"She is too fond of books and it has turned her brain." –Louisa May Alcott
Today might be Small Business Saturday, but you can support small businesses every day, in your neighborhood and online. There are so many small businesses out there, selling so many different kinds of wares–but sometimes, they can get buried under the big businesses’ SEO and ad budgets. So today I’m highlighting a few small businesses I admire to help you find the perfect gift for those you love.
Continue reading “Shop Small: Finding Gifts for Readers and Writers”
Hello, Dear Readers! Just wanted to clue you in that now through the end of November, I’m running a major sale on all my Etsy printables: 50% off, no minimum purchase! These make great holiday cards, e-cards, or wall hangings. And because I love my readers so much, I’m including a free printable right here. Save the image above and/or download the PDF:
I’m going to go ahead and say (without much real knowledge of the fashion world at all) that brooches are coming back. Maybe they are back and I’m just out of the loop. They’re selling them at Banana Republic and they’re all over Etsy. They seem to me like the perfect accessory, especially with the popularity of clothing lines like Modcloth that deal in a more vintage aesthetic. While necklaces fall into necklines or get hidden by scarves, brooches stay firmly pinned in place. Continue reading “Bringing Brooches Back”
What does your little one want to be for Halloween?
I just listed this adorable fairy costume on Etsy, inspired by some prints my daughter has in her room of various flower fairies. I just thought that the shape of daisy petals lent itself to making wings, and it really does. See?
So I took some wire and some plastic and tulle and fabric and yarn and ribbon and made some wings.
But that’s a lot of materials and you might not want to go through the trouble considering how easily you can buy a pair of wings. But you know what I’ve noticed is missing from a lot of fairy costumes?
A wand. Continue reading “How to Make a Drinking Straw Fairy Wand”
I finally got on Instagram. Continue reading “Instagram and Other Addictions”
You might remember (because it wasn’t that long ago) that I recently decided to start dressing for myself, meaning I’d wear what I wanted to wear and not was was expected/practical and a mommy. This decision sort of led me on a journey–a journey to my sewing machine, which led to the fabric store (quite a few times), and to the boxes of old clothes in my garage, and then to a realization:
I love clothing.
It seems like something I’d know about myself, right? But, never having had a model’s body, I’ve mostly considered beautiful clothes to be something for beautiful people, but not for me.
But my kids are beautiful. So I thought I’d make them a few things.
The boy loved it. I mean LOVED it. He’s been so excited to see what Mommy can put together, and he’s wanted to wear it all (even the stuff meant for his sister). His sister, on the other hand, has been less than enthusiastic. I can’t even get her to wear a skirt I made out of Paw Patrol fabric, and Paw Patrol is her number one favorite thing in the world except maybe shoes or the color pink. I’m trying not to take it personally and chalking it up to her recent hatred of skirts.
Anyway, I learned that I love to sew, too. It’s like baking, but without the calories. And I took to it pretty quickly. So I went into production.
I started adding little pieces of clothing to my Etsy store, The Sensitive, Bookish Type, even though they seemed out of place with my books and drawings.
And then I went to the estate sale of a man who owned more clothing than a Men’s Wearhouse. Beautiful things. Well-kept things. Kitschy things. I was so tickled at the prospect of buying these clothes, either to sell them, wear them, or make something out o them, that I realized: I had to start a second Etsy shop. I wanted to start selling clothes.
So I’ve started an Etsy shop, and named it after my favorite song from the eighties/early nineties–my style icon since I was in elementary school. I’ve sewn a few things, purchased a few things, and painted a few things. I’m really enjoying it.
So here it is! I’d love to know what you think.
The Sensitive, Bookish Type 