The BIG Announcement: Introducing Miskabelly

This blog is an announcement within an announcement.  The first announcement is (so exciting!):   J is expecting a little one in December!!!  She's just through the first trimester, which has been challenging to say the least.  Here she is (I think there's a little bump there, but I'm not sure...what I am sure of is that she is positively glowing!):

This announcement is a special way to introduce 

our newest venture:

What is Miskabelly?  Our new sister (ha!) Etsy shop, which will feature vintage maternity clothes, refashioned vintage maternity clothes, vintage baby clothes, and handmade nursery decor and gifts!  We had this brainchild while I was pregnant, and now that J is pregnant, it seemed like the perfect time (can you say pregnant model?!) Aurora is also almost at the sitting up phase, and will be our own little Miskabelle spokesmodel.

Aurora Jaymes in a vintage sailor outfit

Here's a preview of some of the adorable vintage clothes we'll be putting up:

more sailor suits!  These are toddler-sized.

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so many pretty little dresses.

J has a degree in Art with a focus on painting, and while she focuses mainly on graphic design these days, she also creates lovely little paintings for the nursery.  

Take a look at this set she made for her niece Aurora's room:

Here they are, below, in a little more detail.  In the shop, we'll be offering more animals and other images and color schemes, perfectly suited to your little one's space.  

We'll also sell individual squares, as well as sets of three.

We're also so excited to offer hot mamas-to-be a chance to look fashionable in vintage pieces that skim the littlest to the biggest belly bumps.  We're in the process of many new sewing projects, as well as collecting cool vintage items that will fit pregnant ladies!  I'm also hoping to start a sister blog with mommy/maternity fashion advice and MORE. 

So that's the BIG news.  We hope you'll share it with friends and family!  We'll be opening our virtual doors on Etsy in August.  You can check out our banner already on Etsy's site, since we just set up the store.

More news/pictures/updates to come!  We can't wait (for the launch of Miskabelly, or the birth of another new little model at the end of this year!)

Stay gorgeous,

A

me, 7 months pregnant with Aurora

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Thursday Re-Fashion: Sail Away

We were blessed to receive a stash of great vintage from a friend of the family recently--lots of 70s and early 80s stuff.  The materials can sometimes be a little heavy and the shapes just a little...off.  We fell in love with this nautical dress, but thought that for summer, it could show a little more leg. The sleeves also came to an awkward spot on the arms, so we decided to shorten those too!  Here's the transformation:

We changed up the accessories a little (including adding a leather belt, instead of the included fabric one) to update the look even more.  How cute is this?!

In our shop soon....BIG shop update coming this weekend!!!  We're so excited.

Stay gorgeous,
A

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(Multiple) Girl Fashion Crush(es): Warpaint

XM Radio is probably one of my favorite inventions ever, especially XMU, which plays mostly indie music.  I started to love it even more when it helped me discover Warpaint, an awesome (and, of course, fashionable) experimental band out of LA that's gaining a huge fanbase. Once you see them/listen, you'll have no doubt as to why.  They're a four-piece band (which used to be all women, but is now 75% women, as there drummer is a dude) with a little hint of Hollywood (bassist Jenny Lindberg is sister to actress Shannyn Sossamon--Heath Ledger's love interest in A Knight's Tale, as well as many other smaller roles in popular films-- and you can really see the resemblance.  Sossamon was the original drummer but left once her acting career began to take off.), and they really sound like nothing I've heard before; or rather, they're an amalgum of a lot of different styles and musicians that give them their own unique sound.  I'm obsessed with their 6-song EP and can't wait for a full-length album.  Below, I give you, the lovelies of Warpaint:

photos courtesy of last.fm

The video for "Elephants," above, was a huge inspiration for my vintage choices from Etsy.  I shopped with one though on my mind:  WWWW?  (What Would Warpaint Wear?)  I dubbed their look Grunge Gypsy.  The pieces I chose are below--you can mix and match to get the effortless eclectic vibe that these ladies do so well--even with guitars in hand.

1. driving gloves, NiniCocosCloset 2. garter belt, la boheme  3.  oversized hoodie, SquirrelsGoneWild 

4. grunge boots, PleasingToTheEye  5.  gauze dress, LaTigre  6. fur stole, thepuddingstorevint  

7. sweater coat, greatestfriend  8. fedora, BetteBeGoodVintage 9.  head scarf, MabonMoon  

10. maxi skirt, fabledfancy  11.  sunglasses, vintageitemsnmore  12. tank, SoVal

I love the strange romance in this mix.  A little like Charlotte-Bronte-meets-Kurt-Cobain.  Vintage looks as cool as the band itself.

Until my next crush....

Stay gorgeous,

A

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Green With Envy: A Summer Sneak Peek

I decided that I want to blog more frequently, since the summer slows down a bit and even though I'm not writing fiction (my first Love), at least this blog will keep me writing something.

I've done a little thrifting here and there, but being in Virginia with a four month old in sweltering heat has not made shopping excursions very easy.  J & I have been doing a lot of virtual planning and scheming. (D'ya like our new blog logo\?? Designed, by hand, by J!)  So many good things on the horizon...

I realized as I went through a little bag of stuff tonight that my finds had a green-ish color scheme in common.  Two are lime/kelly green and the other two are teal green.  I'm excited to put these up in our shop!  Here's your sneak peek, blog friends:

This is probably my favorite vintage dress I've found in a very long time.  I love the crisscross back detail, the a-line skirt, and, the best part?  There's a built-in strapless bra!!!!

