{inspiration} blue velvet...

There's something about velvet that just feels yummy to me. I remember owning a black velvet dress when I was a little girl. It may have been my favorite. For a long time, I had purple velvet curtains in my bedroom. They were really pretty.

I haven't owned anything velvet in a LONG time, but I'm totally in love with these blue velvet items:

This sofa: 

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This seems very Boho to me. I love it!

This chair (and actually the wallpaper too) reminds me of a 1950s movie.

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Love the beautiful vintage style.

I would totally carry this purse.

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One of my favorite bloggers/Etsy shop owners is Laura of Violet Bella. She's gorgeous and I admire her sense of style.

Her jacket rocks!

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I used to own a red velvet jacket. I think it was pretty old. I bought it at The Buffalo Exchange in San Francisco. I don't know what I ever did with it, though. (Probably sold it at a garage sale before moving to the big city!)

So now that its spring, and I really don't need a velvet jacket, maybe I can find another at a thrift store or vintage shop. I've been wanting to dress up more, lately. I get tired of wearing a uniform.

Do you love velvet? Or, is there another fabric or style that inspires you?

Sparky Jones...

(Sparky Jones on Etsy)

Every time I click on the link for this shop, I am pleasantly surprised by the colorful array of hats, bags, and obis the adorable Sparky Jones, aka Jemima, makes. Her items are all eco-friendly, made using upcycled fabric. She even has an organic option.

Jemima is originally from Australia, but moved to Canada when she was in her 20s, which is when she started sewing. She couldn't work and had very little money. She was dissatisfied with the selection of hats out there, and started designing one that could cover her "unruly hair".

In the design process, Jemima started asking questions such as:

"Why do we need all this imported fabric when there is already so much cool stuff actually out there?"
"Why don't we use grandma's techniques anymore?"
"Why as consumers, do we need to always take the cheapest, fastest option even tho it probably won't last, adds to globalization and probably supported some unethical offshore sweatshop?"*

Therefore, the Sparky Jones brand is committed to reusing resources, recycling what she has, reducing impact, and refusing to be disposable*. In a world full of instant gratification, where corporations purposefully manufacture products as cheap as possible, a shop that is committed to sustainability, like Sparky Jones, is refreshing. You can tell she honestly cares about creating a quality product, and isn't in business just for the almighty dollar. 

(Sparky Jones on Etsy)


Jemima believes in reducing her footprint, and takes action toward sustainability by:
sourcing most goods locally,
using and reusing fabric scraps, so that only one tiny bag of waste is actually thrown out each month,
using all upcycled materials, organic fabrics, and limiting the use of modern interfacing,
using sustainable local printers,
and
when weather permits, riding her bike to the post office to ship packages.*


If you're interested in reading more about Jemima and Sparky Jones, visit her Featured Seller interview on Etsy's blog, here, or check out her Etsy shop, here. She also writes her own blog and has a website.


*All italicized text has been taken from Sparky Jones' profile on Etsy.*