You can download and view the latest (and the first!) Look Book for this Summer 2009 update to my Greentag Vintage Shoppe on Etsy.com by clicking here!
Lots of accessories, Vintage designer 50's, 60's 70's and 80's items from Coach, Halston, Guess. Everything revolves around a little summer party theme, but I can assure you these pieces can be stylishly worn anytime! I also have several Plus-sized pieces. Stop by after July 4th!
Happy Independence Day~ A.
Mandy from the uber cool site MODCLOTH has just informed me that they do have plus sizes in their swimsuit category with hopes of expansion, as they grow! I love this site! Check it out if you are in need of some Betty Grable swimwear to cover a plump rump this summer! I have a black and white polk-a-dot suit exactly like this one and I love how it holds all the right stuff up, (the halter is amazing) and covers all the junk.
(P.S. You look lovely Mandy!)
I have so much to share with you! I have bumped into so many cool finds lately that they just pile up and have to be dumped into one big post to clean off the blog heap on my internal desktop!
This week, my husband and I celebrated our seven year wedding anniversary. I was visiting with my mom and grandmother after church on the Sunday before our anniversary day, and they were joking with me about the "seven year itch", and yadda, yadda, yadda... (and "What are your goals for your marriage in the next seven years?") Seriously!? Yikes!
My grandparents would have celebrated their 60th anniversary a few days earlier if my grandfather hadn't passed away, so I guess I will take the quizzing and questioning from a pro-wife like her. They had 54 solid years together.
Ironically, they would have been married almost seven years when the movie The Seven Year Itch with Marilyn Monroe came out in 1955. I can remember first watching that movie and how it amused me and appealed to the Catholic-girl tease in me with words like automat and icebox, (which are repeated breathlessly and often throughout it.) Then there was the famous white dress blowing up in the subway station scene, which made me wonder at age 14: "What was so darn spectacular about that?"
And "Men are so predictable and easily amused," I thought.
But this day, (light bulb over head,) I thought....what if I could find a vintage inspired replica of that type of dress, in my chunky size?
So I searched around a bit and found out that you can buy many such COSTUMES, but few replica dresses. I did find a few sites that swim with that Rockabilly vibe and have some Marilyn-like dresses (even in PLUS SIZES!)The site that offers this Marilyn inspired dress from the movie Niagara, (shown left) is called Pin-up Girl Clothing. BEWARE you might have to dodge slutty, stripper clothes on their site to find the good dresses! The pale beige dress (shown below,) made my heart skip a beat, but it was SOLD OUT.
The site also carries Re-Mix Shoes which are vintage replicas. If you love the look of vintage shoes with the clean, ease of a brand new pair of your very own, check out their site. The quality is worth the investment if you can afford a pair. These are the type of shoes you'll keep forever.
I also love ModCloth which carries this Seven Year Itch dress. No plus sizes for the big girls, though. They have lots of other fun stuff to browse like a reusable cup that looks like a Starbucks throwaway,
and fun books like this one by the founder of Ann Arbor's own FOUND MAGAZINE, or this one (shown above,) which might be a belated anniversary present for my Mr. Smarty-pants. I think he had that hair-do once upon a time. Hmmm... actually, I want EVERY SINGLE BOOK in their little bookstore category! Look at them all and have fun.
Last but not least, I found this little company in New York called CHAIRLOOM.
I fell in love with the idea of an upholstery company devoted to chairs. I pick up chairs like some people pick up stray dogs and cats. I can't help it. I hate to see a good one go to the dump, when 99% of the time they just need paint and new coverings. Check out their site to get inspired. You might buy a staple gun and some upholstery nails and make a project out of your old chairs.. because they make old junkers look so fresh, sweet, and easy to reinvent.
I like the lines on this little bench, which just as easily could have been a coffee table/side table with great legs which was then repainted, batted up, covered and finished to be recycled into a perfect little bench. It seems to beckon me, "Here! Sit and put your fabulous vintage shoes on, (while wearing your Marilyn dress,) and go have a fantastic anniversary dinner!" Or something like that.
Seven year itches? I say, put him in stitches with ridiculous dresses and an icebox dinner for two! Speaking of stitches, at least this anniversary was less eventful than last year!
Hey bloggersphere! I have been MIA with my many fires burning in the background right now. Work, work, work. Today is a good day to take a break from all of that and drink some whiskey. Okay maybe not actual whiskey, maybe Bailey's with coffee....or something...but I am 1/4 IRISH and come from the O'Connor clan...so if I don't join in the fun, I am sure to be ridiculed by my people as they throw slabs of corned beef at me.
While I am here to say hello, I want to share some fun stuff with you:
One of my dearest and most CHARMING friends, Ken Nottoli, was featured in a Kalamazoo Gazette article about the 50th Anniversary of BARBIE!This is an actual picture of his amazing collection in his new house. Ken finds Barbies everywhere: yard sales, flea markets, ebay, you name it!
My husband and I spent one evening in the BARBIE room of his old house....and he still has nightmares about it, ("They're all LOOKING at me!") Anyhow, Ken is a true kindred spirit and a very knowledgeable collector. In fact, our first trip to the five state garage sale was with Ken and his family trailing behind us in an RV! The totally cool full article can be read here.
