My newest venture - Outrageous Dog

Some of you have been wondering where I have been lately and this mysterious new venture I keep mentioning. As the official website launch is less than a month out now I feel like it's time to give you a sneak peek. My aunt and a good friend of hers have started a new business specializing in wearable art for dogs that are so pretty, you'll want to borrow them. They invited me on board and for over a month now we have been busy bees working on prototypes, nailing our market down and starting to establish our web presence. Tomorrow I will be off to Michigan for 5 days of sewing, brain storming and on Saturday to network at a dog show.

Along with a ready-made line of bridal, puppy and other specialty collars we will be holding Signature Sunday sales that feature one of a kind luxury collars like the one pictured here (featuring high quality hand-cut and sculpted flowers, guinea fowl feathers, mustard deer skin leather and velvet ribbon).


I'll have more photos and links to the official website when it launches at the beginning of April. Check back for more updates and pretty collars!

"Greetings" from lace-land!

I've been busy busy busy with a new project I will be happy to announce once things are a bit more ironed out. I will tell you I find myself swimming in a sea of lace, pearls and fabric these days. Today I set out to make a mountain for lace rosettes and spread out in the kitchen. It all looked so pretty I had to stop and take some photos.

Don't mind my Sweethearts (they were on sale yesterday), palm and laptop. A girl has got to stay in touch and have something sweet to snack on while she works, right? Here are a couple more...

Look what I got for Valentines Day...

My wonderful, one-of-a-kind husband outdid himself this year. After we discovered this squirrel pair in Sleepy King's shop awhile back he came back to my favorites and snapped up a pair before they were gone. Their names are Bon-Bon and Belchick and they now live on our bed when we're not in it. I love them.

Vintage Brass Letterpress Necklace by GwenDelicious

Just got my vintage letterpress necklace in brass from GwenDelicious after seeing them in the voter. Not only did it get here in no time at all, but it is so gorgeous! It's the first thing I own with my new initials (not to mention LF can ALSO stand for Lost & Fawned).

Check out the rest of the beautiful pieces over at her shop.

Hearts for Haiti Picks

Map to my Heart Paper Garland by paperacorn for $10.

About once a day I like to go through the new handmade items listed on Hearts for Haiti. There are SO many gorgeous pieces and SO many new items listed everyday it's hard to not give. All proceeds from donated items go to Doctors Without Borders and the shop has raised $29,237.80 (after fees) as of yesterday!

They still have plenty of amazing items left and are still taking donations. So if you have some time or need to pick up a gift for someone, go on over to HeartsforHaiti and peruse the items. Bonus: all the artists have donated free shipping as well!

Here are my top picks from the current listings:

Strands of Rouge by poppyswickedgarden for $10.

Zinnia Necklace by kriya for $30.

Sterling Silver Heart Earrings by brightsmith for $16.

Red Raven Studios - Jewelry for Haiti Relief

After seeing them in an etsy feature about shops selling for Haiti relief I fell in love with Red Raven Studio's porcelain earrings. Amy selects the most gorgeous vintage ceramic decals and artfully fires time to crisp white porcelain to create beautiful earrings, brooches, pendants and buttons. Every piece is a little different and until the 31st 100% (that's right! ONE HUNDRED PERCENT) of the proceeds from her etsy shop will go directly to UNICEF's Haiti Relief Fund.

This morning I picked up the In Flight earrings pictured above for myself. She has so many gorgeous sets though it was hard to choose. Here are some others I was considering (and may have to go back for eventually).


Stop by her etsy shop before the 31st and help her raise money for Haiti relief (and treat yourself to something pretty at the same time).

DIY - Vintage Plate Wall Clock

I finally got around to finishing some projects up today that I've been wanting to do for awhile. A couple years ago I got this vintage plate at a thrift store for 30 cents. I loved the folk inspired farm scene and lovely yellow color. I used it to hold keys in my dorm and decided I wanted to find a more useful purpose for it.

I got out my handy Dremmel and bought a ceramic and glass drill bit for it at Lowes for a couple dollars. Picked up a clock motion at Walmart for $6 and once I found the center of the plate it just took a few minutes of drilling and screwing the motion into place and voila! I have a wall clock! Here are a couple more photos:


If you have any questions regarding this project, feel free to post them and I would be happy to update with the answers.

