2017 April | Your Traveling And Vacations Portal

Mod Cloth Madness

I love Mod Cloth! And today I got this cute little photo in my email inbox.

This one was my favorite: I even like the name!
Sewing Class Dress

Happy Thursday! I’m off to the fair grounds as soon as I get off work; about half an hour. I can’t wait to see what prize(s) I may have won! Mom said there was a special call for me this morning………..that can only mean one thing!!!!

I’ll take lots of pictures and report back tomorrow. Ta-ta!

Scotatto — Etsian of the Week

Now here is a unique, eclectic set! I just love these designs by Etsian Scotatto……..all handmade of leather and other materials. Yes, even the shoes (scroll down). There were so many darling items in her shoppe that I had a VERY hard time choosing which ones to showcase here. So be sure to stop by check them out for yourself!

What a neat, chunky diary cover! I love the old-fashioned phone, stripes and calming color tones. *sigh*

I love glasses necklaces, but have never seen one with eyes……..until now!

Shoes with a Turkish flare!

Telephone Brooch

This is the first item I saw from her shoppe………it drew me right in.

You know me and owls………… 🙂

She has some great photos, too……….

This diary cover reminds me of a circus……a theme that I’m really fascinated with right now.

This reminds me of my sister, Amanda. Hahaha! I love it.

Wow-Inspiring Necklaces

Today a friend sent me a link to some new jewelry on Urban Outfitters and it sparked a jewelry hunting spree. Most of the photos below are courtesy of Anthropologie, but there are a few from Urban Outfitters’ lovely line, Calourette. So please scroll through and enjoy the eye candy and if you like what you see, head on over to one of their sites. There are some really great do-it-yourself ideas here, as well, and you may see a few of them make their way back in the form of handmade projects.

This one reminded me of my friend Megan

This one would be fun to try……..I have a lot of fabric scraps that would work perfectly for this.

I love knotted jewelry

I like the trend of ditching regular old fasteners and using things like lace, elastic and ribbon instead. I have some great cluny laces that would be perfect for this.

Wha??????

What a quirky little piece of jewelry! I love this photo, too. 🙂

Fabric covered beads…….

These remind me of tiny little bib necklaces added to a larger piece.

Lovely little rosettes on a simple chain

More rosettes…….

Beautiful photo…….

This is a neat floral idea……..

The following pieces are all from the Calourette line at Urban Outfitters:

I’m not crazy about the jewels, but really love the whole nautical knotted movement. So cute!

Featured Etsian

My featured seller for the week is dragonhouseofyuen. What funky, fabric animal sculptures! They would be so retro/mod hanging from a Christmas tree, strung on a piece of twine and hung around a window, or just sitting on your dresser. Btw……I just love how the artist community calls these “sculptures” now instead of plain old stuffed animals. It fits them better, since these really are pieces of art and not cheap children’s toys.

My favorite sculptures here are the squirrels, but there are so many different styles and patterns to choose from, that you’ll have to stop by the shop and decide for yourself. 🙂

Excerpt from dragonhouseofyuen’s profile page:

“Annette Tait of Dragon House of Yuen

I grew up in Zambia, the Highlands of Scotland and Outback Australia surrounded by animals. I am inspired by nature and have a great love of all animals. My art is animal oriented and comes from the heart. All my work is originals and has been designed and created by me. (Please see)My fine art website: www.dragonhouseofyuen.co.uk“

Twitter Update

Eating a PB&J sandwich and big container of fruit salad………….

Okay, so I don’t have a Twitter account and I wasn’t really eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. But every once in a while I have the urge to write a one-line status……..so my blog is as good of a place as any.

And in case you’re wondering……..it is an almond butter and jelly sandwich. Close enough. 😉 Plus nectarine, peach (not quite ripe = crunchy) and blueberries. Yum!

