A Few of My Favorite Things {Vol. 2}

Good evening, my friends! Life has been insanely beautiful and crazy lately. Tell me how you've been. Seriously; comment below! I would love to hear from you, my faithful followers (you know who you are) and would also love to see some new faces!

It is high time for another favorite things post, so here you go!

Clark Terry

I have recently rediscovered my passion for jazz and the artist at the forefront of my binge-listening is legend Clark Terry. My first exposure to his music was on an episode of "Little Bill" (anyone watch that growing up? Lemme hear ya!). Mr. Terry still plays and teaches and is just awesome. Go to Spotify (Here's the link to my Clark Terry Playlist ). Give him a listen; you won't regret it.

Source

I just bought a gorgeous blue leather jacket at Goodwill and I absolutely adore it! It looks really similar to the one above, except it's a really India-inky blue (and, admittedly, not quite as cool) with a front zipper.

Pacifica's Natural Mineral Coconut Eye Shadow in Ethereal

This amazing shadow came in this month's Ipsy Glam Bag. It's a lovely taupe-y color in the package, but shows up on my fair skin as more of a shimmery pearl and I love it! I also use it as a cheek highlighter. 

Today, I paired it with Rimmel Eyeliner (upper lid and lower waterline) and Cailyn Cosmetics Eye Shadow  in the crease

 (The $15 Cailyn Eye Shadow came in last month's Ipsy bag that I pay $10/month to get). 

This specific eye shadow comes in a palette of other colors; I suppose mine is a sample. You can purchase it HERE

Natalie Yco

(Pronounced like Eco)

For the past three weeks or so, I've been doing Natalie Yco's GymRa workouts on YouTube. Gals, she's amazing! Her workouts are serious burners and she's so encouraging. In the middle of the Kickboxing/Jump Rope workout, she said,

"I can't see you, but I hope you're not slacking off.

Because, if you slack off in your workout, you're probably slacking off in life."

That burned almost as much as the workout itself!

Dashing Dish
by Katie Farrell
 Katie Farrell is one of the contributing bloggers at
 Overcomer Outreach 
 and since my Mom is also one of the other ladies writing for the site, she sent her a copy of her amazing cookbook. These recipes are fantastic! I made a double batch of her Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (the third time since we got the book earlier this month) and they are soooooo delicious! I made her Santa Fe Stuffed Peppers for breakfast, too. I'm telling you, we use her recipes all the time and you will too! Hop on over to Amazon and purchase your copy HERE

And there you are. What are some of your favorite things? A writer you discovered lately? A new song? An eyeliner? Let me know in the comments below. Have a beautiful evening everyone! 

Book Review | Lucy's Legend: A Robin Hood Story

Happy Tuesday, everyone. I hope you're having a marvelous day. This past week, I've had the distinct privilege of being asked to review another book. It's been awhile, so I was definitely ready to get back in the saddle.

 

This book was written by my dear friend Amanda Grace (follow her blog HERE ). She and I have gotten to know each other over the past seven months and I can tell you, ladies, this young woman has a heart for Jesus. She's very encouraging and fantastic with kids. And, I've found out, a wonderful writer.

 

Now, this book might seem procedure; just another Robin Hood tale. Robin becomes an outlaw, robs from the rich, feeds the poor, marries Maid Marian, happily ever after.

Well, this is not your average retelling of the classic legend that has become as close to American hearts and seems as much a part of our history as the English.

 

Without giving a ton of the plot away, I will highlight what I loved about the book. Amanda is very skilled at character development. It's beautiful to see the personal spiritual journeys of each character; their struggles, sins and moral victories. Jesus' name is lifted high and that is rare in a Robin Hood. The plot is clever and, though it moves a little quickly for my taste, is well rounded and delightful to follow.

 

The only thing I can really say against it is that there isn't much in the way of character or setting description.

Miss Grace knows that each person has an image in their head of what each familiar character looks like. We know Nottingham Castle and Sherwood Forest; they're well grounded as a setting to many a sweet dream and, though I would have liked to have had a glimpse into the author's imagination, it certainly doesn't destroy the story. It's very character-driven and I've read many books where the author completely neglects his characters in favor of the world he has built. If you've ever wanted to get to know your dear, familiar characters more on an intellectual and spiritual level, this is the book for you.

 

I highly recommend this lovely volume! Get thee to Amazon and purchase it post-haste. The story awaits!

A Few of My Favorite Things {Vol. I}

Sorry for the silence. Life tends to happen and usually, that takes precedence over blogging. I'm going to share with you a few of my favorite things. Things I've always loved and things that I've discovered lately. Fun things, blogs, crafts, etc. I hope you enjoy Volume I of "A Few of my Favorite Things".

