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.

Oh, the Sewing Woes!

I found this fabulous fabric on Joann.com that used two things I love: Vintage Simplicity Pattern Illustrations and Autumnal Hues.  So, I purchased three yards hoping to use a new pattern, Simplicity 8736 Vintage 1940s Blouses, and to create two separates, a blouse and a basic skirt, that I could wear lots of ways instead of just one dress.  

I figured that a blouse would only be half as difficult as sewing a dress and a skirt would be no problem.  I've come a long way since I began sewing a few years ago and at this point I can sew a basic gathered skirt in my sleep.  So, all in all, I expected this to be one of my easiest sewing projects ever.  Oh, foolish Leandra, that was not to be the case at all.

It wasn't just that a few things went wrong; it's that everything that could go wrong did.  It was the sewing equivalent of Murphy's Law, not just with the trying out of the new pattern for the blouse, but also with the skirt, which I had to take apart and redo three times as I learned to use the new machine, ran out of thread, and broke the gathering thread when I was 75% of the way done.  The blouse was another matter entirely.  As a purely visual learner, I called on Mr. B yet again to help me decipher the instructions, and in the end, I'm still not sure I did it right.

Then the bodice was miserably tight as it consisted of a series of 8 darts around the waist and none at all in the bust.  Yes, I made the mistake of not checking my measurements against the pattern, because I always wear the same size in all previous patterns, but not this time.  These darts made the waist forever riding up and the chest puffing and puckering out awkwardly.  I was extremely disappointed with the silhouette, but determined to find a way to fix it since I couldn't re-cut the blouse in a bigger size.

I also learned how to use the button hole setting on this new machine which I've never used before on any machine.  In the case of the buttons, I did have a small pieces of scrap fabric to practice on and when I was happy with the results, decided to test it out on the blouse.  

It turned out acceptably.  Not great, but acceptably.  There is one button in particular that I can tell is out of line, but by the time it came to the buttons, I was emotionally too numb to care about changing it.  Plus, I'm always saying that little imperfections make things more interesting, so now buttoning the back of my blouse is "interesting" not difficult.

In order to make the blouse wearable, I went around the bodice taking out every single dart.  I still need to re-hem, but this did fix the creeping and blousing.  While the blouse isn't quite as nice as I'd hoped, it is at least presentable now and I've already worn it to work and on my mini-vacation which you can see pictured here.

The skirt, as you can see from its absence in these photos, is still not finished.  Although I measured multiple times and cut once, then remeasured and cut again, it is still about two inches too big and has to be taken in yet again.  So, currently it is sitting on the sewing table, gathering dust, until I am rested from my trip and ready to pick it back up again.

 

The worst part of all of this was that the fabric went out-of-stock both online and instore so I felt like I had wasted this lovely fabric.  Of course I know that one should always test a new pattern on sacrificial fabric and save your best for after you've perfected the new style, but fabric is so expensive that I don't really have anything but beloved pieces on hand at the moment.  I just can't afford to buy something I'm going to deliberately tear up.

Thankfully this Simplicity fabric has recently come back in-stock online and I've ordered an additional four yards, so determined am I to try again with the blouse and perhaps make a dress and save myself the headache of separates, because clearly, I'm not ready for the responsibility.

Shopping Info:  Paper Bag Waist Trousers from Princess Highway, Espresso Flats from Charlie Stone, Simplicity Fabric from Joann, Simplicity Pattern 8736

Pink Awareness

Years ago when I was a young mother, I started a little tradition of throwing a tea party each October for all the women in my life.  It was a simple way to express gratitude to these lovely ladies for being in my life, to express recognition for all the hard work they had done and continued to do each day, and it was a quick reminder to make self care a priority.

It was only a small mention at the beginning of our festivities that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and that it's important to perform self-checks and keep annual physician appointments, but it was a good reminder and a chance for us to in some small way, take care of each other. 

As part of VIVAIA's commitment to be a company that cares, they sustainably create comfortable shoes from 100% recycled materials.  Even the box the shoes arrive in is recycled cardboard and the shoe forms inside are made to be easily compostable.  In addition to caring for the planet, VIVAIA cares about people too, that's why for the month of October, VIVAIA has begun Wednesdays We Wear Pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month.  And, all month long, for every pair of pink shoes sold, VIVAIA will donate $10 to the United Breast Cancer Foundation.

As someone who lost a beloved Aunt to breast cancer several years ago, I can tell you that though we go on, we never really get over the loss of someone so caring and so wonderful.  Her grown children, still speak of her constantly, the legacy of love she has left behind.  For yourself, for the people who love you, perform monthly checks and get your annual physical so you can be around for many, many years.

