Never in a Million Years

A couple of weeks ago, a friend from church called up and wondered if I could come over and help her sew. I knew that she was neck high in bridal alterations, but it didn't dawn on me just exactly what she might have me do until she handed me someone's wedding dress. Um, intimidation was THE understatement.

I can sew clothing, doll clothing, costumes, tote bags, aprons (duh!) and even did a quilt top way back when, but a wedding dress?? Very thankfully, my friend is the most patient person on the planet, and was satisfied with what I did for her. To confess, by the end of the day it was actually not to bad.

I've been able to help her every day this week, and if she keeps getting dresses, I'll be able to hopefully get more and more comfortable (and faster?) at something that I never dreamed of doing. Not in a million years! Lace, tulle, hems, trains and bustles. So very grateful to have the opportunity of learning.

But sewing here at home won't be neglected. Mom wants me to sew her up a jumper in the next couple of days, and I have some darling fabrics that I came across earlier this week that are just begging to be made into aprons. I already have the bias and vintage rick rack ready for them. Be on the lookout for them to appear in the shop, hopefully in the next week or so.

Beauty

On a general basis, I try not to make a post on blogs or links to blogs. Even the ones that I have listed on the side, as wonderful as they may be, are not what I could always endorse. There is alot like that out in the internet, media, literature, the arts (and life?) in general. An older woman once told my sisters and I, "eat the watermelon, but spit out the seeds."

Now that the introduction has been made, :) I'd like to share two blogs with you that recently posted on the topic of beauty.

Beauty. What is it, anyway? Certainly in a world such as ours today, it can mean wide variety of things.

Last week author and blog writer posted an excellent post on this very topic. After reading it, I sat silence for quiet awhile, and wondered what my life would have looked like if only words of grace were spoken to me instead of the other things said to me and about me said behind my back but well within hearing range.

Being a reserved and quiet natured sort of person, I generally don't struggle with letting words slip out of "Wow, you've really been eating the sugar haven't you!" or "She certainly takes after her mother's flat-as-a-board genes" but on the flip side, the article challenged me to encourage my sisters, my friends, and even my little friends with words that speak grace: to speak words that build up, encourage, and give glory to God at the same time. Sometimes it's the words left unsaid that can wound, too. I speak from experience on both sides of the coin.

The other link I wanted to mention was this one on Reclaiming Beauty. Two sisters are hosting the webinar on this very topic and looking at their index of topics to cover, it looks like it would be interesting and most likely helpful in some aspects. If you can't afford the webinar (like me!) they are offer the first session for free, and it starts next week. More details are here.

Rambles of PG Tips and Audrey Hepburn

With school not starting until Monday, the last couple of days have been spent in both preparation (it is SO wonderful to have my bow rehaired!!) and relaxation.

This morning I woke up to grey skies and heavy rain. Still in my pajamas, I plopped myself on the couch and had my devotions, then did some journaling while enjoying a steaming cup of PG Tips tea.

(A week or so before I left for GA, I stopped off at a favorite kitchen store that carries alot of European specialties, including an aisle full of teas and tea related things. Carrying mostly loose leaf teas, that is where I buy my Twinings Earl Grey tea and now I buy my loose leaf PG Tips there, too.)

To some of my friends great dismay, I have never jumped on the bandwagon of being obsessed with Audrey Hepburn. Yes I like classy styles and I've heard she was a lady of class, but "I'm just not into her." My friends would then ask, "Well, what movies have you seen her in then?" My reply, "None whatsoever." Can you picture them all fainting now? :)

No, actually none of them have fainted. ::winks:: My friend is making sure that I get a taste of Audrey Hepburn by introducing me to "My Fair Lady" this weekend. Yesterday we only got into about 30 minutes of it, and today I think we're going to finish the rest.

So, what is your favorite movie with Audrey Hepburn? and why?

Feminine Dressing

Not long ago two family members told me at two different times in one day, "Oh!" (can you hear the surprise in the word?) You look nice today!"

It made me think how easy it is to throw some clothes on with little or no thought as to my appearance. Sure it may be clean, but sometimes wearing a tank and the denim skirt that has been in the closet for years may not be the most presentable thing to wear. It serves well when cleaning bathrooms and wiping down kitchen floors, but I think all to often I've succumbed to wearing what is easy and comfortable instead of freshly pleasant and feminine.

