One more day to enter the Give Thanks Blog Party!
What are you thankful for? I'd love you to join us!
Monday, November 28, 2011
American Duchess Pre-Sale
Go forth, merry historical holiday shoppers, and order a pair of Pemberlies, the perfect Regency shoe, for your Jane Austen-obsessed love one, or treat yourself!
Or, if you, like me, can only sigh over the wondrous beauty of these newest creations by the American Duchess, there is hope! Enter to win a pair of your own!
The "Pemberley" Regency shoes are closely based on extant footwear from the 1790s through 1810. The smooth, dyable, hand-sewn leather upper is designed to be lovely enough for formal occasions, and durable enough for walking in the countryside. Particular attention was paid to the point of the toe, as well as the other hallmarks of Regency historical footwear, with the main goals being both historical accuracy and all-day comfort.
Absolutely lovely.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Sharing the Blessings vol. 8
Presenting week eight of Sharing the Blessings!
How it works:
Each Sunday, I will post the new linky for the week's posts. Add your link, then browse through the link pool, visit with other bloggers, and share your blessings!
What you do:
Just make a post, as simple as a picture or as elaborate as an article, and link up below so others can be encouraged. Add the button below with a link back to this URL:
so that others can participate!
The blessings of family? The fact that a friend stopped by with a cheerful smile and shared a good laugh? The temptation conquered or the steaming mug of hot tea you enjoy each morning over devotions? A verse of scripture that has blessed you?
Feel free to add the button below (linking to the URL given above) to your blog as well - help spread the word! If you’re not participating now, I hope you’ll come back & join in next week!
Simply sharing the little blessings that make life beautiful. Won't you join me?
Friday, November 25, 2011
Outfit: Gathered Together
mint striped boat neck tee...thrifted ~ heart locket...gift
folk roses print Walk in the Woods skirt...made by me ~ Italian leather belt...thrifted
My Thanksgiving outfit. This is such a fun ensemble to wear, with it's whimsical mishmash of folk print and nautical stripe, while the gold accents of the locket and buckle lend a simple, woodsy touch.
I did my hair in a very quick, go-to method for putting some curl in my 'do, and though I didn't get a picture of the finished result, I have some quick snapshots of the method I used. I have plans for some hairstyle tutorial videos in the near future - just as soon as I get some recording equipment set up;) When then happens, I'll do this style properly from start to finish, but till then, enjoy this simple step-by-step for inspiration!
The night before, put your hair in a simple braid, tying it off with the elastic band about 6-7 inches from the end. Section off the remaining hair in 4-5 strands using foam rollers. Apply hairspray if desired...=)
Enjoy your lovely night's rest - this method is so nice to sleep on!
Next day,
carefully remove rollers, and fluff the individual curls into separate ringlets with your fingers.
leave loose, or style as desired! Yesterday, I twisted all of my hair into a half bun, leaving the curled ends free, but semi-confining the bulk of my tresses in anticipation of preparing food and playing wild games of Pictionary later on;)
I didn't get a picture of the finished style, but I'm planning to do a video soon...
We spent the day at some dear friend's house along with two other families. It was a wonderful day of feasting, fellowship, and merriment - besides Pictionary, some did puzzles or Scrabble, some read and discussed scripture passages, some went hunting (no luck:) and some *ahem* had multiple blissful napping sessions... There was a giant paper tree taped to the door, and everyone wrote things they were thankful for on leaves cut from construction paper. The door was soon a crowded blaze of multi-colored emblems of gratitude.
And this morning, my sister and I got up early, before anyone else was awake...
...snuck over the to the trailer, and loaded up on delectable leftovers! We picked up another early-bird sister on the way, and all rushed in a group back to my tent for a party. The stove once blazing, we snuggled up with our stuffing, turkey, cranberry sauce, hot chocolate, and pumpkin pie to watch The Moon-Spinners. =D
So much nicer than squirming through frenzied crowds to empty my wallet... though one of these years, I think it would be fun to brave town on the third Friday in November;)
I hope you all had an absolutely wonderful day yesterday, full of joy and gratitude.
Have a wonderful evening, y'all!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
So Thankful.
1. List three (little) things you wouldn't want to live without
Wool socks, ginger tea, my journal
2. Name something you had to do without recently
Butter... fresh out=( I am so. thankful. for Butter.
3. What are you most thankful for that you consider a luxury?
Probably my computer. I really don't even want to imagine life without it... but I thank the Lord for it every day!
