Pockycock!

When I was a little girl, I used to alter words to my own liking.

One of the few words that I remember is "pockycock," my own special word for pocketbook. Now that I am 40 going on 12, the word cracks me up to no end.

And I've been elbows deep in pockycocks this week (heh - I can't help it!). Here are a few of my favorite, now up for auction on eBay.

Click on the photo for links to the auction.

1950's Red Leather Bucket Purse

1950's Black Lucite (?) Box Purse with Seashells

1940's Corde Purse with Lucite "Tortoiseshell" Clasp

1950's Minature Doctor's Bag Purse

1950's Pink Patent Modern Purse - My Favorite!

Imitation or Plagiarism?

Anna Sui's "New" Bag.

as purchased from Dorothea's Closet.

A very good day

Through my college years and early 20's, Ruth was not only my roommate, but my best friend, and partner in crime. We saw a lot of music, kissed a couple of cute (and not so cute) boys, drank a fraternity's worth of Rolling Rock, and shopped. There was a lot of shopping. Actually, there was a lot of everything in my early 20's.

20 years later we're still having (non-illegal, non-immoral, non-life-threatening) fun together. Today we went to an outdoors, Maine country auction.

It started out poorly - dark clouds, rain, wind. As the auction site was on the side of a mountain, it was damn uncomfortable, even with a tent. My feet were cold and my hair completely exploded.

Saving myself for some dress lots, I managed to resist two charming 40's portraits. And I was rewarded by winning two lots of pretty party gowns.

By mid-morning the sky began to clear (no - that is not an ad for Prius - it's the auction parking lot).

Why do auctions make me so hungry? To keep up our energy for more buying, we had hot dogs with grilled buttered buns, and a big plate of french fries (I've never seen french fries at an auction, and I think it's worthy addition to the auction menu).
The clouds broke and the sun was hot and it felt like summer again. I bid on a sock monkey and sock elephant combo (the elephant was phallic and therefore completely hysterical to me). I bid on a 40's Deco maple bureau. I bid on a black lace 30's dress. I bid on (and won) a mystery shawl - I think it's 20's, and I kind of want to keep it.

And then I bid on this lot. And won! A guy came over to "congratulate" me on winning such ugly things. I don't care. I love them. You love them too. I want to keep them. The green lady statue is embedded with rhinestones and that black "blob" in the center is actually a ballet pair.

So many decisions!

My new logo!

So yea....I've been really busy um....developing my business. Yea.

And by "developing my business," I mean doing all the summer things that I have not yet accomplished: eating lobster, waterskiing, drinking on decks, grilling meat, reading trashy romance novels on my front lawn, riding my motorcycle, going to yard sales, taking big walks on the beach....

And there's still so much do accomplish in the next few weeks.

In between all of these important tasks, I have managed to do some buying. I acquired some wonderful pieces from a 90 year old woman who had graduated from Rhode Island School of Design and was a pioneer of screenprinting. Another lot came from a woman who was moving out to a house on a lake and wanted the clothing of her youth to have another life. From her I got loads of beautiful hippie items - lots of embroidered gauze and Indian prints.

The clothing was great, but even better, I got to hang out with two amazing women and hear some very cool stories. Meeting people and hearing their lives is one of my favorite parts of this line of work.

I also got to pick up my new business cards and see my new logo in action. I love it. I love it so much.

These were done by Patrick Corrigan. I adore the Art Nouveau vibe. And how his illustrations are beautiful, but tinged with a hint of sadness. He gets it. He rocks.