A great reader?

I have always wondered what that quote from Pride and Prejudice is all about:

"Miss Eliza Bennet," said Miss Bingley, "despises cards. She is a great reader, and has no pleasure in anything else."
"I deserve neither such praise nor such censure," cried Elizabeth; "I am NOT a great reader, and I have pleasure in many things." 

Was there such a thing as a "nerd" or a "bookworm" back in the Regency period?  For why else would Elizabeth quickly dismiss herself as a "great reader"?  I ask this only because I find that I love to read and would take praise in such a comment.  I was musing the other day on how many books I've read this past year (yes, I'm referring to a year ago to date) and I was able to count 11, possibly forgetting one or two.  And in thinking about the books I read I thought it would be nice to share my top three.  So here goes:

This book epitomizes my favorite style of book:  historical mystery.  It was beautifully written and threw in some fun twists and turns.  I've since by trying to find as many books like it, but so far none have measured up.  Thumbs up to you on this one, Ms Setterfield.  I hope she'll keep on writing!

I'm sure this one is a no-brainer, but just in case some of you book lovers out there have not read this, do so now!  It was insane, amazing, inspiring, and at times disturbing.  The fact that it was a memoir made it all the more awesome.  I was pretty much reading it all the way through with a completely astonished look on my face like "I can't believe this is all TRUE!"  nuff said.

Last but certainly not least, I bring you Flipped.  Yes, it is a young adult book, but the message it gives will be worth it for anyone to read.  I think I read it in 3 days, but I wish it lasted longer.  It just makes me smile thinking about how sweet this story is.  And an added bonus is that Rob Renier was filming the movie version near by last year.  We snooped around hoping to a part of the film but with no luck.  I can't wait to see how the film turns out, I have high hopes!


Ok, well, that's my little musing on books.  If anyone has any recommendations, I sure would love to know them.  I just picked up The Help, which I know is a best seller.  So far so good:)  Hope y'all have a happy weekend!! -S

Road Trip!

 The past few days have been spent touring the mid-west on a mini road trip.  I really needed to get the heck out of the chilly Michigan weather so we headed south to Bloomington, In.  It was soo lovely and hot!!  85 degrees, that's what I'm talking about!  We did some very fun exploring, I'd never been there before so it was fun to check out a new town.  Leiza and Tom were looking out for some very cool historic farm houses.  The picture below was a very typical thing to see them do on the trip.  

On our way back, we headed towards Ohio by way of the Ohio River where we stumbled upon the town of Aurora.  It was founded around 1815 and the architecture just blew my mind!  I wish I took more pictures.  This large mansion was called the "Steamboat Captain's House".  It sit atop of the hill and overlooked the river and the town.  Amazing. 

These were just a few snapshots of the trip, but I'm very sad I forgot to take more.  Another stunning house we explored had original painted linolium floors.  Has anyone seen that before?  We also stopped in to a couple kick-ass antique stores where I stumbled upon some great finds.  Please check out our etsy site to see some of the new treasures.  Cheerie-O! -S

Hats for different occasions

 You may remember back to a post a couple of months ago,  I shared pictures from a local production of the musical Nine which I was the costumer for.  One of the costume "challenges" I came across was to create a very over the top Venetian hat that would be tossed about on stage.  Here's a close up of the result of said hat.

 

I took these photos the morning I was to return the hat to the costume shop (sorry for the messy background).  In the end I think the hat turned out very well and I must give most of the credit to my crafters-in -crime/sister, Leiza.  We discussed how we wanted the hat to look:  big feathers, check, a crazy bird, check, lots of beading, check.  I was so overwhelmed with all of the last minute things I had to do for the show that I was so relived when Leiza stepped in and put the whole hat together!  And as I said, it was going to be tossed about on stage as well as worn by 2 different characters.  I'm happy to say it stayed together through all of the performances and looked great as well!  

This was truly a diy project.  The bird we found at a craft store in the wedding department.  It was all white, so we spray painted it black and just dosed the thing in gold glitter.  Sadly, some of the glitter came off, but it still looks pretty gaudy (which was the goal).  I was going to post pictures of the process, but in the end I was too lazy and too distracted to document it all on camera.  What do y'all think of the result?

My other hat to share is much less crazy.  It's my snapdragon tam by Ysolda.  

 Yup, that cute Scottish knit designer has done it again.  This was my first knitting adventure using cables too, which ended up being a lot less scary.  What was a problem was when I ran out of yarn!!!  It was terrible and I was only about 10 rows away from finishing.  I decided instead of buying more yarn (which I couldn't find anyway) I would quickly decrease and then pull it together.  This does mean it's not quite as cool as the original pattern, but it worked enough.  I am also sad to report that after I blocked the hat, which I was trying very carefully not to overstretch, it did just that.  It was simply ginormous on my head!  My solution:  add some elastic thread through the brim.  It seems to have done the trick:)  

Those of you on ravelry, you can see more details about this project here.  The Vogue Vigilante girls are currently each making their first sweaters!  I'm actually making a cardi, but close enough.  My goal is to finish mine by Easter.  Hopefully we'll get to share our FOs here soon!   - S

ETSY UPDATE: Springtime

Here are some lovely new items I'll shortly be uploading to our etsy store.  Since it is the first day of spring, it does seem only right to celebrate with some pretty pastels.  From top left:  1940's silk evening gown, 1950's yellow party dress, early 60's cotton gingham shirtdress, 1970's yellow floral dress.  I will try to add these items this afternoon, just need to finish taking all of the measurements.. sigh, the most tideous part of the process. 

Happy weekend and happy first day of Spring!!!!! - S

Scenes from a City

I recently went on a perfect getaway to San Francisco where I visited friends and enjoyed some sunny days.  I took some nice little photos along the way and I thought I'd share them with y'all.  So here we go:

Beautiful window display at one of my new favorite places.  Why didn't I know about it before??

~Miette~

~Tilden Park~

Valentine's Day

~Lovejoys Tea Room~

Rose tea at Lovejoys

Homemade mint chocolate chip icecream!

Chocolate from ~TCHO~

 

And finally a silly picture of me...  I wasn't feeling terribly photogenic during this trip but I thought I should share this one truly silly picture.  This was taken at Lovejoy's counterpart across the street.  I feel I should title this hat "Can't see the tea for the pom-poms" or some sort of thing.  After the trip I realized how much I miss hanging out in a big city, although I still wonder if I want to live in one.  What should I do?  

Leiza has been so much better at posting her lastest crafty-crafts on our dear blog.  I've been in the midst of some projects but have gotten a bit stumped on some so it's taking me a while to finish.  Hopefully I'll be done soon so I can share with y'all.  Hope you have a great weekend ahead of you:) -S

Spiral Cowl

Here's a fun little knit I recently finished. I used vintage wool yarn in a shade called "Jade".  It's supposed to have a button and a loop to gather it closed with, but I haven't found the right button yet. Until then,  I'm using a little sparkly circle brooch I inherited from my grandmother, Ferne. If you're a member of ravelry, you can see more details and get the free pattern here. Ta-ta for now, and happy knitting! --L

1920's Flapper Dress

Tom and Stephanie acquired some lovely vintage items while I was away this past fall. Some friends were cleaning out a beautiful 1930's era home in downtown Detroit and Tom and Stephanie joined in on the spoils. One was this black 1920's hand beaded silk dress. Tom wanted me to try it on, and since it fit so well, he decided we should have a little photo shoot. I bought the shoes at a rummage sale in the village of Vijfhuizen, Holland. They don't exactly match, but it was the closest I could get. The vintage hat was made by Tom's great-grandmother. I added the feather and brooch for some added panache.  --L

Victorian Lace

I have a little bit of catching up to do-- here's a shawl I made called Ishbel. I started knitting it in November whilst in Holland and finished it in late December.  It's designed by the ever talented Ysolda, a Scottish lass who creates some of the loveliest, most tasteful knitting patterns I ever did see, and who has become quite popular amongst knitters across the globe. Sorry, I just saw "The Young Victoria" last night and now I can't stop talking in Queen's English! Great movie, by the way I highly recommend it to any other anglophiles out there. --L

Super Mignon!

Here's a post all about babies!!!  I finished yet another baby hat and I also have some pretty awesome vintage baby wrapping paper to share.  The hat was knit for my friends who are due any moment now.  They requested a hat with ear flaps, so their little girl will have warm ears when they bring her back from the hospital.  I saw it as an honor to help them out.  I've always had my eye on this particular hat, it's called Aviatrix Baby Hat.  My friend, Meagan (the future mom), picked out this pretty yarn and I supplied the vintage button.  I'm quite pleased with the results, however I wish it was a tighter knit throughout the body... if you're on ravelry, you can see my post about it here.

And here are some super cute wrapping paper prints that I stumbled upon recently.  I already used some of them to wrap a previous baby shower present, but I was sure to scan in all of the images first.  Which one is  your favorite?  Mine is undoubtably those cute fairies hanging out in the trees.

 

  

  

 

Aww... so cute!  I also found some great vintage Christmas wrapping paper in this same bundle, but it just doesn't seem right to show those until next Christmas... we'll see. 

Hope y'all had a lovely weekend!!!  -S

Snow, Snow, Snow!!!

I am trying my best to embrace winter here in Michigan, although most of the time I just mutter to myself how much I really am miserable when it's anywhere below 30 degrees.  So, in an effort to be more positive about my current climate circumstances, I decided to devote a post to the one thing winter is good for... SNOW!  So, without further adieu... here are some favorite images of a winter wonderland.

photo by Tommy Niehus (aka my bro-in-law)

 

graceful lady  

This video is so hauntingly beautiful, plus it incorporates my other love of winter... yarn!  hee hee

Hope y'all have a cozy weekend! - S

What I would like in my closet, please!

You must please take a moment to appreciate this beautiful new collection by Lena Hoschek!  This is the first time I have heard of her and can't wait to find out more... her Autumn 2010 collection is a gorgeous homage to 1940's fashion which she has perfected to a tee!  I love these flowy feminine looks:

As well as these more masculine inspired looks:

I would really love to have all of these, thanks!  Even those more masculine styles, which I don't usually get into, are completely amazing!  I mean, that sweater vest, wide leg pants, and knickers???  I'm loving it.  Ok, enough drooling and time to get dressed for the day.  Hope you all have a wonderful Thursday! - S

NiNE!

So, here is my semi-secretive project I've been involved in for the fast few months:  being the costume designer for a local production of the musical Nine!  It's my first costuming gig and it was a pretty amazing experience.  All in all, not a very complex show to design for, but not without some creative challenges, which all worked out in the end.  Here are some shots taken during the show, more detailed shots to come.  Also, I must add that I couldn't have completed all of this without the help of my sister, Leiza!!!!  Props to you sis! -S

Cute as a Button!

As promised, here are some of our latest finished projects.  This is a Christmas present to my dear friend Monica, doesn't she look simply ripping?  My goal was to come up with a versatile hat/mitten set with just a little bit of red (to match her new red coat!).  Which is why I incorporated these sweet little vintage buttons (the one on the hat is bakelite).  The yarn is a new favorite I've recently become obsessed with.  It's a Michigan brand and must be the softest wool I've ever worked with (Stonehedge Fiber Mill - in case you're wondering).  As for the knitting patterns, the mittens are a variation on the ruffle mits from Boutique Knits.  The hat, however, was a little creation of my own.  I'm soo thrilled with how they both came out and soo happy that they are just as cute as their new owner. 

I've also completed a nice little hat for myself that I will be posting soon (made of the same yummy yarn).  In the meantime, enjoy the holidays and happy knitting!!! -S

Merry Christmas!!!

Hope y'all have a very Merry Christmas this year!  Vogue Vigilante sisters are off on their own holiday adventures.  Stephanie is in Boston and Leiza is in Florida.  We have both been very busy little Christmas elves lately and will have some fun post-Christmas posts to share soon.  Until then, Happy Holidays to all of you out in blogland!! - S & L

Blue Tulip Hat

 

 

I finished this in early October and it's been great for meandering the streets of Holland. It's a free pattern via knitty.com called Foliage.

Now it's getting pretty cold here, so I may need to knit up an even warmer, non-lace hat. Perhaps this saucy little cloche will be next:

Christmas Knitting

These days, my knitting needles have been full of fun new projects.  Some for myself, some for friends, and some for new babies.   The problem is that I can't seem to focus on one and get it done!  Some just need to have buttons added, where others have quite a way to go.  But, in the meantime, I thought I'd share some of my works in progress.  Some of the other projects (non-kniting) I have on my plate right now, that I'm very excited about:  new vintage items to add to etsy shop, costume designs for theatre production of NINE, skirt for myself made of vintage fabric... phew... I'm keeping busy!  I can't wait to share some of my finished results.  Well, better get busy!!!  -S