Every so often I run across an Image that I really, really Connect to... and the above Image had such an Impact for me... such a strong Connection that I decided it would Inspire Today's Post. Not only because the Image is absolute Perfection in every way for me... but because the Subject Matter also is... Vintage Millinery. {Insert an Enormous Swoon as I Gaze upon it all!} The pieces in this particular Vignette are absolutely Exquisite... I want them ALL! *Winks*
I have a particular Weakness for it and can NEVER pass a piece up when I am fortunate enough to run across it. There are items I've purchased just because OF the Vintage Millinery on them. For Creative Purposes Vintage Millinery just holds so many Possibilities! Vintage Millinery is the one thing that I could probably never wince on spending too much for if I really want it... because I always feel it is well worth it.
And yet, I don't own nearly enough of it... in fact, my Collection of Vintage Millinery is sparce and even my Modern Millinery made to deliberately look Vintage is paltry. It is just very hard to come by and I can't ever remember seeing a stash of it that I could procure even if I desperately wanted to!
Luckily I have very Talented Artist Friends who Create Fab Florals with Vintage Fabrics...
And I have been able to find Modern Fabric Florals for Sale that I Adore and have purchased.
But typically my Vintage Millinery has already come attached to a Creation. And I'm always left Wondering, "Where does everyone else 'Score' this stuff?!?" Where IS the Source for all these Fabulous Vintage Millinery items I just never seem to run across?!?
How come, as far and wide as I go Junquing, do I never seem to hit the Vintage Millinery Motherlode?! *Le Sigh*
I actually have Fantasies of running across a Box Lot of Vintage Millinery to buy and then spend time in complete ecstasy digging through when I get Home with it! *LOL*
And yet, it eludes me... this has NEVER happened... it has never even come close to happening! And why should it be a Fantasy? Why can't it be a Reality?
Surely there must be some Secret Stashes of Vintage Millinery somewhere waiting to be Discovered?! Or have the rest of you Found and Hoarded it ALL?!? *Winks* Well... have you!!!!!???!???! No... not you Goosy. *Smiles*
I mean Seriously... Vintage Millinery is conspicuous by it's absence around these parts! And this is how bad it is... when I ran across this Bouquet of Modern Millinery by Rachel Ashwell's Simply Shabby Chic Line and the coveted Cloche that should house it was missing... I didn't even mind!!!
And you all know how much of a Serious Cloche Lover I am, so that should be absolutely shocking shouldn't it? *Smiles*
I mean, I wasn't even like, "Oh crap, the Cloche is missing!" Nope, I was just so Jazzed to have the Millinery Bouquet that I didn't even give the missing Cloche a second thought! Or the Purchase of it, I snatched it off the shelf so fast you would have thought I'd taken lessons from Jackie Chan! It was a blur going into my Cart! *LOL*
After all... I could always find Cloches... they are relatively easy to come by... but Vintage Millinery, not so much.
And, it probably helped that I already had two of the complete Simply Shabby Chic Cloche encased Bouquets from when they first came out at 'Target'. *Smiles* Oh, yeah, one was simply not enough and they were on Sale at the time... and so the Clochless Triplet Discovered in a Thrift Store for less than five bucks was a Bonus 'Score'. *LOL*
And I suppose I could buy some Vintage Hats that I don't exactly Love the look of and would never wear and yank all the Millinery off of them... but that somehow seems so wrong that I don't.
And I've had to be content to find the rare occassional loose Millinery pieces that are too far and inbetween to really build the Collection I'd Dream of having.
At this rate I'll be quite Old and decrepid before I build up that Fantasy Stash! *Le Sigh* Okay, so I'm being overly Dramatic. *LOL*
But I still keep Hoping that it's out there somewhere... Fantasy sized Stashes of it... just waiting for me to Discover!
And in the meantime I Admire & Lust after all of the Wonderful Creations the rest of you are able to Create with your enormous Stashes of Vintage Millinery because you've already found YOUR Fantasy Stash of 'em. *Winks* Angie, I KNOW you're Holding Out Girlfriend and obviously have a Hoarded Stash of Enviable proportions! *He he he* BTW: All of these FAB Mad Hatter Antique Top Hat Creations are done by my Talented Friend Angela and can be found at RUST & ROSES in Phoenix. She even Generously Gifted me one for my recent Birthday! So I'll totally Forgive her for having a Vintage Millinery Hoarded Stash. *Winks* But the rest of you... come on... give some of it up for Sale so the Market won't be so lean... P-L-E-A-S-E!? *Smiles... I'm pitiful aren't I?!*
I've even tried the Auction routes to try to procure some enviable pieces of the best Vintage Millinery that's out there in Cyberspace... but Holy Mother of God do those bids go up into the Stratosphere... it seems I'm not the only one crazy about this stuff and so I always get outbid!
And I Confess, Scavenger that I am, that I still prefer a Good Deal... still prefer the Thrill of the Hunt opposed to Auctions. Where I can stumble upon a Found Treasure at an Initial Price and not have it within grasp and then possibly snatched away from me at the last minute or Bid Up like in an Auction setting.
And so the Quest goes on... to Discover the likes of this...
And this...
While Dreaming and Fantasizing about the likes of this! Hey, OBVIOUSLY it happens somewhere!
In fact I see them everywhere here in the Land of Blog and pour over the Sources in Hopes that there might be Clues as to where one can procure some of these Lovelies?! But often when I run across the ones I particularly like the Post is an older Archived one and the opportunities have passed or Source Links and promising Leads are no longer current. *Le Sigh*
But it gives me Hope that yes, there are still Vintage Millinery out there to be Found and I could still find some I want to grow my Collection with! And if you want to divulge some current Sources I'd be much obliged... *Winks*
Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian