Feminist Friday: My Big Iron Skillet

Let's hear another from Wanda, shall we? I would like to say, for the record, that I don't advocate violence of any kind, but sometimes a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. It's best to be prepared for any situation that might arise, from needing to make sausage gravy, to dealing with a no good, low down, cheatin' man. And, I don't think I need to point out to you how amazing and ready to kick ass Wanda looks in this clip. She could probably hide that skillet of hers in that gravity-defying, coal black confection of a hairdo, whipping it out to strike the ass kickee while he or she was still dazed and reeling from the awesomeness and blinding light dancing off of her mini dress.

Feminist Friday: Goodbye, Kitty Wells

On July 16th, we lost the Queen of Country Music, the woman who paved the way for Loretta, Tammy, Dolly, Reba, and a whole host of female country stars, and a Country and Western feminist ahead of her time in many ways. I had the privilege of standing in her presence as a child (somewhat ominously, apparently.) I'll always admire Kitty Wells for the courage it must have taken to sing some hard truths in an era when the darker side of American life was glossed over and spit shined, and for staying strong in the face of controversy when "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" was released in 1952. Banned by numerous radio stations and the Grand Ole Opry, the song was an answer to Hank Thompson's "The Wild Side of Life". It seems 1950's America could handle songs about loose women, but when a female singer dared suggest that the blame for broken marriages and illicit affairs be equally shouldered by men, people lost their damn minds. (Fun fact: the song was actually penned by a man.) I wish we had progressed far, far beyond that in 2012, but recent attacks on women's rights suggest otherwise. There are those today who would happily return us to the time when Kitty sang, "It's a shame that all the blame is on us women".

Thank you for your music. Rest well, Miss Kitty.

Feminist Friday: One's On The Way

Oh, Loretta, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. You wrote songs that tackled women's issues and faced some ugly truths, head on, before that was a thing. You made people uncomfortable, and you didn't apologize. You brought feminist concerns into the living rooms of the Grand Ole Opry set. You were and are incredibly brave for that. Also, the hair.

Contemporary Shell Craft

Nothing says "kitschy craft of yesteryear" like seashells glued to one another. I have a real soft spot in my heart for this kind of stuff. Maybe it comes from being born a landlocked Okie, but more than that, I think I'm just struck with the ingenuity and creativity of the human mind. Since the beginning of time, people have looked at shells on the beach and admired their beauty. Maybe they even made pretty jewelery. But who was the first person who thought, "If I stick this shell to this one this way, and then attach this little one on top, it would look just like a mouse!" Yes, I think about this kind of thing.




Here's Miss Gayle Pearson, the author and creator of these seashell pretties, of whom great things were expected. I wonder what she went on to achieve in her future career as one of the craft movers and shakers of the 1960s. I love the artist bios in these old craft booklets. These gals were the craft bloggers of their day.




Okay. These mermaid candy dishes just killed me dead.

Feminine Phrenology

Well, it's still a million degrees here in Oklahoma with no end in sight. What's a girl to do? Apparently, experiment with hand drawn type and Photoshop in the air conditioning.



Looking at some antique phrenology head diagrams, I got the idea to put my own spin on the subject. Bouffants and nonsensical ramblings anyone? Ephemera + ink + watercolor, with a little nod to Ray Fenwick, whose work I admire.

Saint Ginger, Patron Saint of Manicurists

There's a new saint in Sweetheartville, and she's here to wrangle ragged cuticles, sculpt acrylics and gels, and wield a polish brush with precision. She's Saint Ginger, Patron Saint of Manicurists, and she joins Saint Tammy in the Sweetheartville Beauty Operator Prayer Candle lineup.





Speaking of the nail techs, I've designed a new Beauty Button just for the nail-doin' ladies and gents:



Also newly added to the Beauty Button line is this cheeky design:



And for something a bit different, these two birdie buttons are little pieces o' art which can be pinned just about anywhere you need some colorful quirkiness.





Of course, all of these and several other new designs are available in ye olde shoppe.

A Glamorous New Me

Besides a new year and a new decade, the first week of January brings a milestone birthday for me. Tomorrow I leave my twenties behind. I've come a long way, Dollfaces. As I bid adieu to the Aughts, I'm looking forward to what's to come with excitement. I've grown and changed so much over the last ten years, I finally feel like I know who I am and what I want from this life. Like most, I've made a list of resolutions and changes I'd like to work towards, not just in 2010 or "The Twenty Teens", but in this new chapter of my life. First and foremost on the list is to focus more on my home and making it a place of peace and order for myself and my family. Secondly, I plan to take more time for creativity and all that that encompasses for me--art, craft, music, blogging and photography. And last, after falling victim to the trap that snares so many of us mamas, the one where we're so busy and exhausted taking care of everyone else that we don't take time to care for ourselves, I'm going to strive to regain a bit of the old me. The me who got overly dolled up for nights out, and primped, curled, powdered and polished every week. The me who wore vintage seamed stockings and changed her hairstyle with the seasons. The confident Vintage Bombshell me.


I don't know who the glamorous creature in this estate sale photo is, or what the occasion was, but I love the way she simply oozes grace and confidence. And that's something we can all aspire to, whatever our chosen style.

Thoroughly Modern

Bouffant of the Month: The Egyptian

Modern Beauty Shop from June, 1962 brings us the must have look for summer, "The Egyptian", by operator Andre Denker of Salon Andre. Andre says, "While the Cleopatra silhouette has been much in the news because of the forthcoming film of that title, I feel that a literal interpretation of this version of the Egyptian mode is limited in its application to the average beauty salon patron, due principally to its emphasis on extremely heavy, straight hair which is not widely becoming. Consequently, I am suggesting to my patrons a variety of 'Egyptian influence coiffures' which reflect the Cleopatra fashion but do not copy it."


Still on the fence my little Scarab Beetle? Allow Andre to persuade you further.


"The crown lift variously identified as a 'Queen of the Nile' or a 'Queen Nefertiti' style is becoming to many women and is an arrangement particularly suitable for both the more mature and the more sophisticated type."

See? It's classy.