A Fabulous Weekend!

For pretty much the first time since 2013 began, Ryan and I managed to have a completely fun and stress-free weekend!  It was like a miracle on the farm...

We managed to be both insanely productive on our farm/garden To-Do List, yet at the same time make sure to have lots of "us" time and mini-dates.  This is a great deal more difficult than you'd think!  One of the hardest parts about being 20-something and running a full-time farm & home business is that it is incredibly difficult to find a way to balance work and pleasure.  There are months (especially in the spring, summer, and fall) where all we seem to do is work-Work-WORK, and never manage to find much time to enjoy being young and in love.  We are constantly attempting to strike a balance, and this weekend we succeeded rather spectacularly!

On Saturday, we went out on a coffee date to our favorite coffee shop - the Goodbean, in Jacksonville.  Then, my dear and patient husband let me drag him around town to all of the major thrift stores in my hunt for vintage scores.  We headed back home, changed into our grungies, and spent a few hours working on the farm, garden, or in the workshop.  Then, we did evening chores, and got changed for a fabulous night out at the Peerless Restaurant & Bar in Ashland!  I wore my "signature" look: a breathtakingly lovely 1930s black rayon crepe dress with gold sequins and peplum detail, my favorite pair of 1930s black leather heels ($28 at a local antiques store), 1960s silver fox fur convertible coat/cape by "Joseph Magnin" (gift from my grandmother), and my favorite "Jillian Garrett Original" green faux bird tilt hat.

Unfortunately, getting home late and then having to set all of our clocks forward for Daylight Savings made Sunday morning a little brutal, but we got through it!  Ryan and Grandpa did some tractor work - refilling the raised beds with fresh compost, putting the remaining finished compost on the garden, etc.  I thinned and replanted the walking onion bed, replanted my pea bed (the raccoons dug up and ate my previous planting) and covered it with chicken wire, planted more tulip bulbs, pruned the final raspberries, and rejoiced over the fact that my turnips and arugula seeds were germinating in the raised beds!

A little after the noon hour, we stopped work for the day, got cleaned up, and headed into town.  Since it was so pleasantly (and might I say unseasonably) warm out, I decided to get dressed up in my favorite red cotton vintage 1950s dress.  I also wore a necklace and earrings set that I had made myself out of vintage plastic fruit/leaf beads that I got at the thrift store for a $1 for all of them.

We hit one of the local antiques store, where I found the most wonderful 1940s straw tilt hat with crazy leatherwork detailing by "Gimbel Brothers" for $15, along with a 1940s green wool uniform (which I am told may be an old Girl Scouts uniform) for a grand total of $8.  The uniform and hat matched perfectly, so I was pretty pleased to have found an entire outfit for under $30!

2nd Whimsical Faux Bird Tilt Topper

Well, here's round #2 on the whimsical faux bird tilt topper hats!  The hat is constructed using a piece of delicious chocolate brown velour felt (~late 1940s), two vintage yellow faux birds, the most lovely ~1930s vintage plastic cherries & flowers, and vintage dark brown fancy patterned veiling.  I made the veiling nose-length this time, as some folks may not be ready for the full face/chin-length veiling.  Plus, nose-length veiling means you can wear the hat out to dinner and not have to mess around with tucking the veiling up and onto the hat when you want to actually eat something.

I'm doing everything in my power not to fall in love with the hat and pull the Etsy listing (like I did last time)!

This Crazy Thing Called Life...

2013 sure has been off a roaring start - a stressful start, anyway!  Seems like our family, and everyone else I talk to, is having one rough go of it so far this year.  I keep hoping things will calm down, but then something else happens...*sigh*  I'm still staying positive, but I'm getting a bit tuckered trying to maintain inner balance.

2013 has also been a terrible year for catching the flu, as I believe my grandfather is the sole person on Planet Earth who has not come down with it.  Ryan, my grandmother, and I, all got sick with it, and Grammy was so sick that I was truly worried for quite a while.  We dragged her to the doctor repeatedly, and nursed her round the clock, and she is finally getting better.  But that was a very scary, very stressful month.  Once I recovered from the flu and was looking after my grandmother, the insane stressload, lack of sleep, and lots of coffee, took its toll on my already-compromised immune system, and I suffered further health issues.  I'm finally starting to feel better...

