Millie's New Buddy

Hello there! This is Annie from Time Enough For Drums and I'm so excited to be guest blogging for Maria today. She asked us guest bloggers to post about something relating to the theme "a farewell to summer" (as you may have read in Claire's and Beatrice's lovely posts earlier this week). I wanted to meld that theme with something very "Maria" and what I came up with is this: my bicycle! What screams "Maria" more than a vintage bicycle? I decided that Maria's trusty bike needed a buddy, so I bring you photos of my late 1960's Peugeot who I lovingly named Pascale when I purchased her last year. Don't you think Pascale and Millicent would get along swimmingly?

What do bicycles have to do with summer's end? You may be asking yourself. Aren't they more for summer's beginning? Well, I personally prefer to do my biking in a cool autumn breeze. So my bike gets the most wear in the latter part of the year. And, you'll always see me biking in a dress and cowboy boots! Cowboy boots are the best biking shoes, if you ask me. Some of my other staples for this fall season: pattern-mixing, girly dresses, great neckwear like scarves and brooches, and anything rockabilly-inspired.

Dress, Socks - Forever 21
Boots, Scarf - vintage, thrifted
Brooch - vintage

Thanks so much for reading! Love, Annie of Time Enough For Drums.

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D.I.Y - "Carpet" Bag

Hello everybody! Claire here, from Mamushka Marie - sitting in for Maria while she gets some well earned R&R with her man! I can't even tell you how excited I am to be guest blogging here at Lulu Letty, one of my all time favorite blogs! When I first started brainstorming for this weeks "farewell to summer" post, a couple of things came to mind immediately; the coming seasons trends, plaid and menswear standing out amongst the others and going back to school of course! It's true - once our adieus are complete a lot of us will be back in class, which means lugging books around in cumbersome backpacks, ugh! So a necessary accessory for the fall is a definitely going to be a lightweight carryall. I myself am completely obsessed with carpet bags and tapestry bags that I've seen recently while perusing street fashion blogs. The colors and textures of these bags are simply adorable. So what could be better to round off the summer than a quick and easy do it yourself "carpet" bag?!



Lets get started!

STEP 1: Supplies
You will need:
-Place-mats or a small rug/carpet square - I found my place-mats at a local thrift store for 50 cents each! I chose colors that reminded me of autumn, were a bit masculine and had wonderful textures. You could also use pretty floral mats which would be really cute! The options are limitless!

1. Hot glue gun
2. Glue sticks
3. Scissors
4. Needle & thread
5. Link chains
6. Pins

STEP 2:
Start by folding your place-mat or fabric about three quarters of the way, leaving about 2 to 3 inches in excess material for your bags closure flap.
STEP 3:
Pin the sides into place and sew closed (and/or) hot glue fabric together.



STEP 4: Pins/Brooches
Find a pin or brooch that will compliment the colors of your bag and is heavy enough to weigh down the excess material (if your pin is too light the fabric is likely to not stay closed) I had this lot of lovely vintage pins just lying around waiting for their next life! You could also easily attach some Velcro or a simple button for the closure.


Pin your brooch towards the center of the bags closure flap.

STEP 5: Attaching the strap
Visit your local hardware store or craft store and choose a chain for the strap of your bag. The chain links for my bags were $1 a foot. I bought 3 feet of chain for each bag. The extra length allows you to wear your bag over your shoulder which is especially helpful if you ride a bicycle!


Attach the bags strap by sewing it into place with a needle and thread.

...and voila! You have yourself a perfect fall accessory, handmade and on the cheap!
Happy end of summer everyone!

Fondly,
Claire of Mamushka Marie

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A Farewell to Summer

Hi there! I'm Beatrice of DearBeatrice guest blogging today for Maria while she's away on a much needed relaxing vacation! I'm very honored to be one of her guest bloggers this week and I cannot wait to see what the other lovely girls have planned out! Not only is Maria one of my style icons, I also consider her a friend. She's very sweet, smart, beautiful, and has some of the most amazing blog photos! So about a week before she asked me to guest blog I had done a mini photo shoot with a friend of mine, Blythe who is an amazing photographer, and decided to save the photos for this post! It couldn't have been anymore perfect! When I think of Summer ending I think of the sun setting against a vast field. So this is my farewell to Summer and being a Southern Californian gal I must admit that even though I do not like it, Summer that is, it will be missed. So many fond memories and breezy outfits with hats and sundresses... I'll see you next year dear Summer.

Vintage Brooches

blouse: Urban Outfitters

skirt: handmade

petticoat: handmade

tights: Nordstrom

hat: vintage

mary jane shoes: Jeffrey Campbell

xoxo,

Beatrice of DearBeatrice

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Redraven Studios Giveaway!

