
and no pinch!
It can adjust from a size 5.5 to about a 10.5.

what else has thatyountvillegirl been crafting?.....
Creeepy !

Circled with a black lace ruffle, the witch fabric pin is great for an October accessory.
Handmade from silly fabric, this witch is wearing her skinny black pointy shoes.
She balances on her broom.... She's So Fly !

Victorian anatomy pin is a perfect accessory for the morgue.
Handmade pin is made from printed cotton fabric in black with bright yellow bones. It is topped with a black and white satin ribbon bow....and ends with swinging fringe. A cute skeleton fancy yet primitive pin to wear this time of year.

Spooky. Creepy. All together ooky...

Whether or Not, Sweater Weather

2011-09-22T21:08:00.000-07:00

Sweaters....Jeans...loafers...flannel shirts...Hi Autumn !

co-eds in jeans, sweaters...and loafers. From the Life Magazine archives.

Jeans....rolled cuffs....

Long sweater with a big cozy cowl....

Big Plaids and mocs.

Vintage Pendleton plaid shirt

Big Red Plaid 30s 40s wool hunting jacket

Cordovan vintage tassel loafers....

Vintage Bass Weejuns

2 tone Cole Haan vintage Tassel loafers....

Pretty sweaters and tailored skirts.....

Pink vintage Balenciaga Angora sweater

Autumn floral calico skirt

Vintage wool stripe pencil skirt

Mary Jane and Peter Pan

2011-09-18T16:54:00.001-07:00

cute shoes with a strap or 2 or 3 or more across the foot...that's a Mary Jane shoe. And a small collar ? That could be a Peter Pan....which is usually just a small rounded collar...But you know, if it's a cute little collar....it's charming !

Vintage Calico Blouse Blue Floral cotton Peter Pan collar

Peter Pan collar, adorable style with a wide button-down collar, a sweet green floral print and long sleeves.

70s Calico dress Vintage boho Floral smock dress

Who Wore It Better ?

2011-09-14T21:33:00.001-07:00

I know, that because I work in "fashion" that I'm supposed to drool all over The Fashion Runways, and those shows on TV about Fashion...YUK ! I don't really care about what's new, or Missoni at Target...I do enjoy vintage fashion shows...and denim.
I really am annoyed at those insipid "Who Wore It Better" things that bombard my face every time I look at the news on teh internetz....

Here's Billy Bob and Angelina...wearing Levis and not anything else.......I'm thinking they wear Levis better....

But here's the Best "Who Wore It Better"....have a laugh !! It's a cute slide show on Huffington Post, comparing people who are wearing...clothes. Everyday clothes. Totally Safe For Work. No worries....

Here's some Levis, and other denim in my etsy shop, or to be added soon....50s side zip jeans, 70s Navy denim swabby jeans....Levis.......and Coming to the website store...Very Very vintage US Navy utility pants, and a US Navy chambray utility shirt....

50s Side zip Denim Jeans !

US Navy denim swabby jeans !

And Look ! Chambray Canvas Big E Levis Shirt !

Here's a great vintage satchel....books, lunch, fashion ....more Levis...it will all fit inside....
;-)

And some Great fall and winter separates.....Wool skirts , Plaid skirts , Houndstooth skirt , ....a vintage Dalton Cashmere Sweater........

Pretty vintage blouses....

Vintage Wool skirts....

and pretty calico cotton....

The sound of wind in the corn....

2011-09-11T08:59:00.000-07:00

State Power, Lies and Fear. Lewis Lapham explains 9-11

2011-09-11T08:47:00.000-07:00

I wish we only had to memorialize the victims on 9 11 2001, but Bush used 9-11 to enrich his friends. More than 6000 U.S. soldiers have now died in the 2 wars, twice as many as the terrorists killed on 9-11. Countless civilians, and thousands of other soldiers have died since the Bush Administration invaded Iraq and Afghanistan..

It was a load of bullshit, meant to make the US become closer to a Police State, and to increase profits of the Oil Companies using the chaos the US caused in the Middle East. What did you expect from 2 Oil Men?
9-11 has been used to make money and reduce civil rights.

Bush/Cheney...both Oil men, both with many friends in corporate America who would make huge profits in the War Machine....Halliburton....Blackwater....Defense Industries...Bankers... Insurance Companies...they all made huge profits. Lies about Weapons of Mass Destruction........The 2 wars have now cost so much that it has bankrupted America, and along with allowing Bankers to do anything they want to make profits.
America ate it up. Rah rah Rah.
Fear did it.

Canadian DAY 6 program, with Lewis Lapham.
This is an interview with Lapham, from the Canadian Broadcasting Company, in which Lapham, being the grandson of US Oilmen, and Politicians, and Yale and Cambridge educated, knows the true underbelly of American political power.

