Lemons & Roses

Is Fashion on A Time Trip Back to the Fifties?

Lemons and Roses — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 09:00:31 +0000

I make jewelry and I try to figure out what people are looking for today and next year. I work with glass pressed beads, soldered metals, crystals, antiqued metals, steam punk, and glass and Scrabble® tile designs. I recently made several “retro snark” Scrabble tile pendants. (Scrabble was released to the public in 1949) I will let you see them soon. I found the following article by Ruth La Ferla in the New York Times Fashion & Style section and wonder what your thoughts are. Is 50s style going to be a trend soon?

Longing for No Nostalgia

By RUTH LA FERLA
The July issue of Vogue tried to tap into the mood of the hour with “Magnificent Obsession,” a fashion feature styled as a 1950s Technicolor melodrama, one replete with period-like headbands, swing skirts and skinny men’s ties. Vogue followed up in its current issue with “Classic Revival, a spread that showed off the sort of tightly structured handbags Grace Kelly favored in “Rear Window.”

The bland expressions, hyper-fastidious grooming and starchy frocks of the models were vividly in keeping with tirelessly calculated efforts by the fashion community to resurrect the decorum, apparent tidiness — and subterranean naughtiness — of Cheever country in the early 1960s.

Harper’s Bazaar scrambled onboard the nostalgia train with a July editorial that portrayed the actress Katherine Heigl trussed in snug-fitting dirndl dresses, the setting a flagstone patio that conjured the manicured environs of Darien, Conn.

W chimed in with “Sweet and Vicious,”featuring models tricked out as buxom debs, some with an evident wild streak. And a recent Louis Vuitton ad campaign highlighted pony-tailed young women wearing tight-waisted frocks straight out of the Eisenhower era.

Such reverent nods to the American midcentury are of course outgrowths of the “Mad Men” mania, as designers and marketers including Prada and Banana Republic attempt to hitch their fortunes to those of Don Draper and his highball-swilling cohort in the AMC hit television series set in the 1960s.

They are, their admirers insist, steeped in irony, riffs on the same idyllic — or subversive — themes that colored Douglas Sirk’s movies and, decades later, films like “American Beauty” and “Revolutionary Road.”

Lately though, such revivals seem shopworn — not to say mindlessly literal. Where, after all, is the irony in pushing replicas of grandma’s twin sets, camel’s hair coats and crinolines on a generation bred on loose-fitting T-shirts, denim and cyberworld tints?

Such interpretations amount to little more than “mimicry,” said Zane Mackin, a graduate student at Columbia University whom I was talking to the other evening. Sure, they’re nostalgic, Mr. Mackin said, as he flipped through the August W — but more than a little out of touch. Mr. Mackin is a rabid fan of period films like “Chariots of Fire,” with its Edwardian tennis sweaters and collegiana. “From a fashion perspective, that movie was great,” Mr. Mackin said. “But I would never wear those clothes. I’d be a cartoon.”

Why Do Gay People Get The Rainbow?

Lemons and Roses — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 22:47:54 +0000

First of all, I don’t want to start off by saying “I have gay friends, why some of my best friends are gay”. That would not be the truth. Not because I don’t like gay people, but mostly because I don’t have many friends. Probably because people are afraid to be around such an inflammatory person – inflammatory thoughts, deeds, responses, and I am mostly a vegetarian, eat lots of bean products, am frequently fired up and full of hot air for one reason or another.

I am okay with gay marriage, as long as it’s serious. Didn’t Jay Leno say gay people should have the same rights to wedded misery as strait people? He’s not the guy I go to for my philosophical compass – but it sure sounds fair to me. It seems unfair to me that a strait set of life partners should be able to share life and work benefits, while other types of life partners share emotions and events of the same magnitude and length, and perhaps a greater depth, due to obstacles often faced, and not be validated.

But why the rainbow? Why do gay people get the rainbow? I love rainbows, and yet to indulge in this love in a public way could greatly reduce my chances of ever being in a nice, loving heterosexual partnership. I am a girl (actually a woman) who doesn’t wear make up or jewelry or dresses. I don’t giggle a lot. I frequently show up at events solo. I can change the oil in my car, and the breaks too. I do basic home repairs (not lately though – obvious if you visit my home). The guys in my class (Masters in Management) ask me why I don’t have a man – or where my man is. I can tell they are thinking about getting to the gay question, but we are all very politically correct over here in the higher education halls of Southern Oregon. Every once in awhile, some wise ass says I would be nicer if I had a man. As if the penis was the solution to all the world’s problems, and mine in particular. I could go on to talk about how a reduction of peni would probably be more of a solution to the world’s problems. But along with my affection for rainbows, that would just make me seem gay. And then my chances of finding my way into the ever popular heterosexual relationship would further decline.

