Kitschy's Clutter

Well my deers, it's like this...

I'm in the process of relocating Kitschy Headquarters, from the stately & spacious "Kitschy Manor" to the quaint & cozy "Kitschy Swing Pad" (a.k.a. "Kitschy Apartment.")

In the mean time, I have decided to open up a new Etsy shop... Introducing Kitschy's Clutter! All the goodies that you will find there are my most cherish treasures, from my very own personal stash.

You see, over the past many years, I have delighted in collecting all kinds of shiny things for my nest... But now I am moving to a much much smaller nest. All of my shiny things just simply will not fit. So I'm going to share them with you. Please do stop by & have a look!

See you soon,

~Kitschy Galore

Abecedary of Kitsch ~ A

Animal prints have long been synonymous with kitsch, but before they were in bad taste, they were in vogue. For your musings here is,  Animal Prints - A Brief History:


Once upon a time people hunted animals out of necessity. They used the meat from the animals they killed to keep themselves well fed & they used skin from the animals to keep themselves well protected from the vagaries of nature. As people have progressed in evolution, animal skins have too.

The Flintstones source: thecartoonpictures.com

As time went by clothing surpassed the point of functionality & entered into the fabulous world of fashion. Kings & queens & other people of high society adorned themselves in exotic furs sporting speckles & stripes. Animal prints became a symbol of wealth & status.

King George III 1762 portrait by Allen Ramsay

Fast forward a few millennia, & in 1962 first lady & fashion icon Jackie Kennedy departed for a solo tour of India & Pakistan, donning a stunning leopard coat, long black gloves & black pillbox hat... Needless to say the fashion natives went wild! 

Jacquelin Kennedy 1962 source: thestyleandbeautydoctor

The demand for exotic furs skyrocketed!... & where there is the desire for decadence, there is always the cheap knockoffs lurking not too far behind. Reproductions of endangered jungle predators stormed the scene.

leopard décor source: voodootrash

 Throughout the 1960's jungle fever raged on while another scene began to take hold.... The hippie movement & with it so came the "Save the Tiger" campaign.  These righteous activists sent the international trade of exotic furs into decline. The once $30 million business may be all but extinct, but one things for sure....  Polyester pelts, be it faux leopard, tiger or zebra, are one kitsch staple that is here to stay!

Befurred Cadillac source: Feb. 1950 LIFE magazine

kitsch(kitsch)

Pronunciation:/kiCH, kɪtʃ/

noun

• art, objects, or design considered to be in poor taste because of excessive garishness or sentimentality, but sometimes appreciated in an ironic or knowing way:the lava lamp is an example of sixties kitsch

 

Origin:
German 1925;  < G, deriv. of kitschen  to throw together (a work of art)

—Related forms

kitschy, adjective

 

Dictionary by Oxford University Press 2011  

  

 

2011

Well it's a spankin new year & with it brings a fresh spirit & vigor... a chance to start anew... & I say it's high time to beef up this here blog! So here's hopin my moxie doesn't fizzle midway through March like it did the year before... Smell you later 2010!

2011 is gonna be awesome!

All right! I admit it... I am the world's worst blogger. But tune in next year, when I might get better...

The Great Houdini

I thought I might take a moment to introduce you to the newest member of the Galore Family... Meet Houdini! We got her (yes her) a little while ago & she has proven to be just the cutest, sweetest, most cuddliest Cricetinae that I have ever encountered.

She is very unique. She enjoys being picked up & played with. She doesn't try to run all around like other hamsters do forcing you the handler, to put one hand in front of the other forming a tiny hamster treadmill. She just sits there, perched in my hand looking up at me, as I pet her. Her cage is located on the bookcase next to the computer, so she is at eye level with me for a good part of most days as I merrily type away. The computer seems to be a great source of entertainment for Houdini, as she spends most of her time plunked down in front of her food dish nibbling nibbling & peering out between the cage bars watching the computer screen flash & flicker. Sometimes I will look over at her & catch her eyeing me. So I will open the cage door & stroke her from her head to her tail gently with my index finger. She responds much like a dog would, by reaching her front paws in front & pushing her back paws back, until she's all stretched out on her belly & thoroughly enjoying her full body massage.

She is indeed a rare treasure & an old soul & I am delighted to have her here in our home & in our hearts.

Oh!... & she really likes it when I play the ukulele for her.

A Chairy Tale Come True

I just finished redoing these old metal chairs ...

I was so dern pleased with how they came out, I just had to share.

It's amazing what a fresh coat of paint will do!