---Lewis H. Lapham is an American writer. He comes from the moneyed class, the Oil money of American aristocracy, and is a Preppy Yalie.
He was the editor of the American monthly Harper's Magazine from 1976 until 1981, and from 1983 until 2006. He also is the founder of the eponymous publication about history and literature entitled Lapham's Quarterly. He has written numerous books on politics and current affairs.
His great grandfather,also named Lewis Lapham, was a founder of Texaco. His grandfather Roger Lapham was mayor of San Francisco. A son of Lewis A. Lapham and Jane Foster, Lapham was born in 1935 and grew up in San Francisco.
Lapham was educated at the Hotchkiss School, Yale University, where he joined the literary society St. Anthony Hall, and Magdalene College, Cambridge.

In 1972, Lapham married Joan Brooke Reeves, the daughter of Edward J. Reeves, a stockbroker and grocery heir, and Elizabeth M. Brooke (formerly the wife of Thomas Wilton Phipps, a nephew of Nancy Astor). They have three children.

Good underwear is how to begin the Day !

2011-09-08T13:35:00.000-07:00

Go to bed in a vintage nightgown....and then, start your day with vintage lingerie....a vintage bra, and vintage panties, and a vintage slip under your suit or pretty dress....men too. Silkier than those cotton Hanes! I guarantee......

Pretty panties, 50s vintage nylon and lace and ribbon....

60s silky Goddess nightgown....

adorable baby blue 40s nightgown with lace trim....

70s yellow nylon panties....full cut granny panties !

Stunning micro Pleats Vanity Fair 50's red sheer slip ..

Longline vintage cotton bra...back to the basics !

Cute pink nylon, 50s vintage nightgown....

60s plunging Black lace underwire bra....so Mrs. Robinson !

and what to wear over the sexy vintage lingerie.....
Well, a vintage 60s Leopard Coat !

A Real Working Class Hero

2011-09-05T14:04:00.002-07:00

Because Americans keep voting against themselves, we now have this unemployment mess.
Since 1980, voters have been moving towards Republicans, with delusions of quick wealth and becoming victims of fear-mongering about "Welfare Queens" and the "Undeserving" stealing your hard earned tax dollars going to lazy malingerers. You've been lied to.
Republicans and capitalists and corporations never give a crap about Jobs....They want to get as much work out of you with as little pay as possible. And they want to pay no taxes...Taxes are for Workers to pay !

When greedy layoffs happen, the workers that are left behind then have to do even more work, and become burned out. A healthy corporation does mass layoffs only to grow profits for shareholders. And, do workers have investments or 401K's...not many. On one hand, those middle class workers that have investments might benefit when corporations cut jobs, but, those same middle class workers might see their neck on the chopping block and be out of a job...and no investment is worth that.

Democrats have tried to wring Worker protections, unemployment benefits, job training, education benefits, and other considerations from the powerful in order to protect the American worker from exploitation. The New Deal in the Roosevelt admin in the 1930's changed the power balance in America. The New Deal was branded by the rich of the time as disasterous !

Yet, the greatest prosperity ever witnessed in America was from the late 30s thru the end of the 90s, when the attack on the worker began in hyper-speed against all the gains that were made.

Cigar makers in Florida in the 30s

US corporations cut their work forces in the US by 2.9 million during the 2000s while increasing employment overseas by 2.4 million, new data from the U.S. Commerce Department show.
American jobs and factories were closed and re-opened in China and 3rd world countries around the globe.

Unions have come under massive attack. Worker rights have been repealed. Incomes fall. The rich rejoice ! They told you they wanted to end The New Deal, and they have just about done it!

The New Deal

What is bizarre is that when you ask Americans if they like Social Security, job protections, environment protections, and Medicare, they always say Yes ! Yet, they vote against these programs when they vote for Republican candidates who represent Corporate Fat Cats......
Unions and worker rights organizations stand as a bulwark against the power of mega-corporate power.

Not all Fat Cats believe that sucking the blood from workers is right, and some believe it is destroying America. Warren Buffet said this in 2006, "There’s class warfare, all right,” Mr. Buffett said, “but it’s my class, the rich class, that’s making war, and we’re winning.”

Beginning in 1980, Americans began to dislike unions because workers were manipulated to think that all unions were corrupt and were not protecting workers from exploitation. Reagan fired the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization in Aug 1981.
He did this to let workers know, they better not ask for good working conditions, better wages, and benefits, or Else!
That union, PATCO, was decertified in October 1981, by the Federal Labor Relations Authority, and Reagan decreed those striking workers could NEVER be rehired as an Air Traffic Controller.

Union buttons.

The history of unions shows a violent suppression by powerful money interests.....corporations, banks, insurance companies among them.
If you have benefits, vacation pay, sick days, worker training, unemployment benefits, safer working conditions (OSHA, environmental laws) THANK THE UNIONS !
They marched and fought and were murdered so you can have rights at work.
To see workers turn their back on the very institutions that give them hope and dignity is one of the most disgusting trends in America I've witnessed in my 56 years. Racism is on its way out of our culture only to be replaced with hatred of workers, by workers themselves !

Wisconsin Teachers
Yes, this is the enemy.

It has been well documented that people have been voting against their own interests.
Fox channel, Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann, Rick Perry, George Bush, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh...these people represent the RICH, and lie to you to undermine your faith in yourself and your fellow human.