The hetero tight rope is a hard one to balance. I’m just a girl (woman) wading through life the best I know. Can I please have my rainbow back?

DIY Wedding Invitation Keepsake – Victorian Shadowbox – Or A Ken Kesey Shadow Box!

Lemons and Roses — Mon, 31 May 2010 19:09:43 +0000

Ken Kesey Shadow Box by the Late Kevin Dougherty - http://blogs.eugeneweekly.com/node/1272

Good Morning!

I like to do handcrafts. If I can do it better than something I can buy, I much prefer doing it myself. I have found this idea for a Victorian Wedding Invitation Shadowbox at Living Victorian Web Magazine http://www.livingvictorian.com/pm/creation_shadowbox.html

Dried sweetheart roses and lace might not appeal to you, so change it around and make it to suit your own tastes. The wooden frame is a bit plain for me. I would decoupage or put some kind of interesting finish on my shadowbox frame. If you aren’t getting married, but perhaps some one you love is getting married – use the invitation you received to make a l0vely gift for the couple. Soon I will be getting a Masters in Management diploma. Perhaps I will frame it in a shadowbox that has clear acrylic tears suspended inside, al0ng with lots of monopoly money – not sure if it will represent the money I spent on furthering my education, or the increase in wages I will receive after my education. Realistically, the funny money will represent the former.

Basic DIY Shadow Box Instructions – Mix It Up – Make it Personal With Your Own Ideas!

Victorian Creations

The Shadow Box

Since it is our 3rd anniversary, we wanted to get nostalgic and reissue one of the most popular creations from the archive.

For our wedding issue, we want to create a unique shadow box to display your wedding invitation. Since you spent a lot of time picking out the right wedding invitation, why put it in a drawer and hide it away, display it beautifully in a shadow box.

This is a simple project , and you will have your shadow box made in very little time.

Let us get started.

Materials Needed:

1) Shadow Box (Size depends on your invitation and your preference)

2) Sponge Brush

3) Gold Paint

4) Craft Glue

5) Silk Flowers (We suggest using pastel colored flowers)

6) Dried Baby Breaths

7) Ribbon (Match the color of the ribbon to the flowers you selected)

8) Paper Doily (Size depends on the size of the box you choose)

9) Your Wedding Invitation

The above are available at most local craft stores. Let’s Create our Shadow Box:

1) Paint the wood frame of your box in gold, and make sure to cover the whole frame. Let the paint dry overnight.

2) Cover the back board of your box with the paper doily, when you have the doily in place, glue it down.

3) Center your invitation on top of the doily , and glue.

4) Glue your silk flowers and baby breath to the opposite corners of the invitations.

5) Glue your ribbon around the invitation in the shape of an abstract heart.

6) Finish off the box by putting the box together with the glass on top.

This shadow box will be a treasured decoration, every time you pass by your box, you will remember the happiest day of your life.

Happy Creating!

A Recycling Idea From Make Magazine – Save the Oceans!

Lemons and Roses — Mon, 31 May 2010 05:01:19 +0000

The Great Pacific Trash Pile – (The Pacific Gyre)

Today I was going to post a picture of the wedding inspiration board made by using the Dessy/Pantone site from yesterday’s post, however, I seem to lack the skills to transfer the design board from that site to here. I found another wedding design site to write about tomorrow. In the meantime – anytime is a good time to think about ways to recycle trash – especially the plastic bottles that end up in the pacific gyre, a mass of trash double the size of Texas that exists in the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and California. Read more about the pacific gyre here: http://science.howstuffworks.com/great-pacific-garbage-patch.htm Perhaps it would be fun to think of ways to recycle at weddings – yeah – totally unromantic, but think about it, a wedding is a one time event – lots of potential for waste. Some how I can’t help but think how my subconscious thinking about marriage is playing into this post – recycling, waste, a gyre in the middle of the ocean that holds and traps, a massive amount of garbage (no doubt from the past). Okay, well, I should probably end the verbiage . The following is an excellent idea from Make Online Magazine ( makezine.com).

