All items (except custom work) will be 1/2 off until they are gone so take take advantage of this sale and get some house warming or mother’s day gifts!

Stay tuned for more items being added and put on sale in the coming days and weeks.

On less salesly notes and onto more interesting things, I just wrote a new post over at Wardrobe Refashion so check it out! As promised over there I’m going to try to get up a tutorial for my new leg warmers soon. I need to figure out my terrible lighting situation before I can do that, unfortunately. On the bright side, there are all sort of great tutorials for diy lighting setups so I’m going to try that out for size!

Oh yes, and here’s a picture of the legwarmers with me in every piece of clothing I own.

Moving on, last week I changed my website around just a little bit. Check it out! It’s much simpler than it was before, it was becoming too time consuming to be constantly updating and maintaining shopping carts especially when it’s so easy to use etsy. I resisted this move for a long time since there is so much competition on etsy for handmade goods I was worried that my stuff wouldn’t do very well. Then I realized that if I just used etsy mini I could still have my own site but not have to mess around with code all the time. Easier, and hopefully as effective as it was before!!

If you go over to my handmade shop, you’ll notice that a lot of stuff is on SALE! I’m going to be switching around what I make and sell over the next few months. I’ve slowly been making the transition to using mostly re purposed and recycled fabrics and now I’m going to be putting an even bigger emphasis on that. I’m also going to be offering more clothing items, so stay tuned! I have some great winter dresses in the works which will keep you chic and warm during the winter months. So to make room for new stuff (my room is very small!) I’m going to be selling off my old goods at a steep discount so if you’ve ever wanted one of my scalloped aprons or knitters totes this is the perfect time to get one!

I’m pretty happy with how my vintage etsy shop is doing so I’m just going to keep working on it! Winter is hard for me to shop for because I’m still not quite “getting” it. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a real winter and I’m only now (2 months into it) learning the secrets of how to dress. I’m going on a shopping expedition to a thrift store that I’ve never been to before in Cambridge later today so hopefully that is fruitful and exciting!

I did just add 2 new items to the shop, so check them out!

The first item is the best dress of all time. I nearly fainted when I saw it, it is so intricate and amazing! The bodice pattern is formed by metallic gold ribbon sewn down onto a mesh background is swirls and loops. The trim is formed the same way but much tighter and intricate. Sadly it is too small (the pic is deceiving, curse my chest) so I’m going to pass it off to a loving home.

(link to the listing!)

The good news is that my other recent find, these black leather gloves from the 50′s fit just fine! I love the length and the intricate cut work on the wrist and edges. I’m trying to dress a little more lady-like which is hard considering my hair sticks out all over the place and I’m unwilling to use hair products on it. We’ll see how this goes.

This is definitely not lady like, but it’s so cheerful, fun and warm! If you are like me and you’ve been hiding inside your house, wearing too much black and cursing the latest blizzard, you should consider getting this sweater. It’s made from a wool/acrylic/bunny/nylon yarn so not only is it warm it’s also washable!

(here’s the listing!)

This photo also doubles as the first of my 52 weeks portraits! Instead of the 365 project I did from November of 07 to Oct of 08, this is a little less rigid. Since moving to boston and going back to working outside the house I just don’t have as much time to do a creative and interesting photography. This is something that is still very important to me and gives me lots of creative satisfaction so I figured that the 52 weeks project would be a good compromise! For some reason this blue rusty truck is parked behind my building so I thought it would make a nice backdrop.  The way that the buildings are arranged makes this spot a giant wind tunnel! A FREEZING wind tunnel, but this sweater kept me from getting hypothermia while my hair and skirt whipped all over the place.

In case you haven’t been able to tell with all my complaining, it’s been COLD COLD COLD! I am finally getting the hang of this dressing for the winter thing and I’ve been a much happier person!  I heard the saying “layers layers layers” enough times to kill me (I work in a clothing shop after all) but the advice didn’t really explain what layers and where! My basic daily uniform involves the follow as my under layers:  smart wool socks (my flickr friends collectively known as hen power recommend these whole heartedly and finally I took their advice!), thick leggings or if those aren’t cleaning two pairs of thin leggings, and a tank top or slip as a bottom layer. I then add a summer dress and cardigan over the top and I’m warm and comfy! If I get too hot I just pull the leg warmers down around my ankles (I normally wear them above my knee) and take the cardigan off.  If I’m cold, the legwarmers get pulled back up and I’ve discovered that if I belt my cardigans they make me even warmer! This is a good inside outfit, then all I need to do to go outside is my big ugly ear-flap cap and down parka and I’m gold.

