She Wore McQueen!

I couldn't be happier with Kate Middleton's choice of wedding gown designer, as the late Lee Alexander McQueen was and still remains one my all time favorite designers. What always drew me to his work was the exquisite craftsmanship, the historical references, the almost costume like extravagance of the clothing.

Kate looked stunning in this ivory and white satin gazar gown designed by Sarah Burton. The deceptive simplicity of the gown really helped her beauty stand out. I say deceptive because if you look closely at the gown, there is a plethora of complex details that make it all come together. The bodice and train are decorated with handmade lace applique flowers, incorporating the four floral emblems of the United Kingdom (the rose, daffodil, thistle, and shamrock). The bodice of the dress was narrow at the waist and padded at the hips as a nod to the Victorian tradition, and keeping with the hallmark of McQueen.

The bride's bouquet is a shield-shaped wired bouquet of myrtle, lily-of-the-valley, sweet William and hyacinth. The Sweet William is said to have been added as a nod to her husband. The flowers’ meanings in the bouquet are:
Lily-of-the-valley – return of happiness
Sweet William – gallantry
Hyacinth – constancy of love
Ivy - fidelity, marriage, affection
Myrtle - the emblem of marriage

Polyvore P.S. I Made This Contest - Springtime in Paris

Springtime in Paris by Raina_Kh featuring a white ring

Polyvore Lancome Contest - Purple Parisian

Purple Parisian by Raina_Kh featuring sterling silver jewelry

A Dying Art?

Some might say that sewing custom apparel is a dying art. But as my recent design class at Parsons would help prove, I think sewing is experiencing a resurgence, particularly among young women between the ages of 25 to 35. New York City has a pretty good variety of fabric stores (everyone knows about Mood, made popular by the TV show "Project Runway"). Mood has an excellent selection of fabrics, although they can be somewhat pricey. Below is a list of fabric stores in NYC.

Mood Fabrics, 225 West 37th Street, 3rd Floor, New York, NY  http://www.moodfabrics.com/

Metro Textiles, 265 West 37th Street, 9th Floor, New York, NY

B&J Fabrics, 525 7th Avenue btw 37th and 38th, New York, NY  http://www.bandjfabrics.com/

Paron, 206 West 40th Street, New York, NY  http://www.paronfabrics.com/

Elegant Fabrics, 222 West 40th Street, New York, NY

Rosen and Chadick, 240 West 40th Street, New York, NY

Gotta Knit, 14 East 34th Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY

And of course if you need buttons, trims, studs, appliques, etc., you have to go to the ultimate candy store...

M&J Trimming, 6th Avenue and 38th Street, New York, NY   http://www.mjtrim.com/



In New Jersey, finding apparel fabrics is even harder. However, below is a list of stores that carry fabric, albeit mostly decorating/upholstery fabrics. (courtesy of bergen.com)

Broadway Fabrics
265 Main St., Hackensack; broadwayfabrics.com
Though its specialty is theatrical fabrics for dance schools, it stocks all types of fabrics, as well as trimmings and buttons.

Calico Corners
465 N. Franklin Turnpike, Ramsey; calicocorners.com
At this location for 20 years, Calico Corners, part of a Pennsylvania-based chain, specializes in decorative fabrics for the home, but also offers custom window treatments, reupholstery and new furniture.

Fabric Discount King
329 Broadway, Westwood; 201-664-2293
In business for 39 years, the store does custom work and sells mostly home-decorating fabrics, with a small amount of apparel fabrics as well.

Fabric Factory Outlet
326-D S. Washington Ave., Bergenfield; 201-439-9570
This store specializes in home-furnishing fabrics (slipcovers, upholstery, window treatments).

Jo-Ann Fabric & Crafts
36 Interstate Shopping Center, Route 17 South, Ramsey; joann.com
Part of an Ohio-based chain, this store does an especially brisk business in quilting material and home-decorating fabrics.

Paramus Fabric Center
70 Route 17 North, Paramus; 201-843-7640
Cousins Larry and Mike Grapin own and operate this family business, which carries a wide variety of apparel fabrics, upholstery fabrics, notions, trimmings, threads, vinyl and foam.

