:: moments ::

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!

:: daily meanderings ::

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.

:: knitting my life away... ::

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!!

:: weekend no-show ::

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!

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

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!!

:: autumn’s arrival ::

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!

:: monday madness ::

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 ]

:: speechless ::

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 = ? ::

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 ]

:: little miss artsy ::

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!

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

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... ::

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.

:: up & down, round & round ::

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 ::

[ 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...

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

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!