A sad, sad day for the publishing world

As a writer - albeit a lazy, unprolific one - I am a carnivorous consumer of the written word, particularly when it comes to that which falls under the journalism umbrella. I devour magazines as if they were sustenance, and find solace in the pages of a fashion spread or witty editorial.

That's why it pains me to bear the bad news that on this gloomy Wednesday, easily one of my favorite publications in print - perhaps of all time - has kicked the bucket. In response to growing economic concerns and lack of market demand, home decor and lifestyle magazine domino has entered its final chapter - Chapter 11, I guess you could say. Conde Nast made the announcement this morning, stating a significant drop in ad sales over the past few months and an inability to pinpoint a necessary niche for the mag.

Even the comprehensive Web site, www.dominomag.com will be no more. That means no more blogs, extended photoshoots or My Deco File, a popular feature that served as a lookbook of sorts for organizing home decor ideas and inspiration.



It's so sad that a glossy of such high quality - one that appealed to a very specific demographic, yes, but never before so thorougly - befell the unfortunate fate of folding due to a failing economy. Sure, some might say the content coating domino's crisp pages was a little too upscale, throwing caution to the wind of economic change. But to me, it was a perfect balance of ritzy investment pieces and bohemian, flea market acquisitions. It emphasized the importance of clever juxtaposition, in the case of high-meets-low, and secured its spot in many a permanent inspiration binder thanks to expert advice and memorable, timeless decorating. Unlike its country-cute and yuppie-yacht decor mag predecessors, domino appealed to a younger age bracket, one focused on personal style rather than trend slavery.

domino's last issue hits newsstands in March. Try not to cry too hard when you leaf through its pages. I can't believe this happened right after my "homegirl" Zooey Deschanel graced the cover. Single tear.

On another, much less somber note, one of my good old friends, Jessica Carantza, (sister to Alex, longtime partner in crime), owns her own jewerly line, Dear Georgette. Alex gave me one of her pieces for my birthday this year and she made a shout-out of sorts to me on the DG blog because of it.



Thanks, Jess! Be sure to find Dear Georgette on Facebook, as well as on the small screen, where Jess recently made her debut on WJXT's The Morning Show in her hometown of Jacksonville, FL. Jess makes gorgeous, handmade, one-of-a-kind (and most importantly, affordable!) pieces for any occasion, and takes custom orders as well. Jess is an inspiration, and I hope her business continues to thrive!

xoxo
Amy

So I creep, yeaaaaah

Since last we spoke, dear blogger, I have failed on quite a few of the promises I made. I have not, unfortunately, begun working on a series of cupcake hats, despite a self-imposed deadline of less than a week from today. As of late, my primary concerns have been in the bureaucratic realm, namely of the auto-tag renewal variety, but we won't focus on that because it's just boring. And also depressing. Who knew ad valorem taxes were so exorbitant?

Instead, I have been coming up with tiny hat ideas for my friend William's band, Sleep Creeps - that, in case you live in Atlanta, is playing the Earl Monday, February 2 at 8:30 pm. Below are some mock-ups of ideas I have that will hopefully fulfill the group's '90s goth aesthetic requirements.



Tonight's gonna be a looooong night, my friends. I plan to churn these babies out as quickly as possible which means more burning of the midnight oil.

In other news, swift on the heels of Obamarama and Aretha Franklin's now-infamous inauguration hat - which some might say is lapping the Prez himself as the biggest topic of interest surrounding this regime change - I have been working on a collection of tiny Aretha hats. My first isn't as a profesh or as detailed as I'd like, being that I worked with what materials I had on-hand, but the final product gives me hope for the future of tiny Aretha hats. Honestly, there isn't a sartorial statement I'm swifter to align with than ostentatious church-hat chic; unless of course, you make that miniature, and then i'm already there.