Treasury Feature - Fit for a Princess

I am fortunate enough to be included in this gorgeous treasury this week. I love these icy shades of princess pink. If you have a second head over to the treasury and leave some love for the artists and wonderful curator TheVintagePatisserie who also has a beautiful shop.

Featured:

• Madeleine Earrings by Lost & Fawned ON SALE
• Your Ghost by Elle Moss
• Bubblegum Pink Recycled Glass Necklace by Glitz Glitter
• The Rose Collection by Tied Up Memories
• Vintage Bottle of Pink Farley's Sugar by Sugar & Meringue
• Crown & Cloud Necklace by Green HEATH Treasures
• Oh Deer Shabby Chic Necklace by Wickedly Good
• Crafter Embroidery Art by I'm From the Woods
• Vintage Pink Melmac Coffee Cups by Skinny & Bernie
• Pink Daisy Pyrex Casserole by Betty's Kitchen
• Splendid South Carolina Necklace by Wooden Nickels
• Vintage Pink Romper by Hinterland Vintage

I'm going to try and feature more beautiful treasuries from now on. I've fallen in love with the whole idea and process and I think there are so many gorgeous and inspiring collections.

I'm living in this henley.

I ordered one of these henleys for a friend this Christmas and loved it so much I got one for myself in Asphalt. I'm practically living in it this January. I have my eye on some of the Blonde Peacock's cami and panty sets well. They came beautifully packaged and the print is so pretty. It's the perfect "cozy in the house" shirt with a pair of jeans or even just some yoga pants.

My new Rosetung Cowl

Today is the last day of the winter break sale at Rosetung's beautiful shop. I bought this gorgeous virgin wool cowl in pebble and I am in love. It is the warmest, most gorgeous cowl I've ever seen. I wear it around the house when I want to feel cozy and in the middle of this miserable Ohio winter it has kept my neck toasty warm when I run to the post office.

Additionally, she is so sweet and helpful. Help her clear out her stash before she has to travel back to school and buy one of her beautiful cowls! Check out her etsy store for all the amazing deals.

Numbers.

(Oriel Earrings in Rosy Pink from Lost & Fawned.)

Just wanted to do a quick little number post as things have been going well and and I have some milestones on the horizon...

• 101 Blog Followers: Thank you!
  
• 399 Twitter Followers: One more until 400!
  
• 179 Sales: 21 until 200 sales!
• 939 Shop Hearts: 61 until 1000!
  

Thanks to everyone who has supported me and Lost & Fawned. Lots of exciting things on the way! I love you all!

Lindsey

I want to learn to crochet for two reasons.

(Photos from Yvestown Blog.)

First I'm tempted by those adorable amigurumi animals I'm seeing everywhere right now. We just bought a giraffe for our niece. I was looking at amigurumi books last night on amazon and when I wake up this morning and check my feed I find this tutorial from Yvestown. It's a sign. I hear if you are bad a knitting, crocheting comes easier. Any personal experiences? Tips?

DIY Results - Felt Rosette Pillow

So I finished my felt rosette pillow I mentioned yesterday. It was very time consuming, and I ended up making the rosettes a bit more dense (probably used more like 80 circles instead of 60) but I love how it turned out. It was a nice project to do in front of the TV since it was so repetitive. I also added a pillow sham overlapped back instead of a zipper. I can't wait to put it on the lounge chair in my new studio. I may save this idea for a gift this Christmas for someone.

It probably took about 5 hours total and I worked at a leisure pace. I used vintage felt from an estate sale so the whole project cost me maybe $2.50 (including the DIY pillow form).

The tutorial can be found here and check out Kathleen from Twig's & Thistle's version here. If you give it a try I would LOVE to see how yours turn out!


I also didn't have a pillow form this size handy so I made one out of an old sheet and some stuffing. It turned out just as cute! Since the felt is so thick you can use a pattern underneath and it doesn't show through.

Today's Project: Felt Rosette Pillow

I saw this tutorial from Anne Kyrrö Quinn on Etsy's Storque awhile ago. It's a project featured in her fabulous book Felt Furnishings. I thought it was so beautiful and this morning when I woke up and check my feed I saw Kathleen of Twigs & Thistle's version and was inspired to give it a go myself. I happened to pick up a box of vintage felt at an estate sale a few weeks ago and just pulled out a lovely buttery yellow that will go beautifully with my new lamps I picked up this weekend. I think I'll modify it to be a sham rather than a zippered cover and I'm considering backing it with a pretty print.

