Sweater Weather is on the way, but SUMMER.

There's never enough summer for me... birthday parties, outdoor bar-b-q's, weddings, vacation, camping, swimming in the lake, making backyard fires, planting tomatoes, corn and squash. Seeing all the stars in the sky with the clearest skies in a black summer night.

A packed vintage suitcase with my summer favorites --- Converse shoes, and a lot of stripe shirts!


Apples in your backyard? Apples from granny's orchard? here's a collection of neat easy recipes for Apple Butter. Cook down some tasty apples, and add spices and some sugar, and ladle into jelly jars for a jam to spread on morning toast. 

These are stuffed apples made from vintage fabrics and they are in my that yountville girl shop on etsy.


The cool weather needs some cute skirts and sweaters..... Here's a 50s reversible pleated plaid skirt in shades of blue and cream.
yes, there are 2 zippers, 2 buttons at the waist....you can wear it either way!
Read the history of reversible pleated skirts....The Turnabout from Pendleton(r) has a short history lesson here.

Skirts in my funkomavintage etsy shop......

Vintage 1986 Susan Bristol apple harvest wool sweater.....is there anything more autumn than the apple harvest with the crisp bite of  ripe apples, fun apple squeeze festivals and ....um ...applejack!

Sweaters in my funkomavintage etsy shop...

Cream and gray wool skirt with a single inverted pleat on the center front.... this adorable vintage skirt wraps and buttons closed with 2 tiny marbled buttons. The wool blend plaid is pale heather ivory, soft gray and pale tan. The front seams have hidden pockets....I love that !

Soft brown and camel stripes in a slim pencil skirt, is a breeze to wear. It has a neat cowgirl thing going on....with its pockets on the front....always  a fan  of pockets!

2 delightful vintage sweaters..... the top one is a V neck confetti pullover... and the cardigan below is a lightweight cable knit wool sweater with an Irish knit thing... going on.

 Who wears Aran Fisherman sweaters? Cool people with style, that's who!

aran sweaters


Classic snowflake pattern vintage pullover sweater,  with Scandia designs.... the modified turtleneck will keep you cozy!

When the cold breezes blow, a wool plaid pleated skirt is the perfect thing to pair with tall leather boots, wooly tights and a warm sweater! This vintage plaid skirt has full box pleats and a gray color scheme.

Fun vintage Indian Blanket sweater in desert shades of brown, sand and turquoise. It is a cool chick's wardrobe basic, perfectly swell with faded denim jeans, or with a pencil skirt and boots.

and all together now...... denim jacket, plaid skirt, and aviators! hey, this girl looks like she shops funkomavintage!

fleur here


Sometimes a vintage denim jacket adds a fun touch for a lightweight sweater and a skirt combo, for the first transitional days of summer into fall.  Here's  a Levis 70s light blue denim jacket some crafty boho chick decorated with a big piece of patchwork on the back.

Rain, thunder, and 74 degree days? yup, just carry a jacket and you can toss it on when the first rain falls, and doff it when the sun comes back out and spreads the warmth.

No need for your sweater to be boring, right?
Teddy Bear to the rescue! Vintage 80s oversize pullover in black and white bears, bows and hearts. Awwwww!

Grape Wine Burgundy Berry Raspberry Blackberry oxblood

that color....a little bit purple *a little bit pink *a little bit blue *a little bit brown....it always feels so autumn, and that is just a few weeks away....it's also...Back To School.
I don't go back to school in the late summer just about Labor Day, but I still buy new yellow pencils, some pads of paper and sniff pink erasers...just for old times sake...

Pink, fuschia, rust stripe vintage 60s scarf  

Vintage riding Boots, fringe loafers, Bass tassel shoes, Suede ghillies.....
Riding boots in shiny dark oxblood burgundy leather with small wood stack heels.
 Soft burgundy wine suede menswear wingtip shoes that tie on the top.
 Tassel loafers, all the typical stuff, with a fringe in Burgundy Oxblood leather.
Bass Weejuns penny loafers, the burgundy Beefroll style is it, and has been since 1936.







 

 

Separates....
Raspberry wine boucle Cardigan 70s vintage Sweater V neck, 
Berry Pink Plaid Skirt pleated black burgundy wool check, 
Harley Davidson vintage thermal shirt Tacoma harley vintage 1970s, 
Vintage pleated Blouse 1970s Miss Magnin purple pink roses boho party top 

Purple floral corduroy vintage dress, wine corduroy jumper, purple gunne Sax, berry 70s knit shirtdress...for fall dressing.
Vintage 70s soft textured knit vegan boucle knit dress has a cute bodice and adorable puffed sleeves.
Crochet lace and sheer voile create an enchanted romantic vintage 1970s dress...pale lilac with purple floral sheer voile.
A long empire with a strappy neckline, this vintage 70s dress has a sexy top that gets even better....with perma pleats.
Simple slim vintage dress is purple with a faux wrap deep back neckline. In the front, it's a gentle curve and has little cap sleeves.
























 



Pretty cool !

A thing about Boots....

Now is the time for all good people who buy boots, second hand, to learn what to read, and what to ask of an online seller.

I love vintage...boots. Thank you Some Lady for shopping at Nordstrom or JCPenney's in the 70s and 80s and spending big bucks to buy boots, and thanks for getting bored or allowing your feet to grow, and deciding to sell them to Me !
2 names I see all the time as "vintage boots"....that are not....Steve Madden didn't start making shoes using his name until 1990, and didn't go international until a few years later, so it's pretty unlikely what you see for sale second-hand is really vintage......it just looks vintage. Also, Wild Pair, cute fer sure, but that company started in Australia in 1994, so not vintage yet. Old, but not vintage, so don't pay a premium price and get duped.

If you buy vintage boots, pay special attention to the lining condition. If the brand is Connie or Joyce, there is a very good chance the glue that was used in the 60s - 80s to attach the nylon knit to the inside is sticky, flaky and breaking down. It's toxic. Sadly, toss those boots in the garbage. Period. Don't buy them....don't  wear them....don't sell them.

This can happen with any brand that uses glues...those 2 brands seem to be the most prone. Not every pair of Joyce or Connie, of course, and I have a pair of sticky-lined Zodiac tall cowboy boots  with feathers that I'm gonna deconstruct and clean-up and install eyelets, so I can save them.

The heel caps may be worn out and they can be replaced at a real cobbler shop, for around 15.00 a pair. Call around to ask about quality of the replacement caps and price. Ask them about a return policy too. I've had some replaced that fell apart the very same day I retrieved them from the cobbler....boy I was a mad little elf  ! They got a piece of my mind, but none of my return business.

My faves to find and sell are either unlined, or lined and from Italy. Yugoslavia, Canada, and Brazil make a good boot, and like I said, there are plenty of other brands that do hold up over time.  Most boots made in the uS are quality....most vintage cowboy boots are great....as are  Frye, Dingo, Dexter, 9West, Zodiac (most of the time), Aigner,....oooh there is nothing like a silky leather lined pair of Italian boots. It's a case of Buyer Beware, so ask a seller some questions before you hit that Buy button.