 I'm also in love with this long number--the pattern and colors are gorgeous, and I love the double strap detail and tie belt.

I'm a suckder for button details, which is why I picked out this dress.  The little fabric corset belt also has two small buttons on it.  This dress may be a little sewing project--it would be PERFECT if it was just a few inches shorter...

And finally, this one's for da boys:

Gen-u-ine Members Only in such a fantastic color.  Part of menswear launch in July!

Just a little taste to whet your appetite for more fantastic vintage from Miskabelle.  Check out some of the other fantastic summer items in the shop right now!

Stay gorgeous,

A
Miskabelle
(me, with the Katie Holmes bob and my lip pierced, just before I got pregnant with Aurora!  Thought I'd share a photo since it's been so long.  I look so different now!)

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Girl Fashion Crush: Sera Cahoone

I was fortunate to come across the incredible Sera Cahoone a year and a half ago, when a friend of mine's band opened for a show of hers (I was there to see him play, but stayed for the whole show...and boy, was I glad I did.)  It was love at first sound.  I had never seen/heard of Sera--she was just milling about DC9 while the other bands played, totally casual in jeans and a hoodie.  I could have hung out with her, had a beer--she was so low key.  When she got on stage, I was surprised.  Her casualness was unexpected and refreshing.  And any girl who loves cowboy boots as much as me is cool in my book.

Sera is awesome.  There is no other way to describe her.  She drummed on Band of Horses' first album, but then set off on this solo career (after the end of another band she played in, Carissa's Weird).  Based out of Seattle, she brings a bit of twang with a band that includes banjo and lap steel (be still my heart!).  Her voice has a little smoker's edge to it, but still manages to be pretty.  She rocks the guitar.  She's basically the perfect chick.  And you can tell she knows how to hang with the guys.  This, my friends, is Sera Cahoone:

I am a super girly-girl, but always wish I could pull off more masculine/tomboyish looks., so I went for a little virtual shopping spree a la Etsy, to find vintage pieces that totally captured Sera's laidback, hip, country-meets-city-girl style.  Here's what I found:

1.  Flared Cords, Fashion RERUN  2.  Cowboy Boots, VintageDove

1.  Denim Shirt, closeyoureyesvintage 2. Tooled Belt, rockabillywestern 3. Camp Shirt, IKAHN

1. Vintage Tee, retroera  2.Leather Bomber, dustyrosevintage

And if you do nothing else after reading this blog, you MUST watch this video of Sera's song, Baker Lake.  Not only is the song gorgeous, but artistically, the video is beautiful.  Totally my romantic, folksy, country girl aesthetic...would you believe that I grew up in the country and would seriously like to live on a farm? (As long as there were good thrift stores nearby...ha.)

And if you're ever in a city where Sera's performing, don't miss her.  I will be so jealous. She's all over the Northwest, and I just want her to come back east again!


I'm SUPER excited for next week's girl fashion crush, but until then...

Stay gorgeous,
A

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ANNOUNCEMENT: Let's hear it for the Boys!

The fact that we are both in committed, wonderful relationships with two of the best men on earth tells J & me that we know a little something about boys.  We also know a little something (okay: alotta something) about fashion.  Combine these two passions and what do you have?  Miskabelle is getting together a HIP selection of vintage menswear in our Etsy shop!

Here are just a few previews, featuring our hottie male model (J's hubby!)

Brown Western Shirt

Kelly Green Lacoste Cardigan

Gray Plaid Camp Shirt

Looks just like pieces you might find on the rack at Urban Outfitters, but these are certified vintage, baby!  Once we post our first set of pieces (July 1st!), we do hope you will send your boys--or men--our way.  We promise, we won't even flirt, we'll just dress them well.  Or, bring yourself on over and buy your special guy something that makes him look so good you'll want him to take it right off! ;)

We're so excited to explore new vintage horizons....and coming soon, an even BIGGER announcement! (BIGGER is the first hint....)

Stay gorgeous,

A

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Our Giveaway Winner! And other news.

Congratulations to Sarah Evans (of Evian Design!),

the winner of our very first giveaway!

Sarah will be receiving a lovely package in the mail very soon, including, among other things, the featured vintage skirt and a $25 Miskabelle gift certificate!

Sarah has always been a fabulous supporter of our business--this is a clear case of good karma!

We chose the winner using the online Random Number Generator, assigning a number to each post (1-15) and the one additional tweet (16) for the contest.  Here's the screen shot, so you can see how it works (when you copy and paste, it always inputs 100, but we only did from 1-16, obviously):

 We're hoping to do some more fun giveaways in the future, so stay tuned! You could be a winner! (Well, if you're reading this, in our minds, you already are a winner.)

What else is new here at Miskabelle?  Well, A has moved back to Virginia, which means the sisters are (sadly) separated!  The good thing about this is that they now cover more ground, as far as thrift stores and face-to-face marketing goes.  Of course, planning photo shoots and posting sprees is a bit more difficult with three and a half hours between them.  Thank goodness for technology!  We're very excited about summer fashions (about SUMMER, in general!) and looking forward to more updates, giveaways, fun blogs, and vintage events.

That's all for now...more fun blogs (including a long-awaited RE-FASHION) coming your way in the next few days.

Stay gorgeous,
A

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