Cozy as a Pumpkin

Knit Sleeves from Marion Renee here

Inspired by my Cinderella theme for the week and by the advent of MY FAVORITE SEASON EVER fall, here are some cozy (and, let's face it, a few months off need-wise in Florida) creations on Etsy that are pumpkinlicious.

U Street Cowl from Smoking Haute here

Knit Slouch Hat from Sennursasa here

Vintage High-Waisted Pencil Skirt from Paramount Vintage

Baby, It's (not really) Cold Outside

Free People

Anthropologie

jcrew

Although it really does get cold in Florida, despite what people think, it doesn't get below thirty degrees so the odds of me ever feeling cold enough to want to wear sweater leggings seem fairly low.  


Nevertheless, here are my picks for warm legwear!  My favorites are the J Crew ones.  Cozy as can be.

It's a Grand Dress for Singing...

Bess Georgette

I'm mostly an internet musician.  I don't know if that's the proper term or anything, but basically I do the vast majority of my music interactions online, from freelancing to podcasting.  However, as an entertainer by trade, I still am always on the lookout for the perfect dress for being on stage.  Being a pianist adds a whole length-issue since I can't really wear a shorty-short skirt when I'm on stage sitting behind my keyboard.  For obvious reasons.

Jolie Vintage Shop

Aaaand, the dress can't be too fitted because of the whole pedaling thing.  As you can see, picking out the perfect imaginary dress for non-existent shows is quite the challenge.

Rock This Vintage

So here are a couple vintage dresses I discovered on Etsy I think would be smashing were I to have the perfect show to perform!

Pomp & Pride

Hello Dearie Vintage

Ahoy There! A Shabby Apple Giveaway!

I am a lucky girl. 


Shabby Apple, the purveyor of gorgeous vintage-style women's dresses (they even have adorable maternity dresses for those who may need it!), has again offered to give away one of their dresses to a lucky Emma's Music reader!  

I thought the perfect dress for the summer was this little beauty, the Admiral, because who didn't either adore their sailor dress when they were a little girl or want a sailor dress when they were a little girl!*  


Shabby Apple is an amazing shop because not only are their dresses beautifully designed and very high quality, when you purchase a dress from them, they donate to micro-loans around the world!  So you can feel good about your latest style indulgence!  


They have a spectacular sale going on until the end of July where you can get 20% off any dress with the coupon code - Summer20 .  If you want to wait until August to buy that perfect little frock, use emmasmusic10off anytime from now until August 17 (weirdly enough, that's my childhood's best friend's birthday.  Coincidence? Well... probably).  


If you decide to buy a dress as well as enter the giveaway, please click the little button on the side of my blog - it's the very best way to get to their shop...




Now, to enter the giveaway?  Easy-breezy.  


Simply leave a comment.  


Want extra entries (I know you do!)?


1.  Like Shabby Apple on Facebook
2.  Like me on Facebook (awww!  Thanks!)
3.  Tweet this:


Ahoy there!  Win the perfect summer sailor dress from Shabby Apple at @iamemmamusic 's blog! http://iamemmamusic.blogspot.com 


4.  Tell me your favorite summer memory
5.  Tell me what song is essential for a summer soundtrack


For as many as you do, leave an additional comment!


The giveaway will conclude on Monday, July 25 at 11:59 EST.  
Good luck! I hope you win!

*If you were never a little girl, but instead lived the earlier part of your life as a little boy, don't let that stop you!  Surely there is a wife/girlfriend/sister/coworker/barista you would make insanely happy with this little dress!  And I assure you - she wants a sailor dress too.

Purple Duckling's Tale Feature Friday

This week, I wanted to focus on Purple Duckling's Tale - adorable Zel's blog! She goes to school in Nebraska and her blog is filled with photos of lovely settings, fun fashion and, sometimes FOOD! I was actually lucky enough to meet with her for breakfast when she came down to Florida a couple of weeks ago. She even brought me some gorgeous things from her home in Indonesia (I'll feature them when I do an outfit post sometime).

She is such a sweet and fun person and it comes through in her happy blog! Definitely add it to your must-read list!

Here is a pic of her visiting with my baby when she came down! That girl definitely knows how to pick cute accessories... ;o)

Shabby Apple Feature Friday and Giveaway!

This week I'm featuring the gorgeous women's dress boutique Shabby Apple! I love shops that use creativity when creating the photo shoots for the dresses and Shabby Apple does an amazing job - making me crave dresses that aren't even my normal style! They also have a marvelous variety of shapes and colors - keeping me browsing for hours.

This Feature Friday is extra-special because Shabby Apple has been nice enough to let me host a giveaway! I chose this dress to get us in the mood for summer... I love the color and fit looks like it would be flattering on pretty much every body.

To enter the giveaway, you simply have to leave me a comment. That's it. Hip hooray for simple giveaways!

However, if you want additional entries (and who doesn't, I ask you?), you can:

1. Like them on Facebook (there you'll get special deals and news about them - totally worth a like - and worth two entries)

2. Tell me which style icon you can imagine wearing this dress

3. Sign up for my email newsletter

4. Tweet about it or mention it in a blog entry

The giveaway will end on Wednesday, March 23rd and the winner announced the 25th.

