the fairest fair lady - vintage featurette

 

i've got a small tradition of watching my fair lady around this time of year. i love the transformational aspect of the story - the total life makeover and navigating the journey of becoming who you really dream of being. 

but, i've never watched any of the special features that come along with the dvd, which include the vintage featurette the fairest fair lady - a behind-the-scenes/making-of short documentary which focuses on the incredibly elaborate costumes & sets featured in the film and all that went into making this  film unprecedented production happen. i had to watch this featurette a few times through to soak in all of the amazing hats, fabrics, textures and quick shots of sewing rooms & wardrobe departments... what a dream!

goodbye 2011, thanks for everything. and, hello 2012 - the year of "the new you!"

xoxo

☆ c. emilia ☆

a new you

everyone knows how much a new dress or pair of shoes can have the power to completely change the way you feel and carry yourself. but, what if you had the shoes and the dress - what kind of transformative power could an entire outfit like that have? enormous amounts! 

i've been thinking about this a lot lately as 2012 fast approaches and i hope to transform not only my wardrobe - but my entire life - to better reflect who i am at this point in my life. i am so ready to take the steps i need for 2012 to be the most magical & fulfilling year of my life. and, with two orange suitcases full of amazing vintage frocks and a pair of new black lita's (both xmas gifts from my sweetie...) i feel pretty unstoppable right now - like i've got a new set of armor, it fits perfectly, and anything's possible. 

i hope your resolutions and positive energy are building and that you've found your own special armor to put you in that "unstoppable" frame of mind. make this the year you finally become the person you've always dreamed of being... i know you can do it - don't be afraid to shine!

xoxo

☆ c. emilia ☆

*outfit details: vintage turquoise microsuede dress // black jeffrey campbell "lita" // vintage gold necklace

misha portrait - done!

after a long struggle with materials and more mistakes than you can imagine, i managed to grant my own christmas wish last night when i finally finished misha's pet portrait! 

last week, i posted pics of my other cats' portraits (all commissioned) and wrote about how i was in the process of attempting my own felt portrait for our newest kitty, since the artist is no longer making them. it was a long and difficult process trying to match the other four portraits and although i'm happy with the result, it also seems to stand out next to the others. i figure it probably looks more like slughunter's first portraits - when she was first starting to refine her style. the ones she made for my cats were among the last she ever created so they're really complex and detailed compared to my super stylized attempt. 

in the end, i think it fits it nicely and misha is just thrilled to finally have her very own portrait among the others. take a look at all five portraits together compared to their real life pics:

pictured left to right: osho, tima, sasha, ravi & misha

pretty cute, i've got to say!!

xoxo
☆ c. emilia ☆

new year's resolutions - 2012

personal // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\
☆ continue detoxing - finish flushes & try to stay 80% - 100% raw
☆ successfully integrate exercise into my daily routine - rebounding, kettle bell swings, stretching, yoga
☆ get back to using EFT for clearing negative emotions & limiting beliefs - work on breathing
professional // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\
☆ improve photography, lighting, modeling and photoshop lightroom skills 
☆ successfully design & construct a half dozen pleated skirts w/ original screen printed fabric
☆ start experimenting w/ video and make one lookbook video for the flying carousel by end of year

artistic // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\
☆ start sketching & brainstorming designs for screen printed fabric - GOAL: 6 original designs
☆ practice constructing & experimenting w/ various pleated skirt shapes, lengths, fabrics, # of pleats, etc.
☆ work on paper hats & paper jewelry (old designs & new!)

fun // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\
☆ take a real vacation - a summer trip in july for 1-2 weeks - maybe toronto? 
☆ continue to crochet & improve skills for relaxation and fun - keep experimenting & learning!
.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  

thanks for letting me share my 2012 new year's resolutions with you! i think putting them out there is really going to help me keep the goals in the back of mind as the year goes by and all sorts of unexpected twists & turns begin to unfold. i tried to make this year's resolutions challenging yet achievable and also tried to include a mix of specific and vague goals so that i have a bit of wiggle room as life happens.

i have a tendency to make these impossible lists of dream goals every year with incredibly specific parameters and am always disappointed when i don't reach them. this year, i'm setting myself up to achieve my goals in a more relaxed & enjoyable way that leaves room for spontaneity and my fickle heart. i have an amazing feeling about this upcoming year - i can't put my finger on it but i think it's really going to be one of years chock full of unexpectedly delightful surprises! i hope you are all feeling as optimistic & excited for new beginnings as i am...

xoxo

☆ c. emilia ☆
*images: deep sea press

inspiration - shu uemera

i've been in love with shu uemera's incredible, wondrous, fantastical false eyelashes for years now but never dreamed i'd someday have my own pair. these lashes take makeup to the level of fine art and open up the possibility of human expression in a way i could have never imagined. 

beyond makeup as a beauty enhancer, these lashes become accessories to the bigger picture by inviting color, shape & texture into the realm of the eyes & face and encouraging some wild experimentation with eye makeup to further enhance them. shu uemera's lashes make me remember that fashion is about having fun and experimenting and the push to discover more about yourself. it's about feeling the joy of being alive and having an opportunity to express yourself every single day of your life. sometimes it's easy to forget that. 

you can imagine how thrilled i was to find my very own pair of shu uemera falsies in my stocking christmas morning!! they aren't as elaborate as any of the ones pictured above - by any means - but they are super cute and fun and i'm so excited to put together an outfit to try them out along with my new lime crime lippy.

i hope everyone is having fun playing with their new toys!

xoxo

☆ c. emilia ☆ 

happy holidays to all!

have a wonderful holiday weekend, everyone!  i hope all of your christmas wishes come true...

xoxo

☆ c. emilia ☆

*outfit details - vintage red velvet dress / ASOS white tights w/ hearts / secondhand mary janes / diy pink velvet hair bow

new in the shop -

well, it's better late than never...

i've finally added a few vintage holiday party dresses to the shop just in time for that special new year's eve bash you may be attending. i meant to add a small handful of party dresses last month before the holiday season began but somehow this entire month has gotten away from me with all the preparations for christmas. it's been a cheery, wondrous, glee-filled holiday season so far and i'm excited to gather with friends & family this weekend to celebrate.

the shop will be having a 20% OFF SALE starting christmas day and running through january 5th, 2012 to celebrate the "twelve days of christmas," or christmastide. that means 20% off of everything in the shop - what a great way to say goodbye to 2011 and kick off the new year! 

xoxo

☆ c. emilia ☆ 

the snowman

i found a pretty good version of the 1982 animation the snowman on youtube last night complete with david bowie intro! i used to love this animation so much when i was a kid - they used to show it to us at school right before the holiday break in anticipation of building snowmen in winter wonderlands during vacation. the story is about a boy who builds a snowman that takes him on a magical adventure one snowy night and the drawings are just gorgeous. it's very beautiful and peaceful and magical - much like the time following a winter storm. 

it's been warmer than usual in ohio for this time of year which is making it seem more like spring than the winter solstice - but watching this wintry tale has gotten me back in the holiday mood and ready for the festivities this weekend!

xoxo

☆ c. emilia ☆

pet portraits

a few years ago, i was fortunate enough to have commissioned custom felt portraits for my four cats from artist amelia reyes, a.k.a. slughunter, before she closed up shop to attend graduate school. aren't these portraits absolutely incredible and pretty much the coolest, cutest, most heartwarming things you've ever seen??

i suppose i'm a bit biased since the portraits are of my beloved little beasts. but, really - the care and attention put into each one, including a request for a bio of each cat's specific personality and favorite things, is beyond measure and really brings these portraits to life. the top two are osho and tima followed by sasha and ravi below. since having the portraits made, we heartbreaking-ly lost one member of the family - tima - and, unexpectedly gained a new member - misha, a solid gray girl who looks almost exactly like sasha now that she's growing up.

it's one of my christmas wishes this year to try my hardest to make a felt portrait for misha in the same style as the others (or as close as possible) so we can finally have all our portraits up and every cat represented. it's a daunting task and i feel like i'm in a master copy class - trying my best to recreate the mona lisa or botticelli's birth of venus - when i start to think about how i'm going to match amelia's incredibly unique style enough so the portrait doesn't stand out like a sore thumb. i've got all the colors & fabrics chosen and materials gathered except for the eye buttons and will be taking the next few days to begin sewing and gluing it all together. next week, i'll share the finished product with you. wish me luck!!

xoxo

☆ c. emilia ☆

furoshiki gift wrapping

check out this video on the japanese art of wrapping your presents in furoshiki, or cloth. what a fun and interesting alternative for wrapping holiday gifts! unlike wrapping paper - which usually can't be recycled - furokishi can be used again and again for a huge variety of purposes. i love the bag idea at the end of the video - i'm totally going to try that with some extra fabric i've got on hand. i love simple ideas like this which make it easier to help keep our planet greener through recycling.

xoxo

☆ c. emilia ☆ 

crochet thursday - the boerum warmer

i finally got around to taking a few images of my completed boerum warmer cowl to share with you. the pattern is by hooks & halos and it's super easy and fun to make. i used the recommended yarn - lion brand wool-ease thick & quick in citron - and loved how fast the process went using the combination of bulky yarn and larger size "N" hook. 

this cowl is amazingly soft and comfortable and all kinds of roomy. it's also pretty gorgeous - i feel like it really adds a lot of texture and visual interest to an outfit and it's lightweight & comfy enough to keep on indoors. the boerum warmer is quickly becoming a staple in my winter wardrobe and it just makes me so pleased to be learning new stitches as well as more about different mixtures, textures and personalities of yarn. it's been quite a wonderful discovery and i can't stress enough what a great relaxation tool crocheting has been for me - it really sets my mind at ease to be crocheting away while listening to music and sipping on hot tea. i can't think of a better winter past time or way to spend a quiet afternoon!

xoxo

☆ c. emilia ☆

a madeline christmas

here's a quick peak at my god-daughter amelia's christmas gift this year - a vintage french schoolgirl-inspired outfit complete with dress, hat, coat, satchel and plush madeline doll.

can you believe i scored these amazing finds at an estate sale this summer up in detroit? the sale was the biggest i'd ever seen featuring vintage children's items with a ton of 60's and 70's vintage girls' clothing, toys, and decor. the most bizarre thing is that these items weren't together and i didn't even realize i had all the pieces for the ensemble until i got home. the satchel was pointed out by a friend in the basement and the coat i found near it inside a paper bag, all rolled up and dusty. the hat i found in a second bedroom upstairs, also super dusty and buried under a pile of stuff. i love vintage hats, so i bought it for myself and didn't realize until i had gotten home that it was a tiny child's hat complete with ribbons and way too small for my big head. the madeline plush i rescued from a pile of old toys and the dress from a random closet with a million things scattered about.

i'm pretty sure amelia doesn't read my blog yet since she's not even 3, so i don't think it's going to spoil the surprise if i share these pics before i wrap everything up and send it off. plus, i already sent pics to her mama the second i pieced the ensemble together months ago so she knows it's coming. i can't wait to see pics of amelia in her little french schoolgirl inspired outfit!! it's going to be a couple of years until she can fit into it but i'm sure the wait will be well worth it!

xoxo

☆ c. emilia ☆