Reflections

I learnt a lot from my blogging experience this semester. Prior to taking Net Communications I had had no blogging experience, so found it a very enlightening exercise. I felt WordPress was a really good platform for creating my first blog, as it was relatively easy to use once I overcame the first few hurdles. The majority of my issues in terms of creating the blog stemmed from my lack of understanding of the relevant terms, such as ‘widget’. (Now, of course, I know that widget refers to the extra items you can put in the sidebars of your blog, such as Flickr.)

Initially, as well as my angst over coming up with a decent name, I struggled with the actual design aspect. I had an idea of how I wanted my blog to look, but realizing it within the limits of WordPress was more difficult than I thought it would be. I had chosen the theme ‘fresh bananas’ and tried every known html code possible in my efforts to change the font on the header, before abandoning it in favour of the theme ‘Digg 3 Column’, which allowed me to customize my header using a vintage pin-up image, which lent my blog a more retro aesthetic, as well as finally be able to change the font. I was really excited to become acquainted with Typekit, which I am hoping to use again in the future because I do love a good font. I have been considering upgrading my membership, because I am rather taken with it. I was a little frustrated by the limitations to the design changes I could make, though admittedly, there is still more I could do with my blog, such as displaying more relevant images in the Flickr section.

The other aspect I found particularly challenging was developing my own ‘voice’. I haven’t written conversationally in quite some time, and that was the approach I wanted to take, so I was initially quite self-conscious in what I was writing, and how I was writing it. I still have some issues with that. I don’t feel entirely comfortable with the style I have cultivated for myself, but I imagine as I continue to blog, it will become a more natural process. And I do intend to continue writing the blog. Initially I felt I would like to focus on vintage recipes, but I abandoned that in favour of sewing projects, however, it is something I would like to pursue, as I think it’s quite a unique aspect, that has a potentially wide audience, and I haven’t seen it in any of the vintage-related blogs I have read thus far.

I found this an extremely inspiring, and as cringeworthy as this sounds, empowering exercise. I am not the most computer-literate person, so to be able to create my own blog gave me a real sense of achievement. It was also nice to learn something practical for a change.

Niche Analysis

Niche blogging is so significant in the era of the ‘long tail’ because it allows for the proliferation of information regarding specific topics, thus maintaining and developing on the notion of the ‘long tail’. The niche for which I have created my blog is essentially vintage fashion and lifestyle and the two blogs which I feel are representative of this niche are Super Kawaii Mama and Strawberry Koi.

Both Super Kawaii Mama and Strawberry Koi focus on how to incorporate old-school glamour into modern, everyday life. Both sites are essentially targeted at women and give demonstrations of vintage tips and techniques that, whilst being second-nature to our mothers and grandmothers, have in most cases never been practiced by many women of later generations.

It seems that Super Kawaii Mama’s unique angle on the rather epic mass of vintage -inspired blogs out there is the fact that she is a mother. I feel what she tries to convey (and I believe she succeeds in doing so) is that it is possible to  both have children and look glamorous at the same time! Therefore her blog appeals to a broader audience than say, Strawberry Koi, which very much focuses on a younger, childless demographic, which is reflected in it’s more whimsical, carefree nature. However, this is not to say that it doesn’t appeal to older women also. Strawberry Koi’s Aya Smith is an artist, which is reflected in the design of her blog and adds a unique aspect to it, differentiating it from other vintage blogs, which tend to have quite uniform retro-inspired themes. In addition, Aya’s blog is unique in that she uses it as a platform for selling vintage clothes. As such, she is both promoting a lifestyle and providing the means by which to achieve it. In this sense, her blog contributes to the long tail ‘[making] it easier for consumers to find and buy niche products.’ (Anderson, Long Tail Blog: http://www.thelongtail.com/about.html)

In terms of advertising, both sites are sponsored by related companies, such as other online vintage and cosmetics stores. Indeed, both sites quite clearly offer opportunities for companies to sponsor them. Furthermore, both Super Kawaii Mama and Strawberry Koi use their blogs as a means of advertising their other pursuits. For example, Candice DeVille of Super Kawaii Mama is a vintage hair and make-up artist and offers her services via her blog. Similarly, Aya Smith from Strawberry Koi uses her blog as a means of advertising her online  vintage clothing store.

