Read: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

So I admit it, up until now there was only one novel by Miss Austen that I liked, Pride and Prejudice (but to make things better it is one of my all-time favorites). I tried Emma (my first Austen in English) and Sense and Sensibility and found both so utterly boring, that I stopped reading Austen novels (except of course for P and P).

But since I have my kindle I was tempted with free books and decided to give Miss Austen another try. So October last year I started Northanger Abbey. It took me quite a while to finish it (thank you Goodreads that you remind me how slow I read nowadays), but surprisingly I really liked it. There were not too many characters to remember and I could follow the story quite well (despite reading it in English again, yes I was ambitious or stupid or both). I really liked the main character. And I liked the love story. That they get to know each other before they decide to marry and that they complement each other so well. I really don't know why this novel is not more popular. Maybe because it is not so exciting and quieter. No big misunderstandings and quarrels. I admit it is also not so funny like P and P, but even Jane Austen thought P and P was her best novel. I can't argue with that!

So if you like some old-fashioned entertainment, maybe you should try Northanger Abbey. I really enjoyed it.

Snow White Dress (New Look 6262)

Last summer I made New Look 6262 again (and there are still some that wait to be shown here). I love this pattern. It is so easy and quick to sew. But I have to say, this is my favorite version. I love this dress and sometimes I could wear it every day. It is so comfortable and I adore the print. The reactions are really awesome too.

This time I made the version with sleeves and shortened the skirt.

This is also a great dress to combine. Thanks to the many colors I can wear it with a lot of things from my wardrobe. For summer I wore it most often with my yellow sun jellies.

Dress - self-made

Hairbow - Claires

Red shoes - JustFab

Apple Bag - Bodyline

Yellow shoes - Sun Jellies 

Yellow Bag - Sun Jellies

A bit more mint

Summer is long over, but I wanted to show you two more outfits with my mint 60s dress set.

I really like this blouse. I found it some years ago at H&M for a really good price and it is so summery and light weight. And it looks good with most of my skirts (especially the vintage ones).

Blouse - H&M
Skirt - selfmade
Socks - Topshop
Shoes - Ebay
Flower - Belle Blossom



Last summer it was really hot here and this was the perfect outfit. And I love my jelly shoes. They are so comfy.

Top - selfmade
Shorts - C&A
Shoes - Sunjellies
Bag - C&A
Flowers - Topshop

Fox Costume (Simplicity 1351)

Today the little one had his first Fasching (carnival) at kindergarten (he was sick last year and I was lucky, that I did not even think about making a costume, because I was sick the most time too). The decision for a costume was easy. Fortunately for me, the little one had no preferences yet. And when I found Simplicity 1351 the choice was made.

The pattern was really easy to make. The fabric behaved very well, although it was a bit thick sometimes. The only change I made was to rework the hood, because in the pattern they underline it with a cushion to make the head bigger, but I knew that the little one would not wear this.

I was really glad this morning when the little one changed into the custom without any fuss. He even liked it so much, that he wore it for the way home and till he had to go to bed. What surprised me most, that he also liked to wear the hood and tried to put it on himself. He was such a cute little fox today!

Snail Mail my Email

Snail Mail My Email is a community art project where volunteers
(like me!) transform emails into handwritten letters, for free. Submit your letter today: http://snailmailmyemail.org

A bit of mint

I found the idea of a two piece ensemble interesting for a very long time, but never got around to make one. But since my new found love for mint green and the discovery of this great fabric I had to make a 60s inspired set.

The fabric is Cookie Book by Kim Kight for Cotton + Steel Fabrics and it is gorgeous. I love the color combination and the feel. It was so easy to work with and wears really nice.

The skirt I made without a pattern. It is a simple dirndl skirt. For the top I used vintage Simplicity 5346. I think it is a bit baggy, but cute. Maybe next time I will try to make a crop top from the Colette Sorbetto pattern. I had a bit of a struggle with the waist band of the skirt (as always). I even had to take it in a bit after the first wear, because it was too wide. Otherwise the sewing was really fun and easy.

I love that I can combine the two pieces with other things, but also have a kind of dress. I will show you some combinations soon.

I hope you all have a nice summer. Here in Germany it is really warm weather and the sun is shining almost permanently the last weeks. We were a lot in the garden on weekends. Last weekend I even managed to finish two books, I started ages ago. The little one has his fun in the garden too. He either likes to bath in his little pool or he plays in the sandbox (only downside, we now have sand everywhere in the house). Only thing he is not so keen about is walking.

Top + Skirt - selfmade
Shoes - T.U.K.
Cotton Candy - Scrumptious Delight on Etsy
Hair Flower - Topshop

E & A in April

After an idea by A Beautiful Mess and Elise Blah Blah, here are some things that the little one and I liked in April:

Food

I discovered Chia seeds and like them a lot // The little one had some tummy problems, so he ate a lot of rusk

Shoes

I love my Sunjellies. They are so comfortable. // The little one got his first shoes.

Books

I started this interesting book about cocktails. // The little one loves his small picture book.