WEEK IN PICTURES

l.a. the beautiful, within the smog are the snow capped mountains, a bustling city, terrible traffic, and endless array of much to do..so many pretty pallets of landscape..how more diverse can you get...the desert sun, the endless sunset, the miles of sand..oh so beautiful..

i captured these on a road trip to the desert to pick up my Zoe..

pretty pink sun

desert sunset

desert moon (really the sun, but looked like the moon to me in black & white)


these are pictures i took on one hill above l.a.

hollywood

griffith observatory

smog city

another picture of blimp over hollywood


los angeles if you look real closely you can see the capital records building

pretty white mountains above the city


the following are other works of l.a. i liked..


[SOURCE]


[source: we heart it]

now off to update the eBay store..i am a day late, but yesterday was "chick night" as my daughter called it..we had loads of fun..carne asada tacos, sonic shakes, 80's flick, green tea clay mask it was a blast with her..i really enjoy mommy and me nights!

i'll be back later with another mini blog post..hope your having a great Saturday!

~bella

BELLA VINTAGE COLLECTION

hi guys! i am slowly catching up to the internet world, i am playing catch up for the 1 month i lost..i have allot i want to share and can't wait to share it! one of them being a sneak peek to the Bella Vintage Collection of hand made items which i am currently working on..

about a year ago i mentioned coming across a HUGE bulk of skeleton keys in which i intended making jewelry with..i am now currently working on different designs to bring to you in the start of March, both simple and complicated designs (lack of a better word)..


steel chain black nickel skeleton key necklace


steel chain black nickel double skeleton key necklace


and also in the works are scarfs made from vintage fabric in array of different prints and era's..all hand made, 100% vintage and unique one of a kind..

1990's floral print vintage scarf


1970's grandma stitch vintage scarf



i will have many different styles to choose from on both necklace's and vintage scarfs coming in March to the Etsy shop..i also have another project in the works for Bella Vintage as well as the development of a new collection..

i will be back later today with out Bella Vintage sneak peak for new eBay auctions coming this week...hope your having a lovely Valentines Day!

~bella

COMPUTER BLUES......

[source]


no computer yet! it's still at the computer doctor...so so bummed because i won't be able to do any Etsy / eBay postings...will try to finish a blog at the library tomorrow which i already started...but if not i will pick up next week where i left off and update the shop slowly during the week...

well since i have no computer and bella vintage internet work to do i will fill my weekend with house cleaning stuff as well as creative stuff..lots of sewing will be my remedy to my blues..sketching, playing wii with my Zoe and re-vamping vintage pieces to get ready to hit the shop..

what are you guys up to this weekend? have you ever had a computer-less weekend??

~bella

EBAY AUCTIONS

hello! hope you are all having a relaxing Sunday..i am! on this rainy one in beautiful California..my weekend was a great one Zoe went to a sleepover on Friday and i prepared for a Bella Vintage photo-shoot for Saturday..then i had a great time with good freinds at an art opening for an amazing artist (pictures to come)..it was nice having a social night out and getting a break from my responsibilities to my small business which i only truly have the weekends & nights to tend too along with single mother-hood..it had been a while so thanks to my kiddo-sitter!

i finally am starting e-bay auctions once again for all of you vintage loving gals whom like the bidding wars..fingers crossed, which really means late nights the following items will go live midnight tonight latest Monday night!

i'm starting with 10 auctions for now but will eventually work up to have a steady 20 thru 40 weekly auctions..it's a matter of time..

here's what's to come:












~bella

A QUICK HELLO!

just wanted to say a quick hello since it's been almost a full week since my last blog post... it's been a very straining & draining week trying to get back into routine and playing catch up at home, work and filling Bella Vintage orders at night...oh and did i mention also being a mom ;)...

well i'm back tonight pounding the keyboards for another blog post sneak peek on what is to come to Bella Vintage on eBay this coming Sunday..Zoe has a sleepover so as usual i will be taking the opportunity to work without distractions....so fun will have to wait till tomorrow..

i leave you with this suuuper cute flashback picture of Kate Moss..she look great all natural as usual...




~bella

DESIGN INSPIRATION: BETSEY JOHNSON

i have been a Betsey Johnson girl since i was a kid..as soon as i came into my pre-teens and got into fashion i wanted to wear Betsey Johnson..her designs definitely attract a broad spectrum from very young girls to older women..their was only two boutiques in Miami at that time one in Coconut Grove the other in South Beach..i would always beg my mom to buy me a dress from their and in a rare case she caved and did..i bought the cutest cherry red satin baby doll dress which i have till this day..and at the time it carried a price tag of $100 allot for my mom (thanks mommy)..but now a days her prices are far from that range..

at the age of 17 (1994) i heard of an opening at the Betsey Johnson store in South Beach i was sooo excited, because at that time i was not working for too long in retail..i was anxious at the possibilities of getting my foot through the door since i new how very hard it was in landing a job there..most of the Betsey girls stay on very a long time making it a career and even moving up within the company..i did not get the job at that time which truly bummed me out but just a few weeks later to my surprise i received a phone from the Coconut Grove store to come in for an interview..the manager at the South Beach store recommended me because she loved my style (i was wearing a vintage dress with combat boots) and personality and needless to say i jumped for joy when i got the job..

i felt like i was on top of the world at that time because i was working at Betsey Johnson, making decent money, getting an amazing discount and racking up on clothes and i was going to Fashion Design school all by the age of 17..Betsey was one of my many inspirations on why i went to school for design..it was a cool time in my life until bad decisions took me on a different road..(but that's another story)..

when it comes to why i'm inspired by Betsey the reasons are that i admire how she she built her brand from the ground up..she studied art but fell into design..her illustrations shows the artist that she is..





Betsey was part of the NY Warhol scene and married John Cale from The Velvet Underground which Warhol started..she was designing for the boutique Paraphernalia did styling for the Velvet Underground and had Edie Sedgwick for a fit model

Edie wearing Betsey




she then went to open up a boutique called Betsey Bunky Nini, designed under many other labels like Alley Cat and very properly the dance brand Capezio and made patterns for Butterwick (which i need to get my hands on)..until she formed her own brand label Betsey Johnson in 1978..

vintage Alley Cat






vintage Paraphernalia



Betsey Johnson for Alley Cat Butterwick patterns





one of my favorite vintage Betsey era's is the 80's where she came out with her big cherry prints, flowers & skulls..i also loved all the dance inspired designs like her body suits, jumpers and corseted tops..so lucky for us Opening Ceremony came out with Betsey Archives which is on sale right now but i think i'd rather hunt down for the real vintage....





Betsey designs of things she loves which shows in her prints and has always stayed true to her quirkiness which is why it's worked..she has been able to maintain a loyal following and has built her brand by staying connected with the fun girl inside of us..from her beginnings she marketed herself by wearing her designs in the NY scene and truly beats to her own drum in the fashion world..she inspires me..



~bella








source: ebay, wmagazine, fidm, butterwick, opening ceremony