The Skinny: We Have a Good Excuse, We Promise!

The Blackbird girls are hard at work on a top secret project, so no Skinny today. Check in on Monday for an extra special Junk Love. Until then, enjoy this awesome picture:

from The Chive

On the Radar -- Blue Balls

OK, so the blog title's a bit vulgar today.  But I had to do it.  Forgive me.
 

Sweet Paul magazine, Winter 2012

When I decided to talk about blue Christmas decorations, I couldn't go with the more obvious (and cliched) "Blue Christmas".  So, I went with the most Blackbird-girls-esque title I could think of -- and there you have it.  Blue Balls.

When we lived in Raleigh, we loved a local newspaper called The Independent.  It's one of the things we miss most about living there, along with Carolina Alehouse cheese fries.  Anyway, there was a hip, modern home decor store in Cary that ran a holiday ad in The Independent.  It read, in large letters, "We have blue balls."  And then underneath, in smaller font, it said, "and red balls and green balls and gold balls..."  It developed a life of its own with us as an inside joke, and every so often you may hear one of us say, "I love blue balls."  Please don't think less of us.  We know it's bad.

And again, sorry for the vulgarity.  But it is what it is.

We really do love them, though.  Our tree is pretty non-traditional (more on that in a later post), and we embrace the entire spectrum of colors.  But blue, especially turquoise and aqua, will always have a dominant role in our decorating for the holidays. 

From christmasdecorated.com

We were really excited to see soooooo much blue this year!  These are just some images to inspire you, and we really hope you give blue a try. 

From centsationalgirl.com

From Pottery Barn

From pampai.com

From Sweet Paul Magazine, Winter 2012

And don't worry, we'll show you our blue balls soon!  Stay tuned!

Junk Love Monday: Eye Spy

Maybe it's because we can't see without our glasses. Maybe it's because we are junkaholics. In either case (or more likely, both), we collect an assortment of items that, for lack of a more concise description, we call "things you use to see things." Weird? Yep. Are we ashamed? Not even a little bit.

First came the binoculars. It was just a little red and chrome travel set, made in Japan. When closed, it looks like a cigarette case. But, push the button, and it pops open to reveal eyepieces and lenses. Here's a green one from Etsy:

from GreenHatVintage on etsy

 After that came the microscope. Then, we bought the little brass telescope. I confess that my love of certain sub-genres of historical fiction caused me to spend several minutes pretending to look for pirates....

Get this set from CITYLIMITSHOP on etsy

Our Sherlock Holmes fascination resulted in the first magnifying glass purchase. Then, a set of 1940s French binoculars, with a buttery soft leather exterior, brass eyepieces, and fat, round lenses.

You can buy these from nevertoold on etsy.

At Christmas came another magnifying glass, followed by another set of binoculars (we love the patina!). Here's a similar piece from Etsy:

from ZhennelandTreasures on etsy

And thus was born the collection of things you look through in order to see better. Part of the appeal comes from a background in science. Part of it, if we're being honest, is purely because they look good. Binoculars, microscope, pocket telescope--they are visually appealing and perfect conversation starters. Of course, there's also a certain voyeuristic appeal to the possibility of actually using them. (A non-negotiable criterion is that the item must give good focus. You never known when you're going to need a functional piece.) I occasionally grab  the little red binoculars to watch birds, squirrels, and other wildlife in the backyard (not out of biological curiosity, but because they keep stealing my plants). Granted, there's not a whole lot I can do about it if I'm standing in the kitchen watching the larceny go down, but I can certainly yell at them through the window, which is marginally satisfying. And we're always on the lookout for more magnifying glasses that we can use to examine jewelry and paper ephemera, like this wish list item--perfection in Bakelite:

get it from theTwoKellys on etsy

We also have a certain love for vintage eyeglasses, which are undoubtedly the most useful things we use to see things better, but that might qualify for its own post someday. Until then, here's a great pair we'd love to have:

From a fellow North Carolinian, Vintage50sEyewear on etsy

The Skinny -- Artistic Inspiration

We Blackbird girls are very visual people.  We love art, advertising, magazines, movies, videos...OK, just about everything you can look at and be inspired by.  We have so much artwork that our walls are full, and what's more is that we have stacks stored under our beds, tucked away into corners, and shoved into just about any place we can find, all of it being saved for that day when we miraculously acquire new wall square footage.

I've talked before about how we get inspiration from art -- and that some images seem to stick with us for some reason.  Well, we're also classic movie fanatics.  Robert Osborne is our hero, and TCM, our idea of heaven.  The image above was found on Hoodoo That Voodoo, a great Tumblr site with the most fascinating fashion and female images I've ever seen on one site.  I loved this lady instantly, and had to find out some of the backstory. 

First, it's for a movie called, obviously, Mademoiselle Modiste.  It was a silent film made in 1926, directed by Robert Z. Leonard.  The film was based on the operetta by Victor Herbert and Henry Blossom, first performed in 1905.  It's about a girl named Fifi that longs to be in the opera, but her boss at the hat store where she works discourages her from her dreams.  Fifi is a fantastic hat seller, so why would her boss want to lose the star employee to the opera? Oh, and there's a forbidden romance.  (Of course, there is.)  The operetta was very successful, having an initial run at the Knickerbocker Theater for 202 shows.  It was even revived for the stage in the 1970s and 80s.  The film with Corinne Griffith is, sadly, lost.

