Mad Men and Martinis

There is something so fabulous about the new found interest in retro glamor. Porcelain skinned pin-up girls with ruby red lips are back in style along with the fashions that movie sirens of decades past made famous. Thanks greatly in part to AMC's hit television series, Mad Men, women are rediscovering a nostalgic kind of sexy. And I couldn't be happier about it. 

I have always walked to the beat of a vintage drum with my personal look and style. Before a big night out on the town, I love to watch Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell wiggle their way through "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" as I channel my inner bombshell. I never tire of their amazing wardrobe changes and I’m so happy to see it making a resurgence in today’s pop culture.

Here is my latest Treasury called Modern Lounge. Think afternoon martinis. Think Betty Draper in a full swing skirt pushing a vacuum. Think Grace Kelly and her flawless fashion. Enjoy!

The Saucy Circus

Etsy recently changed the way their treasury system works. In the good ol’ days you needed a little bit of luck, a little bit of math and a lot of patience to “snag” a treasury once it reached the magical number of 333. It was fun, it was exciting, but it was also very frustrating at times. You couldn’t change your mind and once your chose your title the game was over. You were stuck. No wonder there were so many treasuries entitled “?????” because that was a nicer way of typing out “What the *Bleep* Am I going to Call This?”

I also found it very sad when a treasury expired and disappeared from the Etsy universe. I carefully plan out my designs, thoughtfully selecting each artist to compliment the theme and overall picture. I spend time on my treasuries. I care about them. I don’t like to see them vanish after a few, short days.  Treasuries are another form of artistic expression and I’m happy to see they now have a permanent home (other than here on my blog).

This new treasury system is fun in a different way than the previous version. While you no longer feel like you’ve hit a small jackpot, you have a lot more control over your design and how it gets viewed. Before you were allowed to create only one treasury at a time - and only one - even if you have multiple shops. Now you are allowed to curate as much as you like and showcase them with just one link.

One of the biggest additions is the ability to promote your designs through social media outlets. The big ones like Facebook, Twitter and StumbleUpon are a simple click away. And there is incentive to use them. The more clicks, views and comments your treasury gets, the closer to the top of the list it will move which is where you want to be. You could possibly even achieve the ultimate status goal - making the front page. It’s a brilliant move on Etsy’s part. Let the users do all of the promotional work.

So here it is... My first treasury created on the new system. It’s called The Saucy Circus and it was inspired by my dear friend’s sassy, new line, Voluscious Wear. Enjoy!

Cocktails, Darling?

There is something so wonderfully divine about having a cocktail party. Not a hang-out-in-jeans party, but an actual get-dressed-up-and-sip-from-real-stemware kind of soiree. Something elegant and swanky. Something that Holly Golightly herself would attend. 

I'm long over due to play the hostess role that I cultivated for many years before my little one arrived. Lately I've had the urge to hide the stuffed animals, put away the plastic toys and remove the miniature potties from the bathrooms – at least just for one night. I've been itching to pull out my stilettos, unpack the martini glasses and turn on a bit of Dean Martin for an evening reminiscent of a time long ago. 

While I contemplate actually planning this cozy cocktail event, I've designed my latest treasury, The Soiree, as my inspiration and motivation. So break out the bubbly and enjoy these glamorous sellers!

The featured shops: laralewis, RockZombieOldies, stemmefatale, makye77, LovelyVintageEtc, wheredidyougetthat, retrovertigo, allunique, Lorinczi, vintagestyle101, thevintagetreehouse, ardithanngray

The alternate items: thepickers, PhoenixDoveVintage, retrochique, MarciG

Christmas in July

Etsy changed the way their treasury system works. Gone are the days of waiting anxiously with fingers perched on they keyboard as the minutes quickly count down to that magical number, 333. Now you can just create one. And they do not expire. While there is no more anticipation or feeling of hitting a small jackpot, this new treasury system is interesting. I have yet to create one, well, because I don't have a time limit and I know it will be there tomorrow. Fiddle-dee-dee.

