Welcome to Lemane Vintage! Any excuse to use 'Fecundity' more often.

Hoo boy.  Who would have thought that a year of absolute awfulness would have been punctuated with a fascist exclamation point?  Did Mercury retrograde itself directly into the Sun?  Did I verb a noun one too many times and now we're here?  

Most of 2016 was just a series of unfortunate events - everything broke just when I needed to use it, I hemorrhaged money, technical difficulties, you name it, tragedy happened.  But I was really proud that no matter what random daily shit storm that was served to me on a silver platter of awful I didn't lose sight of my goals and I'm not going to do that now.  We can't let the terrorists when. Even when the CALL IS COMING FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE.

Rather than wait even longer until our world isn't on fire anymore - both figuratively and literally here in TN - I'm officially announcing the opening of my Etsy store of fabulosity.  Squeee!  

So welcome to Lemane Vintage, online pusher of eclectic finds and vintage soul.  And that's Luh-mane.  Bonus points for how many syllables you can drag the 'mane' out to be.  More than two and congrats, you're Southern.

The shop is all about vintage decor and accessories (and maybe some clothing soon)!  Finally I have a real excuse for spending so much time at those estate sales.  IT'S FOR BUSINESS, MOM!  And despite this year's atrocities, I've had so much fun gathering all kinds of goodies and finding them new friends to hand out with in the studio... 

...until they come to live in your stylish home!  I'm essentially opening a rescue mission for vintage decor.

But all this is happening because of the renovation I told you about last time.  Welcome to the home base of Lemane Vintage, my new studio.

It went from room of shame to workroom of smiles with only all my savings and a bucket of tears!

All of these shelves are lined with my wares which I've been collecting over the past year or so.  Turns out I'm much faster at shopping than taking pictures.  

Not only is this my craft room, art studio, online workshop, laundry overflow and sometimes yoga room, it's gonna be a jungle too!  All the plants that were suffering in other parts of the house have been moved in here for more sun.  A ficus was even donated to the cause.  

I love hanging out in the space because of the light but also because it's constantly in movement.  Friends are coming and going and new items come in and move around... just good positive vibes all around.  More homey than fussy.  That should be my shop motto.

We got your wall hangings and your boho brass and all the mid century glittery things your heart (and mine) could desire.  Seriously, some of these things are hard to let go.  Please give these good homes before they wander back into my living room...

I honestly felt a little guilty launching a personal venture during our country's time of crisis but if I've learned anything recently it's that ACTION is key.  Just gotta add activism to our hobbies.  Your Tindr profile better say you like homebrew and social justice.  

So once I realized I could multitask and both fight injustice AND start a passion project, I got serious with setting up the shop.  Self care to facilitate service.  Embodiment for empowerment.  Fecundity against fascism!  Damn, I obviously should have opened a pithy tshirt business instead of a vintage store! 

And I have a framed picture of Lagertha so a warrior can watch over me and kick my ass when I need it.  I will have her bless every item with badassery before it heads out the door.

Both this room and setting up the shop took a long ass time to happen but it's 110% worth it and I'm loving it.  I'm having a lot of fun and sending these rescued items out to their new homes is the best feeling!  

This handsome Bauer casserole and server needs macaroni and cheese in it ASAP.

Come hang out with me on Etsy at Lemane Vintage and on Instagram.  And since y'all have a special place in my heart all ModSauce readers get 15% the rest of this month using the code ModernSauce15.  I heart y'all and will try to set up listings for lots more items for y'all to choose from.  The sun is such an asshole and sets at 3 pm so it's cutting into my photography time.  Ugh, thanks astronomy.

Lemane and Lagertha and Lacy 4eva.

Maybe she's born with it, maybe it's architecture face.

Ok I can explain...

I was done thrifting but then I HAD to go to the thrift store to schedule them to FINALLY pick up the washing machine that has overstayed its welcome on my back porch.  You know what they say about fish and unused appliances...

I'll miss that giant signal of white trash life but figure I have plenty of other things that will fill in the gap.

So I only went in to the thrift store for a minute to casually peruse the decor aisle while I waited on someone to help me juuust in case something needed me to rescue it from it dismal life in a fluorescent-lit concrete brick building and lo and behold I was a SAVIOR.

I'm the Jesus Christ of vintage lamps and my wallet dies a little for humanity's lack of creative vision every time they throw out a quality item.  I'm a very happy and stylish martyr/hoarder.

So now that we've gotten the brass and blasphemy out of the way (Brass and Blasphemy is the name of my brass quintet that plays all gospel music except we replace every mention of Jesus with a long, sad trombone sound), I am here to tell you that progress is in fact being made in my bedroom.

You're not going to see any of it right now but things are happening.  It's Spring and there are a million house projects happening right now and I'm doing them all at the same time which means none of them are complete.  My house is in transition.  It has a giant blue aura.

At least I think that's the correct color...  That's what a psychic told me one time when I had a blue/turquoise aura which he told me meant change and transition so obviously none of that could be wrong.