YES UKE CAN!

Wise words from a wise man.

A few weeks back I had the opportunity to attend a ukulele for beginners workshop downtown at Wakefield Music Company. It was taught by ukulele virtuoso Jim Beloff a.ka. Jumpin' Jim, who with the help of his lovely wife Liz, has produced over 20 ukulele songbooks... One of which I own & am quite fond of & Jim was so kind as to sign it for me.

I had a lot of fun at the workshop & met a lot of interesting people & I now feel confident that someday (soon I hope) I will be crossing that "learn to play one song on the ukulele" off my bucket list. In truth I can muddle may way through a handful a ditties... but my goal is to play at least one song really really well & when I finally do reach that goal, I will post a video (my world debut) on this here blog.

For now I have another video for you. Apparently The Providence Journal was at the workshop. Somehow I missed that there were people with cameras in the room at the time... I suppose I was just too busy strumming away to notice. My hope is that maybe you will catch the uke bug too. As it is my belief that the world would be a better place if everyone learned to play the ukulele. It sure has brought me a whole lot of happiness. Anyway here's the link to the video (keep your eyes pealed for the nerdy girl in the big glasses).

http://www.projo.com/video/?z=y&nvid=414692

Flew the Coop!

We just returned from a spontaneous vacation at The Chickie Coop!

The Chicky Coop is the name of the camp my family owns up in Pemaquid Maine. It's just a teeny tiny little place right by the ocean, there's no internet access & barely any cellphone reception... & it might just be the most glorious place here on earth!

Two weeks ago feeling a bit frazzled & needing a break from things, we decided to pack our bags & head up to The Coop for a short weekend get away... But one weekend turned into one week... & one week then turned into a week & a half.

We had a lovely time sunning ourselves on the beach & sea-glass hunting & exploring the towns & meeting all kinds of colorful characters. All of them very friendly I must say. Every house there is just about the cutest thing you ever did see & I swear if you live on any one of the main roads heading to the beach, you can set up shop & sell just about anything you could possibly think of & you'd make a killing!... & do you know what?... they do! We saw little eateries, people selling art & crafts, native blueberries & all kinds of stuff!... Right there in their front yards! I think that is just so exciting! If I lived there, I think I would have to set up a lil' ol' camper & some picnic tables with bright cheery umbrellas & It would be my very own Kitschy lunch wagon... maybe I'd sell hot dogs with fancy qourmet toppings... & of course art too!

Painting by Amy Rice

It is my greatest dream to live in Maine & someday by golly I am going up there & never coming back! But for now we're back home at Kitschy Manor, feeling very well rested & ready to tackle any & all of life's little challenges.

Back to reality!

Ketchup

2010 To Do List -Let's Review!

[✓] Get an awesome website -While awesome may be debatable, a website non the less!

[✓] Start blogging -All be it infrequently... it counts!

[✓] Move "Danger Room" to a larger work space -THIS I am most pleased about. Pictures coming soon!

[✓] Stock Etsy shop -Even more to come!

[✓] Lose 20 pounds -I lost 22 lbs!! However, I first gained roughly 10 lbs since making this goal for myself & so actually it's more like a 12 lb loss.

[ ] Join a street team -Do you want to know a secret? Promise not to tell. I already know which Etsy street team I would like to join. I just haven't applied yet because, I'm scared. Of what you ask? Rejection:( BTW that's not Kitschy Galore talkin. Kitschy ain't afraid of nuthin!... but me, I'm scared of lots of things & yes rejection is one of them. There I said it.

[✓] Learn to play at least one song on the ukulele -I'm not that great yet, but I can muddle my way through 2 whole songs & as a matter of fact, tonight I am going to a Ukulele Workshop downtown to hopefully learn a thing or two from the man who wrote the book I've been trying to teach myself from... none other than Jumpin' Jim himself!

[ ] Acquire 3 wholesale accounts -2 so far! You will now find Kitschy Galore's designs at 2 boutiques in Paris, France!

Les Fluers Boutique & Le Corner des Créateurs

[✓] Drink more water -2 liters a day!

[✓] Tame "Hellcat" -He has been much more friendly since we had his pompoms trimmed... Be that as it may, he is now restricted to the confines of the upstairs bathroom (or "The Pussy Room" as we like to call it) at bedtime, in order for me to access a full night's rest.

[ ] Make Kitschy Galore all it can be! -Onward & Upward!!!

