Christmas and Projects

Rachael and her stocking (full of chocolate) wearing her stocking cap that she just finished knitting. 

     Hello, all of you lovely ladies! I have been enjoying my time without school so much that I haven't even turned on my computer since the time I posted last. Sometimes a break is just necessary (albeit too long...). I had a lovely Christmas, as I hope the rest of you did as well! Since most of my family are in college right now (and therefore poor), we decided to draw names for Christmas presents. I received my Dad, and my brother-in-law received me. Since my Dad is a mountain man reenactor, it is pretty easy to shop for him (unlike most men). I got him a book about Bent's Fort and season 1 of Mountain Men (which I still haven't watched, it's a fairly new series and I had never heard of it until I did a search). I also got him a book of phrases beginning with 'Dad, you're dynamite because...' and wrote some special notes in it of my own, and I got him a CD he has been wanting for a long time. It is one of his favorite groups, Daniel Amos, from when he was young, and they recently released a brand new CD, which is pretty cool.

     Johan (my brother-in-law), got me some beautiful presents! One of which, my sister informed me, he chose without any help from her! A lovely calender full of pictures of hats (they have always been a weakness with me), a thrifted book (written in the 70's) called 'History of 20th Century Fashion', and one of my favorite movies, 'Thoroughly Modern Millie'. I had never heard of this movie until this last semester, and I absolutely fell in love. If you like Julie Andrews, Mary Tyler Moore, the 20's, and kooky fun, you will love this movie! It is crazy and weird and wonderful. My Mom and Dad still gave us 'Santa' presents. This year it was all of the Narnia books in one.

      I had this lovely, unrealistic goal of finishing a dress for Christmas Eve. That didn't happen, but I am still sewing the dress. I am using a lovely chocolate brown, silky fabric. I decided to line it in flannel to make it warmer and more wearable, and I am so excited to finish it! I think it is going to be very comfortable, and since I don't have many warm dresses, this is needed. I have plans for many more projects while I am at home, but I don't have much time, since school starts again on the 8th. Oh well, I will just have to be a sewing fiend for the next few days!

The lining

Reading and knitting

New purse!

      Now for some cliche stuff! Christmas is a wonderful time of year. I actually really love drawing names for Christmas. I feel that it keeps giving a part of Christmas, but one is not overwhelmed with more presents than they need. My favorite part of Christmas has always been all of the traditions, as well as our Christmas Eve service (which is also a tradition...). I love hearing the Christmas story, it reminds me why we are celebrating. Christmas is a time of celebrating the birth of Christ and spending time with loved ones. It is a time to show love to everyone you come into contact with. I don't need to say that materialism is a problem around Christmastime, because everybody says that. I think that a bigger problem is not taking time to enjoy Christmas. I went to the store a few days before Christmas. When I checked out I said 'hello' cheerfully. The lady at the counter's response was to say that I must have finished all of my Christmas shopping. We then had a little conversation about her children, and it was nice. I felt so sad, thinking about all of the cranky customers she had obviously been dealing with. I encourage all of you to make an effort to smile at people, not just at Christmastime, but all year long. It is amazing the difference it can make in someones day to be smiled at by a stranger.

      I must get back to sewing my dress now, and soon we will be eating. We are having meatloaf and black eyed peas for dinner, and we have sparkling cider for later. So, without further ado, Happy New Years, everybody stay safe!

Lots of love!

A Lack of Inspiration

     Well, I have been completely MIA, and I apologize. The past few weeks I have been exhausted and simply uninspired. I think that part of it had to do with homesickness; but after being home for four days, I am feeling better again. Another issue has been my necessary separation from my sewing machine. Seriously, I'm having withdrawals. I am still wearing vintage (inspired), but there hasn't been anything new or exciting. Let me tell you though, vintage collegiate is very comfortable! Sweaters and my black pencil skirt; that is pretty much what I have been wearing. One of the biggest perks to this combo is that I can wear them to my acting classes.
     I am leaving for home tomorrow, and I am so excited! I promise that I will have lots more to say coming soon. I have lots of sewing in my sights!
Lots of love,

Giveaway at Chronically Vintage

     Hey everybody, I have never posted this often before! This is just a quick note to tell you that there is a wonderful giveaway going on over at Chronically Vintage hosted by The Best Vintage Clothing. It is a fifty dollar gift card to spend on/towards anything in their shop. Go on over to Chronically Vintage to enter!

