elegant musings

2008-05-07T08:59:00.001-04:00

I've moved! Come visit the new blog!

:: vintage monday [ week five ] ::

2007-10-29T09:12:00.000-04:00

Note: this is my final post here at Blogger. Please adjust your feeds and links to my new blog at http://elegantmusings.wordpress.com! My apologies for any inconvenience this may cause. See you at the new home!

Brrrrrr... It is downright cold this morning! Here’s a little inspiration to get your week started...

[ click for larger view. ]

This week I decided to showcase something a little different than the usual fare: young girl’s frocks from the 1920’s. I know as a little girl I loved to dress up in pretty dresses that had peter pan collars (and usually a matching pinafore...), and I have always adored the little details and innocence that older girl’s styles evoke. These dresses are so much fun, and have gobs of ideas that you could use in a present day, misses design! Different collar shapes, interesting pockets, tiered skirts, embroidery, sashes... My favorite snippets: the center top frock’s sleeves (those mini-ruffles would look lovely on many applications!), and the bottom right dress’s use of trim (simple, but not boring).

I’ll be back a little later with more creative-goodness. Hopefully by then my fingers will have thawed! lol.

Cheers & Creativity,
♥ Casey [ email me ]

:: moments ::

2007-10-28T18:01:00.000-04:00

Rain, rain, go away...

After three straight days of rainy weather (which we sorely needed here!), it cleared up yesterday morning to become a gloriously sunny and crisp October day. Between the previously dreary weather, and my being cooped up in the house so long, I was feeling quiet twitchy yesterday. Mom was kind enough to suggest taking me to one of our favorite haunts: the local “old town”, filled with antique shops, interesting boutiques and a couple tea rooms. So I donned my new, red beret and we spent a few hours just wandering in and out of shops, mostly window shopping (but I did spend some money; I rarely go into an antique store and come out empty handed!). Stopping halfway through for afternoon tea and yummy muffins at a bakery. Came home to find the inaugural issue of Victoria peeking out of the mailbox! (Review and thoughts coming later this week...) A lovely ending to a beautiful day indeed.

Today I wore my “new” vintage dress I picked up yesterday at my favorite dealer’s store. I’ve blogged about her before, but she always has the most beautiful selection of affordable (and wearable) vintage garments. I hadn’t been to her shop since mid summer, and all the inventory had changed to autumn-appropriate wear. Loads of lovely, fall hued dresses, hats and lots of coats (which I have to keep away from; I did a count recently of my coats/jackets and found I have upwards of a dozen! Yikes!). I fell in love with this 1950s, dead-stock (it still had the original tags attached!) jumper, was delighted when it fit and promptly bought it.

I love how vintage clothes fit! Nothing is better, in my opinion. Speaking of garments fitting nicely, one of the ladies at church lent me a whole stack of pattern cutting and fashion drawing books today! She had spent time in England years ago and had taken a course on fashion design, and had a whole bunch of books and class notes from then. We flipped through them a bit after church (hurriedly... lol!), and they look really good; nothing like the American-published books I have in my bookcase. I can’t wait to spend a bit more timing poring over them; I’ll share pictures and titles once I do.

I also fit a little sewing in this afternoon. Working on putting together the mock-up of my 1820’s corset for my dress I’m making. I made a similar corset several years ago, using the pattern from Period Costumes for Stage and Screen, which is dated a bit earlier in the century. This time around, I decided I really would rather have a corset that is appropriate for the 1820’s and 1830’s, so I’m using the scaled pattern from Corsets and Crinolines, which is a slightly different shape. Its more of a shape that mimics me, anyway, which always makes fitting easier. I need to make a fabric store run this week and pick up the cotton for the outer layer, as well as the cording. I’ve already got the linen on hand for the interlining (the corset consists of four layers; two cotton outer-layers and the linen inside), and I think I can probably scavenge spiral boning from my previous corsets. So hopefully I won’t go broke on this project! lol.

I have so many more things to share with you all, but to keep this post length reasonable, I’ll save it for tomorrow. I hope you all are having a lovely, happy weekend!

Cheers & Creativity,
♥ Casey [ email me ]

p.s. The time is drawing near: I'm going to be permanently moving my postings to my new blog as of Monday! Please adjust your subscriptions and links accordingly! Thanks!

:: schedules & pretty things ::

2007-10-26T18:29:00.000-04:00

[ scroll down for a close-up of the finished watercolor. ]
I have been slowly working a schedule out to direct my days a little better. I’m finding that since I’m not quite as tired as I have been previously, I can go most of the day before I need to just sit back and rest, but I’m finding that this “new-found” energy is leaving me in the lurch as to how to fill my days! Its not as if I lack projects, tasks or work to do, its just putting it all together into a schedule that works!

Talking with Mom (who I continually look up to for such practical advice; after running a household, minding kids for over 20 years, and homeschooling to boot, she knows of what she speaks!) about the issue sparked some ideas:

♥ Set aside one day to do the majority of your computer work (for me this is primarily Monday)
♥ Set up a daily schedule that you treat as if you were in an office. Use this time to do anything business related (includes writing listings, photography, blogging, product development, and creating)
♥ Streamline your design and production processes a little more (hard, since my muse can’t be confined to a box! lol)
♥ Spend one day a week doing just artwork
♥ Try to minimize doing personal projects and distractions while “working”, but realize that life does happen!
♥ Be sure to take time to rest and relax

Maybe its because I am so young and haven’t had this much lack of structure in m life before (hello, school and work! hehe), but I found it just a wee bit discomforting to have this much free time on my hands! This weekend I’m mapping out my time a little more definitely (analyzing how I spend my time, etc.) and hopefully next week I’ll be working around a new schedule. It always makes me so happy to have a little direction and solidity to my days! lol.

I think I must be going through one of my costume drama moods; I have powered through North and South and most of The Aristocrats in just a couple days (mostly listening, not so much watching; I’m usually knitting or working on new products and just have something playing in the background). Wives and Daughters is newly checked out from the library, and I’m thinking I need to rewatch Our Mutual Friend and Sense and Sensibility. For other historic, costume drama fans out there: what are some of your favorites?

I daresay all this movie watching has something to do with the fact that I’ve been doing some casual “research” of sorts. Ever since I received the Tasha Tudor auction catalog and the beautiful Fabric of Society book (and even before that!), I’ve been dying to get my hands on a costuming project. Newer readers may not know that I did costuming seriously for several years and had to drop it due to school and work. Seeing as both those things are on hold for at least a season, and that none of my old costumes fit, I think I need a new one. Though I was contemplating doing a late 1830s/early 1840s gown, I decided that doing something in an era I’ve already tried would probably be a wise idea for my foray back into costuming. I’m still solidifying dates, but I think right now I’m particularly drawn to the years between 1812-1820 (gowns from 1815-1817 in are particularly appealing). In anticipation of my new project, I ordered some cotton lawn yesterday. Now I’m committed!!

I’ll be making several garments: early 19th century corset, petticoat, and gown. More details will be forthcoming, but I won’t burden this blog with too many nitty-gritty bits; because essentially this blog is no longer a costuming blog. But I will be sure to share finished garment pictures and perhaps a few progress pictures (if anyone is interested?).

Has everyone been watching the progress of the Pay-It-Forward exchange going through blogland? I finally signed up this morning for one, and am happy to be able to post the little notice here! So without further ado:

“I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on here requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.”

Please note the comment must be left here; so I can contact you if you’re one of the lucky three! I can’t wait to do this; I’m already concocting up ideas of what to include in the packages. This is going to be fun!!

Now I'm off to brew myself a cup of herbal tea and spend the evening knitting. Have a lovely Saturday!!

Cheers & Creativity,
♥ Casey [ email me ]

p.s. The time is drawing near: I'm going to be permanently moving my postings to my new blog as of Monday! Please adjust your subscriptions and links accordingly! Thanks!

:: inspiration [ week twelve ] ::

2007-10-26T09:21:00.000-04:00

Good, Friday morning, my friends!! I hope you’ll enjoy going through the list of this week’s Inspiration lnks. I’ll be back later with a “proper” blog entry!

♥ inspiration [ week twelve ] ♥
♥ mel kadel’s wonderfully quirky illustrations [ via ]
♥ ladies’ early 19th century gowns
♥ clever, time-saving project board!
♥ prettied-up messenger bag
♥ how to make a gorgeous hydrangea wreath
♥ a lovely, 1920s-themed tea party!
♥ 10 ways to add to your income as an artisan/craftsperson

Cheers & Creativity,
♥ Casey [ email me ]

p.s. The holidays are right around the corner, you’re probably starting to think about gifts. Why not give gifts this year that not only support independent artisans and craftspeople, but are original as well? Sign up for the Buy Handmade pledge to show your support!

:: daily meanderings ::

2007-10-24T18:16:00.000-04:00

The beginning of this week has been up and down, mostly because I’ve felt a bit overwhelmed lately with the thought of everything I want to, or need to do. Darn my strict, Yankee work ethic; even when I’m supposed to be “recovering” I feel a need to work, work, work! lol. Today I’m busy working on advertisements, new packaging, new business cards (since my blog address changed...), and some secret Holiday stock for the Shoppe! I’ll be posting more about that later, but lets just say I’m quite excited!!

Ysolda’s “Briar Rose” bolero pattern is knitting up nicely; I’m just doing bits here and there, mostly in the afternoons around tea time when my energy is at its lowest. Yesterday I sat down with my cup of tea, watched the last of North and South, and knit most of the first sleeve! I’m so excited; I love seeing knitting projects come together right before my eyes--its almost like magic! I recently found a book in the library system (I trawl through the online catalog every-once-in-awhile; yes, I am a library geek!), Working from a Master Pattern to Fashion Your Own Knits by Sharon Turner, that intrigued me. Besides the fact that the book is part of a series called “Teach Yourself Visually” (how great is that--finally someone got the idea that not everyone learns the same way! lol), the idea of learning how knit patterns are designed sounds very interesting. I have a hold request in and can’t wait to get it!

Today I spent a lot of time working on some new things for the Shoppe. As I mentioned I’m preparing for the holiday season, and thus am designing and making some winterish delights! I can’t wait to share them with you, but I’m keeping most of it a secret until early November! (Because the best holiday things are always kept [mostly] secret!)

Its been raining here all day long; which is great since we’ve been under drought conditions. Dreary, autumn weather always makes me want to curl up with a cup of hot cider, a movie and my latest handwork project. I think I’ll go dig up my favorite pair of wool socks (in sore need of replacement... hmm... perhaps my next knitting project?) and see if we’ve got any cider in the ‘fridge...

Have a lovely Wednesday evening, everyone!

Cheers & Creativity,
♥ Casey [ email me ]

p.s. Abby is doing a whole week devoted to “beautiful books”! Be sure to check out her blog, where she’s already featured two gorgeous tomes.

:: ze loot... ::

2007-10-22T18:40:00.000-04:00

Finally! Pictures of some of my finds from the rummage sale this past Friday. I bought some clothing too, but part of it has already been sent to be cleaned (namely the most gorgeous 1960s, black wool sheath!), so I’ll share pictures of those pieces later on.

1. rummage sale loot . 07, 2. rummage sale loot . 05, 3. rummage sale loot . 11, 4. rummage sale loot . 06
Shall we begin? First, let me set the mood... I got to the sale an hour and a half before the public was admitted, and with good reason too. Housed mainly in a large equestrian center (and a few of the out buildings), this thing is huge. Lines begin forming early, and I decided that getting there the earlier, the better (especially so I could get a good parking spot!). I was the second person in line, and parked myself on the ground with my knitting (and latte... must have caffeine for these things you know!). I chatted with people who had come from Maryland, West Virginia and even Massachusetts to attend this!

The closer it gets to admission time, the more you can feel people getting twitchy! Its tough to wait when you just know there are piles of goodies just lying there waiting for you! When the doors open, people tend to rush through, and yes, even I have been known to sprint to the antiques and fabric tables in an effort to pick over the best stuff first! lol.

This year my first stop was the antiques, especially since I had found a lovely typewriter last year and knew that I had to check in first. I didn’t find a lot, which made me wish I had hit the fabric first. (Especially after running into my friend S. who had already looted three bags of scraps!! That explains why the fabric seemed so picked over... lol!!!)

The craft tables weren’t that picked over, although there were a handful of women hovering around the boxes of knitting needles and such, so it was a bit hard to get in there. Never-the-less I managed to snag a couple of vintage needlework goodies:

My favorite find, however, was this box:

It looks like a box of junk, doesn’t it? It was taped shut, so I couldn’t look inside, but a little voice kept telling me to buy it. Marked at only $3, I figured if it was full of notions that I didn’t care for, I could probably find a new home for it! But look what spilled out when I opened it up:

Buttons! Gobs of them! Most of the buttons range from about the 1940’s/1950’s to the 1980’s, so it is a pretty good range of styles and materials. I’m still going through them, but there are some real gems!

Also, oddly enough, there was a large stack of vintage clothing labels in the box too. As well as vintage Vogue Designer labels (that they used to give out when you bought a Vogue designer pattern). I can only imagine the rather eccentric woman who must have saved all these labels!

I also picked up a back of vintage snaps and hooks for a quarter. Besides being useful, I love the graphics of vintage notion packaging!

*sigh* It was a good year! Not as spectacular as last year (when, besides the typewriter, I also scrounged a stack of 1920’s needlework magazines), but not shabby at all. I’m already looking forward to next year!!

Cheers & Creativity,
♥ Casey [ email me ]

:: vintage monday [ week four ] ::

2007-10-22T09:06:00.000-04:00

Goodmorning! I had a hard time choosing this morning which image I wanted to showcase: another 1840’s print? Perhaps the 1870’s fashion illustration would be perfect? I ended up choosing this charming 1860’s print; its one of my favorites and I hope you’ll enjoy studying it too!

I find something very lovely about the late 1860’s fashions; a little less harsh than the era of the bell-shaped hoop; the elliptical skirt shape hinted at the bustle era to come. The styles of this time period also start to get a little more “fussy”, but aren’t overly so in my opinion. Some little details I love in this print (circa 1867): the long ribbon-tails hanging down the back on the far left gown. The pointed peplum on the yellow outfit (trimmed with jaunty tassels no less!). The diamond trim on the far right gown; presumably beaded...

Enjoy and I shall return with lots of goodies later!

Cheers & Creativity,
♥ Casey [ email me ]

p.s. Don't forget to adjust your links and blog feeds to my blog address! I'll be permanently switching at the end of this week.

:: knitting my life away... ::

2007-10-21T20:42:00.000-04:00

Obviously this is not the rummage sale treasures post that I promised! My Sunday has been quite full; L. was up for the weekend and we spent a lot of time together because I won’t be seeing him for the next two weekends. So the next two Sundays I dare say I’ll be posting entries with a little more “umph”...

So as not to make this a totally useless entry (eeek!), here are some pictures of my finished Gretel beret!

I know; this is not the Azeala pink yarn I posted a picture of earlier. As much as I love that yarn (it is really pretty), it just wasn’t thick enough. The hat I envisioned would be dense and warm (especially because I get so cold come winter!), and with the pink yarn it was turning out a bit more open. I set that aside and bought a red, worsted weight instead. Its the same yarn I used for my sister’s mitts I knit last winter, and worked perfectly for this project!

Ysolda’s pattern was a lot of fun to work with; very clearly written and included a lot of helpful notes! What surprised me was how quickly the beret came together, despite all the cables and the fact that I still am very much a “knitting infant”. I daresay I shall be buying another pattern from her very soon; the Briar Rose bolero has been calling my name for months!

The only thing I didn’t realize is how big the beret would be. I wanted slouchy, but after finishing the piece I wasn’t sure I wanted something this full! However, after trying it on I’m absolutely in love with the size and shape--I really can’t wait for the weather to get cool enough!!

Have a lovely evening and I shall be posting the Vintage Monday inspiration tomorrow morning!

Cheers & Creativity,
♥ Casey [ email me ]

p.s. Alright... it only took me the time of writing this post to break down and just buy the Briar Rose pattern! lol. I think I know what my next knitting project is...

p.p.s. Don't forget to update your blog feeds to my new blog address!!

:: inspiration [ week eleven ] ::

2007-10-19T18:35:00.000-04:00

Eeeep! I can’t believe Friday is already coming to a close--and I didn’t post my Inspiration Week links yet!! Why, what could have ever prevented Miss Casey from doing this? you ask. Two words:

Rummage sale.

The annual, gargantuan rummage sale that raises funds for the local hospital. A worthy cause, and I get to find some neat stuff! I woke up long before the sun even thought about shining, and planted myself right by the main front door at 7:30 am (knitting in hand...) to wait until 9 when the public is admitted and I could go rummaging. I have to admit, I’ve never been this tired after the rummage sale (this is the fourth year I’ve done this), but I plan that on the dratted Mono. Despite the fatigue, I lugged home quite a few clothes and loads of vintage goodies (including fashion illustrations from the 1860s and 1870s!) that I’m going to share with you over the coming week!! Plus, I found some lovely things to center my Autumn Blog Give-Away around... (stay tuned for that!).

♥ inspiration [ week eleven ] ♥
♥ quick fashion fixes & Gala’s emergency fashion kit!
♥ kate spade’s “I’ve always wanted to...” [ via ]
♥ projects, tips and tricks from alabama chanin [ via ]
♥ how to make yummy almond butter!
♥ teatime is a glorious thing!

Have a lovely Friday evening, and Saturday all!! I shall return on Sunday; rested and hopefully with pictures and a rummage sale report to share!

Cheers & Creativity,
♥ Casey [ email me ]

p.s. I dare say I’m starting to sound like a broken record. But all the comments you, my dear readers, have been leaving are just warming my heart so much! Thank you bunches! *virtual hugs all ‘round*

:: in search of new inspiration... ::

2007-10-18T18:30:00.000-04:00

Happy Thursday, everyone! Thank you all for your sweet comments about my work being featured at Vintage Indie!