I'd love to stay and type the day away, alas, real life beckons. Here's to having more money in the near future, travel, a tiny hat breakthrough and my glasses arriving, which Zenni Optical seems hell-bent on delaying as long as humanly possible.

xoxo
Amy

And now, for something completely different.

So, this really has next to nothing to do with tiny hats, but lately I have become thoroughly consumed by my quest to find the PERFECT GLASSES. Unfortunately, I am poor and just started a new job, though that certainly hasn't stopped me from spending hours (seriously, HOURS) scouring the web for my ocular "other" (forgive the postmodern literary allusion). Having been a long-time contact lense devotee, the task is a little more daunting than i expected. Trying to pick out a pair of glasses that are not only cute and stylish, but flattering, has been a challenge, especially since my recent purchases were made online without ever trying them on.

Case in point:



I am currently impatiently awaiting the arrival of the above pictured glasses from Zennioptical.com - which are taking a fairly normal, if not short amount of time to be mailed as far as prescription lenses are concerned, but I am exceedingly impatient - and desperate to put them on my face for the first time. I figure since I only paid 25 big ones (including shipping!) for both pairs, I won't feel too guilty about spending the dough even if I look like Rick Moranis or Harry Potter in them. My goal, at least as far as the second look is concerned, is to emulate the fashion-forward Anna Karina of Godardian fame, taking a nod from her style in 1967's Anna:



If money were not an object, however, my sights would be much higher, towards the new Spring/Summer 2009 Resort Collection by Oliver Peoples, ever-so-appropriately modeled by the disgustingly adorable Zooey Deschanel (who is also the cover girl for this month's issue of domino, in case anyone was wondering).




Should you deem me worthy of such a nice gift, please consider the following optical options for your charitable donation, preferably the middle selection.



In other, more tiny hat-related news, today is Friday and you know what that means: Tiny hat/me time! Hopefully I can squeeze it in amongst my growing mound of weekend committments. My newest and perhaps funniest inspiration is coming in the form of a childhood obsession: American Girl doll clothing and accessories. Taking cues from the classic playtoy of my youth, I'm envisioning all sorts of historically-based tiny headgear, including dainty pinner caps, tiny traditional church hats, small flight caps a la Amelia Earhart, mini tri-corners (which I attempted and successfully created for Kari's George Washington costume on halloween), tiny nurse's caps and shrunken holiday wreath hats.



I've even been influenced by the tiny food and decorative items on the site, all of which would make pretty adorable tiny hat subject matter. Here a few of my favorites:



Here's to a weekend of productivity AND relaxation! See you next week!


xoxo
Amy

Hello, and welcome to my home!

Hello friends, and welcome to the blog home of Ministry of Tiny Hats!

Though some of you may know, my name is Amy and I am a writer/mini milliner (and more frequently, but less excitingly, office manager) living in Atlanta, GA. I decided to take my passion for tiny millinery to the masses and out came the Ministry of Tiny Hats, a self-start business for my homemade hats.

Since putting a name to my silly passion (which is, in fact, a reference to Monty Python's "Ministry of Silly Walks," in case anyone was wondering!), I have participated in both the Summer and Winter 2008 Indie Craft Experience festivals, created an Etsy store and been featured on pecanne log. Most recently, I was ever-so-graciously bestowed the honor of being featured in Atlanta Magazine! In fact, their little write-up was far more informative and spot-on than anything I could have put together (despite my journalistic background; it's hard to write about yourself!). I blush just thinking about it:



To make a short story long, I've tried to blog in so many forms over the years and have never been able to keep up with it for one reason or another. Save my writing, which has taken a backseat as of late, nothing has ever really maintained my attention and interest as thoroughly as this tiny hat venture. As such, I thought it would be fun to share that journey with all of you.

So please, if you're interested in the future of tiny hat-making, or just want to hear more of the good word, join the Ministry! i.e. Add me to your favorites!

Expect lots more posts to come, including news and pictures of my newest project, tiny Valentine's Day cupcake hats!


xoxo