Dressed to pin

In another lifetime, sorority girl Katie used to love "dressing to pin" (i.e., dressing up so I could wear my sorority badge and not disrespect my letters). And while sorority girl Katie remains a distant memory for the most part, I still get a little thrill when I know I'm dressed to pin. This quirk is more than likely responsible for my current obsession with brooches. Here's a sneak peak at my "new" peacock one I got at a vintage store not long ago. It's supposedly 1920s-era, but who knows if that's accurate. Regardless, I like it. (And might I add it's surprisingly difficult to take a picture of one's own chest.)

'Every time I come around yo' city, bling bling'

Who doesn't love a little bling? I wanted to make my friend, Kate, some sparkle flair for her 26th birthday last week. So, with a little of this:


and a bit of this for inspiration:

photo: Mccallpattern.com

I came up with this:


Doesn't she look fabulous?


Coming to a blog post soon: Kate's crafty endeavors plus more obnoxious sparkly garments!

"What is this that morning sunshine gilds with golden beams?"

My little sister recently "hired"—and by "hired," I mean our mom will be reimbursing me for supplies—me to do my first commissioned knitting project. She wanted me to make two more of the Amy Gaines owls to give to her sorority little sisters as initiation gifts this weekend at their super-secret Chi Omega initiation (yes, there will be a dead owl in the coffin, girls). For those not up on their srattiness, the owl is one of the symbols of Chi O. I had made one of the owls for my sister's birthday back in the fall. Anyway, here are a few photos of the finished product. I switched the colors from my previous effort just to keep them distinct. And I embroidered their names, Xavier Roberts-style, on the back as well.

Shameless branding: