I’ve always had a bit off a weakness for rose prints: especially rose border prints. So, awhile back, when Gertie had a collaboration with Michael Miller and released her “boudoir fabric” – a double border in black Pink rose and feather design – I didn’t even hesitate and scooped up both colorways. The first, was a luscious red and pink version I whipped up into a dirndl skirt. And this black and pink, which I knew would one day be destined for the perfect dress.
Every year, I put together a holiday wishlist to help my family navigate the treacherous waters that is Christmas shopping. I like to put a range of items on there, based on things that have caught my eye over the last few weeks. Inevitably, there is an item or two that I try to sprinkle a little extra fairy dust upon, perhaps to telepathically communicate just how enamored I am with it. Enter this most perfect blouse designed by Alex Vinash.
I remember watching Grease as a kid. I was always a huge fan of musicals (what can I say? People bursting into song really does it for me) and the poodle skirts had me at hello. As your quintessential “girl next door,” you might imagine I would dream of one day snagging the role of Sandy. But, I never liked the way she changed herself for a guy. Even at 15, I had the wherewithal to know that spandex and a boyfriend didn’t happiness make…
One of my most vivid childhood memories is of autumn. My grandmother had this massive maple tree in her backyard and every fall we would bundle into the car to her house to help her rake the leaves. I remember there were so many that I could stand almost knee deep in what had fallen to the ground. We would spend the afternoon raking them into even greater piles, jumping into the crisp signs of autumn with abandon. I remember moving them one pile at a time over the fence into the wooded area behind her yard.
There is no time that you miss the city quite like during a global pandemic. It started small: a twinge, a mild craving for the bright lights. It grew to invading my thoughts, with taxi cabs and bustling streets dancing before my eyes. And, much like when you tell yourself not to think of pink elephants, suddenly Pepto-Bismol tinted pachyderms are the only things stampeding through your brain: I need me some bright lights, big city!
You know how sometimes there’s a certain phrase or tv show or new app that you’ve never heard of before, and then all of the sudden 5 people tell you about it in one day? Well, I had been navigating my life and circle-skirt-making-mania very pleasantly, until one day I heard about the Cricut. Suddenly, without warning, came the deluge of readers and followers asking me if I had one and the hours upon hours of hand cutting I would save. And with a few simple clicks, I fell down the rabbit hole…
We have most certainly entered a time honored autumnal tradition: Sweater Weather. And I am happy to report, this delightful time of year even occurs in the South. While I love the gentle breeze of Spring and the warm evenings of Summer, there is something about weather that encourages you to bundle up and get cozy (minus the risk of frostbite) that gets me so excited. So, this time of year I inevitably start to scan the horizon for the perfect autumnal sweater.
I can get so committed to my love of appliqué circle skirts, that sometimes I forget how much fun it can be to make a beautiful dress. It always a good idea to flex your creative muscles now and then and step outside of that trusty circle skirt comfort zone. And given how dark and grey the world has seemed lately, it should be no surprise that I turned to the sunniest yellow floral border print I could find….
This is always the part of the semester where the exhaustion kicks in and you start counting down to fall break, visions of sloth-like movie watching and catching up on sewing projects dancing in my head. However, given this is no normal semester, I pretty much started the academic year already exhausted and, with fall break cancelled, there is no end in sight. The sloth-like movie watching and sewing, however, I still hope to fit in….
I’m not sure about you guys, but I’ve never been much of a hat person. And yet, I find myself wearing a lot of different hats lately. And not just the hats on this most amazing vintage dress from Trunk of Dresses. I have my Exhausted Professor hat. My Disillusioned with the World hat. And I’m sad to say, my Eternal Optimist hat has been languishing on a shelf, not worn for months.