The Recycled Life

Continuing on reusing and reclaiming, we bought this old tent last summer and since it came with no poles, we saw.....Tote Bags and Aprons!


Last summer was long and warm and dry....just how I like 'em.

Found the tent....and laid it out to cut it to usable strips and shapes.....

The product testing phase.....how will waxed cotton wash? It washed the color and most of the wax away!

A few choice stenciled pieces will find their way to tote bags, market bags, and a few aprons too.

Here's the old nail bag.....

and.....the finished bag....perfect for toting groceries, your CSA share......or a ukelele....

I really like how the old nail bag makes the perfect place to stash stuff on the outside.... and other stuff inside, secured with an unused old stock 40s military metal zipper.

that sucker is sturdy!

the tent had yellow twill ties to fasten the tent to the poles....so I reused them for the zipper pull, and to tie the nail bag closed and on the back, I made a loop to hold the nail bag ties....just for fun!

Here's where the cutting and planning and sewing happens....inside.

working on smaller ones too.....recycled leather, and vintage redline selvedge denim....

How to Occupy without leaving the couch....

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 .....

Get happy at the Farmer's Market...meet friends...

you've only seen on the computer screen!

It must be the smiling people, the real colors of nature, the mouth-watering food....You Know local grown food is gonna taste better....

I haven't had a real garden for almost 3 years! how sad is that? I've lived in places that didn't have a yard, so I gardened in pots and did some Guerilla Gardening. This year, moving to a home with a big yard was #1 priority. Of all the things I do, I love gardening the most, so the last 3 years have been torture I tell you !!
Do you love gardening? Or do you see it as a dirty chore? Yeah, but you get food and pretty flowers!

Heirloom tomatoes....these look like Brandywine...Yum !  Oh yes...Basil and homegrown tomatoes on a whole wheat sandwich with mayo and horseradish....now that tastes almost as good as a chocolate sundae!

There's more than garden produce at Tacoma's Farmers Market....fresh seafood grown in our local saltwater farms.....Razor clams, OYSTERS and Clams !! oh my.

And then....there are the craftiest crafters.....Even before I saw the humans, I knew exactly who this booth belonged to....
****yeah! It's Scott and Jacqui of Slide Sideways !
in their own words..." We started Slide Sideways because we have always loved working with our hands and making things. Even though graphic design is a creative field we wanted to get away from the computer for part of our day and create using more traditional methods. "

They make hand-screened cards and posters, and sew (on a Singer (me too)) little zippered pouches, tea towels and more more more. And they live in Tacoma. That cracks me up. Me too. Mark and Tressie and our little doggie live in Tacoma too.
Here's Scott and Jacqui's shop on etsy. They do the Farmers Mkt, and other shows & festies around the area too.

We also visited other friends in the downtown Tacoma area, and got new keys for my ukelele. No kidding, I'm gonna learn to play poorly. Whatev', eh!
Bye downtown Tacoma. See ya later!

Rainbows, Apples and Cashmere, yup, must be autumn...

right around the corner..........I love this time of year...the hot is hottest...a run thru the sprinklers or a jump in the pool is the best! Soon enough, the weather will cool and then get cold, and the gray rainy days will come...and maybe some snow.

The apples are ripening, the tomatoes have produced and been sliced in thick slabs and plopped with mayonnaise or sprinkled with salt and savored.

I designed some fabric apples last fall, and gave them real branch and twig stems and wired leaves....I'll get going  with that again next week..and the fabric pumpkins too. Those are fun to make...and I'm working on a tomato pattern too. Lucky me, that heirloom tomatoes come in lots of colors and patterns, so an orange stripe tomato will look normal now that folks are getting pretty used to them at the farmer's market.

This week I listed some fall dresses in harvest tones, lots of boots (so many already sold!) and I dug out the tweeds. Basic jackets and pleated skirts aren't boring when paired with vintage millinery flowers and sparkly rhinestone vintage pins from Granny.
(hey, that's me!)

 I really had fun styling these pieces ....worn with leather sandals now, and fun Converse tennies, and later as the days get cooler, with patterned textured tights and leggings and boots.

Always, a pair of Bass Weejuns penny loafers.

Double Rainbow vintage plaid blouse.

Blue tweed vintage fitted jacket.

Camel heather not-so-basic vintage blazer.

Why be boring? Add fun jewelry and roll up your sleeves and get busy!

Lovely turquoise 60s wool jumper.

Art Gallery 50s modern art vintage dress.

Wheat lambswool vintage cardigan.

Charcoal gray wool blazer...a basic to start...Add wildflowers.

Oooh...Vintage Pringle Cashmere...50s, and so soft and amazing quality.

And that ain't all! More more more.....tweeds, boots and jackets! Hey autumn, I got you covered!



fabric baby boo pumpkin !

handmade ....Fruit Farm in Fabric

Handmade....I'm working on more...
tomato...
grapes...
more apples...
here's some listed handmade fruit....here at the beginning of the fruit growing season......

Baby Boo pumpkins...


Black Calico...




Purple Calico...


vintage floral print...

wood stem and a wired fabric leaf.....

My anniversary bash...the shop and gardening...

I really didn't wanna go to Neil's new 1022...I liked the Monsoon Room just fine, thank you...
but after having tons of fun at the Tempest, and chatting with George, Bender, and Teddy....and a very drunk Mark (not my Mark, someone else's), it was time to go...and when you are at the Tempest...
you just naturally go around the block (don't trip on the busted sidewalk, please)

(sorry for the lack of pretty pictures, I'm back to my old camera, and I'm feeling lazy right now...)
It was plainer and there's no outside seating which is very very upsetting...I spend 9 months a year inside (what, am I a fetus??)
and also, I am a Californian...
I expect some outside action (so get busy....)

But Cory, tender of the evening's entertainment and Jessica, who works at The Art Place...and wears moccasin type shoes (sorry for being all happy and drooly)
but no one wears moccasins..so I get a little excited...made it all better.
Absinthe is bad, and good. That's all I'm saying about that.
Except, this anniversary will be memorable....

It was a learning experience, too.
I learned that some people think LeMay should team up with HotRodARama...to lend some credibility to it.....
folks who haven't been in Tacoma very long are very impressed with LeMay... well, Mark knows way too much about LeMay and old cars, so LeMay is not impressive at all...
but since humans have now been trained to want a Disneyland-Style experience of the most trivial of pursuits.....LeMay will generate copious amounts of money....

HotRod on the other hand is a 100% different kind of experience. It is LeMay that would benefit from the genuine art, intelligence, and kindness that is HotRod...

HotRod would not benefit, because the object of HotRod is not to generate money, number 1, it is to celebrate creativity and the old ethic of people to people fun and art that swells up inside the chest of us who didn't go to art school and wouldn't apply for an art grant if our life depended on it.....
because for a large bunch of humans....
Simply doing something wonderful and satisfying... is what it is all about.
So,
while I wish the folks who work at LeMay and the folks around the Dome who will make some money (finally)....huzzah.
This difference is absolutely crucial to understanding our culture today....and a lot of otherwise smart people (mostly university graduates...) MISS this crucial difference about what is happening in human history now.
Bigness is losing out....and the small, and the personal, and the local is what is coming back.... Social Media is a Big Thing, not a small thing....and I'm sorry if you don't know that. Blabbing on the internet....is a sorry excuse for real life. Which is why I make the rounds....all the time and drool on your shoes.

Farmer's Market today..I shall be jumping the fence to set in my vegies and seeds...
the shop is going along pretty good with the massive cleaning and rearranging project..it looks like a bomb went off...but soon it will be all pretty.

Then.....OMG! WE ARE GETTING ASPHALT STREETS WITHIN A FEW DAYS !!!!!


The other thing I learned was that my favorite Greener who is older than me....has had some very serious health problems.
Love one another, hug and make merry.
Too soon our mortal coil may unwind....

Oh, A Pretty Dress !

a great pleasure that often comes with choosing from the flotsam and jetsam of life, from the uncountable objects of enterprise is.....
offering for sale a lovely dress or 2 or 100...
and when someone finds one I have for sale, and buys it, and then loves it so much, they want to wear it immediately and then....they send me a picture...
well, That just makes my day!

(I still love everyone who buys something from me, because without you, dearest buyer, I am nothing...well, that is a bit dramatic, but you understand)
Recently 2 gals bought spring frocks and sent me pics.

I'm late getting to this but I am so happy to have met Ang over the internet, courtesy of etsy. She's from the Bay Area (yeah!) and she bought this stunningly beautiful dress from me.

This is an 80s dress that is inspired by the New Look of Dior's late 40s collection. Dior used yards and yards of fabric because he could, after years of WWII wartime restrictions on fabric and style of fashions.




So not only does this dress have yards of fabric, it has one of the most beautiful fabrics ever designed. It was done by Karin Stevens. It was for sale as yardage in addition to being used for dresses and home accessories. I run into this dress 3 or 4 times a year, and I often see picture frames and pillows with snippets of it.
It has pink and burgundy peonies, and periwinkle wisteria. Rare, I tell you since I am a horder and treasure-hunter of dreamily beauteous floral prints.

Another pleasure I have is to find a fun day dress...you know, the kind of dress that doesn't go to big formal events...the kind of dress for the daily grind or marketing, errand-running, and perhaps a toddler playdate or PTA meeting. It's the kind of dress that bridges the gap between jeans and tshirt and a dinner date.



Here's darling Kristin and her date for the day, wearing a comfy cotton late 50s/early 60s day dress. In Kristin's other life besides being a mom (I presume) to an adorable little boy, she makes funky cute pet tags. I shall be going to her etsy shop and purchasing one...when she returns from the madness of remodeling her home. (I fully understand that..I just moved and I'm putting stuff away)

Her shop is Pure Panache Pets. Please join her email list so you'll know right away when she returns. All I can say is, that her prices are great and the tags are uniquely cute.
Click her feedback link to see her Sold tags, and then just drool !


Here's the Tacoma part of this post !
I moved my storage of special vintage to the shop, I'm sorting and pricing, and creating new displays, and we'll likely be closed until Wednesday May 20....and of course I am stupidly excited about the opening day of Tacoma's Farmer's Market...Broadway edition on Thursday May 21st.
I'll have plants and pots and other gardeny type things for sale on that day...like tote bags made of vintage fabric and birdhouses, plant shelves and decor...to bring the outside world inside or heck, leave it all out...because, 'round these parts, we don't get enough of the beautiful world outside our homes and offices....
I'm working on moving my newest old stuff out to the sales floor...and in a day or 2 I'll start publishing my garden column. Some of you know I used to have an organic farm, published a garden column, and sold at the Gig Harbor Farmer's Market in the early 90s.
Thanks for loving funkoma vintage...and making the trek down our street, even though the City of Tacoma has done everything in its power to kill all the businesses on our block.

Nostalgic for a Farmer's Market...and downtown..

gooooodness.....I used to sell at the Gig Harbor Farmers Mkt back in the early 90s. I had a farm in Lakebay...an organic farm. I grew (from seed or cutting) 100's of heirloom fruits and vegetables, and billions of herbs, flowers and shrubs. I had to force Mortgage Lifter and Mr. Stripey on people ! Here take this one...and come back in August and tell me if you liked it !!!
Well, they did come back and they loved it...and the next spring I had people knocking on my door asking when the old tomatoes would be ready........


It was great fun and loads of work to produce produce ....the kind of garden bounty I grew up eating since my folks and my foster-folks were tremendous gardeners.
Everything I Knew About Gardening I Learned From My Elders.
I never sold at the Tacoma Mkt.....I wrote about it plenty, and shopped it all these years....(and the Dome district one last summer), and I'm really happy it's Thursday......
Yippee!!! I'm planting the bedraggled box in front of Rampart today.....
in honor of urban organic mini-farming......
Amocat will be open mostly, tho the big Grand Opening is later this month....
funkoma vintage is open (mostly). I have about 1/3 of what goes in, of my stock, with price tags all set up so far. (More pictures later today....)
Food, Friends, music, booze, merry-making....all the best things of life.......