OOTD: Happy Birthday To Me

I seem to have started a tradition of wearing black on my birthday. This was so not intentional, I swear! But since it happened two years in a row now, I've decided to tell people I'm "mourning the death of another year" ...I kid, I kid. I didn't actually take proper outfit photos, more like cellphone selfies. Yikes.  But hey, that counts right (I apologize in advance for the horrible quality)? I haven't been taking outfit photos because I've been without my own clothing for awhile now. I'm wearing old plaid button downs that once belonged to one of my uncles or my grandpa, and the only pair of jeans I own currently. Not exactly glamorous, or very "me" but I'm making do with what I've got. Everything I'm wearing here, except the shoes, socks, and jewelry were dug out of my mum's old bedroom. Which means they're probably all older than I am, and I think that's pretty wicked.

These shorts have been through the dryer three times. I think they are permanently wrinkly.

Gorgeous bracelets dug out of Grandma's stash. The rose is real cross-stitching under resin!

My lucky jade ring, and the tazos and confetti heart from Nerd Burger that I broochified.

Bathing suit top: Vintage, "Christina" label
Jacket: Vintage, Levi's
Blouse: Vintage, "Ice" label
Shorts: Vintage, "Maison Gabriel" label

Ring: Vintage, thrifted

Bracelets: Vintage, borrowed

Shoes: Ardene outlet

Socks: Ardene outlet

Pizza Brooch: Amber Skies Designs

Ghostbusters Brooch: Nerd Burger Jewellery
Glasses: Firmoo (affiliate link)

I just picked up the shoes a couple months ago, and that top is ancient. This is the second vintage piece of clothing I have that matches the shoes. I'll show you the rad dress I thrifted when I get it out of storage. It's a mix of 80's and The Flintones, ha!

Ready to go out, snuggles with the grumpy old man, and forgetting how much makeup sucks to take off

currently listening to: Commit This To Memory by Motion City Soundtrack

Customer Feature: Introducing Liv!

So as I mentioned vaguely in a previous post I have something new planned for the blog. I'm a people person. No really, I am. But I'd never be the one to approach you out in public to tell you I like something you're wearing or say that your hair looks nice, even if that's what I'm thinking, because I'm just too darn shy. I really do love people though, and I'm an avid people watcher (creepy I know, but I love seeing the different styles everyone has). Other's beliefs, interests, hobbies, and personal style fascinate me, and I really enjoy learning about the similarities and differences I share with various people. Perhaps that's why I dove into the blogosphere. Learning new things, and learning of new things, and being able to share my own hobbies and interests with everyone else. Keeping that in mind, I thought it would be interesting to learn more about the people buying from me...

I started Amber Skies Designs fairly recently, and Liv was my second customer. She bought one of my favourite items, the black and white kitty sweater clips (Rachele from The Nearsighted Owl also wore them!)

I'm always curious how people end up styling my items, and how they make my work into their own via outfit choices. As a way to say thank you for supporting ASD, I thought it would be fun to do a customer feature. 

Judging by the following, Liv is a pretty cool gal:

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Dress: Kohl's - Princess Vera Wang collection

Pants: My bestfriend's old jeans - Grane brand

Shoes: Mossimo Supply Co. Cheetah Flats - Target 

Jewelry: Kitty Sweater Clips – Amber Skies Designs

I'm 17 years old and love art, packaging, and design. I have been painting for 4 years and am completely self-taught. I spend the rest of my free time playing music and baking sugar-filled goodies. I just love to create, in general, and enjoy anything that can act as an outlet for self-expression.

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I just love the outfit she put together. Is that dress fantastic, or is it fantastic? Really digging the detail on the collar. It makes the dress look edgy and elegant at the same time. And of course, I'm a sucker for a plaid and cheetah print combo.

Thanks so much for participating Liv, you rock, and you look amazing!

Favourite Things Friday #7

Cat Fabric by Timeless Treasure via Carolina Cotton Co.