Noris Fabrics
1320 Route 23 North, Wayne; norisfabrics.com
Owner Noris Lopez stocks fabrics, trimmings, notions and buttons. If she doesn’t have what you want, she says, she can get it. The store also offers sewing classes.

Acme Country Fabrics
24 Newark Pompton Turnpike, Pequannock; 973-696-1784
Especially known for its quilting materials and supplies, this store also carries sewing and embroidery machines.

The Most Perfect Slubby T-Shirt Ever

I've searched high and low for the perfect long sleeve "slubby " knit top. You know...that perfectly comfortable top that's just long enough that it can be worn with leggings, but not so long that it overwhelms your body. And made from a material that breathes easy and isn't see through.

In my quest for this perfect shirt, I have come across many "duds," but I finally found it! These two shirts from Free People are it. And although you may think $68 is a lot to pay for a t-shirt, you will wear these all the time and never need to buy another tunic/tshirt ever again.

http://www.freepeople.com/clothes-tops/super-stripe-tee/

http://www.freepeople.com/clothes-tops/long-sleeve-striped-extreme-boxy-tee/

Little Ladybugs

I made these ladybug cupcakes for a little girl's birthday party. The cupcakes are chocolate cake and chocolate frosting. I then used red sprinkles to create the body of the ladybug, covering about three-quarters of the cupcake. For the face, I delineated the head with black icing piped onto the remaining one-quarter of the cupcake and then used two flat white circular sprinkles for the eyes. I used the rest of the black icing to pipe little black dots on the ladybug's back. The mini-cupcakes are chocolate cake with chocolate pudding on top. I used white nonpareils for the eyes. (p.s. I've always wondered...if nonpareils are sprinkles, then what are pareils?)

Adding a Little Drama to Otherwise Boring Walls

My apartment is currently painted a color that can be best described as sand. This was a compromise between me, who wanted lime green, and my husband, who wanted white. Somehow, we ended up with beige, probably the most boring of colors. Anyway, having a neutral canvas doesn't have to be so bad because it is a platform upon which you can display colorful adornments. And that is exactly what I have had to do across the entire space.

I've found that a really fun and easy way to add a little drama is with wall decals. And the best part is that they are very easily removable if you change your mind/style or are moving. Here is one such decal I used in the hallway. Brings a little Parisian flair to the space....a little Joie de Vivre, if you will!

It always makes me harken back to more relaxed and carefree days I spent in Paris in my teens and early 20's :)

Repurposing Flowers

A few months ago, I bought the most beautiful bouquet of lavender roses. I just love lavender roses...actually I love lavender anything!

However, the sad part with all fresh flowers is that they just don't last beyond a week and then they wither away. With this particular bouquet, I just couldn't let go. So, I dried out the flowers and then used them as a decorative item for my living room so I could continue to enjoy them. I pulled the flowers off of the stems and put a few of them haphazardly into a small square glass vase. Voila!!

New Years Eve Festivities

Even though we are months away from the next NYE, I thought I would share these treats I made for an NYE party I hosted a few years ago.

The sugar cookies are made to resemble clock that are about to strike 12:00.

The cupcakes are a cool lighter blue color that was piped using several different tips to create intricate designs. I also sprinkled the tops with silver dragees. Lovely to look at although I don't recommend eating the dragees.

Crazy Nail Art

OK, I can't believe I'm going to admit this but I'm completely obsessed with 3D Nail Art. I think if I didn't work in a professional environment, I would love to experiment with this art form. Until then, a girl can only dream.....

Ombre nails, on the other hand (no pun intended), seem like a more realistic alternative.

Portraiture

A sampling of portraits I've drawn over the years....

SpongeBob Themed Children's Birthday Party

I created these silly Spongebob cakes for a little boy's birthday party. I created some cakes in the shape of SpongeBob's head using a cake mold purchased from a party supply store and icing that was dyed to match the color of SpongeBob. I then made regular cupcakes in the same color scheme with SpongeBob shaped sprinkles on top, also purchased from the party supply store.