Coquette

Bag Snob x DKNY Bags: Pre-Reserve Yours Today!

(Photo of Tina Craig and Kelly Cook of Bag Snob by Thomas iannaccone for WWD)

I squealed with excitement when I found out my longtime fashion blogging friends Tina Craig and Kelly Cook from Bag Snob were launching a new handbag collection with one of my favorite brands DKNY. These ladies know their bags. I read Bag Snob daily for their impeccable taste and honest bag advice. The new Bag Snob x DKNY collection is centered on "The Five Essentials" - these are the handbags every woman needs to complete her bag wardrobe: The Tote, The Travel, The Treasure, The Trendy and The Clutch.

Tina Craig describes the collection:

The DKNY girl loves adventure but is savvy and prudent. We wanted to create a collection for the modern day Amelia Earhart— a girl who knows what she wants and gets it done herself, all while looking gorgeous and feminine. we love the styles of early 70’s Pierre Cardin and the wardrobe from catch me if you can. our tote was inspired by the most iconic bag from the era, the square pan am tote playing on the idea that flying was sophisticated. the DKNY girl always arrives at her destination as gorgeous as she departed. also in the collection, a carry on with a vanity that opens up to reveal FAA approved sized toiletries, a crossbody that doubles as a belt bag, a glamorous clutch for a chic evening out and a treasured beauty that exudes feminine guile. we were able to design our dream concept. with these five bags, the DKNY girl will be prepared to go anywhere and do anything, all while looking fabulous.

The collection launches this October in stores. From now until June 3rd you can pre-reserve the bag you want on DKNY's Facebook page. (Become a fan to do so!) Read more about the collection also on Bag Snob.

My favorite bag is The Trendy ($325). I love its chic look and gold chain strap. Wear it crossbody or stylishly as a belt bag too.

Book Review and Giveaway: Vintage Craft Workshop

I'm so excited to be a part the blog tour for Cathy Callahan's new book, Vintage Craft Workshop: Fresh Takes on Twenty-Four Classic Projects from the '60s and '70s (published by Chronicle Books. Cathy is Cathy of California where she covers vintage crafts and design on her fantastic blog. There's no need to scour antique fairs for that vintage look you need. With this book, Cathy and a handful of top crafters show you step-by-step how to recreate 24 stylish vintage craft projects.

The chapters of the book are broken up into easy to digest sections related by materials or theme. They are: Chapter 1: Make It with Burlap...and a little Felt, Chapter 2: Ideas for Raffia 'n' Yarn, Chapter 3: Stitching: Crewelwork, Craft Kits, and Applique, Chapter 4: Craft Trends of the 60's and 70's, Chapter 5: Create with Paper, and Chapter 6: A New Look at Papier-Mâché (featuring this lady vase project pictured above).

You can even take certain vintage elements from the book and apply them to your fashion life. The raffia flowers featured in the Loomed Flower Wall Hanging project (p. 35) are the perfect adornment for a beachy summer straw tote. The applique techniques for the Tulip Apron (shown above, p.59) are the perfect adornment to a little girls dress.

Pattern templates are also included at the end of the book so you can easily photocopy them to use for your craft projects. I love the inspiring profiles of famous crafty women of the 60's such as Aleene Jackson creator of Aleene's Tacky Glue (my favorite glue). Pick up this book today if you are a craft lover. There are so many fun and easy projects to make!

Book Giveaway
One lucky Coquette reader will win a copy of Vintage Craft Workshop by Cathy Callahan. Just leave a comment to this post letting me know why you want to win this book. All comments will be closed by 5 pm PST on Friday, May 20, 2011. The lucky winner will be chosen randomly and announced later on the site. Good luck!

Cathy and I have been friends for about 5 years now and I first met her at Maker Faire back in 2006 when she was a vendor at Bazaar Bizarre. I took this quick snap of her at the time and now this photo is something we smile and look back on. It's been amazing to see her grow her business over the years and cheer her on for her appearance on Martha Stewart a couple of years ago.

If you are in the Bay Area, Cathy will be at Maker Faire Bay Area this Saturday at 3pm for a presentation at the CRAFT booth and for a book signing of Vintage Craft Workshop afterwards. Don't miss it!

Here are her famous pincushions which adorn a shelf on the wall of my home office.

Don't miss the other blog tour stops happening the rest of this week with some of my crafty friends:

Wednesday, May 18 – CraftyPod
Thursday, May 19 – This Is Love Forever
Friday, May 20 – Modge Podge Rocks

This giveaway is now closed. Thanks to everyone who entered! The winner is Sharon from San Francisco, CA.

Being Crafty

I've always been a crafty person so now that I am not longer working at CRAFT, I hope to be able to post up some of my own crafty adventures on Coquette and Coquette Maman. I took a trip to Bobbin's Nest last week to visit my friend Dolin and in the process have two new sewing projects to work on.

I am working on Sew Liberated's School House Tunic using the orange print fabric and Oliver + S' Ice Cream Dress Pattern in the other two prints. (The green fabric with white dots will be the trim for the dress.)

A lot of people I meet always tell me they don't have time to sew or want to know how. I learned the following tips from Nancy of Belle Epoque which I hope will help you. The jist is: don't try to tackle a sewing project all in one day if you don't have time. If you do, than I am really jealous of you.

