Thanksgiving is here and Christmas gift progress!

Hi everyone!
I know all of you are probably not blogging today or reading blogs, but its been a lazy morning for me besides getting some christmas gifts finished for friends. We have not even started baking or cooking our dinner, but the turkey is in the oven. Now to get to those pies, casseroles, and setting the table while listening to christmas music. I always look forward to thanksgiving I believe even more than christmas sometimes. Here is tutorial I used to do christmas gifts this morning with my tea cups I thrifted a while ago.

My sewing box, that a friend made for me last year. I love it! Its so handy to put all my needles, thread, and sizzors inside of!

The traditional tea cup pin cushion

 The gravy boat pin cushion, its not too big I don't believe. I love the way this photo turned out! And I don't do great pictures, our camera is awesome!

                                                                 The retro pin cushion

                                                            The whole clan all together

 What do I do to stay sane while I study for US History 1 clep exam I do my scarves while reading. I also started besides my civil war sontag above in lavendar a scarf for a friend out of this crazy yarn below. Its a lot prettier in real life of course! :) I also finished The Children of Cloverly, which is a great little story from the Lamplighter company. I would highly recommend it! all their stories are to inspire to be more and more as our Savior is! I was encouraged and loved reading it while knitting. I am in love with knitting now that I can actually do it thanks to God Almightly alone for helping me to get it! :)

I also read The Power and Freedom of Forgiveness last night by John MacArthur. I am still in awe of the Lord because He forgives us and died for us when we don't deserve anything! We are so sinful, yet He loves us even more than we could imagine! Have a happy day today and may you all realize and be in awe once again of God's gifts to us and especially the blessing of His Son who died to save us from our sins! God bless!

Rebecca

New skirt and how to wear civil war boots today

Hi everyone!

I thought I would post a new favorite outfit of mine since I did not get to post my outfits I wore during Week in feminine dress. Today I wore a favorite sweater of mine that my sister gave me a few years ago. A long sleeve purple shirt that was free. A necklace I borrow a lot from my mother. And a skirt I made recently with my new janome sewing machine and some denim from the walmart in West VA.

 

 I also wore some teal tights I got for only $1.00 on our recent trip to west VA. I love the color! They are loud, but fun to wear. The socks with lace are from my mother from last years christmas and they are from the victorian trading company. I had wanted them for a long time and I wear them weekly in these cold winter months.

 So I had how to wear civil war boots, well I never thought I would wear my robert land civil war boots without a civil war dress and all, but I believe they are cute and add a nice old fashioned flair. So I wore them with my lace socks and stockings and I thought they were cute. My sister thought I was crazy and my mom loved it. :)

So my whole outfit only cost me $11.00! :) That was for the tights and $10.00 or so for the denim fabric for my skirt. The boots were a gift from my parents for my birthday 2 years ago when we started living history, the socks were also a gift for christmas from my parents, and the shirt was free, and the sweater was also free. I also borrowed the necklace. So my whole outfit was pretty cheap. I love being thrifty.

have a wonderful rest of your Wednesday! I have already been singing and playing christmas music, studying the american revolution, french and indian war, and the great awakening for about 3 hours today. Thats the longest I have studied for a long time. I am going to go and read The Patriots History of the United States and The Power of Forgiveness by McArthur and enjoy the rest of the evening with my family.

Tea really helps when you are studying :)

In Christ,
Rebecca

Christmas, winter, and sewing

Hey everyone!

We we are back home to good old virginy safe and sound as of an hour ago. We found some wonderful antiques and vintage things in West VA and I wanted to share what I found with you all. Besides fabric and awesome aqua tights at walmart along with some comfy new black comfy pj pants, I found some lovely tea cups to use for gifts for christmas. I am going to make some things for my dear friends who sew out of these beauties. They cost me a grand total of only $6.00 for all 4 tea cups. Get this at one thrift store one of them was $1.00, one was 50 cents and one was 25 cents. Then at another thrift store another one was $4.00 and I could not pass it up as it was my friends personality all over! So it was money well spent and I have all the supplies to finish the craft/sewing project already. Can you guess what I am sewing up with these tea cups?! Well I will not tell as some of my friends may guess and then know what I am giving them. :)

 The two above are so different, but so beautiful! I love the big floral and the simple little floral.

