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: Hard-Headed Woman

A hard-headed woman is a thorn in the side of a man. This hard-headed woman will be seeing the legendary Wanda Jackson TONIGHT! I'm shakin' all over just thinking about it!

P.S. How cute is that fiddle player?

Totem Pole Park

On Sunday we took one of our meandering family drives with no real plan in mind other than to get out and enjoy temperatures that were only in the 80s and make a stop at one of our favorite spots on earth, Totem Pole Park. I never get tired of visiting that place! A few years ago, I even got to help repaint a bit of the Fiddle House there. It was nice to see how the renovations had come along since then. I'm so happy that this treasure is being preserved. You can see more of the park through the years in my first post about it, which was one of my very first posts on this here blog.

We also spied a little Route 66 shop that we hadn't before, but it was closed, so I snapped a couple photos of the outside. The cinder block walls are covered in the autographs of Route 66 travelers from all over the world.

We took a whole bunch of photos that day. I am trying to get better about having my photo taken, but it's hard for me. I don't want these girls of mine to grow up and not have a single photo of their mama! Here's one that the Mister took. I call this my Downton Abbey Meets Reform School Girl outfit.

I updated the "About" page with some more photos of that day if you'd like to see more of the place or my goofy mug.

Folklore Flowers

I have a serious thing for folky florals. Hand-painted or embroidered, I can't get enough of them. Brightly colored flowers on a background of black? Oh God, yes. One day I hope to have an entire wardrobe of embroidered German dirndls, Scandinavian sweaters, and Mexican Puebla dresses. Until then, I'm enjoying drooling over the stunning traditional costumes at Folklore Fashion, a blog by Laila Duran chronicling the making of her books on the subject. So much gorgeousness there!

                                                                        Photo copyright Laila Duran 2012

Happy Halloween!

Dirndl Magazine

Oh, how I wish I could read German! I'm happy to have stumbled upon this amazing eye candy, regardless of my inability to understand the text. This may be the start of a new obsession...

Open publication - Free publishing - More accessories

Heirloom Baby

I've considered various canning and pickling methods and looked into root cellaring, but I've come to the bittersweet realization that I'm unable to stop time and keep her just this way forever. I'm sure my mama felt just the same way when I wore this little rosebud dress and bonnet over thirty one years ago.



My husband's grandpa is Cherokee, and since he became a grandfather, beginning with my husband, he has purchased every grandbaby (and now the great-grandbabies) a pair of beaded moccasins. I have my husband's pair in the cedar chest, along with my first little jewel's. And now a third tiny pair will be laid beside them.



And someday maybe she'll take a picture of her own baby in these little handmade moccasins and feel that sweet, sad pang of time relentlessly moving forward that all mothers feel. And that is just as it should be.

The Lovely Goldie Hill

I've been under the weather for over a week, so there's not been much going on in Sweetheartville besides a lot of Netflixing and YouTubing. I can't get enough of the old clips of the beautiful Goldie Hill. With a voice like honey, and the looks of a Hollywood starlet, it's a shame she was probably most well known as the wife of Carl Smith, whom she married in 1957 after his split with June Carter. Here she is singing one of my all time favorite classics, "Cry, Cry Darlin'" while looking divine in her suit by Nudie.



Look for the great Bill Monroe, who penned the song, on mandolin in the background!

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?

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.

Mama Says Vintage

It's that time when we begin to reflect on the year that's come and gone, and start looking forward to the fresh start January 1st will bring. I'm a planner and a dreamer, so my list-making tendencies are in overdrive. Art, craft, and home projects are filling the pages of my notebook as quickly as I can jot them down. One of the projects at the top of my list is a new bloggy collaboration between my sweet friend Heather and I.



Mama Says Vintage is a blog about living a simpler, more self-sufficient life and raising a family in tune with the wisdom of the past. You'll find posts about natural homemaking, thrift and making do, and simple, inexpensive activities for children. Of course, it's about more than just recipes, gardening, and kids--we'll also throw in a few country girl glamour tips and some vintage fashion as well.

I'm a gal who has many widely varying interests and passions, and I sometimes feel that some topics I want to write about may not necessarily be a good fit with Sweetheartville. I mean, in this big huge world, probably not all that many folks are as excited about vintage hairstyling, kitschy crafts, and Nudie suits as they are about homesteading, Farmer's Almanacs, and folk wisdom. Mama Says Vintage gives me the opportunity to write about mothering, gardening, and cooking, while leaving Sweetheartville for art, craft, rhinestones, vintage beauty operatin', and kitsch. So there you have it. Swing by Mama Says Vintage and let us know what you think!

Deluxe Photo Shoot

You may recall me mentioning that I was working on a Depression Era themed project this spring. My friends Sara and J.D., the lovely, hard working ladies behind Deluxe Indie Craft Bazaar and Wayward Textile Foundation, asked me to take part in a photo shoot with the two of them and the oh-so-talented Samantha Lamb. I styled our hair in some 1930's-esque styles, and donning some pretty dresses, we spread a tablecloth for a vintage Stitch and Bitch session.


Sam's photography is so beautifully dreamy, and she is a lovely, sweet soul whom I'm so glad I had the pleasure of meeting.


She shot some individual portraits of the three of us, as well.


