I have received several lovely emails recently, two of which were from readers letting me know of blog awards! Now, I know I used to never do these, and to a certain extent I still stay away from memes and such, but I do love spreading the blog love. So with much thanks to the sweet ladies (Theresa and Mademoiselle M.) who awarded me these!
The first award is the Kreative Blogger award, which must be passed on to 7 fantastic bloggers! I award:
Sailor Husband and I have taken to grilling on the weekends (mostly his job… I do the inside stuff!), and love the fact that Florida weather allows us to do it almost every weekend. But the only hitch in the whole experience is the fact that we still lack proper patio furniture. I want to create an area that is an extension of our living room; where we can relax, unwind and eat meals while enjoying the weather. The space isn’t too terribly small, but we have our bicycles out there, as well as a small chest freezer. So at most, we have space for a couple of chairs, and either a small dining table or coffee table, some decorations, and a folding screen (to cover the freezer; I’m tired of looking at it!).
Finding the perfect pieces are proving difficult. Either we’ve deemed things too ugly, expensive, or the pieces are in sets that are far too big for our patio. Of course, several weeks ago I spotted the perfect vintage metal patio set (and it was sunshine yellow–so cute!!!), but it was 6 pieces. *sigh* The hunt continues, but if I had an unlimited budget, this would be my dream small-patio decor:
Tropica Folding Chair, Thomas Paul Zinnia Pillow, Ricci Room Divider, Tea Bowl Lanterns, White Sugar Sack Pillow, Grainsack Cushion Pillow, Obi Coffee Table, Herb Garden Kit.
February 11, 2009 ·
7 lovely thoughts
posted in casey's musings
· tags: playing house
The other day I was flipping through a 1947 magazine (remember I mentioned I’m obsessed right now?), and this ad caught my eye. Between my natural affinity towards stripes (and polka dots; both are sure winners in my book!), the high waist and jaunty ruffle, I knew I had to make a version for my springtime wardrobe!
The fabric was a tiny piece leftover from 10 yards I purchased about four years ago from WalMart. At the time, I was heavily into historic costuming, and determined to make a late 18th century polonaise gown. Alas, that never happened, so this is what was left. I’m glad I held on to it during the Great Fabric Destash of 2008 (packing up to move to Florida!). I should trust my intuition more often about what I might use. lol! The skirt is a basic a-line that I drafted from a skirt sloper and added just a touch of fullness to gather to the waistband. Everything else was fairly easy to draft and make up. The only thing I did different from the original inspiration was attach a band of fabric at the hem, rather than ruffles. I didn’t have quite enough fabric to pull that off!
I haven’t worn it yet, but I think I’ll pair it with my favorite red sweater and my new heels. Classic with a twist! I just love these quick and easy weekend projects…
February 9, 2009 ·
20 lovely thoughts
posted in casey's musings
· tags: sewing
A few have already noticed a mysterious change that took place overnight to the blog… I uploaded a new layout that I’d been working on! After months of trying to get a new look up for the blog (as my friends and family can vouch: I’m one of those people that are constantly changing something visually around me; I can’t stand things being the same for too long. lol!), it’s finally 100% live. So if you’re reading this in a feed service, be sure to hop on over to the blog to take a quick peek at the new threads (be sure to scroll to the bottom of the page; the footer is one of my favorite elements in the design)!
This week, I’ve been obsessing over 1940s sportswear and daywear again. We’re talking drag-my-pile-of-old-magazines-everywhere-with-me obsession. If we watch a movie (this week it’s been season two of NCIS; we don’t have cable so we rely on dvds), I’m sitting there paging through one of those old periodicals with my sketchbook in hand. I don’t think I’ve been this inspired by clothing since the PW (pre-wedding) days; which could be a good sign that Casey is finally returning to normal. hehe! But, since I don’t want to tire you all with my relentless barrage of 1940s wear, here’s a little something from an earlier decade to whet your appetite (above).
Stay tuned for next week’s posts… I have a couple plans up my sleeve right now (another video tutorial, anyone?). Until then, I hope you all have a lovely weekend!
February 6, 2009 ·
22 lovely thoughts
posted in casey's musings
· tags: weekly inspiration
