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 ☆

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 ☆ 

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 ☆

diy snow globe

in case you're looking for a fun & easy diy gift to make this holiday season, i thought i'd share a gif of my christmas snow globe creation -  a scene depicting my misha kitty on her way home through the woods on a snowy winter's day. i used this simple martha stewart tutorial and added two kinds of glitter - pink & gold w/ tiny stars - for maximum snow-y effect. this was a really fun, quick and super cute holiday project you'll love to give to a friend or keep for yourself!

xoxo

☆ c. emilia ☆

christmas tree & trimmings

we're having all kinds of fun at flying carousel headquarters this week wrapping presents, writing out christmas cards, baking cookies and watching holiday specials. i thought it would be fun to share a few images of our very own little charlie brown christmas tree and some of the cute, vintage ornaments we've inherited over the years. 

we made some popcorn garland over the weekend to add some "snow" and are having lots of fun with this simple spool advent calendar i put together for my sweetie. every day, he's got to hunt around on the tree for the spool ornament with the correct number; wrapped around each is a clue to where a little treat or gift is hidden. i really love advent calenders and all the excitement they build-up for christmas - this twist on the old holiday tradition has entailed a bit more work but it's well worth it.  

i also love the opportunity to pull out my robert sabuda holiday pop-up books to look at while sipping on hot tea by candlelight. there's so much wonder and enchantment in the world of pop-ups and these gorgeous books are filled with some of the most interesting and innovative pop-ups around. we even had our first snowfall of the year this week which makes being indoors with the lights, the tree and the trimmings all the more cozy.

i hope you are feeling cozy and bright this holiday season! 

xoxo

☆ c. emilia ☆

garden gnomes, forest friends & santa claus

during a long day of christmas shopping with my sweetie, we took a quick break out to visit bombrys ornamental concrete garden art shop. i live just around the corner from this place and i've been noticing the little drummer/toy soldier duck for a few days now - he's right out front by the side of the road and i just couldn't help but stop today to snap some pics of him and his holiday friends. 

this place is all kinds of cool and i was squealing with delight at every turn as i spotted packs of puppies, kittens with bows, teddy bears, gnomes, christmas deer and even santa himself. the large numbers of repetitive objects give brombys a really neat feel - almost like a huge, outdoor fine art installation. it has such a magical quality to - sort of like a frozen christmas wonderland - and i think it really comes to life this time of year. i would love to have a small collection of gnome or forest friends in my backyard someday inspired by this place, with that same fine art installation feel. 

well - christmas craft & gift making is officially underway at flying carousel headquarters this weekend and i couldn't be happier.  i hope your weekend is full of wonder and good cheer!  

xoxo

☆ c. emilia ☆

*outfit details: red & black turtleneck - thrifted // gray pleated skirt - vintage // turquoise wool coat - h&m // black ribbed tights - limited // black suede slouchy boots - guess // black embroidered bag - vintage // rings - forever 21

christmas won't be christmas without any presents

the christmas tree is up, decorations are out, candles are lit and the first of the presents are starting to be wrapped tonight as i sip on hot chocolate and watch my favorite christmas cartoons. i just love this time of year so much!! 

here's a little collage i put together to share a few favorites from my vintage christmas gift tag collection. one of the things i love best about the holiday season is the opportunity to pull out my vintage ornaments, decorations, papers & gift tags and go through them all - i always forget how many cute holiday things i've collected over the years and they just make me so happy. vintage christmas stuff is the best! 

hope you're feeling cozy & merry & bright!

xoxo

☆ c. emilia ☆

etsy xmas wishlist

all year long i've been adding items to my etsy "favorites" list in the hopes of someday, somehow, acquiring all of these beautiful things. i hadn't even thought of using it as a christmas wishlist until last week when my family started asking me about my amazon wishlist and whether it was up-to-date. i was shocked to see i had amassed a whopping 29 pages of favorites - almost 700 items - and really can't expect anyone to sift through all that stuff in an effort to find what i'm really hoping to find under the christmas tree this year.

after sorting through all my "must-haves" & weeding out the "sold" items here is what i was left with - my 2011 etsy xmas wishlist (from left to right:)

1 -   handsoap set - creepy & cool - 8 hands of different shapes & colors

2 -   in it together - digital print by ashley g and drew 

3 -   vintage holly hobbie sewing machine - black or baby blue

4 -   cloudy bear leggings by qooqoo fashion

5 -   costume party - 14x11 digital print by the black apple

6 -   the prince and the pauper - teal-green & copper merino wool yarn

7 -   black forest picnic paper doll set by wool and water  * OR *

8 -   little maple friends paper doll set by wool and water

9 -   school of witchcraft and wizardry diary / 2012 weekly planner

10 -  kitty cat rings - black & ivory acrylic rings by iluxo

i hope everyone is busy getting their own christmas lists together & feeling the holiday spirit!

xoxo

☆ c. emilia ☆

this is my life & i'm happy to be living it

i am so in love with these adorable patches from best made company.  i want to buy one for every piece of clothing i own - or better yet, sew them onto the shirts of my family & friends so i'm always reminded to smile, keep it light and trust that things will work out fine. what a sweet little stocking stuffer these would make - i can think of a million places i would want to put these! or, maybe i'll think about making my own "optimism" patches using my gocco. that might be a fun last minute project for the holidays. ok, i think i'm officially excited for christmas!!

xoxo

☆ c. emilia ☆