clock purse lady..

This purse was gifted to me by my Grandmother Kutch for my 20th birthday. She bought it from Lisa's Antiques in Taylorville and I've been in love with it ever since. I don't carry it a lot, but when I do.. I get all sorts of comments. People are just amazed that it's actually a working clock (in a purse!). It's hilarious to see people's reactions. I love it.

When I recieved this amazing floral vintage fascinator from my sponsor, Slideshow Vintage, I was amazed and so excited! It's such a generous gift and I will definitely put it to great use! A huge thank you to Slideshow Vintage!

outfit details: 

Carrot Cake Cupcake Bow Tie: my design (view listing)

vintage floral fascinator: c/o Slideshow Vintage

Taupe vintage style heels: c/o Modcloth

skirt: Salvation Army

vintage dusty rose blouse: thrift store in Springfield, MO (for sale in my shop soon!)

mustard belt: Goodwill

It's a lovely Monday, no?

love, polly

sneak peek of my new room + designing my own course

As I was getting up for a figure drawing class this morning... something dawned on me. I already have the maximum credits, and I'm thinking of taking 22 hours this semester? Insane. I thought about it a lot and designing my own projects every Friday using the time blocked out for the class I would have had will be more beneficial to me. 

Besides, I need to start learning how to be my own motivation and boss! Anyway, I'm still composing what exactly the course will consist of each week. I am working on this large painting until it's completed, and after I've planned a few little DIY sewing projects and eventually a full garment (I have the perfect vintage fabric + pattern for a dress!) I definitely feel in my heart that this is the right decision for me. How do you act as your own motivator? I'd love to know..!

love, polly

bow ties gifted to Red Velvet..

Hey, there.. this is a very special post and it makes me feel all tingly inside! I love giving away my designs but haven't given many yet because my bow ties are time consuming to make. When I visited Red Velvet this month, I decided to gift two bow ties to Elsie and Emma. I didn't by any means want to ask them to wear it (it can be awkward for some) but they both just snapped them right on and started wearing them like little dolls.. It even seemed like they were wearing the perfect outfits for them, too! I was thrilled and humbled by how kind the team at Red Velvet is.

(photos above borrowed from Elsie and Rachel's blogs)

 I would love to keep making bow ties for them for a very long time. It makes me so happy to give.. :)

love, polly

A bit of nostalgia

I love Atlas Sound. Now that I am back to school and don't have a lot of time to work at Dandelion Vintage, I listen to this album a lot. It makes me miss my job and Tracy. She told me about this band and opened my eyes to a lot of things and I just love talking to everyone who works there. So, this is a bit of a nostalgic post... I hope you don't mind. 

I have been busy with school starting for the past week, and it feels good. I am currently designing a short film being shot in the beginning of September so I had three fittings today that actually went quite well! I am getting excited to see everyone in full attire! The film is set in the early 1930's. I will be gathering up the last tidbits of their costumes in the next week and then I am acting as an assistant costume designer at the University of Illinois (my college) on a show called, "Battle of Angels" by Tennessee Williams. Ever heard of it? 

Anyway, this week has been exciting! I am also working on another project that some of you might have caught onto on facebook or if you follow me on twitter. I don't think I am quite ready to post about it on my blog, yet.. I'll let you know when the time comes.. it's a very fun time for me...♥.

love, polly

costume designing behind the scenes

Hi, there! I thought it might be fun to show a little "behind the scenes" photos while I am moving and trying to get everything organized and in it's place. I've been an active costume designer for short films, music videos, and fashion shoots for over a year now and I couldn't be happier. Here are some behind the scenes shots from my dream jobs! .....♥.

This photo is from the first film I ever costumed called, "Once Upon a Time in 1972"

These two photos are the result of costuming the lead character in The Conversationalist. (the second film I costumed!)

These photos are from the music video called, Midnight Love that I styled this summer!

There are a series of behind the scenes shots for which I did a special project called, "Every Suitcase Tells a Story." This photo is only one... but you can see part one and part two at those links!