I’ve lately been thinking very deeply (perhaps too deeply as I have a tendency to do!) about the direction of my “artistic talents”. As I’ve mentioned before, I really identify with Tasha Tudor because she considers herself a “Jack-of-all-trades”. I dabble. I explore. I try things, play around with techniques, appropriate what is helpful to me and then move on. The world is just so full of things I could learn; I have quite a long laundry list of crafts I want to try:

+ spinning (drop spindle and wheel)
+ loom weaving
+ how to create knitting patterns
+ become more proficient at embroidery
+ traditional camera and photography
+ gardening (because right now I have an excessively brown thumb!!)
+ traditional printing techniques
+ wood carving (I guess whittling would be a better term)

... just to name a few. I’ve lately become curious about improving my embroidery skills (or lack thereof; I tried embroidery and cross stitch as a child but lost interest when my thread tangled repeatedly!). The above picture is of just a couple books I've picked up during a quick stop at the library yesterday! So many ideas and inspirations!! I think I am truly mad even getting out this many books. But the pictures! Ideas! Techniques!! I am a sucker for pretty pictures and helpful-looking tomes. *sigh* What are some skills you would like to learn?

Finally, the little “surprise” I was so excited to share and mentioned yesterday! Look what came in the mail on Tuesday:

The Fabric of Society: A Century of People and their Clothes, 1770-1870 by Jane Tozer and Sarah Levitt. I found this book years ago on the library shelves, marvelled at it, returned it when it was due and later found the library had gotten rid of it! (Sacrilege!) Its a beautiful book of essays and photographs on clothes. Published in 1983 by the Laura Ashley Company (ah... those were the days of romantic dress! hehe), it is chock-full of interesting bits and pieces. Here are a few snapshots of the interior pages:

Some of the chapters include “Fine Linen”, “The Gent”, “Dressmaking and Millinery”, “Working Class Clothing”, and a whole chapter on shopping for clothes!

There are so many big “compendium” books these days (like my favored Fashion), but there seems to be a gap in fashion-related publications that are just pretty. This one is pretty and useful (as I mentioned its got lots of clothing essays), but has a certain charm that is lost in the more exhibit-catalog style books published now.

Anyhow, I was finally able to track down my own copy on Alibris and am now the happy owner of another, beautiful costuming book.

I’m off to spend the evening working on my knitting!

Cheers & Creativity,
♥ Casey [ email me ]

p.s. Remember to be sure to adjust to your feeds and links to the new blog address! I’ll be posting here for about another week, but after that all the new entries will be on the Wordpress blog!

:: my first feature & shoppe update! ::

2007-10-17T18:28:00.000-04:00

I am delighted to announce that my work has been featured in the lovely Vintage Indie blog! I am bouncing off the walls right now! lol. A big thank you to both G. who writes VI for featuring my shop, and all the lovely people who I have had the pleasure of doing business with. You all are making my dream possible--thank you!

In other, shoppe-related news: there is a wee update in the Shoppe of whale pins! I blame it on Dad recently rewatching a family-favorite: Moby Dick, because I was suddenly seized by the need to make blue and white whale pins! So check them out before they all swim away!

Speaking of whales, ships and the romance of the old sea-faring life, I was sifting through my collection of vintage National Geographics the other day and lit upon this:

Isn’t the cover lovely?! All those tall mast ships are just gorgeous (and oddly enough, this issue also has a feature on whales...); I almost want to tear the cover off and pin it up to my inspiration board. I almost went to a tall ships festival when I was out in California, but unfortunately by that time I was feeling quite ill, so we skipped that. *sigh* At least the day before I could stand on the beach and watch the tall ships (and little sail boats!) coming into the port. Lovely.

I also have a small announcement to make about this blog. Because of my increasingly dissatisfaction with the limitations of Blogger, I’ve decided to move over to Wordpress. I’ve imported all my entries from here, so you’ll still be able to find my archives (as well as now being able to use the handy-dandy search tool). I’ll continue posting here in conjunction for a week or so, just so that everyone can adjust their feeds and such.

ETA: Here's the link to the Wordpress blog! Oops--forgot to add that first time 'round!

I have an exciting find to share with you all, but I’m keeping it until tomorrow! Until then, have a lovely Tuesday evening!

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

p.s. my outfit was inspired by the talented and whimsically-inclined Marjorie (this painting specifically)! Click on the thumbnail for more details on my Flickr page.

:: weekend no-show ::

2007-10-15T18:33:00.000-04:00

I fully intended to post yesterday, but L. came by to visit, and being rather desperate for visitors (and admittedly happy to see him!), we sat out on the deck talking for three hours. By the time he left, I was too tired and the light had dimmed so I couldn’t take pictures for my blog post! I know: excuses, excuses! lol.

The weekend turned out to be quite productive... which was a pleasant surprise! Saturday, my first “weekend day off” from business work proved to be good. I got a lot of personal projects done; most importantly I started photographing and writing the tutorial for the Most Secret Project (details coming very soon!). I forgot how much longer making something and working on a tutorial in conjunction takes, but it seems to be the best way for me. Otherwise I tend to forget (like the *coughcough* polar bear pattern and tutorial... which I promise will be coming... sometime!)! I also (drumroll, please) drafted the sleeve sloper! It’s all cut out and awaiting a test run, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed. Sleeves and I have a torrid history of hating each other.

I also got some sketching done, which was very relaxing! I’ve had lots of ideas for trims and garments, and I’m finding if I don’t take the time each day to jot these down, I tend to not only forget but drawing doesn’t come as easily. I suppose I shall have to make a point of having an official “art time” each day to sketch; if nothing else to stay in practice. It’ll also mean I’ll finally get some of the drawings I’m halfway through finishing/inking done! lol.

I recently purchased and downloaded Ysolda’s pretty “Gretel” beret pattern. I just love all the cables! That is one of the things I really love to knit: cables. It may take me a couple tries if the pattern is more complicated, but I am fascinated by how such a simple variation of stitches, a cable needle and a little patience combine to make such a beautiful motif. Saturday afternoon the yarn I ordered specifically for this project came! I purchased it from an Etsy seller, woolhandcrafts, and I am so delighted with it! Not only is the color exactly what I wanted (sort of an “Azalea pink”), but the yarn is so soft. I think it will be lovely made up in Ysolda’s pattern. Mom kindly picked up the needles I needed this morning, since all the ones I have were larger than what the pattern recommends!

I just wanted to say thank you for all the encouraging comments you’ve left on my entries lately! I really, really appreciate the feedback! One thing that is becoming increasingly annoying with Blogger is that there is no function to directly reply to comments. I’ve thought about switching, but some of the other services aren’t clear about how they handle the whole “reply to comments” situation; anyone have advice?

Lastly, has anyone else been watching the hilarious and informative Etsy “holiday preparation” videos?! I have gotten so many ideas from that (which is what prompted me to make the hang tags pictured in this post!). Even if you don’t have a shop on Etsy, I highly recommend watching them for tips on how to creatively approach the holiday season.

Have a lovely evening!

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

p.s. Susan of Sulu Design is having an earring give-away all week!! Be sure to drop on over to her blog and enter for your chance to win one of her lovely designs!

:: vintage monday [ week three ] ::

2007-10-15T09:11:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday, everyone! The sun is streaming through the windows as I’m typing this, but it is downright cold this morning! Brrr! Autumn has arrived! Here’s something to inspire you as you are about your Monday activities. Enjoy!!

Moving about sixty years forward from last week’s feature, this page of pattern sketches is from 1906. Having grown up watching such television as the “Anne” miniseries and the “Road to Avonlea” show, I have a deep love for this period in fashion history. The details, laces, filmy fabrics and elegant cuts are so inspiring! there are so many ways a modern seamstress (or anyone for that matter) could incorporate this look into their daily wardrobe as well. Doesn’t that pleated jacket in the lower right hand corner look strangely modern? Perhaps with a few changes? What is inspiring you today? Have a link to something visual that has got the ideas flowing? Please feel free to share it!

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

:: crash! bang! boom! yay! its friday! ::

2007-10-12T19:26:00.000-04:00

I’m so glad its Friday, which is weird because I have neither school nor a job right now to make me glad the weekend is here! lol. I suppose it just has to do with the general optimism of the “personal” projects I hope to work on this weekend.

Today I was feeling in a bit of a “baking” mood, so I made these. They need a little work in the future (I think between my white sugar substitute and perhaps over beating the egg whites, the texture isn't the same as other meringues), but I added some of dark chocolate from my birthday stash which totally made them! A little chewy, but still yummy, which is all that matters, right? Not bad for a gal who hasn’t cooked in let’s see... months?! lol.

So you don’t think I just goofed off in the kitchen today, I spent some time this afternoon tracing off my final bodice sloper onto heavy card. It makes me so excited that I’ve finally got these! Tomorrow, being my self-declared “day off” from business work and blogging (notice the past few weeks there are never posts on Saturdays? Sneaky, sneaky...), I plan on drafting the sleeve and possibly the skirt (which is usually the easiest to draft; I’ve made loads of basic, a-line skirt slopers! I just need one to specifically match the side of this bodice). I’m so excited because now its as if the world of clothing possibilities has really opened up to me! *dances around*

Just so this post isn’t too boring, or lacking pictures (which I apologize for the appalling quality; I took them after the sun went down and my camera doesn’t do well with that!), here is a little something I’m working on:

Hmm... I wonder what it could be! You’ll have to wait until Sunday to find out what new craziness I’ve got up my sleeve! lol! Have a lovely Saturday, everyone!

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

p.s. I discovered a very interesting blog this morning: Ullabenulla. I haven't had a chance to look through a lot, but the images and links she posts are just gorgeous and inspirational!!

:: inspiration [ week ten ] ::

2007-10-12T10:11:00.000-04:00

[ from a 1930s clothing catalog I found at a thrift store of all places! ]

Its Friday again (already!), which means its time for my weekly post of inspiration I’ve stumbled on during the preceding week. Have fun pursuing these and I’ll be back this afternoon with a lengthier post!

♥ inspiration [ week ten ] ♥
♥ the beautiful portfolio of maria grossman [ via ]
♥ burda style’s “alice” themed design contest!
♥ gillian’s beautiful blog
♥ manon gignoux’s deconstructed art [ via ]
♥ sweet and unusual cupcake recipes
♥ suburban queen’s excessively thoughtful fashion blog
♥ johanna’s amazing blog devoted to 18th century fashion and culture [ be sure to see her flickr set of costumes she’s made! ]

What has been inspiring you this week?

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

:: autumn’s arrival ::

2007-10-11T15:29:00.000-04:00

How is everyone’s Thursday going? I’ve been enjoying the newly arrived autumn weather! I’m so excited its finally here; I’ve spent the day just soaking up the brisk winds and cool air that the day has brought. In between working on some new pin designs that is! Thank you everyone who snatched up some squirrels yesterday! There are still a couple of those left and plenty of acorns waiting for new homes, in case you’re on the hunt for one...

I’ve been coveting Amy’s lovely, articulated paper dolls lately, and when she updated her shop last week I swooped in and bought two! One of them arrived today, the Halloween themed doll. Her packaging was so exquisite; I really need to think about investing in postcards and little tags for my shop! But anyway, above is the lovely doll and the goodies that came with her.

Here’s a sneak peek at what’s been keeping my hands busy today... They’ll be up in the Shoppe sometime soon!

Now off to curl up with my afternoon tea and a couple of books Mom picked up at the library for me! Have a lovely evening, all!!

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

p.s. Sorry this entry is so short and rather boring... I'm still struggling with a bad bout of fatigue this week and thus haven't been up to much excitement!

:: sometimes there is nothing better than to be still ::

2007-10-10T14:06:00.000-04:00

The Shoppe has been updated! More goodies to make your life (especially autumn) more whimsical and happy! So hop on over and see what new little bits and pieces are in the Elegant Musings Shoppe!

Thank you for the sweet well-wishes! I basically pushed myself far too hard Monday and Tuesday; trying to run around and take care of errands and the like. Moral of the story: I still can’t handle long periods of activity (especially when it involves shopping! Oh the deprivation I’m enduring!!). Let’s put it this way: today I feel like I can barely move (and am actually back on the sofa--where I spent 10 days of my life earlier--as I type this) because I have no energy left. I am very thankful though that at least I can still do handwork projects, because I think I would shrivel up and die if I couldn’t! lol.

I’ll be back (hopefully...) with a more exciting post this evening. Right now I think I need a nap! Have a lovely afternoon, all!

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

p.s. Be sure to click on the photos for captions! hehe...

:: update delays ::

2007-10-09T18:00:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that I decided to just do the Shoppe update tomorrow. Today just has been a really bad day with my illness, and I need to just take it easy. So tomorrow afternoon around 2pm (Eastern time) I’ll be uploading more brown acorns, squirrels and new bracelets!

Until tomorrow--hope everyone is having a lovely Tuesday!

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

:: monday madness ::

2007-10-08T17:05:00.000-04:00

I am so delighted that you all loved this week’s Vintage Monday image! I’ve gotten some great comments, pointing out little details and such that are unique to this era. This is what I love about the internet and blogs: everyone picks out something different. The diversity and ideas that I come across always just warms my heart immensely; I really appreciate the sense of community and fun we all seem to share.

Today has been a “catch up” day for me. Loads of emails, blogs and networking to go over. Orders to pack up for shipping tomorrow (the Post Office is going to hate me... lol!). Advertisement rates to inquire about and design for. So much to do, so little time! I was telling Mom this afternoon that working at this business, because of the multifaceted nature of a small, self-run enterprise, is like working at a full time job. Not a bad one at that either! I’m in charge of everything: from getting the word out, to staying in touch with customers, production, sales, shipping... Its amazing how many hats I have to wear at once. Yet its intensely satisfying; I love the self directed nature of being a small businesswoman.

I’ve been working like a crazy woman since yesterday to get some new designs made up and the acorn and squirrel pins restocked! I’m hoping by tomorrow to list the new acorn pins and the squirrels should be up on Wednesday. New listings will probably be up by early afternoon tomorrow.

I worked some more on the sloper on Saturday evening, cutting the entire piece out like I would if I were making a real bodice (sans the front or back opening because previous experience has told me that its tricky to pin those shut correctly!). Just a couple more notes with my red pen and its good to go! Now onto my arch-nemesis: the sleeve sloper. My mother could tell you hair-raising stories of me and sleeves. I hate them. If it weren’t for the fact that I like autumn and winter, I’d love nothing more than to live in a tropical climate where I didn’t have to wear sleeves!

My outfit for today reflects the annoyingly warm weather that is persisting! Both my mother and I have been lamenting the fact that we can’t break out our sweaters just yet. *sigh* I like summer, but autumn is needing to come now! lol.

Have a lovely evening, everyone!

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

:: vintage monday [ week two ] ::

2007-10-08T09:51:00.000-04:00

Goodness... is it the second week of October already? My, time really does just zoom right by! But of course, this means that its time for the second installment of the Vintage Monday featurette, in which I share an image or needlework source from my collection of antique and vintage materials.

My pick for the week is probably a reflection of the early 19th century fashion binge I’m going through right now! lol. This lovely, colored plate is from November 1845, rescued from a decaying, bound compendium of a monthly periodical of the era (I scored it at a book sale for next to nothing... I think no one realized that there were gems inside!). What really caught my eye in this illustration is the beautiful skirt treatments on the white and blue gowns as well as the bonnets. The thing about 1840’s fashion is that they were quite restrictive, but the lavish trims and ornaments are just mind blowing! What catches your fancy?

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

:: speechless ::

2007-10-07T16:27:00.000-04:00

Wow. My blog hits have been off the charts the last two days, and I finally got to the bottom of it! Tricia Royal (of my absolutely favoritest fashion blog ever; Bits and Bobbins) featured me in her weekly roundup of Wardrobe Remix favorites! Thank you, Tricia!! If you haven’t ever visited Wardrobe Remix, you really should... I am constantly amazed and inspired by the creativity people put into their outfits. Lots of great ideas for incorporating your style and personality into your daily look. I just love that so many people are thinking outside the trend box when it comes to fashion, and Wardrobe Remix is a great gathering place for this!

[ As a side note: if you've stumbled on my blog from Tricia's site: welcome!! Feel free to just jump right in a comment away! ]

Eek! All my brown acorn badges have sold out and there is only one Squirrels in Scarves pin left!! I totally did not foresee this happening! After much thought, I decied that due to the demand I’m going to continue offering the acorns and squirrels for a short time longer. So if you missed the first run of the pins, there is still a chance to get one (or two!!); they’ll most likely be added over the new few days to my Shoppe. Thank you all so much for giving the first batches good homes!

Lastly, I just was reminded that I still haven’t announced the winner of the gift tag give-away! I’m so sorry; between flying out to California and coming home sick, it totally slipped my mind! The winner of the tags is...
Philo

Congratulations!! I’ll be contacting you shortly for all the pertinent mailing information and such. I hope you’ll enjoy them! And, I am in the midst of cooking up ideas for a autumn give-away, so stay tuned...

Last week was an awesome mail-week for me! I not only got both the Toast catalogs I ordered (ohmygosh!! so much inspiration!!), but the auction catalog for the Tasha Tudor Heritage Collection. Talk about drop-dead-gorgeous. Its not cheap, but I am so glad Mom and I decided to pitch in and buy it because it is just that yummy! Loads of 1800-1830’s garments (women and men), with a few 18th century to later 19th century pieces. But my favorite part of the catalog has to be the end papers (pictured above). I just adore early 19th century printed cottons. Gorgeous!

Hope you all have had a lovely weekend and I’ll be back tomorrow with the Vintage Monday feature!!

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

:: head + brick wall = ? ::

2007-10-05T15:41:00.000-04:00

I am blushing at all the sweet comments you left about my drawings! Thank you! I haven’t “seriously” drawn in so long nor shown my work online much, so its a bit weird to put it out there. But thank you; your kindness has made me a little bit less self-conscious about sharing my artwork. And I’m so delighted that so many other readers love 19th century fashion plates too!! I have just been so inspired lately by all the artists whose blogs I read that I knew I had to get back into drawing, if nothing else just to amuse myself. *giggle*

Thank you also everyone who has continued to support my Shoppe! Wow; I’m just amazed and blessed by how positive the response has been lately! Must be something about the fall air...

No outfit photograph for today. I woke up bright and early this morning (at, um 6:30; after going to bed at around 1am!!), chipper and ready to start the day. Then it suddenly hit me: a huge wave of creativity and ideas. So I decided to “art” today rather than worry about how I looked too much. hehe. I’ve been doing lots of sketchy-sketches all morning of ideas and thoughts that are floating around inside my head. If only they’ll come out the way I’m seeing them!! rofl.

