lots of fun stuff

i cut up another of the hub's cast-off shirts last week. this print was too cute NOT to make an outfit for the bean with:

right? it's so fun and tropical, and i always loved when the hub would bust out of his conservative box and wear something colorful like this. i also dig the idea of having the bean wear garments made out of her daddy's gear. so after perusing the pictures on the tutorial i used for her last shirt dress, i got to work. slicing into those shirts still freaks me out a little.

and roughly an hour or so later, i had this:

i got her to try the top on for me, but she was being extra silly and i couldn't get the skirt on her for all the lollipops in the world.

i was more successful the next day, when she was more receptive to the outfit switching. "ta-da!" she said.

i even got her to try on the original shirt dress, finally hemmed properly. actually, i think it's a little too short now, but i can always put shorts underneath.

remember the passes for a free movie screening that the teen scooped up at the book festival? well, it was last week. we arrived at the americana super early (like, 2.5 hours before showtime), anticipating a line-up. of course, there was no such thing:

so we did a little shopping and then stopped for overpriced (but yummy) crepes.

the movie was cute, something MIL would totally enjoy. not a single cuss word that i can recall, pretty scenery, cheesily predictable story line. we liked it, but i'm glad it was a freebie. i'd probably have rented it from redbox in a month. heh.

and, this has nothing to do with anything at all, but the girls and i got a little gift from FIL:

in-n-out lip balm! there's strawberry shake, chocolate shake, pink lemonade, and...uh, i forget the fourth one. they smell and taste yummy, and i always dig silly novelty items like this.

lastly, vote vote vote, please! i'm getting my ass kicked right now. so sad. it all ends tonight, and while i may not necessarily have the very best top of the bunch (of course, i think so, but i'm biased), it would be super duper fun to win.

please?

help a vote whore again, please

thanks for voting! i made the next cut by a mile:

now i'm in the final finals! wanna help me out? here's the post, with all of the finalists:


whee!!! you can tell i'm excited from the multiple exclamation points.

project retro

so a couple of weeks ago (i know, i'm so late with this post), the girls and i hit up the vintage clothing expo in santa monica. the teen is a big fan of retro styles, loves the look of women's clothing from the 40's and 50's, and has been trying to get me to figure out how to make her a bathing suit from those eras. while i've seen some patterns and pictures online, i still haven't been successful in finding one that matches her vision.

it was overcast and chilly in santa monica when we pulled up to the civic auditorium. we'd just come from the l.a. times book festival, where we'd been sweating our nuts off, so this was a welcome change. the bean had managed to fall asleep in the car on the way there, so i busted out that ergo carrier, bundled her in, and got ready for a nice workout as we strolled through the expo.

i'd gotten our tickets for free via goldstar, and it was nice to save a few bucks as i'd had to cough up $8 for parking. i am so effing sick and tired of paying for a patch of concrete to leave my car atop. oy vey. but the teen was excited and hopeful, and it's always fun to see her that way. as we walked in, this sign greeted us:

and i was really curious about what was in store for us as we made our way into the auditorium.

it was like a big ass yard sale. and if you know me, you know i have no love for that kind of thing. it's not that i'm too good for it, i just don't really dig the thought of pawing through piles and piles of stuff. and yeah, okay, i'm not big on the idea of used stuff, particularly that of people i don't know. but i tried to keep an open mind...despite the funny smell that permeated the air.

this table was loaded down with piles and piles of costume jewelry. a few ladies were picking through it, trying to match up pairs of earrings.

there were vintage wedding gowns galore. i actually think it would be kind of cool to deconstruct one (or two) of these to create a new dress, but it's not like i'm in the market for wedding attire. never again - at least, not for me.

i was intrigued by this one, though - an unworn wedding gown from the 50s, very "i love lucy." i wondered what the story was behind it.

these dresses were pretty much what i picture when the teen refers to "cool vintage clothing." because, come on, look at them! i would totally rock these styles now.