I'll make sure to post photos when I finish! I've already got half of the rosettes cut out and hope to have those sewn on by the end of the day. I'll need to pick up a pillow form next weekend.

Coming to Lost & Fawned this winter - Clutches

Just wanted to you give you all a heads up! Coming this winter I will be adding framed clutches and other bags and sewn goods to the Lost & Fawned line! I'm so excited to finally put my love of fabric to good use! I've been stocking up on beautiful Heather Ross, Amy Butler, Joel Dewberry and vintage fabrics and perfecting my technique.

Ideally I would like to have them out by Christmas, but I think it's more likely you will start seeing them around the new year. I am so very excited to share this news with you all!

What do you do to get in a creative mood?

"My Muse" Photo by The Blue Balloon (aka winter_mitts on Twitter).

Last week I had one day where I was just struggling to get in a creative and productive mood. To remedy it I went and took a shower and put on some clean clothes. For some reason I just can't get down to business and really work if I feel gross or really frumpy. I started thinking about how funny it was that we all seem to have our quirks.

I tweeted about it and asked my followers to tell me what they do to get in a creative or productive mood. It was really interesting to see the responses roll in.

heartsabustin2
Get off the computer. ROFLOL

thriftonista
Taking a walk and just being in nature tends to be very inspiring. Or going to a museum or art gallery.

winter_mitts
Tea and music!

EdinaVintage
-I find watching TV really unproductive, so if it's on I always try to have something else to do with my itchy fingers!
-also, I never fail to be inspired by the awesome stuff other people create! Etsy is a mine of ideas and inspiration!

missHinterland
Definitely coffee and reading a few passages of poetry. Words always make me feel creative.

yourluckyduck
I look at color schemes, I browse brand name websites (gap, anthropologie, etc) for trendy items, I browse Etsy stores...

TheMissinThread
What helps me get in a creative mood is having my house all clean, then I can relax with a nice cup of coffee and create!

gogovivi
I turn on This American Life. Always works for me.

So what gets your creative juices flowing? Post it here in the response or tweet me about it! Next time I'm feeling like I'm in a creative slump I'll probably take a look at this list again and try some of these out.

Oh My Cavalier - By Julianna Swaney

I have a new favorite artist. For some reason her Victorian ladies and little creatures really speak to me. I love the subdued colors and the way she seems to combine simple almost child-like forms with really ornate costumes and floral motifs. PLUS she doesn't just turn her pieces into prints but also beautiful brooches and her little mechanical animals. Check out her beautiful etsy shop for more. I'm dying for one of her beautiful prints for my studio for Christmas.

Sweet Stocking Stuffers: Nostalgia Organics

A few days ago I stumbled on the sweetest little gift while browsing soaps on etsy. These adorable little bundles from Nostalgia are made with the end in mind. Not only is the packaging so cute and the soap scrumptious, but the label unfolds into a pattern for, in this case, the sweetest little strawberry pincushion that you make from the limited edition patterned bag! The pattern and fabric changes seasonally including a little chicken egg cozy and soft doggie.

The whole product is so thoughtful and well executed. The patterns seem simple enough I could give them to my non-crafty friends and family and they would still be able to create them. I know what I'll be giving as hostess gifts this year.

I may order some of these soaps just for the packaging and custom printed fabric. The lovely smelling soap is like icing on the cake! Just flawless. Did I mention they have beautiful tins of perfume balms and other soaps? Visit their shop, website or lovely blog for more information and pretty things!

New Treasury - Autumn Rose

Spent a little time this afternoon putting together a lovely autumn treasury featuring shades of rosy pink and ivory. I quite like this one though it was surprisingly difficult to find items in these colors that felt autumnal. I quite like the way it turned out though. If you have a second head on over here and give the artists some love.

Featured Artists:
1. Oh My Cavalier 2. Sea Pinks 3. Three Fish Shop 4. Emma Lynne 5. Sweet Petula 6. New Fashioned Whispers 7. Lunar Belle 8. Angelic Folk 9. Washimatta 10. Lynda Naranjo 11. Karlita 12. Imagine Art 7

New Lost & Fawned Pieces

Just wanted to let you all know I'm in the process of revamping the shop and I'll be including lots of new pieces over the course of the next couple weeks. I just finished these today and I just love them. Meet my Darling Marie earrings, which feature a vintage hand painted glass cameo with a portrait of Marie Antoinette.

Don't forget the free gift for the holidays! Make sure to check back for more new goodies at Lost & Fawned.