Its not hoarding if you know where everything is

First though, have you entered the giveaway yet? Make sure youre posting a seperate entry for everything you do:

Follow my blog
Follow Debs blog, www.hellcat-vintage.com
Like us on facebook:
www.facebook.com/therockabillybowtique
www.facebook.com/hellcatvintage
favorite my etsy shop: sinistersweethearts.etsy.com
Share on your blog or facebook or wherever.

(Mari, go comment one more time that you follow my blog!)

Each entry must be a seperate comment!

http://hellcat-vintage.com/sinister-sweethearts-giveaway/

Now on to the next part of my post. I wanted to show off how I display some of my vintage purses in my bedroom.

I get to enjoy looking at them while keeping them corralled. 

Tippy top shelf holds an embroidered straw bucket bag, from ebay

The next shelf holds a laquer jewelry box that I brought home from Vietnam. Its actually broken, but too beautiful to throw away. Next is a repro straw purse with cherries from ebay, a leopard print frame purse from Bettie Page, and a Red vinyl frame purse that was thrifted

Next shelf holds my perfumes and sprays in a vintage vanity tray that was thrifted and then restored by be, tucked in the back is a vintage coconut purse from hawaii, in front of it is a pink atomic ashtray that used to hold earrings, but now just hangs out. A vintage tooled leather purse from mexico that needs some TLC when I have the time, and behind that, a vintage beaded and sequined tote, the designers name is escaping me at the moment.

Then we have a straw basket purse with strawberries on top that was sold to me as vintage but is actually repro. The berries may be vintage but the purse part is from nordstrom. I dont care too much because its so cute. Next to that is a stack of vintage beaded evening bags. I dont know how I want to store them just yet, so theyre just there. And of course my precious Lux de Ville.With a nick in the front from my dog. Thanks dog :(

This shot came out awfully dark, and it housing mostly black purses doesnt help. In the back is the restoration in progress black picker basket purse, in front of it is a navy blue structured evening purse with an embossed design, My tutti fruity carmen miranda inspired creation, and a black patent leather jackie o purse.

Down here on the bottom, these train cases pull triple duty. The cream one is vintage skyway that I actually paid too much for considering its condition, but I like the size and shape so I dont really care. It currently holds things like laundry bags, hanger clips, and hanging hooks, The pink Samsonite next to it is my baby. It travels with me holding makeup and jewelry. When its not traveling, it holds travel stuff. My mini blow dryer, my toiletry bag, etc. They look great, provide storage, and weight the shelf down for extra safety.

As a final aside, I wanted to share a display tip for you. I personally dont wear necklaces very often. I dont like things feeling like theyre choking me. Instead I wear a lot of brooches and bracelets. Well, my little jewelry box is a little crowded with brooches, earrings, and charm bracelets, so after a lot of hunting, I finally found some old mug stands at the thrift shop. They still need a paint job, but they are perfect for keeping everything corraled and visible. I'm more likely to wear things I see a lot. So there you go! smart display tips!

Giveaway time is here! Extra extra read all about it! Giveaway time is here!

Thats right! My teamed up giveaway with Hellcat Vintage has officially begun! so what do you get if you win?

Bam!

Fifteen free dollars to spend in my etsy shop! 

Thats like 3 things or two things. My prices are hella reasonable.

So how do you enter? Like so! *snaps fingers and makes poof noise*

Like Sinister Sweethearts on Facebook

Like Hellcat Vintage on Facebook

Subscribe to Hellcat Vintage's blog (on the right side at the stop, subscribe via email)

Subscribe to my blog (or add me on google +)

Share on your blog,facebook,twitter, tumbler, whatever

Follow my shop on etsy

Contest runs through midnight on July 29 (PST), and the winner will be notified via email and announced on our blogs.

For each way you enter, be sure to make a separate post in the comments at http://hellcat-vintage.com/sinister-sweethearts-giveaway/

The fine print:

Blog is open worldwide, but if the winner does not live in the USA, they are responsible for shipping. If winner lives overseas and forfeits, we will redraw. 

