Strauss Vintage Shoppe feature, promo & GIVEAWAY!

This week, I have a lovely shop to share with you all that I seriously cannot get enough of!  Before I even saw Candice of Strauss Vintage Shoppe, I knew that she had to be a woman of good taste.  Her shop is an eclectic mix of treasures she finds, fixes up, and curates, as well as items that she makes herself.  Seriously, she even teaches classes on how to make her gorgeous image transfers on wood.  Sign me up!

So today, we there were so many items in her shop I wanted to share with you all that I ended up including just a couple more pictures than normal.  Oops!  :)  You'll agree with me once you read through the rest of the interview below.

Then after the interview, enter to win a one of her gorgeous wood transfer images in the giveaway and check out the promo code to save 20% off of anything in her shop.  Let's get to it!

********************

Tell me a little bit about yourself!

Hi, my name is Candice Strauss, I live with my husband and daughter in Southern California, about 15 minutes from my childhood home, here in the San Gabriel Valley. My dad's in construction (and a life-long picker), and my mom is a true maker (crochet, sewing, & embroidery), so I spent my childhood neck deep in building, crafting, collecting, and treasure hunting.


Where did the name of your store come from?

I wanted something that represented who we are, and we are a family business. If you stop by any of my pop-up shops, you will most likely meet my dad, mom, daughter, or husband.

I couldn't do this without the support of my family. From my dad Johnny, who helps me cut wood and set-up my booths, to my husband Eric, whose man-cave is bit by bit becoming our warehouse, and my daughter Delilah, my fave junkin' companion, the whole family is part of the team. (Though Delilah finds it quite hard to part with a rare bottle or sweet vintage camera, both of which she collects.)

Why did you start making goods for Strauss Vintage Shoppe?

I'm someone who likes learning new art forms and techniques. I have an extensive “creative bucket list,” and last summer I finally learned how to transfer images onto wood. I loved the process! At first I was making them as gifts for friends and family, then I began receiving order requests, and the rest is history.


What is your favorite item?

Read More

Fleet Collection feature (& promo!)

*Update*  Fleet Collection is no longer, but keep up with Eileen's new venture at Apricity!

This week, I have a pretty Shop Small Saturday Showcase feature to share with you all!  Eileen and Lisa, the lovely ladies from Fleet Collection are sharing their gorgeous creations with us this week.  I just adore their classic style with retro details thrown in... dare I say, a bit of vintage zest?  You may remember that the first dress I ever sewed was an attempt at the style that the ladies so effortlessly exude.  Not only are they sharing insight into the creation of their fabulous frocks, they are treating my readers to 15% off their already wonderfully priced items!

Take a gander at the stunning offerings from Fleet Collection below and find out which are the girls'  favorite dresses... and with pockets too!

********************

Tell me a little bit about yourself!

Fleet Collection is the creation of two long time friends, Eileen Chai and Lisa Hsieh. I'm Lisa, my background is in art and fashion design, and Eileen is experienced in the business side of things. We both love fashion and together we design our entire collection which is sewn by a small production team in Downtown Los Angeles.


Why did you start making goods for Fleet Collection?

We started Fleet Collection after Eileen and I noticed that there was a lack of beautifully made clothing at affordable prices. As women leading busy lives in our late twenties, we wanted to offer pieces that were classic, chic and modern without costing upwards of $100. We started off with just a handful of styles and now we operate a full-scale online shop showcasing our original designs.

Where do you get the inspiration for your work?

Our inspiration comes from vintage fashion, art and everyday life. We understand that our customers are looking for clothing with a touch of vintage flair yet modernized so it's practical for the contemporary women today.


What is your favorite item?

Read More

Handmade Gift Feature, GIVEAWAY & Promo from Reclamation Dept.

I hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving!  Do you plan on heading out for Black Friday?  Well, if you do, I highly suggest that you spend a few minutes reading this great interview with Heather before heading out!  Both Heather and her sister Casey (who is modeling a few items in the pictures below) of Reclamation Department, are ridiculously talented and use my favorite kind of materials in much of their work: upcycled!  Not only are they repurposing, each of the materials has an awesome history.  Just read through the interview to find out about a few of them!

Not only do you get to see some of their creative items below, they are offering BOTH a giveaway of one of their awesome bags and a promo code for you, which is good until February 2014!

********************

Tell me a little bit about yourself!

My sister Casey and I (Heather Filbey) took over the Reclamation Dept in April of this year.  Our amazingly talented friends, Mychelle and Ben, started it in 2010, then passed the torch to “the Filbey Sisters” when they decided to go travel the world.  Ben built the vending cart from a vintage bicycle and reclaimed wood, Mychelle sewed fabulous purses out of reclaimed big-rig truck innertube rubber and together they established accounts, ran their Etsy shop and traveled to many different Art and Craft shows to peddle their wares.  Casey apprenticed under Mychelle and Ben for about a year, and I am a fashion design student with a lot of sewing experience, so when the couple decided they didn’t want to run the business any longer, it was a very clean transition.

Casey and I are best friends and we love working together.  We have very different personalities- Casey is much more free spirited and whimsical where I am more practical and business minded, but our strengths and weaknesses compliment each other and make for a well-rounded operation.

Where did the name of your store come from?

Mychelle and Ben had a warehouse workspace in the industrial area of Long Beach.  You would never know by looking at the outside of the building that there was this incredible art operation going on inside.  They started calling it the Reclamation Dept because it sounded so official, like they were in charge of some government operation to find ways to use the junk that is piling up in the landfills.


Why did you start making goods for Reclamation Dept?

Casey and I started making goods for Reclamation Dept when Mychelle and Ben left the country.  We were thrilled to have to opportunity to keep their vision alive and to build upon it in our own way.

What is your favorite item?

Read More

Weekly Wrap-Up: Pastry Overload!

I must say that for the last couple of weeks, it has been pretty quiet on the food front.  It is mostly because I have been cooking a lot at home and whipping up some pretty delicious recipes!  However, I'm back to my original form and there's more to add to my new blog!  Woo!

Precap:

• Activities: Estate sale, cooking hand pies!
• Eats: Porto's Bakery, Gen Korean BBQ, Cream Pan

Thursday

I had a yummy surprise waiting for me at home!  Mmm!  Read about these yummy pastries (and more) from Porto's Bakery right here!

Friday

I happened to see a sign for an estate sale and even though I knew that they would be around during the weekend, I decided to take a quick peek!  Is it strange that I love peeking through people's items?  I am doing it with appreciation for vintage items, so I like to think that I'm being respectful...

Anyways, I took only one picture before my phone died!  It's too bad because there was a BEAUTIFUL antique Singer sewing machine on a built-in desk with drawers that had been already sold for $90.  I did snap a pic of this funny little German board game!

I bought a couple of old Life magazines for my dad, two records for me, and a couple of wooden spools.  So cute!

I'm so glad that my record tote bag had just enough room to fit these two records.  I'm might just have to sew another one!

Saturday

On Saturday, I got together with my London and Paris travel buddy!  She helped me figure out my plans for the Mad About Plaid challenge and then we did a lot of chatting about different crafting ideas.  :)

Lastly, we made some handpies!

Read More

Vintage Pattern Jackpot?

Hi there!

Well, remember when I went to the swap meet and got all of those patterns for free?  Well, I thought that I would share the goods with you all, in case any of you were curious.  There are a lot more duds in this collection than treasures, for sure!  :)  The fabric finds were much more successful!

By the way, these are my first vintage patterns ever!  Then again, I suppose in 20 years, the patterns that I've been buying will be considered vintage.  :)  Also, I was hoping to find a little bit of history, like Tasia found in her patterns!


Let's start off with the favorites!

McCall's 6003, McCall's 2407, McCall's 7259, McCall's 6749

M6003: Rompers intrigue me since mimi g. showed her own pattern that looks cute and modern!
M2407: The only pattern I was going to initially buy was this apron pattern.  I love the envelope!  One day, if I ever have a sewing room, I think I'll frame it on the wall.  :)
M7259: This envelope is cute too, so it's hard for me to focus on the actual garments.  :)
M6749: Maybe view D or E would cute in the right fabric?


On the flip side, here are possibly the worst patterns of the bunch.

McCall's 8012, McCall's 7715, McCall's 8896, Simplicity 9052, McCall's 8028

M8012: What adult needs overalls?  Assuming you're not a farmer, of course.
M7715: Not only is the shirt a boxy shape, it seems to be a strange midriff length too...
M8896: The styling and fabrics are HORRENDOUS!  I lived through the 1980s (although I was little) and I probably had an outfit similar to the girl doing the "I'm a Little Teapot" pose in the front.
S9052: I can't get past the fact that these look like cheesy boxers.
M8028: Not even a professional model can look good in this one.


Here are some children's patterns, which I won't need anytime soon, but I'll hold on to.  Look how cute some of the vintage envelopes are!

Read More

Weekly Wrap-Up: a class, a concert, a night out, and LOTS of food

I'm writing this while being completely under the weather.  The only thing I want right now is a box of tissues by my side, but at least I can revel in the last week of adventures that I had.  :)


Precap (jump to):

• Sights:  Serger Class, Antique Shopping, Owl City/Neon Trees/Maroon 5 concert, night out in L.A.
• Eats:  Blackbird Cafe, Brite Spot, Pizza & Pie sampling, Number Nine, St. Patrick's Day party

Friday

I know that last week I promised pictures from my serger class.  However, even though I had an easy time figuring out how to get the machine threaded and tensions perfect during the first class...  It was IMPOSSIBLE this time!  Basically, I ended up showing up late, forgot all of my supplies, and only had enough time to thread the machine and cut out the pattern.  Total fail!

Afterwards, my friend and I had lunch at the Blackbird Cafe.  I had a delicious veggie sandwich and lentil soup.  I was so hungry, and it hit the spot!

Then, for dessert, the Tropical French Toast.  It looks crazy and really was perfect with the coconut coating.

Afterwards, we went to a couple of antique shops to just browse.  I did bring home one of the cute birds below.  :)

Read More

A Study in Fuschia - Sherlock Holmes' Pink Cape

Remember the cape that I made for my friend's winter wedding?  It was simplified from Simplicity 2285 (the irony!).  I removed the gunflaps, omitted all of the buttons, and removed the confusing pocket/hole detail (more on that later).

For the complete version of this cape, I found a really interesting fabric at the swap meet ($2/yard), which I thought would be fabulous!  Remember last week when I asked for some advice on button choice?  Well I ended up going with the fabric buttons, which were about 50 cents total.

Here's the final result!

Overall, I'm feeling just okay with the results.  Why?  First of all, it's a pretty bold piece and it kind of scares me!  Second, I accidentally put on one of the gunflaps the wrong way...  Oops, but it's actually difficult to tell in real life!  Third, it was such difficult fabric to work with that I still have some ill feelings towards it.  Not fair I know, but I can't help it!  The fabric shredded up like crazy.  Not fraying, but the fibers completely pulled apart like monkey bread!

Fourth, these pockets almost sucked the life out of me.  I couldn't figure out how they worked because I haven't done welt pockets before, which would have been helpful.  The most annoying part to figure out was the diagram that showed the hole that you leave for your hands to poke through.  I definitely stitched once and ripped twice and possibly more times than that...

A peek inside the pocket/hole combination...

Fifth, I feel like it's a little overwhelming for my frame since I'm so short, but maybe I just feel that way because of the bold print.  Lastly, the weather here has certainly warmed up to the 70s and 80s, so I probably can't wear this until next fall!  Boo.