Yesterday I did embark on drafting the sloper, although it was very uncomfortable in my room where I was working because it was so warm! But I persevered! Every time I make an attempt at drafting a sloper (and there have been many!), I am reminded:

1.) I hate drafting patterns from scratch;
2.) having a sloper would make the whole drafting thing loads easier.
3.) How much I would prefer to just drape the sloper, but...
4.) ...my dress form needs to be upgraded to a professional one to make that feasible.
5.) Which makes #2 all that more urgent.

My background in drafting is all over the map. I taught myself to draft doll clothing patterns by the time I was 6 (my Barbies and American Girl dolls were very well clothes in the latest bustle-inspired fashions). But 10 I had discovered a dusty 1970’s d.i.y. book called Slapdash Sewing and drafted my first piece of “people clothing”. When I was 13, I discovered Jennie Chancey’s lovely Regency gown pattern, but rather than just buy the pattern (like any normal, sane person would), I drafted my own (and then did buy her pattern about three years later...). Right before I turned 18 and graduated from “high school” (I was a life-long homeschooler, so grades really don’t apply!), I interned with Jennie for a month. She taught me some basic principles, which over time (unfortunately) have faded a bit in my memory. So, although I mentally can draft a sloper, sometimes the imagined and reality aren’t as seamlessly easy as I’d like.

This isn’t to say how wonderful I am, or “look at me--I was a pattern-drafting child prodigy!”, but rather how there is a innate need and understanding within me to do this. Its like all aspects of creativity: some people are just born with a fundamental ”have-to” desire to practice their craft. Sometimes it just takes awhile to perfect the basic techniques so you can move on. Its a well documented fact that I’m a late-bloomer anyway. Once it clicks, I get it; but until then it takes a lot of head-against-wall moments. lol.

This has actually been the most successful attempt yet, and I still haven’t given up; it really just needs a few tweaks (as evidenced in the photos). Times like this, though, I wish I could go to design school and just take a few courses in drafting and pattern development. It fascinates me, how patterns are manipulated into different forms, creating an architectural sheath for the body. Art and beauty are created from a flat set of patterns (or fabric, in the case of draping, which comes much easier to me than drafting!). Its amazing, and yet frustrating. But anything worth doing or having is always a bit bumpy at the beginning of the ride, isn’t it?

And as Mother always said: “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again...”

I need to frame that on my wall.

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

:: inspiration [ week nine ] ::

2007-10-05T09:38:00.000-04:00

[ Title page from an 1880s edition of Andersen’s fairytales. Its in rather shabby condition, but someone needed to give it a home (and for $3, could I pass it up?!). ]

Happy Friday, everyone!! Lately so much has been inspiring me; it was hard to whittle this link list down to a manageable number! Be sure to click through; there are some really gorgeous images that are sure to spark some ideas. I’ll be back later today with another, “crafty-related” post, so ttfn!

♥ inspiration [ week eight ] ♥
♥ adorably beautiful children’s clothes [ via ]
♥ this girl has the most adorable style!
♥ meow! how-to add the perfect retro dash to your makeup
♥ a lovely, inspiring blog by a seamstress in the UK
♥ noelle lusano’s breathtaking photography [ via ]
♥ a clothing line that embodies “daydream” [ via ]
♥ 19th century poster inspiration!

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

:: little miss artsy ::

2007-10-04T12:18:00.000-04:00

Thank you all for dropping by the Shoppe yesterday and snatched some of the squirrel and acorn pins up! There are still a few left, so if you had your eye on one, now is the time! I’ll be packaging and shipping the pins and sending them to their new homes Monday. Thank you so much for your support--it means a lot to me!

Lately I’ve been in a sketching mood. Actually, its more of a drawing/illustrative mood. I haven’t felt this overwhelming of a need to draw in so long; probably over a year. Its very therapeutic right now; just being able to sit quietly (or not-so-quietly since I usually have CurrentTV in the background...) and just engage with the paper and pencil. It reintroduces my love of research illustration styles and fashion; I’ve been pulling out many of my 19th century fashion plates looking over the designs, taking in details and trying to replicate the feel of these beautiful prints. I’m trying to challenge my idea of “drawing on a blank piece of paper” by using a thrifted, vintage ledger book with printed lines to sketch in. Its fun and exciting and frustrating all at once (like any creative process, isn’t it?!).

The sun is shining this afternoon, which is making me want to seize the day and get some work on that sloper done! I’m off to go confront my sloper fears and make an attempt! Wish me luck...

Have a lovely Thursday!!

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

p.s. You know, I really love the internet and how it brings all kinds of people together and connects them! I was going through the stats for my blog the other day, seeing where recent traffic had come from, and found The Happy Cavalier blog. Its a beautiful, inspiring collection of design, art and culture--have a look!

:: shoppe updates & the daily grind ::

2007-10-03T14:38:00.000-04:00

The Elegant Musings Shoppe has been updated! Lots of new goodies: acorn and squirrel pins, and three paper-covered bracelets (just in time for the holiday gift-giving season!). Everything is either one-of-a-kind or in limited quantities, so if you’ve got your eye on something be sure to snatch it up! As a side note: be sure to check out the sale section; I have a bunch of vintage clothing and patterns on sale right now!

Whew! I forgot how much work it is just to get the listings internet ready... I obviously didn’t have all my ducks in a row this morning. lol. I blame it on the weather; it got warmish again all of the sudden, which is putting me out of sorts because its October for goodness sake! I really want cool weather so I can break out all my sweaters and tights. I’m missing them terribly!

Alas, I’ve been so tied up in the computer today (I decided to retake several pictures at the last moment... silly me!), I haven’t gotten much creative work done. Unless you call this being creative:

*giggle* Have a lovely Wednesday, all! I shall return (hopefully in better spirits) tomorrow!

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

:: shoppe update tomorrow! ::

2007-10-02T19:12:00.000-04:00

Just a little note to let you know that the Shoppe will be updated with all manner of new (and seasonal) goodies tomorrow at 3pm (Eastern time)! I’ll be uploading the squirrels and acorns (both limited runs) and two new bangles (just in time for holiday gift-giving!). See you there!

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

:: we put our feet just where they had, had to go ::

2007-10-02T13:24:00.000-04:00

Thank you all so much for your sweet comments yesterday about my “studio” and my outfit! They really brightened up my day!

I have been obsessing over Beirut the last few days; I’ve even managed to get my indie-critical sister hooked on their music. In the process, I discovered another, amazing ensemble: A Hawk and a Hacksaw. Seriously, go give them a listen: their music reminds me of Eastern European gypsy music, 1920s silent films, and 19th century side shows (all tied up in one package... perfect!). If you love Everything is Illuminated or Amelie, you’ll probably like A Hawk and a Hacksaw. I know it’s been garnering a lot of great ideas and creativity for me just by listening--love that!

Saturday Mom brought home a large canning jar full of old buttons she had purchased at a home decor/antique store. She had planned to use it in some decorating scheme she’s got going. Being the button *ahem* fanatic that I am, I immediately told asked if she expected me not to swipe those at some point? And then proceeded to offer her five dollars more than what she paid in order to get my hands on them (she got a good price, and I know how much large button lots are going for on Ebay these days... talk about highway robbery!). Instead she offered to just let me go through them and pick out which ones I wanted! (Such a good mother!! Thanks, Mom!) So I got a nice little stash of “new” vintage buttons to add to my (now completely full) jar. I need to start organizing these babies because they are earmarked for use with garments I’m designing, and I hate having to dump them all out and dig. lol.

Today I’ve steadily been working on the Little Red Schoolhouse muslin. In many ways I think this is going to be a cute design... once I get some of the bugs ironed out! Some projects fall together effortlessly (like my Farmer’s Daughter dress) and others--like this one--take a little more fiddling and attention. Still, it is impressing upon me why I’ll be directing my attention to this book later this week:

Having a sloper in at least one size will make my life loads easier right now. Slicing and dicing a sloper is easier than draping each new design (which is what I do at the moment; time consuming but fun!). I just need to finish reading through this section and all the steps, take some measurements and I’m set to go. Here’s hoping it’ll work... *fingers crossed*

I’m off to spend the afternoon with my mother wiling away the hours in a local bakery that she recently discovered! This is my first real “outing” since I got ill a month ago, and thankfully I feel like my energy levels might just be up for this. Or at the very least the lure of coffee and pastries is making me feel more energized! lol. Have a lovely Tuesday, all!

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

p.s. Jessica of the Shiny Squirrel blog (one of my perennial favorites!) has just launched her online Shiny Squirrel shop! Jessica has awesome taste and is representing a lot of very talented artisans. Go check it out!

:: slowly I began to dig myself out... ::

2007-10-01T16:46:00.000-04:00

Goodness, I honestly did not think it was going to take this much effort to get my room sewing-ready! But you know how it is: just “straightening up” suddenly becomes cleaning out every nook and cranny, and then you decide to go through your closet and purge, and the reorganize everything (craft/sewing supplies, antique photographs, your purse collection that is threatening to take over your closet...).

Now that's better! Speaking of sewing, now that my sewing nook is nice and tidy (for now...), I am planning on spending the evening working on the muslin mock up of the Little Red Schoolhouse Blouse. Also earmarked as a project for this week is to finally make a bodice and sleeve sloper. I drafted those ages ago, and then promptly misplaced the back bodice piece. I’m determined to make a new set and then grade them up a couple size increments for basic garment sizes. I’m keeping my fingers crossed with this process--drafting and I have been known not to play well together (I much prefer draping, and tend to use that as a starting point for all my designs). The book I’m using as a guide for the drafting process uses a half drafting/half draping approach, which will hopefully suit me much better. And did I mention the book is from the mid 1960’s so it has lots of pretty dress sketches? Mmmm...

[ after a long afternoon's work!* ]
Oh, and interested in another sneak peek of what’s to come in the Shoppe update on Wednesday? How ‘bout some Curious Acorns?

And there is much more in progress... lots of ideas are floating about in my head right now!! Hope everyone is having a lovely Monday!!

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

p.s. You’ve probably heard from the zillion other blogs that have written about it, but one of my favorite blogs, Poppytalk has opened up Poppytalk Handmade featuring various artists. There are some amazing goods for sale over there--just in time for holiday shopping season! Some personal favorites: lush bella, charm foundry, and donovan beeson.

*I just realized that my pose/outfit look startlingly similar to Miss Emily's cute oufits! Eeek! Quite inadvertent, I assure you! lol.

:: vintage monday [ week one ] ::

2007-10-01T09:37:00.000-04:00

Happy first day of October!! I am so excited to be bringing this little weekly dose of vintage inspiration to you all! Each Monday I’ll be posting a image or needlecraft from antique or vintage source material in my collection. It’s my hope that you’ll be inspired by some detail or idea to incorporate into your own creative expression! Enjoy!!

[ week one ]

Ladies’s blouses from the early-to-mid 1920’s. I picked up a random assortment of loose catalog pages from the 1920’s several years ago, so I am not sure of the exact year. But regardless, don’t you just love the prettily stitched and trimmed blouses?! There are so many little details you could incorporate into your own, modern sewing projects... I especially adore the one on the lower left with the finely pleated frill around the collar edge. So fun!

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

:: inspiration [ week eight ] ::

2007-09-28T15:46:00.000-04:00

[ The buttons from the sweet Marjorie came yesterday! Take a look at her gorgeous business card and “thank you” postcard! ]

♥ inspiration [ week eight ] ♥
♥ the lovely, colorful portfolio of cig harvey [ via ]
♥ vintage paper moon portraits [ via ]
♥ awesome interview with artist lisa condgon!
♥ loving some “new” bands: Beirut + iron & wine
♥ scrapbook of dialy impressions and images
♥ orla kiely autumn collection loveliness!
♥ inspiration and ideas galore...

I had intended to spend my afternoon working on that blouse muslin, but I realized that there was no way I could work in my room in the state it was in! (Because I got so ill, I haven’t even finished unpacking from my California trip yet! Eek!) So I’m in the process of cleaning it out instead. lol. Hopefully they’ll be some progress photos in the next few days though; I’m eager to get to my machine and start stitching away!

Oh, and before I forget, thank you for the response to my question about sharing a page of vintage inspiration a week! I think there is enough interest to do it. I’ll probably post that Monday... stay tuned!

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend; the weather is so glorious today--I’m quite enjoying the sunshine and cooler temperatures.

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

p.s. I happened to be stalking Etsy all yesterday evening, waiting for a chance to get a Treasury when it came back online, and as luck would have it--I got a spot! Check out my Treasury: through sepia-colored glasses: romance of the old fashioned!!

:: up & down, round & round ::

2007-09-27T15:10:00.000-04:00

Thank you all so much for your kind comments about my sketches. I tend to be very private about my drawing and painting, so it was a big step to put some of my artwork--no matter how “technical” it is--for public viewing. Its a lot like open-floor critiques in fine arts classes; it really puts me outside my comfort zone, stretches me to see something through the eyes of another. Getting outside that warm, fuzzy little space is good... it makes you grow as a person.

Which in a way is what I’m attempting to do with my Elegant Musings business. After reading Craft Inc. I realized just where I wanted to take my little shoppe and how I needed to be serious about it. I’ve devoted a great deal of thought and contemplation, research, list-making, and (yes) sketching towards this new-found direction. Its forcing me into areas that I’m unsure about; places I’ve never ventured and therefore don’t feel entirely comfortable. I’m being made to look at my own shortcomings in a lot of ways (fear of lack of control, fear of failure), facing up to those and staring them down. Because I want this to work out that much. Its amazing what you can accomplish when you want something so badly, isn’t it?

In more happy news, I’ve been designing some new packaging for Elegant Musings products, including these little cards for brooches and (shhhh!!! this is a super-secret project that no one must know about!) 1” buttons. I’m also working on similar cards to attach my bracelets to, just to add a little more pizazz when a customer opens up their package! I’m spending a lot of time going through my vintage periodicals and books, searching for decorative borders and elements to use in these. I love working with old-fashioned graphics; there is something I find very familiar and comforting in them... it always makes me want to draw up a stool close to the fire and grab a warm cup of tea!

I struck upon an idea late yesterday evening that I’d like to get your opinion on! I was thinking that I’ve got so many antique and vintage papers in my collection, covering fashion and crafting, that instead of “keeping them to myself” I should share them more often with you here. I’ve already got that in some measure on my website, but I was thinking a weekly feature (possibly on Mondays or Wednesdays... haven’t decided which) to have just a page of illustrations or craft instructions from a vintage source. Just for your inspiration and enjoyment! Would anyone be interested in this, or am I just tilting at windmills? lol.

I hope everyone is having a lovely Thursday and I’ll see you tomorrow with the Friday Inspiration post (lots of good things have been going on online this week!!!)!

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

:: when I set paint to paper, needle to fabric ::

2007-09-26T17:45:00.000-04:00

[ This is how I’ve happily spent a few hours today; working on a small bunch of little squirrels for the Shoppe! ]

A few months ago I picked up a cheap set of palette watercolors (the background of the photos posted yesterday), mostly because I was tired of feeling intimidated by the rather dull hues in my Windsor Newton set. I honestly have a huge love/hate relationship with color and the way it intimidates me in relation to putting it down on paper. I like to dabble with paints, but hate picking a color scheme (hence my artwork, tends to be black and white). I actually have a love/hate relationship with fine art materials in general... but I digress! I bought this little set and had it propped up beside my computer for ages. I liked just looking at the bright, happy colors and being inspired by them. I finally decided that I should actually use these, rather than just let them sit (and look pretty...). I painted a few of my design sketches Monday:

Which leads me right into what I’ve been scheming and mulling over for the past two weeks: designing new garments! I don’t want to spill all the beans right yet (after all, this year has taught me to definitely never count my chickens before they hatch!!), so I’m going to let the photos do a little story telling of their own:

Lots of things are in the works, and I’m eager to share them with you as they roll off the sewing machine!

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

p.s. I just stumbled upon the most delightful clothing line this morning! Check out Cirque du Cheval for some really cute, girlish designs! I just wish there was more information on the site...

:: mail goodies ::

2007-09-25T18:43:00.000-04:00

Look what goodies came in the mail yesterday afternoon?!

Earrings I purchased from the lovely Susan of Sulu Design! Longtime readers will know I’ve linked to several pairs of Susan’s work in the past, and was so happy that I finally was able to buy a pair of my own Sulu Design earrings! This pair caught my eye as the perfect accompaniment to my autumn outfits, and it’ll just happen to go very well with a wild and abstract Anthropologie sweater I bought last year... If you’re looking for some unique and extremely well-crafted earrings, be sure to check out Susan’s work.

I'm feeling a bit fatigued today, but I have been slowly working on a new pattern for a garment design. I'll share the details with you tomorrow!

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

:: lacy whites & up to my elbows in suds ::

2007-09-24T15:02:00.000-04:00

The boxes... no piles of vintage clothing from my grandfather have been begging to begin to be dealt with. I’ve taken a cursory glance through most of it (there is still a box and bag in the basement I need to look through), but what I’ve found is very interesting. Its a hodge-podge of mid century and antique, good condition and bad. Most of the latter is salvageable in some respect, even if its just for a small length of silk, or tiny piece of lace.

But of course, before these plans for reworking (and believe me, I’ve been thinking of some cunning plans!) can commence, I need to clean everything, because like most old clothing it has a bit of a peculiar smell. I decided I’d start with two pieces: an early 20th century petticoat that was an alarming shade of yellow with huge stains (and a rip), but has the most beautiful eyelet trim. And a 1960s I. Magnin white lace mini dress, that I have plans for reworking so it’ll fit me (and make a lovely dress to wear over tights this winter!).

My research on cleaning old whites had said to soak things in OxiClean. Although I have a patent distrust of most detergents, I decided to give it a try, because the stains on the petticoat in particular were so horrendous it was either get them out, or toss the piece. I loosely followed a bunch of instructions I had found online, and filled the bathtub up about 1/4 of the way with really hot water, and dissolved about 3 scoops of OxiClean. I then added cooler water to bring the temperature down. Once the water was lukewarm, I put the garments in to soak, which I did for about 5 hours.

