DIY Vintage Photo Magnets

I've mentioned in previous posts that I have a weakness for old photos.  I tend to pick them up (I may or may not refer to it as 'adopting them') at flea markets, garage sales, and wherever old family photos are discarded.  I also have quite the collection of my own family's photos... I've sort of become the keeper of the family photographic memories, which I love.  But sometimes, I don't know how to display all of these beauties.  I don't always want to frame them, but I definitely don't want them to just collect dust in a drawer...  I decided the other day to take advantage of the little bit of fridge space I have, and make a couple old photos into magnets! 

All you need for this project is Magnetic Adhesive Sheet (I got mine at Michael's), some scissors, and whatever photos you'd like to magnetize (side bar: am I the only one who thinks of Mos Def in Be Kind Rewind, every time someone says "magnetized"? "you're maaaagnetized!" yeah? just me? okay, anywho)

I chose a couple photos of strangers I had acquired over the years but didn't have  place for. I laid the photos on the sheet to make sure I had enough space to cut them out.  I cut them freehand, but if you want to do it the "right", "thorough", or "correct" way, I would suggest flipping it over and tracing the picture on the back of the sheet and then cutting that out.  I tend to cut corners, but I get the job done. 

As you can see, the back of these sheets are magnetic on the front, and have a sheet on the back you can peel off.. I cut out my magnetic sheet to the corresponding photo sizes, and peeled off the sheet and exposed the adhesive...

...then stuck it onto the back of the photo.  Et voila! 

Now these lovely photos, of the lady in the boat and the happy father & son, are appreciated every single day instead of languishing in my craft supply drawer.  I even kept the sort of bedraggled shape of the photo of the father & son... it looks like someone cut it from a larger photo, and I somehow think that gives it a bit of character of its own.  I always wonder what the rest of the photo looked like...

I'm pretty sure they like it on the fridge with my other weird magnets and my awkward cruise honeymoon photo.  Keep in mind though, the magnet isn't super heavy duty, so it doesn't hold up more than a piece of paper... I wouldn't suggest it as a magnet for other photos on the fridge as they'd probably fall right out.  I personally like them just as art for the fridge, what do you think?  

Do you have any photos you're going to transform?  I think these would make lovely last minute gifts for family if you used old family photos! 

Have fun!

-Jess

keep it cozy

We have a bit of a thing for coats.  I personally have at least 5 in regular rotation.  And I might just have an alpaca cape that I'm waiting to wear too, but who's keeping track? Besides my husband, who wonders why the hell I need so many coats.  But, I digress.  There's something so nice about bundling up on a cold day and going for a walk to see friends... and maybe stopping to get a cup of hot cocoa on the way.  So needless to say, we've got our fair share of coats and other winter goodies in the shop at the moment.

this one is not only fur but LEATHA! it's more amazing than you can even imagine

this one works best if you're a tiny child.  or know someone who's a tiny child.

and what else goes with winter better than...

KICKASS BOOTS!?

So, even though we're not always huge fans of frigid temperatures, or being stuck inside our house for days because we're plowed in, we definitely like the fashion. Are ya with us on this one?

All items can be found in the shop, of course :)

Boardwalk Empire state of mind

Both Caiti and I are totally addicted to Boardwalk Empire.  It seems that almost every time we're together our conversation eventually turns toward the wacky hijinks of those good ole Atlantic City rascals. By "hijinks" I mean "murders", and by "rascals" I mean "sort of bloodthirsty gangsters and generally unstable people".  

We also talk about their clothes.  I mean... COME ON:

But since we're both kind of dorks, we're also very into how the show is based off of some true life events.  I think it's really fascinating! Did you know that Nucky Johnson, the carnation sporting scoundrel, is inspired by a real person? 

The man who inspired the ringleader of the show is politician Enoch Johnson, also known as Nucky... because, really, who's going to go by Enoch all their life?  Like the character on the show, he was known for pinning a carnation on his suits (which I find to be quite dapper, personally. would it be wrong if I started doing that?).  He was also known as quite the boss in Atlantic City in the 1920s and '30s.  He had his hands all up in some Prohibition shenanigans, including but not limited to bootlegging & prostitution... although, Mr. Johnson wasn't known to engage in any sort of turf wars or other nonsense with organized crime.... and according to all known evidence, Enoch Johnson never killed anyone, nor ordered anyone to be killed.  Surely, the show wouldn't be nearly as exciting if they hadn't given him the extra flair he has now.  Oh Nucky, you and your old murdery tricks.  

And while I'm not sure that he was inspired by one particular man, there were lots of men who suffered a similar facial fate as Richard (who I am QUITE partial to): 

Is it strange that a socially withdrawn ex-sniper with clear issues is the most endearing character to me? Because he is.  I think he's a beautiful creature.

Due to the heavy artillery that was introduced during the First World War, soldiers were far more advanced than medical procedures were at the time.  They adapted to new situations as well as they could in order to make the soldiers' transition home as easy as possible.  For facial injuries like Richard's, they created prosthetic masks, usually made of a very thin layer of copper or sculpted from plaster.  It was generally secured on to the face via a pair of glasses, which Richard's character sports quite handsomely, if I do say so  myself. 

It's interesting to watch the show while comparing it to historical events.  And even if you aren't nerds like Caiti & I, you can at least enjoy the beautiful clothing, am I right?!

Are you watching Boardwalk? What do you think of it? 

