movie inspiration: matt helm

snow days = marathon movie watching. this time around i watched all of the dean martin matt helm movies i could find online. you can see the ambushers and murderer's row on netflix watch instantly, and the silencers is on hulu for free. these are pretty much just like austin powers except it's dean martin instead of austin powers. the evil bad guy organization is 'the big O' and his assistant's name is lovey cravesit. but the costumes are some of the best 1967-69 had to offer.. holy cow the costumes are so good. gogo pop color and lowslung hiphuggers and see-through meshy divinities. he always ends up at some tropical locale surrounded by beautiful lady spies in amazing swimsuits. it's all ideal blizzard-movie-day material.
ready?:



1967 was the pinnacle of sunglass design. those above are gold hands giving the 'ok' sign.
and these



her suit is mostly mesh w solid inserts. hard to get pics of it because her character is clutzy and always falling over things.







serious badgirl earrings



serious badgirl cube ring
and matching super serious badgirl cube bracelet






insane asylum chic - white canvas gogo dress w giant red vinyl buckles and bleached pink hair. so future-now. i would like to be this girl today yes please. i have a drawer full of hairdye. i need some buckles.



blondie's mini is beautiful, but that on the right there is a proper double-breasted gogo shorts-suit. if it were leather that would be pretty right-now too.


love this - circusy harlequin but super classy

sheer mesh w solid yellow panels


there's an oleg cassini fashion show bit with a few dozen amazing prints. here is just one - all too good


i wish his fencing instructor wasn't standing at such a bad angle to really see her heart-shaped uniform. she never really turns around - more mesh



murderer's row has ann-margaret in it as a wild teen discoteque queen in cannes. i love a good longsleeved swimsuit


and pink vinyl hair bows for the pool



also can we talk about this daisy dress and matching daisy skullcap for a sec please


and matching daisy panties. bury me in this please.

she has yellow nailpolish on too. just sayin..

these are vinyl or leather. let's say they're leather

ann's is backless, which makes it weirdly sexy when she turns around. and those pointy white ankle strap shoes are my favorite. her whole thing (the blonde) is pretty ideal really. pink leather cape = true love.
but really. the daisies. w the red sunglasses. i don't need other clothes. i'll be the weird daisy chick, that's fine.

knee high, unless you're a dog

we got exactly one cornfed of snow in the city today. i suspect he loves snow because i love snow.



i found this 60s fur trimmed boucle jacket the other day at the thrifts for a steal. i know i don't need anymore coats, but how could i resist this? ultimate. it almost makes me sad winter is winding down.. almost. i hear this is going to happen again on tuesday. i suspect i'll be pretty ready to get out by then.


there is a serious lot of snow in my tiny backyard.
and a texture close up of the jacket:



i have no idea what kind of fur it is. it's fluffier than mink with short white downy hairs at the base. super plush. there is not a good fur i.d. resource online that i can find. maybe i should start one... if you have a link to something helpful pretty please hook me up!
lipstick is revlon moondrops 710 orange flip. i am finding that moderately insane lipstick is helping me get over my fear of wearing brown. i kind of forgot about makeup as an accessory for a few years there..

++EDIT++
i think i've identified the fur as sable, since sable can be petted in any direction with no roughness, unlike mink or other furbearers, which only like to be petted in one direction. thanks wikipedia.

blizzard!

cornfed loves snow.

the tiniest room is done

finally! a room i am actually happy with.. and that's good because it is a work room and they should be as cheery as possible. really the best feature of this house is the upstairs laundry room. it doesn't get much more convenient than right next to the bathroom. but convenience had led to disarray and it became the pit at the top of the stairs. no more!! i was inspired to get my act together by these pastel cabana print hampers on crazy stupid clearance sale at marshall's.



this room has always been home to my beatles towel - handed down to me by a friend who took it to the beach when she was a teeny-bopper in the 60s. i decided my tiny collection of vintage movie tickets could go next to it since one of them is for a hard day's night - given to me by the same friend. i actually have a pretty huge collection of beatles memorabilia stored away. one day i'll have everything in one place again... one day....







that on the wall is the david bowie interview disc, and strawberry shortcake above it. and here is vacation kitty piggy bank, for stray pocket change


this window happens to be the best place in this house to display my little collection of purpled glass


purpled glass was (often) manufactured in the 1800s using magnesium instead of lead to make the glass clear (i have heard but can't verify that the lead was needed in the civil war for weapons.) after exposure to light radiation, like a particularly sunny window, the glass w magnesium in it would turn lavender. today purpled glass is considered damaged and worthless. often it has been manufactured, or very good old pieces have been artificially purpled to make them seem more attractive and rare - when in actuality it destroys any value a once good piece might have had. i just think the old purple milk and pill bottles are pretty. they were a dollar or so each, which is all you should ever pay for purpled glass - let alone for pieces in this badly chipped condition.



the tall cobalt medicine bottle bears the name of my grandfather's grandfather. he was one of the first pharmacists in america and sold a number of patent medicines from a shop on 5th ave. i found this bottle and others like it on ebay. if you have a funny last name like mine it is worth it to click the 'search titles and descriptions' box and run a search there for your surname. i have found lots of old ephemera - war correspondences, antique books, amateur victorian artwork, advertisements, train passes, bills of sale. some bits, like this bottle, can be traced to a family member i know. many others are just wonderful novelties. this sort of thing also tends to make excellent presents for the parents/grandparents/new in-laws, etc. it's worth a look. every few months i give it a go and see what pops up.

ok back to doing laundry now! yay!! not sarcastic yay! real yay!!

dial-o-matic

found for $1 the other day, a new addition to my collection of vintage kitchen gadgets:



a 1957 mint green popeil brothers dial-o-matic w original box. this was the second product ron popeil came out with - the first was the chop-o-matic, which is still made today.





amazing color, great graphics. it's totally perfect (the box has some issues) and clean and works and even has replacement blades, though i have an irrational fear of catching polio from eating food prepared w it. sometimes i wish i had an autoclave..

