Fidget Finds

Vintage Tid Bits - Bobbie Brooks

2011-07-14T21:00:00.004-04:00

Bobbie Brooks, Inc. started out as Ritmore Sportwear and was established in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1939 by Maurice Saltzman and Max Reiter. It started out as a junior miss clothing line and became a multi-million dollar business within 15 years. It expanded to women's clothing in the 60s, but as you can see from the old ads that are from that era, the brand maintained its youthful look with coordinated fabrics, colors and styles.

The Bobbie Brooks dress from the 60s that Fidget Found. Click here to see more.

Good Vintage vs. Bad Vintage

2011-07-11T11:31:00.003-04:00

Yves St. Laurent opened a men's boutique in New York City and this article from Life Magazine, 1973, features the trendsetting women who shop there. Love it!!

These experimental nautical and dental inventions from the same era are so bad that they are amazing!! Check out the failed pontoon fins and customized retainers -

Fidget Loves Supergraphics!!

2011-07-08T15:54:00.005-04:00

Check out this LIFE magazine article from 1973 that presents Supergraphics.

"The whole idea of supergraphics is to knock down walls with paint. That's what a young group of architects and designers are trying to do - change the apparent shape of the rooms, bring order to rambling space, break up boxlike confines - all by applying outsize designs to floors, walls and ceilings. To lengthen the room above, Yale architecture student William Grover designed a swirling band for the ceiling that continues down the wall to line up with the piano. He added a billboard-sized numeral to heighten the 6' 10" ceiling. A can of paint - artfully applied - is much cheaper than remodeling. And if it doesn't look right, you can just paint it out."

"When a dwindling budget shrank the size of the Bath house at Sea Ranch, a resort community north of San Francisco, the architects called i Graphics designer Barbara Stauffacher to dress up their diminished interior. In only three days, Mrs. Stauffacher transformed the stark white walls with wrap-around supergraphics that delighted the builders and residents alike. Mrs. Stauffacher did most of her designing right on the walls with charcoal, letting two sign painters fill in the colors. In the ladies' lavatory, she drew half a heart that becomes a whole one when reflected in the mirror. Along the stairway, she placed a bold directional arrow that points the way upstairs to the women's locker room. In the men's locker room, a half circle borders a doorway through which is seen a matching half. In the women's section, she lettered the word -sauna- in one corner and painted hairpin stripes around another. In the cramped space mailboxes serve as lockers."

"Awkward areas in a house, apartment or office are easily painted away int he Vlock home, a 30 foot hall is shortened by slanting bands that broaden to twice their width at the far end. New York Architect Hugh Hardy and his Italian-born wife created a nursery in their one bedroom apartment by painting and labeling a circle. Architect Doug Michels devised the ceiling-to-floor design above. It camouflaged a radiator in the former New Haven office of Charles Moore, whose firm designed the bath-house on preceding pages, Moore calls supergraphics - a magnificient device for playing with scale. They make a toy out of a room."

Amazing!! Have a great weekend!

Happy Fourth of July!

2011-07-03T21:05:00.000-04:00

Fidget's Favorite New Finds!

2011-06-30T09:03:00.005-04:00

Click here.

Good Vintage vs. Bad Vintage

2011-06-27T09:29:00.004-04:00

Good Vintage -

Hot Pants! Photos from an article in LIFE magazine, 1972.

Bad Vintage -

Stop Eating!?! This is an actual ad from the same magazine - I highlighted my favorite parts.

Isn't Summer Fun?

2011-06-26T20:31:00.006-04:00

I hope that you are enjoying it! Remember to stop and take time to get your feet wet.

Fidget Finds Booth!

2011-06-25T14:30:00.003-04:00

Summer is officially here! Check out our new booth at the Providence Open Market!

This summer Fidget has paired up with Julie from Jujiewicks who is selling lovely handpoured soy candles using upcycled and vintage glassware.

Click here to check out her etsy shop!

Upcoming dates:

Saturday, July 2nd
Saturday, July 16th

Hours: 10am to 2pm

Come round!

Fidget's Finds of the Week!

2011-05-09T14:33:00.005-04:00

Check out these lovely lost treasures!

Click here

Thanks for looking and have a great week!

Earth Day Speech

2011-04-28T10:38:00.002-04:00

Last May I was asked to speak at an Environmental Day that my old high school was hosting, and you can read about the event in a blog post here. I never posted the contents of the speech but I just came across it and better late than never. I know it's a bit lengthy and there are no photos but there is still some informative info and maybe some food for thought. I hope you enjoy reading and it and maybe learn a thing or two, I know I did when researching many topics that I spoke about. It also tells a bit about my background and how I came to be where I am today. As the speech was written almost a year ago some information about my work situation has changed, but the gist is the same. I am always happy to start a dialogue of how we can make getting dressed more eco friendly so please let me know if you have any questions. Enjoy!

Hello!

My name is Nicole Lebreux and I am the owner of Fidget Finds, a small independent vintage clothing and accessories boutique. I currently sell my wares on the internet via fidgetfinds.com and in weekend markets in RI and MA. I also design and manufacture environmentally conscious clothing made from vintage and other green fabrics.

I am a 2001 graduate of Tiverton High School. With the help of my fantastic teachers and extracurricular activities I was accepted to the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan and proceeded to earn my Bachelor of Fine Arts in the Spring of 2005. I loved going to school in New York City; it was new and exciting, fast paced with new ideas and adventures around every corner. An internship during school led to a job at a Private Label fashion company where I was the assistant designer, although actually designing was at the bottom of the list of things that I actually did. My main tasks were choosing fabric and buttons, making sure samples were made correctly, making photocopies, and emailing, lots of emailing between different departments and other companies that we worked with. My company did nothing in regards to being environmentally conscious, even recycling. I used to take paper , which we used way too much of, and cans of soda from the kitchen waste basket home with me to recycle. It hurt my heart to see reusable items so carelessly thrown away. Even all this paper wasting and lack of basic concern for the environment wasn't enough for me to see the light. But I'll never forget the moment when I actually did. I was standing in front of the copy machine, photocopying reports on the factories in China that we used for production that were going to be sent to a big fashion house, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger big. My eyes started watering immediately when I saw the hours worked and wages earned by these poor people. These reports were being sent so this big fashion house could see that these factories met their manufacturing standards and could be used for production. I couldn't stand it any longer. I decided that enough was enough. I had to move home. I couldn't work for a company in an industry with such widespread and common disregard for the environment and basic human rights. I also couldn't live in a place so far removed from nature where it was necessary to take some sort of public transportation to sit on a patch of grass outside.

I think about a month or so later I packed up my outrageously overpriced one bedroom in Astoria and headed back to Little Rhody, my favorite place on earth. There's not much for eco friendly fashion jobs in these parts so I knew I was going to have to make something up on my own. In the fall of 2007 fidget finds was formed. At first she was just a little website skipping along until November 2008 when I opened a retail shop in Newport. After a successful year in business my little be bop shop closed this past December after much thought and consideration. I decided to spend the months of January and February traveling in Southeast Asia reflecting and learning many a valuable lesson. The first of which was gratitude. We all need to be thankful for everything and everyone that we have have every second of every day. You don't even realize everything that you take for granted until you see people living, happily I might add, with was we would call nothing. While they seem quite separate being thankful and environmentalism go hand in hand. When you appreciate this beautiful planet that we all get to live on, you are driven to care for it. This earth is very small and we share it with many people. Although China, Thailand, and Laos seem like a world away, we all swim in the same ocean and breathe the same air. Everything is connected. Our everyday decisions affect many people that we will never have the pleasure of knowing. I had originally thought that this trip would change my whole perspective on the universe and unlock these secret parts of my brain to answer all my questions to the mysteries of life. Well, it didn't. What it did do was make me glad to be me. Glad to be born an American, living in Rhode Island and pursuing my dream to be a self sufficient business owner and eco friendly fashion designer. I do it because I want to, and more importantly because I can.

Needless to say, my perspective was greatly altered during my time away. I thought to make a difference or to change the world I should become a social worker or volunteer for an NGO. You don't. You just need to be true to yourself and lead by positive example. Be the change you wish to see in the world, said Ghandi. So that is how I choose to live my life and run my business.

Fashion by nature is fickle, and therefore wasteful. New product is developed, produced, and distributed at least twice a year, while most big stores and designers bring out new inventory at least every few weeks. Fashion magazines and websites are always promoting items that "you need now" but it changes every month. Trends and "what's cool" is constantly changing, leaving all the newly "uncool" and "untrendy" items useless and without anyone who wants them, otherwise known as waste. Fast Fashion as it's dubbed in the fashion industry is categorized by trendy clothing that is made cheaply, sold cheaply, and is only meant to be worn for a short amount of time due to its trendiness or lack of quality in fabric or manufacturing. You all know what I mean by this; Target, Walmart, H&M, and Forever 21 are top contributors. According to the EPA, Americans throw away an average of 68 lbs of clothing every year. Sorry girls, but you're the main offenders. Teenage girls purchase and get rid of more clothing than any other group. They throw away seven times the amount of clothing as their male counterparts. The waste of this fast fashion phenomenon does not only include the trash of thrown away clothing but all of the environmental hazards that occur in producing the fabric for these garments. Cotton, one of the worlds most widely used fibers, while it is marketed as clean and fluffy white is actually one of the biggest pollutants. This crop accounts for a quarter of all the pesticides used in the US, the largest exporter of cotton in the world, according to the USDA. Huge amounts of water, chemicals, and detergents are needed to clean and prepare the fiber to be made into fabric. Another big problem with conventionally grown cotton is the dying of it. Most dyes contain chemicals, salts, and metals. When not treated or disposed of correctly these harmful components end up in waterways, which leads to problems in the soil and drinking water. Polyester is also a big offender as it is made from petroleum. As is true with other synthetic fibers, the production of polyester is a very energy intensive process that uses large amounts of crude oil and releases harmful emissions.

I just named some of the environmental hazards of clothing and textile production which undoubtedly affects peoples lives, but now I'd like to talk about the actual human beings that are producing your clothing. I will spare you the horrific photographs of sweatshop factories and child labor but know that they do exist. I wish I remembered the numbers on that sheet I was photocopying a few short years ago, but I don't. Either from shock or disbelief they didn't remain part of my memory. I can tell you however that China's minimum wage is under $1 an hour, and we can all presume that number isn't always enforced. According to figures from the US National Labor Committee, some Chinese workers make as little as 12-18 cents per hour working long hours in poor conditions. People working in these factories often develop respiratory problems from breathing in chemicals or dust from producing fabrics, many of which lead to death. There is also the problem of out of date machinery that can easily amputate limbs. Children also work long hours and for low wages in the production of clothing overseas. In 2007, Gap Inc. admitted to using child labor in the production of blouses for Gap Kids. If that isn't big corporations taking advantage, then I'm not sure what is. I also want to note that I'm aware of the controversies involving sweatshops and child labor. Many developing nations use cheap labor to improve the state of their country as a whole and to move toward being a first world nation. Indeed this was the state of America at the turn of the century. We had sweatshops and child labor in many of those old mill buildings you see in North Tiverton, Fall River, and New Bedford. Some people say it is just the nature of developing countries and that in time these crimes with dissipate. The decision of how much you choose to participate in this system is up to you.

I take steps every day in my business and personal life to limit my carbon footprint as much as possible. I have always admired vintage clothing for it's style, craftsmanship, and quality and have been shopping in thrift stores since middle school. It was a cheap way to dress uniquely and not look like everyone else. Buying vintage, thrift, and consignment store clothing is in itself recycling; using something that already exists for a new purpose. You are not buying something new, fresh from the production belt of China, Honduras, or Bangladesh that needs to be quickly replaced on the store shelf but rather something that has already been used and loved. You are giving it a new life rather than letting it rot in a landfill. I also do most of my business transactions over the internet, I hardly use paper for anything except for maybe notes or to do lists and for that I use the backs of junk mail. My headquarters is in one of those old mill buildings I mentioned previously. While many of these old buildings are becoming eye sores and safety hazards, a group of like minded artists decided to put one of these buildings to good use. Now it is the home of many small businesses, entrepreneurs, and artists. When making new clothing I use vintage fabrics or when I need to buy new fabrics I used environmentally friendly ones such as organic cotton, which doesn't use chemical fertilizers or pesticides, bamboo which is a very fast growing renewable resource, hemp which doesn't need pesticides and can be grown very densely, and soy which is made from tofu manufacturing waste. I also produce all of my new clothing in Southeastern New England. This saves on fuel costs of transportation and provides jobs in the local economy.

We are all lucky enough to live in a country where we have something that many others around the world are not granted: choices. And as always, our decisions have consequences, specifically our decisions of what we are going to spend our money on. Manufacturers s aren't going to sell things that no one is buying. Sales in thrift, vintage, and consignment stores has grown tremendously over the past few years due to the economy but also to people's realization that we need to take care of this one planet we have. There are many simple things that you can do when it comes to clothing to help save the environment. Most of them save money too.