A Coat to Make You Smile







     Let's just be perfectly honest: winter is cold and dreary. This isn't to say that I don't appreciate a magical snowfall, or drinking hot cocoa with a good book, but when it comes to doing what has to be done (namely getting out of my bed to brave the cold and walk to class, usually rushing), let's just say that I would rather skip from fall to spring. I love fall weather, with the delightful crispness in the air and the leaves crunching underfoot or displaying their gorgeous fall colors while still on the trees; but as soon as it becomes bitingly cold, I don't want it anymore. The one redeeming factor about freezing temperatures is the beautiful style that can go with it. Enter scarves and tights and socks and hats; and enter my winter coat.

     I love my coat so much; I made it last year at the end of the Christmas season, right before the spring semester began. I knew at this point that I would be moving to my University and need a very warm coat for traipsing all over campus. I had had the wool for an entire year (having received it as a Christmas gift the year before) when I finally made it. I used this pattern, which isn't really meant for heavy fabrics, but the silhouette was so perfect that I decided to disregard that little tidbit (and it worked).

 

     I lined it in red satin, which was actually very much a 'Make Do and Mend' thing to do. I re-purposed it from the skirt of my first Civil War ball gown, knowing that I would never wear it as such again. It seemed such a waste to let all of that lovely satin sit unused, and I had no money or fabric otherwise. Really, it was quite satisfying to be so thrifty about it. I love eliminating waste, so this was a challenge accepted for me. The fabric was not long enough to be the lining, and so I had to piece it together. I was actually quite pleased with how the seams looked, it gives the coat rather more personality.

     I added the button just before I left home in August, which was a necessary adjustment. The coat is far too prone to fly open for my liking, and the button insures that I will keep my coat on. It is very heavy, what with a thick layer of wool and satin interlined with muslin, and it keeps out the cold better than any other coat I have (except for the front opening which still has a mind of its own). I love wearing my coat, it instantly makes any drab outfit feel glamorous; though I admit that there are times when I wonder if it is too much. I honestly need to just stop worrying about what people think. The truth is that some people will think it is too much, some will think it's lovely, and most probably won't care. I have realized lately that it is almost narcissistic to think that everyone (or even most people) care about what I am wearing. I do not wear the clothes that I wear to stand out, I wear them because I want to; and if my focus shifts from that then the whole point of wearing vintage is defeated, and I might as well go back to jeans and t-shirts. The truth is that people usually don't even know that what you are wearing is vintage inspired, because most people are not as obsessed as I am, and I do mean 'obsessed'.
     Well, all this goes to say that if it is dreary and cold out, nothing can make the day so tolerable as a pretty swing coat. It makes you happy, and keeps you warm!
Lots of love!

My Closet

 

My shoes are not organized, but that is always the case...

      So, I have this obsession with reading blogs from their very beginnings (anyone else find the need to do this?), and the past week or so I have run across several posts regarding simplifying your closet (your posts matter, they will always be inspiring to people). I began to think about my closet, which has issues holding my abundance of clothes, and how I don't even wear most of what is in there on a regular basis. Therefore, I am downsizing and organizing. I wanted to find three different categories, and get rid of things from all but 1:

1. Hand sewn
2. Thrifted
3. Store bought

I don't have a before picture, but there is seriously so much more space in here now. The bottom of the closet looks worse than it is, that big mess is my cloth hamper being annoying.

