Handmade is the Ultimate Luxury

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

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

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,  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 !

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....

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....

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 .....