ideas - inspiration - stuff

Friday, August 30, 2013

amsterdam

we took a day trip to amsterdam last week. the weather was uncharacteristically gorgeous and i fell in love all over again with this inspiring and amazing town.





Saturday, August 24, 2013

belgium - part three

more postcards from the collection of my late great-grandfather and grandmother, these ones focusing on my hometown of antwerp and its harbor, as it used to look some 50+ years ago.








Wednesday, August 21, 2013

belgium - part two

since i am spending some time at home in belgium right now, and we have a new king and queen - king philippe and queen mathilde - i am feeling a tiny bit patriotic. so i wanted to share these postcards, part of a gorgeous collection by my late great-grandfather and his daughter (my grandmother). my best guess is these date from the 1930's, and were printed from black-and-white photographs, colored in by hand. vive la belgique!




Tuesday, August 20, 2013

belgium - part one

i am spending some time at home right now - in belgium that is - and i just wanted to share some impressions of "my" belgium. i'm starting with some images of the countryside right outside antwerp, where my parents have created a little slice of heaven, involving a small cottage with a pond, orchard and greenhouse. the home-grown vegetables are delicious!





Sunday, August 18, 2013

needles in a haystack

"vintage sewing notions" are one of my favorite ebay searches, though i actually found this gem at the flea market last weekend. so pretty i think i may want to frame this.


Wednesday, August 14, 2013

tassel bracelet

here's another quick project, made with the recycled t-shirt yarn from haiti, generously donated by keith recker from hand-eye magazine. cut the yarn into 12 equal lengths, string the pieces through the loops of a chain bracelet and tie together. then, thread a gold-colored hex nut onto each end and secure with a knot. voila!



Sunday, August 11, 2013

ghost dress

i have an issue with my knees, in that i don't like them. it's nothing personal, i'd just rather not they be exposed. a lot of dresses i buy however - new or vintage - end at or above the knee. in that case, i just make them a few inches longer by sewing on an extra-wide ribbon, a contrasting strip of fabric or - in this case - a piece of lace. i have no idea how these pictures came out so ghostly, maybe my dress is possessed?




Friday, August 9, 2013

tuxedo shirt-dress

i often turn shirts into dresses, and here's another example, using a vintage men's tuxedo shirt from the flea market. i took in the sides first a bit to give it some shape, and then sewed a long rectangle of off-white heavy satin crepe to the bottom. the back was finished with a skinny satin ribbon. i usually wear this with a beat-up brown belt to break up all that white - and because i don't want to look like an off-duty nurse.




Wednesday, August 7, 2013

cork trivet

here's a fun diy project, that will give you an excuse to hit the bottle. all you need are lots and lots of wine corks - make sure they're all about the same height - and a metal hose clamp. these can be had for just a few dollars in varying sizes at any decent hardware store. just gather the corks in a group and tighten the clamp around them, you will need a screwdriver to do this. cheers!





Monday, August 5, 2013

indigo hair

for the last few years, louise - or rather, me, the resident hairdresser - has dyed the tips of her hair hot pink. this past weekend, she was ready for a change. indigo blue was requested. you ask, we deliver. it's a simple, though lengthy process: make a very low ponytail (everything below the hair elastic will be colored) first bleach out as much of the existing color as possible, using a platinum dye kit from the drugstore. then, i applied a generous dose of atomic hairdye in the color blue velvet. we wrapped the bottom of her ponytail in several layers of aluminum foil and left it on overnight. rinse and wash the next morning. done!




Thursday, August 1, 2013

block island decorating

as you know from my previous posts, we have been decorating the block island vacation rental. here is a sneak peek of the living room and dining area. the view from this house is nothing less than spectacular, and it sleeps easily 6-8 people. there are still some weeks available in september/october.... email me if interested.