Moonshine Junkyard

This is Heather. She considers herself a true California girl,  born and raised. She writes a personal style blog, Moonshine Junkyard, and writes about creative culture while living in a small California town. Moonshine Junkyard highlights her romantic fancy about beauty & fun found in her everyday. 

Heather is a waitress by day, and an Etsy seller by night. When she's not busy blogging or waiting tables or listing charming vintage in her Etsy shop, you can find her kicking it with her husband and cats, or sitting on the porch sipping lemonade with some friends. 

Just looking at this ray of sunshine, you can probably tell that friends and family mean a lot to her. In fact, blogging seems to run in her blood. Her sister and her 3 brothers blog, In fact it was one of her brother's family blog that inspired her to start writing her own. We recently "spoke" via email, and here's an excerpt of our conversations:

the Citizen:  Where do you live?

Heather: I live in Placerville, California, a historic gold mining town that is also known as "old hangtown." It's a place rich with stories and natural beauty, and is located between the American and the Consumnes Rivers.

the Citizen: How long have you been blogging and what are some of your favorite blogs? 

Heather: I've been blogging in some form or another since 2005. I honestly never thought I'd ever have a "follower" that wasn't someone I already knew or that I'd make friends online. It has become an inspiring community for me and a fun way to share some of my exuberance about stuff going on in life.

My favorite blogs are: Thrift Candy, Astral Boutique, and Violet Folklore.

the Citizen: What do you do for a living? What do you do for fun?
Heather: For a living, as far as making money, I do very little (laughs). For fun, on the other hand, I do a lot! I read, write, take photographs, go hiking, camping and backpacking, swim in the river, take road trips, play games, hang out with friends, dance, drink beer, play with my cats, watch films, see live music, eat, sing karaoke, learn as much as I can about as many things as I can, make little movies with my friends, daydream and write letters and snuggle and do yoga and bake goodies and go to thrift stores and go swinging at the park and throw parties. 

  

the Citizen: Who would you say was your biggest fan?

Heather: I'd say my husband Darin, but he thinks I'm a "diamond who wants to stay coal," to quote Tom Waits. 

the Citizen: WHO/WHAT are your biggest fashion/style influences.

Heather: Anne of Green Gables, frontier pioneer women, Native American patterns, jewelry and culture, French New Wave cinema (Anna Karina's dresses in Pierrot le Fou slay me!) Voodoo queens, Mayan women; my grandmother, great-grandmother and mother who were/are seamstresses, lace-makers, and handy-women extraordinaires.  Crafters, old mountain women, Gypsies, Curanderas, witchy women: these types of people inspire me. When I pick an outfit, I want to be both bewitching and powerful. I want to be feminine and fiery and flowery all at once. And I want to be comfortable if my ship crashes and I'm stuck in that outfit for days on end trying to escape. 

  
the Citizen: What are you doing to make this world a better place? What would you like to be doing?
Heather: I wish I was doing so much more! I feel like anything I say sounds so feeble and fleeting, like "I ride my bike to work" or "I use cloth bags" or "I'm vegetarian." Seems a little silly, so I'll say this instead: I try to be as alive and present and exuberant as possible every day. I think that loving life is a good way to help make the world a better place. People that are happy and loving life are ever more conscious with their choices and their interactions and I hope to be that way and to inspire others to live a full and rich life.

  "When I pick an outfit, I want to be both bewitching & powerful."

the Citizen: Tell me something about yourself, that I might not know.

Heather: I have a lot of gray hairs. I don't shave my armpits. I have an MA in literature. My favorite kind of beer is a good hoppy IPA. I collect vintage aprons. I am happiest in a bookstore. I get high from listening to music. I want to have children. I want to carry kittens in my pockets. 

the Citizen: Name 3 trends that you like seeing, and want to incorporate into your wardrobe.

Heather: I like that high-waisted skirts and shorts have come back into style. I was really resistant to 90's dresses for a while (because I wore them myself for so long and they remind me of going to Mormon dances) but now I'm starting to embrace them, especially if they are 100% rayon cause it's so swishy and comfy. A third trend I actually ADORE is bloomers! Not sure I can pull those off but I'm going to see if I can figure out a way.

the Citizen: Who's your favorite artist?

Heather: I love the works of surrealist artists Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo. 

El Mensaje (1935), Remedios Varo

 You can read about Heather's latest blog passions at Moonshine Junkyard.
And don't forget to check out her Etsy shop for delectable vintage pleasures!