Birthday

Monday this week was my 27th birthday. I found this birthday more difficult than most since my health has had me in a bit of a slump lately. My thyroid issues are actually a lot better, but my cfs/me has been bad lately and left me with very little energy for fun. Luckily, I managed to get out and have an enjoyable (low-key) birthday. We went to my fav. small town for coffee and a wander in the afternoon, followed by takeout from a local restaurant and a relaxing family dinner at home. 

Of course I needed a special birthday outfit. It was rather tricky picking something out this year though. The heat/humidity was a major concern, plus I have lost some weight (yay, thyroid!) and a lot of my clothes don't fit quite right. I finally decided on this skirt, which is an old favourite but which hasn't fit in a long time. The plaid print is very similar to the Gordon tartan (part of my family originally emigrated from Scotland and that was their clan), which makes it extra special. The skirt was me-made a long time ago and has a matching cape (which I was not going to wear in this heat!). The blouse was bought many years ago from a store that no longer exists, and the hat was purchased as one of my first forays into vintage fashion. It's not actually vintage but I've always thought it looks rather 1930s.  

And below we have a picture of my homemade Birthday Cake. It's a grain-free, gelatin-free, refined-sugar-free cheesecake, sweetened with fruit (blueberries, strawberries, and cherries) and a just a spoonful or two of local honey. The crust is made from almonds, pecans, coconut, and some cacao powder. I also made three fruit whipped creams to match the swirls of fruit in the cheesecake and decorated with an edible flower. It was delicious.

I recieved lots of lovely gifts from my family, most of which I've photographed below:

In other news, I just completed my first short film and have posted it over on my YouTube channel. It's completely different than what I normally do, but it was a lot of fun to make:

If you prefer my regular content, this week's video was a Colleen Moore makeup tutorial:



I have also finally made an Instagram account! I don't have a cell-phone and up until recently was not able to use all the features using their computer interface. However, they just updated it and I am now able to use all the features I was missing before. I haven't quite decided how I'm going to use it yet. It won't replace my blog, but I'll likely use it to post things that seem out of place on here (such as photos from old magazines, what I'm reading, maybe some works in progress for the shop, etc). My account is thelonghairedflapper (same name as my youtube channel) and I've added to link to the bar at the top of my blog.

I'll admit I was hesitant to join. I don't need one more thing to keep track of and Instagram seems to have less substance than blogs. While I like pretty pictures, I do also like reading and learning about people and various historical topics. However, over the past year or two it seems like more and more of the vintage community has stopped blogging and switched to Instagram. I understand it's appeal but I do miss the deeper conversations/connections that blogging gives. I'm going to give it a go and try to use it in a way that feels right for me.
As I just signed up, I'm not following many people yet so if you have an account let me know!

I hope everyone had a great week.

That's All. 

Changing Seasons

It seems the summer weather has suddenly arrived. I'm not ready!! I'm not a big fan of summer or it's clothing. The days are too warm for my liking and I prefer spring/fall fashions to those of the hot sticky months ahead. I also came to the startling realization the other day that I have very little actual summer wear in my wardrobe, at least for the very high temp days. When I made my wardrobe plan, I somehow missed the fact that I had hardly any light clothing (denial perhaps?). So now I'm scrambling to get a few pieces ready before the humidity reaches oppressive proportions. 

Speaking of sewing: I just finished my new grey wool skirt... just in time for summer.... Ok, perhaps not the best timed piece but I still love this skirt! I'm trying to eke out as much wear as possible for now by combining it with the few lightweight tops I own. This skirt is such a versatile piece and works well with a variety of styles and decades. I paired it the other day with a cotton gingham 1940's/1950's style me-made top and my Victorian style boots. This sort of outfit has a vintage-vibe without being too fussy for going out for coffee and a few errands. I wore my hair (almost)down since it was just re-hennaed and it seemed a shame to tuck it up or hid it under a hat. 

I've been getting a lot of knitting done lately including a long-sleeve Edwardian Pullover and a new pair of Edwardian socks (again, perhaps not the best timing). I haven't finished sewing all the sweater pieces together quite yet, but the socks are completely done. I must admit, I'm not a big fan of these socks. The pattern seemed interesting but the final sock fits oddly. The toe area is snug and the top-of-foot/heel area is way too loose (even on my rather large feet). It was an interesting project to work on, but I couldn't recommend the pattern. 

Don't they look odd when not on a foot?! It's actually surprising they fit at all.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend.

That's All.