[ cold snap. the weather called for layers and close toe shoes! ]
Our weekend was lovely–most of all the weather cooperated and turned out to be a delicious peek at proper fall weather! I spent Sunday afternoon roaming about with my camera in hand, taking snapshots of things I saw. I’ve been trying to document day-to-day life in photographs. Other bloggers who are perpetual shutterbugs inspire me to no end, and I would love nothing more than to make picking up the camera throughout the day–even to capture the little moments–a habit.
[ fire alarm. I love things that are bright red! ]
[ Spanish Moss grows in the trees all over. it looks so spooky blowing in the breeze. ]
[ gigantic leaves grow and fall right outside our building. each is about 1' across! ]
[ stump texture. I couldn't resist taking a shot of a tree stump that was covered with a green mold-like plant matter. ]
Speaking of some of blog reading, these are a few that I’ve been reading and enjoying quite a bit lately (in no particular order):
October 19, 2009 ·
14 lovely thoughts
posted in casey's musings,life,links
· tags: life, links
[ click for a larger view of these wonderful images & sources! ]
Oh my. Did you fall over in a dead faint when you saw this post pop up in your feed reader–posted on an actual Friday no less? I know; it’s been far too many weeks since I posted an “Inspiration Week” post, and I admit I have gotten a bit out of the habit!
- More autumnish outfits to feast your eyes on… this time from 1953.
- I have a stash of scarves, most of which don’t get worn often (yikes!). So I loved this post of vintage scraf-wearing inspiration!
- Have you been watching Man Shops Globe? If you haven’t, you really should be…
- Sweet Jen opened up her online shop this week offering a myriad of creative goodies: from printable stationary, crochet patterns, to digital collage sheets. Be sure to drop by…
- The ever stylish Miss Kitten has made a fantastic lace petticoat from some old curtains!
[ click for a larger view. ]
Today’s vintage image is from April 1950. Although it’s spring, I thought the skirts were equally fall-like! I especially love the skirt second from the left; the high shaped waist combined with the gentle a-line and pleats is just too pretty! If only I didn’t have a million and one other things on my sewing list right now–I’d love to make a version of this!
I hope you all have a lovely, fun-filled weekend! We have quite a few plans: spending Saturday with a relative, trying to cook up a batch of crab legs for the first time Sunday (should be an adventure!), and I’m hoping to squeeze in some time to finish up that dress (and maybe cut out a new one… perhaps I’m too ambitious though!). See you all Monday!
October 16, 2009 ·
12 lovely thoughts
posted in casey's musings,links
· tags: vintage inspiration, weekly inspiration
[ A sketchbook of coats. September 1947. ]
I was paging through one of the vintage magazines I have yesterday evening, looking for something totally unrelated to this post, and my eye fell upon a series of beautifully illustrated ads for coats by Sportleigh (don’t you just love those old brand names?!). Being somewhat of a coat collector and pining for a cool weather trip up north, I thought it would be fun to post these! Perhaps you live in a region that is chilly enough to warrant a coat already? Even if you don’t, these ads are just lovely to look at and covet the beautiful coats from 1947! (Be sure to click each thumbnail for a larger view and to read the descriptions.) Which one is your favorite? What is your dream coat (bonus points for links to photos!)? I can’t wait for a chance to break out the lovely 60s, fur collared coat I thrifted earlier this year…
[ Love the coats, but the model's hairstyles are even better! September 1947. ]
[ Princess coats never go out of style (left). September 1947. ]
[ I adore the button detail on the left coat, and the tweed fabric on the right. September 1947. ]
[ Deep pockets, peter pan collar, double stitched sleeve. Perfect. September 1947. ]
October 14, 2009 ·
21 lovely thoughts
posted in casey's musings,vintage inspiration
· tags: 1940s, vintage inspiration
[ click for a larger view. ]
Well, it certainly was not my intention to just drop off the face of the earth last week… and skip another Inspiration Friday post! (Or not catch up on comment replies… Yikes!) However, as life seems to have a habit of doing lately, things popped up, days were spent running around, and we were out and about two evenings in a row (highly unusual for us homebodies!). That being said, I did spend most of Saturday and Sunday whipping up a new dress for myself! Well, it’s not completely finished, but I thought you all might like to see a peek at the nearly done frock. hehe!
[ click for a larger view. ]
I have been dreaming of a lovely autumn dress out of this black and white windowpane plaid fabric for some time. I think it’s a rayon/wool (I bought it on the clearance table at G Street Fabrics in Virginia, so I have no clue)–it’s got a beautiful drape! For a bit I mulled over making an a-line skirt and cropped bolero–a la late 1930s. But, my love affair with the ease of the one-piece dress won out and I went rummaging through my pattern boxes to find something suitable.
[ click for a larger view. ]
I rediscovered this pattern, a sweet 1940s style from Sense and Sensibility patterns. I had the pleasure of interning with Jennie Chancey years ago, and have had this pattern since then, but sadly never made it up (silly me!). Mostly because the right fabric hadn’t come along (picky, picky). This lightweight rayon suiting, coupled with the tailored lines and bracelet length sleeves seems perfect though. She based the pattern off of this design, and I love the detachable dicky concept (though it isn’t included in the Sense and Sensibility pattern). I have instructions in one of my 40s sewing manuals on how to make one, and I think that might be something fun to add down the road.
[ click for a larger view. ]
But for now, here’s the project halfway done. As is usual for me, I made a few changes and tweaks along the way, most notably the sleeves will be shortened. After trying on the dress halfway through, the length of sleeves didn’t work to well for me. So I am planning on chopping off a couple inches to make them a bit more flattering on my shortish arms. Now I just need to hem it and wish really hard that the weather will miraculously cool off. hehe!
October 13, 2009 ·
27 lovely thoughts
posted in casey's musings,sewing
· tags: 1940s, sense and sensibility patterns, sewing
[ all dressed up and only housework to do! ]
- Blue dress: Trashy Diva
- Gingham apron: a gift from my friend Sophia!
- Tropical print heels: small shop in the mall
- Cherry earrings: Claire’s
- Petticoats (not seen): vintage/thrifted
Monday dawned bright and early, and I was faced with the enormity of the housework I had to do. Sewing like a mad woman the previous two weeks meant that the normal flow of chores didn’t get done to the extent I’d like, and things had gotten a little chaotic. I’m not the type that demands perfect neatness all the time (goodness knows I generate enough mess myself from all my projects!), but the feeling like it was all growing and multiplying was starting to get a bit creepy…
[ my "wild" shoes. I've had these since January and only pull them out occasionally! ]
But to make the task a bit more fun and exciting, I decided to dress up a bit! I’ve been wearing my favorite Trashy Diva dress a lot lately (it’s still hot here), and it never ceases to make my smile and feel super elegant! I also put on a sweet little pink, gingham apron my lovely friend Sophia sent me recently–it was just the thing to keep my dress spot free! I don’t always dress up to this extent when I do a serious house clean, but some days it just makes the task more pleasant.
October 7, 2009 ·
39 lovely thoughts
posted in casey's musings,outfits + wardrobe
· tags: outfits
