It’s long overdue, but since the art show has been crossed off my calendar, I can finally list all of my new creations in the shoppe. Below are a few of them, but you can visit my shoppe for the complete view. 😀 Thank you for taking the time.

In more Umbrella Ave. news…………you can now follow me on Facebook! www.facebook.com/umbrellaave

And for all of you who are wondering, the art show went fabulously. I made out with more money than I had hoped for, and ended up selling some of the items I had been most skeptical about. So a BIG thank you to everyone who attended and to those who purchased one of my little creations. I am already looking forward to next year. 😀

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Another sneak peek at what I’ve been working on for the art show. 2 more weeks!!!

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It’s been a while since I’ve done an Etsy post, so why not start up again by featuring my mom’s new shoppe? Before starting out on Etsy, she sold quality, handmade clothing for Himstedts, as did I. You can still buy a few of her ensembles here {KinderCottageKeepsakes}, as well as see past creations.
Her new venture on Etsy is made up mostly of handmade, anime-style, felt dolls. We have decided they are so weird that they’re pretty cute! She also sells upcycled rings made with vintage earrings and buttons, plus fabric covered button earrings. So stop by and look around. She’ll have new items up soon! 🙂

www.TheWindyHill.etsy.com

ModCloth Picks of the Day
Dresses: White Chocolate Truffle Dress
Sophisticated, beautiful, flowy, a neutral shade with pearl buttons and lots of pleats. What’s not to love?

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Tops: Blue in the Lace Top

This is one I’d like to try with one of my long sleeved tops. How cute and easy!?

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And because I think it would look great with my top pick, I will post my second favorite top of the day:

Hit the Hot Spots Cardigan

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Bottoms: Rows of Prose Romper

This would be cute for a day at the beach, or for just lounging around the house.

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Shoes: Wyoming Cutie Bootie

A bit too hiking boot for me, but still really cute!

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Alex’s Favorites {For Whatever Reason}

Cute design and nice colors. I normally look odd in blousey-topped dresses, but you never know until you try it on…..

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Just look at the fabric detail….. haha!……..cute and Japanese-ish. This would look cute with tall socks, a pair of brown boots and a sweater.

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This one is my favorite. I fell in love as soon as I laid eyes on it. But I get the feeling most people would find this to be a strange dress. Oh well. 😉

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Cute, comfy and simple. Love the idea of this sweater dress with some skinny jeans and flats. And you know I can’t resist the bow…… 😉

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This is the classiest dress out of the bunch. If I went out dancing {I don’t}, this would be the perfect dress for it.

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Okay, I admit it: School Marm / First Lady. Maybe I’m taking my vintage school look a little too seriously.

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Sleek and sophisticated. Not sure how this would look on, but the mannequin does it justice.

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Retro design. Love it.

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I’m still not sure about this one……….It might look cute with some tall brown boots and a sweater………..

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The End

Good morning! Can you believe I’m back again already? hee hee.
I have decided to start a blog segment where you can find my top picks from Modcloth’s newest additions. I will throw in my Anthropologie picks, as well, whenever I find something new. To start, I will show my top picks for each catagory: dresses, tops, bottoms and shoes. Then I’ll show a selection of other favorites, showing off the elements that particularily appeal to me or inspire me to make one like it.
Here we go:
Modcloth
Dress:
Raspberry Fudge Dress
I love the combination of loose top and form-fitting skirt. The colors are sophisticated and comfortable, while the simple yet complicated folds and pleats add that needed bit of pizzaz.

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Top: Sweet Prophecies Cardigan

There was slim pickings in the tops catagory, so I chose the one that fit me best. Vintage + School girl + Office. Gotta love ruffles and lace running down the front of a cardigan. 🙂

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Bottoms: Culotte Factor Romper

Slim pickings in this catagory as well. I am not particularily fond of this romper, but it beat out the poor competition.

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Shoes: On A Whim Boot

Yesterday’s shoes were downright ugly, although I thought at first that the Color Odyssey Wedge was very promising. Then I clicked on it and WOW………ugly, plastic, rainbow heels DO NOT mix with pretty blue office shoes. So I had to go with the only shoes added so far today. They are pretty cute, just not spectacular.

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Now on to my personal favorites from the first few pages……..

Alex’s Top Picks {for whatever reason}

Delicately Dijon Dress

I love the color, the lace at the neckline, the fact that it’s made entirely from a mustard-hued lace {probably the stretch kind} but doesn’t look tacky, and the nice, simple lines of the dress itself. This would be a pretty easy one to make.

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Madame Speaker Dress

The colors are nice, it has simple lines and there are just a few interesting elements to make you look twice.

