Hello, sweeties!
 This has been a crazy week but I think that normal routine (and more frequent, interesting blogging) is just around the corner.

This week, I've been making a little time to visit blog land and see what everyone else is up to. There have been so many interesting, inspiring posts this past week, I wanted to share some of my favorites with you. Enjoy!!



DIY Seamed Stockings from Vintage In A Modern World- yay!! I've thought about trying this to see if it would actually work but I have never made the time to do it. Thank you so much to Kate for this fabulous, easy tutorial for DIY seamed stockings. You rock my socks off! :D
















Antique Fashion Inspiration from The Girl With The Star Spangled Heart- I have been very much inspired by lace, frills and all things pretty lately so I can totally relate to The Girl With the Star Spangled Heart in her "Slipping from Vintage to Antique" post






Embroidery Week from Tuppence Ha'Penny- Charlotte from Tuppence Ha'Penny always has such inspiring vintage craft posts. This week, she gives us beautiful embroidery designs and a fantastic monogram tutorial. Too cute!!






Spice up Your Veiled Cocktail Hat from The Modern Day Flapper- I just found this cute gal's blog and I'm loving it. She has a really unique style and well---she makes the most gorgeous hats, what's not to love?

Yesterday afternoon, I went thrifting with Amanda. It's been a long time since we've found any vintage goodies at thrift stores so we thought we'd try our luck at the Salvation Army.

 In our shopping, we discovered that we are panty hypocrites. We are both freaked out at the idea of buying modern thrift store lingerie but we have no problem buying a 60 year old bra or girdle. What's up with that? It's all the same- someone else's used undies but when it comes to our under-things, we both have double standards.
 For me, I'll buy vintage slips, nightgowns, bras, girdles (including panty girdles in awesome shape), seamed stockings, vintage swimwear and an occasional pair of bloomers or tap pants if they're in really really good shape.
I won't buy any other kind of panties (unless they're in a sealed package) and I don't buy any modern bras or socks at thrift stores. See what I mean? Panty hypocrite! I don't have a reason or logic behind any of my lingerie choices, it's just a matter of what makes me feel comfortable and what feels yucky.
I've heard of many people who absolutely refuse to wear vintage under garments and I can totally see their logic on that. I mean, it -is- someone else's used underwear and no matter how many times you wash it or  boil it in bleach, it doesn't change the fact that someone wore that girdle and did who-know-what in it. I just try to not think about it!
I wonder, are there any other panty hypocrites out there or is it just me?
If you do buy thrift store undies of any kind, do you have a reason behind your panty standards?

Hello, lovelies!
Quick pregnancy update:
 Well, I went to the doc on Friday but won't get my test results back till later this week. On the plus side, he said that my cervix is longer this week, probably due to my laying down and resting all the time. He advised that I keep it up for the next month or so because laying down keeps pressure off my pelvis. Laying down is generally viewed as a good thing but I'm not one of those people who enjoys being idle so I've kind of been losing my mind!

Something Fun to Do!
 Since sewing involves a lot of sitting up and hunching over my machine for long periods of time, I've been looking for a more bed and couch friendly hobby. I've always loved to crochet so I'm taking this relaxing time to practice and try my hand at some long-awaited crochet projects. Crochet is a wonderful outlet for me right now because I can do it laying down, it doesn't make a mess that I have to clean later, I can put it down and pick it up at any time without losing my spot and I can take it with me to my many doctor's appointments. It also gives me something to take my mind off the many worries of an already nervous momma. Yay for crochet!!

I -love- the website freevintagecrochet.com and have been wanting to try to make some of those cute vintage play shoes for summer. My crochet skills aren't quite ready for that yet so I'm starting slow and working my way up. Here are my projects in the works:


 Snoods- this is an easy one once you know a few basic stitches.  I've been dying to replace my cheap costume snoods with nice cotton ones so I'm working on snoods in various colors this week. Check out my post with 12 free vintage snood patterns
 Pixie hat- I'm a hat lover and nothing says "spring" like this cute little yellow pixie hat. The pointy hat may be silly for some but I totally love it! I practiced a bit today with some yarn that I have around the house. I may try to get out tomorrow and find the right sized yarn so I can start on this one later this week. You can find the free pattern for this hat here.
1940's Fedora- The fedora is a 40's classic and it's one of those things that I never find when I'm shopping! I found this beautiful PDF pattern for only $2 on etsy from babydee and I can't wait to try to make one for myself.  p.s. babydee has -loads- of stunning vintage knitting and crochet PDF patterns so if you're a goddess of the needle arts, do pop over and check her out!

1930's blouse- also from babydee is this incredibly cute 1930's PDF blouse pattern. I love the over-sized tie, the little button on the waistband- everything about it! It looks so comfy too. This one will probably have to wait until I'm more accomplished with my crochet hook but I'll get there soon. :)

Thank you again for everyone for your kind, supportive thoughts on the pregnancy front. Again, I'll keep you all posted! :) xoxo

This has nothing to do with vintage fashion but I wanted to post a pregnancy update. This may be too much info for some so feel free to skip this post!

I'm about 31 weeks now and I seriously think I'm going to pop!! For the past 2 weeks, I've been seeing both my regular OB and the maternal and fetal medicine specialist. The baby is head-down now (thank goodness) but he's been putting a TON of pressure on me and it feels like if I sneeze, he's going to be born. I get to wear a really fun maternity support belt to help lift him up a bit. The docs say he's putting too much pressure on my pelvis and it has caused my cervix to shorten!

 Today, I'm having another ultrasound and a fetal fibronectin test, which helps to predict preterm labor. My OB told me yesterday that if I have a positive test, I could go into labor within the next two weeks!! Oh no!!!! Luckily, the maternal/fetal specialist is one of the best in the area so I'm in good hands. So, wish me luck and pray for a negative test!

In the mean time, I will be spending this weekend packing my train case and Olivia's overnight bag and Pj will be helping me hurry up and finish last-minute baby things around the house- just in case!
  I will have another ultrasound next week to check the growth of my little man so hopefully I will have some pics to share with you all. I may not post as frequently in the near future but as soon as our boy gets here, Pj will let you know! :)

I posted a while back about a sewing project for the Paris Market dress but after thinking it over, I decided to use a different pattern.

            Old pattern:                                                                           New pattern:

 I've had this pattern for about a year and a half and have never used it! I love this dress and I thought that the simple lines would work well with my crazy fabric.

 I'm kind of scared and excited because this pattern calls for bound buttonholes, which I've -never- done in my life! Luckily, I have a lot of sewing books to guide me so I hope it turns out okay. The dress is boned, using covered boning sewn to the lining which is also something I've never done. I've made a few Elizabethan corsets and bodices with boning but I've always sewn the boning channels and inserted the boning that way, so this pattern will be fun to work with.
  The bodice is lined and it has an inner belt so I'm excited to see how construction will turn out on this dress.
   I'm making the halter version of this dress but I love the little bow on the strapless view so I think I'll have to add a little bow on my dress as well. I'm still debating on the color of the buttons and halter strap. I have a green bakelite belt buckle so I think I will make a green belt but I could use some of the other fabric colors for the contrast and buttons. Green, red, mustard, even gray! What do you think? Here's my fabric:

My husband, Pj has decided that it would fun and therapeutic to write his own blog. We've briefly talked about it in the past. I once suggested that he write a blog about cheese called "The Cheese Stands Alone" but he created his blog this afternoon, "The Suburban Caveman" so I guess that makes me "The Suburban Cavelady"! :P

 A little about my guy
Pj is an amazing guy. He juggles working full time in a foundry, going to school full time (online in the evenings while Olivia and I are being obnoxious and distracting him), being a wonderful father (doing middle of the night diaper changes, rocking her to sleep at 3:00am and all of that jazz) and still making time to take me out for date night, take pics of me for my blog and give me foot massages. Believe it or not, he has a TON of hobbies, which he tries to squeeze into his busy life. Lately, the stress of life has been weighing him down and he has decided that he needs to do something just for him to make himself happy. He sees how happy blogging makes me so he has started one of his own, focusing on what he loves to do in his "free time"- primitive skills!

