My sweet sister, who knows all about my theories involving the curative powers of twirly dresses got me two new Modcloth dresses for my birthday.  This one is the Join Us dress in purple, under a lace top I made a couple of years ago, but failed to post about.  Do you recognize the lace from my bathroom window?

Somewhat embarrassing confession: for a little while there I was writing a book.  Not because I had a book deal or anything fabulous like that, just because.  And this blouse was one of the patterns I was working on for it.  It was inspired by a blouse that belonged to my best friend’s grandmother when she was young.  At 15 we used to take turns wearing the original for special occasions.  Because yes, we were exactly the kind of high school girls that thought a vintage lace blouse was très chic (not cool.  never cool.  we were better then that you see…).

The red wrap is sometimes a wrap and very often a scarf, depending on my mood.  Later in the day it went back to being a scarf when I had to stop pretending I wasn’t freezing and put on a wool cardigan.

The denim look leggings from J. Jill are a staple for me.  I bought them on clearance and wear them all the time.  It’s still much, much too cold here for bare legs!

The earrings and bracelet where hand-me-downs from my mom.  I wired that piece of mother of pearl to a ribbon for a necklace back when I was working on the book as well.

Hunter boots.  There is no navigating the ankle deep mud paths around here without them.

Hair very loosely inspired by this.

Clearly I was feeling very romantic from the waist up and practical from the waist down.  Which sounds more like some sort of dating advice for teenagers then any kind of fashion sense.

Several blogs that I read and enjoy do regular “what we wore” type features.  I can’t say that I’ve ever, to my knowledge, been considered a fashionable person and the idea of being the actual subject of a post (not the kids or a knitting pattern or something), honestly makes me feel more then a little self conscious.  The thing is that when I read those posts the over-all sense I get is one of fun.  Lightheartedness.  I could use some more of that in life.  Who couldn’t?  And frankly I’ve been on a bit of a frivolous kick.  I find this happens as I start to make my way out of periods of sickness when everything is so serious and practical and real.  Sometimes all I want to think about is finding the perfect pretty dress for twirling.  Something that in the grand scheme of things really doesn’t matter at all.  And yet…yet, it can be just the kind of pick-me-up that one needs in a period of mental torpor.  I am not beyond bribing myself into feeling human again.

Also…I want to play with my clothes, I want to feel playful with my wardrobe.  I wear the same old, same old, most of the time.  I think it’s time to mix things up, try some different combinations and see what happens.  Clearly I have the ability to not take myself too seriously, so we’ll see where this goes!

All of that said…I’m going to make Rosebud go first!

Don’t judge me.

You know you would rather see her anyway.

Besides, she’s really cute.

I think this is the first year of her life that I didn’t make her an Easter dress.  This sweet linen dress was my sister’s when she was a little girl.  It’s been sitting in a closet waiting for her to grow into it.  Rachel, my sister, wore it for Easter one year and then to my high school graduation after that.  If I had the time I’d go up to the attic and dig some pictures out boxes to scan and share.

It’s a coat over a sleeveless dress, but it was quite chilly, so she wore both all day.

The Wee Girl and I are lovin’ these painted min-bobby pins I found.  She picks out a new combination of colors to wear each day.

to be continued…

We went retro this Valentine’s Day, with a whole theme coming together in a completely unexpected, not to mention unplanned, way.  For me it all started with a dress.  I’m a little bit obsessed with Modcloth at the moment (p.s. follow that link for $15 off of a purchase of $50 or more).  I did not get myself a birthday dress, but I did pick out a dress that I thought Steve would like as a surprise for Valentine’s Day.  And since I was going for the ’50′s look already, I decided to go all the way out and do my hair and make up in period style as well.

Hair tutorial here.

Make up here.  I did skip the the fake eyelashes and the beauty mark.

related musings…

1) I’m pretty sure there must have been more like 26 hours in a day half a century ago.  How else was there time for all of this fussing?

2) I’m incompetent with eyeliner, lack of practice I suppose.

3) What are the odds that this makes up for all of the times when he comes home and I’m still in (or back in!) my pajamas??

Miss Màiri Rose was not to be left out of all of this prepping and primping.  With her brother’s dressed in head to toe red, she declared that she needed something special to wear as well.  Which put me in mind of the presumably (and accurately so) still too big, genuine 1950′s party dress I had airing out in the attic for the future for her.  Had I known she was going to end up wearing it, I would have made a slip to go underneath and replaced the missing sash.  As it was she wore it layered over another dress, with a random sash of pink ribbon about the waist.  And then, my goodness, she set about arranging her hair in a “hairstyle” of her own devising.

How very fitting, and terribly romantic, when after the kids went to bed, my love presented me with a vintage (yes, 50′s!) engagement ring for when we exchange rings during our vow renewal this spring.  It’s tucked away for safe keeping in a drawer just now, but it took me a solid 2 days to convince myself to take it back off.

My (other) gift to him; a vest to wear to that very event (Kwik Sew Pattern 2314, view B, with some modifications).

Unrelated to the theme, but still utterly delightful, were the ooey-gooey, grain-free (!) cinnamon buns we made.  We replaced the white sugar with coconut sugar and they turned out wonderfully.

The makings of our holiday…

Flannel napkins from fabric scraps for the kids by Iain and Elijah.

Linen Pulled Fringe Napkins for the adults, by me, tutorial here.

Iced tea brewed from heirloom sweet thyme grown in our garden.

Pastel turkey by Iain.

Lego turkey by Elijah.

Double Rope Braid Bun Tutorial

Birch bark place cards by Iain.

Spiced and Super-Juicy Roast Turkey recipe found here.  Bacon-Blanketed, Herb Roasted Turkey recipe found here. (I used the brine from the first recipe and the cooking method from the second)

A couple of weeks ago, on my “Hair Ideas” board, I pinned this, with the note, “wonder what this would look like with my crazy curls?”  And here is the answer.  Not nearly so neat and sleek, though it would have been far more so, had I done it with wet hair, instead of tucking dry hair up one day to get it out of my way.  I didn’t bother with the teasing step because, well, I had plenty of “stuffing” already.  Instead of sleek and sophisticated, it’s more messy and fun, but I kind of like it.