What you can do:
Fix garments that need mending. Don't just throw something away because the seam tore open or a button fell off.
Don't be tempted to buy things that you don't need or will only wear a few times.
Wash clothing not as often and in cold water.
Buy clothing made from organic or eco friendly fabrics.
Buy clothing produced locally or by small designers.
Buy used clothing, from thrift stores or vintage, consignment.
Buy fewer more expensive but better made garments rather than many cheaply made ones.
Most importantly, educate yourself

I just want to end by saying that we all need to do our part. Every little bit helps.

Fidget Loves 1920's French Fashion

2011-04-24T21:57:00.013-04:00

Oh, this old thing?

Hello. Agnes here and welcome back for another feature of fashion highlights from decades past. Today I will obsess over French fashion plates that were published in La Gazette du Bon Ton during its run from 1912 to 1925. The magazine was marketed toward the Parisian elite and was arguably the most influential fashion magazine of its time. It's title was derived from the French concept of bon ton, meaning timeless good taste and refinement. The editor of the magazine, Lucien Vogel, was able to enlist the most successful couturiers and the finest illustrators working in Paris. The results are awe-inspiring, see for yourself.

from left to right:
HAVE I COME TOO EARLY?
Theater Wrap by Paul Poiret. Drawn by Georges Lepape, 1912.
WOMAN AND PUPPETS.
Marionettes. Drawn by Georges Lepape, 1913.
TOO MUCH TO CHOOSE FROM.
Tailored Suit by Paul Poiret. Drawn by Georges Lepape, 1913.

The purpose of the illustrations was to establish fashion as an art alongside painting, sculpture, and drawing. Thus making the fashion plates a stepping stone for fashion illustration and fashion photography through its use of picturesque settings, vivid colors and eye catching poses. As quoted in the magazine's first editorial, "The clothing of a woman is a pleasure for the eye that cannot be judged inferior to the other arts."

AUTUMN CROCUSES.
Traveling Cloak by Paquin. Drawn by George Barbier, 1914.
AT THE COMEDY.
Theater Wrap by Paquin. Drawn by J. Gose, 1912.
THEY'RE LOOKING AT US.
New Summer Muffs. Drawn by Georges Lepape, 1913.

Each issue of La Gazette du Bon Ton featured ten full-page fashion plates. Seven depicting couture designs and three inspired by couture but designed solely by the illustrators. The freedom given to the illustrators led to an intimate and fascinating social commentary much like the current street photography being done by the genius that is Bill Cunningham at the New York Times.

THE STUNNING LITTLE FISH.
Summer Dress. Drawn by George Barbier, 1914.
AT PALM BEACH.
Tailored Outfit by Worth. Drawn by George Barbier, 1921.
THE SEASHELL FOUNTAIN.
Evening Gown by Paquin. Drawn by George Barbier, 1914.

The magazine both created and recorded fashion history in the crucial years that transitioned from the decadent and lavish belle époque through the typical look of the mid twenties and the art deco movement: sheath dresses, boyish bobs, geometric symmetry and true glamour.

THE ANTIQUE MINIATURE.
Dinner Gown by Redfern. Drawn by Bernard Boutet de Monvel, 1913.
AVENUE DU BOIS.
Drawn by Drian, 1915.
COROMANDEL.
Evening Wrap and Gown. Drawn by George Barbier, 1914.

Rather than merely showing off the featured garment, the fashion plates serve as a window to the 1920's and its upper class lifestyle, manners, social environments, and leisure pursuits through including dramatic and narrative situations. My personal favorite being "THE BEAUTIFUL LADY WITHOUT PITY" for obvious reasons.

ALMS.
Fancy Tailored Outfit. Drawn by Georges Lepape, 1914.
THE LADIES' ADVISER.
Theater Gown and Wrap. Drawn by George Barbier, 1913.
FROM THE APPLE TO THE LIPS.
Masquerade Costume by Redfern. Drawn by Charles Martin, 1913.

The couture pieces include gorgeous evening gowns, tailored suits, walking and summer outfits, theater, ballroom and masquerade costumes. Resulting in a fashion show of women’s wear from pre depression era Paris when the most daring, luxurious designs were customary seasonal additions to the wardrobe.

THE BEAUTIFUL LADY WITHOUT PITY.
Evening Gown by Worth. Drawn by George Barbier,1921.
SMOKE.
Evening Gown by Beer. Drawn by George Barbier, 1921.
THE MILKY WAY.
Evening Gown and Cape by Worth. Drawn by George Barbier, 1921.

The extremely rich and vivid colors were achieved through fine pochoir hand coloring. Pochoir is the French word for stenciling, a form of coloring pictures that dates to a thousand years ago in China. The manual aspect of pochoir has been both one of its most valuable attributes and one of its greatest failures as a medium. Pochoir is both labor-and time-intensive, making it an expensive and slow process of printmaking.

PARISIAN ENCUMBERANCES.
Afternoon Coat by Doeuillet. Drawn by Andre E. Marty, 1920.
GOODNESS, HOW COLD IT IS.
Winter Coat by Paul Poiret. Drawn by Georges Lepape, 1913.
BY MOONLIGHT.
Evening Wrap by Paul Poiret. Drawn by Georges Lepape, 1913.

The pochoir process would use from 20 to 250 different stencils applied to a black-and-white collotype print from a photograph. A craftsman known as a découpeur would cut stencils with a straight-edged knife. The stencils were originally made of aluminum, copper, or zinc. Stencils created by the découpeur would be passed on to the coloristes. The coloristes applied the pigments using a variety of different brushes and methods of paint application to create the finished pochoir print.

WITCHCRAFT.
Evening Gown by Beer. Drawn by George Barbier, 1922.
THE MIRROR / A PASSING GLANCE.
Evening Wrap by Paul Poiret. Drawn by Andre E. Marty, 1922.
THE PROLOGUE / AMATEUR PERFORMANCE AT THE COUNTRY ESTATE.
Evening Gown. Drawn by Pierre Brissaud.

Well I'm spent. Check back soon for more salivating vintage tidbits.

Yours truly,
Agnes

Fidget's Finds of The Week

2011-04-21T20:12:00.010-04:00

Check out some of the lovely new additions to our shop!

Click here.

Thanks for looking and have a great weekend!

Signs of Spring!

2011-04-18T12:37:00.003-04:00

Brian and I went for a looonnngg walk around town yesterday, it was such a beautiful day! I simply just can't express how thankful and excited I am that spring is starting to show her smiling face. This tree is right around the block from us and I can't wait for its flowers to be in bloom!

Fidget Loves Biba!

2011-04-13T16:05:00.018-04:00

Hello. I am Agnes and lucky for you, you caught me on a good day. Fidget asked me to share some vintage tidbits on the computer in return for some smokes and a bottle of dry vermouth. I will begin with the fashion icon and legend that is Barbara Hulanicki.

Babs pioneered a fashion revolution in London with her Biba shop in the late 1960's when she was the first designer to target her designs entirely toward younger people with trendsetting collections, a glamorous storefront and a deliberately low price point.

In 1964, Barbara started selling her first ready to wear designs in London via mail order from fashion sections in various magazines. Her first significant success was a pink gingham dress that was advertised in the Daily Mirror around the same time that Brigitte Bardot wore a near exact replica as her wedding dress. It is said that over 4,000 orders came in by the next day. Soon after, she opened a shop named Biba on Arbington Road in London in September of the same year.

Barbara’s aesthetic was heavily influenced by Art Deco and Art Nouveau styles and she designed flattering clothing for more slender figures than was custom at the time. She described her customers as ‘postwar babies who had been deprived of nourishing protein in childhood and grew up into beautiful skinny people: a designer's dream. It didn’t take much for them to look outstanding.’ These women were mostly teenagers or twenty somethings, who simply wanted to wear clothing that was affordable and looked good on them.

The shop itself seemed like an exclusive club with its blaring music, celebrity sightings and rooftop garden but it was just as accessible for the common girl as it was for the budding socialite. The windows were always fantastically displayed and at Biba you would come across such extremes as metallics mixed with dusky colors, mini skirts alongside maxi coats, platforms lined up with Victorian boots, and movie actresses lined up with five and dime store employees. If I die tomorrow, I hope to end up at the Biba shop circa 1966. To be more specific, I want to be making Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithful wait in the dressing room line while I take my time contemplating which color feather boa would best match my new checkered three piece pants suit.

Here is an excerpt from an interview with Barbara Hulanicki in Vice Magazine from 2009:

Vice: It seems like you had such a clear vision with Biba. It was a very specific art-nouveau- and art-deco-inspired, old-Hollywood glamour look. I was wondering how that came about.
Barbara: First and foremost, the inspiration was the period in which we were living. There were absolutely no clothes for young people in England. I mean, in America there were wonderful things happening in the early 60s but in the UK we were all desperate, just desperate, for clothes. Another inspiration was old movies—mostly things with Garbo and American musicals.

Vice: The color palette was great. Everything was dark browns and purples and lots of black. It was very lush and boudoirish.
Barbara: I was designing in England, which is very dark and gloomy, and our color palette there is not as strong as it is in America. For instance, where I am now, in Miami, the sun soaks up color. So it was all to do with light, really.

Vice: I read that you were in art school and you started out as a fashion illustrator.
Barbara: I did fashion design at art school, but that seemed to take too long. I was desperate to get a job and get out of my home life and be independent. Illustration was often used in editorials back then—photography hadn’t caught on yet. It seemed the quickest way to get to be independent but still have something to do with fashion.

Vice: How did you go from illustrating to making and selling clothes?
Barbara: I was illustrating in a studio when I met my husband, Fitz, who was in advertising. He said, “You’ve got to go back to design. You’ve got to go freelance,” which I did and my career really rocketed. I was in all the big magazines—Women’s Wear Daily, Vogue, Harper’s, Queen magazine—and traveling a lot to France, doing shows there. That was amazing training. I kept seeing that there was absolutely nothing for the young. Paris was all for ladies who lunched.

Vice: It seems like everything you were doing—the clothes, the shop, the way you presented retail as an “experience”—was the complete opposite of what everyone else was doing at the time.
Barbara: Well, it was all the things I wanted myself. First of all, I had a loving husband who hated shopping. So I thought that a way to get the boys to stay was to get them a seat. Then they could watch the girls and it would work. Remember, there weren’t that many clubs in those days. People didn’t go and eat out. There weren’t that many concerts. Now you can hang out in all sorts of places, even Starbucks, but there used to be nowhere like that. The boutique, especially on a Saturday, became a big meeting place.

Vice: In the beginning, everything you made was limited run, which really created the idea of cult items that people just had to have.
Barbara: Retail is like fishing. You never know what’s going to sell big. We were cautious. We sold, and as we sold, we made more. Everything was practical, it wasn’t thought out in a marketing room or anything.

Vice: It’s so different now.
Barbara: Yes. Everything is marketed for us and then they put money into it. We were doing it the other way around.

Vice: It must have been exciting to do it that way.
Barbara: Tremendously. You’ve no idea. You never knew when you were going to catch the big one. In retail, it’s this moment that counts, not tomorrow, not the next day, not yesterday. You have to keep making money. Otherwise you die.

Vice: I was reading about the catalogues that you produced. In the 50s and 60s, catalogues were thick books of drawings. You were the first to do a catalogue with photos that looked like magazine editorials.
Barbara: I was madly in love with photography and photographers and I said, “Wow, now is the chance to use some of these incredible people.” I mean, can you imagine, we had Helmut Newton doing it! He was big then, but not that big. I went through a friend of mine who was working at the Observer and I said, “Please ask him!” She said, “Of course he will, he would love to.”

Vice: Never know until you ask, I guess.
Barbara: Absolutely.

Vice: You had so many different ideas, and many of them you actually brought to fruition. There was a men’s line, a children’s line, shoes, jewelry, grocery items, coffee, tea, cat food, dog food—even Biba baked beans! I’ve also read about a Biba car that was being planned.
Barbara: That never happened, but we were absolutely planning it.

Vice: You came out with a black lipstick, right?
Barbara: Yes.

Vice: You were so ahead of the times! Even nowadays, if somebody does something that bold, people freak out. As recently as last year, YSL put black lipstick on their models and people were like, “Ooh, it’s so weird.” I can’t imagine what people thought about something like that in the 60s.
Barbara: Well, you see, we were starting from zero because lipstick then was coral. That was it. So we had a completely blank canvas. That new generation was so hungry for anything new. It was fantastic. Our first lipstick was chocolate brown and it sold out in two seconds!

Vice: Did you wear the lipstick as well?
Barbara: Oh yeah.

Vice: It sounds like you were creating an army of young girls that were all tuned into your look.
Barbara: Yes, because I was tuned into them. I mean, it’s important that you’re tuned into your public. The English public is incredibly open and eccentric, totally open to new ideas. They’re not frightened of being laughed at.

Vice: Let’s jump ahead to when you moved into the seven-story “Big Biba” store. Not only was it a full-service department store, it was, again, a place to hang out. You had film stars, artists, and rock stars like the Rolling Stones and David Bowie coming in. Brigitte Bardot would be there. It just struck me that nowadays a lot of designers court celebrities so they can pack the front row of their shows with them and get them to wear their clothes.
Barbara: Right, they pay them.

Vice: Yeah. But it seems like people just naturally came to hang out at the Biba store because it was a cool place to be.
Barbara: I’ll tell you what, we had fabulous-looking girls in the shop and that was enough to bring those boys in. Even when you get a girl that isn’t so fabulous, she becomes fabulous because she’s with the others and she can try things on and look nice. So, they bloom, they bloom. Birds of a feather.

Here are some "Bibaesque" pieces that Fidget currently has for sale in her shop:

Stamped Gold with Turquoise Pendant Necklace

Black and Gold Pisces Pendant Necklace and Oversized Geometric Silver and Red Pendant Necklace

Perfect Sparkly Gold Clutch

Barbara Hulanicki continues to push the boundaries with her current interior and fashion designs. In addition, there is a “Biba” musical in the works, an amazing documentary called “Beyond Biba” came out in 2009 and Biba is back - The House of Fraser relaunched the Biba brand in 2010. Below are photos from the Biba Spring/Summer 2011 Collection and a trailer for "Beyond Biba".

Biba Spring Summer 2011 Collection

Beyond Biba Trailer

That does it for now. So scram and check back soon for more fashion highlights from decades past.

Yours truly, Agnes.

NicoleLebreux Early Spring 2011 Collection

2011-04-12T12:59:00.006-04:00

I'm sure that you all enjoyed the fantastically fun behind the scenes video that Caitlin and Jeff made of our recent Spring 2011 photo shoot, and now I'm here to share with you the photos! Kaitlin Coleman was the photographer and did an excellent job executing the bright colors on gray background shoot idea that I had. To keep with the all are loved and welcome fidget finds aesthetic I chose to use real women as my models. Granted they are all my close friends, many of whom I have know since childhood, but they all embrace the positive attitude and enjoying life feel that I want my clothing to have. Everyone did their own hair and makeup and the photos were not touched up at all to hide blemishes or to make the girls appear thinner because all shapes and sizes are loved here and all the girls are absolutely stunning JUST THE WAY THEY ARE!! Here are a few of my favorite photos but please be sure to check out my new website where you'll see many more (warning: it is still very much under construction!) I will begin to list items in my etsy shop in the next week and of course I will keep you updated on local markets where you can purchase items in person. So exciting!!

A big thank you to Kait for the photos, my intern/partner in fashion Melanie who thankfully took the lead with styling for the shoot, and Chantal for pitching in and doing a lot of sewing in the days leading up to it. And of course my models and muses, Renee, Caitlin, Julie, Lily, Maya, Andi, and Mae.

Feature in The Bay Magazine! (the unedited edition)

2011-03-29T14:00:00.005-04:00

Make sure you check out the April edition of The Bay Magazine to see a profile piece about FidgetFinds and the debut of my new collection of original apparel labeled under my name, Nicole Lebreux. It's just so very exciting to see your picture in the paper! Here is the unedited version of the interview that I wrote for the paper:

-Tells us about your vintage clothing online store and blog.
Fidget Finds started in the fall of 2007 and has taken on many forms including a brick and mortar in Newport and is currently an online shop on etsy.com. My work is a collection of interesting, unique, and wearable vintage items that embody having fun, enjoying every moment, and bright sunny days. The blog is an outlet for me to share current inspirations, photography, and a way keep my customers up to date with Fidget happenings.

- When and how did you become interested in vintage clothing?
My love of vintage walks hand in hand with my taste for thrift shopping and finding lost treasures. I started scouring the racks at the local church thrift when I was in elementary school to add to my collection of “dress-up clothing” for various plays and dance recitals in my living room. My interest became more developed in high school with my distaste for mass produced clothing and in looking like everyone else. Vintage, thrift, and my own hand made creations enabled me to express myself and embrace being unique.

- What inspired you to start your own clothing business?
I don’t ever remember a time when I didn’t want to be an entrepreneur or design clothing. “Fidget” was actually the name of a tee shirt collection that I designed in sixth grade. My mom used to make my sister and I outfits for special occasions, making the sewing machine available for me to take full advantage of. I also took lots of sewing and art classes in high school and attended F.I.T. to gain a degree in fashion design. After working the industry in NYC for a while I decided that I had too many qualms with traditional clothing manufacturing and I also needed to be closer to nature. I moved back to RI and it was a natural progression from there.

- We heard you are finally starting your own line! Can you tell us what is in store?
I am so excited about the collection of original apparel I am working on under an eponymous label! It is a collection of about 20 different styles ranging from high waisted maxi skirts, knit rompers, and boxy crop tops. I make all of my pieces out of brightly colored and printed recycled fabrics, mostly vintage but also including mill surplus. I will be selling my garments on etsy.com as well as in local markets and trunk shows over the summer. My designs are certainly vintage inspired but more in the sense that they’re classic and timeless.

- Who is your favorite designer?
I actually don’t have one, although I fully respect the collection of ideas that other contemporary designers show and am frequently inspired by them. I have always favored looks and conceptions over labels and trends. If you want to go back and speak to the creators of modern women’s wear then the list is long and includes Claire McCardell for her contributions toward comfort, function and fit, Elsa Schiaparelli for her smart Surrealist aesthetic, and Madeleine Vionnet for shaping clothing to a woman’s body.

- What would you tell someone who has never shopped at a vintage store?
First of all, don’t be scared! I always suggest to vintage newcomers just to pick one or two pieces of clothing or jewelry that catch their eye and to work those pieces into their existing wardrobe. Inevitably this leads to loads of compliments on the item and the want for more unique articles with a story in their closet. Collections can grow pretty quickly from there!

- What is considered a “good find” when shopping for vintage clothes?
Something that speaks to you, something that makes you gasp when you first see or touch it, something that makes you happy and proud to wear. Add a good price and a great fit and you’ve got yourself your new favorite wearable item.

Photograph by Amy Amerantes

Nicole Lebreux Original Apparel Coming Soon!

2011-03-24T10:51:00.007-04:00

Nicole Lebreux - Spring/Summer 2011 from Caitlin on Vimeo.

Ahhh!! Don't you love it! Caitlin and Jeff put together this little sneak peak after filming during the spring collection photoshoot that took place last week. I can't wait to see the photos that Kait took and stay tuned for the featured garments to make their debut on etsy in a few weeks!

Credits:
Clothing: Nicole Lebreux (yours truly!)
Photography: Kaitlin Coleman
Styling: Melanie Silva and Chantal Gallipeau
Models: Renee Lebreux, Andi Flax, Caitlin Luderer, Mae Drapeau, Maya Tavares, Julie Normandin, Lily Drapeau, Chantal Gallipeau, Nicole Lebreux
Jewelry/Accessories: FidgetFinds

i miss you

2011-02-22T09:13:00.003-05:00

Hi friends! Long time no see and I miss you! I have been working so, so hard on my new collection of original designs that I simply haven't had time to blog or post much of anything new on etsy. I'm sorry if you're disappointed but I promise it will all be worth it! Everything is coming out incredibly well and I can't wait to debut the new designs in April. Right now I am in the sample making/pattern adjusting phase which involves lots of sewing and garment fitting and then reflecting those changes in the patterns. I just envision warm weather and bright vintage floral prints to keep me working on summer designs when its so cold and gray outside. This is probably my most ambitious project to date which is horribly terrifying and completely exhilarating at the same time. I just simply can't wait to see my designs in fantastic fabrics on a person other than myself. When things get a bit more visually appealing (muslin and patternmaking paper all over my dining room just isn't pretty) I'll be sure to share many more photos of my works in progress. Yay!

Here are some photos from last weekend when a bunch of us went bowling. It was so much fun. Cheap beer, good friends, and a kitchy location is just about the best night out!

I'm wearing a vintage dress from Wish Newport, and thrifted vintage accessories.

South Shore

2011-02-07T09:46:00.003-05:00

It was such a spectacular day out yesterday. Colors and shapes were so crisp as the haze and gray decided to let the sun out for once. I went for a walk down at South Shore in Little Compton and was blown away by the surreal winter beach landscape. The second pond was actually quite a raging river as all the melting snow and rain made its way down to the sea. Huge chunks of ice cracked and fell in wonderful geometric patterns, giving the sense of being in Norway or Iceland (or so I imagine.) The landscape was just so amazing and was a wonderful reminder of how beautiful Rhode Island can be in the middle of winter.

Maine Weekend

2011-02-01T09:46:00.003-05:00

After a delayed start (our car broke down, luckily only 20 minutes away from home), we finally made it to the east coast's northern most state. We stayed at a lovely mountain side condo complete with a fireplace and a back deck overlooking the ski trails. Everyone skied on Friday. It was a perfect sunny day with blue skies, packed snow, and the wonderful crisp pine smell in the air. Brian did such a great job skiing! I was so impressed by his perseverance, he kept on falling but kept on getting up with even more determination to keep going. I pretty much picked up where I left off in the skiing skills department although I forgot how uncomfortable ski boots are. We had a few beers in the lodge afterwards and were thoroughly impressed by the awesomeness of the classic rock cover band. The singer looked like Jerry Garcia and played some unbelievable guitar. They didn't play any common or popular songs, just more random and obscure ones. Brian and I had a great time singing along. Saturday was spent lounging around and coloring in my new coloring book. We only left the condo for a few hours to take a trip to the tiny downtown area of Bethel. We pursued some gift shops including an awesome old book store and a mom and pop Maine souvenir shop where I purchased two handmade wooden tops for $1. I also bought some really adorable knit finger puppets from an alpaca products store (we were going to go to the farm but it was closed.) We snacked a lot but ate delicious dinners that we had prepared ahead of time. I brought some delicious veggie chili with ground turkey and DJ made some roasted veggie lasagna that was superb. It was a wonderful weekend and so fun to spend time in a new place with friends. Next up: Florida in April (which can't come soon enough!)

New on Etsy and Ski Weekend!

2011-01-27T12:27:00.005-05:00

In approximately three hours myself and three of my besties (Brian included of course) are piling in the car and heading up to Maine for a long ski weekend!! I am beyond excited as it's been years since I've headed that far north and months and months since I haven't worked for three days straight. We're going skiing, playing games, snuggling by the fire, and enjoying the crisp cold mountain air. I haven't skied since college and Brian's only been twice, so that aspect of the trip should be interesting. Hopefully sking is like riding a bike; I won't forget how. In the meantime, I am making a rush to get a bunch of awesome belts and necklaces on etsy to hopefully sell over the weekend (lift tickets are $80 what?!) Here are some closeups as a little tease. Head over the etsy shop for more details on these beauties. Hope you all have a great weekend too!

Wishing all that snow was sand and my backyard a beach...

2011-01-25T09:19:00.003-05:00

I love the snow, but this is getting a bit out of control! It just keeps snowing and melting and snowing again, making the walk from my car to my door more treacherous every day. Ironically enough the only time I fell was on my way down the steps inside the apt. before it had even snowed. I had a giant eggplant looking bruise on my left cheek for about two weeks. Good thing I have extra cushioning on my rear!

Anyways, I came across this photo a few days ago on a friend's facebook page and I just love it. It's such a wonderful summer scene. The girls look so warm and you can almost feel the sun beating down on your skin. And the clothing! How fantastic are their rompers, mini dresses, and swimsuits! So inspiring! I would love to do a mini swimsuit collection for the summer, we'll see. My first patterns for the spring collection are at the pattern maker's right now being scanned into the computer; seams balanced, curves perfected, and sizing adjusted. I can't wait to show you the new designs!

Swap!

2011-01-21T13:48:00.002-05:00

I had such a great time at the swap last night! This one was much bigger than the last one I attended and it was held at the Armory for the Arts in Somerville, a wonderful castle-esque white building that hosts everything from Arabic calligraphy classes to open mic nights at the little cafe in the front. It was the perfect venue. There were tons of clothes and I scored some pretty amazing pieces as per usual including an Ungaro jacket, some snakeskin print platforms, duck boots, a few nice wool sweaters, a J Crew button up shirt that actually fits me, and a stack of yoga pants to name a few of the things that came home in my three reusable shopping bags. Books were included in the swap as well this time so I picked up some great cook and design books as well. My sister joined me for her first event of this kind and stumbled upon a Betsey Johnson sweater dress with the $290 price tag still attached. It was a wonderful evening. To find out more about swapping, check out the Swapaholics.

Random Thoughts from the Weekend

2011-01-17T17:04:00.005-05:00

*I bought a new coloring book, Ruth Heller's "Designs for Coloring Shapes of All Sizes", and I'm working on a project of taking a photo of each step to make a fun little slide show video when each page is done. I just love coloring, it's so therapeutic and I just love experimenting with color combinations.

*Brian and I watched the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy in the past four days, and it never gets old.

*On a walk I noticed that some of the trees downtown had these plackets attached to them. There's a Bristol Tree Society? How cool is that!

*I'm getting to be a really good Yatzee player.

*I'm glad someone built this snowman, he made me smile.

*The Pandora Motown station is perfect to work to. It's so upbeat and the music is just so wonderful.

*Caitlin and I went to Lorraine's Fabric in Pawtucket. It's an old mill building with two whole floors of fabric. I don't think I need to say more.

Looking forward to a very full week. Meeting with a pattern maker tomorrow, Styleboston party on Wednesday, Swap.com clothing swap on Thursday, and a night out with the girls on Saturday!

Warm Weather On My Mind

2011-01-14T13:32:00.003-05:00

I have been ferociously working on my new collection for the spring this past week which is why posts have been slow. I am meeting with a pattern maker on Tuesday and I need to have some first patterns and samples ready for her viewing. I am so excited about this collection. So far everything is coming out great and I can't wait to see my sketches become actual garments! As I'm designing these pieces that are meant to be worn in warm weather, my mind keeps wandering off to the sunny southern state of Florida because Brian and I are planning a trip to his parents' place on the Gulf for the beginning of April. The last time I visited the Sunshine State was in November of 2009 when my brother and I flew down to visit my sister in Fort Lauderdale. We had so much fun lounging by the backyard pool, swimming at the beach, snorkeling in Key Largo, and sightseeing in South Beach. Looking out my window now and seeing everything covered in snow makes me really long for those hot sunny days!

Bowling!

2011-01-11T10:17:00.004-05:00

Some of you may not know this but in addition to blogging, running my vintage etsy shop, and designing/making clothing I also work at a restaurant 2-3 nights a week. I've worked in the food service industry for many years now as it allows flexible scheduling, extended amounts of time off, and free days. It's a perfect way for entrepreneurs to work full time on their business while still making some extra money on the side as a life line (and to fund your new business!). It's also great when you want to go to Asia for two months and come back with your same position. I haven't had a "day job" in over a year now and I can't imagine having to commute be somewhere all day every day. Brian is out of the house at 7:30 every morning and comes home around 5:30. I have no idea how he does it.

I've been incredibly lucky these past few years working at Perro Salado in Newport. It's a Mexican restaurant but homestyle and eclectic, we don't even have burritos or nachos on the menu. Everyone that works there is creative, artistic, and interesting to say the least. I've made some of my best friends there as well. That's the other thing about working in a social environment. When I'm at home by myself, as I am most days, I don't have anyone to talk to! I look forward to heading to the restaurant and chatting with my gals.

Anyways, last night was our belated holiday party and we went bowling! We usually just hang out at the restaurant eating and drinking, which is fine, but this year we wanted to try something a little bit different. We did a hilarious handmade/something you don't want anymore/regift yankee swap, piled in our rented school bus (!), and made our way to Kingston Bowl. We bowled a few rounds, drank $4.50 pitchers of beer, and shared many laughs. It was a great night with friends enjoying each others company. Here are some of my favorite shots from the evening and (as I say when I deliver food to a table) enjoy!

I'm wearing my new favorite thrifted sweater (I actually have it on as I write this!), vintage necklace and earrings, tee from UO many years ago, Theory leggings, and my new Emu boots.

Are we going to have a snow day tomorrow! I really hope so!

Fidget Finds Etsy Faves of the Week

2011-01-10T15:39:00.003-05:00

Lots of new goodies on etsy! Click here.

Winter Beach Scenes

2011-01-06T14:43:00.003-05:00

I've been feeling a bit cooped up lately as I've mostly been spending time in the abode, so today on an errand trip to the bank and post office I decided to get side tracked at Colt State Park. This lovely park is just a few minutes away from my home and has beautiful walking trails by the water, a small but cozy town beach and a recreational area featuring a playground, basketball courts, and a small skate board park. In the summer this place is teeming with people enjoying the beautiful weather but not so much this time of year when the trees have no leaves, the picnic tables are piled up, and snow covers the grounds. However, I've always loved the beach in the winter time. It has a completely different personality than it does in the summer and I've always loved the juxtaposition of snow and ice with the sand and shells that litter the shore. I brought my camera and took some shots of this lovely gray winter seascape. The water is always very clear in the cold months and seagulls still bob in the small waves while adorable plovers sprint with the tide looking for a tasty snack. Needless to say, I was the only one there and really enjoyed the fresh air and the redding of my cheeks and nose in the cold. Here are some of my favorite shots. Enjoy!

See also my bike ride in Tiverton and my first photo walk in Bristol.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-05T13:27:00.004-05:00

A few days late, but I wanted to wish you all a very happy new year! I spent the evening at Perro Salado in Newport watching The Throttles play and imbibing on a few cocktails with close friends. There were hardly any photos taken, as you can see by the lack of them here today. I am so excited for 2011 and I have a feeling some very amazing things are going to be happening.... stay tuned!

The Latter Half of 2010 Recap

2011-01-03T07:57:00.005-05:00

And the moment you've all been waiting for... Part Deux of the 2010 Fidget Finds Recap!

The blog front started to quiet down a bit starting in August while Brian and I prepared to move into a new apartment. I was busy every weekend minute with markets where I sold a whole bunch of my famous Rachel skirts. I also enjoyed a nice summer night with friends on the beach, made a local and organic dinner, thought back to the wonderful birthday gifts from Brian, and attended Caitlin and Jeff's rehearsal dinner.

At the beginning of September we moved into our awesome apartment in downtown Bristol. Needless to say, it took up so much of our time painting, cleaning, packing, and moving. And then once you complete all that, the months long process of unpacking and setting everything up begins. We still haven't finished that part! During this hectic time we attended a friend's wedding in Newport and had the time of our lives at Caitlin and Jeff's woodsy nuptials. I also moved out of my studio in Fall River (short lived, I know) but into a spare room in our apt. I love my new commute!

In October, when market season began to wind down, Fidget Finds began a new and exciting life online. I continuously worked on stocking the etsy shop's inventory and blogging as much as possible. I realized how truly awesome it is to have a working studio in your own home! I also assessed my owl collection, enjoyed a delicious dinner with Julie in Providence, explored my new neighborhood, attended Calico's anniversary party at the whaling museum, dressed up as Tetris at a Halloween party, and carved pumpkins at Caitlin and Jeff's.

November was a time to get cozy. We spent lots of time with friends in our new home and being domestic. I took tons of photos of awesome vintage finds for etsy, attended my first ever clothing swap in Boston, explored the Providence winter farmer's market, gave you a behind the scenes look at a Fidget Finds photo shoot and posted about my futile effort to take photos outside. However, it's been my most popular blog post to date!

And here we are back to December again! My, my, how fast time flies! This past month was spent enjoying the colder air in Rhode Island, time with my childhood girlfriends, baking cookies, thinking about the holidays, preparing thoughtful gifts, and playing in the first heavy snow of the season! I was also immensely inspired by the photography of Andi Flax, the knitwear of Yokoo, and the absolutely amazing clothing and accessory designs of I Heart Norwegian Wood. I tried out a new blog idea, Style Experiment, and thought about the future of Fidget Finds.

2010 was an absolutely fantastic year and I am so looking forward to 2011! Stay tuned for a year full of blog posts, including an informative guide on fibers, fabrics, and fashions, an etsy shop choc full of vintage, and a new and modern spring collection of original designs by yours truly. It's sure to be an exciting year and I hope you'll join me for all of the Fidget Finds adventures!

Saying Goodbye to 2010 and Inspired by the Possibilities of 2011!

2010-12-31T10:31:00.007-05:00

I simply can't believe that when I wake up tomorrow, I will be living in the year 2011. It seems like such a short time ago that we were amazed that that first two numbers of the year changed from 19 to 20. So so much has happened this year and I thought it would be fun to recap some big events in my life and some of my favorite blog posts from the past 365 days. Here goes...

After closing the Brick and Mortar Fidget Finds shop in Newport, RI at the end of December 2009 and moving out of my spectacular apartment in downtown Newport, I spent the months of January and February traveling in Southeast Asia. I hopped on a plane and flew to Bangkok which started my adventure in Thailand and Laos. It was an amazing and challenging experience and something that has forever changed my life.

In March, as I acclimated back to American Culture (which was a challenge in itself), I started thrift shopping and listing items on etsy again, experimenting with outfit photoshoots (here and here), eating healthy, and exploring my own backyard.

April was more of the same as the weather warmed up a bit. I spent lots of time with friends and family, took a stroll on the cold early spring beach, and welcomed the first blossoms of spring. I also found a new studio space for Fidget Finds, began setting it up, and read a crafty book from the 70's.

May was the month when the ball really started rolling. I started selling my vintage wares at summer markets, including SOWA in Boston and Craft O Rama in New Bedford. Even though they're so much work I really do enjoy markets. I get to meet so many great people and find homes for my favorite vintage items. I also took a quick trip to NYC, drooled over the amazing antiques at Brimfield, spoke at my old high school's Environmental Day, took a bike ride through the country, and even got dressed a couple of times.

June was the beginning of an unbelievably awesome summer. I went boating in a vintage tender around Newport, experienced that wonder that is Bonnaroo firsthand, attended one of my best friend's lovely bridal shower, started off the summer of many weddings, and took some adorable pics of my parent's adopted pit bull, Zeus.

July is just about my favorite month of the year! Brian and I both celebrate our birthdays, mine on the first and his twenty days later (where I wrote a post about how much he means to me). I also got a little wild at a friend's bachelorette party, attended her wedding, had my first trunk show at Rummage, and spent some time at Sakonnet Point in Little Compton.

Well, I'm getting a little snow blind from looking at the computer for so long so stay tuned for Part Two of the 2010 recap in the next few days and have fun clicking the links (the light gray lettered words) to explore this past year for Fidget Finds!

New Warm Boots!

2010-12-30T14:13:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I worked at Rummage in Tiverton Four Corners and snapped these pics of my weather appropriate outfit in front of Cara's amazing collection of vintage clothing and antique artifacts for your home. I wore a black cardigan from Target, a vintage thrifted top, long tank from Express, Theory leggings, vintage jewelry, and my new absolutleypostitivlywarmestbootsintheworld! My mom bought me these amazing Emu shearling boots for Christmas and they have already changed my life forever. As soon as the weather starts to turn cool my feet become little ice cubes attached to the bottom of my legs. I have frozen numb feet for most of the winter and spend most of my time being very uncomfortable because of this. It prevents me from leaving the house a lot because I know when I go out my feet will freeze and it will ruin my night. Well, not any longer! These boots are so unbelievably soft on the inside and keep my feet toasty warm for the entire day. I am soso happy to not be cursed with cold feet anymore and can't wait for all the amazing things I'm going to be able to do this winter without worrying about cold feet!

When I was shooting the above photos, my camera took this weird ghost image of me as I was walking to pose for the camera. Spooky...

Handmade Gift: Personal Photo Journal

2010-12-28T09:44:00.006-05:00

One of the gifts that I gave Brian this year for Christmas was a photo scrapbook of us. It pretty much chronicles our adventures and the places we've visited together in the past 2 1/2 years since we've been together. I wanted to make something personal with photographs but not just photos in an album.

I filled my flash drive with 100+ photos and got them printed at a locally owned photo shop downtown. I opted for a matte finish and added white borders around each photo. I think that printed photos look best that way. I hate the way super glossy digital printed photos look; no depth and sometimes even blurry.

When I went to find a book to display them in, I couldn't find the album/journal that looked so nice in my mind. I went to three small local boutiques but they only had really small journals and as a last resort I went to Target who only had albums and scrapbook journals with plastic coverings for the pages and that was something that I really wanted to avoid. A light went on in my head and I went to a big name craft store and purchased this hard covered Canson spiral bound field drawing book with really heavy pages and it was perfect! Double points as it was made in the USA.

I had originally intended to attach the photos to the page with black photo corners but these have to be placed absolutely perfectly in order to not look messy, which isn't exactly my style. I like things in a more hap hazard, lay as they fall way. After some experimentation with with this awesome 1/4" black masking tape that I used with almost every fashion school project, I found a happy medium. The pages turned out minimalist and symmetrical within themselves but I placed every page differently so the viewers eye would bounce around a bit.

Only about a quarter of the photos that I printed were attached before Christmas, so I still have a lot more work to complete this section of the book. I plan on adding more photos every year to chronicle our times together. Below are the pages that I've finished so far, showing the first 8 or so months of our relationship from July 2008 to March 2009 including a road trip to Savannah, Georgia and a visit to my sister in Fort Lauderdale. Oh, and Brian absolutely loved it!

A White (Day After) Christmas

2010-12-27T12:45:00.002-05:00

Wow, what an amazing weekend I had! I got to spend so much time with my and Brian's family, gave and received so many absolutely perfect gifts (more on that later this week), and ate so much food! I think I've been on a constant sugar high for the past three days. Yesterday it started snowing really hard in the afternoon and stormed pretty well into the night. The electricity even went out for a bit so I lit the house up with candles and we played games by candle light. We were actually kinda bummed when the lights came back on so we shut them all off and pretended that the blackout lasted longer than it actually did. Everything is so much more romantic in the flicker of candle flames. We woke up this morning with with a couple of feet of snow on the ground and much shoveling and digging out cars to attend to. I just love the snow. As much as I hate being cold, the snow really makes New England winters worth it. I think we might even go sledding this afternoon!

Brian's new lego set helping me eat my feta omelette this morning!

Holdiay Cheer

2010-12-21T12:59:00.008-05:00

I can't believe Christmas is just two short days away! I'm a last minute holiday spirit kind of girl (I change all the radio presets in my car when my usual stations start playing only Christmas music) and I usually only start getting excited a week or two before the 25th. Well, needless to say, it happened again this year. I wasn't super psyched until I started piling up all of Brian's presents and getting really excited for him to open them! Of course I love receiving gifts but I almost love giving them more. I wrapped them all in brown paper (which I plan on reusing to ship packages as I hate wasting paper) and tied them with vintage lace trims in all different colors. To the black tied packages Brian responded "Did Tim Burton wrap those for you?" He's so fresh. But speaking of Tim Burton we've been watching mucho movies since it's started getting so darn cold out, Nightmare Before Christmas being one of them. I love that movie, it's just so weird and already old looking compared with all the CGI animation that's out now. What else have we been watching? Shutter Island, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Exit Through the Gift Shop (a really awesome Banksy documentary), and Arrested Development because I just can't get enough of that show! We did a little research to watch a specific episode last night because I just really needed some Gene Parmesan in my life. Maybe tonight we'll watch some Bob Loblaw episodes.

We have the smallest most precious Christmas tree this year! I wasn't even planning on getting one, by Brian convinced me that we should and I'm so glad he did. It's a live tree so I'll either plant it outside in the spring or if it's doing well in the house, just keep it indoors and use it again next year! We purchased some lights and borrowed some old ornaments from Brian's mom. The ones that she didn't want were the handmade kitchy ones from the 60's, so it worked out perfectly. We even snagged Brian's favorite one from childhood; this weird stuffed animal with a stocking stitched right to his nose!

Over the Weekend: Holiday Shopping and Photoshoots with Light Up Baby Seals

2010-12-21T12:27:00.006-05:00

Christmas is slowing creeping up on us! The stockings are hung by the chimney with care, the presents are starting to pile up underneath our tiny tree, and I'm starting to get excited! More on Christmas preparations tomorrow...

On Saturday morning I headed up to Providence to do some shopping on Westminster and Thayer Streets. I thought the entire city was going to be all a hustle and bustling but I was very dismayed by how deserted the city streets were while the line to get in the mall parking garage was astronomical. I really thought that people were going to shop locally this holiday at smaller shops. Breaks my little heart that people still insist on buying gifts from big retailers. When you shop at boutiques, not only are you supporting local business, but you are most likely buying thoughtful and unique gifts as well. I'll have to spread a little more "Buy Local" cheer next year! On my way home from Providence I stopped at The Wooden Midshipman on Water Street in Warren and picked up these adorable blank Writer's Block mini books for only $2 a piece! I then decorated them with Sharpie's for little gifts for my gals. They came out great!

That night Brian, Caitlin, and I headed to Lily's for a super fun holiday dinner party with all of my friend's from childhood. Lily and Scott made a wonderful dinner of veggie lasagna, salad with feta and cranberries, and the most delicious garlic bread . We hung out in front of the fireplace playing Catchphrase and things got a little wild. Guess that's what happens when five girls who've know each other since they were five get together and drink five pitchers of sangria. We even had an impromtu photo op with Lily's awsome light up baby seal decoration on the front step and Caitlin's Betsy Johnson birthday pajamas. I feel so lucky to have such a solid group of girlfriends who I've known for over twenty years. I love you guys.

I"m wearing; sweater from Target, black Velvet knit dress from the Swap, pink tights from Target, vintage boots, and vintage jewelry.

Over the Weekend: Cookies and New Puppies

2010-12-16T14:48:00.006-05:00

A few days late because I left my camera at home and kept on forgetting to take these off of Brian's iphone. Although the photos aren't great quality I kinda like the way that iphone photos look, they have such a warm and grainy quality. Aaanyways, Caitlin and Jeff had a cookie party on Sunday evening and we got to meet the new member of their family, the adorable adopted pooch Falkor. He's still a bit shy and likes to just snuggle on the couch but he is just so cute. We decorated homemade chocolate and vanilla cookies with all sorts of yummy toppings and drank delicious pomegranate, champagne, and rum punch. It was a great night with friends and totally amped up my holiday spirit. Thanks Cait!

I've realized that my theme for outfits this winter seams to be dressing like a 12 year old boy. I find myself wearing corduroys, vintage tee shirts, and knit caps almost every day. Not very fashionable (or is it?), but I couldn't be more comfortable and warm!
Wearing cardigan from Target, vintage tee, tank from Express, vintage cords, LL Bean slippers, Roxy cap, and vintage necklace.

Haha! Just realized that Brian and I are practically wearing matching shirts. He tends to do that often as he did here with my sister a few weeks ago!

Fidget Finds Etsy Faves of the Week

2010-12-15T15:18:00.002-05:00

Etsy Gem: I Heart Norwegian Wood

2010-12-14T14:00:00.007-05:00

I have just been drooling over the amazing creativity and garment madness at I Heart Norweigan Wood. Vintage elastic harness belts? Fringe epaulettes? Leggings with reclaimed leather knee patches? Check, check, aaand check. Designer Angie Johnson lives and works out of Montreal creating I Heart Norwegian Wood's amazing line of garments and accessories. To make her spectacular pieces she sources all sorts of interesting fabric and trims, many of which are vintage, all over her beloved home city. The ways she combines fabrics, textures, and layers together are just magical. I was so inspired by her Fall 2010 collection that I sat down for a bit and sketched page after page of ideas for new designs. You can check out her etsy shop, but I highly recommend looking at her flickr photostream for more collection photos. Here are some of my favorite looks. Enjoy!

All photos from I Heart Norwegian Wood's Etsy Store.

Style Experiment: Vintage Red Polyester Boxy Top

2010-12-13T10:15:00.016-05:00

I've been really bored with getting dressed lately. I feel like I have nothing to wear, even though my closet is overflowing and I have the inventory of an entire vintage shop to play with. However, I've owned most of the items in my wardrobe for many years and after a while they start to feel old (no pun intended as most of my clothing is vintage and thrifted, but-um-bump). Honestly, I don't have much occasion to actually get dressed. I work from home in my pj's for the most part and whenever I leave the house for errands or gatherings at friend's homes I usually dress to be warm first and stylish second. Thus "Style Experiment" was born. I hope you enjoy this newest addition to our blog post family!

THE IDEA: I usually only wear knit tops. Due to my curvy and busty figure (just sayin', not complaining) traditional woven styles either don't fit, look too matronly, or make me look a few sizes larger in the midsection than I actually am. Button ups or secretary blouses, forget it, I look ridiculous! This usually isn't too much of a problem as I have many knit tops to fill in the blanks (see here, here, and here for example). However after seeing other fashion bloggers looking totally cute in woven tops I decided to give it another try. On my weekly thrift store hunt last week I spent extra time in the "Blouse" section scoping out shirts that might work for me. Here's what I came up with...

THE SUBJECT: This vintage "Lucky Me" super big and boxy bright red polyester top.

THE HYPOTHESIS: If I style a boxy woven blouse correctly for my body type than I can totally pull off wearing items that are outside my comfort zone.

THE EXPERIMENT: Style this top in different ways that are practical for wear and can be used for other similar style shirts.

Style A: Loose with fitted jeans and a bold necklace. I wore a fitted tank underneath the red top to elongate my torso a bit and take attention away from my widest part; my hips. It also was a good color contrast and showed my slimmer torso under the baggy top. These jeans were great because they were fitted in my thigh, you don't want to wear a loose top with loose pants. The flat red top proved to be a great backdrop for this enormous vintage necklace and vice versa, the necklace broke up the mass of solid color. The heels because I haven't had a chance to shorten these jeans yet, and of course the added height. The black socks to contrast against the gold and to keep my toes warm!

Tank: Express, Jeans: Joe's Jeans from the Swap (with $200 price tag still attached!), Shoes: Steve Madden, Jewelry: Vintage

Style B: Tucked in to a mini skirt. If you have an hourglass figure, the best advice in the book is to showcase your smallest part, your waist! By tucking this top into the skirt and wearing the skirt around my natural waist (smallest circumference of my torso) the baggy shirt and slightly puffy skirt don't make me look huge, if anything it makes my waist look even smaller. The other great part about wearing puffy skirts around your natural waist; no more sucking in your gut! This is also another trick of proportions. The short skirt hides the biggest part of my body while showcasing my fit legs (all those yoga warrior poses aren't for nothing!) I also just love the color combination of this outfit; the taupe and red go great together and the black tights and brown boots only make it more interesting.

Skirt: Altered vintage (I made it much shorter), Tights: Express, Boots: Vintage, Jewelry: Vintage

Style C: Belted over a pencil skirt. This style is similar to Style B in the sense that it is using the same principle of showcasing your smallest area. Rather than tucking the shirt into the skirt I wore it outside and with a belt to show my waist. I think it's really beautiful to see the gathers of the top go in and puff out below the belt to form a great little peplum. The chunky texture of the skirt also is a great contrast to the silkiness of the top. And as far as colors go, you can't get more classic than red, black, and gray. Tall boots would have covered up too much leg (remember, thin near thick) so I opted for some nude pumps which also look great near the black tights.

Skirt: TJ Maxx, Belt: Vintage, Pumps: Vintage, Jewelry: Vintage

THE CONCLUSION: Success! I love this shirt! I think it looks great in all of the above stylings. When I first began this experiment I thought it was going to be a epic failure or total success and I'm so glad it was the latter. It goes to show that no matter what the wearable item, if you style it properly for your body type it can definitely work. I stepped outside my fashion comfort zone and in return found a new wardrobe staple. I am now so excited to try out more items that in the past I have been afraid of or confused about how to wear. I can't wait for next weeks Style Experiment!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's Over the Weekend Post about holiday decorating and cookies!

The Photographic Stylings of Andi Flax

2010-12-07T12:38:00.004-05:00

I wanted to share with you some amazing photographs taken by one of my many multi talented friends, Andi Flax. She fell in love with photography over the past year and I even had the pleasure of escorting her on many of her photo walks. She introduced me to looking around at everything that you see every day, and really stopping to SEE it. I've never looked at my neighborhood the same again. She truly has a knack for seeing things in a different way, and her photos really show her unusual perspective. I also credit Andi for my new and improved product shots on etsy. She showed me how to look at things at many different angles; from above, below, to the side, up close. Before I just did front, back, and side shots of items but now I get up close and look at things from many different perspectives. I guess its working because someone told me the other day that my product photographs on etsy look like art in and of themselves. (Granted it was my mom, but still!) Thank you, Andi for showing me many new ways to look at the world.

Here are a few more shots from the collection of photos that Andi took this summer in south eastern Rhode Island.

Over The Weekend: Pups and Holiday Gatherings

2010-12-06T13:15:00.003-05:00

After such a hectic summer and fall market season, I am really appreciating having weekends free. This past weekend I doogy-sat for my parents' two rescued pups. Zeus is a pit bull, rescued from Massachusetts, and is just so loving and an overall great dog. Zoe is his adorable little sister. She's still a puppy and we only welcomed her into our family a few months ago so she still needs lots of love and attention. She promptly woke me up at six both mornings whining from her crate downstairs, as my mother warned she would. She just loves snuggling and making really intense eye contact. And she's just about the cutest thing you ever did see. It was sunny and relatively warm both mornings so I took the pups on a walk down Main Road in Tiverton to Grinell's Beach. I just love living by the sea.

On Sunday afternoon, Brian's mom sang in an interfaith holiday choir in a big beautiful church right up the street from us in Bristol. It was quite lovely. I actually appreciate how Catholic churches make you feel so small in such a large space. There were so many details in the church to gaze upon while listening to the choir. Of course the pews were rock hard wood with no back support. You need to be uncomfortable as penance to God I suppose, although I'm sure (S)He would have much preferred us laying amongst soft cushy couches and lots of rich fabrics while listening to the many wonderful voices singing.

From there we walked to Maya's for some pre-tree lighting snacks and tea. She made some delicious guacamole, homemade chili, and corn bread for dinner. The tree lighting was a very Americana small town event but it made me happy to live in such a great little community where happenings like this still draw people together. Upon returning to Maya's she realized that we were locked out of the apt where our delicious dinner was getting cold! While waiting for her roommate to call her back we headed over to our pad and played Yatzee and Cross Over the Bridge, a game that was my mother's when she was a child. Our hunger eventually won over our patience and we ordered pizza for dinner. It was good but I'm sure that chili was fantastic!

For the evening I wore: knit hat that was a gift a few years ago, long black cardigan from Target, pink tee from UO, vintage leather belt, shortened vintage skirt, Theory leggings from TJ Maxx, vintage boots, and vintage gold owl necklace. Photo was taken at Maya's adorable apartment.

Fidget Finds Etsy Faves of the Week

2010-12-03T13:54:00.005-05:00

What a busy and exciting week at Fidget Finds! I've been posting items on etsy like a mad woman and my shop even reached 100 items a few days ago! Woo-hoo, that was a lot of work but like anything else; the more you do it, the easier it gets. Six items a day seems like a good number for me to list because I've realized that when I get to the seventh I'm not exactly typing words in complete sentences anymore and I get a little snow blind from looking at the computer screen. One can only use so many adjectives in a day.

Yesterday Maya came over and we had a little work date of sorts. I thought for sure we were just going to goof around and not get anything done, but was I ever wrong! It's so much harder to procrastinate when someone is sitting right next to you. Her presence really pushed me to keep working. I even hemmed four skirts after she left that have been sitting on my work table for weeks. Thanks, Maya! I will note however that we did have time over the course of the day to EAT AN ENTIRE QUICHE that Maya made that morning. Boy, was it delicious! I think I'm going to make a Blueberry French Toast Bake for next week...

I've been doing a lot of thinking about the future of Fidget Finds lately, especially this little old blog. I purchased Elsie's Blog Love E-Course over at Red Velvet Art a few days ago and it really helped me to focus my thoughts and come up with a million new ideas for the blog and where I want it to head into the future. I'm working on a bunch of great ideas to start incorporating now and some more thought out "Back to Basics" tutorials I want to start in 2011. I'm really excited and I hope you are too!

Sooo, speaking of new features, you're looking right at one! Rather than updating what I've posted on etsy, well, every time I post something on etsy, I'm just going to do one big post on Friday of my favorite pieces that I've added all week. It's much easier for me, as I'm posting new items almost every day, and much more exciting for you! You can always see an updating inventory of what's in the shop on the etsy widget on the upper right sidebar of the blog. And of course you can just go right ahead and check out the shop for yourself.

Fidget Finds just keeps on getting bigger and better and I really hope that you'll come along with me for the ride. After all, I can't do it alone!

Etsy Gem: Yokoo

2010-12-02T10:13:00.003-05:00

I came across Yokoo the other day on etsy and was absolutely blown away by her personal style, amazing work, and truly independent spirit. She creates the most remarkable crochet pieces all by hand; chunky hats, enormous scarves, massive chain necklaces, and my personal favorite, the sensational scarf with sleeves. She is incredibly inspiring and a true testament that you can accomplish anything when you sent your mind, and your heart, to it. You can watch a short video about her and read the full article here. Below are a few of my favorite Yokoo pieces. Enjoy!

Much To Be Thankful For

2010-11-29T09:03:00.004-05:00

What a busy, amazing, relaxing, fun, and pleasurable past five days! It seems like forever since I've sat down to do a blog post but like it was five minutes ago all at the same time. I've done so much these past few days from hosting a cocktail party to attending Brian's high school reunion to brunch with my mom and sister and eating pizza and playing cards with Brian and DJ. I am a very lucky gal with much in my life to be thankful for, especially...

All my wonderful friends, new and old, and how quickly our home is becoming a place for everyone to congregate and socialize.

My family, who has always been incredibly supportive and on whom I can always rely.

Delicious warm winter food and being able to eat it at my childhood home.

My handsome, goofy, and lovable partner who always has my back and keeps me on my toes.

And of course, Fidget Finds, my firstborn who keeps me motivated, challenged, and striving to become better and better every day.

I'm wearing a thrifted vintage skirt, belt, elephant necklace (available in the shop!), and MCM purse. Tee and tights from Target, and Vagabond shoes

New on Etsy: Fun Vintage Skirts and SALE!!

2010-11-24T13:57:00.002-05:00

Shop my etsy store from now until the end of November and get FREE SHIPPING in North America and $5 shipping everywhere else! Also, type in coupon code GIVETHANKS10 at checkout and receive 20% OFF YOUR ENTIRE ORDER! Happy Thanksgiving!

Click here.

Free Clothing and Rhody Farmer's Market

2010-11-22T09:54:00.003-05:00

Phew, what a hectic last few days! As previously mentioned, I headed up to Boston on Thursday evening for my much anticipated first Swapaholics clothing swap. What an adventure! My evening started out getting stuck in traffic heading up there and then getting wicked lost in downtown Boston during rush hour, what a mess! It is definitely time for me to upgrade to a gps from my current driving directions system of scribbling notes from google maps on a scrap of paper before I leave the house. Luckily Brian was able to help me get there via looking at maps on his computer and guiding me over the phone. When I finally pulled into the parking garage I realized that it was in the same building as his cousin's wedding that we attended in June, ha! Unfortunately I wasn't able to help set up as much as I would have liked but the event was great nonetheless. I got to meet some really interesting people and I even scored some pretty awesome clothing including a few cardigans, a lovely Velvet black knit dress, and some Joe's Jeans with $200 tags still attached. I'm sure you'll be seeing these items in future outfit posts!

A swapping bunch including Julie from Orchid Gray and the one and only Amy from Punky Style and the Swapaholics. I'm wearing a thrifted tee, an altered vintage skirt, black tights I've had forever, and thrifted vintage everything else. The top two photos are courtesy of Amy Chase.

On Saturday morning, Brian, Caitlin, Jeff, and I went up to the Winter Farmer's Market in the Hope Artist Village in Pawtucket. It was really wonderful and the place was totally packed! I just love seeing all the delicious local veggies, breads, and seafood in one place and it's so nice that others appreciate it too. The small boutiques that are in this old mill building were open as well including this amazing handmade violin shop. I wouldn't know what to do with a violin if you handed me one , but I can certainly appreciate the sculptural beauty of these music making objects. I wasn't planning on getting anything but we left with a loaf of seeded sourdough bread from Seven Stars Bakery (Brian ordered it as "sweet and sourdough bread" because he though that was what I said, but honestly, not a bad idea...), some handmade pasta and bolognese sauce from Venda Ravioli, a block of queso fresco from Narragansett Creamery, and a collection of small cacti and succulents that I can't wait to see grow!

New on Etsy and Excited Events!

2010-11-18T11:11:00.004-05:00

First things first, check out these amazing silvery necklaces that I posted on etsy this morning. Click here.

Second things second, I am so excited for the Swapaholics Clothing Swap in Boston tonight! I can't wait to get there early and help Amy and some other fellow bloggers set up before the chaos really ensues. It's really quite simple; bring a bag of used and unwanted clothing and walk away with a bag full of fun new (to you) items. A great way to refresh your wardrobe without breaking the bank. Click here for more info and to purchase tickets. I will tell you all about the event and my new found treasures tomorrow!

And lastly, come visit me this Friday evening at the yearly Downtown Bristol Holiday Preview. I will be setting up shop outside Bristol Looms at 49 Bradford Street in downtown Bristol, RI with some other immensely talented local artisans. In addition to my usual awesome array of vintage wearables I will also be selling some select vintage accessories for your home and vintage sewing notions and fabrics, perfect for gift giving and stocking stuffers! The event runs from 5-8 and we will also be serving up some delicious home baked goodies and spiked hot apple cider. Yum and yum! I can't wait to see you there and please let me know if you are a blog reader, I love meeting you all!

New On Etsy: Fall Tone Jewelry

2010-11-17T17:34:00.003-05:00

Click here.

Silly Girl

2010-11-17T12:25:00.006-05:00

What a beautiful fall day! So beautiful in fact I decided to venture to an unknown territory... a location photoshoot! And man, what a disaster! There are so many bloggers that I admire who take such wonderful photos of themselves in different locations everyday, Orchid Gray, Jen Loves Kev, Sally Jane Vintage, and Gary Pepper Vintage are some of my favorites. I know some of them have incredibly talented photographer boyfriends, but still. They always look so poised and professional and of course their outfits are just fantastic. Honestly, it takes a lot of effort on my part to even get dressed on days where I'll just be sitting in front of the computer and/or sewing machine. So today I said enough is enough! I'm going to contribute my styling abilities to the fashion blogging community instead of just showing my amazing vintage finds. I removed myself from my studio, took a shower (before noon? amazing!), and planned an outfit around this incredible vintage embroidered skirt that I thrifted in the summer. New sweater tights? check. Newly re-heeled leather vintage pumps? check. Grab my tripod and camera and out the door I go! Bristol, and Rhode Island in general, is teeming with perfect photo locations. This town is stock full of old Victorian houses, accessible waterfront, and this time of year trees (and the ground) full of bright yellow leaves. My locations were ripe for the picking. I went down to Independence Park and luckily there weren't too many people around. I set up my tripod and got ready to shoot. But wait, every few seconds the sun is out and then it hides behind a cloud and I simply just can't get myself together with all this wind! My hair was completely all over the place as was my scarf and skirt. Not good. I took about 40 pictures and only a few were slightly usable. Okay, this isn't going to work, so where to next? I remembered the wooden fence in my backyard and of course the yellow leaves and figured I'd give that a try. While a slightly more amenable location, the light and shadows weren't right and my heels were completely sinking into the mud and getting dark splotches from the wet leaves. I still took a few shots (I want you to see my outfit, remember?) I even tried some pensive straight faced shots but frankly, I think I look kinds silly when I'm not smiling. Fashion is supposed to fun, isn't it? Anyways, outdoor location photoshoot today = epic fail. It doesn't mean I won't try again, in fact I definitely will but with even more admiration for the gals that do this multiple times a week. My hat's off to you gals, you make it look so easy!

So back to this darn outfit that I went through so much trouble for. Sweater and tank from TJ Maxx, thrifted vintage skirt, gray sweater tights from Target, thrifted leather pumps, yard saled vintage Etienne Aigner leather purse, wooden bangles from street vendor in NYC, wooden ring from a hippie shop in Savannah, GA, and hand dyed scarf from Abigail and Magnolia's in Tiverton, RI. Phew!

So here they are: waterfront disaster photos!

There goes my hair,

and my scarf, and finally the sun.

Some that aren't so bad, the wind even worked with me for the last one! (I kinda love it actually)

Mediocre backyard photos, not a total disaster but not so great either.

Close-up photos which you can't really go wrong on.

And finally, some close up face shots, these I might not attempt again!

So now I'll hope you'll excuse me while I go put my pajamas and slippers back on.

Rummage

2010-11-15T15:12:00.001-05:00

On Friday I had the pleasure of filling in at my friend's shop, Rummage, in Tiverton Four Corners. C's chop is filled with amazing vintage goodies. She has a wonderful collection of designer (vintage and new) dresses and shoes as well as some magnificent artwork, mid century objects, and every thing else in between. I had so much fun checking everything out while I was tending shop. Here's a few shots of some of Rummage's treasures.

I finally had an occasion to wear my new pink tights! They were much warmer, softer, and more comfortable than I thought they might be so I am very pleased with my $5 Target tights. I also wore a thrifted cardigan, tank, and altered jean skirt (actually I take that back, the skirt is from American Eagle and I've had it since high school), a Tom Scott tee (from when I interned with him), my absolute favorite thrifted leather boots that I just had resoled, knee socks from Target, and a vintage necklace. In the summer my outfit usually consists of two or three items, but now that cooler weather is upon is it gets a bit trickier.

We had a pretty great weekend, nothing super eventful but just lots of calm and fun times. While on a walk I just had to snap a picure of this tree down the street from us. The leaves were practically glowing and just look so amazing against a spotless blue sky!

New On Etsy: Ceramics and Images

2010-11-15T12:07:00.001-05:00

Click here.

Caitlin and Jeff's Wedding

2010-11-12T08:59:00.004-05:00

As previously mentioned, two of my best friends got married at the end of August, and they finally have some photos to share. It was one of the best nights ever, as you can see by the constant smiling in the photos. Here are a few of my favorites, I know there's a lot but I just couldn't cut it down any more!

All photos taken by Joshua Behan Photography.

Vintage Etsy Loves

2010-11-11T09:15:00.006-05:00

Man, I am sick and tired of being sick and tired! I have had this dreadful cold for 3 1/2 weeks now and it doesn't seem to be getting any better. Brian and I have just been lounging around in our pj's watching movies and falling asleep on the couch for the past two days. I don't think it's possible to drink any more Emergen-C or echinacea tea! Today I'm feeling a little bit better than yesterday so we're treating ourselves by leaving the house and going out for breakfast, and stopping at the natural food store for more natural remedies on the way home. In the meantime, here are some sickness healing amazing etsy finds from some fellow vinties. Enjoy!

Arabia Ceramic Zebra from Domestikate. Mohogany Mod Umbrella from Jess James Jake.

Owl Tea Linen from Frecklewonder. Pink Kiltie Boots from Marles Vintage.

Pleated Striped Skirt from Lethilogica. Egyptian Revival Necklace from Pinguim.

New On Etsy: Fall Dresses (and Some Sweaters Too!)

2010-11-10T10:42:00.004-05:00

Click here.

Rainy Monday Blues

2010-11-08T09:30:00.005-05:00

Back to Monday, and what a wet and dreary one it is. I don't mind though. I'm just going to be sitting in front of my computer wrapped up in a blanket drinking gallons of throat coat herbal tea (this cough just won't go away!) listing items on etsy until yoga later. Then Brian and I will make dinner and hang out until bed. Shoot, I probably shouldn't be thinking about bed at 9:30 am, ha. Anyways, I had a wonderful fall weekend the past few days, I only wish I had taken more photos. Saturday was my mom's birthday so we went out for a delicious lunch at The Dewolf Tavern. I just love how they fuse Indian cuisine with more traditional American fare. That night we went to Jeff and Caitlin's to play pictionary, even though we probably spent more time being distracted by their adorable lovebird Olive (or Bird Reynolds, or Birdie Mac, whichever you prefer.) Sunday was our turn to host the football game so everyone came over to enjoy each other's company, Brian's eggplant parm, and Maya's homemade peanut butter cookies. As always, I watched about 30 seconds of the game but it is nice though that it brings everyone together. And if that wasn't enough food, friends, and family for one weekend, we went to Brian's parents' house on Sunday night for Brian's mom's birthday. We made artisan pizzas from scratch and had pumpkin cake with ginger and mascarpone frosting for dessert. I think I did enough eating for the next few days. Oh and Brian's growing a mustache to benefit prostate cancer research, so the next few weeks should be interesting on that front.

