Outfit of the Day: Spooktacular Separates!

I had a super busy weekend last weekend in the best of ways!

Outfit of the Day (Saturday):

On Saturday I went out with a friend to the newly reestablished Dancing Cat Cat Cafe in San Jose (welcome back Dancing Cat!) where we spend the morning taking a watercoloring workshop and painted some cats! (More about that in my next post ;) ). Later that evening, after the watercoloring workshop I went out with Tim to our local Halloween haunted house, Fear Overload, and got our Halloween fix for the day. After that we went to the local 80's arcade to end the evening playing some games.

It was expected to rain off and on that day and I wasn't really in the mood to don on a dress for the watercoloring workshop so instead I opted for a sweater and ankle trouser set. I just got this Lucy Fur Halloween cat sweater by Sourpuss from Cats Like Us a few weeks ago. They had initially sold out in my size and one of the owners, Julie Ann, was super awesome enough to notify me when they got my size back in stock after someone returned one. And for those that missed it and have been looking, Cats Like Us recently got a full shipment of reorders of this sweater in stock! I paired this sweater with a pair of ankle trousers by Myrtlewood which I bought several years ago from Modcloth. I wore this with a pair of basic black flats and for a finishing touch, a pair of cat earrings by Rosita Bonita which I bought from Trashy Diva last year.

Sourpuss Lucy Fur Vintage Cat sweater and Myrtlewood ankle trousers- Front View

Sourpuss Lucy Fur Vintage Cat sweater and Myrtlewood ankle trousers- Side View

Rosita Bonita cat earrings- Close Up

Outfit of the Day (Sunday):

On Sunday another friend and I had plans to go out for tea at one of my favorite tea places, Tyme For Tea in Fremont-- look out for that post coming soon! :)

It was another rainy day, this time pouring raining, but I didn't let that stop me from getting dolled up in a fun creepy theme for October tea. For the occasion I knew I wanted to wear my Venus Fly Trap skirt by Pinup Girl Clothing which I bought from them earlier in the year. To give the skirt extra fullness I also added a crinoline under my skirt which I got for cheap from Amazon last year. I wore this with a basic black sweater which I got from a small boutique shop in Australia several years ago, an Elvira cardigan by Kreepsville which I got as a gift from my husband last week, and a pair of trusty basic black flats. For a finishing touch I wore this with a pair of spider web tights which I've had for several years but forgot where I bought them from (maybe Hot Topic?). I also wore this with a black hair flower I bought a couple years from our local vintage shop, Vintage Alley, and a pair of spider stud earrings, also bought from Vintage Alley a couple years ago.

Pinup Girl Clothing Venus Fly Trap skirt and Kreepsville Elvira cardigan- Front View

Pinup Girl Clothing Venus Fly Trap skirt and Kreepsville Elvira cardigan- Front View

Pinup Girl Clothing Venus Fly Trap skirt and Kreepsville Elvira cardigan- Side View

Pinup Girl Clothing Venus Fly Trap skirt and Kreepsville Elvira cardigan- Back View

Pinup Girl Clothing Venus Fly Trap skirt and black sweater- Front View

Pinup Girl Clothing Venus Fly Trap skirt and black sweater- Front View

Pinup Girl Clothing Venus Fly Trap skirt and black sweater- Side View

Spider stud earrings- Close Up

Pinup Girl Clothing Venus Fly Trap skirt and spider web tights- Close Up

Fox- Close Up

Help for Jessica

Logging into my blog account this morning and reading through all the new blog posts of bloggers I follow that I missed over the weekend, I was struck by sad news from a blogger I love to follow

I am so saddened to hear about the news of a fellow blogger and a dear sweet lady I have come to consider a friend, Jessica Cangiano of the blog Chronically Vintage. You can read her post here. On October 13, a day before her 12 year wedding anniversary, she and her family became victims of an arson fire that spread to their home destroying absolutely everything they owned including her entire vintage collection, everything from her Etsy shop, and tragically also the life of her dear cat Stella!

For someone who has lost absolutely everything please consider donating even just a little. Donations could be made here: https://www.youcaring.com/jessica-cangiano-antonio-cangiano…

or if you would like to donate items or care packages you can find where to sent them to here: https://www.facebook.com/helpingthecangianos/?fref=ts

Big hugs to Jessica Cangiano!

Halloween Ready!

Glorious, gorgeous, wonderful Fall!

It was hot as heck around my parts the weekend I put out our Halloween decorations during the beginning of the month but I didn't let that stop me from reveling in the fact that it was now officially Fall for us in the northern hemisphere and that it is Halloween month all month long!

I like to add a little Halloween to just about every room in the house and so taking out some decorations from storage and adding a bit of new items I got from Amazon and Joann's earlier this month I got to decorating! I hope you enjoy these photos!

Freddy and little Timmy hanging out on the window seat

Mood dining for the dining room

A touch of vintage Halloween for the kitchen

More vintage Halloween for the kitchen

Hello, Mr. Bones

The cats left us trophies ;)

Bat friend watching over us as we sleep

Two friends for the bath

A friendly ghost haunting in the bathroom

Dress Review: Visions of Venice

At long last the return of Trashy Diva's Circle Day dress is here!!!

There are many Trashy Diva dresses that are regulars and semi-regulars on Trashy Diva's dress cut rotation (with good cause)-- the 40's, l'amour, Lena Sarong, Annette (including the variations of Annette-- Annette mini and Anne), the Honey (including the Honey Sun variation), for example. However, there are also dress cuts that seemed to have only popped up for a handful of prints back in the day which haven't seen the light of day for years (I'm looking at you Dixie, just recently re-released Hopscotch, and Circle Day dress)! The Circle Day dress is perhaps my most #1 wished for comeback dress. Looking at pictures of this fabled cut I imagined it to the most perfect, most wonderful cut ever known to 50's style reproduction. Seriously! The Trashy Diva Circle Day dress features a full circle skirt and a bust friendly modest friendly bodice. The bodice features a large collar and charming decorative black front buttons with rhinestone centers. Because the buttons are only decorative you get the visual appeal without having to deal with button gaping! This dress also has the appearance of cap sleeves from its long shoulder seam providing not only a cute look but also fuller coverage at the shoulders. The bodice is darted to keep things fitted while a hidden side zip allows one to get in and out of this dress without breaking up the single panel of fabric and thus an uninterrupted view of the print in the back. Well ladies, it's finally happened! Trashy Diva's Circle Day dress is finally back! As is the previously re-released Hopscotch (you can see my review of the Hopscotch in Hourglass here).

While I would have really liked the Circle Day dress to come out in a cotton voile or stretch cotton (as it mostly did in the past), I am so super ecstatic that this cut has made a long awaited return in any fabric. The last time this dress cut was released by Trashy Diva was, I believe, in 2008 with the Butterflies and Cool and Warm Watercolors prints. That's almost 10 years ago! When I saw that this dress was back I had it added to my cart and paid for that morning! And when I finally got my hands on it, it did not disappoint!

To be completely honest, this dress could have come out in almost any print or solid, and in any fabric choice and I would have been one of the first in line to get it. It's just an added bonus to me then that this dress came out in a wonderful new print, Venice Nights.

Venice Nights is the first print in Trashy Diva's new annual Tourist Print Collection. It's a 1940's inspired novelty print depicting scenes of gondolas going down the canals of Venice with bridges, buildings, and lights all playing off in the background. The dominate color of this dress is true blue while the Venice scenes display an abundance of red, mustard yellow, black and white. The fabric on this dress is a super soft stretch rayon. It has the feeling of wearing the most luxurious comfortable pajama yet has a very polished look with great drape to the skirt. This dress, while has all the features expected of the Circle Day dress listed above, also features one pocket to store items.

I got this dress in my usual size 10. It is probably possible that I could have sized down but I was worried that sizing down would cause pull at the bust. Also, I don't really like my dresses to be super tight. Because this dress came out in the stretch rayon fabric, the skirt has got great drape but it does lose a little of the 50's fullness that other Trashy Diva Circle Day dresses had. I will probably opt to wear this with a petticoat to help emphasize the fullness of the skirt in future wears but to show how the dress is as is, here it is without a petticoat.

Trashy Diva Circle Day Dress in Venice Nights- Front View

Trashy Diva Circle Day Dress in Venice Nights- Front View

Trashy Diva Circle Day Dress in Venice Nights- Side View

Trashy Diva Circle Day Dress in Venice Nights- Back View

Trashy Diva Circle Day Dress in Venice Nights- Close Up

Trashy Diva Circle Day Dress in Venice Nights- Button Close Up

Trashy Diva Venice Nights- Close Up

Outfit of the Day: Three More Fall Looks for October

Hello Kittens!

It's that time of week again. Another Outfit of the Day roundup is here! :D


Outfit of the Day (Saturday):

Tim took me out for breakfast. I love going out for breakfast especially when it entails eating something super sweet like my white chocolate chip pancakes with strawberries and cream cheese frosting were! After breakfast we made a stop by Spirit, the Halloween store which was in the same shopping center as where we went for breakfast. I love browsing through the Halloween store, playing with all the animatronics, and seeing what things they have stocked. I was super happy to find a green and red Freddy Krueger sweater to wear not only around Halloween but also Christmas and year round! We rounded out the morning with a visit to Tim's mom's and then did some errands shopping for things for Tim to use to make his Halloween costume this year.

I just got this Vintage Striped blouse by Voodoo Vixen from Cats Like Us last week and couldn't wait to wear it out! I paired this with a black swing skirt by Steady which I bought from Unique Vintage a couple years ago. For shoes I decided to wear my School Issue saddle shoes which I bought from Zappos earlier this year. For a finishing touch I wore a pair of cat stud earrings by Rosita Bonita which I bought from Trashy Diva last year and also added the Very Eerie Black Bat pin by Lumpy Buttons which I ordered along with the Vintage Stripped blouse from Cats Like Us. I couldn't be more pleased with the way the two look together! <3 Also, I just have to say, I love Cats Like Us! They have such awesome customer service and were so great changing out the size of the shirt for me when I decided to go with a different size after placing my order! <3

Voodoo Vixen Vintage Striped blouse and Steady Swing skirt- Front View

Voodoo Vixen Vintage Striped blouse and Steady Swing skirt- Front View

Voodoo Vixen Vintage Striped blouse and Steady Swing skirt- Side View

Voodoo Vixen Vintage Striped blouse and Lumpy Buttons Very Eerie Black Bat brooch- Close Up 

Outfit of the Day (Saturday Evening):

Later that same day Tim and I went out to a friend's house for a house warming party. We got refreshed and changed before leaving for the evening. I decided to wear my Trashy Diva 40's dress in Mini Fleur for the occasion which I paired with basic black flats and a pair of Halloween cat earrings by Rosita Bonita which I bought from Trashy Diva last year.

Trashy Diva 40's dress in Mini Fleur- Front View

Trashy Diva 40's dress in Mini Fleur- Front View

Trashy Diva 40's dress in Mini Fleur- Side View

Rosita Bonita Halloween cat earrings- Close Up

Outfit of the Day (Sunday):

On Sunday we kind of spent the day wandering around. We started the day going to downtown Pleasanton to go to a vintage and repro houseware store I've been wanting to check out. They carry lots of vintage Halloween items such as reproduction paper mache lanterns. I was hoping I would see some vintage Halloween cat stuff but I didn't see much in the way of cats so I didn't pick anything up. While we were in downtown Pleasanton I was happy to see that we happened to be there during their annual vintage street market. We took the time to browse through some stalls but again didn't end up getting anything. We then went out for lunch at the mall, did a little more window shopping, then went to the 80's arcade by our house. It was a fun day and not bad for just wandering around a bit.

For this day I decided to wear a dress I haven't worn in a while, my Trashy Diva Ava dress in Sketchy Cherries. I paired this with some basic blat flats and a pair of gold colored ball stud earrings I bought from Forever 21 last year. For a finishing touch, I added my Freddy Krueger cat brooch which I bought from the etsy shop, Danielle V Green a couple months ago.

