holidays
It has been an entire month since I’ve posted to this space. These last weeks have been spent designing for clients and creating small beauties for myself and the Etsy shop.
In the interim, somehow an important date has avoided me. My two-year blog-iversary has passed without trumpets or cake. I cannot believe it has been two years already. Instead, belated anniversary flowers, St. Patty’s Geraniums, (at least I think they are Geraniums).
I have changed the format of the DSP blog and am loving it. A new look, more links and so far, photographs entirely my own. It feels DSP has graduated sophomore year and am growing it’s own.
Until recently I have been reluctant to reach out to other bloggers, intimidated about sharing this space with anyone other than my grandmother and girlfriends. This is strikes me as ironic, because that isn’t that the whole reason we blog in the first place?
Maybe it’s an artist thing… the fear of critique or something.
I have never been quite sure how one approaches another in the blogging sandbox and says “Hello, wanna play?”.
In rounding a corner both literally and figuratively, I have begun to make wonderful blogger friends with gorgeous sites of their own. They have been generous in permitting me to link to their blogs as well and I will be sharing them with you in future posts and in the links over to the left!
Cheers to you my cherished readers, new friends and many years of cheap frills to come!
While the rest of the country shivers, spring has sprung in my hometown. Birds are chirping, butterflies take flight and the weather outside is anything but frightful. Another Valentines has come to pass. The day was spent at the park teaching the boy how to ride his bike sans training wheels. The evening was warm enough for a walk and window shopping after our traditional Valentines meal of Chinese food.
I have a thing for birds. Something I will probably expand more on in another post, however for now it is enough to say that I fell in love with this stained glass bird cage. It is probably a good thing the shop was closed and did not allow me the opportunity to check the price so I do not continue to pine over a lovely I cannot afford. I snapped this photo with my iPhone as I considered the Hub’s opinion of me to be obnoxious if I were to drag my camera or Polaroid of my big purse on our night out on the town. Do you say “snapped” a photo when referring to an iPhone? I don’t know…again fodder for another post.
But I digress…This birdie in the window got me thinking about the time I purchased a butterfly net with the intention of catching, collecting and creating the kind of specimen shadowboxes I have admired in magazines and art shows. Armed with my net so many years ago, the Hub and I ventured up north to a place that I recall seeing butterflies in countless number. When my chance came to capture one of my very own, I just could not do it. I didn’t have the heart. Knowing their life cycles are short wasn’t enough justification for me to warrant ending it’s journey on this earth. In that regard, I don’t think I could ever own a caged bird. Even one hatched for that specific purpose. It just does not sit well with me, confining a winged creature to such a contained life.
A few days after we brought home our Christmas tree this year I found a bright green caterpillar inching its way across my kitchen floor. We were experiencing a cold and rainy snap and so instead of tossing it outdoors, we put it in a jar with a few lettuce bits. Each day we checked on it, waiting for the rain to end, until one morning we awoke to find it had cacooned itself. Life and science and metamorphosis right there in a pickle jar on my desk!
Not quite knowing what to do we waited…and waited. I googled the timeline of such a process and learned that it takes a minimum of 2-3 weeks for a chrysalis to hatch open. And so we waited some more. Again one morning we checked on our creature which seemed nothing more than a tiny brown bit and it had split completely open. No trace of butterfly was found. I had guess we had expected to find it flitting about our kitchen or resting on the breakfast table, but no, nothing. Terribly disappointed we went on about our day and daily chores.
Suddenly a flash of yellow shot before my face and as I yelled for my son to come and see, it darted out the back door in a fraction of a moment. Our butterfly had been keeping warm behind the coffee pot. All the better I suppose as we were not meant to keep it in a jar after all.
Cheap Frills for a New Year
To Taste: A toast to end a prosperous 2010 and welcome a momentous 2011.
To See: Something man-made amazing .
To Listen: To my instincts.
To Learn: Another language.
To Make: Something artful everyday.
To Visit: Family and friends on opposing coasts.
To Try: Something unachievable.
Homecooked Holidays
At 11:59 this evening the winter holidays will all be over.
Thank goodness.
Once again silver and gold turmoil made it’s decent upon my house two weeks earlier than most. Hanukkah, while less publicized than it’s Christmas cousin, comes with all the same work.
Our home has hosted 4 major dinners since Thanksgiving.
Turkey, of course with all the trimmings.
Hanukkah tried my hand at, short-ribs, latkes and kugel, apple-pear sauce and roasted winter veggies. This year included parsnips for the first time – yummmm.
A visit from the hub’s family brought grandma Moppy and good southern comfort foods. Fried pork chops with gravy, mashed potatoes and roasted green beans.
The girls and I continued our annual tamale and bloody mary tradition. 300 red-chili tamales later I bet you can guess what we ate for Christmas Eve with the in-laws. Homemade tacos, beans, rice, chili-con-queso and yes tamales.
Christmas night inspired a new tradition. Like all good Jewish families, we ordered in Chinese. I could not eat another tamale or cook another meal.
Tonight we will end the year with great friends, a few martinis and whole lot of Scrabble. I’m told there will be PrimeRib. Honestly as long as I don’t have too cook it, I don’t care. Stick a fork in me, I’m done.
Handmade and Heartfelt
Somewhere between cooking and hosting, visiting and decorating, I managed to turn out a majority of handmade holiday gifts. I truly tried my best to either make our families offerings or buy from local independently owned shops.
For all the Grandmas… Scrapbooks filled with pictures of the kid playfully mounted to an assortment of his school projects. This was the second year for this type of gift and they love seeing him grow and his artwork progress with the year. It also relieves me of the guilt of discarding mini-masterpieces.
For my Mom… A three-dimensional wall collage of four generations of women. My Great Grandmother, Grandmother, Mother and Me. A camera strap for her prized SLR made from a pattern I purchased from OneSweetPattern.Etsy. Also a semi-collaged journal filled with hand-drawings and collected ephemera to inspire her to write.
Moppy and Mrs. Ibarra received appliquéd dishtowels, matching napkins and placements to match.
My Father-In-Law(s) got tamale baskets with homemade salsa.
Boxes of Mexican wedding cookies traveled from my oven to Texas as a thank you for friends.
And pj’s for all the kiddos. Pink fishy flannel and orange polka dots for the girl, firedogs, fighter planes and pirates for the boy.
Last, a trip to the pottery shop for a personally painted coffee-mug for Pop-Pop.
Holiday Countdown
It seems the holidays are quietly creeping up the calendar once again. After much deliberation my son has decided to be a magician for Halloween. That defined I have created the most magical of crushed velvet & satin capes, complete with double chain vest , top hat and rabbit to pull out of it.
Thanksgiving will be here before we know it and so it was time to cook the surplus turkey I had stowed in the freezer from last season. Delicious and I am ready for another. Even though this may mean short-ribs for Christmas, I am ok with it.
A rash of birthdays, Christmas and Hanukkah are just around the corner and so I must begin my crafting for that as well. It doesn’t seem like more than a few months ago my girls and I were churning out tamales by the dozen, yet here we are again.
As you embark on your holiday countdown, please keep an eye on the DimeStorePretty.etsy shop for lots of wonderful handmade one-of-a-kind gifts. Hairpins make lovely gestures for sisters and friends, fine china tea-candles are great for teachers and co-workers. Aprons are always loved by Mom’s.
Last, please consider, for those gifts you cannot find at DimeStorePretty, shop local and shop handmade. Keeping your dollars in your community are what allow small businesses to thrive. Supporting artists handmade works are what make our homes, lives and global world a more unique and beautiful place. Anyone can run to a mall, make the choice to seek out something more personal.
Cheers to another season!
Tie One On … Cheap Frills Just In!
Finally a moment between making and selling… a chance to let all of you know about the latest frills for sale in the DSP Etsy shop.
Scarves…As I am sure all you Dime Gals know are the hottest trend this season. I would never leave you girls out in the cold. Check out the limited edition selection of scarves to be had in the Dime Store shop. A classic Burberry inspired plaid, Bold Peacock Teal with Posies, Sparkly Silver Stripes and Iridescent Orange with or without fringe made from hand-loomed free trade silk.
From the neck down… Why let boys have all the fun with neckties. No I am not bringing back Annie Hall. Just think a bit lower down the torso. With all the great colors and patterns, we have turned vintage neckties into belts with sparkly buckles. ( I could have used the word blingy here, however blingy is not chic and cheap, its just tacky and has long past worn its welcome dont you think.)
The cooler weather and holidays have decended upon us girls. Great gifts or for yourself, check out the shop www.Dimestorepretty.etsy.com
Not Seen In Stores!
Lots of Pretty has been flying out of here lately.
Off to lucky ladies that are snatching up the Dime Store Couture as fast as we can make it.
So…What does this mean to YOU?
1. Place your orders gals, and we will get your Pretty shipped ASAP. Most items are limited edition so get yours before its gone.
2. Many items are being bought before making it to the Etsy shop!
But, then how do I get mine?…
Visit our boutiques. If you are not on our email list already, please subscribe. Contact me and get on the list to be notified of exclusive Dime Store Pretty events so you can shop in person.
OR
If you see and item featured in the blog, contact me to make arrangements for purchase.
The Infamous Messy Bun.
There are lots of ways and variations to go about perfecting the chic messy bun look. You’ve seen it on every starlet from Reese and Uma to LC and Angelina. Every girl has their own way based on the how her hair behaves and personal preference.
Basic steps are this…
1. For volume, back comb under the crown of hair with paddle brush and root lifting product.
2. Sweep bangs to the back or side whichever best suits your style. Dont worry about the details here girls, its supposed to be MESSY.
3. Gather the back into a high pony with elastic band. For added volume do this while the your head is flipped upside down.
4. The step is varied by hair and preference… you can A) pull out half the pony and let the ends fly. B) spiral wrap the pony around the based into a ballerina bun and let the ends fly. C) Section the pony, loop, wrap and pin these pieces randomly around the base of the pony.
For a more polished or romantic look, curl the strays into tendrils.
5. Finish off your look with a light hairspray and headbands, big blooming hairpins or pretty vintage inspired bobbys. All of which can be found at your favorite Dime Store Pretty Etsy Shop.
Check out http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Messy-Bun for a much more comprehensive set of instructions on this look.
KC Jo’s Retro…Opening Soon.
Dime Store Pretty is very proud to announce the soon be open vintage, retro, rock-a-billy inspired boutique KC’s Jo Retro in Prescott, Arizona.
After a brief convo with owner Casie Knipp and a tall latte at Gurley Street Roasters it was obvious our girly boho cheeky chic styles would be a terrific match. So, as of the grand opening in December 2008 you will be able to find and purchase a variety of limited edition restyled vintage and retro inspired apparel and accessories at KC Jo’s Retro.
More details to follow so keep checking back !
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