The swings were always my favorite when I was a kid.

Longer lasting than the slide, less laborious than the monkey bars.

In jewelry, I’d like to think of the style as being equally appealing.

Mela Dulce and Gala, in the shop now.

I first read about the tilt shift lens on kottke.  Ages later, I’m still not quite able to wrap my mind around how the lens works but nonetheless enjoy browsing examples of its results. 

What is immediately arresting about this effect is how a landscape suddenly looks like a miniature, the viewer’s perspective so thrown off that even an ocean looks unreal.

It’s effect is most apparent in cityscapes where buildings, people and cars are rendered tiny.  Browsing flickr, you’ll find that some people are using Photoshop to achieve the look.

Either way, I love it.

Wood jewelry has always been appealing to me.  Perhaps because it’s often simple, neutral and sometimes has a vintage feel not generally found in contemporary accessories.

Garnish mixes things up by combining resin with wood.  Sometimes subtle, sometimes bright, these pieces retain that vintage look but in a whole new way.

And there are money clips for the guys if you’re strapped for gift ideas.

There is a reason women of color, at least until recently, did not suffer eating disorders & body dysmorphic issues in the same numbers as white women.  It’s been theorized that this is at least partially because when you are not represented in mainstream media, you don’t feel a need to live up to an image you couldn’t possibly achieve in the first place.  I certainly subscribe to this idea; I never identified with the huge teen idols of my childhood and the concept of emulating them never occurred to me.

Another reason I personally find this to be true is I tend to overidentify with anyone of a background as varied as my own.  I can remember the first time I saw Thandie Newton on screen; I actually went to the theater for the terrible adaptation of Interview with a Vampire and she had a small but memorable role as an 18th century slave.

When I opened a Netflix account, one of the first movies I got was Flirting because I knew she had a prominent role.  It isn’t just that she’s unbelievably gorgeous and incredibly stylish–I’m capable of seeing myself reflected in her in a way that will never happen with other actresses.

It’s always made me a little sad that she, like most actresses of color, has had a hard time finding parts outside of the girlfriend in throwaway action movies or the martyr in movies that are only about race.

I had very high hopes for the adaptation of Charade where she took on Audrey Hepburn’s role.  However sacrilegious revamping an Audrey movie may be, I loved the idea of a mixed-race actress playing a leading lady where race was beside the point.  Unfortunately, the movie was sunk by her lack of chemistry with a horribly miscast Mark Wahlberg.

Of course, Thandie’s background is less and less rare in a world where being multiracial is so normal that a presidential candidate can identify as such.  This is encouraging to me, someone who struggled to figure out which box to check back when surveys and school applications didn’t allow you to mark more than one.

I’ll try to hold out hope that body dysmorphic issues won’t become less rare as well.

I am a bit sleep deprived after a weekend filled with work related strife for the boyfriend.  It didn’t help that I knew I’d be getting up to put in my notice at my own job.  So while I wish I could write about neat photographic trends, related artwork, and the trials of shopping for interview clothes, this print will have to suffice.

For those of you in the States, hope you had a fantastic Memorial Day weekend.  Check out Observation Mode for a wonderful, personal post that has nothing to do with the fantastic sales to be had during the holiday.

We’re off for a celebratory dinner at our favorite Greek restaurant.  Hopefull I won’t spill any wine!

I picked up this darling book for a friend’s birthday.  She recently started sewing (though you wouldn’t guess it based on her finished projects) and is expecting a little one so I thought some of the projects might be appropriate.

Of course, her husband seemed just as taken with some of the pictures.

A few pictures from her skate & bowl birthday party can be seen here.

The existence of this pattern makes me laugh.   I’m kind of tempted to see someone pull it off, though.

Unlike the last choice for book club where I borrowed a copy from a friend, Amazon will be my source for the next two picks.  And as always, I have to browse the shoes to see if there are any ridiculous deals to be had.

The Fly London brand is intriguing, similar to Fluevog, some of their shoes look like a Victorian era alien might wear them but some of them are quite cute.  These are the cheapest at 35.99 in a size 9 only.

The boots are by Naughty Monkey for 49.99.  I’m a huge fan of shopping in the off-season and would totally get these if they were in black.

I know there’s something a little scandalous about these heels, also by Naughty Monkey, but I think it’d be fun to match them with typically stodgy things like wool pants & tweed dresses.

How can you not love whatever farylrobin puts out?  These peep toe sandals are no exception.  Only $43.49 but only in a size 7.  Also loving these D’Orsay heels by Tribeca–especially in gray, my new favorite color for shoes.  Only $44.25 in a range of sizes.

The boyfriend and I only brought home 2 things from our trip to the antique mall this past weekend.

What we did bring home are items we’ve often stopped before & contemplated buying.  In my case, a bevelled mirror and for the boyfriend, an old rotary phone.  We saw a similar phone priced at $100.00 when we were in Walla Walla; its age might have justified the asking price but either way we weren’t willing to pay so much.  Others he’s seen are either rusted on the bottom, falling apart or obviously don’t work. 

I’ve wanted a mirror like this ever since I bought something similar for the madre a few years back.  Hers is shaped like an elongated hexagon but I thought a simple oval would suit our space better.  It’s incredibly heavy due to the thick wood backing with very few marks to show its age.  I can’t wait to hang it.

Typepad has introduced a new interface for composing posts which funnily enough coincided with two of my posts absolutely disappearing.  So apologies for the strange, textless posts you saw yesterday and the comments that were lost in deleting them.  Believe me, I’m annoyed even if you aren’t.

The color blue appears to be the theme for the week, acting as the primary color not only for the lightweight scarf sewn this past weekend, but in jewelry as well.

I was disappointed to find that these porcelain beads are far too heavy to act as earrings.  Given that I just got a ton of sterling chain, the decision to make a necklace instead was very easy, and hopefully equally pretty.

This necklace is very different from what I would consider my usual, feminine style but I really love the stark, modern look of it.

And finally a pair of earrings featuring the little mirrors I rescued.

At the(Into) the Fray shop as we speak!

Apparently my love of all things 1930s extends even to furniture.

I wouldn’t mind having the chaise either.

Too bad I don’t have a spare two grand lying around.  Even if I did, I don’t think the boyfriend would agree to furniture without arms anyways.

I’ve been gradually adding to my list of 100 Things to Do Before I Go but I’ve still got three more. 
81. See TV on the Radio live.

82. Take my sister to a musical.

83. Contribute to a scholarship.

84. Take a language class.

85. In some shape or form, be published (and not just quoted.)

86. Ride in a sea plane.

87. Row in a real crew boat.

88. Picnic in a field of flowers.

89. Sail on Lake Union.

90. Volunteer in a nursing/retirement home.

91. See hot air balloons in Walla Walla.

92. And tour the wineries there.

93. Harvest honey and/or raise bees to do so.

94. Rent a house/condo with friends in Belize.

95. Learn how to bind books.

96. Do the egg yolk blowing thing.

I was tempted to just throw in a few destinations I’ve kind of thought about going to but I’d love to hear if you have any ideas.  If you were crazy enough to put together this kind of list (or even if you’ve started your own), I’d love to hear what you’d put on it.

And like Mighty Girl who started this all, I think I’ll be adding the complete list as a link in the side bar so I can cross things out–and make sure I get to them in the first place!

Things I would have brought home from the antique mall if only we had the space:

A suitcase/barrel bar.  This would be so perfect for camping trips, or even just having on the terrace when we have people over.

This rad suede poncho with snap side closure was on the same rack as this fur capelet.  The capelet had no tag and was worn bare on the inside of the collar but if I could have thought of one occasion where I might have worn it, I would have gotten it.

I can’t seem to pass by old hair dryers without trying to imagine how I could find some decorative use for them.  Irons, too.  I really don’t know what’s wrong with me.

I also don’t know why I’m so obsessed with the every day trappings of habits that are now so taboo.  I first thought this leather case might hold a camera and laughed when I saw the two flasks perfectly encased inside.  And I love cigarette stands (despite the fact that I don’t smoke and even if I did, would never smoke inside.)  If I didn’t think our neighbors might steal this pretty Art Deco version I would have gotten this one for our smoker guests.

If I had the space, I would honestly bring home every old typewriter I see.  Especially these ‘portable’ versions.

