Skirts! Skirts! Skirts!

Okay so i have been seriously slacking on keeping up with my blog. What have I been doing you ask? Well right now I have been fixated on sewing skirts. Minis, long ones, plaid ones, short ones...you get the idea. Skirts are a definite staple in my wardrobe. I have probably over 30 of them. I guess you could say I am a skirt collector. They are just soo dang cute and make us shorties look taller. I love how you can change the look of your outfit too. Say you have a plaid skirt. You can go preppy and throw on a sweater or punk it out and wear a badace t-shirt. Then of course there is the ultra comfy jersey knit skirt. Every girl needs to own one of these! They are super soft and you can rock them all day and still feel like you have your pj's on. Not to mention they are adorable. Skirts made from upcycled tees are not only fashion statements but comfy as well. What to learn about the history of skirts courtesy of the all knowing Wiki? Click here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skirt

Well I am off to you guessed it make some more skirts!

;) Christine

Touche Kitty, Touche.

Gloating after her victory today. Miss Lulubelle is content in the fact that she is indeed the queen of her castle. We are mere servants that are to come scurry to her every beck and call. Case in point. Yesterday while searching in my Etsy closet for an item that needed to be shipped, there was a loud crash. I peeked out the door to see the beautiful culprit flicking her tail and staring at me. You see Lulu decided that her litterbox was not up to snuff.So since I was not going to clean it as she had demanded she would teach me a lesson. Cue airborne kitty poo and flying litter. Needless to say Miss Thang got her wish and I grudgingly obliged. Moral of the story: If you have a 20+ pound cat with an attitude and she wants her litterbox spruced up, do it. Or she will literally throw her weight around.

The new CPSIA and how it will change your families lives...

Say goodbye to handmade toys likes these unless something is done and fast about the CPSIA.

What is the CPSIA law you ask and jus how will it affect me? Please read on and when you are done make your voice heard.

As parents and concerned citizens I’m sure most of us at one time or another have been confronted with the question of lead poisoning. But have you asked yourself what your government is doing to protect your children from lead contained in toys? The answer? They're banning toys, taking books from schools and libraries, hurting low income families, killing entrepreneurial spirit and risking putting the economy in an even greater depression than we've seen in decades. I'd like to introduce you to their solution: the CPSIA.Do you know about the CPSIA? No? Then I ask you to take a few minutes to find out about it.The CPSIA stands for Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, a new set of laws that will come into effect on 10 February, 2009 and will impact many, many people in a negative way. Make no mistake, this is very real. View it for yourself. If Forbes, the American Library Association and numerous other media are paying attention, perhaps you should too. How will these new laws affect you? Well, here are a few examples: To the Parents of Young Students:Due to the new law, expect to see the cost of school supplies sky rocket. While those paper clips weren't originally intended for your student to use, they will need to be tested now that your 11-year-old needs them for his school project. This law applies to any and all school supplies (textbooks, pencils, crayons, paper, etc.) being used by children under 12.To the Avid Reader:Due to the new law, all children's books will be pulled from library and school shelves, as there is no exemption for them. That’s okay though, there's always television. Our children don’t need to learn the love of reading after all.Article from the American Library Association http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1322To the Lover of All Things Handmade:Due to the new law, you will now be given a cotton ball and an instruction manual so you can make it yourself since that blanket you originally had your eye on for $50 will now cost you around $1,000 after it's passed testing. It won't even be the one-of-a-kind blanket you were hoping for. Items are destroyed in the testing process making one-of-a-kind items virtually impossible. So that gorgeous hand-knit hat you bought your child this past winter won’t be available next winter.To the Environmentalist:Due to the new law, all items in non-compliance will now be dumped into our already overflowing landfills. Imagine not just products from the small business owners, but the Big Box Stores as well. You can't sell it so you must toss it. Or be potentially sued for selling it. You can't even give them away. If you are caught, it is still a violation.To the Second-Hand Shopper:Due to the new law, you will now need to spend $20 for that brand new pair of jeans for your 2-year old, rather than shop at the Goodwill for second hand. Many resale shops are eliminating children's items all together to avoid future lawsuits.To the Entrepreneur:Due to this new law, you will be forced to adhere to strict testing of your unique products or discontinue to make and/or sell them. Small businesses will be likely to be unable to afford the cost of testing and be forced to close up shop. Due to the current economic state, you'll have to hope for the best when it comes to finding a new job in Corporate America. To the Antique Toy Collector:Due to the new law, you'd better start buying now because it's all going to private collection and will no longer be available to purchase. “Because the new rules apply retroactively, toys and clothes already on the shelf will have to be thrown out if they aren't certified as safe.” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123189645948879745.htmlTo the American Economy:Already struggling under an economy that hasn’t been this weak in decades, the American economy will be hit harder with the inevitable loss of jobs and revenues from suppliers, small businesses and consumers. The required testing is far too costly and restrictive for small businesses or individuals to undertake. To the Worldwide Economy:Due to this new law, many foreign manufacturers have already pulled out of the US market. You can imagine the impact of this on their businesses. If you think this is exaggerating, here is a recent article from Forbeshttp://www.forbes.com/2009/01/16/cpsia-safety-toys-oped-cx_wo_0116olson.htmlAnd for those of you prepared to be stupefied and boggled, The New Lawhttp://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/cpsia.htmlDid you know? If this upsets or alarms you, please react.

My heart goes pitter-pat for vintage

My love affair with vintage started many years ago when I was just a wee little middle schooler. I would sit up late and drink coffee and watch old movies on AMC with my grandma. Those movies with such stars as Greta Garbo, Bettie Grable, and Shirley Maclaine opened my eyes to a world of glitz and glamour and gorgeous wardrobes. "If only movies were still made that way." I would tell my grandma.

At the ripe old age of fourteen I began to stun my small town with my vintage frocks. Or perhaps annoy them. Either way my old soul trapped in a young body felt more at home in the garb of yesteryear and it fit well with my eclectic taste. Being a self proclaimed punk I enjoyed blazing my own trail and rocking to my own beat and looking fab while I did it. The thrill of the hunt added to the adventure and appeal of being in control of my own style. Spending hours hunting the thrift store racks for that coveted offbeat dress or shirt. In fact, I still can be found buried in the racks at some of my fav vintage haunts looking for the perfect piece.


My love of vintage helped propel me to open an online store to share the love. I decided to make my home on etsy and have now been selling my vintage goodies for over a year now. Of course I still collect and wear them myself. I don't see myself as a buyer of vintage but as a loving adoptive mother who is ensuring that they find new and wonderful homes where they will be appreciated, instead of being lost somewhere languishing on a rack.

Some of my favorite styles are Gunne Sax dresses where you can't help but feel like a lustful heroine in a romance novel. I am also a sucker for loud and crazy prints of the 60s and 70s. The crazier the better. If you have questions or need help identifying a vintage piece you can email me. I will do my best to help you out.

You can also peruse my shop for some quality vintage pieces.

Until next time, darlings.

Inkheart, you broke my heart.

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!
Why oh why did they have to totally slaughter the book and make the worst movie ever? It was horrid. There were flying Monkeys for cripes sake!! I ask you what the h-e-l-l was that all about it?!?!?! And let's not forget the crocodile from Peter Pan. They even had the crappiest looking gingerbread house prop make an appearance.

By far the two most distracting things in the movie were the ridiculous words tattoed allover the Inkheart characters faces! It looked vulgar and comical and really cheapened the movie. Are we the movie audience deemed to be idiotic enough that we wouldn't have been able to figure out that they were characters sprang from the book without having sharpie allover their faces? Honestly.
The fact that Moe had an American accent while his daughter Meggie had a very thick English accent. Was also another misstep. Um yeah we noticed the moment the first lines were uttered. I kept trying to figure out how it made sense. But being as she was raised by just Moe all those years and didn't go to formal school where the heck would she have picked it up?

Anyway, the storyline is completely hashed together with pretty CG effects thrown in here and there. Andy Serkis, who is known for his portrayal of Gollum, played Capricorn. The entire time I just waited for him to start coughing "Gollum! Gollum!" he did not suit the role. I could not separate him from his previous role. Oh he was nasty but definitely not the Capricorn I envisioned.

Eleanor was just as I had imagined her though much thinner. Her sharp tongue was delightful.
However, trying to make her braver than she really was turned into two scene stealing shots that were nothing short of preposterous. A lone rider on a motorcycle racing to save Moe and Meggie, scarf poetically whipping in the wind. And well I will not ruin the last one for you but it was absolutely ridiculous.

I will say that the actor who portrayed Dustfinger did do a fine job and it didn't hurt that he took his shirt off either. His skills with fire were impressive.

Don't worry I will not divulge anymore but I will tell you that I left the theater in disgust after the ending. In fact I wanted to leave during the ending. It was not anywhere close to the book and dashed all hope ( not that I would want to go see it) of a second movie installment.
So my advice to you is to wait before it comes out on DVD so you can swear and curse out loud in the privacy of your own home.

I promise my next post will be much more upbeat. ;P