Goodnight Irene

Irene Lentz was the costume designer for MGM Studios in Hollywood for 7 years. In 1947, Irene was the first American designer to allow department stores the rights to sell her designs in exclusive boutiques. This is one such dress.

This 1950's cocktail dress by Irene is worked in black silk taffeta. I love those cascading accordian pleated ruffles. And it just fits that old song from 1950 - "Good night Irene, I'll see you in my dreams."

See this dress and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

Been...

busy..... still painting/redecorating/cleaning out-- purging of sorts. When I get bitten by "spring fever" lets just say....I get "spring fever disease" and its on baby.... on big time!

Here is a little drawer cubbie that I purchased about 8 years ago~ I have never used it up until now :-) It has lived in my garage--- (yes, even the garage is getting a cleaning lol) Here is what it looked like before I painted it. It only cost me a whopping $6 bucks. Here it is now, freshly painted in a shabby pink style. I added glass knobs and distressed the piece until it was shabbish. (I'm even creative when I spell!) It is now my "condiment cabinet" lol...it now houses all those prepackaged peppers/salsa etc that you get when you order take out! Great idea huh.... just took me 8 YEARS to come up with it. lol

eVintage Blog Tag - I Want Candy

Time once again for the eVintage Society blog tag. I've been tagged by Carol over at The Vintage Bulliten.

1)The colors of CANDY! What’s your favorite candy colored vintage piece in your collection?

Easy! It's gotta be this fabulous 1960's pink tulle bubble hat. Looks just like a swirl of cotton candy on top of your head! Not a part of my collection, but for sale on my site.

2)What’s the sweetest accessory you’re offering right now, or if you don’t have one for sale, tell us about one of your own!

How about this pair of 1950's pink Springolator shoes? Sweet enough for ya?

3) Sweet tooth? What’s your favorite candy?

Chocolate Reisen......drool.

4)Ice cream…..chocolate or strawberry, and why?

Chocolate again. Why? Cold strawberries just don't work for me.

6)Is your personal style sweet or salty? Explain!

Hmmm, I think I walk the line right between the two. I'm a classic Boston gal.

Tagging Lizzie at the Vintage Travel Journal!

Paintin'

paintin' & more paintin'. I purchased this darling antique chair for $2 at a yard sale...it is now painted white. It is very petite and I love the look of the curved side pieces. It is surprisingly comfy. It is going to be my new computer chair. It is either mahogony or oak and is extremely heavy for being so tiny. I also picked up the bookcase behind it along with a small dresser that it will eventually stand on...for $100....geeze! what was I thinking lol..but I needed the narrow piece for my bathroom. Sometimes you just have to pay a lot to get a certain sized thing.
Then there is this piece. It is on top of this table because- you guessed it- it is being spray painted white. This wooden table has been passed around my family for years. It was in my bathroom but now it will go in my den. I have a large lace panel that I hook underneath the piece so all you see are the main legs. It is pretty cute when its all put back together. I am hoping tomorrow to get the finishing coats put on everything. I really don't like painting!! but I love the results~

Mixed Media Monday

This weeks theme was: HatsHere is a little fairy that is going to stand on this shelf which holds some of my milk glass collection... she is going to guard against dust bunnies. As we all know-- they are wild and dangerous creatures that lurk behind our treasures....bad-bad dust bunnies. She is standing on a gold glittered star surrounded by vintage paper flowers. You can find more Mixed Media art pieces at this site ---> http://mixedmediamonday.wordpress.com/

4 x 4 Friday

This weeks 4 x 4 Friday theme is: CircusYou can find more 4x4's here.

Nursery Horse~

I am in the process of spring cleaning & redecorating at my house. I painted my grandson's nursery (the one at my house) and I am putting in some new things to make it cheerful & fun. Here is a little vintage horse that I reupholstered today. I bought the horse at a yard sale about 6 months ago for only $2 bucks.

Here is the horse without its fabric. The piece was very well made. It has a wooden head and structure and is very sturdy...except for the tiny wheels that stick and makes it topple sometimes lol.

I used an old chenille bedspread that I picked up for $4 bucks at a resale store. I used white textured yarn for the mane and tail. I wrapped the yarn around a form (a piece of cardboard) and ran some glue down one edge and then laid a strip of fabric along that edge on top of the glue. Once the glue had dried I pulled the yarn off of the form (cardboard) and then I was able to sandwhich the yarn between the fabric pieces and just stitched it together. Here is the horse completed standing in front of the changing table (I also recently made a curtain for the changing table to hide all the clutter) I think it turned out cute :-)

Birthday wishes

We took our grandson (& his parents) to Gilroy Gardens in Gilroy, California for Jonathan's very first birthday. (his pirate party is in June) If you've never been you should check it out. It is a very low-key/calm amusement park geared toward very young children. There are lovely gardens throughout the park that will leave you breathless. We had a wonderful time :-)
Here are some funny photos of my grandson doing what he does best.... making his mom crazy and making his grandma laugh!
Taking off his hat.....

Mommy putting his hat back on....

and taking off his hat again....
dumb ol' hat for sale....really cheap!!!

Show & Tell Friday~

This week I'm showing off a beautiful painting that I picked up for only $2.... great price but A LOT of damage. Someone had actually scratched the paint right off the canvas... gasp! I just couldn't let this beautiful mother and child be neglected any longer. They almost look scared don't they...There were big scratches all over the painting--- their faces & hair, the babies legs, the blue of her skirt. It seems every part had some damage to it. grrrrrrrrrr why would someone do that? I fixed it though~ I think it turned out fabulous, I'm really happy with the results. I used some thick texture paint and a putty knife to completely fill in the scratches in the brown background (letting it dry before repainting it.) Then I just used some acrylic paints and started dabbing/wiping/mixing/redabbing paint all over the painting until I was happy with the results. Then I went over the entire painting with my fabulous fix all...yep, that yellowish antique finish I put over everything lol. And taaaaaaaaa daaaaaaaa.... back to being fabulously cute.
This show & tell was hosted by Kelli~

Some ghostly pirates

here are the 3 ghostly pirates that I embellished...

eVintage Blog Tag - Mad Men or Mod?

Time for a quick eVintage Society blog tag post and then, honey, I'm on vacation!!!!! I've been tagged by Carol over at The Vintage Bulliten.

Today’s theme…..the 60’s. Are you a MAD MEN kinda gal (ritzy cocktail dresses, wiggle silhouette, draped and ruched silk chiffon, pointy toe stilettos, a cigarette and martini) or a MOD dolly (sleek lines, go go boots, oversize sunglasses, pilgrim buckle square toe shoes, paper dresses, micro mini skirts, patterened tights, white lipstick and fake lashes)? Do tell.

MOD OR MAD MEN?

I'm all about the sexy and sophisticated "Mad Men" look.

FAVE PIECE IN YOUR INVENTORY FITTING THE BILL?

I just listed this sweet early 60's cocktail dress. It has the cutest bolero jacket that adds a completely different look to the dress.

ICONIC EARLY 60s STARLET?

Kim Novak. She really knew how to turn up the heat. If you've never seen the 1958 film "Bell, Book, and Candle", you simply must rent it for the fashions alone!

LATE 60’s?

Marlo Thomas in the TV show "That Girl". I just wanted to be her.

SINATRA OR THE SWINGIN’ 60s SCENE?

Sinatra every time. Fly me to the moon, Frank.

Follow the blog tag over to Lizzie's Vintage Travel Journal.

OK friends, I'm off to a family wedding and then a few much needed days off in the sun. See you soon!

Before & after...

here are some things that I'm going to be altering to look more "pirate-ish"... a girls gotta do something while she is feeling sick right?Here is the bottom half of a two story play structure that I'm going to be making into a pirate ship in my backyard. Can you see it? I can see it already!!!I couple of weeks ago we cut the ends open and added two large round landscaping posts to act as the ships "mast".... thats as far as we got lol. Time...I need more hours in the day! okokok... I just need to pull myself away from watching t.v./shopping/napping etc! LoL

This little piggy is sick...

but this little piggy is going off to live with a girlie named Lucille~I didn't have a crochet pig pattern, so I just made this up as I went along. It sits about 7 inches high~

eVintage Blog Tag - VLV!

I've been tagged by Funkoma for the eVintage Society blog tag. This week, we're all about Viva Las Vegas!

FAVORITE ROCKABILLY LOOK / PIECE IN YOUR INVENTORY?

I've pretty well sold out of Rockabilly pieces right now, but I just added this 1950's cotton full skirted dress and jacket to my store the other day.

DO YOU WEAR THE ROCKABILLY LOOK AT ALL?

No, but I do carry vintage purses wherever I go.

CRUCIAL ROCKABILLY VINTAGE ACCESSORY FOR GIRLS?

A Bakelite cherry necklace or pin.

FOR GUYS?

Brylcreem - A little dab'll do ya!

AGE OLD QUESTION….ELVIS OR THE BEATLES?

Always and ever...The Beatles. Ob la di, ob la da, life goes on, yeah....

Follow the Blog Tag over to Fuzzy Lizzie's Vintage Travel Journal.

3 Pounds of Pure Joy

You may be wondering, "What happened to Jody? Did she fall into the well or crawl under a rock?". Not quite. My first grandchild was born 2 months early a few days ago. This little 3 pound bundle of joy has turned my world upside down in the best way possible! Mother and baby are doing well, although baby will be staying at the hospital until she's a bit bigger. So please forgive my lack of updates. And join me in welcoming the world's newest and tiniest vintage fashionista!

Show & Tell Friday~

This weeks show & tell...I am showing a little foot stool I've painted for my grandson. I picked it up from a resale store (soooo using Kelli's term there lol) It only cost 4 bucks. It was originally white with a little sailboat and the name "Adam" painted on it.... but I saw its true calling. First, I painted the white stool black, then I made a copy of the skull & cross bones and transferred it onto the stool. Then I painted, shaded--repainted and then sanded it to give it an aged look. Lastly, I sprayed a semi-gloss finish coat over the top of the stool. Taaaaaaa daaaaaaaaa--- and so I give you--- A pirate stool~
For more show & tells check out Kelli's blog :-)

Theme Thursday~

This weeks theme: color combo challenge using the colors orange & black. (using other colors as well...)
The birds I cut out of a book... and laid on top of the painted surface I created on top of an old bingo card. I then added some paint to the birds and made it appear more 3 dimensional. This piece is 3-1/2 x 5-3/4. This is my first "flat piece" lol...