Blowin' in the Wind.

Okay, I could've come up with a better title than that, for sure. Just a short post to tell you that my S.O. has traveled south to build his own wind turbine. He's been planning on doing this for quite some time and had even gathered most of the materials necessary (stuff like crazy strong magnets), just never really had the consecutive days off in order to put the project together. If you're interested, he's posting updates on facebook and twitter. In related news, I finally caved and joined twitter.

Claw-Foot..

I adore the look of vintage cast-iron claw-foot bathtubs. We've been house shopping and any house that has one gets instant interest. Mark says to me the other day, "What's the big deal with claw-foot tubs?" I almost left him. No, but really.. what isn't to like about them when contrasting them to the ugly enclosed things we hide with shower curtains? In a perfectly aesthetic world we would not have bathtubs that looked like that. Or showers. *shudder* But there's a problem, vintage claw-foot tubs are pricey and not always easy to find. There is also the possibility that they're leaching lead. But today I found a ray of hope in my future bathtub renos: bathtubs like this. I don't particularly care for the overly geometric ones or the cubed variety. But the "ove"? Heaven. I'm sure they're not in the cheap category, but WORTH IT.

Dreaming of Austin...

There's something about Alberta that seems to be afraid of being different. This is evident in our housing most of all. I've been house shopping lately in the central Alberta area and it's been discouraging to find that all houses built after 1990 look the same (and most of the ones built in the 80's look like each other too) and that there are entire neighbourhoods built by the same developer. Did I mention developers don't have much imagination but alot of concern about the bottom line? Check. So for five days last week our office journeyed to Austin, Texas for the incomparable SXSW Interactive Festival (a "nerd conference" to those of you that are cooler than me), and the thing that struck me the most about the city (other than the concept of having moisture in the AIR that wasn't precipitation) was the ingenuity and imagination of the houses. We stayed in South Congress and were amazed to see no two houses the same, much less than next to each other in coordinating shades of beige. They don't know the meaning of beige in Austin. Awesome. We saw orange houses, avocado houses, blue houses and one house that was almost literally a rainbow (hippie artist house). We also saw cute little houses from the 50's next to cube-y modern gems from the 70's next to hobbit houses and houses than can barely be called houses (I want to use the term "shanty"). VARIETY, people!! A specific element that I saw and fell in love with was the fence next door: this horizontal slatted fenced that alternated with rectangles of frosted .. glass? (Probably not.. plexi maybe) In case it was modern, beautiful and seriously drool-worthy. Yes, I am talking about being in lust with a fence. I failed to get a real picture (curse you, hindsight!) but found something similar on Apartment Therapy, actually discussing fences in Austin.

Inspiration: Japanese Woodcuts & Dirty Dancing 2: Havana Nights

Over the last couple of weeks I've been freaking out over anything in the Japanese woodcut style... especially rich, vibrant colours and the illustration style that is so identifiably Japanese woodcut. In particular, these Cartolina collaged cards (second image) and this Marimekko desktop wallpaper (top).

Next week, I'll be vacationing in sunny Cabo San Lucas and this week I've been planning my wardrobe. In order to pack as lightly as possible, I've been trying to narrow down the things I'm bringing. "Packing light" enthusiasts usually talk about bringing alot of neutral-coloured clothes (beige, black, navy, etc.) so that you can mix and match easily. But I'm going to be in Mexico. Where the warm climate and the rich culture hardly go hand in hand with neutrals. My solution? Planning a wardrobe inspired by Dirty Dancing 2: Havana Nights. Set in the late 50's in Havana (obviously), Romola Garai's costumes were beautiful... and perfect for my trip. Brightly coloured sundresses, here I come.

Tiger in the house..

A new project-- veneer tiger. A couple months ago I posted about some veneer wall art and how I wanted to D-I myself. (DIY doesn't quite work there) Originally the plan was small animals and some bamboo like the image shown in the post. But Mark had larger ambitions... and we went from the google image on the top, to the magnificent beast below it.

Introduction to Wardrobe Refashion (copy)

Hello Everyone! My name's Nicole and I'm currently living in Edmonton, Alberta (Canada). I'm a graphic designer and an avid shopper. But no longer! Last spring I held a clothing swap and contributed 5 large garbage bags full of stuff. I recently realized that after a move this summer that I still haven't unpacked some clothing. And so enough is enough. I'm not an accomplished sewer (seamstress I suppose would be the real word) and actually I don't think I've done anything with a sewing machine in over 10 years, but I'm up for the challenge. I also taught myself to crochet (me and the internet that is) about 2 years ago and so I expect to finish some projects that I started ages ago and also try and diminish my growing yarn collection. I've signed up for 4 months and with all the amazing inspiring creations and refashions I see on this blog, I don't expect it to be nearly as hard as it's probably going to be. Guess we'll see.