     I have way more hand sewn and thrifted than store bought at this point, and it was time to downsize even more. I feel like all of my store bought clothes have been holding me back. They are a bit of a handicap, because I can always fall back on what looks 'normal'. I want to eventually reach the place where I can honestly say that my whole closet is either thrifted or hand sewn, with more hand sewn than not (most of what I thrift is sweaters, and I don't make those so I don't mind that so much). I need to do a lot of work on my fall/winter wardrobe. I have a lot more hand sewn summer clothes than winter, so when the weather gets cold again I feel like I don't have anything hand sewn to wear. Considering how much I wear sweaters, I really should start knitting and crocheting more. It's just that the last sweater I tried to make ended so sadly. The sleeves were far from big enough for my arms, and they were supposed to be baggy! Dumb pattern... Anyway, if I can find cheap yarn, then I will probably give it another go. I went through and rid myself of several dresses and skirts that I couldn't part with before, simply because there was nothing wrong with them. I have them all in a bag now, waiting till I can sell them at the end of the school year. I am just done holding onto things that do me no good, and could benefit someone else immensely. By the by, would any of you be interested in buying some of my clothes if I put them on Etsy? They aren't vintage, but they are in very nice condition. If anyone is interested, I can get more information out there.

      I feel so much better about my closet now, I actually have extra hangers! Even with everything I purged, I feel like there is more that should go. It is hard to get rid of some things, like tshirts, because I wear those when I am lazying around the house or working out, but I have too many. I want to clean out my closet regularly, to avoid the overdose of stuff that I hate so.
     I have found some definite methods for purging my closet, and maybe they will work for you too. First I make sure that I don't have clothes laying around (to avoid accidentally getting rid of something), and I designate a space for clothes I am getting rid of, and a space for clothes that need to be fixed/revamped. Next I make a first run-through of the closet, grabbing everything that I am just done with. I repeat this at least five times. It is surprising to me that I am able to grab more each time, it's like the more I get rid of the easier it is to let go. When I have gotten rid of everything I can in this way, I go through and try on everything left in my closet (except for obvious things, like the dress you wear three times a week. It obviously fits and works.) You can get rid of even more through this process. Try on anything you aren't sure of. Also, don't be afraid to get rid of that ratty old t-shirt that you wear constantly. If it is basically an addiction to wear it all of the time, then the only thing to do is stop cold-turkey; plain and simple as that. Make sure that while you are trying on things you hang them up right away, or put them in your 'gone' pile. Keep things clean while you go, and you will thank yourself later.

We made extra closet space under one of the beds and have all of our jackets and coats hanging here. This is both my sister and my clothing.

     Well, after getting rid of so much stuff I now have room for some things I have been wanting again! On that list are:

• Vintage style jeans (women's or men's; either would have been worn)
• Cigarette pants (and shorts too, though I don't know that they are actually called that. You know, the ones that come to the knee cap and are worn with tall socks)
• Pajamas
• Vintage style workout clothes would be fantastic
• Cold weather skirts

     This is not an exhuastive list, but these are things that I find myself wishing that I had. I have to be able to move easily in my clothes every time that I have a theatre class, which is four days a week. This often means that I can't wear skirts at all, so I need to get more pants and such that fit my style. Next semester I will only have a theatre class two days a week, so it will be a bit easier to deal with. The main problem is that these classes are in the middle of the day, so I don't change back into my prettier clothes after that class. Often I change into sweats instead. Things must change people! Who's with me? Are you ready to stop being lazy about your daily wardrobe with me? I am going to make an effort to stop wearing the same clothes over and over, and start exploring my closet a bit more. Also, the fact that I will only be wearing an outfit for my first class and chapel (which ends by 11) is no excuse to not wear those clothes. I love wearing my style, and I hate leaving it all of the time. Now that my closet is so much clearer, maybe I'll be able to look and grab faster!

Flashback Summer Giveaway Winner

     Good day lovelies, allow me to introduce you to Helen Mae.

     Lovebirds Vintage is a very charming blog; I just explored a little bit, and I am quite smitten. She has lots of pretty outfit posts (seperated into their own private tab), makeup tutorials, she is learning to sew, and she is a reenactor. I absolutely adore reenacting, and I am for sure going to be exploring her blog a bit more. If you are in the mood for some great inspiration, definitely go on over and give her blog a look.
Lots of love!

