Valiant Efforts

I'm sorry to say I think I lied a while back ago when I said I would be blogging more soon. I have really been trying but it just seems like this summer has been out of control. I'm still not moved yet so I'm dealing with lots of house stuff. This past weekend my car died. Just in case you don't know......when the engine light on your car comes on it means STOP! I was on a 2 hour trip home when my engine light came on. Last time that happened I hadn't put my gas cap on tight enough so I thought it was no big deal. Everything else seemed fine! About 10 minutes later I noticed the temperature gauge was running all the way past the H. Still things seemed good, no steam was coming out so I turned off the AC and kept going. By this time I was 15 minutes from home and decided I just needed to get there! Well 5 minutes from home (thank goodness it was that close) my car completely died! Steam was coming out and it was bad! I think I might have to get a new car! So, while checking out the car dealers I saw this cool little car! It's a 1960 Dodge Valiant so I'm not quite sure why it was in the lot of the local Honda dealer. Anyway, I have always thought this was a cool little car. When I was in high school a good friend had one (and it was vintage at that time too!). He would take us to lunch everday in this awesome little car. I always thought it was so neat that instead of having the typical gear shifter it had buttons on the dashboard you had to push to select the differenty gears. Maybe someone else who knows a lot about cars can give us some more infor on this car. The only thing I know about cars is what looks cute! And, I definitely think this car is a cutie!

Kiss Me, Kill Me

I saw the coolest movie late last night on some strange local station. It was called Kiss Me, Kill Me. It was an Italian movie that is apparently also known as Baba Yaga. It was a really creepy, weird, suspense movie. If you don't like weird you WOULD NOT like this movie. Also beware, there was some nudity. So, if that's not your thing stay away. OK, now that I got the warninigs out of the way I can go on! I knew I was going to love it the minute it started. The music was fabulous and the opening credits were oh so retro! The opening credits were full of these very retro black and white drawings. This movie is from 1973 and these images immediately made me feel like I was right there. The star of the movie is a woman named Valentina played by Isabelle De Funes. I don't know who she is but she is absolutely beautiful. I was particularly in love with her hair! It was totally a 60's Vidal Sassoon look! Don't you think? This is what my hair used to look like before I let it grow into the That Girl look I wrote about recently. I'm not really aiming for the That Girl look! It's just a stop along the way to bigger (Well maybe not BIGGER. The 80's are definitely not the look I'm going for!) and better things. But, Isabelle De Funes makes me want my bob back!!! Don't you just love her hair?? I think it's so funky looking! I think I would have worn every outfit she wore in this movie over 30 years ago! She sort of had that hip beatnik thing going on with her turtlenecks. And the boots the witch has on in one of the first scenes when she gets out of the car would make Imelda Marcos cry! You need to watch this movie if for no other reason just to look at the beautiful images and style. If you're not interested in the story turn the sound down! Apparently this movie is done in the Giallo style. I don't totally understand what that is but if this movie is a good representation of it I hope to see more! I don't know if this is a movie you can get at your local Blockbuster but you know Amazon. They've got everything! The Amazon listing has this movie coming out in 1976. That must be the English version.

Bakelite Couture

Not too long ago I did a blog where I mentioned an amazing bakelite artist called Bakelite Couture. Bakelite Couture has just opened a new store at bakelitecouture.com. Bakelite Couture by Olof Bridgeford is a line of Bakelite Art Jewelry made using only Genuine Vintage Bakelite. All pieces are cut, carved & polished by hand using the same techniques & processes as the master Bakelite jewelry makers of the 1930's & 40's. Pieces range in style from Traditional to Geometric & Art Deco, specializing in High End Investment Quality pieces that are either one of a kind or limited. Bakelite Couture pieces can be found in a number of major US Collections as well as in England, Japan, France, Germany, Australia & New Zealand. Bakelite Couture accepts special orders & commission work & is always happy to collaborate with a client to create exactly the piece they want. The integrity of every piece is guaranteed to be of the finest quality. Her work is amazing!

