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inspiration
Eastertime in Flapperland!
It’s no secret that Easter is kind of a big deal for your hostesses, so imagine our delight when we deduced that the next Vintage Vivant fell smack dab on Easter Sunday! Could it be anymore perfect? To our way of thinking, there’s no better holiday (save maybe New Year’s Eve?) to show off your [...]
Paper Moon Inspiration
Say, it’s only a paper moon Sailing over a cardboard sea But it wouldn’t be make-believe If you believed in me “It’s Only a Paper Moon” is a popular song, first published in 1933, and covered by nearly every musical genre since. The moon itself was a subject of many songs of the 1920s and [...]
Happy Halloween!
Halloween, 2010: already I’ve had to thwart a potential zombie attack. This morning while doing my laundry near my old job, I noticed that my dryer had been opened while I left for 5 minutes to get coffee, because there were socks on the laundromat floor. There is a pod of homeless men that live [...]
Choice Bit of Calico
So many neat things this week! Jenny Hart from Sublime Stitching has teamed up with Molly Crabapple to release buxom ladies in this amazing embroidery pattern Looking forward to the Ukulele Road Show and strumming along with Andrea and Angeliska. I’m really excited about the launch of Austin Street Style. We’ve lacked a cohesive site [...]
Summer Scenes
With heat in the neighborhood of 103F, & a charming 1940s flat that does not cool well, my summer has been spent embroidering in the dark to a flickring computer screen. Summer brings mysterious bruises. I have them in colonies, it seems. Sometimes they make a face: two eyes, crooked smile. I think I get [...]
Choice Bit of Calico
It’s been a whirlwind two weeks since my last Calico post! I hosted two separate tasting events for my ice cream and went back to work full time at the toy store. Last Thursday I handed out nearly 300 vegan root beer floats at an art show and on Sunday I hosted a vegan milkshake [...]
Boudoir de St. Valentine
Here are a few scenes of my new home: I have been living in collective houses of 15-25 people since 2005, so the only thing I really own kitchen-wise is a tea strainer and a few errant tea cups. I don’t even own a knife! The task of stocking a kitchen from the ground-up when [...]
Choice Bit of Calico
Good things have been happening to me in doubles lately – I hope this week is treating you all just fine! My finals are nearly over (which is partly why I’ve been absent) so I’ll have a month off before summer school starts. Blog girlfriends becoming IRL girlfriends – Louise Black, Andrea and more! Keep [...]
Austin Round-About
Today Andrea and I of A Cat of Impossible Color met up during her brief trip to Austin. I took her for a Bouldin Breakfast and we petted adoptable doggies and walked for miles under our parasols in the Texas heat. We sipped nectar from Honeysuckles, drank cucumber sodas and limeades, and saw lots of [...]
Choice Bit of Calico
Black lace netting and gold glitter eyeshadow and whiskey and dancing at White Ghost Shivers Hiding my giggles when my 8th grade class recalled that David Bowie fought at the Alamo Eating cacao/goji/almond/energy chunks, sunflower sprouts and grape kombucha Putting some much needed hippy magic into my day Making 18 vegan pizzas from scratch for [...]
White Ghost Shivers
1. italian vogue, 2. Unknown, 3. Vogue Parisian Fashion, 4. From a Smashing Pumpkins Video, 5. norma_shearer_12, 6. Vogue, 7. Dandrew, lion of Russia, 8. November 22, 9. Me at the Musee Mechanique White Ghost Shivers, “Mama Said” at the Parish, Austin, Texas, 2006 Last night I went to see the White Ghost Shivers at [...]
Choice Bit of Calico
Things I love this week: Since my Paris/SXSW vacation is finally at an end, I’ve been having one helluva time getting back in a school mind set. Me doing my homework is like silent game of kicking and screaming. Some things this week are making me fall back in love with school. Seriously considering making [...]
The Birdy Teacup Teaparty
Last year I organized a swan boat outing on Town Lake for when Gala Darling was coming to SXSW. It was a grand time paddling about in afternoon finery, and I wasn’t sure if this year I could top it … but a few months ago I was brainstorming events and I thought a tea [...]
Paris, France
My time in Paris was magical! It was one of my best weeks on earth, thus far. Obligatory Tour Eiffel photo. During my trip, it was 18F – 35F so I wore three pairs of socks most days. Drawing by Francois’s cousin. Me with Jana Sterbak’s Meat Dress at Centre Pompidou. I also saw works [...]
Lady Phonograph
People sometimes ask me why I want a phonograph, and I tell them the reason I bought one is because of the scene in American Tail when Fievel hears his father’s violin playing from several stories up, but when he climbs the building he realizes that it’s really a phonograph. He sneaks up inside of [...]
Cigarette Girl
Cigarette girl with flowered headband and flippy skirt. Source unknown. Ever since I saw this photo of Diane from Zelda Magazine dressed up for Dances of Vice, I’ve been plotting a cigarette girl costume. Diane sells sweets, chocolates and of course, cigarettes from her lovely painted trays. There is also a business out of San Francico [...]
February 8th, 2010
Pearl and green glass earrings – made by my sister Vintage lace collar 1930s Velvet Dress – Buffalo Exchange (I added the buttons) Striped stockings – www.sockdreams.com Shiny mary janes My flapper afro is slowly coming back… This is how I fluff it up… by running my hands in small circles until it puffs up. [...]
Ode to Yellow
I’ve had a sad day, so to cheer up, here is some yellow: Butterscotch Yellow Banana Yellow Dandelion Canary Yellow Sunshine Yellow 1. happy land, 2. Lovely Flapper With Pastel Flower Accessory–Deco Diecut Darling, 3. 2009Halloween, 4. that view, 5. September, 6. Banksy @ Bristol Museum, 7. Henry Darger Wrist Cuff, 8. colour theory, 9. [...]
February 6th, 2010
red ribbon as headband red vintage slip blue (dyed) slip red stretchy belt flower clips from h&m seamed stockings black maryjanes There’s a fine line between two slips=a dress and two slips=wearing lingerie out of the house. I’m still not totally convinced that this is a good outfit… maybe the slip would have to be [...]
Salut Paris!
On March 5th, I will be heading to Paris to visit for one week! I have not been in ten years, and I’m so so so very excited to go back! Here I am outside of Avignon, age 18, frolicking through a field of lavender. Thus far: I have a date set up with the [...]
Many Happy Returns, Bellwether!
Many happy returns of the day to my dear Bellwether! Here is Bellwether at my gallery opening in New Orleans, LA this past fall. She was so brave to go with me to fare our horrible 24 hour Greyhound ride. Say, what do you get when you put two redheads on a bus in Louisiana? People [...]
I <3 Aprons
One must wear an apron to protect oneself from the chill from the ice box! I have the most aprons of any human being. If you go into ebay and type in “Vintage Apron Lots” you can buy 50+ aprons for $20 or less. When I went to Kansas for the first time I found [...]
January 18th, 2010
Maroon silk scarf as headband – Arles, France while I was an exchange student at 18 Falling apart 1920s dress (crepe?) – present for my last birthday Black lace slip 1940s gold locket (I finally put pictures inside!) Black geometric tights Maroon flocked platforms – Melissa Store, B.H., Brazil If I wait too long in [...]
Vintage Vivant Traveling Essentials
“Excuse me, you speak English, right? You are my personal hero, hiking the rainforest like that.” – Girl from Chicago Here I am, pictured above, on the sea-facing coast of Ilha Grande, Brazil during my vacation there to see G. this past summer. Before this photo was taken, G. and I had hiked several miles [...]
