I’m not the biggest fan of polka dots in fashion. For me personally, I tend to find them a bit, well, polka-dotty! And the older you get the harder it becomes to pull off this whimsical print.

But don’tcha just love a challenge?

Me, too!

So with a wee bit of internet surfing, I discovered today’s VPOD. This lovely summer dress mixes dotted swiss with a bold geometric print for a combo that’s not too sweet, not too flashy, but just right.

Of course, there are other simple ways to add a few extra servings of polka dots into your fashion diet.

If you can’t bear the thought of wearing the print from from head-to-toe, try sporting a polka dot scarf for the day, grip a polka dot clutch or grab a fun piece of jewelry that will have’em seeing spots.

And don’t forget about your humble abode which might also benefit from the quick style boost a few polka dots can bring. One dotted pillow, lamp or throw may be all you need to bring a smile to your face.

Plus I love this idea for making the boring, ho-hum job of storing year-end documents a little more fun. Head down to your office supply store and pick up a packet of colorful round price stickers to brighten up those plain ol’ cardboard document boxes. Who says filing can’t be fun?!

This is the power of polka dots for Vintage Crusaders.

Dress available at Great Lake Outfitters.

(Image Credit: Storage boxes discovered in Metropolis magazine. Disclosure: Zuburbia is an affiliate member of the eBay Partner Network. To receive the VPOD free via email with detailed size and price information, sign up for the growing email mailing list here. Your information will never be sold or shared and you can easily unsubscribe at any time.)

Two Saturdays ago, I woke up at 7:40am when I heard a knock on my front door. I peeked through the blinds and saw an LAPD officer.

Uh-oh.

My heart started pounding because police officers never knock on doors to deliver good news like winning the lottery.

In this case, they were checking to see if I had noticed anything missing or had seen or heard anything suspicious the night before. It turns out that my next-door neighbors living in the house attached to mine had been robbed overnight.

“What time did it happen?” I asked.

“Well, they went to bed about 11:30 or so…” he started to reply.

“Wait! They were home?!?!”

Yes! They were fast asleep in their bedroom while their home was invaded and their electronics and wallets stolen.  Neither they nor their dog nor their parrot –  who squawks non-stop all day long — heard a thing.

Even more surprising was that they have an alarm system. But the thieves found an unarmed window and let themselves in.

As you can imagine, this immediately put me on high alert and the last two weeks have seen all kinds of improvements to my own security like padlocks for my garden gates, additional outdoor dawn-to-dusk lighting, a new security system, timers for lights, and blinds for all the windows.

Perhaps because crime and security has really been on my mind, I was particularly affected this morning when I read the Canon4Kids ad on the back page of USA Today.

It had pictures of 32 missing children and reminded me that more than 2,000 children are reported missing in the United States every day. Two thousand children per day!!!

My heart breaks thinking of these children and their families. Even more shocking is that, according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), the majority of these children aren’t taken by strangers but are taken by people they know.

So if you have children, I strongly encourage you to visit www.missingkids.com for information and resources on how best to protect them.

If you’re still teaching your kids the old-fashioned “stranger-danger” message that NCMEC deems ineffective, you need to learn how to deliver more relevant, age-appropriate messages that will empower and protect your children in potentially dangerous situations.

As my neighbors recently discovered, after you or your family is the victim of a crime it’s too late to prevent it.

So please don’t put off having another chat with your kids. Do it today. Yes, your pre-teen may roll her eyes and cry out “Mommmmmm” but that annoying conversation may someday save her life.

And be sure to do a quick security assessment of your own living quarters pronto.

Everything I recently did to better protect myself were all things that I should have done four years ago when I moved into my home.

How, I wonder, did I let them keep getting pushed off?

How did I find the time and money to get my hair done, go to Pilates, buy gifts for family and friends and yet not find the time and money to do these critical things for my own safety?

How? Because we never think it will happen to us.

Oh, if only it was as easy to protect ourselves from crime as it is to protect ourselves from the weather!

Today’s VPOD features a fabulous vintage 1960s leather coat that will keep all the nasty elements at bay.

It’s a safe and secure fashion choice for a Vintage Crusader.

Available at Rock and Roll Vintage.

(To receive the VPOD free via email with detailed size and price information, sign up for the growing email mailing list here. Your information will never be sold or shared and you can easily unsubscribe at any time.)

Going, Going, GONE!

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(Auctions all end within the next 5 days.)

