Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Off the beaten path

Once in a while (ok, rather often) we're amazed at what designers come up with to make fashion more exciting for their wearers. We've been eying some of these unusual items (mostly dresses) because we've been feeling the drama and are getting excited about fashion all over again. Here's a few we love:

The Acid Earth Mini Dress Amour San Anguish

Pirate of Love kanzashi mask, ccaspia.

Lara- My Black Dress

Nicolette Clutch, Mabel McBee

Poetic one-of-a-kind flower brooch, Ariane and Lulu

And finally, Silent Era LBD by Desira Pesta.

Finally, getting dressed is fun again! Check out these shops for more wearable and expressive pieces and fall in love with your closet!

Glamour Green

We've been craving the crisp and clean shades of green recently and have found some items in this effortlessly glamourous and always in style hue. Used as a home accent or on your person, it's sure to add some snap and snazz. And who doesn't love that?

Midori Vintage green velvet trench coat, Lolita Vintage. We imagine a modern Scarlett O'Hara rocking this one while she schemes her way into the hearts of many.

70s Emerald Green Pair of Vintage Table lamps, Fabulous Mess Vintage. Add a dose of color and a retro flair to your interior design. And then invite us over for cocktails.

Emerald Rose Vintage Couture headpiece, House of Telsa. Miss mysterious, my how you turn those heads! We want to wear this to the races and pick us up a millionaire.

Emerald Green Faux Snakeskin Kelly Bag, Haute Country Vintage. This type of bag never goes out. Thank goodness.

Emeraude Moderne Pillow Cover 20in X 20in Avec Dieu Couture. Shiny, vibrant, and swirly. Queen Bee would choose this for a pillow fight and surely out clobber the competition.

Envy eyeshadow - Metallic Emerald Green and Vegan by I Touch Roses. Add a subtle sultriness to your peepers and stop them in their tracks.

Pair your green with shades of vivid pink, plum, black, or white for maximum pop. You'll look marvelous!

That 70s girl

Indie. 70s. Girl.

Striped Peasant Shirt by Kepaki on Etsy.

Vintage 70s navy jeans by Brownies Vintage.

Vintage Emilio Pucci 1970s hat at The Orange Peel Vintage on Etsy.

Platforms by To Tak on Midnight Sparkle Vintage Clothing.

70s Horse Theme belt, Decades Vintage on Etsy.

70s Snarky Owl , Freestyle Vintage Co on Etsy

Native American SIlver Cuff, General Whimsy on Etsy.

Check out these shops for more cool vintage finds! Happy shopping!


Happy New Year, one and all!

How were your holidays?

Ours were fab: we prowled bars, took in a live show, spent quality time with the fam, and played dress up in our favorite vintage duds. All in all it was a success, but we're ready to get back to online shopping and sharing our finds with you! In honor of this new year, this clean slate, we have decided to do something conventional--perish the thought--and so we scrounged around and found some calendars. Before you start yawning, let us explain our thinking: a year is made of days, and one must be aware of those days, not drift mindlessly through them! A calendar is the very best way to make one aware of the time that makes up life, and keeps one focused on ones goals. We know we've got them; our New Years Resolution was to have more fun. Leave the must lose weight resos to the self tortured. More fun means more dancing, more walking around window shopping, and more running hand in hand with that special someone! Buy fabulous clothes that fit you now, prance around like a maniac, and start living! Here are our new lease on life finds.

Modern and dramatic, the Stendig wall calendar: it's so big you can't help but be aware of what day it is. Bold. Minimalist. (We have one, we love it.)

Perfect for your inner teenager, Year of the Dreamer date book by Art Club. Each one is completely unique, fun, and functional. Not to mention cheerfully cute.

For the understated yet slinky diva, 2009 Desk Calendar- Indian Motifs by With an Indian Touch. Black and white cards are dramatic and accented with intricate designs.

And finally, for the Francophile, the printable 2009 CALENDAR- Mini French Series by Ali Design. Pretty colors make the inner girly girl pirouette with joy.

So there you have it, an excuse to get something cute for yourself or a friend. Get aware of those days and use the heck out of them!

Strawberry Fields Forever

There's something about strawberry. Those of us who are fortunate enough to not be allergic to them can enjoy not only their flavor, but also the wonderful wild and sweet scent. Not to mention the tooth-bleaching aspect. We remember strawberry shampoo from High School, and how we wished (one of us, that is) that our hair could retain a scent other than chlorine. We've snooped around various shops on Etsy that celebrate the stunning strawberry, from scent to personal embellishment. Behold the goodies:

Creme De Fraise Audrey Dress by Bug n' Belle Baby Boutique. Makes us wish we had a daughter.

Strawberry Field Organic Cotton Tee by Mythdemeanor! It's uni-sexy goodness. (We really love it layered over that button up, too.)

Wild Strawberry Fields intense hair conditioner by Goodonya Too. Who needs perfume if your hair smells like wild strawberries? Sigh.

Strawberry Nectar by Tryst. It's sweet, it's pretty. And we love it.

Strawberry Fields Earrings by Lili Swan. Strawberry tones accented with touches of green and sparrows. Well played.

Strawberry Lemonade Chef Apron by Bella Bee Designs. Handy pocket, contrast trim, utility meets pretty.

Not strawberry-centric? These shops are fully equipped with something for everyone. Check them out, and happy shopping!

Garden of Readin'

Like to read? We do, too. Books offer a whole new way of looking at the world for a brief period of time. Some book induced moods stick around like a dream; some like the plague, where you wish you could wash that funk right off (think: something depressingly bleak like High Maintenance or The Washingtonienne) but it's the kind that doesn't wash off with soap. How odd, we're digressing. We've found some intriguing and fun finds on Etsy from independent writers. Those of us addicted to words (and shopping on Etsy) can marry the two addictions oh so pleasantly. Win. Winny win win!

