On My Inspiration Board: Lavender Gowns

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lavender cover

Everyone at some point in their lives goes through a lavender phase.  I remember mine was in jr. high and into high school where most of my clothes, and my room, was covered in various tones of lavender.  It is such an easy color to love and looks great on a variety of skin tones.  While researching and choosing gowns to feature in this post, I was delighted to see so many examples from a variety of time periods.  It seems woman through out the past two hundred years have also seen the appeal that lavender has to offer.

I also found some absolutely wonderful paintings featuring lavender hued gowns!  Here are a few of my favorites:

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While two of the three are trimmed in darker purple tones, they are overall wonderful examples of lavender gowns. With so many beautiful examples, it was (as usual) hard to choose ones to highlight, so as always, make sure to hop over to my Pinterest Page to see more gowns.

lavender gowns

Looking for a modern lavender gown to wear now?  My favorite right now is this long maxi dress from ModCloth.  Absolutely gorgeous!!

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Maxi Dress from ModCloth

Have a wonderful day!!

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A Mock Up of a 1920’s One Hour Dress

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1920's dress

It feels like it has been a very long time since I have shared any of my sewing projects with you all!  While it has been for a very good reason, I really wanted to share something.

So here it is! 🙂

One of my Christmas gifts was a book from Mary Brook Pickens which featured her One Hour Dress.  While I have tried many other designs from Ms. Pickens, this was my first go with this particular style.  I decided to time myself and see if it could really be done in an hour.  Well 90 minutes later I was finished, and while it did take a lot longer than the promised 60 minutes, I can see that most of it was my fault.

I wanted to use up some fabric I had lying around, but realized, a little to late, I didn’t have enough to create the dress as designed.  But I decided to forge ahead and see what I could create.  As a result, I ended up making the bodice piece too short to accommodate for the lack of fabric along with a skirt that was not wide enough to create the proper cascade at each side.  And my last mistake was picking a fabric that was too stretchy and as a result didn’t hang right (notice the belt…)

So….was it Ms Pickens fault that it took way too long and didn’t hang right?  No, it was mine and as a result I will do it right the next time.  I wasn’t sure if I should share this dress or not, but thought if someone was debating creating one on their own for the first time…they may want to learn from my mistakes.

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All Things Strawberry!

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strawberry

Strawberries are, hands down, my most favorite fruit.  I have always loved them and am fairly certain, I always will! 🙂

As a rule, I have never been a “cake” person, preferring instead fruit pies, shortcake, or biscuits.  The lovely thing about strawberries, is that that little fruit goes great with all of the above mentioned desserts.  As a young child, I would always ask for something with this little fruit for my birthday dessert.  Add a huge dollop of whipped cream, and well, I was in heaven!

And with strawberry season just beginning to start, I thought I would share some strawberry recipes.

 

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However, my most absolute, positively-favorite way to eat strawberries, is in strawberry soup!  Smooth, cold, creamy, sweet…. and simply delightful!  

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Ingredients:
2 cups vanilla yogurt/ or buttermilk
1/2 cup orange juice
2 pounds fresh strawberries, halved (8 cups)
1/2 cup sugar
Additional vanilla yogurt and fresh mint leaves, optional

In a blender, combine the yogurt, orange juice, strawberries and sugar in batches; cover and process until blended. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Garnish with additional yogurt and mint leaves if desired. Yield: 6 servings.

So enjoy spring’s most favorite fruit…I know I will!

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Poetry: Spring in New Hampshire by Claude McKay

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spring

Spring cleaning is both one of my least and most favorite yearly activities.  I enjoy the feeling of getting my house in proper order and washed up from the winter season’s coating of salt and dirt.  But….it can be rather depressing to spend a beautiful Saturday washing windows and cleaning out closets.  While I didn’t think I was alone in this viewpoint, I was quite pleased to have stumbled across this poem which perfectly explains that conflicting feeling.

Spring in New Hampshire

Too green the springing April grass,
Too blue the silver-speckled sky,
For me to linger here, alas,
While happy winds go laughing by,
Wasting the golden hours indoors,
Washing windows and scrubbing floors.
Too wonderful the April night,
Too faintly sweet the first May flowers,
The stars too gloriously bright,
For me to spend the evening hours,
When fields are fresh and streams are leaping,
Wearied, exhausted, dully sleeping.

 

However, if spring cleaning is on your mind, here are a few suggested posts to keep you inspired and focused!  Simply click on the picture to be view original post.