Talking about family history recently and talking of our European ancestors, English Esquires among them, my youngest brother pipes up excitedly, "We could be be royalty!" Of course we all laughed it his ignorance, but his comment made me think in a much grander way of a very real truth.

As a Christian, I AM royalty.

God is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and as His daughter I am made a Princess. Thankfully, God is more concerned about who I am on the inside than if I'm wearing a yellow ball gown or pink ribbons and delicate lace though at the same time, we are always representing someone or something whether we like it or are aware of it. Sometimes it's easy to forget that. This is something I want to be a little more conscientious of, though I may not always be wearing my choicest clothing or sport Kate Middleton styles. :)

Fishing for compliments is not wise, but you're probably on the right track when your brother sees you walk down the stairs and says, "You look pretty!" (I think they like it when women look like women.)

Jewelry Organization

It started with a plastic bag, and before I knew it, I had several tiny plastic bags (probably used for small craft beads, but it worked!) for necklaces and kept my earrings on their earring cards. All of which were held in one large bag.

For awhile I had a metal stand from the thrift store that held many of my necklaces, and the earring cards fit on perfectly. The only problem? It made my the top of my desk look quite cluttered. So back into the fabric bag they went.

This week I was paid for sewing jobs that I did this spring and used some of that money to buy a stackable organizer. My sister has the same one, and I finally decided (after 2-3 years...I admit that I take my time in many things...) that having one would be quite useful.

I love the small compartments for earrings. And look! I have 5 spaces left for more! ;P

Antique necklaces are fun, but then I like a delicate and feminine look.

As you can see I prefer wearing silver. :) The gold one is a replica of the "flying necklace" that Rose wore on the film, "Titanic." These larger squares are perfect for bracelets. Being a violinist, I find that I don't wear them much though. The round little thing in the lower left is a container that I use to hold the backings of my earrings.

And some longer or more expensive necklaces that I bought brand new go in the largest spots. The others I've picked up at consignment shops or flea markets.

So, how do YOU organize your jewelry?

Weekend in Pictures

What a busy weekend!

It started Friday night with a fabulous "Reclaiming Hope" rally at my church with a historian who spoke on America's history and politics to a crowd of over 1200 people. Excellent lectures, great music, and some honored WWII veterans.

That evening I dressed up as I would for church or any other special occasion and came up with a "formal" hairstyle that is EASY PEASY. I have thick waist length hair, so I'm not sure how it would work for shorter hair, but you could give it a try. It literally took a couple minutes.

You'll want to have curled hair to start off with. If you're like me who does not have natural ringlets, use a curling iron, flat iron, or (shh, this is what I use: sponge rollers on damp hair and sleep with them in, letting them dry overnight) hot rollers, or what you do to achieve curls. You'll also want some long hair pins, and long bobby pins.

 

Gather hair over to the side of your head and start wrapping your hair as if you were doing a side bun. Once the ends of your hair are pointing downward and you have a bun look, start adding your hair pins to keep the bun up and making sure to place several where the hair is "just hanging" to achieve that roundish bun look. Add bobby pins to finish off and adjust any stray hair or curls. The extra pins will help support heavy hair, too.

WaLa! A fancy hair-do. :)

Sunday and Monday were both wonderful days of rest and relaxation. Daddy let me use his SLR, and I had fun snapping the following pictures:

Jonny Jump Up's

Water droplets on 'Camelot Lavender' Foxglove's

The last blooming peonies

Catnip growing on the deck

Anyone know what this is? It started growing in one of my gardens a couple of years ago without my permission. But now I don't mind it in there. It's delicate and feminine, not to mention the butterflies love the color.

I never planted the Yarrow either. It came without permission and still doesn't have it. Unfortunately it has nearly overtaken a bed and I can't keep it under control and the roots are quite stubborn. I've been tempted to dump gallons of weed killer on the entire bed, but my lavender patch and shasta daises are in the bed too. Any ideas or suggestions what to do with it?

Have I ever introduced Charity to you all? She is one of my purebred Persian cats. She is only allowed outside when she's in this particular garden and under close supervision. She has a tendany to want to explore the area since we have five different bird feeders in that area and she is certain that she wants to catch one of the flying critters. Just to play with, of course.

Bird watching

This afternoon I was able to get three aprons cut out, so hopefully they will be available sometime this week. One is from a vintage pattern that I've never sewn with before. It should be fun, and sure, I'll post pictures.

