SAMSTAG(SATURDAY)

hasta la vista, baby

2010-07-02T20:19:00.001-07:00

TGIF!

2010-05-28T17:11:00.000-07:00

The best photobooth in Seattle is in Wallingford. It is inside Archie McPhee. It is the best because of its proximity to props.

home economics

2010-05-19T22:41:00.000-07:00

A CELEBRATION OF MOTHERS

2010-05-06T19:53:00.000-07:00

Annie and I have a great affection for our mothers, a fascination with who they were when they were our age (which Annie explores here), and an admiration for all that they have done for us. My mother, I am convinced, should be hailed as a saint. She is kind, patient, and a strong woman. There are a few things that I find curious about her (like how she administered urine tests as a job after college and how she tried to become Sheriff), but I love the idea that she is more than just a mother - she's a woman of the world! Horrah! I can only hope to have a heart like hers and the courage to love BIG.

Here she is with my father. Cheesy picture, typical Dad

The more I think about it, the more I believe that mothers are the strength of our world. Whether we have good or bad relationships with them, these women shape us to be who we are and introduce us to who we may become. The more that I struggle as a post-grad young adult in this scary world, the more she reveals to me about who she was before her stinky kids came into her life. Heck! Before many people came into her life. Secrets, secrets are no fun. Wait, yes there are! Let me in!

Love my mom's style here with my great-grandmother, aunt, grandma and father

And isn't it really something to see generations side by side? Think of the history! What I wouldn't give to meet my nana in the Nebraska dance halls or my mother when she first moved to California!

Three leading ladies - oh how we have and will change the world

But what's more, let's not forget about the women in our lives who have raised us like their own. They have been our grandmothers, our coaches, our teachers, our friends' mothers, our mothers' friends, our step-mothers, our aunts...and they are our inspiration!

Truly Optimistic,

-L

birthday boots

2010-05-03T15:59:00.000-07:00

This month a lot of things went my way and I found my finances in a nice, comfortable spot. Since it was my Michael Jordan birthday, which has precedence for being a pretty important year (see evidence here and here and here)*, I marched straight over to vintage wonderland No Parking on Pike Street and bought myself a pair of heavy-duty grey lace-up ankle boots I'd been eyeing for months.

They're really good.

The shopowner, Ben, has some really amazing stuff and is constantly updating the space's layout and themes. There's always something perfect hiding in the jewelry boxes and under tables and you have to spend some serious time in there to see it all. I want a lot of things in there that I can't afford and Ben is always patient with Lizzie and I when we paw through it and tell him how great his stuff is. We especially like hearing his stories of how and where he tracks down different treasures.

I feel really powerful in these boots. The soles will NEVER wear out, that's the Justin boot promise. It's a brand for farmers, as I understand. Plus, when I wear my glasses at the same time, I AM DARIA.

I'm trying to get Lizzie to buy a pair so she can be Jane Lane!

*Sometimes, you turn 23, and you go on an all-day birthday adventure with Lizzie, and you happen to run into someone you sort of know who works at a diner that you went into looking for a milkshake, and he goes on, out of the goodness of his heart, to make you lots of fruity drinks at 3pm.

Here is part of the adventure:

Sorry, Mom.

Canary Sing + DOP

2010-05-02T20:50:00.000-07:00

Dude.

Day by day we are reassured that our young lives--hell, all our lives!--should be dedicated to making things with our besties. Here is one such beautiful collaboration: our dear Katie and Ben, over at Department of Projects in Portland, just put together the album art for the latest EP from our dear Hollis and Madeleine of Canary Sing. DOP's design is spot on, and these are indeed beautiful babies!

The release party for the Beautiful Baby EP, presented by Hidmo Entertainment and Members Only 206, is happening Mother's Day, May 9th!, at Chop Suey. We're stoked. Canary Sing has a lot of big awesome stuff planned for the coming months, including a three-week show-tour-crazy-cool-adventure-time in Minnesota, NYC, DC, and Jamaica.

AAAND: here are the boss ladies last night rocking Moe Bar:

Love 'em.

A & L

coming soon

2010-04-18T22:56:00.000-07:00

LIZZIE: JETSETTING THE NATION: AN EPISODE IN 2 PARTS: EAST COAST TO BEST COAST

ANNIE: ON OVERDRIVE: LIFE ON PIKE STREET + FINDING A PARKING SPOT ON QUEEN ANNE IS HARD: BUT COLLABORATIVE ART IS REALLY REALLY COOL

and that's a promise.

Ramblin' (Wo)man

2010-04-15T23:33:00.000-07:00

Life has been busy for us Samstag gals. We’ve been watching doors open and close during these past few weeks and whew (!), things are really changing. When I was a young (and much tanner) kid back home in San Diego, my dad with all of his fatherly wisdom would talk about life being a giant book, with chapters beginning and ending, characters fazing in and out, and everything eventually coming to a close. I always thought, “Aw man, that’s such an old folk thing to say” but you know what? That guy really has something goin’ there.

I’ve spent the past three months working at Duo Public Relations as an intern for a team of wonderful, intelligent and creative women, but last Thursday was my final day, and sure enough Pops, that chapter has come to an end. Can I just say this? This one thing? Working at Duo was such a great experience and I am one lucky kid to have landed an internship there. We had dogs in the office, wine on Fridays, and lots of fun...and of course I learned lots. So what did I do to celebrate? I went to Disneyland! No, not really, but close! I went to New York City to celebrate a few great things in my life, and of course to just be a tourist!

Talk about spontaneous. I bought my plane ticket on Tuesday (with flyer miles! What, do you think I’m made out of money?) and landed Friday afternoon. I haven’t always been a light packer. My family would probably tell you that I’m a just-in-case-the-world-ends kind of packer, but those days are behind me. Needless to say, I showed up with a pre-schooler’s sized backpack and just went with it! Because no matter how hard I could have tried, nothing compares to the style of New York City women. Seriously. Seriously. I must have looked like a dirty old man lusting after all of the spring jackets and high heels. Somehow, the women seemed to just pull everything off so effortlessly. Maybe I was just excited, but I doubt that my eyes deceived me!

I swear that we spent just as much time window shopping in the Meat Packing District as we did site seeing. Anyway, I’m still dreaming in that Empire State of Mind (See: Jay-Z). Maybe someday, Queens and Brooklyn and everything in between will be so lucky as to have me grace their bubblegum sidewalks again. Yeah, real lucky.

View of the city from the Williamsburg Bridge

Times Square!

A humble view from the Empire State Building

Excited

ALEXANDER MQUEEN

I wish I had written down or could remember the names of the rest of these ridiculously awesome shops on 14th Ave, but in the moment I was just racing around like a kid in a candy shop! So please, enjoy these photos.

Until Next Time,

-L

1986

2010-03-28T20:35:00.000-07:00

I wasn't born yet, but god, what a year.

Today not one but two of my co-workers compared me to Molly Ringwald, specifically Pretty in Pink Molly Ringwald. Geez, no arguments here. Will you look at the color in this movie?

This sneak preview looks and sounds like it came out in 1986, and it's all about the clothes! I love directors like John Hughes who understood that the clothing makes the world of the film. This story would be half as interesting without these costumes. Besides, teenagers care about what they wear! It just makes sense that they'd give so many hero shots (vocab!) to the wardrobe. And Molly Ringwald always looked good. And totally nuts, and totally 1986. Enjoy!

Anyway, why stop there? I can't! Marilyn Vance* designed all these costumes and she knew what the fuck was up. (She also designed other Hughes classics The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller's Day Off, before going on to Pretty Woman and Die Hard 2!)

Check out the babe from Ferris! I tried to find a jacket like this in Chicago for years, but as the laws of thrifting go, I won't find it until I'm not looking for it anymore. And those shorts with the skinny belt. Those are all over my April 2010 Vogue, and that is no lie.

I love the idea of designing for movies like Ferris and The Breakfast Club because the characters don't change their clothes at all throughout the course of the story. What they're wearing has to say way more about them as a result, and it seems like they really start using their costumes more in the development of the character. Emilio Estevez is always messing with his letterman's jacket, or the ties on his wrestling hoodie. Anthony Michael Hall wears a Bears hat because his mom makes him. Molly has fancy leather gloves. Judd Nelson. God, Judd Nelson owns those boots and the twelve jackets and the denim vest-on-top-of-flannel vest combo. By the end, Ally Sheedy has pared down her bag lady layers and is wearing a feminine white blouse and eyeliner. I mean, Marilyn Vance really nailed it. These looks are lasting. Literally, everyone in this photo represents a style I've seen in my neighborhood. Recently. She was just designing ICONS!

Anyway, 1986. A good year.

A

*LIZZIE? Are you related to Marilyn Vance, too!?

Paradigm Soundsystems

2010-03-27T12:58:00.000-07:00

HEY GUYS!

There's this rad new biz in Chicago. They are called Paradigm Soundsystems.

They make stuff like supercozy knit goods that keep your neck really, really warm on your own personal pizza & movie night, or any night, really. They also mask looks of disgust on your face when you are watching Cider House Rules.

Word to the wise: Cider House Does Not Rule. Dark Crystal, on the other hand...

park days

2010-03-25T20:55:00.000-07:00

You should have gotten the Sonic bar, Lizzie.

dangerously inspirational

2010-03-22T22:57:00.000-07:00

In an attempt to escape all of the should-be-doing's of tonight (like most nights) I've been perusing fashion, vintage, DIY and all around interesting blogs - from people just like us! A few weeks ago I came across Scalpture, a blog all about hair! The inspiration! Maybe even for the scarier, as I've recently cut my bangs at a strange diagonal. What a girl will do when bored/inspired/curious/daring. I can't quit my day job, so I'll just show up looking like what I'd like to be doing.

This photo comes via Scalpture via Hob Salon....I'd like the nerve to turn out something like this.

Nothin but net

2010-03-20T21:03:00.000-07:00

Samstag Needs to Collage More

2010-03-11T13:03:00.000-08:00

family time

2010-03-11T12:30:00.000-08:00

Whenever I get home to Chicago, and I'm bouncing all over the place trying to spend equal parts of time with my parents in the suburbs and my brothers all over the city and my best of friends in Wicker Park and some acquaintances that are fun to catch up with and the nice, all-grown-up neighbors I used to babysit and Lake Michigan, no matter what the season, and my favorite breakfast spot (which is a tossup between Victory's Banner, lovingly referred to as Cult Breakfast, and Kopi, and maybe The Handlebar, too) and sometimes also the Village Discount in Andersonville, I always try to set aside a few hours to go through photo albums.

It's sort of strange, really. I've seen them all a million times, and it always feels so new to look at them. It's inspiration, sure, but gives me a distinct feeling in my gut, too. Images just help me get things.

In my parents' basement, in floor to ceiling shelves, my mom has organized the albums chronologically. Some of them are these really rad old leather boxes with gold lettering, some are in fabric-covered super-90s books, and some are just scrapbooks. My mom has dated and commented on almost every photo, which I will thank her for until the end of my days.

My favorites are from the late 1970s, right after my parents were married, to the year 1985, when my oldest brother Tim was a mere 4 years old. Sometimes I pilfer them, especially the old square prints like these, to inspire me for awhile before I return them.

Both of these photos are so indicative of where I came from, I can't even tell you. The suburban lawn chairs, the grass, the act of taking a photo of taking a photo, people everywhere--arms and legs and hands and jewelry and sleeves and knees in frame, my uncle Jimmy triple-fisting Old Styles, my grandmother's hair, her clasped hands, her blouse, those plaid shorts!, the frisbee.

When I am old I am going to sit down, my grey hair flying everywhere, and get comfortable with my kids or the young people I love and remind them to document.

A

ADDENDUM: 48 hours with Lizzie Vance

2010-02-24T14:36:00.000-08:00

It was one of those magical, devil-may-care, sky's-the-limit sort of evenings, which incidentally, Lizzie and I have been having pretty often lately. We were feeling like queens of cool, that is for sure.

I just wanted to add that at the meeting, I acted as secretary, keeping track of the minutes and all, while Lizzie really conducted the thing, leading the brainstorming session and fielding questions from the public.

Right from the get-go, it just seemed like people wanted to get in our business conversation, even people who weren't physically inside the restaurant. When that guy was skateboarding (uphill) past us on Pine, I said something like, "Look at this jerk" and almost instantaneously, he looked right at me, and I was sort of pointing at him vaguely with my slice of pizza, and so Lizzie turned around and looked at him too and said "Jeremy!" and then waved, and then he was gone. She explained that the guy looked like her friend Jeremy, but probably wasn't her friend Jeremy.

And then we started jamming on our meeting again, none the wiser. A few minutes later, "Jeremy" was sitting next to us asking "So what are we going to do tonight, girls?" Which was weird, because he had a manic grin and a corduroy suit on and especially because he definitely wasn't Lizzie's friend Jeremy. And then, oddly enough, a couple of friendly round-faced gents on the other side of me chose that moment to ask Lizzie and me if we were having a "Ladies' Night." To which Lizzie immediately responded, "Yes, are you?" and to which I responded, "No. We are having a Business MEETING." Apparently it didn't matter to them or to pseudo-Jeremy, because they hung out for a while, but luckily the dudes just started talking to each other and Lizzie and I got back to keeping minutes.

Incidentally, here is an excerpt of what the Coolest Power Meetings You Could Ever Imagine look like:

BIG BUSINESS
commencing FEBRUARY 18, 2010 8:07PM
HOT MAMA'S PIZZA BY THE SLICE
700 EAST PINE STREET, SEATTLE, WA

we should write an essay. a pamphlet, really. it should be called the new nation. it is an ethos. we are going to pare down to build up. excess is the enemy of the new nation. we just need the classic. you never wear those purple pants, anyway. the new nation exists in a simpler time & place where we start realizing our dreams right after we conceive them. imagine what you could do!

we could live in a loft and hang our clothes from the ceiling like christmas lights. 0 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, $1200.

MEETING ADJOURNED TEMPORARILY
WALKED THE MEAN STREETS
RE-ESTABLISHED (IN TRANSIT)

the coolest people have style uniforms. like mr. rogers. he had it down! different sneaks, different sweater, same unmatchable style. i really believe that, actually. also, french actresses, or david bowie.

concluding FEBRUARY 18, 2010, 11:28PM
MY APARTMENT

The rest of the weekend was pretty epic. We (randomly) got to see South Pacific at the 5th Avenue Theater for free, spent time with a Russian badass, and stayed out waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay past curfew.

A

48 hours with annie murphy

2010-02-22T19:21:00.001-08:00

last weekend was so, so much fun. but before the fun could begin, it was important that annie and i held a very important and formal business meeting...with pizza. and fur coats. and strangers on skateboards (who skateboards up a hill, really?)

delicious brain food, courtesy of hot mama's pizza by the slice and our friend, jimmy.

who taught us our manners?

when all is said and done, when the week comes to a close, all a girl really needs is pizza, a best girlfriend and dreeeaaams! and happy hour. hello oddfellows. hello chao. hello unicorn. hello friday night college party (sorry we just walked in).

hello living room. hello wood panel walls and mood lighting.

hello serious american girls.

hello silly american girls.

ah, and hello hot dog mustard (and cream cheese) all over my new blue jeans. good night world.

xoxo,

Today I learned about this.

2010-02-20T22:02:00.001-08:00

and today was, in a word, excellent.

Visual Research

2010-02-17T20:18:00.000-08:00

panda heaven.

2010-02-15T19:33:00.000-08:00

HELLO, WORLD. This is Lilly Herrera.

2010-02-13T23:51:00.000-08:00

...who made me this shirt.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I need to take a better photo to give justice to this beautiful piece of clothing. For now, my excitement just needs to be documented via Natalie's iPhone.

I am absolutely stoked about the Zach Morris pattern. It's tapered perfect to fit at the waist and still has the most gorgeous movement. Plus, the silk was purchased from goodwill and feels like BUTTER.

Lilly is available through our email, samstagsaturday@gmail.com, for the time being. Prices can be discussed.

A

How it looks from here.

2010-02-12T14:45:00.000-08:00

I used to go to bed early a lot of the time.

I'm not really sure when I stopped caring about sleep, or when it started to feel like a squandering of precious life time. Frankly, I enjoy sleeping. I've read that it is good for your health. I also have some pretty good dreams most of the time, including a real gem recently about a party I attended on Mars with the SRL crew where everyone was dressed in Victorian-era clothing and half the guests were really some sort of hologram-like androids, who were spectacular conversationalists.

But as of late I guess I just realized how many awesome things have been happening to me when in most usual humdrum scenarios I should or could or would have been asleep. Apparently there was a lot I was missing out on. Just snoozing!

When I was in college (back in '09) I took a class called Time Travel Literature, which was every bit as cool as it sounds. We read Eliot, Bergson, Pater, Faulker, Woolf, and Borges. We watched The Terminator, Twelve Monkeys, and La jetée. It was a dream class, really. It started before 8am on Tuesdays and Thursdays and I barely missed one.

We spent a lot of time talking about the totally gangster early 20th century thinker Henri Bergson's concept of durée, which means duration, which is really difficult and wonderful to talk about. I sort of understood it then as meaning forcing yourself to think about time not as a series of distinct, almost concrete units (as on a clock) but as a stretch of indisivible, uncountable freedoms to be and to experience everything subjectively and at the same time. Sounds pretty cool in a pretty abstract way, right? I mean, Bergson was a philosopher and a scientist, but the raddest thing about it is that he wanted to figure time out as it was experienced inside people. So then Henri got it that you can't really make an exact science out of talking about someone's heart. Then he was like, "Huh. Time is just a series of passing images, so it must really just be a creation of our individual imaginations. Because whatever jazzes us up really defines the way we look at life, and therefore, time, right?" And then everyone gave him high-fives. At least that's how I imagine it.

Lately, this whole thing has been making even more sense to me. It explains how easily experiences can make you feel different about the world in front of you. It also explains why Impressionism is so fucking cool. It was all about the way ART gives everybody a sort of multiplied sense of consciousness of what was happening around them, like experiencing a bunch of different lives at the same time, and just feeling so full of it all. It acknowledged that people have different realities, and disparate impressions of the world, but simultaneously it connected everybody by giving them a way to experience the highest quality of moments passing together. Like, this is what it really feels like to exist---look!

In the last three months, I have traveled on six plane trips and one short road trip. I have just been hangin' out in Seattle, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Seattle, Portland, and Los Angeles, and back to Seattle, just like that, in that order.

Some people travel a lot more than I do, and to farther off destinations. But for me, these were Big Adventures. In fact, they felt Important. I really, really love those moments when time just starts to feel like it's moving both faster and slower than it normally does. I think Henri Bergson would get it, and most people I have been working and creating with lately. You know, when you can just zone out and let your hands do the thinking and feeling for a little bit? Hours go by and you have no idea how--but they did, and you have something to show for it. Like you earned that time by being a part of it.

In the last few months, I have just been feeling like part of it all. That everything else that is happening is just happening, and I just get to be here and enjoy it.That I truly exist!

Here are some moments lately that felt bigger than other moments, and that sometimes I wish would have lasted a little bit longer:

All in all, it's pretty good to exist. Pretty unbeatable.

Love,
A

photo credits: katie, ben, the sirocco research lab, and of course, our lizzie.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY DEAR LIZZIE

2010-02-06T21:13:00.000-08:00

"I JUST BROKE MY ARM. AND MY EYE LOOKS PRETTY GNARLY TOO. WHATEVER."
LIZZIE, AGE 8.
NONCHALANCE PERSONIFIED

the day is here!

lizzie's michael jordan birthday*!

MY VERY OWN CHICAGO BULLS' MICHAEL JORDAN, 1987
NONCHALANCE PERSONIFIED

today is a slam dunk in my book.

because today marks the year that one of my dearest friends, our very own Lizzie, turns 23.

23 years ago today, while michael jordan was just jamming on one of the most prolific scoring seasons in NBA history, scoring 3,000 points in ONE season, to say nothing of his defensive prowess, little elizabeth made her debut.

the world is brighter and shinier because lizzie is in it.

a real German lady

making musical ambiance

happy birthday, ma chèrie, meine liebe. thank you for being my style sister, late-night dancer, and ze perfect partner in crime & in thesamstagblog.blogspot.com. (us!)

zwei bier, bitte?

*"michael jordan birthday" is a sweet term both coined and owned by one ms. katie reardon

samstag, here

2010-02-06T14:04:00.000-08:00

This is us. Big plans.
Samstag Lives!

back in business

2010-01-29T18:17:00.000-08:00

Samstag is doing some southern California-ing this weekend, working on various rad projects.

here I am in LA doing some serious making up the face time with the soon-to-be-werewolf Creighton Benjamin on the set of Sirocco Research Lab's newest film, Red Moon.

MAKING MOVIES IS THE BEST THING and this one is really, really pretty.

love,

it's what's up.