I only moved them around once through the process, just to make sure everything was soaking evenly. After I drained and rinsed them 4 times, I hung them to dry. At that point, I noticed the changes: the 1960s dress was definitely more white (it had the dirty shade of white that happens after improper storage for a lengthy time); but the real change was the petticoat! Except for one, particularly nasty stain (that it quite small), everything else had come out! I was shocked, and quite surprised because now I had a petticoat that I could take apart and use for other purposes.

[A side note: If you happen to try this, please do be sure to wear gloves when handling the OxiClean (just because you’re hands are so much in this process)! I don’t know if it is just my really sensitive skin, but I got a bit of a rash on my arm from where I came in contact with some of the diluted solution and didn’t rinse it properly!]

So, I’ve discovered OxiClean works wonders on restoring the white of old garments. Honestly though, I wouldn’t use it on anything but old cotton/linen because I know it would probably ruin any other fiber. For that, I have my trusty Woolite, which I plan to use for part 2 of the Vintage Cleaning Saga: cleaning 85+ year-old net.

Stay tuned!!

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

p.s. Guess what lovely surprise I had this morning?! I won a set of lovely artwork buttons from the amazingly talented Marjorie!! What a lovely way to start not only a new week, but a new season! Thank you, Marjorie!! :)

p.p.s. I have uploaded loads more photos of both these garments to my Flickr page! Check them out!

:: definition ::

2007-09-23T11:54:00.000-04:00

I have long been a collector of bits and pieces, odds and ends (I’m a packrat, but in denial about my hoarding tendencies!). The problem is what to do with all these little scraps as they collect up in corners and odd containers. Luckily, I also love making “mood boards” when I’m feeling like I’m hitting an artistic brick wall, and these scraps lend themselves excessively well to my inspiration board.

This week has been one of those weeks when I feel at a loss for ideas. Going through my old sketches, files and papers just wasn’t jogging any "eureka!" moments. And I desperately want to use this recovery time to a useful purpose (especially in regards to the Elegant Musings Shoppe), so after making a list of goals, ideas and the theme of my business, I decided to make a mood board to try and capture where I want to go. I pulled out all my little boxes and bags of papers, the small stack of Vintage Fashion and Victoria* magazines, and my old photograph collection. I started playing around with antique fashion illustrations, pieces I’ve cut out from magazines, and old lace.

This was my first board, which although I found quite lovely visually, I didn’t want to hang up and have my lovely, 19th century prints fade!

Version two was similar, but used a lot more cut-outs from modern sources (so I didn’t risk ruining a perfectly good antique). I like how it turned out, and the ideas are now ever so slowly returning.

If nothing else, mood boards are a great way to get my mind focused on all the seemingly disparate ideas that are floating about! There are some really neat mood board resources, if you’re interested in doing one yourself (or just looking at pretty collections!):

♥ 5 reasons to design with a mood board
♥ creating inspiration boards (via Tricia)
♥ fashion designer's mood boards
♥ Flickr inspiration boards
♥ heather's inspiration board

*Have you heard Victoria Magazine is relaunching in November?! I’m so excited, and yet I’m hesitant to see what its like. I sure hope its not like Victoria right before it went out of publication...

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

p.s. I have some really beautiful vintage clothing to show you tomorrow! I experimented over the weekend with cleaning an old petticoat and 1960s lace dress, with much success! Details and pictures will be forthcoming.

:: inspiration [ week seven ] ::

2007-09-21T14:20:00.001-04:00

♥ inspiration [ week seven ] ♥
♥ the storque
♥ dig out those plastic horses from your childhood
♥ rediscovering the artwork of julianna swaney (be sure to look at her embroideries!)
♥ the good ol’ trick of sewing even corners
♥ a new, yummy exhibit at the v&a!
♥ the quirky work of refashion-extrodinaire lori marsha sandstedt
♥ marjorie’s* amazingly, inspirational blog (*better known as marmee craft!)
♥ auction of tasha tudor’s costume collection

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

p.s. Guess who my sister and I are going to see in November?! My favorite band: The Decemberists! That is, if I’m feeling well enough, so here’s hoping... I’m so excited; they’re usually is what's playing on my iTunes continually... lol.

:: and when she was ill... ::

2007-09-20T10:28:00.000-04:00

You know the poem that goes like this?

There was a little girl
Who had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead;
And when she was good
She was very, very good,
But when she was bad she was horrid.

Replace the words “good” with well, and “bad” with ill, and that is pretty much my life. After being dragged, half-awake, stumbling and feverish by my mother to the doctor’s for bloodwork (because 48 hours after going on the antibiotic I was not showing any improvement), we found out that I have mononucleosis. Now its not the most life-altering illness in the long-term sense, but it certainly has thrown me for a bit of a loop!

I’m at least not competing with the cats for Who Sleeps the Most Hours in a Day Award™, the sore throat is abating, but the fatigue has me keeping close to home (and the sofa). The doctor says I’m to baby myself, get some rest and whatnot, because if I don’t this could last for longer than the usual 1-3 months (and we don’t want that!). So I’m having to drop out of school for the semester (per the Doctor’s recommendation), and take a chill pill. *sigh* I can tell in about two weeks this is going to drive me utterly nuts, but alas, a small price to pay for good health!

No shopping, no exercising (especially right now with the increased risk of accidentally bursting my spleen... ick!), no quick visits to the local library (especially since my immune system is shot to pieces, and there are lots of little ones with germies running around there!), no running out to Starbucks or my favorite thrift shop on a lark. I have to reteach myself to find things to occupy my days at home. At least I’ve got my business to work on (and goodness knows that needs tidying!), and the boxes of vintage clothes are looking very promising from a cursory glance-through. Plus there are always the hundred and one projects that I can work on while sitting down. But its very frustrating because I get tired at even the littlest tasks; taking a shower suddenly means I have to take a nap afterward. Even crafting is a bit of a stretch for me; I tried working on some of my decopauged bracelets the other day and it took twice as long to get one done because I had to keep taking rests! This illness certainly does not agree with my “go,go,go” personality, but alas, what is one to do?!

The road to recovery is going to be a tough, frustrating one. There is no guarantee that I’ll be magically better by the holidays, or even by the time next semester starts in the winter. But I’m trying to look at it from the perspective that God has granted me a huge chunk of time in which I have no real obligations or things I must do. Its causing me to stop, look, listen and contemplate--things I haven’t had “time” for in the past year. In a way, this is a blessing.

Thank you all for your kind concern the past few days... it really means a lot to me right now because I feel so isolated and “stuck”. You all are such sweethearts!! *hugs all round*

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

p.s. I've been chipping away (even so slowly!) at some projects and such... stay tuned for pictures and details!

:: book review: craft inc. ::

2007-09-19T16:32:00.001-04:00

As promised, my review of Meg Mateo Ilasco’s Craft Inc.! First, let me just say that I really, really love this book; where was it all those years I’ve hemmed and hawed about starting a arts/crafts based business?! Its as if Ms. Ilasco has gathered up all the valuable information on the nuts and bolts of running a small crafts business and put it in one spot. One very user-friendly spot I might add; the tone of the book is quite down-to-earth and doesn’t scare you with a lot of “do this” or “don’t do this” rules. I daresay this is going to be one of those books that I refer to again and again (I’ve already marked my copy up with notes, highlights and dog-ears!).

The book is laid out to take you through the steps of starting a crafts-based enterprise: from conception, to making it legal, to actually starting, marketing, pricing, etc. Everything is thoroughly covered without being exhaustive, and generally broken up into small pieces (which is more reassuring to us easily-intimidated individuals). There are pep-talks early on to break down that lingering doubt about your ability or your product’s success or failure. Little motivators to get you not only thinking and planning, but actually moving towards your goal. She even talks about conquering the biggest monster: Procrastination!

Craft Inc. covers so many topics, questions and concerns pertinent to the aspiring (or even established!) craft entrepreneur. From the nitty-gritty details of making the business legal (even the oft-confusing question of taxes are discussed!), understanding how to acquire wholesale supplies, outsourcing your work as your business grows, packaging and shipping, business policies, taking your business to the next level (wholesale/retail). Even the basics of opening a retail store are discussed, would that be your goal!

One of my favorite aspects of the book is the interviews scattered throughout of successful business owners. Most of the names you’ve probably heard: Lotta Jansdotter, Denyse Schmidt, Jonathan Adler, port2port press, just to name a few. The questions and answers cover a variety of topics, problems and issues facing the creative business owner. The real-world advice given is highly valuable, and I found myself highlighting various points and tips that were made!

The most savvy aspect of the book, in my opinion, is that she includes many references to the vast internet community and marketplaces open to crafters. This is something that many other craft-business books ignore or downplay, I think in part because they tend to be written by those that are less internet-aware. Craft Inc. fully embraces the idea of the internet and what it has to offer, and doesn’t focus fully on marketing and selling via traditional venues (craft fairs, newspaper ads, etc.). In that same vein, the idea of the craft fair and traditional advertising methods isn’t ignored either; she really pushes the idea of doing market research in order to best target your product’s audience through whatever venue.

I daresay this book will fast become the new craft business classic; it navigates the intimidating waters of becoming a “real” business in plain English. Craft Inc. makes the idea of actually doing, rather than day dreaming, attainable.

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

p.s. I want to thank you all so much for all your kind well-wishes as to my health! I'll be posting shortly about the nature of my illness, but let me just say I'm looking at a long (3+ month) recovery. Its gonna be an interesting autumn...

:: note from the sick one ::

2007-09-11T23:27:00.000-04:00

This is just a quick note to apologize for lack of posts! I'm back in Virgnia, but about halfway through my time in California I came down with a really nasty bug and I've been battling a high fever, dehydration, sore throat, etc. I'm on antibiotics right now, but its only been two days since I started on those, so I'm still not even feeling remotely human yet. Basically, ever since I got home from the airport (and it was only my great boyfriend who got my through the ordeal of being sick and flying!!), I've been sleeping.

Once I feel better I do have lots to catch up with y'all on; including boxes of vintage clothes my grandfather gave me (he used to be an antiques dealer). Hope everyone is doing well and hopefully I'll be feeling like my old self sometime soon.

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

:: inspiration [ week six ] ::

2007-08-31T10:43:00.000-04:00

♥ inspiration [ week six ] ♥
♥ beautiful, handprinted wallpapers (via)
♥ lyell’s gorgeous autumn collection
♥ the funky “obsessive consumption” blog
♥ beautiful and inspiring scenes, places & people
♥ immersed in reading about klimt & his works

I was quite surprise and delighted by the response to that little peak at the Farmer’s Daughter dress that I posted yesterday evening!! I’m so glad you all like the design idea! As I mentioned in my previous post, it needs a bit of tweaking here and there, but overall I’m quite happy with the easy-wear, cute vibe its got going. Here are the promised full length pictures:

I love the shade of “pea soup green” that the knit is. Its a color I’ve fallen in love with--and is quite a departure from my usual pink, black and red color choices. I bought a BCBG top last autumn in this exact shade, and have managed to add several more pieces in similar hues since then...

I’m contemplating making up one or two (possibly in different sizes--time to dust off my pattern grading skills!!) and putting them up for sale in the shop, or possibly finding a local consignment venue. I’ve been told time and time again, since I interned with a pattern designer/custom dressmaker years ago that I really need to try selling my designs (even my boyfriend has jumped on the bandwagon of haranguing me to sell my stuff!). I suppose the root of my procrastination is the fear that people are just being nice, and that they won’t really buy anything I make. Ho-hum. I suppose there is only one way to find out... but yet it is intimidating!! Perhaps after reading through Craft Inc. I’ll change my tune. (Said tome is earmarked for pursuing on the flight... after my homework reading is tucked away!)

So have a lovely weekend, everyone & don’t forget the shoppe special going on this weekend! Oh, and I promise I’ll announce the gift tag give-away winner this weekend as well!

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

:: feelin' green + shoppe special! ::

2007-08-30T20:54:00.000-04:00

Dear readers, I think I must be certifiably insane. What normal, level-headed person would take on a new sewing project just days before she’s set to fly across the country? With visions of taking that new frock with her, no less?

Yep, I “wasted” a couple of hours (I’m sure I could have used to some other, more practical task) sewing late yesterday evening and this morning. Like most first trials of a design, it needs a couple tweaks, but overall I’m pretty happy with it! Its got that 1960s a-line shift thing going on, with a little bit of whimsy with the lace. Just what I was looking for. I made it sleeveless because a.) its still hot outside (and I am headed for southern California, anyway...), and b.) it can be layered over a leotard/tight top during the cooler months (or better yet, paired with a cute cardigan!). Sorry that the only picture I have is just the bodice; I’ll post a full length shot tomorrow when I’ve got a little better light!

As this weekend is Labor Day here in the US, I’m offering a special good Friday (8/31) through Monday (8/3). All US shipping is FREE and international shipping is half price! Just put the code “LBRDYSHPSPCL” in the “comments” section during the Etsy checkout, and don’t pay until I’ve sent you the new invoice. So, this is your chance to scoop up anything you’ve been eyeing in the shoppe and not pay shipping!

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

:: new days & hurried thoughts ::

2007-08-29T19:42:00.000-04:00

Whew! This week has been a blur of frenzied activity; getting ready for my trip this weekend, figuring out how to juggle school, buying school supplies... Generally running around like a very harried Casey!

However, amidst this, I managed to eke out some time this morning to work on a project I’ve been dying to do for several weeks. I bought some lovely pea-green knit material a couple weeks ago, and have been concocting up a plan for making a cute frock. Yesterday evening I draped the bodice pattern (because flat pattern drafting + bodices + Casey = lots of frustration. So I drape everything instead to save what little sanity I’ve got left! lol). This morning I refined the pattern on paper, and used Jenny’s amazing Peter Pan Collar tutorial to draft a collar (‘cause every girl needs a little twee in her wardrobe!). I cut it out this afternoon, but I doubt I’ll have time to start sewing before I go away; if nothing else I’ve got a zillion things to do (like, um, start to pack!). lol. How come I always end up biting off more than I can chew every August?!

I updated the shoppe this evening with some lovely vintage pieces, a adorable children’s pj pattern, the collage journal I shared last week, and a new bracelet. Fun!! So go check ‘em out and get ‘em while they’re hot! lol.

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

:: on a summer’s day ::

2007-08-28T21:29:00.000-04:00

(My apologies that I don’t have anything other than photos for this post... this week is turning out to be a tight squeeze time-wise; I’ll have a “real” post hopefully tomorrow...)

my business is finally “official”...

an Alice moment...

prepping for my photography class...

a gift from my sweetheart.

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

:: inspiration [ week five ] ::

2007-08-25T08:14:00.000-04:00

a day late... ooops!

♥ inspiration [ week five ] ♥
♥ beautiful pillow made from scraps
♥ pricing your crafts
♥ a great use for odd-shaped lace scraps!
♥ overcoming creativity-block
♥ make your own bubble mailers!
♥ wonderfully decadent garments & accessories
♥ sewn button loops tutorial

My first two classes of the semester have been so inspiring and yet so overwhelming! The first was printmaking on Wednesday, and I’m so excited about it! Just the variety of effects and styles you can explore with printing is what is appealing to me. We need to have a study/sketch by next week to transfer onto a zinc plate, so I’m wracking my brain to come up with some (brilliant?!) idea. I’m thinking of possibly doing a study of an antique corset in my collection; if nothing else the lines and seams lend themselves very well to some interesting design.

The class I’m honestly the most overwhelmed and yet bouncing off the walls about is my photography 101 class! The teacher is really awesome; he’s a professional photographer and is basically telling us to just get the technical aspects of photography down and the artistry will follow. My kind of learning! The class is entirely film photography and only black and white. Oooh--I’m quite eager to work with the black and white film techniques since I love photography that is devoid of color; it almost forces the viewer to pay more attention to emotion, value and structure. I have lots of ideas floating through my head of subject matter to focus on shooting throughout the semester; I think I’m going to try and focus mostly on the concept of decay and death (mostly through artifacts and buildings). This should be fun since Autumn is right around the corner!

I just ordered this book that caught my eye on the Not Martha blog. It seems like just the thing since I’ve opened the shoppe and am in dire need of pointers on how to run a successful craft-based business in the modern marketplace (a.k.a. the internet). Hopefully it’ll get here before I fly out to California and keep me company on the long flight! I promise a review after I finish it; I’m a bit of an amateur expert on craft business books; I’ve read just about every one I can get my hands on since I was 10. lol.

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

p.s. I’m off for a very, very short weekend with the boy, so I will return around Tuesday with new posts! Have a lovely weekend, all!

:: of school, and glue, and papery-things ::

2007-08-22T18:25:00.000-04:00

Voila! After a couple hours of cutting, contemplating, rearranging, gluing (and even a couple photo messages to the boy showing him), now I have a notebook that I can’t possibly miss, or get confused with someone else’s! The trick will be hoping that no one decides to swipe it in the course of the semester... lol. I’ll be making a couple of these and putting them in the shoppe in a week or two; they’re the perfect thing for using to add some pizazz to your school notes! (And frankly, much prettier than the regular, boring notebooks!)

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

p.s. Just wanted to let everyone know that all the vintage patterns in the Curiosity Shoppe now ship free to US residents!!

p.p.s. Don’t forget to enter in the gift tag drawing before Friday!!

:: end of summer & a giveaway! ::

2007-08-21T18:22:00.000-04:00

Time for another Elegant Musings giveaway! After wracking my brain as to what to do for a giveaway, especially after the wildly popular vintage paper packets drawing, I decided to have a drawing for a small set of handmade tags! I make these to use with my vintage jewelry sold in the shoppe, and thought that they’d make great gift tags (or whatever!) as well.

If you’d like to be entered for a chance to win a set of six handmade gift tags, featuring vintage papers and ribbon embellishments, please leave a comment in this post with your name (or screen name if you prefer). I’ll do a drawing of one name August 27th, and will post the winner’s name here. They will have 48 hours to email me and let me know their contact information and I’ll drop the package in the mail! So, comment away and good luck!

Tomorrow is when my summer officially ends. The school year promises to start off right though, with my printmaking class being the first!! I’m so excited because its with my favorite teacher and is a class that I’ve been dying to take for over a year. This is the first semester I haven’t run out a week before and loaded up on gobs of back to school supplies, mostly because I don’t feel the need to (after four semesters at college, it just isn’t that big of a deal!). But I do need a notebook to keep random notes in; usually a plain, spiral-bound notebook suffices. This year though, I bought a classic composition book (for $0.25!) and am decoupaging all kinds of vintage paper, words and images on the cover to make it more “me”.

