Thanksgiving Fashions and Failures

Did you have a wonderful, delicious Thanksgiving? Ours was a peaceful, small gathering this year, and I really like it that way. I think I even fell asleep on the couch after dinner. Something about turkey makes people lethargic....

For my outfit, I was thrilled to pull out this new ruffled cami that I picked up at Kohl's a few weeks ago. A lot of you probably know I have a serious weakness for blue and teal, so the mix of shades in this sheer, ruffle-y top was just too good to pass up. I paired it with some good old standards; a shrug and high heels from Bekah's wedding, stripe-y tights, and a black eyelet skirt that Lydia picked up at Saver's and recently bequeathed to me. The jewelry (necklace, earrings and ring) were lent to me by my aunt. (More on those later. :)

So the fashion part went fine for me that day. No crisis or indecision about what to put together. Unfortunately, the food didn't treat me so well...

I have come into a lovely state of affection with baking over the past six months. I've made a nice handful of recipes from Joy of Baking with great success and sung my own praises from the rooftop. Unfortunately, Martha Stewart gave me no such luck.

The Cranberry Lemon Squares went together like a dream. But the stupid berries refused to absorb all the water, and I didn't think to strain some of it out before adding it to the first layer in the pan. So... the 2nd layer was a big lemon-cranberry goop.

I screamed and threw up my hands in horror at the result, but we served it in tiny cups with ice cream on top and everyone said it was delicious. I had to agree that it could have been worse.

Like the Stuffed Mushrooms...

So what if I substituted crushed red pepper for red pepper flakes? I only used half of the called-for amount! The mushrooms came out looking like a magazine. I tried one. My mouth was set on fire.

That was a hard pill mushroom to swallow. But my family made the best of this disaster as well. Lydia declared them the best stuffed mushrooms she'd ever tasted (although she claims to usually hate stuffed mushrooms :P) and my brother-in-law said they were addicting and had a cleansing effect. He and Rebekah ate a lot of them.

None the less, my pride was crushed. Especially since I'd talked myself into believing that I was good at cooking and baking and wouldn't Julia Childs be jealous someday? Ouch. So much for that....

What I'm Wearing:

Knit Shrug by bravado! - $35 from Amazon
Ruffled Camisole by Energie - $12 from Kohl's
Eyelet Skirt by apostrophe - thrifted
Striped Tights by SimplyVera - from Kohl's
Heels by Madden Girl - $30 from Famous Footwear
Headband - $1.60 from Kohl's
Jewelry - (see below)

So, I want to share with you a tiny bit about this yummy jewelry that I got to borrow for the day. My aunt has been selling pieces like these and many others from a lovely new jewelry company and has got me excited about it, too. You see that amazing turquoise ring? It fits like a dream, sparkles like nobody's business... and it's going to be mine. :)

It could be yours, too, if you want it. 'Cause I'm going to host a jewelry party. I wish I could fit all of you in my house and do it in person, but I know that travel costs would be monstrous, and we don't want any stalkers showing up, do we? So, my aunt and I have schemed a bit, and come up with a way that I can have a party online. How cool is that???

The party will run from December 4th-ish to the 11th-ish and I'll be getting final details to you next week. I hope you'll join me, take a look at all the pretty stuff, and consider doing some of your Christmas shopping through the party. I hope it will be a lot of fun and that you'll find some lovely treasures to add to your own collection.

Stay tuned!

So... how did you celebrate Thanksgiving? What did you wear? Any personal holiday food disasters that you'd like to confess? :)

Thanks for stopping by!

P.S. I just wanted to say "thank you" again to everyone who left a comment on the last, monumental post. I was encouraged and inspired by your response... and this Thanksgiving, I am feeling very grateful for all of your love and support. :) xoxo

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Where in the world has AmandaBeth been?

Some of you may be wondering where I've been for the past few weeks. So sorry for the disappearance! I think that's the first time I've gone MIA from the blog world without a warning. It was kind of exciting. ;)

While family and various work projects have been occupying much of my days, I have also been spending a lot of time thinking about the future of the blog.

Reevaluating something that you've done for a long time is never easy, and for most of this year my mind has been distracted by many questions. What is the purpose of the blog? Am I staying true to that purpose? What does my audience want to read? Do I love what I am writing about? Is the blog worth the time I invest in it? What inspires me? Am I sharing the things that I feel are important?

A few months ago a well known Christian blogger announced that she was done blogging. She said she felt she'd written everything that she was meant to write on the blog. That didn't mean her life was ending, just that she needed to move on into the next chapter. I know exactly what she was talking about.

I've been writing AmandaBeth for over two and a half years and the focus has stayed pretty firmly on fashion. When I started the blog, I had just come off a year of reading loads of fashion, design, style, color, hair, makeup, health and beauty books and my head was crammed full of the things I had learned. I wanted an outlet in which to share those things, encourage other girls and women in the journey of  modesty and style, and carve my own little space on the world wide web.

Now I don't read about fashion all that much. I don't believe I've read a book on the subject in at least a year and a half. To be honest, most of my brain is filled with topics other than fashion these days. Writing, music, home decor, baking, organizing, and finding steady work.

