Needlepoint - A Home Decor Staple Making Appearances on the Runway

Elle magazine cover, July 2012, top by Balmain

Detail of top by Balmain from the Fall/Winter 2012/13 collection. 

Needlepoint is a classic handicraft in the embroidery family which traditionally would use thread to cover a stiff woven canvas; often for framed art and durable furniture accents.

Inspired by the gorgeous (multi-thousand dollar) tunic by Balmain featured on the cover of the July 2012 Elle, I grabbed my camera and tried to capture as many of the eye catching needlepoint pieces I could track down in The Local Joint today.  

The offerings range from throw pillows to framed art, to brooches (a YazBerry Vintage find) and furniture! There are several of us pickers that have an eye for amazing needlepoint. We bring a delicious variety into the store and it sells quickly and changes often. 

YazBerry Vintage has already seen several of my needlepoint finds fly off the shelves into the homes of fashionable people. 

I've assembled this photo essay to share with you some needlepoint options that are more attainable and practical than the gorgeous Balmain tunic I wish would show up in my closet ;)...

Shop on dear friends. Come visit The Local Joint in Northfield, MN to get your hands on some of these amazing needlepoint pieces!

Needlepoint throw pillow bouquet in dark green and oranges. 

Floral spray seat cushion.

Sweet daisies.

Delightful footstool in pale blue and rose.

God Bless our Home in gilded frame.

Sweet children with dog, duck and umbrella. 

Small pin cushion, black background and bright greens.

Pair of dusty pink runners with fruit and flowers.

Framed black background with bright pink roses.

Petit point brooch with tiny roses. 

Unframed needlepoint lilies with needle and thread still attached

*Images from Balmain & Elle magazine are copyright their owners. 

Vintage Extravaganza at The Local Joint

Last Friday night the fine pickers of The Local Joint pulled out all of our favorite vintage to share with the lucky shoppers at Northfield's Girl's Nite Out. We donned fun vintage garb and the Mayor entertained us with costume changes throughout the evening. Then we danced the night away with a night cap at The Grand while grooving to tunes played by Sweet 'Stache.

Virginia E. Berry, Designer & Picker in her favorite vintage dress, with a borrowed crinoline from our stash and blue carnations from fellow picker, Ed Kuhlman's real estate group. 

The Mayor of Northfield, Mary Rossing, picker extraordinaire.

Wendy Nordquist can make a hat out of anything! She is our in house hat maker and is pictured here with a hat she fashioned out of a t-shirt she won at the after party at The Grand!

YazBerry Vintage - Now Available to Buy in Person

YazBerry Fashion will be one of the collaborators at the new handmade and vintage marketplace in Northfield, MN. The Local Joint boasts to be as awesome as Etsy and I will say, on my first visit I was impressed. So impressed that I immediately inquired about getting involved! This week I will move all of my handmade clothing, table linens, some of my handmade purses, a selection of handmade and vintage jewelry and for the first time ever a selection of my fabulous vintage purses! Be sure to stop by regularly: collaborators are bringing in new vintage and handmade daily and our awesome organizer, Linda Schneewind, Owner of Digs (formerly of Northfield, now in Minneapolis) restyles the store every Monday!

For more info check out the blog: thelocaljointnfld.blogspot.com
Also, here is an article with a great slide show for a taste of what's in store: http://northfield.patch.com/articles/not-another-digs#photo-9072694  

What does this mean for YazBerry's online shoppers? A cleaner, more streamlined, more attractive online store. With the shift a bunch of inventory into a retail space, this allows me time to focus on fine tuning yazberryfashion.etsy.com Expect fresh images, exciting descriptions and an easier to navigate shopping experience!

PRESS RELEASE: YazBerry Fashion, LLC to Increase Prices in 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
YazBerry Fashion, LLC to Increase Prices in 2012

High demand for one of a kind, handmade purses and clothing is forcing
YazBerry to increase prices as of January 1, 2012.

Northfield, MN – December 29, 2011 – Increasing competition and demand
for unique, one of a kind, hand crafted fashion has driven YazBerry
Fashion, LLC, to increase prices in 2012 on handmade purses and
clothing.

YazBerry is a Minnesota business featuring handmade purses, jewelry
and clothing by local Designer, Virginia E. Berry, a native of
Northfield, MN. YazBerry also sells a carefully curated collection of
designer vintage scarves and purses. Berry’s collection is available
online at www.yazberryfashion.etsy.com, her shop on the online
marketplace, Etsy.com and at art fairs throughout MN.

