Songs of my youth...

When I was a kid, my dad had a few songs in his repertoir. They were always the saddest songs!...Tom Dooley by the Kingston Trio and Green Green Grass of Home by Tom Jones come to mind. I can never listen to those songs without a tear coming to my eye, especially Green Green Grass of Home.

Count down to 2011...how did 2010 pass so fast?!

I remember my parents warning me when I was a kid that time would pass by so much faster as an adult and I always thought that meant when I was 50 or something! But man, how time flies now that I'm in my mid 30s! In honor of the speedy year that has flown by, here are a few snapshots I took to commemorate my sun tanning dog, a foggy summer, a bus terminal meeting its fate in the hands of a demolition crew, SF Segway tour participants wearing the vests I made!, cute pair of patchy dogs on the street, a sunny day at the beach with my dog, my fire dancing friend at a Crucible performance, bundles of indigo yarns before becoming denim, a cool old sign on the road, Roy Ellis, free roaming rabbits, scraper car, yellow lady bug, Fabio & Laila come to visit, icy windows, a few interesting objects I found at thrift stores but did not buy, free stuff on the street, public art and views of the SF Bay. Enjoy!

ethiopians come on now

This song has been running through my head the past few days. I used to have the cassette many years ago and wore it out in the tape player in my little '68 bug I drove in college. Those were the days. Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Questionetc. handmade & Mookey's Mood vintage on ETSY! plus Black Weekend discount!

In an ongoing effort to keep things updated and cohesive, I've changed my etsy shop banner! Questionetc. was the name I chose when I first started my accessory line. When I opened up shop on Etsy, I had thought I would only be selling my handmade items, but over time, my shop has morphed more into the vintage realm...and with the creation of my blog, Mookey's Mood, I felt that it would be a nice way to tie into the vintage in my shop. So, here you go...the Grand Reopening of my updated Etsy shop! Questionetc. handmade AND Mookey's Mood vintage! In honor of this, as well as the official start of the Christmas Shopping Season, I am offering a 10% discount. Simply enter CHEER10 at check-out and your discount will be applied. Happy holidays and happy shopping! See ya at my etsy shop!

www.questionetc.etsy.com

Black Friday Brooklyn Circus style in SF!

A nice little shop in San Francisco, where you can find a nicely curated selection of menswear and accessories. I was first exposed to them through an Otis party (I used to DJ at Otis a while back and got invited to a special friends and family bash hosted by the Maiden Lane Union Square bar). As part of the party, they had a trunk show and BK Circus had some of their wares on display. I was and still am impressed with their attention to detail and handmade craftsmanship. Go check out what you can get at their Black Friday sale! Don't let all the good buys slip away!

http://thebkcircus.com/bkc/

Go to Leanna Lin's Wonderland to take advantage of BLACK WEEKEND sales!!!

As taken from Leanna Lin's Wonderland announcement:
"Shop Small Businesses this weekend!
I'm a proud supporter of the 3/50 Project and excited about 11/27 being declared as Small Business Saturday! This weekend is our 1st annual BLACK WEEKEND SALE! Check out why Yelp put Leanna Lin's Wonderland on the 2010 Yelpiest Gift Guide Ever! (http://www.yelp.com/weekly?editorial_id=w-047hTsCUFaFt0BvObIIg)

20% off select collections, including Leanna Lin Jewelry (excludes hair pins)
30% off select vintage home decor + jewelry

HOURS:
Thursday, 11/25: Closed * HAVE A WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING *
Friday, 11/26: 11am-7pm
Saturday, 11/27: 11am-6pm
Sunday, 11/28: 11am-4pm

A few new Hoot owls in stock too!

El Ponk at Huff-A-Palooza Saturday Nov. 27th!

This skull will be available in the auction!

My friends at El Ponk will be vending at the Huff-A-Palooza this Saturday, November 27th. Shop alternative and Indie for your holiday gifts while supporting a great cause! Bo Huff is a legendary fabricator in the classic car world. He's battling cancer and some kind folks have put this event together to help raise money to assist in his medical bills. Cars, Music, Art, Pinups, Vendors & Show! If you're in the LA area for the weekend, take a drive out to Colton and be sure to visit El Ponk!

www.elponk.blogspot.com
www.elponk.etsy.com
www.elponk.com

Friday NIGHT! After Thanksgiving recovery ~ Chill out with us!

