Showing posts with label funkomavintage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label funkomavintage. Show all posts

Friday, April 24, 2015

Gibson Girls and Instant collections




Maud Davis Baker was a pioneer in the world of photography. She was one of the rare American women who had her own photography studio in the 1890s in Helena Montana. At a time when women were not allowed much freedom, Mrs. Baker had a studio of her own and made a living from her art. Later in life, in the 1920's, she moved to Hollywood and was a member of the growing art crowd in LA, the Hollywood Art Association and the Hollywood Woman's Club with her daughter Viroque Baker.
I've just listed is this charming collection of portraits mounted on sepia paper and signed by Baker. It has 13 lovely women, likely high school or college graduates, most with the fad hairdo of the day, the Gibson Girl, invented by popular illustrator Charles Dana Gibson. About 1890 he wanted to draw a version of a young  American woman of the times, that wasn't a free-thinker or suffragette. The Gibson Girl is the opposite of the late 1800's "New Woman" who wanted liberty, freedom, a career, and the right to manage her own life as a human and not as a wife or second class citizen.  Gibson's girl, however, is smart, rich and enjoys her freedom. You can read more at wikipedia. 

Call it a gallery wall, or a collection, choosing to decorate your wall with a group of objects, some pictures, some frames, some paintings, and whatever strikes your fancy can really add that free-spirited bohemian aura. If the objects all share 1 or 2 similarities, it will come together as an artistic whole.




Perhaps the similarity is color or shape, maybe it is subject matter such as a grouping of  dog paintings and pictures, or maybe beach theme art and crafts. When choosing a collection to hang together add differences as well as sameness. Strive for different colors in the same family, and don't forget texture. If it is too bland, hang a few baskets, or rough weavings, or hang some antlers. Although hipsters have overdone it recently, it will come back to popularity because it is an element of casual decor that is always in style. It adds a cabin, cozy, arty look to almost any arrangement.

I've just listed an antique hand carved walnut frame. It combines patina, authenticity and gravitas to any grouping of objects. This one is at least 100 years old, and likely even older. It has no markings. It can hold a photo or painting that's 8" x 10", but I've always loved it alone, loving the grain, the patina and the texture.



Here's a few more rooms with great collections arranged with a bohemian artsy vibe in mind. These are on Pinterest, so if they are your pics, let me know and I'll give credit.




Saturday, June 7, 2014

Tan and Refreshed

Nearly 3 months ago funkomavintage moved its worldwide hq to its dreamville location. We're in the Wine country, not the Whine country.....
California! summertime... all the time!



And this, my friends, is what California looks like all the damn time.
We're dancing fools.
We're dressed in the hippest clothes.
California is a planet that only circles in the same orbit as the Planet Earth, but I'm here to testify, that California is a planet. All by itself.
The same sun shines on us all, the same moon is in the same sky, but California goes round and round and round on its own journey.

so, where were blue denim jeans invented?? California.
Where was surfing a pop phenomenon? California.
Skateboard culture? California.
Movie stars, Swimming pools, California is the place you wanna be.




What is the California look? Levis, cut-off jeans, plaid shirts, wide stripe t shirts and t shirts with anything and everything printed on them.

Sandals, flip-flops, and sunglasses.
Kinda like this!

funkomavintage is back to selling the West Coast cool stuff......  here in our etsy store, and here at our website.

Vintage Levis, t shirts, vintage boots and all manner of Western Americana.







Sunday, November 4, 2012

It's the wooly time of year....

Small, local, and creative. That defines funkomavintage. We're a small business and we have no desire to be big...
We're local...here we are. Based in the NW, we consider our home base to be the West coast.
Creative? oh Yes! collectively funkomavinage has been wearing and decorating and driving VINTAGE...for more than 90 years!
Fresh in the shop right now! because we add about 20 - 40 items a week....so this is a tiny tiny sample at funkomavintage.....I have 156 things lined up for November...and oh, yes, the Party Dresses! OH MY !!!


 Betsey Johnson paperdoll top, Navy crested blazer,
50s Brown wool and silk tweed Suit....






Ethnic ombre cape, snowflake sweater, Missoni-style glitter sweater.







Rainbow tweed 50s skirt, Purple velvet blazer,  Turquoise wool jacket .







Navy wool 60s drop waist dress, Green sweater dress and matching sweater, Navy check day dress, Fall windswept dress, 40s green rayon crazy print dress







Wild bright neon green party dress, autumn print challis maxi dress, forest green Provincial rose dress.






We love sturdy well-built vintage.....we don't like cheap crap from WalMart...That's why we have been wearing and providing vintage for so long.....it's made of real ingredients. We have never understood why people buy new crap that falls apart within a few days, a few washings, a few wearings...and cheap furniture...plastic cars.......ugh!
here's what .....thatyountvillegirl...... is up to again....handmade Harris Tweed tote bags are being sewn up right now...and will be listed very soon. Working on new designs that incorporate lace, or corduroy, linen, canvas or leather....
Here's some of our blog posts about Harris Tweed quality...and why we love it so much.......

A few of our past projects.....






I make this under the label thatyountvillegirl......and here is where it starts........I find Harris Tweed jackets, and I cut them apart and add vintage fabrics for the lining, vintage lace, vintage corduroy, recycled leather, recycled buttons....OH YES...  This project has all the things I love about living vintage. I take a quality item, I make it into something cute, something useful, something that will make your life a bit more fun! And quality. And local. And small.....it doesn't get much smaller than 2 people running funkomavintage.

The next set of Harris Tweed bags will have differences.....big zippers, buckles, more pockets, different sizes, different looks....






Thursday, April 26, 2012

New places Old vintage

I rearranged a bunch of stuff.....and I have a nice new photo spot...It. has. barnwood. I hope you like me better because I sure do. Moved the lights around it wow, such a difference. Spring cleaning! I needed a change...and now I'm very happy....the pictures are so much better and clearer too.
Lots more work to do...reorganizing my whole work space too...
After ---




BEFORE---



The other reason for moving/cleaning and organizing....is so Mark and I can revamp small furniture and get going on all the projects we THOUGHT we'd be able to do when we moved our shop to downtown Tacoma. ....but, fighting construction woes, building breakdowns, flooding, electricity blowing up, thieves, and general building-sharing fuckery, meant that I was continuously preoccupied with putting out fires instead of..... making things, and staying super-organized, which makes me happy!!!
2 things I learned from that 3 loooooooong years in Downtown Tacoma.
1. I'll NEVER open a shop in Tacoma, ever again.
2. I'll never share a space in a building EVER again.
So, it's good to learn lessons as one goes along....But why are the best lessons always so damn expensive???
oy vey.

random shots....still more organizing to come ...because....I'm going to increase my listings...and so organizing is very important or I will go crazy ...