While I have not sat down to curate on this new system yet, I have been honored with a placement in one! My France Journey Bottle Pendant from my Once Traveled shop was featured in this beautiful, "Christmas in July" treasury design by the gorgeous fashion boutique, Liaison.

I'm now inspired. I'm looking forward to learning the ins-and-outs of this new treasury system and the hidden secrets of cultivating beautiful, front page worthy displays. I'll keep you posted!

Rose Petals

There is something so sweet yet luxurious about roses. They are my favorite flower, not just because they are the symbol of love or because I was named after them, but because they transport me to another place and time. They are rich in history, romance and of course beauty.  MelroseFields is and incredible, rose-filled shop on Etsy. They create the most amazing, colorful dried bouquets of real flowers that I've ever seen. They preserve the essence of the flower and create long lasting, gorgeous arrangements that live on forever. Here is an example of their exquisite rose diffuser bouquets.

More roses... My favorite pale pink, rose shimmer ring just sold from my MiaRosina shop. I almost selfishly took it out of the store a while back because the petals turned out perfectly and I just loved looking at it. I hope whoever wears this ring enjoys it as much as I enjoyed creating it!

Some fun facts on roses:

• Roses are the favorite flower for 85% of Americans
• George Washington was rose breeder
• The rose is New York's state flower
• Shakespeare refers to roses more than 50 times throughout his writings

Pingg.com - Elegant Online Invitations

I love throwing a good party. In my pre-mommy days, New Year’s Eve was our designated event and we never disappointed our guests. For me, planning the party was just as much fun than the party itself.   I love diving into a special theme, with decorations, food and any other creative touches to make it a memorable occasion. Now that I’m a mom, New Year’s Eve is a thing of the past and you could say I’m having party-planning withdrawals.

Our daughter’s third birthday is fast approaching and it’s the perfect reason to revive my bash-throwing skills.  For me to pull this off, it would require stellar organizational skills - something I seem to be lacking these days. With kids, moms, dads, grandparents and lots of goodie bags to prep, I needed an exact head count of who’s coming. And since I have an artistic side, I was also in search of a customizable program that allowed me to design my own invitation. One that was classy, ad free and user friendly for both myself and my guests. I wanted something that felt special because this party is special. And then I found Pingg.com.

Pingg has everything I could hope for in an invitation site and much more. It allowed me to upload my own artwork or choose from thousands of other beautifully designed invitations. Pingg also gives you loads of choices for total customization for your event’s needs. Their free version contains unobtrusive advertising and all of the organizational bells and whistles. For an extra touch of class, a $10 upgrade to Pingg Plus will deliver your beautiful event invitation in an online envelope and your website is kept completely ad free.

In addition to online, Pingg Pluss allows you to send actual hard copies of your invitations through the regular mail system as well. You have the choice of sending to every guest or to only a select few. While this can get a bit pricey ($1.50 per invite), it is the perfect solution for those rare folks who are not digitally connected (like the grandparents) or for elegant soirees such as weddings or bar mitzvahs. I also mailed myself a hard copy for a keepsake item. The quality is beautiful and each invite comes with an online RSVP code.

Pingg’s total customization is incredible for both small get-togethers or large gatherings. They are linked to Facebook, Twitter and Flickr so if you are planning a public event you can easily broadcast your party through social media outlets. You also have the option to make your event searchable on the web. You can opt to use their included SEO service or you can select to keep your party information completely private. You may also include donations if you are hosting a charity, organize pot luck items, include a gift registry and fund collections.

Through your designated event web page, Pingg allows you to interact with your guests and organize your event in several ways. Visit here for some of the many helpful hosting tools and features.

Pingg has really have thought of everything - including downloadable charts of who’s attending and party planning articles by Martha Stewart.  In addition to party events, Pingg offers free ecards, save-the-date, thank yous, get well and sympathy cards as a beautiful online alternative to traditional mailers.

