:: weekend no-show ::

I fully intended to post yesterday, but L. came by to visit, and being rather desperate for visitors (and admittedly happy to see him!), we sat out on the deck talking for three hours. By the time he left, I was too tired and the light had dimmed so I couldn’t take pictures for my blog post! I know: excuses, excuses! lol.

The weekend turned out to be quite productive... which was a pleasant surprise! Saturday, my first “weekend day off” from business work proved to be good. I got a lot of personal projects done; most importantly I started photographing and writing the tutorial for the Most Secret Project (details coming very soon!). I forgot how much longer making something and working on a tutorial in conjunction takes, but it seems to be the best way for me. Otherwise I tend to forget (like the *coughcough* polar bear pattern and tutorial... which I promise will be coming... sometime!)! I also (drumroll, please) drafted the sleeve sloper! It’s all cut out and awaiting a test run, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed. Sleeves and I have a torrid history of hating each other.

I also got some sketching done, which was very relaxing! I’ve had lots of ideas for trims and garments, and I’m finding if I don’t take the time each day to jot these down, I tend to not only forget but drawing doesn’t come as easily. I suppose I shall have to make a point of having an official “art time” each day to sketch; if nothing else to stay in practice. It’ll also mean I’ll finally get some of the drawings I’m halfway through finishing/inking done! lol.


I recently purchased and downloaded Ysolda’s pretty “Gretel” beret pattern. I just love all the cables! That is one of the things I really love to knit: cables. It may take me a couple tries if the pattern is more complicated, but I am fascinated by how such a simple variation of stitches, a cable needle and a little patience combine to make such a beautiful motif. Saturday afternoon the yarn I ordered specifically for this project came! I purchased it from an Etsy seller, woolhandcrafts, and I am so delighted with it! Not only is the color exactly what I wanted (sort of an “Azalea pink”), but the yarn is so soft. I think it will be lovely made up in Ysolda’s pattern. Mom kindly picked up the needles I needed this morning, since all the ones I have were larger than what the pattern recommends!

I just wanted to say thank you for all the encouraging comments you’ve left on my entries lately! I really, really appreciate the feedback! One thing that is becoming increasingly annoying with Blogger is that there is no function to directly reply to comments. I’ve thought about switching, but some of the other services aren’t clear about how they handle the whole “reply to comments” situation; anyone have advice?


Lastly, has anyone else been watching the hilarious and informative Etsy “holiday preparation” videos?! I have gotten so many ideas from that (which is what prompted me to make the hang tags pictured in this post!). Even if you don’t have a shop on Etsy, I highly recommend watching them for tips on how to creatively approach the holiday season.

Have a lovely evening!

cheers & creativity,
    ♥ casey [ email me ]

p.s. Susan of Sulu Design is having an earring give-away all week!! Be sure to drop on over to her blog and enter for your chance to win one of her lovely designs!

:: crash! bang! boom! yay! its friday! ::

I’m so glad its Friday, which is weird because I have neither school nor a job right now to make me glad the weekend is here! lol. I suppose it just has to do with the general optimism of the “personal” projects I hope to work on this weekend.

Today I was feeling in a bit of a “baking” mood, so I made these. They need a little work in the future (I think between my white sugar substitute and perhaps over beating the egg whites, the texture isn't the same as other meringues), but I added some of dark chocolate from my birthday stash which totally made them! A little chewy, but still yummy, which is all that matters, right? Not bad for a gal who hasn’t cooked in let’s see... months?! lol.

So you don’t think I just goofed off in the kitchen today, I spent some time this afternoon tracing off my final bodice sloper onto heavy card. It makes me so excited that I’ve finally got these! Tomorrow, being my self-declared “day off” from business work and blogging (notice the past few weeks there are never posts on Saturdays? Sneaky, sneaky...), I plan on drafting the sleeve and possibly the skirt (which is usually the easiest to draft; I’ve made loads of basic, a-line skirt slopers! I just need one to specifically match the side of this bodice). I’m so excited because now its as if the world of clothing possibilities has really opened up to me! *dances around*

Just so this post isn’t too boring, or lacking pictures (which I apologize for the appalling quality; I took them after the sun went down and my camera doesn’t do well with that!), here is a little something I’m working on:


Hmm... I wonder what it could be! You’ll have to wait until Sunday to find out what new craziness I’ve got up my sleeve! lol! Have a lovely Saturday, everyone!

cheers & creativity,
    ♥ casey [ email me ]

p.s. I discovered a very interesting blog this morning: Ullabenulla. I haven't had a chance to look through a lot, but the images and links she posts are just gorgeous and inspirational!!

:: autumn’s arrival ::

How is everyone’s Thursday going? I’ve been enjoying the newly arrived autumn weather! I’m so excited its finally here; I’ve spent the day just soaking up the brisk winds and cool air that the day has brought. In between working on some new pin designs that is! Thank you everyone who snatched up some squirrels yesterday! There are still a couple of those left and plenty of acorns waiting for new homes, in case you’re on the hunt for one...

I’ve been coveting Amy’s lovely, articulated paper dolls lately, and when she updated her shop last week I swooped in and bought two! One of them arrived today, the Halloween themed doll. Her packaging was so exquisite; I really need to think about investing in postcards and little tags for my shop! But anyway, above is the lovely doll and the goodies that came with her.

Here’s a sneak peek at what’s been keeping my hands busy today... They’ll be up in the Shoppe sometime soon!


Now off to curl up with my afternoon tea and a couple of books Mom picked up at the library for me! Have a lovely evening, all!!

cheers & creativity,
    ♥ casey [ email me ]

p.s. Sorry this entry is so short and rather boring... I'm still struggling with a bad bout of fatigue this week and thus haven't been up to much excitement!

:: sometimes there is nothing better than to be still ::

The Shoppe has been updated! More goodies to make your life (especially autumn) more whimsical and happy! So hop on over and see what new little bits and pieces are in the Elegant Musings Shoppe!


Thank you for the sweet well-wishes! I basically pushed myself far too hard Monday and Tuesday; trying to run around and take care of errands and the like. Moral of the story: I still can’t handle long periods of activity (especially when it involves shopping! Oh the deprivation I’m enduring!!). Let’s put it this way: today I feel like I can barely move (and am actually back on the sofa--where I spent 10 days of my life earlier--as I type this) because I have no energy left. I am very thankful though that at least I can still do handwork projects, because I think I would shrivel up and die if I couldn’t! lol.

I’ll be back (hopefully...) with a more exciting post this evening. Right now I think I need a nap! Have a lovely afternoon, all!

cheers & creativity,
    ♥ casey [ email me ]

p.s. Be sure to click on the photos for captions! hehe...

:: update delays ::

Just wanted to let everyone know that I decided to just do the Shoppe update tomorrow. Today just has been a really bad day with my illness, and I need to just take it easy. So tomorrow afternoon around 2pm (Eastern time) I’ll be uploading more brown acorns, squirrels and new bracelets!

Until tomorrow--hope everyone is having a lovely Tuesday!

cheers & creativity,
    ♥ casey [ email me ]

:: monday madness ::

I am so delighted that you all loved this week’s Vintage Monday image! I’ve gotten some great comments, pointing out little details and such that are unique to this era. This is what I love about the internet and blogs: everyone picks out something different. The diversity and ideas that I come across always just warms my heart immensely; I really appreciate the sense of community and fun we all seem to share.

Today has been a “catch up” day for me. Loads of emails, blogs and networking to go over. Orders to pack up for shipping tomorrow (the Post Office is going to hate me... lol!). Advertisement rates to inquire about and design for. So much to do, so little time! I was telling Mom this afternoon that working at this business, because of the multifaceted nature of a small, self-run enterprise, is like working at a full time job. Not a bad one at that either! I’m in charge of everything: from getting the word out, to staying in touch with customers, production, sales, shipping... Its amazing how many hats I have to wear at once. Yet its intensely satisfying; I love the self directed nature of being a small businesswoman.