In solidarity with Breast Cancer Awareness Month and VIVAIA, this Wednesday I am wearing the pink Wallflower Ritz gown from Selkie and Aria 5° pink flats from VIVAIA with the Removable Bows also in pink.  Follow up story about this Ritz and the alterations I made to is coming next month!

Be well, my friends.

Shopping Info:  Aria 5° Flats from VIVAIA-$79, Removable Bow Clips-$9.75, Selkie Wallflower Ritz Gown-$399

Perfectly Imperfect

On a recent trip to the library, I was browsing the sale books and free magazines when I noticed some covers that seemed a little older than the rest.  I pulled them from the stack to find that they were old photography magazines.  The first half of each magazine was devoted to articles on improving photography skills and ads selling photography equipment.  The last half of each magazine was devoted to amateur photographer's submissions to the magazine.  While a few of them were tasteful landscapes and portraits, most of them were nudes--some artistic, most sub-par even for amateurs.

I suspect most of these nudes were taken, submitted, and published with less than admirable and artistic intentions, but the skill or lack thereof displayed by these photos isn't really what I want to discuss.  Rather, what caught my eye, was the wide range in body and facial features on display in these photos.  It was such a marked departure from the current trend of cookie-cutter looks on parade in movies and social media today that I spent several long minutes appreciating the variety since I couldn't appreciate the "art." 

There were no perfect bodies, only natural, healthy, normal ones, and while they were all different, they were attractive, fairly symmetrical, and diverse.  If anything, it was the imperfections that made them interesting and worth looking at longer.  In a world of artificial perfection, it was refreshing to see so many real people, each different from the others instead of all eerily the same.  This pretty plastic world, has really grown into a monster just in my lifetime and I can't wrap my head around it.  I like the imperfections, including my own, which is why I have always been dead set against plastic surgery or straightening my teeth, even though many dentists have plied with the phrase, "are you happy with your smile the way it is?"   Most recently when asked, I replied, "I'm 41 darlin' and I've been to hell and back. I'm happy that I can even keep smiling, my teeth don't bother me at all."

So, in honor of imperfections, I thought I would post some photos today that nearly went into the recycle bin, because they just weren't perfect.  No one gets it right all the time and no one is perfect, no matter how hard we try.  So why not appreciate our differences, our imperfections which create uniqueness and just relax a bit and cut ourselves a break from time to time.

A Forever Fox

Another flashback post, this outfit has been one of my most popular blog posts. The photo above is actually one of my all-time favorite photos.  The excitement is genuine and my hair looks amazing for once.  Normally the curls would fall out before I could make it from the bathroom across the hall to this room to take the photo.  This was also taken before my hair was mostly grey, which it is now.

This little fox sweater is still my favorite of all my fox print tops, and I wear it every autumn with different skirts.  It was just a fluke finding this sweater on ThredUp.  Even though I'd been searching for a fox sweater, this one turned up in the kids' department.  I guess that's why it fits me better than most adult sweaters which seem to be too wide and baggy or hopelessly long for my high-waist skirts and trousers.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, a really great piece of clothing is one that will give you lots of outfit options and work well with your changing style for years to come.  This little fox sweater certainly fits the bill.

Corset Story

While browsing in my favorite local vintage shop, I've often wondered why ladies of by gone eras donned dresses made with such heavy fabrics.  After shopping a recent sale from Unique Vintage, I purchased a metallic wiggle dress that is made for that bombshell hourglass figure that I do not possess.  Determined to create the shape I needed to make this dress look as it should, I purchased a vamp corset.  After a few alterations to the corset, I finally got my answer about those vintage fabrics.

Although the Vamp certainly creates some extreme curves that make my shape unrecognizable when I look in the mirror, it also comes with some rather noticeable lines and annoying protrusion particularly in the front lower half.  Unfortunately due to the thin fabric on the dress there's no way to hide it, even with some thick, high-waist shaping shorts which I am wearing in these photos.

For this particular outfit, I went full vintage and donned a corset, bullet bra, etc.  Turns out, those thick fabrics helped to hide all those lines created by garters, girdles, and corsets.  Undergarments were rather meticulous, consisting of lots of layers and interlocking parts.  It all adds up to be quite bulky, so thicker fabrics were necessary to smooth out those lines.

While I really adore the overall effect that these vintage undergarments create, I can certainly see why they gave way to lighter and more comfortable fare.  After all, the heyday of corsets was also when women began wearing dungarees to be more comfortable in their everyday lives and save the restrictive sundries for special occasions.

It is possible that some of this protrusion has come from the fact that I had to tailor the corset to my measurements to correct the gap at the back-top and at the hips, but I think this problem would have existed even if the corset had been a perfect fit due to how thin this fabric is.   

