The Dress Saga

Yes, the dress saga. This has been a challenge for me because, as usual, my brain and heart believe that I can do things before my body can actually execute them. I'm a dreamer, an idea giver, and an idealist. Ok, so now you know....and the story begins.

A friend of mine wanted to do a 1950's photo and needed some fun dresses. I went to Salvation Army and it was one of those light-shining moments on the rack of discount city that I found 2 dresses for $12.99 each. I grabbed them and said this can work!

Well, they need to be shorter to be 1950's so the hemming begins.

....and continues, and goes on and on.

Let me put this plug in - when I do things for other people, I'm even more dedicated to perfection than for myself. That usually makes me more frustrated and the other person doesn't even seem to notice anyway.

My good friend, Faye, said that trimming a dress is just like cutting hair.

You have to start from the underneath and get a guide then work your way out. T-r-i-c-k-y! We tied up the layers with string and used binder clips to keep them up and out of the way. The tough part? When you let the layers down you can't see the underside. So Lily and I got out the ruler and diligently marked the cut-off hem at 10 1/2 inches. Let me rephrase that - Lily got shoved under the layers (in the most loving and encourageable way) with a ruler and a marker so she could start marking the measurements about every 4 inches - all the way around. This went on and on. I didn't think about how many layers there were on this dress (actually, each dress). We got tired after about 4 layers of measuring.

Little trooper.


Side bar note, Lily and I love to watch Project Runway together. So please don't report me to the services for child labor. She actually likes helping me!

Wow, lots of work, but it's worth it. And I have to say that I love the challenge of things. I would never have asked myself to do this so I appreciate the fact that other people help make me better at sewing, through trial and error, and accomplishment.

Can't wait to see these beauties in the photo shoot!

Retro Highchair

This adorable highchair was found at the local antique shop. We have some amazing ones around here and this was a real steal! It needed a little work but I was up for the challenge. Actually, let me back up...my sister-in-law (sweet and over-ambitious Katy) spotted this bute, bought it, took it home, had to explain to hubby why she bought a rusty highchair for the baby, then put it in the storage shed. I arrived and asked about the chair in which she directed me to the backyard. Ugh, I couldn't stand the idea of it not being used because it was adorable! So, I brought it back to Oklahoma, did a little magic and took it back to Albuquerque. yweh!


Ok, metal 101, this highchair had rust. I took a wad of aluminum foil (yes, from the kitchen) and used it like a sponge and scrubbed over the metal legs and arms. It took a little elbow grease but the results were immediate, hence, I kept working. You would not believe how shiny metal can really be!


There's the wad on the floor.

There's the yucky rust.

And now, shiny and new. I painted the tray again to seal it up and make it look nice. I do have to remind you that the "baby" is actually 18 months old and has a plate. just sayin'

Vintage Patterns

I bought all of these patterns at a thrift shop for 25 cents each. It was a steal and I even found them in my size (yyyyyyyyeeeEEAH!). I'm going to paint you a picture of a different era....a sewing era full of talent and the absolute need for many outfits in one day.

Let's take a step back in time for a moment. Back to a time when patterns were 65 cents (full retail) and "Simplicity" was the name of the game.

Everyone woman wanted to be a Vogue woman and walk down her imaginery New York Ave with style (even if she had to make it happen herself).

Of course, after a long day of shopping, she came home and changed into her lounge wear. Once she was finished lounging, she changed into her bed coat. I love bed coats and I think I want to single-handedly bring them back to popularity. They cover up the private parts when you don't have a bra on, and they are not as heavy as a robe.

Those times were so wonderful with style. I'm not sure if you have seen the film starring Katharine Hepburn, where she changes outfits every 5 seconds, but one great afternoon - rent The Philidelphia Story. Oh my goodness, what wonderful clothes and extravagance on every frame of that movie. We are all spoiled on the inside (just a little) so watch this movie like you were a little girl dressing up in anything and everything and demanding all that you want. It's a fantasy movie and it's just delightful.

Vintage Cookbook

This was a real find. It's so cute and authentic! I opened it up and actually found a table of contents....I don't think people do that anymore.

It was darling! The penmanship was amazing and even though the pages were worn (because they were cooked around) the book was in great condition.

I couldn't find any handwritten dates but then I found the pictures and they said it all.

This pic was so sweet because she noted where she got the recipe - from OG&E, our local electric company. I bet she got this recipe in her monthly bill in Small Town America. (They still do that here and I love it!)