The other day I discovered  My Daguerrotype Boyfriend. It’s too awesome for words, go check it out.

I spent several weeks before Indie Wed on some new garter designs that I’m thrilled with. I was really itching to work on something more complex than previous designs I’ve done as well as some challenging new techniques. I’ve also had a bunch of ideas drawn out in my notebook and Indie Wed was the perfect opportunity to complete them. There were some ideas that did not make the final cut however. While prototyping, I have a list of requirements that all garters need to meet:

1. Does it have aesthetic balance?  Are there too many things going on? Too many colors or different materials? I usualy go with my gut on this, not sure if I can articulate it. When something just isn’t right, I know it when I see it and make adjustments.

2. Does it look like Previously? Sometimes a design will look great, but it doesn’t look like it came from me. It doesn’t share a certain quality that all the other garters have. This can happen sometimes when I’m using a new material.

3. Does it look right on a leg? This is very important to me. How many of you have bought an accessory you loved in the shop only to find that actually wearing it is near impossible? I have a pair of knit sleeves with black silk tulle peeking out at the cuff. They are wonderfully Victorian. But they don’t look right on me. Their bulk isn’t flattering and they’re too long. An accessory can look good in theory, but if it doesn’t work on the body, it isn’t successful. It needs to hang right to be flattering.

4. Do I love it? I always need to feel a certain tug of wanting something I just made. It can be for a custom order or not, but if I wouldn’t buy it, I won’t sell it.

On July 21st I participated in my second Indie Wed market here in Chicago, and it was a blast! I always get to meet awesome people (like my neighbors to the right, Toast and Jam, and to the left, Cheap Tart).  Kelly and Shannon go above and beyond to make sure the market is a success for everyone.

I was super excited to debut many new garter designs, and some improved display elements. D built the display case which made the garters much easier for attendees to see. The new designs are still inspired by the 1920s, but go much further with technique than the previous line. They won’t be listed in my etsy shop for a few weeks, but feel free to send me an email if you have questions about them.

A few days ago I was interviewed by fellow 1920s enthusiast Christine Blystone of Flapper Girl! Her etsy shop of the same name is a treasure trove of beguiling vintage imagery culled from her antique finds and extensive research. Each of her items from aprons to garlands, are beautifully detailed and meticulously hand made. My favorites include:

the Vintage Camera Garland

the Roaring 20s Garland

and the Flapper Girl cupcake picks.

The multitalented Christine also does graphic design for hire here!

My studio wall in 2006.

D and I recently began watching the show Hoarders on Netflix and it’s given me much to think about. We’ve been doing a lot of spring cleaning around here- getting rid of things we just don’t need or ever use. Having only seen the first two episodes of the first season, certain things are really hitting me. I have a tendency to save stuff (for lack of a better word), usually things that would be used in my art practice. A few weeks ago when we did the bulk of the clean out, I got rid of almost half of what was in my studio. It was time to acknowledge that certain projects were not going to get done anytime soon, and future art making may not involve the same materials I had been using. It was not easy to let go.

On the the television show, the hoarders seem at first relatively normal in that I understand their rationale (throwing away things is wasteful). And then they do or explain something and you realize that there is a big underlying issue and they need help. Their behavior is emotional distress manifesting in a very real and physical way. This is not just someone overly attached to their belongings, there is clearly much more going on, as the show reveals. Although troubling in a number of ways, one stands out to me in particular watching those episodes. One of the reasons the objects were kept and not thrown away was because the object represented a task the hoarder never completed. Getting rid of the object reminded them of that lack of completion. For example, someone buys apples to make a pie and then never does it. The apples rot, and somehow owning up to this is so difficult they put blinders on so that they don’t notice the smell of the rotting fruit. Yes, spoiling garbage is an extreme and be in such denial as to ignore it is deeply pathological. But it does hit home in a way, we have several incomplete projects in the apartment that, as time goes on, we learn to just live with.

I read somewhere that clutter represents an unmade decision. I wonder what my home would look like, even my life, if I walked through each room and actually made some of the tough calls.