what would Beatrix wear?

Hello there, my dear ones!
As I mentioned in my previous post we've been enjoying somewhat cooler Springtime weather lately. This sort of cool & rainy weather always makes me think of Beatrix Potter. I like to imagine that this is what the weather she experienced in her beloved Lake District was like.

My apparel is oft times inspired by the weather.
{And I don't just mean by what the mercury reads - though that is a big factor.}
Say it's the middle of Summer & the sort of day you could envision yourself at a county fair eating funnel cake, sipping a lemon shake-up, & admiring the livestock.
I'll go for the farmgirl goes to town look. {Think Jeanne Crain in State Fair}
Or if it's a crisp Autumnal day fit for an apple picking. A couple scenes from
Anne of Green Gables might ramble around in my head and spark an outfit idea.
Or if it's a bitterly cold day of Winter when the sun hides behind clouds & the wind whips relentlessly through the barren branches, I may wear an ensemble that heavily features wool
inspired by Helen from All Creatures Great & Small.

Well, good ol' Beatrix was the inspiration for this particular ensemble.
I thought to myself as I smiled out the window at the delightfully gloomy grey sky,
"What would Beatrix wear if she'd been born in this time?"
Here is my answer. :)

 

A feminine hairstyle, wooly goodness, & earthtones combine for a look that is unmistakably Beatrix.
~*~
Outfit details:

~*~ Dress: Thrifted ~*~

~*~ Sweater: Handmade by me ~*~

~*~ Tights: Wal-Mart ~*~

~*~ Shoes: Thrifted {Clarks} ~*~

~*~ Necklace & Earrings: LC Lauren Conrad from Kohls {No longer available} ~*~

~*~ Scarf {in hair}: Thrifted ~*~

 





I think Mr. McGregor would heartily approve of my little trowel earrings. I'm so fond of Kohls' Lauren Conrad jewelry. Well, lots of the clothing too, but the jewelry in particular. Her jewelry is always so delicate & lovely. It more often than not will be rather kitschy too! I have a necklace with an antique sewing machine charm, pink ladybug earrings, vintage camera earrings, & a little pink teacup on a necklace - just to name a few! Since I love to play in the dirt er garden I get quite a kick out of these little trowels dangling from my ears. ;)
 

These brown suede oxford booties were quite a find for just $3 at my favorite thrift store. Oddly enough they are not my size, {a size & a half too small} but they fit quite well & are very comfortable. Perhaps they are incorrectly sized & that's how such a nice pair of shoes found themselves at a thrift store. In any case I'm so grateful to have them. I think they lend themselves well to the 1930s look in addition to my Beatrix attire.

 



My brown wool cabled cardigan is so snuggly warm. It was my very first cable project - made around 5 years ago. It's made of Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool in Nature's Brown using this pattern. (I never made the sash that is supposed to go with it. I just wear it open.) It's a terribly useful sweater & I wear it quite a lot in the coldest weather. Having already acclimated to the warmer weather we had been having I was thankful to be able to pull out this old friend to chase the chills away.

 



While I had the camera out I simply couldn't resist taking pictures of the lilacs & the chickens.

You don't mind do you?
The chickens always hastily run up to the fence when they see me coming - they must assume I come bearing food. Unfortunately for them I only came bearing that shiny black doohickey that makes beeping sounds this time. That's Freckles the Speckled Sussex, Pepper the Barred Rock, & Oswald the Rooster {I think he's an Ameraucana, but I'm not sure.} You can just see Philippa the Ameraucana in the background & the ducks at a safe distance. They still don't quite trust me as they were a few weeks old by the time I got them from a friend.

 

I think one reason I really find a kindred spirit in Beatrix is because of her love for the country.
I recently watched the episode of The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends featuring The Tale of Johnny Town-mouse. The story is the classic tale of a town mouse & a country mouse experiencing each other's way of living & each much preferring their own.  One line {a direct quote from the book} at the end of that sweet little cartoon caught my attention.

 "One place suits one person, another place suits another person.
For my part I prefer to live in the country, like Timmy Willie."
~Beatrix Potter - The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse

To which I give a hearty "Hear, hear!"
Much like Beatrix, I wasn't raised in the country. I lived in a small town until I was 17. When we moved to the country I just felt it was home. {Though, I loved that little town & still do.} Perhaps it is because I have Farmer in my blood on my Mom's side that I love the country so...

~*~
 

Well, I'm planning this as an ongoing post series to feature other
"what would         wear?" outfits every so often.
More than likely featuring some of the aforementioned characters!

 

~*~

 

Does the weather inspire your attire?

 

Is there a person or character you're particularly inspired by?

Do you prefer the town or the country?

 

{Photos by me. Taken sheepishly with the timer.

 Hoping my family wasn't looking out the window & rolling their eyes.}

say hello to my little friends...

Here's another sure sign of Spring - little baby chicks!
 



 

Well, once again I didn't get any outfit pics taken this past week.

Kels & I had the best of intentions, but we got distracted...by garage sales...

So in lieu of a 1940s inspired thrifted outfit here are my newest feathered friends. :D

These six little cuties will lay lovely brown eggs in just a few months time!

I bought them Sunday at our local TSC while picking up the feed for my flock.

They had some little baby mallard ducklings as well, which were pretty hard to resist, but I did! ;) I can't remember the name of these lil chickies' breed, but I think the gal there said they are a cross between Rhone Island Reds & White Rocks. She said they'll be brownish - can't wait to see what they look like when they're grown. I need to start thinking of suitable names. Though I may have to wait until their personalities er chickenalities start to develop to give them appropriate names. :) I already have a Philippa, Lillie-white, Freckles, Pepper, Snowy, & Oswald {the rooster}.

That night our electricity went out! Eek! One essential of chick keeping is a heat lamp. When they don't have Momma Hen to keep them warm they need the constant source of warmth that a heat lamp provides. Thankfully we have a generator. Although it runs on gas & only had enough of that stuff to last until about 9:00 PM. I had brought them into the basement {from the outbuilding I had been keeping them in} so they'd be warmer. Praise the Lord the power came back on at about 11 so they only had to go about 2 hours sans heat lamp.

They're all warm & cheerful today!

~*~

Now for some random bits...

The newest blooming beauties around here a lilacs & wild bluebells.

I made this bouquet {a mix of bought & homegrown flowers} to take to church & now I get to enjoy it in my room. I wish I could attach the scent for you all to enjoy!

{Removing all allergens, of course, for those of you who suffer from them.}

{Lovely Lilacs}

 {Beautiful Bluebells}

 

Isn't this dish towel just the cutest? It's from Kohl's. They have some pretty cute home wares.

 

I got this yellow Lu-Ray Pastels platter recently at a garage sale for $1.50! Woo-hoo!

 I like to collect pastel dishes whenever I find them for a super deal. I have some Shenandoah & Moderntone pieces as well. {You can see some in the photo below!} It's so fun how they all mix & match since they were made in similar eras. The few Cath Kidston dishes I have go so well too. 

 

 

The past couple days we've had rather chillier weather than the weeks before.

A nice cuppa {tea} & something sweet to eat is just what the doctor ordered.

{Well, actually there's no need to mention this to the doctor...we'll keep this just between us.} ;)

You can find the recipe for these yummy lemon bars in this post.

 

~*~

 Here is what I've been working on lately!

 

{A recent custom embroidery order. All in mint green!}

I've just the sewing up to do on this knitted gift for my cousin's baby girl.

Isn't that color delicious? It's my very favorite to use for baby girl gifts - such a vintage baby pink. {It's Knit Picks' Flamingo.} This is one of the colors I've picked out for my Summery cotton version of "Your Victory Jumper".  If I ever finish the original one, that is! ;)

~*~

 

 Any suggestions for names for my new baby hens?

What's blooming in your neck of the woods?

What do you collect?

{Photos by this girl!}

april showers & flowers...

Well, Spring has officially sprung in my neck of the woods!

They {the woods} are just bursting with new life!

I always anxiously await the appearance of my favorite little woodland flower -

Dutchman's Britches {or Breeches actually but we always pronounced it the other way}.

They are related to Bleeding Hearts which I've always been fond of as well. Note how the middle stem is slightly more pink that the others & these blooms have the slightest pink tinge as well. Interesting, n'est-ce pas?

When I was a little girl I thought they were called London Bridges & figured these sweet flowers must be what that song was all about! ;)

Don't they just look like little fairies' drawers hung out to dry?

 

Here is a wee "forest" of May Apples 

like so many little umbrellas opening to shield small animals from Spring showers. 

Next month they will have a little fruit (hence their name) under their foliage.

The fruit is edible, though I never have tried. Maybe I will this year! I have a field guide on edible wild plants for my area, and they suggest making a jam or jelly from them.
It's worth a try!

 



 

I ventured deeper into the woods to get some more photos.

One must wear their wellies this time of the year! 



 

I believe these are called Bloodroot. 

They are named this because the liquid inside their stem is red at the root. I'll have you know I had to get a little to close for comfort to a spider to get that shot, so you had better enjoy it!

You're welcome. ;)

 

To my extreme delight, while I was deep in the forest, it started to rain ever so softly.

 



There was no way I could capture the pure enchantment of the sweet Springtime shower with photos alone. Thankfully my camera also has a video option! So here is my first attempt as a videographer. :)
 

 

 



 

If you look closely at the photo above you can see a bumblebee enjoying something sweet from a Dutchman's Breeches bloom. Bumblebees are such cute little fuzzy creatures. I had the hardest time getting a pic of the little stinker! As soon as I got close enough for a good shot she was off again buzzing near & far. Mostly far because I lost sight of her after this shot was taken.

 

~*~

 

These next photos were taken a day later around the yard.

That morning we were blessed with another lovely April shower that moved on as quickly & quietly as it had appeared and left a glorious sunshiny day. I was even able to hang out my wash!

That sort of weather always makes me think of the song Perfect Day

from The World of Peter Rabbit & Friends. I actually found a CD of that soundtrack on eBay. It came free with a VHS of The Tale of Peter Rabbit. I just love the music from those sweet cartoons so I was elated to find it. {For a great deal too which always makes me happy!}



 

 

Beautiful cherry blossoms against a blue sky.

This is an old cherry tree & the cherries are quite too high to reach.

They're very small too so they'd be quite a chore to pit with not much to show for you efforts.

The birdies put them to good use though! :)

The tree grows right by the chicken pen so whatever cherries happen to fall to the ground are immediately devoured by a frenzy of squawking foul.

It's more entertaining than most things on the telly I can assure you! ;)

 



 

These daffodils above were a birthday gift last year from my dear friend Taylor Ella.

She knows that daffs are my favorite Springtime bulb. They're just so sunshiny!

 

 

These little wild violets grow simply everywhere around our yard in the Spring.

 



 

These little cuties are now on my bedside table.

 

"So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD.

His going forth is as certain as the dawn;

And He will come to us like the rain,

Like the spring rain watering the earth."

Hosea 6:3

{NASB}

 

~*~

 

Also, I was featured on the Modest Fashion Network again - this time front and center!
You can read the post here.

Thank you MFN!

~*~

 

What's your favorite Springtime flower?

 

Do you enjoy a lovely April shower?

 

Have you seen those Beatrix Potter cartoons?

 



{Photos by Yours Truly}

Profoundly Loved Blog Party q&a...

That sweet as sugar gal, Jessica, from Chronically Vintage
very kindly nominated me to take part in

The Profoundly Loved Blog Party.
I am to answer these 7 questions
and then nominate some others to answer them as well.

This is the first of that sort of thing I've been involved in so bear with me! ;)

 

1. Tell me about something you love and why?

Tea!

 A nice hot cup of tea with plenty of cream (well, half & half actually) in a pretty cup.
It's relaxation in a cup that's why!

 

 

2. What is one thing you do that makes you feel like "I could do this forever"?

 Investing in the lives of little ones.

I don't have any children of my own,
{I would absolutely love to have some one day, if the Lord wills!}
but I have 2 nieces & 3 nephews (& 1 little stranger on the way!) that I dearly love.
I'm also very involved with the little ones at my church.
A friend & I lead the children's choir,
and I help with the Jr. Youth Group which consists of young'uns ages 5 to 12.
I've always had a great fondness for children.
{Perhaps because I can act rather like one still, myself!} ;)
One's involvement in children's lives can have such a dramatic impact whether for good or bad.
I'm just so thankful to be able to do anything I can to encourage these wee ones
to love the Lord their God with all their heart. They're only little for a very short time.

 

3. What do you love about yourself?
 

 I'm a helper!

I've been told (& I think I agree) that God has given me the gift of helps or serving.
I just thoroughly enjoy helping out or serving other people. It gives me great joy!
Are you feeling overwhelmed? Let me wash your dishes for you!
Are you just plumb tuckered after working all day? Sit down, I'll fix you a cup of coffee!
You're moving into a new home? Let me help you paint!

 

4. What advice would you give to someone who doesn’t believe he/she is beautiful?

Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.
In my experience the people I find the most lovely may not always have the most attractive physical attributes. What makes them beautiful to me is their kindness, caring concern for others, & love.
Oft times a technically good looking person can appear downright ugly to me if they're completely filled with selfishness. Those only concerned with themselves with little to no thought for the well being of others in their path are hideous to me. Here are a couple verses that I think of in this matter:

"What is desirable in a man is his kindness" Proverbs 19:22a

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised." Proverbs 31:30

 

5. What is the best piece of advice you've ever received about confidence?

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?"
Romans 8:31
Ya can't get much more confidence than that!

 

6. If you were your own daughter/son, what important things would you tell yourself/them?

Wow, it's really hard to think of just one thing...
After some consideration what leaps to mind is
"Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe."
Proverbs 29:25

We had a study on this subject once & one statement that the teacher made really stuck with me.
It was something like this: If we fear God then there is nothing else to fear.
(Fearing God meaning reverential respect & obedience.)
I would want my son or daughter (or me!) not to fear anything or anyone on this Earth.
Safe in the knowledge that they were bought with the precious blood of Christ,
and no one can snatch them (me) out of His hand.
(Which really ties in with the question 5's answer too!)

 

7. A verse, poem, sonnet, ancient-old proverb that inspires you to love yourself and others?

 Well I've already shared oodles of verses! haha! Here is a terrific passage on love.
 

 1 John 4:7-11
 

 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God;
and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.  
In this the love of God was manifested toward us,
that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world,
that we might live through Him.  
In this is love, not that we loved God,
but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Well that's all folks as far as the q&a goes.
Now I'm supposed to nominate a few more people to take part in this par-tay!
I'd like to nominate:

Lily of Mode de Lis

Sarah of Lilacs and Springtime

Stephanie of The Enchanting Rose

Now gals, if this just isn't your thing & you don't want to participate - no sweat!
It won't hurt my feelings at all if you don't want to do this.
But, if you do I can't wait to read your answers!

Have a lovely day, my friends.

{Click on photos for Pinterest source.}

Modest Fashion Weekly Digest 4-5-15...

Hey look! I was featured on Modest Fashion Weekly Digest 4-5-15!
See those Miss L Fire shod feet? Those are mine! :D
Below is the post from Modest Fashion Digest.

Hoorah! It is finally getting warmer and the colors all around us brighter! The same goes for our moods and the clothing we wear! This week’s digest will be full of fun and colorful spring outfits from fellow bloggers. Say hello to the new faces who are joining us for the first time! If you have a tablet, go read these wonderful posts outdoors:

• The Atlantic: How the Internet Made Modest Fashion Cool
• Delightful Handwork: beach belle sweater & new shoes
• Minnie Muse: Confessions of a Fashion Blogger / Motivation & Pops of Patriotism
• Modest Budgetbelle: Modest Easter Outfits
• Natural411: Curly Christian: Sunday Grace. ..It’s all worth it!

Modest Fashion Network is a brand new global community for fashionistas who honor their bodies by clothing themselves with dignity and purity.
If you’d like to be part of our weekly digest, head on over to Modest Fashion Network to apply and submit your blog posts every week.
Please visit our sponsors: Attitudes to Women in Tech – Adina Designs (Where creativity, style, and dignity meet) – Deadly Vows by Robert Marsh (Amazon book)

in my Easter bonnet...

I hope you all enjoyed a splendid Easter!

I sure did.

It was such a beautiful day with highs in the mid 60s and gloriously bright sunshine.

(Perfect weather in my estimation.)

We attended church in the morning, of course, and heard a wonderful sermon on the latter part of the 5th chapter of John. We've been working our way through the gospel of John for a couple months. Then we returned home for a delicious Easter luncheon of ham, cheesy taters, salads, asparagus, & Hawaiian rolls. (I love those sweet things.)

Oh, and pie, but we'll talk about that later.

After dessert we had a little egg hunt for the kiddos. I had fun filling the eggs with candy the night before, making sure to sample each different kind of candy for quality control. ;)

Each wee one received a special egg that contained a couple Bible verses {1 Peter 2:24 & John 3:16} just a little reminder of the reason for our celebration.

