Retrophile

Once again, a new look.  I just wanted something clean and simple without a lot of clutter.  Seems to be the theme of my life right now.

After reading a post on Kath Eats Real Food , I was inspired to simplify and overhaul my apartment.  Me and my boy are going on 3 years of living in the same apartment.  This is the longest I have lived in a place since 2003.  So not moving means, not going through things, and accumulating too much.  Sometimes if feels like the walls are closing in.  Well no more. I am setting a goal for myself.  I want to declutter all the rooms/ areas of my house by Nov. 1.  In some cultures Nov. 1 marks the beginning of a new year.  The actualy New Year Jan. 1 is a bit too far off.  So,  Nov. 1 sounds like a better date.  I have designated 7 areas or zones that I am going to target.  I have 8 weeks, or 59 days. I thought we could make this a declutter along, and you guys could let me know how things are going for you and share any good ideas you come across. The Zones 1. Bedroom 2. Linen Closet 3. Kitchen 4. Bathroom 5. Living R...

Hello All, You many have notice that my blog look is constantly changing today.  I am just playing with the look and feel and should have it all settled in by tomorrow.  Just hang in there. -Nikki

I know it has been about 6 months since I last posted.  I feel terrible about it. However I haven't stopped writing.  I have been working on my Master's Thesis for the last 6 months and still have a year to go.  However I will still be around and posting.  Need something fun to do in between journal articles.  Keep your eyes out for updates for what I have been up to this summer.  I also have some fun projects planned too that I can't wait to share with you all!

So, it is not quite the end of the year yet, but it is fast approaching.  I don't know about you, but resolutions from last year and potential ones for next year start popping in to my head.  I start thinking about the thousands of things that I want to accomplish and that I want to improve on.  I inevitably make a list and proclaim, this will be the year that I follow through.  However, June rolls around and I realize that I really haven't started them, or dropped off.       Why do we put ourselves through this every year, and why is it so important to make a new years resolution?  Do any of you know the history behind it?  This is going to be the final year that I actually attempt a new years resolution.  I want to see if I can really focus on year long goals and really stick to them.  If not, I will be done with them.        In an attempt to make this resolution more successful I am going to foc...

  Happy Thanksgiving What are you thankful for?  Myself, I am thankful for my health, my family, my friends, my wonderful boy, and my good fortune this year. Hello All,           I know it has been forever since I last posted.  I have been up to my pearls in school work and student papers.  But as of right now I am on Fall Break from work.  I am having fun working on my Dicken's Fair dress, cooking and catching up on school work.           My dickens fair dress is about half way done.  I have most of the jacket construction done, and have the panels of the skirt sewn together.  I will post pictures when I get a chance to take some.           I have also been having fun playing house wife.  Tonight I baked my signiture pear, cranberry pie.  This is the third year I ...

So Halloween is only a few days away. I am working on my costume and will feature it on the blog after our night out. But here is a clue to this years costume.

I have gotten a few questions about what the Dickens' Fair is.  Well to put it simply, it is a fair in San Francisco Cow Palace Exhibition Halls.  They attempt to recreate Dicken's Era England.  As far as fairs go I think it is one of the bests.  It feels like you have stepped in to a Charles Dickens Christmas Story.  They have reenacters, characters from A Christmas Carol, and all kinds of things that remind you of the 1850's The whole fair takes place between 1842-1863. So I usually stick to the 1850's since it is a good middle.  There are all kinds if shops, shows and fun things to see.  They even have the painted ladies on display at the dark garden corset shop.  So if you would like to check it out for yourself just go here,  http://www.dickensfair.com/ If you think you might be going, shoot me an email at retrophilexo at gmail.com   and I will let you guys know what day I will be making my appearance. Happy Sewing! N...

Hello All, I know it is traditional to do a major cleaning during spring.  The point is to clean out all the dust, dirt and junk from the cold winter months.  But I had a thought this afternoon.  Why don't we have a fall cleaning as well. Lets get ready for the cold winter months and staying indoors more by cleaning up and getting rid of what we don't need.  I personally get a cleaning buzz during the spring and winter months. I have been running around my house like a crazy person, cleaning out all my cupboards, making plans to organize things better, and just going through my stuff and asking myself... why am I keeping this.  It has been a great feeling just getting rid of things, and purging useless possessions. I feel like an old school house wife buzzing around like I am.  Myself and other are kinda stuck in this weird limbo.  We are modern women wanting to do our own thing and not be trapted in the house or "settling".  At the sa...

Though we are still in the middle of Indian Summer here in Northern California, I can feel change in the air.  The air is crisper in the morning and the sun is a little lower in the sky.  This has got me thinking about my fall/ winter dress projects.  I have pretty much fell in love with dresses over the past 6 months and really can't imagine myself wearing pants much.  This poses a problem when the weather starts getting cooler. So, to solve this little issue I am looking for dresses with a bit more to them, heavier fabrics, and thicker tights. To find dresses I have been browsing the pattern websites.  Here are a few I am considering   http://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m6163-products-11278.php?page_id=108 http://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m5890-products-10127.php?page_id=108   On this one I really like the top left corner view, the bottom left corner view and the bottom right corner view.  They are light and layered, perfect for ke...

Hey all, I have not forgot about you.  I am been busy the past couple weeks.  Was away for a while camping with my fam.  And now, work has started up again for the year.  It has been crazy trying to get my classroom in order after such a long summer.  I will be back soon with wedding dress updates and new finished dresses!

Hey all. Sorry havent posted in a xcouple days. I am in the process of finishing up a summer class. I will be done aftee today. So keep your eyes open! Published with Blogger-droid v1.4.8

Yesterday was the first day that I walked out of my apartment and thought... WOW it feels like fall! It was even a little cooler than it has been.  Then today I come out and there if fog in view.  Mind you that is rare for where I'm located especially during the summer!  I have to say, I am excited.  I am having visions of walks all bundled up in my coat and scarf.  Watching the trees in front of my apartment change color.  Baking pies (heathly versions of course), apple cider, Halloween, thanks giving!  I am excited about it all. Here is some of the evidence I found in my front yard!  Leaves! Day before yesterday there were no leaves and not look.  Today is super windy as well.  Ahh, I know some of you don't want to hear this fantastic news.  But hey, embrace the seasons changing and have fun with it. If you needed proof that fall is my favorite season, just look below!  That is the tattoo on the top of m...

The other day I was driving along the freeway, listening to my music and thinking about what to do for the rest of the day and BAM!  Something came out of no where.  It was a large, metallic object between the size of a baseball and a softball.  Smash! right into my windshield. My poor windsheild was smashed to pieces and I got a nice glass shower. Luckly I wasn't hurt but I can't really say the same for my car.  It was scratched and bruised more than I was.  I got a couple deep scratches in the hood and a nice divot in the frame under the windshield. I was fortunate that there was no real structure damage done and that I wasn't decapitated by what ever it was that hit me.  It was close though, there were some parts of the windshield that were completely gone and I could feel a breeze come through. But my daddy came to the rescue and drove the car back to my place wearing his coveralls and safety glasses.  I have to say, it was quit...

Hello All, I just wanted to say a big thank you for all your support.  My blog has reached 1000 hits!

Hello All, I would like to start with an apology for shamlessly using my blog to help this cause.  But, I am trying to get the word out however I can.  Check back later for updates on the wedding dress progress. If you didn't know already, I am a High School Special Ed Teacher.  You have probably heard about all budget cuts that have been happening, well they are really starting to hit hard.  In an attempt to get my students what we need I have started getting creative.  I am trying to raise money for supplies for a couple different areas of our class.  One being the need for timers, the second the need for white boards.  So, if you would like to, click the link below, take a look and if the mood strikes you donate a little to help the kiddos!  I promise you they will appreciate whatever you could spare. Watching Time Fly - The timers help keep them on task, focus and give them a sense of control over their day.  All a board - We ne...

 Screen Shot From The 1950's Wedding Main Page  Lately all my girlfriends have been getting engaged or married.  So, naturally this has kept weddings on my brain (not to mention that I am making a wedding dress).  Not to get ahead of myself, but I started looking up ideas for my own someday-wedding.  I knew it would have a retro/ vintage feel to it.  So I started looking up retro inspired weddings.  I was not disapointed.  There really is a blog out there for everything!  I found this   The 1950's Style Wedding Blog It is an amazing blog that features pretty much anything you can think of when it comes to retro weddings. Though the blog is heavily based in 1950's retro.  It does have ideas with 1940's and 1960's themes.  What I like most though, is the ideas for cute unconventional receptions.  For instance, it has a post about a Sweets Buffet It also has a lot of what you would expect; dress, makeup and hair ...

I am sure you have all seen the show what not to wear. Well here is a little article to put their philosophy in to words. I really like how they just lay it all out for you. It just has the key steps to having a stylish wardrobe and looking amazing at all times. I am going to summarize some of the key points, but if you like here is the full article Wear This, Not That Keep in mind, that this article is a bit dated (2 years ago) but it still has some firm advice. 1. Out with the old . Basically throw out anything that is old, dated (in a bad way) or doesn't fit you properly! This can be a hard step. I know I always get the feeling of "What am I gonna wear then?" When I think of just getting rid of everything that doesn't fit. But on the flip side... it usually just kinda sits there anyway! 2. Identify Your Style Just like that develop a style out of thin air. Poof you have a style. I myself have to raise an eyebrow at this one. A personal style is ...

So, the other day I went pattern shopping! You have to love Hancock's dollar pattern sales. I actually found some non-costume patterns this time. For one I was actually looking for some work clothes patterns and two I pretty much have all of the costume patterns that are worth having right now (from butterick, simplicity and mccall's). Yes I might have an addiction. But my reasoning is, patterns go out of print and you will never know when you will need it. So, its nice to have it on hand already. This week simplicity patterns were on sale. I found a few good ones that I am gonna use for work clothes. Simplicity 3684 I really like the front detailing on this shirt. I don't know about the puffy lower sleeves. We will see how it turns out. Simplicity 2338 Now, you are gonna laugh at why I got this pattern. If you have every seen Julie and Julia, this dress (view B) looks just like the dress that Julia and her sister wear to a party. I absolutely l...

Hello All, Recently I have felt like I was stuck in a rut music-wise as well as being disillusioned with the current trends in music. So, I decided to go on a hunt for "new" music. For months now I have been meaning to do a little research for more 50's rockabilly. I have always been a fan of Buddy Holly (thanks grandpa!), Elvis (my grandma was a panties throwing Elvis fan) and Jerry Lee Lewis just to mention a few. I mean who does like dancing in your room to Splish, Splash! However these are all the typical, clique artist everyone thinks of when they think of music from the 50's. I wanted to find the less known, more obscure artist. With the internet, this task wasn't too difficult. There is TONS of information out there. My favorite method though, is AMAZON. It is an under rated search tool sometimes. The way I go about it is I pick an artist I like. In this case I used Buddy Holly (I had "That'll be the day" stuck in my ...