I decided to go for it! I used two different flowers for two different tortoise shell hair combs, just to see which turned out the best. Which flower is your favorite?
I also bought additional black flowers, red berries for holiday hair accessories, and a set of bright, glittery gold birds with the greatest feathers.. what do you think I should make with them? I am open to suggestions!
Still working on my block printing project.. printing is harder than I thought! Cutting the linoleum block is taking me hours, which means I've been watching a lot of movies.. I'm sure it'll be worth it in the end.
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Yesterday, Neil and I drove down to my parent's to visit with Rhi and our grandparents. Our grandma hasn't been doing well lately, so Rhiannon drove over from Georgia to visit her.
Our grandma has lung cancer that has recently spread to her hips and spine. She has been under hospice care for close to a week now, and thankfully, she doesn't have a lot of pain. When we saw her, she joked around with us and seemed happy to see us - which made us glad, since we didn't know if it'd be a good day or a bad day. It felt good to hug her petite little shoulders and it felt REALLY good to say I love you.
The bright side to all of this sadness in our family right now is a new perspective - we all appreciate the time spent with each other even more. And my aunts and uncles have been visiting, which means my mom and dad have enjoyed a lot of good family time, too. Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and when it comes, I think all of us will be truly, genuinely thankful.. I can't count how many Thanksgivings have gone by without feeling what it was about - just a good day with great food. This Thanksgiving will be different, I think. I've really been blessed with an awesome, loving, supportive family.
I'm actually wearing my Halloween dress in these pictures. I couldn't wait to wear it out after Halloween.. I guess I couldn't even wait til after I posted about our Halloween festivities. But there will be a post, wig and all, of Halloween, I promise!
Later on in the day, Rhi and I went to Goodwill.. It's always fun to go to Goodwill with my sisters, because they take almost as long in there as I do. I found a great leather jacket for Neil and an awesome 70's mini dress for me. It makes me look like I belong in Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band or maybe in a marching band or something. And I absolutely love it.
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Photos by Neil!
Red and White Check Skirt with Lace - Handmade
Faux Fur Collar - H&M
White Ruffle Blouse, Skinny Belt - Forever21
Red Bow Tie - Flea Market
Polka Dot Tights - Target? I can't remember
Moccasin Bow Wedges - Urban Outfitters
We've had a string of gorgeous days lately!
My plans for today include cleaning the house up a bit, playing Belle and Sebastian on the piano, and walking over to Local Honey to do some birthday shopping. Then tonight, we're having some friends over and Neil's making pizza with prosciutto!
And in the morning.. I see my sister, who is driving up today!
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It's November.. which means the holidays are fast approaching! I'm planning some great holiday additions to the shop in the next few weeks (including the lovely 50's cocktail dress and gingham deadstock dress I posted about earlier). So in order to make room, I took a shop update break and I've marked down a lot of my shop items - including everything above, as well as this pretty 1960's swiss dot dress and the greatest blue gingham picnic skirt. Everything is $30 or under!
Not only that.. but everything in the sale section gets an additional 20% OFF this week only! Head over to the shop and take advantage of this deal soon!
Halloween was a lot of crazy fun, and I can't wait to post about it when I get pictures from my sister. The Avetts dressed up as the Three Amigos, and I got to meet their adorable opener, Nicole Atkins, after the show! Have any of you heard her sing? Because she is ridiculously fantastic.
Besides the craziness of Halloween, something else happened this weekend for Neil and I.. yesterday was our first wedding anniversary! It's been a year? It can't be true - partly because I'm so used to sleeping next to him and eating dinner with him and sharing a house with him by now that it can't be just a year, and partly because it's all flown by and it seems so short that it can't be a full year.
I'm a big marriage fan. I've never been more myself or more FREE, or more ambitious. Or more happy.
I thought I'd post a few wedding pictures from last year to celebrate with you guys! Yay for love, for celebration, and for great cake.
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Photos by Neil!
Peach Lace Dress - thrifted
Black Bow Tie, Zodiac Boots - thrifted (gifts from Rhi!)
Black Crinoline - Western theme store in Nashville
Brown Skinny Belt - Forever21
Yay for Goodwill dresses and pastels in October!
