Sunday, June 17, 2012

blooming

Yesterday my mom and I stopped to get some flowers for our front garden.  There was some serious bumblebee activity and really gorgeous flowers.  So I made a little video to share with you.
(The song is 'Oh My God' by Cults, which I first heard on a radio show my mom listens to.  She's such a hipster.
For better picture quality, you can also watch the video here.)

Today was a rough one.  It's the first Fathers' Day since losing my dad last July and I went back and forth between wanting to curl up under the covers and cry all day and not wanting to even acknowledge there was a holiday today at all so that I could pretend it was like any other day-- aware of the loss of him, but as a dull ache rather than sharp pain.  In the end, I ended up spending the morning in a way that my dad would be proud of: gardening, bringing a bit more beauty and hope into a world that sometimes seems to lack either one, and experiencing the joy of helping something to grow.

I hope you had a wonderful Sunday!
♥

Saturday, June 16, 2012

i'd like to thank the academy...

Good eeeeevening.
(for full effect, imagine that said in the voice of The Count.  Ah-ah-ahhhhh.)

 

I got home today and saw that I had been awarded the Versatile Blogger Award by both Lexie, from Pieces of Wonderful, and Victoria, from  Tangled Sweetpea!  Thank you, lovely ladies!  



So recipients of this award are supposed to mention 7 random facts about themselves, choose 15 other bloggers to award, and let them know via blog comment that they've been picked.  So here goes!

1. I am a notorious chicken.  I can't stand scary movies-- I cried watching The Village and I've had to stop watching television shows about haunted places and aliens because I spend the rest of the night jumping out of my skin at the slightest noise.  And when I went on a haunted hayride a few years ago, the guy driving the haywagon shouted, "...Oh my god, he's coming down the hill toward us!"  And naturally, I screamed and may have curled into a ball, at which point the driver said, "Nobody's coming down the hill, why would I warn you about it if someone was coming down the hill?"  So I played it cool and laughed it off.  A few minutes later, "Oh my god!  He's coming down the hill toward us!"  ...Guess who screamed and curled into a ball again.  Yeah.  (Incidentally, thanks a lot, Alex and Alyssa, for placing bets on who would cry first, me or an eight-year-old.  Congrats to whichever one of you bet on me.)

2.   I've been best friends with Marissa since we were ten years old-- twelve years ago!  It's honestly hard for me to remember a time when we weren't getting into all kinds of crazy adventures.  Coming up this summer:  Atlantic City.  Oh boy.

3.  It bugs me when television plays up stereotypes to appeal to viewers' lowest common denominator.  Those commercials where the husband comes across as a complete nincompoop, and the wife is passive-aggressive and nagging-- it's actually enough to deter me from buying something.  Convince me what a great product you're selling, not what an obnoxious, snarky commercial you can come up with.

4.  I love fruit.  Nectarines, strawberries, peaches, and raspberries are my favorite.  

5.  Storage Wars.  I am obsessed.  Which makes perfect sense, actually, my dad used to go to auctions and abandoned stores in search of cool antiques to sell, and it was this big thrill to see what he'd brought home.  I love weird old stuff!  And I like that the people on the show seem like decent, unpretentious people making a living in an interesting business.  Barry is my favorite-- if you watch the show, who do you like best?  

6.  My favorite ice cream flavors are butter pecan, mint chocolate chip, black raspberry, and chocolate peanut butter.

7.  I'm afraid of heights, but I did go parasailing once and absolutely loved it.  I'm also hoping to take a ride in a hot air balloon sometime!  Especially if it was over a flowering orchard of some sort, so it was like sailing on a sea of blossoming trees.  

Now for the nominations!


