Gingham Boobs

Gingham boobs?  Yes!  Check out my most recent posts to Etsy.com, folks!  Click on the link on the right column of this blog to get a better picture of the new gingham BOOBS for sale!

More Great Theatre.

Please enjoy.  I sure did.

It's been a busy day, so I can't write much!  I heart you!  xoxoxoxoxo

My Dear Summer

Dear Summer,

Here is a list of things I love about you:

1. You are warm.
2. You are bright and make me happy.
3. Your humid air never gives me dry skin.

Here is a list of things that make me mad at you.

1. You are uncomfortably hot.
2. Your brightness burns my skin.
3. Your humid air gives me zits. 

Overall, you're not so bad.  Thanks for the vegetable garden and stuff.

Here is today's outfit:

Blue and white striped cotton dress, white filmy scarf around the neck, vintage slip, 50s blue cinch belt, neat-o hairstyle.  I have worn this dress for the blog before, but I love it, so don't be mad. 

Great Surprises in Store!

Hello everyone!

I have some exciting news for you today.  First, I'd like to make it known that there are some cute new items in the shop, including adorable "Cosmic Things" accessories!  Atomic Bettie makes beautiful felt bow tie pins and floral hair accessories, and they are now available here in the shop!  Pin the bows to your collar like a tie, attach them to your belt, or pin them into your hair...these bows make everything better.  Even my mannequin got better with the help of a Cosmic Things bow:

My other surprise is this: local design company Post Sputnik will film three live webisodes with me here in the shop, beginning this September!  Each program will feature a variety of topics, but I'll fill you in on the details later...I like to keep you guessing!

Holy Moly! Wahoo!

There's no explanation for the title of today's blog, sorry. 

Q: Lisa, are you wearing that blue dress AGAIN?!
A: Yeah. Back off.  I love you.

I thought I would be my own version of a combination of these ladies today:

Notice how I've posed just so.  So that you can't even see the similar flower in my hair or make any connection to the pictures above.  I did this because I'm very intelligent and also a fabulous self-portraitist.  That sentence was a good example of sarcasm.

I have some pretty cool new jewelry in the shop today (necklaces, rings, bracelets) - it's moving quickly, though, so if I have no more jewelry to show you when you arrive, don't be mad at me or punch me in the face or anything.  See ya soon, cuties!

Hey, Look at That

It's a picture of me in an outfit.  That's weird.

Buahahaha Part II

 Here is a picture of me feeling so happy and nice and cool, here in the shop.  It really looks exactly just like this in here right now.  For real.  Come see.

There is new jewelry in the shop today and also invisible hugs.  See you soon!

Buahahaha

Hi!  I don't know why I'm posting this picture.  It was just fun to make, and I think it's kind of stupid, so I wanted to share.  The picture is full of intense symbolism.  It represents Bill Nye's blog post about that fact that it has literally been hot enough lately to fry an egg on the sidewalk (click HERE), it shows a little bit of what the inside of my brain looks like when I'm uncomfortably warm, and also, the mysterious smiley face in my thought bubble represents how I'm really feeling.  I should be an art history teacher.  I'm amazing at this.  Actually, this is just a picture of me in my secret underground castle, which looks remarkably similar to my store.  Anyway, thanks to all of you who made today great here at UnderWired!  Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!  Looking forward to the rest of the week (new items coming soon)!  WOO!

GIANT BUGS ATTACK (Solicitors)!

Wow, I had the best day yesterday.  At the end of the day, I helped Professor Gary DeLeo of Lehigh University with a Q&A session before the screening of Planet 51 (made possible by Movies Games and More) in Bethlehem.  Smart questions from smart kids made the night awesome.

