Are you going to Scarborough Faire?

Click to visit SRFestival.com

Next month begins one of my favorite times of year – the time we get to go to Scarborough Renaissance Festival in Waxahachie, TX!

This year, the hubs and I are dressing up. (In past years, we’ve dressed in costume, but not every year.) My guy’s going with a green man/wild man vibe, and I’m finishing up the dragon fairy costume I started making a couple of years ago.

Here’s the hub’s inspiration:

Luckily, between my mom and I, we happen to have a plethora of furry and leather trims and fabrics to use. I’ve made a couple of “found object” necklaces with things I had lying around. Now, I’m working on creating a headdress.

I didn’t want to pay for a bird skull, so I created one from some black Sculpey and whitewashed it.

Wire wrapped beads and arrowheads on leather cord make manly, rustic jewelry.

Here’s my costume so far:

My version of a rag skirt, with silk, taffeta, tulle, lace, and other fabrics. It has a bit of a bustle in the back to allude to a “tail.”

I’m also finishing a little choli vest to wear (and secure the wings,) and a matching utility belt for the essentials. I can’t wait to test the makeup! I’m going to try to create “scales” using fishnets as a stencil.

Reversible cropped vest with lace up front and sides.

Follow our Costume List Pinterest board for more inspiration on these and other costumes we plan on creating! 

Click this makeup inspiration image to go to our Pinterest board.

Are you dressing up for a fair or festival this year? Share in the comments!

Gentle hugs,

Chels

Vote and win!

Hi, everyone! My mom and I have entered the second annual Martha Stewart Living American Made competition this year, and we could win anything from a gift basket and feature on the MSL Sirius Radio station, to the grand prize of $10,000 toward our business, Buy Me Love, and a trip to New York’s Grand Central Station for the American Made expo. There’s a week left to vote in the first round (one winner will be chosen from each category to go on to compete for the grand prize,) and you get 6 votes to spend every 24 hours.

Click to vote for us daily through September 22!

Every time you vote, you enter to win prizes from MSL, like an American Express gift card, and now you can win prizes from us, too! After you vote, head over to our blog giveaway to comment and pin to enter to win a $25.00 Etsy gift card, and an awesome handmade prize package.

 

Don’t forget to share the giveaway with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites!

Thanks for your support, friends.

Gentle hugs,

Chelsea

An awesome giveaway with a twist!

My style has always been a little off-kilter, and I love dramatic and humorous touches to an outfit. That’s one of the reasons I love Peach Plum Pear. My new friend, Leslie, is the mastermind behind pieces like the Oregon Trail necklace:

 

I can’t count how many times I died of dysentery on that game …

She also makes some really beautiful jewelry, like this Art Nouveau statement necklace:

Isn’t it lovely?

What’s that you say?

You must see more?

Well, you were probably lured in by the title of this post, so I’ll get right to it.

Head on over to Coco and Cocoa’s blog for her $40 gift card giveaway to Peach Plum Pear!

If you don’t win the giveaway, or if you just can’t wait for someone else to snag your favorite piece, do not passgo:

 

Now, for the twist. By entering and sharing the giveaway, you not only get a chance to wear one of Leslie’s unique creations, but you’ll also be contributing to a great cause. Leslie is a member of the chronic health issue club, who’s been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and other illnesses, as well as adhesions. Adhesions are really painful sheets of scar tissue that can bind nerves and other tissue, in her case, part of her digestive tract, together. Adhesions act like a glue that can cause severe pain, obstruction, and other debilitating symptoms. To learn more about them, go here. Unfortunately, the type of surgery Leslie needs to relieve her of those terrible symptoms is only available in Germany, so she’s raising money for the trip and procedure by selling her awesome jewelry. So, please pass the giveaway and shop info along, and help Leslie reach her goal – she has $19,399.00 left to go! (To donate directly to Leslie, visit her Go Fund Me page.)

Gentle hugs,

Chels

Eee!

I just had to share my excitement about our work being featured on Offbeat Bride today! Check out our beautiful and talented friend, Tiinia, her husband, Kevin, and their glorious Friday the 13th haunted house wedding:

Click on the picture to read the article and see all the pretty pictures!

If it has feathers on it (with the exception of the bride’s fan,) my mom made it. I made the bride’s bracelet and embroidered her pretty vintage handkerchief. I’m so glad we met and have become friends with them, and got to be a part of this truly unique celebration!

Gentle hugs,

Chels

Hi, my name is Chelsea, and I’m a swapaholic.

My friend Paige has been giving me clothing she doesn’t wear anymore for a while now. She realized a year or so ago that she didn’t know half of what was in her closet, and has been going on sporadic cleaning sprees ever since. We started out exactly the same size, but I’ve lost a little weight over the past year, so, as my friend Allison put it, my clothes were “falling off” of me. So, guess who got them? She did, lucky girl. Half of them I had received from Paige. It’s like the 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon, only with cuter shoes.

Along the same lines, I’ve been following Punky of Haberdash Vintage, a traveling trailer of vintage awesomeness, and also of The Swapaholics, a team of women to put together giant swaps all over the place, for years. Needless to say, I’ve been hoping, wishing, and praying for a streamline trailer and a good clothing swap to come my way. My craving has been satiated by the occasional swap with friends, and my compulsive trips to the local thrift shops (hey, it’s as close to free as you can get!) I even suggested hosting a swap to a couple of gals at church last year, but it seemed that the idea hadn’t caught fire yet, and no one was very interested.

Imagine my glee when, a few weeks ago, a friend, who I just happened to have shared my maiden name with (no relation as far as we know, but it sure was confusing for people in high school,) piped up on our small group board and suggested we hold a swap at the church! I instantly gave my two cents of yes, then offered to help with decorations and planning. She, another friend who just happens to be her sister in law, and I got together last night over Mexican food to hash out the details, and came up with a plan.

So … drum roll please … I’m proud to present to you our very first swap:

There’s a whopping $1 entry fee to cover the initial costs of supplies to host the swap, and ladies of all sizes, styles, and ages – from teen to the most seasoned fashionista – are invited. We’re hoping for a big turnout, since you don’t have to be a part of the church to participate. It’s also right around the time school will be starting again, so it’s the perfect time to find some new clothes to wear to classes, whether you’re the student or teacher. I’m so excited, and I can’t wait to see how it turns out!

If you’re in the DFW area, click on the memo to visit the Facebook event page for more info and RSVP.

Gentle hugs,

Chels