I’ve been working like a crazy woman since yesterday to get some new designs made up and the acorn and squirrel pins restocked! I’m hoping by tomorrow to list the new acorn pins and the squirrels should be up on Wednesday. New listings will probably be up by early afternoon tomorrow.




I worked some more on the sloper on Saturday evening, cutting the entire piece out like I would if I were making a real bodice (sans the front or back opening because previous experience has told me that its tricky to pin those shut correctly!). Just a couple more notes with my red pen and its good to go! Now onto my arch-nemesis: the sleeve sloper. My mother could tell you hair-raising stories of me and sleeves. I hate them. If it weren’t for the fact that I like autumn and winter, I’d love nothing more than to live in a tropical climate where I didn’t have to wear sleeves!


My outfit for today reflects the annoyingly warm weather that is persisting! Both my mother and I have been lamenting the fact that we can’t break out our sweaters just yet. *sigh* I like summer, but autumn is needing to come now! lol.

Have a lovely evening, everyone!

cheers & creativity,
    ♥ casey [ email me ]

:: speechless ::

Wow. My blog hits have been off the charts the last two days, and I finally got to the bottom of it! Tricia Royal (of my absolutely favoritest fashion blog ever; Bits and Bobbins) featured me in her weekly roundup of Wardrobe Remix favorites! Thank you, Tricia!! If you haven’t ever visited Wardrobe Remix, you really should... I am constantly amazed and inspired by the creativity people put into their outfits. Lots of great ideas for incorporating your style and personality into your daily look. I just love that so many people are thinking outside the trend box when it comes to fashion, and Wardrobe Remix is a great gathering place for this!

[ As a side note: if you've stumbled on my blog from Tricia's site: welcome!! Feel free to just jump right in a comment away! ]


Eek! All my brown acorn badges have sold out and there is only one Squirrels in Scarves pin left!! I totally did not foresee this happening! After much thought, I decied that due to the demand I’m going to continue offering the acorns and squirrels for a short time longer. So if you missed the first run of the pins, there is still a chance to get one (or two!!); they’ll most likely be added over the new few days to my Shoppe. Thank you all so much for giving the first batches good homes!

Lastly, I just was reminded that I still haven’t announced the winner of the gift tag give-away! I’m so sorry; between flying out to California and coming home sick, it totally slipped my mind! The winner of the tags is...
Philo

Congratulations!! I’ll be contacting you shortly for all the pertinent mailing information and such. I hope you’ll enjoy them! And, I am in the midst of cooking up ideas for a autumn give-away, so stay tuned...


Last week was an awesome mail-week for me! I not only got both the Toast catalogs I ordered (ohmygosh!! so much inspiration!!), but the auction catalog for the Tasha Tudor Heritage Collection. Talk about drop-dead-gorgeous. Its not cheap, but I am so glad Mom and I decided to pitch in and buy it because it is just that yummy! Loads of 1800-1830’s garments (women and men), with a few 18th century to later 19th century pieces. But my favorite part of the catalog has to be the end papers (pictured above). I just adore early 19th century printed cottons. Gorgeous!

Hope you all have had a lovely weekend and I’ll be back tomorrow with the Vintage Monday feature!!

cheers & creativity,
    ♥ casey [ email me ]

:: little miss artsy ::

Thank you all for dropping by the Shoppe yesterday and snatched some of the squirrel and acorn pins up! There are still a few left, so if you had your eye on one, now is the time! I’ll be packaging and shipping the pins and sending them to their new homes Monday. Thank you so much for your support--it means a lot to me!




Lately I’ve been in a sketching mood. Actually, its more of a drawing/illustrative mood. I haven’t felt this overwhelming of a need to draw in so long; probably over a year. Its very therapeutic right now; just being able to sit quietly (or not-so-quietly since I usually have CurrentTV in the background...) and just engage with the paper and pencil. It reintroduces my love of research illustration styles and fashion; I’ve been pulling out many of my 19th century fashion plates looking over the designs, taking in details and trying to replicate the feel of these beautiful prints. I’m trying to challenge my idea of “drawing on a blank piece of paper” by using a thrifted, vintage ledger book with printed lines to sketch in. Its fun and exciting and frustrating all at once (like any creative process, isn’t it?!).


