Selkie Love Letters

The first of the Selkie Highland Fling dresses has arrived and this one came directly from Selkie and arrived only one week after the launch.  This is hopefully a sign that things are getting better after the chaotic spring launch.

I wore this dress to our family photo shoot this morning since it seemed to go best with the beautiful autumn colors and it worked quite well.  I wasn't planning on it, but I'm glad it arrived in time.

Quick review of this dress.  First of all, if you've ever done a Selkie launch then you know that it is a buying frenzy with the most highly sought after pieces often selling within minutes.  In light of that, there isn't really time to hem and haw over sizing.  It's best to get your measurements in advance and know the style you're after since different fabrics and styles fit differently.  So, I pounced on this dress in the size I've been buying since the sizing charted updated one or two collections ago and hoped for the best.

The dress consists of a cotton top layer and cotton lined bodice and two layers of printed silk organza lining the skirt.  It fits snugly at the waist only and I had the same difficulty that most people that have with the zipper getting stuck right at the waist, but aside from that, it fits as expected and I adore the print.

Just the right length for a mini and just enough bodice so that I have a shape, with a lovely print and the skirt too is just the right amount of fullness.  This is my first time trying the Beach Day Dress style, but I'm immediately a fan and will definitely get more.

If this first piece is any indication of the entire collection, then we are truly in store for wonderful things from Selkie's autumn collection.

Shopping Info: Beach Day Dress in Love Letters from Selkiecollection.com  Use code DOMXO, SAMMIIASH, or AFashionNerd (none of these are my codes) to save 10% off your Selkie Order, Crop Cardigan from MAK

Potions and Such

Well, well, the season of the Witch is upon us once more and I thought if I were going to get pics in any of my Halloween themed clothes I'd better do it soon.  As many of you who've visited my blog more than once know, I am a huge fan of cardigans and sweaters.  And, as some of you may know from my Instagram posts, I recently won a contest hosted by YeMAK Sweaters.  

The prize was a $1000 gift card to YeMAK.  The card was only valid for a couple of months and only good for one use, which meant if I went there and spent $30 of my gift card on a purchase then it was over and done, so I had to buy $1000 worth of sweaters at once.  Since I'm a longtime fan of MAK, I decided to go big and just buy as much as my gift card would get me.

Of course I purchased my favorite style of cardigan in every possible color and then I decided to try a few other things like embroidered pullovers, a sweater dress, and this cute little polka dot Peter Pan collar sweater which just happens to perfectly match my Witch's Brew Skirt from Retrolicious.

I hope to have an unboxing video of my sweater haul ready for the Youtube channel by the end of the week, but since it's already sweater weather, I thought I'd break out a few now for this gorgeous autumn air.

As I sit here writing this, it has been chilly and rainy all day and I've been curled up by the window working on photos and listening to some antique Glen Miller Orchestra records on the record player that my youngest daughter wanted for Christmas, but whom I've never seen use it, so I thought I may as well put it to use and I've enjoyed this lovely music all day.

In addition to that, I've taken two naps and been busy baking lovely warm foods for such a cold day.  There is roast chicken in the oven now, beans in the crockpot, and corn bread is cooling on the rack.

It has truly been a lovely day of life moving a little slower and tasting a little sweeter and I'm looking forward to more lovely autumn days like this.

SHopping Info:  Polka Dot Pullover in Moss/Ivory-$39 from YeMAK, Retrolicious Skirt from ModernMillie

Halloween 2022: Evelyn from The Mummy

Who knows what inspired us.  I certainly don't have much rhyme or reason to my costume choices.  This year I chose Evelyn  from the 1999 blockbuster The Mummy.  Rachel Weisz plays the lovely Evie and stars opposite Brendan Fraser.  I was a huge fan of the first movie, and a reasonably sized fan of the second and third, yes I hung in there for all three, but not The Scorpion King because even I have my limits.  

I have made it a tradition to watch The Mummy each October as part of our Halloween rotation, but this year I decided to take it a step further and dress up as Evie, enlisting Mr. Bleu to dress as Brendan Fraser's character, Rick.  He usually doesn't get on board with couple's costumes, but possibly because he didn't have the time to make something else or because he didn't have any ideas, he agreed to my suggestion this year.

In order to create this costume, I started by watching the movie...again.  Then I looked at photos and finally headed over to ThredUp to see what I could find on the cheap.  I managed to find a passable skirt and shirt and located the tie and glasses on Amazon.

The Book of Amun Ra was my prop of choice. I spent a quiet Saturday afternoon working on this.  Although I intended to also make the key, I have now run out of time and steam on this costume, so it will be the only prop I use.  It's constructed of cardboard, 4mm EVA Foam, and spray paint.  I used a soldering iron to create the impressions in the foam and though my paint job is a little lacking I'm fairly pleased with the end result.

This was my inspiration board as I gathered my costume pieces:

I actually found a shirt that was a little closer to Evie's but ThredUp canceled the order probably because they noticed something wrong with it and didn't want to send it that way, and so the search began afresh.  Fortunately I found something in my size that was better than good, it was good enough.

Perhaps the thing I like most about this costume is that I'll probably wear it to work much more than just this Halloween.  It already plays to my style and unlike a purchased costume, it isn't flimsy and doesn't feel like plastic.

As much as I hoped Mr. Bleu would wear his costume with me for today's photo shoot, he is still currently gathering articles of clothing, so perhaps we'll get a few shots on Halloween.  

Shopping Info:  Top and skirt from ThredUp.  Use my link to save $20 off your first order.  Tie from Amazon, Glasses from Amazon, Shoes are Chelsea Crew

Highland Fling

Selkie's Autumn collection has just dropped (drop one of two or three?) and like all Selkie lovers I've been anxiously waiting for weeks, watching the live show at NYFW, the live fall preview on Instagram, and checking Selkie's Instagram posts for further teasers to see what was on the way for fall and spring.  Yes, something about Selkie makes me and many like me become obsessed.  I started out as a Selkie naysayer, just go back and read my early posts and you'll see, but since then I've become a pretty big fan of pretty much anything they release in cotton.  

As much as I see people talk about size inclusivity, they're mostly talking about larger sizes.  Well, people like myself who are under represented on the other end of the size chart and are just as smitten that we finally have pretty clothes that actually fit us with little to no alterations and we're willing to pay a little more for it. Add to that the fact that these prints are so unique and heavenly and all of us Selkie Lovers from XXS to 6X get hooked, beyond hooked, we're obsessed and loving it.

So, when Selkie announced they'd be doing several drops of the fall collection, I cleared my schedule and prepared to have multiple days spent watching and waiting for each piece on my wishlist, something along the lines of the spring drop.  On Friday 21st October, I sat at my computer, one finger on the refresh button, credit card in the other hand, waiting for what was sure to be the first of several tense, frenzied shopping experiences as I vied for my favorites.  

Instead, I bought The Unicorn Defends Romantic Dress and Porcelain Garden Party Dress from IvorySheep and the Love Letter Beach Day Dress from Selkie, done and done in less that ten minutes.  I've got everything from my list and I can now sit back and wait for my orders to arrive as I plan the photo shoots that will most certainly accompany them.  A video review will be posted to Youtube as well.  At the moment, however, I'm content that my shopping is done and my wishlist is complete.....for now.

Time to Winterize

Once again, the seasons are turning and I've packed away all my puff dresses like this one until warmer days return.  On the one hand, I'll miss all my short pretty dresses and bright colors.  On the other hand, I'm committed trying a one year experiment of having a seasonal wardrobe.

So, far I'm only one season in to this little experiment, but I do rather like the results so far.  I plan on going more in depth about this in a future post, but in a nutshell, I'm breaking my year into quarters and keeping everything that's not seasonally relevant packed away.  By breaking my wardrobe into smaller chunks, I hope to get more wear out of all my pretty clothes.

Unfortunately, none of my puff dress, real or dupes like this pretty paisley print, have made the cut for cooler months, so it will be a while before I post on any of them again.

I mean, take a look at the profile of these sleeves!  I'm afraid I couldn't get a coat over those, let alone a cardigan, both of which are a must around here already.  So, into storage they went. 

I'm curious to see how creative I can get when 75% of my wardrobe is packed away, but also excited because it will be a great challenge.  

And, I think I'll leave it at that today as I still have a lot of winterizing to do around the farm.  The cold weather is already here but I still have a little bit of time before the brutally cold weather hits, so I need to make the most of it.

Shopping Info:  Paisley Dupe Dress-$27, 

Harriseve Flats on Amazon

Selkie Alterations: Monte Marte Tea Rose/Ritz Hybrid

When Selkie released the Monte Marte print last year, my oldest daughter and I were smitten with both the print and the styles. It was very cottage cozy vibes of Little House on the Prairie or Mansfield Park that make me want to don my dress and a warm shawl for a long day spent daydreaming by the window. My sweet girl wanted to wear the Monte Marte Ritz to her prom last year, which surprised me as it doesn't really give off prom vibes, but my girl has always marched to the beat of her own drum and I definitely know that when you find Your Dress, nothing else will do.  

Unfortunately the dress was double the amount we had set aside as our "prom dress budget."  I offered to put up half if she would work and save for the other half.  Long story short, it just didn't happen and she ended up wearing one of my Selkie Marie gowns instead.  She loved the dress, but neither of us really forgot about the Monte Marte.  Flash forward six months and the Monte Marte Ritz went on sale on Boho-Chic Clothing for 40% off!  Now we were in the realm of possibility.  I texted her and she said she'd love to have it for next year's prom so I ordered it and as always, Boho Chic shipped it right away and it arrived from France in about a week.

The dress fit her perfectly.  I saw the way she glowed from feeling so lovely and I am so thankful to Boho Chic for offering such a bargain so that we could get her dream dress.  The only trouble was that my daughter is not terribly tall, so the dress was dragging the ground by several inches.  Not to worry, I set to work taking 10" off the length of the ruffle as I have done with one of my cotton Ritz dresses and also with a Picnic Terrace gown, so she can dance and enjoy herself at prom.  It is a lot of work, but worth the end result.

