Florals for Craft Day

I know I should be ashamed of this, but sometimes I really miss the silly craft stores. Granted, the garment district is amazing and I'd take that over the rest any day, but sometimes I really need some soccer mom crafting supplies, and I've yet to find a store that covers all of those needs. Fabrics, trims, notions, art supplies - covered...general crafts, not so much. If you can think of any I should check out, please let me know. As of yesterday, I was unaware of such a place, so Bobby and I headed to Staten Island to hit up a regular old craft store. I knew I could depend on Staten Island to possess such a suburban staple. It's really odd how crossing the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge brings you into a totally different world.

Outfit details:
On me:
bow headband - forever 21
reconstructed house dress - thrifted in new york and reconstructed (obviously)
vintage sweater - beacon's closet
pink belt - thrifted in cape cod
vintage crochet gloves - antique flea market in park slope
pink tights - h&m
pink wedges - seychelles
pink vintage slip - from my mom
vintage purse - a gift from my little sister, Tessa

On him:
vintage hat - thrifted in cape cod
shirt, sweater, belt, shoes and probably jeans- h&m
tie - calvin klein


My makeup:
concealer
rimmel blush
MAC shimpagne skinfinish
MAC dipdown fluidline (brows)
MAC bare canvas paint (all over lid)
MAC golder's green pigment (inner lid and blended through crease)
UD acid rain e/s (in middle of lid)
MAC embarked e/s (outer lid)
MAC blitz and glitz fluidline (upper and lower lashline)
UD vert e/s over bottom liner
CG lash blast mascara
Clinique bamboo pink lipstick

-Keiko Lynn

Times Two

Due to my unexpected macbook hiatus, I have a few days of outfits that are waiting in the wings. I figured I would go ahead and share two of them, so I can catch up!




Outfit Details:
vintage jumper: thrifted and altered
vintage ruffled jabot blouse - thrifted
belt - thrifted
white tights - I can't remember
shoes - payless
vintage bag - gift from my mom
vintage beret - from my mom's shop (Hourglass Consignment in Margate, Fl)
obama pin and umbrella - NYC street vendors




Top - thrifted. I bought two identical ones - one will be going on the site!
jeans - forever 21
boots - from my mom's shop (Hourglass Consignment in Margate, Fl)
bag - gift from my mom
obama pin - nyc street vendor


-Keiko Lynn

Stranger's Nostalgia

I'm a sentimental soul; I have ages of greeting cards, drawings, letters and other little notions of affection that clutter my drawers and hide under my bed. It goes beyond that - I can't even get rid of old stuffed animals, for fear of hurting their feelings. Really, I'm just laying it all out there for you; I'm a little nutty. This is a contributing factor to two things: my love of all things vintage and antique, and my forever depleting storage solutions. 

Since my mom owns a consignment shop, she often acquires the full contents of an estate, after someone's passing or relocation. It's amazing to me, how many things people leave behind. I guess sometimes, it's just easier for the family to get rid of everything and move on. My mom has a huge box full of other people's photographs, that she couldn't bear to throw away. It just didn't seem right. For me, it's the clothing - especially the well loved vintage dresses, pressed and hanging in garment bags. You can always tell which ones really meant something, whether it's the professional tailoring, a written name on the tag, or just  the way it stands out among the house coats and slippers.

Two years ago, an elderly man came to my mom and told her that his wife died, and he couldn't live alone anymore. He said he wanted her to take it all, because his kids didn't want anything and he couldn't take it with him. It broke her heart; she said he was dying of heartache. My mom spent a long while sorting through their things, and gave me a bunch of her clothing to look through. Well, I donated some of the items and altered the rest, for my own wardrobe. That Valentines' Day dress was one of them, and this blazer is another (naturally, I changed them up quite a bit). I also have some skirts, dresses  and tops that I made out of some of their vintage linens, and a couple more dresses in my closet. I'd like to think that she'd get a kick out of a young gal like me getting use out of her old clothing. As for the rest, I'm sure my mom has found special homes for their tangible memories, and even kept a few for herself.