This is probably very tedious to most of you (especially my readers in southern california!) but considering how often I think about new techniques then try them (often failing and getting cold) this 2 minute rant is pretty short. Hopefully now that I have a routine I can move onto thinking about something else!

Here is an example of my winter plan in action:

Pretty simple, comfortable and most of all warm! I’m loving this horrible oversized cardigan. I’ve never been one much for over sized things (maybe this a a backlash to all the modesty I was taught to have growing up in UT?) but this cardigan was too cool to resist! I usually wear it belted but I think I’m feeling more comfortable with this silhouette and I hope it will bring new and interesting ways to wear my cloths!

I guess I’ll wrap up my post with a few goals for the new year since that seems the sort of thing to do, and it’s nice to have a record of things so I can be held accountable. So in no particular order, here we go!

♥ Blog more frequently! At least once a week, possibly even 2 or 3!
♥ Go back to working full time on creative things. Working at a clothing store is fun but I’m happiest being my own boss!!
♥ Work on making my wardrobe more compact, versatile and interesting. This means purging and buying new, classic items (with a twist! I can’t have BORING things!). I’ve gotten really good at purging so that’s a good start!
♥ Finish my bedroom/studio. I have a lofted bed now which make it easier to work in here. I still need to finished the walls and floors, build steps to my bed for the dog, build in more storage and figure out a good closet solution and keeping as much free space as possible. This is going to be difficult, but I’m up for the challenge and I know it will be amazing when it’s all done! Did I mention I’m going to have glitter floors? which brings us to….
♥ When my room is done have an open studio shin-dig during the day and at night transform into the party I’ve been dreaming up: The Disco Ball! I want to fill my house with as many disco balls as possible, every will dress is sparkly cloths and we’ll dance til the break of dawn! No loose glitter allowed, sorry!
♥ Get and art grant for the Firefly Arts Festival again this year to do another costuming workshop! Last years tutu making was a BIG BIG hit and I want to do something just as big this year! (check out the flickr set here)
♥ Start teaching classes and hosting wardrobe swap and chops!

I have many more goals that I’m determined to work on, but these are the most pertinent to this blog! I want to share more with the world, make more tutorials and spread happiness, color and joy around the internet (and the world!) It’s time for me to get started, one again..HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Elephant scarf:

Someone approached me about a pic they saw on craftster of me wearing an elephant scarf I received in a swap. They wanted to know where I got it or if I would sell it. Sadly I lost it 2 moves ago, and it’s a one off item, but I told him I could make him one and so I did! It’s chocolate velvet on back and chocolate and green velvet, tweed, velour, and tan with hearts knit patchwork with elephant appliques on the front. I thought it came out quite cute and it’s very warm which is good because the person who it’s for has an early morning paper route in Indiana!

Next up is the bag I made for a friend’s parents who are moving to Belgium.

I found the shirt in dollar-a-pound (best thing on earth) but it was far too small to be useful so I made it into a bag! It’s kind of silly and cute, I love that there is a lace house! Apparently his parents have seen all these houses except the fish shop.

I just found some really rad shirts that I’m going to make into bags so stay tuned! I’m most excited about the Zelda one!!

That’s all the crafts I have for now but if we remove the r and f from crafts we get cats so here’s some cat pics!

Maxine and Marilyn just moved to boston and I’m overjoyed! I missed my kitties so much and I’m glad they are here! Maxine has been quite adventurous and explores a lot of the building whereas Marilyn usually stays up on my bed (it’s 6 feet in the air, cat perfect!) and swats at the dog and maxine!

And this isn’t really a cat or craft but look how cute Lily is in her parka!!

I’ll try to get a side view soon, you can’t see the hood in this pic and that’s the best part!

G’night!

My first attempt was this outfit:

Detailed Shot:

What I’m wearing and where it’s from:

slip, cardigan, leggings (2 pair!) legwarmers: all from dollar a pound
shoes: naturalizers from my girl Dara in Seattle. Apparently it’s too steep there for her to wear them. My ankles are grateful, I twisted my right ankle 2 months ago during a misguided Blondie Conga line on cobblestones, the larger more stable heel makes these much more stable and of course more comfy, yay! I was a little chily in this outfit when I was outside, but only because I wanted to wear my cute pink/blue kids coat instead of my giant orange ugly puffy parka of hugeness. Once I got inside the restaurant (Grasshopper, vegan chinese!) i was just fine!

Moving on to my Christmas Eve outfit which isn’t really an example of how to stay warm in winter but a good example of how to be either very festive or very inappropriate (depends on the party, yah know?). I always say, or ever since 2 days ago I always say, red sequined bustiers are ALWAYS appropriate for Christmas Eve. Here we go! The outfit complete with goofy face!