And really, I feel as though I have said pretty much everything I ever wanted to say about fashion on this blog. (Ok, so I never fully got into "color," but that will definitely find a good time and place in the future. :) And over the past year I've been a bit fashion-burned-out (I'm sure some of you have sensed it ;). I feel as though God has blessed the blog and allowed me to make the small impact that I wanted, and now changing the world of fashion is not so much of a pressing focus in my life.

All of this said (and thank you for reading this far), it is not my intention to quit the blog. I've been immensely blessed through the process of writing AmandaBeth and don't want to abandon it after the amount of time and thoughts that have been invested. Besides, I still have more inspiration to share, more ideas to voice, and more to create. The thing is, I don't feel that focusing exclusively on fashion is my purpose anymore.

So, where is the blog going? I'm not 100% decided, and I plan on taking it one simple step at a time. Posting may become more sporadic, but hopefully it will be more inspired. I feel a need to write about everything; the things that make me laugh, the things that matter, the things that make life beautiful to me. This may be a number of topics; writing, baking, sewing, decorating, reading, music, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. And fashion will obviously be included, because that's also a part of who I am.

I'm still not sure whether I should bring all of these changes to AmandaBeth or leave it as a purely fashion venture and start up this new approach at a different site address. (What do you think?)
I do hope that whatever changes are made will make my writing a more personal endeavor, bring us all together and make things even more fun. :)

Remember, there are 2 1/2 years worth of archives for perusing if you want some fashion-y reading or inspiration, and it will all remain here for you to access. Thank you for your patience in reading the entirety of this post and listening to where my heart is at right now. I didn't want to leave you all in the dark and I hope you understand the way I've been feeling. (Oh yes, and please leave a comment and let me know what you think about all of this.)

Thanks from the bottom of my heart to all you dear, lovely readers who have stuck with me over the years, months, weeks, and days. I am so excited that adventure is continuing, and that I've got all of you with me on the journey. (Stay subscribed so you can get updates! :)

All my love, and have a beautiful and blessed Thanksgiving...


Images: Apartment34 / Ooo... I Like It! / Seen and Said / The Paper Dialogues

P.S. I was a good girl last week and updated the Modest Fashion Bloggers Network for the first time in ages. Check it out! :)

Oh yes, and I've got a fashiony sort of "party"coming up, so check back over the next week for some fun details!

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Oh, that fabulous Gibson Girl!

Long have loved the iconic Gibson Girl, the epitome of early 20th century beauty. There's something sensational, elusive, and maybe just a bit mercenary about this lady, who carries herself proudly and sometimes steps carelessly on a gentleman on her way out the door.

First created in 1890 by the artist Charles Dana Gibson, the Gibson Girl was modeled after a number of ideal beauties, including Gibson's wife, and made a mark on fashion and beauty in the early 1900s. She clearly captured the look that was so highly prized during the era ("S" shaped corsets, pigeon front blouses, sweeping skirts, and hair piled high in a pompadour) and is a big reason why the Edwardian age is one of my favorites. (Also, sometimes she  reminds me of Anne Shirley, who has a very special place in the hearts of girls all over the world, including my own. :)

Charles Dana Gibson featured his "girl" in lots of tongue-in-cheek illustrations, which always make me laugh (albeit guiltily). Of course, it's dreadful for a young lady to treat a gentleman the way she often does, but I can't help chuckling at her "girl power." Charles Dana Gibson was a good observer of people of both genders, and his captions are usually right on target. ;)

1. Stepped On / 2. Accident to a Young Man with a Weak Heart

Of course, the Gibson Girl wasn't always cruel. There's quite a few illustrations where she makes somebody's dream come true. That's usually when we say, "Aww..."

So, are there any Gibson Girls lurking out there? :)

If you'd like to possess a piece of the Gibson glamour for yourself, I've just recently put together these two pretty ladies, and would like to find good homes for them. They've been waiting patiently for me to put together a post for the past few crazy-busy weeks, and now they are all set to go!

Both of these Gibson Girl pendants are strung with glass pearl beads. The 1st necklace has ivory and pale blue pearls, a silver plated chain and clasp and measures 17" long. The 2nd necklace is strung with pink, brown and mini ivory pearls and measures 16" long. The Gibson Girl pendants hang at 2" and are 1" wide. 

 

Here's a quick shot of me modeling the blue necklace so you can get some perspective of how it looks "live." The pink necklace is just slightly shorter. I know that Halloween is over, but these would be so fun with a costume-y ensemble... at any time of the year!

The two pendants were the last in the store, so these ladies are the only ones of their kind, unless I stumble upon something this unusual again. I'm selling them for $20 each (with free shipping in the US) and first-come first-serve, so if you'd like to grab one for your very own, or as a gift for a fellow Gibson Girl, please drop me an email with your paypal email address so I can send you a a payment invoice. And don't forget to say which lovely lady you'd like! :) You can reach me at amandabethboutique{at}gmail.com

I hope you all had a fun, safe weekend. I meant to post with some "creepy" seasonal fashion, but time ran away from me. You can't check out last year's post if you want a scare... ;)

God bless you all. Thanks for reading!


Images: Flickr, LIFE, Wikipedia

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