*sigh* The end of summer is always so bittersweet... Anyone else heading back to the hallways of learning soon??

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

:: of lightboxes, photos & treasuries ::

2007-08-20T16:32:00.000-04:00

It seems like I’m spending every free moment with my new business, trying to invest as much time as I can into making it better; tweaking, refining, rethinking. I’m not complaining at all--I literally thrive on this kind of busyness and the need to really dedicate myself to something like this! Its been so much fun to write listings, analyze why (or not) I’ve sold things, rethink portions of my business strategy... Even my dad is really pleased to see how serious I am about making this work and approaching it as a serious business and not just something I play at!

One of the things that has irked me, is the inability to get really good photographs on cloudy days. It ruins everything when I’ve got stuff to photograph, but the sun is -playing hide-and-seek! So today I finally looked into how to make a light box, something that I’m sure will become quite handy as autumn approaches and the days get a certain gloom about them. While I was looking for tutorials, one of the biggest problems was finding light boxes that were big enough, since my merchandise ranges in size from very small (pins) to largish (plush, handbags...). I finally stumbled across this tutorial on constructing a light box out of 20” x 30” foam board, which is more like the size I need (it’ll be a pain in the butt to store, but oh well!). So while on a shopping trip for new glasses (my 4-year-old Vera Wang frames are biting the dust, despite the fact that I wear contacts 99% of the time), I stopped at Wal-Mart and picked up the supplies.

Here is a quick, test shot of an item, taken inside the light box! I even found a place in the basement on an old table I can leave it set up, with my tripod in place! That makes it so much easier to just go shoot items as I’ve got a few spare minutes here and there (and means less mess spread about the house as I chase sunbeams in various rooms--or outside-- to shoot photos in!). Yay! I love making my life easier. lol.

I’m gearing up for a mini-update tonight with a few items I’ve not listed the likes of before... lets just say they’re perfect for the California-girl in each of us (or maybe it just seems that way since two weeks from now I’ll be in California and have it on the brain!! lol)! Update will be at the usual time: between 6:30pm and 7pm Eastern time.

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend; I got to enjoy some refreshingly cool temperatures (after the scorching 100+ degree heat of a couple weeks ago!) this weekend, caught up with my family and my Bloglines feed, and managed to get sucked into the wonderful world of Indiepublic! *sigh* The internet is such a wonderful, wonderful place. hehe.

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

p.s. Guess what?! Harold the Whale was featured in an Etsy Treasury! I’m so excited!!

:: inspiration [ week four ] ::

2007-08-18T18:16:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I feel like a little hamster on one of those round, runner-things that you put in cages for them to run off excess energy on! Only, I don’t have tons of excess energy (or brain power, for that matter! lol) at the moment! So much to do and accomplish, so little time! So in an effort to make my life a teeny-tiny bit more streamlined, I’m going to be doing the inspiration posts once-a-week again, instead of trying (and not always doing) to include a list in every post. This is only a sampling of what is catching my eye during the week--my del.icio.us has lots more!

♥ inspiration [ week four ] ♥
♥ kimono-inspired hoodie!
♥ make stickers from just about anything
♥ free bookmaking manual
♥ miss gala’s tips on how to start a blog
♥ one-in-ten auction starting tomorrow!
♥ beautiful knits from the uk
♥ indiepublic: a cool new networking site! (and visit me here!!)

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey [ email me ]

p.s. I’m headed off to Califorinia in a couple weeks with the boy, and I’m looking for cheap, fun things to do in and around San Diego. I was out there last summer, but we did a lot more driving, and this time the boy and I will either have to rent a car or take public transportation to get around. So, suggestions about what to do (besides hang out on the beach and surf, which we’ll be doing a lot of!) are welcome!!

:: meanderings ::

2007-08-16T18:43:00.000-04:00

Sometimes it amazes me how quickly time flies by now. My mother used to tell me when I was growing up that I should enjoy the feeling of long hours and not having any obligations, because that would change as an adult. Now at twenty-two, I’m very much the busy gal who can’t find enough hours in the day!! I finally broke down a few weeks ago and purchased a utilitarian planner to try and keep track of all my schedules (school, work, weekends the boy has off...), my to-do lists and random things that pop into my head. Except I can’t help but feel that this planner is just too... boring! Functionally, it works; aesthetically it doesn’t. I suppose that is the ultimate sign of a picky/artsy personality when they start critiquing how the most mundane items in life are too visually boring (heck, I even am picky about how boring toilet tissue holders are! lol).

So, in a fit of creative problem-solving (or madness? I’m starting to wonder if the two don’t go hand-in-hand), I came up with the idea of either covering a binder or a couple pieces of sturdy board and making a “cover” for the boring planner! I was thinking of decoupaging items/images onto the covers that say something about me and my interests. Problem is, I’m not sure what decoupage glue/adhesive to use and how to seal the covers so that they don’t melt! Anyone have any handy-dandy tips or pointers? I’m a bit lost here! lol.

Oh, and btw: the shop has been updated!! (As of 7pm Eastern time.) I’ve still got some more things to put online, but I’ll probably wait to add those on Monday. A nice bunch of patterns and few pieces of vintage. I’m working on narrowing some of my vintage clothing into specific “fall-appropriate collections” to upload in batches. To make it a bit more cohesive and, well, boutique-y. lol.

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey

:: sixty feet under ::

2007-08-15T21:53:00.001-04:00

wow. this weekend was utterly amazing--even despite the fact that I am exhausted! diving is so much more fun in open water than in a pool (where we trained)--I really had no idea how much fun it was going to be! we had planned on diving saturday and sunday, but the saturday dive was cancelled due to rough seas, so I still don’t have my dive certification (I need two more dives to get that). but despite that little hiccup, sunday was a blast! we went to a dive site that was about ten miles offshore and is situated over a tugboat wreck. I was really, really nervous about this dive because I didn’t want to do anything foolish sixty feet under and have to make an emergency ascent (which carry a huge level of risk because you can get decompression sickness if you surface too quickly). thankfully though, I did fine and had a blast doing it!

it was interesting being in the water--the sensation of descending and still being able to breath comfortably and take some time to look into the murky shadows as we followed the anchor line down. I think the most jolting event was when we hit the thermocline; where the water suddenly went from very warm to cool as we started to hit some serious depth. I was so busy concentrating on my breathing (we call it “yoga breathing” which is a method to regulate how much air you take in) that when we hit the wreck, I didn’t even notice it coming--it suddenly loomed out up out of the murk and was there! we went down twice, and got to see all kinds of cool marine life; swam among a school of fish, saw lots of starfish, peered into portholes and I kept a (hopeful!) eye out for sharks (which I was told aren’t as common off of virginia beach; we have to go a bit further south to see those in open water). by the time we weighed anchor and headed back for shore, I was very tired and fell asleep for most of the trip back on the top deck. lol. of course, this resulted in getting sunburned; my nose is a very distinct shade of red!!

thank you all for your kind support throughout the first week of my shop’s opening! I was really quite blown away with the number of sales I had in this period--so thank you all tons. I’ve got more goodies going online tomorrow (approximately 7pm eastern time)--including some more vintage clothes! so keep your eyes open for clothes, vintage needlecraft books, patterns and jewelry. lots and lots of fun stuff!

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey

p.s. I realize this photo has nothing to do with diving at all! however, it was the only one I took over the weekend (besides furniture pictures--we're shopping for stuff for his apartment)!

:: walk away from the computer... ::

2007-08-10T07:37:00.000-04:00

I admit it, I sat there for about fifteen minutes after I uploaded everything to the shoppe and just stared. watched the view numbers go up, marvelling at the power of the internet--people (complete strangers!!) were looking at my stuff. that thought is a bit intimidating and overwhelming all at once! so, rather than while away my night hitting the refresh button again and again (obsessive? yes! lol)--I had lots of other things to do--I tore myself away.

I spent my time packing a bunch of half-finished whale bodies and little pieces that need to be turned and attached. I’m taking them all with me when I go down to the boy’s this weekend, though I highly doubt I’ll get any work done because we’re spending the majority of our time open-water scuba diving. gosh, I’m nervous; diving in a pool is one thing, being out in the open water is quite another. I’m not nervous about any critters that we may encounter (after all, virginia beach has been known to have its fair share of bull sharks...), but rather that I’ll goof and do something stupid. ah well. hopefully not, right?

anyway, I won’t be blogging until I get back (probably Tuesday), but I will be replying to comments, emails and checking up on etsy while I’m down there! have a lovely weekend, all!!

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey

:: its official!!! ::

2007-08-09T18:39:00.000-04:00

today is the day! my etsy store is now live and ready for business!! take a peek at what I’ve got up and let me know what you think; I’ll be adding lots more in the coming weeks. thank you all for your wonderful comments and support throughout this process; its really kept me going even when I wanted to chicken out.

without further ado: the elegant musings curiosity shoppe.

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey

p.s. curious to know exactly what types of things I’ll be adding to the shoppe in the coming weeks? I’ve got a huge stock of vintage clothing and will be prepping that for the autumn collection to go online around the middle of september. more handmade goods (bracelets, plush, etc.), tons of vintage fabric, knitting books and vintage fabric! great things are coming!!

:: influences ::

2007-08-08T16:29:00.000-04:00

hopefully you are tucked away in some nice, cool spot right now while reading this... it got up to 100° today (highly unusual for washington, dc--even in august!!), so the air conditioning has been a must!

thank you for all the whale-stuffie love!! I was just blown away by all the sweet responses he got... you all are too, too kind!! :) as you can see, I’m busy making a couple other whales, two of which will probably go to the shoppe eventually!

speaking of the shoppe... the launch is tomorrow!! I’m getting lots of butterflies in my stomach over this; its so exciting for me to finally be taking that step I’ve thought about for so long. in a lot of ways its quite intimidating, but I’m glad to finally be doing it. now I’m just busy finishing up a few photographs and listings (my document editor program has been my constant friend this past week!), and gathering up little goodies to include in packages (the really fun part of being an online seller, imho!). so far I’ve bought an assortment of little sugary goodies to include with orders, designed thank-you cards, and am thinking seriously of ordering custom buttons to include in later orders. fun, fun, fun!!

I was thinking a bit more about my previous post where I mentioned one of my chief stuffie-making influences is Tasha Tudor, and all the other things that have played a part into my aesthetic and creative development through the years. so many things: alice in wonderland, laura ashley decorating books from the 1980s, antique clothes, the wizard of oz series, beatrix potter illustrations, summer afternoons building forts, learning to draft my own patterns when I was very young, monthly trips to the craft store on saturday morning with my dad, the decemberists (and a great deal of the music I listen to!!), the color fairy series... many, many things! I just didn’t realize until recently how much of my childhood experience and what I was exposed to (or not) allowed me to blossom in the areas that I am most inclined towards naturally. so, I’m curious: what are some things that have influenced your aesthetic development? tell me!

cheers & creativity,
♥ casey

p.s. its not too late to sign up for the shoppe update list!! if you sign up be 10pm (eastern time) this evening, you’ll be in time to get the first email with a super-secret offer for subscribers only! so hurry, and sign up!

inspiration
♥ cutest clock ever!
♥ a colorful + fun pincushion

:: a whale of a tale ::

2007-08-06T19:15:00.000-04:00

well, for all my going on about how I hadn’t bought anything at work yet, today was the day I finally broke that record! after I got off this afternoon I bought a couple of things including fiber fill for my most recent foray into stuffie making. meet chesterfield:

he’s the newest addition to my stuffies. at the risk of sounding like the biggest ego-maniac (eeek!!), I think he turned out really cute! but perhaps that is just proud-maker-affection... anyways, I promised to make my sister one, and want to make one for my friend S. at work (she makes stuffie whales too; perhaps we’ll have a whale swap?), but I think after that I shall make a couple for the shoppe. I have a bunch of vintage wool lengths that I want to felt a bit, so perhaps those will be the perfect materials to use.

I really love making stuffies; they’re something quick and easy I can draft and whip up. I think this fascination stems from my love of children’s book illustrations and Tasha Tudor (who is well documented for her love of making small critters). but then again, maybe I’m just a bit odd to still love stuffed animals at my age. after all, when the boy heard about what I was making, he thought it was a bit odd... cute, but odd. lol.

cheers & creativity,
casey

inspiration
:: typewriter crafted of felt
:: lisa's etsy store

:: its a twitching kind of sensation ::

2007-08-05T21:27:00.000-04:00

I love my job at a fabric store. and I’m not being sarcastic!

no, this post isn’t to gloat over all the fabric I get at a discount or squirrel away from unsuspecting shoppers. actually, come to think of it: I haven’t spent any money at my new job yet!! *giggle* I’ve been practicing a lot of restraint since the boy and I are going to visit his cousin in California next month and I have to save up and pay for my plane ticket... but I won’t say it hasn’t been tempting!!

the biggest advantage of working in a fabric store is the creative environment. just being around customers and staff who are really passionate about being creative! of course, not everyone is... in fact the large majority aren’t; but even just having one customer a day who is really excited about a project and wants to bounce ideas around is worth it! because goodness knows there is nothing more that I love than brainstorming. its just way too much fun. and the fact that I can talk to people who “get it”--the need to be creative and express yourself through various mediums is just amazing. like yesterday my coworker S. and I were talking about sewing and all the projects customers had been telling us about lately. S. turned to me and said she found it really frustrating to work behind the cutting counter that day because she wanted to sew so badly that she was twitching! I mean, how cute is that?

so, today I worked my tush off at work and am now home sipping on my well-earned cup of tea, contemplating plans for my evening. I think it calls for some serious creative time, because all the ideas that are racing around in my head are making me twitch.

cheers & creativity,
casey

p.s. the shoppe is almost ready for it’s debut! and boy, am I excited ‘cause I’ve been working almost every free moment I’ve got on getting everything ready. keep abreast of the latest and greatest (and get updates on subscriber-only specials) via the mailing list. the store opening has been moved up a day (only because I ended up having to work Tuesday) to 08.09.2007. be prepared for the onslaught of vintage goodness!!

p.p.s. thank you for your comments about the polar bear stuffie!! he is making himself quite at home in my room and is being more than helpful with preparing a tutorial on how to make your own polar bear!

inspiration!
:: poetic midwestern beauty
:: how to draft a peter pan collar

:: supercalifragilisticexpialidocious ::

2007-08-02T17:36:00.000-04:00

today has been one of those unusually productive days in which I managed to get a million-and-one-things done, to the amazement of my to-do list! from the mundane (“pay bills”) to fun (“go thrifting”); just about everything is crossed off. this reminds me of the satisfied feeling I always get during the school semester when I get everything on my homework list done.

thrifting, sad to say, was only so-so in the clothing department. however, I did score a significant amount of fabric (see above, which is only about half of what I hauled away today) for crafting, stuffies and *coughcough*quilting*cough* (on my wish list of things to learn, after the boy’s mom offered to teach me how and loan me some of her equipment). so yay! I also purchased a few vintage patterns, most of which are to sell but a few I’m keeping for myself. I’m in love with that Halston pattern right now; the cape is just so yummy. not that I need to make a cape, because I’ve got a perfectly good vintage Yves Saint Laurent one sitting in my collection!

also, more preparations for the shoppe!! I’m getting so excited about the launch next week; and I’m sure I’m in no way prepared enough, but I can only be so ready before it becomes insane to wait any longer (I think I reached that point about six months ago! lol!). oh, and for those interested: I set up a email update list for the curiosity shoppe. be sure to sign up if you’d like to receive shoppe update notification and the occasional subscriber-only special!

last, but not least, my little polar bear was finished today:

(isn’t he cute?!)

inspiration
:: scrimshaw bangles
:: junk trees
:: yes press

:: preparing ::

2007-08-01T10:36:00.000-04:00

the dog-days of summer are here; you can just feel the heat when you look outside of the comfy, air-conditioned house. I love summertime, I just hate the humidity that pervades virginia (even going to the boy’s apartment by the beach doesn’t offer any relief from the oppressive humidity!). not to mention the innumerable bugs who have thought that making me dinner would be nice (ick!). but otherwise, I love summer: the sunshine, the warmth (no worries about me getting cold as I usually do!), the days that just scream for long car drives, ice cream, festivals and day trips. its hard to believe that the fall semester starts in just a few short weeks...

anyway, I’ve been playing catch-up big time with my blog feeds; somehow when I was gone for an extended weekend with the boy a couple weeks back, I managed to have a ton of blogs pile up on my feeder and I hadn’t been able to fully catch back up until now. lots to read. even more to be inspired by. and finding out that my lovely, inspiring friend Anna has moved from live journal to her new “blog digs”. she has such a lovely aesthetic sense; go check her new home out!

much busyness is going on in these parts; my etsy shop is set to launch next tuesday. also in the pipeline: working on some stuffed critters and developing patterns for free download in conjunction with those. I really have been wracking my brain on how to give back to the creative blog community that has so inspired me in the past year, and sharing my ideas and patterns is the best way I’ve come up with. so keep your eyes peeled for these little critters making their debut.

inspiration
:: daily design eye-candy
:: inspiration from old art
:: free sewing patterns

:: home again, home again... ::

2007-07-28T11:36:00.000-04:00

I am back from the great metropolis (a.k.a. new york city)! it turned out to be quite a mixed trip for me, solidifying some things that had been brewing for some time in my head (which is a good thing; decisiveness is always a virtue!). we spent two days at the metropolitan museum of art, wandering around taking in the beautiful artifacts and paintings. if you’ve never been there, you really should go because it is that wonderful! that coming from a girl who has had countless museums and galleries available to her all her life! I love that I can take in everything from ancient greece to medieval europe to modern paintings in one place. it satisfies the deep craving to see and experience history!

the Paul Poiret exhibit was the highlight of my days at the m.e.t.; I took it in twice! such loveliness and inspiration cannot be put into words; being able to see some of the iconic garments he created was just amazing. I came away with quite a bit of insight into how simply made many of his designs are, and yet they drape around the human form so beautifully! I have a new appreciation for simple shapes that utilize color and drape to the maximum theatrical effect! sadly, no photographs--not even non-flash--were allowed in the exhibit, and I was not able due to time constraints to sketch everything I wanted to see (so I ended with just a few pages in my sketchbook of design ideas and schematics). I’d definately recommend the exhibit book though; it has photographs of every garment in the exhibit, including angles that you couldn’t see standing in front of a display. Saving my pennies up for that one... lol.

on a more sobering note, we did make it to ground zero at the wtc site. I don’t know how to articulate what I felt standing there, realizing how huge the towers must have been and how trapped people must have felt as they fled that morning. its hard to believe its been nearly six years already...

and now, enough chatter: enjoy the pictures (which by far I didn’t take enough--but oh well!!):

must be off: work this afternoon and then le beau is back home for the weekend!!!

p.s. if you have a moment, mind popping over to the jpg magazine site and voting for a photo I submitted (only if you think its worthy, that is!)? thanks a zillion!

