Europe, Part 1 · Rhine and Moselle Area Castles

Well, here I am finally getting around to posting the first batch of photos from our Germany (and France, and Switzerland, and Austria...) trip!  Our trip was absolutely wonderful....

The time since I've been back has been taken up in attending to all the details around home that were neglected while we were away as well as catching up for the next several weeks since just 2 weeks after I flew home, I flew out on my next adventure. :-)  That officially started this week, but I'll touch more on that later.... for now, here's the first installation!  I'll try to keep these coming fairly regularly, as it's best to write about these things before all the little details are lost to memory. :-)

Also, the usual disclaimer for my photos.... as you all know, I'm no photographer.  So let's just say that the photos really don't due any of this justice!

I decided to start out on the second day of our trip just to shake things up a bit!  We stayed for the first few days in Traben-Trarbach, which are charming twin towns on the Moselle River in Germany.  

They were so quaint, and we loved their unaffected charm.  The vines growing along every street were grapevines, which are completely appropriate given that this was the heart of Germany's wine country!

Our home: we stayed in vacation home rentals all across the country, and this one was in a refurbished boarding house overlooking the town.

Our day was spent driving along the Moselle and Rhine rivers, drinking in the beautiful scenery and stopping at 3 castles along the way.  These 2 rivers are known for their plentiful castles/ruins, so choosing just 3 to stop at was no easy decision!!

Our first stop was Cochem Castle.  The castle sits upon the highest hill in the town and dominates the landscape majestically.  The original castle was destroyed by the French in 1689 and remained in ruins until a wealthy merchant rebuilt it in the 1860s.  He remained true to the original design outside and decorated the interiors to his liking.  The mosaic/painting (can't remember which it was...) on the largest tower is a nod at the medieval love of painted walls, while the rest is stone to cater to the aesthetic ideals of the 19th c. :-)  The castle was their family's "summer abode"- just imagine that!

Like many castles in Germany, this is on a substantial hill, so this flat-lander had quite impressive leg muscles by the end of the trip!  Or was it just that this flat-lander was quite impressed by her lack of leg muscles?  I can never remember....

We were informed that this statue on the left is actually a lion with its helmet visor down, not Kermit the Frog.

I remain dubious.

Oh my.  I do love me some German architecture.  Be prepared for an unabashed onslaught of "cute!", "adorable!", etc in my retelling of this trip...

... because, really- THIS IS IMPOSSIBLY CUTE!!!!

So much time, energy, and thought went into every single aspect of this castle... it's just awe-inspiring to think about!

The interiors of the castle frequently featured elaborately painted ceilings.

The dining room was decorated much more "modernly", but was still rather attractive. :-)

I loved this little nook off of the dining room!

The panoramic views from the balconies were stunning!  As you can tell from these photos, the Moselle is a beautiful, calm river that winds tightly back and forth through steep hills and cliffs.

Driving along the river was one of my favorite parts of the trip- the road runs right along the river and there are charming villages every few miles as well as grapes growing along all the hills- even the very steepest!  I'd love to take a boat cruise someday to be able to enjoy it at a slower pace, too. :-)

Sigh.  I need a castle.

Our second castle was the magnificent Burg Eltz.  Unlike Cochem, this castle is original (well, it's technically the second castle, but it has been around since the 1200s!) and not situated on the river!  Its very un-strategic location in a valley is why the first castle was destroyed and after that, the family subsequently focused their efforts on developing allies and using their influence and connections to avoid sieges and fighting instead.

As you can see, it was a wise move because over 800 years later, this castle is still standing while every other castle in the area was destroyed. :-)

The castle has been in the family for 33 generations (just- wow.) and the current owners still visit every week.

The inner courtyard to the castle is so charming!  I love all the different rooflines and architectural elements!

A common feature I discovered on many castles is the painting on the underside of the gutters!  Now that's some serious attention to detail.

Our arrival timing worked wonderfully, because we were just in time to catch an English tour!  Hooray!! :-)  Unfortunately, photos are not permitted inside.  It was a wonderfully interesting castle and we were so pleasantly surprised by how extensive the tour was!  Although by the time you see it from the outside, it's quite apparent that it would take hours to traverse the whole of it!!

We went on the walking path going down to the castle, but chose to walk up on the bus path so we'd have better photos.  There were many places to stop off along the way, and I was so pleased to find the "iconic photo" spot since I didn't find it for Cochem. :-) If you ever visit, I'd either recommend just walking both ways on the bus path, or doing the opposite of us as the bus path is steeper so it's nicer not to walk up it! ;-)

In order to reach our next castle, we drove along a portion of the Rhine.  We happened to have a booklet about castles along the river which made for an enjoyable way to pass the time- as soon as we'd spot a castle and read the brief history of it, there would be another castle just coming into view!  Wow!

Our last stop was the fairytale-worthy Rheinstein Castle!  Due to the street signs taking us the long way to Burg Eltz, and then taking longer than expected at the castle, we weren't sure if we'd actually be able to make it to Rheinstein before they closed! (granted, 3 castles in one day is optimistic, but that's how we roll when traveling overseas ;-))

We pulled up a mere 40 minutes before closing, and the castle was high up on a cliff above us!  Much huffing and puffing later (what was that I said about leg muscles? I think the same thing applies to lungs...), and we made record speed to get up the many (many!) switchbacks in time to make it inside.  Since we were so limited in time, we didn't have time for the booklet about the castle history, which was a pity.  However, the castle itself was so charming that it was a delightful visit nonetheless!