Outfit details:
(Excuse the wet hair; I showered shortly before the pictures.)

reconstructed vintage blazer - now you know
white floral tank - urban outfitters (a few years old)
shorts - urban outfitters
tights - no idea
orange heels - a gift from my mom, several years ago. I have them in teal, too...but I can't seem to find them.
kitty Vester - side of the road rescue

-Keiko

p.s. I'm curious - do you consider yourself sentimental? What do you have a hard time letting go of?
p.p.s. I got my Macbook back! The problem was what I hoped it was. It was having trouble booting up and needed the startup disk, which I don't have on hand. Everything is still there...which reminds me, I should back up right now.


p.p.p.s. This is mainly for Kim, but today was spent making headbands with my lovely intern, Catherine (click her name to check out her blog). We made over a dozen headbands!

Happiness or Whatever

An hour or so ago, I was in the middle of typing up a post about how gosh-darn happy I am, as of late, and how content I am with my life and the direction in which I'm going. And then my Macbook crashed...and now it won't start up, even in safe mode. It just gets stuck on the startup screen. So, I'm going to skip all of that stuff about how I'm over-the-moon-joyful, because the Apple Gods decided to rain on my parade and turn my stomach into tight little knots of worry. Why, oh why did I buy a first generation Macbook? If I lose all of my data, I'm going to scream...because just Thursday...THURSDAY...I tried backing up all of my photographs and it kept giving me an error message and I gave up. Right before I started updating this, I took out my external hard drive and plugged it in, with the intention to try again, after I finished the post. 

Seriously. How's that for a huge barrel of irony? Now, onto the happy pictures that are now completely irrelevant, because I'm scared out of my wits that I'm going to have to purchase a new computer right around tax time:

outfit details:

vintage paul stuart double breasted blazer

cheap $5 blouse

thrifted belt

Lux skirt (altered to fit; I also let out the hem a few inches...it was so short!)

h&m tights

payless booties

makeup details:

concealer

MAC petticoat skinfinish on cheeks

MAC dipdown fluidline and embarked e/s on brows

MAC bare canvas all over lid

MAC woodwinked all over lid

MAC embarked in crease and outer lid

MAC blitz and glitz fluidline

rimmel lip liner

MAC hug me lipstick

Cynical, worried me is really wanting to smack the happy, jumping, spinning around and smiling me right in the face! Keep your fingers crossed for me, gals and guys. I can't use Bobby's computer for work and I'm a little freaked out:(

-Keiko Lynn

Kriss Kross Will Make You

Jump, jump! (I just dated myself).

Bobby has been bugging me about posting the rest of our Valentines' Day pictures. He just wants to show off his jumping skills. I'd like to point out that I'm wearing heels (except when I kicked them off) and that automatically makes me the better jumper. He also just admitted that he was holding me down. He literally would hold my hand and push me down while he used me as leverage! Just sayin'.








-Keiko Lynn

Quick Change and Lucky Magazine Model Casting

I have several outfits that never made it to my blog...maybe I should do a compilation of the lost outfits, one day. I just have this habit of taking a picture of the outfit and forgetting to edit/upload it. I should probably work on that!

Anyway, here's a couple variations of one outfit, from the other day. The first is the original outfit, and the second is from when I had to run errands and decided to change into flats. My facial expression, however, is exactly the same!


My navy tights have a large run in them, thanks to my little kitty Lacy. Hence, the black tights. Not ideal, but I had to work with what was clean.