Until we return to the days of Worker Power, we will never solve our recent unemployment problem.
If you have an hour, please spend it here, listening to this program, for a quick history of workers in America.

Woody Guthrie

Mad Pop Art Mod 60s Cocktail Party

2011-09-04T20:15:00.001-07:00

Wanna have a party as Wild as Marisol Escobar's mid-60s artwork?
This ain't no Mad Men party! The mid-60s was sophisticated, artful, mod and intoxicated not only with crazy cocktails made with liqueurs, but with the ever-rising income and prosperity because of the New Deal that placed emphasis on workers income, health, and opportunities for minorities and women.

The Cocktail Party by Marisol Escobar

"The group consists of free-standing figures and a wall panel with painted wood, cloth, plastic, shoes, jewelry, mirror, television set and other accessories. It was executed in 1965-6 and had a modest estimate of $400,000 to $600,000. In the mid-90s, it sold for $912,000, including the buyer's premium, shattering the artist's previous world auction record of $131,200. In the 1960s Marisol quickly catapulted herself onto the New York art scene , armed with a precocious talent and an aura of mystery and cool chic that mesmerized her earliest admirers, but which would later became a catalyst for her critics.
Even the typically laconic Andy Warhol quipped that Marisol was 'the first girl artist with glamour.'...Marisol's sophisticated aesthetic immediately linked her to the new Pop Art movement, but her work remained in a category of its own, displaying a myriad of influences from sources as diverse as Pre-Colombian art and Surrealist imagery. Even today, Marisol's art resists any linear curatorial reading."

Wild hot Pink floral print vintage dress is sassy with its black empire waist and Huge bell sleeves. Unusual colors in a big print, make this vintage dress an eye-popper!

Big bold red and brown flowers and tree pods make a fantastic fall dress. Marimekko-style print vintage dress is a wild jungle print with a spare modern style.

60s green Party Dress Vintage Mad Men style

Cocktail recipes....

The Old Fashioned Cocktail

Prepare and serve in a short chunky glass
1 lump cube sugar
1 or 2 dashes Cocktail Bitters
1 dash seltzer
Muddle sugar until dissolved
1 jigger Rye, Bourbon or Scotch Whiskey
Chunks of cracked ice, add a splash of soda water
Garnish with twist of lemon peel, 1 slice of orange, 1 maraschino cherry.
Serve with highball spoon.

The Classic Martini

2½ oz gin
1½ oz dry vermouth
3 green olives

Rinse martini glass in dry vermouth and pour out. Shake gin with ice until chilled. Pour into martini glass. Add olives...like 4 or 5 on a pick.
I like a Vodka martini, with a twist of lime...no gin, no vermouth...OK..wave the bottle cap over my drink.

and this is so yummy...

The Brandy Alexander

¾ oz cream
¾ oz brandy
¾ oz dark crème de cacao
Nutmeg

Pour the liquors and cream into a mixing glass. Shake and pour in martini glass. Garnish with a sprinkle of nutmeg on top.

bad bad cocktail invitations.....the early 60s were not culturally sensitive...yet....
so let's watch some sexist I Dream Of Jeanie !

dirt + seeds + water + Time

2011-08-30T09:14:00.000-07:00

The waiting is the hardest part....

Ready for my scene ! pop open now...

corn seed + sky + tassels = corn coming soon

big gourd...from the view of a 2 year old child

baby pumpkin

dusted with pollen courtesy of the Bees......morning glory as an August sunset

Hurricanes and America & the President you pick

2011-08-28T21:12:00.000-07:00

I keep this vid handy. When I feel depressed, that my vote won't count...I watch this and cry. I know that George Bush and all his racist rich friends...and his clones Rick Perry and Michelle Bachman and Mitt Romney all look at Hurricane Katrina and blame the black people and the poor white crackers for being dumb, for being poor, and for having faith in a country that promised them liberty and equality.
What America is under all the prettiness is this murderous neglect...on display during Katrina.
That the American govt over- reacted to Hurricane Irene is because we finally have a President and a government that finally gives a shit...a govt. that hasn't given a shit since Jimmy Carter.

The people of New Orleans were sacrificed...were murdered by the Bush admin...the undeniable racism is best seen raw...in the comments that Barbara Bush makes at the end of this video. That, folks, is racism.
This vid is from Zadi, known as karmagrrrl.

from NY Times---
"Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast with devastating force at daybreak on Aug. 29, 2005, pummeling a region that included the fabled city of New Orleans and heaping damage on neighboring Mississippi. In all, more than 1,700 people were killed and hundreds of thousands of others displaced."

Like spending on Office equipment....

2011-08-25T13:30:00.000-07:00

because it is...it was.
New keyboard with the letter u U. yes...no more keeping it on a clipboard. Expect many capital U's from now on. Don the Tinfoil Hat if yoU have issUes.

Then, hell, let's jUst (sorry)...pull all the info off and reload Windows. Yeah, let's do that. Done.
Load in all the programs that I lost.
The good news is I'm good to go for another 2 years or so before I replace my old workhorse here.
so here's some pretty pictures.
new listings very darn soon too !