Both blogs have different approaches, in terms of the style of their address. Aya, in keeping with the whimsical nature of her design, has quite a soft, poetic nature to her writing style, whereas Candice DeVille is a little more direct, and witty in her delivery. She uses a more conversational tone, where Aya is a little more lyrical.

Finally, both blogs look outward from  their specific niches, to related niches, providing links to other sites and niches. For example, Super Kawaii Mama profiled Devil City Swing, a swing dancing festival held over a weekend in Tasmania. Similarly, she recently attended Wintersun, a Rock’n'Roll nostalgia event in Coolangatta, and wrote posts about her experiences there.  Anderson suggests that people gravitate towards niches because they satisfy narrow interests better, and in one aspect of our life or another we all have some narrow interest.’  (Anderson, The Long Tail in a Nutshell: http://www.thelongtail.com/about.html) Niche blogs such as Strawberry Koi satisfy such niches but also reflect on a broad spectrum of related niches, creating a labyrinth of interconnected niches, which in turn contribute significantly to the development of the Long Tail.

Creative Commons

Creative Commons is a really positive movement because it allows artists the freedom to modify their copyright licenses, from full copyright  to varying degrees of copyright. This allows for more freedom for others in terms of the reproduction, alteration and distribution of their work. It provides an antithesis to restrictive control that Dmytri Kleiner describes in his article, Copyfarleft and Copyjustright: ‘the system of private control of the means of publication, distribution, promotion and media production ensures that artists and all other creative workers can earn no more than their subsistence. Whether you are biochemist, a musician, a software engineer or a film-maker, you have signed over all your copyrights to property owners before these rights have any real financial value for no more than the reproduction costs of your work.’

Creative Commons, then, seeks to remedy this by providing the artists with more control, though a means of distributing your work without having to sign over copyright to property owners. This however, ties in with the weakness of Creative Commons, that being the possibility that artists who commit to a CC license will be disadvantaged, in terms of earning a living from their creations, because they won’t be supported by ‘owners of property’. Again, Dmytri Kleiner sums up this fundamental issue by suggesting ‘like all copyable information, [art] has no direct exchange value, and unlike software it generally has no use value in production either. It’s use value exists only among the fans of this art, and if owners of property can not charge these fans money for the right to copy, what good it is for them?’

I chose to put a Creative Commons license on my blog, because i felt that i would like other users to be able to appropriate my work for their own use, so long as they attributed it to me. This is due to a number of factors, the first being that I was brought up  to believe that sharing is just what you do. Secondly, and kind of selfishly, I suppose, if people could use my work, then perhaps it could benefit me through attracting more visitors to my site. Finally, I would have felt guilty having placed full copyright on my work after reading Stallman’s comment: ‘consider the great artists and artisans of medieval times, who didn’t even sign their names to their work. To them, the name of the artist was not important. What mattered was that the work was done – and the purpose it would serve.’ (Stallman, Why Software Should Be Free: 122) I’m certainly not claiming that my work serves any grand purpose. At this point in time I doubt anyone has gained anything from it at all. But I do agree with the essence of this belief. I’ll admit I’m not so magnanimous as artists of old, but I don’t have any issue with people reproducing my work, or altering it, as long as it’s not for commercial gain, considering I am not profiting financially from it at this point in time. Were that to change, I might consider changing my Creative Commons License to reflect that. But, as it stands I have chosen a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Australia License.

Critical Web Design

While design is only one element of a blog, it is certainly an important one, especially in a niche such as mine, which focuses on vintage lifestyle and aesthetics.

