dress:
made by me | belt: thrifted | shoes: ASOS | handbag: estate sale | scarf: thrifted | earrings: thrifted | brooch: antique fair
I did a double take the other morning when I checked the weather forecast and saw it was going to be in the range of 85°F–just over the weekend I had been chilly and wearing my wool sweaters. I know I talk about it insistently, but this oddball weather has me all mixed up! lol.
I haven’t shown this dress on the ol’ blog since I made it nearly a year ago–despite it being one of my favorite summer frocks and getting a ton of wear last year! Plus I made it a bit big, which is a plus right now since someone has been at the sweets a bit too much. *ahem* It was perfect for the weather the day I wore it–until Maverick got into a mess and got it all over me. Ah, the joys of having a hyper puppy… At least it’s washable! lol.
(I think I was incapable of being serious the day I took these… lol.) I added a few touches of green with the accessories for this outfit. I wanted to carry a green handbag Gina sweetly sent me last year, but it was packed away deep in the spare room closet and I was too lazy to get it out. So the trusty telephone cord bag did the job! But I think a little green bag would look cute with this dress–I need to remember to pull it out next time I go rooting around.
I hope y’all are having a splendid mid-week! I have a fun post for you on Friday, so be sure to stop by to take a peek Friday morning!
May 2, 2012 ·
35 lovely thoughts
posted in outfits + wardrobe
· tags: 2012 outfit, outfit
Today it’s a bit gloomy; warm, but the sun is playing hide and seek. Later this week it’s supposed to be sunny and warm, giving us a bit of a summer tease! So I thought in honor of this wacky, warm-then-cool weather, I’d share a few early 1950s summer fashion scans with you!
I love these brightly colored, Claire McCardell-esque summer cottons! The yellow-gold playsuit has to be my favorite; would still look sweet today during a summertime trip to the beach.
Be sure to enlarge these to see the dress details. The red plaid dress is especially fetching with a series of black buttons along the hip for some added emphasis (remember that in the 50s large hips weren’t a “bad” thing!).
Espadrilles are always a summer classic, and I love these with interchangeable laces! Such cute footwear from the classic Kedettes label.
A couple of gorgeous, organdy dresses. I love the sharp, exaggerated collar and cuffs on the plaid dress–very striking!
It’s still a tiny bit too chilly to think of swimsuits here (or I might just be too much of a chicken! hehe.), but 50s swimsuits are still my dream swimwear! (Thankfully, there are many companies that are making vintage inspired swimwear now, so there are options!)
More 50s swimwear inspiration, this time from the classic Jantzen label! I love the suit in the background–though it had to have had some serious boning in the bodice to keep that up. hehe. You could also get matching swimcaps back then!
I hope you enjoyed these scans! Any summery styles that are catching your eye today?
April 30, 2012 ·
19 lovely thoughts
posted in misc,vintage inspiration
· tags: 1950s, vintage inspiration
weekly visual moodboard | be sure to click on the image to view picture sources.
Thank you all so much for your wise, encouraging and idea-filled comments on my Wednesday post about decorating in a temporary space. It was so refreshing to know that others feel similarly, and had some great suggestions for me on nesting and making this place even more home like. I started to do a few more things around here, and am itching to get started on those pillow recovers (temporarily halted due to a problem of materials–the fabric I thought would work isn’t! Boo!). But some more artwork has been hung, The Fish found a new home above the tv, and the living room is actually starting to look like it has a bit more in tune with our personalities (and therefore, more home-like!).
- I love this tutorial from A Beautiful Mess on making your own ascot bow top–clever!
- I drooled over some of the hats in this post of 40s inspiration on Stephanie’s blog.
- Funnily enough, I had just been mulling over how to DIY a hanging map and a tutorial popped up on my feed reader!
- I love all these vintage kitchen images! The color schemes are fantastic.
- As summertime is nearly upon some of us, here are some tricks and tips for working with linen.
Have a lovely rest of your weekend!
April 29, 2012 ·
5 lovely thoughts
posted in links
· tags: weekly inspiration
Before we moved here I was excited: a new home to decorate! How fun! Except once I realized how much stuff our little family had (both of us have hobbies, sports equipment, my clothes, his uniforms, rabbit stuff and now the puppy accouterments), and how little space we had since we had to downsize, I got discouraged. I knew logically things wouldn’t go in as seamlessly as they had into our Florida apartment because it was a different layout (much less open), but in my heart I was having a hard time with getting into the spirit of making this place our home. Which means that nearly six months after we moved in there are still pictures to be hung, the dining room set needs to be painted (cream and robin’s egg blue), and the sofa still needs accent pillows. The reason you’ve only seen the mantel area in the house? Besides the kitchen, that is the only spot I really feel is worth showing to the outside world–everything else is still a bit blah and unfinished.
Then I realized the other day why things were still in a half-finished state. I had fallen into that trap one can when renting: “we don’t own it, so why bother?” or “we’re only going to move eventually, so why put in the time/effort/money?”. I think this is especially easy if you live with a sense of impermanence due to a spouse’s job. But this is our home now despite it’s quirks, lack of storage and “cozy” layout. Our bedroom furniture may not fit well into our new master bedroom, the coat closet may be sorely lacking in size, or the dining room may have to share space with the dog’s crate, but it’s still home for right now. Not ideal, not the sort of place I’d buy if that’s what we were doing, but considering what else we could have ended up with it does for now! It needs a bit of personality though…
Which means that I have to get creative in a thrifty way to perk things up around here. I made a teeny list of spots I want to redo or add a bit of flair to. It makes it more tangible and–dare I say–exciting. I want to make this place a bit less “cramped-cozy” and more “homey-cozy”. The sort of place people don’t notice the wonky walls (bad past repair jobs) or the fact that our sofa is really too big for the space. Welcoming and comfortable, colorful and yet calming, a bit quirky too (anyone noticed the Captain America action figure on the mantle yet?).