Cherokee Purple tomato....yUm !

here's the bottom of the tomato....and the inside of the tomato....
no need to tell you that this is what heirloom tomatoes look like....now that we're all up to speed on that!
that's the PSP box.....nice dinner out and a long visit with Colin and chatting about hot sauce and his new digs...and the lovely Jennifer....

When I wasn't taking pics of the garden, I was laying around on the beach...and hangin' with my canoe. and I cleaned my whole house....mopped floors even. Next week....painting....

my corn is 8 feet tall !

gourd !

finally, my first Morning Glory....now I get 3 or 4 a day....

the beach fence with the nasturtium climbing along......

The lily in the garden

2011-08-20T22:18:00.000-07:00

I planted a few lily bulbs in pots last spring...and they have been so amazingly gorgeous !
big waxy petals....orange pistils with velvety pollen...almost otherworldly.....I'm hooked ..I'm planting more more more next year...

here's the buds.....and the sedum Autumn Joy...that they look so perfect along side.....

pale pink.....

these are Oriental lilies.....easy to grow....just plant in the sun in soil that's good garden soil, and that drains well.....no sogginess or they'll rot. Lots of sun but not a hot spot, or they'll fry. Some afternoon shade will make the blooms last longer than 2 or 3 days.......

Sedum Autumn Joy ...tiny blossoms in the large floret umbels......

White......
after bloom, leave the stalks and the leaves to build up food for next year. I'm bringing the pots inside the garage to overwinter in dry conditions.....and then repot in fresh soil next spring.

and....the bird feeder...from the cat's eye view.....that's a chickadee butt

Just a song before I go....

2011-08-16T21:25:00.005-07:00

I've listed some new things over at my website store. All that is fresh and new....eventually all of funkomavintage will be there....Here's What's New !

60s green pleated Party Dress Vintage Mad Men style...
My goodness I love this !! so Mad Men! this makes me smile...Can you imagine this at a party...What Fun ! Lovely color...Martini Olive color...perma-pleats (a personal fave)...fun..flippy...mini party dress. I show it with a 60s chain belt, but for fall and holiday parties, I think black accessories are fantastic....and around December....wouldn't Red things look so Festive ! Red shoes, red belt and a big poinsettia flower pin in your hair. Yeah ! Jingle Bell rock....

and some sexy shiny shoes....50s black patent leather stiletto high heels...

so yeah, leaving etsy in the next few months....ugh. What the f is wrong with people. Jeez, betrayal is so bad. me no likee....so a song...about leaving.

Summer flowers make a summer dinner....

2011-08-13T16:31:00.001-07:00

Is there a greater joy than growing your food....harvesting it....cooking it right there outside....Opening a gift of dreamy wine, and toasting to the real Good Life.
Money can't buy this...this perfect meal.....well, OK, a little money for seeds and a few weeks of time, right?
You cannot get this kind of delicious meal, this satisfaction at any restaurant.....many try, and they fail.

A shasta daisy from my front yard....and a lily from a pot sitting in the side yard....

the beautiful shady blues and sunset lavenders of a mophead hydrangea.........

And ...a little bit lily.....and a little bit edible beauty.
Here's a garden variety basil.....
and an Alaska nasturtium........both of these can be eaten.
The basil of course.........but less well known is the sweet nasturtium. So delicious and so pretty, that they are a major aphid magnet. I plant them with abandon.......I always want a lot of them around to use as garnish, to put the blossoms and the pretty peppery leaves in a salad, or in a sandwich.

The Meal from the Home Garden......

The beauty is that...you've grown it yourself.
Second best is....buying fresh food from the farmer...
Third best is ....buying fresh food from a trusted market...
Fourth best is.... buying an expensive meal made from fresh-grown food.....
and all other meals are perfunctory....
Hell is McDonalds and all their brethren.

The first zucchini.........

Sliced and sauteed with a small onion straight from the garden.....a little oil....a splash of red wine as it is almost done cooking......outside on the little bbq grill..........this is High Living !

Hey look ! it's an orange nasturtium blossom in my martini ..........
and a tiny tomato that I knocked off when watering... I took a bite of it...hey, it was pretty good!

Condiments....and good red wine....
I love Mezzetta pickled veggies....from the Napa Valley....
Yeah, I know.

yum !! There's a veggie burger in French bread....

Before you get zucchini....you get big yellow flowers.....some are boy flowers....some are girl flowers.........and you get boy flowers first, and lots of them.
Often, a tiny zuke will start to grow.....and then one day when it's about 3 inches long ....it gives up because it doesn't grow and it rots....because it didn't get fertilized by bees with boy pollen. Sound familiar?

Get busy you bees !!
Hey look it was a Sunny day and the lady took yer picture.....

The next day we picked this many peas....and Mark shelled them all......some we ate the next night for dinner.........and some we froze to eat another day.

