Happy Tuesday! It’s been a while since I’ve updated my Etsy shop, so here are some new goodies. Keep warm and dry out there!

Happy Sunday, guys and dolls, lads and ladies, blokes and betties. I hope your Valentine’s Day, or Lunar New Year, or whatever today means to you, is going well. Here in San Francisco the sun was shining through my window and the weather was nice enough to not have to wear a sweater indoors. Perfect for a day of sewing and blasting iTunes while simultaneously having a solo dance party or kareoke fest every hour or so. I have way too much fun by myself.

Moving along! One of the ongoing projects is vamping up or apartment. Within the next month or so I volunteered to take on the intimidating task of making a slip cover for our couch… so in efforts of preparing for that monster project, today I’ve decided to do a smaller scaled slip cover of sorts, for my sewing machine.

So, I don’t know about you guys, but my old plastic Singer sewing machine cover has been through a lot. It’s been stepped on, torn on accident, and squished and forgotten about in random boxes in the abyss that is my closet. My machine has been getting really dusty, so I decided to be proactive and do something about it. No more dust!

Cut your old sewing machine cover along the two outside seams. As I mentioned, my old cover was REALLY wrinkled. So, in efforts of making this tutorial more camera-friendly I needed to iron the old cover. Also, it helps with accuracy. Anyway, because of the whole plastic/heat issue, I placed a pillow case over it while ironing to prevent a minor catastrophe.

Lay the old cover over the fabric of your choice. I’m using leftover fabric from an apron project. Pin and leave 5/8″ for seam allowance.

Fold in half and pin up the sides, sew, and then trim seam allowance with pinking shears (or scissors).

Additionally, if you’re a narcissist like me, you can add your label to the cover when sewing up the sides to make it look official, and may I add, badass.

Next, bring two top side openings together, pin and sew. Be sure to iron the seams.

After ironing, pin the bottom hem 1/4″, sew, press. Fold up 1/4″ again. Pin, sew, press.

Lastly, I’m gonna keep it real and let you know that beneath this crocheted bouquet lies an iron-on applique mess. I’m not sure what happened, but I decided that the perfect remedy for this problem would be my fave: yellow and green flowers. And, voila! New, pretty cover for my beloved sewing machine. Have a great week everyone!

Bob, I don’t really think you’re a poser.

I hope we meet again, somewhere some day.

Baby, you make my heart beat faster

And last but no least, I couldn’t find the scene from SLC punk with Steve-O and Brandy, so instead, here’s the song that made that scene so amazing.

Today is Factory Day for me! I’m off to finish up some sewing projects and work on an Upcycle Sunday. I know! It’s been forever. But it will be back with a vengeance. I love you all and I hope you spend today with people/things you love whether they be family, friends, pets or good music. Happy Lunar New Year as well. Besos!

Taken at Blush Wine Bar on Castro St. with my iPhone

Man, I have been lagging with my I Saw the Sign posts. Today I bring you storefront signage from one of my favorite neighborhoods in San Francisco – The Mission. The Mission is known for it’s thriving latino culture, amazing food, and even more amazing murals. But let’s take a journey and appreciate the beautiful and historical signage that the Mission has to offer.

The New Mission… I’m sure it looked new at some point. Now it piques our curiousity and leaves us to imagine what the Mission was like decades ago.

Speaking of curiosity…

Do not be deceived. What once was an El Capitan theater is now a cell phone store. I cropped the photo right above the “Phones 50% off with Contract” sign that hung below. That’s one of the neat things about this city, you have to remember to look up.

Speaking of looking up, check out the amazing murals above these shops.

Amongst the hustle and bustle of the Mission, you may come across a dainty Chinese Medicine & Healing Arts Center such as this one. Painted a pretty powder blue… this place is adorable. It looks like it belongs in Noe Valley, but you know what… San Francisco is so random. I love it.

Interesting how that sexy “fox” looks a lot like a wolf. Hmmmm. I’m sure way back when, this place was the classy risque shoppe (<– 2 p’s, 1 e) where ladies would flock to buy that special piece of lingerie. Now, it’s just kind of forgettable, but if it wasn’t for it’s cool sign, I wouldn’t have stopped to notice it.

A framed sign. Genius, no?

And last but not least, a super cheesy photo of yours truly in one of my favorite places to knit in the world: Dolores Park. Ahhhh, Dolores Park – a place to relax, knit, read, people watch or do whatever you want, really. This park is crazy at times, loud at times, full of dogs and children other times, but it is always, always delightful.

What kind of name is Choward’s? Why does this look like a package of cough drops? Stop asking questions and just eat them.

I picked these up at the hardware store earlier and was a little too excited about my find. The packaging is really beautiful. It was an impulse purchase (as candy most often is) and I devoured them all. It’s basically a pack of sweet tarts, except you only have the lemon kind. These are a little less sweet than Sweet Tarts, which is nice, because if you eat them quickly (like I did) you won’t get a tummy ache.

