Embarking on a new Adventure

Mademoiselle de la Croix needed a new covering.

June 11, twenty-fifteen

For my seventh birthday I received my first sewing machine and have been sporadically stitching up a storm since. Yes, sporadically. Its one of those things that happens when I become inspired by something I've seen but don't want to pay the exorbitant price.

Attempting to drape mademoiselle without damaging her original covering.

 OK so, I've never actually sewn clothes, unless it was a gathered skirt with an elastic waist or pantaloons, and have mostly made pillows, drapes, and little crafty things. If the truth be known I'm intimidated by the thought of sewing a zipper, attempting to make button holes, and where in the world to place a dart. Other than that I'm pretty comfortable sewing just about anything.

About a year ago I discovered costume blogs. Did you know there were such things in the blog world? Neither did I, but let me tell you, I was so excited to find this other realm that I became completely obsessed. I merrily hopped down one rabbit trail after the other in search of costume inspiration, and the more rabbit trails I hopped down the more excited I became. Finally I'd found that there are other people on this planet who enjoyed playing dress up as much as I.

Mademoiselle's original covering is coming apart at the seams so I added a bit of trim.

 About the same time I started volunteering at a local historic park and needed an appropriate costume to wear...that's when my research began!!  While looking on-line for patterns.

When Mademoiselle overheard me having a conversation about this new adventure she begged to be included. Of course I was hesitant at first, as she tends to be a costume hog and covets all my best pieces, however after much convincing on her part I agreed that she could come along for the ride...or more appropriately, the fittings.

Mademoiselle spied a piece of lace in my bin and thought it would look lovely around her neck.

We would have to start with a new covering since her old one was stained and embedded with rusty nails. And then there is the other problem...while she and I were born on the same year and are both the same size, as you and I well know, a size 10 then is not what it is now.
Do I expand her waist or diminish mine? This is a difficult question to answer so we will ignore it for the time being and carry on with our plans.

I have this gorgeous Edwardian blouse and once Mademoiselle's new covering was stitched together and sewn in place she insisted on trying it on. HA! it didn't fit her either...so sorry Mademoiselle!
I bought it on a whim, knowing I would never be able to wear it but loved all its delicate details. The inside lining is made of the most fragile silk and is in terrible condition while the outer lace is perfect except for one spot on the neck and a few rust marks from the hooks.

It has a linen flounce around the lower edge.

Detail of the front yoke.

The sleeve has a slight curve to the lace.

So the two of us began our adventure and this is our current project. It's based on this pattern and for some insane reason I decided to do my own thing by reworking it. Uhm, not too smart on my part. I turned it into a wrap dress to eliminate the side zipper, which caused more problems than I ever imagined. Plus the pattern was too large and since I'm just learning to fit garments I had to modify it yet again, which explains the drawstring around the waist.

Am I done with the dress (or should I saw we)? Not quite, but we're almost there. I still have to make a belt, add some lace to the sleeves, and figure out what to do for the collar. For now the White Ladies Edwardian collar will suffice.

After so many years Mademoiselle was more than excited to have the stolen collar back from the White Lady, but why the two of them insist on wearing it backwards is beyond me. I guess it's because they can't see :-D.

Wandering in the Desert

 June 3, 2015
When I was a child my family spent many weekends exploring old ghost towns, abandoned mine shafts (don't worry, it was only the men who explored those), and following dry washes in the desert. Those were lovely times, bouncing about on the backseat of the old English Land Rover, while trying to scale small rocky embankments blanketed with shifting sand.

 We made many discoveries on our weekend outings, but none as memorable as our recent trip to Castle Dome Museum near the foothills of Yuma, Arizona.

The museum consists of 23 buildings. Some original to the ghost town while others are reconstructions typical of the era. They appear to be haphazardly strewn about with little rhyme or reason, and yet there's a certain charm to each ones placement amongst the cactus and rugged desert landscape.
Many of the buildings serve as mini museums filled with beautiful old artifacts found while wandering in the desert.

One building in particular is the general store stocked with old canned goods, linens, and some of the latest fashions of the late nineteenth century, all faded and time worn.

As I stood there gazing into the display cases I imagined the women who would frequent the store each week to make their household purchases.
Would they have a child on one hip and another in tow?
Would they have a smile accompanied by a radiant glow?
Or would they be tired and bent from the heat of the desert sun.
 Perhaps there would be enough money left to buy a new pair of shoes for the baby or a bolt of fabric for a new dress or maybe a pitcher to hold wildflowers...

