hey guys, this happened

Glitter Aftermath!

Us Samstag-ers enjoying dancing it out in my living room with our new purchases.

One week later and I think we have finally caught up. After resting and replenishing, I'd like to add an addendum to my previous post to thank Tracy, the wonderful Glitter Insider, author of the Glitter Sale Insider blog and tweeter behind GlitterSale_Gal. We were lucky enough to meet her (in the flesh!) while we were trying to keep our toes warm in the line that fateful morning.

She gave us some of her patented insider tips and also featured our stories on her blog this past week!Lizzie, Katie, and moi with the Glitter Gal herself!

Here we goooo!

Check out Tracy's account--and the this year's tally, $140,000 bones for Goodwill job training (!!!)--and more entertaining pictures and stories of the Glitter Sale aftermath. You can also find stories and pictures at our dear friend Katie's blog (who is now your dear friend, too).

The best ladies to shop with in the whole hemisphere. No--make that the world.

Love,
A

treasure hunt: CHECK

its done.

we have conquered it.

four bags of spoils in all.

were there coffee & donuts at 6am? yes, there were.
were there spandex tights & leotards? oh, yes.
was there doppler the giant red storm mascot? sure.
was there goodwill gary on the megaphone...for three hours and counting? uh, yeah, thanks gary.
were there lots of nice, crazy, sort of naked ladies? of course.
were there beautiful vintage coats & dresses & knit flapper shirts for us to take home? YES.

glitter sale 2009. we love you so.

photographic evidence to come.

we have to go sleep now.

love,
A & L

samstag slumber party

its that time of year again.

not for the samstag slumber party. (that can happen any time of year.)

but for the 26th annual GOODWILL GLITTER SALE! , which we are planning on arriving at in style (read: leotard style) prior to 8am. hence, the sleepover.

some people arent down with the glitter sale. mayhem, they say. glitter does not mean vintage, they say. lines and lines of crazies, they snap.

naysayers, have at it, but last year, i only waited for an hour and my dude and i came home with:

• 1 L'Aiglon original bright red jackie o jacket & dress combo
• 1 turquoise velvet fitted sheath cocktail dress, with matching velvet bow belt
• 1 super-70s gold patterned raw silk dress with bell sleeves and an asymmetrical hem, which was most likely handmade (new years eve outfit, anyone?)
• 1 wraparound LBD*, mostly spandex (what? but i wear it all the time)
• 1 cashmere bedazzled v-neck sweater (i had to get something glittery)
  
• 1 white tuxedo shirt, mint condition
  
• 1 giant framed photo of elvis
  

...all for under $60!!

and there was a lot i had to leave behind/be torn away from.

the sale is traditionally split into two rooms--the vintage room and the glitter room, which both live up to their names. last year the glitter room was admittedly a complete madhouse. it is much larger than the vintage room, and also houses the jewelry counter, a large U-shaped setup which necessitates taking a number, waiting to hear ones name over a loudspeaker some poor goodwill associate yells into, and fighting ones way through scantily clad women and men to view/purchase.

most people come to the sale wearing some combination of swimsuits or spandex clothing to make trying on glitter sale items in the aisles more efficient, as there are no fitting rooms. it is an intimacy that is hard to describe.

make no mistake, there is no shortage of glitter or sassiness here.

it is amazing.

plus, all the money goes towards goodwill job training & education programs. so theres a method to the madness, of course.

the glitter sale insider blog has a list of tips and sneak peeks at treasures--check it out!

also, i seriously recommend carbing up and bringing a large bottle of water if not a full purse of energizing snacks. the glitter sale is not designed for the physically weak. last year an elderly** lady was taken out of the vintage room in a wheelchair. but, the glitter sale also brings people together. as the burly ambulance men wheeled her out, those of us around her grabbed the nearest straw derby hats or brocade clutch purses and fanned her, clasping her hands and well-wishing her right out of there. then i almost lost my shit when this adorable skinny boy in leggings and a neon windbreaker brought me the turquoise cocktail dress and told me i just had to buy it, and that, nope, he wasnt taking no for an answer. this boy was not a goodwill employee, and i swear he disappeared into the throngs of crazy-eyed shoppers like a pleasant hot-orange-colored mist on an early summer morning.

as is goodwills charm, you never know what you might find. furthermore, the mob mentality really intensifies my love for vintage. some brilliant ideas hit you when you are surrounded by 80s prom dresses as far as the eye can see. so, give it a try! us samstag gals with be there with our girl katie (whose goal is to find and don a glitter sale purchase for a formal event she must be ready for by 3pm tomorrow) and some other glitter believers---documenting this years wonderful chaos and whatever it is we might find on VIDEO!

so come back soon for the samstag coverage of the 2009 glitter sale, where nutty sartorial-obsessed seattleites have been spreading vintage good will*** since 1983.

a guaranteed wild ride. rainier & dearborn. 9am-6pm saturday & sunday.


in short, the goodwill glitter sale is a wonderful holiday tradition. ultimately, it is four years older than we are, and you know we are girls who respect our elders.



love,
A

* little black dress, of course.
** gross understatement.
*** ha!

20 years ago

the berlin wall fell.

projects!!

holga city

Love,

A

BATTLE ROYALE

NANCY VERSUS ALICE

My Halloween rests in the balance between spirited gumshoe and adventurous dream-child.




Cast your vote?
Yours,
A

Featured Friend - Maggie Wykowski

We have creative friends. Here's example numero uno - Maggie, the Artist. The horrible yellow tint from my camera does no justice to just how sweet this cross stitch is. An almost finished piece of work.

Did I mention that I'm jealous?

Vive los muertos!

- L

Early Morning Brainstorming

The excitement of falling asleep listening to rain on my window got me too excited and well, sleeping just wasn't an option. So I brainstormed. Hmmm hmmm hmmm what would be fun for Halloween? Here are some ideas for the idealess, the hopeless, or for those who think they could rock some all-American, all-female costumes.

Amelia Earhart. Army surplus, sweet hat for after the holiday, warm and cozy jumper...think about it!

Bonnie...and I guess Clyde - but who really needs that ball and chain?

Janis Joplin. Hell yes. That is all.

Sandy! Dayum! You can't tell me you wouldn't scare the boys.

Tina Turner. Might as well. Best.wig.ever.

Meow,

-L

And I thought she couldn't top this...

Love,
A

Drumroll, please....

I've done it. I finally decided what I want to be for Halloween thanks to some friendly inspiration. And it is....?

Charlie Chaplin!

"But Lizzie" you ask, "what about your sexy firewoman costume? Sexy nurse? Sexy school teacher? Your sexy sexy?" I doubt I'm disappointing anyone (*Frat houses are not places I frequent. Neither is the Lusty Lady), but running around the Hill on a cold and mostly likely rainy night in anything but pants doesn't sound appealing.

Plus, I've been thinking and thinking about how I can incorporate a mustache of some kind into my costume. Don't ask why. Things I will need:

1. A cane

2. A bowler hat

3. Men's pants and oversized shoes

4. One heavy duty mustache and eyebrow set

5. And the rest of the get-up that I'm sure is hiding in a closet somewhere in this apartment

What's even better is that the man wore eyeshadow for his usual shtick! It'll be easy to fit into this role seeing how he played "clumsy" and well, that's my daily ticket AND I'll be wearing men's shoes...

* P.S. Look up "Girls's Costume Warehouse" on the Youtube. It gets me every time.

Signing out,

- L

What's up Real Life?

Hi long-lost friends, from the web and Real Life! It's me, Annie, the slack half of this here blog. (!!!)

It's been a while since we last spoke. I hope you aren't peeved with me. I have been feeling a little blue, a little like maybe-I-can't-take-on-the-world as of late. So I have been hiding away in my cozy new bedroom, reading Nancy Drew and strategizing. And though Nancy Drew had very little to do with it (making sure the dishes are done before you follow that clue...sheesh! No thank you.), I am now putting on my new game face.

There. It's on.


The world isn't going to change. I surmise that it's going to keep on coming at me. And that's a wonderful thing! New apartments, new jobs (that aren't what you love), working for the money so you can eat dinner, no school (!), brothers visiting, mothers visiting, payin' da bills, blahblahblah. I might as well meet it head on, with a smile and fake claws!

If seeing Where the Wild Things Are taught me anything, it's that it's really rad to be reminded that it's ok to pretend that you're tougher than you are, and that you can be sad sometimes and also that living in a giant spherical fort made of twigs is something that other people dream about, too.

But it's exciting. There are things to be done! Postcards to be sent! Sketches to be drawn! Re-store windowpanes to be hung on my living room wall!

OH, and also, more importantly, A NEW AND EXCITING, COMPLETELY AWESOME EVENT to be planned & explained right here on this blog. A brainchild of my most lovely, most patient counterpart, the ever-fashionable Ms. L.

COMING SOON.

Love,
A

Laundry Day!

My roommates and I recently (and by recently I mean about a month and a half ago) moved into a new apartment where I discovered that we have to *gasp* pay with quarters to get any laundry done. What da eff, Landlady??? Oh well, it's to be expected, but I am annoyed and cheap. So when the going gets rough, I mean, when I'm cheap as scheiss, hang dry.

I proved to be a child of my generation because when without a clothesline, I just used my old internet cable. Chyeah, who uses an internet CABLE anymore? Here are some pictures from the day long chore.

Oh and uh, don't mind the girly things...

So fresh & so clean,

- L

Whacha Makin?

Oh what you can do with a trusty Goodwill and some postgrad free time! Woohoo! Ms. Reardon, Ms. Murphy and I recently stomped around the International District Goodwill and came home with some great finds. I picked up this breakfast-in-bed tray that's matted with some map of some lakes and land from some place that I just don't know. Cool, huh?

I fixed it up, added a frame hanger, and some everyday nails and OUILA! a place to hang my favorite jewelry pieces.

I thought I'd point out for you local shoppers that I found the gold fan necklace at No Parking on Pike & 11th - great vintage stuff in a great cramped space. I especially want to point out the white beaded collar in the middle. It came from B & W Vintage on Pike just east of 12th Ave. Please, please support this local vintage shop...it's like walking into your grandparent's closet (Nana, is that you?). And the old man behind the counter is about five feet too tall to fit into my purse and steal.

Anyway, get craftin'!

- L

Something I Wouldn't Do

I came across this on the internet today (Design You Trust-www.designyoutrust.com) and had to stop & stare for a while. Abuuuhhh???? OUCH. And why? Fashion is pain, babe.

Ay, Dios!

- L

I can't help myself...

...ETSY has a hold of me. Look at this other great coat that I found! If only I had hundreds of dollars to spend as I please.

Here's the long, messy URL for it, too in case you DO have the money, honey.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=31600759&ref=sr_gallery_15&&ga_search_query=coats&ga_search_type=vintage&ga_page=9&order=date_desc&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title