Schoolhouse Electric Co. lighting up my Vintage!

I went to get my hairs done the other day and happened to fall a pond an interior design magazine and noticed these great retro lighting fixtures in one of the pics. I wrote down the resource, Schoolhouse Electric Company, and looked up the web page. I have always had this fascination with retro style lighting fixtures especially from the 40's tot he 50's. These remind me of the old fixtures from our school before they dismantled them and put up those horrible fluoresce lights. The story is great...read all about here...here are some of my favorite designs. Now to save up for that new kitchen light!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter ...had to post this photo of my sister and I back in 1966 in our Easter outfits that my mom made. I'm hoping we're going back to these days of handmade...home made outfits and simple traditions of the old photograph on the front steps of the house. Anyone else have a similar pics? Lets share.

"and don't you know that God is Pooh bear?"

What I Want for Christmas

Dear Santa,
It's been a pretty rough year. Yet a very busy and productive year. I've been noticing one major item missing from my daily routine in my sweatshop. How perfect could life be with this beautiful turntable sold at Urban Outfitters! My records have been yelling my name since 2002! They need to be played and I need to hear them. So please, Santa, give me this one wish and I'll forgive you for all the sucky gifts of the past.

and now for something a bit more interesting....

Lawrence Welk Meets Velvet Underground

the new hair

so I did it. took to pics from the movie the apartment and this is how I ended up....will take a bit to get use to it. My head is a great deal lighter...I have suxh think hair. It reminds me a bit of my early punk rock days at TSU...minus the asymmetrical back.

one reason why I teach

today I woke up not feeling too well...the old ear ache and porcupine in the throat syndrome...and yet, I had to admit, I am so lucky to get to do what I do everyday. I love my job. I absolutely love teaching. And yes today was my day teaching three classes in a row starting with my Fundamentals of art class of 33 , which goes right into my studio class who are painting with oil paint and full of messy Marvin's and then we get a hint of a break with, if I'm lucky, a 20 minute lunch with my buddy Tricia and then another fundamentals of art class which is a talkative GT group of only 22.....but I am so lucky to make a mark in this world. I am childless but I have many children out there...and i love them all. They always come through when I need them and they always, and I mean always make me smile! I had this song in my head with the wonderful memory of the first time I saw this movie at my grand parents house on a Saturday afternoon in the mid 70's. My sister had to watch it for a class she had in either junior or senior high...I'll have to ask her...but it made a very strong impression on me. My favorite movie and song to date!

The Apartment

In this new single life that I am leading, I seem to have found some solace in watching films like The Apartment and episodes of Mad Men when I can't seem to sleep at night. I really love Shirley MacLaine's hair in this film. I pretty much slept in and out while watching this last night since I have seen the entire film some years ago. I salute the women's movement every time I watch some shows...so happy I became a woman after the 1960's. But I still relish in the aesthetics of that period. Maybe being a kid during that time was the way to be. Oh well....contemplating my new look to be Shirley's in this film..what do you think? I could be the type of feminine I want to be in my dresses with my ta too and this hair cut.

Favorite FInd of the Day

I've been quite busy these last days writing curriculum and making tons of items for a future show in DC..info to come soon...and of course this blog tends to suffer from my busi-ness and short attention span. But I have been absolutely loving grain edit and his finds and have to share this one which comes from we made this Blog on the Olivetto Lettera 22 Manual. What a beautiful work of art.

There was an old Lady....

When I was a kid, one of my favorite events was going to the Catonsville Library on Frederick Road. Not just because the early 60's decor and architecture that was going to be a cherished aesthetic style close to my heart, but because of some of my most favorite books that I discovered there. I was a horrible creature of habit...still am in many ways..( I tend to order the same foods from the same restaurants) .. i would check out the same books when I found them on the shelves. I Know an Old Lady....was one of my favorites. Mainly for the illustrations by Abner Graboff. The Ward-O-Matic blog posted a great interview of the illustrator that you can check out here

Adventureland

So Mildred and I had a ladies night out with Indian Food and a good movie. We both graduated from Towson State in 1985...actually Mildred graduated a semester early in 1984....but we both ended up in the misery of artistic degrees...me, with a BS degree in Fine Arts with a concentration in Painting...Mildred with a double major in English and Spanish...I believe her concentration was in Creative writing. Both of us having to move back home to horrible jobs in retail...Mildred did some time in the housewares department of the Hecht Company...me with a hipper Job at Kemp Mill Records that only lead to more retail jobs closer to the city so I could move out of my parents house.
So of course the movie of choice tonight was "Adventureland" .And yes I believe director Greg Mottola got 1987 right! He nailed the outcast poets returning to the homeland right...the job prospects.....and of course the awesome soundtrack. Check out the playlist here on The Playlist blog. I'm listening to the Rolling Stones' Top right now as I type.

What's UP with Matt Stephens

so...you remember that bib I love from when I was a little one under my Aunt Anna's Christmas Tree....those amazing images form the early 60's ....and here it is, from one of my favorite artist...Matt Stephens.






I'm diggin' these felt figures too! Let's hope for some good spring sales so I can purchase a print soon!

