Rosy Lady

My Custom Kicks

I bought these Converse trainers/sneakers/tekkies about two years ago with the intention to paint on them but, never got round to them and eventually forgot about it.  That was until I got the book Small Stash Sewing by Melissa Averinos from the yummygoods blog.  In the book, Melissa showed a pattern to make shoelaces from fabric and I just had to give it a go.  I wrote a bit more about Melissa and her book here when I recently met her in London.

I did not plan the painting as I just wanted to paint freely and see what happens.  I am pretty happy with the result even if it is a very colourful and hippie-like.  If you know me by now, in my world, colour is good.

Once I've finished the hand painting on the one shoe, I had to replicate it on the other.  Once the shoes were done, I made the shoelaces according to Melissa's instructions which were very clear and it turned out to be a quick and easily little project.

 

xx  

 

Shopping in San Francisco

We had plenty of time to peruse the shops in San Francisco.  I loved catching the cable car to go to Union Square and all the shops.

 

We had some lunch at the Cheesecake factory at the top of Macy's and on a different occasion, we also shared one of their cheesecakes which was amazing.  I have never seen so many varieties of cheesecake before.

My favourite shop however, was Britex, a three or four story fabric store!  Hubby took some photos and I was so distracted, I did not even notice. 

 
 

However, my favourite find was in a thrift store near Ghiradelli's.  Two vintage pieces by textile designer Vera Neumann.

And, my favourite:  

Well, that's it (in a nutshell).  Thank you so much for giving me the space to share our dream holiday with you and for sharing in our happiness.

We both feel so optimistic about the future, which is something that we have not been able to feel in such a long time and we therefore can't take it for granted.  We felt as though this vacation symbolized a new beginning for us, we have put all the cancer worries behind us and we are so grateful for each and every day.

xx  

Midnight lace

I have completed another design for the betafashion union competition.  I enjoy these competitions as they open so many different design opportunities and it allows you to think creatively and try new things.  

 

With this design, I started with a photo of a rose and lace which I have then reworked in photoshop. Betafashion then offer the opportunity for people to vote or comment on the design and the winning designs will be used in future fashion collections.

xx

African textile designs

I was more aware of and focussed on textile designs and illustrations in South Africa, during my recent holiday to visit family.  Here are a few of the photos that I have taken:

 

The following were T-shirt designs from Truworths.  I just loved the African illustrative style to them.

xx                         

Coco Chanel

I saw the beautiful film, Coco before Chanel, this week.  It is based on the life of French fashion designer Coco Chanel.   Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel was born in 1883 outside Paris. I have always admired the French women for their sense of style and this film made me realize how much Coco Chanel had to do with it.  It is a French film with English subtitles.

 

I am always interested in the stories of successful people and how they discovered the path to their destiny or place in this world.  The designer was called Coco (little pet) following a brief career as cafe singer and the name stuck.  She grew up in an orphanage and did not seek out to become a fashion designer.  She did some sewing which was mainly repairs or hemming garments.  Nothing exciting or creative.  So, her association with sewing was purely a means to an end.   Her dream was to become an actress.

 

She made a suggestion of wearing a smaller, simpler hat to an actress which was an instant hit.  Requests for her hats started to flood in.  At first she was resistant as it was not the path she chose for herself, but as she starts to embrace her destiny, everything starts to fall into place.  Her life was certainly full of challenges and heart aches but, she remained true to herself which served her well.

Some of her famous sayings include:

"Fashion fades, only style remains the same."

"A girl should be two things:  classy and fabulous."

"A woman who doesn't wear perfume has no future."

In fashion terms, Coco Chanel replaced the corset with clothing that was comfortable, simple and elegant.  Her style was often inspired by menswear.  Coco Chanel brought us tweed jackets, the little black dress, the quilted bag and the 'blue and white' striped sailors top.

I leave you with a few images of the film:

 

I love how she stood out from the other women and made them look like over the top wedding cakes.  

 

  A fashion trend-setter rather than a follower.

    
What an inspiration she is.  I definitely recommend the film if you have an interest in fashion and a beautiful story about life, love and people.  

 xx