Gold Decoupage Trims
Bead strands
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
The Corner of Fifth and Diamond
I promise to get back to the subject of vintage clothing after Halloween next week. Meanwhile, some now-and-then pics of our freshly primed baby....
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Wednesday, October 14, 2009
New Bags!
Behold ! the new Five and Diamond Shopping Bag:
Artist Laetitia Hussain helped me tweak the design, and then made the silkscreen. She screened 100 bags, and they are already selling. More importantly, I am no longer contributing to the plastic shopping bag crisis.
Artist Laetitia Hussain helped me tweak the design, and then made the silkscreen. She screened 100 bags, and they are already selling. More importantly, I am no longer contributing to the plastic shopping bag crisis.
The flip side, literally, is Snoopy.
These bags are also already recycled; deadstock-promo give-aways originally issued by Met-life. I saved 1300 of them from landfill fate, for the same amount of money 1000 plastic bags would have cost me. Storing them takes up about fifty times the amount of space, but the good karma makes up for it.
The Five and Diamond bags start at $5 each. The price drops as you purchase goodies to go inside it. The Snoopy bags without the 5&D screening are still free with purchase.
Monday, September 21, 2009
blog clog volume iii
Nothing in particular to blog about today
(virtually everything shown in my last blog post sold quickly, and it seems I've created a bit of a demand for chocolate, plumb, and eggplant clothing now) 
I'm just going to unclog the accumulation of random shop-related tidbits show-and-tell style ---
2)
Big Hit. I found the circa 1970 numbers dress on a trip upstate a few weeks ago, the same day I took this picture of the Partridge Family School bus out on Rt 23.
and this corduroy blazer, (both ca. 1920).
because I hadn't had a chance to put it on a mannequin and show it off yet. I talked him into this one instead, which was $100 cheaper:
He still wanted to haggle. 
Check out that fat collar. I don't think they make them like that anymore.
so in between stirrings of yet another dye bath
(virtually everything shown in my last blog post sold quickly, and it seems I've created a bit of a demand for chocolate, plumb, and eggplant clothing now)
I'm just going to unclog the accumulation of random shop-related tidbits show-and-tell style ---1) You may notice a box at the right of this page, showing a Five and Diamond facebook link. If you're on facebook, I urge you to "Become a Fan". The statuses will update you on any special news or events, like the big sidewalk sale I usually have during Hudson Artswalk (Columbus Day Weekend), or, special open days/hours, secret passwords for secret discounts, etc etc. If you want to post pictures of your Five and Diamond purchases on the page (or here on the blog), we can arrange fun stuff like that too. Anyway, just join up; I promise it won't be too spammy.
2)
The Twister™ window:
Big Hit. I found the circa 1970 numbers dress on a trip upstate a few weeks ago, the same day I took this picture of the Partridge Family School bus out on Rt 23.
but they were calling out to me from everywhere that day.
Even the bad paintings I bought that day (occupational hazard, and only $5 each)
were all about blue, red, yellow.
3) I visited the Adirondack Museum recently, and really enjoyed that they feature a fair amount of old, interesting clothing in their exhibits.
Check out these mittens made out of guess what--- Collies! Yikes.
which in fact was pretty damn boring except that I noticed that all the buttons had been moved over substantially at some point, making the front of the coat awkwardly asymetrical. I'm guessing Teddy must have lost some weight and was too frugal to buy a new one that fit...? Fascinating, right?...
and this corduroy blazer, (both ca. 1920).
(I highly recommend the Adirondack Museum if you're ever up that way.)
4. This is drummer, singer, songwriter, poet Simon.
Simon likes to call me at odd hours and make me open the shop on my days off.
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Sinse he's a travelling, rambling musician on-the-go I always accommodate him.Then he picks out some stuff and haggles relentlessly (I love him anyway).
Recently I had to talk him out of this totally yummy leather jakcet
because I hadn't had a chance to put it on a mannequin and show it off yet. I talked him into this one instead, which was $100 cheaper: |
But I think 85 bucks for a beautifully worn in motorcycle jacket that fits like a glove is a total steal, so I stood firm.
5. Oh, yeah, guess what- the 80s are back.
Exactly.
Enough already. I'm too old to appreciate the "vintageness" of the 80s (and those primary colors), but I did slip up a bit the other day when I bought this 80s cocktail dress, because it's a throwback to the 1940s. And is backless. And sideless. And has a cleavage keyhole.
I've got it priced at $35 so it doesn't take up precious space for too long. If it were really from the 40s I'd want almost three times that price. Come and get.
6) It's getting cold out. Here's a great old authentic US Navy P-coat I picked up at the Madison-Bouckville flea market in Auugust.
Check out that fat collar. I don't think they make them like that anymore.
Plus it's as wind-proof as an x-ray blanket.
It was 90 degrees the day I was there, and I didn't want to schlepp it around, so I tried my best not to buy it. just keep walking, just keep walking...
The seller started barking at me:
" It's the real deal, but it goes in the dumpster if nobody buys it", He said.
"Dirty Trick" I said.
Then he showed me the inside.
The lining had a whole hand-me-down provenance of all the sailors who wore the coat.DC = discharge.
VC =Very Cool.
The deal was sealed. What was also kind of sweet was how me and the seller simultaneously pulled out our identical pocket spiral notebooks, and jotted down our identical record:
Friday, August 7, 2009
The dress that spawned/My new obsession
It took like a year, but this super-tiny, silk cocktail dress finally sold yesterday.
Kind of a Cinderella story; no one could fit into it.
But everyone was just ga-ga about the yummy lavender-gray color, which was a complete accident/experiment with an already-used blue dye bath.
Now I've got a big cardboard box in my house labelled "To Dye", where all the dingy, faded, blemished, unsellable ugly ducklings go for re-hab.
Under my kitchen sink, I maintain a healthy supply of RIT dye.
This week's dye bath was "cocoa brown".
An assortment of nylon, linen, silk, and cotton items. You can see in this clothesline pic how the dye effects each fabric differently, which is part of the fun of dyeing clothes. (er...cue Forest Gump chocolate quote here.? )
Some things came out plumby here, some came out chocolaty. Either way, easily my favorite batch yet.
Last week's bath was navy blue. The rayon, silk organza, and linen here all took the dye very differently here too.
Caroline snatched up the 1940s lace/linen blouse before I could even hang it in the store.
This batch here was done in wine a few months back.
Before and after of a linen dress in that bath:
(I liked it better in white, but the applique colors had bled and it looked terrible).
Before I go, some random tips::
Pick garments that are otherwise unwearable, so you've got nothing to lose/ruin.
No shortcuts, Follow the directions on the package.
Kind of a Cinderella story; no one could fit into it.
But everyone was just ga-ga about the yummy lavender-gray color, which was a complete accident/experiment with an already-used blue dye bath.
Now I've got a big cardboard box in my house labelled "To Dye", where all the dingy, faded, blemished, unsellable ugly ducklings go for re-hab.
Under my kitchen sink, I maintain a healthy supply of RIT dye.
This week's dye bath was "cocoa brown".
An assortment of nylon, linen, silk, and cotton items. You can see in this clothesline pic how the dye effects each fabric differently, which is part of the fun of dyeing clothes. (er...cue Forest Gump chocolate quote here.? )
Some things came out plumby here, some came out chocolaty. Either way, easily my favorite batch yet.
Last week's bath was navy blue. The rayon, silk organza, and linen here all took the dye very differently here too.
Caroline snatched up the 1940s lace/linen blouse before I could even hang it in the store.
This next batch was done in what I call a "ghost bath". That's when I use the dye bath a second time, just to see what happens. The green patio umbrella you see in the background was dyed in the same bath as the hanging clothes, but in the first bath. Big difference.
This batch here was done in wine a few months back.
Before and after of a linen dress in that bath:
(I liked it better in white, but the applique colors had bled and it looked terrible).
Anyway-- now I'm just rambling on, and I've got to get to work and open up.
Before I go, some random tips::
Pick garments that are otherwise unwearable, so you've got nothing to lose/ruin.
No shortcuts, Follow the directions on the package.
Get a huge pot, unless you're only dyeing one thing.
Do it on the stove, and stir often, if not constantly.(I would never put dye in my washing machine, but maybe that's just me.)
Do it on the stove, and stir often, if not constantly.(I would never put dye in my washing machine, but maybe that's just me.)
Get heavy duty rubber gloves. Wear a smock or clothes you can trash, you may splash the dye on yourself.
Rinse really well, and then wash any dyed garments separately by hand anyway.
Try the ghost bath out-- you never know what unusual but fabulous muted colors may come about.
Try the ghost bath out-- you never know what unusual but fabulous muted colors may come about.
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