Exams, Pattern Discount, and a Curtain Skirt

Exams have started and I'm afraid my posts may become sporadic until the end of August. I'm rather busy studying for exams and getting ready to move (again).

Since I won't have much time for posting I thought I would offer a 20% discount code for the knitting patterns in my Etsy shop for my readers. Just use the code VINTAGEINAMODERNWORLD to get 20% until the end of August. I have a lot more designs in the works but I'm afraid it may be another month or two before I get a chance to finish them.

I haven't had much of a chance to do anything lately but here is an outfit shot from a few weeks ago. The skirt is actually two curtain panels I sewed together. I just used a ribbon threaded through the holes to cinch the waist. An elastic would have been better but this way I still have the option of easily turning it back into curtains if I wish in the future.

 (Please ignore the fact I have no shoes on. I didn't want to get the carpet dirty)

Outfit Details:

Skirt: Made by me from 2 curtain panels and some ribbon

Top: Giant Tiger

Hair Bow: Also made by me using the same ribbon as the skirt

Earrings: Made by me

That's All.

It's been a rough couple of weeks....

Thank goodness for retail therapy! Pretty things may not solve life's problems but they sure help ;)

(I should add this shopping trip was my first time out of the house, other than to campus, in almost 3 weeks! How is it that I can do so much work and still not get enough done?!)

Anyone know anything about "topper" dresses? I couldn't find any info about this lovely "new" dress I bought.   My best guess would be it's late 40s/ early 50s. 

That's All.

DIY Secret Lampshade

Remember in my last post when I said I craft when I can't sleep? Well it's 1:40am and I'm wide awake. While I was browsing the internet I found this cute idea for a lampshade. I loved the concept but I don't really have money to throw away on a new lampshade. So instead I created my own (removable) version using my existing bedside light.

The shapes appear when the light is turned on and disappear when it's turned off!

Materials:

• A light-coloured lampshade (mine is from Ikea)
• Some black card-stock
• Some invisible tape

Step 1) Cut out your desired shape(s) from the card-stock. I went with some simple hearts I cut freehand, but you could get fancier and use an x-acto knife to cut out a more elaborate design.
Step 2) Decide where you want to place you shapes and tape them to the inside of the lampshade. You shouldn't need very much tape per shape.
Step 3) Turn on your light and admire your new "secret" lampshade.

Award Time

Paigey from A Vintage Girls World was kind enough to pass the Stylish Blogger Award to me! I`m supposed to list 7 facts about myself then pass it on to 7 other bloggers so here it goes:

1) I'm addicted to lattes. They are perfect for a relaxing afternoon or a hardcore study session. The caffeine in regular lattes tends to make me overly jittery though, so I normally end up with a chai latte instead.

2) I love old-fashioned detective stories! I can think of nothing better than curling up with an Agatha Christie novel or sitting in front of the TV watching the latest Mystery on PBS. I have to admit I have always had a MAJOR crush on Sherlock Holmes (aka the sexiest fictional character of all time...) and one of my goals in life is to become Miss Marple.

3) Old mechanical things fascinate me. I think that's part of the reason I am so drawn to old typewriters and telephones.

4) My favourite smell in the entire world is the smell of old books. I love that almost sweet smell old books get. (I would say I like the smell of old paper in general but most of my magazines smell more musty/slightly moldy rather than sweet haha)

5) I'm terribly nosy! I love reading old postcards and letters from the 1900's and 1910's, although sometimes I feel rather guilty about reading someone else's mail! I have a couple diary's from the 1920's on my wishlist at the moment that I'm hoping to buy when I have a bit more money.

6) Although I'm working towards getting a degree in Math I have realized that it's not really what I want to do with my life. I only have a year left so I will finish my degree, but I would love to run my own business of some sort instead of working an office job somewhere. I highly doubt my ability to earn a living with my own business so I will likely need to tutor part time or something though...

7) I craft obsessively, especially when I can't sleep. Seriously, I've been having problems sleeping lately and I end up crafting at 3am.... I just realized I haven't done a DIY post since May! Anyone have any suggestions of something they would like to see? I can normally figure out how to make something at least similar to an item if I'm given a picture :)

Well there are 7 random facts. And now for 7 blogs:

The Little Red Squirrel

Jade

Lauren Hairston

Vintage Chic

Autumn, Coffee, and Inspiration 

A Harem of Peacocks

The Chronicles of an Eccentric

Pass if on if you want to, or don't if awards aren't your thing :) 

And before I go I must mention that I just discovered how much fun making Treasury lists on Etsy is!! So far I've made two. The first one I made was A Trip Back in Time which was inspired by the 1920s and 30s. Then yesterday I took a break from studying to make And All That Jazz which is inspired by 1920's flappers and the prohibition.

