i may not be the world’s best seamstress, but over the past couple of years, i’ve gotten a lot more interested in trying my hand at sewing projects. i would still classify myself as a beginner, but that’s no cause to shy away from a little challenge. so when portia of the blog makery asked me if i’d be interested in taking part in the refashioners, i jumped at the opportunity. this year, she selected 20 participants to refashion men’s shirts into something new, and will be sharing a new project every day this month. you can follow along to get inspired, and enter to win a massive prize as part of the refashioners community challenge. you can read all of the details on her blog, but basically, one winner will receive a huge selection of patterns, thread, gift cards, fabric, vintage notions, and two very special indigo-dyed bandanas that i made especially for the project.
my shirt diy is still under wraps for now, but you can follow along on makery to see all of the projects as they go up. and i promise to share my how-to once it goes live!
since moving back to southern california, i’ve caught wind of so many cool events going on in the area, but with a lil bebe, i haven’t always had a chance to go! one event that i do not want to miss is a current affair, a pop-up vintage marketplace in the cooper design space in downtown la being held this sunday, september 27 from noon – 7pm. the show will feature over 50 vintage vendors including scout, mixed business, mercy vintage (an old oakland favorite), and maeven, among others. and if the photos from previous events are any indication of what it will be like, then the people watching will be an event all of it’s own!
i woke up this morning at 4:45am because i wasn’t feeling well. as is my solution when this happens, i plopped myself in front of the computer to distract myself and pass the time as the sun rose up behind me. and during those wee hours of the morning, i finally did it. i fell down the rabbit hole. i started using pinterest.
i signed up for an account some months back and played around with it here and there, but for the most part had been avoiding the addiction of yet another social media platform. but after hearing so much hype, i finally decided to give it a fair chance and spent some time building up a few mood boards. a few of my favorite categories thus far are cycle chic, beret baby, cat cat cat, and plants dance.
so if you’re curious to see how i spent my morning, you can find me on pinterest right here.
so tell me, have you resisted temptation, or are you a pinterest addict? if you have an account, i’d love for you to share your link with me!
1. i am going to be in new york for fashion week from september 6 – 15th!
2. i’m hosting a little fashion blogger picnic on saturday, september 10th in sheep meadow! well, i can’t really take the credit for it… it’s actually a collaborative effort between a handful of my favorite vintage blogging pals including rebecca, emily and ashley (who created this lovely flyer). i am so excited to be reuniting with old pals and meeting some of you for the very first time! so get dressed up in your fanciest picnic attire, bring a blanket and some treats, and let’s have a picnic! and don’t forget to rsvp!
when i first got my iphone a few months ago, i asked everyone i knew what they thought was the most crucial app. the resounding response? instagram! and in case you haven’t noticed, i am instagram obsessed! above is just a small selection of the many photos i’ve been taking since i started using it. it was especially awesome to be able to share photos while i was on vacation and hawaii, and i am so excited to share even more photos next month during fashion week!
you can follow me by searching the user name, “calivintage.” but no worries, if you don’t have an iphone, you can also check out all of my photos on instagrid!
during my trip to new york for fashion week, i had the opportunity to sit down and chat with the beautiful hannah of hannah and landon and the loved one. if you aren’t familiar with her blog and vintage shop, i highly recommend that you click the links and take a peek! she has an incredible eye for vintage as showcased in her etsy shop and in her amazing personal style. so when i discovered that she launched a kickstarter project to gather funds for a vintage inspired lingerie collection, i knew i had to share it with you!
the way it works is that individuals can donate a set amount of money towards the loved one’s financial goals. if they reach their goal by the end of the month, then they will receive the funds and have the opportunity to launch their collection. in conversation with hannah, she mentioned that if every person who viewed her kickstarter page donated only $1 each, then they would already have enough funds to start the project. so if you want to help them reach their goals, get on over to the loved one’s kickstarter project page for more details and to make a donation!
not enough motivation? just look at this cute video. i mean really, how can you resist?