But before that happened, I had an amazing day in the store.  Because of giant bugs.  A giant wasp taught a solicitor a lesson and strengthened my appreciation for nature.  Please sit back and read the tale and see the fantastical photos:

 As you know, I often complain about solicitors who rudely ignore my very blatant sign and come into the shop to sell me things.  I get especially annoyed when said solicitors are full of snooty responses and rude behavior.  Which brings me to yesterday.  I noticed a GIANT wasp in my shop...he must have been a left-over from my biggelizing experiment.  He was HUGE.  Like the wasp in the Doctor Who episode "The Unicorn and the Wasp."  Enormous.  He was bigger than a puppy.  So, I was running around the store with a paper cup, trying to catch him to get him outside.  I was starting to get all annoyed and full of myself ("Um DUH, wasp.  I opened the window for you, and you're ON THE WINDOW SILL, why don't you fly out?  Stupid.  Bugs are stupid.").  But then, as I was crammed between the hat case and the window, talking to a bug, I saw a man approaching from outside.  A man wearing a tie and carrying a folder and a bag and lots of brochures.  I watched as he stopped at my door, read the "No Soliciting" sign, rolled his eyes, and walked in.  I turned to him and greeted him and he began his sales pitch.  I said "Oh, you must not have seen my no soliciting sign."  He said, smugly, and rudely "yeah, it's cute."  The rest of the story goes like this:

ME: Well, I'm glad you like it, I made it myself.  It has a skull on it  for a reason."
CUSTOMER WHO HAPPENED TO BE HERE AS WELL: "Um, yeah, read the sign."
SOLICITOR: smirk
WASP: flies full speed from the window sill toward solicitor
SOLICITOR: "Oh my God I'm afraid of bees!" JUMPS backward
WONDERFUL CUSTOMER: "Uh, yeah, well, that's what happens to solicitors here."

The guy ended up not being so bad, and we had a short friendly chat about bugs, and he left.  And then I thanked the wasp for doing a great job guarding the store against solicitors.  I just knew that he was sent by Nature to protect me, and we became fast friends.  We even staged this retro sci-fi movie picture for your enjoyment:

Thank you, Dear Wasp!  I heart you!

Oh, and here's today's outfit.

Science and Stuff!

Well hello there, class!  Today, I am teaching a lesson called "When Vintage Zazz Meets Science."  I don't know what this lesson is about, or what my lecture will mean, but maybe we can find out together.

Tonight, I will assist Professor Gary DeLeo of Lehigh University with a short presentation at Fairview Park in Bethlehem.  The presentation about space travel will come before the screening of Planet 51 (click HERE for details), and this is a free event!  Come join us, receive a small "party favor" and hang out with your neighbors and a fun movie.

Today's outfit is called "Ode to Bill Nye the Science Guy and Doctor Who and Bow Ties are Cool."  This is how I would dress if I were conducting an experiment or riding a space ship or theorizing.  I am wearing costume glasses and a bow tie, because in my imagination, this is how all scientists dress when they are in their labs.  Note that in one picture, I have conducted a successful "Biggelizing" experiment, in which I have made myself and all the clothing in my shop gigantic, but all the cars in the world and other things stayed the same.  I am holding a car and laughing my mad scientist heart out.  Take notes.  You will be tested later.

Rainbows and Such

 Many of you have probably already seen the "Double Rainbow" post on Youtube by "Hungry Bear."  It's been flying around for several days, making people happy.  If you haven't seen it, it is a video of a double rainbow in the sky, accompanied by the awed, fascinated, and ecstatic commentary of the man recording the image.  I am obsessed with the video, and I keep saying things like "that is SO double rainbow."  I can't get enough!  Please enjoy the links below and become as obsessed as I am.

The original Youtube post is HERE

And the song! HERE

Now for fashion and stuff.  Here is today's picture:

Q: Is that a ghost in the mirror?

A: No, it's my back.

Today's outfit consists of a vintage full-length slip, a modern-but-retro skirt, a 1950s sheer top, a pink 50s scarf in my hair, and vintage clip-on earrings.  It's another day of wearing things over again, but in different ways.  Never underestimate the power of creative combination, folks!  