When I changed into flats, I changed the tights and belt and got rid of the necklace (which was eventually replaced with a scarf). Miku decided she wanted to be in the picture...how could I say no to such a perfect pup?

vintage dress, altered to fit and hemmed shorter - thrifted
vintage necklace - hourglass consignment in margate, florida
thrifted belt
target tights
nine west wedges
second picture's changes: thrifted belt and shoes, h&m tights

-Keiko Lynn

P.S. In reference to my Etsy post: Do any of you have Etsy shops? If so, leave a link, so I can check it out! If not, let me know some of your favorite Etsy sellers...if you're willing to give up that information;)

EDIT: I received an email from Gina at Lucky Magazine about a model casting, that they want me to post on my blog. Read on for more info:

Lucky magazine is looking for real girls with great style to appear in some upcoming projects in the magazine and beyond.

To qualify, upload your photo on luckystylespotter.com/join. As an added bonus, the first 100 new members who upload a photo this month will receive an iPod shuffle!

Don't have a picture (and live in the NY area)? Stop by our office to get your photo taken this Friday, February 20th or next Friday, February 27th. Email Gina_Bulla@condenast.com to schedule an appointment.


What is Lucky Style Spotter?
LuckyStyleSpotter.com is an online community where you can flaunt your individuality, share style tips, get expert advice from other fashion enthusiasts just like you. Plus, as a member you'll get exclusive offers and the opportunity to score free stuff for uploading photos and offering your opinion.

Hop to it, girls! You can be in Lucky Magazine!

Postlapsaria

I spent all of last night updating my site, and then completely forgot to tell anyone about it. Here is just a sampling of the new items I made. There's a lot more at the site.

Click here, to visit Postlapsaria!



-Keiko Lynn

Late Night Etsy Tendencies

I have this awful habit of browsing Etsy shops as five in the morning, after a long night of work. It starts out as an effort to wind down - I shower, browse some blogs and Etsy shops and eventually tire myself out. Sometimes, I'll pass out halfway through a paragraph. Others, such as tonight, I just click and click and click through hundreds of items, oohing and ahhing over all of the handmade and vintage goods that I shouldn't be purchasing right now. Here are just a few of my favorites:


This lovely little repurposed wallet, from Hoakon Helga. How freaking cute is that? At only $25, it's an absolute steal. She makes bags and wallets from old leather jackets. I love it!



This amazing blouse from Supayana. I want the hat, too!


And one last item, before my eyes fall out of my head (it's 6:11 AM) - this fringe necklace from Norwegian Wood. It's fantastic. It doesn't hurt that the girl modeling it is drop dead gorgeous.

If only I could afford to treat myself to a few things. But, I have a couple of vacations that I have to save up for and that means no excess spending until then. Curse this recession and my budgeted lifestyle! In the meantime, window shopping will have to suffice. Now, I just have to figure out how to keep it from affecting my sleepy time.

p.s. If you're already clicking around...check my Postlapsaria update! More on that, later. End of shameless plug.

And the winner is...

Farren! Congratulations!

Thank you to everyone who entered. Remember to check back, because we'll be doing a lot more giveaways!

Postlapsaria Giveaway!

As part of Catherine's Postlapsaria internship, I have been teaching her how to sew. We're starting off with small projects, such as hems, button holes and accessories. Last week, she made a few bow headbands, which I am offering to you! Today, I'm giving away a black and white houndstooth bow, secured to a fuchsia headband . For a chance to win, simply leave a comment on this post. I'll randomly pick and announce the winner at 8PM (Eastern) on Wednesday, February 18th. Good luck!




If you don't win, don't worry! There will be many more giveaways in the coming weeks.

-Keiko Lynn

Valentines' Day

I'm a sucker for holidays, no matter how commercialized they tend to be. Valentines' Day is about love, surely, but it's also a great excuse to eat candy and exchange little heart-shaped notes. What's not to love? Even when I was single (with exception to a few angsty high school years), I couldn't help but look forward to a day full of chocolates and heart-printed socks. After all, I always was the girl with pink and red braces. So, yes, I have a real Valentine this year...but love is just an added bonus to an already charming day.






