Sew What?! Barkcloth Betty

Even though it looks nothing like the iconic, blue halter dress that she wore every single day of her entire adult life, I was inspired by the essence of Betty Rubble when I found two-and-a-half yards of vintage, So-Fro Originals barkcloth at the thrift store.  So-Fro Originals was a mid-century fabric manufacturer that often employed well-known designers/artists, including Peter Max, to create over-the-top prints. 

My fabric featured a chocolate-brown field with
myriad geometric shapes in brilliant neon colors.

This primitive, So-Fro print had me envisioning something that Betty would have packed when she and Wilma finally ditched the boys for a well-deserved, girls-only, seaside vacation.

(Source)

With Betty in mind, I created a gathered tube top with detached puff sleeves and a matching skirt.  Because yardage was in short supply, I ditched the idea of intricate patterns and made everything out of a series of rectangles - easy!  Mary decided to pack the ensemble for our trip to Japan and busted it out for our exploration of Yoyogi Park and the Harajuku district of Tokyo.

Because these areas of Tokyo are well-known for the extreme fashions displayed by participants in Tokyo's many subcultures, Mary elected to turn things up a notch when styling the outfit.  She teased her hair within an inch of its life, adding an aqua scarf and two armfuls of colorful bangles; more than Betty Rubble, I think she was channeling Jill Scott from The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (definitely recommended if you've never seen it).

Our friend, Kazumi, helped us check off a major item
on our Harajuku to-do list - "Purikura" or Print Club!

Print Club takes old-timey photo booths to a "whole 'nother level!"
A series of digital photos are taken, giving the subjects the
appearance of a flawless complexion and giant, anime eyes.
I'm pretty positive it shaves a couple pounds/kilos off too. 

We were so taken by the fun of Purikura that we went back the next day to take even more photos.  The fun doesn't end with a vaseline lens, magic-mirror airbrushing, and bugged-out eyes; users are offered a stylus and screen to add captions, stamps, make-up/eyelashes, frames, backgrounds, hats, glasses, and any number of things to distract from the hateful realities of one's actual appearance.

I call this one "Angry Angel Babies."

And this one, "Only Mother Could Be Loving" - translated directly from Japanese.

Sadly, neither of our trips to Harajuku resulted in hoards of fabulously-dressed, Japanese-wannabe-Gwen-Stefani-wannabes.  Believe it or not, we were the most oddly-dressed folks swimming decidedly against the current in a sea of modestly-dressed tourists looking for photo-ops of Harajuku Girls, Lolitas, and members of the Japanese Rockabilly Club.  I think all of the cool kids realized what a tourist trap this area was becoming and moved on to pastures greener.  Left stranded wearing neon barkcloth, teased hair, and hand-painted monster sweatshirts, we coined a new term for our wacky tacky Japanese looks - "Hara-cuckoo!!!"

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Collecting: The Crazy Hat Lady

Our good friend Lauren over at Wearing History hipped us to an estate sale that was taking place close to our digs, so we decided to check it out.  Normally, I'm not a big estate sale guy but if I have learned anything, it is to trust Lauren implicitly; she knows of what she speaks!  

Seriously, estate sales just aren't my usual bag.  I should know better, having seen the brilliant treasures that my blogging pals Eartha, Lisa, and Rae (be sure to check out their blogs) unearth at these sales.  Don't get me wrong, if I am driving and I see a bright pink poster board duct taped to a telephone pole that reads "Estate Sale," I will more than likely skip my own birthday party to see what is being offered.  I just can't bring myself to do the research.  That, and I am seriously uncompetitive.  The thought of waking up early and standing in line (a horrid pastime) to get a number to be the first to bust down a dead person's door so I can fight for their things just isn't my cup of tea.  I still want their stuff.  I still want to see the inside of their house.  I just don't want to fight about it.  In all honesty, I am more of a swap meet/flea market and thrift store kind of guy - mostly thrift stores, really.  I've told you many times, I'm lazy; I like the idea of merchandise being separated into departments, however loosely defined those departments might be.  I still have to dig but I get to dig with direction in a climate-controlled environment without too much competition from other hoarders.

We ended up getting a pile of stuff for a very reasonable price, but the trophy was this Cuh-razy straw hat.  I like to believe it was some ill-conceived Mother's Day gift that the recipient HAD to wear to church and pretend that she liked all day long.