That's All

Blog Award (and maybe some hats?)

First off I would like to thank Nabby for giving me a Liebster Blog award a few days (weeks?) ago. Thank you so much! 

I'm supposed to pass it onto blogs with fewer than 300 followers, so I'm giving it to the following blogs (I tried to pick blogs I haven't given awards to lately). Don't feel you have to pass it on if awards aren't your thing. 
Flair in a Lady's Boudoir
Grandmothers Pearl's
A Vintage Girls World
Bright Young Twins 
TeaCup Allie
Caitlin Rose

In other news, I have been considering making a few of hats (based on my designs) to sell on Etsy. I would likely make them on a made-to-order basis. This won't be until after exams are finished (mid-August) but I wondered if there was any interest out there? I also wondered what people would be willing to pay for them? I'm still not sure if I am confident enough in my knitting skills to actually sell my products but feedback is very much appreciated!!


And just so this post isn't completely pictureless:

That's All.

Outfits for College and Boarding-School (1910)

In my last post, I shared a photo of what I wear to university on an average day. After posting that I was flipping through some magazine pieces I had bought a while ago and discovered an article about college/boarding-school style from 1910. Wow, I'm rather jealous now! I wish I could wear clothes like this to school, but even I have some limits... (not many though, as I tend to just wear whatever takes my fancy).

Here are the pictures from the article (the article itself is mainly just a description of the outfits so I omitted posting it too).  I love the simpleness of many of the dresses and skirts. I may have to figure out a way to incorporate some of the details into my wardrobe.

What I Normally Wear, Birthday Gifts, and Some Projects

I was going to do a proper post but instead here is a collection of photos of things from around my room. I've been taking lots random pictures of stuff with the camera by parents gave me for my birthday.

I will do a real post when I'm less sleep deprived, I promise! I actually do have some stuff I want to post about, including a blog award from the lovely Nabby. I haven't forgotten, just too tired to do a proper post! Also apologies for my lack of comments on everyone's blogs lately. I promise if I follow your blog I really do read every post. I've just been too busy and tired to come up with anything clever to say (although my "clever" comments normally sound something like "Lovely outfit!"...)

 Left-over chocolate butterflies are lovely with fresh local strawberries!

I knit myself some slippers from here. I think I just liked them because of the name!

I have plans to embellish them a bit but who knows when I will get around to that.

 When I was home on the weekend I managed to sew myself this fancy little 1930's top from one of the Vintage Vogue patterns. It looks rather purple in the picture but it is actually a light smokey grey colour. Now I just have to come up with an excuse to wear it... 

 I used to keep my sewing pins in a box but I wanted a pincushion too. This jar pincushion is the best of both worlds. Tutorial found here.

A couple of my birthday gifts. Ok, the Bob Hope boxset was actually a gift to myself. My dad wouldn't buy it for me. He thinks I have awful taste is movies :p 

 I am completely in love with this 1959 Needlecraft book I also got for my birthday. I actually have an earlier edition from 1947 and it is really interesting to see how the information and style of the book changed. The earlier version assumes the readers have a lot more knowledge and provides lots of "inspiration ideas" but very few real tutorials. The 1959 version assumes you can't sew without a pattern and provides a lot of easy projects! 

I always think it is interesting to see what bloggers wear on a day to day basis. Often only "interesting" outfits get posted, but I thought it would be fun to take a picture of what I normally wear to class. As much as I love wearing dresses and skirts, when I'm getting up at 6am for class it is rather the last thing on my mind. For my long days of classes (8am until 9pm!) I often opt for mens-wear inspired items.

Blouse and Vest: Smart Set

Trousers: Winners

Earrings: Made by me

Tie: Shamelessly stolen from my dad last time I was home

What do you wear on a daily basis?

That's All. 

Summer Rose

I cannot believe it has been more than a week since my last post! I have been incredibly busy the last few weeks (but I did manage to go home on the weekend for a belated birthday with the family!). There is a slight lull in assignments and midterms for the next two weeks, so hopefully I will have time to write a few of the posts I have planned.

In the meantime, Britt and I managed to get together to do a photoshoot for my two latest vintage-inspired knitting patterns. I love how the photos turned out! The first pattern, Summer Rose, is already for sale  here on Ravelry and here on Etsy. (As always, the pattern is $0.20 cheaper on Ravelry since I do not have to pay listing fees)

The second pattern will hopefully be posted in the few weeks so stay tuned!

That's All.