Manatee fundraiser Day 21

Here’s where we stand (float?) today on the fundraiser for the protection of manatees in Belize.

Two days ago I took encouragement from the number we had reached and up the goal to $700 for the month. I couldn’t do this without the generosity I have been shown.

Then yesterday, there was this post on the Protect Our Manatees Belize Facebook page:

Our Belize Manatee Project team was just starting to think it possible that they would finish the week without a dead manatee reporting but sadly, a deceased female calf was found late this evening. The team has not been able to get through a full week without the report of a dead manatee since the start of 2015.

Manatee mortality is still very high in Belize and the need for continued conservation efforts is more pressing now than ever.

Manatees are endangered because of human activity, and it is our responsibility to work to protect these gentle creatures. If your pocketbook is empty, would you help me spread the word? And if it’s not empty, even $5 will help. Thank you so much!!

Upping the goal for manatees in Belize!

OK. It's like this: With 11 days to go in my fundraiser I have upped the goal to $700. Does that sound like a lot? Well, did you know that an orphaned baby manatee must drink a bottle of milk every two hours? And that in Belize the milk they must be fed costs $14-17 US dollars per bottle? You can see how even the wee-est manatee costs quite a bit of money to help, not to mention expertise, equipment, heart and soul. 

Even $3 makes a difference. Let's do this for the manatees! (And many thanks to those who have already chipped in!)

Manatee calf rescued in Belize, photo by Shelley Bowen Stonesifer

Manatee fundraiser Day 14

Love the cause you are supporting!

And I love hearing that from customers! Because of your purchases, and the support of individual donors, my Protect Our Manatees Belize fundraiser is up to a total of $509 today. If we can top the goal of $600, believe me, it will be well used in protecting, rescuing, rehabilitating and advocating for manatees in Belize. 

By the way, Happy Valentine’s Day! 

xox, denisebrain

Image courtesy of Peppermint Narwhal Creative

My funny Valentines, part 2

This may be OLD HAT but won’t you a-DRESS this with me?

Last year I had so much fun putting together vintage Valentines with vintage clothing I’ve photographed...so I did it some more! Here are my funny Valentines:

Manatee fundraiser Day 7

One week of February has gone by and I’m pleased to say that we have raised $174 for the rescue of manatees in Belize.

Belize is a stunningly beautiful, ecologically diverse country. Tourism dollars are very important to the economy, but the dredging for marinas, ripping out of mangrove swamps and increased boat traffic have put endangered manatees at more risk than ever before.

With injuries and loss of habitat the very rare manatees of Belize are in need of protection, rescue, rehabilitation and advocacy. Sea to Shore Alliance is one organization working on all those fronts. When I read that there is a project (called Protect Our Manatees Belize) to raise funds for a boat, truck and trailer in order to get help to manatees quickly (they have relied on borrowed equipment) I felt I had to see what I could do to assist.

I have every faith in the good of this group. If you haven’t already heard of Belizean Jamal Galves, please read the article Meet the Man Saving Belize’s Manatees, One Baby At a Time. Mr. Galves’s gofundme page can accept direct donations for the cause. The financial goal is ambitious, but so is the ambition to protect manatees. Ambitious and absolutely necessary.

Another way for you to help the cause is to make any purchase from my denisebrain web store or Etsy shop. 25% of your purchase will go to the cause during the month of February. I would also be glad to direct funding to Protect Our Manatees Belize through Sea to Shore Alliance if you would like to make a contribution through my YouCaring page. I will donate 100% of any donations offered to me on that page.

Manatees Forever!

Fundraising for manatees in Belize

The manatee hugger is back! ...Actually she never goes away. You knew that, right?

This time I am announcing a month-long campaign to try to help raise money for the rescue and protection of manatees along the coast of Belize. Two years ago, when I raised money for a manatee tracking unit for Belize, I first became aware of a manatee expert who is truly a great force for the endangered species. His name is Jamal Galves. Searching for manatees in Belize, Jamal’s photo comes up often, often with a rescued orphaned baby manatee in his arms.

Recently Jamal won a prestigious award from Oceana Belize, which named him an Ocean Hero. I dare you to watch this video and not feel the power of this one young man’s dedication. 

I found the page Protect Our Manatees Belize on Facebook and asked what kind of support or help I could offer. Jamal himself got back to me with an urgent fundraiser for manatees through the organization Sea to Shore Alliance. Here is part of the text of the gofundme.com page set up for Protect Our Manatees Belize.