2010-01-26T23:39:00.000-08:00

our friend herbert is an artist. gentleman. great hugger. and underground dancer.

he also puts on free art shows.

artists display their work for a few hours of shmoozing and dancing, then we get to take it home! for free! it's FASE!

last year we had the FIRST art show at my old home on jefferson. i'm sad to say that the boys and i don't live there any longer (really?), but am glad that herbert is continuing this excellent tradition.

here are some pictures of swell friends with great art from the march 09 show:

so remember! sign up by march 30th, 2010 and have your art displayed during the first week of april. write to herbasaurus@gmail.com for more information!

oh yeah, and check out his flickr here!

much love,

where we've been

2010-01-24T17:51:00.000-08:00

to portland and back, for starters.

cheers to our friend k and her michael jordan birthday (23, ahem)!
sorry we couldn't tell you before, but we can be sneaky like that.

here we are this morning at katie & ben's after showing up at midnight, making some noise, eating lots of candy, and joining the dance party.

this is the good life.

they came, we swapped, we conquered

2010-01-23T10:40:00.000-08:00

for those curious about the turnout of Swap! Don't Shop! 0-10.

the guests: a pretty rad turnout. 17 strong! so many awesome females in one room! it was an estrofest, except for the carlos*.

the food: all a girl could ever want - cheese. bread. wine. chocolate. champagne. and my personal favorite - cupcakes! except when they almost burn annie's kitchen down.

the fire: as cute & delicious as cupcakes can be, they are also capable of creating oven fires. scary ones.

when you bake as often as we do, which is to say, never, it becomes difficult to remember that one must check the bottom of your 60+ year-old oven to make sure said surface is clean and detritus-free. well, lesson learned. as luck would have it, my cool-headed father, mr. big jim murphy, happened to be in town on business on the afternoon of our swap and had offered to help me mix up some cupcake batter while i tidied up the apartment. (quite a guy, my dad.) so, when some leftover something in our oven decided to light on fire, he was there to guide me through the emergency. staring into the flames, i think our conversation went something like this:

dad: i'm trying to remember what they told us in boy scouts.

me: i'd better open some windows.
dad: i think you're not supposed to put water on it.
me: i don't have a fire extinguisher.
dad: (squeezing water from a towel into the oven) i think you'd better go find one.
me: eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

the resident manager: dear mr. diaz, i am sorry that the first time you met me was when i banged on your door while you were on the phone and breathlessly inquired after a fire extinguisher, then ran away trying to explain that "its pretty small, but you know its in my oven and im not really sure what to do, maybe you'd really better take a look at it..." i hope you salvaged what was left of your quiet wednesday evening and that eventually, the smell of cupcakes baking next door canceled out the mix of the fire and the incense i burned to cover that up. also, i am sorry about all the pat benatar we play after hours on a tri-weekly basis.

thank you for your assistance,

#102.

the clothes!!!: a mix certainly worth diving into. there were even a couple of BRAND NEW items! but what was so great, and in the true spirit of samstag(saturday), were the loads and loads of great vintage dresses and jackets and skirts. oh my! luckily, no fights broke out; we can't say that hearts went unbroken, though. goodbye to the vintage grey geometric shapes dress. emily will wear you well. by weird coincidence, though, most of what I took home was from our dear friend emily while annie swooped in on some great finds from the wonderful ms. lilly.

the game plan: this "game plan" of ours was loosely organized before the night began, but we've got it down now and would like to introduce to you a very sophisticated and organized method. Behold...

the destiny's child "musical chairs method"©: Simple really.

Round ONE - the pursuing round in which swappers could take a careful look at what was in store without picking anything up. and it lasted the duration of track 1: "so good" track 2: "bills, bills, bills" and track 3: "confessions."

Round TWO - where elbows were thrown (kidding!). Featuring what could only be called a classic - "Bug A Boo," each swapper could snag, try on, and hold up to three additional items.

Round THREE - the pressure's on. Next three items. What you wanted could be taken, but what you never saw before could be exposed from underneath the piles and piles of clothes. But we had to throw in an extra credit round - the take as you will round.

*the carlos: some of you locals might have heard tell of my affections for a certain four-legged friend named carlos, the loyal charge of my friend allison. here he and I are having a moment with my lovely roommate, natalie, a few weeks ago. (see how much he loves to party?)

photo by Zoë

he was the only man who made it through Swap! Don't Shop! 0-10 (despite his inability to swap) and he charmed all of our guests, cuddled with many, and got to eat a piece of cheese. all in all, i think he had a wonderful time.

the fruits of our labor: we had some really nice times, my apartment didn't burn down, and now we have 4 bags full of wonderful things to alter, enhance, & repurpose. (plus two bags we're going to donate to lifelong thrift store.) i already made katie's birthday present out of a too-small linen blouse!

the thanks:
all 17 contributors/swappers/rockin' babes, carlos, mr. diaz, jim murphy, friends from afar, boys we know and like who were supportive even though they weren't invited, and to annie for opening her home to samstag(saturday)'s FIRST seasonal Swap! Don't Shop!

see ya'll around next time!

love,

SWAP! DON'T SHOP! NEWSBRIEF (tonight's the night!)

2010-01-20T08:30:00.000-08:00

BULLETIN re: SWAP! DON'T SHOP! 0-10

we've been thinking, swap-don't-shoppers.

we think we have to have rules.

don't be alarmed, we know what you're thinking---something like "you guys? rules? there are no rules in style! there is no crying in baseball."

but, as per our research on the history of the american clothing swap, we have a responsibility as your hosts to make sure none of you sustains either physical injury or any deep, scarring sense of emotional loss at our party. we have decided to take this responsibility seriously. so hear me when i say this, you 15 brave souls who have RSVPed:

at swap! don't shop! 0-10, you have nothing to fear but style itself.

rule #1
bring 5-10 items, take 5-10 items. yes, these are ballpark figures. it just seems like it will be better this way than other swaps we've read about that are absolute free-for-alls. everyone brings their best stuff to swap and takes home someone else's best. it's going to be like a treasure hunt in my living room. you know what we mean?

which brings me to

rule #2
the clothes you bring should be something you really think others would want to wear. yes, we all have our own sartorial particularities. for example, i enjoy sporting moth holes in my sweaters; not everyone does. lizzie and i both wear a lot of men's clothes, so you might see some of those. but if we all bring interesting, desirable things that we really treasured at some point, that are preferably recently washed, it will probably end up being more enjoyable, right?

and finally

rule #3
not a rule per se, but a heads-up: first, the clothes will be put out. we will figure out how to display them all equally. then, we'll all take a look-see (i.e., the first round). we will make mental wish lists. lizzie and i encourage dialogue.
"whose is this?" or "where did you find such a gem of a skirt?" or "how could you part with it?"
once everyone participating has had the go-around, we swap. we try things on. they don't fit, or you like the dress better on the hanger than on you? then back into the pile it goes. then, round two.

at least, that's what we envision. the best laid plans, you know. let's just live the dream, ok?

love,
A & L

if you don't know, you should: canary sing's "freak show" video

2010-01-19T13:03:00.000-08:00

our ladies hollis and maddy premiered their first video this week for their song "freak show." they killed it at their show at nectar in fremont on thursday and they kill it just about everyday being themselves. they are poets and teachers, artists and activists, besides being totally beautiful and fun to be around. we love this video! an album is in the works--watch out! its going to knock your socks off.

photo by Jenae

sorry to be repetitive, but WE LOVE OUR GIRLFRIENDS.

check out canary sing here and here and see them live at neumo's on february 9th.

I wish I could wear them

2010-01-18T22:32:00.000-08:00

Love,
A

oh hey, girlfriend!

2010-01-17T19:26:00.000-08:00

Girlfriends are the best.

Especially when they still like playing dress up in their 20s.

SAMSTAG (SATURDAY) has an exciting event coming up on Wednesday, so us girls thought we'd get in the mood for SWAP! DON'T SHOP!

We've been working on this for awhile. Lizzie and I do it all the time. I'm sure you all do, too. When you buy something, you love it! You give it life!

But inevitably, somewhere down the line, you start thinking about something else to wear. You start reaching past it in your closet to something new.

But what if you could SWAP?