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The Sweeney Mod Romper

I’m not crazy about it being a romper, but I do love the top portion. I wish they sold it as a blouse instead.

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Idee Fixe Blouse

I love everything about this one! The muted pink, the ruffled “sleeves”, the lace and the band around the bottom. I could really use this in my wardrobe to pair with my suspender jeans or a sweater vest.

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Blue-ming Beauty Dress

I wouldn’t buy this one, because I’d have no place to wear it and I usually opt for straps. But just look how unique and beautiful it is!

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Ripple in Still Water Skirt

This skirt is probably my favorite piece out of the bunch. I have been in the mood for pencil skirts with interesting effects ever since I made my Circus Skirt back in June {or was it July?}. This one is so cool! Just wish it had a different base fabric like wool or something more traditional.

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Last but not least, I found these cute shoe clips on the sale page. I remember shoe clips from when I was little, but those were ugly gold or ruffly things that I clipped to my sunday shoes. These would be cute on my leather Hushpuppy flats. Very Schoolgirl. I’m sure you’re sick of that phrase by now. 😉

I may have to try these out……….

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I check modcloth everyday.

I’m looking for the perfect winter coat, but have not yet found one. The excitement of new items listed each day, and sometimes more than once a day, keeps me going back. Today I found this darling collection of clothes. It’s right up my alley and I thought I’d share it for those of you who agree with me. The old-fashioned school girl look { it probably has a more technical name that I don’t know about} really appeals to me……..not sure why. Maybe it’s just the nostalgia of watching Anne of Green Gables and reading lovely old books by Louisa May Alcott. Maybe it’s the fact that my sisters and I played “Boarding School” a lot when we were younger, or maybe I just get swept away too easily with new fashion crazes. But if you love this look like I do, then enjoy!

All photos are courtesy of Modcloth
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This is my favorite from the collection. I may try to recreate it. But at this moment it seems easier to buy it………we’ll see if it’s still there when I have the $$$$.

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Well, this is my first post about me in a while. 😉 I have been busy with Umbrella Ave. and work, even though very neglectful of the poor little blog. I hope you’ll all forgive me when I show you some peeks at what I’ve been working on. I’ve decided to add a new line of miniature stuffed animals to my shoppe. They won’t premiere until the art show in November (wait………I didn’t post about the art show?…….wow, I really have been neglectful), but I want to show a few photos here. These are only progress shots of my newest stuffie addition, but you can see the other animals I’ve made in the last photo. These will be sold separately in little jars with lids. The inspiration came from the last issue of Where Women Create, which I will try to post photos of next week. Don’t hold your breathe, though. I would hate for anyone to pass out while waiting for me to get in gear. 😉

Lovely spools of thread which were used in my new line of embroidered footwear art.

(see last photo)

Cluttered workspace

The stuffies are completely sewn by hand with reproduction fabrics!

3 new lines: Owl-themed mirror necklaces, Vintage Stuffies & embroidered footwear art

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I found this handy little tutorial in my email inbox today. Check it out and enjoy! 🙂
Ximismodnest
What wonderful pieces of art! I just love them; they would be so perfect for a child’s bedroom or playroom. Even my room! There are many more pieces in her shoppe, so stop by and take a look……. 🙂


When I went to the Magic Show in Vegas last month, I noticed a lot of rain boots in the Platform {footwear} section. Most them sported cute, colorful, floral motifs and were lined in some kind of faux sherpa. I fell in love. And started thinking that this type of shoe would be a perfect {and adorable} investment for the coming winter. I’ve heard that this year is supposed to have even more “muchness” than last……….and maybe it’s just me, but I thought last year was BAD. With the kind of winters we’ve been having here, a nice, tall pair of waterproof boots wouldn’t be so bad. Not to mention if they were lined in some kind of cozy warmness. 🙂 So I began to scour the internet for the perfect pair. I had some trouble at first, but finally found this great site: http://www.womensboots.com/
Following are some of my favorite pairs…… the ones I’m considering come my next paycheck. Or maybe the one after that. 😉 Since my recent shopping trip, I believe the next paycheck is already spoken for.

Cute, but simple. Probably at the bottom of my list.

This pair is currently toward the top of my list. I love the colors, design and especially the sweater cuff. 🙂

Again, cute, but probably too simple. I like the top pair better……

Such a fun, Japanese-ish print! I could imagine wearing these. If only they had a sweater cuff.

Okay, it’s between the sweater cuff, this {darling} pair and the cityscape boots.

Boot liner. This is a great idea because most of the boots listed here and anywhere I could find, were NOT lined in something warm, as they were at Platform. These look wonderful. But I haven’t quite figured out if they will work with all boots, or only this specific brand. :/
Which pair would you choose? Feedback anyone? 😀