So, there you go! I'd love to have a ton and a half of entries so please don't hesitate to pass this along!

It Loves Me... It Loves Me Not...

Photo from here

So, I am lucky to have several fashionista blogger friends so I consider myself up (ish) on new trends. Although I tend to spend my money on new, um, food rather than new fashion, I still like to pretend-shop the newest looks.

Some things would look simply awful on me, while others are, well, more loving of my shape. My shape is definitely more flattered by the hourglass designs - too loose and I look a trifle dowdy - but I'm fascinated (and impressed) by bloggers who can wear pleated pants or blousy shirts or miniskirts and look gorgeous.

What about you? What styles love you or love you not?

P.S. Feel free to follow me! I promise only ever to lead you to bright, sunny places!

P.P.S. It appears that affection is the best way for my readers' hearts to be stolen! Who knew?

Q's Daydream Vintage Feature Friday

I know that probably most of you already know the ever-fashionable and adorable Quincy of Q's Daydream Vintage but for those of you who don't, she's my feature of the week! She was one of the very first blogs I started reading and never fails to have gorgeous pictures, lovely settings and amazing fashion.

If you fall in love with a dress she features in a post, be sure to jump on it! I've waffled several times and then visited her Etsy shop and been too late!

P.S. Feel free to follow me! I promise only ever to lead you to bright, sunny places!

Forever in Blue Jeans... Or Not

Some cargos I'm craving: the first one is from Anthropologie, the second and third from Free People

Working from home gives one many privileges - not the least of which is the option to wear whatever one pleases!

I know.

It's very cool. The thing is, sometimes people, or delivery people, or in-laws, stop by unannounced, thereby making one's thermal jammies with teensy flowers sprinkled all over look a bit, well, out-of-place at, say 1 p.m. So, I do try to get dressed. I can dress for comfort, which is wonderful but I want to look fashionable too.

My very favorite thing for comfort is cargo pants. I don't know why, but I have an abiding love for clothes that look like something either an explorer or an aviatrix might wear. And all those pockets are a definite plus for the six-year-old in me. There are many who might argue that jeans are more flattering and way comfier. And other who wouldn't be caught dead (or alive by a delivery truck driver) in either.

In which group do you fall?

P.S. So it looks like John Lennon won in a landslide. I'll peruse my collection of music and find a Beatles song he wrote, cover it and post it either this Monday or next Monday. Thank you for your input! Aaaand, the fact that I covered one of their covers this past Monday was purely coincidence. Weird, eh?

P.P.S. Feel free to follow me! I promise only ever to lead you to bright, sunny places!

You're In My Hair

First one from here (I love the snowflake one!), second one from here, third one from here (I own this set!)

I absolutely love hair pins. They're such an easy, effortless way to look gooorgeous. There are a ton of beautiful ones on Etsy but I love these ones from Crushjewels. Most of the pins on Etsy are plastic but these metal ones are so lovely and romantic.

What is your favorite effortless beauty bauble?

P.S. Feel free to follow me! I promise only ever to lead you to bright, sunny places!

P.P.S. I have a brand, new original album out! If you download it and looooove it, please write a lovely review on the site from which you purchased it!

Fashion and the Final Scene from Breakfast at Tiffany's Guest Post from Francy of Pixie Drive-In

The ever-fashionable and gorgeous Francy from Pixie Drive-In contributed this blog post. Thank you, Francy!

Every fashion magazine I read these days seems to promote longer, simpler lines, and camel shades. I find myself fascinated by this trend that goes beyond the shorter and/or more outrageous looks of the last few years. In thinking about how I could incorporate it in my own style this fall, I came to one conclusion: go Holly Golightly and wear a trench coat.

Despite the fact that I claim to groan over the ending to Breakfast at Tiffany's, I find Holly Golightly running toward Paul Varjack in the rain magical. Of course, it is romantic, and the happy ending I want for them, but there is also more to it. At this point, I feel Holly lets go of her facade and opens up to the vulnerability she previously resisted. Her choice of wearing a trench coat then seems so appropriate. Classic, yet adventurous, to me the trench coat signifies her embrace of a new outlook. After all, there is a reason why I always marvel at her beauty, despite being soaked, in this scene. For once, she does not hide behind her (still always fabulous) wardrobe. Rather, it’s coat, and bam! Ready for change.

Perhaps this is the purpose of the new trend. To discover a new point-of-view, and embark on new adventures where we stand out not because of what we wear, but because of who we are. If so, I say bring on the minimalism and neutrals! I always believe real personal style reflects the person more than the clothes, and but often, that sneaky “too much” takes over, and, like Holly, the real person becomes hidden.

However, while I will buy into this, I come with one condition. I refuse to give up color pops and quirky heels. After all, moving in another direction entirely makes me prone to the same identity loss as wearing “too much.” With these old essentials, I can happily throw on a trench coat, and hum a little “Moon River” as I initiate my new fashion year.