well folks, i’m in the big apple and i’ve begun participating in the madness that is fashion week. and while my schedule is hectic (to say the least), i’m looking forward to meeting some fellow style bloggers at the renegade meet-up!
friday at noon, sheep meadow, central park.
there will be 10 red balloons and a ton of bloggers, so you should be able to spot us.
last week, i promised a little wrap up of my trip to nyc. unfortunately, i didn’t realize how quickly two days would pass right by, so i didn’t accomplish quite as much as was on my list of things to do! i arrived in the early morning after a red-eye and spent most of my first day in a bit of a daze, adjusting to the heat and humidity and enjoying good conversation with jessica over a delicious diner breakfast. then we went back to her place and chatted away for hours while i browsed the internet and she worked on illustrations for her upcoming book!
that evening, i attended the charlotte russe project mannequin styleoff event as one of the contestants. it was a really nice set up with racks of clothes, shoes, bags, and accessories from the upcoming collection, and they served up delicious cocktails and plenty of sushi. i was a bit nervous about the whole thing, but everyone there was very warm and welcoming! for the challenge, we were each given a card with a different prompt and had 20 minutes to style up our look! i was relieved to be given the challenge of styling an outfit for sunday brunch, since that happens to be one of my favorite occasions!
we had to compete with each other to grab our favorite pieces from the selection, so i was a bit slow in snatching up my first picks, but i found this romantic floral dress and layered it with a ruffled t-shirt, a woven belt, and a pair of brown t-strap sandals. the dress had little strands of metallic thread running through it, so i complimented it with a slouchy gold tote. it’s definitely very vintage-inspired and comfortable enough to wear on a lazy sunday. i was quite proud of my look, and i would love to win the contest, so if you have a moment, i would love it if you would check out the site and vote for me!
on my last day in new york, i slept in until an ungodly hour, so i didn’t have too much time before my flight back home. i decided that i should do something touristy, so i took a visit to the metropolitan museum of art after a few people recommended that i check out the american women exhibit. they didn’t allow photography in this particular exhibit, but i did find this video showcasing all of the pieces, so now you don’t even have to take a trip to the museum if you want to take a look!
my favorite looks were of the gibson girls, hands down. i loved their straw hats, high collars, and puff sleeved jackets. in particular, there was an amazing two piece sailor dress that i wanted to pull right off the mannequin and take home with me! i dream of finding pieces like these at an antique shop or estate sale to just hang on my walls and admire.
and that was it! i caught my flight home and kissed the ground in california. i love to visit new york, and hope that my next trip is a bit longer so i can meet up with more folks, but it was definitely nice to get back to the laid back atmosphere and 70 degree weather back home.
i am so very honored to have been the subject of several illustrations by avi jacob. avi contacted me a couple of weeks ago and asked if he could use some of the images from my blog as the subject for some drawings. i gladly agreed and patiently awaited an e-mail back, curious to see what he came up with. you can imagine my delight when he sent over so many lovely drawings! i’m so delighted that my blog was an inspiration! avi doesn’t have a blog or website (yet), but he’s always looking for new subjects for illustrations. you can contact him through facebook or leave a comment here to get in touch.
today i am very pleased to announce that calivintage has teamed up in collaboration with LOFT as a guest blogger and stylist on the live.love.LOFT. blog! all month long, you’ll be able to see some of the outfits i’ve put together using loft items that i’ve hand picked to style up with items in my own wardrobe, along with other fun surprises at live.love.LOFT.
i’m sure some of you have already noticed that loft has been collaborating with different bloggers for the past couple of months. jessica of what i wore and joelle and noel of the owls are not what they seem recently wrote for them, and i am honored and thrilled to join their ranks and try my hand at guest blogging for the first time. it’s always fun to try something new, and i’ve spent a couple of weeks now figuring out just how to bring my own personal calivintage twist to the classic new york label, and i’m really excited to share it with you!
having said that, things will be pretty much the same here at calivintage, but you can keep up with my guest posts by visiting live.love.LOFT.
