On Why I Love a Rainy Day

I love rainy days for all sorts of reasons.

If you don’t have to go out, they are great for curling up with a book and getting lost in another world accompanied by the pitter-pattering outside the window. Or for watching that movie (or two) you’ve been meaning to watch, but hadn’t had the time for.

If you absolutely adore rain coats, it’s nice to have an opportunity to wear them while it’s actually raining, as opposed to just wearing them with the excuse of because it just looks like it might. Umbrellas are also marvelous whether for keeping the rain off or for twirling about with (like Gene Kelly in Singin’ In the Rain :)).

If it’s not a gusty, gale of a rain shower, it’s fun to go on a walk and do some puddle splashing…and of course, this means another occasion to wear that raincoat and twirl that umbrella.

There’s also the wonderful fresh smell that follows a good rain. It’s a smell that compares with no other and makes the world seem a little bit better and certainly cleaner. And with it there’s always a likelihood of a beautiful rainbow.

Yes, there are all sorts of reasons I love a rainy day. ♥

On “Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold”: A Book Review

Title: Till We Have Faces:A Myth Retold
Author: C. S. Lewis
Genre: Fiction

About the book…
Written in the 1950’s, Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold is C. S. Lewis’ re-telling of the classic myth of Cupid and Psyche, told from the perspective of Psyche’s older sister, Orual, and recounts how she faces the consequences of her decisions.

What I think…
For those who are fans of The Chronicles of Narnia, this is different in that it is written for adults, but it doesn’t fail to fascinate in its own way.

I love that it’s a re-telling of a myth from a different perspective. To me, it seems like this is something you see more often with fairy tales, but not to as great an extent with mythology (children’s books excluded). Lewis maintains the story of the original myth adding depth to it through the back story he creates with the family history and the culture they live in. By using the voice of Psyche’s sister, he expands on the motives she has for convincing Psyche to light the lamp and look upon Cupid, which provides for a rich, well-rounded character and further adds to this with Orual’s struggle after she realizes what he demands on Psyche has done. I really enjoy this aspect because she instantly becomes a character that you both want to dislike and sympathize with.

Another thing I like about this novel are the many detailed images that bring certain scenes to life. I know this is a bit silly to bring up, since use of details isn’t exactly rare, but for the setting and the time he is establishing, certain scenes in this book will linger with you long after you’ve read it.

To sum it all up…
A beautiful book by a wonderful author, perfect for the mythology lover, and one I will recommend time and time again. ♥

On What I Wore For Valentine’s Day

It’s a week late, but I still wanted to do a post on the skirt I made for Valentine’s Day. 

Much like my Christmas skirt, it was a last minute decision (a week before to be exact) to make a skirt I could wear for Valentine’s Day. I choose a Simplicity circle skirt pattern and then for a change I thought I’d try for a new type of fabric, which was much weightier than I was used to. Well, as beautiful as the fabric was and as quick as I was in getting the skirt constructed, it turned out to be too heavy for my petticoat and had too much of a drape to put the appliqués on and not have them get lost in the folds.

I was so determined to have a skirt in time for the holiday, I went and bought more fabric, black broadcloth this time, pulled out my go-to pattern Simplicity 3773 (used here, here, and here,—I’m sure everyone is getting tired of it by now), and started on skirt number two. This was Monday the 10th.

I finished the skirt quickly, went to try it on only to find it was a fraction of an inch too small, and I thought I could fix it easily. It was NOT easy to fix! Because I used a triple zig-zag stitch on the edge to prevent fraying, my attempt to sew a little further into the seam allowance meant the zig-zag stitching showed on the right side and, of course, I chose to use the other stitch that works pretty much the same way the stitch on a serger does, so ripping it out became a huge ordeal. By the time I got it unstitched (Thursday morning), I decided I would just completely replace the panel. I spent the entire day sewing and by the time I went to bed the skirt was ready to be worn for Valentine’s Day!

Paired with my red blouse I made in December, a sweater that has a retro look, my Valentine pin, and a red ribbon in my hair, I felt I had the perfect outfit for the day!

I really love how the appliqué hearts turned out and how the metallic thread looks. (sorry for the poor quality of these photos)


The only thing I didn’t get to finish in time was embroidering more arrows along the hem (I learned that metallic embroidery thread is not particularly fun to work with), but I had enough done for the day and will definitely be adding more later. And, despite making it specifically for Valentine’s, this is one skirt I’ll be wearing year round! ♥

On a Heart Pin to Make for Valentine’s Day

I’ve been thinking about heart pins for awhile and look as I might I never seem to find one, vintage or otherwise, I absolutely love enough to buy. As a result, in a moment of frustration, lack of fabric for another project, and a great desire to make something, I decided I was going to remedy my lack of a heart pin by making my own and wanted to share it with you!

Supplies

♥ Felt
♥ A pipe cleaner
♥ Darning needle/something that will poke a small hole
♥ Thread in a matching color
♥ A pin backing or safety pin

*The finished pin is about 2 ¼ inches long

Instructions

1. Cut out two hearts from the felt about 1 inch by 1 inch in size.

2. Now to make the hearts thicker. Take the two hearts you just cut out and sew them to the larger piece of felt making an attempt to stay as close to the edge of the cut out hearts as possible. Cut them out again.

3. Overlap the hearts slightly and sew them together by hand or machine.

4. Cut off a 3 ½ inch piece of the pipe cleaner.

 

5. Remove all but ½ inch of the fuzz by pulling it off. (You could also trim it as short as possible if you don’t mind your arrow being a bit fuzzy- both methods are equally a tedious.)

 

6. Decide on the two points you want the arrow to go through. Use the darning needle to poke through just enough (not too much or else you’ll have a large hole!) to create a hole for the pipe cleaner to go through. This may take a few tries since the end of the pipe cleaner gets stuck on the felt. 

The back...and, yes, I took this picture after step 7. 

7. Fold the non-fuzzy end so it looks like this and squeeze it into shape. You especially want to be careful the end is folded in because you don't want it to catch on whatever you pin it to.

 

8. Sew your pin backing or safety pin to the back. Be careful not to sew through to the front!

Try to sew it more towards the center or else the pin will show.

9. Pin it to your sweater, cardigan, bag, or hat!

While I’m not giving up my search for the perfect heart pin or brooch, I must say I’m enamored with this one and am happy to have made it just in time for Valentine’s Day! ♥♥♥