A couple of days later, the sun was hiding so we ate inside....Another zuke and a few small onions from the garden.....and frying inside on the stove...........not quite as good as eating outside.......but hey, I'll take it !

frying.....

this time, a cool white wine....a plate of spaghetti....and those delicious zukes.....

yes, so when this happens in the garden at the beginning of the season....don't fret. In another week there will be some girly zukes and then the boy zukes will do their thing. and they'll grown big like....baseball bats.......

Summertime and the Living is Lazy....

2011-07-27T17:51:00.002-07:00

Knee high by the 4th of July....I planted corn, gourds, sunflowers and a few other sweet things out front because I'm a country girl....

You can stand in the yard and watch it grow! It's increased about an Inch per day !
.....now....it's shoulder high....the sunflowers are about ready to bloom....& I have a few tiny little gourds....and the corn is growing fast !

above, that picture is from 4th of July........below....it's the end of July.....

Gordon the gourd......

I planted these things along the front fence for cuteness....and I wanted to give the passers-by something interesting to look at....and I do see folks turning their heads and doing a double-take....Yes, that's corn...and sunflowers....

and I just can't wait for the gourds and the baby pumpkins to get bigger and start coloring up in September......
I hope that will put a big smile on everyone's face !

When not watching the corn grow as high as an elephants eye.....
I've been shopping for vintage, and making handmades for the second half of 2011.

For the fall and winter, and the holidays I'll have lots of new kinds of jewelry, note cards, post cards and a calender, all made from my photos.......& when I'm not at the beach......
.....I'm spending the next few days making a new workspace in the garage for picture-taking & painting, and a little seat room for relaxin' and chillin' in the dreary winter months....

Just outside the kitchen door are pretty flowers, basils, mints, lemon verbena, lavender and thyme, and nasturtium leaves and flowers to eat....

Fuschias, dusty miller, Alaska nasturtiums, lobelia, alyssum, pansies, lilies, geraniums, calendula, Shasta daisies, cornflowers, salvia, weedy dock, basil, heliotrope, lavender, mint, thyme, a sedum Autumn Joy I've had for 9 years in this same pot, and a rosemary in a vintage coffee can are all planted in pots and in small flower beds.

I love how the creeping charlie cascades down and around the simple single fuschcia....

a view from the front to the back on the south side......

Because I'm a renter, and can't do anything real permanent........I did 99% of this years garden with annuals from seed, and a few vegetables from the farmer's market, good ol' Fred Meyer, and Ace Hardware....
Let's compare ! here's the same view last October....

Let's go swimming....

2011-07-16T18:09:00.000-07:00

grab your suit and let's go !

Here's a selection of vintage swim wear...from funkomavintage. Or you can just skinny dip. Whatev'

Gonna take a sentimental journey....

2011-07-16T17:19:00.002-07:00

I'm going back to the 70s.
That was the last time I was really truly happy. We knew back then all would get better. We had ended the Viet Nam War.....We had routed Nixon, and then elected a man who was a farmer and wore sweaters like Mr. Rogers.
We'd just signed the Clean Water Act, The Endangered Species Act, The Clean Air Act, and we knew we were gonna have a future with solar panels on every roof, a vegetable garden in every yard, and civil rights for everyone!
And then some of you assholes elected Reagan, and the Republicans decided to destroy America with 10000% greed. Fuck clean Water, Public Parks and clean Air. Fuck civil rights, Fuck good wages for the working class, and send 98% of the money up to the Rich fucks.

Privatize everything, because a Corporation always has a citizen's civil rights and happiness as their First priority....fer instance.... all food McDonald's serves is good for you! Spilling oil in the Gulf is good for the planet !
Yeah, I'm going back....Catch me if you can....I'm going back.

Denim, embroidery, leather sandals, fruits, nuts and granola, and bell bottoms.
Government was embracing the future and making huge social changes and ending war. That was then, and today we have the Republicans and the Tea Party that want to destroy America so the rich can get richer. Their ignorance of American History is really frightening.

Here's my kids...All from the 70s. Yup, that's the last time I was happy. When I was a young mom. I loved it. Now my kids are big, and I have grands.

See, they're big....

After we had lunch at Antique Sandwich, we met back at my house, the Tiny House.
We chatted and chatted, and then Mark and Mike went off to Guitar Maniacs and Mike bought a vintage guitar, and there was Miles...working the store.

Lunch at Antique Sandwich....Shayne isn't in these pics...he was still at work.
Jan taking a pic of Penny while Annie smiles ....

Annie, Ruby, Mike, Jan, Penny's head.

Ruby made a face in her drink....and made a real big Lego thing.....

Then.....once back at the house, I brought out the big big box of family pictures and we went thru them and laughed and told stories and tales on each other.
I told them to take bunches of family pics, and I need to make so many copies before I let them go....but most of them, the family pics...I want them to go to the kids.....I only want a small box left. It's their life now.

-------------------------------------------------------
Nils Logren sings the Goffin/King song "Goin' Back".....catch me if you can, I'm going back...