In terms of form and function, design plays a primary role, in that initially, one must choose form over function in order to attract viewers to a page. It is essential that a site look the part, especially if it the content deals with style or aesthetics. I know that, when looking at pages relevant to vintage aesthetics, if I navigate to a page that isn’t visually appealing, if the creator hasn’t made the effort to appropriately design their site, it is very unlikely that I will bother with the content. In this sense, while content is extremely important, it is design which initially indicates the extent of the creator’s expertise or passion for a certain niche. As Lui suggests, ‘it is the craving for form in information – the need for a Web page to be more like a glossy consumer magazine than cargo off a truck – that gives the information worker the hope of being truly in-”formed”.’ (Lui, Information is Style: 215)

In a sense, WordPress and other blog hosts like it exercise a level of control over high/low design dichotomies. By limiting the extent to which users can customize their sites (and indeed, it is very limiting. I could make very few visual changes to my theme) they can maintain a level of quality in the design aspects of the blogs that they host. For example, Olia Lialina suggests that ‘the “clean” pages of Facebook stay for design, professionalism, security, better service and upper class.’ (Lialina, Vernacular Web 2: 69) In a sense, the restrictive themes of WordPress reflect this. The option to create your own original page would rarely be chosen by amateurs, as it is beyond their level of expertise, and as such is an option that would generally apply to professional designers and bloggers. In addition, it costs money to customize things, which would act as a deterrent for many amateur bloggers. As such, there isn’t the scope to gauchely decorate one’s blog space.

In designing my blog, I was limited to the parameters of WordPress, as well as being limited by my insufficient knowledge of web design (which has since improved). I tried to take into account what  Alan Lui suggested in his article: ’pages “suck” if they become too busy with background images, Java and Javascript, mixed fonts, drop shadows…if they ignore both the sans serif or the white space minimalism that the New Typography had identified with clarity.’ (Lui, Information is Style: 211)

I feel the WordPress theme I chose juxtaposes with such a description. I like to think my blog occupies that happy place between austere minimalism and garish clutter. With retro aesthetics, there is a risk of taking it too far, by trying to incorporate too many things. In that sense, I certainly agree with the notion that less is more and my blog design reflects that. I was restricted to two fonts by Typekit, though I doubt i would have used more, given the opportunity. The typewriter font is quite cool because as well as being decidedly vintage, it also reflects current trends. The cursive font adds quite a soft, feminine touch. I feel the design choices I made clearly indicate the nature of my blog (I am particularly fond of my header, which I sourced from True/Slant. Vintage aesthetics are instantly recognisable and in this sense, they distinguish one’s blog from, for example, another fashion or lifestyle blog which may deal with more current trends.

A good example of a site that achieves this is The Lisa Freemont Street Pages, which, you guessed it, is a vintage-inspired blog ‘where vintage glamour meets showgirl glitz.’ This blog really captures vintage aesthetic through its use of retro pin-up images, vintage typeface and of course, relevant content.

comment cultures

Comment cultures are a really interesting aspect of blogging, and online communities in general. As Lovink  suggests, blogs create communities of like-minded people (Lovink, Blogging: the Nihilist Impulse: 21) and this is certainly what I have found within my particular niche.

I have not come across any controversial or derisive comments, nor have I received any, though I’m sure they’re out there.  This could be in part due to the fact that such comments are deleted by the bloggers, or perhaps it has something to do with the nature of the people who follow vintage lifestyle-related blogs. Comments on the blogs that I have read tend to lend their support to the blogger, and if there is incorrect information to be righted, those who comment will do so in a passive and helpful manner. Commenting, in this sense, is a wonderful way of contributing further to online communities. There is a sense of sharing, and fostering of peoples interests, which I feel is a really constructive thing. I certainly feel that I am part of an affectionate and considerate community. Personally, I feel it is important to critically engage with other bloggers and readers, and were I to receive a comment that was controversial or critical (constructively so) I would certainly publish it (or, it’s my hope that I would. Admittedly, it’s possible that my wounded pride might stop me from doing so.) When I comment on other blogs I am generally not critical, being something of a weakling, I suppose. I invariably find I will be put in my place by a more assertive character than myself, which, obviously leaves me cowering in a state of  emotional turmoil, rendering me housebound, and internet-avoiding for days. Lovink is correct in suggesting that it is not the aim of the blogger to ‘foster public debate’, indeed, the niche I chose hardly lends itself to controversy, unless one is particularly insistent that there is only one correct way to roll a pin curl (which would, naturally, create uproar, ending most unfortunately for the person in question).  This is not to say that I have not come across negative comments. I have found, on blogs and Youtube videos unrelated to my niche, that people can be extremely antagonistic and downright cruel towards bloggers, or vloggers, or towards other members, as the case may be. I did comment on the new Thomas the Tank Engine song on Youtube at one point (this is really sad, I know. I had a lot of time on my hands.)  I merely stated my disappointment that the producers felt they had to update what was quite obviously composition for children’s television at it’s best. I received a reply to my comment from a disgruntled user suggesting I was an immature brat, which cut me deep. But it did make me think about how easy it is on blogs and forums for people to attack others, whom they don’t even know. Perhaps it’s the (somewhat) anonymous nature of participating in online communities which gives people a sense of security, in that they can criticize or bully without fear of wider repercussions. While engaging in such behaviour may sully their online reputation, contrary to Solove’s suggestion that due to the nature of the internet, such infractions can be a ‘permanent reputational stain, one that never fades’ (Solove, How the Free Flow of Information Liberates and Constrains Us: 33), realistically, there is nothing stopping such people from setting up a new blog, or Facebook or Youtube account under a different username, if they wish. Similarly, there are inevitably those who support the actions or comments of such users which, to an extent, validates and consequently perpetuates such behaviour.

