Sew What?! Barkcloth Betty

Even though it looks nothing like the iconic, blue halter dress that she wore every single day of her entire adult life, I was inspired by the essence of Betty Rubble when I found two-and-a-half yards of vintage, So-Fro Originals barkcloth at the thrift store.  So-Fro Originals was a mid-century fabric manufacturer that often employed well-known designers/artists, including Peter Max, to create over-the-top prints. 

My fabric featured a chocolate-brown field with
myriad geometric shapes in brilliant neon colors.

This primitive, So-Fro print had me envisioning something that Betty would have packed when she and Wilma finally ditched the boys for a well-deserved, girls-only, seaside vacation.

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With Betty in mind, I created a gathered tube top with detached puff sleeves and a matching skirt.  Because yardage was in short supply, I ditched the idea of intricate patterns and made everything out of a series of rectangles - easy!  Mary decided to pack the ensemble for our trip to Japan and busted it out for our exploration of Yoyogi Park and the Harajuku district of Tokyo.

Because these areas of Tokyo are well-known for the extreme fashions displayed by participants in Tokyo's many subcultures, Mary elected to turn things up a notch when styling the outfit.  She teased her hair within an inch of its life, adding an aqua scarf and two armfuls of colorful bangles; more than Betty Rubble, I think she was channeling Jill Scott from The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (definitely recommended if you've never seen it).

Our friend, Kazumi, helped us check off a major item
on our Harajuku to-do list - "Purikura" or Print Club!

Print Club takes old-timey photo booths to a "whole 'nother level!"
A series of digital photos are taken, giving the subjects the
appearance of a flawless complexion and giant, anime eyes.
I'm pretty positive it shaves a couple pounds/kilos off too. 

We were so taken by the fun of Purikura that we went back the next day to take even more photos.  The fun doesn't end with a vaseline lens, magic-mirror airbrushing, and bugged-out eyes; users are offered a stylus and screen to add captions, stamps, make-up/eyelashes, frames, backgrounds, hats, glasses, and any number of things to distract from the hateful realities of one's actual appearance.

I call this one "Angry Angel Babies."

And this one, "Only Mother Could Be Loving" - translated directly from Japanese.

Sadly, neither of our trips to Harajuku resulted in hoards of fabulously-dressed, Japanese-wannabe-Gwen-Stefani-wannabes.  Believe it or not, we were the most oddly-dressed folks swimming decidedly against the current in a sea of modestly-dressed tourists looking for photo-ops of Harajuku Girls, Lolitas, and members of the Japanese Rockabilly Club.  I think all of the cool kids realized what a tourist trap this area was becoming and moved on to pastures greener.  Left stranded wearing neon barkcloth, teased hair, and hand-painted monster sweatshirts, we coined a new term for our wacky tacky Japanese looks - "Hara-cuckoo!!!"

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Happy 2nd Blog-O-Versary!!

As someone who writes quite frequently, I firmly believe that a notebook on the nightstand is imperative for capturing genius should the muse happen to come calling in the middle of the night.  In all sincerity, it is quite common that I wake up in the wee hours to scribble down the brilliant thoughts whose powers are strong enough to wrestle me from deepest slumber.  Why then, when I am fully awake do these ideas, that to a sleep-addled brain seem like all the wisdom of the ages combined, read like utter and unqualified nonsense?  It has happened before, even when I convince myself that I'll remember every detail of my active subconscious brainstorm, that I force myself to roll over and jot down a few notes only to wake anxious to find something poetic and instead find something woefully pathetic.

Happy Blog-O-Versary Darlin'!
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Today we celebrate two full years of bringing you our best in wacky tacky.  I didn't really have a clear direction when I began to compose this post last night so I decided the best thing to do was sleep on it.   I went to bed confident that in the morning the refreshment of a good night's sleep would break my writer's block.  A night of sleep, however fitful, did not disappoint in the brilliant ideas department and I was glad to know that if I didn't have a solid eight hours, I at least had a notebook full of inspiration.

Imagine my disappointment when I got up this morning to see two barely legible words scratched onto the page - "floaty pens."  FLOATY PENS?!?!?!  It all came rushing back to me; I had a semi-wakeful dream about those souvenir pens that have moving sailboats, animals, rockets, baseball players, race cars, and in the case of a secret one my grandpa hid in a drawer, a disappearing bikini.

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Instead of focusing solely on the never-ending charms of floaty pens, I thought I'd take a look at traditional anniversary gifts for a second anniversary.  According to several websites, a second anniversary warrants gifts of cotton.  Since, for all practical purposes, I am married to my blog, it only seemed fair that I pick out a few gifts that I'd like to receive for wacky tacky's two-year Blog-O-Versary!

This chenille, Hopalong Cassidy bedspread
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This vintage yardage for sale on Etsy
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More vintage yardage for sale on Etsy
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This hot dog & hamburger tablecloth from The Vintage Table.
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This old cotton candy sign...that counts right?
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The Yodeling Blonde Bombshell, Carolina Cotton
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"I Love to Yodel" - Carolina Cotton

...as long as we're on the subject...

Well, that's about it.  I just thought that I should acknowledge two years of blogging and express my appreciation that you've "cottoned on" to the world of wacky tacky; thank you for your support.  We are closing in on 200 followers and when we do, we'll have yet another big giveaway.  Until then, I remain respectfully yours.

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny