one amazing find

hi everyone! first off i want to thank everyone for all the wonderful comments on my last post. they were so amazing to read and i feel so lucky to have you all a part of my life! so thank for all the awesome comments, i feel like i can do anything, climb any hill and be the badass tattoo artist i want to be!

ok, on to the good stuff! so a very long while ago tom and i were at our favorite thrift store. i was in the purse section. i dont know why because i dont really need anymore purses but there i was. i turned around and spotted a cute vintage looking owl purse and i thought to myself, i love owls, its super cute and heck why the hell not! so i picked it up to inspect the inside, to make sure it wasnt gross inside and to my amazement there was a folded up instructions sheet and an unopened bag of sequins, jewels and beads! i died!!!!! that meant my cute vintage owl purse would become even CUTER!!! score...major score.

i wish i had a before picture, i do, but its on our computer so just pretend for my sake :) it didnt come with fabric glue and i am sure if it did it would have dried out so i had to make a trip to the craft store, after that it was party time, sequins gluing party time. it was so much fun to finish and so easy, the instructions were awesome and i am sooo pleased with my new bag. it makes me so happy whenever i use it and when it isnt in use i hang it so i can see it because, well, it makes me happy!

crafted anything lately that has made you happy?

Xo,cb

our groovy new record lounge

hi everyone! hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend. tom and i rearranged the house since we got our new custom album console! we had to buy feet for it and we lightly stained and assembled it friday. here is the before picture... it doesn't show a lot but you can see the changes we made and we are pretty happy with it.

 and now for the AFTER! we got rid of our tv, it was ancient and we never used it, nor do we have cable. you can see our amazing new album console! now tom's amazing record collections isn't housed in milk cartons, although they did stick around as they make good storage for blankets and other things.

we also go rid of our dinner table. we hardly ever used it; we don't have fancy sit down dinner parties and there was no good place for it and it was really awkward where it was. now there is a nice place to put your shoes on and a place to display my bags!

 it was one of those weekends that it was just perfect for us to stay home and nest. tom hurt his foot so we couldn't go for a bike ride or surf and when i am not in a good mood, cleaning somehow magically fixes that! we spent the remainder of the weekend listening to records, playing mad libs, laughing hysterically and really enjoying each others company.

we love our home 

xo,
cb

sprucing up the ol' wardrobe

this last weekend i felt extremely productive, i still have a mile long list of things i want to get done.  expanding my tattoo portfolio and working on paintings and illustrations for the shop but as always, it is super nice to be able to throw in a few projects for myself.

as a lot of you who have reading for some time know how obsessed i am with collars and i have been itching for more lace collars in my life. i searched etsy for the perfect lace collar and found this one!

 i was very excited to get it and knew exactly what top i wanted to put in on...a orange h& m top i got many moons ago.

it was a super easy fix, just pin in place, hand stitch and like that you have have instantly updated a somewhat boring piece into something new and exciting.

while thrifting with kelly-anne a couple of weekends ago she told me that she looks for lace dresses and shirts while thrifting for collars and i thought the idea brilliant! i foresee many more lace collars in my future...am i going overboard, do i need to seek some professional help....maybe, but this girl isn't going to stop anytime soon.

xo,
cb

a thrifted fashion show of sorts

hi everyone! how was everyone's weekend? wonderful i hope. tom and i have been itching to go surfing again but we need to get some things taken care with gladys, our bug, before we can take her on along journey to santa cruz so we laid low this weekend and thrifted it up!

whenever we go thrifting and we get back home i do a fashion show of the things i get. this time around i got a nice load of vintage/new things that i was really stoked about. our favorite thrift store opened up a vintage section and there was loads of really awesome stuff, sadly some too big and some too small. but here is what i walked away with!

i call this my mod dress. it looks like the 60's and has that wonderful 60's polyester fabric. i have never been fond of this color but the dress fit so well and i love the shape that i couldn't resist. plus at 25% off you can't say no, just add a bright cardigan and your good to go!

my flower child skirt and new to me top. the skirt had never been worn or washed. the original tags were still on it and it had that stiff quality unwashed clothes has. it was a bit too long for my liking so i trimmed it a bit and hand sewed a blind hem. i have a bunch of the fabric left over and making a few bows with them, more then i will need, so once those are done, i will post them and they are up for grabs!

this was my favorite score because for the longest time i have been looking for a red and white stripe shirt, basic i know, and i know i could have found it at any store but i wanted to find it at a thrift store and low and behold i did! the skirt was a two piece set which i didn't get a picture of  the top for some reason but together it looked a bit too costumey for me, they work better as separates for me. i can't wait to wear this exact outfit with my lottas! it needs to be a bit warmer but that day will come soon :)

and to top it all off, tom spotted this amazing psychedelic owl for me! best husband ever! he fits perfectly with my rest of my collection, isn't he cute?

do any thrifting this weekend?

xo,
cb

p.s. have you entered my giveaway yet? ends feb. 29th!

use what you've got

i am very excited that there are only 3 more days till christmas and only 2 days till christmas eve. my family has always celebrated christmas eve which works perfectly with toms family because they celebrate on christmas. two days of family togetherness makes me so happy. really, it is the best present...

speaking of presents i am never one to go get christmas wrapping paper. last year i hand stamped brown paper and this year i am keeping it classy and simple.

 i didn't have any string or yarn and the lace i thrifted a while back looks great with the brown paper. also i have a HUGE rosemary bush outside and i cut few a sprigs off to finish off the look and presto, so cute, free & easy!