Oh, I suppose this part is important- I have a friend who is interested in opening a store (boutique meets co-op) where everything being sold has been created from something already existed. Refashioned bliss! So if anyone is in the Alberta area and possibly interested in being involved, please drop me a line. Or if anyone knows of any shops that already do this, it would greatly help my research.

I'll be posting other projects of the interior design variety, more in-depth posts on the sewing projects, and links for my "to-do" list as well as various sustainable/green stuff I fall in love with on my blog here. (self-referential link!)

I will end with my first project in the works, I've started this and will be posting pics when I have something that looks like something. Happy refashioning!

Nicole

Wardrobe Refashion - 4 month pledge

I , Nicole, pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of "new" manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 4 months. I pledge that i shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract. I pledge that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovoated, recylcled, crafted or created item of clothing on the Wardrobe Refashion blog, so that others may share the joy that thy thriftyness brings! Signed, Nicole.

First official refashions.

Parachute Tank with Ribbons (tie at the shoulders to whatever length you desire).


Tube Top with ties in back, parachutes in front.

Pillowcase Tube Dress with empire waist (courtesy of ribbon) and screened parachutes.

Screenprinting goodness Part Deux

Well our screenprinting night o' fun was last night. and we screened to our heart's content. Here are some of the "finished" products (in quotations because I still plan on refashioning from them).





The pillowcases will become either sundresses or part of a patchwork totebag. The t-shirts: underwear as the link I posted earlier suggests.

I'll post pics when I have the final creations assembled.

Screenprinting goodness

Exciting event ahead which will hopefully get my butt into refashioning gear: Love Those Clothes You Wear , a SNAP fundraiser. Artists submitting wearables get 50% of the profits. Next tuesday me and some ladies are heading to SNAP to print some of our designs onto clothing (or fabric to become clothing). I will post pics of the results.

A project. That I did. Myself. Without inspiration or help.

Collaged tins have long been collecting themselves in my house. Tins are so handy! But often, sooooo ugly. And I tend to save things. Like clippings from magazines. And glorious amounts of random paper that has some intrinsic value (see: confessions of a packrat). And I usually have glue around the house, and if i'm lucky some shellac or varnish or other clear & glossy-drying coating. Clearly the natural evolution is to put them together. Like so. This one isn't varnished yet, but will be.

The secret I find to a good composition is not going overboard. Yes you have a million bits of paper. Try only using a few with coordinating colours. Also edges, very important- it's much easier to glue a straight edge onto the straight edge of the tin than ragged ones, where you might have to trim. Less work is more. Also, the numbers are vinyl ones I had from some sign thingy (someone was selling their car and gave me the leftover stickies).

On the To-Do List

An upcoming project?
Check out the site to see the inspiration:
Veneer Wall Decor
(and notice the costs of the kits which is more inspiring to DIY than anything)

I figure I'll need wood veneer, my trusty xacto and some type of re-stick adhesive. To Home Depot!

Another use for t-shirts

I recently purchased a book on how to make tshirts into various clothing items.. and now I am adding to the list of modified shirts, skirts and accessories: T-Shirt Underwear. By the way, if anyone wants to donate tshirts to the cause, please contact me!

The First Project - Pegboard Garden

I am living in a house and my landlord is pretty cool... enter awesome projects to make the house awesomer. Btw, Mark played a hugely instrumental role in this. I am the dreamer and he is the builder.

Project One: Pegboard Garden.
Date: June 17, 2007
Inspired by: http://silkfeltsoil.blogspot.com/2007/04/indoor-pegboard-garden.html

Project Time: including shopping at Home Depot for supplies? About 3 hours. Ish.

Approximate Cost: approximately $35 including hanger things and stuff like glue but not including plants, pots or other things hanging.

We decided to leave it white to coordinate with the white chairs, cabinets and appliances, and especially because the walls weren't white but a lovely pale green. The glass stars hanging in the middle were made by my mom, btw, yeah she's awesome. And the coloured pots on the right by Lindsay Ross, also awesome.

If anyone wants to know how we did it, just post a note and I'll put up the "instructions". I think it looks pretty awesome-- now we just need more plants!

Solar lighting

Perhaps I should also mention that I'll be collecting research (both practical and aesthetic) for sustainable off-grid living. This will be the hippie part of the blog with a designer's aesthetic. First find: Corona solar lighting solution. Awesome.

A Link! A Glorious Link!

This pretty much embodies my DIY spirit: Wardrobe Refashion Will officially join after tonight... when I head to the consumer mecca of *gasp* West Edmonton Mall. Don't hate me. I need to see an H&M before I die.

the inaugural post.

The lion is in the laundry. A fashion/craft blog to keep track of links I think are awesome, projects I have on the go, and who knows-- maybe the start of something more.