Frank Palma X

I can't believe I forgot to post about this: I bought another Frank Palma hat!  I thought that the ridiculously over-priced white feathered top hat would be the only one I would get for my birthday (and that was three months early), but lo and behold, ON my actual birthday, I snatched up my tenth Frank Palma hat!!!  Thank you to the Hat Gods for my now annual FP Birthday Mojo.

It is an exact copy of the one that sold off of antiquedress.com for about $800.  The best part?  I only paid $80...I think that may very well be the first time in recent history that I grabbed a FP hat for under $100.  It was also in excellent condition (such a relief).

I looooooooooove it...

More Vintage Bulk Buy Listings

I got a few more items photographed and listed in the Etsy store from that vintage bulk buy I did earlier this year.

~1930s Jemco Purse

AMAZING (albeit faded) 1920s beaded flapper dress (not for sale...sorry!)

HATTIE CARNEGIE 1960s Persian Lamb Fur Jacket

1950s Velvet Opera Coat (lining needs to be replaced though)

What's For Breakfast?

We recently had a 3-day booking here at the B&B (with some of the nicest guests in the entire world, might I just say), and I had a great deal of fun composing the breakfasts each morning.  Now is the time of year when the garden is really beginning to come online production-wise (as well as the fruit - cherries were ripe last Saturday!), so the meals just keep getting better...

At 7:30 am each morning, we always start with freshly-baked sourdough rolls with choice of butter or one of our amazing herbal jams.

At 8 am, the main breakfast begins.  You might enjoy:

Farm fresh scrambled eggs with brown butter-fried sage and chives

Individual watermelon cups with raspberries and chocolate mint

Raspberry-Cornmeal muffin sweetened with honey and made using our own home-grown and hand-ground heirloom cornmeal

Veggie-Bacon Frittatas (with vegetables and herbs out of the garden, and locally-raised bacon)

Apple-Oat Crisp made using our own apple butter and heirloom apples (when in season)

Latest & Greatest

 

I made another hat!  Yes, of course, it has a faux bird on it...what can I say?  Frank Palma (vintage faux bird hat milliner extraordinaire) is my inspiration, and I happen to have an unquenchable lust for vintage faux bird hats anyway.

But there is something different about this birdie hat...

It has a nest on it!  Made out of vintage veiling!  With millinery berries for eggs!

I feel as though the great milliners of old would be proud...

Choices...

So, as I am sure that all of you - the eight of you - who actually read this blog will notice that it has taken on a bit of a new look recently...while this will still remain the official blog for Apothecary Inn - with lots of farm & garden updates, and delicious breakfast photos - I have decided that I really want to try and get this millinery business up and off of its feet.  "Apothecary Inn" is getting pretty established at this point, so now I want to turn the focus onto "Jillian Garrett Originals" for a bit...

  Let's see where this will lead...

Concrete Path to Enlightenment

This past week, we finished pouring the concrete for the new outdoor patio area and walkway.  This patio area is connected with the new tri-level cedar deck (part of the Apothecary Suite's private deck).  However, as only the uppermost tier of the cedar deck is private, we wanted to encourage all of our guests to enjoy the new outdoor area and herb garden.  So, we decided to add in a concrete patio (think BBQ area!), and a concrete path that meanders around the deck, past a lovely bubbling fountain, through a stand of young fruit trees, and into the formal herb garden.

Getting the cement truck in there was a tight fit, let me tell you!

I went through my rock and fossil collection (from my "wild" geology days) and picked out some of my favorite pieces.  We placed these randomly in the concrete of the walkway, for guests to contemplate as they walk the path to enlightenment (or at least where the hamburgers are being grilled!).  There are everything from agates to ammonites in the walkway, and I think people will enjoy walking along and discovering all the different pieces of my youth.  Each rock or fossil is the memory of some adventure in a far off place.

 

The concrete was poured on Friday, and has spent the weekend drying.  We're hoping to have everything finished and landscaped by mid- to late-June.

Next task: mulch!

