Happy Halloween

"And what are you for Halloween this year, little lady?"

"Fabulous."

Coming Soon

Just in time for the chill in air, I've been finding the yummiest vintage jackets, chunky knitted sweaters, leather capelettes, etc.  in the past few weeks.  I'll be photographing and posting new items to the shop this afternoon.  Keep a close eye on my new vintage shop in the next few hours, 'cause I guarantee you'll want to be the first to snatch up these wintery gems!  

Here's a sneak peek:

So delicious!

The Tilted Tulip *VINTAGE*

I've been gettin' all crafty in these last few weeks and have been making tons of fabric earrings, felt bags, and embroidered ornaments, but when I go to post these items in my etsy store, they don't mix well with the vintage items.      

Thus, I'm opening a second etsy store, aptly titled "Tilted Tulip *VINTAGE*"!  

Over the next few weeks I'll be moving all my vintage items to this new location, as well as any new vintage items will be listed in this new store.  So I'll start to list all my handmade goodies in the old shop.  I've put alot of energy into my vintage store and I think I'm starting to get my act together, so now it's time to properly spread my wings and dip my toe into the wonderful world of handmade etsy, as well.  Wish me luck!

And The Streets are Paved with Eames Chairs

Do you think when we get to heaven they'll have Eames chairs in lieu of park benches?  It's a nice thought...

Checkered Lady Bugs

photo by Clever Nettle

Inspired by these lovely photos over at Clever Nettle (who has a great etsy store, btw),  I decided to post my outfit for today.  I'm nowhere near as charming as that darling girl, but I felt inspired none-the-less.  At least I'm from Kansas....I've got that going for me.  

I've been meaning to join the flickr group Wardrobe_Remix for ages now, but just haven't.  I think that day has come.  I'll start by posting my looks here on The Tilted Tulip.  This skirt that I'm wearing is one of my all-time favorite thrift store finds.  I bought it back in highschool to wear in the musical Grease.  I was Frenchie.  I wasn't very good.  It brings back funny memories to think of those days...

Tank: H&M

Skirt: Goodwill

Shoes:  Old Navy

Earrings:  The Tilted Tulip

Bag:  Gift from NYC

Threads

A few of the sewing notions in my craft corner, nestled into an old letterpress type drawer I had lying around...I just love the colors!

Estate Sale Finds

After moving to the West Coast last year, I remembering being mildly disappointed at the thrift stores in my neighborhood.  I'm from the MidWest, notorious for it's thrift stores, and I was hoping for no less when I moved to California.  I think MidWest thrift stores have so many gems simply due to the fact that people have the storage space to hold on to absolutely EVERYTHING from birth to death, and as frugality is bred into most of us from the moment we take our first breath, we save, save, save every bit of anything we've ever owned.  And someday, all those piles and piles of saved "junk" make their way into thrift stores.  There are so many genuine vintage gems to be found in the MidWest.

I've found some good "thriftin'" spots over the past year here, but in San Diego specifically, thrift stores tend to be a bit picked over.  If you're looking for higher-end, name brand clothes, there are some very nice items to be found as San Diegans tend to have expensive taste (like the time I found a gorgeous $350 Dooney & Burke handbag for a mere $4.99), but those "holy-crap-I-can't-believe-I-just-found-this-(fill in the blank)" vintage items can be few and far between, and then often expensive.  I usually have to go to 3-4 thrift stores in San Diego to find what I can often find in just 1 MidWest thrift store visit.    

But that all changed the moment I went to my first Southern California Estate Sale.  If you're looking for more than just clothes, the estate sales here tend to be fabulous, full of delightful odds and ends from often well-traveled, well-to-do folks.  Authentic vintage dishes, books, toys, clothes, craft supplies, etc. are soooo easy to find at these estate sales and tend to be reasonably priced for the most part.  For example, this last week I hit up an especially good one and left with such great finds!  

A box full of cards and memories from the early 1900s

14 handprinted lobster bibs (unused!) and a bamboo tray

Vintage luggage tags from various Asian hotels

My FAVORITE item:  A Mother's Day telegram from 1937

Books and Keys

 (I bought a 10-quart plastic bag full of vintage keys!)

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Look for many of these lovely items to show up in my store in the next few weeks!