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wonderful picture of the day

I just had to post this wonderful picture that my sister Morgan texted me this morning from her Florida vacation.  (Morgan, who is 31 years old, decided to accompany her husband on a business trip to Orlando with the motto "Disney World or bust!" Last I heard she was getting ready to hop on a roller coaster, which is just plain awesome). 

Audrey Hepburn's handprints outside of Disney World may seemingly have little to do with sustainable fashion, but it's no secret that the lovely Miss Audrey is a great inspiration in my design work.  Apparently Disney-MGM held a press conference on April 29th, 1989 with several celebrities, including Hepburn, who left her handprints and signature on the courtyard of The Great Movie Ride. 

And with that bit of daily trivia for you, I head back to the studio.

xo,
melissa

so easily distracted

It's been rather hectic around here lately, preparing Mountains of the Moon for the holiday rush and launching another small business, working on new art, hosting out of town guests, making holiday plans, taking care of sweet Leary (aka my child in the form of a nearly 15 year-old lab/chow mix), and dealing with other daily forms of madness. When I'm not asleep, it's go go go.

I started wondering this morning if I'd have a little more free time with better time management skills.  I've never claimed to be an organized person (you should see my studio), but I do feel confident in my abilities to plan each day in the form of a nice little to do list.  After several minutes of pondering, I suddenly realized that ultimately my problem is this: all the pretty distractions.

I think every designer/artist/creative person who owns a business can relate to what I'm saying here.  It's not easy for us to focus on business-y things like bookkeeping software, marketing plans, and accounts payable when there's what I like to call "inspiration providers" all around us.  Maybe it's a particularly blue sky out of the window, the most lovely necklace you've ever seen on page 47 of your favorite fashion magazine, a pretty postcard tacked to your wall...  All I know is that I am constantly distracted by an influx of inspiration providers that make me want to grab all of my sewing and art supplies and run away to an island where the only rule is to create, madly, all day. 

Since I need to figure out how to win the lottery before I jet set off to Creativity Isle, I'll leave you with a few of the many pretty things that have distracted me thusfar today.  Enjoy.

Beautiful vintage fluter (from 1866!) I found at an estate sale

Pretty yellow mum plant on my desk.  Slightly obsessed with yellow flowers.

Ridiculously adorable dog asleep in my office.  Look at the tail covering the face. 

xoxo,
melissa

vintage fashion = sustainable halloween fun

I just had to share with you all a little snapshot (taken with my blackberry, but good enough kids) of my friend Annie and myself, who dressed up as "Bunny and Cher" for Halloween this year.  (Quick explanation: our significant others are part of a band who, every year on Halloween, plays incredible collections of their original songs "mashed up" with cover tunes.  In this tradition, the band and fans also get creative with mashed up costumes; hence, Bunny and Cher.)

Back in my carefree days when I had more of this thing called free time, I used to make my costumes from sustainable fabrics.  These days, I'm lucky to find 5 minutes mid-day to scarf down a banana for lunch, and the glorious day of Halloween costume design fun are long gone.  And the possibility of finding an eco-friendly costume at one of those chain style pop-up Halloween shops is nonexistent, of course.  Well thank sweet goodness for vintage.  Finding a 70s era Cher dress at a vintage shop doesn't exactly require an abundance of creativity, but because I tend to border on unhealthy on the perfectionist scale, it had to, ya know, be just right.  I have to admit, I think I did good with this dress and the accessories (both real-live/official 1970s gear).  I actually kind of can't wait to wear it again.

P.S. We sang "I Got You Babe" repeatedly until we annoyed people.  Then we sang it again.

xo

taking it further...

In case you missed July's Confessions of a Recovering Workaholic post, after a devastating and tragic loss this summer, I decided it was about time to (at least partially) surrender to the flow, give up the 80-hour work weeks, and start focusing a little more on "following my bliss."  This led to lots of travel, lots of introspection, and lots of art projects.

Yes, art projects.

With roots based in illustration and mixed media art, I found myself delving back into drawing, creating collages from recycled findings, photography, greeting card and invitation design, and a whole heap of random projects fueled by, well, following my bliss. 

I am a fashion designer.  I love the process of designing a garment from the first spark of an idea for a new design to finished project.  But my favorite part, by far, has always been those first steps of putting the initial design on "paper" - the mood board, the sketch, the completed fashion illustration.  It seemed like it was time to focus on this favorite part of my career, and take it further...

As friend and colleagues saw my heaps of art-based creations, I was prompted to start a new sub-business, where I could display and sell this art.  After some thought, I chose the name Bubby & Bean, an idea inspired by a couple of sweet old dogs and their ability to appreciate the simplest of life's pleasures.  Bubby & Bean will launch in the next week or so, so stay tuned for more details and fun facts in the coming days.

And in the meantime, remember this.  Cliche or otherwise, life is short.  If you are lucky and, like me, love what you do, don't be afraid to take it a little further.  You might be surprised by the refueled passions you discover.

xo,
melissa

pretty + sustainable fall/winter/holiday

The most wonderful time of the year...
Pretty + sustainable at Mountains of the Moon.

ahhhh, audrey....

As you probably know from my countless posts about her, I just can't get enough of Audrey Hepburn.  I recently came across this old photo of her, ya know, just casually reading a book and looking effortlessly gorgeous and stuff.  The bodice of the dress she's wearing reminds me so much of our Edie Dress, and I'm absolutely coveting that funky safari-style hat.  Sigh.

xo,
melissa

vintage halloween style

I absolutely adore this vintage Halloween greeting card! Even the outfit is amazing.