201 Reasons for a GIVEAWAY!

Well another milestone has been reached here at wacky tacky and true to our word we are having a giveaway!  We are now in the 200+ followers club and it is our pleasure to show our appreciation by offering our third, and may we say, most exciting giveaway to date!

You might remember that for our first giveaway, we offered a handmade basket purse of Mr. Tiny's own design plus our entire selection of wacky tacky collectible pinbacks.

+

Our second giveaway saw the debut of our wacky tacky signature tee and the set-of-four wacky tacky collectible pinbacks.

+

For our third giveaway, we are upping the ante and giving away our wacky tacky signature tee, our set-of-four wacky tacky collectible pins, AND a handmade basket purse by Mr. Tiny!!!

+

+

A-tisket, A-tasket, a green and yellow basket!
A yellow, rectangular basket in a traditional basket weave is topped by a lined,
green, burlap upper, and trimmed with vintage brocade ribbon and three yellow roses.
This weird yet wonderful basket purse is the must have accessory for spring and summer.
According to our sources, "Goes with nothing" is the new "Goes with everything." 

This giveaway has something for everyone!  The t-shirt is unisex.  The purse is ideal for a woman, a gift, or an adventurous gentleman.  And the pins can just as easily be applied to the lapel of a fine suit as they can be to a denim, biker vest.  To win all of these great prizes, all you have to do is enter!

RULES OF ENTRY:

1.  All entrants must be an official follower of wacky tacky, meaning your face must appear in the followers section over here ------------------------------------------> somewhere.  If you are not yet a follower, don't be ashamed; quickly become a follower and you too will be eligible for the prize.
2.  All entrants must leave a comment in the comments section of this post indicating your desire to be part of the giveaway (worth one entry).
3.  Entrants may share the giveaway on another social media outlet (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, etc.) to earn additional entries (each share is worth one additional entry; you must leave a link in another comment on this post).
4.  All entrants must have a valid mailing address that is deliverable via the USPS (foreign or domestic).

5.  All entries must be made by 12am (PST) Sunday, May 26, 2013.

6.  All entrants must be able to play the tuba.  This point is negotiable pending a valid argument in the comments section of this post and/or the ability to play the kazoo.

On a serious note, I would love to broaden our base (figuratively speaking, of course); if you know of someone who would enjoy our type of fun, please spread the wacky tacky word.  Also we are always looking to feature cool houses, cool collections, cool shops, and cool people; if you have any or all of these things and would like to be featured on wacky tacky, please email us: wackytackytiny {at} gmail {dot} com.

Stay tuned; one winner will be chosen at random and announced here after all entries have been collected.  Thank you for your support and participation; I've got plenty to be thankful for!

"I've Got Plenty to be Thankful for" - Bing Crosby

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Sew What?! Letting the Cat Out of the Bag!

I am not a cat person.  Truth be told, I am not an anything person as I am allergic to just about everything.  Whatever gene it is that makes people melt at the sight of sweet, little kittens playing with an over-sized ball of yarn is the same one that was replaced in me by the gene that makes my eyes swell shut so I can't even see those precious, little kittens.  I have nothing against animals, or a person's deep bond with them; I only mention it because as I was browsing through some vintage issues of Better Living, I found a cat that changed my thinking and my life. 

Better Living - October 1951

The Cat's Whiskers Bag on the cover of the October 1951 issue of Better Living seemed like an ideal wacky tacky project.  It became even wackier seeing as it is February 21 and the purse is described as an "Amusing Handbag for Fall."  Leave it to me to disobey the better thinking of the editors at Better Living.  Anyhow, despite my hyper-histamine reaction to all things feline, I set out to make the cat's whiskers bag.  Below are the materials list and the instructions from the magazine should you choose to make a Cat's Whiskers Bag of your own.

Materials:

* 1/4 yd. of felt

* A bit of contrasting felt (I used vinyl)

* 2 Buttons for eyes

* 5 Pipe cleaners

* Zipper

* Embroidery floss

The instructions for this "Better Living original."

In true wacky tacky fashion, I abandoned the instructions rather early on.  The finished bag is supposed to measure 7.25" in diameter.  That seemed rather petite to me, so I just used a dinner plate for the circle template and kind of free-handed everything else.  The instructions indicate felt as the material to use, when it is clear from the photograph that the cover girl's purse is made from the same corduroy as her smart hat and coat.  Clearly, the actual purse is only inspired by the cover photo.  In turn, the wacky tacky version is also not an exact replica.  Because I increased the scale of the bag, I had to size-up the eyes and ears as well.  The bag went together very easily but it should be noted that I was rather careless and didn't employ expert techniques (read - hello, hot glue).

I used gray craft felt because it was on sale and it seemed to me that
a cat face bag wouldn't get a lot of use.  I really just intended the bag
 for blog purposes only.  When I showed it to Mary, however, she (also
not a cat lover) squealed and said that it was cool.  I explained that it
 would probably last through only one or two uses.  I am not sure of the
 lifespan of craft felt and pipe cleaners.

Resources from the back of Better Living.
I looked up Bates Fabrics and the only mention I could find
was in a blog post from What I Found.

The finished Cat's Whiskers Bag.
Aside from the felt and pipe cleaners, I used only what was in the
stash including the zipper, iridescent, aqua vinyl, and vintage,
faceted lucite buttons.  MEOW!!!

I am still deathly allergic to cats, but I will "let the cat out of the bag" and admit that there may be a little room for a cat-lover in all of us.


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny