shop update! black knit mini dresses with lace collars

Just a sample of what will be in the shop super soon.. knit mini dresses, velvet and denim, a black silk blouse, high waisted trousers with pleats, and a few more - including faux fur and peter pan collars.

UPDATE: All pieces now in the shop!

Happy Monday! Sharing a quick and easy sewing project with you tomorrow.

shop update! prairie dresses and striped denim overalls

1970's Pastel Gunne Sax Floral Dress

1990's Railroad Stripe Denim Overalls

Vintage Tea Rose Liberty Print Dress

1980's White Lace Edwardian Blouse

1970's Eyelet Lace Prairie Dress

Some magical things just added to the shop! I told you I've been hoarding a pile of prairie dresses in my sewing room.. and this is just the beginning, friends.

Right now, I'm sorting through some old American color photos from the late 1930's that I heard about via Julia Frakes. The colors and candidness are really something.. Georgia peaches, New Jersey slums, little church choirs filled with children in peter pan collars and no shoes. I might have to post them tomorrow.

Happy Tuesday!

on the road to kentucky lake

Photos by Neil!

Vintage White Lace Blouse, Black Leather Macrame Belt - Thrifted

1950's High Waisted Shorts - The Hip Zipper

Crocheted Knee Highs, Gray Felt Hat - H&M

1970's Black Strap Wood Wedge Heels - Crafty Crow Vintage

I'm back! And man alive, I've missed you guys.

My blogging break was uneventful, lazy, and just what I needed. I hung out with friends, had Borders dates with Neil, finished a computer game, and got bit by a chipmunk (really. I did.). Neil and I even spent a couple of days at his parent's houseboat in Kentucky, leaving our laptops at home. We explored the back roads, grilled out, and went antique shopping, where I found a rust colored 1940's dress and navy spectator pumps for just eight dollars each! Most of the time, though, we were on the boat. Falling asleep on the water is a wonderful thing.

See how beautiful Kentucky can be? I spent my growing up years in the country wishing to live in a city. Now that I live in Nashville, I find myself getting really excited and nostalgic when I run into country pastoral scenes like this. This outfit was inspired by a recent post my sister Rhiannon wrote, where she wore this magical white blouse with a pair of high waisted black shorts. I'm lucky to have stylish sisters to look up to.

Did I mention I did a whole lot of shopping while I was away? Quincy recently moved to Nashville, which means I have a new thrifting friend! And finds have been good. Of course, you find plenty of vintage when you don't really need it. I found railroad stripe overalls, navy and white patterned crop tops, floral 90's dresses with lace up backs, liberty print dresses with lace yokes, and my two favorite finds - a pair of denim jeans from the 70's with pastel yellow flowers and a 1970's autumn colored velvet mini dress. I'm planning on adding a peter pan collar to the mini dress, and I may or may not be converting the floral jeans into cut off shorts.

The shorts I'm wearing in these photos are another recent purchase. They'll be in the shop soon, as I'm not allowing myself to hold onto them for too long. They're from the 1950's, with a metal zipper on the side and a great shape to them. The glory of these shorts is they're reversible! The inside is a black and white gingham.

Shop update tomorrow! My sewing room is filled with prairie dresses that need to find new homes. As for other good news, I will be updating regularly every Monday night from now on.. every piece will be added the same day. And speaking of the shop, this 1940's powder blue striped dress and 1960's gingham sun dress have just been added!

You guys, I really do feel recharged and inspired again. I can't wait to share with you all of the ideas I've been having. Hope you all had a wonderful week!

etsy shop update.. white lace love.

Etsy update! The 1970's eyelet dress and romantic lace onesie are both up in the shop today! The bloomers and handmade ribbon and lace bow will be added later in the week, as well as a few more feminine things.

For the sake of natural light, I'm trying out a new shop backdrop this week.. a pretty brick spot on our porch. I wanted to test it out and get your opinions on the look. Do you think I should start shooting all my shop photos this way, or return to the old backdrop? Which showcases the pieces better?

Hope you all had a fun and uneventful Memorial Day weekend! We did the ceremonial grilling out tonight and finished with raspberry clafouti. Happy June, all.

edwardian hair and gunne sax red velvet

Photos by Neil!

Red Velvet and Lace Gunne Sax Dress - Thrifted

Black Lace Up Zodiac Boots -Tennessee Antique Mall

A Tennessee snow today!

Recently, I was looking at my sister Rhi's blog and came across this great old post of hers about the Edwardian actress Gabrielle Ray.. Ray's hair bewitched me a bit, so I wanted to try something similar with my own. It was surprisingly easy - I just twisted chunks of my hair and pinned them loosely to the top of my head.

The dress I'm wearing is a Jessica McClintock Gunne Sax dress that is ridiculously petite - I couldn't get it on until I trimmed the sleeves - but I absolutely love the red and white velvet and lace mix (especially with Valentine's Day coming up!). I thought it would be a perfect dress in the snow, so Neil and I did a mini photo shoot with it this afternoon.

When it snows in Nashville, everything - literally EVERYTHING - shuts down. Moms go to the grocery store the day before to stock up on food items, schools close sometimes 24 hours in advance just in case. I did some shopping for my store update on Monday this morning, and it only took about three blocks before we saw a car turned painfully on its side in the ditch. Two miles later and we had seen a total of five cars beaten by the roads.

But man alive, was it beautiful! It was one of those light, slushy snows that makes everything it touches seem weightless. And I love what snow does to the nighttime.. it's almost as bright as day out there. The sky's a reddish peach color and the ground is a stark white.

So besides a bit of shopping and some picture taking, Neil and I had a lazy day. Neil made a homemade chicken pot pie and we bought some light red wine to go with it, and I baked more muffins for dessert. Today was definitely a chicken pot pie and baked goods kind of day.

Do you have any fun weekend plans? (and random last note.. have you guys heard about Alexa Chung designing for Madewell? Velvet dresses, high waisted pants, peter pan collars, vintage children coats as inspiration.. does it get any better than that?)