glam.spoon

friday style post

I bought this dress at Anthropologie in April with a birthday gift card from my husband's Aunt.  It's all silk and has really delicate embroidery.  I've manipulated the photo a bit, but the color is close - soft gray. 

dress, Floreat (Anthropologie); shoes, Steve Madden; necklace, handmade; hat, thrifted.

New P-I Reader blog

Please help me celebrate "Thrift Shopper", my new P-I Reader blog!  I pitched my angle to the editor and he liked it, so I'll be writing a weekly (maybe more eventually) blog about thrift store shopping, one of my areas of expertise.  Please check it out and let me know what you think! 

giveaway and pay it forward

Thanks to randomly generated lucky number 12, I just found out I won a Columbia Lily original!  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this apple pouch is still available from her Etsy shop.  

I'm pretty behind on my posts due to the uncharacteristically warm weather over the holiday weekend, but first I think I'll pay it forward and post my own giveaway. 

I found this lovingly hand-knitted bag with circular bamboo handles and quilt-print lining at a thrift store a few weeks ago.  I simply couldn't leave it behind and decided immediately it would be a blog  giveaway item.  Imagine if the real "Jean" sees this post and adds her own comment!

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment here describing a great thrift store find or experience you've had in the past.  Don't forget your contact info... I'll pick a winner in a week!

New Etsy Shop & Giveaway

Take a look at these great bags by Novita at Sew I Do.  She's just opened and Etsy Shop to feature her work, and I'm spreading the word.  I am most certainly not shamelessly posting this info so that I win her giveaway, I just think they are the cutest, simplest designs I've seen in a while.  {OK, truth be told, I would not refuse the black & white one if I did win.}  Click over to her blog and enter today!
 

new dress

I spent Saturday working on a new line of tops to be premiered at the first ever Summer Urban Craft Uprising event coming up the first weekend of August... but today I went in a whole different direction.  This fancy dress (or at least the color) must have been subliminally inspired by The Glamouri since I peruse her blog often, but I can't really say since I let the fabric lead me. Either way, it sure would look nice with one of her lovely Shrimpton Couture necklaces and a pair of silver platforms.

cotton jersey bodice with a polyester overlay and machine-stitched reverse applique; with voluminous pleated skirt of thin chiffon & polyester satin printed hem, elastic waist.

friday style post

The sun is back!  Today's style post is a bit sporty spice.  Practical yet stylish, I can run all over town in this getup.  Have a great weekend, everyone...

cotton shirred cap sleeve top with pockets: all dolled up
olive cropped pants: levi's
sneakers: keds slides in espresso
hat: Array by Elizabeth Rohloff

Snohomish, Washington

We had our monthly jazz combo gig last night in the tiny historic town of Snohomish, Washington.  I snapped a few photos before the sun went down as the musicians were loading in.  First Street is about 8 blocks of antique stores, soda fountains and country decor.   It's a nice drive from our house over the steel covered bridge and past miles of corn fields.  One of these days we'll stop for a hot air balloon ride.

Friday style post

After 29 days of sun (nearly a record in Seattle for this time of year), the clouds and rain today made it possible for me to style a glam.spoon long sleeve top.  I've been experimenting with a line of refashioned tops to broaden my fashion horizons.  For the record, I found these gorgeous wedge heels at Goodwill for $4 and they still had the Nordstrom sticker on them (score!).  Then I dug out my old BCBG glasses for a bohemian secretary look. 

top: glam.spoon refashioned knit, thermal and wool top with lace neck edge and button front; skirt: neesh; shoes Martinez Valero; earrings and necklace: forever 21.

Discarded to Divine 2009

I posted earlier this year that I contributed a recycled garment to the annual auction/benefit for St. Vincent de Paul called Discarded to Divine.  My dress was entered in the "daywear" category, but I didn't win.  This morning I was alerted to the flickr group of photos from the show.  All the entries are represented, but only the winners have the designer's name next to them.  I'm impressed with the creativity of the designs and I think I'll kick it up a notch next year.

inspiration

Having spent the last 4 days traveling to and from the south via the Atlanta airport through some unsavory weather, I'm happy to be back and ready to sew!  For me, the only bad part about staying in a lovely rustic cabin in a remote little town is giving up internet access!  So today I caught up on my blog stalking...  when I stumbled upon this amazing designer, I wondered how I didn't already know about Kate Towers.  She's from Portland and in addition to her own web site, she has an Etsy shop.  Everything she does is inspiring, but "Go Ask Alice" is my favorite.

more jersey dresses

Sneak peek of the next batch of jersey dresses headed to Frock Shop today.  I'm playing around with ribbon and pleating details, and sometimes I just have to stop myself. 

 

I'm also thrilled that Zoe, my runner up in the May Giveaway, has already posted the dress on her blog!  I love to see people wearing my clothes.  Thanks, Zoe!

self-portraits

I was visiting my favorite blogs this morning and came across this post on Blah, Blah, Blahg, from guest poster Monica from Ciao, Chessa! about taking self-portraits.  My 'ography skills are amateur, but my eye is very particular.  I have a really strong impulse about what I like in a photograph and what I don't.  I recently got a gorilla tripod, which has given me more flexibility, and I've been watching a lot of Top Model for posing tips (j.k.)... but not really.  Once you know your angle, or your "best side" or whatever, you'll actually start looking better in snapshots too.  Think about family photos that are on a one-take basis and you're never ready.  You can be ready.  