I know that isn't fifteen, but I'd like to use the rest of the spots to invite all of you to take part in the Versatile Blogger Award!  Leave a link in the comments, I'd love to read your posts.
♥

Thursday, June 14, 2012

winterhalter

Franz Xaver Winterhalter is one of my favorite painters.  He painted portraits of royalty through the 1800s.  As a designer, I'm so inspired by the way he painted the most delicate clothing details, and how every fabric looks perfectly textured and beautiful.
Winterhalter Portrait of Madame Barbe de Rimsky Korsakov
Portrait of Madame Barbe de Rimsky Korsakov, 1845

Empress Elisabeth of Austria with Diamond Stars on her hair Winterhalter
Elisabeth of Austria with Diamond Stars In Her Hair, 1865
(fun fact:  this gown, designed by Charles Worth, and the diamond stars, were the inspiration for a costume that Emmy Rossum wore in the film version of Phantom of the Opera.)

Princess Elizabeth Troubetskoi Winterhalter
Princess Elizabeth Troubetskoi, 1859
(I love the soft, glow-y lighting in this painting... portrait painters: the original photoshop)

Winterhalter Elisabeth of Bavaria
Elisabeth of Austria, 1865
Have a wonderful day!

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

introducing...

Julie Rose Sews Romano one pretty thing
well, hello there darlings.  today is the first installment of a new feature called 'one pretty thing,' where I'll share one of my favorite possessions with you and give you a peek into my home and my workspace!

green grass moss squirrel
today I'd like you to meet my little green squirrel.  I got this little guy a few weeks ago I think he's such a cutie!  I love how it looks like a tiny shaped hedge, or a stone sculpture covered in moss.

green grass moss squirrel singer sewing machine vintage
when I'm sewing, he lives on the windowsill of my craft room, but the rest of the time he stays right on my sewing machine. 

right now I'm making a dress from a beautiful vintage silk dupioni that my dad chose for me at an estate sale a few years ago-- it's almost finished, so you'll be seeing it soon!  

are you working on any fashion or craft adventures?
♥

Monday, June 11, 2012

much love, monday

much love monday julie rose sews
good morning sunshines!  here's what I'm loving this week.

knit parasols shawl
this beautiful knit stole (with a link to the pattern!  yay!)

table with tea and flowers
Phillippa Stanton's series of photographs of her table

HENRI DE TOULOUSE-LAUTREC In Bed: The Kiss 1892
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's 1892 painting In Bed: The Kiss


girl reading socks cozy knit
this soft and cozy photo by Ana Lua­sa Pinto

blue and brown eggs
these lovely eggs dyed with fruits and vegetables


claire mccardell playsuit romper
this classic Claire McCardell playsuit from the 1940s (found here)

thread heart
this thread-spool heart-- I'm so excited to be back to sewing!

adorable fashionable stylish little girl childrenswear
the cutest little girl, photographed by Maya

have a wonderful start to the week!
♥

Sunday, June 10, 2012

self-portrait

Julie Rose Sews Julie Romano self-portrait self portrait
Happy Sunday morning everyone!  

I spent some time yesterday playing with my new Wacom Bamboo Capture tablet, and the result was this little self-portrait!  I'm starting to work with combining my fashion illustration style with more detailed shading and features, like the classic portraits I grew up drawing.  It was a lot of fun and I'm excited to experiment more with digital sketching!

have a beautiful day!
♥

Friday, June 8, 2012

carousels and rose-gardens

Here are some more photos from my senior collection photoshoot with my lovely model/cousin Kaleigh!
girl smelling flowers gingham dress Julie Romano Julie Rose Sews Kaleigh Young
(funny story:  we were definitely not supposed to be in this private garden, but we couldn't resist the roses!  a moment after I took this photo, we heard the door to the building start to open and we took off down the street.)

Julie Romano Julie Rose Sews Kaleigh Young girl smelling flowers gingham dress

Julie Romano Julie Rose Sews girl jumping Kaleigh Young

girl smelling roses Julie Rose Sews Kaleigh Young Julie Romano

Julie Romano Julie Rose Sews Kaleigh Young carousel turkey chelsea piers gingham dress
I love that this carousel has a turkey.  How often does that happen?
Julie Romano Julie Rose Sews Kaleigh Young headshot portrait
Isn't she beautiful?  Thank you for modeling, Kaleigh!
Hope you're enjoying this beautiful summer day!
♥