Books, Books, and some more Books..

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I worship books in whatever form they come in.  For the longest time, I refused to get a kindle because I feared that it would interfere with the pleasure I derived from snuggling up in bed, turning the pages and smelling the delightful papery-ness that comes from a good book.  I was SO wrong.  Instant gratification.  Now I have stacks of books and a pretty substantial kindle library, and I couldn't be happier.  I thought I would share a few of my recent purchases with you..feel free to ask questions about them, I'm always happy to provide my opinion!

Amazon

I love the idea of constantly evolving.  One of my favorite stories about Benjamin Franklin is how he kept a log his entire life of the things he wanted to improve on and rated himself regularly to keep track of  how well he was succeeding.  I was so moved by this suggestion, that I started my own book to track my evolution.  One of my more recent yearnings is to change up my make-up routine and shake things up a bit.  Jemma Kidd is amazing.  (Also, if you're in the market for a make-up manual, Kevin Aucoin is a genius.)

Amazon

Fair warning..there are no patterns in this book.  It's more of a technical "how to" on sizing vintage knitting patterns (which you can find for free in abundance on the internet.  One of my favorite resources for this is freevintageknitting.com).  However, if you've often been frustrated by yarn selection or resizing of vintage patterns, like I have, this book is great.

Amazon

Another great vintage resource, this one DOES come with patterns (on cd).  I love how they put the looks together in this book.  The outfits are adorable.  You'll be seeing a pattern or two from this as part of the Create 365 project ;)

Amazon

..cause you can never have too many books about Marilyn..

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Great tips on signature looks of some amazing women!

This is just the tip of the iceberg (I have oodles more to read on my kindle and some great vintage books I picked up at a used book store a few weeks ago).  Now I just need another 10 hours in the day ;)

Hugs and Smooches,
D

The 1912 Project - Bloggers and Patterns

The 1912 Project is beginning to gain some steam!  Some of the patterns have been digitized and should be going out in the mail soon (I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for my first pattern to arrive!)

Today, I thought I would share some pictures with you of a few of the patterns that are part of the project, and also a list of the bloggers who will be participating.  (SUCH a talented group of folks.  I'm beyond delighted to be working with them!)

Here are some of the my favorite patterns shown on the VPLL 1912 Project blog;

Ladies Coat

Ladies Taffeta Dress

Ladies Simple Dress

Ladies Blouse

I think the Ladies Simple Dress may be my favorite ;)  My plan is to tackle these patterns as-is for the project and then do an additional post modifying each garment so that it's more wearable (For example, I would shorten the Ladies Coat to knee length, and the same with the Simple Dress.  The Ladies Blouse could be paired with a pleated skirt for a slightly nautical feel.  I think, depending on the fabrics used, they could all have a romantic feel that could be paired with more modern accessories for a totally wearable look!)

Here are some of the participants:
Annabellebumps
aestheticculture
After the Dress..
A Jew in the Rain
Are Clothes Modern
Arkivarie
A Sewing Machine and an Umbrella
Bank of Mom
Cation Designs
Costume Deeva
Domestic News
Fairy Gottmother
Gwendie's Quilts
Idle Hands..The Ms Fits Workshop
Kats Costumes
Ladyglo
Sabrina's Journal
Diary of a Mantua Maker
Many Sides of One Coin
Melodyejoy's Weblog
My Happy Sewing Place
Of Corset Matters
Down the Retro Rabbit Hole
Red Silk Thread
Sewing 1912 Again
Sewing the Titanic
Sewn Threads
Shoes are my Muse
TeresaCotter
The Devils Darning Needle
TheGoldenAgeofFashion
The Urban Pheasant
Victoria Wren

Looking forward to sharing my first pattern and fabric choices with you!

Hugs and Smooches,
D

P.S Fellow 1912 Bloggers, if you aren't on this list, please feel free to add yourself in the comments!  XO

Mutton Dressed as Lamb..