4. Name an item you use the most throughout your day
My right thumb... I did a scientifical analyses on the subject.
5. What would life be like without the item listed in #4?
Life would be extremely different... and I would definitely give up trying to learn Albéniz's Asturias. Without a doubt, I am so thankful for that little guy. (My thumb, that is;)
6. Name something that you use in the kitchen that you are thankful for
Hot water, actually. I've had to do without that countless times... making me truly thankful for it when it's there!
7. What is (one of ) the best earthly gift(s) you ever received?
The beautiful, wonderful horses I've had in my life, and everything that came with them, from literal tons of hay, the the discovery of hidden reserves of inner strength I didn't know I had.
8. Name a completly random thing you are thankful for
A passionate love of history! What would life be like if I never studied history... never read about the struggles and plots of fellow humanity gone before, never pondered the futile and fleeting nature of all of man's greatness, never applied those lessons learned to form a greater understanding of my own world.
9. How often do you think about the item listed in #8?
You know, I've never, ever thought of being thankful for that before now? I'll be thinking about it more in future!
10. Name something you recently acquired, that you have wanted for a long time
Not really an acquirement in the usual sense of the word, but I just gained a new friendship with sweet Chip and her sister a couple of weeks ago at a music festival! I've been longing to meet Chip ever since we 'discovered' each other during the Historical Costume Inspiration Festival last year. I'll be sharing more on that in future;)
11. Would you rather have #4, or #7?
At one time, I would probably have said I would give my right thumb to have my own horse, but looking at the question from a more mature angle, I'll have to say #4. =)
12. Name one of your favorite things
Fresh raspberries over homemade vanilla ice cream... sigh.
13. Look around the room you are in, and name three things you enjoy in it
My beautiful white accordion, my jolly black wood stove, and my cuddly golden kitty.
14. List three tools you use in your daily work that you are thankful for
An imagination, Macromedia Fireworks MX, and a hay hook.
15. Name something that you sometimes wish you didn't have in your life, but that you would miss dreadfully if it were taken away
Suffering.
I was actually talking about this with my sister last night, and we were imagining life without any pain or suffering in it. Where would the growth be? With a life of complete comfort, where is the need to draw nigh unto God? Suffering can be a horrible thing, but with the Lord beside us, it can become a thing of true and priceless beauty. Never let your suffering be a waste. Give it to God, and see what He can do with it.
I was actually talking about this with my sister last night, and we were imagining life without any pain or suffering in it. Where would the growth be? With a life of complete comfort, where is the need to draw nigh unto God? Suffering can be a horrible thing, but with the Lord beside us, it can become a thing of true and priceless beauty. Never let your suffering be a waste. Give it to God, and see what He can do with it.
16. Post a picture (or ten) of something you are thankful for!
I didn't make any captions for the photos below - rather, I just want to say that I am indescribably thankful for everything these pictures represent. Every person, every moment. Every thing. Every memory.
I didn't make any captions for the photos below - rather, I just want to say that I am indescribably thankful for everything these pictures represent. Every person, every moment. Every thing. Every memory.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Give Thanks Blog Party.
Presenting the Give Thanks blog Party!
I created this event to help us all share our thankfulness with each other in a meaningful way, while at the same time letting us spend some time actually dwelling on the multitudes of things we really have to be thankful for. Have fun, inspire each other, and join me in this celebration of thankfulness!
(Read the original posting of this quiz here!)
1. List three (little) things you wouldn't want to live without
2. Name something you had to do without recently
3. What are you most thankful for that you consider a luxury?
4. Name an item you use the most throughout your day
5. What would life be like without the item listed in #4?
6. Name something that you use in the kitchen that you are thankful for
7. What is (one of ) the best earthly gift(s) you ever received?
8. Name a completly random thing you are thankful for
9. How often do you think about the item listed in #8?
10. Name something you recently acquired, that you have wanted for a long time
11. Would you rather have #4, or #7?
12. Name one of your favorite things
13. Look around the room you are in, and name three things you enjoy in it
14. List three tools you use in your daily work that you are thankful for
15. Name something that you sometimes wish you didn't have in your life, but that you would miss dreadfully if it were taken away
16. Post a picture (or ten) of something you are thankful for!
To participate in the blog party, all you need to do is fill out the quiz above on your blog, then leave the link to your post in the guest book below! This event will be open for one week from Tuesday the 22-29, over the Thanksgiving weekend,
Be sure to tell your friends by adding the party button to your blog and/or post!
