Shaking in my Boots

   You won't be able to tell by these pictures, but it was cold this day. Really cold. And I don't use italics lightly. About five seconds after the photos I was back inside in jeans and a sweater. That February sunshine is lovely, but a bit deceptive!

It was nice to wear a new dress I bought from Ruche (on sale!) for at least a little while though. I can't wait for warmer weather, because this dress has a lovely lace back it will be fun to show off. Preferably in a field full of wildflowers, or some windy cliffs above the sea (what, its my daydream!).

Does anyone else pick their clothes this way? Daydreaming might not be the best plan, but on the other hand if the scenario is honestly too silly to be realistic, I can usually talk myself out of the vintage evening dress-stilletos- absurdly large hat that would have been mostly for decoration anyway. 

With all these indoor hours to use up, I've been doing a bit of creating. I've made curtains, an apron, some necklaces and these little hairclips, They are made with broken bits of jewelry and a shell I picked up on beach.

What is everyone else doing while they are stuck inside?

Black and White and Kind of Freezing

Do you guys remember the silly old joke- Whats black and white and red all over? A newspaper! (red=read) I don't think I've heard a new joke in a while. Not even the knock knock joke from a little brother who is out to entertain himself with our groaning. Or the wincing double whammy of a inappropriate one from grandma!  

Have you guys heard any good ones lately? Or some bad enough to cause some good groaning? Anyway, this outfit is another almost entirely thrifted one, although the sweater is from Ross, which amounts to something like the same. I love being able to find unique things like this belt, that aren't necessarily in fashion this moment and wouldn't appear in regular stores.

Unfortunately I needed to tighten it and I didn't know, so its hanging pretty low and loose in these photos! I am looking forward greatly to being able to wear this dress without a sweater this summer, maybe with a pair of red sandals... 

Anyway I hope its not so rainy were you are now, and have a wonderful Sunday!

Bricolage

bri·co·lage

ˌbrēkōˈläZH,ˌbrikə-/

noun

1. (in art or literature) construction or creation from a diverse range of available things.

   "the chaotic bricolage of the novel is brought together in a unifying gesture"

   • something constructed or created from a diverse range of available things.

     "bricolages of painted junk"

   
   
2. The above is a good description of the contents of this post. A little bit of everything from this busy very week! Which includes-

A box of marvelous family photos from my grandmother. It is fascinating to see the way features pass from person to person, and the changes life makes to that canvas.

Hooray for summer! I am trying to replace as much of my normal diet as possible with peaches, while they are in their glorious peak.

We are trying to absorb all the other joys of summer too, with lots of long walks, and ice cream! Ice cream sandwiches made with sugar cookies and homemade raspberry jam, specifically.

 All the sun makes me feel like wearing the brightest things I own.

Have a wonderful day! 

Twirling

This skirt makes me feel like a Little House on the Prairie character! Laura or Mary, not Nellie. Giant poof sleeved monstrosities of Easter dresses remind me of Nellie. I love the way this skirt moves. It fans out and flutters just from walking, which looks lovely with the swirls of color.

Later in the day Chris and I escaped to the beach for a while, to look for driftwood for a project. We had to snap a few pictures of the skirt doing its thing in the wind. 

I am wondering how hard it would be to make a skirt like this, the individual components seem fairly simple! As my sewing skill increases a bit, I am starting to break down every garment I look at mentally. 

I would love to be able to sew all my own clothing eventually.  There's Little House on the Prairie for you. 

Fringe

I only have a couple of pictures today because the neighbors felt this was the most interesting thing going on. The irony of putting pictures on the vast internet and being self conscious about being watched doesn't escape me. But to be fair you guys get to skip the part where I trip over a broom, curse like a sailor and accidentally set the flash off in my face, while getting a good bewildered one eye picture. 

Okay, I might watch that too.  Anyway, this top is from Ross. It serves no particular purpose, but it is sure fun to look at. Its a bit like that William Morris quote: "Keep nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." I've seen a few of these sweet lacy shirts lately and manages to resist, but this was just too lovely. 

The necklace is from an estate sale, and it has little etchings I wish showed up more.

Have a wonderful day! 

Apricot

This was a risky dress. It sat at Goodwill for three weeks, tempting me, but with stains right on the front. Still it was such a lovely color, and set off perfectly by its golden swirls, that I finally gave in. Luckily my Grandma (confirmed expert on possibly everything) had the perfect solution. Dawn dish soap, applied directly and left to sit for two days!

And its gone like it never was! Sadly this does not work on all stains. I have a beautiful turquoise off the shoulder dress I've been wrestling with for a year. I've even dyed it with no success! But I can't bear to get rid of it because its so darn pretty. Sigh.

I am still however, incredibly happy with this one. I added a necklace I made myself, a thrifted henley, and some perfectly old fashioned leather heels.

And the belt from the infernal dress-which-will-not-unstain. So there is some consolation anyway.

I love the way this looks with the light shining through it, and there is plenty of beautiful light today.

We are off on an exciting spice hunting adventure in Olympia! Hope you have a marvelous day! Any tips on stain removal?

Home Sewn

 I made a dress! I've made a few skirts and smaller items, but this is the most ambitious thing so far. There are a few things I'd do differently, like measure instead of guessing size. Initially it was a bit big, and altering the sides may have changed the shape some. Overall though, I'm happy and excited!

The fabric came from a rummage sale, in a huge box with other vintage fabrics for $3! Up close it has a lovely sheen and texture, and is the perfect old fashioned shade of warm pink.

I think that next time I will combine the skirt portion with the bodice from another pattern. Any advice for an amateur seamstress?

My boots are JCPenny! They are also on sale at the moment...

In Color

So until I looked at the photos, I was not aware that my dress and this wall were the same color! This mural in Aberdeen, Washington is one I've passed many times, and decided today to check out in detail. It is definitely the first I've seen to include both flappers and Ninja Turtles.

It is not, by a great distance, the oddest piece of art in the area. There are actually a great number of murals in town, which is something I love!

 It was early enough on a weekday that not too many people were passing through, which is lucky as this still makes me a bit self conscious.

Especially if I had know I had bright pink bra strap popping out all over. Sigh. This dress is a fairly simple one, but with an interesting back. I like this because it makes a nice canvas for interesting jewelry, and will be impervious to trends

Because I'm long past growing (more sighs) I am trying to focus on things I love enough to keep forever, and of nice enough quality to last so long. 

This part of town is one I will certainly have to explore further! 

Although I am hoping there are not too many more of these unwholesome looking clowns. (Are there wholesome looking ones?)

Patched Knees

I am really, really hard on my knees. I enjoy longboarding, and am spectacularly klutzy even without wheels. Every picture of me as a kid (and okay not as a kid) includes skinned knees. And paint I missed somewhere, but that is another story.

So it is a very good thing I enjoy sewing, because patching things creatively can be even more fun than getting them in the first place! This doily has been floating around waiting for the perfect project for years, and finally I failed to notice a curb at Safeway. That sentence may not occur very often...

The doily was just stitched around the outside on my machine, though the inner parts could be stitched down in pretty thread for a cool design element. 

With a few thrifted items added I had a good outfit for a lazy Sunday in the sun. Oddly I think that pants with a giant doily on the front will probably match my entire wardrobe.

Its fun to imagine where this necklace came from originally. Maybe from a bustling, spice scented bazaar somewhere...

I hope you have a wonderful day, and retain all the skin on your knees!