Thrift Thursday - It's an investment.

I got an email from Susie of Rock Scissor Paper last week letting me know she was having another yard sale in my neighborhood. Sweet! I love her stuff. Look what I got:

Cute little sketchbooks, stationary, and notepads. The next 25 kokoleo customers are going to get one of those green phone notepads included with their order (I got a bunch). The little sketchpads make great gifts too. In fact, I was thinking, I'm coming up on my 200th post soon (this is # 192) - I should hold a contest to celebrate the milestone. I'm going to give away some of this haul as well as some kokoleo goodies to readers of this blog. Not right now, but eight posts from now. Stay tuned!

Also selling at the yard sale was Susie's friend Deneen of Peace Monkey. I got these cute shirts of hers for the kids.

Plus, she's closing up her business and was selling off all her blank onesies and matching cotton pants for super reasonable prices. Sweet! I needed to replenish my stock so I bought a boxful. I also got these for McKenna:

for a mere $2.00. Not bad!

So I took a little hiatus from my pledge to not buy anything for a week. Property tax bills, plumbing emergencies, exploding vacuums, and other unexpected money-gobbling monsters will do that to you. I justified it by seeing it as an investment - in my business, my customer base, and the stylishness of my kids.

Retro Wednesday - Organization

I was searching among my books this evening for some Retro Wednesday inspiration and came across this Woman's Day magazine from 1969.

Do they even still publish Woman's Day? (excuse me while I Google it) Yes, it appears they do. Do ladies my age buy it? I've always thought of it as a magazine for my mom's generation. McKenna will probably feel the same way about my Bust magazines. Maybe she'll even blog about its retro-ness 30 years from now.

Anyway, I was flipping through it, past all the ads for cigarettes and douches (obviously a woman's day was filled with a lot of smoking and douching back then), I came across this article showing 100 Ways To Stretch Your Storage Space, which is a topic I've been tackling in my studio lately.

A lot of their suggestions involve pegboards and contact paper. This picture shows a cute little kitchen setup. That's nice for back then, but I know from experience that having a kitchen that was last updated in 1969 is not so cute.

For closets and shelves, they recommend using dividers, small shelving units, and various boxes to maximize space. Of course it's all bright and funky too.

I actually rediscovered this article after I had taken these pictures of my new corner setup in my studio. Maybe I was somehow subliminally inspired by it? Or maybe I just have a bunch of funky old stuff. Check it out:

My mom and I found this shelf at a thrift store when she was here last month. I like the patchworkiness of it. The lower levels are perfect for all our vintage Little People, making it a nice play nook for the kids. The upper shelves house various vintage containers I've collected over the years (filled with various sewing supplies I've collected over the years). Despite looking like it's going to topple over on that poor child at any moment, it's very sturdy and soon-to-be bracketed to the wall.

This new space lacks any closets or walls that can be hammered into, so finding the right storage and shelving units has been like piecing together a crazy puzzle. I think it's finally starting to come together. Now I just have to remember which box I put what things in.

Glitter-A-Go-Go

Last week, through my L.A. Church of Craft email newsletter I found that Cathy Murillo of Crafty Chica was holding a "Glitter Rally" outside the Ellen Studios at NBC. It seems Ellen has been dissing glitter on her show and Cathy wants to show her that a touch of sparkle in your life is a good thing. I figured if Cathy could fly in from Fresno, it was the least I could do to drive 10 minutes to the NBC studios in Burbank and join her. Even though it was her nap time, McKenna stayed awake and sparkled in this glittery felt hat I whipped up for her last night.

It was fun! While I was walking I met Stefanie (wearing an "I (heart) Glitter" sparkly hoodie) and we found our way to the Ellen studios. I saw Jenny and Cathy, and met Cathy the Crafty Chica in person, plus I also met my Flickr friend Erika of My Imaginary Boyfriend, Carla from Craft:, the host of Creative Juice Cathie Filian (I scored a bunch of crafty stuff at their studio sale last year), members of the L.A. Craft Mafia (I'm so joining), and lots of other cool crafty folk.

We carried glitterific signs and shouted silly chants like, "What do we want? Glitter!" and When do we want it? Now!" and "Glitter is not Litter!" among others. Some people honked. Most people looked at us like we were crazy. A cute guy from the show came out and filmed us, so we might even be on tomorrow's episode (April 9th). Look for me bouncing a sparkly headed baby around shouting my love for glitter.

The funny thing is, I can't remember the last time I even used glitter. Still, I love the crafting community (and Ellen!) and thought it would be a fun way to spend the afternoon. Viva La Glitter!

Retro Woodsey Wednesday

This was one of my favorite toys when I was a kid. It's from Fisher Price, 1979. The log contained the Woodsey family - Mama, Papa, and little Milkweed, plus a table, three chairs, a bucket and a broom. I don't know how we managed to keep all these parts and the book all these years, but we did and I'm glad. I like watching Sage enjoy the same toys I loved as a child.

Now, go pour yourself a cup of hot tea, cuddle up with your Blanken, and Sage and I will tell you the story of the Woodseys and their adventure on a night when Lightening Strikes Twice. . .

One night there was a terrible storm that shook the Woodsey home. Lightning struck outside and the Woodseys knew they would have to leave their home in the tree right away. (I'm paraphrasing here.)

(Sage's bunk bed doubles as a tree.)

