Friday Favorites: Etsy Shop #2

Okay, I haven't done this in a few Fridays, but life (and lack of internet access) happens. Anyway, I don't have a Blythe doll, but as fellow doll-clothing-maker, I have to admire the delightful design and beautiful aesthetic of Pomme-Pomme's Blythe clothing. Her tiny details are insane and her silhouettes strike my deep-seated love for retro clothing. Above are few of my favorites; you can see all of her work here.

Here's What I've Been Up To:

1. Baking French/American Pie (yes, I came up with that name :). It's basically a combination of apple crisp and apple pie, with a normal pie crust, chunks of apples, and your basic crumble top. It's so ridiculously delicious, especially if you make it with super-tart apples.

2. Hanging out with Mark Twain.

I wish. This was at the St. Louis Arch, while waiting to ride a 'pod' to the top. He's looking a little pale.

3. Listening to Gone with the Wind on tape. I'm really loving it. The characters, the plot, the Civil War setting--I don't why I haven't thought to read it/listen to it before, since I'm such a classics junkie. It sure is a big time commitment, though; I've been listening to it for two weeks and I'm only on tape 12 of 36!

4. Creating a colonial girl's costume. My little sister has Felicity, the American Girl doll, and would love a dress just like hers. Luckily, I found a retired pattern for it on Etsy, and the rose print cotton and cream eyelet I bought is so pretty that I can't stop taking it out and looking at it.

5.Scheming up the perfect black winter skirt. I'm thinking high-waisted, full, above-knee-length, with a faux button closure all the way down the front. A bit like this Anthropologie skirt. I recently visited Anthro while on vacation, and I now understand Emily Martin's obsession with it!
If I could, I would live there.

I'm probably getting a laptop this week, so my blog will be up and running again!

notice...

Photos and Text

• You may use my photos without permission as long as you put a photo credit with a live link to my blog beneath each photo. It should look like this:

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• Please ask my permission before using any of my text. You can contact me at muxoriginals@mchsi.com.
  

Exchanging Links

• If you're interested in exchanging links, feel free to send me a link to your blog, but my goal with my 'reading' list is keep a short, carefully-curated list of blogs that I read regularly and that I think my readers would be interested in. Please don't be disappointed if your blog doesn't show up there; it doesn't mean I don't like it!

Cinderella's Rag Dress

From this......

...to this!

Cinderella's rag costume was one of my favorite costumes as a kid, so I've spent the last few weeks designing and sewing a version of it for my shop.

If you'd like to purchase this costume, please check out the shop, or email me at muxoriginals@mchsi.com.

The Label Fairy

18 in. Doll Golden Snowdrop Fairy Costume

This is my latest 18 in. doll fairy costume-- I've made a purple and a green one before. While rifling through my 'Fancy Fabrics' stash, I discovered that I had a lot of fabrics in cream, champagne, and gold, so I went with that color scheme. Then, in my button tin, I found that vintage 'diamond' button, which tied it all together.

I'm also making a hot pink fairy costume, and I'm considering doing a custom, pick-your-own color fairy listing as well.

This also happened to be the first doll garment where I got to use my new.........

Labels!

For People



For Dolls

I've wanted professional clothing labels for quite a while, but I couldn't find anything I liked. Then, while browsing Etsy, I stumbled over MommieMadeIt; she makes labels that look woven fabric but feel more like thin plastic. This lowers the price considerably, and I spent even less by buying uncut labels. She was very helpful as I tried to figure out what I wanted, and I'm really happy with the finished result! I definitely recommend her.

My Picks From New York Fashion Week

I was really impressed by this year's New York Fashion Week . I was surprised by how many collections I loved; recent couture fashion has seemed distant and freakish to me, so I love how it's returning to a wearable, cool-girl/guy-on-the-street look.

First of all, a few of my random favorites:

Love the tailored, retro librarian looks here. The colors are finally bold and pure (my favorites), the shilloutettes ladylike and flattering. That red houndstooth fabric is to die for!