:: quick question ::

2007-07-23T21:44:00.000-04:00

I really should be in bed, trying to get some zzzz’s before the early start tomorrow! but instead I’m busy dreaming up ideas for possible projects (why oh why does this always happen when I need rest?!). lol. but I’ve got a question that I’m hoping someone can answer for me: how do you clean thrifted wool fabric? I’ve got a pile of old wool scraps and short lengths I bought last year at a rummage sale, and while they’re not obviously dirty, I’m sure a light cleaning wouldn’t hurt. any tips to freshen old wools without felting them (‘cause that’s not what I want!)?

:: whew!! ::

2007-07-23T13:49:00.000-04:00

woah... is it already the end of july?! when did my summer suddenly take off at breakneck speed and now the looming specter of the autumn semester is just a month off? so what has little ol’ m.i.a. me been up to? lots and lots. the biggest change is that I quit my job at the restaurant and started working at my local joanns fabrics a day later. I’ve been working my little butt off ever since then: I just clocked in nearly 30 hours between friday and sunday! but that will hopefully wind down a bit in the coming weeks. so now I’m working around fabric and other crafty-goodness, which is sending lots of mischievious project ideas flitting through my head. lol.

a couple weeks ago I went to visit the boy for a four-day weekend together and to take a scuba diving class we had signed up for. he and I both share a love of the water, fascination with the discovery channel’s shark week (diving with sharks would be so amazing!!), have dreamt of diving, and it seemed like a great idea to take a class and get our diving certification (plus it goes towards something-or-the-other with the Navy; he told me what but I can’t remember. lol!). so now we’ve got our basics down, we just need to do five open water dives to get certified. it was so amazing to be underwater and experience what its like to breathe underwater and have all the gear strapped to your torso! its also probably one of the more expensive activities to break into, which is a bit of a problem for both of us, but we’re hatching plans on how to afford our gear over the long run. and I think there might be a set of pink fins, snorkle and mask in the near future for me! lol.

so what else have I been up to? sadly, not much! the whole working thing has really eaten my life this summer, which isn’t a bad thing considering I’ve got bills to pay. but still, I feel like I should have accomplished more this summer than what little I have. I do have some pictures and such to share, but I think I’ll save those for later in the week because I need to tear myself away from my computer and go pack! where am I off to now? a three day trip to new york city!! I’ve got two of my three outfits planned out, but that last one is completely eluding me! must find something new york city-worthy... lol.

have a lovely week all and I shall return with pictures, reports and a review of the paul poiret exhibit at the metropolitan museum of art!!

+ casey

p.s. a site update is in the works! check out the new look! (but be forewarned: not everything is up and running yet!)

:: june, june, june... ::

2007-06-02T01:00:00.000-04:00

Is it really June already?! My goodness; times does fly when you’re having fun (or in my case, working a lot! lol)! Its quite caught me off guard! I have lots of projects and creativeness in progress and shall be back around next Tuesday or Wednesday with a full report. But for now, I shall be spending the weekend with the boyfriend (who I haven’t seen in two weeks!) first at the amusement park and then the beach... Hope everyone has a lovely, fun-filled weekend and gets some summertime relaxing in! :)

listening:: louis armstrong ::
reading:: preen ::
inspiration:: debra mcclinton ::

:: a few of my favorite finds | entry one ::

2007-05-30T12:29:00.000-04:00

1950s handmade pink jacket

vintage full slip

vintage half slip

old photographs

hodge-podge

I worked for four days straight, and am very happy to have a couple days off to recharge before the craziness starts up again. In my free time I’ve been doing a lot of thrifting and such, which is starting to cause my room to be taken over by all these lovely finds! So I do believe that certain, select items will be offered for sale when the Elegant Musings online shop debuts later this summer... stay tuned for more details of that as June approaches. :)

Hope everyone is having a lovely week so far! I know I’m just soaking up the gloriously sunny weather. There is something about this time of the later spring/early summer that always delights me.

reading::the beautiful fall
listening::wynton marsalis
inspiration::thirza schaap

:: a hint of summer ::

2007-05-25T13:49:00.001-04:00

The weather today is bright and warm; makes me wish I was planted on a beach somewhere, stuck in that drowsy, half-sleep state under the warmth of the sun. But instead I’m stuck at a local wifi hot spot since my internet at home is out for an indefinite period! Oh well... at least I can access wireless internet and be air-conditioned at the same time. lol. So needless to say, my blogging will be at a bit of a standstill, even though I have loads to report! So for now, I’ll leave you with some pictures I snapped on a recent trip to Mount Vernon (George Washington’s home). Go to my Flickr page to see some other photos from Monday of a day trip my boyfriend and I took to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania as well...

reading::the beautiful fall::
listening::the shins::
inspiring::black cigarette::

:: and the winner is... ::

2007-05-19T10:51:00.000-04:00

Mari!! I put all the names in a bowl this morning and drew the winning name. Congrats Mari--you will soon have a vintage paper packet winding its way to a new home! :) Thank you everyone who entered... I was quite stunned by the response! I think I shall have to do a few more of these giveaways over the summer; they’re just too much fun. :) So stay tuned for the next one... which I’m already cooking up plans for. :)

Have a lovely weekend everyone... I’m off for spending the afternoon with my sweet bf... perfect weather today too for cruising around in his snappy red convertable. *grin*

:: a show-off post ::

2007-05-17T15:26:00.000-04:00

There is only really one reason for this post, and that is to show off my favorite “new” summer frock. Which just happens to be vintage! I purchased it a few weeks back from the loveliest vintage dealer who recently opened up shop. I happened to stop in her new digs the day she opened, and we chatted for about an hour while I looked around her store. She has the most amazing array of vintage garments and accessories. Its really one of those very dangerous places I have to limit myself to visiting only after I’ve been paid. lol. Every time I’ve been in there I’ve bought at least one thing! I’m hoping that next time I see her (we’ve struck up quite a friendship!) she’ll let me take some photos of her store and do a write up about her store for this blog. Stepping into her store is like walking into a Technicolor vintage wonderland and I think you would all enjoy seeing that. ;)

Oh, and excuse the bruises all over my legs. I have a bad habit of banging high chairs into my shins while I’m at work and setting up tables. Ugh. It’s because I’m short and the high chairs are big and I’m usually rushing. lol.

Finally, don’t forget to enter the vintage paper packet giveaway! Deadline for entries is Friday at 1am, so hurry!.

:: a preponderance of paper ::

2007-05-16T14:41:00.001-04:00

compulsive-thrifter confession #1,574,002: finding an “old” or “pretty” book amidst all the crummy romance novels at the thrift store means you must buy it. don’t mind that you’ve never heard of the author or aren’t interested in the genre. you buy it ‘cause its over 60 years old, has patina and for gosh sakes is only $1!!
...:::-:::...
Yep, that's me to a T. Needless to say, I’ve got books, papers, magazines coming out my ears right now. Definitely contemplating selling some of my more usable books eventually this summer (I’m busy getting an Etsy account for that!). But, considering that a handful (err... large handful) of those books are falling apart, having been purchased for the purpose of using in my crafty moments, I need to do something with them. Besides let them languish in the corners of my room, collecting dust and elegantly continuing to disintegrate, that is.

So, aside from launching my Etsy shop this summer (more about that as the launch date approaches and I finalize plans...), I shall also be offering packages of miscellaneous vintage papers. These will range from dictionary pages, to 19th century magazine pages, to travel books tear-outs... and whatever else I happen to find and acquire in the mean time. I’m mean, doesn’t it sound better to share the vintage paper love than keep it all for my ~~greedy~~ self??

Paper Packet Giveaway
For the devoted readers of my blogs, I’d like to offer the chance to win one of these paper packets! The packet contains:
+ 5 of each: 1920s music pages, 19th century Harper’s Monthly Magazine pages, dictionary pages, vintage chemistry book pages, 1840s magazine pages
+ an 1840s black and white print (subject matter varies)
+ color fine art print from a vintage book (artist varies)
+ 5 1950s/60s magazine pages (some color, some black and white)

Just drop me an email (just be sure to replace "at" with @ !!) with your name and email address before Friday at 1am, and I’ll draw a name of the winner Friday afternoon!

(Oh, and in case you’re wondering--which I’m sure you’re not--I made that little “confession” at the top up! But wouldn’t it be cool to have a whole webpage--or book!--devoted to thrifter confessions? The things we could come up with--!!)

listening::django reinhardt::
reading::selected stories by daphne du maurier::
inspiration::redheaded snip it::

:: rocking it old school ::

2007-05-14T16:20:00.000-04:00

Ah, summer is here. No, not in the official sense, but rather my summer has begun! This is the first week of my scholastic summer break--no more school, homework, chilling with the buds in the student lounge, relationship politics--until August. I’m utterly relaxed and happy right now, ready to spend my summer working, spending time with friends and family and some much-needed creative time. To be perfectly honest, this past semester really stank; mostly because I managed to get waaay off track after three semesters of over-achiever status, I slipped. But thankfully, I seemed to have bucked up enough the last month to rescue what I could of my grades. Learn. Move on. Don’t repeat.

So, I’m now very ready for a relaxing summer. Just being me!! Lots of thrifting is in store too--I can just feel it in my fingertips! lol. I went to a Goodwill I’ve never been to the last week, hoping for some great finds. Alas, just about everything I’m usually on the hunt for was pretty unexciting (most “chain” thrift stores around here are that way--I wonder why??), but look what I found after going through the records:

Yay! I’ve started collecting records; my mom bought a turn table last fall and my sister and I have been steadily acquiring a few records here and there. I remember listening to my parents collection as a kid and there is something so fun and nostalgic for me about this “old school” form of the music experience. I’m keeping my eyes peeled for a turn table of my own in thrift stores and yard sales this summer... I need something in my room so I can listen to my Frank Sinatra (no one else likes him except me... lol)!!

Oh, and I’m trying to get back into the habit of documenting my outfits again. I’ve been buying so many pieces of vintage and altering some new purchases that I want to show them off. I’m usually too lazy (or having an “ugly day”) to photograph them, but today I dragged my sister to the backyard to take a few snapshots. Click on the photos for details...

Have a lovely day, all! :)

listening::simon & garfunkel::
reading::nothing::
inspiration::amanda’s new studio

:: a tangled mess no more ::

2007-05-13T19:27:00.000-04:00

I was deep in blogspace, just browsing around, and suddenly stumbled across a gorgeous jewelry-board via A Friend to Knit With. What a great idea!! I have some of my necklaces tacked onto my bulletin board, but my earrings are languishing in a little tea cup in my bathroom. Not that it really matters ‘cause my earring collection is so tiny right now (just got my ears pierced in January and have only been wearing something other than studs for a little over one month... so I haven’t had a chance to really get a good collection going! lol). But I like my jewelry to look pretty and neat (case in point: my brooches and pins...). So out came some leftover arcrylic paint, a thrifted picture frame (with the back and glass removed), some brass nails and wire:

Voila! A nice, little earring board to hold my *ahem* soon-to-be-expanded collection.

And just for fun, here’s a small wish-list of sorts of some gorgeous earrings I’d love to wear and have hanging on my earring board:
+ hot stacks via Sulu
+ blackjack assymetrical via t8designs
+ cherry falls via contrary
+ merchant of venice via lulu sparkles
+ winter hydrangia via foundling

listening::django reinhardt::
reading::the sunday papers::
inspiration::wiksten made::

:: button swap ::

2007-05-12T15:38:00.000-04:00

Silly me--I’ve had these pictures on my harddrive for a couple weeks waiting to share them with you!! I particpated in Sally’s vintage button swap last month and the my swap partner, the lovely Joanna, surprised me with a beautiful assortment of vintage buttons and a couple other goodies too! Thank you so much, Joanna!! :) I have to admit, with much shame, that I wasn’t quite as prompt with my package... the beginning of finals fell around the same time as this swap (must remember that next time!!) and life got crazy. But I hope she’s recieved it by now. :) I can’t wait to use some of these goodies in a project!!

To all the mothers out there: wishing you a lovely and happy Mother’s Day tomorrow!!

listening::jazz mix::
reading::a biography of queen victoria::
inspiring::cake plate tutorial::

:: inherited images ::

2007-05-09T17:49:00.000-04:00

Shortly after my mom’s father passed away several years ago, we were cleaning out the basement of my grandparent’s house as we were helping move my grandmother out. As we went through the piles of papers and boxes of who-knows-what, we stumbled across Pop’s photography equipment. Although my mom had told me over the years that he had been interested in photography at had bought several cameras, I had never really thought much of it because that was before my time. We brought the box home and I had never taken the time to investigate it until recently when I was researching purchasing a Holga.

So I rescued the heavy box from the confines of the basement and started to dig through it. I found three cameras: one small camera, one huge, professional-quality one (I’ve dubbed it the “Monster”; it must weigh about 15lbs!), and another, older camera that looks like it was unfortunately damaged by a fire they had in their house at one point. Both the cameras that are in good condition are of Japanese manufacture, and the Monster has a ton of accessories: filters, a zoom lens, tripod (which I’ve used a lot with my digital--whatever works, right?), a Polaroid film adapter... Its kind of mind-boggling. Thankfully the user-guide is still with it and makes it a little less scary to approach. So all I’ve got to do is buy some film and start shooting.

I’m really looking forward to playing with my new toys. I feel like I’m finding a shared interest with Pop and connecting with him, even though he’s no longer here. I can’t help but think that I inherited my sense of artistic aesthetic and love of photography from him. So thanks Pop...

reading::a biography of victoria::
listening::the essential simon and garfunkel::
inspiration::some girls wander::

:: saturday mornings ::

2007-05-05T12:03:00.000-04:00

Its been years since I bothered to yard sale. Somehow as a young adult, waking up early Saturday morning just didn’t appeal to me--despite my widely known love of a bargain/“junk” hunt. This morning, despite having worked late the evening before, I dragged myself out of bed and hit the community-wide yard sale. Boy, am I glad I did!! I found a nice selection of what I term “pretty junk” that was calling my name (and quite easy on the wallet...):

I also picked up a small, four-drawer storage unit (for a whopping $5) that needs to be repainted. But once its given a few fresh coats of a soft white semi-gloss, I think it’ll be perfect for stashing my sewing/crafting supplies that are getting out of hand. Well, almost... I think this will call for a trip to Target or the Container Store to get little organizers for all the drawers. ‘Cause a drawer full of tangled supplies kinda defeats the purpose! :)

Have a lovely weekend!
listening::new order::
reading::threads::
inspiration::paper shelves::

:: returning ::

2007-05-01T15:17:00.001-04:00

Dear friends & readers,
I've been trying to get back into the blogging mood for the past month to no avail. So I've decided to give myself a deadline of when I will be back and stick to it. I'll return to my regular blogging May 7 with new content and fun! See you then and hope you're enjoying the lovely spring weather!!
Kindest thoughts--Casey

reading::bloglines::
listening::the bird and the bee::
inspiration::shanna murray::

inspiration [ week three ]

2007-03-26T19:39:00.000-04:00

I woke up this morning with a sore throat, achy tummy and general fatigue. It just got worse the rest of the morning and by the time my drawing class rolled around, I decided to just skip it because I wouldn’t get much work done anyway! So I’ve spent the afternoon catching up on some much-needed chat-time with my mum, redesigning my website (still under wraps!), listening to my indie mix on Windows, popping lots of (sickly) sweet throat lozenges in my mouth. Slow, lazy and good for what ails me. I’m not feeling even remotely better yet, but at least I’ve been babying myself all day! :)

Here are a handful of links that have been inspiring me lately--hope you find them the same!! :)

+ mmm... color and texture!
+ these sunglasses crack me up!
+ the playful storybook charm collection
+ perfect for those days when you want to be a kid again
+ going through the old entries at port2port
+ loving the simple message in this film
+ excited about the vintage button swap
+ loving the whimsical nature of this collection

happiness

2007-03-24T13:30:00.001-04:00

Spring is finally here and although looking out the window today would lead one to believe otherwise (chilly, rainy, overcast...), I can hear birds singing and the cherry tree outside my window is starting to bloom. *sigh* This is the time of year I always feel gloriously alive and ready to take on anything! lol.

As promised, a few (well, okay, more than a few--check them all out at my flickr page!) pictures of some of my latest vintage finds. The crazy print smock has got to be my favorite; scored at a vintage clothing shop that was going out of business for $14. It looks so funky over straight-leg jeans with a tank underneath worn open. Or, for a more prim-and-proper look, buttoned half-way up and cinched with a large belt at the waist. I think it would look cute with a knit pencil skirt as well...

This dress was on the “as-is” rack for $10 and I immediately decided I had to have it because the jacket has a cute little peplum in the back! :)

I’ve been making a ton of bangles lately, as I’m planning on trying to consign a few in the next week or two at a couple of local boutiques. I’ve never done anything like this before, which is a little unnerving. But after wearing one the other day and everyone commented on how cute and ingenious it was (including several of my guy friends!!), I figured I’d just better bite the bullet and go with it. lol! I have a bunch of designs on my flickr page, if anyone is interested. :)

Finally, I finished that little patch inspired by the work of Rebecca Purcell. I love the wackiness/elementary school project quality of it. I think its going to be eventually sewn on a bag or something... :)

Have a lovely weekend, everyone!!

.03.17.07.

