Merry Recession Greeting Card Giveaway!

I'm so excited about this giveaway because it's absolutely perfect for the season and so appropriate for this year in particular. These hilarious Merry Recession cards were designed by Heather and Jeff, and judging from their witty products and travel blog, they are definitely kindred spirits.

You, dear readers, can win a set of ten greeting cards, in a design of your choice. To enter, visit Merry Recession and leave a comment here about which design you would choose and why. Good Luck and a very Merry Recession to all!

No wonder Santa's resorted to this...

when he's getting stuck with stinky sardines! (Poor fellow!)

Christmas Sale Has Begun!

The countdown to Christmas has officially begun! I'm offering a special holiday sale at both Becky Kazana and The Fab Miss B through Monday only: Free Worldwide Shipping on orders of $50 or more! Feel free to select items from both my shops to reach a total of $50 or more, and I'll refund shipping costs to you via paypal. Who is on your list this year?


Monique the Pipette Angel!

Eat Drink and Be Merry Card

Veronique the Pipette Tree Topper!
Be Present Card!

P.S) Many of my friends on the Etsy Blogger Team are also offering discounts this weekend. Pop over here to have a look!

And the Winner is...

The winner of this fabulous jewelery giveaway is Elise! I'll put you in touch with MissBFab and she'll send you your prize directly. (I used random.org to select the lucky winner!) Thanks so much for playing! The next giveaway has some holiday flare, so I hope you'll all enter to win! Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year, I'm giving thanks for my partner & husband, our beautiful new home and the luxury of an office all to myself where I can focus on growing Becky Kazana. I'm also thankful to celebrate this thanksgiving with my brother- he arrived safely here in Hawaii and we are looking forward to sharing our home with him. This world is full of abundance and I am blessed and grateful to share in it.

We are celebrating today with a giant pot luck with Eric's Teach For America colleagues and lots of new friends. I made two pumpkin pies and one apple, candied sweet potatoes with ginger, and my Gram's famous cranberry relish. It should be a memorable day.

What are you thankful for? Wishing you and yours a Happy Day of Thanks!

Winter Wonderland Corsages

I've resolved to only work on projects for The Fab Miss B on weekends since the Pipettes and watercolors for Becky Kazana are more developed as a finished product and a unique reflection of me as an artist. The Fab Miss B is evolving into more of a laboratory for testing out potential new products or sharing my vintage finds with everyone else-to keep my house from overflowing!

So these winter wonderland corsages are the result of my weekend labors. I think the touches of glitter, metallics, berries and pearly whites make them just right for the holiday season. I love the idea of tying one atop a present as a wonderful little extra gift. It's not every day you can wear the gift wrap after you open the present, right?

What about you? Have you begun any holiday projects? Tell me all about it!

Presents for my friends: Edition for G

My wonderful Mum is a hard woman to pigeonhole- (aren't all Mums?) but she has wonderful taste. She LOVES clothes of all sorts and always has. Never afraid to make a statement, She'll wear an red silk Chinese jacket or a coat covered in leather scales and look amazing in both. She is an amazing Tango dancer and instructor, (the basement is a dance studio!) and loves all things Argentine. She loves the clean, spare aesthetic and bold colors of Swedish design and mid century modernism. Hot yoga gets her through the cold Midwestern winters. She is a wonderful cook- some of my fondest memories are of watching and helping her prepare incredible meals. Here are some goodies I've picked out just for her.

A beautiful woolen shrug in a bold color to bundle up against the cold Minnesota winter.

A set of hand carved nesting cups to fill with fresh cracked pepper, sea salt, olives, or nuts and scatter across her Christmas table.

Some beautiful candlesticks to cast a warm glow across her holiday table.
A fantastic knotted scarf to add texture and depth to her winter wardrobe.

This versatile garment can go from yoga class to a milonga in no time flat.

A bread knife and cutting board for serving cheese and bread. (Isn't that what Santa really wants after all those cookies and milk?)

Another Interview with Rose Works Jewelery!

Another big Merci Beaucoup to Ruthie of Rose Works Jewelery for taking the time to interview me for her blog. I'm tickled pink!

An Interview with Little Ole Me?

Many thanks to Jen at Mama's Magic for interviewing me as this month's featured Etsy Blogger! I'm so honored to have so many of my talented Etsy friends writing about me. Many thanks to all of you.

Vintage Apron Parade!

I once did a window display for a Chicago boutique where we starched lots of vintage aprons and strung them up all tied together so they looked like they were fluttering in the breeze. I got so excited when I discovered these pretty old aprons. Why buy the look-alikes from Anthropologie when these have so many beautiful hand made details? (Vintage prints are so whimsical!) These are all available in my vintage shop. Come have a look!

Sofa Makeover

My beautiful new pillow covers from Home Centric arrived last week and they've completely transformed our rented sofa! Here it is after moving in, but before the new cushions.

And after the new cushions! I'm still not totally thrilled with the upholstery, but I do love the luxe bohemian look of so many mismatched pillows. My attempt at slipcovering with a sheet just ended in a sad rumpled mess, so I'm stuck with pineapples for now. The mirrored cushion is definitely my favorite- so glam!

The other thing I'd love to do in this room is install these floor length "waterfall" curtains, but since we'll only be here another year and a half (Wowie is time flying!) I can't justify the expense. (It would soften the whole room so dramatically though! Venetian blinds are so industrial looking.)
Any changes going on in your house lately? Are you doing any holiday decorating?

Pipette Packaging

In the past, my Pipettes had simple white name tags, but I thought I'd add a little extra punch for the holidays. I had lots of scraps of children's book pages from the banners I've been making.

I used a bit of spray adhesive to attach them to recycled box board and then used a die cut to punch them into circles. My trusty 1/8" whole punch and a bit of string made quick work of the rest. I quite like the finished look!


Vera going on her Merry way!

All packed up and ready to go! Are you working on anything special for the holidays this year?

Presents for my friends: Edition for S

Here is another collection of Christmas gift ideas from Etsy, this time inspired by my dear friend S. She lives in Eugene Oregon, where she is studying to be a nurse. She is a new mom to an adorable apple cheeked girl and she and her husband to be have recently bought their first home! She loves to be outdoors, cross country skiing or hiking in the beautiful northwestern hills and forests. You'll always find her surrounded by friends and she's known for her infectious smile and easy going nature. Her well mannered dog Bishop is never far behind her.

This gorgeous photograph has the sort of straightforward wholesome simplicity she employs in the kitchen. Fresh, seasonal and local. Why not hang it on the wall?

A beautiful handmade mug to fill with every new mom's greatest ally: piping hot java.

A sweet handmade birdie pendant that finds beauty in imperfection.

Some decadent organic bath products for a little mom and baby pampering.

Gorgeous felted slippers to keep her toes cozy on Christmas morning!

A beautiful scarf to add some panache to her cross country skiing ensemble, or taking baby and pup for a stroll in the cool winter air.

How is your Christmas shopping coming? I do all of mine online nowadays and it's MUCH more pleasant than fighting crowds. What's your technique for managing the madness?

Valentino: The Last Emperor

I've just watched Valentino: The Last Emperor- the documentary about fashion's last true couturier, Valentino. The film follows Valentino through his final year as head of his company and gives a behind the scenes look at his private life with his business partner and companion of almost 50 years, Giancarlo Giametti.

To me, the real fun of the film was looking into the workroom where these incredible pieces of wearable art come to life. It takes a team of skilled craftswomen weeks to put them together by hand. The beading, pleating, rouching and ruffles are all carefully sewn and embellished by hand, the same way they were in the 17th century. Obviously, I'm not an industry insider so I don't know if these women are passing on their mastery of Parisian haute couture, but the film indicated that this sort of work is dying out and that Valentino was the keeper of the flame.

As I watched Valentino and Giancarlo swan about from posh hotel penthouses to fabulous castles to breathtaking yachts, with truckloads of Vuitton luggage, air kissing movie stars, models and fashion editors with a herd of pugs in diamond collars always underfoot, I began to think about how cheap and trashy the Hollywood version of "luxe" really looks by comparison. The level of refinement and luxury they enjoy is far beyond what one might see on some tarted up starlet in the pages of Us Weekly.

Put on a silk robe, pop open some champagne and put a few dollops of caviar on your potato chips before you put this movie in the DVD player and indulge in a little make believe while you watch. It's as close as I'm getting for now!

So Much Fabulousness!

This month's Giddy Giveaway came about via some serendipitous googling. Turns out the interweb is full of Fabulous Misses. In this case, MissBFab! She e-mailed to say hello to The Fab Miss B and offered some goodies from her posh accessories line to you, my wonderful readers. Here are the goods!




To enter, pop over to MissBFab and pick your favorite item, then come back and leave a comment here telling us where you'd wear it. (I love this studded bracelet- I'd wear one on each wrist Cleopatra style!) I'll announce the lucky winner in a few weeks. Good Luck Sweets!

Your Wardrobe as a Creative Habit

Did you see this interview over on the Sartorialist? I enjoy his style profiles because it gives his subjects a chance to speak about their creative process as it pertains to their wardrobe. It may seem odd to think about dressing as an act of creation, but in reality, it is exactly that. You are pulling things from your own unique collection of garments and accessories to create a look- and that requires creativity! The question is really, how far do you want to push that creative muscle?

Obviously, when you put on a piece of clothing, there is an element of necessity- there are factors like weather and what you spend your day doing. But clothing is also an extraordinarily personal chance to make a statement about yourself. Clothing serves as a powerful reflector of your inner monologue. Whatever you think and feel about your body and appearance, chances are good that those thoughts are communicated to others through your clothing. If you wake up and think "Ugh. I can't deal with this today." and pull on any old thing, chances are you'll schlump through the day and everyone you meet will have the same thought. It's the days where you want to do the least that a bit of extra effort will pay off. Clothes that make you look great give you confidence and courage to face even the bleakest Monday. At least they do for me.

Gorgeous Calligraphy Seals

I bought these wonderful hand calligraphed madras plaid envelope seals from KisforCalligraphy way back in August and am just now getting around to telling you about them, but I'm still so delighted! I've saved the gorgeous envelope she sent them in and pinned it on my inspiration board. Isn't it heavenly? Not to mention the seals themselves which add charm and wit to each letter I pop in the mail! And now I've got my eyes on these babies for my Christmas cards. Wouldn't it be fun to take a calligraphy class? I have a feeling it's a lot harder than Katy makes it look!