Not exactly sewing...

... but I still want to give some airtime to the crochet project I finished today. I learned to crochet granny squares in 5th grade, but never learned anything beyond that and never learned the names for the stitches. The other day I was on etsy searching for a nice, cozy winter hat and I stumbled upon this pattern upload for a beginner level crochet newsboy cap. So, I paid for the download (a very reasonable $6) and trucked off to JoAnn for some yarn and hooks (sadly the locally owned yarn store has gone out of business). In almost no time I had made this! It is so far from being perfect, but I'm proud of my first non-granny-square crochet project and had to share! If you like crochet, or think you might want to learn, I highly recommend this project. Or, if you want to take the short cut, just buy one from Heidi's Hats!

Congratulations!

Today my bridal gown client is getting married! I hope she has a fantastic wedding and enjoys every minute of it! Here's a little teaser of the gown for you to enjoy!

A Night at Club Cicada

Last weekend, I celebrated my 30th birthday at Maxwell DeMille's Club Cicada in Cicada Restaurant on the ground floor of the Historic Oviatt Building in Downtown Los Angeles.

What a fantastic evening! Walking through the breathtaking lobby through the doors of the restaurant (manned by a fully uniformed doorman) is like taking a step back into time. Most patrons choose to dress in period clothing from the 1920s through the 1950s. From start to finish your visit is overseen by gracious waiters, a masterful bartender, and a host of other characters. The music for the evening was provided by Janet Klein and her Parlor Boys and was beyond delightful (you can even watch a webcast of the evening). It was, every bit of it, worth the rather expensive tab at the end of the evening. We topped it all off with a couple of traditional Paper Moon portraits. I think I'll make it a yearly tradition!

*Paper moon photos from the folks at Hobo's Vintage.

What I love on Etsy right now

This gorgeous neck piece from Big Frozen Melon

Almost too good to be true!

But it is true! Just in time for Halloween, the Los Angeles Opera Costume Shop is holding its first ever Costume Sale this Saturday, October 10 from 10am to 6pm. This is a Big Deal. This would be like Vera Wang throwing a yard sale in front of her Rodeo Drive boutique. As a former employee of the LA Opera Costume Shop, I can tell you firsthand that every piece is handcrafted and represents hours upon hours of skilled labor and talent. This is Couture, ladies and gentlemen. All available to you between $10 and $250 (with a few of the most special pieces going for up to $5000). This is not to be missed, even if you just go to take a gander at the amazing craftsmanship of these one-of-a-kind pieces. You will see me there at 10am sharp, and maybe I'll find something I made!

*Photo from the LAO production of Strauss' Der Rosenkavelier, designed by Gottfried Helnwein.

My First Halloween Costume

When I was about two years old, I got to dress up for Halloween for the first time and try out trick-or-treating. My mom dressed me as Buster Brown, an advertising icon from the early 1900s. Apparently I was not interested in the trick-or-treating, but perhaps this is where my life-long love of playing dress up and creating costumes was born.

Buster Brown was an excellent costume choice by my mom. It has the "cute" factor that you want for a young child's costume, it is simple enough that it can likely be recreated with pieces you already have at home, it is comfortable and (this is important in October in Colorado) it is warm. Those are all important considerations to make when selecting a costume for your children.

What was your first Halloween costume? What are your favorite memories from your youthful Halloweens?

Welcome to October, the month that ends with Halloween! For someone who loves costumes, Halloween is the greatest of Holidays! There are few things as exciting as planning and creating a memorable costume and then getting a chance to "be" someone or something else for a day. The candy's not too bad, either, but it is totally secondary to the costume! I would love to hear what my readers have in store for the big day this year!