Poppytalk is doing Spring Color Week and while I missed the first 2 days I thought it would be fun to jump in (especially since today is Yellow! Yay!) and post this photo of things I’m looking forward to wearing once the weather is more consistently warm.

• Ruffle copped cardigan wit after market vintage mother of pearl buttons: F21
• Vintage 1970s ’30s-style flocked dress: local antique market
• Vintage 1920s dress: Clever Nettle

Is anyone else here participating?

We love mustard in our household.  I like to buy the kind that comes in funny little jars or ceramic containers because in my mind they are more authentic.  So I get the Inglehoffer brand from Ralphs (it’s Ralphs in L.A., Kroeger in other parts of the U.S.) because 1., it’s called Inglehoffer, 2. it comes in chubby round jars and 3. it’s pretty good.  Oh, and it’s pretty cheap too.

I recently discovered their Cranberry mustard.  It comes in an even tinier jar than the Stone Ground.  And, like it helpfully says on the bottle, it’s “great with turkey.”  Yum.  Especially on a turkey sandwich that also has Swiss, a pinch of celery salt, spinach and red onions.    Just had to share.

Oh, it’s available here too.

I couldn’t wait to post these, I just had to show someone!  I’ve been collecting vintage hankies for years, not entirely sure what I was going to do with them (curtains?  quilt?  aprons?) and feeling quite the hoarder.  Last year I put “hankie dress” on my never-ending to do list and I finally got around to playing with the idea this past weekend.  I haven’t seen a dress like this before (I’ve seen little baby dresses made from hankies but not grown-up girl ones) and I’m pretty happy with the results so far.

I was going for something sweet and not too patchwork-y or hippy.  I used all the same colorway (for this one aqua and yellow/mustard hankies) to help pull the dress together.  I did very little to alter the hankies as I wanted to preserve the look of them.  I also wanted to avoid having to make a pattern.  I recently finished a sundress from a 1950s pattern that looks ok but I spent forever trying to get the fit right (and it still isn’t quite right, dang) and I’m just kind of over patterns right now.  (That’ll be short-lived, I’m sure!)

Basically this dress is just a tube of strategically placed hankies of varying size.  The fanciest part is the ruffle on the front made from a wee hankie that has been one of my favorites.  I’m not 100% sure I’m done yet but I’m very close!

Happy Monday!

A wee burro (burrito?) friend found at Porchlight, a lovely shop in Portland, OR.

It’s pouring rain and it’s really nice.  I love waking up on the weekends when the weather is like this: the interior of the house is grey and a little chilly.  I make myself a cup of cocoa and pull out the warmest, loftiest blanket I have.  Sometimes I’ll read, watch a movie I’ve seen a hundred times or up date my to do list.  (That sounds incredibly dorky, about the to do list.  But I’m obsessed with it and have about 50+ things listed at the moment.)

Speaking of reading, have any of you read The Mysterious Benedict Society series?

I just finished the first book and I’m onto the second one (above).  I find the cover illustration pretty thrilling!

So, I know I’ve been a little bit scarce around these blog parts.  I’m like the friend that thinks about you but gets really bad about calling.  ;)  A couple of reasons include me taking on more hours at work, and a sudden and unignorable (not sure if that’s a word but it works for me) Tendonitis/carpal tunnel flare up.  My husband and I even made a trip to Ikea to buy a new desk hoping that it would help.  (My old one is currently in the middle of my office.  Totally in the way but what a nice place to pile stuff on. [It's better than the floor.])  And I’ve been keeping off the computer as much as I can when I’m not working.   At first I was really bummed about it but I’ve resolved to find a solution.  I’ve been reading up on things, exercising and trying to keep my mind in a positive space.

Oh, there are a couple of things I wanted to mention before I forget:

• I’ve installed a “subscribe to comments” plug-in in this blog.  You’ve probably seen them elsewhere; when you leave a comment you can click on a box to subscribe.  Then you’ll receive follow up comments in your email.  I’m going to start to respond to comments by leaving reply comments since I’ve been so bad at responding in the last few posts (and you all have left such thoughtful and helpful comments too! ) and I hope this would remedy that, plus perhaps make it easier for you to touch base with each other if desired.
• Spoo Kee got a twitter account!  I know, it’s about dang time.

Ok, it’s cocoa time.  I hope you are all having a cozy weekend so far!

xoxo

I’m now the proud owner of a dickie.  I never thought I’d say that so feel free to laugh with me.  But this is not a silly polyester/cotton blend faux turtleneck sweater.   I don’t know how old this one is but it’s so pretty and, despite how delicate it is, it’s in such good condition.  I particularly love the bow/ruffle at the neck.  I’m either going to leave it as a dickie or somehow incorporate it in to a dress, perhaps as a bib.  Wouldn’t that be lovely?

I’m also adding to my collection of millinery flowers and rayon fabric.  Everything has a purpose; not that I’ve necessarily figured out the future lives of these treasure but I will - someday!

Last weekend a friend and I went to the Vintage Clothing & Textile Show in  Burbank.  It was a relatively small gathering of vendors but there were a ton of people there, so much so I felt a little overwhelmed at times.  Nonetheless I found some pretty things.  Some of the fabric I picked up is cute but kind of malodorous.  (Something I did not realize until I got home, of course.)  I spent some time searching online for remedies because, assuming the fabric in question was 60+ year old rayon, I wasn’t confident I could handwash it without suffering terrible consequences.

