Ottoman Empire

Well, I have to say getting back into the swing of things after the holidays has been rough. After all that snow and holiday coziness, I still just want to hide under the covers and pretend I'm still on vacation. It's still dark when I get up in the morning, which makes for a hard time getting up. Thank god that it's staying lighter longer though, I can see a light at the end of my S.A.D. tunnel!

I have had some energy for creative endeavors. I should say I have had time to do some foot work for creative endeavors, which basically means looking at pictures and giving my very valuable opinions...yes, well. I'm pumping myself up here, it's almost my birthday, give me a break!

So, I thought I would share with you just one little peek into the project dujour for Flutter. I like to call it ROUND OTTOMAN. Yes. Next week I will be able to show you a little more. This is the custom built frame that Emily, our talented upholsterer, had commissioned. It's nice, don't you think? Round, solid. It's getting finished with some fantastic silk fabric that we had chrysanthemums printed on. It's going to be too pretty to out your feet up on, but not to nice to put a beautiful tray with cocktails on...I always have liked the ottoman as coffee table. I once saw one that was as big as a twin bed, granted it was in a very large country estate and would not work in a reasonably sized house. I can dream right?

So, happy Thursday! I plan on making my regular appearance here every week again. I must buckle down, get things moving again!

XO,
Susan

My Life, and other distractions

It's been a whirlwind of impacted activities lately. Whirlwind is such a tame cliche, how about a hurricane of activities? Midterms, moving, all that other stuff.. then my daughter's birthday sneaks up on me. Turning 8 is a big deal, and I didn't want to rob her of her right to a lavish party just because I was a little busy, so I rented out the Mt. Scott skating rink. That place is awesome for a few reasons- they let you play your own music (Lola's playlist consisted of La Bouche, Neil Young and New Order), they let you bring your own food (carrot sticks and brownies for us), and they have great skates. The rink itself is not as large or elegant as Oaks Park, and there's no cool old photo booth, but it doesn't smell like old pizza, and you can rent the entire thing out for private parties at a very affordable rate. Fortunately, I didn't have to look far for great presents for her. She'd been eyeing a deck of Magic Cards for a while- they come with punctured aces, two-sided cards, blank cards and all kinds of crazy stuff. Now all I need is time to sit still while she practices them all on me. I need to practice my "amazed" face. There's some Steve Martin quote about how everybody loves when tricks get messed up- honestly, it's adorable, but I'd feel so bad if I laughed aloud.
-sara
Flutter has these amazing stamps right now from the fifties and up, from Hungary and India and all over really, and they're 15 for $1! I could spend all day sifting through the box of them, the pictures are gorgeous. I made a collage with a stamp that looks just like her, reading a book- how appropriate! It's the first thing she hung in her new room.

What an Amazing Day

We have a new president! I spent all morning moving into my new place, jammed to school to take a french test (which I aced), and then collapsed in the cafeteria with a falafel burrito just in time to watch the inaugural procession. I think I was already a little emotional, but watching President Obama walk down Pennsylvania Ave to the White House just made me bust out crying. Poor sweetheart, he's got his work cut out for him.
Aaand, so do I! For instance, this poor blog has been sadly neglected. I had a great holiday, but I'm having a hard time returning to the real world. My classes have started, and my second-term anatomy class is kicking my derriere. I mean, my gluteus maximus. Dissecting sheep brains at 9 a.m. is a little overwhelming. I am also moving, as I mentioned above. Lola and I are super excited, and our rooms are looking great. My great friend Jana kicked me down some fabulous Yolo paint, nontoxic and earth friendly etc, in a pretty pale blue that manages to be warm and chalky, not icy like most pale blues. It didn't smell even while I was painting. Lola's room is the same soft yellow-green as in Flutter, with bright scarlet trim at the top and black baseboards. I have to say here that I had never painted a room before, also never had I faced the daunting task of choosing paint colors. I mean, I know what I like, no one who knows me could doubt that, but intentionally deciding on something so visible and permanent is tough. Picking out glasses is even hard for me. I feel very proud of the job that I did, I think it looks great, and I can't wait to spend my first night in the new place. It may not be as grand as the White House, but then neither are my responsibilities. Check out the article on Obama in the Onion- It's my go-to rag, for news so fresh you have to slap it.

Happy New Year!

Well, it's been a little while since we last spoke!
My oh my! The holidays were great for us as I hope they were for you. We had plenty of white stuff to make the holiday that much merrier. But now it's time for something new...

My parents always go to a New Years Eve party where they come up with a slogan for the New Year. They come up with some hilarious ones. I dunno if I can compete!
How about "Flutters time to shine in 09!" Or "It's Flutter time 09!". Or how about
"Women and wine in 09!". I kinda like the last one there! Hey, but seriously, I plan on getting seriouser soon to talk about all the great goings on around these parts. Just give us a second to catch our collective breaths!