I would like to take this moment to remember Rico, who passed away this past April. For those of you who didn't know, Rico was a lifelong friend as true as true can be & the best damn fish anyone has ever had. Goodbye dearest Rico.

R.I.P. Rico 2007-2010

Return Of The Blog!

Clearly I have been going about this blogging thing all wrong, since my last post was well... 4 months ago!

I guess what I originally had in mind was making or doing something awesome & then later blogging about it. However it seems that I have made & done lots of things since February 26th (some of which were awesome & some not so much) & then I completely failed to blog about them. I think being all consumed by whatever project I have set before me & then suddenly switching gears to become a writer in order to blog about it, is where I must be going wrong. What I need to do is make blogging part of the project & part of my routine. Think Julie & Julia, "It's a regimen... Like doing sit-ups". Also upon further examination into my blogging bind, I have come to the conclusion that just doing something or making something (be it awesome or not) & then blogging about it after the fact, might just be the perfect formula for a perfectly lame blog... & since a perfectly lame blog is not really what I was aiming for, I have decided to change my blogging ways entirely. Starting right now! From now on I am going to blog about my adventures in crafting, cooking, thrifting, exploring or whatever other half-baked scheme that I happen to be scheming whilst I'm right in the thick of it & on a regular basis... Trails, tribulations, tedium & all!

Ohhh the things that I do...

Every morning I sit down at the kitchen table, with a cup of coffee & write myself a To Do List. Today's list, is a list which is just like any other day's list. Except for the very last thing on today's list... We are taking our four year old, to Monster Truck Jam & while I myself may not exactly be delighted about going, it will be well worth it to see Jack's face light up when he gets a load of the real Gravedigger - Charming... Right? I think the very fact that I am fretting over what precisely I should be wearing to this event, is a pretty good sign of just how out of my element I really am gonna be. This should be interesting...

Ta-Dah!!!

Kitschy Galore is very pleased to announce the launch of her first ever REALLL website! Take a gander & lemme know whatcha think...

www.kitschygalore.net

Oo La La

I am positively over the moon right now & I just have to gush! Kitschy Galore just scored her first wholesale account & in all places, the fashion capital of the world... Paris, France! Buck Yourself Brooches can now be purchased at Les Fleurs Boutique in Gay Paree! Pop by if you're in the neighborhood!

You're cordially invited

It's my 29th birthday today & I want you to come join the party! From today until Jan 29th EVERYTHING in Kitschy Galore is 29% OFF!

Craftivism

Last Friday, I had the pleasure of attending the Providence screening of Handmade Nation at Craftland. In case you didn't know, Handmade Nation is a documentary about the rise of the D.I.Y. art, craft & design movement... & it is brilliant! 

The movie was directed by the phenomenally multi talented Faythe Levine. Levine traveled more than 19,000 miles around the country to interview some of the most fascinating people who make up this creative community. And that's what I enjoyed most about this film... It gave me a real sense of community... of being a part of something that actually means something... and how big that something really is.

Right now, at this very moment, people all across the country are redefining craft-making for the 21st century. Quilts are cutting-edge outlets for self-expression & samplers carry messages of anti-consumerism, environmentalism & feminism. Their work is not just beautiful: it's hip, it's political and it's a little punk rock.

We all know we are living in tough economic times right now. Jobs are scarce & virtually everything we touch is made in some sweatshop in China. We are also well aware of the fact that this here planet which we all call home is changing rapidly due to global warming... A situation we created & only we can change.

Buying local not only helps boost your local economy, it also reduces your carbon footprint. I know it's not always easy to do... your buck does stretch further at those big conglomerate super stores, but really in the long run you're not saving all that much. Just think, every time you buy something handmade (be it a one of a kind gift for someone's birthday on Etsy, or fresh picked veggies for supper at the farmer's market down the street) you're helping save EVERYONE (locally & globally) & THAT is awesome! Like little David did, together we can take down the corporate Goliaths who got us all into this mess in the first place. 

I have to say that I am really proud to consider myself a craftavist & I would like to salute Handmade Nation for giving me the encouragement to keep on keepin on. Watching this movie has really inspired me... just knowing that there are others out there who share the same dream as me & have actually been successful at running their own indie craft businesses... For showing me that it is all possible. It is so easy to lose sight of that dream & get caught up by the day to day. It would be so easy to just go down to Walmart & get a J.O.B. with a reliable weekly paycheck. Handmade Nation helped me to refocus... Because doing this, is not some stay at home, get rich quick scheme... 

It's a way of life.

