Trash into Treasure, literally (Part 1)

So every year hundreds of crafty, fashiony San Franciscans congregate in Civic Center for a great cause: St. Vincent De Paul's Discarded to Divine auction and fashion show.
What's that, you ask?
Well, anyone with a creative bent is invited to come try their hand at turning the cast-offs from St. Vincent's clothing donation bins into beautiful, recycled fashion which is then auctioned off, with the proceeds going to help St. Vinny's fund their homeless outreach programs.
Awesome, right? It's so awesome that I sent poor Anne into the sketchiest part of Civic Center at 7 am to pick and choose clothing for me to remake, and she gamely returned with some serious trash that had huge potential.
After creating your garment, accessory, etc., St. Vinny's asks that you photograph it and include any sketches, production shots, process shots, etc. to illustrate your genius and fabulosity for the judging committee. The winners in each category are those peeps who put major effort into creating something awesome and gorgeous. This competition is such a big deal that companies like Jessica McClintock are invited to create a special auction piece, and FIDM holds semester-long classes devoted entirely to the creation of D2D entries. The contest is sponsored by mega-companies like Gensler, the Gap, Levis, and Macys and culminates in a tent show, silent auction, and cocktail party for an intimate gathering of about 500.
Oh, and the best part? First they hang everyone's entries at the De Young. I had a piece of art hang in the De Young, and I didn't even have to sneak it in! When am I ever going to be able to say that again, huh?

So I'm posting these humungo pictures of my entry on Flickr from start to finish so you can see that I tried. If I had known how much work some people put into their entries though (the people's choice winner made a corset out of a leather suitcase, because she is rad like that)I would have really pulled out all the stops. Next year, it's on. Friendly competition my butt.

Anyway, I will post more about this event (plus my pics of the fashion show) but you should really check out the website here: http://www.svdp-sf.org/DISCARDED/index.html

Kiss me Once, Kiss me Twice

It's been a long, long time since I updated this bad boy, huh?
Sorry about that.
Today I'm super-happy because I finally got pictures of the wedding dress that I made last year and the bride looks so happy and pretty and awesome that I have to share at least one of them:
I'm also, of course, beyond ECSTATIC about CA legalizing gay marriage yesterday. Well, at least provisionally anyway, but it's legal for now, so let's celebrate! Any soon to be brides out there, contact me and let's chat! :)

I've been up to all sorts of things lately, and now that the Craft Congress is over (Whew! That was amazing. I will have to make another post about it), I have to focus on getting ready for Capsule next week (yipes!) and finish up the orders from the custom dress party I held last week.
Wait, you didn't know?
Yes, ladies (or whoever), if you live in the SF Bay area, you too can have Ms. Mignonette come to your house and design gorgeous pieces just for you. If you're interested, just email me!

Holiday Fair mayhem

Nearly forgot!

If you're in the San Francisco area and want to get your paws on some amazing Mignonette bargains for the holidays, I will be making appearances at the following events:

Even More Bazaar
Saturday, December 1 and Sunday, December 2
2 pm - 11 pm (Art show opening in the evening, with DJ's & bar)

Indie Mart

Sunday, December 9, 12-5 PM, 12 Galaxies Bar on Mission by 22nd Street

Indie Wrap Up at the Craft Gym

5-11 pm

1452 Bush St (between Van Ness & Polk) in San Francisco

IPride
3rd Annual Sparkl* Holiday Family Craft Celebration

Saturday, December 15, 2007, 11AM - 4PM
2436 Sacramento Street, Berkeley, CA

Jewelry from local artisans * Art from around the world * Prizes * Homemade holiday treats * Creative wearables * Raffle * Face painting * Kids crafts projects * Refreshments * Silent bidding on handcrafted children's books with multiracial themes.

California, here I come

Well, okay, we've actually been here for almost two months, waaaaay too swamped to get anything posted on here, and with barely enough time to breathe. In fact, since I started at Mervyns in September, I haven't had time to do much of anything, not even unpack, so whenever I get wicked stressed out I take a look at this pic, which is currently my screen saver at work. It is my friend Ann's kitty Lester sitting on her boyfriend's head. I don't know why this picture is so funny but there's something about it that just cheers me up every time I see it, so I hope you will also get a kick out of it!

Yay! A little bloggy love on a Friday afternoon

Hooray!

