Summer Flying into Fall

Oh wow, it feels like it’s been forever! How was your summer? What was your highlight? I always love hearing everyone’s summer plans (:

My summer just flew by way too fast. I started school last week and it has been going non-stop. I’m applying to different colleges this fall and it’s been so time consuming. Right now I’m just organizing all of my art work that I have done over the years. My room looks like a bomb went off, but instead of shrapnel being everywhere; drawings are spewed in every corner of my room. Haha.

This is a dress that I made way back in December. I just now got around to photographing it. It's fully lined, has a key hole in the front and an invisible zipper in the side. I have so many clothes that I made this summer and hopefully I’ll have time to photograph them sometime soon.

I hope that you’re having a spectacular day, and if you have time, I'd love to hear about your summer (:

Hand Painted Floral Docs

So I’ve been on the search for floral Doc. Martens for as long as I can remember! I’ve been dreaming that one day they’d magically appear in a thrift store, but alas that was just a fantasy. After years of searching, hoping, and dreaming, I finally went online to look for a pair. Although after doing a bit of looking they just seemed so expensive to me. I just couldn't justify spending that much on shoes (even if they are Doc Martens). I always end up thinking about how many yards of fabric that I could buy with that money. Haha.

So I found these awesome Doc. Marten look-a-likes at H&M for $20 and I bought my own fabric paint for $10 and went to town. I worked on them during Christmas break and I just now got around to photographing them. They’re super fun to wear and I’ve worn them around like crazy! There’s a little bit of chipping at the creases due to walking, but that's pretty normal for painted shoes. Other than that, I’ve found that fabric paint holds up pretty well. Here are some close ups...

Do you have any tips for painting shoes? I'd love to hear them!

What's your dream?...

Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever get to go to New York again…if I’ll ever make it. It’s not so much about New York in itself, but it’s what New York means for me. It means that I’m one step closer to my dream…which sometimes feels so far away. I feel so small sometimes and I wonder if I’ll ever be able to make it. It’s not about making it big money wise (it’s never been that way for me), but it’s about knowing that the passion that God has placed inside of me is for real. At times my dream feels so real to me - like I just know that it's what I'm supposed to do....Do you ever feel that way?

(^taking a shuttle through Harlem at 2am to make our flight back home)

I know that I'm not the best writer so this may all sound silly…but it’s true. I know that many of you have a dream - a huge dream - a dream that’s so big you wonder if anyone else will ever understand the urgency of it. For me, it’s getting to New York…what’s your dream?

Absolutely nothing to do with fashion or sewing.

Hello everyone! Wow, I can't believe that it's mid-July already! I've been working on a 1920s inspired lace dress this week which I'm really excited to photograph and show you. I've been playing around with different sewing techniques all this summer which has been a lot of fun and I’m learning a lot through just experimenting. I have a backload of dresses and jackets that I need to show you.

But right now, I thought that I'd show you my poor dog who has allergies right now and has to wear a cone to keep her from biting her itchy spots. When I first put it on her, she didn't move from the same spot for 4 hours. haha. I don't know if you have any pets, but Libby is the most emotional dog that I have ever met. Are your pets like that?

1950s Inspired Swimwear

Hello everyone. Here’s a swimsuit that I actually made last year, but I just never got around to photographing it…it’s a bit hard trying to photograph swimwear when I’m surrounded by cornfields. Haha. So last week when I went up to Lake Michigan and it was the perfect place to finally document my swimsuit.

I drafted my own pattern using my measurements. The swimsuit is made from a print cotton and the inside is fully lined with a cream jersey. I wanted a mix between a two piece and a one piece so I thought that key holes would make a nice touch for that. There’s a zipper in the side seam for getting in and out of. I’ve swam in this swimsuit so many times, and I think that the cotton actually holds up pretty well.

There are a couple of tears here and there, but that’s just from all the crazy use that it’s gotten. This was my first swimsuit of this style and I’m pretty happy with the way it turned out. I’ve made the same swimsuit a couple different times since this one; using different fabrics and working out some of fit kinks that were in this one. I hope that you like it and happy summer :)

2 corinthians 12:10

This past week, my mom decided to take a last minute trip up to northern Michigan just to get away from everything for a couple of days. We went to a place called Crystal Lake and it’s always been one of my favorite places to go to ever since I was little. Every evening we went to see the sunset on the shore of Lake Michigan. The wind off the lake would softly blow on my face while the sun slowly went down into the earth; casting different colors that signaled the day's end. I’ve watched the sunset every night since by brother's passing and it always reassures me that if a sunset on earth is this beautiful then heaven must be a million times more lovely…and that’s where my brother is.

Today is exactly one month since he went to live forever in happiness with Jesus Christ…it’s been the hardest month of my life, and all I know is that the many prayers that people have been praying have been holding me up right now during this time. Thank you all for your words of encouragement and prayers…it truly means a lot to me.

Isaiah 25:8

Sorry I’ve been so quite lately…last week was my trip to New York, but it didn’t turn out the way I was planning it to. My older brother, Daniel, passed away the Monday that I left. I found out about it on the flight to New York. My dad wanted my mom and I to go on with the week, but by Tuesday we were both really homesick and we just wanted to get home to be with family.

Thursday morning, once I woke up my mom called me over to come and talk. She had the dress that I had made to wear to Carnegie Hall. I thought that she was going to say that she wanted me to wear it to the funeral, but instead she said that she wanted me to wear it to Carnegie Hall.

That morning while I was still sleeping she asked my sister Ruth if she would go with me to New York. My sister said yes and my mom made all the plans by the time I woke up. So Friday morning we took an early flight and made it to the award ceremony 10 minutes before I had to be there. It was very special and even though my brother passed away I like to think that he received part of that award as well.

(photos taken by Ruth)

Max and Joslyn from the Fort Wayne Museum of Art. They've always been so helpful and supportive of me and I'm so thankful for them.


My brother was 21-years-old and he’s now in Heaven with his beloved Jesus Christ who he believed in with his whole heart. I miss you Dan.