Floral Corsage - Pink Trumpets & Rose Buds

When I don't need or want to wear jewelry but still want some thing pretty to spruce up a neckline I like a good floral corsage. I wear them often on my dresses, suiting, and even on my hats and hair. They are so versatile and not expensive to make either. Today I want to offer up some tutorials on how I made my corsages. For this post, my pink trumpets and rose bud corsage.

Supplies:

Of course to make a floral corsage you need a floral element and I love vintage faux flowers. Of course the silk ones from Hobby Lobby or your local craft store will do of course. For mine here they are real vintage faux flowers from the late 40s to the 50s and may be the 60s. I found them on Etsy as a lot. I love to look for large lots of mixed flowers because it makes picking out different pieces easy for me. I have a hard time picking and choosing at times so when someone cane do the work for me I go for it. Lots can be often cheaper than buying one item at a time too. When I finally got my package and began to inspect my treasures, I found many had "Occupied Japan" tags on them. What luck! Real vintage flowers for my real vintage suits and vintage based me made looks. They were also so unique to what was out there commercially too. My lot even had clover leaves and red clover flowers - something I have not found at normal craft stores (at least in my area).

When selecting flowers I like variety and odd numbers. Different shapes, colors, and textures. I like to find flowers in large, medium, and small sizes. Oh, and lots of foliage, I like foliage in my corsages but that is a personal preference.

Assembly:

To start the corsage I start with the main piece or what are my bigger flowers:

Next I added some greenery to help frame my flowers:

For interest, I added some rose buds (three of them) and rose leaves for filler:

 For more filler I added a little white flower but only one. I also added more fern leave to the front of this piece which is in the last process photo.

Tada! All done. To keep my corsage together I  used a super fine copper wire that was in my lot. The fine wire is hard to see as it blends in so well and I also made use of the wire stems wrapped around it all to keep them in place. For this one I did sew the fern leaves to the corsage as they did not have enough stem. I never use glue because if I ever want to rearrange  this piece all I need to do is untwist the wires and snip a few threads. To secure to my clothes, I use pins.

I think you will find like I did that a floral corsage is a great accessory and it can be a super thrifty one too! Often way cheaper than jewelry. I know in my area silk and faux flowers can be had for super cheap when on sale and one can get a lot for a little (especially if one has a coupon!). Anyway, here you are, the first of a few floral corsages.

The Last Bits of Summer

I took these pictures it was the very last week of Summer and it was actually warm! Not an uncomfortable and sticky warm but a comfortable one. Like the kind of warm that you know will be the last one for awhile. Anyway, it was a great opportunity to give this one a wear. Made from a 1957 pattern this was such a simple design that I knew it was going to be an excellent pairing with this fabric. Believe it or not, this fabric was a cheap curtain I found in an antique mall.  I saw the colors, the wild print and thought this might be worth jumping on. It was a print that was so big that no matter how I cut it no part of the dress would be the same. I knew too that large prints like this could be really risky to sew because the large print could look really chopped up if not careful. But I decided to roll the dice anyway. . . .

For reasons I am not sure of this dress was so easy yet was such a pain to make. To start, the bodice was so super easy and I love it. The little notches and the bows were a cute and feminine touch that I am going to be making use of again I am sure of. The skirt is another story which is silly because once I had it figured I was like DUH! To skirt back features two back vents that did not take much fabric but they did in the sewing process. I think if I was to do this one again I may make an adjustment on the skirt to save on fabric. I will spare you the details but the end rest was so cute and they worked really well with this print!

Of course I am wearing my newest jewelry set. I am in love with this set right now because it is so pretty and it really works with this dress too . . . .It ads that extra vintage touch. Worn with this outfit I am sporting some pink seams! I have been wanting to play around more with What Katie Did's colored seams and they are so much fun! They do get noticed in the form of double takes and smiles.

An Update on the Casablanca Wardrobe Challenge

I bet you are all wondering what happened to my Casablanca Wardrobe Challenge as I started it but did not finish it. . . Well I am offering you an update on it because I have not forgotten it and I don't want you to either. The next looks in my line up are the white linen jumper look and the suit look (which is ironic because I love my suits!). So far I have completed three of the five looks I set out to do so I have a good start. I started off on the white evening suit look, then I moved on to the paisley separates (with a casual twist), then I did the scarf and coat look recreated with an original 40s coat and vintage scarf.

As for the last two looks, those have taken a bit longer to get to for a few reasons but the biggest one has been blueberry season. This year I took on more responsibility than normally so my attention had to be diverted elsewhere. This spring too the weather was unequally cold and rainy, not good for spring fashion at all! Which was a bummer because I had the jumper ready to wear but did not have an occasion to wear it. I hope that by the end of this year I will have them completed. If not then next spring. Good thing is is that the sewing is done and its all down to styling and photographing. Wish me luck!

Product Review of Besame Cosmetics

I have been a casual admirer of Besame Cosmetics for a few months lately but was a bit hesitant to try their products. To start with, I really do not wear make up - lipstick at the most! That's it, no foundation, mascara, rouge, etc. Not my thing. Gradually I began to change my mind and curiosity took over. One reason I was not a big make up person was because I had NO idea what to wear, how to wear it or how to choose products. Then over the spring I thought it over and decided to send in my mug shot to find out what products they would recommend. The staff were beyond helpful and after a few emails going back and forth I had my list of suggested items:

Cashmere Power Compact in the Light shade

Vanilla Brightening Powder

Apricot Crème Rouge

Red Hot Red Lip Stick

Wild Orchid Lip Stick

Blood Red Lip Stick  

There were some other lipstick colors picked out for me as well but those three were the ones I decided to go for. I also have their Violet Brightening Powder which was a gift from a generous friend! Thank you!

First off, the packaging was stunning! I have heard amazing things about their packaging before but experiencing it first hand I can see now what they mean! I almost felt really bad throwing out the packing (and honestly I still have it  - too pretty to toss!). And the packing of the actual item is just as impressive. The lipstick bullets are a beautiful gold, a real stand out. The rouge came in a red container that was adorable and the powders just as lovely. I am a fan already of the loose powder packaging. The Cashmere Powder comes in a compact that is pretty easy to use and comes with a pad for application. The Loose Vanilla Brightening Powder comes with a little pad as well and once opened up, the powders are prevented from flying out by an inner lid that is flipped up. I like that because if I drop it, I will not loose all the powder. To use, Tap the container to allow the powder to fall into the lid and then use the little pad. The Crème Rouge I apply with my fingers easily.


The lipsticks were what I was a little worried about but they come with little instructions. I followed the instructions by outlining my lips with the edge and then filled with the flat edge. Personally I really like the shape of the lipstick and find it super easier to use than the modern lipstick shape. I have heard that their lipsticks can be hard to apply (like the lipstick is not creamy) but I did not have that with the three I bought in my own opinion. One more note, the lipsticks come with instruction and I think for best results do what I did - follow the given instructions :)


As a whole I was beyond impressed and the products were easy to apply and stayed on really well. And what I payed I expected a lot to be blunt. . . Did I get what I paid for? Yes I believe so. I am thinking of buying more from them in the future and maybe trying some of their other lipsticks.


So how do these products look on me? Take a look below:
For the first shot (ahem, A kitchen selfie . .. . )  I am wearing the Apricot Crème Rouge applied first, then the Wild Orchid LipStick, then the Cashmere Powder - Light Shade and to touch up I added the Vanilla Brightening Powder. It was going to be a long day so I put it on thick I suppose . . . … That and since this is my first time playing with make up I'm also having some fun with it.

Up Next, same as before but this time with the Lipstick called Red Hot Red. I think this is maybe my favorite. Not because it was Marilyn Monroe's  shade (o.k., that helps . . . ) but because I think it really works for me. This one was recommended to me because my of skin tone.

The third is with the Blood Red lipstick and what a great color! Powders and Rouge are the same as before.

So am I a Besame Girl now? you bet. Although the products were expensive they were totally worth it. They not only look great, they feel and smell the same. For a first time order I was really impressed and will be a return customer again for sure.

This review was based on my own opinions after I purchased they products. I was not compensated in anyway.

It's A Sneek Peek!

I found this fabric at an antique mall and although I almost passed on it I am glad that I did not in the end. When I found it I tossed around what I could do with it because it was so different from what I normally worked with. The large print, the wild colors were so captivating and in the end I took it home. I had a rough idea of what I was going to make but then I found this pattern and I changed my mind. This Simplicity pattern from 1957 was my new pattern for this dress and it did not disappoint. I am going to offer some sneeky peeks today and hopefully I will get the official garment post up later on. . . .

Floral Corsage Series

I love a good floral corsage and I wear them for all kinds of occasions. Actually I think its silly they are mostly worn for good or special occasions. Anyway, I wear mine for all kinds of outings and on all kinds of outfits as well from dresses, to suits, and to coats, furs, you name it. I even will pin them to my hats or add them to my hair for added touch. Since I wear them so often the ones I made from the Hobby Lobby silk flowers are starting to show their wear and my real vintage ones are too. . .That means its times to add in some reinforcement. That and my modern silk ones just don't quite cut it anymore. As my vintage collection has grown better so have my accessories. Its time to update.

As a result, I ordered a lot of vintage flowers from Etsy and little did I know how truly awesome this lot was. Most of the flowers were from the late 40s to the 50s and 60s. Some of the flowers had tags with "Occupied Japan" on them! How cool is that! Some of these little faux flowers were just so pretty and even prettier in person.

I was able to make about 9 different corsages from my order and each one is as different than the last. Since I enjoyed making them so much I decided to turn each corsage into a "tutorial" (thus creating a "tutorial" series!). I hope that you enjoy these as much as me and enjoy as much the outfits I chose to wear with each one. These were so easy to make and although they don't need much special instruction for each corsage I will talk about how each one came together. Enjoy and stay tuned for the floral madness!

50s Separates

Can you believe its September already? I know the summer always goes too fast for me but that's what happens when you work all summer. To kick off the end of summer I chose to wear some 50s separates and to break in my new shoes. More on those later. . . .  For now, the blouse! I made this blouse before the summer started from some thrift store fabric in this amazing deep yellow that is more gold than a yellow.

To go with it some vintage buttons in close to the same color. I found these buttons years ago and used them on a previous project. That project did not pan out so I took off the buttons and saved them for . . . until now I guess.

 The pattern that I used us my go to 50s blouse pattern. I've used it so many times and it never disappoints. Its just one of those patterns for wardrobe stables. The skirt is a basic circle skirt pattern. This skirt was made out of a super fine wool and although a bit shorter than I would like it still works. The belt is a purchased one that I think works really well. I found the belt in the clearance section of White House Black Market. Leather belts are those things I cannot make so I like to buy those. I think they add a nice touch and are a bit different than a matching fabric one.

O.K., now to the shoes! I found these at a modern up scale second hand store and they were priced to right I could not pass them up. So why did I buy these you ask? I bought them because I wanted a more 50s style heel to go with some of my 50s outfits. By the late 40s and into the 50s the heel shape had started to shift to a more narrow one and the toe followed suit. I still love the shape of a 40 pump but now I have some variety in the form of a great neutral 50s style shoe. (Oh and check out those Mustard Seams!!)