This swimsuit is such a great, colorful alternative to a cliched bikini. I love the mod, hippie look at Betesy Johnson this year, and that Caroline Herrera dress is so classy and gorgeous. I'll bet you some celebrity will be wearing it on the the red carpet this year!

I adore that outfit in the middle. The plaid, the graphic tee, the purse--it's great. and these two dresses are the perfect mix of classic and eclectic.

And now, my two favorite collections:

For men, Perry Ellis.

This collection is near perfect. It captures a perfect collision of a American and European look. It manages to be stylish and unique while still masculine. I'd love to have those aviators :)

Michael Kors, for women.

I'm really a mod at heart, so this collection was a dream. I love how it takes the graphic prints and slim cuts of the 1960s and makes them modern and fresh.

I know I say it's for women, but I couldn't resist posting that guy's outfit. Those pants are sweet!

Plaid & Black

Ralph Lauren tee, Marshall's vest, Wet Seal pants (second-hand), Swatch watch, Air Walk sneakers

This is what I wore for a charity event this morning. Since the pants are so skinny, I decided to wear them like leggings (with a long top). I love how they add a burst of color to an otherwise neutral outfit.

Friday Series--My Favorite Etsy Shops

Study Hard Pinafore

Raspberry Cream Babydoll Dress

There are so many amazing artists and designers at Etsy.com, that I've decided to do a weekly series of my favorites. This week features necessityisthemother, an adorable little clothing shop with a style aesthetic I adore. Arielle's styles are very fresh, clean, and colorful, not to mention figure-flattering. I've put pictures of my favorite dresses above, but I really suggest checking out her shop.

If you've got a favorite Etsy shop (or you have a shop yourself) please comment with a link!

5 Things I'm Excited About

1.

Autumn. It’s my favorite season, and I’m ready for a few cozy months of homemade stew, new pencils and warm sweaters.

2.
The Great Courses: World History videos that I’m currently studying. The man who teaches them is both a teacher and a Shakespearean actor, so he wears costumes and acts out the time of history that he’s lecturing on. History’s always been my favorite subject, and this only makes it all the more interesting!

3.
The current GO collection at Target. I don’t think it’s any particular designer, but there were so many pieces that I wanted to buy. I really like what Target’s doing with fashion, and I hope my future collections will, like their GO line, be cheap, chic, classy, and youthful.

4.

Lucky Magazine. I recently quit my Teen Vogue subscription because I was tired of the juvenile writing and the repetitive fashion layouts (Hey, look! It’s a tall white girl jumping around in a mismatched pile of expensive designer clothes!). I really think that they no longer have their finger on what’s cool in fashion. I much prefer Lucky’s fashion aesthetic and I can’t wait to receive the first issue.

5.
James McAvoy as Bilbo Baggins in the upcoming Hobbit movie. It’s as if, for a moment, the stars aligned and those casting agents finally saw things correctly. On the other hand, they were considering Jack Black, so maybe they’re not a great as I think.

(I couldn't resist using a picture of him in Regency costume :)

New Clothes At the Shop!

Green Plaid Size Small Reconstructed Skirt

Scarlet Whimsy Corduroy Size Small Skirt

Neo-Eighties Black and Gold Sweater

I finally photograhed the new winter items I've been sewing for the past few weeks! They're all for sale at the shop.

The skirt on top is a reconstruct made from a plaid skirt that was about calf-length. I cut it off to above-knee height and added a green ruffle, fraying the plaid edge for a bohemian touch.

The 2nd skirt is MadeFromScratch; I used a great wide-wale corduroy that I picked up at a second hand shop. To make it, I took the waist facing pattern piece from the skirt pattern, lengthened and reshaped it, and sewed it so that it was on the outside (instead of the inside). Then I added the red buttons to pull it all together.

The last shirt is my favorite. I made it from a black sweatshirt. I cut the sleeves off along the seam (since the sweatshirt was over-sized, it created a dolman sleeve effect). Then I cut a circle from the sleeve with pinking shears, turned so it so the fuzzy side is on top, and attached it like an applique. Then I added 3 vintage buttons on top to create a faux 'brooch'. A few random hand-stitches, and I was done!