Red Velvet Trip - Springfield MO

There's this cute little shop in Springfield called "Red Velvet" It's operated by a pair of sisters - Emma and Elsie. Now, Elsie used to be a scrapbooker (and she still does sometimes I think), but her focus a few years ago turned from scrapbooking to indie art and then vintage clothing and accessories. I've read Elsie's blog, pretty much since I started reading blogs - around 4 years now (?). I couldn't resist that I was going to Springfield, I dig antiques, am working on some vintage clothing of my own, and there is this cute little shop.

I'm not sure what they made of me, since I have a tendancy to babble (no. really. wipe that shocked look off your face). I also am what, 9 times older than them? OK, maybe just 7. But the fact of the matter remains, that I've been influenced by Elsie's blog. I get all swiggly over vintagy goodness. I opened my own little etsy shop "I can has kitsch" about a year ago and add cool things as I find them - with some pretty good success.

I don't wear vintage clothes, but I looooove them and pick out entire outfits for other people. LOL. I guarantee you, girls were skinnier back then. The sizing was just different. Anyway, we finally made it to the shop (we'd been shopping all day) and I was surprised that Emma and Elsie were actually there tapping away on their macs. Elsie's fiance Jeremy even came in, which was even weirder. lol. It's was slightly surreal for me, talking to someone that I knew a lot about, but had no idea who I was.

*I've had that happen to me a few times* It's weird. (probably moreso because for the life of me, I can't remember a darn face/name... even ppl that I've lived in the same town with and "known" for 20 years! dude... I'm getting old, cut me some slack!)

They nicely let me take pics of anything I wanted and well, that makes them pretty cool in my book. Sadly I didn't get any pictures of the cupcake shop that's there too! I was "having a moment" sorry.

I probably could have taken about 900 more photos, but there was a grumpy old man out in the car ready for dinner. I ended up taking home a paint by number that I'm keeping (I posted it earlier today). It had cows. I was sold.

Before my husband pushed me out the door, the girls let me take their pic in front of their teepee. Pretty cute girls eh? Do you think Gene would let me set up a teepee in our bedroom? We could camp out and read story books and eat crackers in bed.

yeah... I didn't think so either.

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Red Velvet is located at
211 E. Commercial
Springfield Mo. 65803
Shop hours are Tuesday-Saturday 12-7 PM.

If you are here looking for their phone number, they don't have one.

Buy it? Don't buy it? Buy it? Don't buy it?

Every little antique trip is fraught with decisions. Buy or don't buy? Do I love it? do I need it? Can I sell it and make a million dollars?

So, I bring you my latest installment of... Buy it or don't buy it!?

1. Cute little well done paint by number. It had cows. I have little impulse control. Bought it.
2. Little blue Marilyn Monroe dress. Will look good in our new vintage clothing online shop (did I tell you that?). Bought it.
3. Bust of David. My husband has been trolling for a bust for MONTHS. *no really* He keeps coming up with 30" tall monstrosities, made of marble, imported from europe for a whole lot of money. He keeps forgetting that my dining room is not a historic hotel lobby. This was a good compromise, and a reasonable compromise. Bought it.
4. Old buckle with filligree. Going to add some feathers and a clip for my hair. My new weakness. Bought it.

1. Sign with handmade rooster made out of license plates. Very impressive work, I kinda cringe at the thought of the sound cutting metal makes, would look awesome on the side of my chicken coop. Expensive. I have license plates. Didn't buy it.
2. I have a soft spot for glass bells. Also deer horns. Also birds. It's weird and I love it. I have some horns myself, but no bell. Maybe I should have bought it? Might be regretting this. Didn't buy it.
3. The pin that inspired the buckle above. Wanted it badly but it came with a mink stole. No thanks. Didn't buy it.
4. Be sure! (yes) Be safe! (yes yes) Be thrifty (oh dear god yes!) Feed Nutrena! with a rooster! I want! Oh suck, you're expensive. Didn't buy. *stomp*

5. Lil' turquoise deer. I lurve me some deer. Turquoise is the new pink. Hemmed and hawwed. Gene picked it up and took it to the counter. Guess I'm buying it.
6. 1940's white dress that can pass for a wedding dress. Very cute. Will look great in our selection of vintage wedding dresses. (more on this soon I promise). Bought it!
7. Enamel brooches. Everywhere I turn, I get all woozy. bought it.. again and again and again.
8. Lucite clutch purse. Steal of a deal. Will look great in my vintage shop. Bought it.
(Dear Amber, please come be my model soon. Love you!)

5. Some old carnival game dolls. Too creepy and in the *ACCCCKKKK* category. Didn't even consider it. Just wanted a picture to scare you. didn't buy it (thank god, because now I can sleep, those things would have eaten my face off in the middle of the night!)
6*. Royal Yoruba Headdress. With an astrisk, because *I almost bought it* Yep. Really. I sometimes find things and can see the history or the quality of work. Not because I want it for myself (well sometimes) but because it's so unusual, it must be worth something. Apparently these are worn by the Yoruba tribe shamen and kings. Apparently there must be a lot of those because after some research, I found some for as little as $75 online. Whew. Glad I didn't gamble. It was $285. Didn't buy it.
7*. Underwater helmet. Again, with an asterisk. This was a Gene thing, and he was interested in an investment. Again, found out they don't sell for much. Thank god because that thing was huge. Guess who'd be mailing it off? yeah her. Didn't buy it! (yes!!)
8. Bread sign. "let's be friends" (in a creepy non-single white female kinda way). I promise not to eat your face off. bwhahah. Didn't buy it. Didn't even consider it. Is it weird that I still think it's kinda cute?

9. The peace de resistance.... a chandelier made of spoons and tea cups. Oh how I want you pretty little chandeliermadeofspoonsandteacups. *sigh* Did anyone catch the price? Yeah, kinda the reason why I didn't buy it. Gene kinda looked at it with the "wtf" kinda face. I looked at it like this. The checkbook won, but mainly because I'm so darn cheap.. and I can find spoons 10 for a dollar every day. I want one to hang over my kitchen sink.

But daddy I want it NOW!

All in the details

I love details shots. Details - the small little things that happen during a wedding (or any day) that if you didn't have a photo of it, you'd forget forever. Whomever thought of capturing those moments, was a smart bird.

Yesterday, I had the urge to steal gene's ring for a while, and get some "detail" shots of our rings. I have a couple already, but I wanted to practice. The one above is my FAVORITE. I lurve it. The little dish it's sitting on, is a bowl that I keep in my scrapbook room to hold little bits of things. I just grabbed one, and yay it had hearts on it.

Here are a few others that I played with.

Other than that, Sunday was a super lazy day. No really. I did not take off my jammies all day. I decided around 11:30 I was going nowhere, and they are comfy so they stayed on.

Saturday on the other hand was suppa busy.

We started out the day by going to the post office. I made Gene go on that lovely trip AGAIN WITH THE COFFIN SIZED BOX.

You know what? They didn't even measure it again like they did last time that put me over the $75 mark. *sigh*. Didn't matter either way, because at that point I'd already made the box like 5 inches shorter.

Did I mention *NEVER AGAIN*

I told Gene I'd rather have given Cadience $25 in her savings account. Soooo... we're opening up accounts for them and doing less on actual gifts to open, and more into savings they can have someday when they go to college. *I'm not flexible on this*

After that, we went on to have breakfast over at Hy-Vee. Why do I put myself through that every weekend?

We left town fairly early, with the goal of hitting Weston, Missouri for more... you guessed it... antique shopping! lol

I don't know what Gene's obsession is with antiquing lately, but it's ok, we're having a lot of fun together doing it. He rarely buys anything. He really wants to get into jewelry hunting. You know, finding a really great deal on a tennis bracelet because aunt mable's great-great-Niece thinks it's just a bunch of glass.

I personally I kinda like that idea too.

Instead, I found these guys. On sale half price.

I like them, and they go with my silver tea set, and my old school Christmas decorations. I'll probably leave them out for a while, just cuz all the decorations are put away. Oh, except for that tub I forgot in the living room and the wrapping paper... which I forgot too. Ooops.

BTW, back on topic, instead of driving down 29 like I would normally do, Gene knows the back ways now around since he works St. Joseph. I would suggest that if you want to go to Weston, take 229 around St. Joseph, then take 59 south. It goes straight into Weston. First off, I never knew (and I've lived here over 20 years) that if you're going down 29, you're driving through some bluffs. *seriously*

59 runs right along the bluffs with the MO river on the west side. Flat as a pancake and bluffs that look like small mountains on the east. I imagine it's awesome beautiful in the fall.

I'm mad that I didn't make Gene stop so I could take a pic of the pink barn that said "antiques" on the front *pout*

You'll come into Weston the back way, and there's other parts of town, that I've never seen before.

We made it to Gardner around 4:30 to meet this little girl:

Miss Sarah. She's a cute patootie. I wanted to keep her but Laura AND Gene both said no.

They suck.

We could not stay too late as we had 2 hour drive home. So off we went, being followed by this guy:

January 10, 2009 - the fullest moon of all 2009. 14% larger and 30% brighter. All due to the orbit of the moon around earth. Johannes Kepler explained the phenomenon 400 years ago. The Moon's orbit around Earth is not a circle; it is an ellipse, with one side 50,000 km closer to Earth than the other. Astronomers call the point of closest approach "perigee," and that is where the Moon was this weekend.

Of course, I didn't know all those fancy tidbits. All I knew was the thing was about blinding me in my right eye all the way home and why the heck was it so bright and fat!?

I kinda forgot about it because, as usual, the weather is worse here than it is down in KC and the big fat moon hid behind a cloud. I sat down and checked my flickr account and saw some pics from Tina about the moon. I decided that I probably should go take a pic - just to say I had.

Today I have my regular Monday cleaning to do. Dishes, vacuum, I think I'll dust some today and stay on top of that, pay some bills and laundry. I'm pining for my clothesline. Right now it's covered with a dusting of snow.

Sadness.

I'm itching for spring.

Also today, I am going to try to find some time to get my nails done, and then also I have a meeting with another bride today. Exciting! Talking about weddings NEVER gets old with me!