Crafting for the Holidays

If you love making gifts for the holidays, as I do, you know that it's never too soon to begin planning your holiday giving list.  (In theory..I do have a tendency towards procrastination and have found myself in previous years pulling all nighters with a pot of coffee and several skeins of yarn ;-)

I have vowed, however, that I will be organized this year!!  In this spirit, I have started sorting through some of my pins on Pinterest to identify what I would like to try my hand at, and who the gifts would be suited for..because, truthfully, I do sometimes find something I reallllyyy want to make that would only be suited as a gift for me :-)

Here are a few things I'm thinking about so far:

For her

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 These gorgeous origami fabric butterflies would be perfect for hair accessories, brooches or as an accent on a necklace.

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Hand scrub, great in a gift bag with a nail file and some pretty nail polish!

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Embellished cardigans..soooo easy.  (Incidentally, this is also an adorable blog with several other fantastic ideas!)

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Cozy sewn felt slippers (also a great idea for kiddos!)

For Him

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My husband LOVES these.  They're pretty easy to make..I may enlist the children to create a few for their Dad and uncles ;-)

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Despite his protests about the "Fudge Handles" he acquires every holiday season, The Man loveeesss some homemade fudge.

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Create a playlist, could be songs for your sweetheart, running songs, songs to brighten your day, type the list out on fun paper and attach to an itunes gift card..it's like a mixed tape for the 21st century ;-)

For the Kids

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Create a bunch of these.  Use to embellish overalls, sweaters, hats, mittens or stitch them all together to make a scarf.

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Rice filled heating pads to snuggle up to on a cold night!

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I'm a sucker for a cute hat, and this one's about as cute as they come..

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This link is for 25 Christmas Books and crafts to go with them, but you could do this with any book for any age!  My oldest daughter loves the Hunger Games, and I thought a neat combo would be the Hunger Games books and a craft project to make arrow hair sticks out of chopsticks and feathers or felt feathers.  My youngest loves Diary of a Wimpy Kid, so to go along with that, a craft for making your own diary. 

So that's my (preliminary) list!  What are your ideas for the holidays?  Do you make gifts as well?  What sort of items are on your crafting list?  Feel free to share here or over on facebook!

Brimfield 2012!

Beautiful Vintage Dresses

Each year in September, I attend the Brimfield Antique Market and several things happen:

1. I forget to take as many pictures as I'd like to share here on my blog
2. I miss out on at least half of the offerings because the market is so huge and vow to extend my visit the following year
3. I find some remarkable treasures and remarkable people!

1940's Zeigfeld Follies Costume

 I wanted to share some of my favorite interactions from this year with you all.  First up, the amazing train pictured above was more than 10 ft. long and belonged to a Zeigfeld girl.  It was velvet, lined with red silk and covered with tiny mirrors in a pattern resembling a peacock's tail. It was INCREDIBLY heavy, and the girl who wore it said she had to do back exercises to be able to wear it (along with an enormous headdress).

Petticoats!

I also had a fun conversation with a fellow operating a vintage circus items booth.  He stopped me as I was walking by and explained that he was writing a book (a sci-fi/steampunk/circus theme that had a pretty neat story line) and as I walked by he "recognized" one of his characters.  He asked to take my picture for reference, and I gave him my email so he could send me the information on his book.  (How do you like that?!  I could be immortalized in a story :)

Brooches!

We visit the "pin lady" (who's name I have never remembered to ask) every year because of her wide selection of amazing and creative brooches.  I own several of her pieces, including an Aphrodite brooch, several dragonflies, a pretty peach tree with a hummingbird and a cat :)

Bakelite Rings

Can anyone tell me what these are used for?  I just loved the way they looked, but I couldn't imagine their use.  (I thought perhaps belt buckle?)

Goodies!

I ended up coming home with a pretty decent haul that included some wool felt hat forms purchased from a really neat lady who used to design hats for MGM (can't wait to start working on some new hats for the shop!), Several 1950's/1960's dresses that I will be photographing next week, some really amazing costume and fashion design books from the 30's and 40's, a few 1940's sewing patterns, a 1920's Bowler Derby, several hats and blusher veils, a fur collar, hand beaded millinery flowers from the 1930's (which I plan to use on one of the finished hats!) and a few 1920's magazines.

All in all, a very successful weekend!  (And next year, I plan to go down early for the vintage textile show!  *swoon*)

Hugs and Smooches,
D

How Can You Miss Me if I Won't Go Away??

Hello friends <3  Just popping in with a little update on how things are going!

I have my very first craft fair coming up this Saturday.  I'm SUPER excited and I hope all goes well, because I'd really like to participate in a few more over the holidays.

I've been working on crocheted cowls in various colors like this one:

I plan on making some out of more luxurious materials to sell in my Etsy shop as well (with my fall launch, which I am really looking forward to!)

I'm also going to be adding a few felted hats and berets like the one shown below.

..and speaking of my fall launch, I will have some lovely models (in the form of my daughter and her best friend) to help me out with my photo shoot :)

And one final bit of information..I'm going to be attending this AMAZING exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum in October about Hats!  I especially love this painters palette one by Dior.

I'll be sure to do a post with plenty of pictures :)

Hugs and Smooches,
D

The Signature Style Project - Accessorize, Accessorize, Accessorize..

There is no better (or more cost efficient!) way to change up a signature look than accessories.  Just consider the Jackie O sunglasses and head scarf or Audrey's ballet flats.  Accessories can make or break your look! 

