Big Modcloth Sale!

Summer's going out with a bang at ModCloth! Nab 100s of last-chance summer looks and autumn-ready must-haves at up to 30% off during the Go 'Fall' Out sale. 

Want to get in on the sale action early? App users get first dibs on all the deals, so download it for FREE today!

Here are some of my favs:

 




Can you see the theme?  I have been on a red kick lately. Hope you don't mind!





















**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links.

Vintage Hollywood Glamour

Pic from historiful.tumbler

Pic from BlueVelvetVintage

There is nothing like the Hollywood glamour of the Golden Age of film during the 30s & 40s. Everything seemed to have a little more class back then, plus the fashion was to die for. Movies had amazing costume designers, like Adrian and Edith Head, and the public was quick to emulate the elegant style they saw on the big screen. If you have never work a garment cut on the bias, you need to add it to your bucket list. It hangs beautifully on your curves and looks great on all body types

Perhaps part of the charm of that time is that celebrities were a bit more mysterious. Obviously, they had as many scandals as we do now, which is made evident by the content in the files of famed Hollywood private detective Fred Otash, recently made public for the first time.

So in the spirit of Hollywood Glamour, I put together an Etsy treasury of some fabulous goodies.

Vintage Hollywood Treasury by Tart Deco

Daniela Turudich Vintage Lifestyle Books Reprint!

I am so excited to see on Amazon.com that some of the Daniela Turudich books are going to be reprinted in July 2013. Right now there are four titles that will be available, but I have a feeling that if they do well others won't be far behind.

Below are the books available that you can pre-order at a really great price. I also included 2 books that are not in print at this time, but still have a few copies floating around.

Butterick Hollywood-Inspired Challenge

Butterick is having its 150th anniversary this year and they are having a contest to celebrate. Create a vintage-inspired garment based on one of their current patterns and you can win some cool swag. For more info, visit the challenge webpage. The challenge ends June 20, 2013, so plenty of time to sew!

I would LOVE to enter this, if I can find some time. An obvious choice would be to pick something from their retro line. But, a quick look at some of their other patterns shows a lot of promise as well. My favorite is the Marfy tunic and skirt. This could easily be modified into a 1920s or 30s dress, don't you think?

Gatsby Overkill?

A piece from Tart Deco  "Blue Magoo"

We knew it would happen. I am referring to the slew of Great Gatsby on the internet. In some ways I am glad because it could mean a boost in sales for my 20s hair accessories, as well as many of my colleagues who make some amazing stuff.

[start rant] However, there is a part of me that gets steamed because everyone and their mother is tagging items "Great Gatsby" or "1920s", or my favorite "Gatsby Inspired," when the item is not even close! Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of interpreting historical trends and I do it myself, especially in designing steampunk items. BUT- Vintage does not necessarily mean something can cover multiple time periods, especially when we are talking fashion. For example, there is a big difference between a 1940s silhouette and a 1920s silhouette. 'Nuff said. Even J. Peterman, who I normally adore, sent out an notice today about their newest online catalog called Gatsby Inspired. Sorry kids, I was unimpressed, especially because their amazing beaded "flapper" dress was not included. Perhaps I am overreacting? [end rant]

To end this on a positive note, I created a treasury of items by some of my etsy pals who have been selling and making 1920s/30s and Art Deco items for a while now.

I Had It All Along- 20s treasury

Also, when you get a chance, make sure and check out the latest Hey Doll! Magazine issue, which has a Great Gatsby theme. There a some really nice articles, plus a quick and easy 20s Day Dress tutorial (with pattern!). Let's support our blog pals Brittany Va-Voom and Bunny Moreno!

Click to view Issue Four: May {1920's/ Gatsby} on GLOSSI.COM

Moving Sale!

MOVING SALE! I got a job in North Carolina and now I have to move across the country. My gain is your gain- everything in my shop is 30% off until December 5th! Use the coupon code HAPPYMOVE.

Here's a preview of what is available right now:

Thanksgiving Sale

Hello All! I am having a sale in my Tart Deco etsy shop starting right now until Dec. 5th. Use the coupon code TURKEY20 for 20% off everything in my store (including sale items)! I have lots of cute hair accessories, some for the holidays- plus other vintage goodies like a beautiful mandarin collar house coat.

Here's a sample of what is in my shop right now:


Also, don't forget my Shabby Apple giveaway. It ends Dec. 4th and there are some pretty good odds right now!

Feelin' Blue? Get a Sunny Disposish!

Hey everyone! I am SO excited to debut my band Bootless Betties' new music video. It is done in a silent film style and is sure put a smile on your face.




Be sure to like it and share it! The song is off our latest album "Good Time Whoopee" which is available online through reverbnation.

Ken Burns' Prohibition

I am SO excited about this new documentary by Ken Burns about Prohibition. You know there is going to be some fabulous speakeasy footage (and flappers!). Also excited about the music he will use. Here's a quick blurb on the film from the PBS website:

The story of Prohibition's rise and fall is a compelling saga that goes far beyond the oft-told tales of gangsters, rum runners, flappers, and speakeasies, to reveal a complicated and divided nation in the throes of momentous transformation. PROHIBITION is a three-part, five-and-a-half-hour documentary film series directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick that tells the story of the rise, rule, and fall of the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the entire era it encompassed.

Visit the PBS page on the documentary for more info, including customized e-mail postcards you can make and send.

Pre-order the DVD!

Boudoir On a Budget

pic from retrogasm

The idea of a boudoir is fascinating to me. According to the Mirriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of boudoir is "a woman's dressing room, bedroom, or private sitting room" and the term derives from the French word bouder meaning to pout or to sulk. 

Well, if I am going to pout somewhere I want it to be FABULOUS! So I put together an etsy treasury of boudoir items all under $15 called Boudoir On a Budget.

Boudoir On a Budget treasury by Tart Deco

Mojo

Ever get the feeling that you lost your mojo? I am feeling it right now. It's not that I haven't been doing anything, I have been doing plenty. More than plenty: I just finished a huge fundraiser for our local PBS station with my vocal trio Bootless Betties where we did a staged old-time radio show with a friend's theater group Wisconsin Hybrid Theater.


For the show I had to learn how to play accordion, arrange Old Black Magic in a Spike Jones style, do sound for the show and generally keep everything together. We raised over $3,000 and performed in 80 degree weather with no A/C- that is devotion! Bootless Betties also came out with our first CD "Good Time Whoopee" and I started teaching classes for my library internship.

Obviously I have been busy, but I feel oddly empty. It feels like I am creating for everyone but me, even though most of the above stuff was my idea. I'm not sure how that happens, but as a perfectionist I tend to get caught up in details and never give myself a chance to really enjoy what I am doing. I feel burnt out, which is pretty scary considering I have a paper to write in the next 3 weeks and I start my Music History thesis in the fall. I started working out because I thought it would give me energy, but all it does is give me one more thing to try and schedule in (although I will say I enjoy it while it is happening).

So I ask you this (for those of you who have hung in with me during my blogging drought) - what do you do when you need motivation to finish things you have to do, but have no motivation to do them? Do you take an extended break (for me that would mean a semester off, which is unlikely)? Do you dig in and force it? Do you do little things? Do you do an about-face?

On a more pleasant note, J. Peterman is having a magnificent sale and I purchased these 2 dresses to wear on the Rockabilly Vacation my husband and I are taking in a few weeks:

They still have some left up to size 18 (43" bust) for both, so grab 'em up while you can! I hesitated on another dress and it was GONE in a wink. I actually shed tears... but I think I picked pretty good substitutes.

I'm Still Alive- I Swear!

My cat Nigel Bunster is embarassed for me

Hey there readers,

I have been absolutely terrible about updating my blog lately. I actually should have been better because last week was Spring Break from Graduate school, but I decided to take a few days to really relax and not write anything while I could.

I was also taking some time to concentrate on my hot jazz vocal trio Bootless Betties and set up some potentially amazing gigs. One of the gigs I am getting together is a fundraiser for our local PBS station MPTV in July. We will be performing with another local group called Wisconsin Hybrid Theater (Radio WHT) that does old-timey radio show adaptations and original plays. It is going to be a wonderful interactive show, so if you are in town make sure and sign up for our newsletter so we can let you know how to get tickets. We also have a dieselpunk & steampunk show coming up in June.



Back to blog stuff, I know a lot of you are on the verge of Viva Las Vegas 14. I envy you, really. I wasn't able to make the 350 followers I hoped for to have a mega-giveaway. But I am so close to 300 that I am starting to put together some vintage goodies for a giveaway then.

