Silk

Years ago I was rummaging around through my grandma's sewing room. It never ceased to amaze me that after two decades of exploring her house I could always find new treasures. Of course, as I grew older, different items gained new meaning. Old football programs from when my grandfather played at KU were that much cooler when I became a tuition-paying Jayhawk myself. (The average size of players in those days was 5'8", 180 lbs. So almost exactly me size!) One of the neatest finds of all time happened in her sewing room. I pulled open a drawer and found a small, white, drawstring cotton bag. A tiny post-it note was pinned to it that said "WWII parachute silk" in my grandma's pretty, tiny handwriting. Inside was a bundle of ripped and cut up pieces of beautiful old silk. I think I must have asked her where it came from and what she did with it, but for the life of me I can't remember her explanation. She was a nurse stationed in North Africa and then Italy during the war, so I'd say it's a pretty safe guess that she got the material from the source. Maybe she picked it up off a battlefield. Maybe a young soldier kept it with him after a jump and was brought into the Red Cross tent and while she treated him he gave it to her because he fell in love with the kind nurse. Maybe he was a farm boy from Minnesota and he felt at home talking to her. Maybe it was a gift from a date. Maybe she got it at a garage sale when she got back Stateside and moved to Wichita to marry my grandfather. Who knows, but it's special to me and for years I've tried to imagine ways to incorporate it into something I can use and keep near me.

From svpply.com

A year or so ago I started seeing cute little cloth braided bracelets around, but making one seems daunting when considering the clasp. There's a reason people buy most of their jewelry. I love the way this leather is sewn at the ends of the braid and I think it could be a nice contract to the delicate, white silk.

Juicy Couture
braided cloth bracelet

This one is a little closer to what I've imagined. I have various bits of other material that I collected from Grandma's house after she moved the nursing home that might be fun to include with the parachute silk. Again, contrasting lighter materials by including leather or a chain into the braid would be a nice touch.



tie the knot sash



Then just today I found this next silk braid, which immediately made me remember the silk and which inspired me to write this post. It's from Ivy and Aster , a New York bridal shop. How precious is this belt? I would love to find a strand of rhinestones or "diamonds" and make something like this. If it were long it could almost work as a necklace or hairpiece or big bracelet.



Bailey and the parachute silk

Whatever I end up doing with it, I'll love having a little piece of my grandma that much closer to me.

Hunger Games

These pictures by artist Christopher Boffoli are the coolest.  They make me really nostalgic, for some reason.  Also really hungry.

Check these out, too!

Headgear

I want to make and wear one of these when/if I get married!

Wreath how-to by thehairpin.com

Love it.

wish list

I was recently turned on to Lands' End Canvas, or as I like to say, Not Your Mom's Lands' End.  Here are pieces I would get today if I weren't doing such a good job with my resolution, and if I had any moneys. 

 Approximately $166.95 (without tax).  I think I'll see what I have at home that can work for these pieces.  (Of course, my favorite of all is the bag.  I really have a problem with purses.)

Cheat

I can't do it anymore.  I can't handle the Kansas summer without shorts.  I am not at all exaggerating when I say I do not have a pair of shorts that fit.  I have one pair of super comfy denim shorts I picked up last summer at Gap, but they're pleated and a really awkward length, and the Boyfriend seriously make a grimace face every time I wear them.  My body type and shorts just do not go well together, but dangnabbit, I'm going to make something work.

Me, at home, with Brian (dog) in said horribly fitting shorts.  I hope the picture is too small to see.

Also, don't see this as me complaining about Kansas weather.  I love summer here.  Plus, it's not really that hot out yet.  My sunglasses don't fog up when I go outside from the ac, so we've got a few fahrenheit notches to go before anyone can really get whiny.

'Tis the Season

We have already been to 4 (!) weddings this year. The first one was in February when it was really cold outside, so I planned ahead and found the perfect dress by Suzy Chin way back in November. It was super comfortable and I thought it looked pretty good. I hope I have more opportunities to wear it when it cools down again!

. I wore it with some gold wedges I got off Zappos. They were really cute and mostly comfortable, but after I took them off I couldn't feel my toes for about 4 days, so I returned those suckers. Thanks for always being awesome, Zappos.

Wedding no. 2 was on a beautifully warm day in the beginning of April. I pulled out a little black dress I bought at a Gap outlet a year and a half ago but had yet to wear and put with it a pink cardigan from Urban Outfitters that I'm pretty sure I bought in 2003, and some Target heels. We danced all night long and rode home in a stretch Excursion. Talk about a par-tay.

Weddings 2 and 3 were both on the same rainy, misty, cloudy Saturday, but they were both beautiful and special and perfect for both couples getting married. There's nothing like seeing your friends be totally happy and in love on a special day just for them. To get ready, I asked David's sister-in-law if she wanted to go shopping at the Legends with me, a ridiculous outdoor mall-like place with tons of outlet stores and misbehaving children. It's a weird place. Gap Outlet was a bust, but the Banana Republic Outlet got me into a bit of trouble. Jenn found a really pretty wrap dress that I thought would work, but next to that was another pretty pink wrap dress, so I had to get both. I also picked up a straw and faux leather clutch that I think is adorbs. I tried both on for David when I got home and he agreed they both looked good, but a few days later we were talking about what all we had to do to make it to both weddings, and he asked me if I would wear the pink dress.


I wanted to wear the patterned one, but after I tried both on for my mom she agreed that the pink one was the better of the two.

I'll find more pictures to put up soon!