Retro to me, new to the kidlet...They Might Be Giants

They Might Be Giants....but for my kid? You bet your bloomers!
My son (age 6) has a new obsession, and who would have thunk it!? It's They Might Be Giant's two DVDs "Here Come the ABCs" and "Here Come the 123s", a collection of witty, quirky, and (don't tell) a little bit educational video tidbits. We got hooked on it when Disney and Noggin started playing the video for "Zeroes" in between shows. I know neither of these discs is particularly new, but they're worth seeking out...and those of you without kids may not have seen this new venture, so here you go.
If I stop to think about it, it really does make sense, since TMBG was doing quirky, thought inducing music even back in the 90s when I was listening to them in college. It relays nicely to the kid scene, and gives Mom something fun to listen to with the wee one. I've posted three of their video tidbits above, so enjoy them with someone you think is nifty.

Spring Thoughts

Spring has sprung here at the Hatfeathers studios...more like sprung a leak! This has been one of the wettest springs in recent memory, but, in between sprinkles there has been some planting going on. Being a Midwesterner, we have to choose wisely when planting. Our garden friends have to be tough enough for 100+ degree heat and dips down to below zero, rain in buckets and months without. We manage, though, and if you can, so should you.

In a recent newsletter from the National Gardening Association, I read this interesting tidbit:

"Researchers at the University of Virginia found that air pollution from power plants and automobiles is destroying flower fragrance and making it harder for bees to find flowers when foraging. The result is that bees visit fewer flowers and gather less nectar. Researchers found that scent molecules could travel up to 1200 meters in the 1800s. However, with pollution, today’s scent molecules travel only 200 meters. When the scent molecules bind with common pollutants, such as ozone, hydroxyl, and nitrate radicals, the flower’s aroma gets destroyed. The bees can’t find the flowers so they go hungry and the flowers don’t get pollinated. "

So what's a vintie gal to do? Why, plant some flowers! Easy grow "old school" flowers like daisies, coneflowers, bees balm (monarda), any type of mint, coreopsis and black eyed susan will give the bees and butterflies something to enjoy. You'll love it, too! The rewards of gardening are many; there is the physical aspect of getting out and moving, plus the beauty of the flowers in your yard. Also, a good sized flower bed cuts down on mowing time, reducing the polutants and cutting down on gas use!

Don't have a yard? How about looking for a local garden club that does public garden projects? Perhaps your local retirement or nursing home could use a hand brightening their landscaping. Does your apartment building allow window boxes, or is there a small green space that needs some work? Even a small herb garden can be grown in an old bucket. There's just no reason not to have plants around.

Hooray for flowers!

Item of the Week

Vintage 60's "Big E" Levis Jeans

OK, they aren't the fanciest named-label dress, nor are they really that much different than the Levis jeans we could go to the mall and buy today, but I still love to find a pair of Big E jeans.
The Levis company has been around since the 1800s, originally just to produce sturdy jeans for minors to wear that wouldn't wear out fast. Little did Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss know, but people would be wearing jeans as their main clothing item-from fashionable dress to work attire- well over 150 years later.

One time, while considering the jeans industry in church (appologies to God for my wandering brain) I decided to count how many people were in jeans as compared to anything else, as they walked by at communion. I lost count, and it's not a big church.

So, this item of the week is featured not only as just a neat thing to find, but as a salute to the jean itself. Wardrobe staple and a favorite clothing item for anyone from New York fashionistas to midwestern moms to hard working blue collar folk.

See them this week only at auction on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-60-s-Big-E-Levis-Denim-Jeans-501-Redline-42W_W0QQitemZ360050659896QQihZ023QQcategoryZ52401QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Item of the Week

Sometimes a great print and great design come together for a fun little dress. This one is one of my faves, appealing to my inner artist AND my inner vintie!
It features a strutting peacock in a woodblock style print. The front looks like a fairly standard wiggle dress, but the back has a little added gathering of fabric, so you can shake your tailfeathers, too!
Find this nifty bit in our 50s section at http://www.hatfeathersvintage.com

The Green Girl

Hatfeathers Vintage tries to operate as "green" as we can. While we realize no one person is going to save the world, we like to do our part. Our new blog section "The Green Girl" is our little place to share bits about how we do our best to be nice to the planet.

Our first topic...PLASTIC GROCERY BAGS!

Ok, we're as guilty as the rest. If you don't have a huge collection of these bags hanging on the wall or a doorknob somewhere, then you are amongst the minority. Yeah, they're great when you need to clean out the litter box, but who's cat goes THAT much?

I recently got 4 cloth bags at WalMart (I know, I have issues with them, too, but!) and absolutely love them! I can get a lot of stuff in them, and they hold their shape well. My stuff comes home in better shape than with the 10 or so plastic bags these 4 cloth bags have replaced. That's 10 bags every 4 or 5 days! Better yet, I am slowly regaining the wall to my laundry room; the home to my vast collection of plastic bags.

I've used them for other stuff, too, such as trips to the post office, gym, and our little one likes them for carrying sleep over stuff to Grandma's house.
There are loads of great bags out there for purchase, I've seen a lot on ebay, in stores like WalMart and Target, and through online retailers. Give them a try, help save the world one grocery trip at a time.

Here's a link to the Sierra Club's page on plastic bags http://www.sierraclub.org/bags/

Item of the Week

Martha's "Strike and Spare" Bowling Shirt

This shirt is just one of those fun, novelty-type things that I enjoy finding.
The chocolate brown fabric is loaded with a unique, heavy chain stitched logo, plus the bowler's name at the front, "Martha".
It may not be the height of fashion, but I think it's a real hoot!

Find it and other nifty things at http://www.hatfeathersvintage.com

The Happy Housewife

The Happy Housewife knows your family is on a budget....so why spend a lot on over-processed, packaged foods, when good, simple, and quick will do? This dish goes great with simple meals like burgers from the grill, or fancier meals like roasted chicken. This also travels well, so it's great for pot-luck dinners. Try this one with your family today!


Baked Rice
1 cup regular rice (the cheap by-the-bag stuff, not Minute Rice)
1 regular can chicken broth (or veggie broth)
1 small can of sliced mushrooms and their juice
About ½ Stick butter or margarine, sliced and dropped in by the chunk, use as much or little as you like

Put all the ingredients into a loaf pan or lidded casserole, cover with lid or aluminum foil. Bake at 300-350 for about an hour. Keep the lid on the whole time, don’t peek!
Picky kids? Leave out the shrooms, but add in more water, about 1/3 of the broth can will do the trick.