Viva Las Vegas Series #14- J. Peterman On Sale

Oh J. Peterman Company how I love thee! I get your catalog every month and circle the items I want with a sharpie, just like I did for xmas when I was child in my Grandma's Sears catalogs. My husband does it too.

If you are not familiar with the J. Peterman Company, their clothing is heavily vintage inspired and many times an exact replica of historical fashion. They are mostly known for their exquisite men's selection, but I adore their women's items and one-of-a-kind items for the house. Unfortunately, while I am in school the catalog is the closest I can get to my beloved items because they can get a bit pricey. However, once in a while they have something on sale or clearance that I can afford and in my size (!) and I snatch it up asap!

Here are a few things that are on sale right now that are elegant, but still casual enough for a day-to-night look at Viva:

Knotted Tie Dress
$68

Tie Front Cotton Blouse
$46

Velvet Party Pants
$68

1940s Cord Dress
$74






Make sure when you visit the website that you request a catalog. Then go get yourself a sharpie and let the circling party begin!

Las Vegas Series #12- Pomades for Men

If your man hasn't been reading the Art of Manliness blog he needs to get his tushy on over there immediately! Not only do they have ruggedly amazing posts about manly man things (like how to wrestle an alligator or how to be a professional stuntman), they also have giveaways. Right now they have a blog post on vintage pomades, how to apply them and wash them out and their modern equivalents. Perfect for VLV 14!

Valentine's Day with Tart Deco

Oooh- I just added some new hair accessories to my online etsy store Tart Deco. Some hair flowers and a mini hat like these:

Marabou Love Hat Topper

Lena's Jewel Hair Fascinator

I will also be adding a few more each day. Here's a sneak peek just for you:

If you are interested in either of these, send me a message at tartdeco at gmail dot com and I will create a reserve listing for you. You can also keep an eye on my etsy store widget to the right for newly featured pieces.

Viva Las Vegas Series #9- Shoes under $75 for Dancing

I just adore Aris Allen reproduction Dance shoes. Right now there are a bunch of cute shoes under $75 that would be perfect for Viva:
















































And a few for the menfolk:

Viva Las Vegas Series #7- Shoe Clip Giveaway on Grosgrain (closed)

I adore shoe clips! I was just watching a documentary on Flappers this morning called The Flapper Story by Lauren Lazin and I know that some of the shoes those bad girls were wearing had to have shoe clips. I just started making some shoe clips to sell in Tart Deco and I am totally going to use this documentary as inspiration. I haven't been able to find a copy of it on it's own, but I know it is an extra on the restored 1927 film Chicago.

On to the giveaway. You may have noticed the Shoe Sugar icon in my sidebar for Grosgrain, one of my favorite blogs. This whole month she is doing one shoe clip tutorial a day. She also has a giveaway for Shoeclips.biz right now if you don't want to make your own.

Old Time Radio- A Christmas Carol

My vocal group Bootless Betties recently performed in a live radio 1940s adaptation of A Christmas Carol with a local theater company in Milwaukee called Wisconsin Hybrid Theater aka Radio WHT. We also sang Winter Wonderland and Santa Baby a Cappella before and after the show. It was a really great show that got a ton of positive feedback and reviews.

I thought my readers are the sort who would appreciate the show so below is a link to the streaming version of "A Carol On Brady" from Radio WHT and the Bootless Betties, performed Dec. 5th 2010 live on WMSE 91.7.

carol on brady 12.10.m3u (42 min.)






View a video of us recording the radio show LIVE!

Early Colour Photographs

I am most definitely subscribed to too many email newsletters. However, one that consistently sends me interesting links and information is The History Channel email newsletter. One of the best emails ever was one I just got about an article on a collection of colour pictures from the early 1900s by Albert Kahn. He traveled the world taking photos using autochrome plates, one of the first color processing of film.

Tin Pan Alley Songbirds

I recently did another gig with my vocal trio Bootless Betties. The premise of the group is that we sing syncopated songs from the 20s-40s in a similar style of the Boswell Sisters and Andrew Sisters. We are accompanied by guitar/ukulele, cello and pots & pans percussion. It's a ton of fun and we are slowly amassing a fund to record a CD next year.

Right now we are rehearsing to do a holiday show in Milwaukee. We are trying to decide if we should perform at a coffeehouse or perhaps another interesting venue like a book store or restaurant.

Question- If you were going to see a group like ours, where would you want to go? I can't wait to hear your suggestion!