And last but certainly not least, here are some photos of Bow Tie Week! I loved this week and plan to continue on with it as soon as possible. If you'd like to see the wonderful bow ties I have designed, here they are: the Banana Cream Pie Bow Tie, the Cotton Candy Dream Bow Tie, the Kitschy Pear Bow Tie, and the Carrot Cake Cupcake Bow Tie!

hope your Sunday is loverly, I'm off to buy myself a new mattress for my brand new room! I'll show photos (like always!) of my new room SOON!

love, polly  

a small chat with Pauline Lindsey... my great grandmother

Great Grandma Polly's 96th bday

This is a video of my Great Grandmother Pauline Whitmer Lindsey this past 4th of July. I love her.. she is one of my best friends. Sometimes it's hard for her to remember me, but then I tell her I used to have red hair and show her my tattoo on my arm and she starts to remember me. When I used to come over every week, my hair was red and she loved it. She said she wanted her hair that color of red, too... I wanted to dye her hair for her so badly... it would be SO AMAZING. 

love, polly

My 22nd Birthday at Red Velvet..

Last weekend for my 22nd birthday, I drove down to Springfield, MO to visit Red Velvet! It was quite a long drive.. about 800 miles total. It was worth every mile! I enjoyed visiting Red Velvet and found that it was ten times better in person! Their hat box collection was astonishing and the quality of their dresses and all of their vintage clothing was absolutely phenomenal. Elsie and she came over and greeted us and gave us a peach bubble tea and red velvet cake pop... it was very welcoming and sweet! I insisted we pay for the treats but she simply said, "No! It's your birthday!" 

Later, I met Mallory, Elsie's intern for her fall dress line and Emma, her sister who runs the sweet shoppe. Anyway, everyone was very warm and welcoming and I wanted to buy the dress in the photo above that I am wearing but alas had no money after my road trip excursion. Just the experience alone was amazing and totally fulfilling..

I also forgot to tell you that I brought Emma and Elsie little presents :) I gifted two of my bow tie designs to them and they both just snapped them right on! They chose the exact ones I thought they would and looked very sweet in them.

love, polly :)

Cause=Time.

This is what I wore to work today at Dandelion Vintage. It was nice being back (I took a long weekend and visited Missouri and then Taylorville- my home town for a night). 

outfit details:

shoes: Goodwill

vintage pleated skirt: value thrift

sequined top: gift from my Grandmother Kutch

vintage wool hat: my mother's in the 1980's

love, polly :)

Hello, this is my mind plushie giveaway!

Hello, dolls! This giveaway of a plushie word bubble is sponsored by the lovely Meggs from the blog Hello, this is my mind. If you'd like to enter, you must leave a comment below! :D If you'd like an extra entry, you can follow her blog via gfc, tweet or blog about the giveaway, follow me in any way or anything else creative you can think up! Each creative entry will allow an extra point towards winning the prize. Please let me know about everything you do to enter and make a separate comment! Thankyou!♥.

love, polly 

double exposures as they seem

When I saw that my friend Myranda and her mother (my lovely co-worker at Dandelion Vintage) knew how to maneuver photoshop in this way.. I immediately asked for a tutorial! They were kind enough to show me and I want to thank them so much! I am planning all sorts of goodies now that I know this valuable little trick!

love, polly

inspiration from afar

The artwork of Myoung Ho Lee astonishes me. He is a South Korean artist and photographer with a wonderful knack for acting as if nature should be put on display. I love this idea because I am obsessed with nature and have always wanted to take photos of leaves against the sky at all times of the day. I also think it's bloody brilliant when you happen to find a tree standing all by its lonesome. I think all of these photos are inspirational to the highest degree! What do you like about them?

have a lovely Thursday! 

love, polly  

5 steps to a better blog for YOU!

Hi, there! I've been thinking lately about loving your own blog.. and there are many ways to achieve this! I personally love being on my own blog (don't be ashamed if you do, too... it's a GREAT THING!) Actually, you may love your blog SO much that you no longer feel the need to read ANY further.. THAT IS GREAT! JUST STOP NOW! For the rest of us who don't quite love our blog to infinity and would like a few suggestions.. here are some pointers on radically self-loving your own blog!♥.

