The Great Destashing Continues!

I've managed to get a few more things out of my piles of craft supplies and posted on etsy. You know you need this :)

Knit Wit Kit and Pattern Book

UPDATE:  SOLD!

DIY Projects I Want to Try

So many projects, so little time!

Amy Butler's Clutch

Tie Dye Tights

Riley Blake Layla the Elephant Softie

The World's Easiest Peach Cobbler

I needed to make something else to go with supper, but I had to stick with the ingredients we already had in the house because we're broke. So I poked around and realized I had the makings of a very very quick peach cobbler.

The Frazzled Mom's Peach Cobbler

Ingredients:

1 large can (14+ oz) of peaches in syrup
1 package of ladyfingers (3oz)
cinnamon
powdered sugar

Yield:
6-8 servings

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Remove half of the ladyfingers from the package and arrange them in the bottom of
an 8"x 8" baking dish.
3. Dump in the peaches and about 2/3 of the syrup (too much and the ladyfingers
will dissolve).
4. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
5. Place the remaining ladyfingers on top of the peaches.
6. Bake until ladyfingers on top are slightly toasted.
7. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
8. Serve warm with vanilla frozen yogurt. Yum!

My husband loved it!
If you don't have time to cook it at all, serve it cold in small dishes and call the desserts "miniature peach trifles." ;)

How to get Helena Hair

In case you're curious as to how a woman with very straight, very fine hair achieved the style in my profile photo, the answer is two-fold. First, I make my hair stop being fine and straight (temporarily of course) by braiding it into at least four braids while it is wet and leaving it braided for at least eight hours. Twelve or more is best.
The second answer is that I learned the hairstyle with the help of the youtube video here.

To the lady who made this video: THANK YOU!

I love Helena Bonham Carter more than is probably sane, so you will be seeing more posts inspired by her. Consider yourself warned. :)

So Cute!

I just had to make a treasury of other cute things to go with my bunny appliques. You can see it here.

Lost in Dictation

My handsome husband has a funny blog called Lost in Dictation, which celebrates those crazy google voice translations of voicemails. Check it out today!

Lost in Dictation

What I Do NOT Want for Fall

I am getting ready to make the big "What I want for Fall" post, with lots of gorgeous dresses and sweaters and such, but in the process I am finding sooo many things that I most emphatically do not want. Here are a few.

Fanchon Clutch by Anthropologie

Really, what were they thinking? A grey globby bunch of fungi looks better than this, and you can find fungus for free. This ugliness will set you back $398!

Laser Cut Boot

While I do like the laser-cut design, it just looks silly on this dreadful boot shape. All I can think is that it looks like the wearer would have to sort of hop, stiff-legged and flat-footed. I think I'll pass.

It does look comfy, but that's about all I can say about it.

Babooshka Vent-Tee Maxi Dress in Black

I think I'll stop there and save your eyes some misery.

Help! My blog is unravelling!

I have no idea what is going on, but as you scroll down my blog, it loses all format. It wasn't like that just a few days ago. I have no idea what is going on or how to fix it. If anyone knows, please please let me know in the comments section!

The Bunny Rabbits Is Coming!

Wait a minute...shouldn't that be "The bunny rabbits ARE coming?"
Sorry, had to get that tribute to Garfield and Friends in!
But in all seriousness, the bunny rabbits are here. What am I talking about?

These cute appliques made by me from vintage 70s fabric are now available in My Etsy Shop!

UPDATE:  The appliques are no longer available but will be in my shop soon on cute upcycled baby clothes!

Book Review: Rumors--A Luxe Novel

My reading list is always eclectic but as a rule I avoid romance novels. So it was largely out of boredom that I turned to The Luxe this summer, checking it out from my local library mostly because of the period costume on the cover. I was surprised to find myself unable to put it down even though I had figured out very early into the story what was going to happen at the end. For the Luxe novels are not just novels of romance, though that plays a good part. They are a look at society during the "Gilded Age" of America, when women of wealth were in many ways caged by convention as tightly as by their corsets. However, unlike Edith Wharton's classic books about this time, Godbersen's books do not feel stifling and airless. Perhaps this is because she allows one to glimpse the lifestyles of the lower classes as well as those who rule them. Of course, it could be because she allows her characters to engage in activities that are not all that historically accurate. We know that some girls broke the taboos surrounding sex before marriage, but it is very difficult to believe that every young lady did so. I finished the first novel with mixed feelings but decided to read the next one anyway.
It took a while for it to arrive at my library through the interlibrary loan program, so I have only just finished reading Rumors. My thoughts, as before, are mixed. If you are looking for a reliable, accurate historical novel, this is not it. There are several problems with the historicity of the actions of the characters. The biggest is below.

SPOILER!



It is extremely unrealistic that a girl who was so careful to keep up appearances as Elizabeth was would choose to live with a man without marrying him first. They were out West where no one knew them and it would have been perfectly easy to get married without causing a fuss. And yet they have not, apparently just so there can be a hurried wedding (complete with the bride wearing white, which would not have been allowed by a proper mother) at her old home, to make Will's sudden death almost immediately afterward more poignant.



END SPOILER

It is unlikely that Diana's unconventional (and often just plain rude) actions would escape scrutiny so often. This was an era when a woman could easily end up in an insane asylum for promiscuous behaviour, after all!

So Rumors is not perfect by any means. However, it is quite engrossing if not exactly a page-turner, and at times full of surprises. The constant gossip and betrayals grow old rather quickly, and Penelope is still almost a cardboard cutout of lust personified. Most interesting to me was the continued story of Lina, the former maid trying to claw her way into high society by whatever means she can get hold of.
It seemed as if the author was preparing for a trite "twist" that would make everything end happily, but there is a real twist for a finale. Be aware that the book ends very much on a "To Be Continued" note--think Gone With the Wind! But unlike Gone with the Wind, there are sequels to Rumors Will I read them? Maybe, if the library happens to get them in and I get bored again. I do not plan to buy them though.

On the whole, I would recommend The first two Luxe Books to older teenagers (and adults) who know better than to behave the way these "mean girls" do and who are looking to be entertained rather than educated by a costume drama. If you enjoy The Luxe series, I would highly recommend trying The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton. It is much better written, and the beauty of the language and subtlety of the characters make it a true masterpiece.


For more information see
Rumors by Anna Godbersen