[ weekend hunting finds. ]

Thank you all so, so much for the amazing comments about my latest sewing project! Per popular request, I am going to work on a couple sleeve support tutorials: first for puffed sleeves and then how to make 40s style shoulder pads. So hopefully those will be up soon!

[ two 50s patterns I found at the estate sale. I'm most excited about the robe/morning gown! ]

You may have noticed I skipped posting last Friday–I have a good excuse though! I was out hunting down an estate sale I had found out about and seeing if it held any goodies. This was the first estate sale I’ve ever been to (I know: really weird for a gal who has been thrifting/antiquing/yard-saling for years!), so I didn’t know what to expect. Although there were no amazing stashes of vintage clothing (boo!), I did come away with a couple vintage patterns, an old tablecloth, some notions, an old frame (slated to be made into a jewelry holder), and two matching feedsacks. Not bad!

[ vintage powder compacts! ]

Sunday the vintage-hunting fun continued when I met up with my new friend from swing dancing at a local vintage store. I got another pattern (a 40s jacket and skirt), and most excitingly: two powder compacts. I have been on the hunt for vintage compacts to add some flair to the contents of my purse for awhile, but I held out over Christmas and only just started looking with an eye to buy. Both of these, although not 100% perfect, fit the bill of functional and pretty. The black one is a bit scratched, but the lady at the store said it’s easy to fix with a bit of hobby model paint, so I’m going to raid Sailor Husband’s model building supplies and see what I can do to pretty it up. Now I just need to get some loose powder and follow Solanah’s tutorial for refilling a compact…

[ I am probably more excited about this find than is sane... ]

Otherwise, the weekend was fairly quiet: the weather was gloomy, so it was perfect for spending time reading and organizing ideas for my next sewing projects, and then Sunday evening was swing dancing. Last week I really wasn’t sure I was going to be able to learn how to dance–it just seemed too confusing! I feel a bit more confident and less clumsy after our second class. I am definitely not the most graceful or talented person on the dance floor–but at least it’s fun! What did you do over the weekend?

Have a great Monday, friends!

[ welcoming 2010! (a highly unusual look for me: jeans!) ]

Hello, friends, and Happy 2010 to you all! I hope everyone had a great time ringing in the New Year. It’s hard to believe that it’s already January, and now I’ve got to get back into the normal swing of things. lol. So many things to do and so many dreams for 2010… I always feel a bit overwhelmed by a new year and all the possibilities it holds!

Though I don’t usually hold to the idea of “New Year Resolutions” (it sounds so official and intimidating; plus I’d rather make resolutions throughout the year as things arise), this year I have a little list of goals I’d like to aim for.

What are your goals and inspirations for this new year? I’d love to know what everyone else is dreaming and hoping for!

[ left: I love the belt she is wearing with this dress; it almost looks like it's a cut-out style. So fun! right: from head to toe, I could steal the entire outfit! especially the big, fluffy hat. ]

At several of the antique shops Mom and I stopped at, I took the opportunity to rummage through the boxes of old photos. I adore collecting old snapshots, and strangely, I have a hard time finding them in antique stores in Florida! So this was my opportunity to stock up (for right now), and flesh out my little collection a bit. One thing I was hunting for were some old photos of sailors from the 30s and 40s, but I couldn’t really find any… Instead I found a lot of photos of women dressed in snappy outfits from the period, which isn’t half bad! I only wished I had snatched up a couple more, as there were a lot in this vein, but it was early in our day of antiquing, and I didn’t want to spend too much too early!

[ left:this picture makes me wonder what the ladies were doing: was it a club? class? just a girlfriend get-together? I love that they are all wearing suits. right: my soft spot for floral skirts drew me to this photo--isn't her outfit lovely? ]

[ left:both these ladies' outfits are quite striking! I especially love their big envelop style clutches. right: doesn't she look so fantastic?! ]

[ left: these sorts of images showing women in work-wear always intrigue me! right: I love her sweet, two-piece ensemble, and those spectator shoes! ]

[ people at the beach is a mini collection I have going... I think I now have a handful of similar photos in my stash! ]

I also wanted to show you a shot of the 40s swing dress I made a few months ago from the Sense and Sensibility pattern! It ended up being one of my favorite pieces to wear on our trip; I think I wore it about 4 times. lol. This was taken the day we took my younger sister and sister-in-law to Washington, DC for some sightseeing. I actually was wearing a warm jacket, but took it off for the outfit photo, hence the slightly peeved expression (it was cold!). lol!

[ click for a larger view. ]

[ outside "on a whim" in lucketts, virginia. ]

I am officially back from our holiday trip! We had such a lovely time visiting family and friends, even though I’m a bit exhausted from the whirlwind of activities. lol! Thank you all so much for your sweet comments and emails in my absence; I feel so bad I didn’t have time while I was away to reply, but will be catching up on those (as well as my blog feeds!). I have a couple of posts about my trip, but this one was so fun I wanted to write about first!

[ my mother, admiring the vintage prom dresses hanging on the walls. ]

One of the things I did was spend last Friday visiting some antique and thrift shops with my mom. We both share a love of vintage things, and always have fun digging for treasures or just being inspired by the beautiful antiques we spot! One store we visited I just had to share with you, since it’s the kind of place that I know you all would just love!

[ just one of the many, frothy, 50s dresses! ]

On a Whim is a fun little shop in Lucketts, Virginia, that is quite unique from the other antique shops in the area because of it’s pink and black polka dot silo on the property! The shop is a magical array of some beautiful and inspiring antiques, but what really caught my eye was the things tucked away in a little building outside the main house.

[ I love the idea of using old ice skates for wintertime decoration. ]

The room is bursting with girly goodies: vintage prom dresses, beautiful hats, pink knick-knacks and other lovelies that are sure to catch a girl’s eye. Mom and I had such fun trying on the hats and exclaiming over the gorgeous dresses hanging on the walls. (It’s probably a good thing I don’t need another cocktail dress in my closet right now–I was sorely tempted to but one of those dresses!)

[ me! wearing a faux leopard coat Sailor Husband surprised me with last month! ]

So if you’re ever find yourself near Lucketts (west of Washington, DC), you might just want to swing by On a Whim. There are a handful of other delightful antique shops in the town as well, that are definitely worth checking out too!

[ hats, hats, and more hats! ]

Please note: I did not receive any compensation for writing this review of the antique store. I genuinely enjoyed my shopping experience (note the little bag on my arm in the photo!), and talking with the owner who graciously allowed me to take photos and post about On a Whim!

[ click for a larger view. ]

I can’t believe it’s almost been a year since Sailor Husband and I tied the knot! Some days it feels like we’ve been married for much longer (and I mean that in the nicest way), and the wedding a distant memory. hehe! So imagine my utter surprise when an editor from the Martha Stewart Weddings blog contacted me about featuring my wedding this month. I cannot tell you how excited and flattered I am (I swear it’s all Kate’s fault–her photography made our wedding look so good!). So if you want to (you don’t have to of course!), you might want to go take a peek over at the MS Weddings blog and the slideshow to see the feature on our wedding. It was a fun experience to remember many of the moments of that day (especially since our 1 year anniversary is a little over 2 months away). I feel so honored to have our wedding featured–I’m seriously jumping up and down here!

A big thanks to Kate Headley, Shira at MS Weddings and all the lovely friends and family members that pitched in to help make our wedding happen!