OOP McCalls 4645 ~ Sweet Dreams Nightgown

Earlier this week I locked myself away in the sewing room to work on a nightgown for Mother-Dear. She was hoping that it would be finished by Christmas, but time got away from all of us last weekend and all I could manage was cut it out. At least that was done. Anyone else dislike cutting out?

My older sister is the nightgown maker around here (sort of how I'm the one who sews aprons...) and so after consulting her, mom chose an out of print pattern (c. 1989) that was in Erin's stash of a dozen or more nightgown patterns. We started out with the main base of the top right corner, but changed it a bit.

She had enough yardage of a cozy blue flannel with white polka dots to make it all come together just the way she wanted. Mom likes full-length gathered sleeves that had cuffs instead of an elastic drawn ruffle. I added some white piping for visual interest.

She also wanted a high peter-pan collar that would close if needed, and again, I added the white piping to coordinate with the sleeves.

Length was added (4" I think) to the skirt hem, and then I cut out a ruffle to put on the hem to make this a floor length nightgown. I cut out three 45" width panels by 10" so it's quite a full ruffle, but it added a nice touch of femininity.

She has already worn it several times, and so therefore the "crumpled" look. I suppose I could have ironed it after taking it out of her closet for pictures, but the thought didn't occur to me at the time. :)

Anthropologie

Having a three-day weekend is indeed very nice. I decided to take Saturday off and then do homework today. So I went shopping and my excursions brought me to a store that I always thought was an online business until a few months ago: Anthropologie.

The prices are way beyond my range online, and their sales aren't exactly "sales" to this thrift-store shopper, but the real-life store had more reasonable sales, or so I thought. Or maybe I was to excited and spell-bound to notice?

In either case, I bought something.

A maxi dress. It comes with a name of "Valence Chemise" but I think paired with the right blouse and slip underneath, it will make for a perfect summer dress.

It is described as a lightweight ruffled cotton imbued with a mint (hmph! it's honestly more blue than green and I'm not color blind!) paisley print from spaghetti straps to toe-brushing tiers.

I like it.

I love it.

Thanks, Anthropologie! I shall be back when my pocket book allows for it!

Feminine Fun

My friend Laura has been sharing pictures of the vintage looking shoes from the early 1990s that she's been able to pick up, and is reselling. If you happen to wear the lucky 7.5 size shoes, take a look!

It must be that God took pity on me and my shoe size, and so last week He brought to my attention a lovely brown pair of 1990's vintage looking shoes. They were an answer to prayer (while I loved the ones Laura posted, I really wasn't struggling with covetousness. Honest!) as I've been needing some kind of brown dressy shoes to go along with my natural-toned outfits for church.

The brand of Sofft, and inside the shoe it says that the company has been established since 1927. I'm glad that the era has been somewhat showcased in this style of shoe. I have never been a fan of pointed shoes, but the point on these are ever so subtle that I don't mind it.

Hmm, I'm not modeling the shoes in the picture below. What could it mean? Are you curious? I'm not going to tell you anything, but a thankyou to those who gave their thoughts in regards to this post.

I'm really excited about it, too! ;)

Pictorial View of a Tea Party

Originally my plans were to have a tea party out on the lawn near the gardens, but with temperatures rising in the 90s, I knew we ladies and the chocolate would melt. The a large majority of the guest list were unable to come or never responded, so that meant we could have it in our dining room, much to every one's delight! It made for a more intimate setting with dear people.

Pansy's and a few books greeted guests at the door:

The decorated room...

...with lots of teas to choose from!

Treats of chocolate sticks, chocolate marshmellow cakes, cucumber sandwiches, and scones were served.

Of course there had to be fresh mock Clotted Cream!

with homemade cherry jam,

and fresh organic blackberries to perch on top!

We also had clotted cream & butter biscuits,

and peach iced tea if we wanted something cold to drink.

Alas, there are no pictures of the tea party in action. We were to busy stuffing ourselves with these delightful treats and teas! :)

Tea Essentials

Memorial Day sales at the thrift stores are my favorite. Today's treasures included three spools of tatting thread in size 30 (very hard to find!), a William Sonoma cookbook featuring chicken recipes, lovely white damask cloth napkins that appear to be unused, and my most expensive item today was the Victorian Rose china. Four little mugs, four soup bowls, and three dinner plates for $3.50 isn't to bad, especially for Laura Ashley. I'll be hard pressed to find a replacement plate for that price alone.
It's kind of exciting when you pray for things, and the Lord answers them. "Lord, what about white cloth napkins for my tea party? If the china is on sale, then I know you are saving it for me" have been a few of my prayers, as I've had my eye on these items for a couple of weeks, but didn't want to pay full price. They were there today and 50% off. :) The pair of antique silver candlesticks were gone, but that's okay. God must have something else in mind.