Whether you spend your Black Friday shopping for deals and Christmas gifts, or just recouperating from all those yummy Thanksgiving eats, we'll be happy to have you join us for a night of soulful tunes at Where It's At! Come chill with us at Mad Dog in the Fog, our gracious host bar, enjoy a brew from their newly expanded beer list or a lovely glass of wine. We'll be there from 10pm til closing!

If you happen to be in the neighborhood early, stop by the Lower Haters Gallery just across the street from Mad Dog and take advantage of their sale and smooth tunes all day long! Take a look here for more details on their Friday sale: https://www.listbox.com/post/20101124/9605841C-F790-11DF-8E4C-5F47517AB67C/15843057-770e13aa

21 Grand Record Swap on December 4th!!!

A couple of weeks ago, I stopped in to the 21 Grand Record Swap/Benefit on a Saturday afternoon. Even though I got there kinda late and there were only about 10-12 vendors, I still came home with a pretty heft stack of records and even a DVD all for great prices! To my happy surprise, they are doing another one and this time, I'm renting a table! I'll have lots of 45s, a stack of LPs, maybe a DVD or 2 and possibly even a little digital sampler and another piece of equipment too! I've got a Disk-Go (vintage 45 carrying/storage case) too! Anyway, what matters is that you come down to support your local businesses, i.e. the 21 Grand Gallery, as well as your local music folks who will be participating! Hope to see ya there!!!

Time
Saturday, December 4 · 11:00am - 5:00pm
Location
21 Grand
416 25th St
West Oakland, CA

Below Taken from FB Invite (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150332397815451&set=a.10150332396890451.611231.599655450&pid=16027157&id=599655450#!/event.php?eid=160820803938250):
so many people were pleased with the last swap (and are on this facebook event) that I decided to just update this one to announce part 2 on Dec 4th here!

21 Grand has not been able to have shows, but they need help to pay the rent. We've set up a benefit record swap/record fair with some really out there music collectors to bring you a one-of-a-kind marketplace for rarities, obscurities, and total head scratchers in the vein of ...what you've come to expect from 21 Grand's programming! As well as new releases direct from local labels.

***$2 donation entry fee.***
Saturday Dec 4th!
you can always donate more if you like.
11 am - 5 pm
416 25th St, Oakland

Get in touch if you want to rent a table. george@zumonline.com

confirmed vendors for Dec 4th include:
Ken Sanderson (Prank Records)
Paul Costuros (Soul Night)
Brian Tester
Josh Cheon (Dark Entries)
Bobby Adams (Loachfillet, International Freakout)
Tracy Parker (50s, 60s & 70s Rock & Roll, R&B & Soul)
George Chen (Zum, records and books)
Jim Kaiser
Greg Scharpen
Moe Staiano
Angela Roberts
Alejandro Archuleta (No Bammer Records/Psychic Handbook)
Brandon Walls Olsen
Thomas Drake (records and coffee)
Aaron Harbour (9th Floor Radio)
Steve Santa Maria (records and food!)

Angela says:
We're liquidating our vinyl! And we've got hundreds of titles in our collection. To give you a clue, here's a brief summary ---
Feeling New Romantic? Get ready to feel some emotions! A mixture of 80's synth pop oldie but goodies, like Berlin, Bronski Beat, Howard Jones, Naked Eyes, and Re-Flex.
Fun Soul, disco, and eighties softpop, think Donna Summer and walking in a white suit on the beach!
Here's a taste: Janet Jackson - Control; Shalimar; TK Disco.
A respectable collection of acid house and UK dance from former collector. Wicked tons of drum n bass n oldscore 'ardcore! These tunes are mental! We're ain't taking the piss, mate -- Altern 8 - Infilitrat- america; Ming and FS - Freak; Something J / DJ Maxximus: Mercedes Bentley vs Versace Armani;
various Schematic and Warp Records
Also, all of my old arty-farty comics that are getting me down, including some Ivan Brunetti material, racy hot zines (sexy), the Comics Journal that interviews Jim Woodring, and Sandman! Sandman! Sandman!!!

also a Benefit-within-a-benefit - the Haiti Relief Distro started back in the Spring with donations from Yik Yak Records, Zum, Orthlorng Musork, Kimosciotic, Alternative Tentacles, Death Sentence:Panda!, Terminal, Oh Sees, Deerhoof, and friends

New Trend: Faux Fur Vests???