LIKE THIS!!!

You'll be hearing from us.

Mark your calendars, lady-friends of ours. This Wednesday, January 20th.

the good life

2010-01-17T00:03:00.000-08:00

Katie's paper hair clip

2010-01-15T16:04:00.001-08:00

I love the way the text looks against her hair!

Katie, you're Crafty with a capital C.

Love!
A!

all that glitters is gold

2010-01-15T00:08:00.000-08:00

I WANT THESE!

ALL.OF.THEM.

OOOOOHHH!

AHHHHHHHHH!

Check out CupcakesandCashmere on Etsy.

www.etsy.com

I can haz?

-L

notes on the new decade

2010-01-11T23:47:00.000-08:00

Yes, in fact, we're almost two weeks in, but a fresh clean slate of a new decade is something to REALLY think about. it has taken me some time to sort out what i want to say about that.

i've been trying to find a physical something to exist as evidence of everything the last year was, what it did, what it meant. what made it through to the new decade! in my head all these things are visual.

so, here are some images that have been coming to me from all over the place, almost all in real life but also sort of imagined. have been wanting to throw them all out there into the universe, in the hopes of it being a way to stitch everything together.

i was thinking about sitting in the detroit airport on december 30th, in an unplanned, extended layover from chicago to seattle, and watching people pass back and forth on the moving walkways directly in front of me. there wasn't anyone sitting around me, or across the concourse, just people passing on by, trying to get where they were going, and being given a friendly, speedy tool for getting that few dozen yards just a little bit faster than nature allows--by a really cool machine. personally, i love stepping onto those things, getting that weird rush, and then just standing there, watching everything pass by at a somewhat alarming rate. inevitably my heart beats a little faster. you aren't in a car or exerting yourself on a bicycle. you are just standing there, flat-footed, feeling more powerful than you normally do, but realizing that momentarily, you'll have to step off, slow down, and rely on your own legpower again, which can feel just as good. doesn't being alive feel like that sometimes?

then i was thinking about christmas lights, and the way they melt tiny glowing holes, green and yellow and pink, through 6 inches of heavy snow on top of the little round hedges in front of my parents' house in illinois. when i think of strings of christmas lights, those are the ones i see. it always looks so quiet and obvious and good.

so then i thought about how i love strings of things, like paper garlands, which i made rather a lot of this year, or popcorn threaded around the christmas tree--which i have only done once, in katie's and my dorm room, in 2007, but that is why it is special--and how i also love practical lines that connect things, like the color-coded ones on a subway map or the numbered, crowded ones on a dress pattern. i like the simple, calming repetition of tracing my fingers along those lines, and ending up where i am supposed to.

but then, also, i was thinking about how i just really love words. strings of written words. blocks of type in black and white. writing. and how, when you really get going, you often don't end up where you thought you would at all.

i have been thinking about how, yes, graduate school really sounds quite enticing. how i was completely ready for college to be over and thought i'd never consider going back immediately but now, i think designing costumes is something i just might have to do forever and thus, i sort of want to go. for me, to be able to interpret words, somebodys story, visually (!!!) is the raddest thing about it. it is purely about stories and it cant NOT be collaborative. plus, ive never met anyone who designs costumes thats not the coolest.

i have been thinking about making theater and about making movies and about the people who spend their entire lives creating such a beautiful, stinging, transitory magic in each, and how whichever way i end up at least i know i will love it and want to keep doing it in a fierce way.

i have been thinking about just how rad the sirocco research labs and its movies are and how we're doing some amazing things and i am so lucky to have been asked to help make a werewolf bodysuit and spend a week of unadulterated creative time with so many wonderful people.

photos by Ben

and finally, i have been thinking about how, in the midst of it all, lizzie and i have been talking and talking.

our brainchild SAMSTAG (SATURDAY) was born in berlin, germany, in the summer of 2008 and here we are. it is a modest endeavor, and we have been talking baby steps. we want to make things and we want to give old, beautiful things new life. we want people to join us. we have BIG ideas, and are stepping forth in small steps. it feels great. and, i think people would be happier if everyone had such a community. because i know i am.

i look around at all of you we love who are writing albums, blogs, jokes, Publicalenders, scripts, grants, poems, and marketing strategies, who are starting businesses, internships, relationships, bands and book clubs, who are making recipes, hats, and submarines, and, knowingly and totally embracing the platitude of saying so, i want to say that this new decade for me is fueled by all of you ladies and gentlemen i call friends. because, as we know, "friends" and "inspirations" are synonyms.

so, let me tell you what made it through 2009: we did.

as for SAMSTAG (SATURDAY)--lizzie and i, we have some really good ideas, you guys. i don't care who knows it. i can almost see lightbulbs over our heads sometimes. and then we write them down to remember the date and time of such inspirations, and then we get to work.

photo by a superrad german photobooth

what a wonderful way to live, right?

love,
A

that was so much fun, we had to change hats

2010-01-09T23:40:00.000-08:00

wearing hats: everyone should do it

2010-01-09T23:25:00.000-08:00

resolutions, shmezzelutions.

2010-01-09T13:43:00.000-08:00

hello, 2010. you sure did sneak up quick there. but it's good to see you. let's do this. i'm not one for making resolutions. it must run in my blood. i asked my grandmother if she had any for this year and she said, "oh dear, i haven't ever kept my resolutions, so why try starting now?" i feel ya, nana. BUT i DO want to "work" on a few things. self-improvement in baby steps. here they are...

1. go on more adventures with my friends.

annie and i went on a scouting mission over on the islands this summer. here we are on the ferry.

2. put my college education to use...now.

my ladyloves and i at seattle university's commencement ceremony.

3. talk & visit with my family more often.

great smiles must run in this family. these women are my inspiration for EVERYTHING.

4. seek out every opportunity to be great.

just another seattle sunset from our apartment's deck.

5. get SAMSTAG rolling. events! sales! crafting! friend making!

you know you want the kitties.

welcome to the new year!

-L

just another friday NIGHT

2010-01-08T23:58:00.000-08:00

Today Lizzie and I were making some paper crafts for an upcoming event (soon TBA!!) and I was inspired to imitate a book of old paper dolls from Harper's Bazar in the late 1800s and make our very first paper outfit. I've always been a fan of some ruffles.

We don't discriminate against nonhuman animals who want to get their Victorian dress on. As you can see.

I'm excited to see where this goes.

Love,
A

fame, baby.

2010-01-08T21:22:00.000-08:00

today my fortune cookie told me what i already knew. just kidding. but it made me laugh. behold!

will samstag be our way to fame and fortune?

xoxo,

ellen joins the samstag family

2010-01-05T22:42:00.000-08:00

as selfless as shopping for christmas presents can be, let's be honest, it can go down a very dangerous and selfish path. enter ellen, my semi-brand new royal custom II typewriter.

practically born with a full set of fingers and toes, this beauty is also semi-fully functioning.

her buttons have a happy click to them and although the ribbon was all dried up, i consider this $6.99 find in the value village basement a miracle. my sherlock holmes instincts tell me that the name ELLEN sharpied on the inside of the royal's carrying case belongs to her former owner.

let's carry on the legacy.

to ms. ellen, who i pray is still with us, thank you for taking impeccable care of your royal typewriter and for leaving it to the good folks of value village. let the letter writing and crafting commence!

Love,

hey guys, this happened

2009-12-04T11:27:00.000-08:00

Glitter Aftermath!

2009-11-21T15:15:00.000-08:00

Us Samstag-ers enjoying dancing it out in my living room with our new purchases.

One week later and I think we have finally caught up. After resting and replenishing, I'd like to add an addendum to my previous post to thank Tracy, the wonderful Glitter Insider, author of the Glitter Sale Insider blog and tweeter behind GlitterSale_Gal. We were lucky enough to meet her (in the flesh!) while we were trying to keep our toes warm in the line that fateful morning.

She gave us some of her patented insider tips and also featured our stories on her blog this past week!Lizzie, Katie, and moi with the Glitter Gal herself!

Here we goooo!

Check out Tracy's account--and the this year's tally, $140,000 bones for Goodwill job training (!!!)--and more entertaining pictures and stories of the Glitter Sale aftermath. You can also find stories and pictures at our dear friend Katie's blog (who is now your dear friend, too).

The best ladies to shop with in the whole hemisphere. No--make that the world.

Love,
A

treasure hunt: CHECK

2009-11-14T13:22:00.001-08:00

its done.

we have conquered it.

four bags of spoils in all.

were there coffee & donuts at 6am? yes, there were.
were there spandex tights & leotards? oh, yes.
was there doppler the giant red storm mascot? sure.
was there goodwill gary on the megaphone...for three hours and counting? uh, yeah, thanks gary.
were there lots of nice, crazy, sort of naked ladies? of course.
were there beautiful vintage coats & dresses & knit flapper shirts for us to take home? YES.

glitter sale 2009. we love you so.

photographic evidence to come.

we have to go sleep now.

love,
A & L

samstag slumber party

2009-11-13T13:33:00.000-08:00

its that time of year again.

not for the samstag slumber party. (that can happen any time of year.)

but for the 26th annual GOODWILL GLITTER SALE! , which we are planning on arriving at in style (read: leotard style) prior to 8am. hence, the sleepover.

some people arent down with the glitter sale. mayhem, they say. glitter does not mean vintage, they say. lines and lines of crazies, they snap.

naysayers, have at it, but last year, i only waited for an hour and my dude and i came home with:

1 L'Aiglon original bright red jackie o jacket & dress combo
1 turquoise velvet fitted sheath cocktail dress, with matching velvet bow belt
1 super-70s gold patterned raw silk dress with bell sleeves and an asymmetrical hem, which was most likely handmade (new years eve outfit, anyone?)
1 wraparound LBD*, mostly spandex (what? but i wear it all the time)
1 cashmere bedazzled v-neck sweater (i had to get something glittery)
1 white tuxedo shirt, mint condition
1 giant framed photo of elvis

...all for under $60!!

and there was a lot i had to leave behind/be torn away from.

the sale is traditionally split into two rooms--the vintage room and the glitter room, which both live up to their names. last year the glitter room was admittedly a complete madhouse. it is much larger than the vintage room, and also houses the jewelry counter, a large U-shaped setup which necessitates taking a number, waiting to hear ones name over a loudspeaker some poor goodwill associate yells into, and fighting ones way through scantily clad women and men to view/purchase.

most people come to the sale wearing some combination of swimsuits or spandex clothing to make trying on glitter sale items in the aisles more efficient, as there are no fitting rooms. it is an intimacy that is hard to describe.

make no mistake, there is no shortage of glitter or sassiness here.

it is amazing.

plus, all the money goes towards goodwill job training & education programs. so theres a method to the madness, of course.

the glitter sale insider blog has a list of tips and sneak peeks at treasures--check it out!

also, i seriously recommend carbing up and bringing a large bottle of water if not a full purse of energizing snacks. the glitter sale is not designed for the physically weak. last year an elderly** lady was taken out of the vintage room in a wheelchair. but, the glitter sale also brings people together. as the burly ambulance men wheeled her out, those of us around her grabbed the nearest straw derby hats or brocade clutch purses and fanned her, clasping her hands and well-wishing her right out of there. then i almost lost my shit when this adorable skinny boy in leggings and a neon windbreaker brought me the turquoise cocktail dress and told me i just had to buy it, and that, nope, he wasnt taking no for an answer. this boy was not a goodwill employee, and i swear he disappeared into the throngs of crazy-eyed shoppers like a pleasant hot-orange-colored mist on an early summer morning.

as is goodwills charm, you never know what you might find. furthermore, the mob mentality really intensifies my love for vintage. some brilliant ideas hit you when you are surrounded by 80s prom dresses as far as the eye can see. so, give it a try! us samstag gals with be there with our girl katie (whose goal is to find and don a glitter sale purchase for a formal event she must be ready for by 3pm tomorrow) and some other glitter believers---documenting this years wonderful chaos and whatever it is we might find on VIDEO!

so come back soon for the samstag coverage of the 2009 glitter sale, where nutty sartorial-obsessed seattleites have been spreading vintage good will*** since 1983.

a guaranteed wild ride. rainier & dearborn. 9am-6pm saturday & sunday.

in short, the goodwill glitter sale is a wonderful holiday tradition. ultimately, it is four years older than we are, and you know we are girls who respect our elders.

love,
A

* little black dress, of course.
** gross understatement.
*** ha!

20 years ago

2009-11-09T22:56:00.000-08:00

the berlin wall fell.

projects!!

2009-11-05T22:38:00.000-08:00

holga city

2009-11-04T14:31:00.000-08:00

Love,

BATTLE ROYALE

2009-10-24T10:37:00.000-07:00

NANCY VERSUS ALICE

My Halloween rests in the balance between spirited gumshoe and adventurous dream-child.

Cast your vote?
Yours,
A

Featured Friend - Maggie Wykowski

2009-10-23T21:30:00.001-07:00

We have creative friends. Here's example numero uno - Maggie, the Artist. The horrible yellow tint from my camera does no justice to just how sweet this cross stitch is. An almost finished piece of work.

Did I mention that I'm jealous?

Vive los muertos!

- L

Early Morning Brainstorming

2009-10-23T21:03:00.000-07:00

The excitement of falling asleep listening to rain on my window got me too excited and well, sleeping just wasn't an option. So I brainstormed. Hmmm hmmm hmmm what would be fun for Halloween? Here are some ideas for the idealess, the hopeless, or for those who think they could rock some all-American, all-female costumes.

Amelia Earhart. Army surplus, sweet hat for after the holiday, warm and cozy jumper...think about it!

Bonnie...and I guess Clyde - but who really needs that ball and chain?

Janis Joplin. Hell yes. That is all.

Sandy! Dayum! You can't tell me you wouldn't scare the boys.

Tina Turner. Might as well. Best.wig.ever.

Meow,

-L

And I thought she couldn't top this...

2009-10-23T16:50:00.000-07:00

Love,
A

Drumroll, please....

2009-10-23T01:20:00.000-07:00

I've done it. I finally decided what I want to be for Halloween thanks to some friendly inspiration. And it is....?

Charlie Chaplin!

"But Lizzie" you ask, "what about your sexy firewoman costume? Sexy nurse? Sexy school teacher? Your sexy sexy?" I doubt I'm disappointing anyone (*Frat houses are not places I frequent. Neither is the Lusty Lady), but running around the Hill on a cold and mostly likely rainy night in anything but pants doesn't sound appealing.