Here's to a happy and prosperous new year for all!

XO,
Susan

Happy Holidays!

Oh, the holidays! Weather. We have had SNOW. Real snow. There is nothing like snow to take you back to childhood. All of a sudden, celebrating and decorating and present giving is fun again. The cold brisk air puts a spring in your step. And then there are the old holiday shows on TV. Oh, childhood comes rushing back and I am now 8 years old again. The Grinch! All of those old stop animation shows with the Heat Miser! Burger Meister Meister Burger! The Abominable Snowman! Rudolph! Oh....and my favorite cartoon of all time A Charlie Brown Christmas. The music is in my permanent collection of Christmas music, well it's actually the only one. All of the Peanuts dancing to Vince Guaraldi's music is just the most fun ever. And then, Christmas Time is Here is my all time favorite X-Mas song ever. Here's the video, just for you dear readers. A little gift of simpler childish days, enjoy.

And don't forget there are still 6 days to shop at Flutter!

XO,
Susan

Urchin Manifesto

FLUTTER SOIREE AND URCHIN DEBUT
THURSDAY DECEMBER 11th @ 5pm
Sonia of Urchin has sent me some photos and a manifesto to share with the blog readers. She makes amazing dresses, headbands, necklaces, bracelets and art pieces of varying size and description. Her dresses are exquisitely tailored and can be altered to suit your exact size and shape. Her use of found objects and reconstructed vintage multimedia bits are testament to her endless creativity!
Here is her manifesto:
..............................................................................................................................................................................
Urchin is a combination of old and new.
Vintage garments, accessories and ephemera undone, re-done, and as found.
It’s a mixture of the beautiful, delicate and intricate, with the crusty, rusty, and hopefully not too musty. It marries my passions: Vintage, apparel design, and scavenging/re-using.

The re-done garments are all hand draped and dress form fitted, the jewelry and feather pieces are designed on a dress form as well, so their proportions and esthetics are form tailored.
I hope you find some things you really enjoy.
Sonia

Good Times on Rainy Days

It's been so much fun at Flutter lately. It's a small neighborhood, so I see a lot of the same characters every weekend, but I enjoy meeting new people and getting to hear a different point of view. A lot of out-of-town parents come through the store, dragged by their enthusiastic offspring exclaiming "they have real birds, come look!" or "check out their chandeliers, will you buy me one?". I really get a kick out of showing people around the store, but my absolute favorite is when someone usurps my tour with their own witty and fascinating stories. A gentleman came in today and wanted a closer look at some delicately carved wood candle holders we have in the window. "See the antlers, how they touch the little branches of the tree? You know why they made it that way?" No, i humored him, why? I got a lengthy explanation of structural integrity in carved wood objects, he had me practically planning my own piece with his involved architectural gesturing and suggestions. This segued into a wonderful speech about bees, I'll call it "how to fall in love with honeybees". He told me to go to an amateur beekeeper meeting, find someone with a little hive, and ask if I could watch them when they switch trays. On a nice day, he said, not a rainy one, that would only irritate them (I guess I'll have to wait til July). He told me to just watch them, to see how they groom each other and tend their young. He told me to watch for huddled groups of male bees ousted from the hive. He told me about these hives you can put in a wall, too small for honey production but big enough to house a little swarm. It sounds so cool to have a little bee colony as pets, to see them turning their eggs and building wax combs, to see the queen strutting her stuff. The best part was his plan for finding out whose bees come to his yard every day. "I'll catch a few of them by their wings and put them in a little cigar box. Then, I'll watch the remaining bees for as long as I can. They fly straight home once they eat. If I lose sight of them, I'll open the cigar box and let one loose. It will circle a few times to get its bearings, then I can follow it to its hive." I guess he wants to buy the honey the bees make from the flowers in his yard, or maybe he just wants to chat with another amateur beekeeper. What an awesome guy. What awesome bees. I decided to find some local honey, and to check out the book he referenced from the library, it's called "ABC's of beekeeping" or something. Above are some pictures of gorgeous things in the store: a silky kimono, a detail from an Urchin slipdress, and the wall of Mary's crosses.

Portland Monthly

Here's the recent article about Flutter in this month's issue of Portland Monthly. Many thanks to Jill Spitznass and the Portland Monthly for including us in their fine publication!

Roadside Attraction
by Jill Spitznass

Flutter owner Cindy Rokoff admits that, as a teenager in rural Kansas, she was embarrassed by her mother’s then-unfashionable gift for junking. “She’d pull the station wagon over to see if an old chair had potential,” Rokoff recalls. “I’d say, ‘Can’t we just go the mall and buy things?’”