we were stoked to find this trunk of old clothing patterns and excitedly flipped through them, searching for one to make a swimsuit with. alas, it was not to be.

lots and lots of hats. the teen bemoaned the fact that these are no longer in style - at least, not without attracting a lot of attention to oneself. she's actually not one who covets the spotlight.

i loved this mod dress from the 60s. can't you just see it with a pair of white patent knee-high boots?

vintage bathing suits, check. sort of. look at the price of these things! holy schnikes.

as we neared the exit, we came across this booth by a company in downtown l.a. that does reproductions of outfits from eras past. of course, as most custom work is, it wasn't cheap - the average cost of a little outfit or swimsuit like these was $150.

and then, at one of the last booths, we finally hit pay dirt - a new and uncut sewing pattern for a swimsuit! i'm picturing it in some baby blue and white striped seersucker, perhaps with a bow or rosette accent here and there and perhaps a modification or two to the bottom. this is gonna be fun.

good thing i still have some time before summer. we all know i'll likely end up making a few versions of this, after jacking up attempt #1. and maybe #2, too. heh.

i should be a sizing model

one of my junior league sisters owns a little clothing boutique in old town pasadena. i've known this for months, am in the area all the time and yet hadn't been able to stop by to check it out. the opportunity finally presented itself last weekend as the hub and the bean and i headed out to grab lunch and meet my friend lilcee. she was taking that ginormous marc jacobs bag off my hands, and i was happy to give her the chance to scoop it up with that 20% off discount after the sale was already over.

the story behind the name of the shop, onesipkim, is cute. i don't remember the exact details, but it's simple: the owner is a lightweight when it comes to alcohol. she's been "onesipkim" ever since discovering this little tidbit about herself over dinner with friends. the store is just as cute as the name and its owner:

i was bummed that we managed to pick one of her few days off for our visit. typical, huh?

she always arrives at league meetings (often late, ha! don't kill me for saying so, OSK) in her casual but ridiculously chic style, and i always feel like the biggest frump next to her. i love her and want to kick her at the same time. and if i had easy access to all this cute stuff, i bet you i still wouldn't look as put-together as she does.

i don't typically dig the whole "quotes on the wall" thing, but it was fitting here.

there were all sorts of cute little decorator touches throughout the shop. i admire folks who can throw stuff together like that and make it look awesome. if i tried that, it would just look like one hot ass mess.

while perusing the sale rack (which i always make a beeline for whenever entering any store), i found a really cute (i seem to be using that word quite a bit in this post, but it's really appropriate) and comfy-looking tunic (originally $238, down to $40!) and tried it on.

sadly, while i loved it and really wanted to scoop it up, it was just a smidge too snug around the shoulders and chest area. damn. i could've seen me in it countless times over the coming months. i was bummed to put it back on the hanger and return it to the rack. the girl who was working that day remarked that they found that items from that designer often had this same issue. i felt a little better, but not really.

i likedg the vintage board games and other decor by the fitting rooms.

on our way out, i stopped to check out the event board. the shop has been written up in quite a few big publications, including lucky magazine and a few others - impressive!

if you're in the area, definitely make a pitstop on green and check out onesipkim. my list of indie shops is growing!

makin' the cut

remember my fun gray ruffle-y top that i made a few weeks ago for that spring top contest?


final entries were due last week, with voting beginning this week on the top 60 (out of 368 total tops, wow!) and i'm stoked to announce that i'm one of wednesday's finalists! whee!

and now, the vote whore in me is rearing its ugly head yet again. if you're so inclined and have about 2.5 seconds to spare, would you click on this little graphic and vote for my cute little top? the list of entries is on the right sidebar on the made by rae blog.


eeeee - i'm even the very first entry on today's list of finalists! i'm sure there's no deeper meaning behind that or anything, but that's still cool. there are some fun prizes to be won, and although i probably have a snowball's chance in hell of making the next cut, it'd be fun to think i could at least be in the running.

help a sista out, would ya? kthxbai.