The “Protect Our Manatees Belize” project, coordinated by Jamal Galves, is organizing a fundraiser to help save our manatees. Mr. Galves, the Belize Manatee Program Coordinator for Sea to Shore Alliance (S2S) works in collaboration with the Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute (CZMAI) to protect threatened coastal species and their habitat, in particular the West Indian manatee. Belize has the highest known density of Antillean manatees, a subspecies of the West Indian manatee, in the world. Unfortunately, because of rapidly increasing coastal development, human related manatee deaths are rapidly increasing.  Boat kills and habitat destruction are currently the major threats to the survival of manatees in Belize. Research conducted by S2S have been used by the Belize government to establish sanctuaries, speed zones and other actions that help ensure the survival of manatees in this remarkable country.

With the increase in report of manatee strandings (from 11 in 2009 to 30 in 2013) and the lack of the necessary resources our response to these stranding has been limited.  To try and address these glitches we are organizing a fundraiser with hopes to raise enough funds to purchase a truck and a small boat that will aid us greatly in our response to the growing numbers of reports. Securing these vehicles for the Protect Our Manatees Belize program will alleviate the dependency on others to transport a manatee to the rehabilitation center, or having to wait for someone to offer their boat to respond to a sick or injured manatee in the event of an emergency rescue.  All these instances require rapid and timely response, which can determine the difference in rescuing a sick/injured animal or towing away a dead carcass.

You can play a huge role in helping us to make a difference for these gentle giants.

The equipment to quickly rescue a manatee—Is that so much to ask? I urge you to donate directly to this cause on the gofundme page or through my youcaring page set up for the purpose, or to find vintage clothing from the denisebrain.com web store or Etsy shop. 25% of your purchase will go to this fundraiser during the month of February.

Jamal Galves and his friends are counting on us!

Be my Vintage Valentine

I love vintage Valentines. Last year I matched some charmers with vintage items I’ve sold. This year, my February theme is a small tribute:

Reason to love vintage #7

It is terribly easy to think of reasons to love vintage clothing, and this is just one of them: The quality.

Yesterday was a fairly typical day for me, photographing clothing from various eras. I photographed a dress from about 1924, and a sweater from the 1950s.

The sweater’s appliqués are organza, and light but sturdy fabric backs the appliqués on the reverse side in order to stabilize them. When’s the last time you bought a new item of clothing that had a feature designed to make it last? Oh, and the rhinestones are prong-set and are solidly in place. The buttons are mother of pearl, the yarn is softest lambswool, angora and nylon. 

1950s appliquéd sweater in my Etsy shop

The 1920s silk dress seems to have been made commercially, because it has a small size tag. The amount of meticulous hand sewing to be seen is astonishing to me. For instance, those rounded tabs featured on the sleeves and skirt of the dress have self-fabric narrow bias binding that is hand sewn in place...and there are yards of this detail!

1920s dress in my Etsy shop

Also yesterday I photographed a 1950s sweater in teal blue with shell buttons dyed to match the sweater...and this is just an “average” sort of item made for J.C. Penney. 

This one sold really fast

If you ever need talking into vintage clothing, just ask me! This is only one reason to appreciate it, but it’s a major one!

The March on Washington...Does the clothing matter?

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day I’m remembering one of the most powerful moments in human history, when on a sweltering August day in 1963, 250,000 people of all colors converged on The National Mall in Washington D.C.

Look at any photo of the leaders or the crowd and you see suits and ties, skirts, blouses and hats.

Center for Jewish History, 1963

Considering what many feared would be a violent protest, the demeanor and dignity of the massive crowd gave the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom the reverence it needed and deserved. The great words may have still been sung and spoken but the crowd gave some people around the nation and the world their first sight of this movement, and its powerful message was bolstered by its behavior and conduct.

U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

In the grand scheme of things, does dress matter? Maybe not, but it is a choice. What does your choice say about you? What do you want it to say?

And what about those who have no choice? This is a great day to remember those who (unlike me) don’t wear 2nd-hand clothing by choice. Surely there is a suit of your husband’s or a pair of shoes that are never worn—kids clothing that they’ve grown out of. Not only are the impoverished hungry in our communities, they don’t have the clothing they need to stay warm let alone get back on their feet.

In less than one minute I was able to find a list of my city’s homeless shelters along with other places to donate clothing, toiletries and other essentials. I am going to go find some good quality clothing to share today in honor of Martin Luther King’s Day. If any piece of it gives someone the lift she deserves...that would be a small dream come true.

Denisebrain best of 2014

A few of my favorite sold items from the year gone by. I always find it hard to choose because I actually really love the vintage fashions I offer to you—These are just the ones that stuck hardest in my mind.

Summer to winter, vintage is best

1910s silk satin to 1960s stretch velvet

Polar Vortex collars True blue

Decked out sweaters

Ready for Valentine’s Day

Sophisticated stripes

Bags with friends

The great white shirt

Spring flirts

Novelty print 40s dresses

Novelty print 50s skirts

Hats with character

Check it out, spring edition

Pretty party

Eee-haw!

Atomic bombshell prints

Ready for the 4th of July

Check it out, summer edition

Picnic anyone?

Suitable for summer

Summer accessories

Viva La Mexicana skirt

Check it out, late summer edition

Novelty print 50s dresses

Meow mix

Covetable bags

Autumn leaves

The red coats are coming

These are silver, those are gold

Gold standard in accessories

Aren’t you plaid?

Sweater girl!

Simply red

Swing coats in the red

You helped me raise $518 for Conservation Northwest this year, and an astounding $1020 for Save the Manatee Club. I couldn’t do that on my own!

One of the nicest comments I received this year: ...this picture made me SO SUPER happy! i had to thank you! ...it just struck me as such an "i love myself" "everything is great" "it's going to be an awesome day" moment, that i had to share that with you. That made me feel like I’m doing something right!

One of the things I like the most is seeing my customers wearing their vintage clothing. Some of these have been photographed by professionals, others by creatively-minded people, others by just us average people, but you are all way above average to me. 

May 2015 be a year in which you receive as much joy as you give!

Conservation Northwest update

You’ve done it again! I am able to make a substantial contribution to Conservation Northwest because of your interest and enthusiasm for the cause. Today I can send the goal-exceeding $518 raised in December to CNW. I know this will be put to the best use by this great organization which is dedicated to protecting wild places in the Northwest on so many fronts.

I think this is cause to celebrate!! 

Original artwork by JahnaVashti on Etsy

I’ll never stop saying it: Denisebrain has the very best customers!

Wishing you a Happy Vintage New Year!

As usual, I say out with the new and in with the old! That is, I wish you new thoughts, new adventures, new friends...but vintage style!

Please see (and hear) my animated vintage greeting to you:

I need your help for Conservation Northwest

I need your help right now. I am going away on vacation—the first in many years—and my work for Conservation Northwest is unfinished.

I have a couple of days before I promised to deliver $500 to this great cause that protects the ecosystems of the Northwest. This area is the home of grizzlies, wolves, mountain lions and woodland caribou, old growth forests, pristine wilderness...and steady encroachment from human occupation and interests. We in the Northwest are the keepers of much of what is considered wild and wonderful in the U.S. Help me help Conservation NW to preserve this national and world treasure for all time.

I may go on vacation, but I won’t go happily without finishing this. Please either find something you love at denisebrain.com (Etsy shop and web store) where 25% of your purchase price will go to CNW, or consider a direct donation at my YouCaring.com page.

Some of the most beloved creatures on earth are counting on us.

Public domain photo

Bear with me now...

We are on our way to reaching the goal of donating $500 to Conservation Northwest at the end of December. Now here’s the wrinkle: During the last seven days of the month I will be on a small vacation (yay!) and so instead of having 18 days left to wrap this up, there are actually 11. Anything earned in the last seven days will also be donated, but I won’t be able to cheerlead the effort.

Here’s what you can do: If you find a vintage item you love in my Etsy shop or web store, purchase it this month and I will donate 25% to CNW. You may also donate directly on my YouCaring.com page. YouCaring takes absolutely nothing from your donation, and neither do I.

Please consider chipping in, for the grizzlies, wolves, spotted owls, woodland caribou, and all the other iconic species of the Northwest.

Once more with feeling for Conservation Northwest

At the end of the 1980s I started being a supporter of Northwest Ecosystem Alliance because the fledgling organization gave me hope for the continuing health of the natural environment of my area in the face of a drastically expanding human population.

That organization is now called Conservation Northwest, and it gives me more hope than ever.

I live in Washington State (first Seattle, and now Spokane) and I am extremely fortunate to have diverse and unusual ecosystems in my backyard. There are diverse wildflowers and old-growth forests, tiny pikas and grizzly bears. There are about 44 endangered species, including iconic mammals such as the gray wolf, cougar and orca whale. One of the most critically endangered species in the U.S. is found in northeastern Washington: the woodland caribou. I have seen one of these magnificent reindeer relatives while on a hike. There was snow on the ground in the mountains on the 4th of July, and we saw nearly round hoof prints.

And then we came upon this solid and compact caribou with its snowshoe-like round hooves. It was a very rare siting of a woodland caribou for someone in the Northwestern U.S.

I am indeed fortunate.

