Sweet Corn Bread and Rhubarb Legs

Outfit Details: Dress: Modcloth//Blazer & Shoes: UO//Hat: Vintage via My Soft Parade//Scarf: Thrifted//Purse: Vintage from Grandmother

Oh my, has been quite a busy weekend for me...late nights, early mornings, bowl-o-dromes, cleaning, packing, and piano playing...and a home cooked dinner courtesy of my mother.  Brown sugar crusted corn beef, roasted cabbage, and sweet cornbread was just what the doctor ordered to finish out the weekend with a bang.   So it's Monday now and I am all for relaxing.  

My outfit yesterday consisted of a key piece I will be wearing for my Halloween costume.  Any guesses what that might be???  I am thrilled this year with what Al and I...and little Keane are going as.  Al and I scrounged around the house to find pieces for our costumes and I am very pleased with the result.  Can't wait to show you!  

Oh and for everyone who tried to spot the mysterious eye in my last set of photos, here it is...

See it now??  

Until then, have a spooktastic week darlings!

Love, 

Cookies for Breakfast

Once in a young lifetime one should be allowed to have as much sweetness as one can possibly want and hold. 
 ~Judith Olney

Outfit Details: Sweater & shoes: Thrifted//Dress: Swap via Amber Rose//Hat: UO//Purse: My Soft Parade

Today I woke up late.  It was one of the best feelings in the world!! Sometimes, there's nothing like getting some well needed  r&r.  Not only that, I feasted on some of the most delicious Italian cookies for breakfast...so yes, I'm breaking all the rules today...haha.  What can I say, life is sweet!

Nothing more to say than that, our little family is just chugging along getting ready for our move.  It's been a long time coming...and thank goodness, it's just about finally here.  So with that, I will surely be busy as a bee packing and picking up odds and ends for the new home.  Wish me luck darlings!

Have a sweet evening!

Love, 

PS: 50 points for anyone who can spot the creepy eye in the forrest in one of my photos above.  I'm not going to lie, it totally freaked me out at first when I first started editing these photos.  Funny thing, I thought it was part of my own reflection in the computer until I started blinking my eye and it didn't blink back.  I closed the photo instantly as I jumped inside then finally worked up the courage to look at it again.  I'm totally admitting, I'm a huge scaredy cat.  Don't worry though...it's really just the way the trees meet the forrest path...but still...creepy.

Nothing but Blue Skies

Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.  
~Kahlil Gibran

Outfit Details: Dress: Vintage//Floral Crown: DIY//Shoes: Thrifted

Enjoying the simple things today, like how fresh and vibrant nature is after the rain, and afternoons off on a date with my Albert eating minestrone and crusty bread at a little Italian bistro, and seeing Harry Potter at the $2.00 theater.  Life is simple and ordinary at times, but good indeed.

Have a quite lovely week darlings!

Love, 

Benches and Birdcages

"There is more to life than increasing its speed."
~Mahatma Gandhi

Outfit Details: Dress: Anthropologie (old)//Jacket: Target (old)//Hat & Tights: UO//Watch: Gift from Hubby//Sash: Thrifted//Boots: Michael Kors Via Marshall's//Purse: Vintage from Grandmother

Today I went antiquing.  I can't even begin to tell you how much I love doing this.  It's kind of like a new found love.  Getting lost amongst treasures from a different time and place is so relaxing to me...so much that I couldn't be bothered with snapping photos inside this darling and quite ginormous shop.  It was nice to just slow down for a bit and enjoy the experience.   Anyhow, I managed to walk away with a couple of relics that I will be quite pleased to give a new home.  Both the bench and the birdcage were each $14.00.  Score!

The Finds:

Speaking of things that are as old as dirt: this dress!  Well, that's a tad dramatic, but you know what I mean.  I'm pretty sure I haven't worn it since this post from way back in the day and it was old even then.  As I was organizing my little heart out, getting ready for my move (which hopefully happens at the beginning of next month) I found it in an uncharted pile deep in the corner of my closet.  Hooray for making old things new again.

Wishing you a beautiful weekend!

Love, 

Through the Thicket

“But I remember more dearly autumn afternoons in bottoms that lay

 intensely silent under old great trees”

~   C. S. Lewis

Outfit Details: Cardi & Skirt: Modcloth//Shoes: Amazon (sale)//Bow: Chastina on Etsy//Tights: Target

Well it is indeed autumn, and the leaves are just about starting to turn.  This makes me very excited.  Ya know what else does?  Apple cider - both hot and cold and sometimes with caramel and whipped cream - mmm!  I have consumed tons of it and still can't get enough. What's your favorite seasonal goody?

Seems like the perfect drink to come home to after a nice long walk on this sunny but cool autumn day.  Al and I went meandering through my old stomping grounds just like on so many Saturdays afternoons spent at my grandparents' house growing up, when I would wander into these very woods, leading my younger cousins on our own little exploration.  I always pretended I was Ferdinand Magellan (I was an odd child) trekking through uncharted territory, while we crossed bridges, tackling the thicket and discovering new land.  Somehow it never got old.

Happy Monday darlings!

Love, 

Guest Post: Emma, on behalf on Asos

My name is Emma  and I'm currently working on behalf of ASOS USA. I hope you enjoy my post on vintage dresses and don't forget to take a look at the ASOS website.


