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 ☆

crochet friday

left image: people webs

after all the crochet talk on this blog, i finally get to show you pics of my first completed project - this adorable bow headband designed by lindsi of people webs. isn't it just the cutest? the pattern is super simple and absolutely perfect for a beginner like me. i think my bow turned out a bit smaller than it was supposed to but i love the way it looks puffed out - really reminds me of hello kitty's bow! 

i followed this tutorial and used the same yarn as recommended - caron simply soft - in a nice light gray. this is a great afternoon project and lindsi does a fantastic job of explaining every step and providing detailed photos. i love how soft the synthetic yarn is but it gave me a bit of trouble as my hook kept getting caught on the individual strands and separating the main strand. this doesn't seem to happen when i work with wool yarn - i'm starting to understand the pros and cons of each type of yarn blend but i've still got so much to learn.

i can't wait to make a few more of these headbands for myself in other colors. next time, i'll make sure to count the rows so my bow turns out nice and big. i might even add a few rows to one for a cute oversized look. staying warm in the winter was never so fun!

xoxo

☆ c. emilia ☆

indian summer

here are a few pics i snapped in my back yard earlier this week before that crazy indian summer weather  hit. 

i'm wearing the most fabulous vintage lavender knit dress, which is available in the shop now. it is so comfortable & cozy and the most beautiful shade of purple you've ever seen -  it mixes so well with all those yellows, oranges and browns of the falling leaves and adds just the right pop of color to the autumn landscape. 

it goes rather perfectly with my big orange reading chair - don't you think? this chair lives on our porch all year long and i drag it out to read, crochet or drink tea by the maple tree on sunny days. autumn is the best time for this but there aren't too many more days left for me to sit in my big orange chair and daydream while watching the clouds float by. maybe i'll be lucky enough to have one or two more chances this month before winter weather sets in.

i hope you are enjoying your week so far!

xoxo

☆ c. emilia ☆

*outfit details: vintage lavender knit dress // dyed vintage full slip // vintage leather belt // "jenn" platform heels - jeffrey campbell // vintage beaded purse // miniature heart necklace - michelle change

inspiration - yokoo

images: Yokoo

today i'm sharing another of my crochet muses - yokoo. i discovered yokoo on etsy's front page and saw the video above around the same time. i've had her "pembrooke cowl" on my list of etsy favorites for forever and when i was trying to decide b/w learning to knit or crochet i made sure to watch this video again to focus her process. sure enough, she's a crochet-lover like me and i'm absolutely smitten with her enormous hook, beautiful yarns, and fantastic attitude towards her life and work.

if it was up to me, i'd buy each of the items above in several different colors  - they are just so darn cool! i am definitely loving the chunky look. but, finances are tight and i'm keen on learning the art of crochet so i've decided to start on a chunky charcoal cowl similar to the one above. it's not going to be exact - the stitch is totally different and it probably won't be quite as large and chunky as the "pembrooke cowl" since i'm using a smaller hook but i'm really, really excited to give it a shot. i'm about half way done and it's looking pretty good so far - i'll be able to share pics of the finished product with you next week.

my favorite part of the video is when yokoo talks about how she enjoys immensely being great and how there's no better feeling in the world than being good at what you do. she's hardcore and she inspires me to be my best self - creatively and otherwise. 

i hope you are feeling all kinds of inspired this week too!

xoxo

☆ c. emilia ☆

work room tour

here's a quick peek into my work room!

i wrote about my work space makeover in an earlier post and wanted to share more images with you of where i spend most of my time these days. now that i've cleaned this room up a bit and organized it better, it feels like there's tons of space in here - at least plenty of room to work on all of my flying carousel-related tasks and also sew and print. 

it's so much fun to to work in this room surrounded by beautiful vintage clothing & accessories as well as my beloved collection of vintage collectibles that i've gathered along the way. all of the inventory currently listed in the store is actually being stored in the closet - what you see here are just a fraction of the items i still have left to put up. i guess i've got lots of work to do... good thing it makes me so incredibly happy to help give these items a new life!

xoxo

☆ c. emilia ☆

*woman pictured - lola smith of "The Tennesseans"

DIY print gocco shirt - part deux

here are pics of another thrift store shirt i embellished with triangles using my print gocco. 

i used the same method as discussed in part one but chose larger triangles this time and brighter, bolder colors straight from the tube. as with the other shirt, i had no plan for a design when i started printing but knew i wanted it to be a bit more lined up and symmetrical than the first shirt. this fabric was much easier to work with, however, i still had to put some wax paper down underneath to prevent the ink from going through to the other side. 

i made a few mistakes during the process - like, uneven ink application and a couple of unintended smears/splotches i had to cover up with black triangles - but overall, i'm really happy with the bold new look of this shirt. i'm also really digging the obvious hand-printed technique - it sort of gives it the feeling that it's always been there.

i'm super excited to start a new print project - it's been weeks since i've played with the gocco. i'll be hitting thrift stores this weekend in search of more pieces to transform - i hope i find something good - wish me luck! 

xoxo

☆ c. emilia ☆

hygienic dress league

here are some pics of two new pieces i just added to the shop - a fantastic bold & bright vintage geometric print shift dress and hip ivory rain coat.

i took these pics in front of the new hygienic dress league mural that popped up on the "pythian castle" building in downtown toledo recently. the hygienic dress league is a husband & wife street art team / corporation from detroit who use gorgeous advertising-style pieces to spotlight abandoned buildings and self-promote their faux brand. if you have a minute, watch the video below to learn more about their art and process.

during the shoot, i was approached by a homeless man who said he had lived in toledo for forty-two years and had never once seen this building used for anything. word on the street is that it belongs to a very wealthy out-of-towner who comes to visit the site every decade or so but has yet to turn it into something. no one knows why he holds on to it or if he ever plans on doing anything with it - either way i'm really grateful that the hygienic dress league blessed our fair city with one of their amazing street art pieces. this mural really pops - it brings a smile to my face and a boldness & hipness to toledo that we can really use.

xoxo

☆ c. emilia ☆

*outfit details: vintage geometric print dress // vintage ivory rain coat // black sheer diamond pattern tights - dkny // black suede slouchy boots - guess // black leather bag w/ bow - jessica simpson // black fabric belt - vintage // rings - forever 21

video: donna terek - the detroit news