Boys on the Side?

This post marks the second time I have showcased something I've shamelessly copied from someone else.  Then again, as the cliche goes, there is nothing new under the sun.  At any rate, when I saw this bow tie tutorial on Honestly, WTF, I could not get it out of my mind (not an exaggeration; I kept going back to the posting).  Since I had some wax print fabric remnants that were too small/short to make into necklaces, I knew had a project on my hands. Here's another pic of this cute pink and green one (there are about 6 or 7 more - and counting).

I am a self-proclaimed tomboy and love how the fabric makes the bow tie perfectly feminine What do you think? Would you wear a bow tie or do you think they are strictly for the boys?

The Namesake

Tselane, Palace Queen

After much trial and many errors, I've finally uploaded some new items to my Etsy shop.  I'm calling my new collection of wax print necklaces with copper pendants and lace/brass earrings The Namesake.  With Etsy's new "relevancy" search criteria, sellers have to be more descriptive with items to ensure that customers will find exactly what their looking for.  So, that means I can't give my items clever titles (like the names of my female friends and relatives) for fear they will get lost in the shuffle.  But, I manage to add my preferred titles in my descriptions.  Case in point: if you click on the link below the photo, you'll discovered that these are "Chandelier Earrings - Purple Lace and Copper Beads", but I call them "Tselane, Palace Queen".  Tselane is my middle name, hence, The Namesake.  There are three pairs of chandelier earrings and five wax print necklaces in the collection.  Following, is a brief preview.

Tselane's Indian Summer

 Tselane, Princess Bride

Full disclosure, I hated my middle name growing up.  There's the weird spelling with the silent "T".  It sounds weird when pronounced, which caused a lot of my classmates to resort to calling me "salami" ( I made the mistake of telling my niece about this).  It's African in origin, but no one really knows what it means (I was born in the 70s in the Midwest).  It wasn't until I got to college and met a girl from Kenya who could pronounce "ts" together so melodically that I began to appreciate my exotic middle name.  A few years after my husband and I moved to NYC, I found an old book (published in 1961) called "Tselane" in which the title character is a South African princess (and I'm pretty sure the inspiration behind my middle name; from one of my mother's coworkers at the time - I think).  Although I use my maiden name as my middle name since getting married, "Tselane" is still The Namesake.

A Perfectionist's Product Preview

 

Making my way around the new camera has proven to be a little more challenging than I expected.  It's more about finding the optimal relationship between lighting, camera setting, product placement, etc. than it is about my learning the technical aspects of the camera (though the latter sure does facilitate things a bit).  I took a few (read: a lot) pics over the weekend of some necklaces in anticipation of a shop update, but I didn't enjoy the output very much.   Since I'm not making said update, I thought I'd give a brief preview of what's to come using some pics that I wasn't compelled to delete right away..  More to come...

The Essence of Inspiration

 October 2011 issue of Essence featuring our lovely FLOTUS.

I apologize for the corny blog title, but it honestly sums up the topic of this post (okay, so I'm not always that creative).  Before I get into things, I have to issue a disclaimer.  I am, by nature, quite cynical and sarcastic, especially when it comes to fashion and its trends.  I love clothes, style, and shopping just like the next girl, but I'm not one to go on about labels, who-wore-what, and things of that nature.  But then I opened the latest issue of Essence, turned to pg. 32, and saw this...

How adorable are these two ladies with their personalized fedoras! I've wanted one for a while and finally bought one this summer.  I love it as is, but seeing this made me want to add my own little touch.  I know I couldn't pull off what the above ladies have done.  I remembered several vintage brooches that were collecting dust in my supply bin, and I tried out each one until I was satisfied with the look, position, and feel of one.  Here is the end result...what do you think?!

(Photos taken by me: 1 and 2 from Essence ; 3 from me)

Cute Dress...

Khaki Safari Dress from Casa Vintage on Etsy

80s Denim Mini Dress also from Casa Vintage

But where did she get those earrings?!  Why they are my very own Jackie's in Turquoise (written about in a previous post)!  Xinthia, the owner of Casa Vintage, used to be the shop assistant for Michelle of Brown Bag Vintage, one of my fave and most frequented vintage shops on Etsy.  Noticing that I was, in fact, a frequent shopper, Xinthia curiously took a gander at my jewelry and fell in love with said earrings.  Michelle, being an astute (and supportive) boss, bought the earrings behind Xinthia's back...as the latter's birthday present, of course!  I am excited for Xinthia as she embarks on her solo Etsy dreams (and her stuff is given Michelle a run for her money ;-), and I am thrilled to have a piece of tyramade along for the ride.  Thanks ladies.  Have a great Labor Day Weekend everyone!

Challenges

a) figuring out how to keep the edges on the wax print fabric from fraying and

b) learning to use my new camera

Just a few obstacles to get through.  I'm excited about both.  What's got you burning the midnight oil lately?

Happy Birthday MJ

Art print by Cleatress found on Etsy

The VMAs aired on MTV last night!  While there were some moments both cute (Beyonce's pregnant belly rub) and interesting (Ga Ga's drag race), I can't say I was excited about the show.  In fact, I don't get excited about award shows at all anymore.  Part of it is that I'm older, and as we get older, we tend to hang on to the music we grew up with, and award shows grow with the time, catering to younger and younger audiences.  The other part has to do with the fact that performers like MJ with real, honest to goodness, studied-up talent seem to be in short supply.  They do exist, of course, but they aren't crazy enough to be popular by today's standards (and yesterday's standards are not respected).  Anyway, I long for the days when my heart would jump in my chest, and my eyes would sparkle in anticipation.  My skin would literally burn all the way to my toes, stealing my breath and my ability to speak or reason.  Unfortunately, June 25, 2009 pretty much guaranteed that I would never be as excited about an awards show as I was this night... 

 

Or this one...

or this one either...

Happy 53rd Birthday MJ!