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

I Wish I Could Just Bake All Day

So the other day the word gâteau was rolling around in my head. I don't know why, exactly, but I just adore that word. Cake is so....boring. Gâteau is fancy. It is french after all, and whenever people want to be fancy, saying things in French seems to be par for the course. I made the mistake of looking recipes up on Pinterest, and found something that would fit the bill. "Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Cake". Yes, that is a thing, and yes I made it. It took about 4 hours, and was certainly a labor of love. 

Here is the finished product:

Yes, it tasted as good as it looks. Here is what is in it; 2 round chocolate cakes, one pumpkin cheesecake, chocolate ganache, and pumpkin icing. Soooo good

In other news, I have some photos of an outfit I wore the other day. Wearing full vintage to school can be a little daunting. I stick out sorely in a mid length velvet skirt amid a sea of spandex and hoodies (I am not knocking this outfit choice as I have been known to rock this look, but I'm just sayin). This outfit felt very 40's/50's co-ed to me. I am a co-ed after all!

 I went to an antique store today just for a look-see. I ended up with two 50's dresses that I am not too sure will fit me. I eyeballed them because I don't carry a measuring tape in my backpack as I had just been at school. Oh well, if they don't fit, I could always list them in my Etsy shop, or lose those 15 pounds I have been meaning to :)

Outfit:
Red Pendleton Sweater: Thrifted
Black Velvet Skirt: Clothing sale
Necklace: Made by my sister
Socks: vintage
Shoes: Minnetonka

Trip to Norway!

Okay, so the reason I was relatively mum on the blog was because of all the traveling I was doing. This summer I had an opportunity I couldn't pass up....a trip to Norway! Thankfully since I had about a month long stint as a babysitter, I could afford a ticket, but I never would have dreamed of being able to pay for accommodations. Of course the whole great opportunity was the fact that I was offered a place to stay. It's a really long, complicated story, but the short version is, a friend of a friend of a friend invited me to dinner (while visiting said friend and friend of friend) and she happened to be from Norway and cordially invited me to come stay with them. She has a house in Norway and goes every summer.

Anyway, it's late and I am tired, so this will mostly be pictures, enjoy the beautiful-ness :)

 The crosswalk sign man was fancy!!

 I drank this water (from top of mountain spring) and it was amazing. Best water ever. For real

 This gorgeous place? Rest stop!

 Tiny door in lighthouse house. (Lista lighthouse, Farsund)

 Making chocolate mousse in a Norwegian kitchen (complete with metric measurements lol)

 You can't really make it out, but that was a double rainbow!

 Fjord 

 Guess where this was taken? :)

 A lot of houses there has grass growing on the roofs!

 Hiking on Preikestolen (preacher's pulpit/chair)

 Lake on top of mountain, with dog (after this, some people jumped in, but it looked cold)

 Fjord view from Preikestolen

 Me being danger

 I was standing on a rock

"Cliff diving"

Sadly, I did not pack any vintage. I knew I was going to be doing a lot of outdoor/physical activity, so I figured it wasn't worth the risk. Unfortunately since Norway is a rather wealthy country, everything is expensive, and there really isn't much in the way of vintage. I did, however find a cute dress from the 40's for 40 krone (roughly 7 bucks) and some pretty and really old ( I think) lace. I will have to do an outfit post with the dress, even though it is pretty damaged. I mostly bought it as a souvenir, but I may be able to fix it up a bit. 

Anyway, 2:30 in the morning is when people like me (any people) should be sleeping! 

Night. :)

Baking Magic

Okay, well maybe it wasn't actually magic. Maybe it was actually chemistry. But still.

Today I walked by my pantry and saw 4 jars of peanut butter. That's right 4. Who even does that? We do. We are a peanut butter loving family. I also saw baking chocolate in the cupboard and thought to myself, "Self, you are going to make some peanut butter and chocolatey goodness today." And that is precisely what I did.

Took photographic evidence too of course :)

 Vintage Pyrex mixing bowl!

The apron is one I made for myself 2 years ago. When I was little I always wanted a pinafore like the one Alice wore in Alice and Wonderland......Only with more ruffles (hence my blog name, I always wants more ruffles!) This apron blends perfectly my love of Alice, 40's fashion, ultimate girliness, and baking.

I wish you could taste these through the screen. Absolutely divine. When I took a bite I made lots of noises and said "ohmygosh". That is when you know a recipe is a keeper.


Stay tuned for Norway trip post! :)