GOIN’ BACK
by Gerry Goffin & Carole King

I think I’m going back
to the things I learned so well in my youth
I think I’m returning to
the days when I was young enough to know the truth

Now there are no games to only pass the time
No more electric trains, no more trees to climb
Thinking young and growing older is no sin
And I can play the game of life to win

I can recall a time
when I wasn’t ashamed to reach out to a friend
Now I think I’ve got
a lot more than my toys to lend

Now there’s much to do than watch my sailboat glide
And every day can be my magic carpet ride
A little bit of freedom is all we lack
So catch me if you can, I’m going back

A little bit of courage is all we lack
So catch me if you can, I’m going back
Going back..........

Grilled Kale....

2011-07-10T19:31:00.001-07:00

so, I had lunch/dinner at M + M's home....they always put on a good spread and the beer flows like watah!
I love meeting their friends....we always have lots in common. Which is not the most profound statement. Of course...friends of friends have lots in common....Fun ensued!
So, Wolfie's mom made Grilled Kale. Yes. Why had I never thought of that before?? I love love dark green leafy veggies. I want you to eat...turnip greens, endive, poke salad, dandelion greens, kale, broccoli leaves....They are soooo good for you and they taste so good.

So, Wolfie's mom is also Mrs. Bluebeard's Coffee...(which is almost an oxymoron/thing).....anyhoo...she grilled Kale. It was so damn good. It really brought out the deep sugary taste and relieved any tendency to bitterness that can sometimes rile up deep dark greens.

She just put the kale on M's grill and that was pretty much it. She made a dressing of tahini, sesame seeds, mayonnaise, lemon juice...and a bit of oil I think, if I remember correctly....
Here's a recipe...for the non-believers like ME!

So I got to hang out with nice Tacoma people, and their sweet kids and babies. And drink beer until my head started to hurt ...and I needed to go since I'd left my doggie at home for hours and I didn't want his bladder to burst or to leave me a Present in my sewing room....blech.

Bluebeard Coffee...Tacoma....

and..guess what else....We have this service here now........Doorstep Veterinary Medicine, Kathryn Cutting, DVM.
Yes, that's right, Kate will come to your home and fix yr pet/children/things with 4 legs.
Is Tacoma awesome...Or What !?

moving the stuff around....

2011-07-10T13:09:00.000-07:00

so much to do in July....all the things I wanted to do in January, February, March, April and so...get crammed into July....Stupid snow/rain...so many things I would have done, but snow/rain got in my way........
reorganizing. mowing the lawn. having morning coffee outside. watching the scrub jays in the morn, and the swallows in the evening.
and the beach. always at the beach. soon my skin will have the patina and texture of a pair of old work boots.

continuing along the theme of wrinkled and old.....as in burlap sack. My mom was from Idaho. and there's an old joke......Twin Falls Idaho, where the women are scarce, and the sheep are nervous.

Right now, I'm designing jewelry, clothes and other cute things for late summer, fall, autumn, halloween, holidays, christmas, winter....
Inspiration.......

these 2 pictures are from Desire to Inspire. If I had log cabin walls, I might paint them white too. I don't think I'd hang a dead moose head over the couch tho....and I bet it's fun to watch people knock the yellow lamps with their heads....WTH is going on with that design decision ?

I like the little gray dining room below, because it uses simple things, sparingly and artfully. Good style does not require a lot of money. Everything in the picture could have come from the thrift store. By sticking to one color, with white, and one accent color, it can be the formula to good functional style.
There's no doubt this room cost a pretty penny...but it didn't have to.
The "I'm broke and using junk" decorating style is in my DNA and I can do this in my sleep.

Major Summer Sale

2011-07-07T10:24:00.000-07:00

funkomavintage on etsy is having a half-year sale.
Major Summer Sale says "Move out Fashion soldiers!!"
If you've spied something, now would be the time to pull the trigger (er, the Paypal), and bag it!
From 7 -7 thru 7 -11, it's 30% off.....use Coupon Code MAJOR30 at checkout.
Summer goodies & winter goodies. Vintage kids, Vintage home decor. Whatev'......

Just Beachy

2011-07-06T18:58:00.001-07:00

I spotted this little wire and white-painted cedar fence at a yard sale last week and I thought....That reminds me of...something.........
Other than granny's old-fashioned yard, it evoked a ...memory.
After I hammered it in....it dawned on me....
It was a miniature version of a Beach Fence !
also known as a sand fence it helps to trap sand and stop erosion, all while looking very cute.....
Sand, waving dune grass, seashells, driftwood, the salty air....
well, if I can't have waterfront property....I can have the waterfront fence !
Missing a few slats....but only 50 cents !

And ... a little pictorial tour around the blogosphere........

Montauk beach fence

From the neotraditionalist bloggy

Sco u ting New York bloggy

Nauset outerbeach bloggy

Americana....Happy Birthday Stephen Foster

2011-07-03T15:57:00.004-07:00

America is a dream.... where everyone can get a pretty good life if they only work hard. Of course this is not true. Every human that has ever lived and doesn't lie to themselves....Knows that luck has a lot to do with having a pretty good life.
The dream of freedom, the dream of rewards, the dream of equality, the dream of balancing laws with liberty.....America is a work in Progress.

