The title of this post has a double meaning. One is about the argument about creating outfits that Graham and I had this morning, and one is about the myriad things I want to share in this post.

You see, I had originally planned on writing about how this outfit was inspired by the Dolce & Gabbana ads from last year that I fell in love with and blogged about in my post Back to the Land, Well Dressed Rich Folk Style. Except that this outfit is more like Totally Broke Thrift Store Style.

Then I was going to write about how we finally received our new camera and how stoked we are at the killer close-ups Graham took around the house yesterday (earrings & thyme, two of my favorite things).

But then the interaction between Graham and I this morning prompted me to dedicate this space to exploring the artistic issues around creating outfits for sharing on the internet.

As I’ve blogged about before, Graham has a great eye for aesthetics. Whether it’s a cake, a painting, a house, a flyer, or an outfit, he truly sees what works. And it makes him a perfectionist, a criticizer of the highest order.

Which means that, most every time I hand him the camera and ask him to photograph my outfit for this blog and/or for wardrobe_remix, he can’t help but tell me exactly what’s wrong with what I’m wearing.  Continue Reading... (549 words + 4 images, estimated 2:12 mins reading time)

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Can’t get enough of it. Here are some of my faves from the Violet Folklore Tumblr blog. If you have an account too, please leave the URL in the comments!

I am really excited about the new camera that we’ll be getting in the mail sometime this week- complete with tripod- because it means that I can take more photos of myself in my daily outfits. Doing that, posting to wardrobe_remix, and sharing clothes from my own rack and not just the Violet Folklore rack are so much fun for me, and I’ve noticed that all y’all girls out there in my wee corner of the blogosphere seem to like that sort of stuff too!

This outfit was just perfect for the millionth cold & rainy day in a row here in Northern Cali. I layered a warm red thermal underneath my brand new plaid shirt/dress and then threw an also brand new little shrug/cardigan on top of that. I love the dress because both the sides and the sleeves can be pinned up (for extra cuteness you know). And I always love little shrug-type sweaters, for summer and winter, and collect them like crazy. Both the dress and the cardi were bought at the FreeStyle Clothing Exchange, just outside of Sacramento, the day before. I stop by there often looking for scores for the shop (they have an amazing vintage section) but always seem to walk away with something new for myself as well. In fact, I found these shoes and jeans there within the last month too.  Continue Reading... (700 words + 4 images, estimated 2:48 mins reading time)

(Swinging Dress, 15×12, hand cut wood on an old piece of dresser complete with hand carved gems like “Cheryl hearts” and then it’s all crossed out- ah the heartache)

(California Bear, 11×9, hand cut paper on wood, carved ridges on bottom- for a better view click here)

(White Mandala, 11×9, hand cut paper on wood, features authentic sawdust frozen on :-)

In honor of our recent photo shoot, featuring some of Tahiti’s massive hand cut paper art pieces as backdrops, we’d thought we’d give away one of his (much, much) smaller pieces.

Which means… quiz time! Email me the correct answers to the questions below at VioletFolklore[at]Yahoo.com by Sunday evening. I will put everyone’s name in a hat and randomly choose a winner for ONE of these beautiful pieces (winner’s choice), to be announced Monday. All answers can easily be found using your savvy web navigation skills, which Graham has just made easier by adding a search feature and monthly archives over on the left column there. Savvy navvy skills y’all ;-)

1. Name one musical artist who Tahiti has done album cover art for, and give the title of the multi-layered piece Tahiti did that Graham and I modeled for.

2. Who built the cottage that me, Graham, and Mycelia live in?

3. At which large Northern California gathering did my former Violet Folklore partner Sasha and I have a wonderful time selling our clothes last spring?