Maximizing Creativity

Post Holiday-Apocalyptic No Business Blues....

If I can brand a mood, that's what I'd call it. And it's not just me or my shop. It seems the whole of our hometown is carrying the weight of the world on its shoulders. But that won't keep me from doing what I love to do! No sir! (Ma'am.)

My friends and loyal vintage customers inspire me constantly! At the moment, I'm inspired by a 365 Create project and I challenge you to jump on this bandwagon! Here's the gist: Each day for 365 days, we create something. It doesn't have to be large or in depth. For example, a few days ago I created a pancake recipe from scratch, no cookbooks or guides using creme de coconut as the flavor guide. They were tasty, muffin-like cakes that I made!

Here's yesterday's creation:

Upcycled Femme Fatale Serving Tray

I found an old scratched, wooden picture frame and resurfaced the frame with a teal, metallic finish. Using a saved napkin from my handfasting ceremony and clippings from my favorite magazines (Bust, Bitch, and Juxtapose), I decoupaged the cardboard insert and replaced the glass! I intend to locate some handles that will fit nicely on the sides and then it will really be complete! After I made mine, I went online and found some really interesting alternatives. You can use old family photos, scraps of material or dried flowers for a different effect. I prefer the mixed media look myself.

Over the past few years, there's been a recurring theme to my motives, goals, and aspirations and that is the rise of girl pride. I hope that doesn't sound as lame as it looks in type. What I really mean is I find it inspiring (there I go using that word again) that so many women are kicking their heels up and having a blast just being themselves at work, at play, and at home. With this rise, we have seen a renaissance of magazines being published for every kind of woman, she-blogs out the wazooo, and women entrepreneurs crawling out from under rocks all over the globe! I must say that it makes me extremely proud to be a woman and for the first time in years, I feel empowered to make a difference. With this new powerful & creative energy flowing through me, I have teamed up with another fascinating and talented lady who shall be named at a later date to co-found a unique organization dedicated to the promotion of female artisans and their trades. I will post more information about this project at a future date and time so be watching for something new and wonderful in the Texas Panhandle area!

So onto business! I am very much a flop as a blogger and let the hectic schedule of life as a vintage peddler, wife, and mother get the best of me! But I find myself with a bit of extra time today, so I offer to you this week's feature!

In Vintage: Late 70's/Early 80's Maxi Dress $45 on Etsy

I love this dress for so many reasons! It closely resembles Ariel's dress from Footloose with it's super feminine maxi length and those flirty, off-the-shoulder sleeves. The pleated skirt is graceful and flattering! And the blush pink color is perfect for spring!

There's no tag availble, so the dress designer is unknown but it measures:

Bust: 30"
Waist: 28-30" (stretchy)
Shoulder to Shoulder: 34"
Hips: 36"- Free
Length: 55"

And in case you're going for an authentic "Footloose" look, you can score a maroon jacket for your very own Ren McCormack at Sazz Vintage.

The maxi dress was born of the 60's & 70's femme movement and traditionally displayed a skirt length just shy of the ankle. They often featured intricate paisley or floral patterns and fluid movement in the sleeves and skirt.

vivavintageclothing.com

Lotus Vintage NY

The maxi dress resurgence a few years back had me wondering why they'd ever gone out of "style" to begin with. The goddess look of the dress is very forgiving and gently frames a woman's figure. More often than not, the fabrics are light and breathable.

Comfortable and Chic! Rest assured, I don't think they are going anywhere any time soon!

Viva la Maxi Dress!

Paper & Pearl Snaps

I'm offically the worst blogger in history! The wind picked up and blew December right past me! Well, most of my projects are behind me now, and I can pick up again where I left off! I promise to do better in the coming weeks about my posts.

Handcrafted:
This week, I received some super cute, locally made greeting cards & flower hair accessories from Dollmark Paper designer Hannah Joy Anderson. There's a wide assortment of occassions in the Dollmark Paper line, from Birthdays and Thank You to Inspiring & Motivational (+ many more). Each little work of art is only $5.75 and comes in a protective sleeve with matching envelope.

Dollmark's paper flower hair accessories are absolutely darling and as you can see, I'm a huge fan! They come in 3 different styles; bobby pins, clips/brooches, and headbands. Each of the flowers are handcrafted from high quality paper and totally unique as far as flower hair accessories go. I currently have 8 vibrant color choices available among the 3 styles. $7.50 each.

You can check out more of Hannah's awesomeness at Dollmark's Facebook Page.



Vintage:
In Vintage this week, I'm featuring this wicked cool men's pearl snap shirt from Wrangler. Size Large, $18.00.

But ladies, just cause it's a men's shirt, doesn't mean you can't rock it. No one can resist a hot mama in a man's shirt! The pearl snap look below makes me drool! The photo is of one of my oldest friends, the talented Amanda Shires, fiddle player extraordinaire. 

Photo by Erica Shires http://www.ericashires.com/



 

Contest:

I encourage you to try one on and not fall in love with how comfortable and sexy it makes you feel. In fact, I double dare you! And while you're at it, take a few pics and shoot them my way! At the end of next month I will feature a blog on nothing but pearl snaps and include your photos! My favorite pearl snap photo submission will win the featured Wrangler Pearl Snap shirt above. Email photo submissions to me at Pearl Snap Contest by January 15, 2012.

Peace and love to you this holiday season! I hope all good things come your way and that the festivities leave you feeling merry and bright! - Gypsy

A Joyful Week

My apologies for being behind a week! (Look at me assuming I have tons of loyal readers who are just beside themselves with longing for my overdue blog!) I was out sick for a few days and got behind on my projects, my blog, and my life. :)



Grandma, Thanksgiving 2008

 Feeling much better now, and just in time! Thanksgiving is just a couple of days away and I'm sad to say my first year back in Texas won't be the same as before. This is the first year we'll be celebrating the holidays without my Grandma Joy. (Pictured left. The extra eyeball in the background belongs to my goofy brother, Andrew.) She was one of my closest friends and will be dearly missed. I am thankful I have so many wonderful memories of her.

I'm also thankful for all of you. My friends and family who have supported me in this crazy endeavor of mine; and my customers who continue to trickle in day after day and encourage me in this labor of vintage love.



Imported Green
Turquoise &
Copper Necklace
$100



Features

This week in Art, I'm featuring a necklace by artisan Nancye Briggs, who creates the most unusual and eye-catching copper-wrapped jewelry. The earth tones in this remind me of the season and of my grandmother, who worked with her hands and tended to her gardens with passion and grace. The piece features a smooth coil frame wrapped around six chunks of quality imported green turquoise with copper spacers. She created a two-clasp closure to lengthen or shorten the chain as needed. Versatile and Beautiful.

Les Wilk Ascot Dress
$45

In Vintage, I'm thrilled to show off this gorgeous Les Wilk Ascot dress. My primary reason for choosing this dress over so many other items in the store is the overwhelming response it has received in the shop and on the etsy site. It's flirty, it's adorable, and perfect for Thanksgiving Dinner! I wish I could have convinced one of my gorgeous customers this week to model it for me. She paired it with some black knee-high riding boots and I fell in love all over again! A little about the designer: Les Wilk was the Resident Director of Texas Woman’s University’s Southwest Institute of Design in the department of Fashion and Textiles. He spent many years designing for other labels before finally starting his own fashion design company in the 60's. He was known in the fashion industry as the "King of drop-dead dresses". With a moniker like that, who wouldn't want to own a vintage Les Wilk dress? This lovely little number I like to call Katherine features a "brushstroke" plaid print, ascot tie, cloth covered buttons, and a lovely gray slip under a fully twirlable skirt. I added a little funk with this waist cincher belt, but you can simplify the dress with its matching belt.

I realize this week shoppers will be inundating themselves with lists of Christmas gifts to buy and they'll be forging out into the wild frenzy that is known as Black Friday. Myself, I'll be here, manning the desk at Tipsy Gypsy, holding out for the few, proud shoppers who are opting for a different kind of shopping experience. I hope that as you prepare yourselves for your shopping excursions that you will be kind to one another and that you'll give back to the community and support local, small businesses. Tipsy Gypsy will be participating in Small Business Saturday, November 26. Earn 20% off at the counter with this coupon. (To save paper, you can just show the img. from your phone.)


Just in! (As in, while I was writing this blog!)
New wire wrapped rings and bracelets from local Slaton artist, Jennidawn Fox! I can't believe how funky these are! I'm in love and already wanting to take them home.

Have a great week everyone! Happy Thanksgiving! Be thankful for your loved ones! Eat some pumpkin pie! Always be a steward for Mama Earth!

Gone Plum Sweater Crazy

I promised myself this week that I'd focus more on product in the store and less time online, but as I've been putting more vintage out on the floor, I started going mad with excitement over sweaters; due in part to the cold weather of late.

Perusing through my backstock of clothing I came across three of the most precious cropped sweaters and I started thinking about different items they could pair with for the fall. That's when things got a little out of hand. Without any logical means of reason, I started pulling skirts off the rack and dressing up my mannequins as if "we" were prepping for a vintage runway show.

Leave a girl alone in a store full of clothing with too much hot cocoa and she starts talking to her mannequins.

Anywho, I gathered what was left of my sanity and jumped back online to find inspiration for my next sweater diving expedition. I did a random google image search for cropped sweaters and here's what I came up with:

Cropped Sweater (just like one of my pretties) paired with black shorts and boots!

Off the shoulder/cropped with an upcycled lace skirt & shorts...I think I have a lace skirt like this somewhere.

Again with the shorts...but I love how the length of the oversized cardigan adds depth to her vintage-inspired look.

I'm speechless. This look is adorable and I love everything about it. SHE is fabulous.

This Week at Tipsy Gypsy

I thought I'd use this time to talk a little bit about upcoming projects and ideas I have at the shop. Sort of a to-do list to keep myself organized and also to let you, readers & customers, in on what's in store.

The Slaton Centennial Christmas Festival is coming up on December 1st. I'm helping Kim over at Southpaws with designing the flyer. Each shop downtown is being asked to stay open until 8pm that evening and to provide refreshments to festival attendees in our shops. I'm all over this. Nothing thrills me more than the prospect of serving hot cocoa and cider to my customers. I'm also going to try to get our henna artist friend Stacy over that evening to do henna for customers. You may remember her from our Grand Opening weekend. She has hundreds of designs to choose from and does amazing, long lasting work.

I'm working on some handcrafted gifts that I'll be selling in the shop during the holidays. I'm really excited about these items because I feel they truly capture the spirit of the shop and what we're trying to do here; that is, educating people on the importance of recycling and environmental stewardship.

Some of the items you'll see in the coming weeks are:

-Peace Sign Rag Wreaths (made entirely of recycled t-shirts and vintage fabric)
-Owl Snuggs (pillows made from recycled & vintage fabrics)
-Book Page Wreaths & Ornaments (made from the pages of recycled books)
-Retro Yarn & Felt Wreaths (inspired from vintage holiday decor)
-Zipper Bracelets (handcrafted, vintage zippers with modern charms & embellishments)
-Hippie Microwaveable Heat Packs (handcrafted from vintage fabric, filled with grains & herbs)

And of course, there's more to come.

I'm starting something new with this blog and hopefully, if I can stay organized enough to make it a regular thing, I'll feature someone/something new each week in the categories of Art & Vintage.

So for this week:

We're featuring postcards from DirtyJerz Photography. The artwork comes from a talented and loyal friend of mine in Austin. The art captures her adventuring spirit perfectly. There are five designs in the series. Here's an example:

Keep snail mail alive a little while longer and make a friend smile. Or pick up all five and frame them; bring a little bit of Austin to your home. Postcards: 2.50ea.

 You can also check out her work at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jerseysummerrose/






In Vintage this week, I'm showcasing a badass (sorry Mom) ladies bowling league shirt complete with patches and pins. This little mama is full of history. Great if you're shooting for a rockin' rockabilly look or you just need something to give your own style a little bit of an edge. Move over Lebowski, this girl's got skills!