Enough complaining!  Here are a few things that I actually love about the cape.  The gun flaps (or storm flaps)!  I didn't know they even had a name, but I think they're awesome looking.

Read More

Weekly Wrap-Up: Food, Fabric and Fun (in a stick-shift car)!

This week, I ate a lot (per usual), bought fabric at the swap meet (yay!), learned how to drive stick shift (finally!), and was a very good consumer by visiting a shopping mall (yet again).

Precap: (I thought I just made this word up, but I didn't!)

• Sights: Gushi, Spaghettini, The Attic
• Eats: Swap meet finds, learning stick shift, crafting with a friend, shopping errands for Europe!

Wednesday

I found myself in my old college neighborhood just before 10 pm, and I couldn't resist grabbing some food for a late night dinner/next day's lunch.  Gushi is probably the most hole in the wall place that you could ever find.  Strictly a plastic chair kind of place where you order from a window that's practically on the sidewalk.

The kitchen is tiny, the seating area is tiny, the parking is nonexistent, and the food is enormous!

There's a reason why they stay in business even when college kids are fickle and could easily deem a place "over."  It seriously looks the same and tastes the same, but costs about twice as much.  Totally worth it for a bit of nostalgia!

Side note: While I was waiting for my food, the police handcuffed a rowdy homeless man who was bothering the college kids.  That's L.A. for you!  They looked so young and scared when they cleared us out of the area, it made me feel super old compared to them because I didn't bat an eye.  Ah, youth and innocence...

Friday

It was the end of a very tiring week, so the whole family headed out to dinner at Spaghettini.  For some reason, I hadn't eaten lunch and I was famished.  I had a delicious Cioppino to start.  My man said it was the best he's ever had!

Other people at the table had Calamari and Sweet potato fries as appetizers.  Yum!

Read More

Weekly Wrap-Up: Valentine's Dinner, Anthropologie, Deals & Patterns!

Finally a normal weekend!  It seems that as soon as I started these weekly wrap-ups, my life started to get more interesting!

Book events, celebrity run-ins (here and here), sporting events, concerts, trying out new sports, restaurants (1,2,3,4,5), warehouse sales, exploring around town, trips to New York and Nashville, planning a huge trip to Europe, and about a million donuts (1,2,3,4)!

Luckily, life is back to normal with just a few fun things along the way.  This week, the high points were Valentine's dinner with my man, shopping (Anthropologie, Off 5th, Banana Republic Factory), buying fun food items at Mitsuwa marketplace, cooking up three new recipes, pattern shopping, and getting a big chunk of travel planning done.

Wednesday

Valentine's Day was casual for my guy and me.  We decided that it is crazy to fight for a reservation at a fancy restaurant and be surrounded by tons of people who are doing the exact same thing, all in the name of a holiday that can tend to get out of control with decor, food, etc.  I'm not saying I'd turn away a pink cupcake though...

We went to Simmzy's, which I went to about a month ago for the first time.

To start we shared the Goat Cheese Tapas which doesn't look like much, but it was perfect!  Goat cheese with apricots and honey!  I'm in.  :)  I was majorly hungry and barely saved any for my guy, but then again he had his beer flight!

I got their Simmzy's Burger and added roasted Shiitakes.  So yummy!

The close-up shows off all the amazing goodies stuffed inside!

Read More

New Beginnings!

My first post of the year and ever!  Very exciting stuff.  :)

Not having kept a blog before, I'm not sure what the first post really should convey.  However, I'm sure there will be many growing pains before I get the hang of it.

Having googled the phrase "what to include in a first blog post," I was inundated with all kinds of advice from format, to content, and advertisement advice.  I'm pretty sure that this blog will be read by just a few close friends, so I've nixed the idea of the "perfect blog post."

So who am I?

Read More