Despite the potential for bullying and antisocial behaviour in general, comments are an invaluable aspect of blogging culture. Not only is it affirming to receive positive feedback, but at their best, comments are indicative of the existence of an active and participatory community with shared interests and a desire to develop and accumulate knowledge and in many instances, friendship.

anatomy of a blog – how to make a vintage-inspired cushion

make your own gorgeous vintage-inspired cushion

embroidery is not just a hobby reserved for nannas and middle-aged women with a penchant for cottage-crafts (you know the ones). indeed, despite the fact i get many an odd look when i pull out my embroidery hoop on the tram, or that my friends laugh derisively when i tell them its my new thing, there’s lots to love about embroidery and if you’ve seen bright star you’ll know what i mean, because the tree fanny brawne embroiders for john keats is just the most mind-blowingly beautiful thing ever. see. if jane campion is an advocate then embroidery must be cool again.

i originally embroidered this cushion for my grandma, but decided it was so sweet that i had to make one for myself. it was one of my earlier attempts, so its not too difficult, but still looks beautiful. so hurrah for that, eh? the most difficult part was sewing the cushion itself, so if you can’t be bothered doing that, or find it particularly difficult, you can always buy a little plain pillow slip and embroider onto that.

also, a really excellent resource if you are new to embroidery is Jenny Hart’s sublime stitching. when i first began embroidering i spent hours trawling though really dense books, with instructions that were so complex, i had no hope of following them. but i stumbled across sublime stitching and i finally saw th late – everything made sense. plus, you get heaps of beautiful patterns as well, so i was suitably impressed.

a list of what you will need:

*material: crepe for the cushion and cotton for lining. you can substitute other fabrics, though if you aren’t a really experienced sewer, try to avoid silky fabrics, as they’re notoriously difficult to sew with – they slip around quite a bit.

*embroidery floss in your desired colours. i used 14 colours (a little excessive, perhaps?) but use however many or few takes your fancy.

*an embroidery hoop (the wooden ones are best)

*an embroidery pattern – there is an excellent selection of vintage patterns on the Needlecrafter website. i chose the ’round floral’ but choose whichever you like, as there are so many gorgeous patterns on there. alternatively you can be unique and create your own, which is extra lovely.

*a needle ( a medium sized one, with an eye large enough for 3-4 threads of floss to pass through easily is ideal)

*scissors

*a sewing machine

* 2 buttons

*water-soluble marker

step 1: cut both the crepe (or substitute) and the cotton into one 30 x 30cm square and two 18 x 30cm rectangles. altogether you should have six pieces of fabric.

what you should end up with once you've cut your fabric

step 2: secure your pattern to an even surface and secure the crepe ( best side up) over the pattern. using your water-soluble pen,trace the pattern onto the crepe.

i used pins to secure my fabric to the pattern, though tape is probably easier!

step 3: tack the two squares together so the pattern is facing outward and place the it in the embroidery hoop. you want to pull the fabric really tight so its like a drum skin. it’s much easier to embroider this way, plus you’ll get a much prettier result.

