If Valentine were alive.

Sometimes, while I'm drawing my women, I can't help but think of them as real people; what do they wear, where do they live, how do they decorate their house, what does their voice sound like...  I thought maybe it would be fun to bring them to life in a way by showing a little bit of who I think they'd be!

This is Valentine (because of the pink heart on her lips).  One thing I know about her is that she's classy.  I can see her being the type of girl to never leave the house with her hair in a ponytail, the type to always wear heels, and they type to always have (and know how to do) glamorous makeup.  I don't think she will ever get married, but instead, be a chronic dater since she's the type of girl every man wants.  Here's what I think she'd wear on a date with a sophisticated and gorgeous well-to-do man...

These items can be found here:  Valentine print, Dress, Hat, Cape, Ring, Shoes.

When you're drawing or painting, do you ever imagine the world in which that person, landscape, or whatever the subject is, exists?

The Most Dangerous Game

Forget what you may have heard, the most dangerous game is not just the title of a book, but more importantly, it's how I like to refer to browsing my Etsy favorites; specifically when my blood thirsty e-shopping appetite is not met or exceeded by the size of my wallet.  So here's to hoping you'll talk me off a proverbial cliff because I really want these...

Find these beauties here (from the top): Olas Attic, EvieOlu, CeramicSoul, Elis Cooke, Ordinary Mommy, patkas, Amy Robson Jewellery, Cathy Cullis, One Forty Three

What are some things you've been wanting lately, and do you have the willpower to simply window shop?

I hope you guys have a good weekend!  Tonight I'll be in the company of six other women for dinner and dancing and I'm sure a good time in honor of my friend Kristin's birthday!  I'm sure I'll be sleeping in pretty late on Saturday morning (assuming Flojo will allow it)...

Disco's not dead.

It's no secret I love the 70's (although I wasn't even alive, I just know it was an awesome decade - I mean, come on, LED ZEPPELIN).  It's also no secret I could spend all of my free time in a thrift store and not get tired of it.  So when I find treasures so awesome, it just makes thrifting and sifting through millions of ugly stained sweaters and dresses worth it.  When I found this navy blue 70's maxi dress I nearly died.  First, it was nay blue, and I love that color.  Second, it's in perfect, unworn condition.  Third, IT FITS ME!!!!!  I can't wait to wear it, and I thought it would be fun to put together an outfit for my night at the disco including this dress...

Find these beauties here: fur coat, bangles, platforms, bag

So that's it for now, but I'm sure I'll be singing a disco song or two all day.  I'm running behind this morning because I had to finish making and packaging every single last order to get shipped today so people will have their items in time for Christmas.  It's been busy, I've been a little insane, but I always remind myself how lucky I am to be able to do what I love.  I hope you guys have a great Monday!

magic arrow

i'm kind of in one of those phases where i'm wondering what i even have to say, what i can possibly blog about, and why i even have a blog at all.  it's weird how that happens, and probably next week i'll have a dozen posts in my head!  anyway, i've had this song in my head for the better part of a week, and it seemed like a good starting point for a post...


do you listen to songs and get pictures in your head of people, landscapes, houses, outfits, or anything else that just seem like they belong with that song?  i do.  so i guess this is a different take on a wish list of sorts, but the movie i have playing in my head when listening to this song looks something like this...

find these babies here: with care goods, southwest vintage, in haus press, pine and main, lost kat photography, sky parlor, amelia mays jewelry

so that's what i've got for now.  do you have songs stuck in your head or new items you've added to your wish list?  i find that my wish lists always grow when it's cold or wet outside because i spend more time at my laptop.  oh well, with new seasons come new habits!

the goods, the bad, the winner

so where do i start, the good, the bad, or the winner?  whenever i have several things to talk about, i never know where to start, and that goes for blog posts and real life; i'm kind of scatter-brained all the time, and i hope it doesn't get worse with age otherwise i only have a few more good years before i'm crazy.  anyway, first i want to announce the winner of the danielle clubmaster sunglasses from tumbleweeds!  drum roll..... the winner is LIZ!

now, how about some good(s)?  it's been cold and rainy here, so i've been watching old tv shows (the millionaire is one of my favorites) and stockpiling links of all the things i want, want, WANT!  i'm seriously eyeballing the boots, but there's just one thing in the way of me making them mine, and i call him husband.  why must my wants outnumber my dollars?

