Friday, January 30, 2015

Matching Your Dress To Your Teaware Part 12: Cross (Stitch) My Heart!

As some of you know, Royal Albert is my favorite brand for teaware.


They make such elegant and delicate teapots! One of my favorite patterns of theirs is their Petit Point pattern. Petit Point is so cute and remarkable at the same time!

Depending on how you look at it Petit Point either resembles cross stitching (which is how it was intended) or it can also resemble modern digital pixelation (which I'm sure is completely unintentional ;) ) In any case, just taking it in it's intended form, the first time I saw this pattern at my local tea house and teaware shop, Tyme For Tea, I fell in love! This pattern is so quaint and unique! How creative to put an embellishment otherwise dedicated to fabric on ceramic!

The Royal Albert Petit Point collection is a marvelous stand alone collection as is. However, when I found this beautiful cross stitched dress online I knew these two beauties belonged together. This beautiful dress is actually a refashioned vintage piece skillfully refashioned by blogger Jennifer Brasher of My Two Butterflies.

The floral embelishments in this dress are all hand cross-stitched. And if the floral cross-stitched motif was not enough to pair these two together, the colors in the dress are a perfect match with Royal Albert's Petit Point pattern down to the gold adornment rimming the teapot which on the dress is recreated by the cross-stitched filligree bordering the neck. So beautiful! <3


Royal Albert Petit Point Tea Set

Royal Albert Petit Point Tea Set

Cross-stitched Dress, photo:http://mytwobutterflies.blogspot.com/2012/09/cross-stitch-dress-refashion.html

Cross-stitched Dress- Close Up, photo: http://mytwobutterflies.blogspot.com/2012/09/cross-stitch-dress-refashion.html







Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Outfit of the Day: New week, Two More Outfits of the Days!

Hello Friends!


This last weekend I got out of the house more than has been my usual lately and so I have not only one Outfits of the Day to share with you but two!

On Saturday Tim and I did some errands and picked up some lunch so since we had a couple stops to make I decided to go out wearing one of my pretty dresses! Then on Sunday I met up with some friends for lunch! It's been a while since we've seen each other (Halloween to be exact) so it was nice to meet up and get together for a change. We went to lunch and had some yummy Thai.


Outfit of the Day:

For Saturday I decided to wear my Hell Bunny Evie dress. It was the perfect dress to wear that day! We were having unusually warm, wonderfully sunny weather that day. It was in the low 70s! It felt good to be wearing this dress which is very open and breezy and left my arms and legs exposed to the sun. I paired this with some easy to wear black flats and was ready to go.

Hell Bunny Evie Dress- Front View

Hell Bunny Evie Dress- Front View

Hell Bunny Evie Dress- Side View


On Sunday, seeing as it was a little bit more of a special occasion, I decided to wear one of my Trashy Diva dresses, my Trashy Diva Sweetie Hearts dress! It was supposed to be warmer on Sunday but actually felt a bit cooler to me, so I threw on a red cardigan to go with this. I also paired this with my red Miz Mooz T-straps to dress it up a look a bit. This year I really want to try to wear more of my pretty shoes and not just my usual flats all the time and because we weren't walking far it was the perfect occasion to get out my red shoes!

Trashy Diva Sweetie Hearts Dress- Front View

Trashy Diva Sweetie Hearts Dress- Front View

Trashy Diva Sweetie Hearts Dress- Side View





Trashy Diva Sweetie Hearts Dress- Front View

Trashy Diva Sweetie Hearts Dress- Side View








Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Outfit of the Day: First Outfit of the Day For 2015!

I've been staying in a lot lately so haven't really had the occasion to get dressed up...


But this past weekend I did need to go to the pet store to pick up some cat food and talked my husband into taking me out for lunch. He asked where I wanted to go and right away I knew... Ihop! I love their chicken florentine crepes!

So we didn't do anything fancy, but since I was leaving the house and not going to work, I figured I'd might as well put on something pretty. :) It was a nice day and warmer than I expected... something like 65 degrees so my heavier jacket was really unnecessary but hey, I wasn't cold and I wasn't hot so it worked out :)


Outfit of the Day:

For last Saturday's outing I wore my Lucky 13 Hairspray dress with black tights, Miz Mooz Heloise T-strap shoes, and a red wool overcoat.


 Lucky 13 Hairspray Dress- Front View

Lucky 13 Hairspray Dress- Side View

Lucky 13 Hairspray Dress- Front View

Lucky 13 Hairspray Dress- Front View

Lucky 13 Hairspray Dress- Side View

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Belated Black Friday Haul Post

Hello Kittens!


As some of you might have noticed I was quiet on the blog last month in December so I have some blog posts to make up that I normally would have liked to get out earlier in December... in particular this post on my Black Friday haul!

I always enjoy reading about what great things my fellow bloggers grabbed during the wonderful Black Friday sales so I wanted to join in on this time honored tradition and also reveal my Black Friday haul.

Black Friday is my favorite sale of the year. I've found that not only does Black Friday typically have the best sales (in terms of discount amount and selection... typically it's a large percentage off site wide), but there's also usually tons of retailers to choose from offering sales.

This year I decided to limit my Black Friday shopping (for me) to two companies and initially planned on only purchasing two new dresses.

Top on my list this year was Trashy Diva. Trashy Diva usually offers 30% off site wide which is the biggest discount they offer off of their regular stock all year. This sale came right in time for the release of their Green Kimono print. The Green Kimono print was one that had to grow on me... but really, it only took about a few hours of thinking and looking at this print to fall in love. While some have said that this print is a bit too busy for them, what I love about it is that it has a decidedly playful Kawaii feel to it for me.... a cutesy Japanese style that reminds me slightly of designers such as Takashi Murakami. And so on Black Friday I picked up the Day Dress in Green Kimono print!

Dress Review:

Trashy Diva's Day Dress in Green Kimono print

Trashy Diva Day Dress in Green Kimono- Front View

Trashy Diva Day Dress in Green Kimono- Front View

Trashy Diva Day Dress in Green Kimono- Side View

Trashy Diva Day Dress in Green Kimono- Back View

Trashy Diva Day Dress in Green Kimono- Close Up


This is the first Day Dress I ever purchased from Trashy Diva. I initially had a hard time decided between this dress and their Anna dress in the same print, I decided on getting this dress because it's a style unlike any other Trashy Diva dress I currently have. Also, I love the mix of this dress's Asian style with the Japanese print as well as the black frog fastenings that add visual detail to the bodice of this dress.

When I received this dress I was surprised at how long the end of the collar is. From pictures online the collar looked smaller than it is. In addition to the frog fastenings at the center bodice and the large collar, this dress also features capped style sleeves, and a side zip. The skirt of this dress is more straight than the usual 50's style skirts I go for, but I love the casual easy to wear feel of this dress. I got this dress in a size 12 which is typically one size larger than my usual size. I read reviews previously that said the bust on this dress was fitting a little on the snug side. Unfortunately, it came out later on other reviews that this dress was tending to also fit large in the waist. I might have been able to wear my usual size 10 but even in a 12 I think this dress looks great and the extra room gives it a very comfortable feel when it's on so I will keep it sized as is.



The second place I stopped at online for my Black Friday shopping needs was Pinup Girl Clothing. While Pinup Girl usually offers great sales year round, I love their 30% off sitewide on Black Friday. Initially, I was trying to limit myself only to one dress, the most wished for on my Pinup Girl Clothing list, the Jenny dress in Cherry border print, I decided to also grab the new Heidi in the Tipsy Elephants since 1) 30% off is a great discount and 2), it gave me even more of a discount by making my total order eligible for free shipping. I love it when my items ship for free... and Pinup Girl sadly tends to charge a lot for shipping.

While I was more than thrilled about my haul for Black Friday, when I later found out that their Harlequin print items were discounted in the sale on sale section and that there was a discount code floating around that could also be applied to bring the already awesome sale price on further sale, I could not resist going back for more! The day after Black Friday I checked out again from Pinup Girl's website with a Jenny dress in red and brown Harlequin print as well as a Jenny skirt in purple and green Harlequin print. With the sales I was able to get both of these items for almost 70% off! I debated about getting both colorways in the Jenny dress since I do love the ready-made outfit of throwing on a dress as opposed to having to pick out combos as you do for separates, but seeing that I was already going above what I wanted to buy/spend for Black Friday I decided to go with just one Jenny Harlequin dress and get the other colorway Harlequin in the skirt. I'm actually really glad I did because I love the way this Jenny skirt looks paired with so many of my tops plus because it's a dress and a skirt it feels like two completely different things rather than just two dresses in the same print with different color! <3

Dress Review:

Pinup Girl Clothing's Jenny Dress in Cherry Border print

Pinup Girl Clothing Jenny Dress in Cherry Border- Front View

Pinup Girl Clothing Jenny Dress in Cherry Border- Front View

Pinup Girl Clothing Jenny Dress in Cherry Border- Side View

Pinup Girl Clothing Jenny Dress in Cherry Border- Back View

Pinup Girl Clothing Jenny Dress in Cherry Border- Close Up



The Jenny dress is described on Pinup Girl's website as being a 60's inspired dress. It has a very fitted bodice with thin adjustable straps at the shoulders. This dress also has boning at the bodice which I was surprised to discover (even though it says it in the dress description). It is a very nice touch that helps keep the structure of the bodice, something that definitely is a nice touch for me who tends to fit dresses a little short in the torso and tends to get wrinkles just under the bust. The skirt on this dress is gathered at the waist and very full. It comes with a red grommet belt and has a back zip. I love the pattern on this dress. The vertical cherry pattern on the skirt is so pretty and unique and the red border at the skirt is complimented so well by the red shoulder straps and red belt as well as the red in the cherries. This dress might be one of the prettiest I've ever bought from PUG! This dress, however, does run small! I've read of some dresses of PUGs that run small but this one is one of the smallest size larges I've ever bought from PUG. I debated about exchanging it for an XL which was a possibility but after having sizing issues from Trashy Diva's Apple Pie dress (see my review here) and seeing how much of a difference a size 12 could be from a size 10, I was worried about going from a L to an XL which in principal should be even more or a size difference... I figured in number terms that would be like going from a 10 to 14. Also, according to their exchange policy, if I exchanged this for an XL and found that the XL was too big I wouldn't be able to then exchange it back for the L and still keep the Black Friday discount. I would have to buy back the L at whatever price they were then selling it for. So while it's small and tighter than I'd like I am able to zip it up and so decided to keep it and hope that as the dress description says, the cotton sateen will loosen over wears or that I might shed some holiday weight by Spring and Summer for a more comfortable fit. :)

Pinup Girl Clothing's Heidi Dress in Tipsy Elephants

Pinup Girl Clothing Heidi Dress in Tipsy Elephants- Front View

Pinup Girl Clothing Heidi Dress in Tipsy Elephants- Front View

Pinup Girl Clothing Heidi Dress in Tipsy Elephants- Side View

Pinup Girl Clothing Heidi Dress in Tipsy Elephants- Back View

Pinup Girl Clothing Heidi Dress in Tipsy Elephants- Close Up


The Heidi dress, as opposed to the Jenny Cherry Border dress, fits a little large. It seems that the Heidis in general are a larger fit. This is my second Heidi (see the Heidi Birdcage dress here) and both of my Heidis feel a little larger and roomier than other PUG dresses I have especially around the bust. Still, this was no reason for me to want to exchange it. I do like my dresses to fit a little looser and more comfortable some days. The Heidi dress is a nice easy to wear dress. It is made of cotton and has no boning, which while means doesn't have the structured look of the Jenny, it also means that it is a more easy to wear dress. The ruching at the bust and the slight sweetheart neckline ensures it has flair and is not boring. Though how could any dress even come close to boring when it has an all over drunk pink elephant print? This dress, to add finishing touches, has white bordering at the top and at the wide cap-sleeve-type shoulder straps as well as comes with a white slide belt. This dress also has a full skirt and back zip.

Pinup Girl Clothing's Jenny Dress in Red and Brown Harlequin Print 

Pinup Girl Clothing Jenny Dress in Red and Brown Harlequin- Front View

Pinup Girl Clothing Jenny Dress in Red and Brown Harlequin- Front View

Pinup Girl Clothing Jenny Dress in Red and Brown Harlequin- Side View

Pinup Girl Clothing Jenny Dress in Red and Brown Harlequin- Back View

Pinup Girl Clothing Jenny Dress in Red and Brown Harlequin- Close Up


The Jenny dress in Red and Brown Harlequin print fits like a dream! I had no sizing issues with this dress! Like the Jenny Dress in Cherry border print, this dress has boning at the fitted bodice, adjustable skinny shoulder straps, full skirt gathered at the waist and back zip. Unfortunately this dress did not come with a belt but with so much going on with the vibrant and busy harlequin print, it didn't really need one to look finished off! 

Pinup Girl Clothing's Jenny Skirt in Purple and Green Harlequin Print 

Pinup Girl Clothing Jenny Skirt in Purple and Green Harlequin- Front View

Pinup Girl Clothing Jenny Skirt in Purple and Green Harlequin- Front View

Pinup Girl Clothing Jenny Skirt in Purple and Green Harlequin- Side View

Pinup Girl Clothing Jenny Skirt in Purple and Green Harlequin- Back View

Pinup Girl Clothing Jenny Skirt in Purple and Green Harlequin- Close Up


The Jenny skirt in Purple and Green Harlequin print is my first Jenny skirt ever and I love it! While at first I debated between getting this colorway in the Jenny dress or Jenny skirt, I ultimately decided on the skirt because of price (even though it was slight with the Black Friday discounts). I'm actually really glad I decided to get the skirt in this colorway. In my opinion, this colorway somehow seems more bold than the Red and Brown colorway... maybe because the red and brown colorway all seem to have very complimentary colors in it, while the purple and green colorway are very contrasting in colors. Also, whenever I see purple and green together I immediately think about villains and bad guys (a la Joker from DC Comics). In any case, I like the skirt because I can pair it with solid color tops and tone it down somewhat that way. Also, because I can pair it with so many tops, it ends up being a very versatile addition to my closet :). While I had no sizing issues with this skirt, one thing that I noticed that seemed very odd was that this skirt was so long! A good 4-5 inches in fact longer than the Jenny dress in the Red and Brown Harlequin print. I'm not sure if all the harlequin Jenny skirts are this long, or maybe just the purple and green ones, or maybe it's all the Jenny skirts in all prints which are this long. Holding it up to the waist of my Jenny Harlequin dress you can tell the difference right away as well as when it's being worn. Once again, this wasn't really a problem, especially not one to warrant an exchange or return, I just found that it was an odd thing.



And so, while I was really trying to hard to be so good on Black Friday, I ended up ending the shopping year with quite the Black Friday haul anyway! Sometimes it's just too hard to resist a good sale!



Friday, January 9, 2015

Resolutions for the New Year!

Let's talk about New Years resolutions?


Do you ever make them? Do you keep them?

I think I would say I tend to make New Years resolutions when I really have something I feel like I want to accomplish. Last year, it was keep up with exercising, and the year before I decided I wanted to start exercising. The first year of that resolution I think I did a great job. I was exercising regularly and was keeping to it well enough that the next year I told myself I wanted to keep going with it. Unfortunately, last year I did not do as well as the previous year. Most of that though was due to an injury I got to my knees while running.

I should have gone to the doctor's and have had them check it out but everything I read on the internet (hello Dr. Google) made it sound like I just got runner's knees and that there really isn't anything any doctors can do for it (usually) and that the best thing to do is rest it and not try to push it before it's ready. Well, here I am almost 4 months later and while my knees don't seem to bother me regularly or ordinarily, I do noticed that it hurts if I try to bend my knees all the way back, or when I try to kneel. Nevermind trying to sit on my knees! That is, on the one hand, a huge improvement from where I was when limping around 2-4 months ago, but I am a little worried that it's still bothering me. Perhaps part of my New Years resolution this year will be to finally go to the doctor and see what they say?

Anyhow, that's just a little background to my past New Years resolution. This year, aside from going to the doctor to finally get my knees checked out, my New Years resolution for 2015 is to try not to spend too much money on dresses... and by not too much I really mean hardly any at all.

In past years, I made up a plan that I was only going to try and buy dresses on sale. This actually has worked out great! I've found that there are so many sales going on throughout the year and from so many different retailers that being patient really is not so hard. And for the most part, any dresses I missed out on the first go around I found I was able to get them later whether it be that they came back in stock on the retailer's website or whether I found it on ebay later on. My plan for this year goes one step further.... because I'm really not in the position to spend any money at all due to vet bills and also because my car unexpected died and I had to get a new (used) car and now have car payments again, I am resolving that for any dress I buy I will sell something of mine to make up the money. I've had such luck with finding awesome finds on ebay and in swap and sell groups, and I already had good success selling things on ebay and in these groups last year, that it kind of seems like the right thing to do to add to this swap and sell circle of happiness. Also, I figured this is a great idea because my closet can hold no more. Absolutely not another item!

And so there it goes... my New Years resolution! I'm sure at some point I will run out of things I'm willing to part with but hopefully by then there will be more things in my closet that I will then be willing to part ways with.

Also, never fear readers if you are one that looks forward to dress reviews... I still have quite a bit of dress reviews to catch up on from last year that didn't make it's way to the blog yet and also, already one dress I bought this year (used) that I was able to sell other things to get... swap and sell is in action :)

Here's to keeping up with New Year's resolutions and here's to wishing you all a good 2015. 




Saturday, January 3, 2015

Favorite Outfits of the Day from 2014!

Hello Kittens and Happy New Years!


I hope you all had a good Holiday season. I wanted to kick start the blog this year with an outfit round up of my top ten favorite Outfits of the Day from 2014 :)

In chronological order, looking back on the year:




1) Trashy Diva Streetcar dress in Brown and Purple Plaid
from January 26



2) Rock Steady Anna dress
from March 9 



3) Separates, Darling sweater top, Collectif Herringbone skirt
from April 27 



4) Heart Of Haute Matey dress in Raining Cats
from June 3



5) Hell Bunny Gabriel dress in Black and White Stripes
from July 8



6) Bettie Page Cruiser dress
from July 9



7) Trashy Diva Norma Jean dress
from August 4



8) Pinup Girl Clothing Netti dress in Squirrel Sateen
from September 10



9) Stop Staring Timeless dress in green with Trashy Diva Courtney Dress Coat
from October 20



10) Pinup Girl Clothing Havana Nights dress in Warm Cabana Stripes
from October 27