Flashback Summer Giveaway Winner Product Highlight

     Hey all; I am here to speak about Anna from 2Day I Choose. She was the winner of one of the prizes over at Flashback Summer, which included a product highlight post here on Vintage Perfect. Her beautiful portraits on vintage book paper would make a wonderful gift for a loved one.

      I think that it would be darling to have these of your children to decorate living rooms or play spaces. Anna is able to finish these very quickly, with an average turnaround of 5-7 days. If you have any beautiful pictures that were ruined by the background or other people, this is a great way to save that moment for all time. You can find this beautiful product listed here.
Lots of love!

Making a Home, Wherever You Are

My bed next to the window. The curtains were my Christmas gift to Rachael last year, and the twinkle lights just make life better.

     I am a clean person. It drives me crazy if my living space is not in pristine condition. I cannot concentrate on anything. Some may say that's a good trait, some that it is a bad trait. I think it's a combination; so long as I don't force my standards on others it is great. Well, moving onto a college campus and living in a room made of cinder blocks with fluorescent lighting was something I knew was going to be hard for me. I am rooming with my sister, and we both have the same ideas regarding how to live. We started planning over the summer, realizing that we would not be happy if our room looked like a dorm room.

This is the view from our door.

Our bookshelf, which frankly needs to be bigger.

      We wanted to have more of a little house. So, we started working on that. We kept the planned aesthetic in mind when we were packing, and we have been thrifting several times at home and here. Our parents gifted us with an old couch that was in the basement, which was wonderful.

The couch has tears in the cushions, so we put this throw over it, which is nice, since it's cream instead of red.

My beautiful lamp that I thrifted.

      One of the most important things for me is lighting. I cannot stand fluorescent lighting, it will give me a headache faster than anything else in this world. Other things that I need are cleanliness, smell, and general color scheme. I had bright colors when I was 13, and I just don't want them any more. I love beautiful things that have an old feel to them (whether they are actually old or not). I believe in making the most of whatever you have, and living as simply as possible. Nothing in this room has cost either of us more than ten dollars, and anything more expensive was a gift. I love to find things second-hand for several reasons: they are cheaper, they often are in perfect condition, everyone else doesn't have the same thing, you find vintage/antiques sometimes, and it helps the environment (many of these reasons are the same for why I thrift and sew my wardrobe). I am beginning to work now for what my goal is for the future, when I have my own home. I want to furnish it with beautiful, personal things. I don't want to go to a furniture store and buy all of the cheapest things I can find, I want to work a little harder and find things I really love. This is not to say that I will never buy anything new, because I already have. My stand-alone mirror for doing my makeup and my little table for my spider-plant are both from Ross, and I love them.

The view from me bed. We added curtains to the closets to hide the ugly plastic doors.

We are coffee addicts, and therefore love mugs :)

My desk, which usually doesn't have a sandwich and  computer on it...

    Small touches like books, plants, lighting, organization, and just making ordinary things pretty make all of the difference between a room and a home. If you have a clean space that is welcoming to visitors (having things like coffee and tea on hand to offer is a huge step towards making people feel comfortable), then it doesn't matter if you have all of the 'things' that you may want. Beauty can be had at any price tag, if you just look hard enough. Do you have any special tricks for making your space feel homey?

Feeling Shallow for Wearing Vintage

Studying; a few months ago

     So, I don't know if anyone else deals with this, but sometimes I feel embarrassed by my adoration of vintage clothing. I know that there are people who consider any interest in clothing shallow, and it can be hard to deal with those feelings sometimes. I am a Theatre and History major, and if I move on in my education, I plan to get my Masters/PhD in Fashion History. I hate telling people that. They always give me this look that means "Really, you're going to waste your money on that?". I feel the need to justify myself for not wanting to be a mathematician, nurse, teacher, or something 'worthwhile'. It is ridiculous to feel this way, but it is true. The really sad part is that if I just say 'Theatre and History', they think it's great. Somehow, getting a Masters in Fashion History sounds worse than just a bachelors in Theatre and History. Dear me. Of course, I am preaching to the choir right now, but it is good to write things out sometimes.

    

      My clothing is a big deal to me. I have so many reasons why I dress the way that I do. My clothes make me feel pretty, this is the most obvious reason. I find that if I try to wear modern clothing I feel awful. The reason for this is that modern clothes are catered to curve-less people. I have nothing against girls who are built like this, but I feel that the lack of attention to such a huge part of the population is ridiculous. It is my personal opinion that vintage clothing is a million times more flattering; and to every body type at that. Another reason I wear vintage is that I want the world to see that I am a woman, and I am not ashamed of it. I am getting into dangerous territory now, but here goes. Everyone wants to empower women; great, but they go about it all wrong. For starters, I fail to see how acting and dressing like a man makes a woman better. Isn't that the exact opposite of what empowering women should be about? I have no issues with women wearing jeans, working, getting equal pay, or anything like that; but what about homemakers? What about the women who want to be old-fashioned? The fact of the matter is that men and women are different, and this has nothing to do with equality. The problem is that people have equated equality to be sameness.

Not creepy, just my Greek theatre mask! (I made it myself)

     Women are nurturers, and as such it is a natural desire within us to want to take care of our families. Likewise, men have the desire to provide. The problem is that society has dictated to us that this model of living is somehow not good enough; that in order for a woman to have any worth she has to be like a man. When I wear my vintage clothing I am declaring to the world that I am a woman, I am old-fashioned, and I am not afraid to go against the flow. I will be who I am, I will believe what I believe, and I will not back down. I have been realizing recently that I am far too easily silenced. For the sake of avoiding conflict I do not voice my opinion. I realize that there is wisdom in silence, but only when it does not declare that you agree with the opposite side of an issue from your true convictions.

My new Navy trousers, fixed! More on them later.

      Please understand that I am not against women's rights. I am against the notion that women should talk, think, and act like men in order to be their equals. As far as I can see, that is far more degrading to women than thinking that they should be subservient to men; because it makes the statement that women can only be equal to men if they become like them. Personally, I am going to be equal on my own terms. (I am not a 'skirts only', 'all women should stay in the home' type of person; I do believe in women being women though, wherever they are).

One of my most worn outfits since I've been here. 

 
     Well, this became a bit of a rant! I apologize if I have offended anyone, but please believe me when I say that I am not opposed to women's rights. I also realize that the wisdom of writing a post like this is somewhat questionable, but some things need saying sometimes. I would love to hear from you in the comments, just keep things polite :)

Giveaway

Hey everyone! So sorry I have been gone for so long! Drop on by Flashback Summer for a giant giveaway. Vintage Perfect is in on some of the prizes, including a scarf crocheted by myself, some highlight posts here, and some vintage handkerchiefs! The giveaway ends October 25, so go on over and enter. Also I have now created a Facebook page, so go on over and like it. I will be coming back tomorrow with a real post, so stay tuned.
Lots of love!

A Beautiful Pair of Trousers

     So I was in a movie this weekend. My University makes a movie every semester, and I tried out a while back (I spoke about it here). Now, I was rather hopeful that I would end up with a line, and indeed I did. It was so much fun, and I get to be in another scene. One of my biggest dreams is to be an actress, so this is a fantastic experience. Well, I went to get my costume and found out that I was only receiving a police shirt. That meant that I had to find trousers, a belt, and shoes; and I had about half an hour. So I rushed over to my favorite thrift store with two friends in lieu. We were on a mission and found all three items plus a pair of rather remarkable trousers, all for thirteen dollars. I love this store. This is also the same store where I found my vintage stockings (same post as above).

 I had about a split second to examine them, so I thought that they were possibly reenactment trousers. They fit me except for the waist, and since they have the lace up back I knew that I could easily fix them. When I got them home I was absolutely shocked to find out that they are part of a navy uniform. They are 100 % wool, the perfect length, and probably never worn (there is no name or service number written inside), and they cost all of three dollars. That is what I call a deal. I have tried looking up similar items online, and they are not exactly in my price range. I was so thrilled when I found this out. I am having major issues dating them though, since uniforms don't really change. If anyone has any knowledge on this subject, please tell me.