Trashy Diva Ava dress in Sketchy Cherries- Front View

Trashy Diva Ava dress in Sketchy Cherries- Front View

Trashy Diva Ava dress in Sketchy Cherries- Side View

Danielle V Green Freddy Krueger Cat brooch- Close Up

Matching Your Dress to Your Teaware Part 29: Arsenic and Old Lace

"Well, how did the poison get in the wine?"

"Well, we put it in wine because it's less noticeable. When it's in tea, it has a distinct odor." --Arsenic and Old Lace

There's no arsenic in my wine or my tea but I thought conjuring up the image of the classic Halloween film Arsenic and Old Lace would be the perfect start to this edition of Matching Your Dress to Your Teaware.

There is something so romantically gothic about the Senorita pattern by Royal Albert. I love the contrast of the bold intricate black lace pattern against the stark white background. The silver edging and large printed rose adds a beautifully delicate and graceful touch that harmonizes well with the lace.

Footed Cup and Saucer in Senorita by Royal Albert, image source: Replacements.com, http://www.replacements.com/webquote/roasen.htm?rplSku=8822909

Teapot in Senorita by Royal Albert, image source: Replacements.com, http://www.replacements.com/webquote/roasen.htm?rplSku=8822909

I found this footed cup and saucer set and teapot on replacements.com and right away knew this would be the perfecting pairing with Stop Staring's Love dress. Stop Starting's Love dress is a classically structured 1950's style wiggle dress. It has an all over printed pattern of pink with delicate black lace. Like the smooth curvaceous lines of the Senorita footed cup and saucer and teapot, the ruching along the waist, bust, and shoulders of the Love dress makes for a flattering shapely look for any body type. Like the rose in the Senorita pattern, the Love dress features a back cut out and oversized back bow which adds a delicate and graceful touch to go along with this dress.

Stop Staring's Love dress- Front View

Stop Staring's Love dress- Back View

Stop Staring's Love dress- Close Up

Are those bats I see flying in the distance? I can hear a crackle of a small wood burning fire going in the background...

Such a Perfect Pairing for a candle lit tea on a dark stormy October night. 

Dress Review: Trashy Diva Does 80's!

I'm so excited to bring you this post today that I just have to repeat it: Trashy Diva Does 80's!!! :D 

Well, I don't think it was actually intentional on Trashy Diva's part (they describe this print on their website as a jazzy 50s 60s geometric print), but for me, the first time I laid eyes on Trashy Diva's new Hourglass print I squealed in delight over how incredibly 80's it looked to me.

This print couldn't have been released at a more perfect time. I've been really feeling in the mood for more 80's in my life from 80's music and movies to 80's fashion.

The Trashy Diva Hourglass print is a black background print with purposely ambiguous tiny geometric shapes all over. As it says on their website, are the shapes "martinis, bowties, or the silhouette of a woman"? I guess it is whatever you would like it to be. The small hourglass shaped shapes are neon green, hot pink, brown, and white outlined black. At the skinniest part of each hourglass shape is a two dots on either side of the shape. Neon green, hot pink... Did I mention how much this print screams 80's to me! I'm thinking maybe 1987... 1988 :)

This print came in five different dress cuts (the long awaited return of the Hopscotch dress, a Cage, Liz, Virginia Shirtwaist, and the new Apple Tartlet dress), as well was three separates (a Lena top, Lucy skirt, and gathered mini skirt).

With so many prints coming out from Trashy Diva this year I've been really trying hard to limit my new dress purchases to only one per print but swooning hard over this 80's looking print I ended up with two! Well, a dress, and a pair of separates, to be exact. The Hopscotch dress has been a dress I have long awaited Trashy Diva to re-release. So when I saw this dress was back I had to jump on it (into my basket) that day! However, the most 80's looking pairing of them all in this print, the Lena top with contrasting hot pink at the bodice, and the Lucy skirt with the contrasting hot pink accents on the pockets, could not be left behind! I went a little crazy for this print for sure. But do I regret it? Not at all.



