birthday wishlist

my birthday is coming up in a few weeks on valentines day (awwwwwww *GAG*) and i'm actually dreading it for once. usually i have a ridiculous party (90s theme, the mustache ice cream social, retro rollerskating, etc) but this year i sorta want to forget it's coming. for the first time i feel OLD. it's a bummer.

to cheer myself up about it, i went shopping on etsy (IN MY MIND) and made an imaginary birthday list. if i found a bunch of money in the suitcase sitting on the curb that i made josh get out of the car and pick through yesterday, these are all the things i would buy.


custom dia de los muertos mermaid by illustrated ink


velvet elvis by retro rox


retro 45 record box by zuccnini flour vintage


original 60s nauga monster by nowsola


frankenstein tote bag by the bold banana


halloween penelope print by fall down tree


whale pendant necklace by squirrelbunny


vintage skunk halloween decoration by pumpkintruck


buddy holly print by brilliant


retro-style apron by lover dovers clothing


fishbone necklace by dannie glam


voodoo doll magnet by dreadful designs


john wayne gacy painting by hoebilly

seriously?

please tell me if i'm in the wrong here.

a few days ago, a lady took it upon herself to police an etsy thread i posted in. she then had the nerve to write me a nasty message about how the link to my blog that i posted was "very offensive" and that i was violating the terms of the "family-friendly" thread i was posting in. she pointed out that some people on etsy have young children and she had three children in the room with her when she clicked on this very offensive link. at first i was completely puzzled until i realized she was talking about nobunny.

um, seriously?

1) i would think that she should be doing a better job parenting with three children in the room and not sitting on the internet on a message board, but that's just me.
2) people are "VERY OFFENDED" at underwear? a picture of a man in a bunny mask and a pair of tighty whities offends your sensibilities so much that you feel the need to message a complete stranger and wag your finger in their face?

am i that extreme? have i been to so many punk rock shows in my lifetime that nothing shocks me anymore (least of all A BUNNY MAN IN SOME UNDERWEAR)??? i was left wondering if this woman sent angry letters to victoria's secret every time a commercial with busty, sultry models came on the tv and three children happened to be in the room. for goodness sakes.

have i been totally oblivious to my readers feelings for the past year by offending you with my indecent content? the thought never even occurred to me. if so, i'm sorry to you (the followers)...but not to that old hag. WHOOPS! that was mean. oh well.

i wanted to write her a message about getting her panties in a bunch, but i didn't want to hit a sore spot. ZING!

i like cool stuff and junk (a.k.a. INSIDE HOTEL HOT TRASH PART 1!)

recently i've been inspired by the cool blogs and ABSOLUTELY AMAZING homes of some friends.

first is my friend valery, who runs the blog gonked, glooked and slurped with her boyfriend. they have an amazing collection of vintage and collectibles, and valery's house is one of the most fantastic things i've ever laid eyes on! i can only dream of having such an incredible place some day. i drool over things like her vintage nauga monsters, and the recent entry featuring dozens of framed concert posters and band photos just blew me away. and those awesome fishbowls?!? visit that blog and tell me you aren't green with envy, but in a delightfully giddy way.

then there is my friend ben, who started the blog hoarder of awesome to showcase some of his neat-o thrift store finds and incredible treasures that people kicked to the curb -- literally! when i saw the big-eyed cat figures that his mom found for him at an estate sale, i almost peed my pants. I WANT! ben's blog just started and i can't wait to see more of his great stuff.

FUN FACT: ben is also the artist who painted this little badassthat you may remember me posting about when i first got him in the mail. recently i found a cute vintage frame from the thrift store to put him in, so now he looks even better hanging on my wall. thanks again, ben!!



i toyed with the idea of starting a whole new blog to feature some of the great junk i've accumulated over the years. but then i was afraid of getting in over my head, what with two etsy shops and this blog and all the radio show stuff i maintain on the internet. i settled for a happy medium, and decided to start a new blog feature that i can bust out whenever i'm feeling inspired.

so that brings me to my first installment...

because of the number of bands i put up at my place, friends in town began referring to my house as "hotel hot trash." when people stay over they usually have fun looking at all the junk i collect (books, records, tiki, big-eyed art, kitschy toys, vintage 45 cases, and so on). i've heard this place called "the rock'n'roll hall of shame" (eric from the jetty boys) and "erin's very cool rock'n'roll house" (paul collins) among other things. hey, i'll take it. so i'll be doing little installments where you get a look inside hotel hot trash and i'll show you some of the vintage/retro/rock'n'roll/downright ridiculous things contained within these walls. come on in!!!



i'll start off my first entry with one of the neatest things inside hotel hot trash: the six million dollar man pinball machine.





i didn't find this score in a thrift store, although that would make for a better story. we had it at my house when i was growing up, and i finally talked my dad into letting me put it in my house once i moved out. it still works and is in pretty good condition, although the numbers on the board sometimes change and it could use a little tune-up.



as soon as anyone turns on the switch, pogo will come running from anywhere in the house so that she can play, too. she will run all over the glass and chase the ball, and no matter how long she has been playing this game (a year and a half) she will never realize that she is NOT going to get it. it tires her out.



this is a fun thing to have when there's a party at hotel hot trash or we have people over. although i have to admit, it's still no captain fantastic. we had that gem when i was little before we traded it in for the 6 million dollar man.



look for more goodies next time inside hotel hot trash!!

this just in

1) jay reatard died yesterday. bummer. not a fan of his solo stuff but dug all his earlier bands. he was only 29.















2) JESCO WHITE "THE DANCING OUTLAW" WILL BE IN CLEVELAND AT NOW THAT'S CLASS ON FRIDAY, MARCH 5TH!!!

things i'm all about at the moment

here's some things i'm diggin on right now:

demented are go!



elvis movies



vegetarian chilli on spaghetti with lots of cheese



scottish fold kittens





being a homebody



this song



being soo in love, and the way he is so sweet to me




hope you are having a good day. i'm gonna go work on day # 9 of being sick.

as promised: me and my elvises

here's my small collection of pictures with elvis. i think it's a funny thing to collect. i need more!

birthday tribute vegas-years elvis:


(i had that look on my face cuz he was singing in my ear and it TICKLED)

birthday tribute 50s-era elvis:



car show "why don't you come on over here and sit on my knee?" elvis:



surprise guest at the elvis-themed graduation party for me and my cousin elvis:



as you can imagine, there's so many more to collect!

and here is some other elvis collecting i've been doing...

my elvis-themed tattoo. can you spot all three references?



with the sweet sensations, elvis' backup singers in the 70s:



with dj fontana, the first drummer of rock'n'roll! you can see him playing drums in the band of several elvis movies, and he appeared on many albums.



in the lobby of my elvis-themed hotel in memphis:



leaving elvis a message on the "wall of love" outside graceland:



outside sun studios in memphis:



outside graceland!:



how could i resist taking a picture with this cheesy portrait? it looks like the cover of a harlequin romance novel:



yep:



if only!:



with one of my velvet elvis paintings (i also have a huge one):



at some novelty golf course near memphis:



at his grave:



the closest i'll ever get!:



how many lamps does one person need? MORE, that's how many:



with bernard lansky, elvis' personal tailor. you can (and should!) meet him if you go to memphis and visit the peabody hotel:



el vez, the mexican elvis (who i unfortunately did NOT get a photo with, but i did get to see one of his fabulous shows):

i know i'm a day late, but...

...happy birthday, elvis!



i've been sick for the past week, so i haven't done much of anything, let alone blog about my rock'n'roll fetish.

regardless, yesterday (january 8) would have been elvis presley's 75th birthday. damn! let me just state for the record that i love that man for so many reasons: his music, his style, his rags to riches fairytale story, the impact he had on rock'n'roll history.

wait...what? oh, i missed something? allow me to start again: his music, his style, his rags to riches fairytale story, the impact he had on rock'n'roll history, the fact that he was one of the hottest men on the planet...i could go on and on :)

normally i don't like guys that can be described as "hot" or "sexy" or anything like that. i tend to favor the "cute" and "boyish" look, and always have. but that's one rule i have to bend for ol' elvis because i find him to be ALL those things, INCLUDING cute and boyish. there's just something about him that makes you look at him and get ants in the pants, yet still want to cuddle him and tuck him into bed at night and take care of him! i better stop now before my real life elvis finds this blog entry and starts gettin jealous.

i'll leave you with a few video clips and photos of elvis bein fiiiiiine. oh, happy day!











not only is this song pretty sexy, but it's also a clip from the '68 comeback special when he wears that nice black leather suit ; )


one of the sexiest songs ever!


this version of the song will always crack me up




next time i'll post pictures of me with my many elvises. i decided to start a collection of photos taken with elvis impersonators because i thought it would be funny. so far i only have a handful but i'm always looking to bulk up my collection ; )

new for you

hello, 2010! i'm ready for this year to be the best yet. it started off on a good note...a weekend filled with friends (both local AND out of town) and lots of quality time with my favorite boy. i have nothing but love for this fresh start!

and what better way to start off a new year than by introducing a new project available in FRENZY?!

it started with i saw this adorable plastic fishbone in a bag of buttons. all the sudden, i am in love with these cute little guys. i even made josh tattoo one on me a couple months ago. anyway, i wondered, "what can i do with this so that i can look at it ALL THE TIME?" my solution was to make it into a ring so that i could wear it every day. i fastened him to a pretty aqua-colored button and made it into a ring. LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT!



so that was the beginning of a new recycled jewelry project made from a collection of various buttons. some are vintage, some are not. some are cute little novelty shapes, some are just plain ol' round buttons in pretty colors! there are a few listed in the shop. i think they are pretty cute. there is more on the way! what do you think?