Last week I made a stir-fry with deep fried tofu. I turned around to get something and I had an EXPLOSION and got hit on the neck with flaming hot tofu! I didn’t think much of it until I took this pic and could see the burns from where it hit me! Oops! I photoshopped them out for your viewing pleasure. Lesson learned: make sure your tofu is dry before putting in the oil. Anyway, pic of my hairdo!

The nice thing about damaged Barbie hair is that it’s very easy and fast to style. This is a bit sloppy but I’m no good with styling the back of my head, or protecting it from flaming tofu for that matter.

Here’s another more artistic detail shot. Look at me, I’m emo!

Here’s the details of my outfit

slip: dollar a pound
skirt and bustier: garment district and both pretty damaged. I added d-rings to the back of the top because the zipper was broken AND it was too small.

People really loved it I was definitely the most decked out person there (this is not a new thing) and I’m so glad I realized 2 hours before the party that I had these in my “to fix” box.

Anyway, that’s it for now! I need to get ready for work. I’ll be posting again soon with some of the crafts I’ve been making recently!

So to celebrate the first snow I've marked down all the items in my etsy shop as well as made domestic shipping FREE!! The free domestic shipping applies to my regular site as well so take advantage of it if you need to get some Christmas shopping done!

Anyway that's it for today, I've been in bed with a mystery illness for the past 2 days and now it's time to surface and get to work!

PS Lily got a new coat today to keep her warm but she didn't want a pair of winter boots!

Anyway I have a short lunch break to post this so without further ado I present: "365:365 Halloween, Again"

*My coworker Kari for inspiring me to make a fort (see yesterday's post)! She also had her life long dream of sitting in a kiddie pool full a candy fulfilled for her birthday. To make things even better she brought in a bunch of candy to share, yay!! I don't know that I'll do a pool full of candy but the whimsy is definately inspirational!

*My puppy and roommates.  I'm very glad to live in an open, creative space full of interesting people who do creative things. And it doesn't hurt that Lily loves them all! Here's a pic I took while Ben serenaded Lily and I. (ps we have a swing! this is a slightly better pic, but no lily)

* dollar-a-pound clothing. Need I say more! Today I was toasty warm thanks to all the warm clothing I've gotten from there, and for nothing! It's not all practical, I just found a unitard with silver metallic hounds tooth on the bodice. It's fab!

* On that note, I'm loving unitards in general.  I bought my first one a few months ago and I just can't stop. Sadly, I think I have about 10 or more now! Except when I say sadly I mean happily and when I say 10 I mean more like 15.  They are so useful for layering, see exhibit a (which is sadly mostly covered but you get the point)

* Vitamins in the mail! My good friend Dara who is far far away in Seattle just sent me a care package full of vitamins! After getting bronchitis in October I'm bound and determined to have a healthy winter!

*  On the topic of health, here's a hilarious pic that has a message I need to remember!

* Pink! I love pink, I just did 2 of my walls pink so now I have a pink background to take photos against! Here's one of my roommate Dorothy (who is adorable, I plan on doing more portraits of her!) modeling a pink sweater I was planning on adding to my etsy shop pretty soon:

Anyway that is it for now! It's really nice to think about what I'm grateful for and what I'm liking right now! Pop over to iCiNG to read Gala's list which is full of lots of fun and interesting things!

xomisstess

Last week my friend from work, Kari, came into work to buy sheets and blankets. She said she was making a fort and she was going to string lights on it and she was going to sit inside and drink tea.  I thought this sounded like a totally wonderful idea, especially coming from her (she's wonderful and day dreamy and so fun to be around. I should invite HER over for tea in my fort!) so I decided to build one of my own to take pictures in and possibly drink tea inside. Unfortunately I didn't have any working christmas lights, and it's WAY too hot in my building to drink tea (we don't control the heat, it's about 90 degrees in here!) but the same basic idea is here: sheet fort. 

I used 3 different sheets, 1 white sheer curtain, and one large white doily. I sewed the corners of the 4 panels onto the doily, attached the doily to one of the exposed pipes in my room (I tore down the ceilings last month to take full advantage of the tall ceilings that living in a warehouse provides) and thumb tacked the sheets to the wall and used yarn to vault the corners in interesting ways.  I made up my bed with the cloud print duvet that my friend found inside dollar-a-pound and lay down my fuzzy blanket. Then Lily and I jumped on and started taking pictures:

Of course Lily got tired of all the jumping up and down and bailed pretty fast. She probably would have bailed sooner had I put on one of her costumes (she has a tutu, a witches cape and a lion coat) so it was nice to hang out with her for a while.