2007-03-17T14:42:00.000-04:00

My apologies for lack of any updates whatsoever over the past month!! Life has been completely topsy-turvey for me in so many ways that I got a little off balance and managed to abandon my blog for too long. I have so much to photograph and tell you all; thrifting has scored really well lately (all kinds exciting vintage stuff--much to the amusement of my boyfriend and jealousy of my girl friends! lol). I’ve also been working away on some spring/summer garments (now if only the weather would cooperate...). But for today, to get back into the swing of things, this is just going to be an inspiration post... because there have been so many things inspiring me lately online that I want to share!!

+ the delightful and whimsical fifi lapin who has excellent taste in designer wear
+ color never looked so tempting...
+ adoring the mix of odds and ends, textiles and papers to create this whimsical accessories
+ such a cute variation on the standard corkboard
+ making plans to try my hand at this colorful and funky dorset buttons to add to my vintage clothes
+ newest issue of the indie online 'zine n.e.e.t.
+ two "new" blogs by extremely inspiring and creative individuals
+ I just love that this spring/summer collection was inspired by silent films...
+ loving this unique jewelry fashioned from vintage elements

flipbook memories

2007-02-17T18:21:00.001-05:00

It seems like I dropped off the face of the earth the past couple of weeks, doesn’t it? I assure you it hasn’t been quite that dramatic, although it certainly feels it...

...hurried attempts to finish up art projects before they’re due. Trying my best to wrap your brain around color theory, feeling as though you’re just pretending to get it and haven’t really gotten it yet...

...nights spent huddled around tiny tables in cramped, smoke-filled hookah bars with a group of friends. Moving to the pounding music, watching the people at other tables get progressively more drunk, shouting over the din to your friend about how much you like her outfit and you really need to go shopping together sometime...

...getting snowed, or rather iced-in, for several days, missing a day of school because of it. The piles of ice/snow on your street and everywhere are getting annoying to traverse. Trying not to slip and slide when you actually venture out in your car...

...brainstorming ideas for art assignments, trying to put more effort into the concepts this semester and thanking your lucky stars that one of your teachers is letting you have basically free reign over the fine arts assignments he hands out. But you try to stretch your mind and think outside of the box, rather than using that freedom as an excuse to slip into complacency and cliches...

...putting up your first, large-scale mixed media piece during critique. Watching the faces of your classmates as their eyes get big, listening to the teacher go on and on about how you obviously pulled references from the Dadist movement. Having your teacher tell you he’s really impressed with your relization of the concept and that you should enter this piece in the juried student art show...

...feeling as though you’re having the willpower and creativity sucked from your being. Like a blank slate you feel like every new project means putting that much more thought into it. Being scared you’re loosing your creative touch and ability to come up with ideas. Going crazy because you don’t have time to craft. Stolen moments of knitting while curled up in front of the space heater to stay warm...

...watching the cold weather slowly take its toll on your hands. Wishing spring was here and the warmth of the sun returned. Feeling the February blahs set in. Trying to ignore them.

That, my friends, is the past two weeks in a very abbreviated nutshell. :) I have been trying to keep up with my blog feeds, and trying to get back on track with managing everything. Life throws one for a loop every-once-in-awhile, and I admit I’m not surprised how hard it threw me considering I had been going at full speed ahead since August. Now to just pick up the pieces and put everything back together...

...inspiration to get the noggin' jump-started:
+ wire gown sculptures that look almost like line-drawings with dramatic shadows
+ contemplating taking the pledge
+ planning a stripey dress from this or this
+ loving this new collection, despite nay-sayers
+ catching up on some important reading
+ finding ideas in print and pattern

m.i.a.

2007-02-08T10:48:00.001-05:00

My apologies for not posting valentines the past few days! Schoolwork has been eating me alive and I've been *ahem* spending quite a few evenings out with friends. lol. ;) So here are three days worth of valentines--hope you enjoy them!! :)

♥ a valentine a day [ day six ] ♥

♥ a valentine a day [ day seven ] ♥

♥ a valentine a day [ day eight ] ♥

I have a ton of updating to do; art projects to share with you all and some other goodies. Also, if you emailed me in the past week and I haven't returned it, please be patient--I'm working on it! :) Take care everyone!! ♥

inspiration [ week two ]

2007-02-05T16:55:00.000-05:00

♥ a valentine a day [ day five ] ♥

This has been catching my eye lately:
+ looks to keep you warm
+ unique sounds
+ coveting these shoes; dreaming of how to justify the pricetag...
+ seeing the process of creation
+ images that make me want to drop everything and change my degree to photography
+ floating lines that merge into beautiful pictures
+ like a fairytale come to life and embodied in a lovely collection of garments
+ a daily dose of poetic words
+ inspiration in print

p.s. If you’re interested in seeing my favorite picks from NY fashion week, be sure to check out my lookbook over at style.com! also, I'll be posting an update on my knit cable cardigan later this week! progress is being (slowly) made!! :)

vintage valentine

2007-02-04T21:14:00.001-05:00

♥ a valentine a day [ day four ] ♥

I think this is probably one of my favorites in the whole bunch! Its a valentine that can be flattened or extend out to stand on its own. Very cute!! :)

[ I had an intelligent post in the works for today, but considering I'm quite tired, I'm not sure it would be coherant at this point! lol. Will post my weekly list of inspirational links tomorrow... ]

auction for aubrey

2007-02-03T18:03:00.000-05:00

A good blog-friend of mine, Aubrey, recently had a fire in her apartment building, forcing her to relocate to another place as well as go through the hassle of dealing with smoke-damaged belongings. An auction has been organized to help Aubrey and her boyfriend out. I donated a set of my handmade valentines and there are some other really interesting items being donated as well! Check out the auction blog for previews of the donated items. Bidding goes live Monday, so I'd encourage you to drop over there and see if anything catches your eye--its for a good cause! :)

for the love of a gold chain

2007-02-03T18:01:00.000-05:00

♥ a valentine a day [ day three ] ♥

Thank you all for the nice comments you've been leaving about my daily valentine posting! I'm so happy that you are enjoying it!! ♥

Its a well-known fact that I’m addicted to vintage gold chains. Big chains, little chains, chains with interesting elements, chains that look old... I simply cannot say no when I find them at thrift shops--especially since they’re usually so reasonable. My addiction has caused much comment by my mother: “you’re not buying another gold chain?!”. I even garnered the nickname “Mrs. T.” (as in, Mr. T.; think Rocky and The A-Team) in one of my classes last semester due to my wearing chains constantly.

Now, I find the trick with wearing gold chains tastefully is to pair them with other elements that aren’t gaudy, so as to play down the potential “blingage” overdose. Because I’m just not a glittery type of gal. ;) I’m constantly playing with them to figure new ways to wear them. Layered was my favorite for awhile: two or three small to mid-sized chains with a long strand of pearls. After that phase I started wearing them wrapped around my wrist 8-12 times (depending on the length) instead of around my neck. It was a very rock-chic look that I liked (and still do); perfect for dressing up a plain tshirt and jeans. Right now, I’m wearing mostly my mid-sized chains singly or wrapped 3-times around my neck (since odd numbers are more aesthetically pleasing to the eye; yes, I think about those things with accessories...). The long chain look is really cute with the tunic/trapeze tops I’ve been wearing lately and help to give a little definition to my waist (by not letting the front of the top billow out so much!). But just a single chain can be boring, so I’ve taken to pinning and clipping various elements to the chains. I have a little stash of gold-tone vintage pins that I’m having fun with. Right now I’m wearing my newest acquisition: a gold-tone flower with a pearl center. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I found it... it was so perfect for spring (heck--I’m wearing it now in the dead of winter! lol) and was only a dollar. Couldn’t beat that. lol.

So I encourage you to go reevaluate your jewelry stash: try looking at the elements, not the whole pieces. Mixing and matching is your friend, finding new uses for things like pins or rings, layering various pieces... I’ve even been looking at some antique hardware elements (drawer pulls) and trying to figure out how I can attach them, pendant-style, to a necklace! Play, have fun and let me know what you come up with!!

I have to admit, today, besides some *ahem* shopping I did this morning and trying to make a dent in the homework list, I’ve been utterly glued to the computer surfing around for pictures of the Fall/Winter collections being shown in New York now. I’m rather curious to see how F/W 2007 develops; so far everything has seemed to be an extension of Fall/Winter 2006. Lots of dark colors (greys and blacks seem big again), layering, loose cuts, minimalist overtones... Not that I’m complaining, but it seems like they’re could be some more innovation here! My favorite collections (thus far! lol!) are BCBG, Yigel Azrouel, and Rag and Bone (I’m totally in love with those long spats in the R&B collection... and I recently spotted some knit spats at Anthro; could this be a new project for me? lol.). I’ll probably be posting a lot of fashion-related stuff this week since I can get quite obsessed with this... hehe.

in which she rambles

2007-02-02T17:46:00.000-05:00

♥ a valentine a day [ day two ] ♥

Did you see?? Anthropologie is putting out catalogs twelve times a year!!! *dies* I’m addicted, but not just because they carry such pretty and drool-worthy clothes that are ever so artsy, but the catalogs are just enourmous sources of visual inspiration to me. Beautifully photographed and composed. I literally have a little stack of them next to my bed to flip through in the evenings... Its sad, isn’t it?

After much hunting, whining to myself at the lack of a good magazine selection at any of the local bookstores, and getting ready to just give up, I finally procured a copy of the March issue of Romantic Homes. One of my favorite bloggers, Alicia Paulson of Posie, was featured in this issue! Its a lovely, color-saturated walk through her amazing home. Seriously drooling over the creativeness pictured! Just looking at the sun-soaked photos lifts me right out of my mid-winter doldrums. If you need something nice and pretty to keep on your nightstand, be sure to pick this issue up (not to mention there are a lot of other nice things in here too!).

a valentine a day...

2007-02-01T15:41:00.000-05:00

... makes the heart grow fonder?

I went through and counted my vintage valentines this morning, getting ready to photograph them all to share with you and I hit upon an idea! I decided to post one vintage valentine image every day until Valentine’s Day. It would be a challenge to keep me posting every day, and I think it would be a cute way to celebrate the holiday. Though I admit, Valentine’s Day isn’t a huge deal for me... I just like all the chocolate and vintage valentines that go with it. lol. Without further ado:

♥ a valentine a day [ day one ] ♥

mail makes me happy ♥

2007-01-31T18:15:00.000-05:00

A wee mid-week update just to let you all know I’m still alive, thinking of you all, reading blogs and trying to stay caught up with everything! This week has been an absolute whirlwind, lots of assignments due, my first test of the semester, etc., etc., etc. I also managed to completely disrupt my bedroom yesterday afternoon. I moved all the furniture on a lark, completely removing my lovely antique, but gigantic, dresser. I’m in the midst of reorganizing everything so that I can actually sew up here and not have to drag all my stuff down to the kitchen. Its still very much needing to be organized (and I’ve got to get storage for all those suddenly displaced clothes!), but I now have a workstation for my sewing/crafting and a seperate desk for my computer. Yay! Pictures will be posted once I feel that its presentable to the public. lol.

This week has been an amazing mail week--I got two packages! *is shocked* I think the only thing that could complete the week for me mail-wise is if I got an Anthropologie catalog. lol. I treasure those like expensive magazines--I have about two year’s worth stashed away. Anyway, I got my order from the sweet Emily at Inside and Black Apple. When she updated her shop last week I just happened to be home at the time, and despite the computer deciding to be really s-l-o-w that day, I snagged a set of her super-cute astronaut valentines. Polka dots! Emily’s artwork! Could anything be better? I think I shall have to be really selfish and keep one for myself to frame, 'cause her art is just so cute.

The other piece of mail was an exciting package from Mary over at Contrary! She put up an offer last week to send a homemade envelope to the first person who commented on her blog entry. Though I felt a little guilty about being the first person to comment, I did “win” the envelope. Instead of just the one (gorgeous) handmade envelope, she sent me three! Including one that is covered with multicolored ladybirds--perfect for me, don’t you think? ;) Thank you so much, Mary!! ♥

I shall be updating later this week with some fun goodies: photos of those vintage valentines, among other things. Have a lovely week, everyone!

thoughts+dreams+schemes

2007-01-28T18:21:00.001-05:00

Whew! Its been quite a week; for some reason this semester all my professors decided to start piling on the homework/intensive projects right away, which means no easing into the semester gently. lol. I’m trying not to panic even though I’ve got a boatload of stuff due in the next week.

Needless to say, knitting and creating time has been at an absolute minimum. *sigh* I’m hoping once I get my schedule down, start working on organzing my homework time better (how come it always changes from semester to semester?) I’ll get back into the swing of creating since I have so many ideas floating around in my head right now! In the meantime though, I’ve started to do a little research into my biggest 2007 goal: opening my own webstore.

This is something I’ve wanted to do basically since I was a kid; run a small business that allows me to market my creations. I’ve read countless books over the years on doing that (hehe--how many twelve-year-olds read Barbara Braebec’s book from start to finish in one sitting? lol), and yet I still am very timid about taking that leap of faith and just doing it. The ideas are there, the ability to focus and manage my time are there, the networking/people skills are too; but I still hold back for fear of failure--something that haunts me constantly in school. I think at this point, I’ve got a better handle on how much work starting a real business is going to take (all the legal/tax stuff; no fun, but I want this to be a serious endevour from the start) and now I just need to get my ducks in a row. I’m giving myself until the end of the semester to come up with a business plan, list everything I need to do as well as design my inventory for the slated Autumn opening. That gives me summer to work on filling out forms, getting permits, working on stock and a part time job (since someone has got to pay for all this! lol). But right now I’m still buried under a pile of books on running home-based businesses. Its amazing how many books have been published in recent years on every aspect of the handcraft business--I even found one on basic legal stuff you need to know when starting such a venture! Now thats the kind of nitty-gritty that I am looking for. :)

With that in mind: I’ve lately been getting a lot of comments on my redesigned/reconstructed pieces I wear; some even from local boutique owners. I’d love to be able to whip out a business/contact card to hand them, just in case they are interested in possibly carrying my work, but I’m not sure where to get good business cards made up. I want to design something myself--no prefab designs! Any ideas about where to get a small run (100-250) of professional-looking cards printed?

photos top to bottom: redecorated over my desk for valentine's day :: some bits and bobs I picked up recently :: a vintage valentine I found at an antique store recently... I just love it! ♥ [ click on any for a larger view/description ]

inspiration [ week one ]

2007-01-25T16:15:00.001-05:00

Many other bloggers post regular “what has been inspiring me” entries. I run across so many inspiring images, ideas, etc. during the week, I thought that this would be not only a great way to share what has been catching my eye lately, but a way to catalog them for myself. lol. Enjoy. :)

+ beautiful, haunting and exquistely femenine
+ Joy’s week of beautiful guest blogging
+ light, airy, innocent looks that make me wish for summer
+ loving/coveting the mix of red prints and lace
+ a foursome of elegantly quirky ladies
+ simple, arts and crafts aesthetic captured perfectly
+ soaking in the details
+ listening to this makes me happy
+ a colorful reminder

happy tuesdays

2007-01-23T17:30:00.000-05:00

Thank you all for your really positive and sweet comments about my jacket refashion! I sometimes wonder if I’m totally wacky to do these things, but for me its more than about saving a penny or two here (which I admit is part of it!). Sustainable style and the concept of reusing and recycling plays a large part in my decision to use thrifted/vintage as a base to experiment with my design ideas. It also is a big time-saver for me: starting with already constructed clothing. I get to avoid pinning, cutting and that stuff! lol.

Design class was this morning, and I wisely opted to make a quick swing by Starbucks before school. Although I consider myself more of a morning person, an early class combined with not being able to sleep the night before equals a very ditzy Casey. lol. The last thing I wanted was to be an airhead for this class too, since color theory is something that I’m not as comfortable with art-wise. We’re using Josef Alber’s book on color interaction as our text along with a wonderful, candy-box assortment of handscreened colors called Color-Aid. I already love Alber’s prose-style: it borders on free-verse format, which makes me pay close attention to what is being said. Today we went over the basic principles and terms of color: hue, intensity and value; mixing primaries, how light affects our perception of color, direct versus reflected color, etc. We also had our first homework assignment handed out: creating various value scales using black and white paint, primaries and two compliments. That’s the easy part. ;) The next assignment was using our lovely Color-Aid papers to create a set of nine bright hues paired with two lesser-intensities of that hue. At first I couldn’t really get my mind around what it was we are supposed to do: I kept wanting to pick out values rather than intensities of a given hue. I had to talk to the teacher for a good twenty minutes, look at her examples she pulled and then go pull out my own example to make sure I was on the right track. Now that I am, I have to say its going to be an exciting challenge. The little tidbits I’ve learned about color only excite me to learn more! This coming from the girl who wore pretty much all-black for three months straight. lol.

Oh, and look what I got in the mail all the way from the lovely Leslie in Australia:

Isn’t it pretty?! I just love the little bit of nature captured in the resin; its especially nice right now with everything so dreary and snow still visible in spots. Makes me wish for spring all the more! :) I need to find the perfect silver chain to hang it on; I think I shall have to stop at the local beadstore this week and pick up some jewelry chain and perhaps a few yellow beads to use with it... Thank you so much, Leslie for this sweet gift--I shall really enjoy wearing it and showing it off! ;) If you want one of your own, be sure to check out her Etsy shop (which has other handcrafted goodies as well)!

