(not so) random links

sorry so quiet this week. this time it's my fault...i've got a beastly head/chest cold and pretty much zero energy. bah.
but here you go! tons and tons of links to make up for the lack of post-age on my part!

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-not many fashion announcements of fashion lines get me all excited and stuff, but damn, i'm looking forward to the much talked about marimekko/h&m collaboration, available in h&m stores starting in april 2008 (via the telegraph). beats all that target/go-international stuff by a mile, i say! marimekko! mid-century modern finnish goodness! WOO HOO! let's hope it lives up to the hype, i might actually cave and buy some. *crosses fingers*
see also: a preview of the marimekko/h&m collection at nitrolicious

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-marc jacobs and his designs for his various labels have been so hit and miss/been boring the hell out of me for most of the last several years/seasons (what happened to all the good stuff he was churning out in the early 2000's? i miss the old, unfit, more creative marc! come back, old school marc jacobs!). one of the more interesting things he's churned out of late were the LEGO accessories he showed during the spring 2008 show. such a thing is so easy to copy it's silly! c'mon, who's he kidding, anyway??
so on that note: morgan of panda head shows you how to DIY your own marc jacobs-esque LEGO belt on a recent post on brightest young things...in this case it's WAY better than dropping a gazillion bucks for the real thing.

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get a gander at what those studious smarties over at university of california at berkeley are wearing right now by checking out this slideshow of such over berkeley.edu. those berkley beauties have also launched their own fashion mag, bare, that comes in a quarterly format.

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-a curious but slightly non-sensical body art trend that reminds me of those strangely popular inner lip tattoos: tooth tattoos! (via offbeat ink)

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-vanity sizing: why does this still persist?? (via the seattle times) why can't we just pick a number for a size and stick with it? NUMBERS DON'T MATTER, whether something FITS you does. sizes are a joke. if i ever have my own line of clothing (ha!) it's all gonna just have measurements (bust, waist, hip, whatever's applicable to said garment)...none of this arbitrary random number crap.

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-inspiration, ahoy! outsapop has posted 99 pages of clippings from her inspiration book. i suggest following her suggestion: also check out the inspiration book flickr group. some time ago (years now? wow.), i also posted some snaps of my favorite pages in my fashion clippings book (they start w/ that photo, scroll through). maybe i'll do that again. what catches our eye says so much about us, just like what we wear, collect, eat...and everything else!

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-cycle chic is hitting critical mass! (pun intended) it's a good thing too: biking is good exercise, and good for the environment. forgo the odd spandex shorts, people: you can and should look stylish while pedaling around! make the effort! garner inspiration from the likes of london's cycle chic, copenhagen cycle chic (who's been mentioned here before, back in november!), and flickr's velocouture.
see also: this round-up of ridiculously cute bike baskets on cool hunting
and check out: wardrobe_remix's own madebytess, one of the most fabulous fashionistas on two wheels (or off!)...

Wardrobe Remix Day 107/Velocouture!

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-william good (the san francisco area goodwill venture that restyles discards that i mentioned here this past fall) is looking for a new lead designer. if i had 3 years of actual factual design experience, i might apply! perhaps you or a friend qualifies? spread the word.

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quick quick and dirty dirty:
-i don't give a crap if shrugs are 'out', this nob hill shrugy pattern thing on knitty is lovely. and something that a preggy person with an ever-expanding belly like mine could actually wear *right now*. 'cept in a bright color or somethin', natch.
-a video about how "buttons are made" (via craft:). starring indie goddess miranda july. hee, hee, hee!
-a tutorial on linoleum printing on indie fixx. do it up on some fabric and make yourself some clothes out of it! yeah!
-these mary jane baby booties are so twee they make me squee!! i plan on making several for le girl bebe with various bits of leftover yarn (of which i have much).

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again, send me your links! heard or seen anything cool around the nets you want to share? tell me and i just might put it here in a future (not so) random links post.
(need some ideas? send over bits of interest or suggestions on websites, cool links, other people's blogs, and news that others might find interesting too...fashiony, stylish things of any of those descriptions that you just can't keep to yourself!)

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i'll post the highlights some of your sent-in links in another future post! (thanks to those who sent some my way!)

bead simple: a new jewelry-making book by susan beal

bead simple by susan beal

my online pal, writer and crafter/designer susan beal (of west coast crafty fame) just came out with a gorgeous new jewelry-making tome called bead simple, which is jam-packed with information, instructions, and a huge selection of projects that promise to make the making of jewelry with beads and baubles super-easy, and the results of such making stunning.
the thing that really sets bead simple apart from the pack, i think, is the clean, modern feel of the art direction of the book as a whole. well-lit, thoughtfully-arranged photos and simple illustrations abound, and are coupled with easy-to-understand instructions. as a complete work, the book is a superb, approachable launch pad for any reader/crafter's creativity and idiosyncratic personal style.
another facet of the book that i feel takes it to another level is the inclusion of reams of projects created by a cabal of crafters whose names are well-known to those in the know: jennifer perkins, leah kramer, and many, MANY more. this gathering of creative folks gives the book a diverse feel...ensuring that there's something for everyone as far as projects and inspiration are concerned.

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some of my favorite projects from the book include...
this riotously colorful bracelet formed from deliciously disparate beads (by jennifer perkins):

bead simple by susan beal

i'm a vintage button fangirl, so why this one caught my eye is obvious:

bead simple by susan beal

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and...full disclosure: i have a project in the book as well! it's these low and swingy 'pop organic' earrings, that can be found on page 55 (should you possibly be interested).

bead simple by susan beal

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thanks, susan, for allowing me to participate and create a project for your book! i'm so proud of you.

favorites and obsessions

favesssss.
(as always, more faves at my ye olde flickr favorites page)

as i mentioned in the most recent wardrobe_remix(ers) o' the week post, i've been quite busy this week with personal stuff. mostly work, dr. & midwife appointments, and the like. and just resting some. so i am a little slow with things like etsy love posts and such, and for that, my apologies! will of course resume posting with some regularity soonish...my backlog of to-be-posted posts can attest to the fact that i have at least been making a stab at this blogging thing! life just happens. :P

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but on with the obsessions:
-the biggest one, the one that's been unspoken to a large degree and as yet unmentioned here but HUGE for me this week: we found out that we are having a little GIRL! i am so insanely happy about that, i can hardly even speak. now that i've had a little tiny peek at her (via ultrasound this past monday), i've fallen in love with her even more, and i feel like i can actually start preparing for her arrival with the making of twee baby dresses, knit or crochet garments, blankies, and other needs. i had sort of had a moratorium against making such until this juncture, out of fear (long story). the little sea monkey seems happy...she's kicking me with vigor regularly for a couple weeks now!
-finding clothes that actually fit. i've finally started to bust out belly-wise and regular jeans and skirts just don't cut the mustard anymore. if you can believe it, i was still wearing my pre-pregnancy jeans somewhat comfortably up until about a week ago (with some clever macgyvering, natch). but such rigging measures have finally lost their efficacy. *sniffle* i'm slowly acquiring new garments that more comfortably accommodate my changing shape. i am wanting to write about my experiences thus far and more about pregnancy style. i hope to do so again sooner rather than later. so many ideas, yet, so many things to do and too little time! ha.
-going to hawaii at the end of april. oh yeah!!! looking way forward to that. resting and relaxing on the beach, woo! with a ginormous belly, woo! it will be good. i need a break from life and i think that little vacay will be just the ticket for me and the mans (and a calm before the storm that shall be a new baby in our lives).
-and, reading. voraciously. right now it's born in the usa. it's deep, it's medical, it's kinda political. it's sort of my regular fare at the moment (baby/birth literature). unsurprisingly.
(ok, it's almost all baby- or pregnancy-related. oops!)