Soon after bounced around for a while I noticed my goggles and space gun! For Halloween I worked all day so I had a number of costume changes, one of which was a "Space Pirate Cat" and the other was a "space Pirate Princess Cat" which doesn't really make sense unless you see the costumes (and even then…). Either way, both costumes required space guns which fortunately my housemate Sarah had quite a few of and eventually they ended up (with goggles) on the shelf near my bed. So of course I put them on

I've recently been introduce to David Bowie informally via Flight of the Conchords, and now more formally via my friend Ike.  My favorite song is "Moonage Daydream" which has me quite taken and I sing it to myself all the time, even though I don't really know any of the words besides "moonage daydream" and something about a raygun. But I digress.

Today was one of those don't leave the house days (except to get groceries to make soup, more on that later) where I just took photos and typed on the computer I'm borrowing.  I am one of the few people in the building who has windows in their room which I'm very grateful for! It allows for some nice light (so long as I wake up early enough to catch it, now that it's winter it goes away fast!)  I got a few nice portraits in the light:

The last one is my favorite I think, the colors look good and my hair isn't too bright! Believe it or not my hair is a little bit desaturated! I recently re-dyed it and it's out of control. I washed it today in hope that it would fade a little bit but no luck. It's been nearly a week and I think I'm used to it which is good, but it's really difficult to photo!

Moving on, I don't have a picture but I made a soup that you might like to try. I make this is what I like to call "EPIC PROPORTIONS" since I live in a big space with lots of people (12 usually) so I make enough soup to share then have lots of leftovers! This recipe is very loosely written, I usually go from memory/feel/taste so it's difficult to remember what exactly I do!

Magical Don't Get Sick Soup

3 bags beans, any kind though I use black, pinto or kidney
4 onions
1 clove garlic
1 bag split peas
3 cups rice
2 yellow bell peppers
2 heads kale
4 cans stewed tomatoes

Add enough water to cover the beans plus a few inches. Bring to a boil, cover, turn off heat and let soak for 1 hour (alternatively, you can soak the beans for 8 hours overnight). Drain beans. Add a similar amount of water as before, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Let simmer for a few hours until beans are soft. Set beans and beany water aside.

Chop onions, garlic and bell peppers.  Sautee onions and garlic until soft.  Add beans and enough water to fill 70% of the pot.  Add rice and split peas. Bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat and simmer for 20-40 minutes or until split peas and rice are cooked.  Add 4 cans of stewed tomatoes and tear off all the kale and shove it into the soup.  Let soup simmer until kale is softened.  Season to taste. I usually add salt and quite a bit of curry, cumin, cayenne, garlic powder, black or white pepper and whatever strikes my fancy.   This will serve a whole lot of people, and have leftovers for a long long time. It freezes well and is generally better the next day (the spices have time to develop!)

I'll try to take a picture tomorrow before I go to work to show you what it looks like!

Moving on to slightly more boring things, I just updated my etsy shop with some new goodies!

Lots of new stuff for fall, including some yummy sweaters and charming skirts.  Okay the sundress isn't really fally/winter but some part of the world are balmy right now! Anyway, my favorite two are the green and red skirts. The print on these is DIVINE and really quite unique!

That's it for my giant bloggity blog update. Hopefully I'll be able to do this more often, I've really missed it and frequently write blog posts in my head that I don't get a chance to post! Look forward to (hopefully) my write up of the boston Bhangra Competition, some fun new outfits and costumes that I've made/worn and more goodies in my shop! 

xomisstess

First off is this cute 70′s wrap skirt, I love the applique detail and wrap skirts are always so flattering!

Next up we have this fun sweater with a little girl bicycling on it while holding a bouquet of flowers, can you get any better than that??

I found this great navy polka dotted dress but very sadly it is way, way too small! Why must life be so cruel? It looks great with a slip underneath though!

And last but not least we have this wrap dress. I love wrap dresses so much, they flatter so many figure types and are easy to wear just add boots!

Anyway i’ve been very busy working working working. I have a fun new jobs that keeps me out of trouble and keeps me decked out in head to toe leopard print body suits!

I joined up with SCUL and wore the suit sans skirt while cycling around boston for about 4 hours. At first I was shy but then I realized that HELLO cycling is KNOWN for it’s head to toe spandex wearing and mine was probably more stylish and flattering!

Oh yes, and I also redid my hair!

I added some orange in there for fall and I am beyond beyond pleased. I’m curious to see how it fades!

Anyway that is it for now! I have lots of stuff to do today including make 5 lbs of beans! Hopefully I’ll be sharing my technique and recipes for my tri-city (charlestown, somerville + cambridge) famous bean burritos here soon!

Much love, Tess