Any amount over $15 is the responsibility of the winner

So get crackin! Like and share and enter enter enter!!!

Moving stuff around and making a mess

Hello hello hello hello!

I've been here and there and everywhere, mostly on facebook trying to drum up interest in my giveaway with Hellcat Vintage .

And working. A lot. I'm dead tired!

I thought I would show off two pics though, as I decided I wanted the shadow boxes in the bathroom and the bathroom cabinet in the bedroom.

Shadow boxes in their new home. I need to keep an eye out in the antique shops for some smalls for these shelves:

The embroidered bathroom pictures came from a thrift shop in Nevada City, which is next to Grass Valley on the way to Sac. I think I paid a buck a piece for them.

And the coup de grace:

What??? How did my collection get to three?? Well the gold basket weave is a new acquisition thanks to Facebook. There you can see my Joseph girl, and the pin money coin purse was my grandmothers and she gifted it to me! This shelf hangs out in my bedroom now. What you cant see in the photos are my poodle plaques . Once I get my room clean and put together, I'm going to do a video tour of all of my vintage!

I went thrifting today!

Just to savers, as I am wont to do when we go to Joann Fabrics on Kietzkie Lane. I found a few pretty sweaters and a cute top, and also this:

A Josef original with the sticker still intact! She will look so sweet on my curio shelf. 

A bit about Josef, from Josefdolls.com

Josef Originals Birthday Dolls first originated in the mid to late-1940's as Muriel Joseph George designed these creative dolls during the end of World War II. Muriel began designing these dolls to express her love for children, families, animals, and more. Her first designs were produced between 1945 and 1962 in California before moving the manufacture of the dolls to Japan for economic reasons.

In 1982, Muriel entered retirement and sold the company to then partner, George Good. Production of Joseph Dolls continued between 1982 and 1985 before the sale of the company to Southland Corporation (more recently known as Applause). In 2004, the company again changed ownership from Applause to Dakin who began to manufacture the dolls in Hong Kong. Today, these dolls continue to be produced out of this same overseas facility.

Although the original Josef line was hundreds of items, most recent production has centered on birthday dolls, birthstone dolls and some special occasion dolls such as first communion, confirmation, sweet 16, bride and groom, and a few musical pieces. 

Coming Soon: Giveaway time!

Hellcat Vintage  and I are going to be teaming up soon on a giveaway through my etsy shop, Sinister Sweethearts!

You'll be able to enter in a multitude of ways, through our facebook pages and our blogs. If you don't follow us on facebook, why not go over there now and click follow so you are already ahead of the game!

Sinister Sweethearts on Facebook

Hellcat Vintage on Facebook

My Liebster Responses

Mariela from A Girl of Many Interests sweetly nominated me for a Liebster award. Now, I know I'm supposed to nominate other bloggers, but I just dont know that many yet, so I'm going to hold my nominations in reserve for a future date.

Now onto the burning questions and fascinating answers!

1. What type of weather to you like?

Anything not Summer. I love the fall for its warm days and chilly nights. Winter snow (unless I have to drive to Carson City in it) and fresh spring air. Summer can suck it.

2. What's one of your hidden talents?

Does being able to stick my tongue up my nose count? ( I really can do that). I'd say being able to deal with difficult people has been a talent that has come in handy throughout my working career. I have a knack for being able to talk people off the ledge.

3. Is there a go to outfit you love to wear when you dont know what to wear?

Depending on the occasion, I seem to gravitate towards black velvet lounge pants and a bright geometric print top. It works for work situations or even a little more formal.

4. Do you have any pets? How many?

I have two nerds. Pugs. Pains in the ass. But I couldnt imagine my life without them

5. Do you still write handwritten letters?

Absolutely. I feel like written correspondence is becoming a dying art. I always send thank you cards, and I even have calling cards with my contact info on them.

