FoundVintageStyle/My New Etsy Store

A bevy of shoe clips from another era. Why did these stop being made?
I came across them at an estate sale and there was no question I had to have them for my new vintage shop.

They were just the vibe I was after. Fun, stylish and relevant to today's fashion mood. The kind of accessory you can interpret with your own flair.

How very Mad Men. That's what came to mind as I modeled these beauties on my shoes.

I don't feel like a 'grown up' most of the time. Sophistication? Well, in my own way, yes, but not in the getting all dressed up for an evening of socializing kind of way...

These little satin & rhinestone clips on my little black shoes however... strike just the right note. Not taking myself too seriously; classy but with a sense of playfulness...

This must be but a fleeting temptation to keep these enchanting clips for my own dress up fun...

See them for sale here foundvintagestyle.

Decorative Painting/2004

Although this is a job that I completed in 2004, this weekend was the first time I got to see the finished, installed result. I painted all these doors for this lovely country home in a downtown studio space in 2004. My talented husband built me a 'working frame' so I could more or less work on these as a whole in their ultimate installed configuration. (click on photos for more detail).
I had done some work for these clients before and knew they loved folk art. The idea was to make this bank of multiple storage cupboards a focal point within the open concept living space of their newly built country home. I incorporated aspects of their life such as family names, dog's name and illustration of him, date home was built and location etc. This lovely house will likely stay in the family over generations and having this bit of history painted into the decor was a meaningful and fun project for me to work on.
They had a large all day party to mark the end of summer on Saturday which my husband and I attended. A lively French-Canadian fiddle group played music into the evening on the deck and was lots of fun. It was also very satisfying to finally see the doors in their intended space.
Decorative painting was the type of work I had been doing for the past ten years or so. Somehow however, I gradually became more and more enchanted with textiles and less inspired by the paint medium. Possibly I needed to creatively shake things up in order to keep growing... My paints & brushes are now in storage and my sewing machine is out of storage... Funny how things evolve...

my favorite SHOES

Shoes. Not a very deep topic. As my friends and I get older however, shoes are becoming a mild fixation...

They can mirror our mood and if the mood is to be bold we have the confidence to pull it off. Shoe design today verges on art with the amazing shapes and fabrications available. They are a form of personal adornment & expression that contains an element of fun...

A new criteria... they must be make a statement stylish AND be comfortable... Now it is possible to have both, for a price. (I only shop at major sale time).

These turquoise suede wedge slingbacks are made by
thierry rabotin, a French designer who has developed a technique of shoe construction that allows you to wear them all day and still feel great!

Check out his website to learn more about his company. They work for me, I have about five pairs now and I just love the styling! Shoes and Purses... hmmm.... I'll save purses for another post...

My Craft Show Experience, Sept.2008

Here I am at the show. It was a great success in many ways for me even though the weather was less than perfect. On Saturday it was decent with lots of clouds but no real rain. Sunday it pretty well rained all day except for the last two hours. That 'put a damper' on sales for the Sunday. Saturday however was great and I made enough sales to be happy. It was so lovely to see so many people try things on and have them look good in them. So satisfying to know that the designs work! I now have some excellent new contacts with stores in areas I am not represented yet. Positive reactions overall for the uniqueness and artistry of my work...

To the left is a detail of my display that was constructed out of two CD shelves. I kid you not, I found four of these shelves on the curb a couple of months ago and had a feeling I could make something useful from them. They are simply from IKEA but the finish is very clean and neutral so they were a good backdrop. I staggered them one on top of the other and screwed them together. This allowed for a good height on both levels.

This was a lucky find. I was browsing through a housewares shop and saw this pillar candle holder on sale for $10. It is completely hinged and can stretch out to a straight formation (see in background of above photo) or can be pushed together to fit any space. The top area fits my cuffs perfectly and provides that ever important height needed for display. I bought two but perhaps I should pick up some more. My overall plan for my booth came out as I had visualized. The banner I had made at Kinko's was perfect; a subtly prominent branding of my logo. There was an airiness with the flowing gauzy curtains that billowed in the wind. I had made a vintage fabric flag garland that I was unsure how I would use. In the end it made sense to hang it from the outside on the edge of my tent so that people could find me easily amongst the sea of white tents!
The idea of placing a photo montage on the edge of my tent to draw people in worked as planned. They would almost walk by but then their eye would linger on the framed photos and they would often backtrack and come in. Ahhh... the fine art of merchandising!