Today, surrounded as she is by the collection of intriguing home and body items at her N Mississippi Avenue shop, it’s clear that Rokoff inherited her mom’s eye for the unsung beauty—or the charming quirkiness—of an object. A jumble of vintage woodcut letters is strikingly handsome, for example, when displayed in an elegant glass jar atop an antique table, while a stunning milk-glass chandelier hovers above a wooden boxful of chrome trophies resting on the velvet cushions of a 1930s couch. Meanwhile, eight finches (Flutter’s de facto mascots) chirp and preen inside an oversize French birdcage, entertaining shoppers who peruse reworked vintage apparel, classic holiday garlands, and imported bath luxuries.

Now the mother of two, Rokoff concedes that history is repeating itself at home. “I recently found my 9-year-old moving furniture around the house, and I thought, ‘Oh, no—it is genetic!’



Published: December 2008
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Ladies Art Explosion

If you haven't been into Flutter lately, it's worth an extra trip. It's full of fantastic art by women in the neighborhood, even more than usual. Julia (Frocky Jack Morgan) and Sonia (Urchin) have brought in silky armfuls of reworked vintage dresses and fur coats. There's one faux leopard print coat in particular that I love, it has "E S" sewn into the red wool lining- I like to think it belonged to Edie Sedgwick, or an adorable copycat. Up above there's a picture of a sculpture Sonia made, it's really pretty, like those jade flowers on mahogany that you see in super fancy chinese restaurants, only hers is made out of...... I won't tell you. You have to come in to find out. Susan and Sari have, as you may already know, teamed up on jewel toned, silkscreened drapery panels and pillows that are brightening up the four corners of the store. The two of them are like a dream team of interior design, I can't wait to see what they come up with next. It's awesome that they thought to do made-to-order curtains, I bet they'll be very popular. Curtains are the kind of thing people always put off, usually I end up hanging a spare sheet up on a rod and calling it a day. Mary, from Hail Mary on Killingsworth at NE 30th, has brought in a cadre of mosaic crosses and chalices as well as hanging lamps. The lamps are incredible- the chunky bits of colored glass look great when illuminated from the inside. I don't know how she works in the patterns, it seems so complicated, but Mary is a master mosaicist and the effect is stunning. Every trip I make to Hail Mary inspires me to make more art, and now I get to see it at Flutter too. Another lady lending her talents to the store is the mysterious Elizabeth Johnson. Her crowns have been in the store for a few weeks; they are woven (sculpted?) out of bits of silk, lace and other soft gorgeous things, and her attention to detail makes me suspect there may be a union of elflings in league with her (see Cristin modeling one above). There's a chandelier in the store done in a similar style, it's deep blue and scarlet and cream lace and embroidery, I've never seen anything like it. Her art is sometimes at Bernadette Breu, like gigantic shell mosaics on bureaus and tables. In addition to all this magnificent talent there are the drawings that Casea and I made. We framed them in gold glitter, they're in the window looking iconic. Of course, the mama of the operation, the grand dame Cindy, keeps it all looking stellar. Boy, can she move stuff around, no joke. You can check her out in this month's Portland Monthly, there's a great photo and interview.

Whew! That was a lot of action!! -sara kolp

Aftermath...

The Flutter party was so much fun. All the panels were hung and the pillows stuffed.It's always nice to have a party after working so diligently, especially one that Cindy throws. I brought the whole family with me, and I think the kids ate about 15 powdered donuts and 25 pixie sticks each. Judging by the frantic giggling and running around, Cindy and Sarah's girls were probably even higher on the sugar charts. I must say it was great fun. I had invited a neighbor to go, and he had a blast talking and dancing with all the lovely ladies who were working and modeling that night. He kept thanking me profusely for introducing him to a place full of such beautiful women. Yes, another little known fact to those of you who haven't actually been in the store, on any given moment it's full of beautiful women along with the beautiful things!



I have taken the week off from any sewing projects, but I did have a meeting with an upholsterer because I can't seem to stop with the ideas I have for the shop. A line of furniture? Say it can be done! Say it! Thank you. The woman (yes! another woman! girl power is strong in the land of Flutter)I talked to is on the same page as I am as concerning furniture. It was an exciting meeting, and she's going to meet with me and Cindy and show us some good stuff soon. Hopefully over some cocktails. Hopefully I will have some good news to report back with!

Other than that, I am too busy for words. The holidays are just about in full swing and all the festivities that go along with them. "It's the most wonderful time of the year", to quote one of my favorite Christmas songs. I try not to sing any until after Thanksgiving to spare my family....one little stanza isn't going to hurt anyone right?


xo,
Susan