//Summer Happenings// Inks Lake Camping

//Summer Happenings// Inks Lake Camping

Friday, May 29, 2015

Can you tell it is summer and I am on no schedule at all (hence the post on Friday and not Thursday). However, there is a slight excuse for my falling off schedule this week due to the recent camping trip I took with my mom, sister, sisters dog Toby, and brother this past week (we just got home yesterday). And while I had already planned to do a project/outfit post of what I wore last Saturday to my friends graduations I decided to postpone that post till early next week (yay...an early post!) in exchange for a post more on the "natural" side of things and share one of our families summer traditions:) 

Every summer our family goes camping at least two times and one of the two times is usually to the beach (next weekends plans). However, this past week we went to our most favorite summer camping place Inks Lake State Park! We were there from Monday-Thursday. Unfortunately, due to my dad being a teacher at a public school he was not able to join us and was greatly missed:( Nevertheless, our camping trip was filled with lots of laughs, glories of God's magnificent masterpiece, summer sunshine, chilly water, kayak trekking, fishing, reading, hiking, swimming/wading, picture taking, game playing, s'more making, and oh so much more!!

So here are the tales told in pictures and some words of our camping trip to Inks. Be ready to see the outdoors, natural, and totally casual version of me which consists of tshirts, sport shorts, tank tops, hiking sandals, no makeup, pale legs, and french braids:) hehe.....

The Infamous "Devils Water Hole" in which crazy people jump of the top bolder a height of 37.5 ft. into the water. I however have only ever jump off the ledge just below the bolder.

A View of the cove just before "Devils Water Hole"

The View from our hike up the mountain in which you get a perfect view of Inks Lake.

While I quite enjoy camping, exploring, hiking, kayaking and spending time in the great outdoors basking in Gods glorious masterpiece of creation, I am also a fan of camping for the perfect quiet times in the morning by the water relishing the messages and love of God. Oh, and all of the great reading spots and time for reading (I finished two books on our trip).

This time we were at Inks the masterpiece of nature was painted full of bright and bold colors, fragrant blossoms, and buzzing bees. There were so many different types of flowers everywhere I turned I don't think I even captures every one that I came upon, but aren't they simply breathtaking!!!

However, before I leave I must say that every camping trip is not only an adventure for we never know what lies around the bend, on the other side of the mountain, or at the end of the trail, but camping is a time full of much laughter for our family. Jokes are constantly made, blond moments are forever embedded in our file of memories, and new friends or might I add "new persona's" are met with. On that note I will embellish to say that not only was my brother on the trip with us but "Steve" the Australian Naturalist and Tour Guide also made an appearance most every day in various activities and kept us in stitches constantly:) LOL What would I do without a brother?

Swimming by the waterfall which was actually running for the first time ever since we have been going camping at Inks!!

You readers usually don't see this on the blog (due to makeup) but I have an abundance of freckles which when out in the sun become more abundant :)

Well that is all for now dear readers! Hope you enjoyed this summer happenings post:) Be looking for a project post coming early next week. 

Do you have special summer plans/traditions?

Does your family go camping?

What is your favorite place to camp?

Modern Millie

Modern Millie

Thursday, May 21, 2015

 Don't ask me why I wrote that title, it just seamed to fit:) Today all you readers get to see a little bit of my more modern fashion. On Tuesday my sister and I decided to go shopping at the mall (which we haven't done in awhile) and I was feeling rather in a comfy clothes mood so I decided to throw this outfit together. This is one of my favorite shirts (my sister has a matching one) which is slightly ironic considering I am not the hugest fan of going into the ocean (I prefer to read) but I would have to say my sister and I are huge fans of mermaids (we can swim like them too). However, I quite honestly I felt like my ensemble was a Bramblewood Fashion inspired look  so thanks Ashley! 

Shirt: Deliah's; Button up: my Sisters; Skirt: Forever21; Sneakers: Kohl's (Converse); Necklace: Walmart

 Sorry for such a quick post this week but the days have flown by and so much is happening right now so hopefully next week will be a fabulous post about this weekend (we will see)!

Are you a fan of mermaids?

Do like going in the ocean or would you prefer to read?

-Madison

//Prints on Prints// Sunday Best

//Prints on Prints// Sunday Best

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Hello lovely readers! I hope you are enjoying your spring so far! I am thoroughly enjoying my break :) 

Evidently this post is a bit late today. Yesterday was a crazy, busy, and long day as was this morning so posting at the usual time didn't happen, however, I have a break and can now share this post with you all. 

Blouse: Minnie Muse (vintage); Skirt: Thrifted; Belt: Thrifted; Shoes: Payless (old)

On Tuesday I talked a little about my current obsession with bright bold colors (particularly lavender and yellow) and while this particular ensemble does not have all those colors it is a perfect picture of spring and the fun and creative freedom of dressing up:)

Purse: Cato's

I also mentioned on Tuesday that I had recently purchased a yellow purse for spring and here it is. Isn't it just darling!!! I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it especially since it was on sale (bonus). Of course for someone who is used to carrying around a purse that hold as much as Mary Poppins carpet bag this cute purse is a tad bit on the small side. I definitely have to say that finding a fun and bright purse is the perfect accessory to pair with any spring look...it is kind of a spring staple!

As you can see, I was feeling a bit on the print side with this ensemble I wore this past Sunday on Mother's Day. However, this skirt is just so magical that it goes with most prints I have in my closet as I frequently pair it with stripes, checkers, and polka dots as you see here. I was also very much in a 50's mood so throwing a thick white belt on with this blouse and skirt was perfect. This was definitely one of those ensembles I could have worn all day because it was so fun. 

Necklace: Walmart $5

Statement necklaces are another must have for spring and my new favorite accessory with everything I wear! They are definitely in for those who dress more modern and preppy but you can't go wrong if you pair one with a vintage ensemble because it adds a bold POP and is also super fun. They of course come in every style and color so you can always find a fun statement necklace to pair with your spring fashions:)

Sometimes when you find a big old Magnolia tree you just have to climb up it in a skirt!!:)

I hope you dear readers have a splendid rest of the week!

What are some of your spring staples/must haves ?

Do you have a favorite spring purse?

Are you a fan of statement necklaces?

Current Obsession

Current Obsession

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Spring is here and in my neck of the woods it looks like summer is fast approaching. However, with rainy days like today it makes me want sunshine, flowers, and color. 

Every year there always seem to be those colors that are in fashion for the season and while it is interesting to see what colors make it through I am always one to discover my own colors :) Thus, is why I am currently "obsessed" with crisp cool Lavender and cheery sunshiny yellow! These colors might be my current shades due to the dress I blogged about last week, which had splashes of lavender and yellow, but in general I adore these colors at this time of year.

Lavender Blues by oldfashionedgirl 

While I will say I want a lavender dress and lavender accessories I will say that lavender anything is delightful. You can find the herb in pots, soap, cleaning spray, candles, oils, pretty much anything and just a quick waft of its delicate aroma makes everything better:) Oh, and can I just maybe buy some lavender lipstick? I don't know if I would even wear it (I might? Maybe in a photoshoot) but it is just so very pretty and unique.

Now, for yellow that is a no brainer for this time of year, with the sunshine, lemonade, and the current fad of Pineapples (which I am kind of a fan of). Seriously, my sister and I went shopping last week and we found pineapple shirts, wallets, sunglasses, and blouses ever where we turned....evidently it is the spring print? Of course we can never go wrong with yellow because it is such a cheery color and we see it every day thanks to the sun! Oh, and let us not forget about those cool glasses of tart lemonade that trickle down our parched throats in the summer heat. 

Lemon Time by oldfashionedgirl 

Wheather it is daisy centers, sunflowers, lemons, pineapples, etc. yellow is a spring/summer favorite of mine! I have always been a fan of the "Mustard Yellow" by a cheery sunny yellow is just what I need to brighten my day....in fact I just purchased a darling yellow purse that I will be sharing later this week (it is so perfect)!

Well, that is all for today, but I hope these colors cheered you up and got you excited for all the beauty of the season!

What are some of your favorite spring/summer colors?

Have you noticed the pineapple fad?

Do you like lavender and yellow?

Project Wrap Dress

Project Wrap Dress

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Hurray!!! Finals are over and my spring semester is done!!! Boy am I looking forward to a break...free from homework for a month (until summer classes start) and free time to sew, blog, then sew and blog some more:) 

Now that I have a break for awhile I can finally attack the pile of fabrics in my sewing cabinet! I can assure you that throughout the next couple of months you will be seeing a number of the things I now have time to sew. However, since I have not hit that point yet I thought I would share this charming dress with you all today that I was able to whip up during my last two lab days of my Soft Textiles sewing class at college!

Now, before I talk about how much I LOVE this dress I had to share a little of my experiences from taking this class. First, as I have mentioned before I took a sewing class this semester at college (the first of a few that are required) it was AMAZING. Now, for those of you who know (and those that do not) I have been an avid sewer since I was around 12 years old. Granted, I am not the best by far for I have seen some of the projects some of you talented bloggers create, but for me sewing is a passion and something that comes naturally. 

 While I find it always seems to be mindless work and I consider it my "happy place," to some people sewing is totally confusing and difficult. Thus, when you go to lab your first day of sewing class you come to find just how naturally sewing somehow seems to come for you compared to other students in your class, especially when you finish the assignment and look up to see everyone else still threading there machines! 

For our final project we each had different assignments depending on our degrees. Mine was to make a sample notebook (I really wanted to make a dress). However, since I finished my required assignment early, I decided to whip up this fun wrap dress that I made from a McCalls Archive Collection M7087 reproduction of a 1960's Vintage pattern. The original dress was fashioned to have tow rows of buttons down the front with a belt, however I was inspired to redesign the pattern and make it into a 1940's style wrap dress (which proved successful).

Now, while one of my favorite parts about this dress is the fabric. I actually made this dress out of an old sheet!! Yes, an old sheet, which I will be doing more of:) Old sheets work great for making dresses because they are excellent quality, have more width than regular fabric, are cheeper (if you get them thrifted), and come in unique prints. Which leads me to another favorite part of the dress....the print and colors. I must say this dress is my inspiration for spring, from all of the colors to the many flowers variartions!! Thanks to this dress I am really loving Lavender!

Can you see the cute orange snail?:)

Another reason I love making my own dresses, is because I can tailor them for my size! This dress in particular has darts in the front and back which really give it a tailored look as well as a wonderful fit on me:) 

And apart from the overall success of this project and the many things I love about it, this dress is extremely versitile! It can be worn with sandals as a casual spring/summer dress or you can slip into a pair of heels and have it ready to wear to church. Besides the shoes that change its over all look, you could also throw on a simple sweater or a colored short sleeve cardigan and change the look once again. Needless to say, this dress will be getting a lot of wear for awhile and I might just have to make a sister dress for it?

Thanks to my sister for taking these pictures for me. She insisted I put a few pictures of her in this post, so 

 here is my younger sister Taylor (oh, and her Dauchshund Toby!

As you can tell we have a lot in common fashion wise! LOL! No, we are not alike at all but we are best friends and she is awesome!! According to Taylor she needs to be featured in more posts so you might see her face again??

Does sewing come naturally to you?

What is one of your recent projects?

Have you ever sewn using sheets?

Do you have a pile of fabric waiting to be sewn?