(Photo credit: Kalamazoo Gazette)
Did you hear about Gwyneth's GOOP? Hmmm.... It's an overrated micro-blog alternative from another know-it-all celebrity, but I'll read it because I generally believe that Ms. Paltrow has really good (expensive and skinny) taste!
Two weeks ago I scored an ever so highly coveted doll from Ms. Emily Martin's shop. I would be remiss if I didn't mention it since everyone and their neighbors are in love with them and her sweet shop on Etsy is perhaps the most recognizable of all time. This particular doll has custom black swan fabric deigned by Emily herself through the wonders of Spoonflower. She had me at hello, along with all of Emily's charming creations.
(Photo Credit: Miss Emily Martin)
I am hoping to focus more on plus size vintage fashions in my little shoppe and have been completely enamored with this shop lately which has a variety of "close" to plus sized dresses and such. I stopped breathing for a minute when I was LUCKY enough to spot this perfect St. Patty's day dress. But alas, my luck ran dry when I saw it was already sold and didn't come in my size.
(Photo Credit: Vintageous.com)
I hope this day finds you in GOOD HEALTH and with plenty of charm, luck and GOOD FORTUNE!
P.S. Don't drink and drive, silly!
I haven't felt much like writing lately. That is a problem when part of what you are supposed to do for a living is write. When you are a creative type, you have days where the thoughts, ideas, emotions just pour out of you....and then you have days of late, where you feel less inspired. You have Picasso blue periods. 
You can get discouraged by little things, like this: I go and tell someone about the new way I have begun to think about my body. You may have remembered from a few posts back that I was spending time in the self-pity restaurantof dis pare because "my body was letting me down,"or betraying me. Welp, I decided that is just BULL-ony! I was the first one to do the betraying in this relationship!
I mean if we think of our bodies as another being that we are dating, how do we rate as partners? For me, I often put my body last on the "to do" lists, and didn't own up to the fact that mine wasn't going to be an easy affair, but rather a high-maintenance relationship that needed lots of attention and nurturing to keep it in balance. I didn't return my body's calls. I cheated on it. I called it names. If you don't have an easy body to deal with, (especially as a girl,) you KNOW it around age 6 or 7. But instead of accepting it, we waste all of our adolescence and young adulthood trying to talk this body into being something different. Yeah, yeah....blame genetics, bad luck, or whatever...but it was me that had to own this foregone reality and start thinking of my body as a valued asset despite its shortcomings--not an evil betrayer or bad spouse I was stuck with.
I shared my ideas with another person and said: I have a new outlook! I am now thinking of bodies as one-of-kind, priceless paintings on loan from the master painter of all time: GOD! I mean I always knew this was the case, but did I actively try to think of it that way? Not so much.
If I remove the idea of the body as being MINE (ego) and think of it more as HIS possession, and I am just the head caretaker...I realize just how poor of an employee I have been! I would have fired me long ago! We need to care for ourselves, ladies. I am not talking about acrylic nails, tanning beds, Mani/pedi's, designer clothes, $400 handbags, diamonds, or botox. I am talking about health and wellness. Vitamins, Vegetables, Fruits, Exercise (as little or as much as our particular Genetics demand,) and time to rest. Give your body what it NEEDS. We all have different needs. No talk show or self-help book has your blueprint on file. Only you can accurately gauge what you need. Vanity keeps alotta women (and men) poor. How much more screwed up would the global economy be if women stopped HATING their natural appearance and spent all the time and effort and MONEY they devote to superficially "looking good" to actually feeling good and doing what's best for their body, soul, and family? How much happier would these wrinkled, pale girls actually be? Newsflash from me, a Marketing Director: The free market is all just a big game of "I am cooler than you!" Come on, be smarter than that. None of those fools are cool, at all! Cool can't be bought, dyed, implanted, or any of that garbage. The really cool people already know that and they aren't buying.
Still aren't sure if you are worth the time and effort? (After all, we all have the critics, mean-girls, and haters who have made us feel less than deserving throughout our lives.)
You are worthy just by being born! You were designed to be original, not mass produced. You are the greatest craft project EVER! You are handmade. (Is it any wonder why we value these type of objects around us?) There was never a "mold".
Be a good spouse to your body. Polish up the artwork and beauty God has made with your physical being by listening to it and putting yourself at the top of the list. Don't be the last to notice how great you are.
SOOOO....I spilled my ideas and heart about this, and the person I told wrote a whole piece about it, using my exact words as her own! Then, she had me proof it for her! Yikes. (I used my extra gooder proofing eyes for that there one!!!! UHHH!)
If she had asked, I wouldn't have minded at all. I would have been flattered that she valued this new outlook and idea enough to share it with her audience. It is just the act of being...what's the word...SHMARMY! It is just plain SHMARMY to use someone's ideas as your own without asking first. Anyhow, that's part of the discouraged writing mode. Now, on to caring more for MYSELF! ;)
The National Eating Disorders.org has this list of 20 ways to love your body. Enjoy!