The Hopscotch dress

Whenever anyone asked me what dresses I wished would make an appearance my answer would always be to bring back the Circle day dress, the Hopscotch dress, and the Dixie dress (as well as more Streetcar dresses- especially in cotton voile). These dresses are forever on my dream list from Trashy Diva. I've been hoping for these first three to happen for so long that my fingers have gotten cramps from keeping them crossed so long! And so it was with not a small amount of fan fare that I excited squealed when I saw that this new Hourglass collection was going to include a dress in the Hopscotch cut.

Why the Hopscotch dress? This dress is a gorgeous classically 50's shaped dress with fitted bodice and full circle skirt. It has a higher neckline for those of us who prefer a more modest top, and yet has an open slit at the top bodice for just a touch of daring. Also, the Hopscotch dress has a Peter Pan collar (my favorite collar shape ever) and ornamental black rhinestone buttons down the bodice. In the back, this dress is all play with it's cutout at the upper back. The cutout is situated perfectly too so that no special undergarments have to be worn with it. With it's homage to 50's style and it's daring cutout back, this dress was a perfect cut to come out in this 80's style print, and is a perfect cut for me who loves the classic 1950's silhouette and who gravitates towards more modest tops.

It's a little difficult getting in and out of this dress. You do have to maneuver into it a bit. The hidden side zip allows for this dress to have the awesome bodice it has and the super cute back cut out it flaunts but it does not provide for easy on and off.

I got this dress in my usual size 10 and while it fits, it is very fitted in the bust. For a more comfortable fit, most ladies I have heard from have sized up from their usual for this cut.

Trashy Diva Hopscotch dress in Hourglass- Front View

Trashy Diva Hopscotch dress in Hourglass- Front View

Trashy Diva Hopscotch dress in Hourglass- Side View

Trashy Diva Hopscotch dress in Hourglass- Back View

Trashy Diva Hopscotch dress in Hourglass- Close Up

Trashy Diva Hopscotch dress in Hourglass- Close Up

The Lena blouse and the Lucy Skirt

Speaking of Trashy Diva does 80's, there is no other cut in this dress that speaks 80's to me more than the Lena top and Lucy skirt separates! The combination of this black background print with hot pink accents is exactly like something I would have (and actually did have) in the late 80's growing up.

The Lena top is a cropped top which features a structured under bust with contrasting hot pink fabric in pin tuck style folds at the bust. The straps on this top are fully adjustable with three different button settings in the back. There is ruching on the sides to ensure a great fit and a back zip to make it easy to get in and out of.

The Lucy skirt is an all new item from Trashy Diva derived from their past releases, the Lucille and the Lucy dresses. This skirt is a 3/4 circle skirt... not quite a full circle skirt, but still with lots of fullness in the skirt. It features small gathers at the front sides of the skirt, a hidden back zip, and most notably, hot pink contrast pockets in the front finished off with oversized smoky translucent buttons.

I got these separates in my usual size for separates (10 in the top, and 12 in the skirt). I probably could have sized down in the top but I decided to keep it as I ordered it and have this as my more comfortable of the two dresses that I got in this print.

I love how easy is to mix and match Trashy Diva separates as well as how well the separates go together as a set. When worn together these separates could fool anyone into thinking it's a dress but if  I had the feeling to I could easily wear them separately pairing the skirt with a black or pink top or likewise, pairing the top with high waisted jeans, capris, or a black skirt. So many different looks can be made with separates!

Trashy Diva Lena blouse and Lucy skirt in Hourglass- Front View

Trashy Diva Lena blouse and Lucy skirt in Hourglass- Front View

Trashy Diva Lena blouse and Lucy skirt in Hourglass- Side View

Trashy Diva Lena blouse and Lucy skirt in Hourglass- Back View

Trashy Diva Hourglass- Close Up

Hope you enjoyed my review and that you have found it useful!




I debated whether or not to post this today with the impending Hurricane Matthew making its way to Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. I ultimately decided to go ahead and post since there is nothing to be done to stop the storm that is making its way but I do hope everyone will be safe. I am very sad for all you of going through this.