Here are a few of my absolute favorites and how I like to wear them:

Sunglasses
Great for holding your hair back headband style, giving you a little mystery and protecting the delicate area around your eyes from damaging UV rays.  I'm partial to a large Jackie O style, or a retro cats eye, but there are so many other options to choose from.  Wayfarers, Aviators or those nifty little round John Lennon types.

Amazon - 12.99

Mad4ModVintage Pucci Sunglasses - Etsy - $195

Handbags
If you're anything like me, you LIVE out of your handbag.  My preference tends towards larger bags.  Boho sling bags, messenger bags and totes tend to be my preference.  I do, however, tend to travel with a smaller clutch inside the larger bag in case I want to travel light ;)  My bags also tend to be where I add a little whimsy to my outfit.

triliogie bucket bag - etsy - $36

HappyFamily Octopus Messenger Bag - Etsy - $28

Scarves
Scarves are the wunderkind of the accessory world.  You can use them to tie back your hair, dress up your bag, tie them around your neck to add some color to your outfit, belt your skirt or pants with them.  They are hands down my favorite!

Hensfeathers Art Deco Echo Scarf - Etsy - $10

AzimuthVintage Yellow and Red Poppy Scarf - Etsy - $14.95

And here, I will share again my favorite scarf tying video with you all..
 
Jewelry
So many options here!  I'm not usually one for bracelets (I type and sew  a lot and don't like things banging against my work surface) but I LOVE a cute pair of earrings or a necklace and I will pin a brooch to just about anything.  Again, this is a good place to inject a little creativity or whimsy into your outfit.

TipToeThirty - Bird Cage Necklace Charm - Etsy - $17

Pretty Round Art Locket - Hidenseek - Etsy - $35

Vintage Bike Brooch - grandmasjewelry777 - Etsy - $5.50

Shoes
..need I say more??

Modcloth - $35.99

Modcloth - $203.99

Modcloth - $374.99

Hats
Last but never least, hats!  Hats add a great retro look to any signature style (sadly, they are not worn as frequently today!)  I myself prefer a headband or tilt-style hat for the most part (because I have a ginormous head!) but there are so many beautiful styles to choose from, I would encourage you to play with them all!

MsTips - 40s/50s tilt hat - Etsy - $48

PearTreeVintage - Fur Headband Hat - Etsy - $40

ConstantlyAlice - 40s/50s tilt hat - Etsy - $29

Hugs and Smooches,
D

Signature Style Project- Shopping Safari!

The advent of the camera phone is a beautiful thing.  I am a very visual person and I LOVE being able to snap a picture of something that inspires me so I can refer back to it later!

This especially comes in handy when you are trying to build a signature look (and it's a fun way to spend an afternoon without spending a lot of money!) 

The idea is to head out to some of your local shops, the mall, even craft stores and collect inspiration!  If you see an outfit that's been put together in a shop display, take a picture.  If a fabric speaks to you, take a picture.  If you see something that seems totally unrelated to fashion ( a book cover, a color, a piece of furniture) but something about it appeals to you, take a picture!  You can decipher the information you gather later ;)

Here are a few of the photographs I collected on my last shopping excursion:

Cute addition to a cardigan, especially with a grouping of other "like" items.

I liked the detail of the metal, but not the plastic "jewels".  I plan to pop them out and cover them in different fabrics, then replace them in the bracelet so you can see the fabric through the pattern.

This is an old victrola horn, but I love the colors and shape..  Might be fun to do a trumpet skirt along these lines.

Colors!

I like the concept of these scarves.  Would be cute to do a valentine scarf with heart shapes..

This was a fun quilted mini dress with big pockets..of course I bought it ;)

Loved the texture of this vintage cardigan.  Might weave a burgundy velvet ribbon through it as a trim and change the buttons.

I buy vintage lingerie every time I come across it..

..and then I dye it ;)

Not a fan of the hat, but love the decoration.

Like the idea of a cluster of these like a "corsage" on a dress

Would make a pretty addition to a hat.

Love this trim..maybe as a headband?

Hugs and Smooches,
D

A Room of One's Own

I thought today I would give you all a little tour of the space I create in :)

My space began it's life as a dining room, but since we all gravitate towards the kitchen, It was quickly taken over with my crafting supplies.

This lovely old machine is from the 1920's.  The amazing 80yr old woman who previously owned it was still using it up till last year!  It's my back up machine, because it doesn't have the modern bells and whistles, but it runs like a charm!

A small portion of my fabric stash (I have two steamer trunks and several suitcases full so I'm never without when I get inspired!)

The only thing I love almost as much as vintage...books ;)

One of the afore mentioned steamer trunks, more books and my poseable sketch model, Cordelia, who the children like to put in random poses to amuse me ;)

I have two of these pegboards to hold my supplies (and that gorgeous jacket was rescued from a yard sale for $2.  It's authentic to the late 1800's and it's in BEAUTIFUL condition)

Lola <3 (If you look carefully behind her you can see a tortoiseshell hair comb from the victorian era.)

A small selection of my patterns (that sideboard they're sitting on is chock full of them from every decade you can imagine!)

I keep little jars of buttons, notions and feathers readily available for inspiration!

A repurposed plant hanger holds mason jars of buttons, spools of ribbon and my inspiration journal where I jot down ideas.

The sign on the door that goes from my sewing room into the husband's "Man Cave" ;)

Hugs and Smooches,
D