Fashion: Aviary Style

No matter how well you know me, I should think either way you have gathered that I love birds. My moniker on many websites is "slubird," others, such as this blog, it's "tzipporit," which is Hebrew for "little bird." I have many bird pins, necklaces, figurines, and artwork around my house. Even, in art school, I made two different bird-themed books.

But I digress a bit. Lately I have seen a rise in aviary fashion: peacocks, owls, feathers, etc. I have compiled a smattering of pieces featuring our fine feathered friends.



Owl t-shirt from Urban Outfitters, pink feather tunic and cygnet swimsuit from Anthropologie, owl and toucan earrings from Forever21, bird on a wing dress from 13 Bees on Etsy, bird wrap skirt from Pawson Vintage on Etsy, blue peacock feather tights from Mod Cloth.

A Treasury For Michael

I usually don't blog about my treasuries on Etsy, partly because I make so damn many and partly because I don't want to bore you all! However, today I made a treasury very near and dear to my heart (as lame as that sounds)...



As you can see, this is a treasury for my boyfriend Michael. It's comprised of things that remind me of him, inside jokes, and things I know he'd like. You can view it here. If you made a treasury for the one you love, what would be in it?

Red and Yellow Inspiration

I have been meaning to do a little post about colours that inspire me and that I enjoy, as well as my favourite colour combinations as of late. However, I am going to have to interject before I even began because I have seen three looks just this past weekend from the Wardrobe Remix pool on flickr that showcase the lovely pairing of yellow and red!



Here is a lovely look by the sweet Miss Silvia! I love the red and yellow worn with bits of white and warm rusty brown. One might not think they go too well together, but she definitely pulls it off. She also does something I love and do myself- match her stockings with her cardigan! This look is another one of her great red and yellow outfits.



Squeaky Kraken on flickr (whose blog is here) is wearing her yellow and red with a really awesome bow she made herself! It looks so sweet and prim from far away, but the bow is made of leather and the tartan skirt is a little punk, giving her look a perfect bit of edginess!



Alicia (on flickr as minicrush) wears a lot of black in her red and yellow outfit- but the red and yellow are far from being mere details. The black balances out the amazing yellow dress, and the solids of the rest of the outfit really let you see the plaid pattern of her red stockings. I have a similar pair myself; starting to regret selling a similar mustard shirt dress now!

Red and yellow are also great colours to transition from winter to spring, in my opinion. Red can be worn year round, and I think it's a nice bright colour that can perk up an outfit of winter neutrals. Yellow, a mustard yellow especially, also blends nicely with a lot of winter neutrals. Note how all of these outfits are worn with black, and/or brown. It also looks really nice with grey- I think a yellow and grey dress with red accessories would be downright stylish in any season, wouldn't you agree?

Wardrobe Remix for 01.25.10

grey cabled beret - knit by me
chartreuse moss stitch cowl - knit by me
teal longsleeve tee - thrifted
white and gold belt - thrifted
tan wool skirt - thrifted
black wool stockings - warmlegwear.com
ivory brass-tipped cowboy boots - thrifted



I felt bad I had not taken an outfit photo in what seems like years! The light has been so bad, really grey and dreary, especially in the morning before work. Today I said PHOOEY and braved the cold (only briefly) and had my friend Alma snap these for me before we went thrifting. I am wearing a couple of things I have knit myself (you've seen the cowl before) and my new/old cowboy boots! These rule! They have a high-ish western heel and are vegan, and appear to be from the late 70s. I was considering putting them in the shop but they are a bit too scruffy for me to sell with peace of mind, but they don't bother me! And they are perfectly my size, too.

As for thrifting, I found a few more pieces for the shop and a couple of small things for me; the cutest pair of oxfords I'm going to cram into, an ivory beret, and a belt that is really cute and simple that I considered listing for half a second but I might have to hang on to that for the time being. I also got the last of my lace! Making jewelry the rest of the night. Gonna try dying some more. Wish me luck!

Works In Progress

I have been a jewelry making machine lately for Branchbound. In the past week I have made 5 necklaces and a pair of earrings, and I have another necklace halfway completed at home I am finishing up tonight. I have been experimenting with stiffening and dying, and soon layering as I may try my hand at some hair combs for the shop, too. I have almost all of the supplies I ordered, and once those come I will be set for a long time. I hope to have at least 20 pieces in the shop after my next update.

I haven't taken any good photos for listings yet, but here are a few I have been working on that I have camera phone pics of (this won't be a trend, I swear).







What do you think? When I am dying more pieces, what colours would you like to see? I have black so far, and I've already had a request for blue.

Mod Cloth Sale

Mod Cloth has a great sale section these days. If I were you I'd take a peek. The following are some items I wouldn't mind having in my closet. Each picture will take you to the listing!







