Yellow Flower Found!

I finished the little fascinator for my friend's wedding and it's so sweet. She's only seen parts of it so far, but I think it's totally her style. I love that she's putting these personal little touches into her wedding just to make her happy; like yellow shoes and a sassy little veil. I think that with big events and traditions, people too often get caught up in what they are "supposed" to do, and not what the want to do. So cheers for yellow shoes and a funky fascinator, and all the best to my dear friend rockin' down the aisle. 

A Lovely Little Window

Today was cleaning day. A reclaim-my-house sort of day. Days like this make me remember how cute my apartment is. Like this curtain I made a few months ago. 

My friend and I have become big fans of the Kane County Flea Market in St. Charles, Il. I was admiring the ladies' handkerchieves, all the cute embroidery and patterns and fancy edges. Impulsively, I bought a dozen, took them home and decided to find a way to show them off. I tacked them together and hung them up. The sun looks so pretty coming through, and it blows back and forth in a lovely way. It fits with my vintage-y kitchen, and I get compliments all the time!

Bounty of the North

I'm back in Chicago and starting to get into full swing with "1001" at DePaul. It's weird to be back at my school as a quasi-adult professional, but it's a great project. The play is a sort of mash-up of contemporary hipster-y grad students in New York and a fantastical Arabian Nights storybook. Pretty cool, huh? I've been scouring the Chicago fabric market before I make my Mood order, and once again Devon delivers. Yeah, Devon Avenue, way up north and specifically, the Indian/Pakistani neighborhood that hovers just west of Western. Besides the great food (the whole street smells like curry!) and tunes (even a pasty girl like me can bust a move), there are endless fabric stores and sari shops. Sari fabric is usually one 6-yard length, not too wide, in any color or pattern you can think of, with one end of the length having a big chunk of decoration. The colors are so beautiful, and the polyester sari fabric totally looks like silk on stage. I also picked up a salwar kameez, a type of women's pantsuit, and found all sorts of things to return for. I also love getting star treatment and haggling with the shopkeepers, it keeps the transaction friendly and personable. I concluded our shopping trip with a popsicle. Overall, not a bad day at work.

Fashion Porn

Oh. My. God. Check out the duds in Leslie Hindman Auctioneers' upcoming Vintage Couture and Accessories sale. Every girl needs a take-me-out dress, but these might knock out your date altogether. 

I also visited the Isabel Toledo (the fabulous designer who did Michelle Obama's inauguration outfit) exhibit at the Museum at FIT in New York. Talk about inspiring, I keep dreaming of making myself a copy of her apron dress, which is SUCH a Whitney dress anyway. So many projects. I technically have all this time now (I left my day job!) but somehow time and creativity are inversely proportional. Sigh. 

Glamour on Seventh Avenue

I've been in New York City for the last few days, seeing some friends and doing some shopping. This is where you say, oh, poor Whitney, shopping in New York, life must be tough. Allow me to explain (costumers everywhere understand) that this is my job. Sure, it would be lovely to flit in and out of a shop here and there, have a long lunch and then head out. Nope. Not even a little bit. More like lugging a huge shoulder bag filled with paperwork while negotiating Midtown Manhattan on a ninety-five degree day in high heels and a (new, adorable Zachary's Smile) little flippy dress, while keeping a professional eye and a smile. Just another day at work. On the plus side, I was a swatching machine and found lots of great fabrics for "1001" at DePaul. I also stocked up on some millinery supplies and, well, indulged in a Fat Witch brownie. Mmm.

A Little Old-School Embroidery

I have the hots for my friend's dish towels. It's true. Her grandma embroidered these great flour sack towels with strawberries and apples and puppies and they are just so cute.

 My mom found me these great potholders at the thrift store (actually, The Community Clothes Closet I mentioned a few posts ago). It got me thinking about embroidery and how colorful and vintage-y it is. And how easy it is... hmm... maybe I need to start taking a needle to some of my plainer kitchen towels. Embroidery floss is cheap, and it's a total fake-it-til-you-make-it kind of craft (my favorite!). Why stop at fruits and vegetables? I might have to start adding trees and bicycles and birds and naked ladies (my favorite!) to everything I own. I love the (free!) old school patterns at Needlecrafter (especially the animals) and the more contemporary patterns at Urban Threads. I've been looking at the beautiful embroidery traditions in Mexico and India, too. Happy stitching!

