Green Linen Regency Dress and Chemisette

Another Regency dress for the Etsy shop! I have to say how much I love this gathered bodice/drawstring fastening pattern. It's simple and beautiful! I'm definately going to be using it a lot in the future! This dress has 3/4 length sleeves. The chemisette is sheer cotton voile with two delicate ruffles at the slightly-v neckline.

This particular dress is made from a lovely semi-sheer linen/cotton blend in a pale green, yellow, and white floral stripe pattern. I think it looks almost reproduction - don't you?

I bought the fabric along with several yards of the same pattern in a pink colorway. And I'm thinking I may use it to make myself a regency dress. What do you think? Do I need another dress? tee hee.

Dress Listing

Chemisette Listing

Giveaway Reminder and Sweet Treats

The giveaway ends tomorrow! Be sure to get your entry in on time! I will announce the winners by Friday.

Above artwork by me. Does it make you hungry? Prints hopefully coming soon!

Speaking of delicious sweets - I've been quite enamored lately by a darling genre of jewelry - miniature yummys. Amazingly realistic polymer clay jewlery by some very talented artists on Etsy and beyond. I could totally wear some of these fun pieces. Below are a few of my favorites. Which are yours?

Tiny Hands

Cupcake Queen Necklace

Shortcake Heart Cookie Necklace

Fakery Bakery

Strawbery Pop Tart Necklace

Belgian Waffle Earrings

Clay Connections

Pumkin Pie Necklace

Okay. I'm seriously hungry now. I'm off to the kitchen to stir up something real.

The Hope Chest Series...

A hope chest is traditonally a place where a young lady would beging to collect items for her future household when she marries. I think it is an excellent notion- and I have very much enjoyed filling my own cedar chest....which has over the years spilled over into several other antique chests/trunks that I keep in my room, not to mention quite a few boxes in the closet and storage building....:^)

Not only is it fun for girls to begin collections for a home - it is much more important that they develope the skills that will be needed to run a household efficiently. Cooking, sewing, meal planning, organizing, gardening are just a few of the things that girls can be taught during the teen years, and before. Too often marriages begin with the wife not having the foggiest idea of what it takes to make a happy home, which creates unhappiness and domestic chaos. Don't let that happen with you! Learn to be confident and effecient in your household skills, and not only will you be able to look forward to what God may have in your future, but you will be able to be a huge help and blessing to your family now!

This is the beginning of a blog series where I will share finds and ideas for filling your hope chest with beautiful and practical items, also tutorials and projects for useful and fun household skills. At a future date I will also invite readers to share pictures and their own thoughts and ideas.

For now - here is a short list of ideas for collecting and making for filling a hope chest....
Pictures and links from many lovely Etsy shops.

At antique stores, thrift shops, and estate sales, some of  my favorite things to shop for are

Vintage linens - pillow cases, tablecloths, napkins, etc.

Pyrex refrigerator dishes - so many cute colors - and so much better than plastic!

Enamelware dishes. So durable. Speckled are the most common - but I love the plain colors, too.

You can also begin a recipe collection. Ask friends, mothers, grandmothers, aunts, etc. for their tried-and-true recipes!

Lovely recipe box.

Darling letterpress recipe cards.

Do you know how to sew or crochet?

A girl can never have too many aprons!

Cotton dishcloths are useful and long-lasting.

I'd love to hear any ideas for my new series - please let me know if there is any particular thing you would like to see blog posts about. ;^)

Photos that make me happy....

Thank you to everyone who has entered the giveaway so far!

Our internet has been working off and on since a storm we had the other day - so if I am slow to replying to comments, that is why. Quite frustrating, actually.

Now, for your viewing pleasure, I would like to share a few recent pictures from around the ranch that make me smile. I hope they make you smile too. :^)

A cup of hot tea sweetened with honey

Irises flourishing in the flower bed

Farm fresh eggs

Bluebonnets gathered by the roadside

Custom Digital Goodies Giveaway!

Welcome to my first-ever giveaway!