Edited by Debutante Clothing

I’m always complaining about going out to fashion events by myself – I just don’t have many friends that are into fashion. While some people think fashion is frivolous and contributes nothing to the world, others are curating museum exhibits featuring 20th century clothing. This week’s links made me think about the love/hate camps in fashion. Starting with Grit and Glamour’s post on bloggers getting backlash from fashion insiders, Houndstooth + Tortoiseshell’s refreshingly funny admission of Tavi envy, or Fab Lab’s hate of people who hate. But there is some love in sight – British Style Bloggers reminds us to look in the mirror and love ourselves. Enjoy!

Links à la Mode: February 4th

• A Dress & A Bike – Why breaking the love of one particular brand has been good for my personal style
• British Style Bloggers – Some gems to remember
• Debutante Clothing – Going to a Vintage Show? Insider Tips & Interview
• dirty hems – lacroix by lacroix
• Fab Blab – Why I Hate People Who Ostracize Fashion
• fête à fête – Review of Guerlain’s Spring 2010 Cherry Blossom makeup & the new Rouge G Le Brillant lipstick
• Friend in Fashion – Luxe Vintage
• grit and glamour – Fashion’s Knickers are in a Twist
• hello beauty! – Benefit Stay Don’t Stray: An innovative new primer to lock down shadows AND concealer
• Houndstooth + Tortoiseshell – Young fashion blogger incites curiousity, envy
• Independent Fashion Bloggers – Get Out There : How To Cover Events Without Feeling Like an Idiot
• Lillys Roses – How to DIY your own Chanel Jade nail polish
• Mariel’s Castle – Haute Couture 101
• Model Max – MAT GORDON: The ModelWatch Interview
• Oranges and Apples – Top websites for ethical shopping
• Retro Chick – Ethical Design Spotlight – Junky Styling
• Styletastic – To fur or not to fur?
• Stylist Diva – : Are Fashion Bloggers taking over the world?
• Tatiana Supports the Arts – Etsy Window Shopping: Queen Elizabeth I Roundup
• the brooklyn posh blog – He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, red hot
• THE COVETED – Pretty Dresses at the VioletvilleVintage.com launch
• White Rabbit – The inspiration behind my Merlixa Designs millinery collection
• [the3st] – Interview with Amy Smilovic of Tibi

My good friend Richard, who is practically family, asked me to develop an identity for his new event planning company, RVG Events. So I started with the logo and then created the business card. Next on the list is a website, but I’ll update again when the site is live!

He explained that the logo should be: “Clean. Classy. Elegant. Fun… you know, like me!” You got it, dude. Here’s what I came up with…

Inspiration for the logo came not only from our email conversations about what he wanted, but also from the modern, sleek look of hip hop branding these days. I took a lot of cues from Richard’s personal style which is very urban, but incredibly tailored and classy. Cristal all around, baby. I wanted his branding to exude confidence, class and swagger.

With the design of his business card, even moreso than merely the logo, I wanted to establish the visual identity of RVG Events that I’ll eventually use when designing the website. Richard wanted me to use blue, but I feel like in the future for various events we can change the color as needed. It kind of serves the purpose of a condiment to the meat and potatoes that is the logo. A pop color that will change based on the event they’re working on, or the advertising they’re doing.

I’m sure the identity will evolve, as most do. I feel like this is a very strong and timeless look for RVG Events, and I’m really excited to see where they take their business. For more information about RVG Events, check out their facebook page.

“I am not your Elizabeth. I am no man’s Elizabeth. And if you think to rule, you are mistaken.” (Elizabeth, 1998)

Last night Jane and I made a trip out to the IKEA in Emeryville so I could get some much needed items for my apartment. After shopping, sushi, froyo (yay TuttiMelon!) and then assembling all of my stuff whilst watching my Yeah Yeah Yeahs concert DVD, I was still wide awake by midnight. I spent an hour or so perusing the vast world of Etsy. I often forget about Etsy when I’m looking for new things for my place, or pieces to add to my wardrobe. These roundups will be a way to keep Etsy fresh in my mind, and hopefully will inspire and encourage you to buy handmade goods as well!

I give you the Queen Elizabeth I roundup:

Your Queen Elizabeth I collection cannot be complete without her siggy, or, autograph, if you will. You know you liked all of the commas in that sentence. Anyway, according to this Etsy seller, From an early age, Elizabeth Tudor was praised for her literacy and artistic penmanship. Like her father King Henry VIII she signed her name succeeded with an “R”. The R stood for Rex, which means “King” in Latin.

Tyra Banks seems to have made the term “regal” hip and cool, along with the concept of smiling with your eyes. Adopt the regal look, literally, with this costume pattern.

I’m not sure if Queen Elizabeth I would be caught wearing a ring made of resin, but she was all about purity, right? White, purity, it works. Plus, this ring is cute.

And there you have it! I’m off to work on a dress project. Will post it when it’s complete. Happy Saturday!

I’m not the biggest typophile, but I do appreciate a good font when I see one. I religiously read I Love Typography and today they highlighted their fave fonts of 2009. Scrolling through I could not get past Memoriam when I saw it… it just, kinda blew me away. Breathtaking. Take a looksy.

Beautiful, classy and funky with a hint of retro flare. This is a great display font… sized any smaller than 48 point and a lot of information is lost. So delicate! I’m tempted to purchase and play. It’s fascinating how a font can be so inspiring. Ah, the possibilities for Memoriam!