A Brief Detour Back to Vintage

It's been such a whirlwind of activity lately that we haven't had time to do any sort of photoshoot for the Etsy store...items have been selling, but I haven't been able to get any new inventory added!  As I mentioned in an earlier post, I bought out the remaining vintage clothing contents of an antique store.  I'm keeping a few items for myself, and the rest will be hitting the Etsy store as soon as they can be photographed, measured, and checked over.  Today, we got a few of these pieces photographed.  These two lace dresses have been listed in my Etsy store.

Absolutely stunning 1930s sheer tambour lace dress with fluttery sleeves and a purple velvet bow in front!  This would be SO perfect as either a wedding dress, or as a lovely gown to wear to an outdoor party this summer.  I'm having a hard time letting this one go, but I know it will fly away to a wonderful home...

Just LOOK at that lace!!

Next up, we have an absolutely lovely ~1940s vintage lace hostess gown by "Henri Bendel."  It's surprisingly comfortable - I really feel as though I could lounge around the house all day in it!

Now, I want to show off some of the pieces that I'm keeping...we'll call this "bragging rights."

From the first moment that I originally stepped into this antique store, I lusted after this vintage 1930s/1940s beaded & embroidered blood red velvet cape!  Unfortunately, it was very dusty/dirty, and had a rather high price tag of $250.  Definitely not in my budget!  However, when I did the vintage bulk buy, the price went down to about $85 for the cape - SOLD!  The cape is actually a deep, dark red in real life, but the camera was having trouble capturing it.  No matter what, it is an absolutely stunning piece of history, and I adore it!  I just got it back from the dry cleaners, and finished repairing the lining (which had come loose in many spots).  The cape has beautifully padded shoulders, detailing on the collar and the arm holes, and the entire back is gorgeously decorated with medallions.

The back is seriously just incredible...

Next, I wanted to share the final dress out of that lot of TLC vintage clothing I purchased months ago.  This is the estate that I purchased, amongst other things, the vintage westernwear set from.  I had been waiting to get my lovely red 1950s wiggle dress back from the dry cleaners.  I LOVE this dress!  It is so sexy and yet at the same time so modest (which is perfect for me!).  I think I may wear this dress out to dinner for my wedding anniversary later this month...
 

Now, back to the vintage bulk buy...Please Note: If you have problems with vintage fur, well, you probably shouldn't read this blog anyway, but definitely don't proceed any further with this post!!

WARNING: DECADENT VINTAGE FUR PICTURES BELOW

I know that not everyone agrees with wearing fur.  In fact, people can get down right nasty about it on either side of the argument!  Personally, as a farmer who has raised and helped to slaughter her own meat animals, I do not have a problem with wearing vintage fur.  I would not wear or buy new fur (though if I ever catch that family of raccoons living under my chicken coop, it's going to be a different story!).  As a serial thrifter and vintage clothing enthusiast, I see SO much vintage fur around that is lost, neglected, and unloved.  I usually end up buying the pieces, just to give them a home where they will be appreciated.  I have both helped to bring life into this world, and also to send life out of it.  I understand that there is no easy way to die, and I also understand the sacrifice.  I'm not naive.  But I think that the old furs out there should be worn and loved, instead of thrown away.  So that is my personal stance.  If you don't agree with it, don't proceed any further down the page.  Nasty comments will be deleted.

And now, my new favorite outfit!  I think I might wear this ensemble out to my wedding anniversary dinner!

This crazy vintage white fox fur piece was (and still kind of is) in very poor condition.  When I bought it (not quite realizing just how bad of shape it was in!), the pelts were almost completely dry, with TONS of shedding, and many tears.  I sent it off to a professional furrier to be cleaned and glazed (which was a bit painful to the pocketbook).  When I got it back, it was definitely softer than before, though still "shedding glamour" worse than my cat.  Definitely wouldn't wear it with a black dress!!  However, because my red dress is a smooth satin material, the fur doesn't stick to it quite as badly.  Therefore, this is my new sultry evening "go to" outfit.

The cape/wrap/stole/whatever you want to call it, is composed of two whole white foxes.  Their twin tails fall down the front, and in back of the tails are little pockets with a button closure.

Seriously, LOVE.  I know I'm a freak, but I totally adore this amazing vintage piece!  It looks like something out of a Frank Capra movie!