This was the last thing I came across before checking out.  I initially thought it was a night stand until I opened the second drawer and it swiveled out to show these thread holders.  I sat there for about five minutes trying to figure out how I could justify bringing it home but finally walked away knowing it just wouldn’t work.  Oh, to have a big rambling house where I could stow away these things!

Later this week I’ll show you the two things I did buy.

I’d been meaning to make a scarf for the shop similar to the red & green versions that have gotten such positive responses–this time in blues.

I thought it looked surprisingly appropriate with my bright blue dress–yes, the second day in a row that I’ve thrown it on.  It’s really the most wonderful dress for warm weather when you just want something light & comfortable on.

I also added another quilted case to the shop, a little bit larger than the others so it can be used for some cameras as well as PDAs.  I wasn’t so sure about this fabric but it’s surprisingly pretty on a small scale–I guess it was a day of surprises.

A few very simple pairs of earrings should also be in the shop by the end of the weekend.  I can’t decide which are my favorite–the super faceted crystals or the faux tortoise.

I’m glad to have the time and motivation to make the things that have been swirling in my head for weeks.  Now, however, it’s time for me to head off to a housewarming north of the city.  Hopefully I’ll have time for more projects tomorrow…

A day filled with good news and goodness.

The weather was glorious, warm and sunshining. I couldn’t resist baking for the first time in years after seeing pictures of the wonderful recipes Susan’s been making up–a very basic chocolate chip but the cats didn’t seem to mind it’s simplicity.

Other things that make this day wonderful: learning that a very good friend finally shared a kiss with someone she’s smitten with.  And another good friend finally quit a miserable job after months of convincing.  Hopefully I’ll have my own good news soon.

I’ll be back with crafty stuff tomorrow.  Enjoy your weekend.

I don’t recall whose blogroll I was clicking through to arrive at Irina Troitskaya’s site, but I’m so glad I did.  Granted, she’s been featured many other places for her amazing work, so I’m actually a bit behind the curve when it comes to taking note of her talent but better late than never.

You may recall I’d noticed the sudden prevalence of matryoshka on fabric, in jewelry and even in clothes.  Her versions, however, are a completely different take on the traditional Russian nesting doll.

The inclusion of the sloth is what immediately caught my eye.  Costa Rica is currently on the top of my travel list if only because you’re virtually guaranteed to see one when you’re there.

And of course beyond the concept, which I love, is the rendering of these unusual animals.  The neutral colors, but for the bright blue of the blue footed boobie’s feet, are just wonderful–simple but detailed and somehow perfect for the nesting doll shape.

You might also want to check out Irina’s flickr for more of her work and some wonderfully surreal photos.

The Simplicity 8346 pattern is ostensibly for a dress but I only planned to make it into a top and bought enough seersucker to do so.  Now I’m wishing I’d bought more of the seersucker because I love the fabric.

You may be wondering what became of the 3 fabrics I was considering for the contrast bib front.  It was only after I started laying that part of the pattern against the fabric that I realized I didn’t have nearly enough of any of them.  This modern floral, one of my favorites from my stash, was one of the few I really loved that made sense against the summery seersucker.

I was worried the elastic back might look funky but I actually like how it pleats and gathers up.   I’m also really pleased with the French seams, a necessity for a neatnik like me since I don’t own a serger.  Now if only the weather would warm up enough to wear it!

So many vintage dresses!

I’ve always heard the vintage shopping is much better in the south, and Austin Style

Watch is making me believe it’s true.

Things I’m longing for but will not buy (I think)…

I’ve said before that I really don’t do the expensive handbag thing.  I also haven’t ever really understood Orla Kiely’s appeal–I’m often drawn to graphic prints, especially in textiles but her designs haven’t ever really tempted me.  I think this bag features her signature petals/leafs in a subtle way–and that red twist closure is too fantastic against the blue.

I’m also loving these sandals spied in the Anthropologie catalog I got earlier this week.  I have absolutely no need for another pair but I love the materials used in these.

And these sailor shorts are too tempting given my love of all things nautical.  However, I rarely wear shorts and certainly wouldn’t pay $179.00 for a pair so I’m pretty sure these will remain firmly on Nordstrom’s racks.