Jasmine Beckoning Spring

Awhile back I finished this Colette Jasmine and never did a post on it. So here it is in all its glory, at Maquoketa Caves State Park. Caving has a magical quality to me and I have always loved this park.

The onset of spring always makes me want to tear my winter coat off and hide it in a closet. Weather in Iowa is still quite cold, today it was in the thirties. Spring is in the air though, I could see it all around me - in the icy pools of water spilling from the caves and in the first glimpses of green under the snow.

Water bubbles up and travels through the cave, as icicles cling to the slowly warming rocks.

I rested my coat and purse on a small obliging tree. 

Goofing around  :)

I had fun mixing patterns on this shirt.

The blouse is made out of quilting cotton. They tell you to avoid quilting cotton because it produces "crafty" looking clothes - but who with a heart and eyes could resist all the fun prints?? I could not resist - true this blouse isn't ready for a fancy event, but it is perfect for an exploratory hike through the woods.

The caves make really interesting ice formations!

Happy first day of Spring one and all! Hopefully it is warmer where you are!

Dandelion Embroidery

I am making my friend Emily a purse! Full disclosure - I started this purse two years ago... opps. Another one of my scary "I don't know how to finish this" projects. I bought the handle online and designed a purse shape to fit it. Then I sketched out an idea for the embroidery. They are dandelions with their petals blowing in the wind! 

Cute lining - slightly wonkily attached.

I lined the inside with leftover quilting cotton from a quilt my sister made years ago. I love the bright-light blue with the yellow and navy.

Now I just need to add a handle and send it off. I will post a picture of the finished piece!

Oak Leaf Beignet

Beignet skirt with oak leaf applique

Have you ever been so intimidated by a project that you put it aside for days/weeks/months? This was one of those projects for me. I started with beautiful dreams of romantic embroidery and charming woolen appliqued silhouettes. However, when I started trying to do embroidery on my machine - I hit a wall. It was much more difficult than I anticipated. I was also intimidated by the buttons. I've sewn buttonholes before, but this skirt has 11! I knew it would try my patience.

This is what a dizzying amount of buttonholes looks like.

I used vintage Czech glass buttons from my trip to Czech Village.

Intimidation and irrational fears are not your friend when you are learning new skills. Although your mind may tell you that if you stop working on a project - you can't mess it up, keep in mind that you also can't finish a project you aren't working on. This seems obvious, but I have to remind myself sometimes. The best medicine I've found for intimidating tasks, is charging head-on and taking no prisoners. That is exactly what I did with my embroidery and buttonhole concerns. I made myself finish them, and although the outcome wasn't perfect, I'm still pleased. Not everything has to be perfect. Even with imperfections - this skirt turned out super cute! Now I'm less afraid of buttonholes too!

Melissa - Buttonhole Champion - Ready to take on the world

The skirt is made out of wool fabric with cotton lining. The oak leaves are cut out of wool and the buttons are vintage Czech glass buttons. I used the Colette Patterns Beignet pattern. Josh and I celebrated the finished skirt with a trip to Galena, IL and a photo shoot. Galena has a historic downtown area with fun boutiques, beautiful old buildings, and several great restaurants and coffee shops.

We stopped for coffee at one of these local shops - yum! Josh, my photographer / fiance-extraordinaire liked the coffee too.

Josh at Rendezvous Coffee & Tea in Galena

It was another lovely day in Galena. I'm soo happy this skirt is finally done, I felt so guilty looking at it without buttonholes for months. Now I just need to finish my Colette Violet blouse. How many projects do you all have waiting to be finished?

The Velvet Collar

I love vintage clothes. This little number I picked up at Fred and Ethel's in Rock Island, IL. I was really attracted to the bright colors and of course the velvet collar and bolero! And if that wasn't enough - it buttons up the back!

I usually like dresses that cinch-in at my natural waistline. The waistline of this dress hits somewhere between a natural waistline and an empire waist. Later I saw the tag and realized why the fit is a little strange... It says "SEARS - Girls Fashions - Designed for the Growing Girl." Haha! At my age, I hope I'm not growing too much - unless it's more fabulous.

Growing pains aside, this vintage-find is a keeper. Now a dance for joy!

More exciting news

My friend Jessica just started an amazing blog - Musings of Mice and Men. She is an uber talented, hilarious, and creative woman. Her blog focuses on fashion, literature, and anything else she comes across. Check it out and welcome her to the Blogosphere!

My Valentine

Happy February 15th one and all! I hope you all had a marvelous February 14th. Josh and I kept it simple. We exchanged gifts on the 13th (because we didn't want to wait) and we made dinner together last night - stroganoff! Yum!

I recently designed some Valentine's Day paper for work, and I used one of the unchosen samples to wrap Josh's present (he got a harmonica). It was so fun to wrap with something I designed!

Now I am inspired to make more of my own wrapping paper. Printing might be more expensive, but I could save it for special occasions. Oh what fun I could have  :D

Chocolate covered pretzels with crushed Andes mints

We also had our work Christmas party recently. The original party was canceled because of a snow storm. I made chocolate covered pretzels with crushed Andes peppermint mints sprinkled on top. They were so yummy! Next time I want to make them with dark chocolate - that would be heaven.

Peplumed Peony

My new peplumed peony!

What a relaxing day! I Slept in and then made johnny cakes, sausage, and coffee. We had an ice storm today in Iowa, so Josh and I were forced to stay in.

johnnies, yum!

It was the perfect day to photograph my new blouse that I finished yesterday. This blouse started out as a Colette Peony for my mother. When I gave her the dress last Christmas, the top was far too small! So I made her Peony a new top, and I decided to keep this one for me. I added a peplum to it, by cutting out a long rectangle and gathering the fabric. I would have liked a puffier peplum - but I didn't have enough fabric. Next time I will have the puffiest peplum ever, but for now I love me new peony top!

We decided to brave the cold and the ice.

Pretty soon the cold was too much for us.

Next we explored the creepy basement of our apartment building.

I found some kind of animal skeleton.

I can't wait for winter to be over, this cold weather is such a downer. On the bright side, the ice storm did give me time to make some fresh bread today. I found a recipe in The Joy of Cooking for milk bread, a yeast bread with  milk, butter, and an egg in it. Yum!

Long Time No Post!

Wow, it has really been awhile. What a crazy few months, I moved, started a new job, and then the Holidays hit. I started working for a company that makes vintage-inspired holiday decorations. It's a small company so I get to help with a lot of different things, like marketing, graphic design, product design, some photography, and anything that comes up!

For my birthday in December, I went to the National Czech and Slovak Museum in Cedar Rapids, IA to see an Alphonse Mucha exhibit. Mucha has been one of my favorite artists for many years. The exhibit had 230 pieces of his work. I love art nouveau and I am part Czech, so the exhibit was a perfect birthday treat. We also walked through Czech Village, ate Czech food, and went antiquing! I scored some pretty Czech glass buttons - Happy Birthday indeed!

My sister and I outside the museum.

A couple of Czechs hangin' out.

I bought a book of his work!

A cute shop with Czech glass!

Next on my sewing table:

After putting my sewing aside for a few months, I'm ready to get back in the game! I have a few sewing projects on my table that I really need to finish up. Sometimes when they get too stagnant, it is hard to start working on them again. I am finishing up a Colette Beignet skirt, a Violet top, and I just started buying fabric for my wedding dress! I will have to show pictures of the fabric when it comes in!