I know I’ve more than gone on about a variety of critters, but how amazing are these block print tea towels?

By ArtGoodies, they’re all priced at a reasonable 11.95 and will look perfect draped over your fridge door.

Diagnosis?  Gangrene, may need to amputate.

Diagnosis?  Flatulence.  No doubt.

Diagnosis?  Gout, possible rheumatism.

Poor thing’s got asthma and a rash.

I don’t even know what’s going on here.

Whatever it is, the prognosis can’t be good.

The funny thing about sewing is that there’s so much turning inside out and pinching seams into squares, ovals and other shapes, that the project in progress can look more like a Sesame Street character than a nice thing you’d want to wear or carry around.

Using Jordy’s square bottomed bag pattern, I made a fabric case for my Holga.  The tweed fabric is in a herringbone print and was purchased on ebay for less than a dollar per yard.  I have tons left and am planning on making a purse, an envelope for the boyfriend’s many lens filters, and who knows what else.

With this 3rd sewing project, I’m finally beginning to feel truly comfortable with my Singer.  The thread broke only once, the bottom thread jammed only once, and only one needle broke.  I was able to throw this camera case together in about two hours, and am confident that I could do another in half the time.

I’m also feeling more comfortable with the round-nosed pliers I purchased at least two months ago.  I haven’t used them a ton, but persistance over the course of this weekend led to two pairs of earrings that I’m more than pleased with.  The Sales Rack Raider, (AKA CarleyMak) will be happy to know I recylced the pearls from the cluster earrings I’ve been losing left and right.

Though they still cost more than beads would have, I’m glad the money spent on them wasn’t completely wasted.

Hmmm.  On second thought, the finished Holga case looks a bit like a Sesame Street character–or the Loch Tweed Monster–even as a finished product.

I think my nautical obsession may be a wee bit out of control.

Yeah, just a bit.

The swap I took part in had a lot of participants.  The more people participating, the more likely there are going to be unsent packages.  So though I sent out three bracelets, I’ve only received two crafted items in return.  They’re both so cool, though, that I don’t really mind.

A beautiful felted flower pin from Sylvie in France and soap that smells of almonds and honey from M. in New York.  The soap is getting rapidly used up but I’m not quite sure what I’ll do with the pin.  On a lapel seems too obvious.  Any suggestions?

I wandered into Nordstrom Rack while downtown this morning.  It’s a regular stop of mine simply because the prices are on par with thrift stores with none of the feeling of being ripped off.  My first stop was the shoe department of course.

No, I’m not moving to Mexico any time soon.  But I have a terrible time finding sandals for my wide duck feet so when I stumble across any that do, I snatch them up.  These Franco Sarto’s cost 70% less than the original price at a mere 25.00 bucks.  And sunglasses go through my hands like water; I can never keep them around and lost my most recent pair last weekend.  As tempted as I was by the 60 dollar pair by Marc Jacobs, the liklihood of my losing them meant I went for the cheap 7.97 pair.

Dresses with pockets are perfect.  You can instantly feel casual by thrusting your hands inside, carry your own cell phone and chapstick without worrying about matching your bag to your ensemble, pretend you’re Audrey Hepburn, or smuggle microfilm.

These are both from Alloy, in basic colors and simple cuts.  The ruffled placket of the black version makes it almost dressy–though I think it would look equally cute with Converse.

Two more affordable options with a little more detail from Delias and Fred Flare.  I can picture packing up a picnic basket with the gingham print dress while the gray cotton version looks perfect for lounging on a weekend.

A prep version from Nordstrom and a wintry version from Yes Style (which I have to give Ma Petite Chou credit for introducing me to all of the cute, affordable things on this site.)

Of course, there is a caveat with this style.  It’s best to make sure the proportions and shape of such a dress either drape properly or are fitted in the right places.  Otherwise you might end up looking like this:

Bloated or pregnant?  You make the call.

Clearly, I cannot be content with the weather.  If I’m not wishing I could wear my boots, I’m trying to figure out a way to wear a summery yoke top covered in pears.

I love how foreshortened my legs are in this picture.  There’s nothing like being 5′1.

Oh, and the top is from the place that is rapidly replacing H&M in my heart.

How could I forget MoMA?  With all of my browsing around the internet, with my constant perusal of various shopping sites, how did I manage to forget that museum gift shops are no longer a wasteland of glossy posters and Monet umbrellas?  The Museum of Modern Art is the prime example of this.  Their shop carries housewares, jewelry, accessories as well as the coffee table books we all love to flip through but never buy.

Admittedly, it’s not all cheap.  This cool cut-out bag will run you 125.00 while the standing lamp goes for 275.00.  For those with thinner wallets, there are little things that are just as fun.

This leather kangoroo is only 38.00 while the apple spice cellar is only 16.00.  Whatever the cost, it all goes to the support of a truly excellent museum so your shopper’s remorse shouldn’t run too deep.

How I spent my three day weekend:

A bracelets and my first pair of earrings.  The styles may seem similar to those I contributed to a recent swap but I think I’ve improved on them in some small degrees.  All of them feature pearls, which I’ve clearly got a fetish with at the moment.  Some might end up for sale, I just haven’t figured out where yet.

Fremont was once one of the funkier Seattle neighborhoods (of which there are many.)  It’s still renowned for it’s Solstice Parade, which usually features nude bicyclists, gaudy floats, and great food.  The  neighborhood is much more upscale these days, as is the rest of Seattle, but the Sunday market is still a worthwhile place to find amazing things at reasonable prices.

Try to ignore the pea soup skies that are an intrinsic part of Seattle life and focus instead on the rows and rows of brightly colored vintage shoes, none priced at more than 15USD.  This was just one of many booths piled high with impossible, wonderful things.

There were tables covered in costume jewelry, tons of vintage luggage including Samsonite cosmetic cases (which I’ve always thought would function well as a hold-all for craft supplies, CDs, or DVDs), wooden print blocks from an old press, postcards, old photos of women in cloche hats and knickerbockers, and shaving brushes with real boars bristles.  I found it almost impossible to peel myself away from the stacks of postcards, most dating from the Edwardian era, and could have wasted hours just on those.  I finally settled on 3, two of which were used, their backs covered in dark bottle ink written in French.  One was actually sent, the stamp featuring some defunct royal surrounded by the words ‘Belgique/Belgie,’ the postmark bearing the date ‘1922.’

I also bought this enamel brooch and a ceramic thimble that I know I’ll get real use out of.  And all of this cost less than fifteen dollars.  Between these finds and the McQueen jacket I got last week for 16 bucks, I’m starting to wonder if there’s some thrift store god I need to sacrifice a lamb to.

It’s beyond frustrating when you’ve bought something & then it falls apart.  The hem comes undone, a button starts to loosen or the zipper suddenly won’t stay up.  Frequenting thrift stores, I’m used to this kind of thing happening.  It wasn’t until I started crafting regularly that I felt like I could do anything about it.

I bought these two pairs of shoes not all that long ago.  I love them both, but the camel wedges were surprisingly versatile.  Plus, they made a satisfying clicking noise on tile, just like heels but without the discomfort.  To my frustration, one of the leather buttons came loose no more than a month into my having them.  Unfortunately, because the button was actually functional, they were rendered pretty much unwearable–unless you like having a flapping leather strap on your shoe.

I finally sorted out two matching buttons from my button jar (a slowly growing collection built from the extras always included with newly bought clothes.)

I think I might actually like them more like this.

Though the word ‘yoke‘ brings oxen to mind, the look of a yoke top has become my new obsession.  Instead of imagining harnessed farm animals, however, try to imagine a dress or tank in a light fabric, preferably jersey, maybe cotton, perfect for summer.  Or just look at these pictures.

A yoke transforms a neckline from something typical to something interesting and different (as long as you’re not imagining yourself attached to a plow.)  These two options are available at ShopBop and would be great for every-day or even as beach cover ups.

There’s something just really sweet about a yoke top when done with details like flowers and buttons or crochet and ribbon.  After all, the style is in Laura Ingalls territory–so just in case, you might want to refrain from pairing this look with mary janes or pig tails to keep from looking like a milk maid.  Not that there’s anything wrong with milk maids.

How much do these dresses make you think of a stewardess superhero?  It helps that these mini shifts look as if they hail from a time when ’stewardess’ was the accepted word. 

Super Stewardess can leap from speeding Vespas, back-comb her hair into the biggest beehive, fling vinyl records like ninja stars, and frug until the wee hours of the morning.  In all seriousness, I do love these dresses despite my inability to pull off a shift without looking like a tree stump.  So cute, so mod, and somehow a bit tough too (could just be the model’s stance, though.) 

