you can't take it with you

There is one item in this shop accessories preview that I really wanted to keep, but which I'm going to let go, because I have enough of this item already.  Can you guess which item it is?  (The answer will be at the end of this update.)

Black leather oxfords by Craddock Terry.

1980s perforated caramel leather wedges, by Dr. Scholls.

1980s spats flats, by Pappagallo.

1950s brasstone filigree box purse, by Empress.

Ikat weave handbag by Christine Custom Bags of Detroit.

1940s corde box purse.

1964 Enid Collins Money Tree X box purse.

Tooled leather Jesus Saves belt and buckle.

Framed pictures for your cottage wall.

Kitschy folklore Mom and Pop mugs by Napcoware.

You're in good hands with Jesus (though according to this picture, Jesus wants to slap you dead like a mosquito).

oh, and the item I really want to keep?  

....it's the

woven

ikat purse!

xo

K

vintage dogs

I know there are a lot of cat ladies out there in vintage world.  Well, this post is for the rest of us (though there is a cat here!).

movie star dog / here

French circus dogs (& a cat!) / here

from the WNYC archives, Rolf, the mandolin playing terrier / here

my grandfather, Dan, and Mupsy, 1908

Victorian dog in top hat, smoking a pipe, from the collection of Libby Hall / here

from the collection of Libby Hall / here

love the french bulldog's collar, and that terrier on her lap! / Libby Hall Collection

You can see more on my Pinterest vintage dog board.

xo

K

macro thrift

Andy and I took a little thrift trip yesterday, and I snapped some photos.  

I didn't buy the Music for a German Dinner at Home vinyl, and I kind of wish I had.

xo

K

getting crafty

I am not crafty.  I like to leave the craftiness to the professionals.  Two years ago, however, I bought this adorable puppy love cross stitch kit from ChezSucreChez on Etsy...and finally started working on it last week.  With a brief interruption to purchase more floss when I ran out, I managed to complete them over a period of about three days.

It was harder than I thought it would be to put the tiny Xs into their proper places.  Guess which one I did first?  I did enjoy the project, and I wish I had another kit on hand to work on.  However, my next thing to try is...crochet!  I mentioned to my mom back in November that I wanted to try and learn crochet, and she sent me yarn, needles, and a book about it for Christmas.  Now I suppose I have no excuse not to learn.

Would I like to learn how to crochet something like this?

photo from wondertrading's Flickr

Well, yes, but...I'm realistic.  I think my goal will be some throw pillows for the sofa!

xo

K

street style, the wintry 1990s edition

I keep seeing summery, bare-legged looks in the street style blogs that I follow.  I don't know if it's just a really warm winter everywhere, if these blogs happen to be shooting in warmer countries, or if they're just reposting old photos because it's hard to get good street style looks when everyone is all bundled up.  I happen to love coats and winter fashion, though.  (Actually one blog that always has a lot of folks on the streets in coats and scarves is Helsinki's Hel-Looks.)  Here are some of the street style looks that have caught my eye since I last did this back in November.

London (Style Sight).  Great layering, cute shoes, plaid!  Pretty great hair, too.

Kater of All This Happiness.  I just love everything about this.  The soft blue and gray together, the length of the skirt, the flats, the cute bag.  And the beret!  I am really digging berets lately.

Barcelona (Face Hunter).  So sassy.  I love the plaid pants and scarf.  And the short bangs remind me of myself in the 90s.  (I'm seeing a lot of looks lately that harken back to things I wore in the 90s, and they aren't disturbing to me in the way that 80s fashion reruns are.)

Berlin (Style/Clicker).  She looks a little like Elizabeth McGovern!  I love the deep green plaid coat paired with the floral dress.  And the cool bag.  And the beret!

Helsinki (Hel-Looks).  This one is a last minute addition.  Although she is totally cute, I'm mainly including this because I'm pretty sure I used to own that coat (or its twin)!  I recognize the pumpkin color and the buttons.  I bought it at a J. Crew sample sale (probably in the late 1990s).  Change the Docs to black, pants to jeans or a dress, and hair to a reddish bob--and it's me in 1995!

xo

K

shop preview

Lots of cozy, woolen keep-you-warm goodness in this shop update...but it ends on a springy note!  Here's what you'll see coming to the shop this week.

1950s sparkly gold sweater dress, by Sue Brett.

Faux fur cape.

Mod pink and green floral dress, by Emilio Borghese.

1950s chunky knit floral cardigan.

1960s beaded blue cocktail dress.

1950s wool shadow plaid pleated skirt.

1960s blue and gold plaid wool shift dress.

Heather green wool cardigan.

1950s lilac jersey party dress with ruched waist and full skirt.

Mustard geometric roll collar knit top, by Carol Brent.

Navy blue swiss dot maxi dress with large collar and ascot, by Coco.

1950s yellow and green plaid kilt.

1950s buff bateau neck sweater dress.

1960s gold lamé checkerboard bow blouse, by Adolphe Zelinka.

1960s pumpkin and sage plaid wool scooter dress.

Striped polo neck cardigan sweater by Sacony.

1970s tribal motif sweater dress.

1970s belted corduroy jacket.

1950s pale yellow beaded cupcake party dress.

xo

K

pre-fall 2012?

A couple of Pre-Fall 2012 (whatever that means; I don't understand fashion seasons) collections caught my eye: Erdem and Louis Vuitton.  (All the photos here via Fashionologie.com.)  

The Erdem collection is full of amazing printed coats, floral prints, and the color orange.  My favorite thing, though, is this first look.  That skirt slays me.

The Vuitton collection also has some great prints--plaid and florals, but more abstract floral.  It also uses a lot of fur accents--collars, cuffs, bizarre shoe thingies--which I like (well, not the shoe thingies so much), but I hope they're not using real fur.  It's Vuitton, so they probably are...?  But in this day and age, I'd hope it's faux fur.  I love fur collars, but vintage or faux, please.  Anyway, I kind of half love, half hate this first look--love the sparkles, the fur collar, the tiered skirt.  Not wild about the hat.  Not sure if this is a hot mess, or a wonderful hot mess.  It's kind of that socialite gone mad look, Little Edie for the 2010s, so I guess I'll go with: love it.

xo

K