The best part about the hat is the abundance of stories it tells.
A Hawaiian-style, one-eyed (I prefer to think that she is winking at us),
 lady golfer with pipe cleaner arms, styrofoam head, and yarn smile
is just the beginning. 

Cleaning is a major theme of the brim.
How cool are the miniature cleaning agents and sponge?!

While "Soilax" is a name that should have been lost to the ages,
how could the wearer be anything but CHEER-ful in this custom-
designed chapeau?

You can just make out the sponge mop in the lower, left-hand corner.
I think the clusters of berries and grapes add just the right amount of
freshness and zip to an otherwise work-weary headpiece.

Lest she forget that a mother's work isn't done with just cleaning,
Tru Rise reminds her to put on her thinking cap and get baking!

And what says "Happy Mother's Day" more than a zombie-
eyed, lute-playing, crown-wearing baby chicken.

Oh yeah, there's a sequined peacock too.

Is it an homage to a wonderful mother?  Is it an assemblage to be entered for exhibition at the county fair?  Is it folk art?  Is it a wacky tacky creation of the highest order? Is it possible to be all of the above?  The easiest way to decide is to see it in action!

The crazy hat lady
Mary styled an outfit that included the fish net
over striped-knit sweater (also procured at the estate sale),
 some day-glow orange clam diggers, and that HAT!

I would be hard pressed to think of anything we needed less at our house than a hat covered in a golfing, cleaning, baking, flora and fauna motif, but now we each have one.  Only kidding, it was essentially free, so how could we be expected to leave it behind?  So tell us, are you an avid estate-saler?  Have you found anything cool lately?  Let us know what you're thinking,

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Collecting: Doing My "Pennants"

Consider this my confession.  I need not "collect" one more thing but when I saw these pennants on a recent thrift store spree, I just couldn't leave them behind.  Is this avarice, covetousness, second-hand gluttony?  I don't know but I count on you to determine a fitting penance for my pennants.

I have always thought pennants were neat - all the majesty of an ocean-bound steamliner and all the collegiate pep of a 1930's Homecoming game on one printed triangle of felt.

Las Vegas, Queen Mary, San Juan Capistrano, Movieland Wax Museum, Disneyland?!!!
There was no way that these were leaving with anyone but me.

In my mind, pennants always have an athletic connotation - probably due to the Goofy cartoons which featured a lone, pennant-waving character that was always at odds with the other sports fans in the bleachers.  Oddly enough, I steer away from the athletic pennants in favor of the souvenir pennants from cool places.  Nevertheless, here are some Goofy cartoons where you can see one of my favorite cartoon characters. "Hooray!"

"Double Dribble" (1946)

0:35 - 0:48

"Hockey Homicide" (1945)

4:42 & 7:08

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Life's a Beach

Today, with a million and one things yet unchecked on my to-do list, I decided it was a fine time to go to the beach.  I am one of those terrible Californians upon whom the beach is entirely wasted;  I cannot tell you the last time I set foot in the ocean.  I live fifteen minutes from the shore but rarely visit.  Strangely enough, I find it immensely reassuring that it is there.  I have recurring nightmares about being landlocked and am glad to wake up knowing that the coast is close and clear.  As infrequently as I visit the beach, I truly appreciate the beauty and activity of nature.  Therefore, we motored down the coast to Calafia Beach in San Clemente.  The thing that I love about beaches in south Orange County is their feeling of remoteness and timelessness.  To get to this beach one must drive through a neighborhood, go down a winding hill and cross the train tracks.  The beach was populated by only a few surfers and photographers and was the perfect setting for the near-perfect weather we were enjoying today.

As soon as the train passed, we decided to hike a short ways back into a miniature canyon.

The walls of the canyon were very soft and upon closer inspection, they were heavily carved by others who had taken the same trail.

Knowing that we would not cause permanent damage to the canyon walls (we could see previous carvings that had been diminished by the rain), we thought we should leave our mark on the canyon too.  Ever the Girl Scout, Mary whipped out her pocket knife and we started carving.

On a good day my level of humor is "3rd grade bathroom."

We ended our mini adventure by hitting up some of the local thrift stores.

I found this Frankoma Pottery refrigerator jug

 I also found these two vintage neckties for just $1 each!

We also stopped in at Pedro's Tacos; hands sown, the BEST potato taco I have ever had.  I'm thinking maybe it is because the potato content is hashbrowns.

I think I'm going to have to visit San Clemente more often!


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny