Crazy Quilt -- Indian Cotton Block Print

I got this dress at a hippie shop in Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard, MA.
Like the maxi skirt, it also became a bikini.

I Love: Greens and Mustard

If you think I'm talking about food, well, that is entirely likely!

Beets, Shishito Peppers, + Kale from Sunday

It all started with this top made by Luv 'N' Stuff (Chicago):

I bought this plaid plush top at Sonny's, in South Pasadena [now Koi] in the early 90s.
A pullover, it was always a little too bulky, a little too warm.
I found it Sunday afternoon languishing on the floor of the wardrobe where I store my jackets.

I made a simple cut down center front and a world of new mixtures began!

I've worn it every day this week. Here are Tuesday and Monday:

Yesterday's uploads to my new Trendstartr account
So matchy matchy!

I coordinate with the kitchen floor!

Pondering the mustard and green, yellow and green while driving to work:

I end up behind trucks with these colors! And road signs! And painted road lane indicators!!!!!!

At work, I took a moment and mixed up some hues in Photoshop and got their nearest Pantone (PMS)#s

The green that I'm NOT caring for:
OMG Emerald, PMS 17-5641, Pantone's "Official Color" for Spring 2013

source
Too bluish for my taste.
Give me my spring green grass green PMS 363!

Crazy Quilt -- Cotton Blend Rib Knit

I got this purple maxi at Lord & Taylor in the Garden State Plaza, Paramus, NJ. Going to the mall was a big deal then - we lived out in the country far away from department stores [in Dutchess County in upstate NY]. I eventually shortened this [to a below-the-knee length].

At a 4th of July party. Yikes! Hello, Morticia!
Wish this was bigger -- alas, my mom scanned it low rez.
I searched high and low for the photo album,
but had no luck in finding it.

The shortened version, at my art exhibition in 1980 at AnyArt, Providence, RI, with my Dad.
I like how we have mirrored poses here. I am my father's daughter in so many ways.

Mimic Monday -- Plaid and Floral Get Cozy

Two Birds do an Inspiration Monday meme.
Every week, they post a photo and you get a week to ponder how to interpret the look.

I'm always game for new ways to shop my closet, so...

our muse: Drew

Hmmmm
What have I got that's plaid and goes with a floral?

this would have worked perfectly
but
it involved sewing

good combo for some spring day
not warm enough for today

no, just no
but...
the plush plaid top has potential

this is OK
but again, the maxi skirt needs repairs

YES!

The final look!
Had to forgo the maxi element, kept the plaid/pattern mix.

That was fun!
Hop on over to Two Birds to see everyone's links!

Sunday = Fun Day: Virtual Astro Targets

Today's "outfit" comes from a completely random Facebook Page suggestion!
(Yes, sometimes those annoying FB "improvements" will yield something worthwhile).

Fasten your seat belts, this one has lots of twists and turns!

After "Liking" a RI travel consultant
(because a friend had shared her photo gallery of vintage Naragansett hotel post cards)
some suggestions for other Pages came up (new thing that I never saw until this morning).
I hovered over the target avatar and it displayed:

Arts/Humanities?
HAD to click on it! It was a TARGET! (Colorscope FB Page)
Not only a target, but an ASTROLOGICAL TARGET!!!

link for colorscope

Here is mine: Hard to look at, right?

What can I say, they are my favorite colors... I HAD to create a repeat with them! And mock it up on myself!

I located this photo from a shopping expedition in Venice CA from 2011 -- look how it matches "my" target colors so perfectly!

I first did some Photoshop [PSD] retouching and got rid of the red + blue motifs
I'm not showing you that because it was fast + sloppy

Then I went over to Illustrator [AI] and created my repeat:

are you hypnotized yet?
It's no genius repeat, but it'll do

Then I brought my photo into AI to create the areas to apply the print
(I used the pen tool -- I did it in AI because it's easier to scale + rotate repeats in AI vs PSD)

Here's what I came up with:

The green happened from it being 3 layers of print with a transparency effect applied.
I was OK with it

I then exported just the print layers over to PSD, to soften up the print a bit.
This is my final opus:

ADORE IT!!!
The color didn't shift in the same way, OK by me

Don't be surprised if you find me actually wearing this come summer!

I'm linking up with Patti's Visible Monday -- I think I'll be stopping traffic with this one!

Meanwhile, what's your Astro Target?
Please share on my SpyGirl FB Page!
or
leave a link below in the comments

Have a celestial day!

Tech Tip: Using Google Images Search with Pinterest

"Curator : one who has the care and superintendence of something; especially : one in charge of a museum, zoo, or other place of exhibit" [Mirriam Webster online] Curators in a museum or gallery setting are always concerned with the provenance (history) of the pieces in an exhibition.
I would like to propose this same level of care when using social curation sites, such as Pinterest. It may take some extra time, but I think it is only fair to the photographers, craftspeople, bloggers, etc that created the original content.