I love this happy portrait of J.D. and Sara, with the sun in their hair.


It was such a fun project!

Does This Calico Dress Make My Butt Look Big?

A few days ago, while browsing at an antique mall, I found this old photograph.


When I turned it over and saw what was written on the back, I just had to bring it home.


"This is our home with Pa and me in the yard I look fleshey there but I had my every day clothes on and they make me look larger." It's signed "Ona" or "Onay". I can't quite tell. Even a hundred years ago, women were worried about looking a little too "fleshey" in photographs. Ona, I feel your pain, although I don't think my "every day" jeans and T shirt are to blame.

Ooh, Swish!

While doing some research for a Depression era themed project I'm working on, I came across this clip of some 1930's fashion designers' take on what we'd be wearing in the year 2000. Enjoy.

A Deluxe Honor

Know what those Deluxe Indie Craft Bazaar Dollfaces went and did? Against their better judgement, they made me a "Featured Artist" on their website!


Well, of course they wanted photos of lil' ol' me, and not wanting to disappoint, I called up my friend Autumn, and her ridiculous photography skills, and she very kindly obliged me with a downtown photo shoot. Pro that she is, she even managed to get a few of me with my poor old sunlight-sensitive Swedish blue eyes open, and that is no small feat.

Bertha Belle The Riveter

A few days ago, I stumbled upon these amazing WWII era photographs from the Library of Congress' photostream on Flickr. I instantly though of my great grandmother, Bertha Belle, who worked at a foundry here during the war, building planes. In her downtime at the foundry, she crafted beautiful silver and turquoise jewelry. This was a couple of years before she built the little house I grew up in, almost single-handedly, wiring the electrical systems herself, with automotive wiring. She was a tough broad, and far ahead of her time, having been married and divorced several times in the 1940s and 50s, when such behavior was unheard of. Unfortunately, she left this world by her own hand, years before I entered it.







Grandma Bertha Belle, I wish I could have known you.

Sweetheartville + Deluxe = True Love Always

I'm back, and somewhat recovered from all the long days and late nights leading up to participating in my first craft show. Deluxe was a success! The whole weekend was such a blur of activity, hilarity, and new faces, that now, a week later, I'm still remembering details to relate to the Mister. One of my very best friends was kind enough to accompany me for a girls' weekend, and I'm so grateful for her help and support. The show was held at the Farmers' Public Market in downtown Oklahoma City, a 1920's Spanish structure dripping with history. I read that one of my all time favorite honky tonkers, Hank Williams Sr., played there, so we were in good company. Over 50 vendors, all from the great state of Oklahoma, came together to offer shoppers a handmade alternative to the mall. Here is my booth.


Several new Sweetheartville handmade products made their debut at Deluxe, including my vintage-inspired hair ornaments, jeweled bags, Beauty Buttons, and Soiree Aprons. Putting together an entire craft show inventory and display on a limited budget in a little less than two months required dreaming up some rather creative display ideas, such as hanging said aprons on a two armed 50s floor lamp I had.


For my line of Beauty Buttons, I decided this sweet little 1960's vanity my mom picked up for me a few months ago, accessorized with one of my vintage hair dryers would make a fitting display piece. Originally, I had two wire photo holders--one for buttons, and one for magnets--but after about the thirty fourth time I had to retrieve a magnet from the floor, I opted to just lay them in some little vintage plastic trays I had brought along.

I had already decided to bring my vanity, but still felt as though I needed to have one other unique, eye catching display piece, and I'm the gal just crazy enough to haul her prized five dollar vintage dryer chair halfway across the state to stack boxes on it made from record sleeves.


Dollfaces, sometimes being crazy pays, like, say, when you win the prize for "Best Display" at your very first craft show.


Pictured above with yours truly are Sara, J.D., and Stephanie, the three lovely, hard-working ladies responsible for making Deluxe such a great success. In fact, the show was such a smash hit, that there's talk of another one in the Spring. I can't wait!

Deluxe Indie Craft Bazaar

I've been working very, very hard, crafting up an inventory for Deluxe Indie Craft Bazaar, and the long awaited weekend has finally arrived! I'm headed to Oklahoma City for a crafty, Christmasy, handmade extravaganza. If you're in the area, please stop by for a visit, as admission is free. There will be door prizes, goodie bags, costume contests, kid friendly crafting, and gift wrapping by the Oklahoma Victory Dolls Roller Derby Team. I've crafted up armloads of vintage-inspired pretties that I can't wait to share with you!

Birthday Season

Our family packs about seven birthdays into the fall, so it's always a busy time in Sweetheartville. For Sugar Pea's second, I made spider cupcakes for her nursery school classmates, which were a huge hit. Each toddler also got a mini pumpkin with a little gift tag as a party favor.


Since my sister and my niece live in Texas and can't make trips home all that frequently, we had one big birthday blowout bash for Sugar Pea, my mom, my niece, and my sister. My four year old niece had a "Hontana" (Hannah Montana) cake from the bakery, and I made Sugar Pea a "Open Baby" cake that was strawberry on the inside, covered with homemade cream cheese icing.


I used a few different tips to pipe designs with pink icing, some decorator sugar for color, and two chocolate chips to form her eyes.


The birthday girl wore vintage.


Would you get a load of these girls?