Or perhaps there would be nothing left at all.

As I walked out the door of the old general store I began to ponder how often I romanticize the past with all its beautiful architecture, clothing and customs. How easy it is to daydream of being a Victorian lady clothed in petticoats and flowing gowns. How I've often said, "Why did the Lord choose to place me here instead of there."

(And yet even as I think on those questions I know that this is where He has placed me

and that this is the time that He has appointed for me). 

We continued to explore the other buildings...a church... a diner...and a hotel that was found by the couple who own the museum. One morning as they were taking their daily walk they happened upon it sitting in the middle of nowhere. Since it belonged to no-one they took it apart board by board and relocated it to the museum. Who says you can't find anything wonderful while wandering in the desert.

After several hours of exploration the desert heat was becoming unbearable so we decided to drive back into town and leave the old ghost town behind, but hopefully we'll be back another day.

The Vintage Marketplace

Hello Hello! Once again I’ve managed to find my way back to this special little place in the blogisphere. A place where we share little snippets of our lives, dreams, and the inner workings of our hearts.
I love it here and have been inspired by so many of you, but alas, life has a way of twisting and turning while traveling down its own path. Sometimes, if we fail to pay attention the path leads us to who knows where and that’s where I’ve been of late, the land of “Who Knows Where,” doing “Who Knows What.” Life, school, working on my cottage, and other such things. Sometimes I feel like one day melds into a month and then a year. An entire year gone in three days…do you feel that way too?

Anywho, this past weekend I decided to take time off from Who Knows Where and visit The Vintage Marketplace in Rainbow, CA.

I’ve been following Christie and Rita on pinterest so naturally I was curious to see what the two were up to. Oh, in case you didn’t know, Christie and Rita are the two talented women who host the Vintage Marketplace four times a year.

This darling old truck set the stage for the entrance and was the perfect place for a photo opp, which would explain The many girly girls dressed in lace just waiting to have their pictures taken on the bails of hay. Me? I just wanted to take the truck home, but all I got were a few pictures…such is life “-).

There were so many beautiful displays and the vendor’s tents were works of art themselves. Above is one of the sweet little arm chairs Rita had upholstered in burlap and Christie painted with her signature roses. I talk (or type) as if I know them, don’t I? In case you are wondering, “no I don’t” but I did get to wear Rita’s socks once and I always stop and say hi to Christie, even tho I’ve never introduced myself. I’m a wee bit shy at times. Note to self…”never leave home without a pair of socks in your bag because you just never know when you may run into the perfect pair of boots.”

I loved this pink tufted chair but decided to pass it up since I have six of my own waiting for my upholstery skills to be put back to use.

One of my favorite vendors was there…Sweet Magnolias Farm. It’s a mother daughter duo and they always have the sweetest set up. Their theme for this event was glampin’. I thought the converted chicken coop idea was darling, but of course it wasn’t a chicken coop at all, but then I suppose if you had an abandoned chicken coop in your backyard it would be a perfect spot for an afternoon nap provided it had a comfy day bed.

The day turned out to be one of the hottest since I can’t remember when, but then many a day in southern Cal has been strange. Humid, hot, and always the sky filled with giant thunder heads. Very strange weather we are having. Very strange indeed. It was so hot that I didn’t stay as long as I would have liked, but I wouldn’t have missed the event either.

I came away with a darling shoulder bag crafted from fabric and peach colored lace, a new/old table scarf for my wee little backyard table, and a fun scrap of fabric embroidered with roses and butterflies. I’m still not sure how I’m going to put it to use, but I know I’ll think of something.

All in all it was a wonderful day filled with tons of inspiration and eye candy.

Now back to reality…the new semester started two weeks ago and I have classes Monday thru Thursday.
You would have thought I’d be done by now, right? Me too! I call it one of those twists and turns along the path of life. Somehow things seem to take longer the older I get. Well, that’s life!

I hope life has been treating you well and any twists and turns along your path have been blessings in disguise.
Until we meet again, in this wonderful little corner of the blogisphere…
xoxo cori

Pictures from a past Vintage Marketplace

Things that are Lost

I have spent the last few days obsessing over those boots. Obsessing to the point of even calling my mom to see if she had them stashed somewhere in the back of one of her closets. She just giggled at me and said, “Oh, Lainey, that was over 30 years ago.” Yes, I know, but it seems like yesterday or maybe just a year ago.