The circus skirt

I got a some fabric from my Grandma a while back (as seen in a previous post) and almost as soon as I saw the striped cotton, I knew what I wanted to do with it. I’ve been seeing those cute, bubble-ish, pleated skirts around lately and have WANTED one. But I can never find a pattern for a style that is similar. So I finally decided to modify a pattern that I already had. The Simplicity pattern #2758 worked really well for a project base because of the already fitted-with-pleats waistband. And it had enough fullness at the bottom that I could easily pleat and tuck to my heart’s content without taking off the wiggle room for walking. I decided to back the cotton with another one of my grandma’s vintage pieces to give it some body and keep it from being too sheer. It worked perfectly! Below you’ll see the finished project, complete with two cute, but almost non-functional pockets that I designed myself. They are lined, as is the waistband, with a cute, retro-style cotton that I bought at one of my favorite shops here in town. The same fabric is just screaming to be turned into another necktie necklace sometime soon. 🙂

I added some vintage buttons (I recently purchased them at an antique store in Walnut) to the front for interest, and because I plan to add suspenders eventually. When I do, two more buttons will be added to the back to hold them in place. But for now, I thought adding buttons to the back might look funny. 😉

As you can see, there were still a few strings that needed to be clipped, and markings that needed to be washed out. Other than that, it was completely finished. 🙂

I hate that the horizontal topstitching doesn’t match up once the zipper is closed. They did before. 😕 Other than that, I’m quite pleased with it. I’ve made three skirts with zippers so far, each with a different method. It’s a learning experienc for sure!

And some inside views; because I have a fascination with the insides of garments.
I love patterned facings or linings. 🙂

The same thing with stuff matching up on the inside. It must have something to do with how the zipper zips and exactly where the teeth intersect.

Also, the instructions didn’t explain what to do with the side of the skirt where the facing folds over, COVERING THE ZIPPER TEETH (see the right side? If the facing had been folded straight down, like the other side was, then it would have kept the zipper from zipping all the way up). So I had to improvise and try to manipulate the fabric. I think it turned out well, though.

Once I finish my blouse, I’ll post some pics of me wearing the completed ensemble. Hopefully next week…………..

Lost Things

I found this video via a link on www.papercutsbyjoe.blogspot.com (awesome work…….check it out!) and thought it was really neat. I’m already a huge fan of the Amazon Kindle commercials, and this vid is made by the same people. It has a definite Alice in Wonderland kind of vibe to it………

My first french seam!

Ta-da! I’m making a lovely, retro-style top with some sheer swiss dot and decided that this would be the perfect time to try out a french seam. So here it is! I’m quite pleased with my results………extra work for sure, but worth the time when you’re making something with fabric like this. Especially if you want it to look professional and clean when you’re finished.

This top is (hopefully) going to coordinate with the skirt I just finished (again, more on that later……) and it’s coming along quite nicely. Just the zipper, hem and sleeve facings to go!

Inside front of the blouse. I didn’t want to see a yucky seem through the front of my top……..

Outside

Necktie Necklace — copying curious finds

When I came across this adorable necklace last week, I thought, “Wow, that’s neat!” I had been in the mood to try wearing a necktie because I think they’re adorable and interest-sparking fashion accessories……..but I hadn’t quite decided whether one would look (or feel) right on me. So this seemed like the perfect compromise; fashion forward and boyish, yet with a feminine touch.

{So I shamelessly copied}

I really love the way this fabric looks with the skirt I just finished making (more on that later……) and I was trying to find a way to incorporate it into the finished outfit…………..this was the perfect solution. 😀 I have another fabric that would look great with the skirt, too. Maybe another necktie necklace is is order.

A photo of the back because I think it looks cool. 😉

Etsian of the Week – Silkiness

I’m proud to present the talented work of my friend Elizabeth. I recently found out that she has started an Etsy shop where she sells her absolutely gorgeous handpainted scarves and neckties. I have painted a scarf before, and let me tell you, it takes practice and a lot of talent to paint them like Elizabeth does. So please take a moment to browse through her lovely shop……..Silkiness, and if you like what you see, snap one up! They are one-of-a-kinds. My favorite is the green necktie………….now if only I had a man to wear it! 😉