 

~*~

 

I actually completed my Easter ensemble a few days before.
 {Which is kind of a big deal for me.} ;)

No staying up late feverishly knitting or sewing to finish the night before the big day, my normal modus operandi.

I'm so pleased with how my outfit turned out.

I thought I'd share it with you dear ones. :)

 



 

Outfit details:

 Suit: Thrifted // Sweater: Me made // Hat: Antique Store Find // Shoes: Miss L Fire via eBay // Earrings: LC Lauren Conrad at Kohls // Brooch: 1986 Hallmark from Mom :)
(I wish I would've gotten a closeup of the brooch. It's a basket full of eggs & a bunny!)
 

 

I did decide to wear my new vintage hat even though it is black.

{Which Mom said is against The Rules, but she said I probably could get away with it. Thankfully the fashion police never nabbed me. Phew!} ;)

I wore it slightly back on my head in the 1940s style to frame my Victory Rolls. Although I think it may actually be from the 50s and meant to sit right on top of your head. Oh well, I can wear it like that too.

I don't really know hats very well...

In any case, it was loads of fun to wear an "Easter bonnet." :D

 



 

This lovely lavender Pendleton wool suit my sister, Beth, thifted for me needed a slight makeover.

I just love "Before & After" pics and I assume everyone else does too, so here ya go!

 



{Kitty just had to be in the picture.}

I had to cut four inches off the bottom of the jacket to make it fit my 5 foot 1 inch frame and to make it fit the look I was going for.

With the cut off fabric I made these sweet bows!

{I kind of have a thing for bows...}

Since I cut those four inches off the pockets were only a couple inches deep, which I thought looked a little silly. The bows were a good solution to cover this up & add some cuteness! I also shortened the sleeves by an inch. I had planned to shorten the skirt by an inch or so as well, but decided against it. It was so beautifully and professionally finished I thought it a shame to take that all apart for a meager inch adjustment. A tailor I am not. I actually loathe alterations. {I prefer to make things from scratch.} I really don't like to do alterations for other people. {Terrified to do so actually.} I don't care what my linings look like, but others probably would, so...
 



 

I'm really pleased with how my Vintage Leaf Sweater turned out! I think it deserves its own blog post at some future date. :D This is the sort of sweater that you must put on before doing your hair. Since there are no buttons at the neck it can be a bit of a tight squeeze.

It's such a beautiful shade of blue, isn't it? It has the faintest tinge of aqua.

 

 

 I don't think I'll make it again though. Well, at least not for a good while. The "leaf" part of the pattern just didn't flow easily. I usually can memorize lace patterns after repeating them a few times. This one just refused to be committed to memory, therefore I had to look at the directions continually instead of just glancing at them every so often like I prefer. I still think that's just the dearest little collar though! I can always use it on something else, or just knit this sweater in plain stockinette stitch or do cables. Ooo, the wheels are turning now! The sleeves are a great length too. I'll definitely employ them in another knit as well!

 

~*~

 

One of my sweet nephews, Jack, had the cutest little outfit on.

He was just too cute not to include in this post.

I wish I would've gotten pictures of all my dear nieces & nephews. Ah well, there's always next year I guess. I meant to photograph the egg hunt too. Bah!

 

Auntie will resort to tickling to entice wee ones to smile in pictures. :} With a face like that it's pretty easy to forgive him for getting into & devouring your chocolate stash while he's supposed to be taking a nap in your room. True story. When confronted and asked whether he ate all Aunt Shell's chocolate he replies: "Uh-huh! Mmm yum yum!" {He still pretty much only speaks Caveman.}
That's his Momma, my beautiful sister Beth, in the lovely rose print dress. (She's the one who got me this suit!)

~*~

 Oh, I said something about pie, right?
Here it is!
 

 

Lattice topped peach, coconut cream, & that one smothered in whipped cream is strawberry!

Yummy!

 

~*~

 

What did you do for Easter?

 

Do you wear many hats?

{If so, any guesses what era mine is from?}

 

Want a slice of pie?

{Oops! Never mind, they're all gone, sorry!}

 

{Photos by Mom, Beth, & me!}



Happy Easter!

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

{John 15:13}

 

What a friend we have in Jesus.

 

~*~

 

I hope you're all having a delightful Easter Sunday!