So ![[personal profile]](http://s.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
srevans and I are embarking on a glorious new venture: The Wardrobe Room! In the vein of the even-more-glorious Fashion It So (which if you are not familiar, chronicles 24th-century fashion as seen on TNG), we are going to bring you the very best in Doctor Who costuming, with lots of color commentary. Every unflattering jumpsuit, extraneous belt and nonsensical shoulder pad will be chronicled; no retro-futuristic stone will be left unturned.
Nominations for serials that feature particularly heinous fashion crimes are more than welcome, especially if you come bearing screencaps. Join us in mocking the shit out of the BBC costume department!
srevans and I are embarking on a glorious new venture: The Wardrobe Room! In the vein of the even-more-glorious Fashion It So (which if you are not familiar, chronicles 24th-century fashion as seen on TNG), we are going to bring you the very best in Doctor Who costuming, with lots of color commentary. Every unflattering jumpsuit, extraneous belt and nonsensical shoulder pad will be chronicled; no retro-futuristic stone will be left unturned.Nominations for serials that feature particularly heinous fashion crimes are more than welcome, especially if you come bearing screencaps. Join us in mocking the shit out of the BBC costume department!
allllll the vintage
Jan. 22nd, 2012 12:13 pmThis week I have Bought All The Clothes. I hit seven different thrift stores, a consignment store, and an estate sale, and found a whooooole bunch of great vintage pieces and some nice newer things, too. Right now there is a heaping pile of tagged and inventoried clothes on one of the dining room chairs, and a yet-to-be-inventoried pile in the living room. And, uh, one in my car, too. And some stuff I need to photograph for Etsy in my room. I have a lot of vintage clothes around the place, is what I'm saying. But I open at Polly Sue's March 1, so I'm going to need a whole lot more.
Baltimore this weekend has been really fun, although I spent Too Much Money. In my defense, most of it was on food and cabs and museum tickets; the only really unnecessary purchases were a Jadite batter bowl (for much less than they go for online!) and two little books of Edna St. Vincent Millay's poetry from 1918. Which I am going to go ahead and consider worth the money.
slight amendment to that plan
Jan. 14th, 2012 05:31 pmSo okay. I may have jumped the gun slightly in announcing that I would be opening my very own vintage store, because today at Polly Sue's, Susan, the very nice lady who owns the store, asked me if I would be interested in renting the basement of the store to sell my own things. And I think I'm going to say yes.
It's not quite having my own place, but it's awfully close, without any of the attendant risks. I get the benefit of an established customer base and good foot traffic. I don't have to deal with any of the administrative stuff of running the store, beyond my own inventory. And I get to keep working with really nice people who I know I get along with.
On the down side, I won't get to offer a fangirl discount. That part kind of sucks. But I think the pros vastly outweigh the cons.
It's not quite having my own place, but it's awfully close, without any of the attendant risks. I get the benefit of an established customer base and good foot traffic. I don't have to deal with any of the administrative stuff of running the store, beyond my own inventory. And I get to keep working with really nice people who I know I get along with.
On the down side, I won't get to offer a fangirl discount. That part kind of sucks. But I think the pros vastly outweigh the cons.
things make a post
Jan. 13th, 2012 12:39 pm1. I found this dress at the thrift store yesterday. It has a built-in petticoat and the sequined waistband picks up soft pastel colors in the right light. I am not taking it to the vintage store to consign just yet; I think I am going to save it until I open my own place this summer.
2. Oh did I mention that I'm opening my own vintage store this summer? That this is a thing that is actually happening? Because I am, and it is. I haven't signed a lease yet but there's a storefront I definitely want, and I'm in the process of figuring out all the paperwork. This morning someone called me from the Apple Business team and talked to me like I was a grown-up who could run a small business by herself. I picked an accountant a little while ago. I have spreadsheets and a business plan and a graphic designer friend is making me a logo. I'm not sure I believe all this is real yet, but the evidence suggests it is.
3. For the record, I will have a fangirl discount at my store and y'all are welcome to take advantage of it whenever you like.
4. I am spending the weekend in Baltimore with the boy (known to some as Mr. Flowersocks), and really looking forward to it.
5. I am going to attempt to wake up early and go to estate sales on Saturday, before I leave for Baltimore. Maybe. I think I can do it. The problem is that my anxiety meds, while doing a bang-up job with the anxiety, also make me really, really sleepy, and waking up in the morning is kind of a Herculean task. But I can usually manage it given sufficient motivation, and vintage clothes ought to be sufficient.
6. If you are interested in my ongoing efforts to Buy All the Vintage, I am going to make an effort to photograph everything I buy and post it here. We'll see if I keep it up, or get horrified by how much crap I'm buying and stop.
7. While I am trying to resist stockpiling clothes for my store just yet (I still buy them, I just take them to Polly Sue's to consign), I seem to have a weakness for art. It's not my fault! It's easy to store and pretty! So far this week I have bought an amateur flower painting and a dozen 1902 fashion plates. My plan for when I have my store is to string wires on the wall and clip art to the wires, like I did with the vintage photos in my living room. It will look so nice! I can't wait!
8. In non-vintage news, I am reading all the Avengers fic, but nobody is giving me what I really want, which is MOAR WINTER SOLDIER. I want allllll the Bucky, and I want him to be a brainwashed amnesiac Russian assassin, and I want Steve to save him with his love. I want it like burning, you guys. I will read Steve/Tony if it's good and all, but Steve/Bucky is definitely where my heart lives.
9. Also, if Darcy is not in the Avengers movie, I (and the rest of fandom) are going to be sorely disappointed, because she is certainly in all the fic.
10. And for an even ten items, how about a meme? I think I've done this one before, but I like it: Name a character, and I will tell you three true things about them. Fandoms include BtVS, AtLA, Farscape, Firefly, DCU, Avengers, DW, Wimseys, Vorkosigans, Discworld, Temeraire, and sundry kidlit.
2. Oh did I mention that I'm opening my own vintage store this summer? That this is a thing that is actually happening? Because I am, and it is. I haven't signed a lease yet but there's a storefront I definitely want, and I'm in the process of figuring out all the paperwork. This morning someone called me from the Apple Business team and talked to me like I was a grown-up who could run a small business by herself. I picked an accountant a little while ago. I have spreadsheets and a business plan and a graphic designer friend is making me a logo. I'm not sure I believe all this is real yet, but the evidence suggests it is.
3. For the record, I will have a fangirl discount at my store and y'all are welcome to take advantage of it whenever you like.
4. I am spending the weekend in Baltimore with the boy (known to some as Mr. Flowersocks), and really looking forward to it.
5. I am going to attempt to wake up early and go to estate sales on Saturday, before I leave for Baltimore. Maybe. I think I can do it. The problem is that my anxiety meds, while doing a bang-up job with the anxiety, also make me really, really sleepy, and waking up in the morning is kind of a Herculean task. But I can usually manage it given sufficient motivation, and vintage clothes ought to be sufficient.
6. If you are interested in my ongoing efforts to Buy All the Vintage, I am going to make an effort to photograph everything I buy and post it here. We'll see if I keep it up, or get horrified by how much crap I'm buying and stop.
7. While I am trying to resist stockpiling clothes for my store just yet (I still buy them, I just take them to Polly Sue's to consign), I seem to have a weakness for art. It's not my fault! It's easy to store and pretty! So far this week I have bought an amateur flower painting and a dozen 1902 fashion plates. My plan for when I have my store is to string wires on the wall and clip art to the wires, like I did with the vintage photos in my living room. It will look so nice! I can't wait!
8. In non-vintage news, I am reading all the Avengers fic, but nobody is giving me what I really want, which is MOAR WINTER SOLDIER. I want allllll the Bucky, and I want him to be a brainwashed amnesiac Russian assassin, and I want Steve to save him with his love. I want it like burning, you guys. I will read Steve/Tony if it's good and all, but Steve/Bucky is definitely where my heart lives.
9. Also, if Darcy is not in the Avengers movie, I (and the rest of fandom) are going to be sorely disappointed, because she is certainly in all the fic.
10. And for an even ten items, how about a meme? I think I've done this one before, but I like it: Name a character, and I will tell you three true things about them. Fandoms include BtVS, AtLA, Farscape, Firefly, DCU, Avengers, DW, Wimseys, Vorkosigans, Discworld, Temeraire, and sundry kidlit.
a busy weekend
Jan. 8th, 2012 08:46 pmThis weekend I went to two different birthday parties, DC Big Flea, and a yoga class. Dating someone is really turning me into less of a homebody. I think I like it.
(Big Flea haul: a bunch of vintage photos, a dress, and a jadite bowl. Then I went thrifting today and got a dress, a painting, a mug, and another jadite bowl for a total of $5. Which is a lot less than I spent at Big Flea.)
eta: Just occurred to me to ask: has anyone here sold on ebay before? I've only sold vintage on Etsy, and I have a '70s Lanvin dress that I suspect I could get more money for if I Ebayed it. But I've never sold anything there, hence asking.
(Big Flea haul: a bunch of vintage photos, a dress, and a jadite bowl. Then I went thrifting today and got a dress, a painting, a mug, and another jadite bowl for a total of $5. Which is a lot less than I spent at Big Flea.)
eta: Just occurred to me to ask: has anyone here sold on ebay before? I've only sold vintage on Etsy, and I have a '70s Lanvin dress that I suspect I could get more money for if I Ebayed it. But I've never sold anything there, hence asking.
vintage photo collage, attempt 2
Jan. 5th, 2012 10:18 pm
Much less likely to fall off the wall, and I can rearrange at will. What do you think?
buyer's remorse
Jan. 3rd, 2012 08:51 pmWell, I bought $400 worth of vintage clothes from an estate this morning. Now the 'omg what did I DO' is setting in.
I really shouldn't freak out-- they're all gorgeous pieces in great condition, and I really should have no trouble selling them. But that is considerably more money than I've spent in one go on vintage ever before, and I am a little freaked out about it. Eep.
eta: If you would like to see the clothes, cameraphone pics are here. Did I do good?
I really shouldn't freak out-- they're all gorgeous pieces in great condition, and I really should have no trouble selling them. But that is considerably more money than I've spent in one go on vintage ever before, and I am a little freaked out about it. Eep.
eta: If you would like to see the clothes, cameraphone pics are here. Did I do good?
whoops. (and things make a list)
Jan. 2nd, 2012 12:48 pm1. So about half the photos in the photo collage I posted yesterday have fallen off the wall overnight; apparently the sticky tabs I used were not sufficiently sticky. Oh well, I will go to Target and get more and better sticky tabs, and try again. If anyone has recommendations for photo-hanging methods that won't damage the photos or the wall, I would certainly appreciate them. I thought about nailing up little silver binder clips and hanging them that way, but that would require putting a lot of holes in the sheetrock wall, which I'm leery of.
2. ION, DC Big Flea is this weekend! If any localistas are interested in coming along, I would be happy to give you a ride. Big Flea is an awesome place to find all sorts of lovely vintage and antique things-- I will probably be looking for more photos for the wall, along with vintage clothes and whatever other shinies catch my eye.
3. I am determined to set better writing goals in the new year. I think finishing a story a month is doable, as long as I'm not picky about whether the stories are original or fannish. Almost all of the finished original stories I've got have been published somewhere, so I need a new batch to send out. I'm also thinking about e-publishing the YA novel I finished at the end of 2010.
Currently, I've got one original short story and one piece of fanfiction that I'm really trying to finish. The short story is about backcountry witches, and the fic is Captain America movieverse. I'd love to get some extra sets of eyes on them, as I'm a little stuck right now.
4. The boy comes back from Canada soon! I am excite. I think we are going to go dancing.
5. Watched the new Sherlock last night, and enjoyed it very much. I don't think it's too much of a spoiler to say that Watson's Christmas sweater should be burned. More thoughts later, perhaps.
2. ION, DC Big Flea is this weekend! If any localistas are interested in coming along, I would be happy to give you a ride. Big Flea is an awesome place to find all sorts of lovely vintage and antique things-- I will probably be looking for more photos for the wall, along with vintage clothes and whatever other shinies catch my eye.
3. I am determined to set better writing goals in the new year. I think finishing a story a month is doable, as long as I'm not picky about whether the stories are original or fannish. Almost all of the finished original stories I've got have been published somewhere, so I need a new batch to send out. I'm also thinking about e-publishing the YA novel I finished at the end of 2010.
Currently, I've got one original short story and one piece of fanfiction that I'm really trying to finish. The short story is about backcountry witches, and the fic is Captain America movieverse. I'd love to get some extra sets of eyes on them, as I'm a little stuck right now.
4. The boy comes back from Canada soon! I am excite. I think we are going to go dancing.
5. Watched the new Sherlock last night, and enjoyed it very much. I don't think it's too much of a spoiler to say that Watson's Christmas sweater should be burned. More thoughts later, perhaps.
first new year's resolution: begun!
Jan. 1st, 2012 02:45 pm
I've been meaning to fill the big blank wall in the living room with vintage photos for ages. Today I bought sticky tabs (the kind that peel off again easily, so they won't damage the photos) and got started on a photo collage. I need more sticky tabs to finish it, but I think it looks good so far.
Yuletide reveal!
Jan. 1st, 2012 09:53 amI wrote three stories this year, and I am frankly a little shocked that no one spotted them as mine. I thought I was being so obvious!
My assignment was the necessary things, a Peter Pan (2003) story about Wendy growing up. I wish this story could have had more Captain Hook in it, for my recipient's sake, but Wendy kind of took it over.
I also wrote big city days, a Top Ten: the Forty-Niners fic about Leni and Frank's relationship after the end of the book. I figured that no one was going to write any Top Ten fic this year unless I did it myself. So I did, and I'm really pleased with how it turned out.
Lastly, I wrote Go and Catch a Falling Star, a Lord Peter Wimsey/Doctor Who crossover. This had been percolating for a while, and Yuletide turned out to be the right incentive to write it properly. It was loads of fun to write, despite my nervousness about getting the voices right.
So that was my Yuletide! Between that and Brain Thief, I've finished about 45k of fanfiction this year, which is actually way better than average for me. Now I just need to polish up a bunch of stories that are sitting half-finished on my hard drive. There's some Steve/Peggy taunting me with its incompleteness that I am determined to do something about.
My assignment was the necessary things, a Peter Pan (2003) story about Wendy growing up. I wish this story could have had more Captain Hook in it, for my recipient's sake, but Wendy kind of took it over.
I also wrote big city days, a Top Ten: the Forty-Niners fic about Leni and Frank's relationship after the end of the book. I figured that no one was going to write any Top Ten fic this year unless I did it myself. So I did, and I'm really pleased with how it turned out.
Lastly, I wrote Go and Catch a Falling Star, a Lord Peter Wimsey/Doctor Who crossover. This had been percolating for a while, and Yuletide turned out to be the right incentive to write it properly. It was loads of fun to write, despite my nervousness about getting the voices right.
So that was my Yuletide! Between that and Brain Thief, I've finished about 45k of fanfiction this year, which is actually way better than average for me. Now I just need to polish up a bunch of stories that are sitting half-finished on my hard drive. There's some Steve/Peggy taunting me with its incompleteness that I am determined to do something about.
Okay, so if you have read this journal for any length of time, you have probably heard me talk about Top Ten, and specifically its prequel, The Forty-Niners. If you haven't read this journal for any length of time, hi! I am going to try to make you read comics!
So. Top Ten is a comic by Alan Moore about superhero cops in the city of Neopolis, where everyone has powers. If you're familiar with Alan Moore from his work on Watchmen and V for Vendetta and the like, you might find Top Ten a little surprising, because it is not remotely as grimdark and gritty as that stuff. As far as I can tell, Top Ten dates from a period in Moore's career when he went "fuck Frank Miller, I am off to write lighthearted retro adventures crammed with references to everything that has ever been awesome." And then he did. (See also: Tom Strong. No, seriously, go read it, it's excellent.)
The main Top Ten miniseries runs twelve issues, and is totally worth reading in its own right. I really like it, but it is overshadowed in my heart by The Forty-Niners, which is a story about the founding of Neopolis in 1949. It has gorgeous art by Gene Ha, and is basically my favorite thing in the entire world. It has everything: amazing retro style, vampires, robots, Joan of Arc, flying cars, time machines, canon gay, and SO MUCH MORE. Let me introduce you to it!
( Behind the cut: introductions, and LOTS OF SPOILERS )
So. Top Ten is a comic by Alan Moore about superhero cops in the city of Neopolis, where everyone has powers. If you're familiar with Alan Moore from his work on Watchmen and V for Vendetta and the like, you might find Top Ten a little surprising, because it is not remotely as grimdark and gritty as that stuff. As far as I can tell, Top Ten dates from a period in Moore's career when he went "fuck Frank Miller, I am off to write lighthearted retro adventures crammed with references to everything that has ever been awesome." And then he did. (See also: Tom Strong. No, seriously, go read it, it's excellent.)
The main Top Ten miniseries runs twelve issues, and is totally worth reading in its own right. I really like it, but it is overshadowed in my heart by The Forty-Niners, which is a story about the founding of Neopolis in 1949. It has gorgeous art by Gene Ha, and is basically my favorite thing in the entire world. It has everything: amazing retro style, vampires, robots, Joan of Arc, flying cars, time machines, canon gay, and SO MUCH MORE. Let me introduce you to it!
( Behind the cut: introductions, and LOTS OF SPOILERS )
yuuuuuuletiiiiiiide
Dec. 25th, 2011 02:55 pmIt is the most wonderful time of the year, everyone! Yuletide stories are live, AND the Doctor Who Christmas special is tonight. I could not be more full of fannish glee.
I wrote three stories for Yuletide this year, and I will write you a drabble if you can spot any of them. It was tremendously fun to stay up until three AM with the rest of #yuletide last night, writing treats. And the archive was waiting for me when I woke up!
I got a lovely present this year, a 50/50 story called You Yes You that is sweet and charming and funny. If you've seen the movie, go read it. If you haven't seen the movie, go see the movie and then read it.
Now I need to make a recs list! OMG YULETIDE.
I wrote three stories for Yuletide this year, and I will write you a drabble if you can spot any of them. It was tremendously fun to stay up until three AM with the rest of #yuletide last night, writing treats. And the archive was waiting for me when I woke up!
I got a lovely present this year, a 50/50 story called You Yes You that is sweet and charming and funny. If you've seen the movie, go read it. If you haven't seen the movie, go see the movie and then read it.
Now I need to make a recs list! OMG YULETIDE.
a birthday
Dec. 20th, 2011 12:18 pmI'm 26! It's kind of weird. I feel like I already had my birthday, anyway, because I went out to dinner with friends Saturday night and family Sunday night. Today is laundry, room-cleaning, and building gingerbread houses with the kids at work. And the boy is coming over tonight, before he has to go home to Canada for a couple of weeks. I need to figure out what I'm doing for New Year's, since he's going to be in Toronto.
Yuletide is progressing: 850 words, and I know how it ends. I wish I could come up with something longer, but I think it's not going to be much more than the minimum this year. But I should have plenty of time to write treats, at least. The bears have backed off a bit.
I think I'm going to buy a bunch of silver binder clips and use them to make a vintage photo collage on the one big empty wall in my living room. I have a bunch of group and school pictures, and they'd look nice together. Not sure how to get the one rolled-up yard-long to hang flat on the wall, though. We'll see how it turns out.
Yuletide is progressing: 850 words, and I know how it ends. I wish I could come up with something longer, but I think it's not going to be much more than the minimum this year. But I should have plenty of time to write treats, at least. The bears have backed off a bit.
I think I'm going to buy a bunch of silver binder clips and use them to make a vintage photo collage on the one big empty wall in my living room. I have a bunch of group and school pictures, and they'd look nice together. Not sure how to get the one rolled-up yard-long to hang flat on the wall, though. We'll see how it turns out.
websomics question
Dec. 9th, 2011 11:14 amHas anyone on my flist ever written or drawn a webcomic, or know someone who has? I'm working on launching one with a friend, and we'd love to pick the brain of someone who's done it already.
a sobering realization
Nov. 29th, 2011 10:09 pmWe finally got a new washing machine yesterday, after the old one broke and we went nearly a month without one. I have done a bunch of laundry today, but it wasn't actually all that urgent. Because I wasn't even close to running out of clean clothes. Because I just have that much clothing.
I need to be way better about culling the stuff I don't wear regularly, I think. Time for a clean-out, perhaps, once all the laundry's done.
I need to be way better about culling the stuff I don't wear regularly, I think. Time for a clean-out, perhaps, once all the laundry's done.
