Tuesday 26 February 2013

Just added: Retro Floral Bedding

Added lots of fun new things to my Etsy shop today, including all of these awesome floral bedding pieces. Some psychedelic, some retro, all great.







I love these patterns so much I almost want to keep them and make them into a quilt... Except I have absolutely no experience or skills with quiltmaking and could probably use the cash. There are always more florals out there anyway!

Thursday 21 February 2013

Sunnies, obvi

I've been keeping myself very busy with Etsy lately, it's amazing. It's addicting to have a fulfilling hobby that you're good at and earns you some cash. If this is what it's like to be an entrepreneur, I may have to start thinking about self-employment more seriously.
(Obviously I know entrepreneurship is hard, and takes a ton of work and know-how and dedication. But the pay-off seems huge!)

I've been adding many new items to the shop in the past couple weeks and still have lots more to put up. Here are a couple of my latest additions, which I am awkwardly modelling via webcam. Enjoy!






Loving these huge retro orange sunglasses. Sixties or eighties?




Same with these sweet rose-gold & pastel pink aviators. Might just have to keep these for myself!

Available here & here.

More items to come! Talk soon!

Monday 18 February 2013

Cleaning up the office

Well, Peter and I have had some unexpected bursts of productive energy lately, and one result has been that I've finally tackled the growing mess that had become of my "office" (the front non-master bedroom). I like my workspaces clean and if they are not, you can bet I am probably not doing much work. Here are some "after" pictures!


This is kind of my corner where I keep most of my Etsy supplies and products. I couldn't even see this wall before, and now it's so tidy and enjoyable. Aahh.


And my desk! The desk itself is lame - it's a piece from a Staples set, while I save up to buy a fancy mid-century teak table or something - but other features make it a little more Katharine.
100 year old antique chairs, check.
Greenery, check.
Lots of natural light, check.
Too many knick-knacks, check check check!
Colbert on the laptop, check!


This would probably look a little more put-together if the earring board were straight... Oh well. This is kind of my earring station - each of those little bowls, boxes and baskets have specific types of earrings in them. Then there's my magazine collection! There are several more shelves full. Oh, and my antique perfume bottle collection (mostly Chanel and Lanvin). What can I say, I'm a collector.

Yep, the room feels good. I've been adding so many things to Etsy since it's been clean. So motivating to have a workspace you want to actually hang out in!

Saturday 16 February 2013

Vintage wallpaper on Etsy

So, I just posted all dem new Etsy additions, but I thought I'd save these two awesome new items for a whole different post. I'm so excited about these!

I'll be selling these awesome vintage wallpapers by the meter and think they would look so amazing - the pink bows in a girly powder room, the psychedelic Gerber daisies as an accent wall, don'tcha think?

Girly! Twee! Cute!

Retro! Psychedelic! Loud!

I would love to see these used on walls, but there are also so many things you can do with wallpaper samples & scraps. For instance, I've seen some very cool wallpapered drawers in dressers, like such:

Or this table top:

I also love this wallpaper bunting!


So here's hoping my vintage wallpaper finds a good home (and a good crafter!)



Friday 15 February 2013

Busy, busy on Etsy!

Oh, it's been good to add so many new things to Etsy over the last few days. Here's a sampling!

Lady Utex houndstooth peacoat

Ceramic mushroom napkin holder

Yves Saint Laurent skinny leather belt

Needlepoint cat cushion cover

Jacobean/oriental floral pillowcases

80s Oversized plastic glasses frames


MORE 80s oversized plastic glasses frames

Retro candy-apple red sunglasses

Van Gogh cork coasters

Robin's egg blue Tupperware sugar dish and milk pitcher

Givenchy reclaimed wool bomber jacket

Check 'em all out - and more! - at Milk & Amber on Etsy.
Cheers!

Thursday 7 February 2013

What a real Premier sounds like!


"We, in this province, are caught between these two cultures. The culture of the past, with its problems of back-breaking labour, disease, child mortality, premature ageing, inadequate medical facilities and limited educational opportunities, and the culture of the future, as represented by modern industrial states ... 

We must be careful not to over-romanticize the past with the result that we only recollect or think of the finer aspects of an earlier Island life and reject to recall the more grim aspects of living in Prince Edward Island ... Similarly, we must not forget that many Islanders today are not leading a particularly rewarding life ... 

What we must endeavour to do is to identify those advances which have helped in the past and can help in the future to eliminate a number of the debilitating and crushing problems we face and, at the same time, not lead ourselves into the mindless repetitive and de-humanizing aspects of the affluent society. 

Balance, to my mind, is the key word."


- Premier Alexander B. Campbell, 1973

Wednesday 6 February 2013

Opinion Purge, vol 1 issue 1: High/Low Fashion

I love reading magazines. I love fashion, and I wish I loved fashion journalism. The problem is that it is mostly terrible and nauseating. On good days. One such peeve: "high/low."

I am so tired of seeing starlets or It-girls characterized as "expertly" or "effortlessly" "mixing high and low" fashion, to the point where I tell myself after every issue of Vogue I buy that I'm NEVER BUYING ONE AGAIN. (That only lasts for a few months but a sentiment is a sentiment.)

High/low is, quite frankly, one of the most stupid descriptors of personal style I know of. Some reasons it bugs me so much:

- Only people who can afford the 'high' can properly maintain this supposed personal style. Scoring a few thrifted old designer duds, as I have been so fortunate to do, does not a high-low style make. It is almost as bad as a magazine applauding a person for having outstanding sartorial tastes because they wore (and notionally had the ability to purchase) a head-to-toe straight-from-the-runway look - gag-inducing, to be sure.

- "Low" usually seems to refer to TopShop, H&M, Zara, and the likes. Funny, because the average consumer probably feels lucky if they can go on a spree at these stores, not like they're trolling a bargain basement for bottom-barrel junk. I know I would have to consciously save up if I wanted to order something from TopShop. It's not like these ladies, like Alexa Chung (who seems totally cool but I have serious eye rolls at the write-ups on her), are going through the clearance section of Walmart for a marked-down George acrylic sweater.

- Said "low" retailers take their cues from the "high" side of the fashion spectrum. You are not mixing "high and low," you are mixing "expensive high" and "cheaper high." Same goes for thinking someone is "mastering" the high/low mix because they bought a Rodarte or Jason Wu for Target, or Versace for H&M. Wearing mass-made designer collaborations does not constitute a masterful execution of anything, maybe except for being at that retailer on the launch day. Congrats.

You know what would deserve accolades? Low/low. If you can do that and get your picture in an internationally circulated style mag, then yep, good job. Any other combo (except maybe old/old) doesn't get you too many points in my book.

(Maybe the problem is that celebs get credit when the stylists are doing all the mixing? I don't know.)

If I had to use this formula to describe my style, it's more old-high/old-middle/new-middle/new-low. Or something, but it seems pointless to describe because that's, you know, MOST stuff out there. As in, old designer stuff that somehow makes its way to PEI thrift stores; old Canadian-made mid-range offerings, sturdily constructed and in good-quality fabrics; new investment pieces that are made by local or small, independent companies; and new, low-price basics like Old Navy skinny jeans and cotton tees.

Maybe it's that little bit of Marxist in me that just makes me feel like you cannot possibly be truly stylish if you are also very wealthy - privileged access to all the clothing in the world does not give you better taste, or make you more discerning, or give you 'an eye.' It just gives you more choices than most people get. I feel the same way about houses - being able to buy more, pricier stuff or renovate more or build bigger and better shouldn't get such congratulatory write-ups from home design magazines.

Don't get me wrong, I like a lot of the outfits I see on these ladies I am deriding. Kate Bosworth has some cool boots and Alexa Chung seems totally nice. But this big lauding, back-patting fashion circle jerk about spending lots of money, and then sometimes less money, will hopefully run its course soon.

Tuesday 5 February 2013

Ray + Shoshanna

I think I'm falling in love with this scene.


I love this scene so fucking much

Monday 4 February 2013

New Etsy Items!

Hi again!

Today is going to be one of those non-post posts where I just show you some recent Etsy additions. It was an awesome snow day today and both Peter and I got to stay home from work and watch documentaries and cuddle in bed and eat and eat and eat. And I did some work. Behold:

Vintage red woven leather flats

Vintage Dior tie

Single vintage yellow pillowcase


Vintage full-size sheet & pillowcase set

Vintage Oscar de la Renta scarf

And some antique German books:



and a 100+ year old copy of Les Mis.

Get 'em while they're hot!
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