The bright spot in the last 30 days or so has been a respectable amount of sales in my Etsy store.  I used some of the income to buy some hardwood maple that Ryan had been drooling over for woodworking projects.  It was nice to bring a smile to his weary face - he looked like a kid at Christmas in a Norman Rockwell painting.

With spring nearly here, and the weather beginning to warm up, I've been busy in the garden and the greenhouse.  We've been tilling the garden plots, working on extending our irrigation set-up, planting early spring greens in the raised beds, and germinating vegetable seeds in the greenhouse.  Just this week, the arugula sprouted in the raised beds, and I expect to see the turnips any day now.  I planted my carrot & radish seeds this afternoon.

So life goes on here, and we take it one day at a time...

Latest Custom Creation!

(Hopefully my client won't mind if I post a few sneak photos of the AMAZING hat I just finished creating!) 

It's my interpretation of a hat I saw in a 1945 McCall's Magazine - I believe the style was termed "extreme breton."  The original hat was made using Lady Amherst center tail feathers.  However, these are large and incredibly expensive feathers, so when I made my version I used the smaller, more economical Ringneck tail feathers.  I made the original version in navy blue, and that is what is pictured in my Etsy store listing for the hat.  

 

However, you can order it made in a range of colors, and this particular client (who, may I just say here, has some of the best taste in color pairings!) wanted the hat made in red.  

When I put on the finished product, I couldn't believe how absolutely incredible the hat looked!  It is even more head-turning than the original (navy) one, and looks just stellar with red lips and a subdued dress.  

WOW!

Pruning's the Word!

February and March always mean one thing on a farm: PRUNING!  This is the time when everything gets hacked back into submission - grapes, roses, fruit trees, raspberries, herbs, etc.  Just this past weekend, I finally finished pruning all of the roses.  The previous weekend, Ryan pruned all of our fruit trees.  I'm now working on cutting back the perennials, weeding the herb garden, and just generally trying to get everything ready for spring and the opening up of the B&B at the end of this month (yikes!).  My To-Do list is rather intimidating...and since this is the first major outdoor work any of us have done since winter began, there is the normal amount of very sore muscles, and just general exhaustion.  On the bright side, I've been sleeping like a baby at night!

(Even More) Thrift Store Scores

I've been terrible about updating this blog lately, as well as sharing my (now rather long) backlog of thrift store scores!  So here's a sampling of some of the lovely vintage items I've found recently (and plan on keeping)...

Gorgeous 1950s New Look "Rosenhoff's Shop" label navy blue dress. ($8.99)

1950s/1960s Silver Fox Fur Collar ($9.99)

1950s Silky Soft Chocolate Brown Mink Fur Swing Coat by La Pointe's Furs ($19.99)

Etsy Store Sneak Preview!

Here's a sneak preview of some of the vintage items hitting my Etsy store soon...

Adorable 1950s/1960s handmade cropped blouse.  The fabric is a fun black & white checkerboard with plastic buttons in front and metal zipper in back.

Amazing 1950s/1960s Emma Domb evening gown - covered in sequins, with an attached blue satin train in back.

Gorgeous 1940s mink (or possibly muskrat?) fur coat with two large bakelite buttons.  The fur is still incredibly soft, albeit worn in spots.  The pockets have been replaced, but are a tad shallow (so you may decide to redo them), and I have repaired several small tears (mostly in the shoulder and arm areas).  

 

 

Being sold "as-is," but still a sturdy and glorious vintage fur coat!

P.S. - Like the hat I'm wearing in some of these pictures?  Oh yeah, I made that too...It's not for sale (sorry!), but there is a very similar one (albeit in different colors) hitting my millinery Etsy store soon!

Whimsical

I had some vintage materials laying around, and two faux birds who desperately needed a home.  Therefore, I made another tilt hat!  

The hat body is constructed out of a piece of ~1940s black wool felt, with 1940s black fancy patterned veiling, vintage red velvet flowers, and my two lovely little vintage faux hummingbirds.  The birds did not come with tail feathers, but I felt that for the whimsical scene I was attempting to portray - two hummingbirds zooming around a bunch of flowers - that long, colorful tail feathers were required.  I had a vintage millinery decoration (a gift from the lovely Cindy who owns the Vintage Hat Shop on Etsy!) consisting of some very stiff rainbow-dyed rooster saddle feathers.  I gently removed these from the decoration and attached them to the faux birdies!

