a tag and release

so i have been tagged by both the hysterical kate at lookbook nyc, and ms. lovemore herself to do a list of likes, dislikes, and random tid-bits. it took a while to get to, but i really thought out my answers. kate's list required 5, and since i'm all for keeping things short and sweet...
i fancy
1) trader joe's packaging. i go in there and oggle cleaning supplies and candy bars equally.2) dogs. rosie my dear heart i miss terribly, but i still get to play with louie my boyfriend paul's dog.3) jam, jelly, preserves... i eat them with a spoon as a treat. pumpkin butter is my favorite...
4) collecting rocks. from trips or garage sales, they are all dear.
5) being told i look like my grandma, selma delphine (far left)xoxox i loathe
1) when cars charge at you while you're in the crosswalk, to convey their impatience...
2) being bored. all of the world's evils stem from boredom.
3) when people are disappointed at celebrities' distasteful behavior. for example, i hear ryan adams can be quite the jerk. so what? he makes really good music, and we already have one bono...
4) people not answering their phone for an exteneded amount of time. my immediate reaction is to call them to tell them to pick up their phone.
5) jennifer aniston.
random bits
1) i am engaged. paul and i have been together for nearly 8 years, and will get hitched sometime next year.
2) i am a distant relative of alec baldwin on my mom's side and raquel welch on my dad's.
3) my mom and i talk on the phone everyday, every other at the least.
4) i went to catholic school from kindergarten through senior year of high school. which could be why i get such a kick out of getting dressed for everything.
5) i'm inexcusably scared of moths. they are furry flying bugs...

and now i tag these 4 blessed souls: megan at hop on the gilly, ashley at the golden mean, tianna at baby hazard, aaaand paul at the modern spirit. answer however you want, even if its just one of each or in sign language. love you guys...

for fun

a shameless outfit post (since i haven't made anything to post about, so lazy...) top photo: blouse from H&M, something i wouldn't normally wear but i saw kate moss wearing something similar, and granny's shoes (amalfi's that squeak when i walk, but the black suede is beeautiful...), necklaces from jcrew and UO; bottom photo: gap jacket, dress from H&M (they make up half my wardrobe okay?), AA leggings, boots from old navy that i bought years ago and never wore. i love them now, like i knew i would one day. investment purchase you know.shout out to LoveMore and Kate: i'm working on that tag list!! soon i promise...

texture

i love all saints, i have the site bookmarked and every once in a while remember to check them out. what i love most is the natural color palette, and that the focus is mostly on texture, something i myself am working harder to incorporate into my sewing. favorite inspiration as follows...

i grabbed this off the site a week ago and now its not up there so maybe it sold out. but anyway, i love fringe and have been thinking of making a purse out of old boots with such an adornment...

the draping on this dress is something i've wanted to learn how to do for eons. i have an old donna karan pattern that i'm studying to get to the bottom of it...

tassel gilet; i would wear it with jeans and a cardi underneath..

the rillo scarf, its like a clown collar but cooler. i would wear it with a plain tank dress n heels...

run along, little doggie

rosie marie tejada has left us for greener pastures. she was a sister, daughter, and beloved confidant. she had a penchant for long walks, backyard-grown produce, chasing squirrels, late night bark sessions, camping, sun bathing, and just hanging out. appropriately named "don't pass me by" by her breeders after the beatles song, she was sent back from a beachside condo for being too frisky only to be scooped up by us. just shy of her 15th birthday, she was loved by many and will be sorely missed.last night i channeled by grieving into a sewing hurricane, and in 4 hours had cranked out this number. i've been wanting to make a 2-tone dress for a while, and settled on this heavy cotton cream, with a satin black. i also have been wanting to make something a little more contemporary than i'm used to, and so tried the zipper exposed and in the front. it was quick and dirty and i love it. i've named it "the rosie"....

i'm walking on sunshine

and dont it feel gooooooooood?
*obama stamp made by me with some photoshop/illustrator fun

stardust

this is the sexiest picture i've ever come across. hands down. i love liz taylor (suddenly last summer, i DIE) and david bowie and the fact these two stars from opposite spectrums came together for a moment of pleasure is blowing my mind...

*found on ffffound

worthwhile endeavors

i've been working on this dress for some time now, beginning with the top. i hand-stitched the pleating and seam at the shoulders. i wanted more of a slouch at the neck, to create a scarf-effect, but it didnt work :( next time. the inspiration was this calvin klein dress. i loved how dainty yet modest it is, and the pleating! for this project i tried something new: a side zip and seamless pockets, meaning i cut the pocket to the same piece as the skirt if that makes any sense at all. i'm quite pleased, its one of the coziest pieces i've made thus far...

and my stud necklace! it doesnt lay as flat as i hoped it would, but i love it nonetheless, and i have plans to make a gold one with silver stars studs. maybe for sale on my etsy site...special thanks to my bathroom and kitchen for proving to be worthy backdrops.

bound and tagged

i was tagged by the lovely laura at pug and pips to do a special post. rules go like this:

*go to the 4th folder in your computer where you store your pictures
*pick the 4th picture in that folder
*explain the picture
*tag 4 people to do the same.
i went in my inspiration folder, and the 4th image is actually a scan of a font i was obsessing over a while back called baskerville swirl. its from a book in my office called the encyclopedia of comparative letterforms, published in 1971. i love the curly que nestled into each one, and the varying boldness on each character. it was inspiration for a business card i was designing...i tag misha at dusty dress, annie & carlotta of the same name, kate of look book nyc, and rachael of penelope, penelope.
i also found the blue background photo of megan and myself and added it to the red background photo we took monday...

thread & studs

sunday was lovely, lazy, and a little loopy for me. i felt like a zombie, probably fighting off the ever-looming bug and not going to bed when i should. it was still craft day, though i didn't get much done. i was busy swooning over baby julian...
i did knock out an idea that i've been tossing around for awhile: combining knit with metal. it's been done before a hundred times over, but i just wanted to make something myself. so from these two images i photoshopped together (i love adobe cs), i concocted a pattern that i will hopefully start in the next week...p.s. while image-searching studs, i came across this bag from the home shopping network. seriously. i love it? god go figure everyone is fashionable these days...

faux fur

blame it on kate moss for sparking my interest in a style, but i've been hung up on fur. i stick to the faux, i just can't bring myself to wear the real stuff. i feel the guilt you know. which is a shame, because i've inherited some beautiful pieces from great-grandmas. its just when it brushes my skin...eek! but why bother now, especially since the synthetic version has been looking far better than the monkey-suit stuff of years past. i've even found some vintage styles on ebay made with the synthetic that look marvelous...

my new favorite jacket from H&Mon a side note, can i just say how happy i am that kate and jamie hince are back together? not only do i love his band, but the chances of her and alison mosshart collaborating on a fashion project are better than ever... fingers crossed.
*H&M jacket, vintage scarf, old gap jeans, UO tee & shoes

happy friday

i have an arts and crafts day planned sunday that i'm really looking forward to. open invitation, anyone show up! paints, bedazzler, embroidery welcome! happy weekend!!photo by the wickedly gifted autumn de wilde

glorious type

simple calligraphy, type, with limited color. very classy. found on ffffound. playbill from the 1800s breaking all kinds of design rules i learned in school (25 different fonts...?) i'm smitten.

purple

i just bought this purple dress, specifically a saturdated violet,a color i seem to be drawn to lately. it cant be too grape, there has to be a cool tone to it to make it the right violet for me. i'm wearing it here, with an enormous scarf-shawl (sharf?) i made awhile back and forgot about... the color reminded me of these great YSL ads from a year or so ago featuring the devastatingly beautiful karen elson, married to the equally devastating in all manners, jack white...the color pallete is fantastic! bold and simple...

photo shoot

i am very fortunate to have cousins that will spend a whole day with me playing dress up: meghan and carly merely asked when and where to my photo shoot invitation. over the last 5 or 6 years i've made a fair amount of clothes and its been in the back of my mind to document them into a bona fide portfolio. i recruited meghan to do make-up, and carly to model. its thrilling to see someone else wearing your clothes, all done-up! carly has a rainbow of blonde hair, which worked really well with the color palette of pieces i wanted to shoot. we worked swiftly, and managed to cram in a good number of dresses, blouses, and jackets. a small selection of photos before i play with layout and FONTS...

inspiration for hair & make-up

one of my favorite dresses, i made this for my birthday. fonts are letter gothic & century gothic bold

dress and jacket originals by me; fonts are rosewood & oratorstylist, designer, model

urban outfitters

i have been coming here since i was in the 6th grade, and though it feels like the diy aesthetic is all too accessible here, its really been consistent since then. so today, after glancing over my inspiration binder and discussing the portfolio project i will begin shooting of my own peices, rebecca and i went to the new women only UO on fillmore street for a peek and for me more inspiration (can you ever really have too much?). being that its women only, and in more of a residential neighborhood, this specific UO seems to carry better peices than that petting-zoo branch downtown, and i found myself making mental notes of spring details: pleating, beading, thick straps, mesh... i feel like i've been in a sewing rut, and have all these ideas but am too lazy to execute them. or maybe i'm overwhelmed still from the holidays. i'll snap out of it eventually... rebecca tried on a gray antics jersey dress (seriously $100?!) and decided it best to make her own.

she also tried on a charming c.ronson dress, with a pretty little bow in back.i grabbed a white t-shirt (cant have enough) and a jersey wrap cardigan that i think i will use as a pattern to make one of felt? or velvet? we both left with goodies including sparkly black nail polish, and the lil' wayne policewoman lyrics ringing in our ears...

mail gift

i came back to my little apartment after the holiday festivities to find a large flat envelope waiting for me on my mail box. it was addressed from my friends hijiri and randy in new york. hijiri, or heeej as i call her, has been making some amazing linoleum and type prints lately, and lo and behold she sent me one of her works of art as a christmas gift! its beautiful, done in navy ink, it says 'live what you love.' perfect to wake up to every morning... love you heeji-saan!!!!

p.s visit her etsy store for more typographical goodness....