What I would like in my closet, please!

You must please take a moment to appreciate this beautiful new collection by Lena Hoschek!  This is the first time I have heard of her and can't wait to find out more... her Autumn 2010 collection is a gorgeous homage to 1940's fashion which she has perfected to a tee!  I love these flowy feminine looks:

As well as these more masculine inspired looks:

I would really love to have all of these, thanks!  Even those more masculine styles, which I don't usually get into, are completely amazing!  I mean, that sweater vest, wide leg pants, and knickers???  I'm loving it.  Ok, enough drooling and time to get dressed for the day.  Hope you all have a wonderful Thursday! - S

NiNE!

So, here is my semi-secretive project I've been involved in for the fast few months:  being the costume designer for a local production of the musical Nine!  It's my first costuming gig and it was a pretty amazing experience.  All in all, not a very complex show to design for, but not without some creative challenges, which all worked out in the end.  Here are some shots taken during the show, more detailed shots to come.  Also, I must add that I couldn't have completed all of this without the help of my sister, Leiza!!!!  Props to you sis! -S

Cute as a Button!

As promised, here are some of our latest finished projects.  This is a Christmas present to my dear friend Monica, doesn't she look simply ripping?  My goal was to come up with a versatile hat/mitten set with just a little bit of red (to match her new red coat!).  Which is why I incorporated these sweet little vintage buttons (the one on the hat is bakelite).  The yarn is a new favorite I've recently become obsessed with.  It's a Michigan brand and must be the softest wool I've ever worked with (Stonehedge Fiber Mill - in case you're wondering).  As for the knitting patterns, the mittens are a variation on the ruffle mits from Boutique Knits.  The hat, however, was a little creation of my own.  I'm soo thrilled with how they both came out and soo happy that they are just as cute as their new owner. 

I've also completed a nice little hat for myself that I will be posting soon (made of the same yummy yarn).  In the meantime, enjoy the holidays and happy knitting!!! -S

Merry Christmas!!!

Hope y'all have a very Merry Christmas this year!  Vogue Vigilante sisters are off on their own holiday adventures.  Stephanie is in Boston and Leiza is in Florida.  We have both been very busy little Christmas elves lately and will have some fun post-Christmas posts to share soon.  Until then, Happy Holidays to all of you out in blogland!! - S & L

Blue Tulip Hat

 

 

I finished this in early October and it's been great for meandering the streets of Holland. It's a free pattern via knitty.com called Foliage.

Now it's getting pretty cold here, so I may need to knit up an even warmer, non-lace hat. Perhaps this saucy little cloche will be next:

Christmas Knitting

These days, my knitting needles have been full of fun new projects.  Some for myself, some for friends, and some for new babies.   The problem is that I can't seem to focus on one and get it done!  Some just need to have buttons added, where others have quite a way to go.  But, in the meantime, I thought I'd share some of my works in progress.  Some of the other projects (non-kniting) I have on my plate right now, that I'm very excited about:  new vintage items to add to etsy shop, costume designs for theatre production of NINE, skirt for myself made of vintage fabric... phew... I'm keeping busy!  I can't wait to share some of my finished results.  Well, better get busy!!!  -S

Latest Dutch Escapades

Well, we haven't made it to other parts of Europe yet, but here are a few more photos of Tom and my time in Holland. Be prepared, it's a long post!

Tom with his red umbrella walking down a typical brick paved street in Haarlem (this is about as much of Tom as you'll see since it's like pulling teeth trying to take his picture)

 

Me looking like I can't decide which direction to go in Haarlem.

A Dutch castle called Muiderslot ("mouderslot") originally built in the 1200s, then re-built in the 1300s.

A very colorful nick-nack store in the town of Leiden.

Amsterdam Station-- yes, that's a train station, not Hogwart's. We usually take the bus from Vijfhuizen to Haarlem, and then the train from Haarlem Station to Amsterdam Station, since driving a car around Amsterdam is utter insanity! The streets are teeming with bikes, scooters, people, cars, busses, trams, one way streets, and multiple lane round-abouts!

An inside view of the Concertgebouw where we saw the Royal Dutch Orchestra play an evening of Mozart. Tom made up his mind to move here after that concert, it was so good!

 

Celebrating with our "Dutch family".  Joke was an exchange student who stayed with my mom's family when in high-school. She's remained part of the family ever since. These are her children and their significant others at a restaurant celebrating her son, Kees-Pieter's birthday. From lower left: Kees-Pieter, Eefke, Me, Frouke. Above left: Joke, Tom, Femke, her husband Rob, and Paulien, Kees-Pieter's girlfriend.  They're all incredibly sweet people with a great impish sense of humor!

Me in Haarlem overlooking one of the zillions of canals. More Dutch adventures to come! --L

Lord Flynn

 In response to the previous post, sister, here is Lord Flynn looking quite regal, if not a bit  peeved, in his knitted bow tie.   Hmm.... kittens! - S

Cute Overload

 What is cuter than animals and babies?

Animals and babies in hand-knit accessories, of course!

 

 

 

Hallo from Holland!

This is where I've been and what I've been up to for over the past month. Here I am at Kinderdijk, a place full of windmills and canals built as early as the 17th century.

Here is a snapshot of an old church edifice in Haarlem, one of my favorite towns in the Netherlands. Of course, no photo of a city in Holland is complete without bikes-- there are loads of them everywhere you look. This pic certainly doesn't do it justice!

