I’ve always considered myself an introverted extrovert. I’m someone who feels pretty comfortable in social settings – I love meeting up with friends for a drink and have a blast at parties. But, I’m just as comfortable at home – I absolutely need my alone time and relish tinkering away at sewing tasks for hours in silence. Given what’s happening in the world at the moment, I’ve definitely been embracing the introverted half of myself a lot lately.
You never know what’s going to draw you to a certain piece. We all have a penchant for something. Some of us swoon for 1940’s shoulders, others for border prints, others for 1970’s flare. Regardless of how you choose to adorn yourself, there will usually be certain things that catch your eye in a garment that instantly make you start to style it about 8 different ways in your head.
There are a lot of things in life that come out of the blue unexpectedly and sucker punch you good. Tragedy can befall you when you least expect it, an sudden joy can hit you on a moment’s notice. I am definitely the kind of person who gets sucker punched by vintage on the regular. Scrolling lazily on IG or browsing Etsy, and suddenly all things come to a screeching halt. Heart pounding, palms sweating. You never know when or where it will come out of the blue.
We all have our sewing “wish list” pile (or at least I do). You know the one: where you have stacks of fabric and a box of patterns that you will one day make into something fabulous. It never happens all at once, but over years of collecting and planning, you turn around one day and realize your pile of plans and sewing ideas is now threatening to drown you. So, I was beyond ecstatic to work with Online Fabric Store to finally make a dent in that pile…
I’ve been making a concerted effort lately to try to acquire less – there seems to be a similar wave traveling through the vintage community, where a lot of ladies are trying to tamp down the feverish feeling of constant hoarding. We’re taking look at our wardrobes to hold onto the pieces we truly love, and part with those that we may have bought due to some combination of dopamine, FOMO, and vintage fever. I think it happens to most newbie collectors – the passion is fresh and the speed with which items fly off of the cyber shelves leaves…
This past weekend marked another Valentine’s Day – Mr. Dressed and I celebrated with our usual flare: getting fancy, a dinner at Manna (one of our favorite restaurants in town), followed by presents back at the homestead. And as we are barreling towards our 10 year wedding anniversary, I can’t help but marvel at how lucky I am to have found someone with whom I simply fit.
As a society, I generally don’t think we’re all that good at waiting. It hasn’t always been this way. I’m going to sound like one of those walking-barefoot-uphill-in-the-snow type of old ladies, but back in the days, pre-technology, I had to wait for a lot of things. Letters to arrive in the mail. A trip to the mall for a new pair of shoes. The latest episode of my favorite show. I used to be able to wait in line with nothing but my thoughts to entertain me. Nowadays, we can send off emails with lightning speed, grab a new…
Around this time last year, I interviewed the amazing Nikki Redcliffe. And she was everything I want to be when I grow up – confident, brilliant, and unapologetically fabulous. Whenever I feature a fellow vintage-loving lady, I get the fun part of trolling through their blogs or IG feeds for some of my favorite outfits they’ve shared. And Nikki’s feed is chock full of 1950’s swoon-worthy finery. I need to pause for a minute to wipe the drool…
As most of you guys know by now, as a little girl I had dreams of one day becoming a marine biologist. I know this is a common career goal for many-a-five year old, to later make way for other paths. But, I was one of those little girls for whom the dream stuck. From little girl to PhD Candidate to a fully fledged professor running my own lab. And to this day, I still can’t believe I get paid to do what I love…
I think sometimes we tend to find comfort in what we know – a certain vibe, a certain pace. And going outside of that comfort zone can be pretty jarring. Deep down, I think I always considered myself a city girl. You know, wise and worldly and all that. Even though the reality is, I’ve lived in a lot of different places, with varying degrees of cosmopolitan. Everything from a huge, bustling metropolis, with 8 million people crowding its streets, to a tiny fishing village, with little more than 500 people and a dairy. We’ve lived in the most isolated city…