The photo above is my favorite self-portrait of the day.  It kind of looks like a movie still, which I love.  The camera was aimed at the car window and picked up my reflection, which accounts for most of the overlays and metallic nuances, but I also "antiqued" it with iPhoto special effects.  {My best angle might be from the side, which I now realize will probably not be tolerated in snapshots for the family.}

This is a collage using my favorite photo effects: Color Fade, Antiquing, Color Boost... and the bottom right is SOOC (straight out of camera; a term I learned from The Pioneer Woman).  I tend to favor antiquing, sepia, faded, distorted photos.  I've always hated boring old snapshots.  The more I learn about how to adjust the exposure and all, the more I loathe my old photo albums.  {Once again, the side angle.  Maybe I can work this one into family snaps.}

Some effects can change your hair color from dark brown to a golden brown with highlights.  No trip to the salon necessary.  So straight on face, but with the eyes to the side.  Gotta run, there's another episode of Top Model starting.
 

true inspiration

It's amazing to me that I started my little recycled textile business nearly 4 years ago as a means  to rework my wardrobe into something usable rather than just give it away and buy new clothes.  I was quietly rethinking design in the privacy of my closet, unaware of any role models or forerunners or pioneers of a new era; but they were there, secretly laying the groundwork for new sustainable methods of fabrication and techniques for reusing what has already been produced. 

If you're in need of some old fashioned, grass roots, sustainable style, live-off-the-earth inspiration, please check out the interview with Natalie Chanin on the Burda Style site.  This woman is a force!  I dream of the day I can spend a week at one of her workshops in Alabama, soaking up the history and the richness of hand stitching, loving your thread and soft organic cotton jersey. 

photos taken from the Alabama Chanin website and the Burda Style slideshow

And while we're on the subject of sustainable design, I found Leanne Marshall's blog today and stalked her for about an hour.  I read and commented on almost every post since she published it on October 23, 2008.  I really admire her for her talent, her humility, her desire to do her best always, and her commitment to innovation while thinking about the planet.  This is a great self-portrait.

giveaway winner...

Let me just start by saying this was a VERY difficult decision!  47 comments, all genuine, engaging and interesting... THANK YOU so much for all your kind words about my little halter dress.  This was such a difficult decision, in fact, that I have decided to give away a second item to the runner up.  I wish I could give away 47 dresses! 

The winner is ... PABLO!!  That is one lucky girl to have a husband who would comment on a fashion blog describing how he would style a dress for her... and he gets points for vocabulary: open-toed pumps!  Please enjoy Pablo's winning comment below:

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I would style this dress by putting my lovely wife in it....

I would accessorize her with a dark green bangle I bought her while we were dating and her gold oak leaf earrings. Then to her shoes... she would wear her new gold open-toed pumps.

It would all be part of a surprise date night where I would take her back to the place of our first date, Luna Park in Los Angeles.

She is always my queen, but it would make me very happy to surprise her with this wonderful glam.spoon original as part of a very special evening.

Thanks.

Posted by: Pablo Garcia | May 31, 2009 at 12:07 PM

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The runner up was one of the earliest commenters, and Zoe set the bar pretty high from the start of the giveaway...  only two paragraphs chock full of sights, sounds, imagery and tastes, as well as multiple locations.

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Here in Charlottesville it would not be unusual to wear that dress with a pair of stylee cowboy boots and big hoop earrings. The dress would show off my tattoo nicely as well (very important). I would saunter down the crowded downtown mall past all the buskers on a steamy Friday evening toward the Pavilion, where there is free music and good beer on tap from the local Star Hill Brewery (preferably stout or amber). Yes, that dress with cowboy boots!

But since I don't have cowboy boots (yet), I would probably wear it with my bad ass European high heeled leather lace up shoes that I splurged on in Cyprus years ago. I would wear a pair of artisan crafted silver dangling earrings (of which I have several), or faux emeralds (Tashi has a few) or my favorite chunky Garuda earrings (http://www.organicearrings.com/).And I would go to DC (two hours away) to see one of my favorite freak folk shows, like Devendra Banhart or Vetiver or Cocorosie (unless any of them happened to come to Charlottesville).

That's what i would do.

Once the baby is weaned. . .

Posted by: zoe krylova | May 27, 2009 at 08:00 AM

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Congratulations to both of you, and thanks to everyone for joining in on Giveaway Day!

friday style post

Today is predicted to be the hottest day in Seattle all year... but it's cool right now, so I styled my glam.spoon halter dress (color block patterned polyester satin and silk) with a crochet DKNY mulit-color wool shrug, cable knit American Living beret, Jessica Simpson (prescription) sunglasses, Forever XXI necklace worn as a bracelet, my own handmade necklace and my favorite a.n.a. silver sandals (I bought the black pair too!).