Saturday, December 29, 2012

Caspar-Davis Lives Again


My recreation of a 1940s Caspar-Davis double faux bird tilt hat. The hat body is constructed out of a 1940s black wool felt capeline, and has a wired circular felt band in back to hold the hat onto the head. The hat body is circular, with a decorative side tuck. Two faux birds (1930s/1940s) grace the top of the hat, and a gorgeous chin-length section of 1940s vintage veiling completes the piece!

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Happy Holidays & A Goofy New Year!


Ryan and I loathe following the pack like lemmings to the cliff.  I procrastinated on sending out Christmas cards until the very last minute for this reason, and even then only sent them out to about four people!  Instead, we have chosen to send out a mass quantity of Happy New Year cards, because very few people in our circle ever do that.  I purchased a fantastic lot of 12 assorted vintage New Year's cards from the 1940s & 1950s on Etsy, and since I adore getting cards containing photos of the friends sending them, we thought we would take some humorous photos and pick our favorite to include in our cards!  Here were our favorites:





I am a mighty lion tamer!


Bird Hat:1, Husband:0
(Always choose your holiday card hat carefully...)



And the winner is...


May your New Year be filled with pleasant surprises!


Thursday, December 20, 2012

Peekaboo!

I love vintage, and my husband loves neckties.  This Yule, I decided to combine the two into one amazing gift!: a custom-made vintage-style peekaboo tie.


Every Yule, my husband and I exchange one handmade gift.  It's been our tradition for as long as we have been married.  In previous years, I have given him such items as horehound cough drops (made from horehound grown in my own garden), and he has carved me necklace pendants out of bloodwood, and created handmade wooden boxes for my herbal hand salve.  This year, I decided to make him a necktie!  We both got such a kick out of the "peekaboo" pin-up neckties from the 1940s and 1950s.  Unfortunately, these ties are of course highly collectible and therefore very expensive.  Not to mention, who wants a tie that a zillion other lusty men already have?!  So, I made my own.  *grin*


I found an original 1940s pin-up print of a mischievous little redhead (just like yours truly) in an emerald green dress, playing chess, and with her garters showing.  It's awesome, and so totally the classy 1940s version of "risque."  I had this image custom-printed on a 4"x6" piece of white cotton fabric.  Then, I ordered a yard of the hysterical vintage-looking comic strip entitled "Dysfunctional Family" by Michael Miller.  If you have not seen this fabric before, you have to look it up!  It is just about the funniest thing I have ever seen!


I stitched the pin-up girl into the lining of the tie, so that she "peeks" out from the underside.  You can look down into the tie to see the rest of her.  I also found that my "Jillian Garrett Originals" millinery label makes for the perfect tie keep!


So there you have it!  Judging by the gigantic smile on his face, I'd say the necktie was a hit!

Monday, December 17, 2012

Coming Soon to a Head Near You...

Santa brought me a little present for my millinery projects...


I was very, VERY good this year!

Mitzie Girl

I'm finally getting around to posting pictures of my latest faux birdie hat!  


 This gorgeous tilt style hat has two colorful faux birds in front, and is completely covered in iridescent turkey feathers.  The label reads "Original Mitzie Creation."  I stumbled across it purely by chance, and it was (of course) love at first sight.  I had to have it!



Wednesday, December 05, 2012

Monday, December 03, 2012

Family Portrait(s)


The two fur balls, "Tank" & "Termite"


It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...


The winter holidays are definitely my favorite!  I'm a child of summer, so I need something to get me through the cold doldrums of winter.  The bright lights, shiny ornaments, evergreen smell, and gift-giving, are exactly what I need to feel completely happy!  For the first time in 3 years, I was able to decorate my own Christmas tree.  I used the vintage ornaments that belonged to my grandmother...