They huddled together on the forest floor.
"Don't worry," said Papa. "The same wind that blows down your house shakes berries from the bushes."

Just then a lightening bolt flashed across the sky and struck the branch where their home had been, sending it hurtling to the ground.

(The following picture is not from the story, Sage got sidetracked.)

The storm continued and little Milkweed worried. Papa reassured him, saying. "Just when you're about to run out of nuts, the spring comes."
The next morning the sun came out and little Milkweed began exploring a hollow log while Mama and Papa decided what to do next. Then Papa exclaimed, "I've got it!"
"Whatcha got, Papa?"
"An idea, Milkweed! Sometimes the shell that's hardest to crack has the best nut inside."

"We can make a house out of that hollow log over there." Papa said, and immediately the family began fixing up the log. Then a wild puma came in and killed them all. The end.

Just kidding! Sorry for the interruption. Back to the story. . .

Papa built doors and windows, Mama gathered moss for the floor, and Milkweed just screwed around (I'm paraphrasing again.)
"Don't forget, dear, busy tails are best," Mama said gently.
When their work was done they had a picnic of hazelnuts and berries.

(Or French fries, a fried egg, cookies, a donut and a potato chip - from Sage's fake food stash. Apologies to the dieticians in the family.)

After lunch (and a small earthquake) Papa and Milkweed went to gather stones to make a fireplace. Papa dropped a stone on his foot and hobbled home where there was another earthquake. The Woodseys worried that they would have to move again. But it wasn't an earthquake, it was a vest-wearing mole named Goodgrub!

(Played here by a vest-wearing turtle.) Goodgrub apologized and offered to dig them a storage hole and move on. Everyone hugged and was happy.

The end.

Two good things

First, we finished our taxes. Or Erik did, and I sat beside him folding laundry and offering emotional support (mojitos), occasionally retrieving files and crunching numbers on the calculator. We're getting just enough money back to pay our property tax. Oh well, easy come, easy go. Actually I should say hard to come by, hard to let go. But I'm only talking about good things here, moving on. . .

Kokoleo was featured on Funky Finds yesterday, no April foolin', check it out. Also, they announced the winners for the children's goods giveaway. Hopefully someone who reads this blog scored some cool stuff.

Made by Raggedy Monday

McKenna got her first kokoleo sundress. She's finally at the point where she's not growing out of her clothes within weeks and I made this one big enough to last into the fall.

Seamstressing runs in our blood. Look at her examining my stitches.

Actually, she just thinks fringe is yummy. I made a series of sundresses with this print on them a few years ago, then last year, my friend Annette sent me more of the same fabric. Last week I finally cut into it, so much so that I've almost used it all up again. I made these:

Ladies size Large.
Ladies size small, with this

on the back.

And for the little ladies:
size 3T, and this
size 4T, both with "I Love You" hearts on the back.

I'm also working on two more sundresses, a wrap skirt, and maybe a few more shirts with the rest of the fabric. It's been a Raggedy week!

I blame Bush.

Anyone else feeling the pinch? The crunch? The economic monkey on your back? Sheesh. Gas is $3.63 around here. A gallon of milk is over $4.00. According to Zillow our house is now worth less than what we paid for it a year and a half ago (at the peak of the market, of course.) We always seem to be a few steps behind the times when livin' is easy, arriving on the scene just in time for the booms to bust and the bubbles to burst. Remember the (Bill) Clinton years? Those were fun. There was this new thing called the Internet and lots of shiny new dotcoms. The budget was balanced and there were jobs and houses sprouting up all over the place. When I think what's happened since then, it breaks my heart. I feel like we're in the (painful) home stretch. It'll be better soon. It can't get much worse. I hope.
I loved this sticker the minute I saw it and a few weeks later found out why. Shepherd Fairey made it. I love his art. You can buy this sticker here from Sticker Robot. Let's plaster it all over the place.

Retro Wednesday - Our Clothing

I found this book at a thrift store last year. The copyright date is 1943 and it seems to be a textbook of sorts from John Burroughs Junior High in Burbank.

It's a wee bit outdated. They offer no advice on lip piercing, texting lingo, or how to choose a tattoo. But they do teach the parts of a sewing machine:

Say what? Pitman? Band wheel crank? Leg? Where's the cord and the on/off button?

This girl has proper sewing posture:


I do not. If that were me, my leg would be outstretched searching halfway across the room for the foot pedal, my head would be resting on the machine, my finger dangerously close to the needle, and there would be scraps all over the floor.

Here they discuss the all important issue of hanger identification:

Notice, no wire hangers!

Chapter Five:


Eek! I'm what one might call a "settled married woman," a "Mrs. Jones" complete with "old eyeglass frames perched on my nose." Ack! I don't want this! I want to become my "best self" and achieve a "well-trained mind."

I'll start with my underwear:

Because "every day should be wash day for stockings and undergarments!"

These girls are the Goofuses of the the fashion world:

and these girls are the Gallants:

This is how much a young girl should budget for her wardrobe:

Which seems about right. . . for a thrift store!

I like how they encourage girls to make stuffed plushies for their friends:

Those are cute, but where are the monsters?

Here ends the antiquated Home-Ec lesson. I hope you learned something today. Now, sit up straight, oil your Pitman, put on your puffy sleeves, and go wash your girdle.