I suddenly found myself with a seemingly endless amount of Monte Marte ruffle, so I had an idea.  What if I bought a Monte Marte Tea Rose dress in my size and attached the ruffle to make it a longer dress.  I love the tea rose style of dress, but it feels a little like the dress equivalent of a mullet-the top is all party and the skirt is all business.   I don't hate it, in the way that I don't hate the femme-mullet on the right person, but it wasn't quite right for me.  I wanted a little something extra to the skirt to bring a little more balance to it.

Normally the Tea Rose dress is $295.  I found one NWT on Poshmark for $162, so I bought it and set to work attaching the ruffle to the bottom.  The Tea Rose's skirt is substantially less full than the Ritz, which means I only used about half the ruffle I had available.  If I tried to use the whole thing it would have been way too heavy for the skirt.  

I ran a gathering stitch, gathered and tacked it in, and then attached the ruffle to the underside of the skirt, so unlike the Ritz, the ruffle doesn't show around the top.  Not only was I trying to create something that is not a direct copy of my daughter's Ritz, because she should have her own dress and style, but the Tea Rose is a little less grand than the Ritz, so it only made sense to me to have a more subdued ruffle, although I think it would have still looked nice had I done it the other way.

While my daughter is waiting to wear her Ritz to prom, I wore this Tea Rose hybrid a couple of different days on my vacation and it was so comfortable and perfect for walking around, even when it got a little breezy.  I styled it just how you see it here in the photos.  This cobweb shawl was a decoration made by a dear elderly lady but I quite prefer it as a wrap especially since it's October and all.

And, something about this print reminds me of the type you'd see on those Victorian porcelain dolls, so I wore my doll head ring from Unlogical poem and my matryoshka purse.  I loved the look so much that I dug out my old porcelain doll and decided to use the remaining fabric to make a new dress for her.  She was a gift when I was about 5 and has only ever had one set of clothing which is hopelessly sun-faded and threadbare.  She also sustained a severely broken leg which was never properly mended, shortly after her accident, I had an accident of my own and also sustained a severely broken leg which has never fully mended.  On the same leg actually.  Hmmmm.....this doll may be haunted.

 

Haunted doll aside, this little project has been a great success.  I appreciate that Selkie is a company that makes so many feel so beautiful including my own precious daughter, and I've also learned that when they have something that I love but it needs a few tweaks to make it perfect for me, it's worth every minute of work to have results like this.

Shopping Info: Monte Marte Ritz at Selkie-$399 or at Boho-Chic-clothing-$239

The Back-from-Vacation-Blues

Mr. Bleu and I had an absolutely lovelier than usual weekend retreat this year.  The weather was not too hot or too cold, and not a cloud in the sky except for the perfect rainy slow drive home.  We explored places we never get to go, had fabulous meals including a chocolate ganache cheesecake which I didn't share and don't regret.  

We took long walks hand-in-hand and had long quiet talks on the veranda of our hotel room as we ate dinner or watched the evening roll across the hills.  One evening, I went to bed at 8:00 p.m. and slept nine blissful hours, just because I could and I wanted to.  It was everything I want my vacations to be.

Reality hit with the phone call from home as were driving back.  All the cares, all the worries, all the problems, still waiting on us and slightly more urgent than before because we'd chosen to ignore them for a few days.  I'm not ashamed to say that setting foot in a house that was dirtier than before I left, and chores that were piling up, I immediately felt downhearted, asking myself, What's the point of going away if there's even more stress waiting on me when I get back?

The point, of course, is that there will always be stressors, always be work and toil and problems.  And every now and then they can just bloody wait.  Relaxation is critical so that we can continue to approach the problems life guarantees us with fresh energy and calmed perspective.

I took an extra day of vacation on the day following our return.  I initially intended to use this day to clean the house, take care of the chores, etc.  But, as I looked around at all the messes, it occurred to me that they would still be there tomorrow and perhaps what I needed most was a hot cup of tea, a chat with a good friend, and a midday nap.  So, that's what I did.

Oh, yes, I managed to knock-out a few things on that ever-present to-do list, like vacuuming, making beds, and dehydrating some of the apple slices to keep us snacking all throughout the winter.  But everything else?  It will all be there on my next day off, so why rush?

Perhaps the very best souvenir I can bring back with me from vacation is the intention to live a little slower for a while, to keep in mind that things have to be done, but not all at once, and not all today.  I can afford to spread them out so that my days are a pleasant mix of work and relaxation, of purpose and repose.

Life is nothing if not a balancing act after all.  As much as we always wish we could stay on vacation forever, and as sad as I sometimes am to return to the chore of living and working, I recognize that we need our times of rest just as much as we need our work.  too much rest and I would lose my direction in life; too much work and I would lose my joy.  So, I accept the work that will be waiting on me as part for the course, and carry on, finding ways to enjoy each day and feel refreshed as often as possible until I'm able to "get away from it all" again.

Shopping Info:  Dear Creatures The Bells of London Ohio Dress from Poshmark, Shoes from ThredUp, Ecosusi Bag from Poshmark, Knit Sweater in Camel-$20.50 by YeMak.