While I'm busy chopping down trees in my yard and having an existential crisis over the state of my closet for the third time, have you seen these amazing Archiportraits by Federico Babina?

I give them 5 out of 5 squees.

That's a lot of squees.  I'm exhausted.

*squee afterglow*

He also has a series on movie sets called Archiset and houses in movies called Archicine.

I think I like the portraits the best because how can you resist Louis Kahn smiling at you?

Or Oscar Niemeyer waving at you?!

YOU CAN'T!

You can buy prints of these and all of his other work at Society 6 should anyone want to get a head start on my Christmas.  8x10s are $25 and they go up to a 28x38 for $83.

I kinda want an entire wall of prints for maximum ArchiRainbowPortrait.

I've been trying to think of what my portrait would look like if you combined the things I've created and/or am known for and... it's not pretty.

It'd be things like an old laptop, a box of wine, a shoe with a broken heel, glasses, lipstick, a dirty porch with a washing machine on it, a vintage lamp, a wheel of cheese and some cheap bracelets.

Originally found via Dezeen but make sure to check out Babina's website for lots more.

I'm sure you'd want to put that on your wall as much as Zaha!

I'll try to give you a real update on the bedroom next week.  I saw a bunch of bloggers are starting an 8-week room makeover project right now and I have a sneaking suspicion that they'll be finished before me...

Sigh...

Better get to patching that nightstand...

*lovingly hugs new lamp instead*

Ugly Sweaters and Haunted Handbags...Thrifting: The Movie.

I like the simple things in life: the brown crust at the bottom of the pan when you overcook rice, not having to wait in line at Costco to pump gas, and the thrill of buying worthless shit from thrift stores at rock bottom prices.

After a No-Spend February where I didn't frivolous shop at all and a previous six months of abstaining from from buying junk for my house I've fallen off the wagon.  Or got back on the wagon?  I'm not sure which one...  

Either way I've been hitting the thrifting bottle hard and sluttin' it up in junk stores all across the land.

That's an old X-ray machine in my favorite dive thrift store.

So much cobwebbed junk and dismembered crotches, so little time.  

But I've gotten a lot of really good jazz so let's inventory a bunch of things I bought that I TOTALLY needed in my life.

Scored a sweet little quilted pleather pursette and some Danish salad servers from an estate sale.  I'm really into white right now so this is really working for my white witch Spring look.  And I'm always into 60 yr old Danes so that was a no-brainer.

My favorite sexual position: clumsy dry humping.

I also didn't think twice about this Japanese erotic print for less than $10.  It's not even showing any genitalia so I think it's like the soft focus romantic porn of shunga so it's safe for my walls.  You're welcome, Mom.

I'm a little obsessed with baskets from the thrift stores and I thought this one could work on my dresser for jewelry and sparkly things.  Or for .59 dirty socks or something.

This little vintage birdie is for a Christmas gift (oh yes - I shop early, y'all).  The cool part is that it's from a local non-profit - the Orange Grove Center - which is an organization that helps the developmentally disabled and is a fun piece of local history.

When I got home I flipped it over and saw this sticker...

It says Orange Grove Center for Retarded Children on it... :-///////  

But THIS other piece of pottery doesn't make me uncomfortable at all:

It says 'Made in Italy' on the bottom and I think it's a clumsy Bitossi knockoff but it's super cute and will fit nicely in that cabinet of junk in background.

It's only black and white because all the color pictures looked terrible for some reason.

Ok technically this one isn't from a thrift store BUT I found a knockoff Arne Jacobsen's AJ lamps at a local bargain/closeouts store.  The original is about $900+, the normal knockoff price is $200 on Amazon, this one was marked to $100 at the store with 80% off.  So like $20.  Honestly, I just wanted to brag about the price.  Even the cashier made me ring the 'bargain bell' because it was such a good deal.   

It was probably the best moment of my entire life.

Back to used merchandize...

This tiny cup planter has a cartoon fiddle leaf fig on the front and directions for how to care for one on the back. But a fiddle leaf fig won't fit in the cup so what the...?  I'll put a succulent in it.

Found this 'geode' labelled as 'rock' for $2.  Silly booth owner.  I also couldn't resist this book solely for the bright green cover and embossed image.  I felt immediately it's my new mascot.  

After a little hunting and advice from a smart person, I think it's an image of Branwen which means 'white-breasted raven' or something like that.  I really AM feeling the white lately!  The ancient Welsh worshipped her as the daughter of the sea (but she's a bird?)... I don't know.  It's hard to find information on her because Branwen is the name of some slightly pornographic anime character and that's all that comes up when you google an image. 

Apparently I'm subconsciously all about Japanese erotica lately as well.

I mean, apart from my deep and undying lust for tentacle porn, OBVIOUSLY.

When I'm not channeling my new bird/lady/sea queen, I'm buying even MOAR vintage purses and skulls.

When you see a good skull and grandma purse for cheap, you are physically obligated to take them home with you.