you can find these beauties here: lulu*s, i miss the sea, raw dezign, honey and bloom, turquoise city, lulu*s, hindsvik, tumbleweeds handcraft

okay, it's time for the bad.  but there is some sliver of good in it., so i won't be a complete negative nancy.  last night beca told me that there was a shop on etsy selling cell phone cases with my elephant painting on them.  it felt like a punch in the gut.  i put so much work into what i do, and i just finished communicating with someone who told me a few months ago that she loved my shop and was inspired by it, and then ended up copying some of my paintings, so the last thing i wanted was to have to deal with it again.  not only did Daddydecor steal my artwork, they also stole artwork from several other artists on etsy, and then used it to make a profit.  this is disgusting and it makes me so fucking mad i could shoot smoke out of my ears.  i'm not sharing this because i'm looking to have my ego stroked, but rather as 1. a warning to artists who share their work on the thief-infested internet - be proactive and STAND UP FOR WHAT'S YOURS, and 2. to hold people like Daddydecor accountable for their actions in hopes that potential customers will see it and not give another cent to sellers who don't think twice about stealing.  this sort of thing runs rampant, and sadly, there's so much of it on etsy it makes me want to cry. the listings have been removed, thanks to another artist (whose art had been stolen) confronting the seller, and that's the good part, but etsy (as usual) refuses to get involved and enforce anything; let a non-vintage item be listed as vintage though and etsy is on it like white on rice, because that's an important issue, right?  geez.  i think beca summed it up pretty well in her last blog post, so i won't continue a rambling tirade, but be sure when buying things - handmade or otherwise - that you're supporting the REAL artist and not a copycat or thief!

what i'd like to be wearing

no, it's not mint green skinny jeans, zara heels, sheer blouses or arm parties; what i'd like to be wearing are these awesome vintage finds and handmade pieces!  it's probably a little nuts that i spent the morning browsing the internet for all of the things i'd like to have after i spent the weekend going through closets and drawers getting rid of all the things i don't need!  i may have a problem...

from the top: vintage dress, booties, sunglasses, purse, blouse, ring, panties, dress

aside from cleaning out clothes and shoes i don't need, i also cleaned the rest of my house (yay) and ate ice cream, ice cream, ice cream, and ice cream.  oh, and watched movies.  it was a pretty low key weekend, but that's how i like it!  how was your weekend?

a little bit hippie

a little forewarning: for some reason i couldn't manage to take a single normal picture!  sometimes i just really, really don't want to be serious.  i won this dress on ebay a while back, and after seeing the pictures, i think i am going to go ahead and shorten it a few inches, but aside from the length, this dress encompasses all of my favorite things in a dress: it's from the 70's, it's off-white, it has crochet detail.  so basically what i'm saying is - put me in a VW bus on my way to san francisco and i'll be a happy girl.

 dress: vintage, ebay // bag: vintage, purchased at an SPCA yard sale (because i love helping animals!) // sandals: kork-ease via ebay // jewelry: vintage, from grandma's jewelry box

and as if my vintage outfit wasn't making me feel 70's enough, i had the three best songs ever recorded in the history of music on repeat - this one, this one, and this one.  well, i actually have them on repeat pretty much every day, but it just added to the theme of the day.

so how was your weekend?  and are you doing anything for labor day?  i am - cleaning out the bathroom closet.  fun, fun!

from film with love

it's been way too long since i've done a 'from film with love post' so i couldn't wait to get back some film pictures from the beach to use for this post!  we took four cameras - two of them film - so we aren't lacking pictures!  my favorite camera, hands-down, is my old (super old) olympus pen-ee half frame camera, so that's always the one i reach for when i go somewhere pretty!

no matter how expensive film processing may be, how difficult it may become to find places that process film, or how obsolete film and film cameras may become, to me, digital will never have the same novelty and surprise that film does!  do you use film cameras?  what kind(s) do you use?  and do you develop the film yourself?

turtle pee

do you have that one thing (or maybe a few things) that you love so much you can't pass up; no matter how much you already have, you just feel like you can't get enough?  that thing for me is lace dresses.  but something i haven't worn before is a lace dress with turtle pee...

jacket: american eagle // dress: h&m via ebay // leather belt: vintage, thrifted // sandals: kork ease // sunglasses: tumbleweeds // necklace: dinosaur toes // turtle pee: c/o eastern box turtle

if you've been reading my blog since last summer, you already know that i stop and get turtles out of the road.  this little girl is the absolute smallest i've ever saved from cars, and i almost didn't see her!  good thing for the tailgating state trooper behind me - i was forced to drive slow.  she probably looks big in the picture thanks to my infant sized hands, but her shell was only 2" long!  she was so cute i couldn't even remember where i put my key or how to start the ignition.  and she was so cute i wasn't even worried about the fact that she peed on me - twice - and left a little puddle of turtle pee on my dress.

also, i'm so happy with the way my necklace turned out!  i made two, and since i can't part with one, the other will be added to my shop sometime soon!