I had originally planned to list this in Etsy store.  In fact, I did!  But then I made the mistake of trying the hat on with one of my green dresses...*sigh*  I made it two days before I pulled the listing.  I can try and justify it: the veiling had some tears, everyone told me I had priced the hat about $100 too low, etc.  But let's be honest here: I have never yet been able to sell a birdie hat that I have made that was not a custom order requested by a client.  I just can't do it!!  Does this mean I'll never be successful as a milliner?  Maybe.  But if I have to trade success for keeping all of the awesome birdie hats, I'll do it!  At least I'll be poor and fashionable.

In the meantime, I have two other yellow faux birdies of similar size and style that I will be using to create a 2nd version of this hat design.  This time, I'll be using vintage brown velour felt, with the yellow birds, ivory-hued vintage flowers, and a vintage brown veiling.  This WILL be listed in the Etsy store (I swear!!), and may turn into another custom order option, as I have found a source for small vintage faux birds in a variety of colors.

I also tried my hand at creating my own vintage-style faux bird yesterday.  After owning and repairing countless bird hats, I know exactly how the birds are made.  The problem is that finding the materials to recreate them is near impossible!  I have yet to track down a similar material to use for the fiber filling...In any event, I cannibalized a modern craft store foam bird and used its head as part of the base, with buckram for the wing base.  I showed the finished bird to my husband, and he said he couldn't tell it apart from my other vintage birds!  Hurray!

2nd Annual Prohition Party

Well, after all of my griping and swearing that I would never again host another one, guess what happened last Saturday?: The 2nd Annual Prohibition Party.

I had several requests from people, asking me to host another party this year.  I finally gave in, and the good news is the turnout this year was much more respectable!  It also helped to have two wonderful co-hosts, who took some of the burden off of party planning.  

We also improved upon last year's design, making the livingroom into an even better jazz bar. 

We even had a boot legger, a bouncer, and a weapons check at the front door!

Like the cocktail shaker sitting on the bar?  All of our barware was period-appropriate, thanks to MartinisandMore (visit them at the Acme Garage in Medford for excellent vintage barware!) who loaned us everything for the party.

I wore my authentic flapper dress that I purchased after last year's party.  You may remember this picture from the post I wrote about it back then.

 

I apologize for not taking any pictures while the party was actually in progress - the flash on my new camera is so bright and annoying that I didn't want to blind people, and I am still figuring out how to turn it off when I try and take a picture.

 Blowing Smoke (don't ask where)

All in all, it was an excellent party, and I guess I am going to have to continue to throw these annually...

Like a Kid at Christmas...

On Saturday, I received a new "toy" in the mail!  Ryan said my smile as I opened up the package reminded him of a little kid at Christmas.

I am now the proud owner of a late 1940s/early 1950s vintage hat puzzle block!  I can't wait to start playing...

Back View

Side View

Valentine's Day Picks

Wondering what to wear for Valentine's Day?  Here are my picks, from items in my vintage clothing Etsy store...

Empire-Waisted Red Velvet Dress with Short Puffed Sleeves

Embroidered Red Satin Robe 

 Luxurious 1950s Jo Copeland Purple Satin Dress

Sparkly 1960s Sequined Tank Top

Mr. John Classic hat

The Girl in the Green Bird Hat...

I have come to realize that I have a signature "look."  More importantly, I have a signature hat.  

I am associated with vintage faux bird hats in general, and my green bird hat in particular.  It is true: out of all of the hats that I have made or own thus far, it is my absolute favorite.  It is my "go-to" hat when I am going out, and my favorite hat to use for photoshoots.  

I'm sure the green bird hat says a great deal about my personality, but we won't delve into that rabbit hole.

I suppose we all have a signature piece that people associate with us.  What is yours?

Follow "Jillian Garrett Originals" on Facebook...

I'm not sure if you're aware, but there is actually a Jillian Garrett Originals page on Facebook (yes, I know, it's shocking!).  You can follow me on Facebook for the latest sneak previews, millinery ideas, secret coupons for my Etsy hat store, and general vintage hat chat!

Join now to take advantage of my current "secret" Etsy store coupon code, which gives an additional 10% off of the already 14% off discount.  Both offers are valid through February 14th, so grab that luscious little hat that will be the perfect finishing accent to your Valentine's Day date night ensemble!