Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Cleaning Snapback Hats

I buy and sell a ton of vintage snapback/ trucker hats. I find most of my hats at yard sales. And while the ones I find are usually in great shape, they aren't always very clean. Often times they are hats that have been sitting in a closet or garage somewhere and have collected lots of dust. So, I have to wash them.
You can not just throw these hats in the washing machine. That is a sure fire way to ruin them. You can add them to the washing machine if you first put it in one of those plastic doo dads meant for hats. I personally don't care for those, especially when washing vintage hats. Some of the older hats may be made with cardboard bills and letting it soak in water for any amount of time will ruin it. I did a little research on the best way to clean snapbacks and this is the way that seems to work best for me.


Monday, January 20, 2014

This Old House - Sterling, IL

Even though I live in the desert and am happy that I don't have to drive on ice in the winter, I still long to move somewhere that has all four seasons. Illinois is my first pick since that is where I grew up and where most of my family still lives.
There are some gorgeous homes in Illinois. There you don't often find cookie cutter neighborhoods where every house looks exactly the same like you do here. And there are some very old homes there as well. I've looked around the Phoenix area for old homes and have trouble finding anything made earlier than 1950 and even the 50's houses are few and far between.
Recently I came across a house in Illinois, that I would move to in a heart beat. Even if it has ghosts, I would move there today. It is almost 100 years old, having been built in 1920. It is a little bit more rural than I would like, but I feel like if I lived here, I would never want to leave anyway. If I did need to get my big city fix, Chicago is about 2 hours away, so...

I mean, look at this beauty! It's stunning!

Sunday, January 19, 2014

MONSTER SALE! 50% OFF ENTIRE STORE!!!

click the pic below to be directed to the shop



The Goldberg's Fashion Inspiration






My last fashion inspiration post from a tv show was all about Freaks and Geeks and now this one is all about The Goldbergs. I guess I'm stuck in that 80s/ 90s aesthetic. That was the style I grew up in, so I think I'm naturally drawn to it. Both the 80s and the 90s could be described as simultaneously being the best and worst times in fashion history. I don't foresee the gawdy embellished jumpsuits worn by middle aged moms in the 80s ever making a comeback. However, the bright, bold colors of that time still echo in modern fashion. The grunge look of the 90s has been cleaned up a bit, but there is still something beautiful about flowered baby doll dresses with plaid flannel and doc marten boots. My love for these decades may be driven mostly by nostalgia, but that's ok.