Project: The Holiday Fireside Sweater

I've always loved this sweater Cameron Diaz wears in the movie The Holiday and for my birthday my friend bought me the Fireside Sweater pattern based on this sweater!

 I love the look of this sweater....it's so cozy and has so many cables!

My husband ordered yarn for me to make it (his birthday present to me) so here it is so far:

 Don't look too close...I've already made a couple mistakes with cables overlapping the wrong way in a couple places. But I can't bring myself to rip it out and start over. It's not that noticeable to me to maybe no one else will notice either? And it is my first sweater...so it will have some imperfections I'm sure.

Can't wait to finish this and snuggle up and wear it! Hopefully I can finish it before the weather turns warm!
Off to knit I go...
Keep warm!
~Anna Kristine

Leap Year

I saw this movie a couple weeks ago with a friend and I just fell in love with Amy Adam's wardrobe. SO cute.

Okay...now I want to go to Wales...or Ireland...either will do. ;) As long as I can wear clothes that cute.

Fashionable Mothers

I know I'm a day late...but really, souldn't every day be about mothers? Here are some pictures of just a few cute and fashionable moms.

For me...

I've been thinking about some things I want to make for myself because I have quite a few pieces of fabric and not enough clothes. But one of my resolutions is to lose a few pounds so I may wait until I'm back to my normal size before I start anything. But I can plan and dream, right?
I'm really in love with this grey tunic at the moment...I may have to make myself something similar. I'm so into grey right now.

I've been knitting a ton lately...I made my sister a scarf for Christmas and I am making myself a pair of mittens. I'm using the Phenomenon pattern and I'm making mine in a charcoal grey. It's thicker yarn and has some wool in it as well so their extra warm and cozy.

I've already completed one but I haven't gotten a picture yet so there it is partially done. I'm busy making a couple other pairs of mittens for friends by request and then I'll get back to it and finish the second mitten. The pattern is amazing and really written out well. The only thing I didn't like was the cross stitch pattern across the palm. Pain in the neck to do. But I haven't been knitting very long so maybe it will get easier the more I do it.

Back from the City

Sorry I've been such an absent blogger lately. Life has been so crazy with work, some sewing, and I was gone to the City over the weekend. But, I did get to do some fun shopping while I was there!
My mom and Aunt and I did some insane thrift shopping, we came home with the back of our car packed with stuff. Lots of cool things to make some stuff out of as well as some cute clothes and such.
But the highlight of my shopping trip was that I got to go to Forever 21, which is one of my favorite stores. :) (We, sadly, don't have one in my town)

One of the things on my "Look out for" list was a nice handbag. I'm tired of lugging a ton of small bags to work for lunch, books, etc. So I decided I needed a nice big bag that could contain everything but still be cute.
I hunted all over the Internet and decided this one was my favorite:

But I ended up finding this one at Forever 21 which I might even like a little better. And...it was a lot cheaper!

So, I am now a big bag owner. :)

I also got this adorable sweater at Forever 21:

Did I mention I love that store? :)

Well, I'm off to work for a couple of days, but I am in the process of posting another Robin Hood costume study and hopefully starting some fun costumes!

*sigh*...if only I could spend every moment in my sewing room. So many new little notions and things to sew with!
But I will try to come back to post again soon!

~Anna Kristine

One lovely thing...

...about having an office job, I get to wear cute shoes. :)

Red shoes found at ROSS, Tweed Heels found second hand. Yay for bargain hunting.

Taylor Swift Style

Taylor Swift has such a soft romantic clothing style. It's carefree and feminine, yet classy. I thought I'd post a few pictures of some of my favorites. :)

I absolutely love this coat. The color, the big brown buttons, it's definitely Audrey Hepburn worthy.

I think this black coat with her black ear flap hat is so cute:

Here are some fun photo shoots with Taylor:

I love the bluish tones in these:

I'm working on a post about her music video, Love Story. For those of you who haven't seen it, don't worry I'll post it or you can find it on YouTube. I'm not really a Taylor Swift fan, but I fell in love with the Austen/18th Century/Fairytale themes of her Love story music video. Some really cool costumes! :)

Summer Skirt for a Friend

I just finished this skirt for a friend using the pattern above. The only thing I changed was the length. I made it a bit shorter than the long skirt and a bit longer than the short version. :)

I think the fabric she chose is so nice for summer. :)

I'm hoping to get a lot more sewing done here soon, but we don't have air conditioning and my sewing room is one of the hottest rooms in the house so I've been avoiding it lately. I've been working on a crochet project though which I will share soon and I'm still working away on my Elizabeth Swann corset. I'm also almost finished with an insane skirt project which I'll share more about soon. I'm pretty excited about it. :)

I hope your all enjoying your summer!

Inspiration

Sometimes I wish I had a good reason to wear a really pretty dress and go jump in the ocean. Hmmm....maybe I should make myself a pretty dress just in case the opportunity arises. A girl should be prepared for such things you know. ;) Seriously though...I don't own one single dress. How sad is that? I need to get to work on that pronto....
Yesterday I cleaned my bedroom...perhaps today is the day I will finally make some progress in my sewing room. Maybe I should put this picture on my wall to inspire me. :)

Amanda Beth Fashion Week Day 3

A nice shirt and some long necklaces is a nice way to dress up a pair of jeans if your not in the mood for a skirt. I love this shirt I got when I stumbled upon High Street Kensington when I got lost in London back in August. The best shopping experience I've ever had!

What I'm Wearing:

Black Yoke Top: H&M in London

Jeans: GAP

Cris-cross ballet flats: What's What by Aerosoles

Necklaces: H&M in London

I think my must have fashion ingredient is to wear something that has a story behind it. I almost always wear my leafy ring from London because it reminds me to make the most of every moment. Even if your lost in a big city...have some fun! Enjoy the experience. ;) I love these shoes I'm wearing as they work perfectly for Regency dancing. Makes me feel like I can fit a little bit of Pemberley fashion into my modern wardrobe. :)

Amanda Beth Fashion Week- Day 2

Today the sun is shining! (sorry Amanda) I just love the bright blue sky and the nice warm breeze. I thought I'd do my photo shoot outside today.

What I'm Wearing:

Black tank-Old Navy

Grey and White striped shirt-GAP

Denim Skirt-GAP

Leggings-former tights from who knows wear that I cut the feet off of. (Thanks Samantha for teaching me that trick!)

Mary Jane Sequin Shoes-Sketchers (these are the best shoes for walking in! And they're super cute. :)

Necklace-Wet Seal, gift

Watch-Quarts from Target

Leafy Ring-Accessorize in London

Jingle Anklet-Gift from the "jingle club". ;) (love you girlies!)

I was telling my mum today how my style is more like a wandering gypsy than a fashionable lady. (other than the days I'm in plain old jeans and t-shirts) I had to try really hard to look half way normal for you today...haha But maybe one of these days I'll go all out and show you how crazy my style can be. ;)

What I believe about fashion though is you should wear what you love and are comfortable in. Because then you'll be the most relaxed and yourself and look your greatest. It's good to take ideas from the fashion world and twist it into your own unique style. But then...that's coming from the wandering Gypsy...so maybe you shouldn't listen to me. ;)

Hope your all having a fabulous day!

Amanda Beth Fashion Week Day 1

Fashion week completely snuck up on me so I wasn't entirely prepared and I was super busy today it being Father's Day so I just threw an outfit together which isn't what I'd normally wear. I'll be more put together tomorrow, I promise. ;)

What I'm Wearing:

~White Tucks and Lacy Blouse-Overdrive from Ross

~Pink Tiered Skirt-At Last, thrifted

~Beaded Shell Flip Flops- Montego Bay

~Bracelet-"Evenstar" made by Genevieve of Pretty Wit

Scarfs

I love love love scarfs...and I don't see why one should stop wearing scarfs simply because it is Summer. Here are some lovelies from TOAST which have got me all inspired. They're nice and light and airy. :) Perfect for that escape to the seaside this Summer. :)

Mmm...aren't they yummy? I really want to make some scarfs for my SHOP one of these days. And for me. Maybe me more than my shop. ;)

Anyway....sorry I haven't been posting much this week. It's been a bit crazy and I'm still working on the Robin Hood finale. :) I've been a bit lazy about it...but it is coming I promise.

Elizabethtown

Elizabethtown is one of my favorite films. Thus...Elizabethtown meets Polyvore. :)

Elizabethtown by TheArtofClothes featuring Juicy Couture shoes

Now I really want to go watch the movie.

The Black Piper Cherry Cluster Button Up Shirt

I've been digging out my old projects and trying to finish them. One of the projects that has been waiting completion is this shirt:
I started it (*blushes*) way back before I went to England and didn't get it done in time. This was originally going to be for me but it took me so long to finish it doesn't fit me any more so it is now in my shop. I just love it though. :)

Lady Alan-a-Dale

I completely fell in love with this coat from Jules Mae on Etsy.
I want it. :) It reminds me of something Alan-a-Dale would wear. Except this would look way better on me. ;) But doesn't it look like it's built for adventures? *sigh* If only I had $240 to spend. But it's wonderful to dream....:)

Monster In Law Fashion

It's not very often that I watch a 21st century film that I stop and go, 'I want to wear that' when the actress appears on the screen. But in Monster In Law...I fell for Jennifer Lopez's colorful style. I love the bright colors and how she always has some kind of flowers or something in her hair.

This poncho is super cute:
Don't you love this summery eyelet

skirt with her colorful t-shirt?

I love this wrap around dress/tunic/shirt, the colors are amazing. I think she's wearing it over jeans. I'd probably make the neckline higher or wear something underneath...bit too plunging for me. But it's still super cute:

I love this pink dress:

Another really cute dress (might be a shirt, I need to watch the movie again to see for sure)

I love all the flowers in her hair. :)

She's even cute in her hoodie and sweats:

Jenalyn's Creations on Etsy made a really cute replica of one of the necklaces she wears. Check it out HERE. (she's currently on vacation but will be back!)

There. Maybe that will inspire me to go make something summery today. :)