But then, it made me think of other things that have been lost with the passing of time. Objects once loved then passed on to a new owner for safe keeping. Will they cherish them as much as I once did?

My mind moved from objects to people. Friends who have come and gone. I’m not talking about friends who have passed from this life into eternity, but friends who have stayed a short while only to move on due to circumstances or neglect. You see, I’m an excellent listener and all my friends know this, but when it comes time for me to talk no one listens, so I retreat into my own little world neglecting those around me.

Last week I was cleaning my guest room and ran across an empty envelope from a friend postmarked some 20 years ago. I’ve often thought about her over the years but somewhere in between her moves and mine we lost touch, so I decided to look her up on the internet. Marvelous thing this internet. Low and behold, I found her and sent a quick email. In a short time she emailed back. Many things in her life were the same but there were also many changes. Heartbreaking changes.

My mind then went from lost friends to those who had become lost to Him…The Lover of our souls. Some have walked away because we’ve been hurt by the church or disillusioned by the tedium of life (is that a word…tedium)?
But it is He who has come to save the lost, to find those who have wandered away, and to restore us and make us whole again in Him.

And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham;  for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
LUKE 19: 9 & 10
So He spoke this parable to them, saying:
“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
LUKE 15: 3-5

(More images from The Vintage Marketplace)

Sweet Sugar Plums

I'm still trying to get my Christmas decorating done, but don't seem to be making much progress. How is yours going?

Yesterday was a day filled with blessed rain. I love the rain! One of the things that I love the most is that in our little hamlet of Alasleim there are many strawberry fields and when it rains the air is filled with their sweet aroma. It's such an amazing thing to open your door in the wee hours of the morning and feel like your swimming in the scent of strawberries. So wonderful!

I mentioned a few posts back that I went out looking for decorating inspiration and came home with so many lovely visions of sugar plums dancing in my head. Does anyone know what a sugar plum really is?

I haven’t got the foggiest!

Any how, while out looking the other day for inspiration, I saw so many lovely Christmas vignettes that were done with everyday antiques… plates…silver spoons… and linens. So I thought it would be fun to use some of mine to decorate with this year.

I have these old rosy bud vases that were given to me when my grandfather passed away many years ago and decided to fill them with those darling lollipops. I wedged them in with some old crocheted doilies I had lying around. Sometimes I'm amazed at all the treasure troves I have tucked into every nook and cranny of this little dwelling. Too many really!

I found these cloches at Big Lots years ago and paid $3.95 per cloche…I bought 4 and two of them are very tall. They’re very bubbly looking which gives them a blurry texture.

It doesn't matter what holiday it is around here...you will always find bunnies. I use this little guy for everything.

Brambleberry Cottage has the darkest little entry I’ve ever seen so I thought it would be fun to bring the light pinks and greens from the kitchen here too. This is one of my favorite pieces of furniture. I know you can only see the top and part of the back, so I'm sure you have no idea what it is. So I'll tell you ;-). It's a lovely wash stand from the Edwardian Era placed in the ugly little entry. I'm hoping to get this area of my cottage redone right after new years so I'll probably show it to you then. It has lovely delicate carving on the front and half columns on each corner (the wash stand, not the entry). It is a beauty.

Well, it's getting late and I'm still not feeling my best so I'm going to prepare my coffee for tomorrow, allow the livestock to roam the grassy area for a few minutes, then get ready for bed. I hope you all have a wonderful peaceful evening!!

Inspiration

I can’t tell you how long it’s been since I’ve explored the local antiques stores, but with Christmas just around the corner I thought It would be fun to go looking for some Christmas inspiration...antique style. My first stop is always Country Roads Antiques in the city of Orange where so many of the vendors have created the dreamiest spaces. I love the way this old table cloth has been draped across the faux window.

I loved this little corner that was decorated with a small tree and vintage fotos hanging from sweet pink ribbons as ornaments. I tried to take a picture for you, but the tree was against a huge picture window with the sun light streaming through...all I could get was a huge white blur.

I met up with this lovely lady and she reminded me of Vanessa’s Miss Hall-Borchert. As I gazed upon her standing there alone I thought to myself, “she and Miss Hall-B. would be the best of friends. No one should be left alone and friendless as this one was...especially during the Holidays.

