Thursday evening we entertained two of our close friends. I took some photos as I prepped, enjoying all the colors and patterns and the summery foods. Don't get me wrong, normally our coffee table looks like this. Magazines, remote controls, knitting needles and yes, a calculator I've had since grade school that I use for knitting math. That's the usual reality of our living room. (Can you tell we're going on vacation to ... Read more »
Vintage Renaissance
No, not a vintage renaissance, vintage in the Renaissance. The Renaissance Faire, that is! This past Saturday we went with our friends to the Bristol Renaissance Faire, which has become somewhat of a tradition for us. It's just across the border from Illinois in Wisconsin. The weather, while sunny in the morning, wasn't going to stay ideal for long. But we were been running out of weekends to go, so it was a "now or ... Read more »
Stripes and polka dots outfit
Happy Friday!I just have a little outfit post for today. This was actually an outfit I wore a few weeks ago when it was ungodly hot out. I tried to be as cool and comfortable as possible, while wearing a new pair of shorts I bought.Outfit details: sailor top from Bombshell Shocked, high-waisted shorts made by Sunny Threads via eBay, espadrilles from Mod Cloth, purse made by Milloo on Etsy.My hair was being uncooperative ... Read more »
Winner of That Clever Clementine Giveway #1!
And the winner of the Briar Rose Loopy Lulu bag is....**drumroll please**Casey of Elegant Musings! Lucky number 10. Casey, I'll be emailing you later today about mailing off this fab little bag!And everyone should keep their eyes peeled for another That Clever Clementine giveway! I'll be giving away another great bag soon. I'll give you a little hint... it's a cinch sack. I know that was a favorite type of many people who ... Read more »
Campus-inspired vintage fashions for fall
Autumn! Crunching leaves, cooler temperatures...oh I know, I know, it's still summer! But if I don't start thinking about fall/winter sewing and knitting now, I may not get to the projects I have in mind until it's starting to warm up again next year! August is when everyone involved in school life beings to gear up for the start of a new school year. While my own 10-year college reunion took place two years ago, ... Read more »
Volo antiquing
Our original plan for Saturday was to take a day trip to a state park or forest preserve since we've been itching to get into nature. With the wedding, work and the general obscenely hot temperatures, we haven't been able to go camping or hiking almost all summer. But we woke up to rain Saturday morning! Lots of rain. So we decided to do a day trip that involved one of our favorite indoor activities, antiquing, instead. ... Read more »
That’s a wrap
Once of the interesting things I've discovered in the relatively short time I've been blogging here is that I find myself thinking about my own vintage style more than ever before, including my knitting and sewing. I never really used to contemplate how items would work together in my wardrobe... if I did, it was usually more along the lines of, "Uh oh, why am I knitting a chartreuse pullover when I have nothing to wear ... Read more »
That Clever Clementine Giveaway #1!
Today starts the first of my two upcoming giveaways, both sponsored by someone extra special to me: my mom!My super crafty mom has recently started a new shop, selling fantastic bags on Etsy as That Clever Clementine. She combines interesting fabrics (often vintage or re-purposed) and makes a few styles of bags that are perfect for knitting projects, makeup, little baubles, you name it! Her descriptions and vignettes are ... Read more »
Back to life
I'm back! There aren't enough exclamation points in the world to express how glad I am to have my life back after two weeks of working non-stop. But I made it through somehow, and now I have a lot of catching up to do! Because I didn't get a chance to properly do so before I was thrust into crazy work zone, let me first say a heartfelt thank you to you all for the wonderfully kind comments on my wedding photo post. I'm so ... Read more »
All work and no play
Hi dear readers! I just wanted to let you all know you won't be hearing a peep from me until after next Friday. I found out at work Monday morning that a huge September deadline was moved to July 29th, giving us 2 weeks to complete something we formerly had 2 months left to do. I have done nothing but work or sleep since 7.30am Monday.If I owe you an email or a reply, I'm sorry! I hope to catch up with life after the ... Read more »
Our wedding day
I finally had a chance to sit down and write up my Big Wedding Post!Before I get started, let me say that most of the photos in this post are from our photographer, Kimmy Noonen. The few non-watermarked photos were taken by my mom and step-dad. Kimmy was a joy to work with. By the end my dad said she was like an old friend. Her photos are so amazing I can't stop looking at them all. Suffice it to say this is a really, ... Read more »
Pretty pearly pins
I have been having an exhausting week at work, the kind where I come home and can only think about crafting in my head and can't actually bring myself to do anything. However today I worked from home. I think one of the best things about working from home is that as soon as I'm off work I can work on a project if I'd like, rather than dealing with a commute first that adds to the tired feeling. Today, I'm working on my ... Read more »
Finished project: New York leaf dress
I'm so happy to report that my dress is complete! Friday afternoon I put the finishing touches on the sundress I started last weekend.I'd been getting increasingly frustrated with sewing lately and finally realized what was bogging me down in several of my abandoned projects: the muslins. I decided I just needed to take a chance and wing it without one, so last weekend that's what I did. Not having a long history of ... Read more »
Outfits for going out on the town
Happy Thursday!I thought I'd share a couple of my outfits from the long 4th of July holiday weekend. We ran lots of errands and ate yummy food out all weekend. These were my outfits on Sunday.Now, you've already seen my new restyled shorts, but I took them out on the town for another spin! Outfit details: Clarks sandals, a style that I still regret not buying in every single color (and a spare pair to boot!) when they ... Read more »
Little triumphs
I'm so flattered by all the wonderful feedback on my shorts restyle tutorial, thanks everyone! ♥Lately I rarely seem to do little posts about things, so here's a break from my usual long-winded style. LOLYesterday, I spent 4 1/2 hours inserting a lapped zipper into the side seam of a dress I'm working on. You read that right, 4 1/2 hours of my life on a zipper. It was an afternoon and evening full of frustrations. I did a ... Read more »
Tutorial: Restyle vintage trousers into shorts
I hope everyone over here in the U.S. had a lovely long holiday weekend. I have lots of things I hope to share with you over the next week or so (including wedding photos!), so I better get crackin' since it's already Tuesday, huh? Today I have a little tutorial for a fun idea that I claim no credit in inventing! We're probably all familiar with the concept of cut off shorts. Many of us wore them when we were ... Read more »