I have to show you something else: 

This is in the shop right now, along with some other great purses.  Come see it!  It's huge and awesome and very, very Double Rainbow.

See you soon!  Double Rainbow all the way!

I Took A Break, but Now I'm Back

I have been posting a bit sporadically lately. But no more!  Prepare yourself for a picture AND some words.  Just like old times (a couple days ago).

Today's outfit is called "Layers of Underwear Make Great Dresses."  My entire outfit is composed of items that are normally worn underneath clothing.  I am wearing a nylon slip as a dress.  Underneath are a vintage bed jacket, a silk camisole, and a vintage half-slip (because the top layer of the outfit is rather sheer).  I threw on my favorite cinch belt to pull in the waist, rather than let the dress fall free and shapeless.  Ta-da!  It's an outfit!  I am also wearing a pair of my grandmother's clip-on earrings.

Did you know that cats do not make good air conditioners?  I found this out recently, and thought I'd pass along the news.  Fans and air conditioners help to keep you cool.  Cats make you sweaty and furry.  FYI.

Stop in and see some of the new cutie-pie dresses in the shop!  See ya soon!

Little Lisa's Home for Wayward Earwigs

I worked in the garden for a bit today.  In my garden, I am growing sage, mint, thyme, parsley, rosemary, onions, broccoli, tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, and earwigs.  The earwigs like to hang around inside the lettuce and then they like to hang around on or near me when I pull the lettuce.  I recently learned that earwigs may not be as nasty as they look, so I try to be gentle with them.  First, I cut the lettuce out of the ground.  Then I shake the lettuce to release the numerous earwig communities living within, onto my patio.  Then I bring the lettuce into my house, and begin inspecting it and washing it.  And then:

Earwigs who are looking for a better place to stay have inevitably stayed hidden within the nooks and crannies of the lettuce.  As the water runs into the strainer from the faucet, they get annoyed and run out.  Instead of killing the earwigs, I try to catch them all to free them outside.  Earwigs are fairly "eeeeeeeeeeeeew" on the "EW" meter, so this is not a task for the faint-hearted or for me.  I try to coax them onto whatever I may be holding in my hand.  Once they perch on the lettuce leaf/bowl/knife I'm holding, I run toward the porch door, open it, and fling my hand all around until they fall off and I can run back inside.  Occasionally, a curious earwig walks off the object in my hand, and onto my actual hand before I get to the door, and I yell "you $%^&^*@& &**!" and shake my hand really hard until he falls off.  That's not the nicest thing to say to an earwig, but I get surprised easily.  Also, now I feel like I'm crawling with bugs, because I'm thinking about them. 

So, the moral of the story is:

It's not nice to kill things or swear at them, but swearing at them is nicer than killing them.

Today's post is not about fashion, but about bugs.  Tomorrow, maybe we'll get back to fashion.  See ya!

Vintage Magazines Are Amazacrazy

Let's get our daily fashion picture out of the way first.  Here it is.  Apparently, I am too shiny today, which made every single picture I took blurry, so I just manipulated this photo until it looked less stupid.  Enjoy.

Now, on to some pictures from fantastic vintage reading material.  I am organizing the shop's kitchenette and craft room today, and I keep getting distracted by all the great old books and magazines that I have here.  They range from wonderful bits of history to hilariously disgusting-looking documentation of popular foods from past decades to head-scratching advertising* for the "little lady."  Come in some time to check out this collection of wonderment and oddities...you will be pleased with your decision to do so.  Here are some teasers, but they're not even the best of the lot.  My head explodes with crazy!

* The punctuation and grammar in many of the ads = atrocious.

Blog Design

I have been trying to redesign the look of this blog, and it's driving me slightly insane.  From the difference in appearance on people's monitors and/or different browsers, to my limited understanding of anything I do on a computer, I am seriously contemplating using a telegraph from now on.  I might sound like I'm complaining, but I am actually having fun learning and playing with my dear ol' computer.  And I'm complaining.