Question: should you smudge a purse that was purchased at an estate sale or at a yard sale from a person that is most likely dead?  I can buy their furniture but things from their closet seems a bit more personal.

Pretty okay with not needing to smudge the skull.

Oh look!  Even more pottery!  It's a problem...

I love to find vintage pottery made by random people - probably your single eccentric aunt in the '70s who also was really into macrame - when they carve their name on the bottom with a toothpick.  Good job, Suzie.

I'm starting to feel the urge to carve my name into something with a toothpick and might end up taking a pottery class soon.  How single eccentric aunt of me!

I'm also pretty stoked about this brass planter WITH LITTLE TINY LEGS.  

THEY'RE LITTLE TINY LEGS!!!  

So much squee.

In related brassitude, I had to have the picture solely for the frame.

Sorry, terrible 1992 boat picture of random origin. You're gonna get the boot soon and replaced with something probably black and abstract.

But it's not all house stuff.  I have picked up a few vintage dresses.

Those midi-length dresses that are making the rounds are really piquing my interest and, low and behold, vintage dresses are the perfect length!  I've yet to wear them out but I think they might see the light of day again this Spring.

But some things have to stay packed away until next winter...

How am I supposed to resist a sweater with mirrors?!?!?!?

Please someone have a terrible white person ugly sweater party so I have a reason to wear this.  I can't tell if it'd be ironic or unironic but it has shoulder pads and I have leggings so...

Aaaand now I'm done shopping for a while.  

Unless something else has REALLY TINY BRASS LEGS and then I'm not responsible for what happens to my wallet.

But thrifting isn't all about ugly sweaters and haunted handbags, it's about friendship.

Here's Buford.  My new best friend that lives at one of my junk malls.  She happily climbed on my finger and promptly said 'peekaboo' to me a few times and then my heart melted and died next to a table of vintage Pyrex.  The store owner was nice enough to snap a picture of Buford giving me kisses on my cheek and it literally made my entire month.

See?  Thrifting isn't always about the dirty dealings of money.  It's about friendship and playing peekaboo with animals.

And also cheap cow skullz.

Faux fur: when your room needs more implied violence!

I've been digging deep in my Pinterest archives lately for a little bed inspiration.  I call this the very important 'research portion' of my redo.  [MS sidebar: Now accepting government grants for continued research and future implementation.]  I'm probably not going to do all new bedding mostly because I prefer simple bedding like white on white on off-white and I have plenty of that.  Also, budget.

During this UNFUNDED research portion of my work, I noticed a bedding theme that I thought I might be able to accomplish with minimal wallet pain...

B&B Italia's Selene bed

90% of the images that made me tingle had apparently just come back from a hunting expedition.  I may have to jump on the faux murderous bandwagon and get some faux fur for my murderous green bedroom.

It makes sense with the theme.

Fakery and violence?

via PopSugar

Although I have a feeling that some of these people aren't faux murdering...  super sads.

Ivanka Trump's apartment in Elle Decor

Something about fur makes you go big - big art, big windows, big... twigs?  You have to prove exactly how big your bank account and ego is using everything else in the room otherwise the fur just looks like a rabid wolf broke into your room then deflated at the foot of your bed.

BUT STILL SEXY.

source?

BIG HEADBOARD.  

But I don't have a big bank account or ego so that's how my bed will look...

via Vogue

...like a sexy deflated wolf.

NZ House and Garden via The Aestate

I can't think of anything more opposite of what my room will look like than this shiny, mirrored thing above.

This feels a lot more manageable.  However, it does look a bit like I skinned a flock of Charlemagnes for my bed which is the kind of morbidity I draw the line at.

Ryan Korban

White looks really good with Bridget Bardot and peacocks but not for me.  Also, I bought one of those white faux sheepskins from IKEA a few years ago and although it looked good at first (before yellowing...) it really highlighted how dirty and not-white Charlemagne is.  Filthy little glam beast.

via Apartment Therapy

So I'll stick with a color I think.

Started doing a little lite shopping and found a few good options.  Faux fur is everywhere but a decent looking one that doesn't look like a shiny swath of Z Gallerie pubic hair is harder to find than you think.

Champagne close up

I don't think you can really tell about fur without seeing and feeling it in person but this option from Amazon seems not terrible.

All the colors seems nice but that stair rail is so distracting I can' t see straight.

Champagne

This bed isn't helping either...

Kitt Fox

Platinum Frost

They come in two size - 58x60 for $99 and a 58x84 for $141.  Looks like the items - 58x60 and 58x84 - are also at Overstock for a bit more money (but it's always good to see the reviews).

The McMansion where they shot this entire campaign is making me rethink this whole thing...

photographed by Sam Levin

But then I remember Bridget and how I'll look exactly like this* and I know I'm making the right decision.  

If I can afford it.  Pretty sure I can buy a new duvet and sheets (possibly two) for the price of one fur blanket.  But I've really committed to this theme so...

*cough