Size: Sm/Med

Measurements:

Bust: 38"

Length: 26"

$20.00

Well that about sums it up for now. Until next week Poppets,

Gypsy

You've got a friend in me...

This week (is it really only Wednesday?) has been a whirlwind of crazy. Moving to Texas after living in Colorado for 10 years has taken it's toll on my 29 years young body. I'm experiencing respiratory problems that leave me feeling like I've aged fifty years over night. All that aside, however, I'm learning that I (and the store) have friends in places I didn't realize.

When I went to the clinic this week to get treated for the ghastly 'asthma', the receptionist knew me instantly and asked how the shop was going. Mind you, I've never met this woman before. We talked briefly and I gave her my card and told her to stop by for some tea and shopping. When I left the clinic, scripts in hand, I called the nearest pharmacy to inquire about prescription costs. I nearly had a heart attack when I was informed that just one of the 2 inhalers I'd be picking up cost over $230. (I'll save my anti-pharmaceutical rant for my personal blog later.) Several phone calls to all of the Lubbock area pharmacies, I was still med-less, breathless, and cashless.

I called my new clinic receptionist friend and told her of my plight. They were fresh out of samples, but she promised to make a phone call and see what she could do...and what she did was work miracles! She called around to the Lubbock clinics and found one with samples to spare...in fact, the gal she spoke to lives here in Slaton, and drove the samples over!

I'm in much better spirits now and I have my lungs back! The best part of all is my new found friendship. I thought moving to a small, uber conservative town would be a difficult adjustment from living in a large city, but I'm learning that when everybody knows your name (In this case, Tipsy Gypsy), it's not necessarily a bad thing.

Thank you Slaton, Texas for your friendship.

Tipsy Gypsy Store Front Before Grand Opening (That's my husband and daughter dancing)

I came to see a gypsy to find out why she's so tipsy...

The first two weeks of shop ownership have proven two things.

1. This is harder than I thought it would be.
2. I am capable of more than I thought I would be.

Okay well, three things.

3. Choosing a business name can be tricky.

I remember the day she was born. My mom and I were driving around on one of our notorious girls day outtings and she asked, what are you going to name it? (The shop of course.) There were many co-factors involved in the name-ing of my store and narrowing down my options was harder that I thought. My nomadic lifestyle,  my personality, the products I would be offering, the location, etc, etc. It seemed befitting that the shop would be called Gypsy something or other as a tribute to my past and to my dearest friend Stacy, who has inspired and supported me through all of my efforts. But I couldn't just called it Gypsy...there had to be more to it. Gypsy Vintage, Gypsy Boutique, Thrifty Gypsy...and so on. We went through several hours of tossing up ideas and then it happened...I blurted out Tipsy Gypsy. And in that moment, it was as if I'd just given birth to a real live kicking and screaming infant, I knew she was mine.

Over the next few months I began the process building my theme and concept around the store name, searching for a building, researching state laws, and applying for licenses, name reservations, etc. Not once in this entire process did any one ever stop and ask me why I chose the name I did. I got "Oh what I cute name!" and "Oooh I can't wait to see your shop when it opens." So I never thought the name would be much of a problem until I saw my first listing on yellowpages.com. You can imagine my reaction when I did a google search of my store the week prior to opening and discovered I was listed under bars & taverns! Thank goodness it was an easy fix and I've only received two phone calls asking for my bar hours.

Here's the corrected version:

Which leads me to the point of this first post. The re-definition of the word "Tipsy".

Currently, from Merriam Webster Online:

1: unsteady, staggering, or foolish from the effects of liquor : fuddled

2: unsteady, askew <a tipsy angle>

from Leslie Lou, THE West Texas Tipsy Gypsy, herself:

1: overcome with joy and enlightenment from the effects of a life well lived,

2: filled with a sense of wonder and amusement

And there you have it kiddies. Your vocabulary lesson for the day.