The sun is shining this afternoon, which is making me want to seize the day and get some work on that sloper done! I’m off to go confront my sloper fears and make an attempt! Wish me luck...

Have a lovely Thursday!!

cheers & creativity,
    ♥ casey [ email me ]

p.s. You know, I really love the internet and how it brings all kinds of people together and connects them! I was going through the stats for my blog the other day, seeing where recent traffic had come from, and found The Happy Cavalier blog. Its a beautiful, inspiring collection of design, art and culture--have a look!

:: shoppe updates & the daily grind ::

The Elegant Musings Shoppe has been updated! Lots of new goodies: acorn and squirrel pins, and three paper-covered bracelets (just in time for the holiday gift-giving season!). Everything is either one-of-a-kind or in limited quantities, so if you’ve got your eye on something be sure to snatch it up! As a side note: be sure to check out the sale section; I have a bunch of vintage clothing and patterns on sale right now!


Whew! I forgot how much work it is just to get the listings internet ready... I obviously didn’t have all my ducks in a row this morning. lol. I blame it on the weather; it got warmish again all of the sudden, which is putting me out of sorts because its October for goodness sake! I really want cool weather so I can break out all my sweaters and tights. I’m missing them terribly!

Alas, I’ve been so tied up in the computer today (I decided to retake several pictures at the last moment... silly me!), I haven’t gotten much creative work done. Unless you call this being creative:


*giggle* Have a lovely Wednesday, all! I shall return (hopefully in better spirits) tomorrow!

cheers & creativity,
    ♥ casey [ email me ]

:: we put our feet just where they had, had to go ::

Thank you all so much for your sweet comments yesterday about my “studio” and my outfit! They really brightened up my day!

I have been obsessing over Beirut the last few days; I’ve even managed to get my indie-critical sister hooked on their music. In the process, I discovered another, amazing ensemble: A Hawk and a Hacksaw. Seriously, go give them a listen: their music reminds me of Eastern European gypsy music, 1920s silent films, and 19th century side shows (all tied up in one package... perfect!). If you love Everything is Illuminated or Amelie, you’ll probably like A Hawk and a Hacksaw. I know it’s been garnering a lot of great ideas and creativity for me just by listening--love that!


Saturday Mom brought home a large canning jar full of old buttons she had purchased at a home decor/antique store. She had planned to use it in some decorating scheme she’s got going. Being the button *ahem* fanatic that I am, I immediately told asked if she expected me not to swipe those at some point? And then proceeded to offer her five dollars more than what she paid in order to get my hands on them (she got a good price, and I know how much large button lots are going for on Ebay these days... talk about highway robbery!). Instead she offered to just let me go through them and pick out which ones I wanted! (Such a good mother!! Thanks, Mom!) So I got a nice little stash of “new” vintage buttons to add to my (now completely full) jar. I need to start organizing these babies because they are earmarked for use with garments I’m designing, and I hate having to dump them all out and dig. lol.


Today I’ve steadily been working on the Little Red Schoolhouse muslin. In many ways I think this is going to be a cute design... once I get some of the bugs ironed out! Some projects fall together effortlessly (like my Farmer’s Daughter dress) and others--like this one--take a little more fiddling and attention. Still, it is impressing upon me why I’ll be directing my attention to this book later this week:


Having a sloper in at least one size will make my life loads easier right now. Slicing and dicing a sloper is easier than draping each new design (which is what I do at the moment; time consuming but fun!). I just need to finish reading through this section and all the steps, take some measurements and I’m set to go. Here’s hoping it’ll work... *fingers crossed*

I’m off to spend the afternoon with my mother wiling away the hours in a local bakery that she recently discovered! This is my first real “outing” since I got ill a month ago, and thankfully I feel like my energy levels might just be up for this. Or at the very least the lure of coffee and pastries is making me feel more energized! lol. Have a lovely Tuesday, all!

cheers & creativity,
    ♥ casey [ email me ]

p.s. Jessica of the Shiny Squirrel blog (one of my perennial favorites!) has just launched her online Shiny Squirrel shop! Jessica has awesome taste and is representing a lot of very talented artisans. Go check it out!

:: slowly I began to dig myself out... ::

Goodness, I honestly did not think it was going to take this much effort to get my room sewing-ready! But you know how it is: just “straightening up” suddenly becomes cleaning out every nook and cranny, and then you decide to go through your closet and purge, and the reorganize everything (craft/sewing supplies, antique photographs, your purse collection that is threatening to take over your closet...).


Now that's better! Speaking of sewing, now that my sewing nook is nice and tidy (for now...), I am planning on spending the evening working on the muslin mock up of the Little Red Schoolhouse Blouse. Also earmarked as a project for this week is to finally make a bodice and sleeve sloper. I drafted those ages ago, and then promptly misplaced the back bodice piece. I’m determined to make a new set and then grade them up a couple size increments for basic garment sizes. I’m keeping my fingers crossed with this process--drafting and I have been known not to play well together (I much prefer draping, and tend to use that as a starting point for all my designs). The book I’m using as a guide for the drafting process uses a half drafting/half draping approach, which will hopefully suit me much better. And did I mention the book is from the mid 1960’s so it has lots of pretty dress sketches? Mmmm...


[ after a long afternoon's work!* ]
Oh, and interested in another sneak peek of what’s to come in the Shoppe update on Wednesday? How ‘bout some Curious Acorns?


And there is much more in progress... lots of ideas are floating about in my head right now!! Hope everyone is having a lovely Monday!!

cheers & creativity,
    ♥ casey [ email me ]

p.s. You’ve probably heard from the zillion other blogs that have written about it, but one of my favorite blogs, Poppytalk has opened up Poppytalk Handmade featuring various artists. There are some amazing goods for sale over there--just in time for holiday shopping season! Some personal favorites: lush bella, charm foundry, and donovan beeson.

*I just realized that my pose/outfit look startlingly similar to Miss Emily's cute oufits! Eeek! Quite inadvertent, I assure you! lol.

:: mail goodies ::

Look what goodies came in the mail yesterday afternoon?!


Earrings I purchased from the lovely Susan of Sulu Design! Longtime readers will know I’ve linked to several pairs of Susan’s work in the past, and was so happy that I finally was able to buy a pair of my own Sulu Design earrings! This pair caught my eye as the perfect accompaniment to my autumn outfits, and it’ll just happen to go very well with a wild and abstract Anthropologie sweater I bought last year... If you’re looking for some unique and extremely well-crafted earrings, be sure to check out Susan’s work.

I'm feeling a bit fatigued today, but I have been slowly working on a new pattern for a garment design. I'll share the details with you tomorrow!

cheers & creativity,
    ♥ casey [ email me ]

:: and when she was ill... ::

You know the poem that goes like this?

There was a little girl
Who had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead;
And when she was good
She was very, very good,
But when she was bad she was horrid.

Replace the words “good” with well, and “bad” with ill, and that is pretty much my life. After being dragged, half-awake, stumbling and feverish by my mother to the doctor’s for bloodwork (because 48 hours after going on the antibiotic I was not showing any improvement), we found out that I have mononucleosis. Now its not the most life-altering illness in the long-term sense, but it certainly has thrown me for a bit of a loop!

I’m at least not competing with the cats for Who Sleeps the Most Hours in a Day Award™, the sore throat is abating, but the fatigue has me keeping close to home (and the sofa). The doctor says I’m to baby myself, get some rest and whatnot, because if I don’t this could last for longer than the usual 1-3 months (and we don’t want that!). So I’m having to drop out of school for the semester (per the Doctor’s recommendation), and take a chill pill. *sigh* I can tell in about two weeks this is going to drive me utterly nuts, but alas, a small price to pay for good health!

