Laurelhurst Picnic

Dear Friends and Readers,

  I hope you all had a lovely Monday and are having a good week so far. Mine has been normal with nothing out of the ordinary. Aaron and I are still preparing to move and we signed the papers for the new house yesterday. Things are finally starting to feel more official.

Sunday afternoon we had an event planned at a local Rose Garden in Portland. Unbeknownst to us, there was a huge festival going on at the same time. So, after a last minute venue switcheroo, we ended up at a lovely park called Laurelhurst. The picnic ended up being perfect, despite the warmth of the afternoon, and a great time was had by all. Here are the pictures labeled with our Le Bon Ton persona names.

Lieutenant Colonel Etienne de Valois

Theodosia de Valois, Captain Edmund Cartwright,  and Lady Abigail Cartwright

Kay, Gui, and Lady Elizabeth Devereux

Captain Edmund and Lady Elizabeth Cartwright

Lord Thomas and Lady Elizabeth Sully, Fifth Baron of Portland

A Friendly Game of Petanque

The Whole Group

I love how the costumes continue to improve among our group. Our captain has finally received his uniform and I know have large wigged and hat wearing buddies :-) It’s wonderful!

Well, have a great evening and rest of your week. We are having a Fourth of July party this weekend. So I should have some more costumed pics for you soon. This party, however, is going to be 1940’s Dieselpunk. I’m really looking forward to it. God Bless!

Love Lauren

Versatile Blogger Award

 

The amazing American Duchess has so kindly awarded me the Versatile Blogger Award!!!! Thank you, Your Grace.

Okay, here goes…

7 things about me:
1) I have a ridiculous number of food allergies. I’ve learned to substitute almost everything when I’m baking.

2) I simply adore animals. I love being around them and I make friends very easily. Zoos and pets stores are always a fun place for me.

3) I love, love, love the rain. Actually, since moving to Oregon, my love for rain has only grown.

4) As I get older, I’m becoming more content with my looks and shape. I struggled with that for years. Now, I’m learning to love me for me.

5) I lived in Kentucky for a short time when I was a toddler. I had a drawl and when I’m around people from that region it comes back with a vengeance.

6) I want to learn French. This is a goal of mine when I retire. Hopefully starting in January 2011.

7) I’m a computer and techy nerd. Not as much as my hubby, but I do enjoy technology. My dad is the king of computers and I spent much of my childhood watching him work on them and repair them for his clients.

5 blogs to pass this award onto:

1) Romantic History: Sarah has a lovely blog. She not only blogs about her historical clothing from multiple eras, but she gives us a glimpse into her life with her hubby and three boys.

2) Wearing History: Yet another fellow Lauren who is a costumer. This gal makes amazing vintage reproductions and patterns. Her blog is a treasure trove of vintage style with sprinklings of her life.

3) Mme du Jards Atelier: Mme du Jard is an amazing costumer. Her creations are fabulous and she creates clothing from multiple eras. 

4)Stayin’ Alive 18th Century: Abby has a lovely blog full of 18th century goodies and tidbits from her real life.

5) A Day in 1862: Amy’s blog is so sweet and lovely. She blogs about her costumes and her life with her hubby and baby girl. Her blog is just a delight to read.

Well, folks, I must be off. We have a busy day ahead of us today :-) God Bless!

Love Lauren

1940’s Play Suit

Here is a peak at my new play suit, aka me being goofy in the living room ;-) . I plan to wear it for our Fourth of July Party next weekend. Of course, I will have victory rolls and the whole nine yards. But for quick picks, slightly messy hair and red lipstick will do. God Bless!

   

Portland House and a Sewing Hiatus

Dear Friends and Readers,

  I hope you all are having a wonderful summer so far. We have a lot of changes coming down the road for us. We have been so blessed with the opportunity to rent an amazing 1932 Portland Bungalow. It has been updated and is much, much larger than the space we are currently living in. Plus, it has a large backyard, yeah! So, we are in the process of packing, packing, packing. We have a whole month to get settled, which is a huge blessing. Last time we moved, we packed out lives into a truck and drove for three days. This time, we have a little more time to pack and move and get our current house ready to return to our landlords. The most exciting thing for me  is that I'm finally going to be living in an older home. Also, it's has the 1930's English Cottage style, complete with dark wood molding, plastered walls, hardwood floors, and leaded glass windows. I promise to post lots of pictures once we get settled and I get everything decorated.

 As for sewing... Well, I finished my 1920's dress and have officially decided that I do not look good in 1920's styles. I kind of look like a stuffed sausage in a bag. So, we won't be showing pictures of my 20's dress. I can't decide if I want to keep it in case we have a 20's event or sell it. So, I'm back to the 1940's and loving it. I'm currently working on  a 1940's play suit and I can't wait to wear it. It's super, duper cute and very flattering, according to hubby. As he says, "I need to show off my curves" and the 1920's does not do that for me. Anyway, we are having an Independence Day/ Happy Graduation party on the 4th and I'm going to wear it then. So you will just have to wait a little while for pictures.

  This will be my last sewing project until we move and get settled. Also, I might not be posting as often for the next few weeks. I do plan to post as much as I can, especially since reenacting season is kicking into high gear. Have a wonderful day, everyone. Here's a pic of the house from Google Maps. Again, I'll post real pictures as soon as we get settled. God Bless!!!

Love Lauren

The New Portland House, 2.0

Dr. Aaron F. Marks

Here he is, ladies and gentlemen, the Doctor :-)

Aaron with his mentor, Dr. Taylor.

Hubby and Me (I wore my 40’s dress for the occasion and loved it!)

Aaron’s Grad Party….

Last night was the much anticipated Graduation Party for Aaron’s class. It was held at the Portland Art Museum and was quite the evening. I think the best thing was our attire. You see, Aaron’s classmates love the fact that we reenact and were asking, well kind of begging,  Aaron to go 18th century  for the party. Well, never wanting to disappoint, we happily obliged. It was a blast. Here are a few pics!

Here we are… (BTW the evening also gave me a chance to take my new stays for a spin. I LOVE THEM!!!!)

 

Some of the guys!

All in all it was a great evening. Aaron was runner up for the best kept hair due to his sideburns :-D

Have a great weekend everyone! God Bless!

Love Lauren

He Passed!!!!

Dear Friends and Readers,

  I just received word that hubby passed his board examinations. He can now finish his license application and start working as soon as his license arrives. I am so grateful to God for His provisions and seeing us through these past four years.

Dr. Aaron Marks DMD (well in one more week anyway)

Progress…

Dear Friends and Readers,

I hope you all had a wonderful and blessed week. Aaron finished his board exams last weekend and is finally in the last phase of school. We now wait for his board exams, his graduation, and his transcripts so he can get his license and start working. We’re praying that he can start mid-July, but we’re thinking it’s probably going to be the first of August before all of the paper-work is finalized.

I finally had some good, quiet pattern drafting time this week. I scaled up the Patterns of Fashion 1921 pattern, made a muslin and decided I don’t like the bodice of the original pattern on my body. So, as usual, I redrafted it. I’m making the bodice more of a sheath. I am also adding a curved sash to mount the bodice and the skirt to, thus eliminating the triangles. They just looked to fussy on my frame. Anyway, here is the mock-up. The fashion fabric should has a much better drape than muslin, but you at least get the idea. I hope to start cutting my fashion fabric today and get this thing finished soon :-)

 

Have a great weekend!!!

Love Lauren