German girl

My favorite time of the year is that fragile and challenging time between winter and spring, when the sun shines most of the time, but it is still quite chilly. Today was one of those days, and I felt it perfect to layer a spring dress with a petticoat and boots to combat the cool wind. Here I am standing in front of the door to our house, it has one of those peep thingys that they have in old movies where you open it and ask for the password ;)

The little necklace I made from an old watch, with a photobooth picture of Sam and I. It's like a less secretive locket. I remember when I was younger I had a locket with a photo of my brother and his wife in it, and people were always asking to look inside. It got annoying, since a locket is like that secret little place that is so close to you, you open it when YOU want to enjoy what's inside. At least thats how I see it, but then again, I always get my feathers ruffled when people look in my purse and flip though my sketchbooks. So maybe it's more of a personal bubble thing than a romantic thing ;)

Sunny morning.

This morning was sunny and bright, but now I can see the rain pouring down in the Portland hills and the weather is back to normal and gray. I'm still a bit icky feeling, but going to work anyway, hopefully it will be a slow day. I had time to write to Ella last night and this morning, something I've been looking forward to all this busy week. I have some fabulous vintage stationary I got at an estate sale years ago, a box marked "Garbage" was just filled with old hotel stationary and things. I'm glad no one threw it out, they are really pretty.

A pile of ironing waiting to be pressed. honestly there are mostly spring things, so not much motivation to iron until it gets warmer.

I found some linens the other day under a shelf, and just now got to look through them. I love the idea of a woman years ago taking the time and effort to hand crochet the edges of a plain handkerchief just because it looks pretty. That's not really done anymore.

The birds are flying north...

I've started to collect bird things for my kitchen, and so far have traded for this toaster cover from Brittanynoel, (who's a total darling and has some fun buttons!), salt and pepper shakers from Target, and some sheet music I'll frame. I even found an ever elusive light blue tea kettle today which was quite exciting, and Sam's mother bought us lots of fun things including a crock pot, hand mixer, and white bowls, I just love white dishes.

Circus

Things have been a bit of a circus lately, hence my lack of posts. Sam was sick this week, as we were moving stuff into our new place, and now I guess it's my turn. But Wednesday I did a circus theme window, we had some fun stuff in the shop for it. To inspire is a fabulous print I bought a while ago of a tattooed girl, she'll hang up in the living room I think. And a "Freaks" card case with the movie art covering it.
So, to catch up, I have not forgotten about the dressing for work guide, or that I'll be posting more cleaning tips from that book I have. I also plan on showing how to do basic rag curls, but I usually do that at night with terrible lighting and no one to take my picture, so that will have to be planned. But I will do it I promise!

Voluptuous Vintage.

A lot of people come into the vintage shop I work at, and complain about being the wrong size for vintage clothing. Truthfully it is more difficult to find vintage larger than a 10, but it is completely possible and honestly, with the right outfit, can be more of a knockout than any little model can hope to be. One turnoff with plus sized clothes is how they hang on a hanger, which is why we have so many great dresses still in the shop that look amazing on a figure but lacklustre on a rack. One reason I love the 1940's and 1950s is because it flatters my figure more than any era, from 20s to modern. I am very high waisted, as are the styles from those times, and while I admire other periods of fashion, I have come to accept that they just don't fit correctly. The same body consciousness should be applied to everyone, and when it is more difficult as a voluptuous girl to find just what she needs, when you know exactly what styles fit best, you can look fabulous whenever you walk out your front door. One measurement often overlooked is the bodice length (Shoulder to waist) but is very important to know. If you have a dress that fits you ideally measure the bodice for reference.
Today I came across a fabulous shop with great plus sized clothing modeled just beautifully. cheesecakevintage specializes in 30s to 60s clothing, and I have a feeling these dresses will go fast.
So while it may be more difficult to find a dress in just the right size, they are out there, and they are fabulous.

Movin' on up.

The duplex just gets prettier and prettier every time I see it. And so much storage space! Of course I forgot my camera today as we were moving some stuff in, but I am discovering something new around every corner, it has so many original fixtures and details from when it was built. Anyway, I've started a blog specifically for my little hat obsession, named after my bird hat. It will be an inspirational spot and have places to buy hats, how to wear them, and what history I am learning on them. Maybe even a little hat making lesson here and there ;)

Enjoy!

Spring in Portland

Yesterday I headed to Portland with my friends Ellery and Ian, first stop Saturday market. There's a booth there with all sorts of things made form silverware: Rings, bracelets, candle holders, headdresses, and masks. As you can see Ian found a lovely mask.

Of course we went to Powells and Buffalo Exchange, and Ellery found me an amazing vintage sailor dress for only $7.00. They are so weird with their pricing. Also this super cute hat, more fall than spring, but who cares. The three of us try and go to the photobooth in The Ace Hotel whenever we're near, and stuffing into that little booth is quite a sight. I'm so glad they have it though, it looks vintage, but actually works, unlike the one that used to be at The Red Light. We always get caught off guard with the first photo, there's no warning!

Later in the afternoon we met up with friends Anna, Sarah, and Caitlin, and got some food to make for dinner. Someone wanted to try out cumquats, and since none of us had tasted any before, we got some and were excited to eat the peel of something that looked like a little orange. They were soooooo much more sour than we expected. Yet I still ate them, hoping for a sweeter one each time. Ellery found some glitter make-up at Whole Foods, and of course tried out every color. She's like a fairy. I also insisted we stop in Anthropologie, does anyone else think the Portland Anthropologie smells so good it makes you want to buy things? Anyway, I just looked though the home section for inspiration, and snatched a catalogue, there was an adorable little birdie drawer pull I loved, so cute!

*I started a hat blog for those who are interested, I call it The bird hat. After Bird hat of course ;) *