I think this is a little pep-talk to myself. I get in ruts from time to time and get discouraged easily. This move and first six months have not been a shining moment in my life; and I feel bad that SH has had to come home from super-long days at work and deployments/training exercises to a house that still doesn’t feel like home. I know for him, it’s important to have that sense of calm and stability in his life since his work is so often the opposite. So here’s my little goal for the next six months: work on small ways to make everything fit (it’s like a jigsaw puzzle!), add some more color, finish those lingering projects, and for gosh sakes get the rest of the artwork on the walls (and maybe buy a few new prints on Etsy…)! lol.
First up: covering those ugly accent pillows on the sofa. The slipcover has been done for months, but the pillows remain uncovered. Yes, I’m showing you a picture of my rumpled, dog-slobbered sofa, topped with a quilt that has seen better days. That’s life right now with all it’s little warts and quirks. (See–I don’t have a Perfect Blogger Life by any means! lol.) I have a cute and wallet-friendly idea up my sleeve for those pillows though! (Aren’t they ugly??? Augh!) Stay tuned!
April 25, 2012 ·
35 lovely thoughts
posted in around the house
· tags: around the house, musings, thrifty decorating
Suddenly with the end of April in sight, I realized my birthday is right around the corner (a week from Friday)! So in order to add a bit of the birthday spirit to things around here, I thought I’d do a post of my dream birthday wishlist items! I hope you’ll enjoy looking through these–they’re just fun things that have caught my eye lately. (My real birthday gifts this year tend to be a bit more on the practical-side; I’ve requested things like sewing machine tune-ups and rollerblades to help get my cardio health back on track!)
What would your dream birthday wishlist look like?
Gingham Picnic Playsuit | Q’s Daydream My dear friend Quincy just launched her own clothing line of beautiful, vintage inspired pieces. This one instantly caught my eye–I love two piece, skirt playsuits like this for the summer!
Lido Platform Sandals | Remix Vintage Shoes I love all the pairs of Remix Shoes I own–they are comfortable and very well made. Since tall platforms are a summer staple for me, these would fit quite nicely with a lot of my dresses and skirts–especially in red!
Tangee Lipstick | Vermont Country Store Tangee is a truly vintage lipcolor–it’s been around for over 70 years! You’ll often see Tangee ads in old magazines advertising that the lipstick changed to the perfect shade to compliment your skin. I’ve always been curious to try it myself!
6-Quart Dutch Oven | Lodge While I think all cooks dream of Le Creuset cookware magically appearing in their kitchens one day, I’ve been doing some research and thinking that the Lodge versions might be a good introduction to this sort of cookware for me. Not to mention it doesn’t have the sticker shock that a genuine Le Creuset piece does! But it still comes in red to go with everything else in my kitchen. hehe!
Pattern Shopping Spree | Eva Dress I have a long list of reproduction patterns I’d love to get from Eva Dress! Especially that darling 1930s playsuit above. A dream gift would definitely be a little shopping spree of reproduction patterns.
Applique Scissors | Gingher After years of wrangling with larger fabric shears to grade seams and trim down narrow hems, I’ve decided applique scissors should eventually be added to my workbasket! The way these scissors are constructed (don’t they look funny?) help loads when trimming on edge of fabric along a seam, where you don’t want to cut the abutting layer.
A Stitch in Time Volume 1 and Volume 2 I think I must be the only knitter out there who does not own either of these books yet! (Despite putting them on my Christmas wishlist two years running… *coughcough* Are you listening, Mom? hehe!) But they are chock-full of reworked knitting patterns from yesteryear, which would delight me to no end to have in my library of knitting books!
Bright Pink Petticoat | Doris Petticoats Solanah posted about these petticoats awhile back, and ever since I’ve been drooling over the UK-based company’s fluffy confections! Maybe at 27 I’m too old to be wearing fuchsia petticoats, but I think it would still be fun to throw one on underneath my circle skirts! (And be fun to swish around and dance in–even more reason for Maverick and I to have impromptu dances!)
Pink Novelty Print Dress | Trashy Diva I’ve been coveting this dress since TD released it last spring. I adore both the other dresses I have from them (they hold up so well!), and this one has been on my wishlist. Why don’t I buy it for myself? Well, I am one of those intensely practical people that rarely splurges on a dress like that–more often than not I’d rather spend money on others or things SH and I can do together, than dresses for me.
1940s Tilt Hat | Poppycock Vintage I’ve been eyeing this hat too of late! To go with the Trashy Diva dress above, of course! hehe. Isn’t it gorgeous? Aptly named “Birthday Girl” too…
Finally, as silly and sappy as this will sound (I can’t think of a way to put it that won’t make it sound this way!): I wish I could have all you visit southeastern VA and hold a big tea party get-together! I think that would be so much fun… Don’t you? There would be lots of pretty fashion to look at, tea pots constantly filled, cake (lots and lots of cake–I’m a cake girl), and sewing and vintage talk galore! Would be heavenly! Alas, until I figure out about a transportation device that allows us to avoid airfares and long trips, we’ll just have to wish. (Maybe I could hold a “virtual party”? hehe!) I hope you enjoyed this fun post!
Please note: I have not been asked by any of these companies to showcase their product. While I have worked with a handful of these companies in the past, they in no way influenced my choices for this post. This is just my personal wishlist of items that catch my eye!
April 23, 2012 ·
58 lovely thoughts
posted in misc
·
