Introducing... Otto II, the Amazing Polar Bear!!!

Phew... I'm finally finished with this amazingly cute, but rather challenging project. I found this adorable pattern on one of my favorite knitting blogs ysolda.com/wordpress/ There were a few parts that I needed to do a bit of improvising and trying to cover up mistakes, but overall I'm really happy! Pretty soon Otto II, will be shipped down to Austin, Texas for my friends Tiffany & Duane's first baby that's expecting in a couple of weeks. I hope baby will cherish it! Before we part, I'm going to try and do more photo shoots, because he is so darn cute! I think I need to make one for me! - S

Before and After

Here are a few photos of the furniture pieces that Tom and I have been fixing up. The end tables were originally that 60's shade of dirty yellow and were extremely scratched and scuffed up. So I painted them black and then added some detailing with gold paint. I think they look a bit better now.

I don't have any before pics of the black chairs, but they really looked like junk. They had old brown paint that was peeling off of them, and the seats were upholstered with moldy beige vinyl-- eww! So I painted them black and then got the idea to cut up one of my old dresses and use the fabric to cover the seats with. Tom did the honors of cutting up and stapling on the dress fabric. We're all about recycling these days. Even the gold paint was something I found buried within the depths of the basement.

Now we're trying to sell all of this stuff. I may get a booth at an antique mall, but for now we're just selling out of my dad's garage.

Lovin' the Summertime down in ATX!

I just got back from Austin after spending 4 wonderfully hot days down there hanging out with friends and getting some much needed relax time. I made lil' Bear, that I posted about previously, for my friend's baby shower (which I will point out was a super fun coed pool party). Here we are at the shower: myself, Kelly, and mom-to-be Tiffany. I just thought such a cute picture needed to be shared. Also, I want to point out my new hair cut. It's shorter than it's been in a while - it's kind of a Louise Brooks flapper bob. What do you think? -S

Shabby Chic Furniture

I haven't posted much on the blog over the past few months because I've been so busy with this huge estate sale that Tom and I were helping our friends with. This was like the estate sale to end all estate sales, there was so much stuff! The cool part is that in the end, Tom and I were given a whole room full of antiques. A lot of the furniture has needed repair or a new paint job, so that's what we've been keeping ourselves busy doing for the past couple of weeks. When we're done with all of the refurbishing, we plan to sell most of the pieces to make a little $$. Here are a few of our painted furniture pieces. We were aiming for the "Shabby Chic" style since it's so popular right now. --L

He's Just a Kid!

So I just made this little guy for my friend's baby shower that I'll be heading to down in Austin tomorrow. My original intension was to make this fantastic polar bear stuffed animal, but I had a few problems along the way and it may take a little longer than planned. You can see my start below. But don't fear, Mr. Polar Bear (or Big Bear) will be finished soon.

Here's Lil' Bear all packaged and ready to go. He's looking a little constrained, but I think he'll be alright. Can't wait to get to Austin where it will be sunny and warm (unlike the weather lately here in SF).

Signing off - S

Red Right Hand

This song has been rolling around in my head for the past couple of months since sister S introduced it to me! It's my new favorite Nick Cave song (even though it ain't so new). Take a listen. --L

Redheads Protest Wendy's

Wish I could've been there to help support my fellow redheads in protesting Wendy's unfair depiction of redheads! To see more fun videos by improv everywhere, check them out here: www.improveverywhere.com

I promise to post more pictures of current projects soon! -S

Ducklings on Lake Leelanau

Tom and I were up at my dad's cabin last weekend. We discovered a sweet little family of ducks who have taken up residence on the shore. Here's my shaky attempt at capturing them settling in for a late morning nap.

Resin Pins and Rings

Since I haven't added much to this blog lately, I thought I'd share my latest resin creations, some of which were made for Stephanie's portfolio show last week. I still haven't started selling them on etsy, but I hope to soon. --L

Further San Fran Photos...

Here are a few more pics from our fabulous SF reunion: at Muir Woods, in front of Stephanie's work, and with the fam at Steph's runway show (amazing runway photos to be included in future posts). --L

Sisters in San Fran...

It was about time that we had a sister reunion and what a better place than San Francisco! The sun was shining and I can even say it was a bit warm on our last day together. I took Leiza to one of my favorite restaurants, Samovar, where we shared some English tea and scones. Don't we look adorable? Can't wait to see you again sister!! --S

Finishing Touches

So, my stint as a fashion design student has almost concluded. Today, as part of my graduation process, I had my portfolio show where I showcased some of the things I've done as a student. Here I am at my booth with one of my dresses on the manequin and a fun little headpiece I made. In a couple of days I have my fashion show and then it's time to say "Adieu" to school!


I had high praise for my business cards and the fun little resin pins that my amazing sister Leiza helped make! They sold (although they were free) like hotcakes! Thanks sis!!!! More pics from more shows soon. --S

Resin Madness!

