I'll take you to the zoo

Ah, the zoo! A place full of childhood memories. And lions and tigers and bears, oh my! The hubby and I decided to seize the opportunity for one last summer outing before school starts up again! (Yup, one school I teach at starts Monday. Eeep!)

 Going to the zoo is one of the things on my Ohio bucket list so that's where we decided to venture. Having been to the Cincinnati Zoo many times, we decided to check out the Columbus Zoo instead.

And what should we spy first but those Floridian birds- flamingos! I think perhaps I'll have to get some flamingos to put in the yard when we get to Florida.

Penguins are always high on my to see list at any zoo or aquarium. I actually got to pet one one time at the Cincinnati Zoo. It was awesome although they do smell a bit fishy.

 It was quite busy on the day we went so finding an empty spot to take outfit photos was a bit of a challenge but we did find a couple spots with some obliging greenery.

 Lorikeets kissing! I love getting to go into the lorikeet enclosure. Unfortunately, by the time we got there, they were rather tired of people so we just had to admire them from afar.

I had quite a time trying to pick out an outfit for the zoo. I think most of my problem was that I really wanted it to be fall already but was still going to warm up during the day. So I threw together a classic 50s outfit with my largest crinoline for extra fun factor.

Blouse: Advance 8511

Skirt: me-made

Purse: Pinup Girl Clothing

Shoes: Payless

Earrings: Sparkle Lux

One cool thing they have at this zoo is a feed the giraffe station but the line was super long so we skipped it and went to watch this elephant take a bath instead. So cute!

 I got a lot of looks and comments on my outfit while I was out and about. Little girls especially loved the poofy skirt. In fact, my husband said that he's sure they'd think I was a princess if I was wearing a tiara. He better watch out because I might just take him up on that idea.

There were quite a few baby animals on exhibit while we were there including this kangaroo joey. You could actually walk around in the kangaroo enclosure but no petting was allowed. They look so fluffy!

By the end of the day, I was tired, tired, tired. It was only about 3 pm when we finished up the zoo but we wanted to eat dinner in Columbus before going home so we had to brain storm ideas to fill a few hours. My hubby came up with the brilliant idea of looking for a vintage shop and patiently waited around for an hour and a half while I shopped. (But I let him pick an Irish pub for dinner so I think we're even).

 I did end up picking up a few things but that is a post for another day. What's your favorite animal to see at the zoo? If you couldn't guess mine from the photos I selected for this post, it's definitely all of the feathered residents!

Sew Bossy

A while back, Paige of Lux Per Diem asked if I would join up with her for a Sew Bossy challenge! And I said yes! Sew Bossy is the brain child of Oona of Oonaballoona and Heather Lou from Closet Case Files. In short, you get to plan a sewing project for another seamstress, sending them the pattern, fabric and notions that they have to sew up.

Paige sent me McCall's 6696, a darling shirtwaist dress pattern. (To see what I sent her, go here.)

And here's my version:

I just adore shirtwaist dresses! So classic! This pattern came with separate pieces for A, B, C, and D cup sizes and I decided to give it a whirl without an FBA. And it came out great!

I have to admit that I was a bit nervous before I started. It's been so long since I've sewn with a Big 4 pattern that I really had to pay attention and think through sizing again.

It turned out quite nicely though. I just adore that this dress has pockets! I also love wearing this dress with a belt to help break up the print a bit.

Today I went for a retro casual look rather than full on vintage. This dress is great for walking on either side of that line.

Thanks, Paige, for being Sew Bossy!

Learning how to pose

On the first day of the photography conference, one on wedding photography and one on general photography. Both classes talked a lot about posing so I decided to try it out in my shots!

Do I look thinner to you?

One tip was to do something with your hands. No dead arms!

Also, keep them away from your sides to make you look thinner.

Don't stand straight on to the camera.

Aim the hips back a little then lean forward.

And keep your chin up to accentuate the neck.

Above all, make the girl look pretty!

Prepping for a Vintage Trip

Packing for a trip is always a lot of work and just like most things, it takes a bit more effort for us vintage gals especially when you are just starting out. Planning is key!

Step 1: Pack

This is me packing for a weekend trip to a photography conference! I love laying out my outfits if I've got enough space. If not, I write out my outfits on paper though I might take them out one at a time for a closer look. If you have an itinerary or general idea of the activities/social events you'll be going to, that helps a lot!

If I was going on a cruise, I'd need different outfits than if I was road tripping to State Parks. If you don't have specific list of activities, try to come up with a list of likely events- casual day events, parties, dinners out, outdoor activities, etc. Consider which which activities are vintage friendly, which are me-made friendly and which might be more appropriate for repro or modern pieces.On my trip, I'd have one day of travel, two days of classes and one evening social event.

Once you have your activities, decide how many outfits you'll need. Will you want to change outfits during the day or perhaps bring a day-to-evening outfit with different accessories? Can you wear something more than once on a trip? For long trips, I prefer mix and match separates but for short trips, I'd rather bring really different outfits and bring one set of accessories that can go with more than one outfit since accessories are less likely to make an impact than an outfit.

