Edith Head

Today, thanks to Google's home page, I was reminded that it is Edith Head's 116th birthday. Edith was an American costume designer famous for her ability to highlight the figure strengths of actors and actresses, and for her practice of working with the stars in a friendly and helpful way. If she doesn't sound familiar, you've almost definitely already seen some of her work, as she was the costume designer for many extremely popular movies (To Catch a Thief, Roman Holiday, and the like). Her contributions to these projects won her eight Academy Awards throughout her career that spanned from 1925 to 1981. She designed costumes for:

 Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face,

Debbie Reynolds in The Pleasure of His Company,

 Elizabeth Taylor in A Place in the Sun,

 Rosemary Clooney in White Christmas,

and Grace Kelly in Rear Window, to name just a few, as well as clothes for the personal lives of several Hollywood stars. "Building a proper wardrobe is like building a home. Indeed, you should think of it like a home, because it is something you're going to live in. It must be comfortable and suit all your needs."

--Edith Head



Threadless Design: Flower Face

This design, a collage I made using pressed flowers from my mom's garden, is one of the by-products of my Pressed for Time post. It's my second t-shirt design on Threadless, and is now up for voting right here in the Mixed Media Challenge!

Argyle Style Sweater Edit

I bought this Banana Republic sweater--except I didn't buy it from Banana Republic. I found it at Value Village for $6! The gradient pink argyle combined with the soft oatmeal heather yarn reminds me of a strawberry milkshake.

Plus it has cute pink elbow patches.

But I decided I didn't like how much the rounded pockets and dark buttons stood out! 

So, I took off the pockets and replaced the buttons with some mother of pearl buttons. A quick personalization is all it takes to spruce up a garment!

Quick Tip: DIY Sheer Shoelaces

Why settle for dull opaque shoelaces when you could have unexpectedly pretty sheer ones?
Materials:
Tape
Scissors
Shoes in need of better laces
Sheer ribbon in the color of your choice
Step 1: Remove the old laces from your shoes, and cut two lengths of ribbon the same size as the laces.
Step 2: Tightly wrap a piece of tape around each ribbon end to create an aglet.
Step 3: Lace up your shoes with your new sheer ribbon shoelaces and enjoy the cuteness! 

Thanksgiving



Little Red Riding Skirt

This skirt is like something from a fairy tale. As unbelievable as it may sound, I found the vintage Ralph Lauren beauty at Value Village for $6--quite the deal!

I adore the skirt's pleats and rich color. It is made of warm wool. Plus, the length and weight is fabulous because I don't have to be concerned about it ballooning up with the slightest breeze! It's a great skirt for twirling and, of course, waltzing through the forest on the way to Grandma's.

This photo was taken just before something ran out of the bushes towards me.

The Big Bad Wolf took me by surprise! I screamed, but that scream quickly morphed into laughter as I realized the irony of the situation. My mom and I chatted with the dog's owner for a few minutes before she and her dog continued their walk.

This wolf was hardly big or bad. Instead, he was a hilariously perfect addition the photoshoot.



Quick Tip: DIY Button Brooches

Do you have buttons that are too pretty to keep hidden in a jar? Well, with this easy idea you can now wear them as jewellery without compromising their potential as buttons!

Materials:

Several pretty shank buttons

The same number of safety pins

Step 1: Push a safety pin through the back side of your shirt so the bar sticks out the front.

Step 2: (View from the front side of the shirt) Slip the shank of a button through the bar of the safety pin so the button is on the front of the sweater.

Step 3: Poke the pin back into the sweater and secure it in place. 

Step 4: Repeat steps 1, 2, and 3 to make a cluster of button brooches.

You can also turn necklace pendants into brooches by slipping the bar of the pin through the jump ring of the pendant. This technique is super useful if your shirt doesn't have a good frame for wearing a necklace but would still look good with some jewels on the side!

Beautyfall

"Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness

Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun

Conspiring with him how to load and bless

With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;

To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,

And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;

To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells

With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,

And still more, later flowers for the bees,

Until they think warm days will never cease,

For Summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells."

--John Keats in "To Autumn"

Those elegant words perfectly introduce the season of bee petting. When the bees curl up all plump and dewy-furred against warm bricks and asphalt, I carefully stroke their soft backs. It is an unusually serene bonding experience! Sometimes they raise a fuzzy leg in weak acknowledgement, and then I leave them alone. When the laborious bees slow their whirling around the flowers I can tell the year is truly shifting into a tranquil yet vibrant phase. It is a rich and rustic time in which I adore the photo opportunities of everyday life.