Epitaph for my Heart zine collection by Tiny Paper Hearts. "A survival guide to being social" is quite possibly the most hilarious title we've read all week, only trumped by her description of the work as "handy hints and stories for those who, like me, find horror in everyday social situations." This is must-read material for us introverts.

And we HAD to add the cover of Epitaph n. 4, as it was what got us into her shop in the first place and offers such insights as, "hints on how to tell an insult from a compliment; what do to if people pretend not to remember your name and much more!" And we fall in love, yet again, with a string of words.

Things that float, by Parapluie Press. Inspired by The Science of Sleep, this zine features 16 pages of poetry centered around dreamscapes and the sometimes blurred line between the imagined and reality. We don't know why, but we're fascinated by the cover alone.

Hidden Jewels, a zine of poetry which has been letter pressed using hand-set type and bound in wallpaper. This zine contains 16 poems that deal with the little and large things that make up a life and deal with themes of nostalgia and discontent. Interesting stuff.

Lady Pandora Laslow, by Fabricated Family. What happens when a young suicidal scullery maid decides to plummet head-first into the Thames? Why, true love of course! Written by Lori Bragg, this is one of her various Victorian-era inspired short stories that are anything but stuffy.

Another hilarious title, Rufus McGraw, Spy, chronicles the adventures of Rufus McGraw, a small man who masquerades as a woman in order to retrieve more than 5,000 bottles of rare, vintage wine for the SS of Vine (Secret Society For the Preservation & Salvation of Vintage Southern Wine). With a pistol in his garter and 6 feet of rope in his petticoat (not to mention a pocket knife), Rufus is a 5ft tall force of nature.

So there you have them, my dears, a good reason to dust off those reading glasses! Check out these shops and read something off of the beaten path!

Furniture with Real Charisma

Fabulous, funky, modern and magnificent are all words to describe the furniture made by Michael Arras. We are hard pressed to find one favorite, and greatly admire his designs, which are both functional and beautiful...since we're adults now and we have to impress the menfolk with our style. We digress. If you, like us, appreciate dashing digs, check out our favorites.

Red Coffee Table. This beauty is one of a kind.

Small Orange coffee table. We adore the colors and shapes altogether. It is seriously beautiful.

Plywood lounge chair. Very cool, simple design that would justify a purchase of a funky pillow.

Check out Michael Arras's shop and make your home happy!

Make his day!

Men. They make up a little bit more than half of the population, and it's highly probable you've got more than one in your life that you hold dear. Have you ever tried to shop for him, though? If you, like us, find the prospect of showing your affection with thoughtful tokens daunting, Mark Kalen Designs just might be able to provide a solution for you. Man-friendly gifts made by a man who understands how to accent your sweetie with a mega dose of sex appeal. See for yourself:

Propel Steel Buckle. We love this. It's manly, original, and cool without trying too hard.

Black Leather with Embellishment bracelet. For that sexy tough guy you love to love.

K-Tag Triple Tread. Finally, a man necklace that doesn't make us somewhat nervous. Three other fun styles available--it's a HF approved man-stocking stuffer!

Custom design also available--here's an example, which we LOVE. That kind of love where you have to bite something. Yeah!

Check out Mark Kalen Designs and see for yourself what we're raving about. His designs are intriguing and range in styles, so one should suit your man just right--the world will thank you for making his style that much better!

Gunmetal grey

So, yeah, we've got a definite sense of personal style. At least, it feels that way. At the risk of being visually repetitive, we've decided to go ahead and show you some of the things we've been eying in luscious cuddly grey. It actually snowed here two days ago, but the sun is streaming in through the curtains and a little grey would be a nice counter color for the cheery weather. We never said we were chipper lasses. On to the items, please proceed to view in an orderly fashion and mind that step.

Charcoal fingerless gloves by Kimonos. A very welcome stocking stuffer or gift to self--because cold hands don't equal a warm heart. They equal misery.

The Peahoodie by Abigail Adams. Pea coat, hoodie, contrast colors--completely genius.

The Messenger - in gunmetal gray by Moop. Finally, a bag your man will be proud to carry for you, or receive as a personal gift!

Heart pendant by Smashing. A rugged choice for the closet romantic.

Unisex Cuff with Secret Pocket by Sewlutions by Amo. We want to get this for our man and 'borrow' it.

Keep warm, keep happy, and mix some grey into that wardrobe--it's an excellent alternative to black that we can't get enough of!

Exuberance

There's something about turquoise. Perhaps we're biased, but we think (other than red) that the blue, blue green and greyish turquoise is the best color to combat the dullest days. Exuberance is a turquoise color. See if you agree.

Blue Wildflower baby blanket by Ella Jean Handmade Baby Gifts. Is it weird that we want one for ourselves?

Turquoise snuggly neckwarmer by Tiny Minds. See how happy the model looks? And warm, too.

Sky Saw by Golden Stiletto. Clean, crisp and chipper, like a strip of sky.

Ocean wave Organic long sleeves T-shirt with hoodie by Ballila. Adorable design and color combo for your cutie.

Twiggy Card Case by Holly Hawk. Pretty design and handy access to cards. Win win.

Aster 3x3 Tile by Gretchen Kramp. So vibrant and happy looking.

Tumbled Turquoise Rock Soap by Amethyst Soap. This is beautiful. It's soap. We marvel.

Sure, it's raining outside. But we're feeling sunny and clear skied. And that's all that matters!

Handmade Finds