All over the globe, people love our Americana. Our American songs, our American inventions....and our dreams. Levis, cowboy boots, fast cars, baseball, apple pie and Moms.
I love to find vintage Americana, because I love to honor the hard work, ingenuity, and good luck of things made right here in America.

While we most associate America with success stories, like Levi Strauss and J.C. Penney, there are other stories of hard work, talent and perseverance that do not bring money or glory.

---- Levis vintage 501 jeans----
Levi Strauss invented the modern blue jean made of indigo-dyed cotton denim, beginning in 1853.

A quintessential American story, that details the more common tale of a hard-working American talent, is the fatalistic short life of the beloved and other-worldly talent possessed by Stephen Foster, who wrote some of the most iconic American songs ever penned in America's 233-ish years.

Stephen Foster was born on July 4, 1826 near Pittsburgh. He composed the popular music of the day in the middle of the 19th century. He wrote minstrel songs and sentimental songs and possessed an immense inborn musical talent.

His family's servant took the boy to her church on Sunday, and he was introduced to the minstrel and the working class songs of the black culture. As a child, he was greatly influenced by the music he heard in the Pittsburgh church the negroes attended in segregated times in the North. This led to his belief that his writing should show negroes as human beings and not just as caricatures. It was very important to Foster to end slavery, to make America a place of the promise of equality.

---- JC Penneys vintage 60s shirt ----
Opened as the Golden Rule store in Kemmerer, Wyoming, 1902.

Oh!Susanna was written in 1848 when he was 22, and sold for $100. (The California Gold Rush would start the next year, and Oh! Susanna became the "theme" song ! The Gold Rush helped Mr. Levi Strauss invent the blue jean, he called "waist overalls").

The next year he contracted with Firth, Pond & Co Publishers, and wrote Swanee River. In 1850 he married Jane MacDowell, and they had a daughter. In 1852 they visited the South, Foster intent on becoming the best Negro minstrel song writer. Foster's only songwriting income was the royalty on sheet-music sales since there were no albums, no radio or iPod. He earned about $15091.00 during his life and very little from performances of his songs. Eventually he sold all his rights for about $1900.00, equivalent to nearly $46,000.00 in today's dollars.
Stephen Foster's song royalties would be worth millions today. The profits from his immensely popular songs went to others.

In the 1850's, Foster's wife left him, his best friend died and both his parents died. This song Hard Times Come Again No More, was written in 1854.

Being an artist and not a far-thinking CPA or MBA, in 1857 he fell on hard times. By 1860 hard times ravaged his morale and he sank deeply into alcoholism, and went back to New York City and lived with his wife and daughter, who left him the next year.
During the Civil War era, he wrote many more songs and handed them to his publisher for a small amount of money without a contract. The uncertain economic times, left music publishers unable to pay a fair amount to artists. Stephen Foster lived in poverty and died a pauper in 1864 at the age of 37.

He penned about 200 songs, often writing both the lyrics and music.
A very short list:
Hard Times No More, Swanee River, Camptown Races, Nelly Bly, My Old Kentucky Home, Oh! Susanna, Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair, Beautiful Dreamer.

---- Converse ----
Converse sport shoes began when Marquis M. Converse opened the doors of the Converse Rubber Shoe Company in Malden, Mass., in 1908.

Bathrooooooms

2011-07-01T21:20:00.002-07:00

bathroomi.
It's prolly the KILZ. That's some heavy duty nasty killz-me chemicals. But if we want a pretty bathroom, one must suffer.
First the Kilz, then the paint.
So, drugged from the chems, I goooogled "bathrooms".
This is the first pic that showed up on gggggoooogle images. Google knows me. Google knows what I like.

from Brad Feld. He is rich and invests in companies and lives in Denver. And likes bathrooms. We are a great match.

House Beautiful has a slideshow.
as I scroll thru I see stripes. I see Toile. Big fan of both.
But, I won't (maybe) combine them in my bath decor. Hmm, we'll see.
The other thing I think about...is that...I can't change anything. I'm stuck with what I have. My stupid tub. My nasty nasty sink cabinet. All of it.
I'll never have a home again where I can change things. This is not a happy feeling. Therefore I obsess on the things I can.
Paint.
Towels.
Curtain.
Soap.
Mirrors.
Pictures.
Sublimation.....The Renter's best drug. Next to Vodka.

English style.
That table turned into a sink cab....is really dumb. It looks all wrong. And I do not like sinks on top of the counter. Splashy splashy. Clean, clean, clean. But other than that...pretty cute.

It's snowing flowers....and one random dude...

2011-06-29T16:38:00.001-07:00

The backyard on a sunny day.....green grass, the beans and sunflowers are growing....the lobelia, fuschias and geraniums are making pretty colors....Of course, it's not growing fast enough for me....the green grass is growing fast tho....
;-)

Here's the lovely locust trees in full bloom.........it looks like white wisteria....and they are cousins in the flower world.......Pea relatives....they are........and they have a gentle fragrance.........
they look harmless, eh?

and then the wind blows....... the rain falls....and we are in a flower storm!
that white stuff......millions of little white pea-shaped blossoms......

