Multi tasking

Fergus takes great delight in barking at the mailman, it's his Joy. Nothing makes him happier than going full tilt barking mad in the front window as the mailman makes his rounds.

Fergus gets to do this twice a day, once for the neighbors across the street and once for our own delivery. He's fanatical about letting the mailman know he's under surveillance and every move is noted. Fergus is Gladys Kravitz!

Today we're opening another Etsy store for all of our fabrics and vintage patterns. 20thCenturyStitches... that name is sooooo original!

Sorting through 4 decades of dress patterns is a trip, I'm tempted to pull all the patterns I like and run them to a seamstress. We kept a lot of patterns on hand for the costume department of the local film studios. Though I think my taste for 60s A lines definitely made that section overly large.
So many people love vintage dresses but can't wear them because the sizing is TINY. There is always someone who is looking to replicate vintage clothing in today's sizes. I think it's a lovely idea and bought some fantastic ready made A lines over Christmas and Spring.
The Maxi Dress is killing me. At 5.4' I cannot find one that doesn't make me look... well.. odd.

I love them but they don't love me back. A-line minis are for me!

So since I work from home or the warehouse I often have the tv on in the background. Three things that I've noticed on the "design" channels:

1. When demo-ing a house they rarely make mention of Habitat for Humanity and most often throw out fixtures and items that should be going to a salvage store like Habitat. Surely the people on these home shows have got to know that there is an entire market of people looking high and low for a 50s jadite bathtub???!? I don't get how they could just toss something like that. About 8 years ago I passed on a custom HOT HOT ORANGE bathroom suite with sink, tub, and toilet which would have been totally nuts with Panton wall paper. Still regret that.

2. The DIY masses have started using Mint, Chocolate, and Robbins Egg to excess. Time to move on. By next spring Chocolate and Robins Egg will be soooooo dated. It'll be next years metallic glazed Crimson and Canary combo. Bleh.
I'll confess I love decor and design but keep our walls at home stark white because I'm not into painting everything a color and and then having to change it the next year.

3. This made me really sad.. I dig Color Splash. Who doesn't like a flamboyant man who thinks he can paint and really shouldn't.. but is actually quite a good designer?

So Mr. Cute (I don't watch it enough to know his name..) is in a home goods warehouse and he's talking about how it's his favorite store and how it has such great stuff.. Blah blah "I love this pillow, I love this chair, I Lah-ve this table.. but I love the look of THIS even more!" Camera pans back to reveal the oh so common these days "Going Out of Business" sign.

WTF?? Now I know what he was trying to say "love this, but love a bargain even more... " but really? I'm also turned off by (Steinmart, Marshalls, Bealls?) weird little commercials celebrating the demise of tiny bespoke dress shops and indie designers so that they can snap up everything at a 25 cents a pound rates and pass the savings on to you..

I am ALL FOR savings. I'm downright miserly sometimes, but I don't celebrate businesses going under. This might be a "there but by the grace of god goes I" sort of reaction, but it is short sighted and disappointing to celebrate a Going out of Business sale. If only because next time you need something unique or bespoke your options will be that much narrower.

I will admit that I thought the "funny little European 1s that look like 7s" commercial was funny though.