Through The Viewfinder

What does this:



+ the help of my dad:



+ a modern DSLR equal?

Wicked awesome vintage-style photos, that's what!



shirt / gift | dress / handmade | belt & tights / target | not pictured - moccasins



All thanks to this article!

Custom Dress

This was the project I had such a rough time getting through. I get really anxious about custom orders fitting people, & I'd never made a dress like this that wasn't my size, & I had to redo some of it & try to make ruched panels work & it was just such a worrisome process. But it's DONE! I hope I learn to properly grade patterns (or how to properly make patterns, for that matter. I am sure I don't do it correctly.) at school this year.

Speaking of school! Have I mentioned the classes I'm taking? Well, here they are again: Intro Design, Intro Construction, college writing, U.S. history, intro speech, and "relaxation," my PE class. (Hope that's not too exerting. Haha.) I'm getting really excited. My roommate sounds like a total doll, & she's also an Apparel major, so we have some classes together! 1 1/2 weeks. :)



I'm officially out of my funk. After finishing this dress, I made myself a new dress, & I'm already plotting out another project. Getting work done while I still have time to! It feels amazing to be productive again. Busy is best!

Pop of Pink

Thank you so much for your comments on my last post. Honestly, just knowing that you darlings were here for me, & that I wasn't alone in my lack of inspiration was wonderful encouragement. I spent an afternoon & evening with Veronika (through the internet, of course, though I wish I could spend a day with her in person--in France!), browsing online shops, photo sites, and concocting exciting new projects (which I'll do a separate post on to fill you in!). The company while I was working (custom order) was a welcome change from my usual solitary state of being hunched over my sewing machine, and really helped on the inspiration front. By the end of our chat, I'd come up with a crazy photoshoot idea that I had to try immediately. Following is the result:









I don't really think any explanation or elaboration is necessary here, is it?





Ridding my skirt of some of the water! This is the shirt I mentioned a bit ago. It took about 10 minutes to make, is seriously just a rectangle with slight sleeves and a bit of a boatneck. I didn't finish the edges because I'm lazy & it's for me so it doesn't matter. This fabric is super comfy & lightweight, and therefore perfect for a loose fitting shirt!

I did take some pre-water photos as well, when the sun was a bit brighter. It's setting so much sooner now!



glasses / f21 | necklace / vintage | shirt / handmade | belt / traded | skirt / thrifted | shoes / target

Inspiration?

You know what is seriously a bummer? Running dry on inspiration. Not being able to finish things. Losing motivation. It's all sounding pretty depressing, isn't it?

I have two & a half weeks until I move into my dorm. While I'm excited for this new chapter in my life (excited doesn't describe the half of it!), I'm wondering if the transition period is contributing to my creative dry spell. But then I wonder, am I just trying to find an excuse for month-long general lack of creativity? Because honestly, that's what it's been. Besides a 10 minute shirt I made (which I will show soon!), I haven't made anything since the Sailor Girl dress, weeks and weeks ago. Sure, I've been working, and socializing, and doing plenty of other things... but it's no excuse. I need to learn to be creative on demand, to at least a certain extent.

Well, tomorrow I have to sew. I have to finish a custom order so it's ready to ship on Monday morning. But tonight, I'm going to bemoan my dry spell and pose this question to you: What sites do you visit for inspiration? Pretty pictures? Heartening quotes?

p.s. here are my favorites: ♥ - ♥ - ♥

& my friend Veronika linked me to what's become my new favorite site: ♥

[Old] Favorites

Favorite truck. Favorite place to take photos. Favorite shirt (rawr!). Favorite new shoes. & probably most favorite outfit in a while!



I got these shoes a week ago, & have been wearing them nearly every day since. I really wanted a pair of Minnetonka moccasins, and they're terribly easy to get your paws on since I'm in Minnesota... except they're so darn expensive, especially for my broke college student budget. I can't justify spending much on shoes or clothing ever, but especially not now. So when I saw these $16 moccs at Target, I knew they had to be mine. It's downgrading, for sure, but they're still super comfy. I'll probably personalize them by adding little leather flowers, eventually.





top & belt & shoes / Target | skirt / handmade

Other things of note: I got my hair cut & my bangs trimmed! It feels so nice & fresh. I hadn't gotten a haircut since January, so it was needed! Things are pretty crazy here, as my brother is getting married in just a couple weeks. We're knee-deep in wedding prep, but it's a good kind of busy. I've also been working on a custom order (grading patterns! Learning new things!), picking up extra hours at a resort down the road, & working for my mom. Classes start in a little over three weeks, so I'm scraping things together for that, too. Pretty hectic--but that's how August always goes in the resort business!

Scrap Tank Tutorial

Do you guys know Max California? If not, you should! She's a sewing extraordinaire, one of the coolest people around, & a total sweetheart. Max asked me to put together a tutorial for a guest post (read it HERE!), & I couldn't have been happier to oblige. I love this chick & her darling family--& you will too, so go visit! So, for her, I put together a video on how to make a scrap-embellished tank top (which you saw a few weeks ago) from start to finish. The technique is pretty simple & can be used on ready-to-wear clothing as well. Everything you need to know is in the video. Have fun!





Did I encourage you enough to send me photos if you make it? If not, here: addie@addie-marie.com. I'll love you forever!

P.S. Last week, I also guest-blogged for Chaucee over at The Searched And Found... Go check it out!

Hearts for Friends

I finally can post these pictures, because I finally sent my friend her birthday present & she just received it today! I actually made this dress weeks ago, as my very first try doing a heart cutout, but I was very bad at finishing the handsewing bits, & since my darling friend reads the blog, I couldn't post the photos I took of it until after she got it. She sent me an email letting me know a few minutes ago that she got it, so here it is!





I think it looks classier without puffy sleeves. Mine is the floofy, girly version, while this is perfect for a cocktail party. The fabric came from the upholstery section of the fabric store, a spot I should really shop more often... I adore the print! The weight is also really nice, & the cotton has a bit of a sheen, which I adore.





She's just the darlingest, & I can't wait to see photos of it on her! She lives up in Alaska while I'm stuck down here in the midwest, & we haven't actually seen each other in three years. But we stay in touch regularly & can still gossip & gab as though we hang out regularly. Friendships like that are the best, don't you think? <3<3<3

Old School

There is a price to having a social life, apparently! It means spending your Sunday afternoon catching up on everything you've put off during the week, like blogging & editing photos & making tutorials & answering email & writing thank you notes & getting things ready to send off.



I took these photos back on Tuesday, but then just never got a chance to edit them until now. I was so excited when I saw the sunset on that day because the gold of the light matched all the yellow in my outfit perfectly. I'm such a dork!





shirt / thrifted || belt / traded with friend || skirt (dress, actually) / handmade || shoes / modcloth



I really loved reading all your comments on my last post. It seriously made my day! Wouldn't it be fun to do a monthly summary or something like that? Just a sweet way to keep up with each others' lives & hear how things are going. What do you think?

When The Weather Is High

Huge apologies (as seems to be the trend) for the lack of posts... it's been a pretty busy week work-wise here, & I've been getting some custom work done. I've got some sewing projects lined up for the next week, so hopefully I will be super productive.





Do you sum your summer up in brief or one-word phrases? I love the simplicity of describing things shortly, the mystery that it hints to, & the memories that follow when reading it later.

So my summer, thus far, has been:

Yellow nail polish, campfires campfires campfires, splashing in the water, rad canoe escapades, sand-covered clothes, dresses all the time, finding shapes in clouds in the moonlight, huddling on a wet dock, scooping ice cream, creative uniforms, discussing theology while star-gazing, s'mores, Rummy 500, almost-siblings, tiny desserts, so much yellow in every outfit, just jumping in, lounging in row boats, beach hair, Lovin' Spoonful & Fleetwood Mac, racing canoes in impractical clothing, anticipation of my brother's wedding, & smiling, always.

What's your summer been like?