Stylish with Substance

Twilight, the cult vampire romance lit that has had followers in victorian and goth fashions, like frilly wrist cuffs, collars, etc., is finally out in theaters. The premiere, however, showed its human stars in their own tastes, and lead actress Kristen Stewart, donned this autumn's trend of colorblock. Far from punk, 80s, or flamboyantly colored, the frock is still only blood-warm in red, white and gray---but with modern sleek lines.

Remember, characters are played by mere mortal celebrities, with their own tastes, but does the lack of the huge trend that's currently nicknamed after the flick say something?

Will the underground scenesters, like Etsians (from Etsy.com) soon flock from their wrist warmers and lace to late 2008's in-scene fashion? Doubtful, but until now the insider trend of patched colors hasn't been in my view - will it expand to the other circles now?

You be the judge for yourselves; would you like to steal this style (like below)?

For all the recessionistas with a little extra cash, this entire ensemble (aside from the everclassic black pump and any accessories you'd add) costs a total of under $100! (sans shipping and tax)

This pairing blends vamp and Victorian lace
with a subtler take on colorblocking.

Top: Charlotte Russe
Skirt: Forever 21
Clutch bag (cosmetic case): Dooney & Bourke

It's a genuine alligator's foot's skin, made into a coin pouch. Yowza!

You like?

How is a girl to know that the same website about which she posted last night will do its own blog feature on geekitude goodies the next morning? Hmm. On to the fun. The products in Etsy's gifts for one's "beloved" geek are quite original; nothing I'd really seen before. Here are my two highlights, but I personally feel I must amend that these products are much more for brainiac nerds than geeks (according to my terms). But still, fun!

Elements of Structural Crochet

It took me a few minutes to figure this out, hint: look at "increase" and "decrease". ;-)

Math on a Chalkboard Coasters

At first view, these freak me out with thoughts of aluminum scratching on slate with that #1-hated sound ... but they're really just printed! Whew... *still admittedly nervous* ;-)

Below the original article there's a collection including even more nerd-appealing handmade products. Check it out!

This is a new feature on the blog, dealing with the actual designing (like on an indie/handmade scale) of handbags. Hope you enjoy!

Reader, Ellen Hart recently commented about a Versace bag's strap on the blog,

I love the handle on the purple bag...

Which got me to think more about how such a look could be constructed in a fun way. It's simply, basically about:

Purse Rings!

One could attach them onto a flat leather strap, or connect them with pieces of leather ... think of your own creative methods! If the result doesn't require the comfort of a hand or shoulder strap, like is say decorative, one could even use "gate" rings (right) that open/close to make a more chain-like - well - chain, on a bag -- perhaps like with the Paddington Capsule style.

Flat O-Ring Source | Gate O-Ring Source

If this has inspired you, or you'd like to review this topic idea, or for any reason - feel free to leave a comment!

And if we do inspire you, remember to be a designer, not just a designer-inspired. ;-)

I may be a computer whiz now, and though I'm generally a fast learner, some technologies take me a while. Things like cell phones did, and now it's the Facebook (mostly the new ver.) that gets me with its bugs and general lack of untuitive flow - yes, I blame FB. Anyway, one thing I just can not be good at is video games. Dexterity and quick reacting? Leave those to the boys and non-magpies, I guess.

However one game I always loved was Tetris, and maybe it is a generally more girl-friendly game, because here it is - on a purse. :-)

Adorable. Made with felt and selling for $19 by Lightning Strike @ Etsy.com. I'd say this should take off onto a whole product line!

Almost every day that I don't write, one "obstacle" my mind feels it faces is that since I've been writing infrequently, I *must* make posts count... this leads not to writer's block but to "topic block". I'm a nutty little squirrel, yes, so why not just poll my visitors about what I might always more often fall back on?

If you have other ideas, please please leave them in the comments! But do remember the direction I want the site to take. Thanks so much!

[poll id="5"]

*Warning: this post might be inspired by humbleness, and therefore doesn't sugarcoat my faults.*

So with my personal weaknesses it's likely a real killer that I still get paid when I don't -well- work --on the blogs. Sure I have to come back eventually, and I could make more if I updated like mad, but this fall I've felt very ill, so I just depended on getting by.

And even when better, after not blogging for a while, I face the oddest writer's block. Every. single. time.

And I haven't even been selling old bags on the bay like I should - it's just an upsetting/daunting thing to do, I guess.

But I decided to end my break from creating accessories and crafty/knitty goodies. And what started as "try out selling on Etsy.com again before gift-buying stops" turned into addiction and over-time-consuption just like that site tends to inspire.

Although somehow I haven't been all that "product"-ive with what's published on my new shop (Ella Mode Made @ Etsy). I'm a "terrible" perfectionist and it's been hard to get new photos up to my standard. That combined with the slowness of knitting and getting "start this new design project" fever (before finishing the current---the many current) - I'm not really making headway with "finished objects" either.

collage features a Flickr photo of a grey sky by Green Velvet.
depicts: actual grey FL skies, photography issues, sore knitter's
wrists, sewing machine annoyances, me adoring my online work,
lack of money and waiting for snail mail supplies.

Really even though I just had my 27th birthday and have been living on my own for a year, I'm far from being a grown up. I just ... well ... stink. At life? Le sigh.

But at least I have talents, and when I use them enough I have good work. Soon, maybe not soon enough, but soon I will have a stocked product catalog and regular blog entries. And money. Oh yeah........that green stuff, right? Heh.

It's pretty "stinky" that being disabled forces me to not work well for others, yet I can't even force myself to work enough, period. (It's like when in a class the teacher doesn't check homework.) And government help? It's not perfect, but I we have HOPE. And that inspires me.

Also I have about a week straight to be alone and work, because my BFF is away, and that combined with writing more about what else I'm involved with (I know I've said it before); mainly indie, will help this site be "stocked" with words. I might even add a few related features, but by now you know me and my lack of sticking to plans.

Or is that to say falling through on promises? I think I must start my new year resolution early, and that is to follow the mantra, "What would Barack do?"

You know, if he were only a slightly less awesome, design-y/writer chick. ;-)

*P.S. It didn't really fit into the article, but I also have my own domain/shop for Ella Mode at http://ellamo.de :-) .