If I were lost in the woods, the only thing I'd need to survive is....Pj 
 Pj's primitive skills include fire building without the use of matches and things, primitive weapons, flint knapping (making knives and arrow heads from stone), woodworking, leather working, outdoor survival skills and anything like that. So, if you're into primitive technology (or have a man around who is) be sure to check out Pj's blog, The Suburban Caveman

You may have seen my red maternity pencil skirt yesterday. It was really easy to make so here's a quick tutorial for you expecting mommas out there. Sorry, same outfit from yesterday! :(

Skirts have always been an important part of my wardrobe but when the baby bump gets bigger, I struggle to find skirts that fit both my body and my vintage style. As a mommy-to-be, I'd rather spend my money and time on baby things than on expensive maternity clothes that I will only wear for a few months.  I whipped up this affordable, easy maternity pencil skirt in only 15 minutes!

I had two red skirts in my closet. One was a knit pencil skirt from a thrift store ($1) and it was a tad shorter than I like. The other was a cotton pencil skirt also from a thrift store ($3) that didn't ever fit my waist properly.
The How-To

1.) Cut the waistband off of the cotton skirt. I took off about 3 inches off of mine. Next, I slid it on to see how long I wanted my new skirt to be. I needed an extra 4 inches to get my preferred length- just below the knee.


2.) Next, I cut the top off of the knit skirt so it was 5 inches long (extra inches needed plus 1 inch for seam allowance and adjustments). See below:


3.) Pin the two pieces together and sew it up! You can see the stretchy belly band in the photo below

Here's my new vintage-inspired 15 minute maternity skirt, which cost a whopping $4 to make and seriously, only 15 minutes. I pulled my shirt up in the front so you can see the stretchy belly band. This skirt is also a great project for a curvy gal who prefers the comfort of a stretchy waist. I plan to make a few more of these in basic solid colors. For fun, you can add an applique,patch, trim, ruffle, buttons, pockets, etc. This project works on other skirt styles and most fabrics as long as you have that stretchy knit (or something similar) for the belly band. If you don't have a stretch skirt to use for the belly band, I've also made one with an old, stretchy camisole. Happy sewing!!

I totally woke up on the wrong side of the bed today! I've been feeling crabby for no reason at all. Olivia has a bit of a cough and isn't feeling her best so we spent the day being crabby together.

 I still had a wonderful valentine's day since I spent it with my two sweethearts, Pj and Olivia and as you can tell by my smile, they both made me feel better! :) We gave Olivia a little bitty box of chocolates and a stuffed sock monkey. For dinner, we ordered Chinese and made my new invention, "Grouchy Girl Pie".

Since I was feeling yuck, I wore my pretty red maternity skirt (tutorial coming tomorrow) and new vintage blouse, which I thirfted yesterday. The sun was shining all day and melted some of the snow so I wore some open toe wedges, which give me a bit more stability than heels. I am past the point of being able to reach my toes so I've been without nail polish for quite a while! Even though the snow has mostly melted, the camera can't hide that my toes were quite chilled.


I also wore my pretty blue confetti clip on earrings, which I haven't worn in ages. A little glitter and shoes that make "clack" noises always perk me up! :)



There's nothing that makes a grouchy girl feel better like a good sinful chocolatey treat. Today,  I created this recipe which includes an Oreo cookie crust, a thick chewy layer of caramel, a layer of french silk and whipped cream on top. What more could a girl ask for?

 Grouchy Girl Pie


For the chocolate pie crust: 
You will need
2 1/4 cups crushed Oreo cookie crumbs, finely ground
2 1/2 ounces melted butter

 Combine cookie crumbs with melted butter in a bowl. Pour into a 9 inch pie pan and press into the bottom and up the sides. Smooth it out with the back of a spoon and refrigerate for an hour. 


For the Filling Layer 1:
You will need
8 ounces caramels unwrapped
3 tablespoons whipping cream
1 cup oreo cookie crumbs finely ground

combine caramels and whipping cream in a sauce pan, stirring occasionally until melted. Pour into pie crust. Sprinkle the oreo cookie crumbs on top of the caramel.

For the Filling Layer 2 
You will need 
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 1 ounce squares unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs

Cream butter in a mixing bowl. Gradually beat in the sugar with an electric mixer until light colored and well blended. Stir in the thoroughly cooled chocolate, and vanilla extract. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating 5 minutes on medium speed after each addition. Spoon the chocolate mixture into the pie shell and refrigerate for two hours. Finish the pie with a frothy layer of whipped cream and shaved chocolate. Voila- no more grouchy girl! I hope that everyone had a lovely Valentine's Day! xoxo



Outfit
vintage blue polka dot blouse- thrifted yesterday at Goodwill
red maternity pencil skirt- handmade by me
ivory snood- Designs by Kate
vintage confetti earrings- bought from Temperamental Broad (I think!)
nautical wedges by Madden Girl- Consign by Design Resale boutique, O'Fallon MO

 

1950's Atomic Ranch House did this post earlier today and asked us all if we would do the same- so we can be nosy and peek into each other's lives. *hehe*
I have quite a few drawers but I also stash some of my stuff in boxes, jars and train cases. The train case above holds sewing patterns and the little tin holds my buttons. These are some of my most frequently used drawers and containers in my bedroom....

The Top center drawer holds my makeup. Notice the lack of lipstick in this drawer. All of my lipsticks have been destroyed by Olivia or relocated to a safe place. She has learned how to open mascara now so Pj will be installing a drawer lock on this drawer in the near future! In this drawer, I also have a flower hair comb, a bakelite earring, a set of bakelite buttons, a lucite button and a vintage compact.


The top side drawer holds my hair pins, clips, hair ties and other misc. items that get tossed in- like Eddie Izzard's "Sexie" dvd, some bakelite belt buckles and a pacifier.

the middle drawer holds stockings and gloves and apparently an Anne Taintor change purse that Amanda gave me for my birthday

The Bottom drawer contains....my drawers! I try to keep my vintage undies separate from modern undies so its easier to find the right foundation garment when I need it. In this drawer, I have a bunch of bullet bras, a few garter belts and a pink vintage night gown.


Since mommy has a vanity, it's only right that Olivia has one too. What does a toddler keep in her vanity drawer? All if the necessities, of course. There's a cell phone, a pacifier, a frog, a pink necklace and oh--what's that? One of mommy's hot sticks- a favorite toy of hers.


And to show you that it's not all pretty and tidy at my house, this is one of our"crap drawers". This drawer in my computer desk contains a notebook for list-making, business and rewards cards from local vintage shops, cotton babies and The Home Depot, a baby pic of Livvie with bananas all over her face, a menu to our favorite Chinese food place, an old grocery list, loose change, cds full of pictures and other junk.

I haven't owned a pair of shorts since I was 10 years old! I don't know what it is but I don't like showing my knees in public. This year, I plan to throw my knee and thigh inhibitions to the wind and get over it! Summers in St Louis are beyond miserable (over 100 degrees 90-something percent humidity).It's too hot to not show a little leg!


I found some of the cutest shorts patterns on etsy. Both of these sellers have an excellent selection of adorable patterns, by the way! I have a ton of patterns as it is but shorts this summer are a must-have so I picked them up. Cute, huh?!

Shorts Overalls from Oh Sew Charming on etsy

Shorts Pattern from Paper Tales on etsy

I love these shorts because they're loose fitting and about 18-19 inches from waistband to hem- so that's pretty long for shorts. I plan on using these shorts patterns to make a few playsuits with matching skirts too. Here are a few playsuit designs that I am totally in love with, all available on etsy:

As my dresses and skirts become tighter, I'm reaching way back into the depths of my closet to find something suitable to wear. This early 60's wiggle dress is one I've never worn before and honestly, I wasn't really crazy about it when I bought it. But, it was $1 from The BaleOut and Amanda said it was a great dress and I had to have it so I gave in to fashion peer pressure and brought it home, washed it and put it in my closet thinking "I'll probably wear it one of these days". Over the past year, it has migrated to the very back of my closet until I pulled it out Sunday morning.