The following steps can be broken down to whatever works for your schedule whether it's done in chunks over the course of a week or over a whole summer. Clothes can be especially fun to sew and once you get the hang of it, you can add your own spin to outfits. The tunic I chose for myself is an easy no button/no zipper pattern and will look fresh for summer in the orange print. Make sure if you are just starting out to not overwhelm yourself with a hard pattern or fancy adornments. Start simple!

Sewing Project Tips

1) Wash and dry your fabric. It's important to do this so any fabric shrinkage will be accounted for before you start sewing.

2) Iron fabric.

3) Trace the size for your pattern on to butcher paper (I am using my daughter's white easel paper) or tracing paper and make sure you note down any of the notches or seam allowances. This will allow you to save your original pattern to use again in case you need to make a larger or smaller size.

4) Cut out your pattern pieces and lay them correctly onto your fabric. Pin them onto the fabric and cut accordingly.

5) Once the pattern pieces are cut along with the fabric, prepare the pieces in the right order to sew. Make sure you have all the right supplies to start sewing your project, especially matching thread to your fabric. Wind up a bobbin with the color of thread you are starting with. I like to use my Simplicity Sidewinder where I can make a few bobbins of various colors I am using all at once.

6) Start sewing. For simple garments like the ones I am doing, make sure you have a good chunk of un-interrupted sewing time. At least 2-4 hours. I will probably start sewing the dresses at night knowing that my daughter is in bed as she sometimes doesn't nap well in the afternoon.

I hope this helps any of you who want to start sewing your own clothes. Stay tuned tomorrow as I will be a part of the blog tour for Vintage Craft Workshop by Cathy Callahan.

Summer Wedges at Forever 21

Summer wedges are a new staple to have in your closet. In my book, I don't believe you should spend over $100 for these stylish summer shoes. After all, you'll only be wearing them for a few months and not exactly every day either. I picked up mine from the Calypso St. Barth for Target collection for a mere $30, but I am loving the collection of fun wedges at Forever 21 priced from $22.80-$29.80.

Here are my favorites:

Espadrille T-Strap Wedges ($22.80)

Strappy Leatherette Wedges ($25.80)

Double Ankle Strap Wedges ($24.80)

Tribal Weave Wedges ($25.80)

Web Snob Weekly Roundup

Here is this week's Web Snob with the latest in fashion, beauty, celeb, and lifestyle:

• Bag Snob asks: Does your bag personality match your real-life persona?
• SHEfinds has some ideas for how to spend your tax return. Louboutins, anyone?
• Second City Style shares their picks for spring's most wanted: 8 must-have espadrilles.
• Stylehive shows you how to let your style take flight with these fave feather-y fashions all under $60!
• Luscious Lengths Lashes at Beauty Snob are great for length, while still looking natural.
• Fashion Pulse Daily is loving PritiNYC's Soy Nail Polish Remover Wipes.
• The Jet Set Girls share the best summer beach reads of 2011!
• Shopping and Info wants this amazing ruffle skirt made of Alpaca from Kuna for Fall 2011.
• The Shoe Goddess gets a sneak peek at Chloe's Fall 2011 Shoe Collection!

Sequin Scarf by ban.do

A stylish way to bring a bit of sparkle to any outfit is this ban.do sequin scarf ($55). Wear it as a scarf or belt. Instant shine!

Making Your Own At Home Facials

Recently, I've been trying to research natural or organic skin care. I hope to post up some of my finds for you sometime this summer. For now, I love Stylehive's how-to on making your own at home facials using ingredients you already have in your fridge – avocado, honey, yogurt and more. With just a bi-weekly or weekly facial, you'll find your skin glowing and fresh!

Dana Rebecca Designs' Lauren Joy Necklace

I love browsing through People's I Really Love My... slideshows which showcases clothing and accessories celebrities wear on numerous occasions. It's one of my favorite guilty pleasures. Once I came across this photospread of Demi Moore wearing a Dana Rebecca Designs Lauren Joy Mini necklace ($275 at Dana Rebecca Designs), I was in major covet mode for this simple yet elegant necklace. It's an affordable piece of jewelry that adds a lot of sparkle and I love that it works well for casual day looks or a night on the town. The necklace has 0.07 carats of diamonds on a 14K rose gold chain (16.5" in length). Other celebs such as Mila Kunis and Carey Mulligan love the necklace too!

Sanrio's Hello Japan Goods

To benefit the American Red Cross relief efforts in Japan, Sanrio has launched items to support the cause. Pick up this Hello Japan tote ($10) online at Sanrio.com or at Sanrio boutiques nationwide. This popular tote bag is just back in stock!

You can also buy this Hello Japan t-shirt ($20 at Mighty Fine, sizes S-XL). $15 from each t-shirt purchase goes directly to the American Red Cross.

Also look for Hello Japan chocolate bars for $4 each, available at Dylan's Candy Bar in NY and also online.

Maxi Skirts for Summer

The lovely look of long skirts is back in fashion this summer and I love this Hive & Honey Long Tiered Skirt in Coral ($54 at Piperlime). It's a great bold summer color that's perfect for those warm and breezy weekend days. The skirt also comes in a great neutral champagne color.

Here are more stylish maxi skirts from Piperlime:

Loveappella Knit Maxi Skirt (On sale for $31.99)

Velvet by Graham & Spencer Dena Long Skirt ($98)

Splendid Linen Maxi Skirt ($114)

Twelfth St. by Cynthia Vincent Exclusively for Piperlime Maxi Skirt ($174)