Today is my girlfriend's 30th birthday,and the countdown begins for the big move - just one more week and we're out! I'm super-frazzled, so I was quite pleased to open my inbox just now and find the following kind words about La Mode D'Indie from Lola of the Lola Collection. Rockin'!
Check it out or just look here:

My friend Kristin Eno of Pixie Petals and Halflight at etsy has turned me on to a great blog. Run by Kpoene of Miss Mignonette on etsy, La Mode D'indie is a wealth of information not only about Kpoene's wonderful work and design, but of other fine designers as well. I love her style of writing, fun and entertaining...you really get the sense that you are sitting down and chatting with her.

If you are on the lookout for a new favorite jewelry designer, some fresh stationary, or a one of a kind piece to complete your Saturday night date outfit, I strongly suggest checking out this blog.

Cheers!

Lola

Pretty Pretty - Witty Workshop

It is an unfortunate fact that with the advent of email and texting people have lost the ability to write a simple, heartfelt note. Gone are the days when calligraphy was a common skill and every woman worth her weight in white gloves and suede pumps kept monogrammed notepaper as a matter of course.

Alas, these days you're lucky if you get a thank-you note after a job interview, so what's an old-fashioned gal to do when she wants to say something heartfelt without the aid of a keyboard?

As often happens in those situations where life feels increasingly hasty, shallow, and filled with honking horns, a gentle arbiter of taste and style has come to the rescue: Witty Workshop!



Montreal's Valerie Parizeault has created Witty Workshop, a line of beautifully illustrated notecards, stationery, drawings, prints, and even sticker sets that feature the kind of idyllic scenes - tea parties, carousel rides, and introspective moments- that make me long for an endless vacation in the Jardin du Luxembourg, or at least a sunny Saturday at the Cloisters.

A connoisseur of all things indie, Valerie draws on nature, children, and unabashed whimsy to create her pieces, transmits it all to the canvas of her Mac, and then shares it with us.

She has the unique ability to capture private moments and infuse them with a quiet sense of magic, or to capture truly magical moments and make them outstanding. An artist and graphic designer by trade, Valerie will work with you to create custom images - personalied stationery anyone? What about your own logo?
As for her line of preprinted cards, even if your idea of a perfect childhood doesn't involve wearing white pinafores and giant hairbows, you'll be inspired to send one of Witty Workshop's glamorous ladies or soothing, gorgeous collages (check out "I Was Meant To Love You") to remind your friends, lovers, and others that the best way to reach out and touch someone is to simply say "Thinking of You". Check out the world of Witty Workshop on Etsy and you'll soon learn to appreciate the pleasures of the written word.

Check Out Eutectic

Even though we New Yorkers like to think we've got the last word on good design, every once in awhile a crafter will pop up and surprise us, someone who's got the look, spirit and vision we've been waiting for, and might have seen earlier if we hadn't been so busy gazing into our navels (aka the stretch of Mulberry between Houston and Canal).

Luckily for me, my prayers to discover someone with talent outside of the Triborough Bridge environs were answered by the likes of Eutectic, the singularly incredible jewelry line from Houston native Stevie Ballow, who is also one of the minds behind Rara Avis.

Eutectic draws not only on the oft-referenced triumvirate of "art, architecture, and other people" for inspiration, but also gets a boost from Stevie's background in biomedical engineering, a trait which pops up mostly in the spare, quieter pieces of the collection.
What's even more surprising than a penchant for science is the way Stevie uses gems and metals like paint, mixing syma curves (also known to architecture buffs as "the line of beauty"), riotous colors, and tiny semiprecious gems jagged as paving stones into her designs to create a kind of wearable masterpiece.
Though Eutectic has enough mouthwatering goodies to keep any fashionista happy, the "Day + Night" collection is by far my favorite, boasting intricately Earthy shapes that make me think of Talitha Getty on a Morrocan rooftop, or long summers in Ibiza wearing nothing but bikinis and long, flowing skirts. Among other reasons why I'm glad my cat is peacefully sleeping on my wallet are these Chandelier Earrings with quartz and labradorite, priced at an unbelievably low $116.
By mixing gold and silver elements with stones, chains, and found objects, Stevie has managed to find the perfect balance between art and design or, as she puts it on the Eutectic website, between "balance and uniformity".

Luckily for us, Stevie has developed something of a magpie's approach to creating her pieces, hunting and gathering to find the perfect mix, and then injecting a healthy dose of humor into the elevated art of her creations,
such as the Rosary-style necklace with onyx and white turquoise, which would be equally perfect on Kate Hudson in Vogue, or on me as I continue my far-flung journey for the perfect pointy black flat. I think this necklace would be divine with jeans and a simple but well-fitted tee, or for adding an edge to a flowy dress and boots. Like all of the other pieces in the Eutectic collection, it is witty and charming without trying too hard, and it is interesting without being self-conscious. Kind of like you, perhaps?

Visit Stevie here and see for yourself.