I posted a question in Etsy forums and lo and behold, answers!   The black fabric is now non-smelly and ready to be made into a little dress thanks to 1 part cheap vodka to 1 part water in a spray bottle.  But I have to tell you, the vodka/water solution I used on both pieces did not work out so well for the nutmeg-colored one.  Initially it toned down the funk but after several sessions the stench simply evolved into another smell, which reminded me of old crayons.  Pungent old crayons.  That led me to wonder if 1. The smell will ever leave, and 2. Is this even rayon?  Because, does rayon smell like smelly old crayons?  I’m no textile expert so I really don’t know.  But the smell was annoying enough that I took a chance and washed it.  First, I hand-washed it.  Now, it’s in the washing machine.  Yup, in the machine.  I mean, if it’s going to smell then it’s useless to me and I’m not going to pay a fortune at a fancy dry cleaner.  I’m just not.   (We’ll see what happens!)

UPDATE:  After washing the rayon in the machine, using the delicate cycle (which included a good, long soak in OxyClean and Arm & Hammer detergent) and tossing it in the dryer on low, the fabric has come out smelling good and not worse for wear!  Yay!

I also started two sewing projects this weekend: a 50s sundress in a kitschy Hawaiian print and a pair of shorts.  Shorts!  I’m excited about making a pair of shorts.  (I only have one pair, from the Gap Kids clearance section.)  I even made a muslin since fitting pants can be tricky.

Oh, and I’m working on the 2 Hour Sweater. So far I’ve logged WAY more than 2 hours for this project but it has been a breeze so far.

Stay tuned and Happy Week to you!

Sometimes I’m posting every couple days.  Sometimes every couple weeks!   Oh, to be consistent.

Let’s see, what has been happening around here lately…I changed up my blog header (Dear RSS feed readers, have a look!).  I acquired 2 lovely pieces of vintage rayon that I’m in the middle of de-stinking.  I also mistakenly painted the breakfast nook a pale lime sherbet rather than the pale sage I intended.

If you’ve painted a room before, you know the paint looks lighter on the wall than on the chip.  That’s what I kept telling myself as I painted in the afternoon Sunday.  Then I woke up the next day to find a huge container of lime green sherbet had barfed all over my breakfast nook.  As it turns out, the lady at the store mixed the wrong color (off by 1 digit).  When I went back to get a replacement she told me I gave her 2 chips, remember?  Yea, lady, I remember.  I remember giving you 1 paint chip.  (Why would I give someone 2 paint chips if I wanted 1 can of paint?)  Never fear, I did get my paint - in the intended color - and now I just have to get motivated again.

New blog header, new wall color and new swimsuit!  I guess I’m looking for change, maybe some spring weather.  Gosh, the weather in L.A. is tricky in the winter.  It may look warm and sunny outside but then you dash off to a meeting without the proper layers and you are freezing!  (Ok, not really freezing.  Freezing in SoCal is code for 58 degrees.)

Anyway, back the swimsuit, the reason for this post.  (I’m rambling a bit, I know, it’s late!)  I’ve been looking high and low for a one piece.  I’ve always liked the “old lady” ones with the skirts (like the one my Grandma used to wear) but they never come in my size.  I found the one pictured at Target.  It’s not really a one piece: it’s a tankini that’s really long and ruched with a wee little ruffle at the hem.   So you have to wear a bikini bottom with it.  (I guess you don’t HAVE to, but I’d highly recommend it.)  It comes with a removable strap too.  It’s so cute and actually fits me!

1. Hunkers down in a new fleece blanket.

2. Cozies up to a computer monitor (while watching colorful bubble screensaver).

3. Nestles in a pile of vintage clothing meant for the wash.

4. Gets toasty under the wee halogen lamp (while ignoring the mess).

This drawing was an exercise, an exercise in working through a creative block that I hit this week.  Everything seemed to be going smoothly earlier this week and then for some reason, probably all the life-things not art-related, I really wasn’t feeling creative.  At all.  But I wanted to be.  It’s crap, that feeling.

I find it difficult to not over-think and analyze things that I do, including drawing.  I mean, my day job is, at times, very cerebral which fits my personality quite well but so much thinking — to clarify again: OVER-thinking — can be bad for the imagination.

So I told myself to just draw and stop editing myself.  I remember drawing as a kid, for HOURS, and not being too concerned with the outcome. Oh! I just remembered, I used to love to draw Betty Boop, hee hee!  I would create all kinds of outfits and scenarios for her.  Silly things.  And it was really fun.  So, there was a time when I would draw for the sheer pleasure of it.  Do you remember that feeling?

…Illustrator. It’s kind of addictive actually.  I’m often torn between doing more traditional, pencil drawn illustrations and computer/vector stuff.  For a long time I had resisted computer-generated art but I can’t seem to pull myself away.  So, why can’t I do both?

Winter has really only begun and I’m thinking of spring, my favorite time in L.A.  Maybe because we’ve had some lovely weather lately.  Or maybe the recent  foggy evenings led my mind to inky waters, sea monsters and such.  Which made me think of the beach.  WHICH made me think of summer and warm weather and sundresses.  WHICH THEN led me to start planning my warm weather wardrobe, inspired by Summer Finn. (JUST saw that, if you can believe it.  Loved every second and every stitch.)  Oh, and a new pair of clog sandals.  How’s that for stream of consciousness?