Okay, so I've got a question...who decided that the "Caveman" look should be brought back into fashion? I spent the day today doing a little shopping in San Francisco. Nordstrom has racks of Faux Fur vests and jackets, ladies are walking around sporting 'em while shopping, I see advertisements encouraging the trend...everywhere I go, I see that this is the next "BIG" thing! Hmmmm...


Take a look at this link for more on the current trend: http://www.glamour.com/fashion/blogs/slaves-to-fashion/2009/10/daily-ebay-find-vintage-faux-f.html

I seem to remember this being done before!




Yeah, it's Sonny & Cher. They may have been trend setters for their time...I never would have guessed their influence would jump 40's years and make a reappearance in 2010! Yowza!

Original vs. Remake...

I'm not a huge believer in 2nd time around when it comes to film. These days, I feel like there's so much going on in the "remake" world...what's old is new again, I suppose. According to DEN OF GEEK! (http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/166239/55_movie_remakes_currently_in_the_works.html), at the end of 2008, there were 55 movie remakes in the works, this included The Karate Kid, The Taking of Pelham 123, Clash of the Titans and The Last House on the Left to name a few. Many of the films on the list I've seen either the first time around or rented the original. When I see commercials for the remake, I have to roll my eyes. Advancements in Hollywood movie making only make things more glossy and distracting. In the 1960s, 70s and 80s, because of the lack of computer technology, filmmakers had to rely on hands-on creativity and the raw ingenuity of it's craftsmen.

Have you ever seen The Last House on the Left (1972)? Even though it's gritty, it is suspenseful, scary and disturbing! And even though this film was based on a 13th century Swedish ballad "Töres dotter i Wänge" and "The Virgin Spring" Ingmar Bergman film from 1960, the '72 Last House was definitely an original.

Other films that come to my mind are The Wicker Man (1973)

and The Fog (1980)

Both films will keep you on the edge of your seat. The Wicker Man is definitely quite disturbing!

Well, don't take my word for it, bring one of the originals home for a movie night and you'll see what I mean!

Baby Booties by Tessy's Treasures & Hoot Owls by Questionetc @ Who's Your Betty!

I know, I know...more owls! But hey, I've gotta keep promoting myself...make sure all of you know that should the need arise, you have a local boutique to run to when a Hoot owl calls your name! 9 new ones were delivered last Sunday and now along with the Hoots!, you can also find a nice selection of my felt vintage inspired accessories at the same little boutique! Who's Your Betty (www.stitchesforbitches.com)is located on College Ave. in the Rockridge neighborhood in Oakland. She is also carrying the most adorable little baby booties handmade and one of a kind by my mother. Tessy's Treasures (www.tessytreasures.etsy.com) offers many super cute handmade items, as well as a large number of vintage items for sale through her etsy shop! Stop by and say hi!!! Get your Holiday shopping done early!!!

Who's Your Betty?
5517 College Avenue
Oakland, CA 510.597.9897
1/2 block south of Rockridge BART

Store Hours:
Monday ~ Friday 12 ~ 7
Saturday 10 ~ 6
Sunday 12 ~ 5

"Our little boutique offers something for everbetty! We specialize in local handcrafed items and also support artists from around the world. Along with the SFB line and all "Betty" related tems we also offer, Pottery, Jewlery,
Baby Items, Metal Art, One~of~a~kind items and so much more.
"SFB" SUPPORTS ALL ARTISTS AND THE VERY FEW WHO ARE D.I.Y."

Emeryville Marina Beach Saturday Adventure with Shuka!