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Posts Tagged ‘holiday shopping’

Shop Local: Tootsies

Posted in Events, Fashion, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on December 13, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com

Recently I was in a local shop, Tootsies, in Oakland buying my favorite Hue Boot Liner. When I checked out and wished the store owner a successful holiday season she said, “I hope so and please remind all your friends to shop local.”

So I’m reminding ODFL readers to shop local this holiday season. Small local businesses are essential to the economy and to our communities.

Every holiday season Tootsies opens within their shoe and accessories shop a pop-up sock shop. All kinds of socks are on offer – fun socks, plain socks, crew, knee-highs, and over-the-knee too. Plus tights and sheer thigh-highs. Men. Women. Kids. There’s something for everyone. Socks were a favorite gift of mine when I was a kid and they still are.

Whatever you’re picking up for the holidays this year, skip the big box stores and support your own community. Doing so is a gift to yourself.

(This is not a paid endorsement.)

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Buy Nothing Day & Fur-Free Friday

Posted in Events, Fashion, Uncategorized, Vintage, tagged , , , , , , on November 26, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Buy Nothing

Make Something, Cook Something, Bake Something, Sew Something, Repair Something, Write Something, Draw Something.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Today is Buy Nothing Day, an international day of protest against consumerism. On Buy Nothing Day participants pledge to refrain from the whole Black Friday madness and keep their wallets in their pockets (or handbags).

I think this is a great idea. We all know the horrors of overbuying – it’s hard on our finances and it’s hard on the environment to manufacture all the stuff, which ends up in the landfill or in the case of clothing, headed on a big container ship to another country.

What to do with the free time? How about making something? Or read a book. Watch a movie. Write a letter. Call a friend. Volunteer. Take a nap!

Today is also the 35th annual Fur-Free Friday, when animal rights activists gather at large retail stores and protest the selling and wearing of fur. (Of course the only stylish fur is faux fur.)

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Fashionable Quote of the Week from I Love You So Mochi

Posted in Fashion, Uncategorized, Vintage, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on November 16, 2020| Leave a Comment »

The bodice was from a red satin gown I found at the thrift store where I work – halter neck, structured, water-stained in a couple of spots. I hacked the top part off the dress, altered it, and water-stained it all over so it looked like a pattern. The skirt was one of the first things I made out of completely new material … At first I made it in a pretty basic shape – fitted at the waist and flaring outward to glorious fullness. A good twirling skirt. But it wasn’t quite speaking to my soul. So, I started adding on to it. I sewed on some ribbons, flowing along the hemline. I added sequins to match. And then I saved up and got myself some fancy fabric paints and painted this wild, multicolored … things all over it. The whole thing came together when I found that red satin gown and realized it was the last piece I needed to turn this initially simple skirt into the beautiful dress it was meant to be.

Kimi Nakamura – protagonist in I Love You So Mochi, by Sarah Kuhn (Scholastic Press).

I can’t resist a novel whose protagonist has a thing for fashion. I Love You So Mochi is a charming young adult novel that tells the story of high school senior Kimi Nakamura and her struggle to figure out what she really wants to do with her life. Her mother wants Kimi to become an artist (what? not a doctor?) but Kimi isn’t feeling it, and is drawn more toward fashion.

Kimi is Japanese American and when her grandparents, whom she has never met, invite her to visit them in Japan, she goes and makes discoveries about her family, herself, and falling in love.

I really enjoyed Kimi’s journey, which speaks to everyone – those of us who already went through this stage and those young ones who are facing their wide open futures right now. The Kyoto travel guide is fun as are the Japanese food references, particularly the mochi. And of course, Kimi’s inspired fashion designs are the most fun.

I Love You So Mochi is an excellent holiday gift choice for any young fashionista.

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Fashionable Quote of the Week by Stephanie Benedetto

Posted in Fashion, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on December 10, 2018| Leave a Comment »

9baa7d28c628f14d175580c14bd74cddMaybe it means you buy one less T-shirt each year. Or maybe it means you buy one of higher quality because it lasts longer. Or you only buy vintage, recycled clothes from secondhand shops. All of the above works, and that’s the beauty of it. 

Stephanie Benedetto – co-founder and CEO of Queen of Raw.

This quote was taken from a Q&A with Mosaic magazine, November/December 2018.

Did you know that there are piles and piles of fabrics sitting in warehouses going unused? Brand designers sometimes overestimate how much fabric they need or a mill overproduces a particular fabric and voila –  we have fabric overload. On occasion these fabrics find their way to fabric shops but sadly, more often the fabric is burned or buried, according to the Queen of Raw website.

Queen of Raw offers unused textiles for sale that would otherwise be destroyed, giving them a second chance and us a greener way to go in fashion.

What a great idea for holiday shopping! Check it out here.

 

 

 

 

 

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Holiday Shopping at Theatre of Dreams

Posted in Arts, Events, Vintage, tagged , , , , , on December 3, 2014| 8 Comments »

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One of my favorite holiday treats is a visit to Theatre of Dreams, a small locally owned shop in the cozy town of Port Costa.

IMG_0948Walking into Theatre of Dreams really is a dreamy experience, glancing every which way to delight the eyes with sparkle ornaments, boxes, cones, and other trinkets all handmade by artist Wendy Addison.

IMG_0940Ms. Addison uses antique and vintage materials such as paper, fabric, glitter, and ribbon to create unique gift items. She has developed her own style recognized by Victoria magazine and Martha Stewart.

IMG_0929Next door to Theatre of Dreams I was happy to find another unique shop – The Hat Shop and Haberdashery. Small and charmingly old with a chill in the air and creaky floors this establishment stocks men’s top hats, bowlers, and caps as well as an impressive selection of plaid shirts. (I love a fella in a plaid shirt.) In addition are ladies headdresses and jewelry made from antique buttons and other found objects by Artist Lee Kobus.
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Down the street a few other vendors have set up a small outdoor market for the holidays. Theatre of Dreams is located at 11 Canyon Drive in Port Costa and open special holiday hours – Friday, Saturday, and Sunday December 5-7. Friday and Saturday December 12 and 13 and again the next week, December 19 and 20. 10am to 5pm each day.

 

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