How? Use Google Images!

note: you need to see that little camera icon at right edge of search box
if you don't see one, your browser is too old, this tip won't work

First, check to see what URL the image jumps to
(all Pinterest images are supposed to link back to their origin -- unless they were uploaded directly from the Pinner's computer)

Clicking on the image above was a dead link:

So, if the link is bad, it's time to do some detective work.
There is a reason I'm called SpyGirl!

Click down on the image you like and drag it to the Google Image search box.

Here's what came up in my Image Search:

Click through until you find the image.
(Sometimes this goes only to the top level of a blog -- disheartening because you'll have to scroll a lot*).

Copy the URL

It is now time to Repin and curate responsibly!

After hitting Repin:

Choose your Pinboard + hit "Pin It"

An image of your Pinning source will appear, choose "See it now"

Hit the Edit button:

Paste in the correct URL that you found during your Google Image search in the Link section

Hit Save Pin.
You are now a trustworthy curator! Yay!

If you're feeling especially anal, return to the source of your Pin, and add a comment, pasting in the same URL:

I got this, because it's a link:

So I removed the "http://" and replaced the dots in the URL

*If that's "too much" for you, at least have the correct URL on your own Pin.
*If you "don't have time" for all of this, may I suggest "Liking" the Pin instead of Repinning it?

I'd like to credit the catladies at GOMI for teaching me this trick.

Here's a humorous piece about the new usage of the term "Curate" written by ALEX WILLIAMS for the NY Times on 10/2/09

Quick Draw: LA Fashion Council Popup Shop at the W Westwood

I attended a fun event last night, hosted by Kelsi Smith of The Los Angeles Fashion Council. It was the opening party for a popup shop comprised of local designers, situated off the lounge of the W Hotel in Westwood, 930 Hilgard, 90024.
The shop will be open 12-5pm until Saturday, 1/26/13.

Upon checking in, we were given a list of the participating designers with their twitter handles.
MOST HELPFUL! It was so dark in the room, I could hardly see a thing.

The list and their links:
Wren
Olima
Gypsy Junkies
Odylyne
Rojas
The Battalion Eco Couture
Jenny Dayco
Shallow Fashion
Bryan Hearns
Bijou Van Ness

Speaking of Twitter, if you follow me, you were subjected to these horrible snaps:

as you can see, I was attracted to texture + prints
No surprise there, amiright?

from top right, clockwise:
Bryan Hearns' shaggy lurex clutches
Battalion's super soft fake fur coats -- WANT the leopard one
Rojas' real woven ikat sheath and great B+W ethnic print tops
Wren's ikat print dress

I went to the event DETERMINED to do some sketching.
So, despite the cramped conditions, I pulled out my Moleskine and had at it:

These hats from Bijou Van Ness were so whimsical, I HAD to capture them
(plus, they weren't moving around)

After warming up my hand with the hats, I did some Spy Sketches of faces in the crowd:

Jasmine on left, adorable Marlita on right

another mystery girl, wearing a stunning coat

I'm proud of myself for ignoring my self-consciousness and going ahead and sketching in public.
You would never know from this blog that I'm EXTREMELY shy, especially in crowded party situations.
It felt wonderful doing hand sketching -- the pen to paper, letting the ink flow -- I just don't get that with digital drawing.
Analog -- it feeds my soul!
What do I need to improve? Overcome my shyness and get the names of the people I sketch!
Too many "mystery girls" here!
By the time I started looking for the above two, they had vanished.

I'm linking up with Katy's Fashion Beauty Friend Friday.
This month's theme is New Year, New You.
I promised myself this year to attend more local LA fashion events and to live sketch --> done and done!

See more of this week's responses here.

To learn more about FBFF, click here.

Crazy Quilt -- Novelty Print Cotton Sheeting

I made this shirt from fabric that I got in Poughkeepsie, NY. I traded it with Liza for an embroidered Mexican shirt.

I'm also wearing a pair of wool sailor pants, a staple of my early 70's wardrobe.
Here I am wearing them in Florida:

I wish I still had a larger piece of the print. It was images of African animals drawn in the style of Albrecht Dürer. Like this:

[source]

Prison Stripes

I wore my new prison stripes dress today:

Sweater dress from Old Navy -- on sale for $8

I wasn't feeling all that great this morning. I could tell a cold was coming on.
I went in to work anyway. I'm a part timer and punch a time clock. No paid sick days, holidays, or vacation, no benefits. I'm OK with that, I can take off whenever I want and can work at home (more like take stuff home and procrastinate).

There IS something that makes me crabby: the salaried co-workers (who all have paid sick days), coming in all sick and germy in order to "save" their sick days for later in the year. Thanks a lot for the cold! Now I get to spend my days off in bed! WooHoo!

By 12:15, I'd finished all pending projects so decided to go home.
The traffic was horrid.

I'm a prisoner of the time clock.

Crazy Quilt -- Indian Cotton Block Print

I got this skirt at a "head shop" in Troy, NY.
Eventually, I cut it up and made a bikini from it.

Here's the bikini style in other fabrics, worn camping in Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico in 1982.

I still love this print. Maybe I should digitize it and get some yardage printed on Spoonflower.
You'll be the first to know if I do!