The Dressing Up Box Fashion Editorial

Hello Lovelies,


How light and playful is this editorial shot by Amberley Valentine. It brings to mind the hours and hours I spent as a child playing dress up in old prom gowns my grandmother would find for me at second hand stores (apparently I have gowns on the mind a lot lately).

Psalm 16

Hello Readers,

My faith is a firm foundation for me, and at times like this when so much else is unknown to me I am so thankful that I have the peace of salvation, and the comfort and knowledge of my Redeemer. 

The LORD the Psalmist’s Portion in Life and Deliverer in Death.
A Mikhtam of David.
1 Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You.
2 I said to the LORD, “You are my Lord;
          I have no good besides You.”

3 As for the saints who are in the earth,
          They are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight.
4 The sorrows of those who have bartered for another god will be multiplied;
          I shall not pour out their drink offerings of blood,
          Nor will I take their names upon my lips.
5 The LORD is the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
          You support my lot.
6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
          Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.
7 I will bless the LORD who has counseled me;
          Indeed, my mind instructs me in the night.
8 I have set the LORD continually before me;
          Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices;
          My flesh also will dwell securely.
10 For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol;
          Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.
11 You will make known to me the path of life;
          In Your presence is fullness of joy;
          In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

Part of the devotional that I follow is a Psalm of the week... and I've decided as a feature on my blog that I'll be sharing one of those Psalms a month. For a long time now I've wanted to include a little more of my spiritual life on the blog... but didn't want it to come across as preachy or judgmental... but merely as something that I'm interested in and something that is very much a part of my life. The Psalms which were written to be songs expressing many of the emotions of the relationship between God and His people are a beautiful place to begin. They sometimes express joy, or sorrow, hope, or fear, or confidence that the Lord will deliver, they express a humble heart, and a willingness to change, and most of all they are written as an act of worship. So... if you desire... worship with me today. If you find this whole thing unappealing... just skip over this post, I promise you won't hurt my feelings! 


*One little note as you read this and many Psalms you'll see the word Selah, it's a Hebrew word that is sort of difficult to directly translate... some believe it is a musical annotation, some believe that it marks a break in the text (this is the translation that I am most drawn to).. a time to stop and listen, or reflect on what you've just read (or in the case of the Hebrew people it would have been what they just heard).

Fairy Tale Rooms

How darling are these fairy tale rooms... This room is in a hotel and I can't help but wonder what the rest of the place must look like!

How stinkin' fun would it be to have a tree fort in your very own bedroom? Are you kidding me... what an amazing little kid haven! I don't know about you, but I can't think of a better way to make sure yours is the house that all the neighborhood kids want to come over and play at!

You mean to tell me some little girl has a cinderella carriage as her very own bed? Seriously... how did my parents miss this one... :)

If you had a handy husband with a jigsaw I bet he could make one of these tree beds for you, and perhaps me too? I love how the paint on the walls echoes the theme from the bedding! Not so crazy about that steer skull on the wall though...

I love how this whole room looks like one big robins nest, without looking messy or untidy... I don't think I could look at this room every day, but it sure would be fun in a vacation home!

A big welcome to my new followers! I'm sure many of you met me through the ever southern and hospitable Bumpkin on A Swing.... how I love her!

Anyway, welcome! Now for a little introduction, in case ya'll didn't know we at the preppy house have recently undergone some big, I mean HUGE changes. I've left my corporate job, and our home, and friends, and church, and community in Austin. To relocate to the San Francisco Bay area in order for me to attend medical school. Growing up I was never the little girl who wanted to be a princess, or a model, or an actress, nope I was always the little girl who wanted to be a doctor, and with the first day of medical school only 6 days away... I'm a ball of nerves! The preppy boyfriend has happily followed me along on this crazy journey and with our three lovely dogs we're adjusting to this new life in Cali (we are ineffably sad to have left the south... but with enough sweet tea and front porch sittin' we're hoping to convince ourselves that the south is not that far away). 

What exactly these changes will mean for this little blog I don't know. I do know that I will probably have far less free internet time, but for now... we're trotting along and posting at a happy pace, and now that we've got the actual internet connected in our actual house, I can't wait to get back to emailing and commenting on all your lovely blogs! 

If you've been lurking around waiting for the perfect time to introduce yourself... I'd say no time is better than the present! A big southern (and now I guess Californian) welcome ya'll!

Eugenio Recuenco - Photography drool!

Hello Lovelies,


I recently stumbled on some amazing images by photographer Eugenio Recuenco, which sent me on a mad google hunt for more work by this talented artist. I thought I might share the fruit of my searching with ya'll!

Quoted - Mark Twain

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

Elle's Travels

Padre Island, Fayetteville, Interesting stuff seen while traveling to move...

A Bouquet of Newly Sharpened Pencils

Hello Lovelies,


"Don't you just love New York in the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address."