Something Red

I know I just had a post about the Etsy treasury recently. I really am not that into the treasury like some people. But, I had a cool idea for a treasury so I picked out some things. Then I went to the treasury to see when the next one expired. It was going to be 2 days so I started to back out when I saw a yellow star! That means I was being featured in someone's treasury! What a thrill. I only know of one other time I've been featured in a treasury but I really don't go checking for yellow stars or anything so it's possible I've been in others and not even been aware of it. The wonderful seller Munieca featured me in her Something Red treasury If you go check it out you can see the vintage red and white bead necklace that is for sale in my store . It has a very retro flair. There is also a cool red retro purse by CynContemporary featured in this treasury. Munieca has great taste!

That Girl

So......this is what my hair looked like today. I have That Girl hair!! I didn't even have to try to get it to do this. Seriously! It just does it! Actually it's a little shorter, just below my chin (I'm trying to let it grow out). Now I have this feeling That Girl went through a lot of trouble to get her hair to do this. I'm quite certain she just didn't get out of the shower and this happened. Yep, that's all I did! I took a shower and washed my hair and this is what it looked like when it dried, minus the big bangs. My question is this, is That Girl hair too weird for the year 2007? I need your fashion advice! Why didn't someone who lived in 1966 get this hair?? The other option to That Girl hair is blow drying it for 15 minutes while it's 95 degrees outside and needing to take another shower when I'm done because I'm so hot and sweaty and gross. Grow hair, grow!!!! I think when it gets longer I won't have this problem anymore.

Pink Cotton Candy

I found this adorable pink cotton candy dress at iamsonotcool. I love this dress and I want to buy it but I'm not sure if it will fit. It is 17 inches from armpit to armpit. That is REALLY small. There are darts but I'm not sure how much room they will add. What do you all think? I wonder what size bust would fit in this dress. I WANT IT!!! I'm kind of small but I don't know if I'm THAT small. The mod little buttons are so cute. And, I love the detail in the zig zag stitching. I have a dress practically the same style that fits great. I guess I should drag it out and measure it. That's been my best bet for finding vintage clothes that fit. I find something I already own in the same style and then compare the measurements. Well, I'm off to get the tape measure.

Mod Madness

I just got a treasury on Etsy today. It is one of the first treasuries I've had in a long time. You can check it out at Mod Madness . It features lots of great retro items from great Etsy sellers. If you are not familiar with Etsy it is an online shopping venue for handcrafted items, vintage items, and crafting supplies. If you are not familiar with the treasury it is a really cool way for Etsy members to feature their favorite Etsy sellers. You can find some really beautiful things in the treasury. It was just revamped and seems to be a little buggy at the moment but if you check the link on the main treasury page you can get more info about the treasury and how you can feature some of your favorite Etsy sellers

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day!!! Here is one of my all time favorite retro TV dads! I knew I was geting old when I realized Gidget's dad was not only a cool dad but kind of cute too!

She's Open For Business

In April I did a blog on an amazing artist named Jenn Ski. She was just getting ready to open her own website at jennski.com. Well, she's finally open for business! She has some pieces up at this site that I've never seen before. They are all so great. I HAVE to buy one after I move. I was reading the forums on Etsy today. There was a thread about your favorite off Etsy artist. I was going to post about Jenn Ski but I thought I would do an Etsy search JUST to make sure she wasn't on Etsy. It turns out she has been on Etsy for 2 days!! She has an awesome Etsy shop. I hope everyone will go check her site out. She says she has some other goodies coming like housewares and stationary. I can't wait!

Vintage Wedding Ring?