No shopping, no exercising (especially right now with the increased risk of accidentally bursting my spleen... ick!), no quick visits to the local library (especially since my immune system is shot to pieces, and there are lots of little ones with germies running around there!), no running out to Starbucks or my favorite thrift shop on a lark. I have to reteach myself to find things to occupy my days at home. At least I’ve got my business to work on (and goodness knows that needs tidying!), and the boxes of vintage clothes are looking very promising from a cursory glance-through. Plus there are always the hundred and one projects that I can work on while sitting down. But its very frustrating because I get tired at even the littlest tasks; taking a shower suddenly means I have to take a nap afterward. Even crafting is a bit of a stretch for me; I tried working on some of my decopauged bracelets the other day and it took twice as long to get one done because I had to keep taking rests! This illness certainly does not agree with my “go,go,go” personality, but alas, what is one to do?!

The road to recovery is going to be a tough, frustrating one. There is no guarantee that I’ll be magically better by the holidays, or even by the time next semester starts in the winter. But I’m trying to look at it from the perspective that God has granted me a huge chunk of time in which I have no real obligations or things I must do. Its causing me to stop, look, listen and contemplate--things I haven’t had “time” for in the past year. In a way, this is a blessing.

Thank you all for your kind concern the past few days... it really means a lot to me right now because I feel so isolated and “stuck”. You all are such sweethearts!! *hugs all round*

cheers & creativity,
    ♥ casey [ email me ]

p.s. I've been chipping away (even so slowly!) at some projects and such... stay tuned for pictures and details!

:: note from the sick one ::

This is just a quick note to apologize for lack of posts! I'm back in Virgnia, but about halfway through my time in California I came down with a really nasty bug and I've been battling a high fever, dehydration, sore throat, etc. I'm on antibiotics right now, but its only been two days since I started on those, so I'm still not even feeling remotely human yet. Basically, ever since I got home from the airport (and it was only my great boyfriend who got my through the ordeal of being sick and flying!!), I've been sleeping.

Once I feel better I do have lots to catch up with y'all on; including boxes of vintage clothes my grandfather gave me (he used to be an antiques dealer). Hope everyone is doing well and hopefully I'll be feeling like my old self sometime soon.

cheers & creativity,
    ♥ casey [ email me ]

:: inspiration [ week six ] ::

♥ inspiration [ week six ] ♥
♥ beautiful, handprinted wallpapers (via)
♥ lyell’s gorgeous autumn collection
♥ the funky “obsessive consumption” blog
♥ beautiful and inspiring scenes, places & people
♥ immersed in reading about klimt & his works


I was quite surprise and delighted by the response to that little peak at the Farmer’s Daughter dress that I posted yesterday evening!! I’m so glad you all like the design idea! As I mentioned in my previous post, it needs a bit of tweaking here and there, but overall I’m quite happy with the easy-wear, cute vibe its got going. Here are the promised full length pictures:


I love the shade of “pea soup green” that the knit is. Its a color I’ve fallen in love with--and is quite a departure from my usual pink, black and red color choices. I bought a BCBG top last autumn in this exact shade, and have managed to add several more pieces in similar hues since then...


I’m contemplating making up one or two (possibly in different sizes--time to dust off my pattern grading skills!!) and putting them up for sale in the shop, or possibly finding a local consignment venue. I’ve been told time and time again, since I interned with a pattern designer/custom dressmaker years ago that I really need to try selling my designs (even my boyfriend has jumped on the bandwagon of haranguing me to sell my stuff!). I suppose the root of my procrastination is the fear that people are just being nice, and that they won’t really buy anything I make. Ho-hum. I suppose there is only one way to find out... but yet it is intimidating!! Perhaps after reading through Craft Inc. I’ll change my tune. (Said tome is earmarked for pursuing on the flight... after my homework reading is tucked away!)


So have a lovely weekend, everyone & don’t forget the shoppe special going on this weekend! Oh, and I promise I’ll announce the gift tag give-away winner this weekend as well!

cheers & creativity,
    ♥ casey [ email me ]

:: feelin' green + shoppe special! ::

Dear readers, I think I must be certifiably insane. What normal, level-headed person would take on a new sewing project just days before she’s set to fly across the country? With visions of taking that new frock with her, no less?

Yep, I “wasted” a couple of hours (I’m sure I could have used to some other, more practical task) sewing late yesterday evening and this morning. Like most first trials of a design, it needs a couple tweaks, but overall I’m pretty happy with it! Its got that 1960s a-line shift thing going on, with a little bit of whimsy with the lace. Just what I was looking for. I made it sleeveless because a.) its still hot outside (and I am headed for southern California, anyway...), and b.) it can be layered over a leotard/tight top during the cooler months (or better yet, paired with a cute cardigan!). Sorry that the only picture I have is just the bodice; I’ll post a full length shot tomorrow when I’ve got a little better light!

As this weekend is Labor Day here in the US, I’m offering a special good Friday (8/31) through Monday (8/3). All US shipping is FREE and international shipping is half price! Just put the code “LBRDYSHPSPCL” in the “comments” section during the Etsy checkout, and don’t pay until I’ve sent you the new invoice. So, this is your chance to scoop up anything you’ve been eyeing in the shoppe and not pay shipping!

cheers & creativity,
    ♥ casey [ email me ]

:: new days & hurried thoughts ::

Whew! This week has been a blur of frenzied activity; getting ready for my trip this weekend, figuring out how to juggle school, buying school supplies... Generally running around like a very harried Casey!


However, amidst this, I managed to eke out some time this morning to work on a project I’ve been dying to do for several weeks. I bought some lovely pea-green knit material a couple weeks ago, and have been concocting up a plan for making a cute frock. Yesterday evening I draped the bodice pattern (because flat pattern drafting + bodices + Casey = lots of frustration. So I drape everything instead to save what little sanity I’ve got left! lol). This morning I refined the pattern on paper, and used Jenny’s amazing Peter Pan Collar tutorial to draft a collar (‘cause every girl needs a little twee in her wardrobe!). I cut it out this afternoon, but I doubt I’ll have time to start sewing before I go away; if nothing else I’ve got a zillion things to do (like, um, start to pack!). lol. How come I always end up biting off more than I can chew every August?!


I updated the shoppe this evening with some lovely vintage pieces, a adorable children’s pj pattern, the collage journal I shared last week, and a new bracelet. Fun!! So go check ‘em out and get ‘em while they’re hot! lol.

cheers & creativity,
    ♥ casey [ email me ]

:: on a summer’s day ::

(My apologies that I don’t have anything other than photos for this post... this week is turning out to be a tight squeeze time-wise; I’ll have a “real” post hopefully tomorrow...)

my business is finally “official”...


an Alice moment...


prepping for my photography class...


a gift from my sweetheart.

cheers & creativity,
    ♥ casey [ email me ]

:: end of summer & a giveaway! ::

Time for another Elegant Musings giveaway! After wracking my brain as to what to do for a giveaway, especially after the wildly popular vintage paper packets drawing, I decided to have a drawing for a small set of handmade tags! I make these to use with my vintage jewelry sold in the shoppe, and thought that they’d make great gift tags (or whatever!) as well.

If you’d like to be entered for a chance to win a set of six handmade gift tags, featuring vintage papers and ribbon embellishments, please leave a comment in this post with your name (or screen name if you prefer). I’ll do a drawing of one name August 27th, and will post the winner’s name here. They will have 48 hours to email me and let me know their contact information and I’ll drop the package in the mail! So, comment away and good luck!


Tomorrow is when my summer officially ends. The school year promises to start off right though, with my printmaking class being the first!! I’m so excited because its with my favorite teacher and is a class that I’ve been dying to take for over a year. This is the first semester I haven’t run out a week before and loaded up on gobs of back to school supplies, mostly because I don’t feel the need to (after four semesters at college, it just isn’t that big of a deal!). But I do need a notebook to keep random notes in; usually a plain, spiral-bound notebook suffices. This year though, I bought a classic composition book (for $0.25!) and am decoupaging all kinds of vintage paper, words and images on the cover to make it more “me”.

*sigh* The end of summer is always so bittersweet... Anyone else heading back to the hallways of learning soon??

cheers & creativity,
    ♥ casey [ email me ]