Lantern tours 2011

Hello all! It's been so long, I've missed blogging, and, now that I have something to write about, perhaps I can get back into it.

So, it's Lantern Tours time again!!! I really do so love Lantern Tours. Allison joined me on Friday, and, of course, we had a photo shoot in our costumes before we left :)

And now for the un-edited, goof off-y pictures that are very historically accurate, and, oh! One of Allison reading a book ;)This is what happens when I go inside, and leave the camera with Allison

The Napoleon Bonaparte pose :)

.....and Allison reading a book..........

Until later!!!!

~Erin ♥

A Thrifty find

Actually, I bought this last summer, but it didn't fit. But it was so cute, and only 50 cents, so I just had to have it! And now, {hoorah!) It fits!!!! YAY!! Don't you just love it? I'm so excited to have a summer 1860's dress{or 1970's, depending on whether or not you want to wear the petticoat} Someone actually made this dress, it wasn't made in a factory, which, I thought was extra cool.

It's got some pretty cool detail too.

I love thrifting! It's so much fun!

Total historical eye candy!

Aren't these some of the most beautiful gowns you've ever seen?!

Do you know what day it is?

It's the 119th birthday of the ice cream sundae, and this is how google chose to celebrate!


Cute, right? But, of course, such a momentous occasion deserved a bit more celebration than this, so I hopped and skipped my way over to polyvore {ice cream cone in hand} and made this!

Happy birthday ice cream sundae!! May you have many more like it!!

My latest project

Yo! Wazzup, homedawg?!

Hee, hee. Okay. Enough foolin'. I have decided on my next sewing project!!!! I'm super-de duper-de excited about this one, and now I'll show you why. :)



Aren't you psyched?! I know I am!!! I'll be making the one in the bottom right corner, with the wicked awesome sleeves. Though I have never been thrilled with the medieval time period as I have been with others, those fantasy sleeves just make me want to dance with joy! I'm so happy I finally get to make my own fairy dress! Before long, I'll be wearing flowers in my long, flowing hair as I stroll through the forest, filled with mythical creatures. Sounds fun, no?

History night

Not too long ago, my homeschool group held what we call "History night". Basically, each child will pick a time period{or specific person/event in history} and create an elaborate report on that topic. I say elaborate, because it's not just an essay, it's a display board, food, costume, and sometimes, a skit. The whole thing is pretty big, and I think this year's history night was the best we've ever had.........and that's saying a lot! Two years ago, I had a mini drive-in movie theatre as part of my report. Cool, right?

Amelia Earhart

The 1950's

Annie Oakley

The wright brothers

Anastasia Romanov

Eleanore Roosevelt

Cowboys

Daniel Boone

Plantation life during the Civil war

See what I mean about it being elaborate? The girl who did the 1950's had an ice cream shop, complete with laminate checkerboard flooring, swing music, and, of course, ICE CREAM!!!! And the little wright brother would twirl his little painted on mustache while he talked {AWWWW!}
Annie Oakley showed me and entire show of her shooting tricks, finishing with the one where she is riding her horse and shoots a moving target while she herself is moving. The kids really went all-out this year. I was very impressed!!!

A walk down memory lane...part 2

To continue.........

My dad took these pictures of my sister, who now has two kids of her own. I think they look like something from a parenting magazine, don't you? I mean, they're so clear and cute!!!! That poor cat. LOL

This is me. I'm just a few weeks old here.



This HAS to be one of my favorite baby pictures. See? I was a camera hog from birth, and I can prove it! LOL


Me again, a few months old. I think there are a thousand pictures of baby me playing with the top of my bottle. My mom says she would take the top off that thing and I would sleep with just the lid of my bottle. :)

My brother, sister and I for a family photo.


This is me and my mom when I was, oh, I think about 2.


In our old house, there used to be a gigantic tree in our front yard that would shed so many leaves, I'm surprised it didn't tip over with the weight of them! One year, my dad built me a huge leaf pile, and I jumped in. I think I was about 6.



And that concludes our walk down my lane of memories!!! I hope you enjoyed it!

~Erin

A walk down memory lane....part 1

Well, really, it's a first-time walk for you guys, because they're my memories{some of them}. My dad and I were going through our endless boxes of pictures earlier, and we had a great time laughing at all the awkward perms and "baby's first bath" pictures of my brothers and sisters. I had so much fun, I just had to share some of my discoveries with you!!!

These are my grandparents{my mom's parents} I really love this picture, mostly because of my grandma's dress and my grandpa's making a funny face!

Baby mommy. As I look at it, I really see myself here. But you can be the judge of that!

One of my aunt's graduation. My mom is the short one in the blue dress.

This is my dad. Isn't he handsome, with his bow tie? I don't know how old he is here, maybe 12 or 13?

That's my dad in the middle, considerably older. Hee, hee!


And this is my dad with my mom. They look great together, no?

This is my big brother. He's 27 now, or, at least he will be in a few months. Isn't he so cute?! I love my big bro!!


This is a family shot,minus me, because I wasn't born yet, and my other brother and sister, but I don't know why. Can you see my mom peeking through in the back?


This is a camping trip the family wnet on{without me, cuz I wasn't born yet}, and, apparently, my father was pretending to be an ax murderer while my brother played the victim, and my mom documented it. yup.

My latest endeavor

The latest in my sketch book..........

An outing

Tomorrow night, my mom and I are going to a local old school theatre, called the Valentine, to see Casablanca. I'm really excited about going! The Valentine has been having classic movie nights for the past month, and, excepting Gone with the wind and Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, I haven't missed one!


I have seen every move the Valentine is showing before, but being in a vintage theatre, sitting in a box seat reminiscent of "The Phantom of the opera", eating popcorn and candy bars that cost a total of $2, just seems to make everything better.

I'll take my camera with me, and get some pictures, if you would like to see them!

~Erin

dream sewing list

I have been thinking a lot lately of possible future sewing projects{Especially after successfully completing my Emma dress, I am all encouraged and inspired}

After scouring the pattern sites, I have compiled a list of things I would like to make this year. Obviously, due mostly to lack of skill and experience, this is an unrealistic list, but, hey, a girl can dream, can't she?!

Butterick patterns has a new line of retro patterns that I am completely in love with. These are my favorites:



I am ashamed to say that I am woefully behind on my apron collection. In fact, I don't have any. I'm in the process of making one, but I have been hand-sewing it in front of the tv{I like to do that sometimes, when I'm not drawing} and it's been a work in progress for going on two months now. I also really like it when one can buy multiple patterns in one. I'm really cheap, and so this concept appeals to my penny-pinching side. Plus, I think you can cover nearly every era in this one package.

Isn't this dress beautiful? When I make this one, I plan to make it the exact shade of blue as in the pattern picture. I'm not usually fond of the fabric choices of the pattern pictures. They look Halloween store products, which, let's face it, they're junk. But this one is different. Not only does it look professional, but it looks good on the model.

There's something about medieval dresses that just really inspires me. I see one and my mind instantly goes to fair maidens with long flowing hair adorned with wildflowers, strolling through a wood to meet her chivalrous prince charming on horseback{a white horse, of course!} I wait impatiently for the day when I can put this dress one, and reenact the scene I have just described, possibly while singing "Love story" by Taylor Swift, at the top of my voice!

All the above patterns have been for costumes, mostly because I only have a desire to sew things I cannot easily find in the store, and, as I have had a great deal of luck in clothing shopping, I have no real need to sew my own wardrobe. Now, well-made costumes are hard to come by, and costumes that are pretty and fit my body and taste perfectly are nearly impossible, so I have a much larger costume list than every day wardrobe list. however, I have always been overly fond of those apron-style skirts, which, oddly enough, are hard to find at a length that doesn't make one blush. I plan to make a couple, probably following a similar pattern to this, but lengthen the hemline to the knee. Sound like a good plan?


Do you have a dream sewing list? What is it? Is your list so drastically different from mine, or are they eerily similar? I'd love to know your thoughts and opinions, if you would be so kind as to comment below!

~Erin