Help!

As I may have mentioned before, I volunteer at the Austin Humane Society. I've been working there since March, and it's such an amazing place, filled with wonderful people and even more wonderful cats and dogs. The staff work tirelessly to maintain the no-kill shelter and take care of every animal that comes through the doors - and there are a lot of them.

Disaster struck this past weekend when the air-conditioning unit broke on the hottest day of the year so far. This is no joke in the unbelievably intense Texas heat, and is very dangerous. The society offered free adoptions this week (now ended - dog adoptions are currently $20, adult cats are free and adopting one or two kittens costs $20), and the community turned out in force, giving scores of animals new homes.The response has been really fantastic.

But (and it's a big but) ...

They still need $12,000 to repair the A/C.

It's a lot of money, and it is needed desperately - and soon - if the shelter is to continue rescuing cats and dogs.

Donate here. Every little bit is appreciated!

Of course, you can also help by volunteering or by adopting an animal. Visit the official website of the Austin Humane Society to find out more about volunteering (or ask me - it's great fun!), and view adoptable cats here and adoptable dogs here.

Thank you!

New Two Squirrels store opens tomorrow!

Just one more day, and then Vanessa and Warren's new Two Squirrels store will open! I wish I could be there. It has been such a tough year for these two, after losing both their store premises in the Christchurch earthquakes, and I am so thrilled to hear good news at last. Their new store is located on their property in Rangiora and will be filled with all the gorgeous finds and passion for beautiful things for which Vanessa and Warren have become world-famous (world-famous in New Zealand, that is).

The gorgeous price tags!



Vintage goodies for sale.


The beautiful Vanessa.

The store officially opens on Friday 2 September. It will be open Friday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm (and at other times by special appointment!). Find it at 63 Ashley Street, Rangiora.

For more details about the opening - and how to get there! - visit their Facebook page and the Two Squirrels blog.

And if you've missed it, catch up with the whole Two Squirrels story here: Parts One, Two and Three.

Austin Fashion Week at the Domain

Phew! Now that the dust has finally settled, I can blog about the evening Cathy and I spent at the Domain Fashion Week events on Friday night.

We started our evening at Charming Charlie, the accessories boutique, where hats, jewelry, scarves, clothing and shoes were showcased by several lovely models (all at the same time! That's a lot of accessories on one outfit, especially on a really hot day) ...






... and then moved to a wine and cheese evening at new Austin store Atelier 1105, where real-McCoy French antiques rub shoulders with reproductions, glamorous Parisian accessories and all kinds of hidden treasures to unearth. In particular, we loved the dainty gemstone jewelry from Elizabeth Crandall, a designer who has just moved back to Austin to follow her dream.






I really want this rabbit lamp.

The main event of our evening was the Neiman Marcus Fall 2011 showcase. We snacked on cupcakes, sipped on Chardonnay and snagged front-row seats for the runway walk. Among the fall trends displayed was ‘Lady Chic’ (as Neiman Marcus called it), a Mad-Men-esque collection of classic silhouettes in unexpected colors and textures. And lots of hats! Hats make me happy.








We finished the night at Madewell. I really love their tomboy-ish clothes (and I like the fact that you can find the equivalent of every piece they sell at a thrift store for pennies). I met two lovely ladies there wearing fascinators and my Champagne-fuelled persuasiveness got them to pose for a picture.

Texas weather

- Shel Silverstein

Double rainbow

It's so intense. (Sorry, couldn't resist!). I'm standing in our rather dodgy apartment building corridor - there are usually a lot more cigarette butts.

Dress - vintage '80s, from Etsy store Bad Cholla Vintage
Wooden bangle - thrifted at Goodwill
Shoes - '80s Liz Claiborne, thrifted at Goodwill

We're heading out to dinner tonight to celebrate LOML receiving his private pilot's licence - I am so proud of him and can't wait to clink glasses and congratulate him officially! This dress arrived in the mail today, and it makes me happy. I hope it makes him happy too.

Congratulations, LOML!

Just four months after starting his lessons, LOML got his private pilot's licence! I am so proud of him. It is an amazing achievement - particularly since he did it all so quickly and well.


LOML on his very first flight at the controls.

After a pilot's first solo flight, it has become a tradition to cut off the back of his shirt. (There is a name for this custom, but I can't remember it - LOML?)

Shaking hands with his examiner yesterday after passing his test!

Photographs by Devaki Knowles at the Doo-Wop Fashion Bash!

Talented Austin Photographer Devaki Knowles was in charge of the photo-booth at Wednesday night's Doo-Wop Fashion Bash - and didn't she get some great shots?

Theresa Kopecky of Tess Designs.

From left to right: Grechen of Grechen's Closet; D'Andra of Sable and Sage; and Sharon of If Grandma Wore J. Crew.



Me and Cathy of Austin Slave to Fashion.





LOML and Mike, Theresa's husband!

All photos copyright Devaki Knowles 2011. All rights reserved.

View her official website here, and the rest of the photo-booth images from the Doo-Wop Bash here! And to purchase photos, click here. I know I'm going to be ordering several prints!

Vintage for sale!

I just wanted to let you know that I had a wardrobe clear-out and am selling five vintage dresses on Etsy - view them here!

Apologies for the blog template issues - for some reason my sidebar has decided to go south for the winter and has ended up right at the bottom of the blog. It seemed to happen spontaneously, but I probably did something silly. If anyone has any suggestions for fixing it, please let me know in the comments! And I still haven't got round to creating a new blog header, but I will this week. Who is that strange, long-haired person?

EDITED TO ADD: Never mind - as soon as I published this post, it fixed itself. IT MUST HAVE HEARD ME. I'm going to be looking over my shoulder all night ...

More photos from Austin Fashion Week!

Theresa and I revelling in our nearly-front-row seats (taken by Clark Patterson, of Clark Patterson Photography).


I'll post properly about the Doo-Wop Fashion Bash on Wednesday night soon, as the pictures start to trickle in, but here's a peek! Left to right, the Tess models are Meghan in the USO dress; Pia in Doris in Daffodil; Rebecca in Sabrina in Black; Theresa in her own maternity creation; and me in another colour variation of the Ava/Eloise blouse/skirt combination.





And a few behind-the-scenes shots as we prepared for the party!



The above three shots of the Doo-Wop party are from Austin Street Style. Don't Mike and LOML look great in their suspenders?