Bow Your Neck

Hello, this is Manja from Spilled Milk! The lovely and talented Emma gave me the chance to write a guest post for her blog and I was more than willing to do so! Isn't her little Peter the cutest?
After deciding not to continue with my old style blog, I started a new one recently which is mainly about food, photography and I also want to incorporate DIY projects in it. I think DIYs are awesome ways to create your own, individual accessories, decorations and many other things!

About two weeks back, I saw a necklace at H&M that I really loved. It was a huge bow necklace made of shiny black fabric. Since I coincidentally had some black fabric at home, I gave it a try and made my own.

This is what you'll need:
*A piece of fabric of your choice (16" by 9")
*A piece of fabrice of your choice (10" by 2")
*Two jump rings
* Some chain
*A small pair of pliers

This is the fabric I used. But you can use whatever one you like, of course!

First of all, you have to fold the bigger piece of fabric in half, so that the inside is turned out and pin the long side together.

Then, sew along the edge that you just secured with the pins.

Repeat these last steps on one of the short sides of the fabric and sew it together. Then, turn the fabric inside out, so that the shiny part of the fabric is on the outside and only one side is left open.

Fold in both edges of the open side and pin both layers of fabric together, just as in the previous steps. Sew together but try to stay as close to the edge of the fabric as possible .

Now, you will need the smaller piece of fabric.

First of all, you have to hem the seams of the shorter sides of the fabric, so that it will all look neat once you're done.

Once you are finished with that, fold in the lower and also the upper long sides of the fabric. Make sure that the shiny part of the fabric is still on the outside! Then, fold the piece of fabric again in the middle. This step can be a little bit tricky.

This is what it should look like. Now you need to pin the edges of the fabric together and sew them together. Once again, make sure to sew as close to the edge as possible!

This is, what we've got so far.

Gather the fabric of the larger piece in the middle. Then, drape the thin piece of fabric around the middle and secure it by tucking its end underneath the draping. Now you can either secure it by sewing it together by hand or by using glue. I picked the lazy alternative and glued it together.

Yay, the bow is finished!

Now, you need to poke one jump ring through the left peak (would you call it a bow 'peak'? I highly doubt that word exists) and also through the right peak of the bow and attach the chain to them before closing the jump rings using pliers. Before you attach the chain, you should decide how long you want the necklace to be. Just put the chain around your neck beforehand and hold the bow up to the ends to see how long the necklace will be in the end. I also decided not to use a clasp because I can just pull it over my tiny head.

And voilá - the finished product!

It is a really nice and easy DIY and I am contemplating whether I should make more big bow necklaces! Mh...how 'bout a polka dot one?

ModCloth Fashion for the Mama-to-Be

Well, I've had a tremendously lucky and easy pregnancy, so my need to wear ultra-comfy clothes hasn't actually been that bad. I had hoped that I could wear my own clothes throughout rather than buy much maternity clothes. So far I have...

BEEN SUCCESSFUL!

Hooray! The only maternity thing I have is a pair of cargos from H&M. Otherwise, pants cleverly covered with long shirts or prairie skirts with flexible waistbands have made up the bulk of my wardrobe.

I haven't actually shopped for new clothes while pregnant; I plan to buy clothes to replace whatever has been stretched out by my burgeoning belly (that sounds like a fun thing to do once Baby is out!). But I've noticed several dresses on ModCloth (one of which I've worn - I'll post it up on Sunday) that would work perfectly for pregnancy!

This is the dress I actually have worn the entire pregnancy! The high waist and long (well, for ModCloth, it's long) skirt have kept me comfortable and quite chic.

I almost bought this one for myself! The only iffy thing about it is that it's quite short (which is an issue because, as your belly gets bigger, your hemline goes up!). However, with the detachable belt, you can wear it most of the pregnancy. It looks nice and light too.

One of my favorite looks on an expectant mother is the fitted jersey dress - it hugs the nice round belly and looks so effortless. It is a more unusual look but I like it!

A dress with really no structure to speak of is another pretty look. It actually masks pregnancy for the longest, I find, so if you don't want exclamations and belly-rubbing at a an event, this is the style to wear.

A wrap dress is the style Ms. Beckham recommends in her style book. I actually never ended up wearing one but, hey!

I think the most comfortable thing to wear when pregnant is the maxi dress. This one gets extra points because the shoulder straps are thick enough to wear a bra underneath.

So, the things I look for in a dress you can wear throughout pregnancy:

1. Length (it's okay for a little shortness! I like the leggy-but-pregnant look!)

2. High waist

3. Stretchy material

4. Flows out from collarbone

And I've avoided stripes. Of course.

That's what I've discovered these eight months! Some of the dresses I featured are sold out, but the components that make them pregnancy-friendly can apply to many dresses.

So, any mamas who have additions or tips? Any fashionistas with ideas?

P.S. Feel free to follow me! I promise only ever to lead you to bright, sunny places!

P.P.S. I have a brand, new original album out! If you download it and looooove it, please write a lovely review on the site from which you purchased it!