If you're also interested in the new wave of art & craft & would like to see this film, stop by the Handmade Nation Blog for listings of show-times in your area. If you'd like to own a copy of Handmade Nation on DVD or the companion book by the same name, you can do so by visiting Buy Olympia.

UPDATE!

Things are looking up up up! This morning I discovered a sudden flurry of activity in my shop, which took place just last night. To what do I owe this pleasure?... It seems last night (while I was battling zombies & Hellcat) this little sparkler rocked the front page of Etsy! 

Thank you Etsy!!!

xo

Night Terrors

You might ask me why I am up at this ungodly hour. I should be snuggled all warm in my bed on such a cold winter's morning... But I'm not... Because MY CAT IS RUINING MY LIFE!!



Every night whilst I slumber, wee little Ouija creeps into our bedroom. His first course of action is to go straight to the bottom of our bed, slip silently under the blankets & bite my toes. My immediate response to this (as would be anyones of course) is to grab my gun & just start shooting. (I have to sleep with a water-pistol on my bed stand.) Once I have awoken enough to realize that no, my attacker is not the flesh eating zombies of my nightmare world, but indeed my real life cat who is chomping away at me bit by bit... I quickly tuck my feet up under my blankets & attempt to fall back to sleep.


But just as I start to nod, there is a loud CRASH & now Ouija is on top of my dresser, knocking down knick-knacks & perfume bottles. I once again get my gun & take aim on the little SOB. He then runs, scattering the rest of the things from the top of my dresser to the floor. I then pull the blankets over my head & close my eyes tightly.


And as I slowly relax, thinking all is not lost & a snooze might still be within my grasp, Ouija starts his trilling. It's this sound he makes, that is high pitched & loud & I can't entirely describe it as a meow. However it is effective, because now I know that Ouija has won. Now I know that sleep will not come.


I throw the blankets off me & as I stumble bitterly across the dark room, Ouija is at my feet, weaving in & out & around my legs, purring. I wonder to myself, is he in fact trying to make me trip, hoping that perhaps I might fall & break my neck? He does this every night! What is this perverse ritual of his? And why me?

Cat's Outta the Bag

The only way that I know of to write a blog that will be of any interest to anyone, is to stay true to myself. And in order to do so, I will have to step out from behind the name Kitschy Galore. Soo without further adieu allow me to introduce myself.

My name is Tyna & I am Kitschy Galore. Or at least I am sometimes. Kitschy Galore is my alter ego. My more fabulous self. She's the Jem to my Jerrica Benton, the She-Ra to my Princess Adora, the Wonder Woman to my Diana Prince... Anyway you get the idea... Well that is you do, if you were a kid growing up in the 80's.

Kitschy Galore is a free spirited society girl who leads a fascinatingly glamourous & sometime scandalous lifestyle. She's an artist who lives alone in a small flat in the city. Most nights you will find her at exclusive parties, rubbing elbows with the jet set elite. She likes to stun people with carefully selected titbits from her personal life or her outspoken viewpoints on various topics. Oh & she travels by Vespa.

As for me, I am an artist/crafter who lives in Rhode Island in a borrowed house. Which is both very large & very old. Sometimes I fear it might fall in. I'm blissfully married to the husband of my wildest dreams. His name is Robert & he is the most talented artist I have ever met! We enjoy spending our days making things together, attending jumble sales & playing with our distinguishably awesome son, Jack... he is four years old. Jack's older brother's name is Spike & he is just the cuddliest, smelliest, most handsomest little old pug dog EVER! Spike's arch nemesis is that cat, Ouija. Ouija

delights in playing tricks on everyone in the

house, especially Spike & when Ouija is not

doing that, he's scheming up ways to kill Rico.

Rico is a beta fish & someday

he is gonna be famous.

So now you can see where the two lines meet & sometimes blend. Kitschy Galore is basically just like me. In general we like all the same things & we kinda look the same... Only she is slightly less inhibited than myself... Always dressed to the teeth... & skinnier than me... Other than that, you could never tell the two of us apart. And that's the rundown, kids.

I promise, in the future I will do my best not to bore your pants off.

Until next time...

It's show time Synergy!

2010 To Do List

[ ] Get an awesome website

[✓] Start blogging

[ ] Move "Danger Room" to a larger work space

[ ] Stock Etsy shop

[ ] Lose 20 pounds

[ ] Join a street team

[ ] Learn to play at least one song on the ukulele

[ ] Acquire 3 wholesale accounts

[ ] Drink more water

[ ] Tame "Hellcat"

[ ] Make Kitschy Galore all it can be!