 I love the antique style of the tea cup and gravy boat. I thought I could still use the gravy boat for this project as it was so beautiful and not too big at all.

 Last night I had the urge while listening to Josh Grobans christmas CD called Noel to cut some paper snow flakes. At my church I am planning to makes with some children from our church as well as children from Prison fellowship families who we are having a christmas party for in December. Its a great ministry and if you have not heard of prison fellowship!

 I thought it gave a wintry look to my room and made me more in the christmasy mood even though its not thanksgiving quite yet. I am content with it raining leaves all day instead of snow. :)

 I have been playing christmas music off and on for 2 weeks now and this past weekend it was so fun to sing christmas carols with a friend of mine. She took this picture above of me playing while we sang together.

 I had the inspiration from some friends this past weekend to sew ribbon onto my civil war corset as well and now it dawns some red ribbon to make it a little more fun. My dear sister Bethany Lynn made this corset for me. I love it and no they are not uncomfortable and they are not torture devices. They are much better than the modern undergarments of today I believe actually! So much more comfortable to wear and supportive. They are much warmer too for these cold months. I wear mine under a sweater all the time at home.

I used polyester ribbon and yes my fellow living historians and reenactors I was farby doing this, but I did not want to choke up the money for ribbons that were silk at the moment and I will be changing them out for accurate ones in the future. No I do not want to be farby, but since this was just fun for me and no one will see it at events I did it. I would never ever use anything polyester for anything else on my period clothing. I will never use things such as this on my dresses or other undergarments. This was just a fun thing that will probably never be seen and will be changed in a few months I predict. :)

Well have a lovely day and I will be posting again hopefully by the end of the weekend pictures of my every day outfits as well as about the reeactment we are doing on saturday.

God bless and In Christ,
Rebecca

Sewing projects, reading, crafting

Hi everyone! Its been a while since I have posted. But I am still here! :) Doesn't every blogger say that once in a while I am still alive.

Well I have been sewing and pondering christmas gifts as well as a wool coat for myself out of this pattern. I love the light blue one on the bottom left. That is the one I have been sewing up with my sister and a friends help with fitting and morfing the pattern into something I loved and fit me. I will be posting pictures as soon as I finish it. I am sewing it up out of some soft and warm charcoal grey wool with some vintage 1930's red floral as the lining I got in PA a few years back. Don't you love it when you can use fabrics out of your stash. I sure do! But it seems to never get smaller. :)

I have also been pondering this evening crafts as well as sewing projects to do for christmas gifts for my friends and family. I have found many cute and beautiful ideas for all of them! I loved these two sites, mmmcrafts blog  and sew mama sew holiday gift ideas. They both always have lots of inspiration for me for gifts!

Well I am off to read a little treasure I found at the thrift store a few years back and its called The Plymouth Adventure, its from the perspective of John Alden who married Priscilla on the Mayflower and also how William Bradford leads the seperatists and other english settlers to North America and they establish the Plymouth colony. Colonial history fascinates me and its been so much to read about it in depth for my american history 1 clep, which I am taking in december. I also loved reading more about it since we have been doing colonial living history now.

Tomorrow we are heading up to west VA to get some organic free range meat from a friend who has his own cattle and stop by the big thrift store in west VA and stop by some friends homes. I am excited as well as glad to do my knitting as well as study and read in the car on the way up.

Have a lovely evening! I also did finish the week in feminine dress with a bang. I wore my 1930's cloche hat on sunday and it was funny getting so many compliments from men and women in my church. Hats are not worn a lot anymore and they liked my vintage look. I have been wearing skirts and dresses as usual, but we had company from thursday till yesterday, so pictures did not get taken. Later in the week I hope to take some of my outfits for each day to make up for it Lord willing. Hopefully pictures of my finished coat and on saturday we have another civil war reenactment. I put some new trim on my civil war coat as well. So pictures of that coming soon.

I will leave you with these words.