Buzz Buzz Busy Bee

2010-11-05T14:22:00.004-04:00

I can't believe it's Friday already, this week has just flown by! I'm really making a big effort to list lots and lots of items on etsy every week and with that comes figuring out the best way to list items, mostly photography. At first I thought that I needed a new and more up to date camera (I use a four year old Canon point and shoot) but then I realized that I just have to learn how to use the camera that I already have. That meant going out and buying some lighting (nothing fancy, just some stuff from Home Depot) and taking the same picture a million times and changing the settings between each one to compare on my computer. After much trial and error, I think I'm getting the hang of it! I think my shots of small objects are coming out great and clothing shots are alright, but I think I still need some more tweaking here and there. I've yet to try tissue paper over the lights to diffuse the light a little. It is really fun to work from home, I just have to be really on top of myself to stay on task. Here are some behind the scene shots of what the last two days have looked like for me. Now I have to clean all this stuff up before Brian comes home from work so we have a nice neat home to start the weekend with!

New On Etsy: Black Magic

2010-11-04T12:44:00.001-04:00

Click here.

Last SOWA of the Season!

2010-11-02T11:58:00.005-04:00

Phew! Sowa Market season is over! It seems like just a few weeks ago I started shlepping my wares to Boston almost every Sunday to sell to the vintage loving Boston crowd. And just think, in another 6 1/2 months it starts all over again. Until then, get your Fidget Fix in my etsy shop and of course I'll let you know of any other Fidget Finds events going on. Trunk shows? Home parties? Auctions? I'll keep you posted!

Tights and Charlie Brown

2010-10-29T12:54:00.006-04:00

While reading Jen Loves Kev yesterday and loving Jen's outfit I realized that I am seriously lacking in the tights/leggings/socks department. One of the problems with only shopping at thrift stores is that I never have enough basics. I own about 3 pairs of calf length black leggings and one pair of matte black tights. While I definitely get use out of these pieces I need some leg wear variety in my life! I looked at some great websites including We Love Colors, Hansel from Basel, and Modcloth but decided to try and find some great cheap(er) tights on my own. I went to TJ Maxx and found nothing but boring colors and a serious lack of patterns besides cheesy lace ones. I figured I try Target and I did have some luck. I bought 3 pairs of knee socks (light heather gray cable knit, black and gray stripes, and ribbed gray) that were $2 a pair, a pair of charcoal gray sweater tights for $10, and some hot magenta ones for $5, not bad! While my trip was mildly successful I think I might still purchase a few pairs of tights online. I'll let you know what I decide and I can't wait to wear my pink tights! While doing errands I wore a scarf from Thailand, tank and cardigan from TJ Maxx, thrifted and altered Banana Republic jeans, vintage Hang Ten sneakers, and yard saled silver hoop earrings.

After tight shopping, I scored some pretty awesome vintage jewelry to sell at a random consignment shop that I passed by, including a magnifying glass necklace, and one with a huge elephant head. Come scoop them up this Sunday at SOWA in Boston (it's the last one of the season!) or see them online in the near future. Here's a photo to wet your appetite!

When Brian got home from work he made some delicious homemade meatballs and marinara that we enjoyed with some crusty bread and pasta while watching "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!" It's always so weird watching old cartoons from your childhood as a adult. They're more interesting and boring all at the same time.

Carving Pumpkins

2010-10-28T10:56:00.004-04:00

What a great few days before Halloween evening we had last night! Caitlin and Jeff invited us over to their new home for a night of yummy fall food and pumpkin carving. Caitlin made a fantastic sweet potato soup with curried apples, yogurt, and chopped mint with some bulgar with almonds and dried cranberries on the side. It was so good! I brought some of those Daily Bread ginger molasses cookies for dessert along with a bag of their almond crescent cookies. Those are even better than the ginger ones. I love this bakery!

The carving of the pumpkins was an interesting affair, I hate how the insides smell! I don't think that I've carved a pumpkin since I was young, and I don't think I was the only one. Carrie went creative and made a cat with the stem as its nose, Caitlin was more traditional with a silly spooky face, and I just wanted to make a swirl. (Note that I had no intention in making it look like the Nightmare Before Christmas!) They looked so good all lit up on the front steps. What a fun night!

New On Etsy: For Your Home

2010-10-27T16:31:00.003-04:00

Click here.

Delicious Local Dinner

2010-10-26T12:48:00.004-04:00

I made a pretty awesome dinner last night. I don't mean to toot my own horn but I was proud of myself. As previously mentioned, two of my good friends are moving to Hawaii in a few weeks so I wanted to have them over and make a big dinner of (mostly) local ingredients. I was going to head up to Providence to go to the Monday farmers market at Whole Foods but decided to give closer surrounding towns a chance. I ended up doing a really good job at buying mostly everything from small independent shops. I did have to go to Stop and Shop for a few items because I either couldn't find them or they were just way too expensive at the smaller shops. (Paying $5 for a box of rice crackers, no thanks.) So here's what we had:

*Mixed cheese and cracker plate using cheese from the Milk and Honey Bazaar in Tiverton, and my mom's homemade (and grown) pickled hot peppers.

*Salad of organic arugula and roasted beets from The Green Grocer in Portsmouth using only olive oil, balsamic, salt, and pepper as a dressing.

*Risotto topped with organic roasted root veggies (also from Green Grocer) and Paive cheese (Milk and Honey Bazaar.) I got this recipe out of Edible Rhody except I substituted risotto instead of the polenta. I think it made the recipe much easier and much lighter on the butter. It was still superb.

*Steamed littlenecks from Bridgeport Seafood in Tiverton in a broth of onion, garlic, red pepper, local tomato, and white wine. I kinda just made up the recipe as I went along and it came out great! I just love how white wine broth tastes. We complimented this dish with olive oil drizzled toasted French bread from Daily Bread in Bristol.

*Hot chocolate and Ginger Molasses cookies (Daily Bread) for dessert. Yum!!

As always, I never follow recipes exactly and I never measure. I like it much better when you kinda just throw everything together and eye ingredients. Everything was so good and I definitely learned a few things. (Most fish markets are closed on Mondays, who knew?)

While I am definitely getting better at taking photos, food is not even close to being a strong point. Sorry for my lack of photos of the food but I'm very bad at making it look good in photos, maybe a project for next week.

Tetris Halloween

2010-10-25T12:53:00.004-04:00

On Friday Brian, DJ, Bailor and I headed down to New Haven, Connecticut for a Halloween party that his college friend throws every year. It's a benefit for breast cancer and came complete with an open bar, apps, and A HUGE TABLE FULL OF CANDY!! (Maybe I should have put the open bar part in all caps, yes, no?) DJ, being very constructionally talented, made our costumes and they came out really great. We were each a different Tetris piece that wonderfully fitted together. It was so enjoyable to wear a fun, original, handmade costume that was actually pretty comfortable and didn't involve a lot of makeup. I think the sexy devils/nurses/air force pilots/kittens were a bit jealous.

New on Etsy: Where Are You From?

2010-10-22T16:56:00.003-04:00

Click here.

New on Etsy: For Your Feet

2010-10-20T15:39:00.002-04:00

Click here.

Aloha Daisy!

2010-10-19T10:58:00.006-04:00

In a few weeks my dear friends Daisy and Matt are moving to Hawaii. They are following their dreams and are going to be working on an organic farm once they arrive in their new island paradise home. I am so proud and happy for them even though I think they're a bit sad right now about leaving the place they've called home for so many years. Last night we had a farewell dinner for them at Perro Salado in Newport, which happens to be where we met. We drank champagne and margaritas and enjoyed amazingly delicious food. I wore my vintage Mexican circle skirt from Frecklewonder, vintage belt and jewelry, and my awesome thrifted 70's Hang Ten red sneakers. I am going to miss them so much, but maybe a trip to the Big Island is in my future...

Candle photo taken by Andi Flax.

Happy Anniversary Calico!

2010-10-18T10:44:00.006-04:00

On Friday night Brian and I attended Calico's 5th Anniversary party at the Whaling Museum in New Bedford, MA. What an amazing venue! We sipped cocktails and viewed fashion underneath two immense whale skeletons. It was pretty spectacular. I wore this fantastic long vintage dress, black tights, Steve Madden shoes, and vintage earrings, bracelets, and ring. Brian, who was kind enough to pose with me, wore a Calvin Klein jacket, a vintage plaid shirt, Levi's jeans, and Tiger sneakers.

Amazing Thrift Find

2010-10-14T18:06:00.003-04:00

Look at this lamp that's for sale at the Salvation Army in Swansea. I gasped when I first saw it. The only problem, it's $80 and I really don't need a lamp that bad. Who's the lucky guy or gal that's gonna scoop up this great find?

Photo Walk

2010-10-13T12:20:00.004-04:00

I've been really into taking pictures of my surroundings lately, so a few days ago I decided to go for a walk around my neighborhood with my camera in tow. I am astonished at the results! It's amazing how different the world looks when you are viewing it through a camera lens. There is usually so much going on in our field of vision that our brain eliminates what it deems not important, which unfortunately is most of what we actually see. We unconsciously ignore most things, from the beautiful pattern of a simple brick wall or the color and petal variations of a traditional fall mum plant. Even places we've seen a million times before are somehow much different when you really take the time to look at them. I encourage all of you to try this simple experiment and walk around your neighborhood and look at things closely, or far away, or from underneath, or from above. When you look at things in a different way, you see them that way too.

These Might Be The Coolest Shoes I Have Ever Seen

2010-10-12T14:36:00.002-04:00

From Dear Golden Vintage on Etsy. Click here.

Another Great Fall Weekend

2010-10-11T12:32:00.003-04:00

Nothing too monumental occurred, I just enjoyed the beautiful weather, my apartment, and the company of my wonderful friends. I'm wearing a vintage mumu that I made into a tunic, leggings, and vintage jewelry. Caitlin is wearing this adorable dress, but I forgot where she said she got it and Brian is wearing one the shirts that I bought for him in Laos. South Asian lettering is just so beautiful!

Nick's On Broadway

2010-10-08T09:35:00.003-04:00

Last night was so much fun! I sauntered up to Providence to spend the evening with my dear friend and old roommate, Julie. We dined on absolutely fantastic local and organic fares at Nick's and stopped for a cocktail after dinner at Abe's on Wickenden. For dinner, we shared a bottle of wine, an amazing pumpkin squash soup with creme fraiche and grilled bread, a mixed green salad with Narragansett Creamery Salty Feta, and yellow fin tuna over sweet potato puree and swiss chard. It was one of the best meals I've had in a long time. They even gave us a complimentary potato biscuit with dill butter to start and a small plate of fruit and a decadent truffle to end our meal. Yum! At Abe's I tried a Champagne Cocktail with bitters and a sugar cube, it was the perfect way to end the evening!

It wasn't that cold out so I got to wear my new (to me) awesome Indian style top without worrying about what to wear over it. The fabric is just so beautiful and I love the enormous sleeves! I got it at a friend's yard sale in August. I also wore Theory leggings (from the clearance rack at Marshall's for $5!), vintage from ebay boots, and yard saled/thrifted vintage purse and jewelry.

Animal Print Shop

2010-10-07T12:38:00.003-04:00

I had some very productive dilly dallying today! In searching the internet trying to learn more about photography, antiquing, small clothing designers, etc., I stumbled upon some great stuff. For instance, did you know that etsy has a free podcast? It features short vignettes about etsy artists that run the gamut from wood sculptors in upstate NY, and vintage collectors from New Mexico. I highly recommend checking it out. It's really refreshing to see people following their dreams and making a living doing so.

One of my favorite podcasts was on the photographer Sharon Montrose. She has been an avid photographer since she was a teenager and to once again spark the same love for the art that she had then, she started taking photos of animals on simple backdrops. The beauty and wonder of these creatures never ceases to amaze me and Sharon's work does a great job of showing how extraordinary our animal friends really are. Here are some of my favorites and you can see all of Sharon's animal prints here.

Hoot Hoot!!

2010-10-06T14:11:00.011-04:00

It's no secret that I love owls. I'm not sure why or how it even started but I have tons of vintage owl, well, stuff. I have necklaces, pillows, ceramics, key chains, clocks, plant holders, trivets, candles, dishes, trays, etc. Thinking back, I started collecting these items in high school, so I've been doing it for at least ten years. When setting up my new apartment I became aware of how much owl stuff I had when Brian said "Nicole, I don't want the theme of our entire apartment to be owls!" I realized that he was right and I didn't want to turn into one of those crazy lady's who turns their entire house into a shrine of cows or roosters or whatever. So I made smaller my collection by passing on some of my owl pieces to my friends. This was an extremely difficult task, but I still feel pretty good about it as the pieces didn't go far and I'll probably see them again. My mom took this unique owl ceramic light for her classroom, Sarah took a cool silver owl candle holder, and I'm giving my gold/shell owl to Chloe. I know they've become a popular trend, which kinda breaks my heart, so I'll just keep them quietly living in my apt until everyone moves onto the next animal fascination.

Here's a few of my favorite owl pieces, and some sneak peeks of my new pad!

Over The Weekend

2010-10-04T12:51:00.009-04:00

I had a super fabulous weekend, hope you did too! On Friday we did a little new home tour, as one of my best friend's just bought a house with her husband just a few minutes up the road from my and Brian's apartment. It's cute and cozy and I can't wait to see what it looks like when she has it all put together. After that we all gathered at my apt, shared some drinks, laughs, and a few shushes as we don't really know how sound travels to the neighbors in our new home. (I admit that the shushing was aimed mostly at me. When I'm happy and/or excited the volume keeps rising.)