How to Create Your Own Vintage Inspired Dress

Vintage fashion has soared in popularity over the years as more and more people are investing in vintage classic designs. People now crave individuality and constantly want to create their own original look. So why not try to design your own vintage dress? Not only can you pay homage to your favourite decades, but you also can be sure that nobody else will show up in the same thing. Get creative and design a dress that only you will have. Below are instructions on how to do just this.

Choose an Era

Before you start creating your own vintage masterpiece, you must first select an era to emulate. It's important to have a starting point, as fashion trends in the 1950s were wildly different from those in the 1980s. Research styles from all decades to find out which style you prefer. Look online, in fashion magazines, books and even at old photographs, to find a style that you love.

Select a Shirt

Now that you know exactly what era and design you would like to create your dress around, you can start to gather your materials. Depending on what you want your dress to look like you may need to gather brand new material or recycle material from an old dress. Warning: Only buy new material if you have the ability to sow together an entire new dress! Novices be warned, it is much easier to find a dress that you can re-use and re-design. Look through pattern catalogs, fabric stores, thrift stores and even your own wardrobe to see if you can find that desired pattern that fits in with the vintage decade you have chosen. Think outside the box and get creative. Remember not to overlook dresses with alternative colours or even plain dresses that aren’t necessarily your preference. All material can easily be dyed, bleached or embellished to make them match your vision.

Deconstruct

Your vintage dress now needs to start to take on a shape of its own. The dress you start with does not have to look like the dress you finish with. Therefore firstly you must get the shape you desire. If the dress does not fit you properly then this is the stage to make alterations in size. You can also reshape necklines and waistlines at this point to fit in with the trend of your decade. Also don’t forget about the sleeves of this dress as you can shorten the sleeves or alter their shape. If you have removed any material, don’t waste it think about how you could use this on your dress to create layering or perhaps even a new collar for your dress. Depending on what era you have chosen to imitate, you may want to deconstruct your dress by adding frays, fringes rips or netting under the skirt. Now that your dress has started to take on the shape that you required, this is also the appropriate stage to dye or bleach the dress adjusting the colours to suit your vision.

Embellish

Now you have your perfect fitting dress, you must now build on that idea and embellish. Add accessories and decorations to create the final look you have in mind. You can sew these on by machine or hand, or even use a strong fabric glue. You can add fur trim, sequins, rhinestones, gems and any material that you can think that is appropriate to acquire the dress of your dreams. Use the images you found in your initial research to create designs that reflect your personality and bring out the best of the eras you love.

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Thanks Emma for giving us a fun how to on creating a vintage inspired dress.  I know I for one really want to get back into sewing and altering dresses on my own.   I have quite a few in my closet that could use a facelift that I would love to get wear out of once again.  Not only does it save money, but also you end up with something totally original that no one else has.

See you tomorrow darlings!

Love, 

Delicious Autumn

"Delicious autumn!  My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earthseeking the successive autumns." 

~ George Eliot

Outfit Details: Top: Swap via The Modest Muse//Sweater: UO//Shorts: Anthropologie//Hat: Target//Boots: Michael Kors via Marshalls (Thanks Sweetheart)//Necklace: Topshop//Rings: Miss Selfridge & Grandmother

Happy Thursday everybody!
Not too much on my mind today except that I was so thrilled that my grandfather picked out one of my Nana's beautiful rings to give me from her extensive collection of jewelry.  It's a ruby and I remember the many times it so gracefully adorned her finger.  As I am missing her so much these days, this little treasure is such a sweet reminder of her as I glance down at my hand.  It is most definitely something I hold near and dear to my heart.

In other news: I had the exciting opportunity to attend a Levi's Curve ID event last week with my friend, Chaucee of Streets and Stripes.  As you may know, I am not much of a jeans girl: mostly because I have one pickle of a time find jeans that will fit my petite but curvy frame.  I'm pretty sure I fell in love at first fit.  Head on over to Chaucee's blog to see her lovely photos and read more about it here.

That's all for now darlings.  Have yourself the most relaxing weekend!  

Love, 

Se Nourrir D'illusions

Why do two colors, put one next to the other, sing? Can one really explain this? no. Just as one can never learn how to paint. 

~ Pablo Picasso

Outfit Details: Dress: Miss Selfridge//Hat: UO//Scarf: Vintage via yard sale//Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell

 

This past week,  Al and Keane and I managed to squeeze in a nice lil ol visit to Ikea to get some inspiration and ideas for our new house...once we actually move. 

Being surrounded by so much color and texture (as well as the two boys I love so dearly) always manages to get me in the brightest of moods.

As for my outfit.  I continue to shop my closet as we save, save, save in the midst of purchasing a home.  Though I really don't like writing about my clothes...funny, since this is a fashion blog, I figured I'd mention the topic of shopping my closet.  A blogger friend recently emailed me in regards to this when I first posted about it here.  She wanted to know how I was doing with purchasing less and remixing more and answer is: unless given as a gift or thrifted...I have purchased nothing new for myself at all except for the dress you saw in my last post which was $34 on eBay.  Not bad, eh?

In light of remixing:

Have you been purchasing more since the season has just changed or do you find yourself trying to work with what you have in order to save?  Inquiring minds want to know:)

Hope you're having a bright and cheery week little darlings.

Love, 

Also, thanks so much to the quite lovely Battle Gnomes who awarded me the Versatile Blogger Award. She is a sweetheart that I just became acquainted with in this wonderful little blogging world.  Since I already posted my 7 things...I will direct you back to her pretty blog instead:)