Today's outfit is the same dress I wore in my "Birthday Suit" post, but I have accessorized it to look fancy-shmansy.  I also rolled my hair into a nice little retro shape, so I included a black and white photo.  For drama. 

I have onion  breath today.  Wanna come see for yourself?  I ate a huge and yummy salad, made of things from my garden, including a whole onion.  It was delicious, but possibly not a great business move.  I am now trying to cover my onion breath with coffee breath.  Doesn't this sound enticing?  Come visit me!

By the way, I have a super cute and fun craft night planned for the end of July...more on that later!  If anyone would like to teach a craft class for this coming Wednesday (or suggest an idea), email me at underwiredvintage@gmail.com.

See ya soon!

ZZZZZZzzzzzzZZZZZzzzzzz...

This heat has wiped me out. I am very sleepy, and I can't snap out of it. I thought adding a little mystery to today's post might be exciting, so here ya go...guess which parts of today's outfit you're looking at? I guess labels make very obvious pictures even less mysterious.



I take nap now.

Cotton Floral Fun and Brains

Nice day today. Did some chores, worked in the garden, ate some brains. Feelin' good. Zombies are cool.

I wore this outfit in a previous post HERE, and tried to show you that this "dress" is really pants. I did a bang-up job.

Have a nice day! Hug someone you like! YAY!

Happy One Hundred Two (degree) Day!

You know it's hot when you look at the weather report and get excited because it will only be 92 degrees tomorrow.

I dressed in clothing that required little to no fuss today, due to the heat. I put on this adorable nautical vintage scarf (thanks for the cool gift, Mommy-in-Law!) to fancy-up my outfit when I arrived at the shop. As you can see in one of the pictures, I don't think anyone will notice that it absolutely doesn't match anything else I'm wearing. At all. I also thought that I could reserve my energy and stay cool by standing in the same position all day long.

Yesterday, when I was locked in an air conditioned room with my cats, it was still hot and we were getting irritable. Notice the photographic proof that Little Willers was not terribly thrilled by the heat (bottom of this post). WTF stands for "What The Fur." Isn't she CUTE?!?!?!?!!?!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, my head explodes every time I look at her!

See ya, guys!

Happy Hundred (degree) Day!

I have locked myself in my bedroom with the cats and the window air conditioner and I'm not coming out! To keep myself occupied, I have gathered some craft supplies, pens, paper, and my camera. My first project was called "Fashion Creep." The project went like this: I dressed up in an old nightgown, took pictures of myself, then made the pictures look creepy. One of the photos is posted here for your critique.

Try to stay comfortable today! I had a lovely time with many of you last week. Thanks for making the beginning of this month fun! Stop by the shop tomorrow to make sarcastic greeting cards with me for craft night. See you soon!

Looooooooooooooooooooooove,

Lisa

Acting Lazy is Not Really Something We Do

Hi everyone!

First Friday was fun in the shop last night. Caleigh's Closet was a special guest here in the store, and Caleigh is a super cool lady. We had a great time, and I bought the dress I'm wearing in this post from her collection! Be sure to check out her Facebook page. The earrings I'm wearing today were made by my good friend Janessa. Check out her Etsy shop HERE!

I like to call this outfit "Strawberry Shortcake Goes Shopping" or "The Amazing Fuzzy Poodle Head" or "Nosferatu and Strawberry Shortcake Have a Baby Part II."

Today's post is about more than clothing. It is about the strength and importance of your local business owners. Sharing the store with other vintage sellers and artists for my last few events has been a real treat, and has given me the opportunity to learn more about other people's lives, challenges, and successes. Several interesting conversations that I've had this week have inspired this post. Some of my own standard dumb jokes have also inspired this post. I often like to joke and say that I'm lazy or pretend that on my days off I just spend hours rolling around in a sea of cats. While saying those things is silly and harmless, I was thinking last night that it is important to talk about the work and love that goes into owning and nurturing a business. Sometimes it's important to be serious and tell the truth and not just make jokes about cake and kittens (although, if I couldn't joke about food and critters I'd be a lot less happy).