 

 

My new blunt bangs!

This isn't an incredible picture, but I like it. You'll be seeing lots of my new do in future posts and in the launch of my new fashion blog

 Empress of Autumn

 

 

It's Not About Staying at Home

I absolutely love this recent message by the beautiful Botkin sisters. It's a convicting and uplifting talk that I would encourage every young lady to listen to (I listened while I was cleaning my room). It's free on their website HERE

 

Not a Care in the Whirl Heels

These GORGEOUS shoes are from Modcloth.

Find them HERE . I'm telling you, I am absolutely in love with them (and I'm dropping a not-so-subtle hint that I'm an 8.5).

 

 

Ulyana Sergeenko

This lovely Russian fashion designer is my new role model and style icon. The way she carries herself and dresses and smiles is the epitome of elegance and grace. (Disclosure: If you look her up, be warned; 90% of her designs are gorgeous, and modest but that other 10% is a bit disturbing, actually. "High Fashion", you know.)

 

 

 

Starlooks' Ultra Olive metallic eye pencil

An amazing eyeliner that came in my November Ipsy Glam Bag. It seems foofy, but it's actually a sensible addition to your makeup collection. Paired with neutral eye shadow, it gently opens and brightens the eye and adds a touch of elegance and panache, especially if you're in a hurry. The pencil is to be purchased HERE. I highly recommend it!

 

 

Lawana Blackwell

I cannot stop reading her books! Mrs. Blackwell is a Christian author whose books I stumbled upon in our church library. Her novels have me captive and I've enjoyed all of them (I've read eight this month!). Her Gresham series is especially heart-warming and absolutely worth the read.

 

 

Star Trek: The Original Series

and

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Specifically, I'm kind of crazy about Lieutenant Commander Data. Brent Spiner is a seriously brilliant actor, not only portraying an android, but often completely different characters when Data's circuits are taken over or he's emulating Sherlock Holmes.

At this point, (Season 3) I'm getting pretty annoyed with Commander Riker's behavior, but I still watch the show, mainly because PATRICK STEWART!

 

 

Sweater Weather!!!

This is seriously the best part of Fall/Winter. Here in Kansas, it's frigid, so I'm busting out my sweater collection...except for the awesome/unfortunate fact that I've lost some weight and now all my yummy sweaters are being passed up to my mom (at least it benefits her). So, I'm going sweater hunting at Goodwill today.

 

That's all I've got. What have been some of your favorite things lately? What do you think of my favorites? Agree? Disagree? On the fence? Drop a comment below (because comments are also one of my favorite things!)

 

The Janeite Tag

Good evening, my friends! I hope you've had a lovely day. I have been pretty sick the last few days, so the posts I had planned needed to be put on the backburner. But, HUZZAH! There was an encore to my blogging life! The lovely Paige of Sunday Best and All the Rest, being the sweetheart she is, descovered my weakness for Jane Austen and invited me to join in this fun game!

The Rules:

~Thank and link back to the person who tagged you.

~Tell how you were introduced to Jane Austen and share one fun fact about your Janeite life (This fun fact can be anywhere from "I stayed up all night reading Emma" to "I went to the Jane Austen Festival in Bath, England.")

~Answer the tagger's questions.

~Write seven questions of your own.

~Tag as few as 1 or as many as 7 other Janeites and let them know you've tagged them.

I was introduced to Jane Austen around 2007 when my family was lounging around the living room, flipping through the channels and came upon the 2005 "Pride and Prejudice." We only caught the end, but my mom and I were totally hooked! We rented it, bought it, then moved on to "Sense and Sensibility" (1996) and then "Emma" (1996) and beyond, which, in my opinion, is the funniest Austen film (and book)!

Fun Fact: I can fully quote both "Emma" (1996//Gwyneth Paltrow) and "Sense and Sensibility" (1995) doing all the voices just like the actors (Except maybe Colonel Brandon; the only one who can do Alan Rickman's voice properly is Benedict Cumberbatch) 

Paige's Questions//My Answers

1. What is your favorite Austen Book?

Hands-down "Mansfield Park"!

2. What is your favorite movie adaption of Austen's books?

One does not simply...oh, goodness! This is a hard one. I would probably say "Sense and Sensibility" (1995). I adore Alan Rickman as the Colonel and couldn't imagine anyone else as the characters! No other S&S adaption measures up, in my opinion.

3. What is your *least* favorite movie adaption?

From what I've seen so far, "Sense and Sensibility" (2008). It wasn't bad, it just didn't connect for me. It fell rather flat.

4. Which character in any of the novels do you relate to most?

I wish I was just like Fanny Price-Bertram, but in character, I am a absolutely Elinor Dashwood-Ferrars. My sister is Marianne, too! And right now (as in the beginning of the book), we are 19 and 16!

5. If you could choose a Jane Austen home to live in, where would you live?

Donwell Abbey. I relate to Emma a lot, as well, I'm afraid. But Donwell seems the most welcoming place to me. To be in the position of benefactress to so many good people (read: Abbey Mill Farm). I imagine it as a grand, inviting place with lots of stone and rugs and chandeliers that just needs a woman's touch ;)

6. Who is your favorite Austen hero?

George Knightley, bar-none! I am determined to find my own Mr. Nightley. Forget Darcy, he was an absolute idiot (forgive my language), Edmund Bertram was blind to everything, Colonel Brandon was too tragic, Henry Tilney was both charming and cold at the same time, Edward Ferrars was...well, dreamy, but rather unaspiring. Knightley had me from page 1!

7. If you were to write a sequel to any of Jane's novels, what would it be about?

"Death Comes to Pemberly" is a pretty acurate sequel already. But I think I would love to write more about Emma. She still trips up, she still makes mistakes, but she never gives up and with her husband by her side, she can learn a lot more. Plus, I would love to see what their children would have been like. Most likely, at least, a level-headed daughter and a wild, conniving son, always getting his poor sister into the most terrible scrapes! That would make me laugh :)

Here are my "nominees", if you will:

Desarae of Gladness of Heart

Tara of A Lass of Yesteryear

Kellie of Accordion to Kellie

Amanda of Amanda Grace

And I have one dear friend who is decidedly not a Janeite and I thought of tagging her, but I thought better of it. You know who you are ;)

MY Questions for YOU

1. Which do you prefer? Books or Movies?

2. How would you go about introducing a friend to Jane Austen?

3. It's Marathon Movie Night! Which 4 adaptions are you going to watch and in what order?

4. Who is your favorite "Villain"?

5. Who would you rather travel with on a long journey by carriage? Mrs. Jennings or Lady Catherine DuBurgh?

6. Which book/movie do you think is the funniest or most clever?

7. With whom would you rather be forced to stay with during your London trip? The "Affable" Miss Lucy Steele, the incorrigible Lydia Wickham, or the incessant Mrs. Elton?

I can't wait to see your responses! Don't forget to comment with the link to your post when you get around to it :)

Period Film Game {2}

I think the last Period Film Game went well so we'll give it another go, eh? Now, for those of you who didn't participate last time, the rules are as follows: I put 10 screencaps from different period films and tv shows and you make a guess as to the title of the film/show. Comment below with your guesses. 10 points for each correct answer for a possible score of 100 points! Next week, I will post the answers alongside the individual scores of each person. I went easy on y'all last time but now I'm cracking down ;) Have fun!

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

Have fun! And remember-don't peek at another's guesses until you've posted your own!!!

HSF '14 Challenge #9-Black and White

Happy Mothers' Day!!! In honor of my own dear Mama's favorite item in my Historical Wardrobe-the Caraco Jacket below-I am posting my HSF Challenge #9 entry today :)

Ta-Da! My first ever full Georgian ensemble!!! I've been dreaming of this day since I was 10 years old. If you've been reading my blog for a while (or even a very short time) you've probably guessed that I am a history nerd. You would be correct! I've always loved books and films about history or set in historical times. I read all of the historical American Girl books when I was 8, 9 and 10 but never had much interest in the modern dolls or their stories. What intrigued little McKenna most, poring over the brightly colored catalogues, was the costumes! Felicity's (1774) were my favorite. The gloriously embroidered gowns and aprons, wee hats and fans called to my little heart and, though I didn't know it yet, would set the stage for my historical costuming journey that began several years later. When my Mom and my Grandmom took me by the hand and taught me how to sew.

What I present to you for my favorite HSF challenge so far is a black brocade Caraco Jacket, white Petticoat and Bergére hat decorated in white. As soon as I finished my stays, I wanted to go for something big and significant for my Georgian wardrobe. I already had a chemise, the stays, a fichu and an under-petticoat (for volume) and was ready to grace my unmentionables with a proper ensemble. So, without delay, I turned to Janet Arnolds' "Patterns of Fashion 1: 1660-1860" and selected the Caraco Jacket (it's on page 22, I believe). Out came my gridded cutting mat, swedish tracing paper, a few rulers and a fat pencil. After scaling up the initial pattern from the book, whipping up a toile, doing a fitting (no easy task when it's just you with no mirror) and adjusting the pattern pieces, I was ready to cut out the actual jacket from my fashion fabric. Honestly, it's so worth it! Don't cut into your fashion material until you're absolutely sure that the garmet fits! Toiles are indespensible to any seamstress!!!

In my opinion, the best part of historical sewing is hand-stitching. After doing all the inside seams with my machine, it's nice to find a comfy place with a cup of tea to hand-sew and re-watch favorite shows like "North and South" and "Wives and Daughters". I tacked the box pleats in place, slip-stitched the hem and the neckline and finally tediously whip-stitched 32 individual hooks and eyes over 2 episodes of "The Paradise". I'm definitely going to use this pattern again! And I'm thinking of doing a tutorial with instructions on how to assemble the pattern. What do you think?

Generally, a Caraco is a working woman's coat but making this version out of black brocade turned it into more of a Sunday morning Church service ensemble. It's like my Mother as a garment. Designed to be functional and productive but perfectly beautiful and elegant. My Mama has always placed an emphasis on looking your best, even when it's just your family around to see it. 

 The Bergére is made of an old straw hat I had on hand. I used The Dreamstress' method for turning an old straw hat into a Bergére (see the tutorial HERE). I decorated it with white lace, white paper flowers (found at Michael's on sale) and a white satin ribbon. I have dreamed of having a Bergére of my own since I was very small. I, being the hat connoisseur that I am, think it's the most elegant and tasteful hat design I have come across! It trumps the cloche, in my opinion, and I think very highly of that hat! 

I'm more than pleased with how this jacket turned out and love wearing it! It's such an amazing feeling to have a remnant of history to wear and have on hand. You never know when you'll need a Georgian Caraco Jacket! 

The Facts...

The Challenge: #9-Black and White

Fabric: 3 yds. Black Brocade, 2 yds. White Cotton

Pattern: Janet Arnolds' 1775-85 Caraco Jacket from "Patterns of Fashion 1". No Pattern for Petticoat

Year: 1775-85

Notions: Thread, Hooks and Eyes, Bias Tape

How historically accurate is it?: 90%

Hours to complete: 10-12?

First worn: For Photoshoot 

Total cost: About $15; that was all in the petticoat

HSF '14 Challenge #8-UFOs & PHDs

Good afternoon, lovely readers! It's a stormy day and I have a few minutes over lunch to complete an extremely late post for HSF. I finished the challenge on time, but hadn't had the opportunity to get it photographed until yesterday so please accept my apologies. As our family is in the midst of moving (out West) I don't have much time to write so please try to be content with a picture-heavy post without much elaboration.

This is my first-ever pair of Georgian (1750s-80s) Stays!!! I thought I might have them completed for the HSF Challenge "Under it All" but that was not meant to be, so I saved it for this challenge. Blood, sweat and tears, folks...blood, sweat and tears...one of the hardest projects I've done and one of the most rewarding!!! 

My tecniques were not all historically acurate...the boning consists of plastic zip-ties, almost everything is machine-stitched and instead of actual hand-worked eyelets, I stitched double-fold bias tape down every inch and half-inch to create loops of a sort (I can't claim the idea as my own, though; I saw that on Pinterest) But the important thing is that I achieved the correct shape for the period. That's what stays/corsets are for! "It can look like a dyin' duck!" No one's really going to see it (unless you blog, of course) and as long as the shape is correct, you've made a goal!

Don't kill me, historical sewing purists, but I didn't finish the bottom with bias tape. Life is too short and pinking shears are near at hand. Like I said, no one's going to see it on me except me :)

I'm so pleased with the outcome! It's comfortable to wear and now I can really get going on my Georgian wardrobe. It's kind of blown up overnight, in a way. Less than 2 weeks after I complete my stays, I find myself with 3 Petticoats, a Caraco Jacket and a Bergere Hat! Pictures coming soon, I promise!

NOT a Weeping Angel, thank heaven!

Just The Facts, Ma'am:

The Challenge: #8-UFOs & PHDs

Fabric: 1 yd. Pink Ribbed Satin, 1 yd. Canvas Linen

Pattern: Corsets and Crinolines draft

Year: 1750-8os

Notions: Thread, Zip-Ties, Bias Tape

How historically accurate is it?: Approx. 70%

Hours to complete: 12-ish...who's keeping track?

First worn: Will wear with outfit for HSF Challenge: "Black and White" photoshoot

Total cost: $10 or so...I really busted my budget on those Zip-Ties, didn't I? ;)