Just a couple nights ago, Neil and his band had a show at Cafe Coco, this hippie trendy spot in downtown Nashville. We drank awesome coffee, listened to awesome music, and hung out with awesome people.
Look at all of these cute kids.
It's my favorite holiday today (well, second to Christmas.. it's hard to beat Christmas)! HAPPY HALLOWEEN, everyone!
Neil and I have big plans tonight to go out to eat with a group of friends and then head over to the Ryman for an AVETT BROTHERS SHOW.. Last New Year's, we were in North Carolina to celebrate at their concert, and it was crazy. I'm hoping for the same amount of craziness (plus a multitude of cool, hopefully creative costumes) tonight.
--------------------------------------This past weekend's Tennessee flea market was one of my absolute favorites. It was filled with interesting booths and even more interesting people (I had a long talk with a musician who played with Lawrence Welk and Jackie Gleason, met Ella Fitzgerald, and dated Dinah Shore.. and is now selling a book about it). The whole place was filled with stories.
(I'm drinking a homemade eggnog latte right now. That's got to be breaking some pre-Halloween rules. I had to say that.)
Here are my flea market finds from this weekend!
Vintage tree ornaments in pretty shades.
Wonderful old sheet music (I'm an Edith Piaf champ now), a cute child's bow tie, and the BEST deadstock 80's heels (courtesy of Aria's booth).. they were exactly what I was looking for in a heel, they fit me perfectly, and I'm loving them already.
Two vintage dresses - both not my size, sadly, which means they're hitting the shop on Monday. The 50's cocktail dress has glorious velvet trim, and the gingham jumper dress is deadstock.
Tons and tons of lace. And vintage velvet ribbon! I know my next crafting project.. I'm going to use that baby blue lace trim in the back of the photo, find a black velvet dress at the thrift store, throw some elastic in, and make a tiered lace trimmed skirt with it.
Here is my new fur cape I mentioned in my last post! My mother in law Nancy bought it for me, and I'm so thankful.. it's exactly what I wanted. I think it's from the 30's or 40's. A rough old woman with the greatest Eastern European accent sold it to us, saying that she found it at an Indiana estate sale. The woman who had owned it also had a seal fur that was custom made for her, and this was another custom fur (although I'm an idiot when it comes to furs and I have absolutely no idea what animal it came from). I feel like Lauren Bacall when I wear it.
I also found a fantastic Brownie Starflex camera with a flash and film still inside! It's sitting above our White Stripes poster on the wall.. which puts our vintage camera collection number at three.
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Photos by Neil!
Floral Ruffle Dress - Urban Outfitters
Mustard Cardigan, Black Lace Up Heels - H&M
Ivory Bow - Handmade
Yesterday felt like an inside day. I didn't want to do anything but sit on our couch, light a pumpkin spice candle, drink black coffee (ok, coffee with soy creamer, which rocks), and read.
Although.. these pictures are a bit misleading. I headed to the thrift store with Neil not long after they were taken. Thus, the shoes.
When I did get a chance to read later in the day, though, I picked a couple of books filled with images that never fail to inspire me - images drawn by Aubrey Beardsley, an English artist from the late 19th century.
I fell in love with Aubrey Beardsley's drawings during my Irish Renaissance class in college. We learned all about the incredible Oscar Wilde, which made me learn about his play, Salome, which introduced me to Beardsley's artwork for it.
Beardsley's work is so unique, kind of whimsically off balance. The women in his drawings, even the ones intended to be beautiful, are never altogether perfect or symmetrical. He gives many of his characters a cartoonish edge, but still manages to make their clothing romantic and almost ethereal.
He was also a bit of a rebel, drawing plenty of erotic images - all filled with nudity. Often, he would have to redraw an image for a book due to the graphic nature of the illustration. He was quoted as saying, "I have one aim - the grotesque. If I am not grotesque, I am nothing."
This all changed towards the end of his life. Beardsley converted to Catholicism. Rebel no more.
I have two books of Aubrey.. one is a compilation of his drawings and another is specifically his Le Morte d'Arthur work, which he completed over 200 drawings for. He drew Le Morte d'Arthur when he was only 20! Sadly, all of his work happened within five years of that beginning achievement, because he died of tuberculosis at 25.