Here's my outfits again. The left two dresses are my day dresses and the right dress is my evening dress. The outer two dresses are jersey which is great for travel since they won't wrinkle!

Next, start thinking about accessories for your outfits-shoes, tights/hoes, belts, jewelry, hat, hair accessories. And don't forget undergarments! Does one of your dresses need a special bra? Will you bring a sip or crinoline? Might you be inside where the ac could be on? Pack a cardigan or too!

For my trip I picked a black belt that could be worn with any of my dresses, just two pair of shoes and one pair of black tights. I also decided to bring just my small crinoline so it wouldn't take up valuable suitcase real estate. I also chose a classic faux pearl necklace and earrings that would go with any of my outfits.

Then go pack! I got all of my clothes into my small vintage suitcase and the gold bag held all of my modern stuff-toiletries, curling iron, laptop, stuff to do in the car, etc.

Step 2: Prep your hotel room

I know that once you hit the hotel room, you'll either be super tired and want to crash or so excited and ready to start on your vacation but prepping your hotel room will be essential to making your vintage look easy to maintain on your trip!

Most hotel rooms have a closet so hang up your clothes right away to prevent unnecessary wrinkles. If you need to and have time, iron anything that needs it right way so that it's all ready to go! If there's not an iron in your room or you are running short on time, try hanging the wrinkled garment in the bathroom while you shower and the steam will help remove the wrinkles!

I also organized my shoes and stowed my suitcases in the closet so they'd be out of the way!

Don't forget to prep the bathroom with all of your beauty and hair products so you're ready to go the next morning! Plus this is a great way to discover if you've forgotten something important-like your hair brush! *facepalm*

Also, be on the look out for great photo locations! If nothing else, the bathroom mirror tents to be handy!

Step 3: Enjoy your vacation!

Now you're all set to enjoy your trip! Your plan will help with outfit decisions but feel free to switch it up if something isn't working! All that prep will help loads on busy mornings when you are tired and need to get going early.

Do you have any trip packing tips?

1950s Housewife Hair

Yay for another youtube hair tutorial! Today's look is 1950s housewife hair.


Also, I want to know your favorite youtube gurus for vintage hair and beauty.

Youtube: Rosie the Riveter for Pixies

I love cute Rosie the Riveter looks. And it's so easy to do this look with a pixie or bobbed hair! This cute version features a cute curly bang area that really makes a statement.

In which I knit

I've been in quite a knitting mood over the last few months so it's about time I shared some of my projects with you!

My husband won me some gorgeous red wool yarn and I decided to knit up this cute cropped sweater with it.

It knit up pretty quickly. The longest part was actually picking out the buttons! lol

It's not from a vintage knitting pattern but the crop style works great with high waisted skrits.

My ravelry page for this project is here.

One of my friends and her husband just started fostering a little boy and I couldn't resist knitting up this little monster hat! Ravelry page here.

I also whipped myself up this cute lace hat. I definitely need more hats for this winter! I don't have a lot of stash yarn but I do need some more stash busting projects like this. Ravelry page here.

I've also been knitting up some Christmas presents but I can't exactly share them here incase people peak! My current work in progress is a great shawl from the above pattern. Maybe after it's done, I'll be brave enough to try out one of my A Stitch In Time sweaters again!

A Nice Anise

My Anise jacket is finished! And I've been wearing it loads!

Fabric: burgundy wool ($5/yd), black fleece backed satin for lining ($5/yd)Pattern: Colette Pattern's AniseYear: contemporaryNotions: buttons ($12)First worn: October 2012Wear again? Yes, yes yes and yes! I've worn this jacket loads since I made it. I'm so happy with how this came out. It's warmer than I expected and so cute! It fits really well and the only thing I'd change about it would be to lengthen the sleeves about 1/2". 

I put in a lot of work on this project and just relaxed and had fun with it rather than being stressed about meeting the sew along dead line. I finished less than a week behind the last sew along post so I count myself on time!

I paired it with a grey me made dress (to be blogged soon!) and my black Mary Janes.

I was able to get a few quick snapshots at church. The weather has been gray and damp lately so I didn't have a chance to get super nice pictures.

But this cute kitty posed with me so I know you'll forgive the less than stellar quality of the photos.

That's How I Roll

Here's a tutorial for a hairstyle similar to the one that I wore in my All About Hair Rats video.

Youtube: Easy Retro Scarf Do

Today's tutorial is a a great simple summer look with a hair scarf. I love vintage hair scarfs!  They are so fun and pretty plus I can usually find them at a thrift store for under a buck.

Youtube: Retro Scarf and Pincurl Style

New youtube! A cute scarf and pincurl tutorial!

Review of Lauren Rennells' "Retro Makeup"

Check out my review of Lauren Rennells' "Retro Makeup"! The Reader's Digest version is BUY THIS BOOK NOW!