Funktastic!

I may have already mentioned, but my new keeping-my-hands-busy hobby is teaching myself to embroider. I haven't done much yet; in my sparse free time I'm always pulled between errands/chores, keeping up on my reading (that whole "librarian" thing, ha), and doing the embroidery, and embroidery doesn't usually win, sadly. But I still love it, and I love seeing what other people have done and thinking, "I could do that, and maybe someday I will!" I pore over blogs and Flickr groups featuring embroidery, both patterns and completed projects, adding things to my inspiration folders and just exclaiming over the colors and the details!

So imagine my delight when I saw this post on the Sublime Stitching blog today, about two vintage embroidery books featuring insanely detailed and extensive folk-art/ethnic/hippy embroidery on denim and other clothing. I mean, just LOOK at this shirt:

From American Denim: A New Folk Art
(image from Knitsquirrel's blog)

Amazing. It makes me want to run right out to a thrift shop and find a beat-up chambray denim shirt and embroider the heck out of it!! I'm a real sucker for that kind of all-American, Southwestern, cowboy kind of style, ha! Can't you just see pairing this shirt with big silver bangle bracelets, black skinnies, and a pair of cowboy boots? I SURE CAN.

And luckily for me...the library where I work owns American Denim: A New Folk Art! You'd better believe I've already checked it out!

Sadly, the second book mentioned in the blog post, "Native Funk and Flash" is not in our holdings. Maybe I'll ILL it at some point, but in the meantime, I'm sure I'll be adding any number of images from American Denim to my inspiration folders!

"Why can't I see them now?"

A coworker posted a link to this article on her Facebook page and I was hooked. It's a very interesting discussion of Polaroid photography as art, or as anti-art, as photography, and as a different sort of "now" than is offered by digital.


And while you're at it, go check out the Impossible Project if you haven't yet...or even if you have! Exciting things are happening in the world of Pola!

Neil Gaiman: Novelist, screenwriter, director, producer...photographer?

Okay, anyone who is around me for any length of time will quickly learn that I have a wee crush on Neil Gaiman. He writes books that speak to my sense that myth hides just behind the most quotidian of things and my belief in the power of story, and he always has very good (believable, and strong both) female characters...important, that. I read more than just his books and graphic novels...I enjoy his style and wit enough that I also read his blog and his Twitter feed. And now, apparently, I look at his photos. Lomography gave Neil an LC-A+ camera and some film to play with, then interviewed him about the experience and uploaded a gallery of his shots. And many of them are actually very good, especially for someone who admits that he's new to this whole thing! Of course it helps that he's often around photogenically interesting people and travels a lot, so therefore has some good subjects...and it also helps that the qualities of the Lomo camera and film themselves add something special to any mundane subject. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised that a man as creative in so many media as Neil is creative in one more!

Check out the photos and interview here. I doubt you'll be disappointed!

A teaser...Neil's lomo shot of his rock star girlfriend, Amanda Palmer

Bird's Eye View Shirt

How cute is this "Bird's Eye View" shirt from ModCloth?!



The boatneck, the 3/4 sleeves...and oh, yeah, the adorable print of birds perching on a Polaroid camera! Love it! Perfect for throwing on with jeans and kickin' around on a weekend!

Smile! It's the weekend!

I've always loved this letterpress poster by rollandtumblepress, and it seemed appropriate for a sunny Saturday!


Wouldn't it look lovely hung on the wall near a display of vintage cameras? I think so! Smile! It's the weekend!

Perfect purses

Curse you, Morelle! Curse you and your wonderful, gorgeous, perfect leather purses!

Morelle's winter line is being posted, and they are just amazing. Rich, saturated colors...my favorites are the cobalt blue and the forest green, though the burnt red is up there, too!...and two new styles, the Patchwork and Patchwork Mini, both of which look like perfect everyday bags. And having purchased from Morelle before, I know that the workmanship and leather are absolutely top-notch and truly luxe.


Oh, dear. My poor credit card might not survive this...

Poor, neglected little brooch!

For some reason, one of the items posted in our Etsy vintage shop has exactly ZERO views. I don't understand it! It's a lovely vintage brooch...petal pink enamel, rhinestone, chain, and a pink pearl drop. Very feminine, very delicate, very lovely! I feel sad for the poor thing, getting no attention. Perhaps those who run across this blog post might consider clicking the link and giving the poor pink brooch some love?