I don’t know why, but I loved this little vignette behind the chicken wire…oops! I think these days it’s commonly called, “poultry confinement material.” What a strange world we live in, do you agree? Yes, I thought you would!

I found these rose covered plates that I’ve been searching for forever and a day, but decided to pass them up until hubby called. It seems I’ve been making a lot of “unauthorized purchases” of late. Of course he would never so no to anything I wanted to buy, although there was that time in Petaluma when I fell in love with an ebonized Victorian piano stool inlaid with mother of pearl and he said “absolutely not!” I dearly love to tease him about that one ;-).

I was planning to make gingerbread cookies today and finish my Christmas decorating. I’m so far behind. But, I’ve been trying to ignore a head cold for the past week that has finally gotten the better of me. So who knows…

I may just sit here curled up on the couch all day sipping spiced cider and looking through my old Victoria magazines for old inspirations made new.

I hope you all have a lovely Friday where ever you are.

Fabulous Flea Market Finds!

Hello my sweet darling bloggy friends! I have missed you all and feel like it's been forever since I've been here...I say that a lot don't I? Anywho, I've been trying to get this post up since Wednesday morning, but Wednesday came and went and then there was Thursday and I had no Internet. After spending all morning unplugging wires then plugging them back in I finally got hold of someone with an American accent who told me my entire block was down. What a relief! I was hoping it had nothing to do with our wiring. You see, there was a skunk in the neighborhood and I think he had something to do with it all. That was when I noticed I couldn't post. I'm sure this all sounds very strange, but it is indeed why I've been missing from bloglandia. So, here is Wednesday's post on Friday.

I don't know if you remember, but a few weeks back I attended the Paris Flea Market and came home with some fabulous finds. Well, after much begging and pleading with Mamselle she finally agreed to model my new scarf for you. The woman who I bought it from said that her father purchased it in the forties and who knows if it's true or not, but I love the softness of the colors and the curly fringe around the edge. Mamselle says it's her favorite piece of gypsy wear...we won't tell her that it's really mine as it's better to let her believe what she wants ;-). She tends to think that all my pretty things belong to her.

Mamselle was reluctant to allow me to remove her Edwardian collar since her friend the White Lady has been eyeballing it of late, but when I told her she couldn't be a gypsy and a proper Edwardian at the same time she acquiesced to my request. We just finished watching the Pirates trilogy over the weekend and are still in our "Pirate Speak" so to speak...giggle.

A little flower at the hip is the perfect finishing touch to her...uhhhm...my gypsy scarf, don't you think? Oh that I looked as good as she who wears my pretty things.

Old table linens have become one of my favorite passions lately and I'm finding all sorts of new ways to use them. This one is going to become a divider of sorts between the mess that has collected on my closet floor. Oh Yes! There is a mess! And I can't figure out what to do with all the extra stuff. While planning my perfect little storage space I failed to make room for my ugly printer so it's laying on the floor, but really...who wants an ugly printer in their pretty closet anyway...certainly not I. Oh, and during the time that my Internet was down I actually hung the cloth and took pictures, but I'll leave that for another post.

Have I ever told you that I'm dyslexic? Well, I am and one of the worst ways it affects me is when I'm counting. I can't count, I can't do math, I can't even add in my head. All the numbers dissipate like the morning fog under the heat of the day. It's terribly inconvenient especially when you think you've purchased 8 salt shakers only to realize you've really bought 4. These little beauties will some how be transformed into tassels for my Chocolate Brown Curtains if I can find 4 more at a great price. If not I'll just have to make due with what I have.

It has been so hot lately that I haven't the energy to do a thing. Needless to say my bolt of chocolate brown fabric is leaning against the wall just waiting patiently for the day when I feel the desire to start cutting away.
At work we had been planning a tea for August 8 and I designed the prettiest invitations where I used one of my favorite tea quotes. The tea is one of our annual FUN-Raisers and best loved by all the ladies, but alas, my boss isn't a real tea person and decided that we didn't have enough people signed up so she canceled it. And wouldn't you know the Monday after canceling we had women coming out of the wood work to host tables...impatience never pays and good things come to those who wait. All my lovely invitations were dumped in the trash and I won't be able to use my new tea cups. I picked these up for $1 a piece.

While Mamselle was looking at herself in the mirror the White Lady stole the coveted Edwardian collar. I didn't have the heart to tell her it was on backwards, but then when you have no head it doesn't really matter now does it?