    The dress made me feel like I was channeling Joan Holloway a little bit so I decided to try something totally different with my hair. I checked out a few You Tube tutorials for Joan inspired hair this morning and after a bit of tinkering, hair spray and re-doing things, I made it work! My hair is about an inch above my shoulder so I had to get creative with the french twist in the back but it worked and I'm really loving it!!

I'm such a bad award-receiver. I've been given this award by at -least- 4 people in the past few weeks and have neglected to blog about it. So, Thank you to Miss Bossy, The Ninja, Betty2Tone and Georgiane for this lovely Stylish Blogger Award!!
 I'm supposed to share 7 things about me but I'm terrible with these things and  I can only think of 5 at the moment so here they are!

1. I like cheese--a LOT.
All kinds, all colors, all textures. My husband and I often go to import delis and randomly select a new cheese to try. I don't drink milk because it freaks me out that it will solidify in a day but I guess really hard, stinky milk (aka cheese) is okay. I once bought "cheese food slices" by mistake. It' not really cheese. I don't know what it is! I tried to melt it in the microwave and it would NOT melt!! It just got a bit softer. Pj came in, put some in a spoon and tried to melt it with a blow torch (because I do have blow torches just laying around) and it still would not melt! The spoon became white hot but the cheese got a little softer, a bit warmer and eventually burnt. *shudder @ cheese food*

2. I'm an eyelash fanatic.
 I can leave the house with messy hair, no lipstick and a crazy outfit but I don't go out without mascara. My all time favorite mascara is Maybelline Full n' Soft. I'm slowly starting to experiment with false lashes, even though I feel a little like a drag queen in them but if the queens can look that good in them, I guess I can too!!






3. Speaking of Queens, I have "Drag Queen Movie Marathon" days when I'm at home alone, my chores are done and I'm bored or sewing something.
I have a pretty good little collection of movies featuring drag queens so I watch Connie and Carla, The Birdcage, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything: Julie Newmar.  One of these days, I'm going to go to the Drag Queen pageant in St Louis. The year before last, I just had Olivia and the year before that, I was on my honeymoon that weekend but I will go some day! I would LOVE to go back stage and get my hair and makeup done and figure out how they walk SO long in those heels. How awesome would that be?! p.s. I feel a drag queen movie marathon coming on!




 4. I hate when people tap on the glass at aquariums and zoos.



 Seriously. I was at Red Lobster a few weeks ago and saw a kid, about 10 years old doing it and I told him he needs to knock it off. Getting chided by a perfect stranger freaked him out and he stopped, thank goodness or I would have had to tap on his head. My parents would have killed me if I tapped on glass as a kid!





  5. I'm a picky tea drinker.

I only like unsweetened tea- hot or iced but no sugar. If a pitcher of iced tea has one teaspoon of sugar in the whole pitcher, I can taste it. My southern relatives would disown me if they knew this!






Now to pass this on to 7 Stylish Bloggers. I've been reading a lot of crafty blogs lately, so I'm passing this one on to bloggers who create with style! :) I hope you are as inspired by these talented, creative ladies as I am!

3 Hours Past the Edge of the World
A Pair and a Spare DIY Fashion
Crafty Doll
My Happy Sewing Place
Tuppence Ha'Penny
Vintage Bobbin

Tonight, my sister in law, "The Ninja" is volunteering at a charity dinner with a 50's theme so she came over to borrow a crinoline and get her hair fixed up. She made this adorable "poodle" skirt years ago. I love the little scotty dog!! She pin curled her hair last night so I brushed it out, did a small roll on each side and pinned the front to give it a little poof on top.

my little Stinker Bell couldn't stay out of the pic

Outfit:
black tank top and cardigan-thrifted cardigan, I think!
black belt
poodle skirt- handmade by The Ninja
comfy black flats
cherry hair clip- handmade by me