i also saw this cool idea in sunset magazine and thought it was perfect! i love vintage scarfs and they are always so plentiful at the thrift store so i snagged a few and am using them as wrapping plus they also serve as part of the gift, nifty, no?
---> to wrap, just treat the scarf like wrapping paper, minus the tape. tie both ends in a knot, i doubled mine as the ends were longer then i wanted and you are all set.

this year my family is doing stocking stuffers and since my marmalade didn't make as much as i thought, i used the left over mason jars and cut succulents from my over flowing pot. i am very excited to hand these out.

xo,
cb

a cold autumn day

 hi everyone!

well fall is finally here on the west coast. the cold came out to play after a longer then expected indian summer, how i miss it already.  after our running around on friday, we needed to eat so tom and i road our bikes to a cafe in down town hayward and enjoyed the sun, a couple of beers and sandwiches. it was really nice.

 i found this shirt the other day and really love the little pattern on it. i have a soft spot for button up shirts and with the combination of the 70's pattern it really fits in my style. since it was so cold i had to through on my favorite velvet jacket and fingerless gloves.

 our little city has some charm, you just need to go out and find it and as we passed by lucky's tom thought this wall was pretty so we stopped. i really love the color, it really sums up the day, a cold perfect autumn day.

also check out a guest i did over at with a chance of!

xo,
cb

diy part 2: mod lace collar

happy sew september everyone! i have a wonderful diy to keep off a wonderful month of sewing for you all, but let me start by saying that i don't have a before picture of the dress because i shot it in RAW and the camera was unable to download it on the computer for some strange unknown reason sooooo without further ado......

i love the 60's...anything from that era is amazing from the fabric, to mod, to hippie to bright psychedelic interiors...love love love the 60's! i also love combining styles together to create something fun. i have this dress that has just been sitting in my closet for some time. i love the color and the shape of the dress but it has kinda lost something about it that makes me want to pull it out and wear it so i thought to add my vintage floral lace to the collar to create something new and a piece that is a bit 60's inspired.

 this was so easy that anyone can really do it and all you need is some thread, a needle and a good movie to watch and hand sew. i did a running stitch around each flower so that it was on really good and tight and then instantly you have this....

 i am really happy with the way it came out and happy that i will be grabbing this dress more often!

so today marks the first day of sew september, yay! i started a sew september flickr account (thanks to erin's great advice) so you can upload your projects or if you want to send me images or links to your projects that is cool too! just send to ccpb83(at)gmail(dot)com. i am also gonna post pictures of my progress throughout the month as well as showcase what others are up to. i am soo excited that lots of people are on board with my challenge and thanks to everyone who has been so awesome about spreading the word!

first on my list is a new bike hat for tom that will be made out of a really really cute mexican blanket style fabric. will show you my progress soon! we are off to visit kelly-anne and her cute little nuggets later today and of course bringing a little project to sew while i am up there. hope you all have a great weekend full of sewing fun!

diy part 1

xo,
cb

citybirds chirp: royal milk tea

happy friday! i am really happy to introduce you all to lyndall of royal milk tea. she has the sweetest blog filled with beautiful pictures, sketches and tutorials. i am soooo happy to have her here! without further ado....

Hello everyone! I'm so excited to be a part of this lovely series!

My name is Lyndall, I'm an artist and daydreamer who sometimes pretends to be a librarian. I like drinking coffee, ballet flats, knitting, wooden jewellery, and re-reading my favourite books. My blog, Royal Milk Tea, is a place where I love to share pretty pictures, things that inspire me, my art and craft projects, and little bits of my life. Basically it's like an online scrapbook of my favourite things!

I really love: vintagey things. I am always wishing for pretty kitchenware, pillow cases, wool, knitted blankets, and the perfect cardigan. Oh, and functional retro cameras! I was recently given some amazing old cameras, including an SLR which once belonged to my Poppa. I can't wait to take lots of pretty photos with it!

I draw: pretty sketches. Sometimes I share little peeks into my sketchbook. I like to draw whimsical things, girls with pretty hair, and nature-inspired motifs like leaves and branches. I'm starting to experiment with watercolours lately which is really fun~

My newest favourite thing is to feature treasures I have found here and there. I sometimes have a feature post on Saturdays called Saturday Sweets where I talk about things that make me happy. There are so many lovely things in the world!

I just love blogging! And I have met so many wonderful friends through the blogging community. There are such wonderful, creative, inspiring people out there!

groovin'

hi!! hope you are all enjoying the week....the weather here has been nothing but fantastic and this pleases me! when it is hot out it always excites me as it means sleeveless shirts, tanks & dresses for me! i love exposing my arms and having them bask in the sun and the other day it was the perfect day to wear one of my favorite dresses!!

to me this dress is perfect! comfy, the pattern is AMAZING and the i just adore the color palette too! i found this dress at the thrift store and i saw it peaking out among the other dresses and new whatever it was it was going to be MINE! basically it was love at first site. i am a HUGE sucker for vintage patterns and 60's patterns are one of my favorite, the era of psychedelic prints and colors and the trendy mod hippie... oh to have lived back then!!

i love how the colors of this dress look so awesome with mary....i definitely felt like a vintage beauty while riding her. sometimes i feel that back then things were made right...there is something about vintage that speaks to my soul....

oh just love this picture...my hair has gotten sooo long and it gets stuck on a lot of things! i really need to start taking pictures somewhere else though, those garbage cans are HIDEOUS!


OH! if you live in the bay area tomorrow i am going to a swapaholics get together with my mom and will be meeting the lovely orchid grey there...although i am sure i will just admire her style from afar as i am sure i will be super nervous to approach her. if you are in sf you should stop on by and say hi!!! you can purchase tickets here & get 25% off by using this code:  City Bird's Nest discount code: BIRDSNEST


xo,
cb