Whoo Hoo! This is my 50th posting! I have decided this means that my blog is no longer an infant. Since about a green girl has officially "taken flight" I thought the 5Oth post should be less about my political and cultural observations, which have been in heavy rotation lately, and more about the fun stuff: VINTAGE OBJECTS, ART, and RE-PURPOSING PROJECTS. This is the stuff I'd love to live and breathe (if the air was made up of rhinestone snow flakes, spray-paint mist and modge podge, decoupaged rain drops!)
Speaking of "taking flight"....my home-slice from the GC hood, Brooke from Creativity at My Own Pace, has a sweet download of original address labels with woodgrain birds which can be printed right onto Avery labels. Check this page for the link. Aren't they cute?
Keeping with the bird theme....if you are looking to go out on a limb with your fashion, (I mean way out ....like Napoleon Dynamite,) consider the fantastic vintage selections at Peppermint Vintage. I discovered them a while back and recently spied this adorably frumpy Bird of Paradise dress for only $25. If you have the gonads to pull off the eighties vibe, which is so respected by the kiddies right now,...I highly suggest checking them out. I particularly like that they have fresh, one-of-a kind stock for girls who have big butts and breasts. These are all too rare of finds on most vintage apparel sites!
Last week we attended an outdoor party in 80 degree heat and sunshine and I broke out an "oldie but goodie" dress which I still love to wear. I give it high marks for comfort and coolness (I mean temperature not "coolness", although I guess it has that too! )
Now, I know what you're saying. What about recycling, buying thrift, and going green (trendy supreme) and all that jazz?! Well, if I could buy summer dresses from thrift stores and not consume more in this area, I would. Unfortunately, plus size dresses are pretty scarce at most thrift shops unless you are looking for mother of the bride dresses. Occasionally, if you look really hard, you can score one.
This little dandy was purchased several years ago at Kohl's. Kohl's can really come through in a pinch once in a while, if you sift through all the Liz Claiborne Midwestern mommy gear, next to the Sag Harbor twin sets...(will they ever run out of variations on the twin set design?) I have had it so long, that I sort of feel like I am recycling it on my own body until it turns thread bare.
Here is the dress ( I can't get away from the vintage floral patterns,) with my 2007 preferred accessory: NO! not my husband, but the big chunky necklace. (Think Wilma Flinstone, with a dash of Jackie O rolled into one chubby neck package...) This image was taken at a cousin's wedding, and a healthy amount of wig tape was used to close the low neckline in the front for a more demure image.
Once Forever 21 and Claire's starting pushing the big beaded necklaces and pearls to all of the 14 years olds, I figured I'd move on to a new look.
For 2008 I am pairing this dress with my new favorite combo: sweet, romantic, sterling silver charms. For all of the premo big girls keeping track, here is my ensemble (including the silver charms) from last weekend's party (sans wig tape.) You can't see them, but I just wore black Old Navy flip flops with it.
The first charm I made myself! I used a scrap, salvaged, silver backing and epoxy resin over mini pressed lily of the valley buds. The rose charm was purchased at a yard sale for only 10 cents! It is my new favorite necklace combo of the summer, and I think it helped make this old Kohl's dress look reinvented, a bit. What do you think?
Our city has a concert in the park today and I am taking my family to sit under a tree and listen.
The magic spring dress I wrote about recently kept yelling at me all morning: "Garfunkel, Bach, Brahms! Let me come out and play!" So I decided to wear it to the show and pretend I am a much larger brunette version of June Cleaver for the day (with over-adequate and pasty white Polish /Irish arms.) Then back to the closet it goes!
If everyone looked like __________(insert latest size zero star)_________, the world would be such a skeletal, boring place with small breasts.
There has been a lot of debate recently on blogs for/about "cute fat girls" in regards to plus-sized celebrities whose style can be emulated. I skipped looking at lists on these blogs of famous names who wear a size 12 or up to try and make my own...and (WHEW!) it was much harder than I thought it'd be!
Can you think of anyone who isn't a typical stick figure and has a fashion point of view? (If you say Emme' the "first plus-sized supermodel", I will shoot you... Could anyone be more matronly or boring?)
Do you remember Ally or Allison, ---NO! It was Abbie....the VJ on MTV in the late 90's with the wild afro-centric hair and adorable fashion sense? She started a website with $90 stevie nicks type one-of-a kind rocker dresses for fat chicks called abbielynn.com. I noticed the site folded after a couple of years despite being constantly sold out of goods. What happened to her?
Non-stick figures to love:
Nigella Lawson
Khloe Kardashian
Emily Martin (Artist and Blogger)
Clarrisa (from Top Design on Bravo)
Kelly Osborne (?)
Left:Khloe of the vulgar mouth and cute attire
I am sure I am missing some obvious ones; (leave me a comment, if you see a famous face I am lacking.)
I continually search for essential pieces that can work for us "Premo Big Girls" (as my husband calls us,) despite the fact that it isn't always easy to find the good stuff in larger sizes. When I stumble upon some great fashion and accessories I will be sure to share the whereabouts (not just on random JC Penney finds!) I also am devoting an entire sidebar of links of interest to other fashion forward big girls! ~ Enjoy.
