Wanda Jackson and Daniel Romano

So, I saw Wanda Jackson before I fell off the blogging wagon for a month, and she was great; very warm, personal, and engaging onstage. She's got a lot of spunk, and she can still shake some fringe! My friends and I were four of about ten people in the entire audience under the age of 60, which made for a very quiet show, but we had a great time nonetheless. We may have gotten a little rowdy in the nosebleed section and annoyed the Centrum Silver set, but you just can't hear The Queen of Rockabilly sing "Fujiyama Mama" and sit still while tapping your toe! It just isn't done. Wanda still lives just down the road in Oklahoma City, and during the show she dedicated "Let's Have a Party" to her granddaughter who happened to be sitting just a few rows on front of us and had driven up from Tulsa to see her world famous grandma sing. Unfortunately, I didn't get a single photo because my camera battery died right before the show, so you'll just have to take my word for it: I was there, and it was fabulous.

Wanda's opening act and backing band for this leg of her tour was Daniel Romano and his band, The Trilliums, who I hadn't heard before. I am now a new and enthusiastic fan of these Canadian boys! They are some seriously stellar musicians. How did I not know about Daniel before? I mean, the man wears Nudie-esque rhinestone-encrusted Western suits and styles his album covers after the glory days of 1960's Nashville, not to mention his classic country and honky tonk songs, heavy on the steel guitar. If that doesn't butter my bread, I don't know what does! If you know what's good for you, you'll go to Daniel's Bandcamp page and listen to and buy his albums. Here are three of my favorites of his from The Tube of You:

Feminist Friday: Heaven Help the Working Girl

Hello, sugar dumplings! I'm around, just running like a chicken with my head cut off. I know all you working girls can relate.

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: The Box That It Came In

This is one of my favorite Wanda Jackson songs. Hell, it's one of my favorite songs, like, ever. In the world. That was ever recorded. It's that good. From the sinister, murderous implications, to the way my fellow Okie manages to add an extra syllable to the word "down", this song is completely badass. The message is clear: do her wrong, and you're comin' home in a box. Chills, ladies. I have chills.

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.

Feminist Friday: I Didn't Jump The Fence

I'm baaa-aack. Let's trot this son of a gun out for another drunken joyride which will likely spin out and crash into the guardrails of apathy in about two months. I'm just shooting you straight. You know it's gonna end in tears and stained undershorts, but maybe we'll have a laugh, you know?

 So, yeah. Turns out, two kids keep you busy. Plus, I started a Girl Scout troop since last we chatted, and that has been a lot of work, but pretty rewarding. I also had one of my biannual where-the-hell-am-I-going-with-this-thing? crises. I still don't really know the answer, besides motherin' these little girls and generally being kick ass. I want to be an artist/designer/author/musician/songwriter/astronaut/archeologist/well-paid expert/farmer/beautician when I grow up, and I don't think that's too much to ask. Or maybe it is. I'll figure it out one day. So, let's just jump straight into something that might become a regular feature here called "A Feminist Look at Classic Country Music" or A.F.L.A.C.C.M. Huh...Ahflackem.....Okay, we're just gonna call this thing "Feminist Friday", kids. Check out this ridiculous song by Red Sovine, singer and dramatic reciter of many classic truck driving songs, the most famous being the diesel-drenched tear jerker "Teddy Bear".



Now, this is pre-"Teddy Bear", about a decade before Red had really hit his stride and found his long haulin' niche. "I Didn't Jump The Fence" is a little ditty about cheatin' with the neighbor's wife. Only the neighbor's wife is apparently an apple tree with loose morals. Basically, she and her hoohah are pieces of fruit to be stolen and fought over between neighbors. It seems that when her husband's out of town, she dangles her ripe fruit over the back fence like a wanton hussy. She may also have an out-of-control 60's bush that needs to be trimmed, but I could be misinterpreting something. Red's attitude is all, "Hey, don't get mad at me, man. Your apple tree's a total slut. You should cut it down a notch if you don't want me groping your whore apples." So what have we learned today? The 60s were a time of offensive sexual double standards and weird, sorta gross, fruit metaphors.

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.

Roadside Fun Postcards

I just added these fun postcard sets to the Sweetheartville shop! Get your kicks on Route 66.

Vintage Valentine-o-rama!

The intertubes are abuzz with vintage Valentine goodness this week. Just check out the fabulous Two Crazy Crafters where Twyla and Lindsey have been sharing their fantastic collection of vintage Valentines plus new ways to use the images to achieve maximum cuteness.

Also, my craftastic friend Dana (better known as Crafty Minx) made and stitched the most delicious vintage Valentine embroidery patterns which were featured on Feeling Stitchy this week.

Not wanting to miss out on the action, I thought I'd share a few 1960's era Valentines from my collection:











If you're in need of more vintage Valentines for your last minute V Day crafting, you'll find some darling ones at Vintage Holiday Crafts and some sweet ones here too.

The Ball and Paylore Home

After my post about Maynard Parker a while back, I was looking through some of my old magazines when it dawned on me that not only had I seen his work before I stumbled upon it online, I had held copies of his photographs in my hands as I perused some early 1960's "House Beautiful" magazines in my collection.



I especially liked this home, designed for two single gal librarians in Tucson, Arizona from the October 1962 issue of "House Beautiful". Get a load of that revolving porch shade!



If you're a vintage cookbook lover, I've started a series over at Mama Says Vintage called Vintage Cookbook Fridays. Each Friday I'll be sharing a different vintage or antique cookbook from my collection. Today we're taking a look at "The Story of Carnation Milk" circa 1915. We'd love your company!

Goin' on a Vinyl Hayride

I recently treated myself to a book that I know I'll turn to for inspiration again and again. Vinyl Hayride, by Paul Kingsbury, is a fantastic collection of country music album covers spanning the years 1947 through 1989.


How could a book featuring Webb Pierce and all this Nudie goodness on the front cover exist in the world without my owning a copy? Nonsense.

Here's my old pal Hank Thompson in 1953.


Doesn't Carl Smith look fine in his Nudie shirt? The world just lost him a few weeks ago.


The classic "Blood on the Saddle" by Tex Ritter has some fetching cover art, if I do say so.


The Great Jim Flora didn't just do big band and jazz album covers. Here he lends his signature style to Jimmie Driftwood's "The Battle of New Orleans". I'm still keeping an eye out for Flora record covers, but I haven't had much luck.


If I get my hands on whoever made Dolly cry here, I'll kick his ass all the way back to the Blue Ridge Mountains! Dolly's much too beautiful to be sad.


I honestly have no idea who Cliffie Stone is, but I would kill for his boots.


This last one gets me all choked up. When you combine classic country music, big hair, vintage aqua kitchenware, and crafty homemade lettering, well, you might as well just slap my mouth and take my checkbook.*


*I have no idea what this phrase means.

Young and Firm Wave

Who knew an ad for a permanent wave could be so creepy, yet so fabulous?

The Photography of Maynard Parker

I can't remember now where I stumbled upon the photographs of Maynard Parker, the principal photographer for House Beautiful magazine between 1942 and 1965.




The dramatic lighting! The saturated colors!



Head over to The Huntington for a narrated slide show to see these and many other breathtaking images of mid century living.

My New Ride

Needing a distraction, Sugar Pea and I hit some garage sales on Saturday as part of the second annual Kan-Okla 100 Mile Sale . I came away with quite a few treasures, but the best find was this 1960's Schwinn American complete with a headlight and baskets on the back. It's pretty much my dream bike, second only to Pee-Wee's, of course. I've been wanting a bike for some time, and I was just waiting for the right one to come along.


This new set of wheels was just what I needed this weekend, after a very stressful couple of days. Last Wednesday night, a pick up truck on a flat bed trailer came loose from the truck that was pulling it down the street on the south side of our house. It flew through our back yard, slamming into my beloved minivan which was thrown into our other car parked next to it in the driveway behind our house. My van is totaled, and our other car is in pretty bad shape.


The bright side (because you know there always is one) is that none of my loved ones were in the yard at the time. Also, had the cars not been parked behind our home, the trailer would have crashed into our back bedroom, taking out our home's electrical system, not to mention ruining a whole lot of vintage fabric and craft supplies. Thank god for insurance!

Thoroughly Modern

Dry, Odorless, Effective

Remember my Asian figure lamps from Neosho? Well, I searched high and low for the right shades, and the best I could come up with were a pair of black chandelier shades that, when clipped on the bulbs, were too high to cover the lamp sockets. So, I did some crafty improvising, and decided to glue black fringe around the inside rims of the lampshades. The fringe I purchased was a few inches long, so a trim was in order. Let me tell you, for someone who prides herself on being crafty, and is professionally trained in the art of haircutting, this proved to be more of a challenge than anticipated! I kept having to trim a little more here and there, until the fringe turned out a tiny bit shorter than I would have liked. In the end, I really like the effect. Sort of vintage Shanghai bordello.


