seafoam dreams

I hope everyone had a pleasant weekend! Mine was spent mostly fiddling around with sewing patterns and watching an endless amount of Foyle's War. I haven't re-watched it since it aired on PBS and I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that I watched the first season 10 years ago. 10 years ago?! Geez louise! It seems like yesterday.

Today I spent all morning calling Disney World to try to book a dinner reservation at Be Our Guest (the new Beauty & The Beast restaurant) which is opening on the second-to-last night of my vacation in November. Unfortunately I totally missed out. It was reported last week that you could make reservations starting at 12pm today, but it was updated to 7am and I never saw the update. So by the time I called they were already completed booked for the days I'm there. I'm going to call once a week to see if anyone has cancelled but at least it's open for counter service meals at lunchtime, so I'll still get to peek inside even if I can't get a reservation. It's disappointing but honestly I'm just glad I'll get to see it at all. If my vacation was just 2 days shorter, I would have been out of luck completely!

Dress - modcloth | Shoes - c/o Bait footwear | Necklace- handmade

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exciting news!

Rachael from The Paraders has launched a vintage-inspired clothing line that will bring tears to the eyes and cause goosebumps on any girl with a soft spot for retro flair. I'm not kidding when I say that my jaw literally dropped when I saw the samples she posted on her blog earlier this week. They are STUNNING.

Basically it's like stumbling upon the most amazing vintage items on etsy, only they're brand new and available in your size. Not only is the design true to period style, but even the attention to detail is something that's usually only found on a very special vintage piece. Things like covered buttons, flattering darts and pretty pockets *swoon* .. Seriously, look at these:





Absolutely amazing, right?! And that's just two of the items.. there are 5 more!!

So far the patterns & samples are finished and all of the fabric & notions have been purchased. All that's left is to assemble everything into a line of completed pieces. And that's where we come in! Rachael has started a kickstarter campaign to raise the funds to complete the production.

Each pledge amount comes with a different reward -- and (more exciting news!!) the first 10 people to pledge $35 or more will get a paper doll designed by me!! :D A paper doll also comes with every pledge of $50 or more, too!!



I already pledged, and I really hope you will too! I think this is the most beautiful independent line I've ever seen, and I hope so badly that it'll be able to be put into production. Even if you can't pledge, please help spread the word and support a fellow vintage-loving gal! :)

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lonely tourist charlotte charles

I think I used the same title the last time I wore this dress, but how can I resist!? Bees immediately scream "Pushing Daisies" to me now. And bees in the form of a perfect little pillbox hat and vintage shirt dress? Well that just has Charlotte Charles written all over it.

Oh my gosh. I just realized this is another insect print! lol!!! I didn't even realize it when I wore the outfit. Maybe this is just my subconscious bidding adieu to all of the bugs that will soon be in hibernation. The day when the only little critters I see in my house are the ones printed on my clothing can't come soon enough for me! ;D

Dress - vintage | Hat - c/o Paige Lavoie | Shoes - urbanog | Belt - forever 21

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this actually happened.

No, I didn't take a picture of myself holding Hubble and photoshop in Chloe. This is an actual, authentic photograph of her in my arms. Why is this so earth-shattering that it requires a blog post, you may ask? Well first of all, I needed to document the cuteness. Secondly, this cat didn't earn her nickname "The Assassin" because of her sweet demeanor. She is a bruiser.

Chloe is incredibly stand-offish, but my mom always holds her when we get storms because, despite her gruff exterior, she's a little baby when it comes to thunder and lightning. This year I summoned the courage to start scooping her up myself when she turns into a whimpering kitten at the first sign of rain. She's just gotten so chubby that it's made the urge to pick her up get stronger and stronger, despite the very real possibility that doing so could result in serious injury or death.

And once I picked her up the first time it was impossible to not do it again. I can't even make out any bones in there because they're so densely encased in muscle and fat. She's just a big soft furry blob. I feel so bad for her when it's storming, because I know she's terrified-- and honestly, I'd give up this window of cuddle-opportunity in a heartbeat if she could overcome her fear-- but it's kind of nice to finally be able to hug this un-hug-able cat that I love so so much.

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beetlemania

More bugs! I'm acquiring a strangely large collection of insect-print clothing for somebody who literally shrieks at the sight of even the tiniest of spiders. When I was little my dad had a glow in the dark cockroach t-shirt, and I guess I've never gotten over how cool that seemed.

Hypatia decided to make another appearance again, too! yay! I would love to show off my cats more often but all three of them are camera shy. I get SO excited when one of them wanders into a picture or stays still long enough for me to take some snapshots!

ps. My August featured sponsor, The Little Buffalo, is having a pretty cool giveaway on her blog for a sweet little pink bow-tie (or hair bow if you think like me, haha!) You can check it out here!

Shirt - c/o sheinside | Cardigan - old navy | Skirt - h&m | Shoes - urbanog

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Simple bouffant bun updo

I was fooling around with my hair the other day and remembered a style I used to wear a lot a couple years ago when I had much longer hair. My hair is pretty short now (the longest parts are just above my shoulders but I cut it myself so it's pretty [read: very] choppy and uneven) but with the help of bobby pins I managed to get it to work. :)

You can see how it looks with a lot more hair (my hair was almost halfway down my back when I took this picture) and no bangs in this super old outfit post here.



1. Pull your hair into a super duper very high ponytail and secure tightly. Since I have so many flyaways, I pinned those down at this point. 2. Roll your hair forward, and tuck the ends underneath. When I had long hair I used to secure the ends with a hair tie, and then roll them so that the massive amount of hair was easier to handle ;) 3. Insert bobby pins -- I used really large ones -- on both sides. It helps to crisscross them, so they stay secure. 4. Tug at your hair at the base of the ponytail to fan out the hair and make the hairdo tighter. 5. (Optional) I like to add more volume to the sides, so I just took a pen and loosened up the hair a little. A fishtail comb is probably better but whatever ;)

Then I always finish any hairdo with a sufficient amount of bobby pins to tame all the flyaways and split ends that stick out when I'm done. And that's it!

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look what I (sort of) made #5: bridesmaid gown restyle

Last month I found a vintage bridesmaid gown for $25. It had a high neckline, banded sleeves and the most noisy, stiff taffeta lining I've ever seen. But it also had an embroidered bodice to die for! So I got it and hoped my sewing skills were good enough to turn it into something lovely and more casual.

Last night I put my talents to the test. I took off the collar and created a new neckline with binding tape. I took off the banding on the sleeves and shortened them to just under the scalloped crochet detail for a fluttery effect. I cut out the old taffeta lining, sewed in a new white cotton one and hemmed the sheer overlay. And by golly, it worked!

I am SO happy with how this came out!! I didn't even want to go to sleep last night because it meant having to change out of my new favorite dress into pajamas ;D

Dress - vintage (from Love Saves the Day) | Shoes - ebay | Belt - vintage

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