Saturday was a bright sunny day so I went for a walk with my mom and the pups in Fort Barton Woods in Tiverton, one of my favorite places to be. I just love the way that tree branches and leaves filter the light just so in the forest. That afternoon Brian and I enjoyed some al fresco dining in Bristol and took a nap on the couch before we headed out to the movies.

Sunday was another successful day at SOWA, I can't believe the season is almost over! I am taking a much needed break from selling vintage for the next two weekends and will be back with a vengeance (and new merchandise) for the remaining two Sundays in Boston. I'm still working on the Fidget Finds Winter Plan but it includes more blogging, more merchandise for sale online, and selling Fidget at some of my favorite local shops. More on that to come!

Newport Wedding

2010-09-29T16:06:00.003-04:00

Welcome to the new and improved Fidget Finds Blog! I updated the layout a bit and added a new header and footer. Hopefully you'll find the sight as aesthetically pleasing as I do. Putting together the new pad is coming along slowly, but things are definitely getting done. One thing is for sure though, I absolutely love living here. I can't wait to show you photos when everything is finished getting set up. Stay tuned!

These photos are from the final wedding of the summer, number four for me and five for Brian. This wedding was for one of his childhood friends and it was held at the Officer's Club at the Navy Base in Newport. The location was just wonderful. It's on the water right near the Newport Bridge and the sunset was magnificent. The dress I wore is very special to me. My next door neighbor gave it to me a while ago and I hadn't had the occasion to wear it. It was her aunt's and it's from the 1940's. For that age it's in really great shape and it fits me perfectly. It has a sorta blousy top and a more fitted pencil skirt with two black lace trimmed ruffles cascading down the front. I was so happy to wear something so old. I modernized it a bit my wearing strappy thrifted sandals and layering on vintage silver rings and bracelets.

Moving Madness

2010-09-10T11:13:00.002-04:00

Howdy strangers! How have you been? I have been crazycrazy as Brian and I just moved into an apartment in downtown Bristol last weekend! We were going to wait until October but we just found a place that we loved so much that we decided to move a month earlier. I am so excited to get settled in our new home but moving is just the worst. It takes so long to pack and even longer to get everything set up and situated. I have so many things to show you and talk about, but no time right now. Expect many more blog posts in the near future and more regular etsy shop updates when market season begins to wind down. Until then, catch me at SOWA this Sunday from 10-4. Hope to see you soon!

Landscape Skirt

2010-08-27T14:48:00.002-04:00

Here's Sara in her brand new Rachel skirt made out of vintage fabric in the most fantastic landscape pattern. Doesn't she look great? Come get yours this weekend! I will be at Craft O Rama in downtown New Bedford on Saturday from 11-4 and at SOWA In Boston on Sunday from 10-4. See you there!

Caitlin and Jeff

2010-08-24T14:43:00.002-04:00

This weekend two of my best friends got married. It was beyond wonderful and one of the funnest nights of my life. The whole weekend was pretty great in fact. On Saturday morning all the girls went and got their nails done in Bristol while sipping iced coffees and that night was the rehearsal dinner at Jeff's mom's house. We ate delicious grilled pizzas in the backyard and did a run through of the ceremony. I wore these old lady silk striped shorts (although they feel more like linen) that I cuffed and took in a little bit, a ruffle silky shirt from TJ's, and a vintage belt, shoes, and jewelry. The outfit was a bit of a risk but I think that everyone liked it. I heard many times that I looked really tall and my legs were really long. It's amazing what some high waisted shorts can do! I can't wait to see the photos from the day of the wedding (I didn't take a single one) and will certainly share them with you.

Photos courtesy of Nicole Mandel.

Birthday Bling

2010-08-19T13:02:00.003-04:00

As previously mentioned, Brian got me some pretty awesome gifts for my birthday, my favorites of which happen to be vintage jewelry that he picked out himself. I was so impressed!

As Local As It Gets

2010-08-18T15:00:00.002-04:00

Well, haven't these past few weeks just flown by! The other night Brian and I were lucky enough to enjoy a delicious dinner using ingredients picked fresh from my parents' garden. We had a wonderful tombasmozz salad (as I have renamed caprese salads) with the tastiest yellow tomatoes I have ever had. For our main course we made eggplant parm using the most perfect cartoon character-esqe eggplants that were hiding near the stone wall. It's amazing how the taste of fresh veggies compares with imported or out of season ones. Delectable! Note: the eggplant parm wasn't the least bit photogenic so there are no photos of the finished product.

Summer Sale To Get Ready for Fall!!

2010-08-12T14:23:00.006-04:00

Are you all ready for a treat or what? Fidget Finds is gearing up for fall with tons of new items, including lots of new handmade skirts and dresses! Catch me this Saturday at Rummage in Tiverton Four Corners and on Sunday at SOWA. And you all know what new fall merchandise eguals: super cheap summer items! We've got a huge selection of warm weather vintage that's 50% OFF!!! Come and get it while it's still hot!

Frisbee and Grinders on the Beach

2010-08-03T13:13:00.002-04:00

I actually had Friday night off this week! To celebrate, a bunch of us headed down to South Shore for a nice beach dinner. We stopped at A-1 Pizza in the commons on the way there and forgetting that it's the only pizza place in town, had to wait for quite a while. We (im)patiently killed time by eating pickle flavored chips and playing on the playground that's across the street. They aren't the wrist braking metal slides and tail bone splitting sea saw's anymore! This one was mostly all plastic complete with a rock climbing wall, various enclosed slides, and all sorts of other things to play around on. We knew it was time to call it quits when we were getting vertigo on the swings, that made me feel pretty old. Remember the days when we used to do backflips off those things right into the gravel?

The beach was fantastic! We got there just in time to watch the sun go down and play frisbee for a while. It was a bit chilly so swimming was out of the question but we did dip our toes in a bit. We were even welcomed by a hammerhead shark built out of sand that someone had previously constructed. I wore a fun summer vintage skirt and belt, a Banana Republic camisole, and vintage jewelry. It was a wonderful summer evening.

Sakonnet Point and Lily's Birthday

2010-07-27T12:30:00.004-04:00

Well, we didn't quite make it to Kenyon's Grist Mill, but we did have a nice day in the country nonetheless. Yard sales in the morning were pretty boring to say the very least. I bought a few cool things but nothing that was worth driving around for a few hours. An old lady snatched a piece of vintage bright colored barkcloth before I could run across that yard to grab it, I was pretty bummed but I suppose it wasn't meant to be. In the afternoon Brian and I headed down to Sakonnet Point in Little Compton, RI to take a walk out on the stone jetty and admire the beautiful seascape. We then drove through some back roads and took a long walk down on Goosewing Beach as the dark gray clouds were beginning to look especially ominous. There's something about the juxtaposition of a beach full of people frolicking in the sand and sea with black rain clouds that I find really interesting, almost like two worlds colliding or something. I can't quite put it into words.

That night Caitlin and I headed to Lily's for quesadillas and margarita's to celebrate her birthday. The shindig was actually at her parents' house were I spent many summers as a preteen. I haven't been there in many years and it brought back many wonderful memories of my childhood. Lily's mom is an artist and the house reflects this. Found objects, vintage textiles, paintings, photos, and things of the sea are just about everywhere. I absolutely love the unique and comforting atmosphere that this house affords. The last photo is actually a collection of objects found on the beach that now have a home in a falling apart wicker chair outside on the front porch. Love it!

Calico Dress

2010-07-23T14:36:00.003-04:00

What a fun night! On Wednesday a group of us got all dolled and went to Providence to celebrate Brian's birthday. We dined at Cafe Dolce Vita in Depasquale Square in Providence's famed Federal Hill District. The food was great but the espresso martinis and vodka mimosas were definitely much better. I wore a dress that I picked up last weekend at the SOWA market from Calico , a Fidget Finds Belt and Bracelets, shoes from Marshall's and my junk store "Cancer" earrings.

Finally, some very important news. I HAVE NOT ONE THING PLANNED TO DO TOMORROW!! I can't tell you how long its been since I've had a free Saturday and I am mucho excited. I'll probably go to some yard sales in the morning and I'm trying to convince Brian to go with me to Kenyon's Grist Mill in West Kingston for a Summer Festival with delicious food, mill tours, and kayayking. And best part, it's all free!! So if you're looking for something to do this weekend, head on over. It's Saturday and Sunday and it's sure to be a good old fashioned day in the country. Can't wait!

Nicole Loves Brian

2010-07-21T11:14:00.003-04:00

On the day of his 29th birthday, I would like to take a minute to celebrate the man who dearly holds my heart, Brian. My life the past two years has been a wonderful and amazing adventure and I have his love and support to thank for that. He fills my life with so much amusement and excitement, I never know what's coming next. He never ceases to amaze me and is always pulling out new talents that I never knew that he had. He is an amazing musician, from playing piano, drums, and trombone to pitch perfect singing. He is remarkably intelligent, has a super quick wit, does hilarious impressions of people, and can make a pretty mean balloon giraffe. A day with Brian isn't complete without my laughing. He makes me feel excited and alive, and grateful for every moment that we get to spend together. I am blessed every single day to feel so loved by another, and I love him so much my heart often feels like its on the brink of exploding. He is my absolute best friend and I am so excited to spend my life with him. I love you with every ounce of my being Brian, you are my perfect partner.

Alex in Her Carly Dress

2010-07-20T13:31:00.004-04:00

My dear friend Alex recently sent me these photos of herself wearing the Carly Dress! This dress is made out of vintage curtains and is the most perfect burnt orange color. She purchased this dress from me last summer to wear to a wedding in Vermont. I love how she paired it with a casual cardigan and rain boots. Thanks Alex! You look great!

Trunk Show Weekend

2010-07-20T13:16:00.003-04:00

The trunk show at Rummage was a total blast! I worked at a clothing store in Tiverton Four Corners for many years while I was in high school and summers home from college so it was quite surreal to be there on my own terms. I saw many familiar faces and many thanks to everyone that came out to say hello! I wore my newly stolen from the shop frog skirt that I just get such a kick out of, even though he kinda looks like the WB mascot. He even has a ladybug friend hanging out with him on his lily pad! Love it!

Sunday in Boston was hot, hot, hot but not without many stylish gals. My new friend Sarah made my day by wandering into my booth wearing a skirt that I made that she purchased a few weeks ago! I was so happy to see one of my creations take on a new life. Her friends quickly told me that it is her absolute favorite skirt and she wears it all the time. I couldn't remove the smile from my face for the rest of the day. Thanks Sarah! Here she is totally rocking the Rachel Skirt made out of vintage fabric.

Etsy Update!

2010-07-15T18:00:00.001-04:00

Click here.

And here's a few more that I was taking photos of to sell online, but I decided to keep them for myself. I need new clothes!

Fidget Finds Trunk Show at Rummage

2010-07-12T14:38:00.001-04:00

Some exciting news: Fidget Finds will be hosting a trunk show at Rummage in Tiverton Four Corners this Saturday, July 17th from 11-5! That's right, all you southeastern New England gals can come get your Fidget fix in person. I will be setting up shop outside Rummage, a spectacular vintage consignment shop, at 3845 Main Road in Tiverton, Rhode Island (right next door to the Four Corners Grille.) Rummage has a very well curated mix of vintage and designer, clothing and housewares. If you love Fidget Finds, Rummage will be sure to strike your fancy as well. The Four Corners Art and Artisan Festival is that day, as well as the Southcoast Artists Open Studios which are two more reasons to come check out the epicenter of our quaint little town. It's going to be a beautiful summer day and I would love to see you there!!

PS- Bostonians! I will be at the Southend Open Market on Harrison Ave the next day on Sunday, July 18th!

PPS- Want to host a Fidget Finds Trunk Show of your own? Contact me for more information about hosting a show at your shop, cafe, apartment, or backyard complete with free vintage gear for you (as well as a great afternoon or evening with your friends)!

(Another) Wedding Weekend

2010-07-12T12:42:00.002-04:00

This past Saturday was Kaitlyn's beautiful wedding at Zorvino Vineyards in Sandown, New Hampshire. The weather was a bit gray so vows were exchanged inside but the night was wonderful; delicious food, copious amount of wine, and dancing with my amazing friends and boyfriend. It couldn't have been any better. I wore a vintage halter dress that I've had for many years, my awesome glitter Michael Kors platforms (from Marshall's!), and this really great geode bracelet I scored last time I went to Brimfield. Speaking of the biggest outdoor antique market, it's this week! So get down there is you have a day off and tell me what you find!

Turn of the Last Century

2010-07-08T13:49:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, my friend Andi treated me to a production of "Hello, Dolly!" for my birthday. The play was presented by the Theatre By The Sea in Matunuck, RI. While musicals aren't always my thing, this one was really good. The costuming and sets were especially fantastic. Here's some fashion from the 1890's which is when the play took place. During hot weeks like this last one has been, be thankful that you get to wear cutoffs, tanks, and flip flops. In August, TBTS is putting on "Little Shop of Horrors", I can't wait for that one!