As a final announcement: my website is finally back up! Sorry it was down for so many weeks; the domain expired and I wasn’t able to renew it right away. Everything is back online though. ;)

snowy weekends

2007-01-22T18:12:00.000-05:00

The first snowflakes of the winter fell much of yesterday afternoon. It was really pretty to watch, although bitterly cold and I dreaded having to deal with the campus lot today with the aftermath. :p It wasn't much accumulation though, so that was good! I snapped a couple, quick (and very badly done) pictures from inside the warm house. :)

Walk into my room on any given day and you’re sure to see little piles of clothes that aren’t my dirty laundry. Most are recent thrift finds, waiting to be sorted between washing and sending to the dry cleaner, but still others are earmarked for alteration. I admit that, as the old saying goes, my eyes are bigger than my time, so the average wait time is about 4 months (at least). Recently though, spurred by the desire to have a short jacket (since all I seem to have accumulated are coats... hmm... must remedy this!), having spied several fetching ones on a recent shopping trip, I went through my “stash”. My hands pulled out a vintage Bill Blass bomber-style jacket in a black and white houndstooth. I bought it because I liked the material and thought I could possible work with it (and if not, I still liked the fabric... lol), but the style was decidedly dated. Huge shoulders propped up with even bigger shoulder pads (I kid you not; these things were massive when I pulled them out!), the back waistband gathered with elastic and shiny gold metal buttons on the breast pocket flaps and closure. See for yourself:

So I started to pin, dart, rip, take out; generally wreak havoc with my seam ripper and stash of pins. I pinned my first ideas in place, namely darting the shoulders and shortening the sleeves:

Those changes just weren’t doing it for me, so I took out the elastic, ripped off the pocket flaps (those were actually just for show, there were no breast pockets) and decided to loose the cuff for the sleeves and shorten those to slightly above the hem of the jacket. Suddenly I had the swing topper I had been coveting! Here was my second “pin fitting”:

A little stitching here, cutting there and lots of ironing, and voila! Much improved, don’t you think?

(I did take some pictures of me modeling the jacket, the lot of which overall didn't turn out. I uploaded one to Flickr, just in case you're curious to see how it looks on a person. ;)

What I love best about revamping old clothes is not only breathing new life into something formerly demode or just plain ugly, but the fact that I’m taking part in a centuries-old tradition of remodeling old clothes. It not only helps fill my closet with clothes that I otherwise couldn’t have, but remodeling is a form of recycling (which is one of my pet subjects lately anyway...)!

The cabled bolero from the current issue of Vogue Knitting is coming along very nicely, despite frogging the first pentagon twice. First time I dropped a stitch and couldn’t find where, second time I decided after looking at the finished garment sizes I need to choose another size (note to self: pay attention to the text before the pattern next time! lol!!). Its actually a quick, easy knit; I like the rhythm of the decreases every-other-row. I have to say I’m excited to see this finished. ;)

winter's sharp winds

2007-01-20T15:29:00.000-05:00

Winter has set in. Its leaving me chilled to the bone, envying all those Australian bloggers who are in the midst of warm weather!! lol. Its been blustery too, which means I’ve had to bundle up!! I recently made something that keeps me nice and cozy, but I’m going to hold off showing you for a couple more days. hehe. But the above is a sneak preview! ;)

One of my first assignments in a design class is to create a series of three geometric-based motifs for a repeating, all-over pattern we’re eventually going to execute in Illustrator. I want to do something fun and whimsical--a bit more “me” than anything I did last semester. I suppose this is due to the fact that I’ve finally gotten serious about university-hunting and have realized I need to get my act together and start putting really good work out to eventually compile a portfolio! Eeek--it makes me queasy just thinking about it! lol. So anyway, back to the patterns: I started playing around in Paint Shop Pro (not as nice as Illustrator, but hey--it works for now!), and came up with one pattern I really liked. I have to say I was inspired quite a bit by the amazing textile designs that Amy recently posted about. This is too fun--addicting possibly. lol.

I hope if you’re like me, in a chilly place, you stay warm and cozy this weekend! (And if not, enjoy the warm weather!) This is how I shall be spending my weekend (besides *coughcough*homework*cough*):

‘Till next week, take care!! :)

five things about me

2007-01-18T23:14:00.000-05:00

Yes, I rarely do memes, but I couldn’t resist this one! :) Leslie tagged me (btw: check out her gorgeous resin pendents in her Etsy shop!), and I thought it would be fun to talk a little about five things I haven’t (I think!) mentioned on my blog before, especially considering last week was National Delurking Week!

[ 5. ] I have a very set routine every morning: wake up, work out, eat breakfast and read the entertainment page in the paper (yes, how intellectual!). Deviation from this norm usually results in a rather wonky day! lol.

[ 4. ] I have a deep love of oatmeal, the Irish kind only please. Some weeks I eat it almost every day, with fresh or dried fruit thrown in for variation. Everyone thinks I’m nuts to eat something so boring, day after day after day. But its really perfect this time of year when there is a chill in the air.

[ 3. ] I love to laugh, quite loudly and raciously actually. Life is hilarious to me, and I figure laughter is better than crying when it doesn’t go my way! :)

[ 2. ] I didn’t get my full driver’s permit until I was 20. (Now I don’t know how I lived without it!)

[ 1. ] I compulsively collect little items: packaging, paper napkins (clean/unused), cup sleeves and such for my design inspiration notebook. Over the holidays I collected every patterned cup sleeve variation from Starbucks. I’m obsessive like that! lol.

Hehe. That was fun--thanks Leslie for tagging me! ♥

I tag: Philo, Cory, Grace, Maggie, and Aubry. Have fun you all! ;)

she could tell you a million things...

2007-01-16T15:38:00.000-05:00

I want to thank you all for the sweet, encouraging comments you left on my previous post! I apologize for not replying to them sooner; our internet was down for 24 hours and I started school yesterday, so I was a little frazzled! I will be getting back to all your comments later this week. :) School is going well; so far the two classes I’ve had this week are art classes, which just makes my heart sing! One is with my favorite drawing teacher I had last spring and the other is a design class that is dealing solely with color!! Those who know me well know I tend to stick to black and white and rather monochromatic palettes both in my design work and my wardrobe. The professor of this class though has made me so excited to jump right in and learn, absorb and observe color! I have to admit, as she was giving us a mini lecture this morning on the introductory terms and principles of color, I kept thinking of Tricia and her awesome sense of color play. I’m hoping that after this semester I’ll not only have a better appreciation for color and the use of it (which is another interesting point: the teacher isn’t that hung up on “rules and regulations” concerning color--yay!), but be able to perceive it in a deeper sense. I am feeling totally inspired right now... :)

All your sweet comments about my top I posted pictures of brightened my day considerably on Sunday. Thank you! :) I’m so happy that you all liked it! I will be putting together a tutorial for how to make it, variations on the yoke style (just in case people don’t want or can’t find the antique yoke), and ideas for expanding on the basic trapeze top. I started work on it yesterday, making an example to photograph out of some lovely batiste I salvaged from a project I scrapped years ago. Of course, I’m deviating slightly from my previous one. Let’s just say this one will ~~probably~~ will include red rick-rack! Hopefully the complete tutorial will be up in a few weeks. Since school started I won’t be able to just plow through it in a day or two, but hopefully that won’t deter me too much! lol.

Right now I’m feverishly working on a revamp of a very outdated bomber jacket that I picked up at a thrift store several months ago. Its proving to be somewhat of a challenge, but one that I think will be worth it. Converting a bomber jacket to a tent or trapeze (yes, I’m in love with that silhouette right now!) shape is no easy fete! I’m rushing a little to get it done to wear when I go to a party with a friend tonight, so we’ll see if I actually make the deadline. If I do, before and after photos will follow by the end of the week.

*sigh* That's not much of a post, is it? Ugh. I feel like right now after all my creative output, I have lots of odds and ends in varying stages of completion and nothing much to show you. So I will end with that I’ll (hopefully) be back with some goodies to share later this week. Until then, have a lovely week my dears! :)

much ado about nothing

2007-01-13T14:47:00.000-05:00

I’m so glad my blog links list update was such a hit with everyone! :) Trust me, when I get around to updating it again (probably around spring break, when I’ve got “loads of time” to kill) I’ll have even more goodies to direct you to. If this was any indication: I’ve added about 5-8 more blogs to my feeds list since I posted that updated list the other day. I’m addicted, I know. Anyone know of a good Blogaholics Anonymous? ‘Cause I think I’m the perfect candidate for needing help! lol!

The above photo illustrates how I spent most of Wednesday happily occupied. I haven’t sewn a garment in a long time, mostly because I swore off sewing because sewing+school+life=much [needless] stress. It was lovely to revisit for a short while though. I was highly inspired by the beautiful trapeze tops that Free People has right now, coupled with the fact that I’ve been wanting to make a top like this for some time! Several sketches and one night of subconscious planning (how does my brain manage all that thinking when I’m supposed to be asleep?!), digging through my baskets of trim and drawers of fabric and this was created. It wasn’t that complicated: just a few measurements here, snip-snip with the scissors and lots of ironing! I didn’t want to be presumptuous and just put a tutorial out there, so if anyone is interested, let me know--I’d be more than happy to share how to make this. :)

I think the most fun part of making this, though, was using some vintage and antique trims. The cotton voile for the body of the top was new (bought ages ago on some bargain table, I’m sure...) as are the beautifully carved shell buttons, but the crocheted camisole yoke, trim along the hem and twill tape were all old. I just love mixing these things up--it gives a piece so much more character, don’t you think? Anyway, I admit this style is taking some getting used to: I have never obscured my waist quite this much (translation: fervently asking my mother and sister every five minutes: “this doesn’t make me look pregnant--does it??). I was inspired by one of Warholuva’s recent outfits where she mentioned the goal was to push her usual “fashion boundaries” a little. Good advice, methinks. So taking up that banner of change (especially considering the new year), this is my first step out of my comfort zone! :) I plan on wearing it through the winter, when I feel especially artsy-fartsy, with thin-knit tops and jeans. Come summer it’ll be paired with wide-leg pants (hopefully... several pairs have recently caught my eye at where else? Anthropologie of course!) and thin-knit tanks for that cool-girl “I’m so artsy/creative that I can do this volume thing”. hehe. Who am I kidding?! lol.

Some people find it funny or amusing that I am constantly changing my wardrobe or how I look. People have chalked this up to my not being comfortable with who I am, which is totally false. I suppose that to me, I’m like a blank canvas to experiment with new ideas, colors and textures upon. Clothes are my medium of choice. I tend to gravitate more towards the retro look, yes, but lately I find that I’ve gotten the itch to try new things, new colors, new combinations. Have fun, not take myself or my life so darn seriously!! After all: life is short! :D

I also finished up my ladybird tote! It went out on its inagural flight yesterday evening, carrying my inspiration notebook, a few magazines/catalogs to clip images from and the nessecary crafty supplies. I really love big, roomy tote bags and I have to say I’m loving using this! My mother and sister thinks its the best yet, but my heart is still attached to the squirrel tote bag. Which, I shipped off, along with its sibling cardinal tote, to the lucky winners yesterday. I do hope they both enjoy using them--I had so much fun designing and making those! :) (More photos on my Flickr page.)

My friend Anna, with whom I share a love of funky artsy looks and indie music, recently clued me in to this amazing indie music website. I find that a lot of people equate indie bands with either low-quality, teenage-garage band attempts at “real music” or something that is so hipster that they avoid it like the plague. This site has some really amazing, professional bands though. I’m having far too much fun discovering new favorites. Check it out if you’ve got a few spare hours (yes, hours!); everything is handily divided by genre category. My sister has also tuned me into The Decemberists, and I am currently in love with their quirky, folksy and literary-inclined lyrics. (And check out the site for the artist who does their cover/poster work! ♥ ) Much music love right now. :)

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! Before I run, last week was apparently National Delurk Week. Even though I missed it by a day, tell me a little about yourself: your name, likes, hobbies... even if you've comment before. I'd love to "meet" more of my dear readers! :)

guess how much I love you?

2007-01-10T19:02:00.000-05:00

Maybe you’ve read it to your own little ones, or like me are “growed up” and love this sweet children’s book anyway. Guess How Much I Love You sums up how I feel about the blogging community; trying to express my intense gratitude to you all. As a relative newcomer to the diy/creative/crafter scene of blogs, I am blown away by the encouragement and feedback you have offered me of late. I was so happy that Lisa was willing to let an unknown contribute art to the Kim Family Benefit Auction. That my bangle tutorial was featured on the Craft Magazine blog. That I have "met" so many sweet, caring, creative and inspiring individuals who make up the larger blogging community. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for sharing the continuous stream of witty, poignant, wise and inspiring posts and images. Every morning I check my Bloglines feeds I feel as though I am opening up a big package of delightful surprises. I’m not sure if this is articulating just how grateful and thankful I am for each and every one of you. So let me say this much: guess how much I’m thankful for you all? *spreads arms wide* This much!!!! ♥

P.S. A "real" post will follow in the next day or two... I have a new project I want to show you all! :)

sunny daze...

2007-01-08T17:17:00.000-05:00

Thank you to everyone who bid on my pieces (as well as all the other lovely items!) in the Kim Family Benefit Auction! I am very humbled to see how much my two bags raised. I was certainly blown away when I pulled up the auction page shortly before it ended to find that my squirrel bag had shot up over $200! I’m just so happy that the bags were able to raise a sizeable amount to donate to the James Kim Memorial Fund. I have to admit I’ve been downplaying my role in this all week, not really telling anyone about it, Dad having to drag the latest details out of me... My sly sister and mother though have been throwing a monkey wrench in the whole thing and doing everything from Googling for press coverage to going around the house loudly talking about it. Its not that I’m embarrassed, but I don’t feel that I have any place to brag about my involvement. I just donated some handcrafts; Lisa, Stephanie and Gerrie are the real superstars in this. :)

Otherewise, my weekend was really bizarre. Things just kept happening strangely or badly: it was like I was in an episode of The Twilight Zone. :p I didn’t feel really at ease, like things were back to normal until I sat down to knit Sunday evening. I finished up my cabled bag from Philo’s pattern! I made mine slightly longer, and I think it ended up slightly wider as well, but it was a super-quick knit (I would have had it done sooner had I not taken a four-day break from all knitting)! I used the same black handles that Philo used, because all the other ones at JoAnn’s had bad cases of serious ugly or season/material-inappropriate. I added a black satin ribbon and vintage pin to the front for some extra “pow”. My mother is in love with this, and has been eyeing it jealously. Should I be worried that it might mysteriously dissapear? lol. I think I need to make another one though. In black yarn though, since I love black accessories. :)

I went thrifting today, only to find that two of the three shops I wanted to visit were closed on Mondays. Ugh. Seriously dissapointing! Pickings were very slim at the one that was open; I only got a handful of bits and pieces (better than nothing though, right? lol!). But my favorite find was this children’s craft/activity book from the 1950s. I paid 50 cents for it, which was a steal, imho. The illustrations are just too fun!! The endpapers are my favorite aspect of the book though. :) I have a few more photos of it on my Flickr thrift finds stream.

Oh, and as a side note, I updated the list of "Inspiring Blogs" on my Blogger side bar. Lots and lots of new blogs to peruse! :)

please read!!

2007-01-08T10:43:00.000-05:00

Once again, I'm having issues with my website, which is resulting in having no access to my "missc" email account. If you've been trying to contact me via email, please resend it to my new email (just replace the "at" with @). Sorry if this has caused any problems!! :p

auctions are back up!!

2007-01-05T09:09:00.001-05:00

Wow! Lisa and Stephanie are two amazing women!! They worked with Ebay to resolve the problem and got the Kim Family Benefit Auction back up and running. Although all the previous bids were unfortunately lost. Bidding runs through Sunday, so hurry if you'd like to own one of the amazing pieces being auction and help out in this fundraiser! :)

moods = creativity

2007-01-04T18:35:00.000-05:00

Have you ever noticed how certain cds or soundtracks can mimic your life at a given point? For awhile it was angry, hard music like 30 Seconds to Mars that reflected the emotional turmoil inside me. That has passed (thankfully!) and now I’m delving into more mellow, happy music. I broke down and bought the Marie Antoinette soundtrack yesterday and have been listening to it continually since (okay, so mostly disc one...). Its funky, flirty, contemplative... winter-like; much how I feel at the start of this new year.

Speaking of new years... A new year: a new user picture! Today was the first day it was actually sunny enough and I had time to take some self-portraits. I haven't done a short series of photographs since the summer, and I felt I needed to update the pictures of me online since my hair is different now. lol. I love my new camera!!!

Yesterday I wandered into JoAnn’s (the store I hate, but can’t stop going to because its the only nearby option!) to find that their by-the-yard felt was on sale. So I stocked up on a few colors, including black so I can finally finish that ladybird bag! yay! I’m lining it with a black and white cotton polka-dot I picked up early last year. It just seemed right for a bag I was planning on keeping for myself. (Pictures hopefully this weekend!) On the topic of bags, I’m slowly working on one of Philo’s really cute knit bags! I say slowly as I started off with a bang over the weekend/holiday and then slowed to a halt as my week picked up with stuff to do, places to go, people to see! lol. It’s an amazingly fast knit though, and I’m just about to the point I could bind off for a smaller bag. But no, being the perpetual dreamer I am, I want to make it more tote bag sized (since those are darn handy with school supply-toting and stuff!).

I also have been playing with new card ideas. Thankfully, they aren’t as labor intensive as my Christmas cards! lol! I was just playing with the idea of paper shape chains and whipped out some old papers from my stash and did a series of hearts. Thus these were born:

I think they’d be cute using old dictionary pages as well. Or better yet finding some old, pre-1960s, sappy romance novel and using that! How cool and appropriate would that be??

I recently remembered another New Year resolution that I really want to live up to this year: keeping a visual paper journal of my ideas, inspirations and thoughts. I’ve never been much of a traditional, word-oriented journaler, and my previous attempts at this have been half-hearted at best. So I’ve pulled out one of my old, half-filled blank notebooks and have begun collecting up images, scraps and such to paste inside. My goal is to spend time working on it at least once a week for the entirety of 2007. Maybe if I make posting images of the pages a “rule”, I’ll be motivated to actually see it through... *wink*

humph.

2007-01-04T12:47:00.000-05:00

A note about the Kim Family Benefit Auction: Unfortunately, the auctions were pulled due to several "violations" in Ebay policy. All the bids have been lost. Lisa and Stephanie are actively working to resolve this problem and get the fundraiser back up and running. Thank you so much for your generosity up to this point (before the auctions were pulled, nearly $12,000 had been raised!!) and I will be letting you know when its back up and running again.

P.S. A "real" post with pictures and crafty-goodness will be coming later today!! :)

a reminder...

2007-01-02T21:15:00.001-05:00

The Kim Family Benefit Auction, with lots of amazing handcrafts and art by a group of very talented artists begins tomorrow! Be sure to check it out; 100% of the proceeds go towards the James Kim Memorial Fund and helping the family in their time of loss.

My two donations, the cardinal and squirrel tote bags, will be up for auction! Here's hoping they raise lots of money!! :)