I can't begin to tell you how excited I am about this $50 giveaway from Redraven Studios. When the lovely Amy contacted me about her shop, I was immediately blown away by not only the beauty of her site, but by her stunning ceramic pieces. Each item is handmade from porcelain and collaged with vintage ceramic decals. Whoever wins this is going to have the difficult task of choosing which gorgeous piece to take home!

Victorian bouquet necklace...Butterfly teardrop earrings...Chickadee belt buckle

To Enter- visit the shop and leave a comment:
1) with your favorite item from Redraven Studios
2) leave a way for me to contact you
For an extra entry-
3) follow Redraven on either Facebook or Twitter.

Open to all readers. Contest ends September 4th at 11pm est.

...Chosen by random.org, the winner of my Lulu Letty and O Captain giveaway is Bea, of A Plus B in the Sea. Thank You So Very Much to everyone that entered! I was blown away by your comments and I enjoyed reading every single one. Here are just a few of my favorites...

I look forward to your blog and many other blogs everyday as it gives me inspiration to wear timeless clothing that brings out both my inner and outer beauty. I love that anyone can start a blog, whether it be small or big, and share his/her vision. -Nicole

What I like best about blogging and reading blogs is how you can read about so many different people's lives, it opens you up to things you never knew about before and that people are so nice and encouraging to complete strangers. It's such a great community to be a part of. -Emma

I'm looking forward to Fall because it's probably the most photogenic & gorgeous season! It's my favorite season to photograph in. The weather is so comfortable for playing with layers while getting dressed. -Hannah

This coming week, I'm going to be taking my first ever blogging vacation in over 14 months! In my place I have five superb bloggers that will dazzle you with their amazing talents!! So be sure to check back every day for a new guest blogger and please show them lots of the love that I am so lucky to receive from you.

Yours,

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Sponsor Spotlight: ModCloth

What's new from my lovely sponsor, ModCloth...

Forest for the Trees jacket...Time Race Watch necklace...Pianola dress in Brown

Arcade Game dress...Red-dy to go the Distance flat...In the Hundreds and Thousands tights

...Happy Sunday!

Check back later for an awesomely spectacular giveaway!

Yours,

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Sponsor Lulu Letty

Would you like to sponsor my blog? I have a few spots available for September.

My sponsorships are small-business friendly, with very affordable monthly rates. Discounted three and six month packages are also available. Etsy sellers most definitely welcome!

Please visit my updated Sponsor Page for more information on my blog.

If you're interested, I have a few small and medium ads available and if you would like to be put on a waiting list for a large ad, please email me at mariaconfer@lululetty.com for rates.

...Yours,

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Sponsor Spotlight: Wallflower Vintage

Wallflower Vintage is an amazing emporium of vintage pieces. I found so many pretty dresses and coats that I decided to put together two outfits. When dressing, certain things will inspire me and then I will build an outfit around that piece. So if it's a gorgeous vintage dress, I start there and find the perfect coat and purse to go with it and vice-versa. Wallflower Vintage provides plenty for the imagination.

50's broadcloth day dress...50's wool and mink coat...Vintage needlepoint purse

60's mini dress...Gloverall duffle coat...Mod vinyl purse

...I'm at a coffee house in Traverse City enjoying their free wi-fi and gettin caught up on a few things. Plus, I'm now able to access my tumblr, so check out a few outtakes from yesterday's post.

Yours,

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A leopard can't change its spots

I found these amazing vintage suede leopard shorts on Etsy and just had to have them. I love that they're a bit rubbed and faded in areas, adding a unique effect. Plus, their rusty orange shade is spot on for fall. ;)

Photos by Cole. Thanks, darling.

Vintage suede shorts: Etsy
Vintage blouse: thrifted
Bradley boots: Jeffrey Campbell
...My internet is ridiculously horribly slow up here. Grrr. It took me way (Way) too long to do this post. Plus, I can't even get onto Etsy to link back to the shop I bought my shorts from. Double Grrr.

Yours,

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Tumblr Outfit No. 17

08.26.10- On tumblr, a breathless northern ride with Millie.

... Yours,

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My Wednesday

Bits and pieces of yesterday. What you don't see is me spending part of my day doing hours of blog work before rushing up north because that's not interesting.

I awoke to a beautifully cool breeze blowing through my window.

Banana and chocolate Cherrios.

I dislike doing the dishes, but it gives me time to think.

My bag packed for the trip along with my vintage hat.

We bought a bike rack so Millie could join us.

Wellie gets very excited when we go to the cottage.

Crazy beautiful clouds at sunset.

A storm was rolling in with an hour left to go.

...
A daily tumblr outfit later.

Yours,

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