Bee's Knees & lots of Malarky,

(we love 1920s slang, but that's a whole 'nother blog post)

Jess & Caiti

Presenting... Charmion!

How insanely BADASS is this lady?! 

Her name is Laverie Vallee, but she performed as a trapeze artist under the name Charmion.  She was mostly known for a very risque striptease performance that she did in full Victorian garb.  It was captured on film by Edison himself in 1901... and while we're not fans of Edison around here (we're Tesla girls), something about seeing a film of something that was considered inappropriate for 1901 is just too good to pass up.  Even if it is incredibly blurry...

Apparently, that version of her act was pared down a bit and was made to focus more on the sexy side of things rather than her strength... the full length version apparently had a lot more feats of strength.  Color me SUPER impressed... I don't even think I could do one pull-up! this lady could DESTROY ME.  Yet she still wears ruffly underwear and a fashionable hairstyle.  Can we say "new hero"?

What do you think? Terrifying or amazing? Or just terrifying how amazed you are?

Giveaway Day!

In the spirit of the season Jess and I decided it would be a perfect time to introduce our bi weekly giveaway.  Our first giveaway is dear to my heart. As some of you may know I may have a pattern "hoarding problem". I can smell out a vintage pattern in any thrift store, flea market, or basement. Getting a good vintage pattern sets my mind all a flutter. What fabric shall I use? What embellishments? Ohhh the possibilities.  

This lovely is a "four section dress, lightly fitted by French darts in front and vertical back darts, has zipper in back seam.  Dress has vent in front seam at neck and above elbow length bell sleeves cut in one with dress back and front." Circa 1966.  Extremely well preserved, includes directions. 

All you have to do is "Like" us on Facebook and enter the info in the little widget bellow.  Oh and don't forget to check out our etsy store shoplucilles and enter coupon code "holiday" for a discount. 

Giveaway ends 12/18/12 and a winner will be picked at random.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Help us with our first retail storefront!

As you may or may not know, we've been itchin' to open a store for quite some time now.  Shortly after we met, we started collaborating on plans to open a shop right off, but we took a few steps back and went the slower route (selling online, selling at markets..), but now we're revving up the engines again!

We've picked out a spot that we're pretty in love with!  It's got plenty of space for the shop, plus storage in the back, and a workroom off to the side where we can do all our various messy projects (our dudes will be thankful to have those out of our respective houses, I think).  It's not in a location we really expected, but we love the space, and it'll be a great fit for our first spot.  

So we've got the space, we've got the drive, and we've got all the nervous butterflies we can possibly stomach, but we could use some help with our initial costs.  So we started up a page on GoFundMe - which is a close relative of Kickstarter... We'd be very glad if you could take some time to check it out, and either donate, or pass the word on to friends.  

You can visit the page at: http://www.gofundme.com/shoplucilles

Any help in any way, shape, or form is exceptionally appreciated!

Thank you times forever & ever,

Jess & Caiti

Fashion History Sunday!

They're scattered about your apartment. They hide at the bottom of your purse. Maybe you find them in the shower. Sometimes you find them snagged in your rug. Sometimes your magpie kitty steals them. You probably leave a trail of them and don't even know it.

                                                           We're talking BOBBY PINS!

 If you dig vintage fashion you probably are quite familiar with this amazing little hair accessory. But I bet you don't know it's history....

Anthropologically speaking it's safe to infer that early cave dwellers adorned their hair with crude pins made of thorns, sticks, bone and even stone.  Archaeologists have cited hairpins dating back to as early as 2000 BC when the Greeks produce gold single prong pins. During the 3rd and 4th century it's recorded that Romans made bronze decorative single prong hair pins. The two pronged pin, the basis for our beloved pin, originates in Asia as early as the year 300! These pins were made of bone, horn, wood, or metal and were often inlaid with jewels  ivory or silver. Ancient hairpins were not just about taming that pesky flyaway, they were symbols of ones social status  Whole rituals revolved around the hairpin. In ancient Chinese culture the use of hairpins played a very important role in a ritual called "Hairpin Initiation". This rite of passage happened when a girl turned fifteen. She would undo her braids or pigtail, wash her hair, and comb her hair into a bun securing it with hairpins. This signified that she could now enter into marriage. 

 The double pronged hair pin we know of today can be credited to Luis Marcus and began production in America in the early 19th century. By 1910 the term bobby pin entered the lexicon, named after the popular hairstyle the "Bob" that was sweeping the nation. These pins were all the rage with flappers as it held ones bob in place and also were the key tool in creating perfect pin curls. 

During the mid to late 40's bobby pins were an unfortunate victim of war. The U.S government stopped production of these lovely's to use the material and machines to produce airplane cotter pins.  But the Bobby Pin was not to be held down! It made it's come back during the 50's and 60's as high ponytails and soft curls became fashionable.

 Today bobby pins are used for hairstyling and plenty more. Bookmark? Lockpick? Impromptu screwdriver? But if you take anything from this ramble take this fact; many of you ladies are using these pins wrong. Luis Marcus designed the pin with one wavy side and one flat side for a purpose. The wavy part is meant to grip the hair while the flat part faced outwards and laid sleek against your coif. So turn that puppy around, trust me it will make a world of difference.  

Next week I talk BOWS!
 Until then you can fest your eyes on these to hold you over.

                                                                        Red red red

Kitties!

Until then....

Caiti & Jess