Plus, I've been thinking and thinking about how I can incorporate a mustache of some kind into my costume. Don't ask why. Things I will need:

1. A cane

2. A bowler hat

3. Men's pants and oversized shoes

4. One heavy duty mustache and eyebrow set

5. And the rest of the get-up that I'm sure is hiding in a closet somewhere in this apartment

What's even better is that the man wore eyeshadow for his usual shtick! It'll be easy to fit into this role seeing how he played "clumsy" and well, that's my daily ticket AND I'll be wearing men's shoes...

* P.S. Look up "Girls's Costume Warehouse" on the Youtube. It gets me every time.

Signing out,

- L

What's up Real Life?

2009-10-20T14:34:00.000-07:00

Hi long-lost friends, from the web and Real Life! It's me, Annie, the slack half of this here blog. (!!!)

It's been a while since we last spoke. I hope you aren't peeved with me. I have been feeling a little blue, a little like maybe-I-can't-take-on-the-world as of late. So I have been hiding away in my cozy new bedroom, reading Nancy Drew and strategizing. And though Nancy Drew had very little to do with it (making sure the dishes are done before you follow that clue...sheesh! No thank you.), I am now putting on my new game face.

There. It's on.

The world isn't going to change. I surmise that it's going to keep on coming at me. And that's a wonderful thing! New apartments, new jobs (that aren't what you love), working for the money so you can eat dinner, no school (!), brothers visiting, mothers visiting, payin' da bills, blahblahblah. I might as well meet it head on, with a smile and fake claws!

If seeing Where the Wild Things Are taught me anything, it's that it's really rad to be reminded that it's ok to pretend that you're tougher than you are, and that you can be sad sometimes and also that living in a giant spherical fort made of twigs is something that other people dream about, too.

But it's exciting. There are things to be done! Postcards to be sent! Sketches to be drawn! Re-store windowpanes to be hung on my living room wall!

OH, and also, more importantly, A NEW AND EXCITING, COMPLETELY AWESOME EVENT to be planned & explained right here on this blog. A brainchild of my most lovely, most patient counterpart, the ever-fashionable Ms. L.

COMING SOON.

Love,
A

Laundry Day!

2009-10-18T15:52:00.000-07:00

My roommates and I recently (and by recently I mean about a month and a half ago) moved into a new apartment where I discovered that we have to *gasp* pay with quarters to get any laundry done. What da eff, Landlady??? Oh well, it's to be expected, but I am annoyed and cheap. So when the going gets rough, I mean, when I'm cheap as scheiss, hang dry.

I proved to be a child of my generation because when without a clothesline, I just used my old internet cable. Chyeah, who uses an internet CABLE anymore? Here are some pictures from the day long chore.

Oh and uh, don't mind the girly things...

So fresh & so clean,

- L

Whacha Makin?

2009-10-18T01:08:00.000-07:00

Oh what you can do with a trusty Goodwill and some postgrad free time! Woohoo! Ms. Reardon, Ms. Murphy and I recently stomped around the International District Goodwill and came home with some great finds. I picked up this breakfast-in-bed tray that's matted with some map of some lakes and land from some place that I just don't know. Cool, huh?

I fixed it up, added a frame hanger, and some everyday nails and OUILA! a place to hang my favorite jewelry pieces.

I thought I'd point out for you local shoppers that I found the gold fan necklace at No Parking on Pike & 11th - great vintage stuff in a great cramped space. I especially want to point out the white beaded collar in the middle. It came from B & W Vintage on Pike just east of 12th Ave. Please, please support this local vintage shop...it's like walking into your grandparent's closet (Nana, is that you?). And the old man behind the counter is about five feet too tall to fit into my purse and steal.

Anyway, get craftin'!

- L

Something I Wouldn't Do

2009-10-16T00:31:00.000-07:00

I came across this on the internet today (Design You Trust-www.designyoutrust.com) and had to stop & stare for a while. Abuuuhhh???? OUCH. And why? Fashion is pain, babe.

Ay, Dios!

- L

I can't help myself...

2009-09-27T17:44:00.000-07:00

...ETSY has a hold of me. Look at this other great coat that I found! If only I had hundreds of dollars to spend as I please.

Here's the long, messy URL for it, too in case you DO have the money, honey.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=31600759&ref=sr_gallery_15&&ga_search_query=coats&ga_search_type=vintage&ga_page=9&order=date_desc&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title

What will it be?

2009-09-14T15:58:00.000-07:00

My hopes run high for sunshine and Samstag Saturdays on the front lawn (new front lawns, seeing how Miss. Annie and I have moved homes)...however! There are days like this when great coats are just too exciting. Admittedly, I walk around the Hill A LOT and maybe at too fast a pace for coats when it's 60 degrees, but still...Right?

Okay so maybe December and "typical" Seattle weather is a ways off but look what I found on our beloved ETSY. I can haz? It's like Little Red Riding Hood caught the wolf and made him into a coat.

Too far?

- L

What's Next?

2009-09-12T16:02:00.001-07:00

Hello All!

Here's a question: What would you like to see next from Samstag Saturday?

More community lawn sales with fall/autumn items?

Hand-made crafts?

Hey, here's another question: Looking to get involved? Give us a holler and let us know what you're interested in!

Thanks,

- L

The Navy Blue Canvas Dilema

2009-08-31T08:32:00.000-07:00

I've done it. I've broken myself again. I was riding TOOFASTTOOFURIOUS (on my bike) like an idiot & probably got what I deserved. Anyway...

What can be done about an unsightly blue sling?

I'm thinking embroidering? Silk screening? Ideas?

Help?

Love,

-L

seconded.

2009-07-28T21:22:00.000-07:00

that is all.

-A

My Profession of Love and Devotion

2009-07-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

Let's get serious. I mean, let's get serious. Let's talk "the next step" kind of serious. We've been together for awhile now and I feel like we've got a good thing going. You make me laugh and we like to do the same kinds of things. If anything, we look great together. I think I really like you. Where do you see our future going?

Whoa, whoa...marriage?!?

Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I was thinking that maybe I could express my love and devotion to you, vintage fashion, by maybe setting up an Etsy account - you know, something to show the world. Because I'm in love with you and I don't care who knows!

What's that? You love the idea of online shopping with me?

Samstag Saturday is "taking the next step" and setting up an Etsy account for your viewing and shopping enjoyment. Hold on to your saddle shoes, ladies and gents. We'll keep you posted!

www.etsy.com

Love,

- L

our very first samstag--updates!

2009-07-14T23:55:00.001-07:00

this past saturday, we spent a lovely day enjoying our friends, the sun, and some very nice strangers who like our style and things that are old.

here are some photos!

our friend sara brought a bunch of really awesome things to sell---vintage polaroid cameras, silk scarves, and some 100-year-old glass mason jars she inherited from her grandmother. she even brought homemade lemonade, scones, and something blueberry which, luckily for us, got so mangled in the ride to our house that she let us snack on them all day for free-zy.

vintage in the trees!

some beautiful customers & their purchases:

melissa, vintage ray-bans

emily & will, the raddest polyester button-down you ever saw (courtesy of casey)

damian, framed landscape clock

*****

& the handmade samstag headbands, made with love by us:

until next time!

love,

A & L

our first sale!

2009-07-10T18:05:00.000-07:00

our first SAMSTAG SATURDAY sale will take place tomorrow (great notice, huh?) at the Pits - 1305 E. Marion St., between 13th & 14th - and there will be VINTAGE!

as well as homemade baked goods, fresh coffee, cold drinks in bottles, and other surprises!

come on down at 10AM and introduce yourself.