Purses, Bags, and Totes, Oh My!

When I was growing up, my mother had a little obsession with purses. Okay, scratch that. She had a BIG obsession with purses. I would roll my eyes every time we walked past the purses section in stores, because she would be magnetically drawn towards the racks and racks of bags and purses and totes. I never understood why! Who would possibly need that many purses??

Well...I think I understand a bit better now. I'm still not nearly as obsessed as she was (okay, as she IS) but I've started crushing on individual bags the way I only ever crushed on particular pairs of boots before. (No, boots, I have not forsaken you...you are still my first and truest love!)

My favorite yellow purse from Anthropologie still holds a very special place in my heart, indeed. Added to that now is the orange clutch I purchased from Morelle. But still...I have yet to own the perfect black bag. That doesn't stop me from looking, though!

Currently, I have two black purse crushes. The first is a bag from Anthropologie that is identical to the yellow bag I already love...except in black leather! They call it the Clouded Moon bag. I already know I love the style, and that the leather is so, so soft, and that the bag is well-made. So that's a plus! It's not the most inexpensive leather confection, however....


The second is this beauty:

{pyramid satchel}

This one is a little bit more on the edgy side. The double-row of pyramid studs adds a bit of tough-girl to the chic, and I always approve of tough-girl. In this case, the studding doesn't overwhelm the bag. I could still wear this to work. It has handles, but also a detachable shoulder strap, which is important! I prefer bags with the shoulder-strap option. Leaves the hands free for operating a camera, don't ya know. And the polka-dotted lining is so, so cute! But I don't personally have experience with the brand, and I haven't seen the bag in person or felt the leather. Hhhmmm.


Hhhmmm....decisions, decisions....

Camera Camera Bag

Wow. Now THIS is a freaking awesome camera bag! It's SHAPED LIKE A CAMERA! How can you go wrong?? I'd think it would be a great conversation-starter, too.

The website seems to be Japanese-run, though it's all in English...but you can pick the US Dollar from a currency drop-down menu on the left, which I assume means they will ship to the US. So all of you camera-philes out there...and I know you're out there!...take note! Now you can carry your camera IN a camera! How very meta.

Statement Necklaces

Okay, unless you've been living in a cave for the last several months, you have to have realized that the statement necklace is hot right now. Huge bejeweled bib necklaces, linked pectorals of beads, ruffly explosions of fabric or flowers...who could forget the young lady on the Sartorialist with her simple jeans and tank top paired with a huge red flower necklace and simple perfect red lips? Her statement necklace is what really made that outfit work!

And yet, somehow, those necklaces are just not for me. I mean, there have certainly been some of them I have enjoyed, and I'm pretty well-known in my group for my adoration of big chunky jewelry. But I tend to prefer a less sparkly, less frilly, more classic look to my large jewelry.

This wonderful copper necklace is the kind of statement necklace I like:



Bold, certainly. It would make a statement, definitely. And yet, as the seller says, it really is the kind of thing you could see an Egyptian queen wearing...classic in the truest sense of the word. But couldn't you see pairing it with a simple black tank top and a pair of dark-wash jeans, as well? And it would look wonderful with my favorite pair of copper earrings.

So what do you think of the current statement necklace trend? Yay, or nay?

Love!

I think I posted about this once before, but now ModCloth is stocking these fantastic white ceramic flower-shaped jewelry organizers. I particularly love the one I posted a shot of, the crocus. Crocuses are my favorite flower, hands-down, because they're always the first ones to bloom each year, and therefore they're the ones that mean spring has really truly sprung.

Hhmm. I might have to indulge in a bit of retail therapy, here...and fast, before they sell out!

Tee Shirt Love

Seems to be a little trend in the blogging world to have themed days of the week. I've seen Wordless Wednesday, Friday Flowers, and several others. So just call this Tee Shirt Thursday, I guess! Really, this is all just a big build-up to show you all a fabulous tee-shirt I just saw...

Bloody Hell We're Buggered Now T-Shirt by ScreamPrinting

I think this is one of my favorite takes on the now-iconic "Keep Calm and Carry On" posters ever!

Inspirational!

I saw these wonderful photostrips by photographer Jen Gotch posted on another blog this morning and completely fell in love! I adore the little stories she creates with the images, and the way she uses color and tone. The little low-res version I posted above really doesn't do them justice, so you should definitely go check out her site!!

Wishlist Wednesday

This Wednesday, I am wishing for...

THIS Aspen Latte Mug

THIS Horse's Ass belt buckle

THIS topknot headband

THESE pretty spiral earrings

THIS Beekeeper print

THIS ceramic skull ring

THESE itty bitty coffee studs

And THIS Publishing Deal dress

Wishlist Wednesday

This Wednesday, I am wishing for....

THESE green ranch hand boots

THIS Owl Dish

THIS Cicada fiber brooch

THESE studded t-strap flats

THESE Neo-Victorian fingerless gloves

THIS baby octopus pendant

THIS monochromatic corset dress

And THIS Petals tank

Butterfly in the sky, I can fly twice as high!

I just found out that the classic children's television show "Reading Rainbow" is being taken off the air after, wait for it, TWENTY SIX YEARS of broadcast. I grew up on that show. I can still hear the theme song in my mind, and it still makes me smile every time. I have such a huge warm place in my heart for the host, LeVar Burton, and can remember all of my favorite episodes.

And you know what the really awful part is? The reason they're taking it off the air is that they think that only shows that teach the mechanics of HOW to read are worthwhile, not amazing shows like "Reading Rainbow" that teach children WHY to read...shows that teach a deep and abiding love for reading. Reading should be a joy and an adventure, NOT a list of letters and sounds to learn by rote. No one falls in love with phonics; they fall in love with books themselves!

Personally, I'm hoping that they decide to release collections of the episodes on DVD, because you better believe I'd be lining up to buy 'em. I don't have children, but if I ever do, I want them to be able to love Reading Rainbow like I did!


I thought it might be nice to pay a bit of tribute to the show with some Etsy items that are all about a lifelong love of books and reading. I think I found some nice things....but you don't have to take MY word for it!

I Heart Books Rubber Stamp

The Wonderful World of Reading Unfolds print

Reading is Sexy necklace

Saturday Afternoon Reading poppet

Hardcover optical illusion brooch

Bookworms print

Got Books literary themed charm bracelet

Wishlist Wednesday

This Wednesday, I am wishing for....

THIS Peplum miniskirt

THIS silver crab claw necklace

THIS Skeleton Key ring

THIS vintage camera mug

THIS Queen Street Draped Jersey Dress

And THIS Imagination print!

Wishlist Wednesday

This Wednesday, I'm wishing for....

THIS vest


THIS Breton Tee


THIS Poppy necklace


THIS studded sweater


THIS Gazette Dress


And THIS Red Riding Hood print

Toy cameras galore!

Okay, I'll admit it...I bought a Diana+ Camera a long time ago and never really used it. *hangs head in shame* I'm a digital gal, and I found the very simple plastic camera...well, fun, but odd! It was particularly hard to get the hang of loading the 120mm film, and with basically auto-nothing in the controls, I was never sure if I was getting results at all, let alone what those results might look like!

But I have to get over that whole perfectionism thing if I'm going to play with toy cameras, I guess! That's the whole point of the toy camera as a tool. With film, you can't chimp. You can't even see your results until days later. And with a toy camera, you sometimes can't even guess at your results! Light leaks, expired film...it's all unpredictable, and that's meant to be the fun of it!

I've been thinking lately about going back and playing with the Diana, and also with the Canonet qL19 I inherited from my Dad a bit ago. I actually loaded up the Canonet with film and have been shooting already...but I can't get over the feeling that I'm not getting anything interesting, 'cause I can't check it on the LCD! It's a whole other world, is film!


But anyway, this was really a long-winded way of winding up to saying I've found (through a link on the Blah Blah Blahg, thank you!) a great little resource for toy cameras other than those from Lomography, as well as various types and amounts of expired film! It's the Four Corners Store! They also have a blog, which is a lot of fun as far as reading over reviews on the performance of various toy cameras. I know what I'll be reading in my (increasing scarce) spare time! If I'm really considering playing with my Diana at last, I'll have to know what I'm getting into, right??

Sale at Morelle!

Aw, man, why must the internet tempt me so?? I saw today that everything in Morelle's etsy shop is currently on sale for 20% off! I love love love those purses! Rich colors, rich leather, hand-made...it's just all of my favorite things rolled into one! The Truffle style is amazing, if a bit too big even for me to want to carry, ha!

But there are some very cute clutches I have my eye on...