Corinne Griffith, known as the "Orchid Lady of the Screen", was a silent actress that was considered the most beautiful of the bunch.  She was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in "The Divine Lady" in 1929.  She was wildly successful -- until talking pictures came along.  Alas, her voice was very nasal, and her first talkie was a flop.  She made one more picture, but after that, retired and became a successful author.  She wrote eleven books, had two bestsellers, and one was even made into a movie with Jackie Gleason.  She had four husbands, one of which was the owner of the Redskins football team.  She wrote the lyrics to "Hail the Redskins" -- the team's fight song.  She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1560 Vine Street. 

 To see her in action, I found this great clip on YouTube.  Check it out:

Bonus -- It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Although we like to try new things in our window displays, the Christmas window at Collector's Antique Mall is always, at its core, based on tradition.  The tree, while it looks different each year, will always be in the same location -- partly because of practicality (that's where the one outlet is) and partly because that's where the Christmas tree goes.  And it will always be a green tree with not-for-sale ornaments, mainly because it's just too freakin' hard to get that particular ball on the very tippy top right (no, my right) branch for Betty Lou -- especially when you have to navigate through all of the merchandise on the floor under the tree.  But hey, we did lobby for colored lights last year, and we got them!

However, just because it's traditional (sometimes a four-letter-word to us, if you know what I mean), doesn't mean it can't be different.  Last year we went for a 1930s kitchen setting, and this year, we felt a wee bit Scottish.  We rounded up all the plaid we could find and threw it in.  Tartan bunting on the tree, tartan tins, plaid blankets...you get the idea.  We also found a little Scottish man-doll in a kilt.

I made a wreath, and accented it with broken vintage brooches and earrings.  And we found some cool deer pieces in the store:

We went for some vibrant gift wrap wallpaper, and a gorgeous wooden dresser.  FYI, when we see furniture like this, the Blackbird girls say, "That is some 'good wood'."  Also, notice the men in kilts on the wall.

So, Merry Christmas everybody!  (whew, glad this window is done...I need to do some shopping now...)

On the Radar -- Bright Tribal

I've been finding myself drawn more and more to the look of tribal patterns.  I, of course, love ikat and suzani prints/weaves (who in the world hasn't been in love with them for the past few years?), but this spring, things are getting a little looser.  That's when I really love design -- when something gets trendy for a while (like ikats and suzanis) and then, a few years later, it gets reinterpreted.  Reimagined.  Design takes over an old idea and comes up with super fresh and bold looks. 

We Blackbird girls love our home at Etsy, and we really embrace that culture of handmade/vintage over mass production.  I can also tell you that when in comes to buying for myself -- I am pretty picky.  I fall in love easily, but it has to be TRUE LOVE before I buy it.  I love all the tribal things I've seen, but when I purchase it, then that's a good sign.

I found this designer, Layla Amber Handmade Creations, from England on Etsy, and I HAD TO HAVE her wooden feather necklace.  What does it have?  A fresh take on a tribal pattern...  Here's a similar brooch from her shop:

So I started looking.  Lo and behold, it's happening everywhere for spring!!  Natural leaf bracelets with playful spins on tribal prints:

Mara Hoffman, Spring 2013

Fun, bright prints!

MSGM, Spring 2013

Even for the home!

From City Girls Decor on Etsy

Geometric and graphic!

Coaster from Wanelo.com

Junk Love Monday: BBBBakelite

We don't collect Bakelite. We just happen to own some items made from it, and occasionally dream of a house full of Bakelite radios and drawer pulls. It's actually pretty easy to find, especially if you pay attention to plastic handled flatware. But finding good, real, quality Bakelite is not as easy. And, unfortunately, it tends to be quite expensive. That doesn't stop us from dreaming, though. So this week, our junk love telescope zooms in on Bakelite treasures that we covet.

Of course, the best Bakelite is in jewelry. Bracelets are pretty easy to find, although some colors are definitely more desirable than others. Pins and necklaces are generally more sought after. Everybody needs a Bakelite sombrero brooch!

AgoObjects on etsy

 Some carved pieces are definitely better than others, but the quality is easy to see. We've all found those Bakelite "dogs" that you have to squint at to pinpoint where the eyes are. But, sometimes, the pieces just sing to you, like this fantastic vintage Halloween bracelet:

craftingfool2003 on etsy

For the black-hearted:

BakeliteArts on etsy

 Or, the Holy Grail of Bakelite jewelry, the cherries:

wasabirose on etsy

Or, for those who love the Bakelite rainbow:

slapmefabulous on etsy

There are also some pretty fantastic Bakelite radios and clocks out there.

vintagebitsblitz on etsy

yesterdayrevival on etsy

We've also come across an electric fan with Bakelite blades:

thelittlebiker on etsy

Buttons and buckles are a great way to get color variety:

FrenchFrouFrou on etsy

Mauibeadworks on etsy

This is a great desk set:

KnickknackFlashback on etsy

Another Holy Grail, this Bakelite and bead purse:

worldmarketproductio on etsy

And, of course, drawer pulls, knobs, and game pieces:

AddVintage on etsy

becaruns on etsy