Swink Direct Mail

I've been trying to spruce up my shop and have been trying to think about my branding techniques...meaning I'm looking every where to determine what catches my eye and what elements I could begin to bring into my "look". I've been playing with color for my new spring banner and I'm working on new business cards for each season. Notice my last post with my new banner and sale avatar...still working on the pixilization on my etsy site...any help please?
Anyway, I saw this post on grain edit a while ago and it keeps coming back to my mind, reminding me to post it. I absolutely love unique uses for paper in which we with to pass on our info.Give me a reason to hang on to this and not recycle it...This beautiful promotional piece is from the Swink design and branding firm. It completely reminds me of the cardboard toys we used to get in cracker jack boxes or even high end everyday toys, like our 50' cardboard Barbie house! Now...what can I do to get one of these sent to me?

YeeHaw...there's a new ranger in town!

CAMPING SQUIRREL JR RANGER SCOUT LETTERPRESS PRINT IN A LETTERPRESS VIGNETTE MAT ORANGE AND BROWN

i'm diggin this ranger series by yeehaw industries. These also fall into my fun sense of nostalgia aesthetic! Illustration by Bjorn Lie!!! These letterpress images are printed on on cream paper & matted inside my kraft letterpress mat. Image area is 4.25"x6"and the full matted print is ready to go into an 8"x10" frame. They also can be sold with one-of-kind handmade frames made from salvaged wood from New Orleans!

FISHING BEAR JR RANGER SCOUT LETTERPRESS PRINT IN A LETTERPRESS VIGNETTE MAT YELLOW AND BROWN

HIKING BUNNY JR RANGER SCOUT LETTERPRESS PRINT IN A LETTERPRESS VIGNETTE MAT ORANGE AND BROWN

RIVER RASCALS JR RANGER SCOUT LETTERPRESS PRINT IN A LETTERPRESS VIGNETTE MAT GREEN AND BROWN

Darling Clementine..getting closer to my bib!

I have posted this picture, way back, of my cousin cathi and I at Christmas, I believe under my Aunt Anna's Xmas tree, and I am obsessed with the bib that I have on. When I think about happy times, and I had many happy times as a kid, I think of an aesthetic of products that (we're talking mid to late 60's, early 70's) completely represent that happiness to me.

IN my browsing of sites this evening, I found a shop, darling Clementine that comes very close to this aesthetic that I have learned to love since being a kid. I love these canvas bags as well as the camping card set. The card set Marionette comes closest to the lion on my bib and the monkey's on the box next to me. I still haven't figured out what that is. Anyone know, please let me know.
Out of Oslo, Ingrid Reithaug & Tonje Holand are the illustrators and designers of these wonderful products that bring a fun sense of spirit and nostalgia to the table. Visit their etsy shop here and their web site here.

I think I found a good Rooster!

I just home from Holiday heap and wanted to just let my brain go ahhhhhh after a long day of an excellent craft show...will post later about it. I wander onto grain edit and found their post on this amazing book by Miroslav Sasek .The Czechoslovakian born illustrator who is well known for his This Is Series of children’s books. Most of the books in the This is series are centered around a certain city, for example This is San Franscisco or This is Paris, but in this case it’s an international organization. Through Sasek’s playful ink and gouache illustrations, he guides us through the building. I wish I had books like these when I was a kid. I could stare at this for hours.
I love this Rooster as well as the rest of the illustrators. THis is the style I am trying to grab with my sewing machine. IT is the style that I grew up with as well as the voice of the pictures of my favorite books!

insomnia Pic of the night

yes its 12:33Am and a school night..i just had a very long weekend that started last Thursday..and reality of going back to school today was a little much. however, it has truely hit tonight with my brain going a hundred miles a second and me NOT sleeping. So instead of laying there yelling at my brain to shut-up..i adventure here to my neglected blog to post something. i wondered on to design*sponge to find Grain Edit's guest posts...i really love this design sense..what I keep reaching for when I'm cutting those felt shapes with my sewing line applique's...yes I have much to show you ..later this week...with some more sneak peaks on jennyjen stuff....but anyway...my favorite pic's come from Dave Cuzner's blog ...though there are many..please go check it out... Cuzner's feature of a children’s book entitled thomas written by Mary Harris and illustrated by Cliff Roberts in 1956. The book tells the story of a young girl and her cat thomas and the adventures/trouble they get into.I love the pic of the book cover with his cat!

a taste test I can believe in!

after a VERY successful time at Crafty bastards, feeling a bit wiped out and little overwhelmed by what I have to do and make before November...i needed a little distraction....off with my internet mind and vola! i stumbled a pond not martha blog to see these great pictures of Oreo's and hydrox! i remembered this taste test as a kid. i liked the fancy decor of the hydrox as well as the different taste which i guess was not quite as sweet as the Oreo.Now, i am a huge Oreo fan...since being a little one...growing up in the 60's with parents from the 50's meant i got to eat cookies and sugar coated cereal growing up...tony and tiger and I were best buds! so I'm not knocking the Oreo here....and I'm not too sure when I got to try my first hydrox..they disappeared in my adult life, and now they are back! ...i really loved this taste test. makes me want to go out get my some subjects of my own to do my own sandwich cookie taste test! check out the entire review here as well as the entire not martha blog.

photo's by not martha

Tuesday's Treasures..ladiesandgentlemen's shop

I keep looking at revival pieces....recycled works as well as vintage items that touch my heart strings as well as remind me of my past. Today's treasures come from ladiesandgentlmen's shop on etsy. In fact, they're having a sale now. Poppytalk featured their home where many of their items live until sold. I love these suitcases. They make a great decor item for small storage. Happy Shopping!