Some Dresses

Hey you guys!

It seems weird to come back to posting after such a long break, but I needed to break the silence! I thought now would be the perfect time as I have a few things to show off! Actually, I don't really need any excuses to show off, but still.

I finished my semester with excellent grades in the of my classes, and a C- in math, so also an awesome grade hahahaha. I spent the week after school was out with my sister for what we decided to call "Sewing Camp". My sister is not necessarily more advanced than I am at sewing, but I took time to learn a few things I did not know how to do. My house is pretty darn hectic most of the time, so it is hard for me to sew. My sister, on the other hand, has a whole sewing room! Anyway, I made 3 dresses, and helped my sister make one, so that's 4 dresses, plus a pair of wrap shorts that are sadly wayyy too small. Anyway, enjoy the pretty dresses, and hopefully I will be posting somewhat regularly again.

I am thinking of opening up another Etsy shop for handmade dresses. My inspiration would be pretty things, girliness, lace, ruffles, existing fabrics/textiles, and anything that tickles my fancy!

These Boots Are NOT Matronly!

So, I had one of those moments that all vintage loving girls dream of this weekend. I found, despite allll the odds, one item that has been on my vintage wish list for such a long time: fur trimmed overshoes.

First off, I pretty much never see them. They are not a common item. If I do find them, they are usually a very tiny size. I don't have especially big feet, but a lot more women wear an 8.5 than a 6 (I believe) which means that size is going to get snapped up a lot quicker. And when I do happen to see a pair, they are usually listed at a price far above my humble means as a college student.

 (please excuse photo quality...it was getting dark and also my Dad took these lol).

(a pose I have seen in other blogs and almost necessary for this weather!)

So when I purchased these from a small antique shop of course I bought them you know why? Because they were in my size, the ideal look I was going for, and...they were $12!!!!!! 

Along with these I bought a pretty vintage book by Myrtle Reed (which reminds me, I should really do a post on her she lead a very interesting life), two silk scarves, and 2 vintage patterns. The patterns are very, very small so I am using them as more of inspiration if I get too scared of grading them.

You may be wondering about the post title. Well, when I was checking out the lady at the counter (who appeared to be in her early 50's) said that the boots looked matronly! Matronly! Can you believe that?! I just smiled and thought it was too bad she couldn't see me being all cute in them. Perhaps next time I go back, I shall wear them and she will see!

They are a tad worse for wear, as the rubber is cracked but perhaps a cobbler can fix that. We have one in town and I should really patronize him.




Oh!!! And I have some really exciting news! So I hopped on my Etsy yesterday and was looking at shop stats and saw that I had a record high number of views. I was highly confused and then saw that I had been linked to. I followed the link and it lead me to Swedish Elle! One of their bloggers, Elsa Billgren, linked to one of my dresses in a post titled "Svar på era kommentarer, del 10" which translates to something like "Replies to your comments, Part 10". Of course it's in Swedish but her blog is full of pretty pictures, and lots of fancy dress so I suggest you check her adorableness out :). The post is here. 

My shop here.
And the specific dress here. 

Outfit
Hat ~ Vintage, thrifted
Red Sweater ~ Holly & Whyte for Lindex purchased in Norway
Skirt ~ (It's actually my felt poodle skirt worn backwards for this post!) 
Tights ~ Ummmmmm probably Macy's?
Overshoes ~ Antique shop


Hope all the northern hemishperers on the east coast are staying warm!! And I am oh so jealous of the Aussies right at this moment :)

Love,
Abbi

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hey all!

Today was Valentine's Day. Since I don't really have a significant other, I was alone. But not ALONE. My sister an her husband had me tag along. We went out for tapas and drinks then went to a cute little bakery and then a bit of window shopping at the mall. We deserve medals because it was bitterly cold. With the wind chill it was likely below zero.

Anyway, I dressed up (a bit) and had my sister take a few snaps. Unfortunately the pictures are a bit out of focus because of the blowing snow. Black isn't traditionally a Valentine's color, but I guess I am not exactly traditional.

 I am really good at an evil stare ;)

The little booties I got at Sears from Lands End. They were 50% off an I love the low wedge. They seem to have a retro vibe too. Now if only I could fashion some fur trim to go around the edges they would be perfect.

I will throw this photo in the mix too, it's me at tea, crying into my silk scarf (don't worry I was fake crying if it wasn't glaringly obvious).

Happy Valentine's!

Sorry!

Hahahaha, I am officially the worst.

Well....I know that isn't entirely true, but I keep neglecting my blog. I have started back up at school so things are a bit stressed on my end.

To keep things updated here are some pic's from the past month:

(Oh, and if you were concerned at all about me passing my classes last semester, I got two B's and an A :)

Baking Christmas cookies with my nephews :)

Some photos of me modeling for my sister and I's vintage shops 

Happy Tuesday!! (I guess it's technically Wednesday now oops)

The Norway Dress

So, if you regularly read my blog, you guys know that I went to Norway this summer. I told you that I bought a vintage dress while there for quite a steal. Let me tell you something about Norway (pretty much all of Scandinavia really), vintage there is almost impossible to find. Norway is an extremely wealthy country and since the majority of people have a good amount of money, used things are not exactly needed or wanted. When people are done with something (anything) they usually throw it out! Clothes are among the most widely discarded, so this dress was quite a find. There is a tear near the waist and a large spot on the back (that wouldn't come out....I am trying to think of ways to cover it up, bows maybe? hah).

I really love the dress. Even though it's a handmade Norwegian dress, it such an Americana vibe to it. Of course, Norway could claim the same thing because our three flag colors are the same! I paired it with seam stockings and an attempt at victory rolls.

I only got Victory Rolls right once, and never again. Unfortunately there is no photographic evidence of that, so you will just have to take my word.

The shoes I am wearing with it were a Christmas present last year from my dear mum. I absolutely love the shape, but I have yet to really wear them because I need to take them to a cobbler, as the heel is a bit wobbly, and I don't want to ruin them!

There were originally 4 rows of buttons, but one fell off in the shop and I could not hunt it down. To solve that problem, I just popped the other one off, and they matched! I am a genius. Please call the people who determine the Nobel prize winner. I am sure I am deserving of that honor. You can see a bit of uneven color in the skirt, but it was much better after a wash. It's really comfy and perfect for baking, and running errands if I need to dash out quickly. Because we all know even a slightly shabby day dress is still better than flannel pajama pants.

I felt pretty sassy wearing this, and who wouldn't be I got a great price, it's adorable, and it fit. The trifecta, if you will.

Meanwhile, I have been baking up a storm. My latest creation, blueberry oatmeal drop biscuit cobbler. all of the yum.

I wish my food pictures would turn out better. I mean, that looks obviously delicious, but still. I guess I need a camera that costs more than $400 and a lightbox. And a studio too, let's just throw that in there too.

P.S. It's finals week, and if I don't do well on my final exams...I am in trouble. This semester I was trying to rescue my GPA from last year.

This is my life right now:

That is me trying to figure out what I need to meet a certain threshold. Of course I failed math last year, but when finals roll around I am a whiz. Go figure.

Baking Weather

Hey all!

Okay, so this post will be short and sweet (quite literally!)

I want to blog more, but I have been busy, but at least want to update!

We got a bit of snow yesterday in Ohio covering everything, but we didn't nearly as much as some other places, thank goodness. The low tonight is nine, with wind chill factored in, it's zero.

With such frigid temperatures, I find myself wanting to bake even more. With school, it's a bit hard for me to do a ton of baking, but this week I have no Spanish class, which also means no homework! Speaking presentations are going on, and I got mine out of the way early, so when I came home I had one thing on my mind; cake. I wanted something seasonal, but not typical.

I present you with the best thing I have ever made:

Doesn't it look like a 1950's cookbook photo?!

It's a pumpkin spice layer cake with butterscotch filling, brown sugar frosting and candied pecans. I candied the pecans myself. There may or may not be, but definitely is, over a pound of butter in this. Julia Child would be proud. The pumpkin cake has what I was looking for without being over-overpoweringly pumpkin-y and typical. It's magical, sugary, buttery and sweet. I have a new favorite.

Oh, and also, here is a picture (or 2) of me from yesterday, it's not a vintage outfit (sadly my vintage wardrobe is lacking in the winter appropriate department) but I was going for Elsa inspired (you know, from Frozen). I think it worked pretty well.

The cold never bothered me anyway......

Hope you are staying warm, if it's cold where you live!

Ta-Ta for now
Abbi

A Bit of a Rant and a Pretty Pink Slip Dress

Hi y'all!

I haven't posted in a while, so I just thought I would post a little something today. I have so much to say right now...and I was going to hold off, but I just have to get it off my chest, so be prepared for a rant. Don't worry though, there will be pretty pictures of something I made after the rant!

It has to do with direction and/or focus.

Here goes; buckle in and come for a ride!

Oh, and if you read this whole thing...I love you. Truly. This right here is my heart, just opening all the way up.

If you have looked at my blog/follow it, then you may have noticed that I mention things about school on occasion. Mostly that I don't like it. Not even a little bit. Sometimes I sit in my car and have no intentions of driving to class, but I always break down and do it anyway like a good little girl. I am one of those people that believe college isn't for everyone. Yet I had always believed college was for me. Not that I have huge career aspirations (actually I would love to be either a big time designer or dramatic/over the top actress) but I feel an insane amount of pressure to succeed. To make something out of myself.

Let me give you a bit of background. I come from a large family. I have 7 siblings to be exact. I am number 6 and none of my five older siblings has graduated from college (graduated being the operative word here). My mother got married at 18 and did not attend college. She was always telling me how she wished she had gone. It is not direct pressure, but I just feel this need to get a degree. Not just a degree though, a useful degree, a degree with which I can make an impact on the world. So that is why, when I started college I went into the pre-pharmacy program. Turns out though you need to be good at science...and math. Two things I am not so great at. Sure if I studied for 2-4 hours a day I would be okay, but I have to be honest with myself, that is NEVER going to happen.

There is also another element to this, a catch-22 if you will. Let's say I go to school and get a "useful" degree. One thing I have always desired in my future is to be a wife and mother. If I have kids I want to stay home with them which means I won't be working. So that means all the hours I spent studying and money I spent on an education would be essentially useless (of course I would be smarter, but I am already a pretty intelligent person....test scores have told me so). Plus I feel like others wouldn't see me as a "success" if I just went and got married without having at least an education. Le sigh.

HOWEVER, I think I have discovered a solution (at least partially and in theory)

Do you ever do those personality profile things? Well, I have always been interested in those, and have always known what mine is: ENFP. On the website I was looking at, it's characterized under "Diplomat" (which is pretty funny considering I have been called diplomatic by a few people).

Some quotes from it that resonate with me:

"ENFPs will spend a lot of time exploring social relationships, feelings and ideas before they find something that really rings true. But when they finally do find their place in the world, their imagination, empathy and courage are likely to produce incredible results."

"It's a big world out there - perhaps even a little too big. ENFPs are fascinated by new ideas, both in terms of developments in fields they are already familiar with, and when new subjects come along."

"If there's a challenge ENFPs face when selecting a career, it isn't that they lack talent or options or drive, it's that there are so many things out there that are just cool."

Weaknesses
 
"Find it Difficult to Focus - ENFPs are natural explorers of interpersonal connections and philosophy, but this backfires when what needs to be done is that TPS report sitting right in front of them. It's hard for ENFPs to maintain interest as tasks drift towards routine, administrative matters, and away from broader concepts."

"Independent to a Fault - ENFPs loathe being micromanaged and restrained by heavy-handed rules - they want to be seen as highly independent masters of their own fates, even possessors of an altruistic wisdom that goes beyond draconian law. The challenge for ENFPs is that they live in a world of checks and balances, a pill they are not happy to swallow."

Above information from This Website

I think for me, I would be so much happier in school if I could have my creative outlet; sewing. The trouble is, I have no place do it which adds stress to the situation. If I had a studio where I could create, I honestly think my life would just be better. I need to try and achieve that, then the rest will be gravy. If only money were easier to come by!

Anyway, thanks for reading, I sincerely appreciate it <3

Here is the slip dress I made a while ago as promised

 I styled it bridal-y

 That lace panel is probably 80 years old! I LOVE it

 I think it would be perfect for an altesque bride, or an outdoorsy wedding

 The bustle/train is my favorite part

I always used to dislike my grey eyes until I was about 16. Then for some reason I changed my mind and decided they were awesome. Anne Shirley has grey eyes too :)

Hope you are all having a lovely week!

And P.S. if you are interested in the dress, I currently have it listed on Etsy: Slip Dress