Prairiesque

Thanks Leanne, from Prairieque who included one of my skirt in her Christmas gift guide.  I'm loving those mittens....

You can visit her lovely blog HERE.

It's that time again!

Mark your calendar...

only 3 weeks until Crafty Wonderland.

Strike a pose

I got Harper to model some of my new hats for me today.  Turns out her head is bigger than mine.  I'm trying to get stocked up for Crafty Wonderland which is less that 5 weeks away.  Yikes.

Thanks Harper!

Ode to Bill Cunningham

I just watched Bill Cunningham New York the other night.  It was one of the best documentaries I've seen in a while.  Bill Cunningham, who is in his eighties,  has been documenting street style in the New York Times since the seventies as well as documenting charity events and fashion shows.  He gets around on his bicycle and still shoots with film rather than digital.  He's a gentle, humble man who calls everyone "kid" and is loved by everyone around him.  Bill Cunningham is truely inspirational.

The cast is full of great characters with amazing style including...

Iris Apfel

Anna Piaggi

Shail Upadhya

...and many others who will make you think twice about going out in jeans and a t-shirt.  So, next time you get dressed in the morning, ask yourself "Would Bill Cunningham take my picture?" and maybe add a little splash of color.

Dress your head

Coming soon to Powell's Books on Hawthorne.....

Hats!  Made by yours truely.  Made in a variety of new and vintage wools and fleece in two sizes to fit all noggins.

Come try one on!

Meow

Fall has officially come to Portland.  The rain started coming down this week and I turned on the heater for the first time and put an extra blanket on the bed.  It's always sad to say goodbye to summer, but I am a little excited that I got to break out my new cat slippers....

I wish I could say that I knitted them myself, but I did not.  I found them in Urban Outfitters in Asheville this summer when we ran for cover from a torrential downpour.  I could not resist their charm.  And, anything that will make me smile on a cold, gloomy day is a good thing.

Technicolor Daydreams

I've woken up to a gray day in Portland, which is no surprise.  However this means that our indian summer has probably come to an end.  Looking for a little sunshine on a gloomy morning I decided to check out Style.com to see what's recently hit the runway during fashion week around the globe.   I didn't have to go far to find a burst of color.  Louise Gray and Tsumori Chisato are pretty dependable for bright colors and wacky prints that make me smile.   

Tsumori Chisato

Louise Gray

Thanks to these two brilliant ladies for the inspiration and a little drop of sunshine.  

Now I feel like I can start my day.

Adventures In Millinery

So, a few months ago I managed to snag an internship.  My first and only 9 years after I finished college.  Better late than never, right?  I must admit that I've never been so excited to work for free.  I am learning how to make hats at Pinkham Millinery with the amazingly talented Dayna Pinkham.  It is truely the highlight of my very busy week.

While I do not get paid, I do get supplies to make my own hats which is even better.  A few weeks ago Dayna decided that I was ready to make my own hat.  I decided to go with a plum toyo (a kind of straw) in an asymmetrical cloche.  I just finished it today and took it home to trim.  Here are some photos of my very first hat.

Now I can't wait for my next one!

Ohhhhh Rodarte

Swoon.  So, the Rodarte book at last came out.  We have one at Powells...but only one...and it is wrapped in plastic.  And because it is all white, and pristine and expensive I cannot rip the plastic off and take a peak inside.

Bummer.

The cover is all white and it doesn't even give me a sense of what's inside.  What a tease.

However, I did discover the collection Rodarte did for for Opening Ceremony.  Photos of the collection were taken by Autumn De Wilde and they are just gorgeous.  This is such a great collaboration!  Take a peek.....

Visit the Opening Ceremony website to see the rest.

Summer Vacation

I returned from vacation earlier this week and am getting back into the swing of "real life" again.  I visited Myrtle Beach, SC with my family and then went to visit my mom and Don who recently moved to the mountains of NC.  It was a real treat getting two weeks away from work and Portland.  Since I decided to make and sell clothes on Etsy I've forgotten how to enjoy doing nothing.  I have the need to be constantly productive.   This year at the beach I remembered how to relax- for five days at least, until Dewey and Harper met me in Brevard, NC for a week packed full of sightseeing.  I've borrowed these beach photos from my sister, Christie's blog- she is way better at documenting things that I am.

The fam- all decked out in Burt's Surf Shop tees, the offical family portrait uniform

Sisters

My ridiculously adorable nephews

I did manage to take some photos in the mountains.  Embarrassingly I took about 20 photos of an abandoned warehouse and zero photos of my mom.

Asheville farmers market

At Dupont State Forest

General Store in Saluda, NC

Checkers anyone?

Some ingenius person added a trailer onto their house

Morris Cove Falls

That's me, on Sliding Rock- a natural water slide

Warehouse in Asheville

Not quite your tradition vacation photos, but a documentation of what caught my eye.  I can't even try to capture the beauty of what can be seen from the Blue Ridge Parkway or the lushness of Pisgah Forest so I don't really try.  It's a lovely area and I can't wait to come back and visit my mom and explore some more.  Now, back to work....