We had a laid-back Valentines' Day, which was much appreciated. Bobby tried to make me breakfast in bed, but I still wasn't feeling too well, so I held out until lunch. We went to Song (Thai) for lunch, Junior's for cheesecake (to go) and later, we cooked a great dinner full of comfort foods - quiche, mashed potatoes and green bean casserole. Basically, lunch belonged to Bobby and dinner belonged to me. I love my comfort foods, and Bobby would eat curry every single day, if given the chance. It was a nice compromise.


On him:

vintage cardigan, altered to fit - thrifted
shirt - h&m
tie - Hourglass Consignment (my mom's shop)
jeans - target
boots - thrifted

On me:
red beret - flea market
red and black floral dress - reconstructed vintage housecoat. I took it in, gave it an elasticized waist, shortened the hem and banded the arm holes (I had to remove the sleeves because there was too much damage)
belt - thrifted
shirt underneath - Forever 21
textured tights - Gap
bow heels - Nine West


-Keiko Lynn


What did you do for Valentines' Day?

Sick Day

Today, I woke up feeling pretty awful. I ended up having to cancel with Catherine, which was unfortunate, since I had a lot of work for us to tend to! Oh well, I guess everyone is entitled to a sick day, now and then. After a few hours of feeling miserable and whining to my animals about it, I finally got dressed. I'm already feeling a little better and I'm looking forward to a lovely Valentines' Day. We plan on making dinner (comfort food!) and eating in, because the restaurants are just too crazy on this holiday. 

Outfit Details:
vintage beret - Hourglass Consignment (my mom's shop in Margate, FL)
dress - thrifted and altered (took it in, shortened the hem, brought up the shoulder seam and gave it short sleeves)
belt - thrifted
tights - had them since high school
bow heels - nine west

-Keiko Lynn

And a Keiko Post

...if it wasn't 12:48 AM, that would be two posts in one day. Close enough!

Remember when I said I had a rule about selling/donating a clothing item whenever I buy something new? Well, I haven't adhered to it. I did take several bags of clothing to Beacon's Closet and got a huge amount of credit, but it still seems as though I'm bringing in more than I'm taking out. I think I'll have to clean out the wardrobe and sell some of my things. It is getting out of hand! I don't shop at regular clothing stores, ever...I haven't even been to any since the holidays. But with my credit at Beacon's Closet and my weekly thrifting ritual, forget it. I'm running out of places to store things.


My little bow hat isn't as epic as Aretha's, but it will have to do.




Outfit Details:
vintage velvet bow hat - beacon's closet (free with credit)
vintage corduroy jacket - thrifted
old navy dress with pockets - from my sister
mustard tights - h&m
vintage heels - beacon's closet (also free with credit)

Back to work!

-Keiko Lynn

A Bobby Post

Since my wider lens is all but broken, I have to take most of my pictures outside, where there is enough room for my 50 mm. If you don't see me with a little remote, it's Bobby taking the picture (unless I'm in Florida - in that case, it's Tessa). I usually test the exposure, white balance and focus on Bobby, before handing my camera to him. They're usually just pictures of him standing in one spot, or candid pictures, like so:

I've gotten him into the burt's bees thing.


The other day, I was taking test shots of Bobby, when a guy from our neighborhood came up and said, "You want this picture to look good? Take it with a G."


So, I took it with a G. He posed for a few pictures, before continuing on his way.


In other Bobby news, he recently did another shoot with 4 Stroke Jeans. It's funny that he had no interest or experience in modeling, but this just fell into his lap. He made more than I make in a week, in one shoot. Plus, they give him so much free stuff, he practically has a new wardrobe. Maybe we should all consider changing our careers. Here are a few from the shoot, courtesy of Sean Blanco Photography and of course, 4 Stroke:







-Keiko Lynn

p.s. I cropped the last one, because it was huge and you couldn't see much of them when I resized it. Sorry, Sean - hope that's okay!