Happy Friday + Happy New Year!!!

Woot!  It's New Years Eve!   For me, that means I get to go to a big party and dance 'til I drop!   For one of the brides I've been working with, it's her wedding day!  She's getting married at the beautiful Milwaukee depot in Minneapolis at midnight!  I've been working with her over the past couple months and did custom design bolero jackets for her and her five bridesmaids.  She's promised to send me some pictures and I can't wait to see them and post them here!  

While New Years Eve is obviously a time of celebration, it's also a time to reflect on the past year.  I have found myself thinking about what my goals were a year ago for Uptown Urban Craft, and how those have changed in the ebb and flow of 365 days.  I feel like I have a better understanding of what works and what doesn't, what I enjoy working on and what I really don't.  I've been trying to answer hypothetical questions like, "If finances didn't matter, what would I spend my time doing?" or "If I had to narrow my business to one thing, what would that be?" and "In an ideal world I would spend all my time doing _______".   In answering these questions I've made some new goals (or resolutions, har har!) for myself and for Uptown Urban Craft.  I won't say much at the moment since my brain is still tinkering though things but I can announce now that I will be phasing out the baby/toddler line of Uptown Urban Craft.  There will still be some new items added to the website and Etsy shop but only for the next 6 months or so. 

Okay, enough serious stuff!  It's almost party time, and with that in mind here are some inspiring images that represent the word "celebrate"!   Enjoy and have a very very happy new year!

...And I couldn't talk about celebrating life without including a little "Auntie Mame"! 

 

Of course if you party too hard you'll have to be carried up the stairs...

And put to bed in your best Channel. 

Wedding Stationary from Etsy!

It's been quite a while since I did a stationary post.  You all know I love Etsy and so today all the stationary I'm featuring is available to purchase from an Etsy artist!  Remember that when you buy something on Etsy you are not only helping to support an independent artist but also helping a whole community of artists and designers creating unique handmade goods and striving to work for themselves and earn a living wage to boot!  So with that in mind here is some very stylish wedding stationary!

Modern Dots invitation by Shine Invitations

Modern Logo Invitation by Shine Invitations

Invitation suite by InvitingMoments

 

 

 

 

Vintage Ticket Letterpress Invitation by Letterbox Ink

Modern Block Invitation suite by RubyPress

Picture of the Day: Audrey Hepburn as photographed by Cecil Beaton

Welcome back from the holidays, I trust you all had a good time.  One of my favorite gifts was a book about Audrey Hepburn given to me by me little brother-in-law.  As soon as I opened it I was taken aback by the beautiful photographs, including a couple of her wearing the creations of one of my all-time favorite costume designers Cecil Beaton.  Cecil Beaton was also acting as the photographer which explains how he could so perfectly capture what was, after all, his own artistic vision.  Prior to his career as a costumer for the stage and screen, he worked as a staff photographer for Vanity Fair and Vogue, not to mention that he frequently photographed the British royal family. 

The photograph below features his work on the film My Fair Lady and is a stunning example of both his achievement as a costume designer and a photographer.  Rarely do you see such wonderfully detailed documentation of costume design of this era. Notice the trueness of color.  Most costume designs at this time were photographed in low-focus black and white.  Another interesting note, Audrey never wore this costume in the film, instead wearing the now famous black and white ribboned dress.   This costume, fabulous as it is, was passed off and worn by an extra in the Ascot race scene of the film.