Preview the Fabulousness!

I want to share a preview of the beautiful line of scarves that Ann Berger of Swank Underpinnings will be debuting at our retro hair tutorial next week.  Ann is a very talented and all around great gal, and I'm so pleased that she is hosting another event with UnderWired!

Ann designs and hand crafts vintage style petticoats, clothing, and scarves for her online store, Swankunderpinnings.etsy.com.  Together, we'll show you tricks and tips for styling perfect Victory Rolls and more, including the best ways to wrap your retro scarf in your hair.  The fun starts next Friday, May 31, at 6:30 p.m.  Bring a snack or a drink, and yourself and a friend...it's free!  We'll give you hugs if you ask, also.

Fact: if you remove the scarf. my head splits in two and a cat comes out.

Ann's new line of scarves include beautiful cotton fabrics, gorgeous colorful prints, and a range of styles and sizes.  We can't wait to share them with you!

Have a great weekend.  See you next week!  XOXOXO

I'd Lose My Head If This Scarf Weren't Holding It On

I am going scarf crazy on Etsy today!  I have already listed three, and I have more coming.  I thought I'd share some of the love instead of hoarding them all for myself, plus, if you buy a scarf of your very own, you can practice what you learn when you join UnderWired for our retro hair tutorial next week!

Today is another perfect day to talk about my enduring love of scarves.  It's humid.  It's stormy.  And I want to look fancy, dammit!  Not like a towering orange cloud!  I wrote scarves a poem:

Oh, my scarf

I love thee so

On blustery days

My hair shall not blow

And by blow, I mean blow around but also blow as in it won't suck and be awful.

My hero.

Talk to you tomorrow!  XOXOXO

Hair Comedy on a Humid Day

I wish I had taken a picture of my hair last weekend to post here.  The day started off like any other.  I made plans with friends, showered, put on a fifty year old dress...but then something happened.  I decided to ignore the humid weather and let my hair air dry loose, without any bobbi pins to hold it in place.  Not a big deal, you say?  Not for some.  But my hair is protected by the government as a national park and independent ecosystem, based on its hugeness and all the things living inside of it.  Letting it dry while dripping down my back can be ok...unless the weather is exceedingly humid.  Then we're all in trouble.  Needless to say that when I got home after shopping, eating at restaurants, and bothering my friends, I looked in the mirror and found a large amorphous, scruffy, sharp (oddly), orange cloud on my head.  And I said "ooooooh Lisa, you should have known better."  Then I said "HAHAHAHA this was my plan all along!  I hid all the donuts in there!"  Then I said "wow I look like I ate all the crazy pills today."  But then I said "I'm hungry" and I took a donut out of my hair and ate it and lived happily ever after.  The scene kind of looked like this, but not nearly as cute:

I love him.

 As you may know, Ann Berger of Swank Underpinnings and I are co-hosting a retro hair styling tutorial at UnderWired on Friday, May 31.  We'll show you how to perfect your Victory Rolls, pin curls, and scarf wrapping techniques.  These things are all good things to know for when the bad hair day blues or the humidity monster strikes.  

I have naturally very curly, coarse hair.  I have never straightened it.  I am a fan of accentuating your natural attributes, rather than changing them with chemicals or flat irons (though not everyone feels that way, and if you want to dye or straighten your hair, go for it because it's your head/body/face!).  This is just my opinion.  That said, what I DO do often is set my hair in pin-curls or rolls overnight to smooth things out when needed.  I also employ the generous use of scarves to keep things in place or simply hide a scary sight on my head.

Join Ann and me on Friday the 31st at 6:30 and learn how to smooth out your locks, create waves, and wrap your retro scarves.  Ann will be debuting her new line of scarves for Swank Underpinnings, and I will have plenty of vintage silk scarves on hand.  And we'll also have a trunk show with Gotta Love Vintage and goodies from The Back Door Bakeshop!  You should come.

The cat and dog in this picture are safe because I tied my hair in a scarf. 

XOXOXOXOXO

Vintage Clip On Earrings, Meow!

I love vintage costume jewelry.  Simply adding one dramatic piece to your outfit can transform it from dull to beautiful.  My favorites in my vintage jewelry collection tend to be the clip-on earrings.  There is nothing like those huge, colorful rhinestones or pearl button earrings to add the finishing touch to an ensemble.   In my opinion, the best clip-on earrings are the big, bold ones with a unique design or gigantic sparkles.

I have pierced ears, but I wear clip-ons more often than not.  Many people are sensitive to clip-ons, however, as some tend to pinch.  This problem is easily solved by converting them to pierced earrings.  I do this in the shop for no extra fee if requested, but I'd like to tell you how to do it yourself as well!  

