Friday, October 26, 2012

The Skinny -- Not Today


The Blackbird girls are too busy working on a top secret project today to post.  Your regularly scheduled blog posting will join you on Monday.  We apologize for the inconvenience! 

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

On the Radar -- Plaid Madness

Country Living, fall 2012
OK, so Country Living strikes again.  We see this picture to the left in one of their fall issues.  We think happy thoughts because we LOVE plaid throws.  Then, over the next few weeks we learn how powerful these magazines can be -- mainly because we sell over half of our stock of blankets in our shop, which for us, is about six.  SIX PLAID BLANKETS in around two weeks.  I would call that a definite trend!

There are many trends that we are fully aware of and we buy for the shop accordingly. And then, there are ones like this.  Trends that just happen and we're already prepared because we buy it anyway. We love plaid anything -- we have our own mini collection of blankets, we're working on a tartan tin collection, and we have a plaid thermos, jug, and cooler collection.  We're both addicted to plaid flannel shirts and wool coats in the fall and winter.  And we sell a lot of Pendleton suits.  So we are, you could say, drinking the plaid Kool-Aid on a regular basis.

Pendleton Blanket, House  Beautiful, Fall 2012

We prefer wool blankets, but we don't pass up pretty acrylic throws.  They are just as stylish, and honestly, are much softer to snuggle up with if you really want to use your blanket.  I mean, cashmere would be ideal, but realistically, who has the money for that?  Certainly not us! 

Brimfield store in Chicago, photo from Velvet and Linen
It's probably no secret that we like multiples, so seeing plaid blankets stacked like this just makes us happy.

Our favorite plaid wool blanket from our collection.

We still have plenty of blankets available in the shop, so take a look!  Here's a sample:

From our shop!

Monday, October 22, 2012

Junk Love Monday: Craniophilia

Shhhh! Here's a secret--the Blackbird girls love skulls. Technically, we are inspired by vintage anatomy in general. But, with Halloween right around the corner, we thought we'd share a little bit of our craniophilia. It can be in print form, pottery, sculptural, or on fabric. We don't care. They are beautiful, and kind of creepy, and very cool.

We have this print on the wall in our kitchen, but you can buy this one from etsy:

Vintage Charles Allan Gilbert 'ALL IS VANITY' Woman in Skull Macabre Print Original Art Deco Frame
"All is Vanity", from midmoddave on etsy


Here's a neat milk glass lantern:

1920's Milk Glass and Metal Skull Halloween Lantern
from SmallFavorites on etsy


We always go for vintage anatomy plates:

Floating Skull Anatomy Original Print Number 544
from iowajewel on etsy

This time of year, vintage Halloween decorations are abundant, like this guy:

Vintage Miniature Halloween Die Cut Cardboard Skull Decoration by Dennison
from grandmothersattic on etsy


And we don't always go for vintage. Modern skulls are just as interesting. Of course, we have some Leanne Pizio skulls on the wall:

Respect the Pizio!


Skulls can be useful in other areas of home decor. Need a throw pillow?

Vintage Skull Pillow Cover
from PopEyeCon on etsy

Here's a great skull artist, Joe Vollan:

http://www.joevollan.com/images/JoeVollan_the_couriers_of_rusty_gallows_hill.jpg
"The Couriers of Rusty Gallows"; www.joevollan.com


And of course, one of our biggest modern inspirations, Alexander McQueen. .


http://artfashionandhim.wordpress.com/

alexandermcqueenusa.com

McQueen clutch; bagbliss.com

McQueen Crystal Skeleton Jacket; from catwalkqueen.tv