Color Schemin'

I've been known to complain that there just aren't enough colors; you're designing your characters' palettes only to realize that there are no colors available to you that are quite right. Even when (and perhaps especially) you render in paint, where there are theoretically limitless options. I'm always struggling with color, and falling in and out of love of one or another. Color is fantastic when it's good and terrible when it's not good (like saba nigiri). After contemplating a heirloom tomato I'd brought home from the farmer's market last summer, a friend of mine noted the gorgeous colors produced by nature, and that any manufactured likeness would just be wrong or not nearly as amazing. I've been testing this theory, and see his point, but I've also seen some exceptions. These are some great fruits-of-the-earth color palettes; let's contemplate. 

Small Town Shopping

I'm visiting my parents and their small, mostly agrarian community in Upstate New York. And it is so fabulous. A person can breathe real air and eat real vegetables and see real stars. The little towns around here are a bit surreal; two-block downtowns with beautiful old storefronts, only half full, with diners and antique shops. 

The preferred thrift store of my mother is The Community Clothes Closet, and just a few steps away from the farmer's market. This shop is now a Saturday morning tradition. It is run by a beautiful, sweet old woman who is genuinely delighted to have you there and to be there herself. She comments on how beautiful all of your findings are, is always curious to know what you're going to do with them, why you selected them and practically gives them to you. I got a set of four hand-tatted linen placemats with matching napkins (in a cool deco-y pink color) today for $0.50. Really. 

Now I have a real belief that anything used or vintage or antique should be respected, not only for their value, but for their experience. Sure, my funky 1950s cocktail dress may be quite the hit at an opening night. But, a girl's gotta respect that that dress has been out dancing and drinking and has seen all sorts of parties before it ever got to me. So many thrifting experiences are in the move-the-most-junk vein that finding that moment of respect for a pair of vintage potholders (how much chicken soup did they see? how many pies did they take out of the oven?) never happens. The woman at The Community Clothes Closet encourages the wonder in the world of thrifting, which makes the treasure hunt all the more rewarding. 

Thrift Store Find of the Week

A funky, fabulous 1960s (?) hat with this great Venezia label. $2.50. 

The Yellow Flower Hunt, Part II

More options, less flowery, again at Tinsel Trading. Awesome. 

Cutting in line

I always have a mental list of all of my projects, some I need to do (Nick needs undershirts, Brian's jacket needs to be aged), some I want to do (paint that old bookcase, sass up my messenger bag), and some I dream of doing (taking apart my favorite summer dress to make a pattern, patching and embossing that leather chair).  And then, it happens. Some little idea just takes over your brain and you can think of nothing else until you satisfy that urge. It's the line-jumper projects that get you into trouble. Everything else on the list is demoted, once again, for these pesky budgers. They always look simple enough, and perhaps you already have the supplies on hand, and you're sure you'll be done before dinner. Not so. 

This simple project from Sew, Mama, Sew, suggested for kids, but currently fermenting in my mind, reminds me of Tibetan prayer flags in a really fun, whimsical way. Watch out, world, and prepare to be decorated. 

Plaid-on-Plaid Moment #1

Okay, so this might sound a bit weird, but my brother is a good lookin' kid. He's in town, and I've been admiring his style. I couldn't help but note this plaid-on-plaid moment, one of the best kinds.

The Problem Child

While some single gals focus on their cats, and others on their houseplants, I prefer a more creative, frustrating and potentially hazardous distraction of the crafting variety. And, like cats and plants, sometimes you have a high maintenance project on your hands. Sometimes you craft yourself into a corner. Sometimes you do both. I made this little straw cocktail hat two years ago and it sits, unfinished and ignored. Maybe I just haven't found the perfect trim. Maybe a friend's off-handed remark about it looking like a hat for a funeral made me harbor negative energy toward it. Whatever the case, I'm pulling it from its place of shame in hopes of some inspiration. 

Yellow Flower Hunt, Part I

So a very dear friend of mine is getting married come September, and she wanted a funky vintage-inspired hat with a little veil to replace the whole shrouded-in-white bit. And she really wants a yellow flower on it. Mission: to find the best yellow, funky, vintage-inspired wedding flower in the world. Of course, I started at Tinsel Trading...

Thrift Store Find of the Week

A real wool Deerstalker hat! As modeled by Mr. Holmes. Great condition, British-made and smelling very much like moth balls. $3. Awesome.