You'll need a few supplies:

Wire cutters and/or needle nose pliers

A strong adhesive, like an all-purpose epoxy

Earring posts (available inexpensively by the bag at craft stores)

Earring backs with a disk backing to support the weight of the earrings (also available at craft stores)

Paper or plastic to cover your work area

First, bend the earring clip or screw away from the earring.  Clip it off with the wire cutters or the pliers.  Cut as closely and neatly as possible to avoid creating sharp edges.  I often sand any jagged areas down with a bit of emery paper.  Add a dot of adhesive to the back of the earring and carefully set the post onto it while applying even, firm pressure.  Leave them alone for a night so that they can set, and, VOILA!  You have pierced earrings!  HOORAAAAAY!

Now you can wear me!

And me!

Little Willers-Icing-Face for UnderWired Fashions

How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AkLE4X-bbU

 Today, I'd like to discuss pet sales versus pet adoption.  This topic veers from my usual posts about clothing and cat jokes, but I am an animal lover, and feel compelled to mention some of my favorite little critters in a blog post.

While the song "Doggie in the Window" is charming and classic, listening to it yesterday reminded me that today, there are still many people who aren't aware of the benefits of adopting an animal versus buying one at a pet store.  Buying at a pet store often encourages irresponsible breeding practices.  Animals in pet stores are not necessarily transported and housed safely.  And with the huge, swelling numbers of animals of all kinds in shelters, the idea of buying a pet just seems silly.  Shelters are over-crowded with animals who were tossed after they grew to adult size, with strays, and with animals who were taken out of hoarding situations.  To help these creatures is a wonderful act, and from my experience, I can say that you are repaid handsomely in hugs, kisses, and fuzzy co-naps.  When you adopt, your fee includes spaying and neutering, health evaluation, and vaccinations. This is a blog about vintage clothing, so I won't go into much more detail, but I will link you to a few rescue organizations that are important to me, so you can find out more:

Last Chance Ranch is the shelter I adopted my sweet puppy Toki from. They are a wonderful, well-run shelter in Quakertown with all sorts of animals- horses, cats, dogs, SWANS, EMUS...it's amazing.

My sweet baby weighed 5.5 pounds when I brought him home.  He now weighs 40 pounds and is still growing!

 

Pinups for Pitbulls is a fantastic organization dedicated to the rescue of pitbull type dogs and to educating the public on this loving, intelligent breed (like my baby, pictured above).  

Don't forget to check out your local Humane Society and other shelters.  There are tons of fuzzy friends waiting for you.  We adopted our cat Wednesday from the Center for Animal Health and Welfare in Easton several years ago, and she is now the Vice President of our house (Kitty is the President).

Kitty likes to keep the freshly cleaned laundry warm for us.

Wednesday likes to get really close to the camera.

Thanks for reading, and if you're so  inclined, please learn more about the importance of adopting animals in need. 

Tomorrow on the blog: fabulous vintage earrings!

If There Was A Vase Made Out Of Your Head

As far as collecting goes, outside of vintage clothing, I collect vintage salt & pepper shakers, vintage furniture, retro/vintage/antique/kitsch home decor, old pulp novels, classic horror stuff, 1950s ceramic cats, antique naked lady postcards, and soon to add to my list of obsessions: the Lady Head Vase.

There was a time when I didn't like these vases.  Looking back, I am not sure why, because they are amazing.  They have everything I like: cuteness, prettiness, petite size-ness, and a great opening to human head decor jokes.  If there's one thing I love, it's joking about decorating my home with human heads. 

Check out this beautiful piece, available in UnderWired's Etsy shop...

 

 

 

Napcoware, made in Japan, 1960s

I'm excited to get this collection going.  There is an entire secret army of people who are into collecting these things, and I'm looking forward to joining them. Most of these collectible vases were manufactured in the 1950s and 1960s, primarily in Japan. Some were crafted in the U.S., and some were made through the early 1970s. They come in many different styles, including in the likenesses of celebrities such as Lucille Ball, and I fear I may become addicted.  Help me help you, and check out the one above on Etsy, or look on your own and find little treasures like this one:

Decorating with human heads...made beautiful!

Enjoy your weekend, friendzies!  See you next week. 

XOXOXOXOXO

My Dreams Are Made of Dresses

Ah, spring.  Time to get all those lovely cotton dresses out of your closet.  Though I personally love the fall more than any other season, and I feel guilty about playing favorites, I do love spring and summer for the pretty, flowing dress factor.  One of my favorite dresses that is available in the shop right now is this one:

In my opinion, it doesn't get much better than this gorgeous frock.  Lightweight, delicate pattern, beautiful design and construction.  It's like wearing a fairy tale.  In essence, that sums up why I love vintage clothing.  Wearing these beautiful pieces from another era can make us feel like we're someone else for a day.  They can transform the mundane into magic.  They give us the power to make one small part of our day extra special.  Isn't that what life is about anyway?  You participate in life, with everyone else around you...and if you can make yourself feel special in the process, you may just rub off on everyone else.  You can make small parts of your day great, and make others feel great , too (and I am not just talking about clothing). Dress up, buy a scone, pet a puppy, adopt a kitten, hug a stranger.  

Have a great day, kids!  I'm gonna go hug my cats and puppy and husband while wearing a pretty vintage skirt.  

XOXOXOXOXO