1. Make your own inspiration. THIS is number one because often I found myself waking up to immediately check other blogs rather than my own! If you do this- what does it SAY about your blog? If you won't visit it, nobody else will, either! Make sure you love spending time on your blog. Ask yourself: what have I DONE that is inspiring to other people today or yesterday? Make something happen. Blog about it. Take pictures. Go on an adventure to find pretty things. Craft something. Don't be a copycat (did I just use that phrase? lol). BE YOUR OWN INSPIRATION.

2. Send out your love. If you don't try to meet people through blogging, then you don't care about this post. If your blog is just for you and you don't care about making life long relationships that will one day turn into reality then you can probably stop reading now. I personally have found that blogging has helped me in SO many ways and among those ways is: new friendships. The point of number two is to get out there, leave comments for others, guest post for your favorite bloggers, aspire to be friends with someone who you look up to! Bloggers with friends in the blogging community usually always have stronger blogs because they feed off each other and help each other! It's also another way I've come to acquire sponsors. :D

3. Keep an organized archive. Once I did this, it was SO much easier to look back at the past in a no hassle, no fuss way! I can't recommend LABELS to you enough.. and, it's fun when you stumble upon a new blog and you see all of their little side buttons with their categories (all you have to do is add 'labels' when you go into the design section of your blog.. then every time you write a new post, the little 'Labels:' section shows up! It's wonderful!)

4. Get a decent camera. I don't have the snazziest camera, and I am saving up for a much nicer one in the near future.. but it does the job decently. It helps to have a jar by your bed that you CAN'T get into where you can deposit money for a new camera. No one will like spending a lot of time on your blog if you don't have pretty photos that YOU took YOURSELF. Otherwise, what's the point? It should be YOUR blog filled with YOUR adventures! (and that's fun!)

5. Make a desktop folder labeled, "inspiration" Ever seen a really inspiring photo on a blog that you wish you'd saved? We all have! This is a way to save it and remember why it inspired you! I've been doing this for a few years now and I couldn't be happier about it. Blogging about it is another story. Usually, I look at the photos to BE inspired, and then I take my own twist from the inspiration and make my own projects! It's getting to point where blogger is NOT tumblr, weheartit, flickr, pininterest, etc, etc, etc. and you probably already have one, two, or all of those sites where you already share your inspirations. Take your own photos and post them! That is really what other people want to see! This being said, most don't mind inspirational posts when they have themes or they're all taken by the same photographer.

good luck loving your blog even more♥.

love, polly :)

Misikko product review: Hana 1.5" flat iron!

When I got the email from Brian at Misikko.com asking if I'd like to receive one of their flat irons valuing in almost 120 dollars I gladly accepted. I've straightened my hair back in high school but ever since my two Chi straight irons BROKE I haven't bought a new one! I was surprised when I received the package because it was shipped so fast and had all kinds of extra goodies inside like nail files, fake flowers, lipstick, eyeshadow, an eye mask, and an eyebrow pencil! VERY generous! It also came with a cute pouch for the iron and a metal tin to store it in along with a mat to protect the surface of your vanity!

Despite losing a lot of my hair after dying it various colors (black, red, blonde, peach..) my hair is still quite thick and it takes a while to straighten. Even then, it doesn't want to stay straight! The Hana 1.5" iron I received was very good at straightening my hair fast and efficiently! (it's pretty humid outside right now, though.. and my hair is quite upset by this fact and loves to wave) I love how the cord is so long because I totally watched Marie Antoinette while doing so!

I am excited for the winter because then I won't have to worry about so much humidity in the air. I'll continue to use this straight iron as long as it lasts and take photos! Thanks so much, Misikko! I love it!

Here are some new products also by Misikko that you might enjoy: flat irons, curling irons, chi straightening iron.

have a lovely day! I am off to mail some packages♥.

LOVE you! polly