6. What is one of your proudest moments/achievements?

Graduating high school. It sounds trivial, but I had a lot of struggles in my teens and almost didnt make it. It took a lot of time to get to where I am today, healthy, mostly well adjusted, and successful

7. If given infinite money, where would you travel and what would you do?

I'd fly to LA, rent a 57 chevy bel air and drive route 66

8. Have you ever had any supernatural experiences?

No, but I love paranormal investigation shows like Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures

9. Can you drive a car?

Yes, I got my learners permit at 16, and my license at 18. My mom wouldnt allow my sister and I to get our licenses without proving we could drive in different conditions like rain, snow, fog, LA traffic, and San Francisco.

10. What's one thing on your bucket list?

Go to Graceland

11. What's your favorite book?

Anything by Ann Rule, a crime writer from Seattle. I'm fascinated by mysteries and why people do what they do

A couple of restorations in progress

I havent posted any restorations since the bathroom shelf, so I thought to lighten the mood around here after my rant posts, I would show off two purse restorations in progress.

When I first acquired this white vintage wicker purse, it was nasty. It really shouldve gone to the dump. The lining was trashed and stained, the hardware was rusted, the paint job was faded. But underneath that mess, the structure was still sound and the price was good ($5) so I thought i would give it a chance. First thing I did was get that lining out. I tried to salvage it but some of the stains are just too set. Eventually I will use it as a pattern to put a new lining in.

Lots of cleaning and getting the rust out was next, then priming and painting. Keeping it white was out of the question. There was too much damage to the white paint. I primed it and gave it a glossy black coat. It still needs a lining and painting some of the hardware back to gold, but its a marked improvement, and will be a good addition to my collection.

Before:

 

After:

I have a tendency to rescue the things from the thrift shop that need love and nobody else is going to buy. Case in point, this purse. I'm pretty sure a kid sat or stepped on it, with its concave top. That concave top actually works for me! I wanted to turn it into a carmen miranda purse, and with the dip in the center, it creates a perfect spot for the fruit to sit without sitting so high.

Before:

After:

So there you have it! I still want to add a little more to the top in terms of some greenery of some sort. but its got a new life!

I hope I dont become a hipster

My heart has sunk a little, reading some blogs about peoples Viva experiences. How it was so much better when it was at the Gold Coast, etc etc. I suppose when you've been going to an event for so long, and you watch it evolve and grow, it can get a little sour when changes are made that you dont like.

As I've evolved and developed my vintage and rockabilly style, especially over the last 6 months, I've come to terms with several things:

1. You dont have to wear all vintage to fit in.
2. You dont have to know every obsure band
3. You dont have to conform to ANY "rule" in terms of fashion or taste.

So here is my revised guide to "Be Rockabilly"

1. Wear what you love and what makes you feel good. Even if it's capri pants from walmart and a boy beater tank. Rock it. Own it. Let your amazing personality shine through.

2. Its ok if you dont know who a band is. I didnt know much beyond Bryan Setzer for a very long time. Thanks to recommendations from blogs and poking around on the internet have I discovered my beloved Deke, and other amazing artists like Nikki Hill, the Straight 8's, Roy Rapid, etc. When you have the opportunity, share your love of a great band, dont judge me for not knowing (and often caring) who they are.

Thats really it. If Viva was a bad time for you, dont go. Give me your room at the Orleans and stay the hell home. Drama will be everywhere. I shamelessly admit to loving drama. Not mine, but watching other peoples explode. Its free entertainment. But if at all possible, leave it at home, if it tries to follow you, walk away.

I hope 10 years from now, at Riot 13, I'm not posting a blog entry whining about how it was sooo much cooler back in 2013.

Beat me with my lucite purses if I ever do.

Recent purchase!

Its amazing what you can find on ebay when you DONT search the typical vintage keywords like vintage,retro,rockabilly, etc. I simply searched "Pink Circle Skirt" and LOOK! Look what I found!

It was $25 dollars, shown here with a cardi from savers (see the bow detail?) and puffed out with my vintage Malco petti. It doesnt fit me right now, but it was too beautiful to pass up, and its in a size that I can realisticly get into (12/14), not a fantasy size like a 6 which I guarantee is never going to happen.

I cant wait to wear this someday soon!

Happy fourth of July!