Vintage 1970s Lace Mini Dress (hellhoundvintageclothing) | Vintage Hattie Carnegie Elephant Brooch (vtg_treasure_hunters) | Vintage 1950s Beaded Sweater (paris.vintage) | Vintage 1960s Fringe Cropped Pants (thriftwares) | Vintage 1950s Ostrich Handbag (badger201143) | Vintage 1970s Icelandic Wool Sweater Coat (ttlg2quit) | Vintage 1950s Rhinestone Belt (badger201143) | Vintage 1950s Silk Dress (weatitsatvintage) | Vintage 1950s Lace Cocktail Dress (peeweekatz) | Vintage Italian Figural Tomato Purse (just-a-dab) | Vintage 1950s Romper (nhal6856) | Vintage 1960s Malcolm Starr Evening Gown (divinefinds) | Antique Petit Point Purse (2c2bid) | Vintage 1950s Brocade Evening Coat (thriftwares) | Vintage 1970s Trifari Lucite Necklace (sugapea) | Vintage 1970s Tooled Leather Handbag (vintage317) | Vintage Trifari Matsumoto Lucite Bracelet (getreadygo2) | Vintage 1940s Crochet Clutch (stencilwoman) | Vintage 1970s Alfred Shaheen Jumpsuit (thekissingtreevintage) | Vintage 1960s Leather and Brass Belt (beltsandbling) | (Disclosure: Editorial selections are made by Zuburbia without direct promotional consideration from Bay sellers. Zuburbia is an affiliate member of the eBay Partner Network).

PLEASE NOTE that Zuburbia does not endorse the use of fur, feathers, leather or animal skins in fashion. These selections are offered only as more thoughtful and eco-friendly alternatives for contemporary fashionistas who have not yet eliminated animal products from their wardrobes.

(To receive Going, Going, GONE or any of Zuburbia’s other Vintage Roundups for FREE via email, sign up here. Your information will never be sold or shared and you can easily unsubscribe at any time.)

In 2004, Ettore Sottsass, the Italian architect and designer, was asked to curate Cartier’s vaults of vintage jewels, clocks, watches, pens and other goodies and handpick items for an exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston.

And in that exhibition’s catalog, Ettore Sottsass commented on the power of adornment:

“Tens of thousands of years ago, women and men already adorned their bodies with necklaces and markings of various kinds, in order to satisfy that subtle, obscure pleasure of declaring to others their ‘personal’ presence—indeed, their very identity or singularity. They adorned themselves to seduce or even terrify.”

To seduce or even terrify?

Those are two very different objectives, and high expectations, for something as simple as a necklace or a bracelet!

And yet it makes complete sense to me.

We all experience competing needs to both fit in and stand out at the same time. To both belong to our tribe and to set ourselves apart from it. To adhere to the status quo while simultaneously exploring its boundaries.

So it seems completely likely that I might want to be not just seductive or terrifying but seductively terrifying or terrifying seductive in the same exact moment.

Jewelry, of course, is just one weapon in my female arsenal used to accomplish this.

Now I must confess that I’ve worn the same pair of diamond stud earrings for over a decade.  I don’t wear rings and I seldom wear bracelets. But oh, how I adore necklaces! They are definitely my Achilles Heel.

And today’s VPOD is no exception.

This vintage 1960s bronze necklace by the talented female designer, Unn Tangerud, appeals to both my primitive and modern sides.

It a beautiful way to wield the Power of Adornment for a Vintage Crusader!

Available from Hopea.

(To receive the VPOD free via email with detailed size and price information, sign up for the growing email mailing list here. Your information will never be sold or shared and you can easily unsubscribe at any time.)

Going, Going, GONE!

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(Auctions all end within the next 4 days.)

Vintage 1940s Floral Dress (vintage_vixen_nyc) | Vintage Miriam Haskell Necklace (discountsportcards) | Vintage 1980s Knit Sweater (tinroofvintage) | Vintage 1950s Chiffon and Ribbon Cocktail Dress (holly_yama) | Vintage Christian Dior Necklace (urbantiques) | Vintage Little Black Dres (rosie27) | Vintage 1940s Nightgown (miso_vintage_supply) | Vintage Fringed Leather Poncho (windfallfarms) | Vintage 1960s Givenchy Caftan Top (maxamillionvintage) | Vintage Gucci Leather Jacket (thevintagezone1) | Vintage Modernist Brass and Turquoise Ring (space.dwe) | Antique Irish Crochet Gown (heartnsoul1) | Vintage 1960s I Magnin Blazer with Chain (pamh23) | Late 1990s Chanel Boucle Pencil Skirt (claireinc*) | Vintage 1960s Kimono (vintage_american) | Vintage 1960s Pucci Scarf (lmel1951) | Art Deco 18k Sapphire and Diamond Ring (clares1225) | Vintage Don Loper Llama and Alpaca Coat (robynosa) | Vintage 1970s Tooled Handbag (kristin_bolton) | Vintage 1970s Nipon Coat (luckyvintage) | Vintage Vollbrach for Sofere Pop Art Top (macade9) | Vintage Lucille Ostrich Handbag (christoper31) | Vintage 1960s Fox Collar Swing Coat (bustownmodern) | Vintage Whiting & Davis Mesh Top (jooana) | (Disclosure: Editorial selections are made by Zuburbia without direct promotional consideration from Bay sellers. Zuburbia is an affiliate member of the eBay Partner Network).

PLEASE NOTE that Zuburbia does not endorse the use of fur, feathers, leather or animal skins in fashion. These selections are offered only as more thoughtful and eco-friendly alternatives for contemporary fashionistas who have not yet eliminated animal products from their wardrobes.

(To receive Going, Going, GONE via email, sign up for the growing email mailing list here. Your information will never be sold or shared and you can easily unsubscribe at any time.)