I know I said I would update a lot more this summer but it's just been crazy! Things are not completely finalized with my new job so I've been dealing with that. In the midst of trying to get my house clean for the realtor my great aunt died. Our family is very close and she had no children so we were like her grandkids. I didn't think I would be so upset when she died but it's very sad to think she won't be around anymore. She lived a long happy life though. She was 96 years old and still in great shape in so many ways. She was as with it mentally as you or I. Her body just finally give out on her. We are glad it happened very quickly because she never wanted to be in a nursing home and really had no one to take care of her. Thankfully she got her wish! My grandma is in charge of her estate and most of her stuff was left to us. We went to her house the other day to look around and take anything we wanted. It was really sad to be there like vultures rifling through someone else's things but that is what she wanted. I'm happy because I feel like I got something really special. In her jewlery box I found a ring that was just a plain band. It was VERY black and corroded and looked like a piece of junk. No one wanted it so I decided to take it and see if I could shine it up. I didn't really think I would be able to. Surprisingly it shined up very nicely! We are now wondering if it possibly could have been her husband's wedding ring. He was a man who died when he was only 58 and I never knew him. It is a plain silver band that has some grooved lines going around it. Many of them are worn away which means this ring must have been worn A LOT which is why we think it might be a wedding ring. I'm sure this ring must be at least 50 or 60 years old and possibly older than that. It was my vintage find for the weekend! It fits on my largest finger so I think I will wear it for a while as a reminder of my aunt. She was the type of lady who didn't have a lot of stuff but she saved lots of special little trinkets over the years that were very meaningful to her. I know she would be happy that someone else also found some of her things special. I will probably eventually blog about some more of her things. I got a few interesting vintage scarves including one from Italy. I promise I will try to update more often. Things should calm down at the end of next week!

So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright

I love Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture. I never thought of looking him up on YouTube until I found a link to this cool video at Lotta Living. Lotta Living has a great message board where you can discuss all things mod. I was also not familiar with this song by Simon and Garfunkel. Now I'm off to go watch more Frank Lloyd Wright videos on YouTube.

Fashion Dig

I just spent an hour messing around on this new site I found called Fashion Dig. I still haven't looked at the whole thing but it's seems to be a really great place. They have a nice forum that could use a little more action. You should go check it out! They are also a selling venue. I found this great dress/ coat set at Orlando Vintage on Fashion Dig. Orlando Vintage has some other really great items in their shop like this leopard print dress that comes with a turban! This totally looks like something Mrs. Robinson would wear in the graduate! I'm going to have to look around and check this place out some more. I encourage you to come and participate in the forums. There are several other vintage sellers who participate.

Marvelous Mary Quant

After taking the mod quiz last night I decided to do some surfing to find out more about Mary Quant. I LOVE her style! She is known for popularizing the mini skirt and hot pants and was a British designer who studied illustration at Goldsmiths College. She owned a popular clothing store in London called Bazaar. Mary Quant claimed the shortening of the skirts during the 60's was very practical because it allowed a woman to run for a bus. Sounds good to me! She also invented many of the colored and patterned tights that were often worn with the miniskirts. Quant was at the height of her fame during the mid 60's. She has been referred to as the high priestess of 60's fashion. Her website is at Mary Quant. There are some beautiful images of her work at this site. She currently has a makeup line. I found this lovely dress she designed at Victoria and Albert Museum. This is a fascinating site I will have to check out some more later. I love this stylish little red dress! It doesn't help that red is one of my favorite colors! Since this dress is in a museum somewhere I guess there probably isn't much of chance that I will ever get to own it! I found a very similar dress at Laura Beth's Vintage. Laura Beth has some lovely item's in her shop!

What Sort Of Mod Are You?

I'm avoiding cleaning the house so I can have the realtor over. It's such a mess and it's my vacation. I just want to do nothing! So, in the process of procrastinating I came across another fun quiz I thought you all might like. I don't know how accurate it is but the results generate some lovely photos!

What sort of Mod are you?

Basic Brit Mod-You're the originator of mod style. You like scooters, doing the twist and drinking rum and coke, just like a good mod should.
Take this quiz

I Quit!

Sorry I haven't been good about updating lately. I finally quit my job on Thursday! You know, the awful one I was writing about recently. I quit AND I'm going to be moving! I'm really scared and really nervous. I keep telling myself there is only room to go up! At least I hope! The one thing that has me excited is the thought of possibly buying a house that looks like this, maybe a little bit smaller. I found this house at 5280 Mod Right now I live in an older style house because that's all there is where I live. When I move if I get lucky I should be able to find a much more modern house. Right now I'm tying up all the loose ends at work. As soon as that is done I should have a lot more time to update the blog. I promise! In the mean time I any calming words are appreciated! I'm so nervous about the new job! I won't start until August.

