Great (Holiday) Expectations

As November draws to a close, I look back on this year and I have much to be thankful for.  I also look ahead to the holiday just finished and the holidays still yet to come and again I am thankful with just a dash of excitement and a few expectations too.  We had three Thanksgivings this year--Three!  and after the first, I could tell my energy was waning.  But, I reminded myself of how quickly the time goes and how short the years are celebrating with a few elderly members of my family and I put my big girl pants on (extra stretchy for feasting) and did them all with a smile on my face.  It wasn't easy, but nothing worth doing ever is.

For the past few years I catch those little inspirational posts on social media about "forget about your Holiday expectations."  Certainly it's perfectly fine to unclench and enjoy your holidays, but there is balance to all things.  Personally, I find that when I put my expectations away, my energy goes with it and the holidays fall flat by all expectations, not just my own.

When my family was in its earliest years, I was the sole keeper of the holidays.  My spouse grew up without celebrating them and so had no nostalgia or affinity for them.  My children were babies and unable to contribute.  I relied heavily on my own mother to make up the difference for the first few years of my children's lives, but when we moved away it was suddenly all up to me. 

I was suddenly aware that any memories we made, any magic, any wonder, any love for this season began and ended with my own efforts.  Traditions are a mark of any great civilization, they're part of a rite of passage, they bring meaning and help us form our identities.  In other words, they matter-a lot!  And it's worth the effort to do things that matter.

Now, I can certainly admit that there were years when I did less and years when I did more.  It's ok to cut yourself a break; it's not ok to give yourself a free pass to phone it in.  I say this as much to myself as to others:  The holidays are here, so get off your duff and make this time magical, wonderful, memorable, but most of all, make it count.  It's important.  

Shopping Info:  GownTown Women's 1950s V-Neck Bowknot Swing Cocktail Dress-$37

A Selkie Inspired Pumpkin Dress

Fresh on the heels of my last sewing project, I began this Selkie Inspired Puff Dress in pumpkin fabric within hours of completing the previous one.  It was easier the second time around, but I'll admit I still have some kinks to work out.

I like this shorter version, but I also knew I had to hurry if I were going to wear this dress before the end of the season.  Fortunately I did get to wear it to one of our Thanksgiving get-togethers and others aren't nearly as critical of my sewing as I am, so it all worked out.

Since I had a little experience, the second time around sewing this style went much faster and was more enjoyable.  I'm already planning a third dress combining elements of both of these dresses and I do intend to give that bustier bodice another try but I'm not holding my hope too high.

Pumpkin fabric is old from Fabric.com Dress pattern is from Paperstxrs

Black Friday Grace

The day after Thanksgiving is one of my most favorite days of the year.  It has nothing to do with the Black Friday sales and everything to do with the fact that the house is still clean, the fridge is full of leftovers and I get to just hang out with my favorite people and relax.

There's still a little pumpkin pie and enough turkey for one amazing sandwich and the weather is just nice enough for a quiet amble along the forest path.  The leaves are rusty and clinging and the woods are calling.

I have a long-standing tradition of staying home on Black Friday and not getting trampled to death in the mad dash to buy bug TVs, but I do love a good cyber sale.  Which is why I keep an eye on all my favorite shops and VIVAIA is offering a special 20% off discount to my readers with promo code BLEU at checkout.

These Grace Pointy Oxfords-$99 from Vivaia look great with my boho style casual outfits, but I also love them with this little number I put together from J.ING.  I think it has some serious streets of Paris style to it and these shoes are definitely the icing, plus they're so comfortable and machine washable in case I step in some puddles along the way.

Vivaia shoes aren't just stylish and comfortable, they're also made of 100% recycled materials so they're eco-friendly, sustainable, and they make great gifts.

I'm really enjoying changing things up a bit with my style.  Vintage will always have my heart but it's nice to try lots of different styles and this outfit already has the approval of all the favorite fashionistas in my life.

Shopping Info:  Grace Oxford Loafers -$99 from VIVAIA.  Use Code BLEU at checkout to save 20% off your purchase, 

Top and trousers from J.ING

La Parisienne

Over time, most passions cool.  But, when it comes to vintage styles, I've found my love for them only grow deeper over the years and I feel more confident and more at home in these clothes than in just about anything else.  

To that end, I've been investing more in authentic pieces that will stand the test of time, including all the foundation garments.  For this particular outfit I decided to go head to toe vintage, complete with girdle and bullet bra for that authentic sweater girl look.

Of course, no outfit is complete without just the right shoes and these Parisienne Flats in Beige/Espresso-$122 from Charlie Stone's Autumn/Winter '21 collection are just that perfect blend of vintage style and modern comfort.

By the way, I love the way that Charlie cares about their environmental impact and these shoes always come wrapped in bag that is 100% compostable!

These shoes may very well be the crowning gems of all my vintage footwear, they're just too, too gorgeous and I could walk in them all day, they're so comfortable.

I know this may be a sensitive topic for some, but I also love the fact that Charlie Stone Offers both genuine Leather and Vegan options for their shoes.  As much as I prefer a no harm approach, when I was quite young I had a pretty serious accident which has permanently affected the way that I walk.

As a result of the way that my gait has changed, I carry all of my weight in one leg and this is never more obvious than when I buy PU shoes.  One shoes will be completely cracked and worn out within a few months while the other continues looking new.   I've found that my shoes last far, far longer when they're made of genuine leather.

If you haven't tried Charlie Stone Shoes yet, remember the holidays are just around the corner and this is the perfect time to put a pair of these shoes at the top of your wishlist.

Shopping Info:  Parisienne Flats in Beige/Espresso-$122 from Charlie Stone Shoes, Unique Vintage Rust & Wild Horses Farrow Sweater-$64, Pink Martini Skirt is Old

Making an Autumn Selkie Inspired Dress

At long last, I have completed my own version of the Selkie Dress.  It was quite an undertaking that pushed me to the very edge of my own skill and sanity.  It is finished, but was it worth it?

As much as I love the Selkie style, the bodice is a problem for me.  So I attempted to make my own less princess and more cottage version from cotton fabric.  Since I love the Ritz style I wanted the bustier style bodice and I used the pattern from Daria Pattern Making.  This pattern was inexpensive, well thought out and fairly easy to cut out.

It all fell apart at the cups on the bodice though and after several frustrating days spent pinning, basting, sewing, seam ripping, and repeating the process. I had to admit defeat, decided to scrap that bodice, and use a more simplistic version from Paperstxrs.

With the Daria pattern you could choose your size and the relevant portions of the pattern and only print those.  Not so with Paperstxrs.  100 pages later, I had to take up my entire living room floor to assemble and tape the whole pattern together because none of the pages were numbered so that I could just find the pieces I needed and only assemble those.  That process took me several hours and I counted it as a day of my project.

Apart from that, the Paperstxrs pattern was also inexpensive and watching the videos definitely helped me tremendously.  Like me, Paperstxrs disliked the short bodice and lengthened it in her pattern.  The result is so much nicer, I love this adjustment to the style.

Once I abandoned the bustier and overcame the pattern assembly, this project moved along rather quickly.  Of course, in the midst of all this, both my vintage and my more modern sewing machines gave up their respective ghosts for different reasons and I made a desperate call to my mom begging her to let me borrow her Kenmore machine from the 1970s.  If ever a machine had some battle scars, it was this one.  But, it functioned and mine don't at present and potentially never again, so I made do and got the project done.

After that hellish sewing task was complete, I decided to make another Selkie inspired dress with shorter sleeves and a shorter skirt.  Photos on that coming soon.

Now that it's all said and done, I can look back on this as a tremendous learning experience and I definitely can tell that my skill set has grown and improved, so a great big thank you to Paperstxrs and Daria for their videos and patterns.  I love this dress, it's just what I wanted and I think I'll make another that combines elements of the other two dresses and perhaps try my hand at making that bustier bodice again.

Shopping Info: Dear Stella Digital Little Fawn & Friends Autumn Ferns & Leaves Cream and velvet from Fabric.com

Happy (?) Accidents

This dress is really lovely and quite a gem in many regards, except for the fact that I didn't order it and didn't want it.  That's right, it's not at all what I ordered and I tried like crazy to stop its delivery and once that failed to return it.