Cleaning Out Your Closet tutorial

Household hints

april cleaning

Enjoy the warm outdoors and your spring cleaning!

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Sources:

Cover Photo: Sounds of Spring by Franz Stuck, 1910

Spring in New Hampshire by Claude McKay, 1889-1948

Vintage Celebrity Advertisements

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celebrity

I love doing research!  It is amazing the types of things one finds by just digging around the internet.  Take for example this advert featuring Maureen O’Hara for Starkist Tuna:

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Not exactly the product you would expect a Hollywood star to be promoting, however it did lead me down a path to searching for other celebrity ads.  While many of the ones I have chosen to show you, aren’t as unique as the one above, they do feature a wide range of celebrities.

 So let’s take a little trip down vintage advertising lane!

This one features Veronica Lake and LUX soap…I don’t think I have ever seen another advert featuring Miss Lake, which I why I thought I’d share it.

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A very common face on advertising pages, this one of Judy Garland features Max Factor’s Pan-Cake Makeup.

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Another rarely seen face, this face powder advertisement features actress Yvonne DeCarlo.

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One of my favorite comedienne actresses, Betty Hutton, looks adorable in a white tennis outfit sipping Lipton Ice Tea.

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America’s sweetheart Doris Day looks picture perfect on this add for Lustre-Creme Shampoo!

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While only offering three color choices, this Max Factor adds features Lana Turner as a brunette.

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Anther lovely Hollywood actress, this advertisement for Gypsy Glow powder features Esther Williams.

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I hope you have enjoyed this little flashback of vintage products with vintage faces!
Have a beautiful day!

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Recreate this Look: 1940’s Short Sleeve Suit

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1940's look

This month’s outfit inspiration is an adorable 1940’s suit with featuring very ladylike accessories.  The only part of the look that made me scratch my head was the choice to use loafers as the shoes.  I don’t know…I love the clean look of heels with a suit…but I guess that’s just me.

Finding a short sleeve suit jacket is rather a tall order these days, so I was very happy to have found one at a reasonable price.  Suits are a fantastic investment as they can be worn together or as separates, and finding a jacket that can carry over into the warmer months is even better.  This particular look would be perfect for a variety of functions, although I don’t think my hat choice is very flexible…but it certainly does look great!

So let’s take a look at the original 1940’s inspiration:

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Fresh, youthful, and a great choice for the upcoming summer, this outfit is a gem!

Now for my version!  Simply click on any of the thumbnail pictures to see price and where to purchase.

1940's Pink and Charcoal Black Suit

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Isn’t it just amazing?!?!  

Want to create your own suit?  What about this pattern from Eva Dress?

Simply shorten the sleeves, and this patter would be perfect!  Click picture to see pattern.

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Have a wonderful day!!

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Finding Kitchen Canisters

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canisters

I simply adore kitchen canisters and find them to be a triple threat in the kitchen.  What does that mean?  It means they are attractive, a space saver, and keeps your food fresh.

With all that, how can you go wrong?!

The other lovely thing about canisters, is they help enhance the look or theme of your kitchen in a very affordable way.  When I redecorated my kitchen last year, I specifically searched for canisters that would add to the look without losing any more space on my kitchen counters.  While no longer available, these are the canisters I choose for my kitchen:

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Ready to find some wonderful canisters of your own?
 Here are a few different styles to help get you started!

 

Red Canisters from Wayfair

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Antique Canisters from Amazon

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Forbury Sugar Canister from Anthropologie

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Cambria Crock from Pottery Barn

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Happy Shopping!

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Powdered Perfection

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powder

In today’s post we are going to talk about all things face powder!  I have come to appreciate face powder more and more, however I don’t necessarily believe there is only one way to apply it.  I know some women that put it on after they complete their whole face, and others who put it on right after foundation.  I personally fall into the latter category.  Whichever way you apply it, the benefit it can offer to your makeup’s staying power is undeniable.

With face powered going on a century of popularity, I thought I would share a few fun advertisements for this makeup staple.

 

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I also love this 1940’s makeup tutorial which instructs powder application as the very last step!

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My current favorite face powder is this one by Revlon. I love that it is a translucent powered with a slight shimmer in it…and it is very affordable!

Revlon Photo Ready Powder

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However, once I finish my current compact of Revlon, I plan on trying this powder from Besame cosmetics!  I love everything about it, and they offer refills of the powder so you don’t have to keep purchasing the compact over and over again!

Besame Light Cashmere Powder Compact

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So whether you use a brush or puff, apply that powder and go face the day with much deserved confidence!

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