I put the pair on either side of my vanity, which dates from the 1940s or 1950s, and was a wedding gift from my Mama. I've made quite a bit of progress on my bedroom, and after I get some pictures hung, I'll give you a tour. But decorating isn't what I want to tell you about today. Today's post is about my love of vintage beauty products, and a new friend who shares the same passion for old bottles, boxes, and jars.


Bob found Sweetheartville recently, and contacted me because he too loves and collects vintage beauty products and vintage hairdressing magazines. Believe me when I tell you that he is a Dollface of the highest order, so much so, that he sent me a big ol' box of vintage hair goodies in the mail. After I told him that I had dropped my darn Dippity-do jar and broken the lid, he sent me a new one, along with a bottle of Subdue Dandruff Shampoo.


That's not all he sent, though. That sweetheart mailed not one, but three vintage perms, each with its original components still inside the box! These are the first perms in my collection. This "Self" permanent dates from the days of big hair and white lipstick, and is just delightful with the poppy simplicity of its package design.


The "Chemtronic Life Pick-Up Permanent" is designed for touch ups to the bangs and neckline between regular perms, and is my favorite of the three with its shiny gold box.


Last, but not least, comes the "Pin Quick" Pin Curl Permanent from Richard Hudnut. It's weatherproof! Thank you so much, Bob!


I thought I'd share a few recent additions to my ever-growing collection. One of my very favorite pieces is this "EZ Hair Removing Glove" I picked up at a garage sale this spring for a quarter. It is unused and still with its original packaging, a lovely folded card featuring an elegant lady hand with nails manicured in the unpainted tip and half moon fashion of the 1930s, from which it dates. It was made by Helen Neushaefer, who appears to have been the creator of creme nail polish, although information on her is limited.



The hair removing glove is "dry" and "odorless" because it is essentially a loop of sandpaper designed to slip over four fingers. As for the "effective", I guess we'll never know. It certainly would aid in exfoliation. The fact that sanding ones leg whiskers off is a foreign concept to me (and, I would imagine, others), somehow leads me to believe that the results were less than desirable.


Another recent find is an addition to a collection I've shared before-my vintage powder compacts. Despite its battered appearance, this was an especially exciting find for me, since it is a commemorative souvenir of Oklahoma's semi centennial in 1957, the anniversary that spawned the Tulsarama! celebration during which Miss Belvedere was buried. Engraved on the image of our state is the phrase, "From tepees to towers."


The color scheme and Art Deco sleekness of this "Fonteel Toilet Powder" tin just kill me.


Another recent find was this glittery pink plastic 1950s curler hamper. How do I know that it's a "curler hamper" and not a candy dish, you ask?


Because it says so in gold letters on the lid!


I've added lots more photos of my collection to my Vintage Beauty Set on Flickr, so hop on over for a peek!

Gonna Peacock Around The Clock

It seems I'm not the only one talking about lovin' some peacocks these days. A while ago, I stumbled upon Dr. Julie-Ann's cute blog, A Modern Retro Woman, after she linked to my "Nylon Net Novelties" post. During her search for a crafty peacock project she recalled from her childhood, lots of peacock themed posts from all over Blogland came up, and she shared them with her readers. She never did find any information about the wall hanging she remembered her step-grandmother crafting from cut up meat trays, so I thought maybe I could help. Unearthed from my collection of vintage Pack-O-Fun magazines, is this gem from the April 1966 issue.


This elegant beauty is made from nothing more than some discarded egg cartons, wire, and gold paint. But don't think that the fun stops at peafowl, because all sorts of wondrous creations can be crafted from empty egg cartons, including a poodle, various flowers, a ring box, and even a hanging lamp! If you'd like to cut and glue an egg carton masterpiece of your own, you can click on any of these photos to make them really ridiculously huge, or you can mosey on over to my Vintage Crafts Set on Flickr, where they'll be as well.




And I just couldn't write a peacocky post without including this pretty fellow who made our acquaintance a couple of weeks ago on a visit to Woolaroc. The cheeky beggar got within a couple of feet of us Sweethearts as we ate our barbecued buffalo sandwiches, and shared bits of chips and bread with him.