i'm smitten

...by a knit stuffed animal. Did you see this Bobbi Bear on the Purl Bee? I am so smitten by him. Not sure why I've decided he's a boy, but I love how big and cuddly he looks and I think someone should make one for me.

I'll let the Little Miss cuddle with him too.

mrs. plaid

The Little Miss is not the only one wearing plaid around here. I found this dress at the thrift store and immediately loved the color (and the pockets!) and thought I could refashion it into a more wearable style. No offense if you like to wear ruffle-wings and sleeves big enough to store the contents of your purse in...


...but that's just not me. I couldn't decide between a toned down dress or a skirt. I went with the dress to see how it looks and this is the result - no more wings or purse-sleeves.


I still can't decide if its too "I'm wearing a picnic blanket." Maybe I just can't get the original out of my head. What do you think? Would it be better as a skirt?

new in the shop

I just added some of my favorite clothes ever to the shop! I am dying over the sun pocket on those overalls. You have to check them out. Thanks!

little miss plaid

The Little Miss got a bad cough and cold the end of last week. As much as I hate it when she is sick I can't help but enjoy the time I get to myself while she takes much longer naps than usual. Like 5 hour naps - I know, awesome, right? (don't think I am a bad mother). So I took advantage of my free time by putting this fabric I found at the thrift store to use. I know I saw a dress made out of a similar plaid somewhere in the vast internet that gave me the inspiration, but it is long lost to me now.

I used a pattern I already had for a simple, plain dress and tweaked it a bit to add in the pleats (see below), then I changed the direction of the grain of the fabric for the hem panel and sleeves. I love how it turned out although the neck is a little too small so she'll grow out of it sooner than I would like her too (for some reason I thought the pattern I was using was a size 2, but it was a size 1).

Fabric - $2 divided by 3 (because I could probably squeeze another two dresses out of the leftovers).
Zipper - already owned
Total Cost = $0.67

That's why I love thrifting.

How to tweak your pattern to add front pleats:
Tape pieces of paper together until you have a piece of paper big enough to trace the front piece of the pattern you are tweaking with room to spare along the fold line. Trace around the outer edges and bottom. Where the fold line is measure out about 2-3"* at the top neckline and 1 1/2"-2 1/2"* at the bottom hem. Then using a ruler connect the lines. Now you have your own pattern piece that you can use over and over again!


*These measurements worked well for my size 1 pattern for 3 box pleats. You'll have to adjust them for different sizes or depending on how many pleats you want to add and how big you want them. I just wanted to share with you the general idea of how to do it! Oh, and I would recommend ironing your pattern first, I know mine is all wrinkled in the picture.

thrifted goodies :: cameras

I found both of these cameras at the thrift store this week. I think I might be starting a vintage camera collection without consciously choosing too. I just love the way they look, I love the imperfect beautiful pictures they take, and I love imagining all the memories they may have captured over a lifetime of use.


I wasn't sure if the Polaroid worked, but it made a funny sound when I opened the top like the flash was powering up. I was playing around with it while the Little Miss was eating her lunch, opening up compartments and pushing buttons when - Click! Flash! - a picture came rolling out! I'm not sure who was more surprised, me or her. I had no idea there was still film inside.


I don't know much about this Kodak Brownie Starmite but I did find out it was made from 1960-63 and uses 127 mm film. So, if I can get my hands on some film we can see if it works (although I have a feeling this one wasn't used very much so it should be in working condition). I love the box.

i was thinking of you... month two

Husband and I before our Valentine's date

February:

I made Husband a mix with all new music so he could discover some new favorite bands. I had a lot of help from a good friend who keeps up-to-date with the music scene (you were a life saver, thank you!). Husband loved it! I also made him a card with a really long mushy letter inside because I sure do love him.

Husband took the hint and printed out the card I loved. Then he pulled out a six page script entitled, "The King's Daughter, Act 1." He had written out the funny and sweet stories of our dating life up to the point where we fell in love! (King is my maiden name, thus the title). I was laughing, crying, and beaming as he read it aloud to me. He wrote it like a fairytale with me as the young maiden and him as the handsome gentleman coming to my rescue. Here is the part about our first kiss:

'He held her close in a gentle embrace and reveled in the perfect moment. He looked into her eyes and saw that she returned his affections and (though the girl would likely deny this) looked at his lips longingly. The young man understood the subtle hint, drew closer to her, and in a moment of amorous affection, their lips met and they shared a heavenly kiss.'

Pure poetry! :) I really love it and am so glad to have these memories written down. I can't wait for the many, many Acts of our life to come!

Note: Husband and I sat down at the beginning of the year to write down our goals. We broke down our lives into different categories one of which was 'our relationship.' Among other things, we decided to surprise one another each month with a small gift or act of service that costs little to nothing. The point being that we would be thinking about the other person and how we could make life for them a little easier, love them a little more, or make them happy in some little way. Because sometimes its hard to forget about yourself. So this is a series of posts documenting how we do - partly to make sure we do it.

See month one here.

a valentine for daddy

I helped the Little Miss make this cute Valentine for her daddy. She had the most important job - scribble all over a piece of paper! I gave her a piece of graph paper so the lines would help fill in any gaps (like above on the legs where there isn't much crayon coverage). Then I printed out the deer outline, hearts, and message on card stock. I cut out the deer (don't look too closely at my cutting job!), folded the card stock in half, put her drawing in between, and glued it all together.

I think he'll love it.

baby bean vintage daywear

Today I am dreaming of warmer weather, especially since spotting the Baby Bean Vintage Daywear Spring/Summer collection. I can't wait to dress the Little Miss in cute dresses and rompers and I would love to stock her closet with these one-of-a-kind creations made from vintage fabrics.

p.s. I am loving the plaid tights and ankle boot combo in the middle right pic, are you?

(all images from Baby Bean Vintage Daywear)

hearts on a string

I've been trying to brush up on my crochet skills and this weekend I made some hearts on a string for a little bit of Valentine's Day decor.

I decided to go with natural and gold thread instead of pink or red so I could leave it hanging up all year long. In order to keep the hearts flat I sprayed them with hairspray on both sides.

Husband proposed to me on V-day three years ago so we always celebrate with a mini-reenactment of that night by going to the same sushi restaurant and making chocolate covered strawberries at home for dessert. Maybe this year we will dance under the stars again too.

Are you doing anything special for Valentine's Day?

new in the shop

All of these adorable dresses and more are now available in the shop! Thanks for stopping by!

free lovelies: be mine, valentine

I've already sent Husband a big hint to download this gorgeous Valentine's Day card designed by Carolynn of Two Brunettes. It comes with a matching envelope as well and I think it is perfection.


(via how about orange, via ruffled)

weekend snapshot: through diana

These pictures were actually taken over New Years weekend when we were down south, but I just got the film developed. Husband gave me a Diana F+ for Christmas and I was so excited to use it... turns out I over-exposed pretty much the whole b+w roll, and most of the color roll (I swear I read the manual front to back). But I got a few good ones at least. I guess I'll just have to practice and learn from my mistakes!






Have any Diana picture taking tips to share? I would love to hear!


p.s. In case you were wondering the polaroids from this post were created using this