Convention Confection

Another really great thing about conventioning besides the eye candy is the actual candy. There's always bowls of chocolates and other goodies at booths. This definitely lures people in. I noticed a lot of craft companies gearing towards projects that are party themed. People have definitely been more into hosting and baking (and apron wearing) as opposed to going out in this economy. I loved these crafted arrangements from www.diecutswithaview.com. I always love a good party, especially in the middle of a convention. It's infectious when a company celebrates their creativity, rather than looking at being on the floor of a convention as merely "work."

And of course, when in Rome ... I made a slight stop at Crumbs (www.crumbs.com) off Larchmont in Hollywood. I celebrated being done with conventioning with a black forest and almond joy cupcake : )

Everywhere You Look, Jewelry

Another observation from the Craft & Hobby Association: jewelry is hot! A lot of comapnies are getting into the jewlery business because it is an easy (and more cost-effective) way to spruce up a wardrobe. There were literally jewels spilling all over this convention. All walks and styles of jewelry life were present. Above: rosette necklace made with adhesive from http://www.gluearts.com/, jewels made from components at http://www.plaidonline.com/, crystals galore from Cousin Corp (http://www.cousin.com/), and a casing displaying new offerings from a Vintaj (http://www.vintaj.com/) and Ellison (www.ellison.com).

If this has moved you to make some gorgeous gems, don't forget the next Jewelry Affaire deadline, 5/15/11.

Finding Your Knit-ch

More on the art of wearing from CHA ...

One of my favorite materials/textures/kind of clothing is knitwear. The great thing about CHA is that a lot of yarn companies showcase what can be done when knitting with patience, pattern, and skill. I thought the display from Bernat (http://www.bernat.com/) was beautiful and fashionable. They made their knits look relevant and festive, wearable for winter through spring. Being a So-Cal girl, it is not often that I get to wear lots of knits, but oh how this makes me wish for cold weather. I love the long knitted vests and dusters that they cinched with a belt. Very contemporary, but with a 70s throwback. It's amazing how single strands come together to keep us warm. The power of knitting.

iLoveToCreate (www.ilovetocreate.com) is known for their fun displays. This year they did a racing theme. As usual, they totally played on the concept of art to wear and got creative and inventive with their clothing. They are a company that takes risks with their clothing and aren't inhibited by thinking inside of a box. Such imagination in a company is admirable. The clothes on their mannequins have been painted on and the accessories altered. I personally adore a chevron stripe, so the black leather dress is stunning!

My thanks to the team at iLovetoCreate for finding a cool nitch in the art-to-wear market and for sticking by it, and for sticking by my magazines. I hope this post has inspired you to re-think how you wear pieces and what goes into making them more your own.

World of Wearables

Moving on from paper, the crafting world certainly has embraced the art of making and wearing. I was observing some of the trends in wearable arts at CHA.

So, the apron is still in. Which is very good because apronology just hit newsstands! Check out the girls from Glue Arts (http://www.gluearts.com/) in their aprons, which can be made using their new adhesive products.

Screen printing is also still gaining popularity. Especially with all the uses of digital art, this medium is embraced by the tech and fashion savvy. Silhouette (http://www.silhouetteamerica.com/) had some cute shoes, jeans, purses, menswear, and children's clothes that were screen printed to perfection.

The people at Plaid (http://www.plaidonline.com/) observed the trend of distressing denim and set about to unveil new kits to aid in altering your jeans.

Another crossover between paper and fabric is Julie Nutting's altered tote. You can read more about it on her blog, www.julienuttingdesigns.blogspot.com. I would wear Julie's work everywhere. Maybe one day, a clothing line is in her future? We shall see ...

A special thank you to everyone who shared their passion for wearable art at CHA, so nice to run into you.

To keep up with the latest on wearables, you will want to follow www.twitter.com/bellearmoire. I confess I don't Tweet (not even sure what it is) but I do contribute some content to this site. So if you're a Twitter or wearable addict, this is the place for you to feed your addiction.

Happy wearing!

Black, White, and Graphic 45

I mentioned in yesterday's post that I liked how people were re-using paper to re-examine fashion. Today, I am taking a slightly different route and talking about some of the most fashionable people behind paper. While paper can be fashioned into couture, it's nice to meet people who make paper fashionable.

I had the privilege of meeting designer and owner of Graphic 45 (www.g45papers.com) Diane Schultz. Diane worked in apparel for many years and now has turned her creativity towards the paper world (lucky us!!!!). Her lines are made of vitnage 20s and 30s flair, complete with classic black and white, and the right amount of color to pop a piece. Diane's daughter Charee, told me that Diane takes her daughters shopping for vintage clothes often. And as you can see, this team was impeccably dressed. I want to say a special thanks to Diane and her team for showing me and my employers such kindness and generosity. I will be working with Graphic 45 soon on the next Somerset Home (deadline is 3/15/11 should you feel inspired).

The themes at their booth this year were: Le Cirque, Once Upon a Springtime, and Curtain Call. They even had a mime at their booth! I love love love all the vintage, high-style uses for paper projects and decor. Amazing! Check out their blog, www.g45papers.typepad.com to learn more.

Paper Couture

Just got back from the longest weekend ever (otherwise known as CHA). The Craft & Hobby Association always has many offerings, so I decided to break up my postings.

One of the trends that has been creeping into the craft world is the inclusion of wearables. With the nation glued to shows like Project Runway (where anything can become a piece of clothing) and everyone looking to save their pennies, people are re-examining the process behind creating clothes. Now, Im not suggesting we all wear paper out (that would not be fun in the rain), but I certainly can admire the artistry of these paper crafters who are causing us to re-think what it means to make clothing, an outfit, and our materials. Check out these paper dresses, and of course a pair of paper espedrilles. If you live near an Anthropologie store you may also want to check out their window displays, as the one nearest my home is featuring some gowns made of paper.

How do you re-imagine fashion?

Measure for Measure

T.S. Eliot writes of measuring out life in "coffee spoons", which would be quite appropriate for me, I suppose. But then this stack of magazines came in yesterday. I couldnt believe this tower of books; pages upon pages of art I've handled, words I've edited, each page read by myself at least five times. I realized my life can be measured out by stacks of books. I have a huge collection at my home and in my father's home, and every month it seems like I am contributing to making more and more of these stacks with my writing, my name inside of them. These are the things I will leave behind.

The stack of magazines will be going with me to CHA this weekend. Hope I see you there : )

The stack of books above are gifts I received for Christmas. I think a book is always a beautiful gift, like flowers. These gifts prove that the people who gave them to me know me so well. I want to thank one of my best friends in the world, Michelle, for giving me The Gospel According to Coco Chanel (which I have been eyeing for a long time). And I want to thank Hector for giving me the collected poems of Pablo Neruda and Frederico Garcia Lorca.

Sometimes I worry about what I will leave behind in this world - a pile of dust, a full closet, drawers of jewelry. I have been measuring myself against men like Eliot, Neruda, and Lorca who leave behind volumes and literary prizes. I have been measuring myself against women like Chanel, who left behind a legacy and a fashion house. But I'm slowly beginning to realize that it does no good to measure oneself against others.

I read some of Neruda's work the other night for the first time since college. I don't know why, but I felt like I needed a poem. I hope that someday my words are read by the person who needs to hear them most; that the stacks of books and magazines I leave behind don't collect dust, but instead can be gifted to someone so that they might mean something. I hope that when all is said and done that I am of good measure.

Hope your weekend is full of good reading.