++EDIT++
i got a lovely note from a reader who said this was the first thing they ever cut their finger on as a kid, after of course being told not to touch it! they wished for me to clarify that popeil bros, inc. included ron, his brother jerry and their father, samuel. thanks KPG! you can read more history here at the ronco website.
'slice a tomato so thin it only has one side!'

enjoy!

highly recommended: scallion pancakes

this recipe for scallion pancakes - the only thing i like at chinese restaurants - popped up in my reader the other day and i had to try it. the ingredients are flour, water and scallions, so go get some scallions tomorrow. you'll need some veg oil for rolling out the pancakes, and prolly some salt too unless you aren't into salt. they taste just like at the restaurant and the house smells so good.
warning: enjoy only as an appetizer.. i am kind of ill on far too many scallion pancakes right now. i'm thinking they would be good with some sort of lentil bean thing.. get some lentils tomorrow too.

i win

the trophy necklace that i've had my eye on at target went on sale for $7.48. it goes nicely w my spaceshuttle.

new vintage knits for you

since it seems we have another 6 weeks of winter to go, and i know you're just as sick of all your winter woolens at this point as i am of mine, i've added a few more cozy knit things to the shop. and also a summery thing too, since it's never too early to start dreaming about warmer weather...
[click pics to jump to listings]


60s knit wool sweaterdress and vest set - B38



super cute 80s sailor neck girls sweater - B34


i've never seen a 50s knit bonnet. how pretty/girly/perfect is this?


you know how i love vintage robes, this one is too narrow of shoulder for me or i'd be keeping it.


this is the most perfect 60s summer blouse i have ever seen. turquoise & black cacti, and unworn condition. o how i wish i filled it out appropriately! B36. only 3 buttons stop just at under-bust darts, so it's meant to tie at the midriff or tuck into high-waisted shorts. so good.

i'm gearing up for a big spring/summer upload full of bright hawaiians and florals and little blouses.. stay tuned!

added

i just got back a few more pieces from the porcelain vessel collab i did with brenda. bren threw the pieces and i sgraffito'd some of my animal drawings onto them. they are all drawn free-hand, so no two are ever alike. i've added a handful of them to bowl full of jelly, including this big cobalt bullfight number:



and also these guys, among others:











enjoy!

embroidered combat boots

i hate doing embroidery! but i was compelled to do this project this weekend:





the punch line... they don't even fit me. that's right, they're for you.. if you happen have size 7 feet and 265 bones lying around. yeah, that is how much i hate doing emboidery.





men's 5 which should be a women's 6.5 but they are wicked roomy. i have an extra inch wiggle room and i am a 7?
exact measurements are 10.25" x 3.5"
golly i want them to fit me but i know i'll be tripping over them constantly. the boots are only gently used - soles show very light wear and uppers are scuff free. new laces and insoles. they were a lucky find but alas were not meant to be mine..




click the pics to link to the shop, or pick up a needle and thread and make your own! you can get the boots online (google jungle combat boots.)
i'd like to do a pair spraypainted white w a blue delft-like motif.

i was going to start some new things at the clay studio this afternoon but my hands are kind of shredded after this. it took me about 12 hours over 2 days to do this, but i think i could do it again in 10 now that i have it all worked out.

shameless wardrobe post

everyone likes shameless wardrobe posts!
i was psyched to have found this cuddly 60s sweater the other day on my adventures. and as you can see these 50s french army pants are getting a lot of wear this season. i should do a vintage military gear post.. i have a small collection of odd bits that i have loved and worn hard for years.




there was a dog in this pic a second ago

i showed you these 60s italian shoes a few months back but i never wore them because the soles immediately fell off. i got some proper glue (e6000 has worked fine for me over the years) and finally broke them out of retirement. they are defly a top 5 favorite.



also newly out of retirement is this beast:


i got it new in florence in 1994, when i was a teenager w a real job and expendable cash. i pull it out whenever the logo trend dies down. feel free to contradict me but i still think this was a good investment and is way better than any other souvenir i could have brought back with me. they didn't sell this style in the states, and i still think it is the most perfect gauche/chic thing. very me anyway..


so the reason this outfit even gets a post is because it brings to mind my favorite fashion photo ever, even though i'm not wearing anything even similar..

katherine hepburn in jeans and a mink and perfect little girl hair. i tore this out of a magazine 20 years ago and it is still in my makeup case. this has always been the absolute epitome of style and class to me.
and while we're looking at pics in my makeup case here is the one i've taken to the hairdresser for decades - for the bangs at least, if not the whole bob every few years



garbo w the most perfect classic/modern cut. my bangs have gotten off course after years of self-barbering, but one day i'll have them back on track. it takes forever to grow them back right after they've been cut wrong.

shoes for you

just added to the shop - 1980s beaded pumps - US5.5










2 tiny hidden 'bald' patches on inside heel areas, but otherwise these are super good! man i wish they fit..