Friday Links for 03.26.10

• They are reissuing The Babysitters Club books And this is a really interesting editorial stating why it's important that they do get reissued.

• Spring Cleaning: Detox Your Space There's a million articles about cleaning out your closet, but this one had me at "What fashion enthusiast wouldn't lust over a closet that could pass as a little boutique?"

• Spool No. 72 I am lusting after all these delicate Spring items, especially the tops, even though I can't afford them. Story of my life, though. Swoon.

• "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story" Worth it just to see Patton Oswalt as Dr Demento.

• DYI Tutorial: Make Your Own Kraft Packages A must read for anyone who likes sending post that's anything but ordinary!

• Do You Alter Vintage? Jennine at The Coveted asks, and defends, her answer to this question. I, too, am torn and can see both sides. I hem a lot of garments, sometimes take them in, but have yet to do a "dramatic" rehaul. I'm really curious of everyone's opinions on this. Please share!

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?

Things I Love Thursday - 10.01.09

• monthly astrology forecast - Every first of the month I think "Oh boy, a new astrology forecast!" Read yours here.



• vintage hats - Now that my hair is getting long my hatred of hats is subsiding. It might also be in part to it not being worn as curly as it can be lately, though. At any rate, I find myself searching for an everyday-yet-glamourous topper. This beret found on ebay is cute, but it harkens the DYI spirit inside of me. I wouldn't be surprised if in a few months time I have a full-on millinery hobby budding!

• fall baking - As the temperature drops, my appetite becomes more ferocious. I see more leisurely breakfasts of french toast, bacon, and coffee on my days off in my future. But aside from that, I long to have an excuse to try my hand at a pecan pie, pumpkin muffins, chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, and of course whipping up my tried and true banana bread.



Left to right: birdqueen, tree & kimball, both on etsy.

• jewelry making - Another creative surge of energy I am getting is from the endless amount of inspiration I find browsing etsy looking at gorgeous jewelry. I have been meaning to experiment with that for a while, too, and am browsing supplies all over the place. Here are some of my favourite etsy sellers lately, whose work I love to ogle:
birdqueen
chinacherie
mama's little babies
ragtrader
tree & kimball

• the great closet purge of 2009 - I'm getting there! I photographed a bunch of stuff for etsy and ebay last weekend, and the etsy listings are gradually being put up. I'll have a bigger post when I'm finished, but I added about a dozen things so far if you want to have a look.

The Perks of Being a Packrat

I'm really trying to be a good girl and pare down my clothes to the essential. It's taking years, and it certainly doesn't help that I still shop a lot. However, in the past few months I'm finally donating a few bags to Purple Hearts, attended two (one I hosted) clothing swap parties, and eBayed/etsied a lot of my better looking new and vintage garments. I am just now finally letting go of many of the beautiful vintage dresses I purchased in high school and inherited from my family that I hoarded for costumes for photography series in college.

One thing that is helping me finally purge is the fact that I have lost weight from when I was sixteen so a lot of these things don't even fit me anymore. On the other hand, dresses I saved even though they had never fit me that I am now willing to part with suddenly fit me like a glove. Luckily those items are in the minority and I've come out of my sorting with three gorgeous frocks.



This is one such dress. I was all prepared to sell it this week. Though this morning when I was showing it to my roommate I thought that maybe it will finally fit me. I received this dress when I was seventeen from a penpal who sent me many great thrift store finds, including Electric Warrior on vinyl. I was never able to zip it up the back so blaming my ribcage (and not the fact that I was on the chubby side) I would wear it with a corset over it for photoshoots). Today I was able to zip it up save for the first few inches at the top, which I will either continue to lose or be able to just let out a tiny bit with the help of a seamstress.



Otherwise, look how perfect it fits me! I cannot bear to part with this dress. If nothing else it would be a perfect wedding dress. The lace and the ribbon...and I'm not wearing a bra since the corset is boned, and you can't even tell. How dreamy.