" Why are afraid of being persecuted for being zealous for what is good? Even if you are persecuted for righteousness sake you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts regard the Lord as holy, always being ready to give a defense for the hope that is in you; yet do it with respect and gentleness, with a good conscience, so that when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. For it is good to suffer for doing good if it be Gods will, than for doing what is evil." - 1 Peter 3:13-17

I have been pondering these verses as I am challenged to share the hope that is in me with good words and actions.

In Christ,
Rebecca

WIFD Day 3

Hi everyone!

Today is the 3rd of week in feminine dress over at the Sense and Sensibility forum. I love Jennie Chancey's patterns and today I am wearing her edwardian apron, which I made fom her pattern 3 summers ago. Yes I do not buy new clothing for these weeks when I post pictures of my outfits. I have also had this blouse for two years from the thrift store. I love ice blue! Can you tell? I wore another ice blue top yesterday. Its my favorite color! :)

 I am also wearing a skirt made out of cotten flannel I made 2 years ago. I am always wearing this skirt all winter and fall, because its so nice and warm because its flannel.
                                              
 The pattern I used for the skirt is the folkwear 1910 skirt pattern, which I highly recommend. Folkwear pattern company has a website you can google it. They specialize in patterns that are of past eras of clothing. Another great site as well as Sense and Sensibility for patterns that are of historical clothing styles. I love edwardian can you tell? Thats my theme for today as well as my hair up in a bun as I have not washed it since saturday. :)

Bethany my sister the photographer thought you just had to see the back of my outfit. I guess its pretty to see all the layers and the gathers in my skirt. :) I also borrowed my necklace from my mother. :) She did not mind. I have been playing with children this morning ages 3 and 4 as well as a baby. My pastors wife came over to see some crafts my family is selling for the christmas season. It was fun playing with them. I also had to do some pretty dirty chores, hence the apron.

Have a lovely rest of your tuesday and I pray that you all are blessed by this blog post about feminine dress. You can be beautiful, modest, and still wear pretty cloths that are not expensive and be put together. ;) You don't have to do todays fashions,but I believe one should still be modern enough to relate to others who may not wear feminine styles.

In Christ,
Rebecca

WIFD Day 2

Hey everyone!

Here is my outfit for today. I wish I had gotten pictures outside. But I forgot to get a picture until now when I am tired and its so dark outside already. I finished a denim skirt with the same simplicity pattern I used for my other new black skirt. I really like the style and its a lot more modern and I love the knee length as I usually wear longer skirts. I had been wanting some shorter, but still modest options.

 The sweater I got for free, its a hand me down. I love it as its warm and bright and cheery.

 Closer up picture of the box pleat in the front on the skirt.

The light blue top I remember getting at walmart years ago. I wear it often and the t-shirt underneath is from kohls I believe. I don't remember prices. My black flats I got thrifted for $4.00.

Have a lovely evening and restful night!

In Christ,
Rebecca

Day 1 of WIFD and Suprise!!!!!!!!!

Hey ladies!!!

I am a very happy daughter and seamstress in the making right now because I get to introduce you to my new sewing machine!!! Yes I have a new sewing machine, curtousy of my father who is gifting me this sewing machine as an early christmas gift. I have a lot of sewing projects coming up and in the making and I paid for half of the machine. Its not the thread banger that I wanted, but its a Janome and its the Magnolia, which is pretty much the same as the thread banger. It just does not have the same ammount of stitches. I am so happy and I have almost finished two sewing projects this weekend I will plan to share with you all soon. Its lovely and I could not be happier! What a blessing from the Lord to have my own sewing machine.

 For all of you who do not know WIFD stands for a week in feminine dress. Jennie Chancey over at Sense and Sensibility patterns hosts this at here online forum. Her website is in my side bar. I wear dresses/skirts on a daily basis and I have been for 3 years now, but I still love to share my outfits to encourage others in feminine clothing. Although I do wear pants sometimes when needed, I still try to be feminine and set apart as a woman of the Lord in whatever I am wearing.

You can see my outfit better in this last photo. Its the skirt I made this past week I already posted about along with my favorite purple top that was only $5.00 at Ross last year. Its the same top I am wearing in my profile picture and wore for my graduation pictures. I paired this top with a long sleeve white shirt for warmth since its so much colder today and I was ready for church. I also was helping in the nursery at church after discipleship hour, so I needed to be warm, but not too warm. So ballet flats were in order, not boots.

It was fun chasing 3 year olds around and bouncing babies on my hip. With no younger siblings church is really the only time I get to be with children, unless we visit to bring meals to all the families at church or just go to visit. Which is probably only every other month. So yeah I was happy! :)

have a lovely monday tomorrow and renewing Sabbath!

In Christ,
Rebecca

Finished sewing project- Black skirt

Hey everyone!
I have been wanting to see modern clothing for some time now! Its been so much sewing of the 1860's and 1770's that I have not had time for modern cloths until now November. So I made a black skirt as that is one thing my wardrobe has been lacking as of late. I have had the fabric and pattern for a while, about 2 years! hehe So I finished it last week and its been all over town and been through many days. I love it!

 The skirt was so simple, it has a box pleat in the front and a side zipper and walla!!! Its done in about 3 hours. :) My type of sewing project! Not too much time spent and the results are so practical and feminine. I used the Simplicity pattern 2758. A great pattern for 3 types of skirts and 2 great blouses too.

 Oh and that bag may seem familiar to those of you who read Bramblewood fashion! I love Ashley and Gabrielle's posts about modest and feminine fashion. I entered their give away to win this lovely purse and I won! It came in the mail last week and I love it! Thank you Ashley for sewing it up! I love the lace and beautiful inside fabric. The dark denim makes this bag so versitale I don't have to worry about switching purses as I usually do to match an outfit better.

Thank you for the bag and I am loving it! It fits books, my Bible, journal, our new big camera, and lots of other things! a practical and feminine bag. My sister even asked if she could have it! She loved it so much. I believe she will be borrowing it in the future. :)

Oh and my jacket was only $2.00 at the thrift store up in west VA where my adopted grandparents live! I love lavendar and now I have an item of that hue in my wardrobe. :) Have a lovely saturday and renewing Sabbath!

In Christ,
Rebecca

Feminine Friday

Hey everyone!

So in case you were wondering, no I did not wear my 1830's gown from Sarah all day today. I wore the outfit below for most of the day. I love fall colors, even though I am a winter in the colors that are best on me. So I still wear browns and reds that are not the right colors. :) I love tartens and I found the skirt below at the thrift store, but it was too big in the waist and too long in the hem. So it was a quick fix to redo the elastic waist band and hem the skirt higher. I love it and its wool! So its quite warm and was only $5.00 I believe. Can't remember exactly. My red sweater was also a thrift store find and no mending was needed for $5.00. My brown top was from target for $10.00. So my outfit was pretty much not that costly, since I wear all these things with other things in my wardrobe anyway. Oh and the shoes were $4.00 at the thrift store as well. I love brown shoes!

I am also wearing cotten green socks/ stocking in civil war terms that I wear for civil war living history and colonial, but I also wear them for modern wear as well since they are so warm! I love them.

I love fall and I am loving where the Lord has me at this time in life. I just passed my first clep exam yesterday for my college studies through collegeplus! I am so glad that is over with! It was the analyzing and interpruting literature exam. It was hard for me as I do not love the types of poetry and drama you have to read. All of its romance, or modern, or just plain depressing. But the Lord is good giving us His Word that is not depressing! Its living and activie and beautiful! I am so grateful for His beautiful dramas and poetry to us that is living!

In Christ,
Rebecca

My favorite era from a friend!

Hey everyone!

Recently I bought a dress from a blog friend who also has a lovely blog, Sarah Jane. If you love everything feminine and old fashioned or anything that is lovely head over to her blog to see her amazing sewing skills as work. The dress I bought from her is an 1830's reproduction made by her and it fits me. So without further or do the gown below on myself. I did my hair in a molly hair style as I have posted about before. Wives and Daughters is a movie set in the 1830's, so if you love puff sleeves as I do watch that movie! Or even read the novel by Elizabeth Gaskel.

 Now all these photos were done by my dear sister Bethany Lynn with our new Nikon camera! Amazing! So much better than our little sony that was lost.

 She did the one above as an experiment and we quite liked the result. :)

 In case anyone is wondering, no I did not sew up new undergarments that are reproductions for 1830s to wear underneath this 1830's gown. I am wearing my 1860's corset made by my sister, chemise made by my sister, and 4 petticoats that I made.  Yes I also realize that pearls were only owned by the wealthy! But I had them and I love these canadian real pearls my mother gave me.

 I love the fall weather, because its perfect for fall pictures. I am just so tickled pink that Sarah's gown fits me perfectly! Thank you Sarah for your wonderful handy work and I will wear it once I find a place to wear it to! Probably we will have a historical tea at our house for all of our friends to come dressed up to in any era. Then I would wear it. Although I am tempted to wear it to a ball or another historical dance sometime in the future.

God bless everyone and have a lovely day! I am writing this to you all still in the dress. Its nice and toasty with my black shawl. :)

In Christ,
Rebecca

October and November Reading

hey all!

I have been doing a lot of reading as well as studying for clep exams. I have set of reading goals for each month until January to keep myself on track and always learning things other than my college studies. Right now I am reading the Children of Cloverly from the lamplighter book company! It is so encouraging and lovely little story. I am reading poems by Stockton, The Utmost for His Highest, The Power and Freedom of Forgiveness by MacArthur, Verses of Virture by Belle Philips, and lastly Pierced by the Word by John Piper. I am loving reading more often! During my school years in homeschool, I got to read a lot, but not as many books I chose, mostly books from my curriculumn, so its a treat to make a reading schedule for myself. :)

 I finished in the month of October, Already Gone by ken Ham, I highly, highly recommend this book! Its a must read for anyone who is apart of the universal church. I also read Family Reformation by Scott Brown, it was also amazing to read quotes by John Calvin and see where I agreed with him in regards to family reformation and where I defer in beliefs. I believe all the teachings and quotes were encouraging in this book, but one area I defer is child baptism. I believe in believers baptism where you are baptised after you have made a confession of faith in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. So I believe we should not baptise children who can not make that decision or be convicted by the Lord as a infant.

And of course I am always reading the Word of the Lord. In October I finished the book of Deuteronomy and the book of Isaiah. Both books I had already read before, but I found a lot of new passages I want to memorize and really ponder through with the Lord after reading them again. The Bible can never be fully comprehended I believe! I am always learning something new or being challenged about something I had not read or thought about before from the Scriptures. Praise God for His Holy Spirit that can guide us in reading the Word of the Lord.

what have you been reading lately? Any particular favorite reads or convicting books?

In Christ,
Rebecca

Feminine Monday

Hey everyone!

I wanted to share with you a favorite outfit of mine I wore yesterday and today. A white blouse with my favorite wool plum sweater and favorite jean skirt and black shoes.

All of these items were thrifted or given to me. The sweater was $7.00 thrifted, the skirt was $7.00 thrifted, the blouse was free from my sisters closet, and the black shoes were $4.00 thrifted. That a grand total of only $18.00 and I have used these items over and over again! The jean skirt goes with so many of my things in my closet as does the sweater, shoes, and blouse.

 Yeah you can see my desk with my earl grey tea, computer, and water. I have been studying for my first clep exam all morning. Lord willing I will  get it done by the end of the week at the local university. Its the Analyzing and interpruting literature clep. Never thought I would have to know what a bathos or a simile or a syntax and the like ment. But now poetry, prose, and dramas are in my head! :)

I have found as others ladies I know agree that when you dress in a feminine and beautiful manner you are more likely to be motivated to get things accomplished. Maybe its just me, but when I put on a feminine outfit I am ready for the day and reading to tackle tasks that need to get done. I love cleaning when I am in a 1950's shirt dress or a skirt and blouse, I do not always wear extremely fancy or over the top outfits, but I want to dress in a way that is modest, makes me feel beautiful, and pleases my Heavenly and earthly father. I want my reputation to be good in others eyes, our clothing says a lot about our inner person. It says who we are. So if you are dressing in an immodest manner that may say there is something that needs to be dealt with on the inside. I know for me the inside of my heart had to be dealt with before I could see that my outer appearance needed to be dealt with in regards to modesty and femininity too. So pray about it to the Lord. He always answers!

In Christ,

Rebecca