This fabric is too cute, I love the expressions! I'm seriously contemplating buying a couple yards of this and making a dress or romper. Maybe a skirt? I just love it. The links above will take you to the etsy listing and shop, but they also have a website. They have a super cute puppy fabric that I adore too.

Lunar Eclipse Pendant by L.S.D. By Charlotte Burkhart

Stunning. Stunning, stunning, stunning. This is such a gorgeous piece, I love the blackened silver talons. The contrast between the silver and the moonstone is perfect. Thanks Helena for showing me her shop!

Flirty and Fun Aprons by Shawna

My Sailor Moon addiction would definitely be pacified (at least temporarily) by this lovely apron. Shawna owns Flirty and Fun aprons, and let me tell you, the name does her creations justice. I want to snap up pretty much everything she's created. This Sailor Moon apron is currently sold out (boo :c!) but check out all her other ones! I'm a huge fan of the I Love Lucy style one, and Mike from Monsters Inc. is too cute!

Shane Powers Hanging Glass Bubble Collection via West Elm

How gorgeous do these look together? I would love to get my hands on them and stuff some air plants in them. They just look so darn pretty!

Chelsea Crew Misty Oxford via Trashy Diva

I have a thing for oxfords, and I don't own any! I think the Misty Oxford is way too cute. I love the cut outs, and the pink-red-white mix is perfect. I used to think pink and red should never ever ever be seen together (I'm looking at you Valentine's decorations) but I think this shoe alone has changed my mind.

Top: Inigo Montoya Shirt
Middle: Name Badge Shirt
Bottom: Foil Inconceivable Shirt
all by 80's Tees

I love The Princess Bride, it's one of my favourite movies. And these shirts are fantastic!

Happy Friday!

Stay Scary,

Berlyn

July In Photos

I've been on a no makeup kick for awhile now

Gratuitous pictures of myself. Part of the reason I started this blog is to force myself to be in front of the lens instead of constantly behind it. Fixing up this section of belt into a headband seemed like the perfect excuse for photos. I picked it up at a thrift shop for $1 thinking it was a necklace. It had two jumprings missing but that was easy enough to fix. The way it hung on my neck, however, made me rethink my assumption that this was a necklace. I could snip off two of the connectors on each large triangle to have it hang properly as a necklace, but I rather like it as a headband so I think I'll leave it for now.

Out back

I regret not getting out there to take photos when I first noticed these little guys. By the time I actually got around to taking photos most of them were already dead.

Excerpts from an outfit post that never got posted. Life is a little hectic lately.

These photos are misleading. The one on the left is only about an inch long, if that. The one on the right is closer to four inches.

Excuse my old and nasty "manicure"

This was taken a week or so after the ones before it. These guys really seem to like hanging out together. We're pretty sure this isn't the same moth though since he's (she's?) a different size.

Sleepy Kitty is Sleepy

Sleepy Dog is Sleepy

Another Sleepy Kitty

Yes, my dog does have a heart on her butt

Chris and I decided to go spend a day in Midland. Of course that was the day that neither of us checked the forecast. That fog there isn't fog, it's rain. I honestly thought we were going to have a tornado.

Having some fun with jumping shots

I think acorns are really neat, especially when they're first growing. I think it's early for them to be falling, but I don't know much about that (time to use the internet for something useful...). I love how the pattern on the "hat" reminds me of feathers.

I made a new buddy

...This may just be the most random collection of photos I've posted anywhere haha!

Stay Scary,

Berlyn 

What I Wore: Dayglo and Cats

Blouse: Old Navy (last December)
Jeans: Giant Tiger (last year sometime)
Shoes: Zellers (three years ago. Yay for knockoff Converse lasting longer than real ones)
Backpack: Vintage c/o my lovely mother :p
Ring: Ardène (last December)
Collar Clip: My Shop 
Frida Button: Pixel Pop Design
Watch (on bag): Birthday gift c/o my wonderful Auntie

(Can you tell I gave myself some Christmas presents last year? haha)
I have dubbed outfits like these my Lazy Outfits. There really isn't much to them, and since I've pretty much been living out of boxes for a few months now, they have become a staple of mine (which kind of horrifies me haha). I actually caught myself thinking I should invest in more blouses in other colours so I can duplicate this as needed, yikes. I think I'll be investing in them anyway to go with the skirts I own that never get worn due to lack of matching tops that go with them.