Berry repurposes vintage materials to make her durable, wearable art.
She doesn’t like to make the same thing twice; due to the limited
resources repurposed and found materials offer, Berry specializes in
one of a kind art bags, clothing and jewelry. She mixes the high
quality, rare vintage materials with new materials to create colorful,
sculptural, wearable items.

YazBerry is a favorite amongst women craving items that will leave
people asking where they got it. It offers a certain artistic luxury
that cannot be found elsewhere. Innovative, functional and beautiful;
often featuring built in organizational solutions. YazBerry is for the
treasure hunter, the one that will spend months looking for that
perfect, unusual, unique something.

Virginia E. Berry is a textile artist specializing in wearable art
with inspiration drawn from architecture and eastern cultures. She has
a knack for pairing colors and textures for eye popping results and
enjoys giving new life to repurposed materials. YazBerry Fashion can
be found online at www.yazberryfashion.etsy.com, at local art fairs
such as Riverwalk Market Fair and now by direct message on Facebook.
Visit www.facebook.com/yazberryfashion to browse the exclusive
Facebook only collection. YazBerry is also available for home trunk
shows; contact Berry to book a show.

Contact:
YazBerry Fashion, LLC.
Virginia E. Berry, Designer & Owner
http://yazberryfashion.etsy.com
berry @ yazberry.com
Northfield, MN 55057 

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TREND: Bold Eye Popping Stripes for Spring 2011

Have I mentioned how much I love getting Bazaar in my mailbox? It's like a little present every time. That and the Anthropologie catalog.

This summer I found two stunning striped silk vintage scarves and for whatever reason they really caught my eye, so I snatched them up and added them to my YazBerry scarf collection in my store. While thumbing through the February, 2011 Bazaar magazine, page 177 in the "Rules of the Season" article caught my eye: Marc by Marc Jacobs, Prada and Fendi are all featuring bold, colorful stripes in their Spring 2011 collections. I guess the four of us had a hankering for eye popping stripes.

The caption reads:

"SAY IT WITH STRIPES Prints reigned on the runways, and pop-hued parallel lines were king. Mix them with other bold motifs for a modern look." -Bazaar, February 2011, Page 177

Here are a few tasty striped vintage scarves from my YazBerry stash. Scarves are a great way to add a pop of color to your wardrobe without spending a lot of money or committing to a color/pattern/look. You can wear them in so many ways and truth be told, next to obi belts, vintage scarves are one of my favorite go to accessories. I own 50+ personally. 1980s Long Scarf - Vera Striped Navy Gray Magenta - YazBerry - Vintage
1980s Silk Scarf - Long Striped Navy Red Yellow - YazBerry - Vintage
1980s Geometric Scarf - Primary Colors - YazBerry - Vintage

If you are looking for more delicious stripes, here are a few of my favorites from handmade and vintage sellers on Etsy.com I even included some yardage in case you want to make your own striped lovely! To view this treasury collection visit: Bold Stripes for Spring

Note: Image of Page 177 from the February, 2011 Bazaar magazine is copyright Harper's Bazaar.

New York Isn't the Only Place with a Garment District

It has been a long, challenging personal debate as to whether I should divulge a vintage shopping secret or keep it all to my self...due to the sheer size of this vintage shopping secret, I am confident there is enough to go around...so I guess I will share.

Ladies and Gentleman, Boys and Girls, sit back in your seats and get comfortable, for what I am about to unveil could change your life forever. The mother load, the Mecca of all vintage Mecca's, the cat's meow. Dear Gentles, allow me to introduce to you: The Garment District in Kendall Square in Cambridge, MA. Think TJMaxx for size and variety, only clear the racks of all of the new clothes and fill them with vintage clothing as far as the eye can see.

Now keep that image in focus and brace yourselves for something even greater...this weekend and this weekend only, The Garment District is having a store wide 50% off sale!!! That is 50% off of EVERYTHING!! That's right, you heard me correctly. Now if you are in the Boston area, or a reasonable 1 hour drive from it, you really should take a little trip to The Garment District this weekend. You won't be sorry!


P.S. Almost as cool as the store wide 50% off sale, is that the following day they clear every single item of clothing off of their racks and restock the entire store with a fresh supply of vintage goodness!

NOTE: The above image is from http://www.garmentdistrict.com and was found there on August 1, 2008.