The decorations, food and cake are all up to me, but thanks to Pingg I have an organized, beautifully designed party planning tool that is fun to use and memorable for my guests. I’m so excited about this discovery that 2010 might be the year we break out the champagne and ring in the new year the way we used to in our pre-parenting days. Now, if they could only help me stay up past midnight...

Vampin' It Up

I have always loved the vampires. I was a fan of Anne Rice long before Brad Pitt ever assumed the role of the beautiful, tortured Louis. And Catherine Denueve couldn't have been more elegant as one of my favorite blood suckers in The Hunger. I used to swoon and sway to the sounds of The Sisters of Mercy, Joy Division and of course, Bauhaus.  I have always loved the mystery of the vampire long before Hot Topic made it trendy and long before they ever *gasp* sparkled. Heck, I remember when Hot Topic first opened in the mall. And we weren't happy about it either.

Flash forward to present day. I've traded in my patent leather stilettos for a cute pair of sensible wedges. My living room is my new dance floor and the sounds of Mickey Mouse and his friends are the DJs. My three-year-old is my dance partner and while my favorite color will always be blood red, I'm forced into a pastel world colored in pinks and purples. Don't get me wrong, I love this bright and cheery life of mine, but every now and then I like to revisit the dark side. Lucky for me vampires have made a comeback in full force.

I have fallen for Vampire Bill on True Blood and I have been pleasantly surprised at how addicted I am to the Vampire Diaries. I was actually sad after the season finale last week. What?? I have to wait months for more Salvatore brothers?  Sigh... And this is what prompted my latest Etsy treasury, He Whispered. So while I wait for Sookie Stackhouse and her band of handsome vamps to return for the summer, this is a little something to tide us all over.

Enjoy, sucker!

By George I'm in a Treasury!

It's always a wonderful feeling to get an email about being featured in a treasury. Today was my lucky day and my vintage stamp pendant shop, OnceTraveled, was featured in a treasury dedicated to our first President, George Washington.  The curator, SweetMellyJane, creates adorable little finger puppets, sweet knitted baby booties and other heart-warming goodies to make your home a bit happier. My pendant is in fine company of vintage valuables, upcycled items and kitschy creations. I love this unique tee featuring the Declaration of Independence by a shop called NonFictionTees.  So here it is, "By George!" A creative, patriotic treasury. Enjoy!

L.A. Made on the Front Page

The tumbleweeds have been rolling through my blogs, Etsy shops and pretty much every other area of my life that doesn't involve a nearly three-year old little girl, some form of cartoon characters and cold medicine. I thought the older my daughter became the more time I would have to work on all of my fun projects. Nope. Instead my very talkative, demanding, creative child keeps my days filled with play dates, gym classes, ballet and Disney characters. Oh, and did I mention germs? It seems lately I have become a germ magnet picking up every nasty virus - including pneumonia - from every snotty kid that we come in contact with. It's been a real blast.

The last few months my treasury making days came to a complete standstill until yesterday when I just so happened to check in on Craftopolis and it just so happened to be within six minutes of a treasury opening up. Sweet. I used to plan out my treasury ideas in advance, painstakingly selecting each item for its design and theme. Not yesterday. Yesterday I went over to the local listings and quickly browsed through artists from Los Angeles.

There were so many incredible shops that this treasury was actually really easy to put together. It's like the puzzle pieces were shouting at me and within a matter of minutes L.A. Made was created.  I used to email all of the artists included in my design, but again between the haze of Dayquil and the energy of my kiddo, I didn't bother. I didn't have time to bother. In fact, I nearly forgot to check in on the treasury itself.

Thanks to Twitter and to Atomique47 who tweeted about her beautiful clutch being included in my treasury, I checked in. In fact, I just so happened to check in as it made the front page of Etsy! So, not only did I happen to snag a treasury at just the right moment, I also happened to be online to actually view my front page in real time - in the middle of a Saturday afternoon. Sweet!!

I'm taking it all of this "just so happened" luck as a sign that I need to make a little more time for my projects again. They are good for me and my soul. I miss them and this blog. Here's L.A. Made - this one's for you, Los Angeles!