For years I have wanted to host a tea party of some sort, and it is finally becoming a reality next week. If I can get the back part of the house cleaned up in time, I'd like it to be outdoors near the gardens and blooming lilac bushes.

My menu is for the most part already together, but if any of you could/would offer any other thoughts or ideas, I'd be most grateful!

-Tea, of course!

-Clotted Cream Biscuits (from the Norfolk Manor in England)

-British Chocolate Tea Cakes

-British "Finger" chocolate cookies

-Scones with homemade cherry jam

-Watercress & Cucumber sandwiches

Dressing Beautifully

"Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price." 1 Peter 3:3 and 4

"These verses do not teach, as some might think, that physical beauty is somehow sinful, or that it is wrong to pay any attention to our outward appearance. That is just as much a deception as the lie that place overemphasis on external beauty.

Nowhere does the Scripture condemn physical beauty or suggest that outward appearance does not matter. What is condemned is taking pride in God-given beauty, giving excessive attention to physical beauty, or tending to physical matters while neglecting matters of the heart."

Nancy Leigh DeMoss is one of my favorite female authors (Elizabeth Elliot is the other favorite!) and in her book, "Lies Women Believe" she talks about how so easy it is for us as women to buy into the lie that says physical beauty matters more than inner beauty. We may say, "Oh! But I don't believe that lie," but how we live determines what we believe. How much time do we spend in front of the mirror to "face the day" in comparison with how much time we spend in God's Word to "face the day?"

Of course in our efforts to squash this lie, some of us can so easily swing to the other side of looking sloppy, poorly groomed, and so unattractive that people don't want to be around us! I appreciate the continued thoughts of Nancy Leigh DeMoss,

"One of Satan's strategies is to get us to move away from one extreme to another. There is a growing aversion in our culture to neatness, orderliness, and attractiveness in dress and physical appearance... Do you know who you are? God made you a women. Accept His gift. Don't be afraid to be feminine and to add physical and spiritual loveliness to the setting where He has placed you. You are a child of God. You are a part of the bride of Christ. You belong to the King--you are royalty. Dress and conduct yourself in a way that reflects your high and holy calling.

"We as Christian women should seek to reflect the beauty, order, excellence, and grace of God through both our outward and inward person."

To read further, Lies Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free, the book is available here.

Summer Days

This month I've been enjoying the pleasures and delights of summer, and had put sewing on hold for a good week.
Earlier this week I was able to enjoy the first tomato from our garden. This year we have Roma, Celebrity, and Better Boy growing. Normally you would find Super Fantastic and Heirloom varieties in our garden also.

The other day my mother, older sister, and I tasted the delights of Celestial Seasonings tea. We sampled dozens between all of us, both cold and hot, and went on a free tour to see where they make the tea.

We of course took advantage of their tea shop in the adjoining building.

Reading back issues of Victoria magazines is also another favorite pastime on the porch...

...or reading any other book for that matter. Last week I received a book from amazon (and got it for free, thanks to swagbucks!) and read it in less than 24 hours.

Of course, I must not forget to mention the brown paper package tied up with string that arrived on my doorstep this morning, thanks to Lanier's new bookshop. Yay for another antiquarian book!

And on some very hot days, sometimes I wish I could curl up in a chilled sink like Charity so easily does.

How have you been enjoying your summer?

Purple Roses

THE ROSE
by Ronsard, 1550.

See, Mignonne, hath not the Rose,
That this morning did unclose
Her purple mantle to the light,
Lost, before the day be dead,
The glory of her raiment red,
Her colour, bright as yours is bright?

Ah, Mignonne, in how few hours,
The petals of her purple flowers
All have faded, fallen, died;
Sad Nature, mother ruinous,
That seest thy fair child perish thus
'Twixt matin song and even tide.

Hear me, my darling, speaking sooth,
Gather the fleet flower of your youth,
Take ye your pleasure at the best;
Be merry ere your beauty flit,
For length of days will tarnish it
Like roses that were loveliest.

But look! In an apron, your purple roses won't fade away for a great length of time!