place the fabric in the hoop, tighten the screw and pull te fabric taught so the surface is smooth.

step 4: decide which stitches you want to do for each element of the pattern and begin embroidering. this is my favourite part and one of the best things about embroidery is that you can do it on the couch while you watch tv, or on the tram, or in the park! how very versatile. i chose to use running stitch, stem stitch, split stitch,satin stitch, couching and french knots. if you are unsure how to do these stitches, there are some great tutorials covering them on youtube,and Needlerific is one of the best. the explanations are very clear, and the stitches are easy to replicate. also, if your embroidery hoop is smaller than the pattern you have chosen, just move the hoop around as you complete each section, making sure to pull the fabric really taught each time.

unfortunately, due to bad lighting, the pattern didn't show up, but i am beginning here with a split stitch around the outer circle

step 5: once you have finished embroidering your pattern, which may take a long while or a very short while, depending on how addicted you become, remove the fabric from the hoop and handwash it gently to remove any of the tracing that may be visible. once it’s dry, iron it flat.

step 6: take the two crepe rectangles and place the cotton rectangles over each. tack the cotton and crepe together and hem one of the longest sides on each. take the embroidered square and lie it flat with the embroidered side facing up. place the two rectangles on top of the embroidered piece, with the cotton facing outwards, lining them up so that all outer edges are even with the embroidered piece and the two hemmed edges overlap in the middle. this will create the pocket in which you’ll put your cushion insert. tack the pieces together, then sew them using a straight stitch.

i handstitched my hem with blue so you can see what to do for this step more clearly

step 7: trim the edges close (but not too close!) to the stitch and finish off the outer edges with an over-locking stitch so that the material doesn’t fray. turn the cushion inside out so the embroidery is on the outside. iron flat.

step 8: on the back, where the two sides overlap, decide where you want your buttons to go. on the overlapping side, sew two buttonholes, either by hand or on the machine. when you cut them, place a needle at the top so you don’t over-cut the hole. sew your buttons in the corresponding position on the underlapping side.

choose your buttons and sew into position. the centre of the button should be in the centre of the buttonhole.

step 9: pop in your insert, button it up and you have yourself a gorgeous vintage-inspired cushion, which you can show off to all your cynical friends!

your nanna would be proud!

styled pin curls

styled pin curls
Originally uploaded by zoegraceful

so, this is the end result of my foray into the world of pin curling (sorry about the awkward photo). i was very happy with how they came out. i had numerous attempts at creating a victory roll, but just found it way too hard. i think i need to watch a few more tutorials on those, but anyway, i just pinned up the left side and let the right side do it’s thing and i have to say i was very impressed. i made a few changes to lisa’s instructions.

firstly, i did mine with wet hair, just because i didn’t have a spritzer handy. this is the same reason i used bobby pins instead of the clips, though i am definitely going to invest in some because i think they’ll be much easier to use – i did find the bobby pins a little tricky at times. i also gave mine a generous coating of hairspray. oh, and i slept in them, which was surprisingly comfortable. i just tied a scarf around them to keep them all in place. i think next time, i’ll make the pin curls a little smaller, to create a tighter curl. i very rarely do anything to my hair, so it was quite a shock having such styled hair, but it’s nice to feel a bit glamorous sometimes.

lisa freemont street: the pin curl queen

i have watched many a ‘how to do a 1950′s hairstyle’ video on youtube in my time, but i only recently discovered lisa freemont street who is, by far, the most talented vintage hairstylist i have come across. i can spend hours watching her demonstrating the most amazing hairstyles. she has created a starlet series which feature such retro beauties as clara bow, greta garbo and ginger rogers. my favourite of her videos, which i have posted for you below, is her ‘poifect pin curls’ vid. because they’re the basis for so many awesome retro hairstyles, it’s really good to know how pin curls are created. and the best part is that she explains it so that even someone as bad at following instructions as i am can sufficiently understand. so far, i’ve had one attempt, but my hands were really shaky, which makes any action that requires even minimal dexterity quite impossible, so i abandoned it. but my next attempt is just around the corner, and of course, i’ll post the results, whatever they may be.

this is her youtube channel, if you want to subscribe:

http://www.youtube.com/user/LisaFreemontStreet