Snowed In: Arts & Crafts With the Fam

From Amber

Last Friday, during one of the many snowstorms that have beset the Sierra Mountains lately (bringing a sense of normalcy back to us NorCal folks who had been experiencing some 70+ degree weather during December and January), my little family decided to snuggle up around the coffee table and have some craftsy time. Our materials were simple- magazines, construction paper, scissors, glue, and stickers.

But first I had to snap this picture out the bathroom window. When this magnificent oak tree is both leafless and snowless its branches look like witch's hair:

The blue jars were scored by Graham at a yard sale, and I found this beautiful piece at a thrift store. I always buy pressed flower pieces at thrift stores, and this one is by far the most spectacular. It sorta takes arts & crafts time to a new level. I wish I could meet its creator just to say thanks:

Here's Graham working on a collage. His sweet 70s Adidas track suit was also thrifted by me:

The finished product:

Mycelia was hard at work on a Valentine's card for our one-year-old friend Sadhira:

But had to jump up to make a silly face when she saw the camera in my hand:

As for me, I finally decided to take Diana's advice and start working on a Look Book. I love the idea of having a collection of my favorite clothing images, and was curious to see if anything unexpected would be revealed in the process. I still don't know what kind of book or binder I'll use or how I'll organize the pictures, but here are the images I ended up with:

And, yes, something very unexpected did indeed arise. I would never think of myself as someone who could or would even want to rock a "biker chic" look, but I adored both of these outfits. There is little black, one leather jacket that I've never worn, and zero metal in my wardrobe, but I just may start moving in that direction (although I may need to become a wee bit taller and blonder to really pull it off):

This shirt is much more my plaid-loving style. Both of these images were in the same Lucky magazine, and the top is Tommy Hilfiger. The woman on the right is actually his wife and looks great in her clothes, but I have to say that the woman on the left has made the shirt look *amazing* with the contrasting-yet-similarly-patterened skirt and the black belt and boots. I adore this outfit! I like seeing how each woman wore the long scarf tie in a different way. I thrifted a black and white checked vintage top with a similar Ascot tie and am looking forward to wearing it this summer:

This image is immediately applicable to my current wardrobe, because I have a number of cape/poncho things that I think would look great with a casual knit beanie and big hobo bag:

These ones are the dream pieces/outfits. A babydoll pea coat combines two of my favorite looks (going back to childhood) and the long tight sweater over a long flowy skirt is something I would never have thought to put together but absolutely love:

The aftermath:

I also used this lazy day as an opportunity to finally take some pictures of the book National Geographic Fashion, which I got from the Sacramento Library. It's so neat to see what people have worn all over the world throughout time and, of course, the pictures and descriptions are unparalleled:

A French family in 1911, photographer unknown:

I love this one. She is so regal. A Maori woman in 1921, photograph by The Tesla Studios:

A Nordic family in 1971, taken by George F. Mobley:

An indonesian mother in Java, 1907. Photo by Eliza R. Scidmore:

This image is so incredible. These are Alaskan natives wearing actual wolf heads for a ceremonial ritual. Photo taken by Carl J. Loman in 1910:

There are more modern pictures in the book too. Here's hoping National Geographic doesn't sue me! I'm just getting people interested in checking out their book :-)

Hope you're staying warm wherever you are, perhaps daydreaming by the fire of bundling up in that Maori's woman's spectacular outfit...