Another day, another hippie dress. Not like I don't have fourteen other things I should be doing. There is so much hand sewing on these things. The bodice lining is stitched in by hand, along with the entire hem, and the sleeve hems. Two entire afternoons of hand sewing. Good thing I like — love — that sort of thing. Especially because we have a new sofa. With the chaise lounge thing. Best invention ever. Except you can't get out of it. Literally; it tilts backwards (need wedge). Finally, we have enough seating. Comfortable seating. It's not the nicest sofa in world — kind of scratchy (compared to our old microfiber one), and from Ikea (it's the Kivik). But it's kind of frumpy in a way that is really appealing to me right now. We are very hard on our furniture. We wear it out. It serves us well, but we live hard on it. Now I have three offices: the studio, the office, and the chaise lounge.
My first hippie dress was Bloomsbury. My second one (which I guess I never took a picture of), Hefeweizen. This one, guest lecturer in medieval studies at Reed College. Last night I was thinking the next/fourth one would be Sigur Ros groupie but then I changed my mind to Joanna Newsom groupie (because I was watching her on TV last night [it was TiVo-ed], and took a picture of the TV). I wore the second one to the mall the other day. I took my extraordinary, luminous niece/goddaughter shopping for some school clothes. I got some interesting looks while wearing the dress. I think some people thought I was on my way to my handmade-soap booth at the Oktoberfest. Cool!!! Or about to serve them a hot pretzel and a pitcher. I said to Andy that I thought it might be a bit too "bar maid." He said, "You say that like it's a bad thing!"
There was a barbecue with lovely new friends, there was more curried soup, there are now eggplants in the garden, there was brown sugar–banana ice cream good grief. There has been almost no reading. I thought this was going to be my summer of reading and it's been my summer of no reading. I don't know what the problem is. I picked everything up and put everything down. And then I fell asleep. Summer kind of wears me out, I think. It was good to have the long weekend of lazy. I think I needed that.
The best part of this summer were the afternoons we spent sitting in the river on our chairs together, watching the rapids and the hawks. I think of those afternoons every day. I hope there's a chance to go back one more time before it gets cool. I really, really, really, really enjoyed those afternoons.
Ha... yeah, could NOT be a bad thing!
I love your dress series.
So, is summer truly waning?
Today it is cooler here, and I am so relieved, but not yet believing in true fall... just wishing.
The sofa looks great, the whole room, actually... a most excellent office option.
Happy mid-week, Alicia.
I do so love these little gatherings.
I hear ya on summer wearing you out. I find that the long holiday weekend just made things even worse. The rain doesn't help either!
Love the sofa...and so does Clover I see. ;)
Love your seating arrangements. I reckon Ikea is cheap & cheerful - we've got a lovely red sofa but I reckon I'd be doing a whole lot more feet-uppy thingy if I had a chaise - divine. Just remember, if you're going to sit in the river, leave the sofa at home and tuck your dress up before you paddle! Enjoy Autumn and all her delights.
In the past year I made the decision to start wearing more clothes I love, especially hand-made ones, and to stop worrying about what anyone else was wearing. If you look around, I think most women do this, we just spend so much time thinking about what we should be wearing, we forget.
The thing I miss most about summer were our trips to the lake at the end of the day. Sending the boys off with their dad to play in the sand, while I swam out as far as I could, enjoying every moment of cool water on my skin. Now that mountain lake is far away, and I don't know when we'll go back. I must find something about Montreal that I can love just as much.
i am hoping for a few more favorite days to return to as well...wishing for a warm and sunny autumn in muskoka...xo
Love your home pictures!
It's like looking into a beautiful home magazine!
Your dress descriptions remind of me of when Zack Galifinakis was on Saturday Night Live describing his own particular "look" in his opening monologue. I can't remember many of his random descriptions, but one of them was "Guy Who Posts On Alpaca Message Boards".