Save My Oceans Contest Inspiration: Plastic Bottle Organizer

from MAKE Magazine by Rachel Hobson

29 people liked this

Our Save my Oceans contest is slowly winding down, and for a little last-minute inspiration, I’ll share this wall organizer made from discarded plastic bottles. There were some fantastic ideas for workshop organization in the Make Time and Space series, and I was especially wowed with this set up that re-used all kinds of plastic containers. Perhaps this water bottle wall organizer could work in with that same organizational system. The project shows magazines and newspapers rolled and stored inside, but I’m thinking you could also use it to store tools. What else?

Be sure to check out our main contest page and join our Flickr group, and also sign up for the Save My Oceans contest newsletter (there is just one issue remaining, but it will have some really great stuff from Maker Faire) for your chance to win an iPad.

Add star

LikeShareShare with noteEmailKeep unread

Wedding Planning – Kill Bill Style? You Can Do It!

Lemons and Roses — Sat, 29 May 2010 21:57:48 +0000

Two Pines: A beautiful wedding chapel – a gorgeous bride - an unfortunate ending. Better luck with your wedding!

In my previous post, I discussed my daughter’s wedding. In return, Jessica (my daughter) left the very first comment on my blog – Thanks Jess! ♥ In her comment, Jessica mentioned the Pantone colors from My Personal Artist’s blog that she prefers for her wedding. While I find beauty in the muffled desolation of Two Pines (and also many commonalities between marriage and muffled desolation), my daughter is more of a happy-go-lucky girl (thank goodness), and will be getting married on the beach in Yachats, OR. In my attempts to be a useful mother to a headstrong, fashion forward, and lovely young woman, I have found some great wedding planning tools and will be using them to make another posting later this weekend. I am listing the tools so that you can play with them too! Please feel free to comment with your creations and I will post them to my blog – leave your blog address, site address or any other info you wish to share so that I can give you credit for your creations.

http://www.dessy.com/styleboard/ This is a great site from Pantone and Dessy – it allows you to choose Pantone colors and add pictures from your photo files to coordinate a wedding – fun fun!

http://www.weddingdresscreator.com/wedding-dress-creator.php Here you can choose from different skin types, hair styles and colors, dress styles and colors and accessories – you could be here for a long time. The colors on this site are limited, however, if you use the site I have listed below, you can add different color codes for an almost unlimited palette!

http://web.forret.com/tools/color_palette.asp?sort=color – Use this site to add hundreds of color choices to the Wedding Dress Creator above.

Happy wedding planning and I will be back shortly with my creation!

Kill Bill Chapel Photo found at : http://thebananatreeofjeanlouis.blogspot.com

Wedding Color Trends 2010. My Daughter is Getting Married!

Lemons and Roses — Thu, 27 May 2010 04:31:39 +0000

My daughter recently announced that she is getting married. She has decided that for the wedding she wants to rent a large beach house, with room for her friends. In addition, she doesn’t want to have bridesmaids or a Maid of Honor. Or, more close to the fact, she wants all of her friends to be bridesmaids, and no single friend to be a bridesmaid. She doesn’t want to pick a favorite to be the Maid of Honor. All of her friends are her favorite. I have been looking into wedding trends and colors for 2010. One of the things I do is make jewelry and this year I have noticed a trend towards cocoa brown, watermelon pink and moss green when future brides are purchasing jewelry for their bridesmaids. Part of me thinks this is a plot on the part of the bride. Find colors as equally horrid as the taffeta gowns the unfortunate maids are often required to wear so the lovely bride won’t be upstaged. (Jessica, I am glad you are allowing your bridesmaids to maintain their dignity)

Searching for trends I found this blog: www.mypersonalartist.com/blog It is a gorgeous site that has tons of info – info you might have to search several different sites to find – all in one place! I have cut and pasted color information from Michelle’s blog below.

Spring / Summer 2010 Color Trends From My Personal Artist

I spend endless hours researching color trends a year in advance. The colors posted above have been shown in numerous postings online! I am delighted to see CORAL coming back! Teal and sky blue are among my favorites also!

We will be adding on to this page constantly as we see trends change here at *my personal artist* and in the wedding market! Michelle truly LOVES creating inspiration boards. Enjoy!!!