Enter to win a custom made digital artwork blog or etsy banner made by me! I will work with you to create a digital goodies collection to match your blog or Etsy shop - give your website a makeover! You tell me what you want, and I will make it to your specifications. 

1st Place Prize - Three Custom Digital Artwork Items (i.e. Blog or Etsy banner, avatar, button, sidebar....)

2nd Place Prize - One Custom Digital Artwork Item

Enter by commenting on this post. If you don't have a blog, be sure to mention a method of contacting you if you win. If you blog/twitter/facebook about my giveaway, comment again each time and let me know! This will count as an extra entry for each comment.

You have one week to enter...winners will be randomly picked next Thursday!

Below are a few examples of my digital artwork style...

Mexia Reenactment Pictures

There was good and bad about the reenactment last weekend. We missed seeing some dear friends who couldn't be there, and we did get some rain. However, the event didn't get rained out thankfully, and the weather was perfect othewise. The ball was quite nice, and Rebecca and I had many good laughs. So, on to the few selected pictures, out of many hundreds taken. Hope you enjoy!

I'm too tired to write descriptions, so draw your own conclusions. :^)

Yet Another Regency Wedding...

Slightly different style of dress than the last one. Lightly gathered cream duponi silk bodice with waistband - trimmed, overlaid, etc with white cotton voile. I think my favorite part is the ruched/ruffled trim around the neckline. I also like how the colors of cream and white softly contrast each other. Also for sale on Etsy.

Now I'm off to make something slightly less fun....
3 white shirts-on-the-square for our guys reenactment wardrobe.
okay, okay. It's still fun. I like making shirts. Especially the collars and plackets.

Tagged...

Nina at Wickfield tagged me! I'll give it a go....


First: If you've been tagged, you must write your answers in your own LJ and replace any question that you dislike with a new question.

Second: Tag eight people. Don't refuse to do that. Don't tag who tagged you.



1.What song are you currently addicted to?

'Jessica's Theme' from 'Man from Snowy River II'. Although I have renamed it 'Eowyn's Theme.' :^)
'String Quintet' from Master and Commander


2.What books are you currently reading?

The Bible, Fair Maid of Perth, The Black Douglas, Kidnapped, Lady of the Lake..... (whoa. I didn't realize I was so stuck on Scottish books lately)


3.What's the funnest thing you've done today?

Tickled my little brother, and read a book out loud in a Scottish accent. You should have been there.


4. Elves or Hobbits?

Hobbits.

5.Sweet or Salty?

Sweet!


6.What's your current fandom/obsession/addiction?

Regency dresses, Singin' in the Rain.....um.....


7. Three books you have read at least 3 times?

-Jane Eyre, The Hobbit, Kidnapped


8.What websites do you always visit when you go online?

Etsy, Blogger, Homeschool Alumni


9.What was the last thing you bought?

Fabric. 32 yards of cotton voile and 11 yards of cream silk duponi. Oh yeah.

10.Which fictional character do you think you're most like?

Fanny Price from 'Mansfield Park'. At least - I can so relate. :^)


11.Favourite toy growing up?
Dress up clothes, miniature covered wagon, Samantha doll, tape recorder


12.What do you do to change your mood?

Flip through my favorite books, play the piano, go outside and stare at random clouds.


13.What was the last meal you ate?

Supper - yummy tostadas with olives and cherry tomatoes.

14.Do you want to learn another language?

I tried to learn Gaelic once. It would be pretty fun to know, I think.


15. Five things you can't live without.

1) Jesus

2) Family, Friends

3) Wide open spaces.

4) Books

5) Fabric


16.Find the closest book currently sitting near you and flip to page 54. What is the first sentence of the second paragraph?

Robin Hood by Paul Creswick. Um- page 54 is blank. Here is page 53....
"Right, Master; the matter has already passed from my mind."


17. What's something you'd like to say to someone right now?

Would you come over tomorrow and help me figure out this darted regency bodice? Please.....


18.What are you looking forward to?

This weekend......the next reenactment.....the next good book...



I tag Sarah H., Sarah L., Bess, Ashley, Caroline, Bethany, Rebecca Ann, CeCe.