When you have a chance, look up pictures of Beardsley. His side profile is memorable - he has a distinct, sloping face that makes me happy inside.
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My costume for the Avett Brothers' Halloween show is all set! Neil and I are going as Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan from The Great Gatsby.. I've been searching for flapper costumes, but they're all expensive and they all look the same. So, I decided to make my own.
I started with a vintage slip and a sheet I bought at a thrift store. I cut two strips from the sheet - which has a great black, brown, and orange tan floral pattern to it - and sewed them onto the end of the slip for a ruffle, drop waist effect. So, so easy.
For a head piece, I already had most of my work finished. I bought a sequined bow band from Forever21 a few months ago, and I never wear it.. maybe because it's uncomfortable or maybe because I like regular headbands best. I decided to use the bow band for my 20's head piece, taking feathers, cutting their tips into sharp triangles (a bit Art Deco), and gluing them onto the back of the bow.
I love the colors. I already love mixing black and brown but with the oranges and creams, it really reminds me of autumn. And I still can't believe how easy it all was! It probably took me an hour to have it finished, if not less.
What do you guys think? I'm going to add some long gold chain necklaces, but I've also considered adding feathers to something - maybe the neckline or the ruffle skirt, or maybe to a necklace, but I don't want it to look overdone.
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My latest crafting project! I, like most bloggers lately, have really fallen in love with the new Lula issue. I wanted to interpret the styles through some form of creation, so I decided to do my favorite thing - make hair pieces.
I made three hair pieces that were inspired by beautiful Lula photos (I'm actually working on another, but it's not so ready yet. Darth Vader is modeling it for now). Here is what I ended up with, from some of my favorite articles and shoots of Lula's latest issue..
Red feathers and vintage velvet bow. I sewed it onto a metallic hair clip in the back.
Soft pink bow headband with vintage lace.
Gold headband with royal blue rosettes. I made the little blue flowers by cutting thin scraps of fabric (from a nightgown I hemmed), rolling them into roses, and gluing them.
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Photos by Neil!
Racing Green Wool Skirt - Vintage (gift from Ash!)
Cream Ruffle Tie Blouse - Target
Cut Out Oxford Heels - Urban Outfitters
Cream Polka Dot Knee High Stockings - American Apparel
Brown Skinny Belt - Forever21
Red Velvet Ribbon - Vintage (yard sale)
This past Monday, Neil and I took a trip to Centennial Park, namely to see the sun set on Nashville's Parthenon - and to take these blog pictures there. Ever since I posted my cold weather wish list last week, I've wanted to try out a frizzy, romantic hairstyle, so I crimped my hair a bit, pinned my bangs back, and tied a red velvet ribbon in my hair. I'm going to vary it up a bit next time.. I want to make hair bow clips out of that lovely velvet ribbon and braid my hair on the side, and I also want to try a loose up-do with frizzy, silent film hair - a bit like this pretty Victorian hairstyle.
The wool tulip skirt was a happy accident.. my sister Ash had found the skirt in a thrift store and when she washed it, it shrunk. So, she gave it to me! I hemmed it a bit shorter and now it might be my favorite new item in my closet.
After Centennial Park, we crossed the road and had a Borders date!
Monday was also the day that Neil heard some good news.. he interviewed for a seafood position at Whole Foods last week, and he got it! This has been a dream of his for awhile now.. I swear he's applied to fifteen different positions at Whole Foods in the past few months. What he really wants is to become a Whole Foods regional buyer or specialist, so he can be in charge of choosing which wine or cheese or produce the store sells. Now that he's working there, he's one step closer to his goal!
And that's good news for me, too. We now get 20% off everything at Whole Foods. All of that fantastic cheese just became a little bit more accessible.
It's fulfilling to know that both of us are on a path towards doing what we absolutely love.. and in the meantime, feeling content with where we are. So while we were at Borders, Neil looking through cookbooks and me looking through fashion magazines and Joseph Campbell books, things felt right. That sort of feeling you get when you're surrounded by things that you identify with, that are a part of you. Coffee, folklore, fashion, Neil. To be yourself and to be complete - nothing beats that.
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