The world is filled with deserving causes, but more and more I see the point of helping out in my own backyard. Conservation Northwest looks out for the wild Northwest and the balance between ecosystems, communities and wildlife. None of our natural treasures are a given for the future, and Conservation Northwest is watching out for the wild, present and future. Of course these are the country’s and the world’s wild treasures too...rare, wonderful, and to be preserved by and for all.

This month, for the sixth year, I am devoting a portion of my sales to CNW. Twenty-five percent of the purchase price on any of my vintage items in the denisebrain web store and the denisebrain Etsy shop will go to this great organization. If you don’t see any vintage that inspires you but would like to contribute, please go to my YouCaring.com page. YouCaring takes no money from the cause, so your donation goes entirely to CNW.

My goal is challenging: $500. We’ve done it before, you and I...let’s do it again!

Dreaming of a white Christmas?

So am I! ... as you can see from my December theme:

My great grandmother’s locket

It’s the last day of November, and the last day of my resolution to wear something meaningful every day. I loved doing this...don’t think I will stop!

Today I feel honored to wear my great grandmother Lena’s locket. Here she is wearing it c.1882-85. She was born in 1868. 

I’ve worn this locket—passed down from Lena to my grandmother to my mother to me—many times. It feels like I’m holding hands with each of these generations of wonderful women.

Thankful

Today is Thanksgiving here in the U.S., and I am so thankful for the people I’ve met in the world of vintage fashion. I’ve had some challenges this year, but vintage clothing, my customers and colleagues remain a constant joy to me.

Since 1999 I have sold to several Parisian designers; an Aztec princess and school teacher; a woman working in the Pentagon (on 9/11/01) who apologized for paying me late for a suit after part of her workplace was destroyed; a mayor’s wife; a mayor; an actress or two; several museum curators, journalists and writers; a policewoman; an opera singer; an indie music artist; a biologist; my neighbor; a woman in her 80s who wanted to relive an event from her youth; a girl of 13 who wanted to experience what her great grandmother had experienced; a skiing star; my best friend. I have had loyal customers purchase full wardrobes from me; I’ve outfitted weddings and high school plays. You have a lot of fascinating stories to tell.

Even if all I know of you is your postal code and that you purchased a blue polka dot blouse...thank you.

Some may know I often try to raise funds for causes that mean a great deal to me, and not only have you tolerated my ongoing mentions of manatees and grizzly bears, you have supported my causes with me. There is no way I could be making a real impact for these causes without your support.

I have numerous deepening friendships with vintage clothing dealers, experts and collectors...people without whom I would not be where I am. Not only do I learn something new every day about fashion history, fabric construction, and the business of selling online, but I feel I have a real support network.

I had a decent opinion of human nature prior to starting the business, and 14 years of positive dealings with thousands of people pretty well proves to me that we’re a decent lot. My most sincere thanks.

A little more holiday red

You’re doing an excellent job of finding my vintage red items, thank you very much! Here’s an updated group of items presently for sale:

1. Red taffeta and tulle formal 2. Red glengarry 3. Emma Domb red, gold and gown 4. Red and white striped gown by Emma Domb 5. Red dotted swiss dress with dramatic ruffle 6. Pendleton red plaid cape 7. Red plaid umbrella 8. Red taffeta party dress with a slip meant to show 9. Candy apple red patent stilettos

Don’t forget: Need a different size? a different price? a different item? I have picked out a bevy of vintage holiday reds (coats, shoes, hats, jewelry, dresses, skirts...) from other sellers on Etsy in a collection called holiday reds. Let me know if you have a specific vintage wish that you can’t find and I’ll help you find it from me or some other seller. (Sound like Macy’s sending people to Gimbel’s a la Miracle on 34th Street? All in the holiday spirit!)

My Perry Ellis jacket

All this month I’m pulling out and wearing vintage items with special meaning to me. This jacket fits that category. I made it from a Perry Ellis Vogue pattern in 1985.

When I first saw them in a Vogue Pattern magazine, I fell absolutely in love with the somewhat austere, somewhat 1920s-vibe of Perry Ellis's fashions.

I made my jacket using silk blend fabric and Christian Dior lining (there was no “PE”-print lining fabric, so I settled for “CD”). The buttons are leather, which unfortunately attracted my pup to chew one once. That makes me love the jacket more, frankly.

Here was the jacket in 1987 (with me proudly holding my then-new Lawson French horn)

...and here it is today

I have always loved that low slung back belt!

Perry Ellis did not even begin to fulfill his legacy in his brief life but I remain convinced that if he were still living, his work would still be cream floating on the surface of fashion. He was such a creative force, imagining so well what women would love to wear in the manner of the best American sportswear designers.