I love, love, LOVE classic vintage stuff. Who doesn’t? I kinda wish I lived during the 40’s. Or at least had their fashion today because I do love my high tech stuff… and internet. hehe

ANYWAYS, I think birdcage veils are so timeless and sexy. Wear one for a vintage themed photo shoot, dress up in 40’s atttire and wear one for Halloween, or make one for your wedding…. or be really brave and wear it just because. hehe!

First, I looked at some tutorials online… tried them… then they didn’t work for what I was wanting to achieve. I tried this tutorial, but it was way too puffy on top for me, and I wanted a dramatic, short veil. So here’s what ended up working for me after some trial and error…

This veil is a bandeau style veil - this means that it secures with two pins or combs, rather than one. I prefer the bandeau style because you have more control over how it sits on your face and head (I wanted one that lays more flat against my face, rather than being really poofy). It also allows you to play with angles. You could easily adjust the length of the veil to your liking.

Here’s all the stuff I needed for mine:
1/2 yard of Russian netting (usually comes in 9″ or 18″ widths)
(I ordered the 18″ width even though the length of my veil is 9″ because I can get 4 veils out of 1 yard rather than 2 veils out of 1 yard of the 9″ netting)
Thread in matching color
Needle
2 bobby pins (or small hair combs, if you prefer)
Scissors

Supplies for separate flower embellishment:
Handmade satin flower
Feathers
Alligator clip
Black felt
Hot glue gun

I got my netting and feathers from Etsy. I purchased my netting from GS Boutique and the feathers from Plumule… though there are lots of other suppliers on Etsy, so just search for russian netting or feathers under the supplies category.

1. Cut a rectangle of netting approximately 9 inches by 14.5 inches, with the finished edge along the bottom long side (you may want to cut it slightly wider and test it against your face before you continue in case you need more netting - this was the perfect size for me).

2. Sew a running stitch along both of the side edges, stitching through the boxes where the diamonds meet. I stitched a little bit from the edge so I’d have a little extra for when I attached the netting to my bobby pins.

3. Hold one edge of the thread and scrunch the netting towards the opposite end. Then sew a few stitches through it to secure it.

4. Thread the end through the end of a bobby pin (or sew it onto a comb if you decide to use combs).

Take the extra bit on the end and wrap it around the bottom of the bobby pin and sew the loose ends to the bottom of the veil just next to the pin. (does that make any sense?) lol

5. Repeat for the opposite side.

And there’s your veil! Next create your embellishment and attach it to an alligator clip.

This is the clip I made. I made the flower using this tutorial. Then I cut a circle of black felt and hot glued the feathers to it and then glued the flower on top of that. I hot glued the bottom of the felt piece to my alligator clip. And that was it!

The finished veil:

Pretty awesome, right? Especially considering it cost me a little less than $10 to make it and these go for $50 or more on Etsy!

And this time the deal is up longer… thank goodness! You’ve got until 11:59 pm (Hampton Roads time… which I believe is on EST) on the 22nd (Thursday) to snag this deal! I’m just going to copy and paste the majority of my last blog post….

Did you happen to see my post from a few days ago about all my fun modest clothing finds?! I mentioned Shabby Apple and their gorgeous, modest, vintage inspired dresses. Right now you can get a CRAZY deal on their stuff! Groupon is offering $100 worth of Shabby Apple clothes for just $40! They had this deal last month for a different Groupon area and I snagged two of them. Such an awesome deal! This time they are on the Hampton Roads page - and NO you do not have to live there to snag this deal since it is an online shop! When you sign up, it might not redirect you to the Hampton Roads page. If it doesn’t, simply click on “Visit More Cities” along the top bar and find Hampton Roads. This deal expires in 2 days and 13 hours. You will purchase the deal and receive instructions on how to redeem your $100 code. That $100 code is good until January 2011… so you’ll have plenty of time to pick a dress!

WHAT IS GROUPON? Groupon is this awesome site that brings you a CRAZY AWESOME deal each day (well, excluding weekends for most areas). Businesses use Groupon as a form of advertising and offer you a terrific deal at 50% off OR MORE! I’ve seen passes to the local zoo for half off and laser hair removal at 80% off… and it is totally legit. Most businesses are local and so you want to keep an eye on the city nearest you… however, sometimes online businesses advertise through Groupon and you can purchase the deal even if you don’t live in that area! Cool beans, huh?!

When I was a teenager, cute and modest swimsuits and dresses were extremely hard to find. One year, the young women at my church even tried petitioning for the local department stores to start carrying modest prom dresses (wouldn’t you know that 2 years after I graduated high school they started carrying cute prom dresses with sleeves?!).  It wasn’t until a couple years ago that lots of shops started popping up with stylish, modest clothing. (Thank you, Utah! lol) I’m going to share my fave modest shops with you… and PLEASE leave me a comment with links to any other awesome shops you have found and love!

The first shop I found a few years ago was Shade Clothing. They carry cute tops and basic tees that are nice and long.

The next shop I discovered was DownEast Basics. They are super affordable and carry awesome basics (tees, long camis, etc.) and cute dresses (and more)! I WANT this top! Sooo cute!

In the last few months I found two totally AMAZING new shops….. one for swimwear and the other for totally cute vintage inspired dresses! Eeep! You ready for these?

Lime Ricki carries modest tankinis and one piece swimsuits that offer coverage while still being CUTE! I am sooooo excited I found them (thanks Sarah E!). Swimsuit shopping was the WORST because I need a tankini since one pieces aren’t long enough for me and pull on my shoulders (I love being tall, but it does have its drawbacks) and almost all the tankinis out there show major cleavage (no, thanks) or are too short and show a little belly. My suit from Lime Ricki is PERFECT! The tankinis are long and the boy shorts offer great coverage. Their customer service is awesome too! At first I ordered the Isabelle tankini… and had to exchange it. Apparently that style is best suited for smaller chested girls (A or B cup). Total bummer because the suit is gorgeous! It fit perfectly, except on the bust. I sent it back and just got the Courtney top with the pink boy shorts. It fits me perfectly! No cleavage. No belly. The material is thick and the suit is fully lined. It’s got {bust} support built into the suit. I just love all the fun patterns on their site! Note: their suits do tend to run small. I’m a size 8/medium and I had to order a large in the top and bottoms. Right now they’re offering FREE SHIPPING and you can find coupon codes here.

And last - though certainly not least - Shabby Apple has absolutely gorgeous vintage inspired dresses!!! Man, I want like half the dresses on their site. I also have a weakness for vintage-y stuff. I actually discovered them through a killer Groupon deal last month. They were offering $100 worth of clothing for just $40!!!! I snagged that deal right up… I bought 2. I ended up with the Madison Avenue, the Ingrid, and the Bahama Beaches ring… all for 60% off! I love awesome deals! Unfortunately, that deal is no longer available.

I thought their sizing was a bit off on their size chart. I took my measurements and according to their chart, I was a small for their “fits generously” dresses. Turned out I needed a medium. In all honesty, I do feel they are a bit overpriced. My Ingrid dress is made of thin cotton… and while I LOVE the style and how it slims me around the waist, I would have been disappointed with the material had I actually paid full price for it. The Madison Ave is made of thicker, better quality fabric that doesn’t wrinkle very easily. I wore the Madison Ave to church a couple weeks ago and got lots of compliments on it!

Awesome stuff, right? So what are your modest finds?!

I’ve made up this salsa recipe based upon some other recipes I’ve tried. It’s very good… and I was very surprised to find that it tastes very fresh even though it uses canned tomatoes! (and I’m a salsa snob…. I hate jarred salsa from the grocery store)

Here’s what you need…

• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 can (14.5 oz) Mexican style tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 (one half) white or yellow onion, quartered
• 1 jalapeno, sliced (seed it if you like it mild, but I like it with a little kick!)
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro
• 1.5 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 cloves garlic
• black pepper, to taste

Add all ingredients to a blender…

Cover and blend on a LOW setting for about 10 seconds or just until large chunks are gone (you don’t want to liquify it).

Store in an airtight container in the fridge. It tastes best after you’ve let it sit in the fridge overnight so all the flavors have some time to come together.

Yummmm!

Here’s the recipe all in one spot:

Fresh Salsa

• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 can (14.5 oz) Mexican style tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 (one half) white or yellow onion, quartered
• 1 jalapeno, sliced (seed it if you like it mild, but I like it with a little kick!)
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro
• 1.5 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 cloves garlic
• black pepper, to taste

Add all ingredients to a blender. Cover and blend on a LOW setting for about 10 seconds or just until large chunks are gone (you don’t want to liquify it). Store in an airtight container in the fridge. It tastes best after you’ve let it sit in the fridge overnight so all the flavors have some time to come together. Makes approximately 3 cups.