Day Trip

   This weekend my family and I took a spontaneous day trip to Portsmouth, NH. It is such a cute city with amazing little boutiques and delicious restaurants lining the streets. I love going to downtown areas like Portsmouth because it's a nice break from trees, farms, mountains, and MORE TREES!

We came upon a really cute shop called Odd Showroom and

my mom, sister, and I couldn't resist going inside!

It's filled with really great vintage finds and leather handbags and shoes. 

The owner, Amity Joy, also creates crocheted and hand sewn clothing and

accessories that make the store one of the finest in the area.

Even after looking around for some time, I didn't feel like I saw nearly enough. If my dad and brother weren't waiting for us outside, I definately would've stayed there much longer. Next time I go to Portsmouth, I look forward to paying another visit and actually buying something there!

For more information about Odd Showroom, go to...

the facebook page

the etsy shop

     I discovered a cosmetic store that carries popular brands such as Philosophy, Too Faced, Nars, Stila, and OPI. It was cute, but there wasn't a lot to look at unless I was going there to search for something particular. Plus, I can't stay in make-up stores as long as I can in clothing stores...once I've seen a couple lipsticks and an eyeshadow I'm ready to leave!

To find out more about Making Faces, go to...

the facebook page

the blog

     We took a break from walking around and sat outside with some coffee at Breaking New Grounds. It was the second time I've been there so I already knew how good their coffee and gelato is, yet I was astounded by the white mocha frappe. It was perfectly sweetened (I don't like a lot of sugar) and satisfied my java cravings for the day.

     Before figuring out where to go for dinner we browsed a couple more stores. In one of them I found this awesome tee...I think it can read my mind!

We decided to eat at the Portsmouth Brewery. I got the curry vegetable soup

and summer salad served with pretzel bread. It was delish!

   While we waited for our table, my mom took me and my sister to a neat bohemian store. They carried everything from Indian-style bangles and scarves to beautifully crafted jewelry and fun dresses. I'll be showing you the unique bracelet I got in a post to come!

     To end the lovely evening, we picked up some ice cream at a place we had spotted earlier on in the day and ate it in an area overlooking the water.

PS:

I postponed the next "Who belongs to these shoes?" post becuase nobody guessed yet, but I'll be posting it next week. I promise!

Denim Visions

    Lately, I've been on a sewing spree! I have a bunch of t-shirts that I never wear and I'm intending on cutting and stitching them up into original creations. So far I've finished the denim vest I mentioned a couple posts ago and I'm quite happy with how it turned out. As you may remember, I was a little skeptical about it in the beginning. This is because I wasn't going by any pre-made patterns and I never took a single measurement...truthfully those are the steps that make sewing tedious for me, so whenever I make clothing I eliminate them completely!    

  I made my own pattern (well, you can hardly call it that) by drawing out a simple shape on paper, holding it up to me, tweaking it, and repeating these steps until I came up with two pieces that looked like they would fit. I traced the two pieces onto old pairs of jeans, and cut the basis of what I built everything else off of.

   After I stitched the four pieces together, I let my creativity lead me. My favorite part of constructing any piece of clothing is building off of each element I add, just as an actor learns to do when they're improvising. I never draw my designs beforehand, I formulate what I want to create in my head and put it directly onto fabric. I then make changes based on instinct. It's definitely not the most full-proof way to sew because I never know how something will turn out until it's finished, but I like the thrill of experimenting and I normally feel more satisfied with the end product than with what I had originally imagined it would be.

Hopefully, this will be one of many unique creations

I'll be making over the course of the summer.

So stay tuned for more to come!