A friend and I were discussing the difference in price between independent shops and big box stores. I was trying to explain the huge benefit you receive at a locally run business, even if you pay a little more, and I think I was finally able to focus my point:

Aside from personalized customer service and superior product quality, the real benefit you receive from your locally owned businesses is a great place to live. These little gems in your town make your town worth living in. They make your city an interesting and vibrant place to be. They make your home a place to be proud of, so you don't have to say "yeah, my home is boring, so I have to go to [insert city here] for fun." No chain store on Earth can give your hometown a distinct, unique personality. It's the small businesses, run by your neighbors, that ARE your city. That said, running these businesses, although rewarding and fun, is hard work. Every entrepreneur I know pours their heart and soul into every aspect of their job, and lives to make their shop/cafe/salon/restaurant/gallery a better place for people to shop, eat, learn, get gorgeous, meet people, and thrive. Our days on and off are spent figuring out new ways to enhance your experience with us, or plan fun events, or search out products we think you'll love, or improve upon what we have. We do this for ourselves, and for you, and for the community we share. If not for the businesses you know and love, there would be no real city to speak of. The fellow businesses owners I have had the pleasure to get to know over these past few years are fantastic and amaze me every day with their passion and hard work. So be sure to give your favorite business owners a visit and/or a hug. 'Cause we love ya! Below is a list of links to some of my favorite places. Enjoy!

De'ja Brew
Loose Threads
Home Base
Eskandalo
Ostara
Wired Cafe
Cosmic Cup
Blue Sky Cafe
The Moravian Book Shop
Caleigh's Closet
Shuze
Lux: the Eco-Friendly Salon
Home & Planet

Handmade and Vintage are Best Friends

Handmade and vintage items go together perfectly. Instinctively, we know that it just makes sense. Vintage clothing has great style, and is given new life with every wear. It's creative and inspiring, and can become a sort of craft for many. Some use the pieces as the basis for new clothing designs, some alter the clothing to update it, and some wear it as-is in assorted fun ways, just because it's wonderful. Handmade items are unique, heartfelt, and often utilize found objects or reuse the "old and forgotten" items in our homes. Vintage and handmade are best friends.

Today's outfit consists of a BEEEEEEAUTIFUL handmade skirt, created by my friend Erica. She also makes gorgeous handbags, and tons of other deliciously lovely items. She makes deliciously edible items, too, like the cake I ate at her house last night! Two pieces! And I brought the rest home with me! Thanks, Erica! Also part of today's ensemble is a vintage t-shirt (funny how 70s t-shirts look just like the t-shirts of oh-ten), my 50s cinch belt, and a delicate lacy scarf from my pal Holly. Holly makes delcious treats as well! I love knowing people who make great food. I love knowing people who are nice. I love knowing food that is nice. By the way, De'ja Brew has spicy homemade pickles today and they are awesome.

Ok! I'm gonna go eat some stuff again. Stop by the shop for First Friday tonight and meet special guest Caleigh of Caleigh's Closet! She'll have some cool stuff here for ya to buy. And I'll give you wine, but I'm keeping all my cake.

See ya soon!

My Birthday Suit! Plus, Adorable Visitors :)

Hi Guys!

I am having a great birthday. My mom, sister, and nephews came to visit (awesome), I received chocolates from Chocolate Lab on Main Street and delicious fresh berries from my friend's garden, and then this adorable pink pixie came to the store to hang out with me!

My birthday suit is a beautiful gray dress that I bought earlier this week as a birthday present to myself. Pink Pixie is wearing some sassy beige leather shoes from UnderWired.

Hooray for today!