And on Tuesday, Mark and I were weeding and mowing, and dude was just walking down the street playing his guitar.....He must have been at least 113 years old....

Painting is coming up

2011-06-27T21:56:00.001-07:00

and how do we know this? we picked our bathroom wall color that's why. What color, pray tell......hmmmm, it's this but with a lot of white. It's a little color I like to call...."Chocolate bar left on the dashboard and then put in the freezer". It's mostly that freezer burn White but with some chocolate stirred in for warmth.
It may make me lick my walls.

I love the color in my living room. So, same thing, but....pale pale pale.
My color here, is from Ace Hardware, the color is Truffle. (food)

The color I want doesn't have a name. I'm buying some eggshell Ivory paint, and then drop in some of that chocolate/freezer/burn color....a bit like this below.... Safari. So me.

The curtain across the shower will be raw silk that I used on the couch. I'm making a driftwood mobile to hang over the shower. Painting the golden oak and the light fixture.....White-ish.
No pics yet, but I did take some Befores. Here's a peek.....a door stop of driftwood.

-----------------------------------------------------

These 2 pics came from My Fave and My Best. I don't really like her modern Jonathan Adler/LA/modern/glam thing.......and I'm pretty sure she hates burlap (which I love!), but I like her bravado.(Jonathan Adler has it easy ...since all he does is re-do the 70s, yawn. Not the 70s (awesome) but that he just copies it and makes Bank)

Someone asked her, Jenny at MFAMB, to write a book. Wow. Since she cusses worse than me (yes, it's true), one might think she shouldn't write a book......but she's writing a book. I know I'll never get someone to publish the books I'm working on, so I'll have to self-publish, but that isn't gonna stop me from working on them.

What I love about the bedroom up there ^^^ (which is gonna get an update too), is the burlap, duh, and the white and the green. I hate that stupid hanging lamp thing, which I'm seeing on a lot of happy shiny bloggies. I think it's IKEA. OK, I like it, but it's not for me.

The living room below.....has stripes. One room in the house....the bath, the living room, the kitchen, or the bedroom...is gonna get some stripes....Trust Me.

Home Obnoxious Home

2011-06-27T11:31:00.000-07:00

so, there's this new blog/photo/thing.....you take a pic from your past and go back and take the same pic again.....Dear Photograph.
Oh how much has changed.....Yes, you can go home again...but it always hurts. (meaning "pain, ache")
This is why we call it Nostalgia ---
from the wiki entry --
The word is a learned formation of a Greek compound, consisting of νόστος (nóstos), meaning "returning home", a Homeric word, and ἄλγος (álgos), meaning "pain, ache". It was described as a medical condition, a form of melancholy, in the Early Modern period, and came to be an important topic in Romanticism.^[1]

Definition of NOSTALGIA

1
the state of being homesick : homesickness

: a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition; also : something that evokes nostalgia

— nos·tal·gic adjective or noun

— nos·tal·gi·cal·ly adverb

— nos·tal·gist noun
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Let's Play.....Here's my mom and dad, me, Jan, and Fritzi in mom's backyard at 2020 Monroe St, Yountville, on Easter 1973.
Simple. Poverty Acres. Somethings to sit on. A barbeque. Quiet. Trees. Weeds. Affordable for the working class.

yeah, I'm 19. Notice the little locket on a chain.And the authentic buffalo toe sandals from India. My mom's Keds, and my dad's hippie watchband. Jan's cuteness speaks for itself !

so, then my mom was taken by my sister. Then my sister, her MBA son, and blonde daughter owned the house (surprise!) and then some bigger douchebags bought my moms house and built this....
The furniture on the left side is about where my mom is sitting. Dad is sitting near the open doorway. Jan and I are behind the fountain. (scoot us all backwards a bit)

The "casita" on the left is the size of the house my mom lived in.........the abortion on the right side is about 2700 sq ft. The Real Estate listing says "The stone walled courtyard, fountain, outdoor kitchen, fireplace & saline water lap pool are ingredients for the good-life."
The Good Life , asshole rich people, is to care about your Carbon Footprint. And Not taking up the same amount of resources of a small African country. For the rich to bastardize Aristotle's, and Helen and Scott Nearing's simple meaningful life philosophy....Is more than sickening...it proves the rich are both illiterate and uneducated in the Classics.

It sold eventually for about a million & a half dollars. Asshole douchebags have this Much Money because they slashed your job, lowered your wages, and denied your right to organize for higher wages, so they have 98% of our money. And this is what they do with it. They build grotesque mausoleums to their banality and lack of care for anyone but themselves. Narcissism. It's the Disease of the Moment.
"Narcissism is the personality trait of egotism, vanity, conceit, or simple selfishness. Applied to a social group, it is sometimes used to denote elitism or an indifference to the plight of others."
Yeah, Dear Photograph, going back is gonna hurt.
But think of the material I get to work with when I move back home....to the Napa Valley.