It's an Etsy shop and everything is supposed to be handmade and yet this seller somehow totally got it wrong.  What bothered me most was the lack of communication and the fact that they shipped the dress even though I said I did not want it.  It felt like they were scamming me and trying to get a refund was like pulling teeth!

The shop stated that orders shipped in 3-5 weeks.  I had an event coming up in seven weeks, so I knew it might be a little close, but I figured it would be ok.  At four weeks I reached out and got an automated response that the seller was on vacation.  Normally a shop goes into vacation mode or at least has a notice saying that orders will be late.  This one had neither.  I started to worry.

I contacted them again multiple times and always got the same response that they were on vacation and would get back to me within two or three days.  I asked them to please cancel the order since it didn't look like it would make it in time.  No response.  I reached out to Etsy and they were NO help.  Finally, when my seven weeks was up, I contacted them and demanded a refund or I would file for one with PayPal.  Suddenly they contacted me and Oh!  The dress was ready but it didn't look exactly like the picture so they would wait to hear from me before shipping.

Within 24 hours I got the message, saw the dress and responded that I did not want the dress.  Ooops!  They had already shipped it and it was being sent DHL and they didn't require a signature so the only way I could refuse the package was to sit at home by my mail box and try to refuse it when DHL arrived.  I know this because I also contacted DHL and left a giant f#*king sign on my mail box that said I want to refuse ***** package.  And yet DHL delivered it anyway.

I did get my refund eventually though and offered to return the dress.  I even waited six months for the seller to send me the return info, but I eventually gave up and opened the package.  I must say that this dress is really lovely, it's just not at all what I wanted or ordered.

It fits well and is well made even if it wasn't what was advertised.  But, then again, Etsy has changed.  It's no longer the beacon of the small crafter and artisan.  It's become a hub of the same Chinese imposters as one can find all over the internet.  It's rare to find actual handmade goods on there anymore.  Beyond that, Etsy used to be very hands on in helping with customer problems, now it seems more like they have their money and they really don't care about the small businesses or the customers.  They don't care if it's full of cheap chinese goods or authentic hand crafted items.  They're not the same company anymore which is why I rarely shop there.  

So, even though I wasn't supposed to have this dress, in many ways it is a nice dress so I can't say that I would warn people away from the shop exactly, just really lower your expectations and you'll likely be fine.  And that's the end of my tale of woe even though this dress is gorgeous, it came at a higher price than I like to pay for anything.

All Creatures Thrifting

I've been watching the newest version of All Creatures Great and Small lately.  I'm a fan of James Herriot and read the illustrated versions of his animal tales to my children when they were younger, and this latest television adaptation is so very charming that I look forward to it at the end of each week.

Set in the 1930s-1940s of course I adore the fashion too.  I've noticed an abundance of Fair Isle sweater vests on the show on both men and women and it has tickled my fancy so I did a little thrift shopping and managed to find this cute little argyle number from ThredUp for about $20.  I think it lends a little of that All Creatures charm to my wardrobe, but the search will likely continue for some more authentic looking pieces, so this post is To Be Continued.........

Shopping Info:  Skirt from Chicwish, Vest from ThredUp, Use my link to sign up and save $10 off your first order.

One Dress: Two Outfits from J.ING

Another little lovely from my gift card to J.ING.  Admittedly it was a little difficult to layer this dress but I went for it anyway.

 

I've already worn this dress to work lots of times; it's just so comfortable and cute.  But, I also love it as a top.  I really wish they would just offer the top and skirt as separates.

Ah yes, this is the way I wear this dress to work--tights and a cardi and it is adorable.  So far, I have loved everything from J.ING, it's been just the right mix of cute, classy, and chic.

So, the cherry on top of all this is that after I got my three things with my $100 gift card from J.ING, I left reviews for everything and won another gift card.

Shopping Info:  Pollyanna Gray Mini Dress-$37 from J.ING, Similar Tights in Gold-$15 from WeLoveColors.com