Next month (on New Years Day, to be precise) I will turn 37, placing me solidly in my "late 30s".  This has gotten me thinking about my style and if I should be making some changes.

Now, as a general rule, I do not think much about my age.  This could be due in part to the fact that I identify more closely with my personality than with my age, and partly because, courtesy of genetics (thanks Mum and Dad!) and copious application of sunscreen, I have a baby face that never really changes that dramtically.

Case in point..  Here is a picture of me 11 years ago with my eldest child.

..and here I am earlier this year with same child (on the left) AND my youngest child.

Kind of creepy in a "Picture of Dorian Gray" sort of way, right?

However, because my face never really got in my way, I've always dressed to suit my whims.  Part of what I love best about dressing vintage is that I have a veritable buffet of style to choose from.  Some days I wake up and feel inspired by the 20's, and other days I'm all about the 50's.  I like the casual looks of the 90's on occasion and sometimes I'm moved by the 60's.  Headbands, bows, Mary Jane shoes, it's all good.  I wear what feels right, with no consideration for age at all.

Which brings me to my point (and what has been weighing on my mind of late).  Should I change my style to suit my actual age?  Or should I dress to suit the age I appear to be?  Or, should I simply be brave enough to dress to suit my personality and to heck with propriety?

Some of the style icons I am fondest of have thrown propriety to the wind and chosen to stick to their "look".  Betsey Johnson, for example, looks just as spectacular and flamboyant at 70 as she did in her 20's:

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Or, another one of my favorite style mavens, Iris Apfel (90!), distinctly her own person with her fondness for bright colors, her signature glasses and no consideration for "age appropriate-ness", only for what suits her:

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Or even someone closer to my own age, Milla Jovovich (36), who has stayed true to her fun, vintage/indie style and even designs her own line:

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These women have all built a "look" that was uniquely them and then stuck with it over the years.  They paid no attention to their age or the trends, they were simply themselves...and maybe this is where the lesson I need is hiding.  Perhaps I don't need to concern myself so much with what is right for my age as I do with discovering my "signature" and incorporating it into what I wear.  My current style can be frenetic and all over the place and perhaps what would make me more comfortable as I get older is to refine, to clean out the things in my closet that don't really "match" my aesthetic, to get rid of the items I purchased because I thought they were fun at the time, but that never seem quite right when I wear them.

With that in mind, I plan to dedicate the coming year to discovering and defining my own style.  I will shop, sew, research and track down inspiration to help me become even more "Me".  I'll share each step with you all!  Lessons learned, techniques discovered and tips and tricks that help me along the way.  I hope you're as excited as I am :)

Hugs and Smooches,
D

A Few of My Favorite Things

Holy rainy day, folks!  I think my next blog post might need to be a tutorial on ark building..

For now, I'll let you in on a few of the things that brighten my rainy days :)

Vintage Fashion Library is an excellent resource for vintage patterns and dating vintage clothes.  Plus, it's just fun to look through ;)  (Another excellent resource is Fashion History Costume Treasury.)

My beloved Pinterest.  If you aren't using it yet, you don't know what you're missing.  It is totally addictive, and there are quite frequently funny little posts like the one above that make me chuckle.

I love this fabric from Fabric.com.  I haven't quite decided what I would use it for yet..perhaps a skirt?  Maybe a cute blouse?

Ravelry is amazing, whether you are a beginning knitter or an old pro.  There are thousands and thousands of patterns to choose from!

Odosketch..would you believe this sketch was done on a computer?  So fun for doodles!

Evernote..like virtual post-its.  I would forget half of my life without it!

vjunkies on ebay

Lilli Ann *sigh*.  I don't think I've ever met a Lilli Ann piece I didn't like.

The Glamourdaze channel on YouTube.  A must for vintage lovers!

Hope you have a wonderful Tuesday...I'm off to find my galoshes ;)

Hugs and Smooches,
D