warm shoulders

I wanted to put up a few pictures that make me happy. It was gorgeous outside, and with the possibility of staying that way, so to celebrate I wore a tiny dress and sunglasses and walked as much as possible. These were a couple of the things I saw whilst outside.

One of those forgotten joys... I saw at least three of these.

I walked to a little market down the street to get lunch, then ate on my front porch. Later, I went to check out an apartment with my sister. The thing was an enormous one bedroom that was amazing, with old fireplaces, eleven foot ceilings, giant wooden sliding doors, and the amenities I like (dishwasher, utilities included, off-street parking!).

I still don't know about the price though, as I would love to be able to set more aside in savings for a house. I also have this problem of falling in love with apartments and imagining all of my stuff inside before I even think about my other choices.

I'm working on some new items for the shop as well. More on that later!

sew close, yet sew far

I'm always looking for fabrics that are colorful small-scale florals on a dark background. I didn't think this would be such a hard thing to find, but apparently it is, much to my dismay. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place. I mean, of all the cotton calicos out there, why is it so elusive? Well, I got a small glimmer of hope when I spied Luella Bartley's Spring '08 collection a few weeks ago.



This is exactly what I want! In addition to the coveted fabric, I love the other references. Giant nerd glasses, Batman, and Ghost World, plus the multi-hued Doc Marten-looking boots. Wowzers. I've really been into masks lately too, I don't know what it is. I'm thinking about making one so I can wear it like a headband, or a cocktail hat.

Anyway, in my fantasy the Luella collection sets off a great demand for floral-on-black prints, and bolts of it flow off the shelves at generic fabric stores like Joann's. We'll just see about that, as the fashion world appears to be in winter mode again (Fall/Winter '08 already? Really?). It's not even summer yet! Why must we be talking about wool and knits when we are just beginning to think about short sleeves in the real world? I tell ya.

saturation

I feel so busy lately, but not very productive for all of that. Despite the annoying fact, I have a few things to be happy about.

Number one! I have finally posted the aforementioned necklaces in my shop. They really reflect how jazzed I am about color right now. I am digging the hot pink, expect more of the same down the road. The ribbon has pretty much always been a part of the MischaLee vocabulary in the context of packaging, but now it's pushed its way into the designs. Which I am perfectly pleased with.

Number two! Another one of my creations, the Lolly necklace, is also online right now, which I am really excited about. I did a batch of them for a French client, who just put them up not long ago on her own webpage, Mademoiselle Urbaine. She gathered items from artists and designers she liked for her page, which is incredibly amazing. It's all in French, but you should check it out regardless. I'm so flattered to be included! *blushes*

Number three! I got a belated birthday present from my in-laws, which I feel juvenile for being so into. But... it's a Blythe! I had been wanting one for so long, and the crazily large variety of clothing and accessories for her makes me rub my hands together with excitement. It's a bit ridiculous, but she has an allure that you can't deny, which is why there are so many people who photgraph her, like Gina Garan. Look at this one she took:
That's a lot of je ne sais quois for a doll, you have to admit.

Other than those big things, there are a handful of smaller joys, such as issue 6 of Lula, Girl Scout cookies, tax returns, and blooming flora. Sweet.

a day in the life

Well folks, it appears that I am a year older. And with this birthday, I decided on a new initiative -- to make the day a special one from now on. This might seem a strange thing to say, but for me it's a big deal. Let me tell you why.

For the past few years, for some nonsensical reason, I've thought, "I will work on my birthday, and I will not make an effort to have fun." Then inevitably, at the end of the day, I would be pissed off that my birthday was so crappy. Does this make any sense? No. I don't even know how to explain this behavior really. It's not like I was deliberately trying to make it bad, it just always happened because of my careless attitude. Perhaps it's related to my aversion to being the center of attention. Who knows?

That's all behind me now, let me tell you. I plan on being selfish and carefree from now on, like normal people. We're turning over a new leaf here. With that said, let me tell you about my Monday.

I slept in and then dressed thoughtfully, deciding to wear my Frye booties that I hadn't worn yet. Cary took me out to lunch at Jason's Deli, which is sadly sort of fancy for us. After a leisurely shopping excursion, we headed over to Salvation so I could get my first tattoo. My friend Phillip stopped by to watch the spectacle, then we all went out to get some drinks. After drunk-driving home (not really), my sister made me the most delicious dinner, complete with hors d'oeuvres. It turned out to be a great birthday!

In unrelated news, I have recently found two artists that I really like. I read an article about Kristin Baker in Vogue, and fell in love with her paintings. I'm head over heels for color, and the way she uses it is delicious. Also, Jacob Magraw, wow. The way he uses color is also phenomenal, and I really dig the sinewy texture in a lot of his pieces. Seeing art like this makes me want to paint again, even though I know I will never have the same kind of talent there.