I'm helping my sister out with her runway show by making pins (buttons, brooches, etc...) using the theme of her business card, which will be handed out to fashion designers attending her show. You can get an idea of what the resin pins will look like in the second photo. See the little black lady with the teal background? That will be magnified once it is gelled into one of those square shaped molds. It's hard to explain, but I'll show pictures of the finished product when they're all done. The other molds seen filled with sparkling sequins, beads and glitter will become rings and necklaces that I might try to sell on Etsy. As you can see, this is a very high maintenance art. It makes me a little crazy, but the results are worth it (fingers crossed). --L

The Pajama Game - Steam Heat

Here's a gem of a scene from a well-loved, yet extremely corny 50's musical. Grandma used to put this movie on when we went home sick from school. It always cheered me up! --L

My finished business card

What do you y'all think? I'll be having them printed up real soon. Now I'm really in the business, it's official! -S

5000 Fingers of Dr. T

Here's my movie pic of the year! This gem of a film includes songs by Dr. Suess, an evil piano teacher, surreal chase scenes, and amazing futuristic costumes. How can you not love a film full of 1950's mayhem! Go see it now! -S

Fun with Buns

I haven't had a haircut in quite a while, so I figured I'd get creative and try to see what I could do with hair this length. It would have been neater if I didn't have so many layers going on but here are the results anyway. Someone told me it looks like the hairdo that Emma Thompson dons in Sense and Sensibility. I'll have to watch that again to see. --L

Drivin' and Knittin' (excuse the cheeze)

Here's a hat I was working on en route to Asheville, NC two weeks ago. Don't worry, Tom was driving during this photo, not me! I believe in multi-tasking, but let's not get out of hand! Merrr! The pattern is from Sweet Sassafras's blog called "Buttercup Beret". It's not the prettiest yarn, but I'm trying to use what I have these days. --L

Quinoa Veggie Salad

Here's a little dish I made a couple of weeks ago (before we got marooned in North Carolina). I liked it a lot, it was very fresh tasting and colorful, a perfect summer salad. I got the recipe from an Oprah magazine I was leafing through when visiting relatives in Ohio. I modified it a bit, but if I'm remembering correctly, the ingredients are: cooked quinoa, green beans, cooked and chopped beets, cucumber, grape tomatoes, fresh chopped parsley, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and salt and pepper. If anyone wants the recipe, I'll be happy to send it on. --L

Free Stuff!!!

Yesterday I totally scored with free stuff! One of my classes got to go through boxes and boxes of buttons, fabrics, and trims and take pretty much whatever we wanted. It was being donated to our school by the ACT costume shop. I was literally stuffing my pockets full of buttons, and this was the result.




















Among all of the fabric and buttons I spotted this great retro Christmas box. I squealed with excitement when I saw the little Christmas elf. I couldn't believe nobody else wanted it. Weird! Just look at that little guy with his mistletoe hat. Adorable! - S

The Church - My 80's Crush!

You gotta love their Australian accents and flowing locks of hair! - S

Vickie Howell's New Book

Here's a shout out to one of our favorite people! She has a new book, looks pretty cool. I think we should all run out and get a copy! -S

Fashion show preview

Please excuse the cheezy pose, but I wanted to show off what I've been working on lately. In June I'll be a showing these pieces in my school fashion show. These pics were taken at the judging part of the process so they are not quite fitted to the models and not quite finished with some of the detailing. I'm going to make another hat and maybe modify some of the fabric choices. (By the way, i'm the one in the middle... Blue Steel!) - S

Dale Watson

Dale and his Lonestars were really kickin' it at the Handlebar in Greenville, SC when Tom and I went to hear them last August. This is one of the songs they played to a packed and rowdy audience. Some guy was sitting in on string base in this video. --L

Squirrel Nut Zippers - Hell

Wish this band was still together. They were the best to swing dance to! --L

Springtime Fun with Retro Bikes

Steph wanted to see my cool ride as of late. Tom named it Ms. Canary (you can see the canary between the handlebars if you zoom in). I named Tom's bike, "Lil' Cherry Picker." Since it's been warming up outside, we've been biking instead of driving whenever possible. The wire baskets on the back are perfect for carrying groceries. Tom thinks we should strap a couple of the cats into the back so they can travel with us. Somehow I don't think that would go over too well. --L

Quick Wedding Gift

I wanted to make a homemade gift for a family friend who is getting married, but I haven't hung out with her since elementary school. All I know is that she's the editor of Time magazine and she's very involved with politics. She also just wrote a book called, "The Party Faithful." The shower invitation said "no gifts," but I felt I had to do something. So here's the result: a decorative throw pillow. It's made of chenille fabric, a vintage handkerchief and a vintage button. It was actually a combined effort-- Tom picked out the handkerchief and sewed the buttons on. (What a cute, domestic guy!) It's a little on the conservative side, but I figured this couple isn't exactly the "Urban Outfitters" type, anyway. --L

This Room Ain't Got No View

Masterpiece Theatre this week was a masterpiece disappointment. Their recent BBC production was an adaptation of E.M. Forester's A Room With A View proved to be completely lame. That's right, I said lame. Of course, why would anyone try to improve perfection? I'm speaking of the 1986 version starring Maggie Smith, Helena Bonham Carter, Daniel Day-Lewis, and many other great British actors. I was hoping that the new version would at least be decent and not be a complete disaster. How could I have possibly liked a version where Mr. Beebe grumbles, George seems to have a lisp, and I don't even know what was going on Cecil? You really let me down this week PBS, but that won't keep me from watching every future episode of Masterpiece Theatre! Does anyone else have such strong feelings on the topic? I would love to hear your comments. Anyways, back to the real world... which does not include taking carriage rides through Italian countryside... sigh. -S

Kitchen Symphony (1961)

Easy listening with dancing turkeys and exploding salads? Ah, those were the days. --L

Patchwork Pincushion

I haven't used a sewing machine since early high-school, so once mom's old machine was working again, I thought I'd ease my way back into it by making this lil' pincushion. At least it's a start. I found the tutorial here: http://paperstringcloth.blogspot.com
--L

Klimt Costume-y Dress

As I am compiling images together for my portfolio, I decided to include this dress I made for Halloween a few years ago. I was inspired by the painting by Klimt called "The Kiss". I made the dress out of a slightly shiny gold fabric and then, with the help of a friend, we painted on the dress to create a similar pattern to the dress in the painting. I had so much fun making this! Weee! Costumes are fun! --S

Clothing Of The Future - Clothing in The Year 2000

If only this it was true... -S