Available at Dadadie Brucke for 100-200USD.

Thrift stores are incredibly savvy these days.  Even the major charity chains like Goodwill, Value Village and Salvation Army know that when they see J.Crew or Ann Taylor on the label, they should price accordingly.  Even when the brand is random like Moth or Sleeping on Snow, some evil Goodwill V.P. has issued a list with bold letters next to those labels stating, ‘Anthropologie – At Least $19.99.’

That is to say, the deals are few and far between these days.  I do my best to buy things because they suit me and because I need them, not just because they’re a great deal–but those bargain loving habits die hard.  Therefore, I couldn’t believe it when I found this houndstooth jacket at the thrift store today with a ‘McQueen’ emblazoned on the label for $16.50.

Love the poet sleeves, the lining feels like silk as opposed to acetate, and the care tag reads ‘Inside and Outside, Pure Enjoyment’ (in addition to stating that it’s dry clean only.)  Even if it’s from the McQ line, it’s still worth far more than what they priced it at.  For once, a bargain.

Whenever I go to say the word ‘kitsch,’ a strange disconnect happens in my head where I envision the word  and want to say the final sound like it’s English and not German.  Though I’m fully aware that the word is pronounced ‘kitch’ and should be said as such, it always comes out sounding more like ‘kits.’  Or kiss.

I’m never quite comfortable with kitsch.  I can appreciate it in it’s many forms–and encounter it often enough with my regular thrift store shopping habits–but I can never quite picture it in the spaces I regularly occupy.  For example, you show me a ceramic figurine of a frog making a kissy face, I’ll laugh and think it’s rad.  But buying it?  Finding a place for it in my home?  Not so much.

I really tried to find something Valentines appropriate but everything I see–the hearts, the Precious Moments children with their too-large scary eyes, the salt & pepper shakers with magnets in their noses–everything is so kitschy.  Or kitsy.  Or kissy.  However you want to say it.  The only thing I found that I liked was this:

Though he might take offense to being called a nerd.

Can’t you just hear Olivia Newton-John’s voice in your head chanting, ‘Let’s Get Nautical/Nautical/ Let’s Get Nauticaaal…’ when you see these clothes?

All from Pink Mascara.

From Anthropologie, Lulu’s and Free People, respectively.   

Admit it.  Olivia’s voice is stuck in your head now.

No idea what to get the boyfriend for V-day.  No idea whatsoever.

I’ve never been a huge fan of manufactured holidays, especially those centered around beatific cupids and poorly composed poetry.  However, I do like doing and getting things for the boyfriend, even if a silly holiday is my only excuse.  Unfortunately, all the gift guides out there are no help at all.

MSN seems to think I should buy ‘my guy’ an engraved mug or wireless temperature monitor.

ThinkGeek believes a blood test kit or an alarm clock/vibrator is a good idea.

So I’ve got my choice between things that reinforce stereotypes (boys like beer and techie toys!) or things that are completely useless (and somewhat creepy.)  Guides like these remind me of why gift-centered holidays can feel intolerable.

Unfortunately, I’m reluctant to knit him anything since he got a scarf last year.  And being that his toys tend to be a bit expensive, I’m not sure if the techie route is the way to go.  Besides, how romantic is it, when the candles are flickering and the chocolate mousse is on it’s way, to open up a little box with the latest version of Halo inside?

Remember this fabric?

The reason I wasn’t able to post yesterday:

And I’m still not quite done.

I have the worst luck with jewelry.  The latch on my gold hoops, bought no more than two months ago, broke.  I lost the partner to the pearl clusters I bought on Etsy (that would be the third pair in one year that are now useless to me.)  Clearly, I’m doing something wrong.

So I decided to look for something different than hoops or clusters, maybe something heavier, or with a leverback that’ll be less likely to fly from my earlobe at the slightest gust of wind.  I quickly found myself in love with the button-based style of Wired Vintage.

Wired Vintage combines antique-look settings with vintage buttons.  It’s a reminder that the details on even ready-to-wear clothing were once ornate and thought-out.  The origin of some of the earrings is obvious, but they don’t lose any of their charm for having been reused.

Wired Vintage’s earrings are rarely priced above 15.00.  Reasonable, but I’ll still be mad if I lose them.