~Joe Fox in email to Kathleen Kelly, You've Got Mail


Well, its not fall and I'm not in New York... but I do feel exactly the same way about fall! I have to say in the four falls that have passed since I graduated undergrad, there has been an empty sort of feeling as I've walked by the displays of school supplies, knowing that there wasn't a single reason I should buy school supplies.


This fall lovelies (or rather summer as I start school in just over a week), I get to buy school supplies again, and I'm just tickled. The feeling of finding just the perfect item to put a smile on my face for each class. Saving my favorite items for my least favorite classes so that I might always have something worth smiling about, even if the lecture is terrible. Filling each binder with a folder and the proper amount of loose leaf college ruled paper. Filling each mechanical pencil with led, sharpening one or two regular pencils just for the sake of smelling the sharpened lead and wood. Opening those pretty pink erasers. And happily tucking them all into my new back to school bag. The ritual has been part of my life for over a decade and I am so tickled that I get to engage in it for at least two more years!


The challenge though is what school supplies should I buy? I want my supplies to be both pretty and professional. I am a firm believer in dressing (even dressing your homework) in the manner appropriate for where you want to be in life. So, I find myself wondering what school supplies are appropriate for a future doctor?


We have these Russel & Hazel binders at work. I love that they are made from recycled materials (although when they first arrived at the office they were kind of stinky). The inside of the binder is a dry erase board, which also comes in handy. However, I am a big fan of having pockets on the inside of my binders... I know I can always put a folder in there, but I definitely use the pocket space when I have it. The ever crafty Maggie from Random Occurrences blog has put scrapbooking rub ons on the outside of her binders here at the office to spruce them up a little bit, and that definitely helps dress up cardboard-looking outside of the Russel & Hazel binders.

Also, I'm on the hunt for the perfect day planner... these are the things I absolutely have to have in a planner... small thin size so I can easily slip it into any bag. I love those large folio ones, but they just aren't practical for a girl who has over 30 required text books. I also need a pocket on the inside... I don't know why, but I just need one.... so I can slip reminders to myself in there, my school ID, $5 for lunch, whatever else may end up in the pocket or folder pocket, and I particularly like the ones that have an elastic band that wraps around the whole thing... if that makes sense. Any suggestions? My local target has plenty of day planners for the 2010-2011 school year but none of them meet these qualifications.... Apparently I am day planner high maintenance :)

Well, Hello Iphone

Hello Lovelies,


It's been a few weeks since I made the plunge and purchased the Iphone 4. This is my first Iphone and I love it so far... I know we all know about the fantastic features and great apps and what not... but since this is a new game to me, I thought I would share some of the apps that I really love


Field Agent - Free - This app gives you free itunes credit for taking pictures of items and displays in stores like wal-mart, and home depot. It is local to your area, and for any one 'assignment' you can earn up to $5.00 in the itunes store.


Red Scanner - Free- If you're looking to purchase an item, but aren't sure you're getting the best price in your area, take a picture of the barcode in this app and it will search your area for the item and tell you the prices around you.


Medical Spanish - Free - Teaches basic medical spanish terminology - I haven't taken a day of Spanish in my life, and haven't tried this app yet, but I am excited in the possibility of learning some basic spanish.


Paper toss- Free- addicting game where you toss a ball of paper into a garbage can... trust me its more mind numbingly fun than it sounds


New England Journal of Medicine - Free- latest summaries of the recent news in the NEJM


Words With Friends - Scrabble like game that is one of the most popular games right now... my name is Elle 14 if you'd like to play


Bump It - simply 'bump' iphones with someone else who has the app to exchange contact info


Shazam - free and upgraded versions - turn shazam on to find out the title and artist of the song that's playing




What apps have you found to be absolutely necessary for your iphone?

Mark Shaw Vintage Photography - Mad Men Preparation

Hello Lovelies,


After the talented Mark Shaw recieved two mentions in yesterdays post about swoon worthy ball gowns, I decided that perhaps he deserved a post all his own. What better preparation for the fabulous 'eye candy' feast that is going to be the season premier of Mad Men on Sunday, than look at vintage fashion photography from the mid 1950's? I cannot think of a better way to prepare!


All of the backstage pictures were taken in 1954 at: Nina Ricci, Pierre Balmain, Balenciaga, and Christian Dior

 

Love this dress! And love the expression on this models face.... so charming!

The velvet dress in the court yard photo is called a "dinner dress" and I find myself thinking, why on earth can't I wear something like that to dinner?

I adore this dress.... those charming bows on the back - swoon- I'm sure this dress is in somebody's fabulous vintage collection somewhere... and I'm currently trying to search it out... I'll let you know if I find it!

Love this charming coat... the rich color, the short sleeves, the fullness from the ribcage down... I would wear it today (well, I might remove the bow, bows on the bosom are a bad idea for my figure).

This suit is another example of a charming piece I would proudly wear and feel fashionable in today.

Images from here, here, here, and here