I'm gonna kick his ask

 New haircut! I went back to my old hairdresser in Toronto and she did a great job on my bangs but I think I pointed a little too high when indicating the length. It came out a bit shorter than I wanted and now I think I look kind of like this girl:

Life could be a dream, sweetheart

Here is how I looked today when I stayed at home studying and trying to organize all the many things I need to do this month.

This blouse is made by me, from a vintage pattern from 1957.  The shorts are from H&M and the watch is my dad's. It's so sunny that I couldn't keep from squinting!

My favourite part of this blouse is the double-pocket.

new purse!

This wonderful new purse came for me in the mail this week. It's small and cross-body, the perfect replacement for my big, floppy purse that I was quite tired of always holding on my shoulder.

Now is the time to show you what's in my purse!

• a couple of fresh hankerchiefs
• flash drive
• a little zippered pocket for holding cards
• sunglasses, my beloved vintage Ray Bans
• The best pink lip gloss
• tictacs
• violet pastilles
• my metropass and student id in a Mumin card case
• my iphone
• cash and coins wallet. I found it at a flea market in Dortmund, Germany where I was practicing my great German bargaining skills, which consist only of saying "I'll give you that price for two of those!"
• I usually have a compact mirror somewhere too... 

I take everything else I might need in my school tote bag, which I'll show you another time.

♥

A thoroughly modern Thursday

My tennis practice was rained out for the second week in a row, so I did what any modern, 21st century girl would do. I sat down and hemmed some handkerchiefs instead. (and waited for a sunny day to photograph them, of course!)

I use cotton or linen, 1 foot square (30x30 cm). With cotton I usually machine-hem them, but with soft fabrics like linen it's almost as easy to hand-roll the edges, and it looks so elegant. I prefer white, because it's so easy to wash all your white things at once and stick them in the sun to dry. Otherwise I like to use fabric scraps from cottons I've sewn with, as in these green ones. Sometimes I initial or monogram them, but I don't always get around to it. The pattern for these initials comes from an old book of my grandmother's.

Handkerchiefs are one of those things I love because they are so perfectly practical, as well as being a little bit old-fashioned. Not to mention their versatility as an accessory. But I love things that are perfectly simple, designed to suit one purpose very well, and with no superfluous bits. Things like Converse sneakers, white t-shirts, and sturdy handkerchiefs.

It doesn't hurt that they are reusable, and it's so much nicer to pull one out of your purse or pocket than it is to use a kleenex!

Hej!

Working in the library on this sunny day! I am reading about Roman freedmen, it's interesting at least!

♥

lounge

I took the life-affirming decision this morning that even a girl with a thesis to write can have a lazy Sunday now and then. I'm not sure I can call this a conscious decision. When I saw that I'd slept in almost two hours past my dutifully set alarm, I took it as a sign and kept my pyjamas on, lounged around and listened to Radio Deluxe with John Pizarelli, the jazz guitarist, and Jessica Molaskey.

I sewed these a while ago from a vintage pattern. They have this beautiful yoke and little puffy bloomers.

Yesterday I dried my white laundry in the sun. There's no feeling like sleeping in fresh pyjamas in a freshly-aired bed. These ones make me feel like I fell asleep in the 60s and just woke up, which is a sensation I like to cultivate whenever possible.

Sorbet shades

I am definitely going through a pastel phase. My Lisa Frank-loving inner eight year old is ecstatic.

Belt: ESI.
Shorts and t-shirt: Gina Tricot.

♥

DNA

If there's one thing I love, it's monograms. I put them on almost everything I sew, and I want them everywhere else. I found this great post over at College Prep about where to find everything with monograms, and I am in looooove with these monogrammed notebooks.

You know I'm going to be ordering some first thing tomorrow!

Hello

My boyfriend sent me this super cool vintage brooch for Valentine's Day.  It got here a bit late.  I love it!