August 11, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

Vintage Kantha Ensemble

Two years ago, Anthropologie came out with a dress made from vintage Kantha fabric.

At the time I had just lost sixty pounds (I would go on to lose more) and I had very little clothing that fit me. It felt like a miracle to find this dress that seemed like it came from my dreams.

The dresses were by my favorite designer, Vineet Bahl.

Each one was different and unique as they were made from vintage fabric.

I paired the Vintage Kantha Dress with these kantha clips I purchased this year from Free People. I love that they match the dress perfectly.

I own four of these dresses.

Yes. Four! Each one is more amazing than the next. The inside of each dress is done in a different vintage Kantha fabric. This one has a purple Kantha inside. I have been trying to figure out how to wear them inside out, too.

These dresses are my favorite pieces of clothing in my closet. If I had to choose one item to personify me, this would be it.

The coin necklace seemed like a good fit on this day (similar here).

Look at that detail on the dress.

I just love it so much.

I cannot wait to share the rest of my Kantha dresses. They are so special to me. I own them in orange (shown here), pink, maroon, and green. I would buy more if they were available.

I bought mine on a discount. The maroon one was a steal. But, regardless of price, they are the pieces of clothing in my closet I would save in the event of a fire (after family, pets, documents and art, of course).

What one item in your closet personifies you? How long have you had it? Do you own more than one?

July 15, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

Embroidered Doll Dress

I have something I want to say.

“I LOVE THIS DRESS!!!”

Sorry, that was slightly unnecessary. But it is true.

I do.

In, fact, I cannot seem to stop staring at the gorgeous embroidery. As demonstrated in my accidental pose above. It just makes me so happy. I had patiently waited for a sale on the Embroidered Peasant Doll Dress, and when it reached more than 60% off, I asked for it for my birthday.

It is short.

In fact, when my husband took these pictures, he exclaimed, “that dress is RE-E-E-A-A-ALLY short!”

This is coming from the guy that never notices if the entire back of my dress is unbuttoned. I knew it had to be a little too short if he was making a proclamation. I tried not to flashback to all of the bending and reaching I did at the grocery store in the dress, the day before. All of this to say, from this point on I will now be wearing a slip under this dress.

Modesty: it’s ~~a virtue~~ a necessity at my ~~age~~ exercise level.

Anyway, I wish I had gotten a close up shot of the neckline. It has little red stitching with the blue.

In the last two photos, I have a hidden little gnome on my person.

It happens.

However, on the ride home, my husband informed me that my gnome bore an uncanny resemblance to my nemesis…

Elf On The Shelf.

And now he is back in my house. And he is surrounded by his multitude of brothers, because he came in a pack.

And I am trying to not freak the freak out.

Maybe I need to go look at this dress again.

Ahhhhh, here we go. Isn’t that embroidery lovely? It definitely does not in any way remind me of creepy little dudes in red.

And that Scalloped Monogram Bracelet is now on sale at Anthropologie. I own one with my initial and one with my husband’s.

Don’t worry.

I’m simply spinning.

I am not running away in terror.

But I will be watching my back… Just in case.

What do you do about dresses that are too short? Do you wear them anyway? Or do you pair them with pants or a slip? I think this will be cute with tights in the winter, but what color should I wear?

*these photos were edited using the App Afterlife’s Meadow Filter.

P.S. * I shared this on The Pleated Poppy!

May 11, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

In The Queen’s Rose Garden

I snuck away to a rose garden the other day to take some pictures of my new Frangipani Peasant Top. I kept my eyes peeled for a Cheshire Cat, but in doing so stumbled and fell.

Just call me Tweedledum-b.

I had no idea that Frangipani was a flower until sweet Liana from The Frock and the Hound commented yesterday on my giveaway stating it was her favorite flower. I looked it up and found that Frangipani is actually Plumeria. Who knew? Well, I guess Liana did. ; )

I had purchased the Frangipani Peasant Top (sold out, kind of similar Forever 21 version here and slightly similar plus size option here) during the additional 20% off sale items and received free shipping through a store. I was unsure about it, because it was so expensive. But it was like nothing I had ever seen before. I am a sucker for baggy clothes. Especially baggy clothes with floral and crocheted lace.

I was ignorantly calling it, “Fran-ja-pan-neeee,” with a deep Southern twang around my house. Having no clue of its definition, I just thought it was a fun word to say. And whisper in my husband’s ear.

He loved that.

We went to the local rose garden to take pictures. I felt like Alice wandering through The Queen’s Garden. Except instead of falling down a rabbit hole, I fell into the cactus behind me. I, of course, would manage to fall into the only cactus in the entire rose garden. I did not say, “Frangipani!”, when I fell. Although, now that I think about it, that would be a great exclamation. Certainly more appropriate than what I probably said.

I love my new Anthropologie Scalloped Monogram Bracelet that I wore that day. I have two of them. One with my initial and the other with my husband’s. I cannot wait to pair them together.

The roses are gorgeous right now. It was nice to see blooms with this drought going on. It is such a peaceful place. Each time I am there, there is no one else visiting. They must be scared of The Queen.

I even wore my Rabbit Earrings to sneak through the garden. If you will notice, the rabbit has two different colored eyes. Kind of like a certain Mad Hatter. You don’t think this is the secret love child of The Mad Hatter and The White Rabbit do you?

If it is, you know I will love them even more. Does that make me mad?

Do you have a rose garden near you? Be sure to visit it soon. The best blooms will be gone in three weeks. And with them, any chance to visit Wonderland or the opportunity to yell, “Frangipani!” at a cactus. And that would be a shame to miss.

*The links in this post are affiliate links. Clicking on a link will result in a small commission for ~~Alice~~ this site.

P.S. Happy Mother’s Day to all of the moms out there. I was lucky enough get to see my sweet mom yesterday. It was so nice. I love you Mom!

And I shared this on The Pleated Poppy!

And Because Shanna Said So

Gnome Lover

Stumbling through life while still having fun

monogram

Vintage Kantha Ensemble

Embroidered Doll Dress

In The Queen’s Rose Garden