SERIOUSLY,
A & L

inspiration is daunting

2009-07-01T15:52:00.000-07:00

...because we have so much we want to make and try our hands at.

more pictures up soon!

love,
A

so much to do!

2009-07-01T15:48:00.000-07:00

via ffffound

sneak peeks!

2009-06-26T18:59:00.000-07:00

without further ado, feast your eyes, friends!

we are really getting going over here.

inspiration boards, price tags, business plans, excel spreadsheets (no, i am not pulling your leg) and, yes! ...PRODUCT!

we've spent the better part of the day putting together some tantalizing advance looks at some of the items we'll be selling in the weeks to come.

as for right now, all of our sales will be happening in person, somewhere in capitol hill, seattle.

disclaimer! not all the items you see here will look exactly the same later when you see them out for sale. we are working on enhancing, tailoring, and personalizing each samstag item...to make it ours, and hopefully, someday, yours.

we'll let you know where and when!

please contact us at samstagsaturday@gmail.com with any of your friendly queries, messages of encouragement, or hot tips on where we can find more gold plastic unicorns.

love,
annie & lizzie
samstag saturday

stay tuned!

2009-06-26T12:28:00.001-07:00

The Great Treasure Hunt was a Success.
It made us feel:

Please stand by.

Our treasure hunt.

2009-06-25T02:11:00.001-07:00

Less than eight hours until the Samstag Search begins. Get ready. We will bring it.

ready for you, any time, summer.

2009-06-24T15:16:00.000-07:00

I FINISHED COLLEGE!!!!!

2009-06-12T15:12:00.001-07:00

hullo friends!

just dropping by to tell you that i turned in my last paper today!

FINISH STRONG BIRD I BELIEVE IN YOU

love,

I never hurts...

2009-06-09T12:33:00.001-07:00

...to be polite.

Today I was about to pass a fellow (presumably) Seattle University student. She was wearing a maroon crushed velvet skirt (worn high) with bangin' tan knee high boots (with buckles!). It would have been easy to admire and pass as usual, but the sunshine tricked me into complimenting her.

Her "I do not talk to strangers" expression that is oh so common on the mean streets of Seattle was totally broken. She seemed excited. And she looked great, so I 'd say she had a winning combination.

Thank you, maroon velvet skirt girl.

Love,

-L

No! Don't...I promise to be good...I just...

2009-06-07T21:19:00.000-07:00

Today I went to South Center mall in Tukwila, WA. It was my second time in two days. Please never make me do that again. I.just.can't.

Regretfully,

-L

The Tits of Christmas and a Question of Seattle's Summertime Fashion

2009-06-03T15:07:00.000-07:00

All of this sunshine reminds me of San Diego at Christmas time and when I was younger, Christmas meant three things:

1. No school!
2. Presents up the ying-yang - divorced parents means two trees, two dinners, and more presents
3. And thank you cards...oh how I loathed the thank you cards...

One Christmas in particular, my highly sophisticated grandmother sent me white, pink, and red stockings. Her perception of her granddaughter at the time may have been a little skewed because I was the tomboy of tomboys (I mean come on, I wore my brother's clothes to school).

But it was my responsibility to write to my grandmother to thank her for her generosity. This is how the card turned out:

Dear Lethe,

Thanks for the tits. I hope you had a great X-Mas.

Love,

Lizzie

The tits? Thank you for the tits? Luckily my dad was a master of proof reading and found my glaring error - after laughing uncontrollably at his youngest. But the sunshine and Christmas reminiscing leads me to wonder how much longer I can hold on to my love for tights. As long as I'm riding my bike around town I much appreciate the "safety first" approach to wheels, wind and skirts, but at day's end nylon and sweat are not best friends.

At work with my blue monster tights (Urban Outfitters 2 for $20) and semi-free Jimmy Campbell slingbacks (Shhh!)

What is a girl supposed to do?

Love,

-L

Summer in the City

2009-06-03T13:51:00.000-07:00

My God. The heat. Do you feel it? With this kind of weather the Seattle Freeze starts to defrost a little bit and the good people of the Emerald City start to lighten up. That and the crazies really come out. Cal Anderson here I come - right after I get out of my dark, overly air conditioned office/cave.

I see you sunshine...coming through the windows and all. Yeah, don't you be showing off...what with your vitamin D and sun tanning possibilities.

Welcome are the days of sitting in the park or lighting up a BBQ. There are big plans to put plastic kiddie pools on our (flat) roof. No running! No lifeguard on duty. Maybe that will be the location of our Samstag VIP section...like in the rap videos without the money...or the half naked girls (Robbie?)...or the mansions...or P.Diddy!

Volunteer Park for a birthday celebration

Samstag Annie getting dirty

But when the sun goes down in the city, things get that much more unruly. On Monday night I went to the Peaches concert at the Showbox Market. Peaches. My world has changed. She jumped in the crowd, literally WALKED on everyone's head, and at one point had her arse smashed up against my face and the face of a young man in a taco costume. Taco costume - I said it. Imagine. Anyway, this is Peaches. Enjoy.

"This is our LIFE. This is what our band gets to do every night!"

Love,

- L

it's JUNE!

2009-06-01T13:40:00.000-07:00

and I keep thinking, "Man, it's going to be so rad when we get Samstag going this summer and we have time to make things and meet other people who make things and wear cool things and do awesome things with their time."

And...there's no time like the present, eh, budding readership? It's time to get 'er done.

Lizzie has set the ball rolling and I must carry along in her stead, though "Tits of Christmas" is, admittedly, a difficult post to follow...

Today I am all full of thoughts but primarily these thoughts:

WE ARE GRADUATING IN 9 DAYZ!!!

This is a crazy, crazy truth.

Family invasions, silver cloud secret pool party, caps and gowns and colored shoes. LOTS OF PHOTOS. Real life - commence! More on that later.

Secondly, it's REALLY HOT in Seattle. Lizzie was not lying to you.

All I could do yesterday was lie on my floor reading Harry Potter 6. It was the only thing I could concentrate on, and lying supine on the floor kept me below the invisible heat rays that emanate through the Pits without respite. Hello, summer of sweat and no a/c. Finally I picked myself up, pitifully, to yell out the window and Wilfred and Elspeth who were being all cute on the front lawn. I think I said something like, "It's sooo HOOOOOT."

Thirdly, last weekend I met a corgi in Poulsbo and when I sat down right there on the ground to pet him, he kept jumping up and putting his paws on my shoulders as if to say, "Let's be friends, now and forever" and it felt like I was getting hit by a soft excitable pillow-friend. Needless to say, I want one of these.

Then I started thinking about my final project for Typography which consists of designing my own calendar--for any country in any layout for any number of months in any concept out of any material I can think of. It's an open-ended assignment, as you can see, but I know Naomi expects a lot. I found this in my research on calendar design and boy, do I wish I had thought of it first.

I've changed my mind though and now I am hellbent on using one of these for my project:

I'll let you know how it turns out. Oh and by the way, Lizbird, I have assigned you to photographically represent the month of June.

Love,

welcome, velkommen

2009-05-15T22:01:00.000-07:00

this is not a test.
this is not a test.
this is very real.
we are doing it.
here we go.
seriously.
samstag saturday is born.
come back soon!