D.I.Y. Record Album Wall Art

This art project by Promise Tangeman is affordable, uncomplicated, and FABULOUS. Click here for the full tutorial.

Be sure to check out the rest of her site—thanks Jen for the recommendation!

Things to Come...

After a terribly long hiatus, I will be re-opening the Etsy Shop this week!! You can expect an update on July 1st, if all goes accordingly...

Can't wait for you all to see the new goods:)

soZealous for: TULLE

[Image credits: 1. weheartit. 2. Norman Parkinson Print. 3.Vogue Italia. 4.Harper's Bazaar. 5.yerinmok. 6.wastoldtheredbecake. 7.weheartit. 8.styletastic. 9.sagasig flickr. 10.Harper's Baazar. 11.csebastien. 12.pearlsandtea.]

Airstream Dreams & Purple Pencil Skirts

The Des Moines Art Festival took place this past weekend and I saw a good many inspiring pieces from both local & nationally recognized artists.

I especially enjoyed the work of Michael Bryant (Holga Photographer) and Cali Hobgood-Lemme (I featured one of her hand-colored photos for my most recent Best Of post).


Also at DMAF was a sweet little film troupe called Tiny Circus (from my hometown of Grinnell, IA) that shoot stop-motion shorts in Airstream trailers. Needless to say, I am quite enthralled by what they're doing (and maybe even more so with their Airstreams).

And now...two thing that cost me $3.00:


Purple pencil skirt from good ol' GW. Maybe you saw me shopping around in it down at Market Day Iowa, which was fantastic I might add! I got some vintage earrings, a typewriter pin, & an Arnold Palmer cupcake. Wow, indeed!!


My other $3.00 score was this 1957 Smith-Corona typewriter from an estate sale. Not only does it work, but it types in script lettering! Which is quite a rare find according to our online research...


Carrying case & instructions included. SO excited to start using it!!

Hope you had a lovely weekend as well xx

Best of the Week Vol. Forty-Two

1. At last...turn your handwriting into a font. Cost = ZERO DOLLARS.

2. 10 sources for design inspiration via Mashable.

3. The periodic table of crafty elements.

4. Expand your wardrobe without minimizing your wallet by throwing a clothing swap party with your friends. LET'S DO THIS!!

5. Prêt-à-Porter is a London cafe serving up sweets inspired by the fashion world. H&M made this video about it.

[Image by Cali Hobgood-Lemme, one of the featured artists at the Des Moines Arts Festival. I completely adored her minimal photos of vintage subjects. Simply captivating!]

Thought on a Friday // 06.25.10

If you are an art lover and in the Des Moines area this weekend, then you have an *awesome* couple of days ahead of you! Here's a few things to check out:

• The Des Moines Art Festival - Sure, there's a lot of people and you have to shuffle through scores of tents at a snail's pace, but at least go to check out the Iowa Emerging Artists booths. It's a treat to see all the local artists on the verge and by far is my favorite part of the fest.


• Market Day Iowa - This will be the first Market Day that I haven't been out of town or had to work, so I'm definitely looking forward to it. Featuring the best of the best in Iowa handmade arts AND crafts. Not "arts & crafts".

• Vitae Design Collective is hosting a trunk Show for Rock n Reconstruct & Little Pretties. Sale takes place this Sunday at their new location in the East Village from 1-4 p.m. There will be discounted merch & appetizers.

[Image credits: iamtough tumblr; Market Day Facebook page.]

Villa Moda

Hello, Bahrain! Or should I say, "Marhaba"? Villa Moda is a luxury chain of Middle Eastern department stores. This location was designed by Marcel Wanders.

Look close and you'll notice the mannequins have mirrors for faces.





Now, if only I knew how to say "fabulous" in arabic...

D.I.Y. Mid-Century Modern

How can I possibly sum this up in one blog post? I can't. But I am able point you in the direction of a couple sites/ tips devoted to my favorite decorating scheme of all time.

Achieving this classic look will always be a work in progress (and possibly a theme in future blog posts), but here goes...


Make It! Mid-Century Modern is the first issue in a series of downloadable D.I.Y. manuals by Curbly.

Featuring projects inspired by the likes of Eames, Mondrian, & Girard, the $9.99 price tag doesn't seem like much for 76 pages of instructions.

Go the even cheaper route by following Retro Renovation, where mid-century maven, Pam Kueber, gives tips that range from how to get smells out of a vintage sofa, to estate sale advice, to directing you where to buy original pieces or the best reproductions.

Hope you find those helpful!!

The Dress

Here it is! The dress I made from a 1967 McCall's pattern. It most certainly has it's imperfections, but I'm quite pleased for it being my first project!

I added the belt to give it less of a potato sack feel. The vintage hat & gloves give it a nice touch as well!

This is only the beginning...

soZealous for: SEQUINS

[Image credits: 1.funeralface. 2. blonde-redhead tumblr. 3.darlingletmego. 4.folkteeth. 5.Camberwell Illustration. 6.teenvogue. 7.allyzally. 8.anabundanceof. 9.vkontakte. 10.twinkletwinklelady 11.quietbeats. 12.infatuations tumblr.]

Happy Birthday Etsy!!

This past weekend marked the 5th year anniversary of Etsy! In celebration, craft parties were thrown around the globe, including our humble one in Des Moines, Iowa.

Carefree Patisserie blew us away with this INSANELY AWESOME cake, complete with a fondant hot-glue gun on top.







So many creative ladies in our midst!! Perhaps we should do this again sometime...??

Urbanestics & I would like to thank Carefree Patisserie, David Poyzer (photography), all of our guests including Hey! Jen Renee, Good Posture, & Island Canary.

Best of the Week Vol. Forty-One

1. Resort 2010 features retro-chic looks from Balenciaga, Marc Jacobs, and my favorite, Stella McCartney.

2. The 50 best apartment decor sites on the web.

3. 9 cool things to do with your twitter account.

4. Lifehacker lists the best places online to set up shop.

5. The theatrical trailer for Sofia Coppola's 4th full length movie, Somewhere, was released this week. It's been too long since the last time I've looked forward to a film this much!!