Ahhhh I want that romperrrr! Why is my size sold out?! Why! :(

Pre-Spring Cleaning

Sorry, blogiverse, I've been really busy this weekend even though I haven't been at work! Yesterday I went to Ikea with my pappy and since then I have been working on building furniture, moving things around, organizing my closet and living space, etc. I'm still not done, but my room is at least functional. I might take better pictures later, but in my haste I just have two crappy cell phone pictures. Behold!



I have very little desk space, so to utilize it best I can I bought thick brackets at Ikea and blue-tacked my speakers to them. It's hard to see but I also got a spice rack that I mounted to my wall for all my odds and ends (mostly pill bottles). Now I will be able to spread out more when I make jewelry (or eat...).



I put my 4 vintage hats up on my wall, since I felt bad about them being tossed on the floor or hidden in my closet. I also put up my framed bookmark from Elsa Mora that I loooove. Again, so hard to see.

Better pictures to follow. I have some neat tips to write about, too, since my space is closet-tiny I have to be very organized. I hope everyone had a great weekend! What did you do?

Cold Winter Blues

Not surprisingly, the weather here has been very very brisk lately. It makes waking up in the morning dreadful what with the sun not being up yet and it being too cold to leave my toasty little bed. When I am forced to get out of my house and go to work, I either dress per my previous suggestion or as follows:



detail:



teal beaded necklace - F21
grey long sleeve scoop tee - Target
black diamond-knit belted cardigan - Target
skinny blue jeans - BDG via UO
black duck boots - Target

I wore this outfit Sunday, and a variation of it last Thursday. I love those long sleeve tees. I probably wear one every day in the winter and have a closet full in every colour. I know it's time to do the laundry when I am down to my last one. They are great in neutral colours for easy matching or a bright colour that just peeks out to add a little pop. Anyway, since this was so neutral I added the necklace for just a tiny bit of colour without being too clashy.

Today, however, the weather broke a little bit and I was able to wear this:



detail:



Bryndis lace necklace - Branchbound, another is available in my shop
black long sleeve scoop tee - Target
khaki plaid petal skirt - Tulle
black cotton tights - Filene's Basement
grey leather wedge boots - Steve Madden via Jildor

I bought this Tulle skirt during their Black Friday sale but the weather has been so deplorable it has just sat in my closet. Today I said, no wool! I pulled it on with my new boots (which didn't need breaking in, luckily!) and topped off the rest of my black ensemble with my lace collar necklace. I felt very cute, something that is a nice pick me up after days of sweaters and wearing two scarves (yes I've done it).

One upside to the cold, though, is that it makes me go straight home after work and work on shop things. I've been working on a lot of new jewelry for Branchbound, and I just bought a dress form for Slubird Vintage. I ordered business cards, too. I love just emerging myself into my shops right now. This weekend I am going to Ikea and cleaning out my room, closet, desk, and communal area shelving. Phew! But, productive.

A Long-Awaited Shop Update

I have been waiting to post this stuff for over a month, but with the holidays and all it kept getting delayed by more pressing matters in what little free time I had. I just finished the last of them today so without further ado:



Navy Blue Long Sleeve Shirt Dress with Purple Buttons, Winter White Cable Knit L.L. Bean Cotton Cardigan



Rapunzel Golden Yellow Blouse With Braided Neckline, Jade Green Long Sleeve Wiggle/Career Dress




60s Periwinkle Floral Belted Shirt Dress, Grand Hotel Black Knit Sweater Dress with Lace Collar




White and Raspberry Pleat-Front 60s Blouse and Skirt Dress, Sweetheart Ivory Long-Sleeve Bolero With Assymmetrical Buttons, Lace



Black Leather Flat Pirate Boots Size 7, Brown Vegan Faux Leather Oxford Booties Size 8 (relisted!)

This, however, is nothing compared to what I got today for the shop. Eight pairs of shoes, dresses, skirts, sweaters, blouses, and more. And a few odds and ends I haven't listed yet. Holy moly. Stay tuned for that, it will probably come in multiple updates over the next month or so (hoping for less, but let's be realistic). I also STILL have a bunch of hats...is anyone actually interested? Somehow I get the feeling nobody will buy them...I don't know. Thoughts?

Urban Outfitters Spring Catalog

I know I'm not the first blogger to post about the Spring collection for Urban Outfitters, but I haven't seen some of these photographs before so I thought I should post my own favourites! To preface, I saw (and loved) those shoes a few weeks ago on the site when they were first up, before the rest of the catalog. I want them so badly. The open back dress is gorgeous of course, and that romper is the first romper I've ever seen that I could see myself purchasing. How it would look on my figure, however, is another story. And that skirt is perfection, even though it is simple, and it's great to see navy as a spring neutral! It makes sense, it's not as dark as black but still goes beautifully with white, pale pink, mustard yellow, and baby blue with some nice contrast. Exciting to know the navy pieces I am accruing this winter will be just as wearable in the warmer months.

Have you seen the catalog? What are your favourite pieces?

Very Proud, Like Peacocks

Last night while trolling Etsy, and I am wont to do, oh, all the time, I decided to browse for a pair of red feather earrings to replace the pair I lost. In my search I found these beauts:



Not exactly what I was looking for, but I loved the dye over the peacock feather! So I looked around her shop, 10 Kiaat Street and I spotted THESE:



Oh my god, aren't they beautiful? I love the bleached look so much. It has a dusty rose/ivory feel to it, and they remind me of one of my favourite birds, albino peacocks!



My dream is to have a bunch of albino peacocks and peahens strolling around in my vast yard...but I digress. As I looked around Etsy, now obsessed with the notion of owning these, I found some other great pieces and supplies of dyed and bleached peacock feathers (and vegan faux feathers as well). Take a look-see:



from here



from here



from here

And if you are feeling particularly crafty, some sellers just have the bleached or dyed feathers for sale as supplies.



from here



from here

What do you think? Do you like the different colours or prefer to stick to the classic peacock feather? I personally love both styles - the classic peacock feather look can be so bold and bright it's hard to match at times with your wardrobe. Also I find myself a sucker for ivory, white, and pale pale pink things as of late.

New Year, New Post

Sorry for the length delay, everyone. I was in Lawrence visiting my man from the 30th to the 3rd, so I wasn't able to post until today. I have three outfit pictures! First is from New Year's Eve:





black and white feathered hair comb - made by me
black slip dress - Rodarte for Target
black vertical striped stockings - Christmas present from dad's gf
black oxford heels - gift from Michael


These look a little janky cos of the flash and these were taken at the end of the evening so I wasn't very fresh. We didn't have time to snap a pic before because we were still cooking! Michael made penne with vodka sauce, and I made a salad, sauteed green beans and mushrooms in butter and dill, bruschetta, and a caramel pecan pie. Mmm.

I was at Target in Lawrence and they had the blue eyelet Rodarte dress I was eyeing! I was forlorn- I shouldn't buy two $40 dresses right? But I tried it on, anyway...luckily it didn't look as good as this one did. If it goes on sale (not holding my breath) I may pick it up. At least I know my size already.





paper earrings - made by my friend Erin at Never Contented Things
floral shirt dress - H&M
black wool stockings - warmlegwear.com
grey military boots - Target

I wore this outfit Saturday, and Friday I actually wore the same dress but in the other colour. Yes, I bought both. I looove this dress, it's perfect. H&M has actually been really on point with their shirt dresses, there is another I saw the other day that I may have to return for. Also with this outfit I am wearing a gorgeous pair of wire and paper earrings made by my friend Erin at Never Contented Things - no store yet but soon! They are so delicate yet strong, and I love having the white leaves against my red hair.





50s plaid junior dress - Arizona Trading Company
black wool stockings - warmlegwear.com
grey military boots - Target

I got this dress Saturday at Arizona Trading Company (I think it's the same as Crossroads) in Lawrence for a song and couldn't resist wearing it Sunday. It has pockets, too! Wowowow. I love the colour and the plaid and the Peter Pan collar...I could go on and on. It reminds me of this dress from Whitney, but the winterized version.

Overall the trip was good, as is every time I see my boyfriend. Lawrence is nice to visit cos it's a college town- all the amenities of the suburbs (Super Target, getting a ride everywhere, fast food row) and also that of a college town (quirky shops, vegetarian cuisine). Half the trip was spend cuddling inside and watching MST3K and Simpsons and the other half was shopping (mostly for party things), dining out, and seeing Up In The Air (highly recommended). Here is a pic of me and my gent (blurry but cute):



D'aw.

Resolutions and Goals for 2010

• Get up 15 minutes earlier every day (outfit photo + get together lunch + not have to run to the bus)
• Take outfit photos way more often (see previous)
• Update blog at least every other day
• Get a lot more stock for both my etsy stores
• Save money so I can go to L.A. in March and Boston/Salem in September or October with Michael
• Make solid, fashionable attempt to wear pants more often
• Only buy shoes that are durable, comfortable, and stylish
• Get rid of even more stuff
• Buy a better sewing machine and learn how to sew (this is not likely, but I'm still putting it on here)

I think that's it! What are your goals/resolutions, if you haven't blogged about it already? I'm hoping 2010 will be a great year!