Crazy Crafty: I Si-Si A Souvenir Tote Bag in Your Future

There was a time (a time in which we still might be living) when every American woman visiting Mexico came back with a souvenir photograph of a zebra-painted burro, a tourist jacket, and a straw tote covered in yarn embroidery and palm-leaf appliqué.  Heck, Mary had at least seven of the straw bags in a variety of colors and sizes before she ever even set foot in Mexico.  It isn't that these souvenirs are terribly rare or terribly exotic, quite the opposite; they are rather inexpensive, readily available, and a definite rite of passage - passage across the Mexico-US border in which forgetful tourists begin panic-buying souvenirs for all the folks at home.

Tijuana - 1955
My grandmother (center) with my father beside her.
My uncle is riding the burro.

In sifting through the wacky tacky archives, I found the above photo and one such straw tote bag, purchased at a thrift store.  The body and the handles/hardware were in decent shape but the decorations had certainly experienced much sunnier holidays south of the border.

Looking very much like it had witnessed more than its fair share
of fiestas, this was the sorry state in which we found the bag.

In an effort to make way between the piles of newspapers and stacks of empty tuna fish cans for guests to maneuver through the hoarder's paradise that is wacky tacky headquarters, we are midway through an unprecedented clean-out.  But the options to rid ourselves of this pitiful piece were quite limited - it was either fodder for the local landfill or a one-way ticket back to the thrift store (this would not have been the first time we paid for something at a thrift store only to donate it back again).  The options to overhaul it, however, were limitless!  It was time to break the buying/donating cycle and turn modern medical practice on its ear by taking this literal sad sack north of the border for a fun facelift.

I started by removing the shredded floral clusters and
giving the frayed yarn a well-deserved haircut.

Just happening to have yarn in shades of "close-enough" green and orange,
I grabbed a big needle and began to touch-up the embroidered leaves.

Mid-makeover, I liked the way that the my not-quite-a-color-
match yarn added some variegation and depth to the leaves.

Once the bag and the leaves were stabilized, it was time to complete the makeover; after all, there are serious responsibilities one must consider after deflowering a virgin tote bag.  I suppose I could have tried to resurrect the palm-leaf flowers but they were so trashed, so lifeless, and so...brown; and it just wouldn't be a true "Crazy Crafty" project unless a strong dose of color was injected.

Continuing in my preferred medium of craft store yarn, I made
pom pom flowers in the other two colors I had in the stash.

A minimally invasive facelift with maximum results.

After all the effort of the sad sack makeover, I decided
that a fabric lining would be the perfect finishing touch.

With the tote bag complete, the thought occurred to me that anyone foolish enough to carry a full lamb's-worth of yarn around on a second-hand purse during the summer months might also need some protection from the sun (if not the curious stares of passers-by).

Using the purse as a guide, I embroidered a Put A Lid On It
Sun Hat with the same leaf-and-pom pom-flower motif.

Just like the newly-refurbished tote bag, the hat is also topped by a pom pom. 

As I've mentioned time and again, a matchy-matchy ethos is the backbone of wacky tacky design.  So while the hat may not share a similar provenance to the tote the way a sombrero would, we think that this matching set is perfect for a Puerto Vallarta pool party or a caprice in Cabo San Lucas.

"Pardon me, do you know the way to San Jose?"

With all this talk of south-of-the-border souvenirs, we are in the mood to take a "Tijuana Taxi" for another round of swinging souvenir shopping!!!  So much for our big clean-up and clear-out...

"Tijuana Taxi" - Heb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass (Scopitone)

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Collecting: Vintage Tablecloths

As our wacky tacky signature t-shirt states, "We dig old stuff" - particularly old stuff that is attractive and has a history of use.  It only makes sense then that I have an affinity for vintage tablecloths.  I love the colors, the prints, and even the spots/stains that chronicle the life of each piece.

We are one of those weird families that views a bare table as an abomination - a missed opportunity if ever there was one; our dining room table is perpetually set for a dinner party that has yet to happen.  We grew up entertaining often but rarely sat down to a formal dinner around the dining table.  That tradition carried with me wherever I moved, including my first, tiny, studio apartment (on the second floor of an 1879 farmhouse).

Not too thrilling or too wacky tacky, but proof that
even when you live alone, it's still a party of four.

As the tablescape changes often, it is nice to have a stock of supplies to give the table a quick wacky tacky makeover.  The quickest way to a brand new table comes from my modest collection of vintage tablecloths.  I am always reticent to post my collections because I lack an expert's knowledge on any subject; I become all kinds of self-conscious knowing that there are people out there with real collections that could easily put mine to shame.  Anxiety aside, here are my tablecloths.

PATRIOTIC

Although they don't subscribe to traditional themes like flags, eagles, and fireworks, the generally-patriotic color scheme of these cloths makes them ideal for use during the Memorial Day, 4th of July, Veteran's Day and pretty much any day in between.

MEXICAN

These border prints probably border on the politically incorrect but I love them.  Living so close to the gateway between our two countries, I'm surprised I haven't found more of these out in the wild.

Orange, brown, and green - a wacky tacky

color combo if ever there was one.

FLORAL

These two are printed on crisp, Irish linen.

Among the floral bouquets, the cloth on the right has a little nest full of robin's eggs.

Can you spot it?

TROPICAL/EXOTIC

These cloths get a lot of use during the summer months.  While it is hard to choose a favorite, this blue and orange, tropical tablecloth that I picked at a shop not too far from the Cabazon Dinosaurs, really makes me happy.  I think my next hypothetical business will be textile design and printing based on vintage examples.

The cactus print on the right has definitely seen better days but I really

 love the washed-out overprinting and brushstroke cactus flowers.

If you've been following us for a while, you
might recognize this one (another favorite).

We used it to set a tiki-style table for our
 Pineapple Upside Down Meatloaf. 

HOLIDAY

It seems Christmas cloths are the hardest to find because they are so collectible (read: expensive).  If you don't know by now, I only buy things on the CHEAP, so it seems my options are limited to the occasional swap meet score or hand-me-down.

The floral number might not be a "Christmas" print but the red and 

green (set off by chartreuse) certainly puts me in the holiday mood.

MISCELLANEOUS

Oh sure, the printed cloths are my favorite but I won't shy away from a hand-embroidered or cross-stitched example of tabletop finery.  It seems weird but I like seeing the blue lines of the iron-transfer pattern behind the stitching; it makes me think of the person threading the embroidery floss through her needle and the hours and hours of work she had ahead of her.  Oh, and how I would never have the patience or attention span to accomplish so time-consuming and labor-intensive.

So how do you dress your table?  Do you collect vintage tablecloths, place settings, or dinnerware?  Are you focused on a certain style?  I am not at all persnickety when it comes to focused collecting or caring too much about certain styles, values, etc.  I just buy what is inexpensive because to borrow a phrase from our pals at My Baby Jo, "A table's gotta have options."

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny