Florence, Italy: Bacci Fabrics

I think I've died and gone to fabric heaven.  Or is this heaven on earth?  Welcome to Bacci fabrics in Florence, Italy located on Via dell'Ariento. 

This amazing family owned shop was opened in 1945 and expanded in the 1990s.  It has designer Italian fabrics as well as the most amazingly luscious Italian wool.  I spent what felt like hours caressing and 'oohing and ahhhing' over the wool fabrics.  I ended walking away with 2 meters of the blue fabric (in the picture below) and the most amazing grey flannel wool.

Here's a shot of the length of the store and how happy I look with my purchases:

If you ever find yourself in Florence for work or pleasure, definitely take a trip over to Bacci fabrics.  The store is centrally located and easy to get to and well worth the visit. The staff are very friendly and helpful. The prices are more expensive but the quality is definitely top notch.  A nice fabric treat!

I love fabric shopping in new locations as I always find unexpected treasures.  What is your favourite holiday fabric shopping location?

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to the most amazing Dad in the whole world!!! 

Isn't my Dad's Air Force photo the best? I just love it!!

Aston Hall: My New Favourite Historical House

When David and I were down in Birmingham last weekend, we made a trip to Aston Hall (which is located in the area called Aston about 20 minutes from the center of Birmingham.  As an aside, Aston was also the birthplace of HP sauce back in the day...).  This magnificent building is built in Jacobean architectural style, which basically means it was built during the reign of King James the VI of Scotland and King James I of England (i.e. early 1600s).  I think I have found my FAVOURITE architectural style--seriously, I want to go and visit every other Jacobean style building in the UK!!

Aston Hall was built primarily as a deer hunting estate and private lodging for a super rich noble, Sir Thomas Holte.  This is definitely the most impressive historical mansion I have seen.  There are a large number of rooms open for viewing.  I think I was most in awe of how much of the architectural detail is original to the time the hall was built, like the beautiful staircase:

If you love historical ceiling plasterwork, this is the place for you!  All of these ceilings are originals!  Such amazing condition and the details are overwhelming:

Despite visiting the Hall on a Sunday, there was hardly anyone there (which is a shame, really).  But it did allow us to get some great shots of the house (they allow photography inside).

One of the most awe-inspiring rooms is the Great Hall.  What you can't see from the photo below are the intricate details in the wood panelling, the impressive hand carved original marble fireplace, the original floors and another amazing plasterwork ceiling.

I wore my 1937 'Birthday Dress Suit' (McCall 9156) and my matching 1930s hat.  I definitely felt like I had walked onto the set of Downton Abbey!

This is the beautiful window at the opposite end of the Great Hall:

The history of the house is fascinating--it saw battle (the Great Siege of Christmas Eve) and even had cannon fire that destroyed a part of the staircase.  This was from the battle between the King and Parliament with Sir Thomas Holte pledging loyalty to the King.

Sir Thomas Holte had 15 children but he died after most of his children and didn't have an heir.  The house passed onto another relative and then was sold off to an antiquarian--which is probably why it has been preserved so well.  While many of the rooms remain in Jacobean style, there are several rooms, like the library, that are in a later style:

During the Victorian era, Aston Hall became the first historical country house to pass into municipal ownership.  It was converted into a museum in true Victorian style, complete with giant stuffed lions, giraffes and other oddities throughout the house.  The grounds saw tightrope walkers (without nets!), magicians, musicians, you name it!  Queen Victoria herself came and opened the museum to the public.  The museum also threw special events for the holidays:

Aston Hall is now a community museum managed by the Birmingham Museums Trust.  I highly recommend a visit if you are ever in the Birmingham area--it's just a short taxi ride from the main part of town.  It's so beautiful and well maintained.  A real hidden gem!

I now have a new obsession...I want to check out all the other Jacobean style mansions/houses in the UK.  Here's a few links to some I've found so far:

Blickling Estate (Norwich)
Bramshill House (Hampshire)
Hatfield House (Hertfordshire)
Knole House (near Sevenoakes in Kent)
Plas Teg (Wales)

And check out this neat article by Britain magazine with some photos of Jacobean houses in the UK.

Have you been to Aston Hall?  What's your favourite historical house?

Happy Easter!

Madame Reines' Easter hat selection in the 1940's: Vogue Magazine {source}

Happy Easter everyone! Hope you get a chance to wear your favourite Easter hat :-)

Adventures in Belfast

In lieu of a Scotland Sundays post, I thought I would share with you where I have been for most of this past week....Belfast, Northern Ireland!  This was my first trip to Belfast and I LOVED it!  I went for work so only got to see a little bit of the city but managed to see a few interesting sites including Queen's University Belfast:

[photo source] 

How beautiful is that building?  I'm a sucker for ancient universities and the QUB campus does not disappoint!  The University was first charted in 1845 and conducts world-leading research across a variety of subject areas.  I was lucky to be able to meet with some of the faculty from the School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work.

I was also able to sneak away for a short period to the Titanic Centre:

The Titanic Centre only opened last year--on the centenary of the Titanic's maiden voyage.  Having the Centre in Belfast is perfect since the Titanic was built, among other amazing ships, in the heart of Belfast.  The building itself looks like the prow of a ship.  The construction is quite amazing.

I was very impressed with the museum.  It's a hands-on experience and you learn a lot about the industrial period in Belfast--not just about ship building but also about the linen and other industries (which was fascinating!).  There are lots of things on display from original documents and ship plans to neat White Star Line posters.  You get to touch lots of things and you can take pictures throughout the building!

I must say that I was a little hesitant to go to the museum.  I mean the ship sank and a lot of people tragically lost their lives.  I didn't know if I could handle that part of the museum--but it was very tastefully done.  I felt like the museum focused equally on all parts of the Titanic heritage--from the amazing ingenuity in building the ship, to the beautiful interiors and everything the ship encompassed for the time period to the sinking and survivor stories to finally how the event impacted the entire world.

And well, it wouldn't be the Titanic museum without a bit of Hollywood memorabilia:

I got some great photos of the costumes from the movie with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet:

For the outing, I wore some of my me-made items including my 1943 white DuBarry blouse and my 1941 Simplicity trousers (with a neat sweater vest that I found in a vintage sale here in Edinburgh):

If you are ever in Belfast, it is well worth the visit!

Happy Valentine's Day

Phew! Sew Grateful Week made me really tired! Keeping up with all the awesomeness!!!  I have one more wrap-up post I want to do but I'm sneaking in a post today about another amazing Etsy store discount and some lovely Valentine's Day images...

First, there's a 20% discount happening from now until the 17th over at the Jane Ferrari Etsy Store!!!  Just use coupon code: BEPRETTY

Jane has got a pattern in her Etsy store that I've been meaning to sew up for ages...isn't it pretty?

And because I love vintage images, here are a couple of lovely 1940's Valentine's Day inspired hats:

Joan Crawford in a heart-shaped hat...look at her perfect pout:

From vintagegal.tumblr.com

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

2013: Be Lucky

Happy New Year's Eve!  Yesterday, David and I participated in one of our favourite Edinburgh traditions: the Hogmanay torchlight procession.  Approximately 40,000 people participated in this year's event.  It involves giant candles (or torches) and a procession led by bagpipers through the city up to the top of Calton Hill, which overlooks the city.

This was our view from the top of the hill looking down on Prince's Street and the Christmas Market:

A giant bonfire was lit on the hill, saying goodbye to 2012:

There was an amazing fireworks show.  Since we were up so high, it felt like the fireworks were really close:

And we said hello to 2013:

I love the theme they chose for this year's Hogmanay celebrations which was 2013: 'Be Lucky'.

I wish you all a lucky and wonderful 2013 and a happy celebration in your part of the world!

Happy Holidays!

Here are a few of my favourite photos of Rita Hayworth to help with wishing you all a festive holiday season!

Much love, Debi, David and Echo

 [photo credits 1, 2, 3 and 4]

Traveling Jeans

What a whirlwind few weeks! I feel incredibly lucky as I've managed to combine traveling for work with a few short holidays and visiting family in the Pacific Northwest.

I wanted to share a few of my favourite photos snapped along the way and my new wardrobe staple: Freddies of Pinewood Classic 1950s jeans.  I never wear jeans but knew that I needed something a bit more casual than my normal wardrobe staples for the trip. These jeans are fantastic! They are high-waisted with one side button and a hidden zipper in the side pocket.  Plus, they go great with me-made 40's blouses.  I can't believe how much I've worn them on this trip.

So here are my favourite photos from my recent travels.  I only wish I was able to meet-up with my sewing buddies along the way but I know I'll be back in the not so distant future so let me know if you live in any of these locales!

Chicago, IL:
First up was Chicago.  Our hosts showed me and my colleagues around Millennium Park and we even got to go on a boat.  We were blessed with absolutely beautiful weather.  It was amazing!

"The Bean" in Millennium Park, Chicago

My image reflected in "the Bean"

Happy Feet in Chicago

Big Sur, CA

Next stop was California for a conference in San Francisco.  I am bummed I didn't get to meet up with any sewing buddies in CA but know I will probably be back there again before too long!  One thing my colleagues and I did do was take a short break before the conference to explore the Big Sur area. Absolutely stunning!

Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

The plants and wildlife in the State Reserve were beautiful.

I literally wore these jeans everyday!  Here they are in the Point Lobos State Natural Reserve :)

Happy Feet Part 2: Garrapata State Park

Red Rock Canyon, NV:

This last weekend, my sister and I went to Las Vegas for a quick trip and spent some time in Red Rock Canyon!  Loved it!

Freddies of Pinewood jeans and my me-made Du Barry 1940s blouse

It's been really nice to spend some time outdoors in beautiful locations and to have a bit of time off to spend with my family.  I usually don't like flying at this time of the year but so far, I've managed to stay ahead of the extreme weather (knock on wood)!

What about you? Any big travel plans for the holidays?

Thank You- You Are Amazing!

Thank you all for the sweet birthday congratulations!  It made me so happy reading through all your comments and well wishes!  I had a fabulous day ..(more pictures to come later)...

I wanted to share a really fun video that Oona put together that I think you will enjoy (I know I did!):

hahahaha! Isn't that great?  We sure do know how to bust a move :)  Happy Sunday everyone!

The Oregon Coast

Here are some more photos from the Oregon Coast!

'Yum 101' is right! We started out the day at the Tillamook Cheese Factory!  The Tillamook Cheese Factory is a century old, family owned cheese (and ice cream) business in the town of Tillamook on the Oregon Coast.  We've been coming to the Cheese Factory for ice cream on every trip to the beach as far back as I can remember--it is always a highlight.  They've just added this great 'baby loaf' vehicle for photo making fun.  Of course, my sister and I had to jump in and take it for a spin!

I think we got one of the last days of warm sunshine at the coast! It was a very warm 75 degrees (that is practically unheard of on the Oregon Coast). It was perfect weather to wear my hooded 1940's dress. It was also a great day for a stroll with my family and our beloved dog, Nikki.  Awwww...I love you guys! What a great photo!  But wait...there is someone missing.....

Who is that in the bushes??  We were ambushed by my sister! hahahahha.

We were practically the only ones on the beach.  We decided to hang around and watch the sunset and this lovely little baby seagull sat right next to us the whole time!

It was such a lovely sunset! There is something about being near the ocean that I find very calming and rejuvenating.  What about you?  Where are your favourite family holiday spots?

Sailor dress at the beach

Happy Monday everyone!