Lots of love!

How I Became Vintage

     I know that when I am following a blog there are certain questions that I like to have answered. One of those is 'How did you become a vintage enthusiast?' I do not know if this curiosity holds true for all of you, but just in case it does, I am going to answer that question now.
     My lovely mother raised my two big sisters and I on good old movies. I used to be confused by the difference between what I saw in old movies and what I saw in real life. I honestly thought that people still dressed that way, just not where I was. When I got a little older and realized my mistake, I was heartbroken. I wished and wished that people still dressed that way; and then one day, it hit me. I am in control of what I wear, and nobody can keep me from being myself. I was watching 'The Parent Trap' (Hayley Mills) when I had this epiphany. I remember thinking how wonderful it was that a thirteen year old was wearing such beautiful dresses, even to travel in! I decided then and there that I was going to start building my wardrobe the way I wanted it. That was when I was fifteen. I came down that day wearing a sundress, to get started with my resolution, and my sister looked at me like I was crazy. I think that everyone got used to it pretty quickly though.

Charlotte

     I have been sewing for years now. I started hand-sewing when I was about seven (making a rag-doll named Charlotte), and I was taught to use a machine when I was thirteen. I started by making what I already had as vintage as possible, while beginning to sew dresses and skirts. I used fabric from my Mom's stash (she is very generous). I got some lovely repro patterns for Christmas, and sewed some dresses from them (one of which I just finished this summer...). I found out a lot of things I did not know before; such as the fact that circle skirts have bias areas. They are serious when they say to let it hang overnight. Or that all seams truly must be finished. I think that my true sewing breakthrough was when I found out that I had two weeks to make the following for a Civil War Ball: drawers, chemise, corset, hoop-skirt, and gown. And I did it, very poorly! Again, they mean it when they say that hoop skirts should be five inches off the ground.

In this picture you can see the hoop skirt peeking out. I was
tripping on it all evening, and it didn't fill out the top right.
That is my wonderful Dad escorting me.

This is my dress the next year. As you can see
there is a huge improvement in the shape of the
skirt.

    When I started school last year I got a work study job in the library. There was not much for me to do; so I did homework and browsed the web, which led me to the discovery of vintage blogs. I was looking for a tutorial on making a fur collar, and I found this tutorial from Casey.

     I was hooked, and I went on to find many other lovely blogs. The great thing is that everyone has her own personal style, and is simply not afraid of it. In real life and in the blogosphere, she doesn't give in to peer pressure to conform. I went back and forth with the idea of starting my own blog, wondering if I would actually have anything interesting to say or show. When I finally decided to, I was so happy with my decision. Even if I never have any followers, it makes me happy to write about my passion for vintage; and who knows, maybe I'll even inspire some girl to dress the way she wants to.

     One more thing, I found these stockings at the thrift store for 99 cents, which is incredible. I have decided that they are from the fifties or sixties, based on three things: they have reinforced heels and toes, they are thick and durable, and they are shaped. The last is probably the most important. Anyway, one of them has a run in it. I am so mad at whoever did that. I was wondering if any of you lovely ladies have any knowledge regarding darning vintage stockings? I really want to fix these so I can wear them, they are in excellent shape otherwise. 

You can see the run in this picture.

Thanks a bunch!

'Birthdays Come but Once a Year' or 'Fall Is In the Air'

   

The weather has turned to lovely chilliness, and I couldn't be happier!

     I meant most faithfully to post about my birthday a few weeks ago, but a few things happened. First I was required to go on a 24 hour technology fast for one of my classes (which was actually quite wonderful), and then Monday came again, and again. I am quite determined to start posting more often than once every 1-2 weeks, but habits take time to form. I am also hoping that it will be easier once we get our router working. Anyhow, it was my birthday two Saturdays ago! And what did I do? A lot of wonderful nothing-in-particulars. I love doing things because I feel like doing them, and a birthday is the perfect day to indulge oneself :) So I auditioned for a campus movie, I went to an antique store, I went to a thrift store, and I watched Anne of Green Gables. It was lovely.

This was actually a very warm day, but I was ready for cooler weather!

Rachael's totally thrifted outfit (except for the shoes).

     Now, the movie. I did not get a callback, and it was hard because I had not gotten a callback for the play I auditioned for either. But I knew that being brand new here meant that it would take some time to get into the 'inner circles' (not that my school is clique-ish, but the upperclassmen still have precedence). So I was beyond thrilled when I was looking at the Facebook page later that evening and my name was on the casting list! It is a very small part (which is why I had no callback) but I am thrilled to be in the movie at all. I am looking at this as a foot in the door, not to mention a challenge; I am a cop, the only girl cop. I am not really cop material, so acting skills ensue!
     The antique store was . . . interesting. It was full of crazy stuff, but it was kind of sketchy too. I did not buy anything there, but I wouldn't be opposed to going again. I am simply never going to go alone (I did not go alone that day, but now I know that I never will). Then we headed over to the thrift store. This place was pretty amazing. I found a gorgeous lamp, a candle warmer, a turtleneck with a huge 'H' on it (Tommy Hilfiger, but I like to pretend that it was made for me), a couple of movies, a buttonholer for my mother, and a huge bag of tupperware. Don't buy tupperware in huge bags; not a single lid will fit a single container, and you will be disappointed.

Some of the lovely flowers that are planted all over campus.

     I unfortunately still do not have my router working, and that is what I am blaming my lack of posting on. It's up to you to decide if that is a legitimate excuse or not. Probably not. Anyway, I did call the IT people the other day, and they will be coming to help sometime this week. Apparently the router that we bought doesn't like the Internet service provider, so it isn't us being stupid (what a relief!).

See, I'm studying! That's a good excuse, though not the one that's true...

     I want to do a post on my dorm room, and maybe get some nice outfit pictures together. I have been wearing pretty things, but the idea of taking time to take photos when I could be doing something else (like napping, say) is rather ludicrous. However things are starting to fall (pun not originally intended; cause, you know, fall is practically here) into place. Well, hopefully I will become a better blogger from here on out!
Lots of love,

Vintage Photo Shoot

     Where I come from people are more likely to be wearing jeans and hoodies than vintage. Because of this I have never had any vintage friends. My sisters will go vintage once in a while, but not daily by any means. One of my main reasons for starting this blog was so that I could get to know other vintage ladies through the internet. However, fate has stepped in. There is a totally knock-your-socks-off vintage girl who lives right above me. Her name is Emileigh, and she also has a blog. Here is her post about our shopping trip (I decided not to be redundant and rewrite her post, so I will post about our photo shoot instead).

Emileigh is wearing a 1910's dress with a matching hat and a 1940's coat

She doesn't normally wear clothes quite this old, her style is more based in the 40's. I tend to swing between the 40's and 50's, so we have a lot in common. Our wonderful photographer did not give me any pictures of herself (which makes me sad), but if you go over to Emileigh's post you will see a few pictures of the lovely Ashlee :)
     We decided to go on this photo shoot to record Emileigh's dress, but the rest of us wanted to dress up too! (not to mention that Ash is my blog photographer now).

     My sister is wearing my petticoat and circle skirt (you can see me wearing it here) as well as my shirt (bought) and one of the lovely hats I found Saturday. The belt and shoes are hers though. Emily (second from left) is wearing a beautiful dress which she also found Saturday and couldn't resist. I am wearing my new wool skirt and another of my wonderful new hats. The sweater is from Old Navy, and the cardigan is from Kohls. The shoes are ridiculous. They are much taller than they look, and we walked to our venues. It didn't occur to me soon enough to walk barefoot and I got a blister. I am also wearing my new girdle (which I talked about in the same post as above), I will be writing about that soon.

     Despite our obvious longing for cool weather it was quite warm (though the weather has started to turn now, thank goodness!) We are crazy, but oh well. 

     Here's to friendships, may they last forever!