Victorian Summers

I have been feeling very inspired by Victorian and Edwardian style lately. I would love to add a few Victorian/Edwardian inspired pieces to my wardrobe, assuming I have time to make some or can find some to thrift. I suppose summer isn't the best time to don such clothing (especially during this heatwave!), but nonetheless I have been gathering inspiration images and trying to decide how to incorporate elements into my wardrobe. 

Here a few of my favourite summer inspiration images:

In other news my Etsy shop is on temporary hiatus due to the looming postal strike. I just haven't been able to find a good alternative shipping option, so have made the decision to close down for a couple weeks. 

However, I have reopened my second Etsy shop! I had big plans last year for my second shop, but didn't have the time/energy to follow through with them. But since I can't ship anything at the moment, I decided to at least add some more printables to my shop. I have some more designs in the works, but for now I have added some new Victorian/Edwardian inspired printables using images from my antique magazine/postcard collection. I've also listed three knitting patterns I wrote several years ago (they are also still available on Ravelry). All my printables are only $3 CAD (approx $2.40USD) or less.

To check it out click here!

Hopefully this postal strike is resolved soon and I can get my main shop back open. It really couldn't have happened at a worse time, since as a tutor I don't have much income during the summer. My Etsy shop provides the majority of my earnings during the lean months and I really hate having to close it. Oh well, I may be on the path to fixing some of my health issues so there may be a career change in the not-so-distant future.

I hope everyone has a great weekend (and a happy Canada Day to my fellow Canadians)!

That's All.

Almost Birthday

While technically my birthday is tomorrow, I did a lot of my celebrating today. I didn't want my actual birthday to be too hectic, so I shifted most of my birthday plans back a day. Tomorrow will still feature a nice dinner and gift opening, but today I wandered around Port Hope/Cobourg, antique shopping and sipping coffee. It was very relaxing and an excellent way to spend my "almost birthday" day. 

I haven't worn anything 1920's for ages, despite it being my favourite decade. I sew mostly for my Etsy shop now and have been very neglectful of my own wardrobe. My lack of summer clothes became apparent during the first heatwave, so I quickly made a couple lightweight pieces including this 1920's style dress. The plaid fabric was leftover from a skirt I helped a friend make, and I combined it with leftover grey material (from the half-circle skirt I wear all the time). For a "scrap" dress, I am quite happy with how it turned out. It feels so good to finally have a casual 1920's outfit. Once I finish some stuff for the shop, I will have to make myself a few more dresses!

My friend, Jochen, and I already celebrated my birthday last week. He treated me to a lovely day out and gave me a couple adorable Buster Keaton themed gifts, including a movie poster and a necklace! I have proudly displayed Buster above my desk and can't wait to wear the necklace.

I've been feeling a wee bit better this week and have done some sewing for the shop. Once I get back, I will be listing a bunch of new items. For now here is a mini sneak-peak of a couple garments:

While working hard, I've been trying to not over-do it and have been relaxing with Ruth Goodman's "How to be a Victorian". It's quite a fascinating read and, even though I've read only a small portion of it so far, I've learned a lot of interesting tidbits about Victorian life. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the nitty-gritty of the daily life of the Victorians.

Aggie doesn't normally sit still long enough for me to take pictures, but I was so happy to finally get a good shot of her the other day. 

Poor little Aggie is going to be lonely for the next week. I'm off to the cottage first thing Monday for a bit of R&R. Agg's technically isn't going to be alone, but with only my dad for company she is going to be extra needy. She gets upset when I'm gone for a few hours, so I'm not sure how she is going to do for almost a full week... Being a shelter cat, she has abandonment issues. I will be sure to bring her back a couple new toys as an apology for my absence.

I hope everyone is having a good weekend!

That's All.

Edwardian Pomade Recipe

I just posted a video for a great vintage hair pomade on my youtube channel, and thought it would be a good idea to have a set of written instructions as well. This pomade is seriously the best I've ever tried and love the look it gives my different vintage hairstyles.

And here are the instructions:

You will need:

• A clean glass jar
• Small pot 
• Cocoa butter
• Castor oil
• Essential oil (optional) 

1. Measure out the cocoa butter and castor oil, in a ratio of 1 parts cocoa butter to 4 part castor oil.  Exact measurements will depend on your jar size. (I used 10ml of cocoa butter and 40ml of oil for my small jar, which filled it about halfway.)
2. Pour the mixture into the jar and stir well.
3. Fill the pot with some water then place the jar inside. The water level should reach an inch below the top of the jar. 
4. Slowly simmer the pot, while stirring the mixture, until the cocoa butter has fully melted. Then carefully remove the jar from the water. 
5. Add 10 to 20 drops of essential oil (if using). I opted for 10 drops of bergamot oil, to give my pomade a light scent, but you can use whatever scent you prefer.
6. Stir until mixture has cooled and thickened. (I cheated and popped mine in the fridge to speed the process along)
7. Add a label and voila! Fantastic homemade hair pomade!

Label:

I've designed a free label for the pomade, using an actual vintage label as the base. Save the below picture, and print to size on label/sticker paper. Alternatively, you could print on normal paper and glue in place. If you use label paper, I would recommend doing  a test run on normal paper first to make sure it fits your jar lid. 

Let me know if you give this recipe a try!

That's All.