Mod Or Fraud?

Do you have an eye for all things mod? Take this fun Mod Or Fraud Quiz. I found this fun quiz at Vintage Fashion Guild. Check them out too while you're at it. They are a great resource for vintage clothing.

Memorial Day, Summer, The Beach & Ponytails!

Well, it's been a while since I've posted because I was visiting my parents again for the Memorial Day weekend. Their computer is so slow I don't even bother! I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day. I got to spend time with lots of family and friends. Now summer is officially here! Yay! I should be able to update the blog more this summer. I can't wait to spend my summer like these 3 lovely ladies. I love the glasses on the lady in the middle. Actually, I'm not much for baking myself in the sun. I spent a little too much time out in the sun (on an overcast day) Friday and ended up with a sun rash. That has NEVER happened before! But, I am looking forward to swimming (which I love to do) and lazing around. I also noticed that each of these ladies has a ponytail. I'm also looking forward to that. I probably noticed the ponytails because I just got done taking a shower so I could "practice" fixing my hair after washing it. How pathetic is that! I couldn't risk screwing it up in the morning and not having time to fix my disaster. I'm letting my hair grow and I'm centimeters away from being able to have a ponytail. I can't wait! I'm sort of in turmoil about the hair right now. I have had a bob for a few years now. I love the retro/ mod look of a nice classic bob. But I decided maybe it was time for a change. I hope I don't regret all the time wasted growing it out. It's actually been pretty easy since it was all one length. But, I decided to let it grow right after getting an unfortunate slightly too short haircut so it is taking a long time.

Cleaning The Airwaves

I just got done watching the season finale of American Idol. I now feel the need to clean the airwaves and put the world back in balance!

I found this video a few months ago when I was looking for a demonstration for a music class I was teaching. I LOVE it! The hippie girls dancing in the background are so cute! The little girls in my class loved them. I have always thought there could never be anything attractive about David Crosby but they are ALL so adorable. I love the way the one guy (I can't keep all of their names straight) peeks over the top of his glasses. And, the tambourine player flipping his hair is the stuff teen idols are made of! After watching this I looked them up on Wikipedia. Unfortunately, several of them met tragic, untimely death. So sad!

Beautiful Bangles

Are these the most beautiful bangles you've seen or what??? I love the colors! Why, oh why, do I have to be so poor?? You can find these great bangles and lots of new items at Recy Vintage. Recy is the highest quality internet seller I have ever dealt with. When I purchased from her she had great communication and was extremely friendly. She sent me a lovely package that made me feel like I was opening a present! If you want to see what a truly wonderful spirit she has check out her blog at Zazazu. Her blog is so inspiring. It gives me something to think about every day. Please take the time to check out her store at Recy Vintage. You won't regret it!

Blogger's Choice Nominee

Please vote for Retro Romance in 4 Blogger's Choice Award categories. All you have to do is click the links below and vote. The support of all the readers out there is greatly appreciated. Please help make Retro Romance a winner.

I Need A Drink

After the week I've had at work I need a drink! Unfortunately, I think I might have a cold (caused by stress) so I probably shouldn't. Someone told me once if you don't know for sure that it's a cold it's probably allergies. So, who knows! I took some Airborne this morning. Has anyone tried that stuff? I think it totally works! I got generic this time and for some reason it tastes REALLY gross! I don't know if I can drink anymore. Maybe it's allergies. All I know is right now I'm dreaming about having a nice drink. Nice has the most lovely vintage barware. I love this swanky ice bucket! It looks like it came from the Rat Pack's hotel room in Vegas. I think these are some pretty hip bar glasses also. They would be perfect for a nice Long Beach Iced Tea. Nice used to have a lot more great barware. It must have sold. I hope they get some more in.

Take This Job And Shove It

So, I hate my job. Actually, more than my job I hate the people I work with! Sometimes I wish I was the lady in this photo. She looks like she has a nice little office job where she files papers and types all day long. That sounds soooo relaxing. I know if you are someone out there who has this kind of job you will say it's not that great. But, it HAS to be better than what I'm doing! There are many times when I think life would be easier if I lived 50 years ago. I probably wouldn't even have a job. I would be married to Ward Cleaver and spend my days at home baking cookies for Wally and Beaver. If I did have to work I would probably be doing what this woman is doing. No one would expect much of me! I know that is so wrong! I should be grateful that I live in the 21st century and I can have any career I want. I should feel lucky to have so many options available to me! But, for today (and maybe tomorrow) I want to be the lady in the picture.

Modeling Mid-Century Modern

Have any of you checked out the blog Modeling Mid-Century Modern? I love this place. This guy does technical drawings of Mid-Century Modern homes. But, in his off time he posts photos of the most awesome mod homes ever! I swear, he lives in Mid-Century Mod heaven! I think every single photo he posts is my dream home unti I see the ones he posts the next day! I could drool over these houses all day long. I want one sooooo badly! The one I posted in this blog is one of my favorites. I would love to have a house like this surrounded by trees off in the woods somewhere. If you like this kind of architecture you must check out Modeling Mid-Century Modern. His wife is a realtor that specializes in Mid-Century Mod. She has some great houses posted on her blog at 5280 Mod. I sure wish she worked in my neighborhood!

Mother's Day

I have been gone all weekend visiting my mom for Mother's Day. It is so hard for me to get stuff done on the computer at her house. She has not joined the 21st century so she still has dial up. It takes me 5x longer to do anything at her house than at mine. I beg and beg but she hasn't given in yet. She has her service with some little independent local company. She loves that fact that when she calls she talks to a real person who is nice to her. She doesn't seem to care that her service is horrible! So, here is my belated post in honor of Mother's Day. I thought I would post a few pics of one of my favorite retro moms. Carol Brady had some groovy little mod outfits! She had a few fashion moments I wasn't fond of but sometimes she was way cool! I love the color combination in this outfit. The blue in the necklace really brings out her eyes. I also like her sassy little haircut. I was never a fan of the long shag thing she had towards the end of the series.



Ah, here is the gross hairct in this photo but I had to post it because I like the blouse she is wearing. It fits so well and I love the retro look of it.



I love the mod looking top she is wearing in this photo and the color red is always great. I recently bought a very similar brown top at H and M . I actually wore it yesterday for Mother's Day with a pair of white capris. I hope you all had a good Mother's Day!

Bamabelle Bed Jacket

I am completely in love with this beautiful, vintage, lace bed jacket at Bamabelle. It is gorgeous and just the right price. I almost didn't want to mention it in my blog for fear that someone might buy it before I do. But, I have decided it may be a tad too big for me since I DO NOT have a size 40 bust! Bamabelle has some other great finds in her shop. I have read a number of forum posts by her on Etsy. She really seems to know her vintage clothing and she appears to be a very professional seller. I can't wait to make my first purchase at Bamabelle.

Dixie Square

As I mentioned in another recent post I have become totally enchanted with the blog Malls Of America, a blog about vintage shopping malls. I ignored this blog for weeks until I finally took a look at it. After reading a post there I have become obsessed with finding information about Dixie Square Mall. It is one of the most interesting things I've ever read about. It is a mall that closed in the 1970's (It was also the setting for the Blues Brothers car chase.) The mall is like a museum! Their are so many remnants of times past in this mall. This abandoned mall apparently has open (or non-existent) doors which allow anyone to wonder in. It is truly fascinating. I encourage you to read a little bit about it. I found this photo at Chuck's Photo Spot. It is a photograph taken in 2005 from a display in the Montgomery Ward's store in the Dixie Square Mall. I love the groovy, retro images. It's amazing to think something like this has lasted untouched for so long. If you are interested in this type of thing check out Chuck's Photo Spot. He has the best photos I've seen of Dixie Square Mall along with lots of other great photography. It also appears there is going to be a documentary film about this mall produced by Paw Filmworks.

