Where's the Button?

Looking for the perfect button to finish a project ?

Pretty sure this is the opportunity to find that button...

plus probably zillions more you don't even know you want !

I am beyond sad that I will be out of town during this event.

But, my bank account is pretty glad I can't attend :)

Go find your button !!

Finders and Keepers; Super Buzzy and French General

Discovered two GREAT  sewing stores in So Cal this month !!

One was Super Buzzy on Main Street in Ventura

https://www.superbuzzy.com/shop/

The other amazing store was French General in Los Angeles

https://www.frenchgeneral.com/ 

superbuzzy, 1794 East Main Street, Ventura, CA 93001

Super Buzzy has a fantastic selection of; 

unique, beautiful Japanese fabrics,

Japanese crafting supplies. 

lots of purse/bag making items and patterns,

notions, dyes, books,

ribbons, ribbons, ribbons

AND felting supplies !! 

Many items I have never seen before and I throughly enjoyed the 90 minutes looking

at every aisle and item in the store.

Plus, being a privately owned store the owner and her lovely family were present 

and eager to answer all my questions of

  " what's this ? "

French General 2009 Riverside Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90039

French General is a few blocks from Dodger Stadium 

in a part of Los Angeles called Frogtown.

This store is as far from a traditional retail store as possible.

It is an epic treasure hunt of 

vintage buttons, ribbons, trims, 

papers, quilting supplies, fabrics,

 notions, horseshoes, misc antique items,

and zillions of old apothecary jars full of beads, beads and beads.

French General has its roots on the East Coast

started by Kari Meng and her sister Molly. 

More than a store they wanted to share their wonderful finds

from France and England.

And an important goal is creating an inspiring workspace

so there is a wonderful selection of classes and activities.

You must ring the bell to be admitted into this 

wonderland of inspiration.

And be prepared to spend some time

if you want to search every nook and niche 

at the wonderfully original French General.

Here is what I could not resist at Super Buzzy;

fabric, felting supplies, buttons and a unique seam ripper from Japan

French General has the best branding I have ever encountered...

everything is beautiful from the products to the store displays

to the packaging. 

I could not resist buttons, ribbons and jewelry bits.

The two things that Super Buzzy and French General share 

are  female proprietors that love their stores, fabulous cute exteriors

and wonderful unique items inside 

( oops three things ! ) 

I would definitely describe these two stores as destinations.

Generic items may not be found but, 

with an open mind you may find treasures you didn't even know you wanted !!

Happy Hunting

Introducing Iris Apfel

There is a new documentary about an interesting fashion icon:

Iris Apfel

93 years young.

Iris is part of the new Spring ad campaign for Kate Spade.

But, she made her fortune and reputation owning a textile company with her husband Carl.

Textiles also allowed Iris to travel the world and amass 

an unbelievable treasure trove of oddities and artifacts.

In fact Iris has so many unique clothes and accessories

that in 2005 the New York Metropolitan Museum did an exhibit 

of some of her  outfits with accessories.

But, she doesn't take herself or fashion too seriously.

and if you can believe it there is even a Halloween costume of her !!!

The documentary Iris is not earth shattering but,

after living for 93 years she has 

many fashion insights and observations 

that make you smile 

Lilly Pulitzer coming to Target

The newest line to collaborate with Target is

Lilly Pulitzer 

The original creator of the namesake brand was 

also known as the 

" Queen of Prep "

Full page ad from Vogue magazine

Lilly Pulitzer started her fashion and lifestyle empire in 1959

after customers at her Palm Beach, Florida orange juice stand

wanted her dresses more than orange juice.

To be practical at the messy juice stand Lilly wore

sleeveless shifts of bright colorful cotton to hide

the juice stains and be comfortable.

Online preview of the colorful prints that will be on fabrics

The original Lilly Pulitzer fashion house closed in 1984 but,

by 1993 Sugartown Worldwide Inc. revived the Lilly Pulitzer line

and Lilly became the creative consultant until her death in 2013.

And now on Sunday, April 19th, 2015

Target will launch a line of 

Lilly Pulitzer.

I sincerely hope that the numerous sundresses,

tops, bathing suits, etc. will 

be made from a nice quality cotton.

I find most of Target designer launches 

 totally disappointing because 

the fabric is such poor quality.

For a preview of styles go to 

target.com/lilly

Ombre Dye Project

I saw this extremely overpriced ombre dyed denim shirt 

at Anthropologie and thought;

 I could do that to one of my old denim shirts...

and I did !

Purchased this NO MESS ( lol ) 

iDye packet at Laguna Beach Art Supply 

in royal blue.

I first saw these dye packets in Seattle and I've really 

wanted to try out the dye process.

This packet is for natural fiber and 

the company also makes a dye for synthetics.

I assembled my dye station and

 finally used the crock pot I bought at an estate sale.

I am way too chicken to use any dye inside my house

at either the stove or in the washing machine 

because it's DYE and stains everything it touches!

So outside 

I heated up the water in the crock pot

and added the dye.

Next I wet just the bottom third of my old denim shirt.

I hung my shirt so just the bottom third would be immersed in the dye bath.

Tried to be extremely careful not to splash the dye onto the rest of the shirt. 

The dye packet did not have any separate dye activator but, 

it did require a lot of non iodized salt.

Things got a little messy as I tried to do the required frequent stirring

for the 30 minutes my shirt was in the dye bath.

Time was up!

Gave it a good cold rinse with the hose

Dye continued to rinse out of the shirt

so I decided to try setting the dye with 

a water and white vinegar bath.

Then I washed it with old clothes in

the washing machine and then the dryer.

I definitely will always wash it with blue clothing.

And that was my first ombre dye adventure!

I would rate it a success;

especially since the only other thing I turned blue 

was the stirring spoon.

Is It Fashion ??

Grabbed this off Instagram 

and guess what this girl is wearing in a most original way...

BASKETBALL SHORTS !!!!!

LOL

FIT NYC

I was lucky to travel to New York City in March 

and

even more lucky to make it to FIT and view 

some fantastic, free exhibits.

The three exhibits included;

 a wonderful collection of Lauren Bacall's iconic gowns and dresses,

an extremely interesting informative exhibit.

And a fascinating history of 

authorized and unauthorized copies of fashions.

Innovative insights into how

designers dealt with knock-offs.

But, the main exhibit was an exciting comparison and contrast 

of French designer Yves Saint Laurent 

and American designer Halston

during the momentous 1970s

A giant timeline highlighted the accomplishments and intersection of

 Halston and Yves Saint Laurent during the 1970s.

So many, many interesting facts of their burgeoning design careers.

But, the timeline was just a tease because 

next was an incredible collection of 

incredibly beautiful clothing...

that is just as wearable today

as in the 1970s when these 

designers created them.

The green and fuchsia printed silk crepe pajama set was from 

the 1970 Saint Laurent Rive Gauche collection

The blue printed crepe de chine pajama set

was by Halston in 1976.

Both of these tie-dyed silk chiffon pajama sets

are from 1970 designed by Halston.

A beautiful black silk jersey jumpsuit from 1976 by Halston

A red silk jersey dress from the 1974 Saint Laurent Rive Gauche collection

And the most beautiful off-white silk satin evening dress

by Yves Saint Laurent circa 1978

----------------------------------------------

The exhibit is not a complete retrospective

nor a survey of 1970s fashions.

Instead it is a glimpse at the exciting, 

creative, color, drama and fantasy

of two brilliant designers.

The exhibit runs from February 6 - April 18, 2015