The Pillbox Hat, As Seen on Kate Middleton, Can Be Yours

If you're a Kate Middleton follower, you certainly couldn't miss noticing her latest hat in the news, a chocolate brown Pillbox. In homage to classic, timeless style as well as the style of the Duchess of Cambridge, I've created a collection of vintage pillbox hats, dating from the 1960s and earlier, possessing exceptional beauty, workmanship and price. While vintage hats are known to fetch prices into the hundreds, I've kept this list down to under $50, for which I am combing the Etsy Vintage web site. There are some real bargains there and the sellers are wonderful people to do business with.

The hats in this collection are perfect for Easter, Spring, and Summer. I found them in straw weave, cellophane weave, satin and wool felt. Click on the store name below each image to read the details. You'll be surprised how many more hats of various vintage styles are available through these stores!

Mitzi's Collectibles

Ladys Fancys

Lucy and Ethel

The Vintage Hat Shop

Edith and Violet

She's A Bettie Boutique

FrouFrou4YouYou

Poppycock Vintage

It's A Good Thing

Love in the Afternoon

Past Made Present

Oliver and Alexa

Wildrose Primitives

Here is your reward for "reading" to the end. I saved the best for last...a pillbox in Chocolate Brown. Remember, Kate Middleton chose to wear a chocolate brown pillbox on Saint Patrick's Day to go with her green dress. Very much matches the camouflage, don't you agree?

See my March 18 post "Kate Middleton Presents Shamrocks to First Battalion Irish Guards." Have a great week!

Green Hearts for an Irish Weekend

Found this tiny 2-inch, 6 cm, crocheted heart in apple green in an Etsy shop called Grace And Favours. Would be nice to wear--or pass out a handful--on a weekend like this, wouldn't you agree?

Why I Make Rose Wreaths

Roses are planted around this time of the year while the weather is above freezing but not yet too hot. Thinking about flowering plants is an everyday past time for me. I grew up surrounded by flowers, everywhere I went, on the way to the bus stop, at the office, on school grounds, everywhere...fresh, flowering, fresh-cut, fragrant. Flowers has become an obsession with me, and, I'm guessing, with millions of people around the world. Who can resist, anyway? Below are three wreaths featuring pink flowers that are currently for sale in my shop. They would make quite an impression for Mothers Day, birthdays, housewarmings, and specialty room makeovers. 

This wreath features cool pink roses on a gray background with coordinating pink string and sheer ribbon laced neatly and tied tight into a bow. Very sweet for Mother's Day, which, I think we all know, is Every Day. Click photo for details.

An extremely popular wreath, I just finished this a few days ago. It takes about 24 full hours to get it made. The availability of quality berries is a problem, so I've had to improvise by sourcing and then painting my own colors. It is really lovely. Click photo for details.

The sandy tone of the yarn brings a vision of a camel trekking across an exotic desert made pink by the setting sun. The pink and mauve roses compliment the neutral hue, even the tiny turquoise, lavender and green rosebuds combine to make this a sweet symphony. Make mother happy on her Day. Click photo for details.

Chocolate Guinness Cake

Simply Recipes

I used to bake three times a week when my family was young and growing. I ate the fruits of my labor, cake, pie, cobbler, cookie, pudding, cream puffs. I was also into nutrition and added powdered "vitamins". The recipe for this cake caught my eye because the ingredients call for unsweetened cocoa powder, brown sugar, and sour cream. These three basic kitchen staples are capable of turning out a rich, deeply satisfying, moist cake. I'm a softie for cream cheese, too, and cream cheese is what tops this cake. I can already tell this is a winner!

Chocolate Guinness Cake Recipe

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup stout or porter beer, such as Guinness
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 1/2 cups superfine sugar
• 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cream cheese frosting recipe

METHOD

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 8 or 9-inch springform pan with butter and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.

2 In a large saucepan place the beer and butter. Cook over medium-high heat until the butter has melted. Add the cocoa powder and sugars and whisk together. Take off heat and allow to come to room temperature.

3 In another bowl beat together the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla extract until very, very well combined. Add to the butter-beer mixture and whisk together.

4 In another bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the beer-butter mixture and whisk together until it just comes together. Pour into the prepared pan and give the pan a few short drops onto the countertop to shake the air pockets in the batter to the surface and out of the cake. Bake for 50-60 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack. Run a knife around the edge to separate the cake from the pan and pop the ring off the springform.

5 Spread frosting on the cooled cake and serve.

Yield: Makes one 8 or 9-inch cake

Posted by Garrett McCloud of Vanilla Garlic

Masha Ma Shows at Paris Fashion Week

I happened come across a story about an up-and-coming designer from London who made a career move, literally by moving to Paris. Her nane is Masha Ma, and the image is from her latest collection. What I love about his Winter 2011 Collection of pencil thin skirts is the designer's control over shape, texture, and line. Her color palette is subdued and I love that she used shiny red boots to show that off. My question is, where did she get those boots? I think they're adorable, nooo, I mean hot! 

The silhouette here is amazing. Is it a three-piece? I can't tell, but I can definitely say I love it from this perspective.

This is from the Winter 2012 Collection showing the designer's eye for deconstruction, cut, line, contrast texture-wise, and accessorizing.

And this is from Masha Ma's Spring Summer 2012. All photos are borrowed
from the designer's web site, http://www.mashamastudio.com.

No slacking on President's Day

Sweetheart Pink Wreath - in the making.

My energy level has been pretty high, and what's more important...consistent! I've been working on a wreath, one I've made before. I'm duplicating it and taking photos for a diy tutorial I'm planning. This is evidence of what my long weekend has been like. 

Happy Valentine's Day

David Austin Roses, photo courtesy of http://www.rosenotes.com/