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Monday, November 21, 2011
Dream of a Wardrobe
My current pictorial sewing list - so far only the brown linen and the dirndl skirt are crossed off.
But coming soon - a china-blue windowpane check blouse with lace peter pan collar + a wheat-colored ruffle shawl collar regency style blouse!
Such delicious chocolate colored linen...
This skirt is now available for purchase!
A beautiful sight for the seamstress.
I also just ordered some sumptuous plaid wool suiting in a sage/brown with teal accents.
I am smitten with the asymmetrical styling of this Highland Romance skirt from ModCloth, and as soon as I saw this fabric, I decided to go for it.
Oh so yummy!
While I was at it, I selected some of this beautiful cotton baby rib knit to experiment with. I've been thinking about trying some knit blouse-style tops for awhile now, and this material would look so lovely with the plaid above!
As you can tell, I'm quite inspired at the moment by plaids, ruffles, Anthro-style sweaters, and woodland tones...
What kind of fashions have you been loving lately?
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Sharing the Blessings vol. 7
Presenting week seven of Sharing the Blessings!
How it works:
Each Sunday, I will post the new linky for the week's posts. Add your link, then browse through the link pool, visit with other bloggers, and share your blessings!
What you do:
Just make a post, as simple as a picture or as elaborate as an article, and link up below so others can be encouraged. Add the button below with a link back to this URL:
so that others can participate!
The blessings of family? The fact that a friend stopped by with a cheerful smile and shared a good laugh? The temptation conquered or the steaming mug of hot tea you enjoy each morning over devotions? A verse of scripture that has blessed you?
Let's join in sharing our blessings this Thanksgiving season!
Let's join in sharing our blessings this Thanksgiving season!
Feel free to add the button below (linking to the URL given above) to your blog as well - help spread the word! If you’re not participating now, I hope you’ll come back & join in next week!
Simply sharing the little blessings that make life beautiful. Won't you join me?
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Snowbound In Canvas
~ Snowbound In Canvas ~
$35.00 USD
$10.00 USD
$15.00 USD
$16.00 USD
$149.99 USD
$11.25 USD
$15.00 USD
$18.00 USD
$25.00 USD
$13.89 USD
$12.00 USD
$24.00 USD
$24.00 USD
$375.00 USD
$119.00 USD
. I created this treasury a few evenings ago, inspired by the whole mood of my little canvas cottage that night. The hot tea, warm fire, pile of wood drying under the stove, and kitty snuggled on the bed, combined with the dusky, deeply white world outside, all seem embodied in this whimsical and cozy treasury. This evening is much the same, except the presence of my four sisters, grouped on the bed and rocking chair. We are listening to What Katy Did Next, and I'm loving the slightly Swedish accent of the reader! (Edit: Ch. 3 has a great Aussie reader! =)
Well, my little corner of the world just had not quite two feet of snow dumped on it in the last three days! I've been wrestling with my tent fly with all I've got the last three days, pushing, pulling, scraping the snow off... I'm starting to get exhausted;) I need to come up with a better fly system, and I think I've come up with a reasonably good plan - I'm just kind of in survival mode until my dad can get time to help me =)
And survival mode isn't so bad, once the outside chores are done - I slip down a deep, snowy path and through the fabric door onto my (now covered) porch - off with boots, scarf, coat, and all, in the dark, frozen but dry little room, then through the tent flap and into my warm, golden-lighted, cozy cave:)
I constructed a porch cover out of free cotton to keep snow from blowing onto my wood pile - now every time I go in or out I have to summon all of my sense of humor to be able to look at it. You see, the free fabric consists of not one, but three different prints/colors - a peach and light green striped, a dark hunter solid, and, get this - a mid-blue liberally strewn with comical-looking santa clauses!
Oh my. I said it.
Don't hold it against me, but remember instead dear Necessity, the mother of Invention. Because my covered porch is really a very wonderful thing. =D
Well, I shall now retire to the rocking chair myself, to roast my toes and indulge in the venting of a (slight) case of Cabin Fever by getting out the accordion and singing some silly songs with my sisters at the top of our voices.
I'll be back soon!
Keep warm, friends!
Love,
~Me~
P.S. There's still plenty of time to get in all of your entries in the Ginormous Giveaway! Have you?