Teh Crafty. I Haz It.

Its my birthday, yes, yes....I know, you're all so excited you're celebrating with large feasts of turkey & all the trimmings, spending time with loved ones because I can't possibly be with you all. I appreciate the gesture. Eat lots, do some shots this evening, I won't be so keep me in mind. 39! Oy.

Yesterday I finished trimming the shop for Christmas and got a little crafty doing so, which as it is not remotely my style to actually make stuff, is saying something. Something like, hey, this isn't so hard.....its faster than ordering stuff and cheaper too! But mostly its a testimony to my aversion to Christmas decor overkill (which at home, has to happen to a degree with the kid and all, but in the shop I'm boss). I hate too much. Too much is called too much for a reason. Be-tinseled & be-ribboned, faux snow covered, twinkling multi-colored light wrapped, seizure inducing moving parts.....ugh, no thanks, not for me. After doing display in a department store for 10 years and spending a quarter of each of those years decking the store for the holidays (and then taking it down), I have developed a serious loathing for fuss.

So I took some vellum paper, in red and silver glitter floral scroll design, and made a template on cardboard of the bird used in my logo. Trace, cut (tedious, check) and voila.....bird ornaments lit by the light of nature (and at night, the light of electricty).....

Crafty, yes? Silver "ornaments" courtesy of Home Depot....roll of sheet metal flashing, a hat box lid and sharp scissors. A little spiraled ribbon to give it a wee flourish and its a go!

Got these lit up white branches at World Bazaar, again, a little Christmas lighting goes a loooong way...

Just a touch of holiday inside the shop and its all set, classy yet Christmas-ey, low fuss and easy to take down. Sweet!

Happy My-Birthday aka Thanksgiving to you all....

~Ang

Loving Lagerfeld.

Karl Lagerfeld iconic 80's cocktail suit with 3-D beaded Schiaparelli inspired insects perched on vest inset, peaked cuffs and back of shawl collar.

Suit has found a new home, but I was lucky enough to be able to do a shoot with the lovely Emily Svec before it left the boutique!

~Ang

Virtual Tour of Dorothea' Closet Vintage!

With me as your camera-chick, using the ever so high tech Kodak Easy Share. So its not the best cinematography.....you get the idea! Tunes supplied by YouTube (not loads to choose from, sadly).

Lingerie department....

So if you never get to Des Moines, Iowa, at least there's a small dose of what the shop is like!

~Ang

Lidsville! Vintage Hats at Dorothea's Closet Vintage

Just added, a whole batch of vintage hats from the early 1900s to the 1960s.

Schiaparelli inspired 20s cloche with braided straw bow....

20s cloche in sheer cello with velvet rose bouquet.....

Early 20s velvet ribbon and rosette hat....

Edwardian pink & black velvet beaded hat....

Amazing black Edwardian hat with huge feather plumes angling from front to back....

Black and gold metallic 30s deco turban.....

Spruce green silk velvet bow topped turban.....

Red silk velvet turban.....

50s red velvet & roses by Miss Sally Victor....

50s shocking pink velvet cap with swirled rhinestone accent....

Black patent velvet 60s clip hat....

Superb 60s maribou cocktail hat......

All hats available on the sitem, pics are clickable links!

~Ang

Hobbes Asland

My big tabby puppy-cat, who passed away a couple years ago. Found this video today and put it on YouTube....miss ya, Hob-nobber!

~Ang

Buhaki, the Fabulous CH Kitteh

Buhaki, my tabby cat with a touch of cerebellar hypoplasia (makes him walk with a little wobble, some cats have this worse but he does fine, looks about 2 sheets to the wind sometimes but otherwise totally normal, if not a little bit of a spitfire!)......

~Ang

One Day.

Get out there, change the world...make your kids proud!!!

~Ang

Me & Obama....Today.

When he announced he'd be in Des Moines today to make up for a missed date last week when he went to see his ailing Grandma, Toot (who I am praying for to make it to see her son become President!), I emailed a friend of mine w/ the campaign asking about potential seating for someone w/ a small child. I took my daughter in May to see him and it was tough being in a huge crowd with her, so small, not able to see....etc etc. She did me one better and hooked me, my ex husband and my daughter up w/ VIP tickets!

The rally was 5 blocks from the shop so we closed up and walked over this morning. The line was a couple blocks long but moved quickly, we got through the metal detectors w/ TSA checking our stuff and went right up front. I got a cool pic of a sharp-shooter beneath a HUGE American flag that would have blocked him from where we were but a breeze blew it up....notice the girl in her apartment window below the sniper......

With 25,000 people in attendance, our Governor, Chet Culver, spoke...as did Senator Tom Harkin, congressman Leonard Boswell and a dem. running for Congress, Becky Greenwald. A highlight was when Iowa native and world reknowned opera singer, Simon Estes, sang the Star Spangled Banner....people were literally weeping it was so beautiful.....

And then Barack came out!!

There was a runway down the center of the crowd he walked and then came back up front to speak.....

Shot of the crowd, I didn't take this.....

At the end he actually walked down to the front of the barrier so people could speak to him...I was about 5 rows back and made it my mission to get the sign my daughter made for him up there into his hands. I left my daughter w/ my ex and pushed through to get to him...handed him the sign, he looked at it and smiled (it was total chaos up there), and handed it to an assistant who tucked it into a folder!!! My daughter was so proud and excited!

The speech was incredible, it was an overwhelming experience to be that close to someone so brilliant....someone who (crossing fingers!) will be the next President of the United States!!! The speech can be seen here, if anyone wants to see it....

http://tinyurl.com/6lo9na

Also, another girl that came into the shop during the caucus was Hope Hall, who is a film maker. She is extremely talented and as it turned out, she made the film they played at the DNC before Obama's acceptance speech, you can see it here...

http://tinyurl.com/68qzjg

Its pretty fantastic to live in Iowa during a presidential campaign, even more so during this epic moment!!!

Ang