One Potato, Two Potato, Three Potato, Four

Retro Attic's MySpace profile has been featured at Blog Potato. Go check it out! There is a contest at Blog Potato each week where you can try to get your MySpace profile featured. I'm not sure why it is called Blog Potato but it got me thinking about Mr. Potato Head so I thought I would inclue this picture of him I found at Tinker Tailor's Photos. I think this Mr. Potato Head is a newer one. My Mr. Potato Head had a pipe if I recall correctly. You know that would NEVER be allowed today! It would be WAY too politically incorrect. It is hard to find photos of the older ones. I liked this one because he sort of looks like mine looked. Mr. Potato Head has gone through many, many looks over the years. Try giving him a Google Search and see what you come up with! I even saw a Mr. Potato Head dressed like Spider Man!

Tag You're It

OK, this is the second time I have done this post. Right when I was about to hit publish I lost the whole thing because my browser quit! : ( Here we go again. Apparently, I have been tagged by Bellacolle and Saffron.

The Rules:

--List seven random facts/habits about yourself
--Choose another seven bloggers to tag and list their names in your blog
--Leave your seven tagged bloggers comments to notify them of their tagging and to direct them to your blog for tag instructions.

1. I collect Raggedy any stuff. The most recent Raggedy Ann purchase I made was from Recy Vintage. It was an old Raggedy Ann filmstrip. My favorite Raggedy Ann item is a bean bag doll that I got when I was a baby. It looks just like this one I found at DKK Dolls.



2. I still have my orginal SWATCH watch. I found one just like it in a photo at Vegas Jones. It is the blue and green one on the left. It has a clear face so you can see the gears inside.



I always wanted a Jelly Fish Swatch because it was all clear and you could see everything inside instead of just a little bit. But, I noticed after people had them for a while they started turning yellow. Gross! So, I settled on mine instead. I found this Jelly Fish at Watch Report. I had to find these photos online because my Swatch is in my violin case at work. So, now you know fact number 3.



3. I have played the violin for over 20 years. One day my Swatch was bugging me when I was playing so I took it off and stuck it in my case. It has been there ever since. I really have never given it much thought and I don't know why after that day I never had the urge to put it on again. Bizarre!

4. At one time I owned a pair of pink Nikes. I don't mean white with a pink swoosh. I mean pink! I have looked all over for a photo of them but all I can find is this white pair from The Daily Sneaker. My pair looked exactly like this (They even came in the same lovely orange box.) except they were a lavendery/ pink sort of color and had velcro. Oh my, why didn't someone stop me!



5. When I was a kid (probably older than I should have been) I had Rainbow Brite bed sheets. I was only reminded of this because they were on the dryer when I was visiting my parents this weekend! What!? My parents have been cleaning out my grandmother's house. I can only hope they had been given to her to use in her sewing.



6. I used to have a 45 of Material Girl by Madonna. Actually, it is probably still under my old bed at my parent's house. It was probably one of the last 45's made.



7. Chewing gum grosses me out.

I tag:

Finds
Mid Century Modeling
Patterns From The Past
Sophiagurl
Gail
Miss Mish Mash
Lyndon Maxewell

If you've already been tagged please don't do it again and.....if you tag me again I won't be doing it either!

Do You Fondue?

I found this great little mushroom pot at Nice. I love it because it is sooooo retro looking. The mushrooms totally make me think of the 70's. It sort of looks like a fondue pot I guess. I love fondue. My friend and I always get together for fondue when her husband goes out of town for work since he doesn't like it. I think men consider fondue to be unmanly or something. I tried to convince my mom to fix fondue one night when I was visiting my parents. My dad would have no part of it. He said there was no way he was going to eat meat that had been cooked over a candle!!! A candle???? OK, whatever! There is no way you can argue with that kind of logic! Her 3 year old son was into the fondue but I'm sure that will change someday. I think his interest in the whole thing had to do with roasting marshmallows and not so much with the eating meat part.