The other two dresses I wanted to post about I was too lazy to put on and take pictures in, but here they are anyway:



This green floral maxi dress never fit me, even when I was 14! I was going to sell it in the early summer but I figured what the hell, tried it on, and it also fit like it was made just for me. It's the perfect length for my height and is the first dress with a long skirt that doesn't make me look stumpy. I was also surprised how perfectly it fits my boobs since this dress belonged to my mother and she was a 32A her whole life. The back is also deliciously low, it's so sexy and I love showing my back off.





Same story with this dress. Never fit me even when I was 14, was gonna sell, figured what the hell, fit me perfectly. However, this dress was purchased by my skinny dad in his 20s when he went as Joan Crawford for Halloween- ha! And that's not the only dress dad thrifted for a Halloween costume in the late 70s that I think is very pretty and fits me, my parents were into Halloween in a big way. Anyway, I love 70s take on Victorian dresses, and the detail on this one is stunning!



I really love the lace with the ribbon (a pattern is emerging I see here) and the high neckline. It's also a great length for my height, but I'm thinking of hemming it to just above the knee. Opinions? I also am not sure if I hem to leave the skirt as-is or attempt to make it a pencil skirts. Comments and suggestions are appreciated.

Anyway, I am going to update my etsy shop soon with a ton of great dresses, a few blouses and pairs of shoes, and a whole bag full of hats! Stay tuned.

Things I Love Thursday - 09.03.09

• western heels - What looks stylish, gives you a lift, yet makes the boots extra comfortable? Western heels. Whether it's on a pair of stylish new ankle boots or tried and true cowboy boots, male or female, I love them. These leather booties are from Blowfish, so they are very comfortable with not only the heels but the padded inside. I just bought these and am so excited to wear them. I have seen other shoes from this line with a similar heel as well, including pumps.

• Real Simple - This magazine has everything- home decor, organization, money saving tips, recipes, health, fashion, beauty, etc. The images are gorgeous, filled with natural light. Not classist or ageist, it has something for every woman (and man, too, come to think of it). Browse some articles online at realsimple.com

• clock hand jewelry - There are tons of these on etsy, both ready made and supplies. I bought some hands myself and made some extra long earrings:



• designer jeans - Lately I've been obsessed in purchasing things that are worth the extra money, like a really really good pair of jeans. I've been checking out Gap's 1969 Premium Jeans, has anyone worn them?

• solid black tights - Can't go wrong with these babies. I have a drawer full of tights every color and pattern, but I always pull out my opaque black stockings. They're just so perfect.

Things I Love Thursday - 08.06.09

• Target's Odell flats - Now, these are not the most versatile shoes in the world, and I don't even know if the patent ones are waterproof (then again some of my only waterproof shoes anymore are cheap patent flats) BUT they are so comfortable, cheap, and come in a million colors/styles. I have a black pair I wear all the time, and I just bought a Bronze pair. They're only $13 so you can buy flats in any color you've ever felt your shoe repertoire was missing. They have no arch support, though, as do pretty much every flat ever, so get some insoles. See the full list on the Target.com website here

• suburbia - There are some things I love about the suburbs that I just don't get from living in a big city, and took for granted until I moved to Chicago. I never want to live in the suburbs I think, unless it's a tolerable one like Oak Park or Evanston. But I do love the following: being driven everywhere, drive-through fast food (Taco Bell!), Chili's (I love fake Mexican Food), chains like Target and Walmart. Pretty much, I love being a fat American for a few days.

• wearing my boyfriend's boxers and t-shirts - Even though I have my own boxers and t-shirts, there's something about wearing his that makes it so much more cuddly.

• going backless - You know it's summer when you can bare it all and you are nice and comfortable. It's nice feeling the sun on my back in my low-backed swimsuit or feeling extremely sexy out at night in a backless dress. It's hard for me to pull off because I have bigger boobs, but if it's fitted enough and if I wear my bra that's just cups it works out just fine. (I always thought my back was my best feature!)

• a well-organized bag - I'm going to do an entry about purse-organization soon, but between having a new, better structured purse and packing for Lawrence all week it certainly makes life much better.