And this is part of the town square in Delft, home of the famous Dutch blue and white pottery. I've already snagged myself a few Delft pieces to bring home with me-- vintage ones, of course. Stay tuned for more glimpses of my Dutch adventure... L

Applesauce!

 It was a beautiful fall day here in the midwest and it felt like just the right kind of day to make applesauce!  I've never made it before, but I had a bag of apples that I needed to use (which I purchased along the roadside in northern Mich), so applesauce it was going to be.  It was a pretty fun process, besides the endless chopping of the apples, I like the peeling part.  I followed the directions from America's Test Kitchen cookbook.  Being the silly girl that I am, I thought I would make a few changes, like add more water than asked and throw in some cinnamon sticks.  The cinnamon was fine, but the water just made it too watery.  And instead of using a apple mill, I threw it in the blender which made it a bit too pureed.  In the end, it was more like soup, but I'm still very proud of my accomplishment.  During the process, I also thought it was time to don my newish vintage apron that I found at an estate sale this summer.  It's just so pretty, I don't want to get it dirty (which kind of defeats its purpose).  

I hope everyone else is enjoying their fall, wherever they may be.  Also, if you have a hankering for other yummy apply treats, you must try this recipe for apple cake.  It is freaking amazing (and freaking easy). -S

"Hoo" I was for Halloween

I know we are a few days late on this one, but I wanted to share a quick picture of my costume!  I'm rather proud of how it turned out, considering I made it in about 5 hours.  I do need to give credit to this blog where I recieved my inspiration and downloaded the mask template.  I was originally going to dress as Luna Lovegood but I just couldn't get truly excited about that idea.  Anyways, sorry I don't have a picture of me wearing it in all its Halloween glory.  I think I'll have to recycle this costume for another year and probably do it up even more.  Maybe a feather mask??

Now that November is upon us, I feel I can get truly excited for Christmas!  I'm attempting to make all of the presents this year (which will be kept at a minimum).  I've gotten started already so hopefully it won't be a mad rush to the end.   Also, I am sooo thrillled that I will be spending my holidays with my darling girl, Monica, and her darling family in Boston!  So, look forward to many Christmas related posts which will probably include:   knitting, elves, cookies, and more!  -S

Siouxsie and the Banshees - Halloween

Happy Halloween Everyone!!! Here's a little blast from the past from the punk rock goddess herself, Siouxsie Sioux. Enjoy! -S

Creepy Crawlies!!

I just finished these creepy spider gauntlets for my dear friend Alyssa in San Francisco.   I thought they would be perfect for her since she loves Halloween-y things (all year round) and cuts hair, which she can easily do with these fingerless gloves.  Aren't they too adorable??  I'm very pleased with the result, and I sure hope Alyssa likes them too.

Speaking of Halloween, I still have a lot of work to do on my costume. My to-do list include making radish earrings and Spectorspecs.  Can you guess who I'll be???????? More to come on that.
P.S.  You won't be hearing from one of V.V. sisters for a while since she's off in The Netherlands for a month.  I sure am missing her!!!!! -S

Mmm...MUFFINS!

These muffins are so yummy and not too sweet.  I slightly altered a recipe for sugar-free banana muffins by adding blueberries and a little bit of honey.  Now, don't get me wrong, I love sweet baked goods, but sometimes it's good to have something a little less sweet (especially if you pair it with hot chocolate).  Plus, muffins are the perfect fall treat!

I was so happy with the results, both how they look and how they taste, I thought I'd share the recipe:

4 Bananas, Mashed
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 egg
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. flour (white or wheat)
1/3 c. melted butter
1/4 c. fresh blueberries
1 tsp. honey (optional)

So easy to make.  Just mix the wet and dry ingredients seperately, then mix together.  I added the blueberries at the very end so they don't get too mushy.
Makes 12 muffins in medium size muffin tin.  Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 mins.

Now, just make yourself a cup of tea, sit yourself in front of an old movie, and enjoy!!! - S

Halloween's A-Coming!

I'm starting to get excited about one of my favorite holidays!  I think I'll keep my costume a secret for now, but I wil say that it is Harry Potter themed... can you guess?  Well, I thought to get into the spooky spirit, I thought I'd share these fun vintage pictures of some very sassy ladies.  Aren't they delightful?  I'd love to know what your holiday ideas are.  Please do share! - S

Vintage Happiness

Over the summer I've become quite the garage/estate sale junkie.  And during those times, I came upon some real finds!  One thing that I always have my eye out for are vintage patterns.  I remember the days when I could walk into my local thrift store I easily find some adorable patterns straight out the 1950's, but these days they seem harder to come by.  So, I was so pleased to find a whole stack of patterns for sale that I haggled down a bit on the price.  These are some of the better ones, at least by their picture on the front.  I don't know if I'll ever get around to making any of these (I still need to assess if all of the pattern pieces are there) but the fashion illustrations are so fun to look at.  I especially like the hairstyles- what great inspiration! 

I have another very special item that I acquired thanks to my friend Marge that I will hopefully blog about soon... here's a hint:  HATS!!! -S

Peddling My Wares...

Here's a little glimpse of my booth at an antique mall called Town Peddler.  I hope y'all stop in and check it out if you're in the area.  It's a little messy right now since I just moved everything from one corner to another, but this gives the general idea.  I'd say the majority of items currently featured in my booth are from the 1950's, though it's constantly evolving. Gotta love that Lassie paint-by-numbers! --L