Your new sofa is lovely! It looks very tailored but oh-so-comfy. I have test-lounged a few in that style. I really didn't want to get up and would instead have liked to pull my book out of my purse and order some coffee :)
Brown sugar-banana ice cream? That looks and sounds delicious! As does your soup. It's the perfect time of year because both ice cream and soup sound wonderful.
I hope you don't mind my asking, but what color, etc. are your living room walls? They're beautiful!
Oh how I love your house pictures! I feel like I've been invited for tea and a chat (and a visit with those darling animals!) every time you post.
A chaise lounge? That seems dangerous (because I'd never get out of it either!) and perfect for napping.
I also really love your color palette these days, you've introduced me to so many new colors and combinations. I'd love for you to do a quilt kit sometime, choosing fabrics and colors is so difficult for me to do, I always feel like I'm just blindly pointing at things and hoping it all turns out ok.
And even though I read an insane amount, I too have had a slow reading summer. I think sometimes our hearts and heads need a break, especially in the summer. Soaking up all that gorgeous light and your garden should take precedence!
You have such a lovely home. That sofa does look comfortable. I have short legs, so it's hard for me to get out of a lot of sofas!
I like your dress too. I was around in the late 60's and early 70's, when we all wore dresses like that. Brings back memories of my girlfriend and I sewing our "costumes" which is what we called our hippie clothes. My husband and I kept a few items for prosperity. :)
Love your cozy home but most of all I love the pics of your cat and dog - I have the same "animal combination" and they complement eachother so well! :-)
What's not to love about sitting in a river with your feet in the water watching the waterfalls and the hawks???? Sounds delish. Love your photos. The Bee still looks lonesome to me.
Brown sugar banana ice cream...sounds heavenly.
I really enjoyed these photos. Your house is so welcoming with pretty things to look at in every corner.
Your home world looks so inviting. The dress is beautiful!
Love Clover on the ottoman! I want to kiss her little nosey!
I'm loving your dresses - float-y dresses bring back lots of fun memories for me of being a flower child. :) Just made me think of Joni Mitchell and "Ladies of the Canyon".
(And I've been looking forward to your take on "Gone Girl", I'm so curious what you thought of it.)
Happy lazy days and winding down of summer ...
Maybe some of the people were wishing they had a dress like that...I would! :-)
Summer wears me out also, I like the coolness and light of autumn...
Take Care...
And you do keep great company at your third office too! Too bad you are not reading anything good right now, I kind of hoped you would pass on some good summer titles. Have you read 'Five quarters of the orange'by Joanne Harris? You probably have, but I thought it sounds like a book you would enjoy. I plan to pick it up form the library today, my daughter loves it and got mad at me for not having read it yet!
Anyway, lovely inspiration and cozy goodness here as always. Thank you ;-)
ah, more lovely gorgeousness to feast my eyes on.
love your home. thinking of moving in actually.
Not reading isn't a bad thing, if you're doing what you feel you need to, or must do. Sounds like a good summer to me!
I love your new sofa! I love IKEA! Your house is so welcoming, warm, cozy, cute and cool! Your pets look very happy. I like your hippy dresses too! Very cool! Your husband's comment cracks me up...sounds like something my husband would say. lol My daughter is a harpist and the first thing many people ask when they find out is if she knows of or likes Joanna Newsom. Funny that she's just about the only harpist most people have ever heard of. Oh...and I like your tied quilt. I'm finishing up one right now. Have a wonderful day! :-)
It was a fun visit to your home today. Your new sofa looks so comfy! I'm enjoying the late summer out here in the gorge.. Indian summer. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
I have the same issue with my Crate and Barrel chaise. You don't want to get up partly because it kind of sinks down and it is hard to climb out. Also noticed when we have folks over, no one ever wants to sit there and they kind of perch at the foot part.
Still, love it when it is just the two of us and I don't have to get up and down much.
Your summer cross-stitch sampler looks nice with the summer mantle display.
Love the dresses! Who wants to fit in in a mall anyways? Pshaw.
Thought that looked like a new sofa. Love how your animals are "breaking it in" :) Enjoyed all the pics, felt like I stopped in for a visit. Your home is so welcoming. Soup looks nummy!