While I know that certain influencers like Rachel Jensen have videos of themselves wearing their corsets with no shame, I haven't quite come around to the idea of accepting the lines.  I'd rather keep everything smooth and concealed if at all possible.

Lines aside, this dress was a steal at the clearance price of roughly $32, so no regrets there.  I'll surely keep working with it until I figure out something I'm comfortable with, because I am determined to wear this dress out to date night and an exhibit at a local museum that I'm interested to see.

Shopping Info:  Unique Vintage Black & Metallic Houndstooth Jaqueline Pencil Dress-$32

Collaboration Vacation

This pretty little dress is a vacation dress dupe and I love it completely.  It's well made, fits perfectly and is so very pretty for so very little cost.  With so much going on, we decided to reallocate our vacation fund to other bills and all but a couple of days which happen to be coming up next week of our vacation time has been reallocated to other things on the schedule.  With the prices of gasoline and everything else being so high, this just wasn't the year for a trip, but I have this vacation dress dupe, so I thought I'd wear it anyway and write up a little post on vacations of another sort.

For just a few weeks, since we won't be going anywhere except on a little long weekend excursion that we make every year to a nearby resort town, I've decided to take a much needed break from deadlines.  As much as I love collaborating with brands, the deadlines can be a little harsh, especially when combined with my extra full work and home schedules.  I'm writing this post in advance, because when I post it, I will be working the hardest week of my year.  I typically put in 75 hours bookended by two 40 hour weeks (my typical work week is 30hrs).  It's not just a lot of time, it's very physically demanding and when it's all said and done, I usually get sick and have to be on the couch for a few days.  It's not something I look forward to, but it does pay for a few pretty dresses, so I do it with that goal in mind. 

So, with this extremely busy month staring me in the face demanding all my time and energy and then some, I don't have a minute to spare for collaborations.  When I have the time, I love the challenge, when I don't have the time, I find myself overly stressed trying to work everything in.  I once did multiple collaborations with a brand that was constantly pushing the deadline.  At first they said 40 days from delivery to blog post, by the end of our time together, it was usually 10 days from delivery to post and they kept requiring more content in those diminishing amounts of time.  They never paid me; I never asked and they never offered, although I always met their requirements and always before the deadline, and I knew they were paying others.  Part of me loved the challenge.  Part of me was grateful for the opportunity.  And a small part of me dreaded each new collab because I knew it was going to me mean more work in less time.

I was sad and a little hurt when that collaboration ended, they ended it, but overwhelmingly, I was grateful for out time together and relieved to have the pressure off.  I'm far more selective these days in what collaborations I'll accept because I don't like to do anything if I can't give my best effort and full attention and lately, all my best efforts are being spent on my work and family and I have a limited amount set aside for creativity.

For the time being, I've given myself permission to vacation from collabs and just relax a little.  Or maybe relax a lot, we'll see.  And, when I say relax, it's very much a mental sort of relaxation because with the school year starting and two children getting closer and closer to graduation, my schedule got even busier. 

I'm taking a vacation from spending my weekends getting up at 5 a.m. so I can take photos at dawn.  I'm taking a break from the endless outfit planning and accessorizing.  I'm taking a break from the days spent editing photo and video.  I'm taking a break from keywords and hyperlinks and promo codes.  What will I do instead?

I plan to sleep in, get in a few good workouts, read a book and sip coffee on the stone patio as all the cats gather for their share of attention.  I plan to have less screen time and more home time, cleaning, taking walks, listening to stories about my family's day time.

I intend to spend more time on the little crafty projects that have been sitting neglected on my sewing table.  I intend to wear my pretty clothes instead of just saving them for photos.  I'm going to go places when they're open instead of getting there at dawn just for pics.

Don't get me wrong, I love the collabs and I love all the brands I work with, just like I love my job, but I still need a vacation now and then in order to get some rest and feel refreshed to come back and work hard again.  

That's something I haven't really had much of with the blog even during all the lockdowns.  In fact, I got more work than ever because I had a farm so I could still go outside and take nice photos without people coming unglued.  Add to that the fact that I was putting in 9 hour days working from home and I'd say it's well past time for a little getaway.  I've earned it, I need it, and I'm going to enjoy a nice vacation from deadlines.

Shopping Info:  Blue Floral Vacation Dress-$44, Elvira Square toe Ballet Flats from Vivaia

Foxy Finds

Well, it has been a very grueling weekend.  I fully expect to be down for the count for a few days if not a few weeks after that, but hey, it's wasn't really optional, so I powered through by telling myself that this will earn enough with all this overtime pay to afford a few pretty dresses or some new-vintage home furnishings for a house we haven't built yet.

Since I will be out of commission for a while, I thought I'd just share a few more foxy outfit pics from previous years that I still love and wear, and I'll see you in a week or two with some new photos.