I surprised myself with how much I liked my sweater clips on the collar. I thought of flipping the clips so that the cats hang straight, but I kind of like them on an angle like this.

I have yet to see the results from my lovely camera, Nora. I bought her off eBay last month and promptly painted her. I went snap-happy, but I haven't finished my second roll of film yet. She was advertised as a waterproof lomo camera. So far the waterproof part is true, the case is actually fantastic. I tested it by submerging it in a bowl of water for twenty minutes with some paper towel inside and it was bone dry when I opened it back up. Hopefully the pictures turn out as well as the case works.

In other news, I ordered some cards to sneak into my order packages. I'm hoping they'll be here before the 16th since I'd like to give one out with the shirt order I have due then. Fingers crossed they look as good physically as they did in the sample photos!

Now I just have to finish the huge-scary order I have over the next couple weeks. It's only one shirt, but the whole front of it is lyrics, and I haven't done lettering in bleach yet. I'm mildly terrified, haha!

Stay Scary,
Berlyn

Store Update #2

I went a little brooch crazy, so I now have a bunch of brooches that match the sweater clips up in my shop! Take a look:

Light Grey Cat Brooch

Dark Grey Cat Brooch

White Cat Brooch

Black and White Cat Brooch

Puppy Brooch

Bat Brooch

Blue Wrapper Cupcake Brooch

Purple and White Striped Cupcake Wrapper Brooch

Mint Cupcake Wrapper Brooch

Pizza Slice Brooch

Store Update

I made my first sale today! I meant to post this update a few days ago. I did not expect to make a sale this quickly, so I'm pretty happy right now. Anyhow, these are the new sweater clips up in my etsy shop, and they're in need of a good home!

Stay Scary,
Berlyn

Cat Lady Pride

So a little while ago I found this dress in a thrift store (for a whole dollar. I know right.) and immediately fell in love with it. Considering the price I didn't bother to try it on figuring if it didn't fit I could either put it up for sale in my shop or use it to construct a pattern for a dress that would fit me. Lo and behold, other than it being a little snug in my *ahem* chesticular area, it fit like it was made for me. Which is a small miracle since, from what I can tell, it is either a true vintage handmade item, or a handmade item constructed more recently from a vintage pattern. Have I mentioned I love it? One more time for good measure. I love it.

The only thing I didn't love were the buttons on it. Well... that's not strictly true. I love the buttons by themselves but they weren't working for me on this dress. So "off with their heads!" it was, landing these giant purple monsters in the teeny-tiny jar housing my first button collection. But don't worry, they are keeping the cat buttons that are waiting for the perfect cardigan, and the black and gold buttons awaiting the perfect white sleeveless blouse company. When I find a use for the new additions I will let you know. Onwards!

The Original buttons found on the dress

Of course I didn't just hack off the buttons without first getting replacements. After all I wasn't about to allow this dress to sit in my closet. The solution to my button dilemma came to me when I got the first batch of supplies for my sweater chains. There were these darling cat faces I just had to turn into sweater clips (along with cupcakes and various other charms), and one leapt out at me immediately. I really liked the colour with the dress. Back online I went to order in another three bundles of cats, and a couple days after I received them these babies were sewn on and ready to keep the girls safely hidden away under the front of what is probably my favourite dress. For now anyway, haha.

These guys are looking for a good home... probably on some more thrift store finds knowing me

The new buttons. I think they're super cute

I swear I have the taste of a 70 year old woman sometimes. Not that that's a bad thing!

So there you have it. I am officially sporting my cat lady pride on a dress I would like to remake in peach, and again in mint (...with cupcake buttons? oh lordy I'm ridiculously excited. I'm going to turn into a button fiend). I regret nothing. Now to find that perfect cardigan...

Stay Scary,
Berlyn