The castle, like so many others, was a ruin until the 1860s when it was rebuilt into an idyllic castle.  I am so glad that it was such a fad to do so- it's hard to imagine what the country was like 200 years ago when so many of the castles were just ruins!  Then again, I'm not too much of a purist when it comes to castles... I just like them to be pretty. ;-) 

Unfortunately, due to our constrained time, I didn't take many photos.  After all, my attempts wouldn't do it justice, and really- the memories are more valuable anyway. :-)

Most all of the rooms of the castle were open for exploring, and we were the only ones there- it felt like it was our very own personal castle!! :-)

The castle is built on many different levels on the side of a cliff, so the views are amazing!  We were free to wander all over, even up to the top of the towers.  The tower on the left required many more stairs than it looks like to reach, and they were getting quite precarious by the end!  You can see the view down into another courtyard on the right (as well as an unfortunately modern addition....).

Sadly, there weren't any good, photogenic views of the whole castle to give the overall feel of how amazing it was, so I'd highly recommend looking up images online- it really is rather impressive.  Seriously, go do it NOW! ;-)

We ended the day quite tuckered out and still recovering from jet lag, so we heartily enjoyed a warm meal at a local restaurant in Trarbach!

My Own 1940s Simplicity 1587 Dress · Re-vamped

Well, this is technically the second post about this 1940s dress.  I posted back in December about it and, if you'll recall, I gave the impression of being rather underwhelmed by it.  I was.  I wore it a couple times in the fall without a sweater covering up half of it and hated it.  I wore it in the winter with the accessories you can see in the other post and was reasonably pleased with it.  But by the time spring came along and the sweater was pulled off.... I hated it.  It made me feel stupid.

Sigh.  I hate it when that happens.  You try to step outside of your comfort zone... and are rewarded by reminders of why you *have* that comfort zone in the first place! :-P

I tweaked the fit.  Changed the bodice gathers to darts so it was more fitted and a bit closer to my usual styles.  That did nothing.

Eventually I had an epiphany- I hated the sleeves!  I used the short sleeves that came with the pattern because I loved the way they looked on Kathryn and my sister but let me tell you- all sleeves do not flatter all arms.  I substituted the short sleeves from Butterick 5281 and I'm so pleased I did!

I have narrow, sloping shoulders so if you're in the same predicament, I'd highly recommend steering clear of the Simplicity 1587 short sleeves!  Even with shoulder pads, they emphasized my sloping shoulders. :-/  My theory about these new sleeves is that since they don't fit closely at the bottom and they're pretty short, they give more illusion of width at the shoulders- a much needed feature for me!

This dress is still rather atypical for me- shorter skirt, blousy top, and shoulder pads.  I'm reconciled to it, and I *almost* even like it.  I do however have a reputation amongst certain circles of hating the 1940s to maintain, so I won't admit that I'm actually pleased with this dress. ;-)

Keyhole opening in the back- always a great use for those "loner" buttons that seem to be far too common in button collections! ;-)

A vintage buckle from our stash ended up being the perfect shade of berry and even matched the button used for the keyhole opening.  Score!

Here are some fun estate-sale accessory finds!  This bracelet is a major favorite of mine!  And... just happens to match the dress perfectly.  Score!

The clutch doesn't quite match as well, but it was so fabulously fun that I just had to buy it (ok, only being $1.50 helped that decision too....) and had to include it in this shoot. ;-)  It makes me feel like Esther Williams!  Which is about the best feeling ever, in my opinion.

It even has a fun little strap in the back so you can hold it without covering up any of the embroidery!
For photos of this outfit however, it was giving a rather disturbing illusion of a magic trick so I held it like a normal clutch. ;-)

Without a doubt, the turning point to liking this dress was due to a wonderfully fortuitous antique mall find!  This hat (and 2 other 1940s hats!!) were just waiting for me one day at the beginning of spring.  I had just been bemoaning the fact that my one-and-only 1940s hat was felt (black felt, no less) and would be unsuitable for spring attire.  This color goes wonderfully well with the dress!  Ok, that might be a stretch.  But it does coordinate quite nicely, AND it's a good color for me.  So that amounts to the same thing. ;-)

I love this hat SO MUCH.  Basically the dress is just an excuse to wear the hat. ;-)

My first pair of Miss L Fire shoes.  Man, I still love these shoes!!!

We discovered on this shoot (yet again) that I am SO AWKWARD with posing.  Ugh.  I wanted a "1940s girl in the city" kind of look.... and wow, am I ever challenged in the "look natural" department.  These photos are as good as it gets, folks. :-P  I'm glad you all keep coming back despite my awkwardness. ;-)

· Photos by the ever-wonderful Kathryn- thanks, dear! ·

· A Gold Dotty Birthday Dress ·

When I first saw this Michael Miller Glitz border-print, it was love at first sight. :-)

I dreamed of getting it, but the price tag was quite a bit more than I usually like to spend.  Plus, there was that little detail about a New Year's resolution I made to "use 5 stash fabrics for every 1 new fabric purchased this year".

(I know.  I make absolutely ridiculous New Year's resolutions.)

However... true love conquers all- even silly resolutions. ;-)

I had a momentary set-back when I saw Charlotte's dress from this fabric (also a birthday dress- funny coincidence!) and decided against buying the fabric- I didn't want to be a copy-cat, after all!  And so the life of a Certifiable Agonizer continues....  I eventually decided that buying the fabric for the dress would be my consolation gift to myself for my upcoming birthday.  I justified the expense by using some hoarded birthday/Christmas gift money from past years. :-)

I debated about going into the drama on here of reaching my first "dreaded" birthday, but I decided to go ahead and touch on it briefly. ;-)

For a variety of reasons, I had a rough year.  And it just kept getting worse.  With my birthday fast approaching, it also happened to mark the beginning of a new phase- the mid 20s.  So essentially, my life was moving on much more rapidly than I expected and I was depressed.

I also have illogical, preconceived opinions about a certain numbers.  And I just don't like the sound of 24.  I know, it's weird.  And inexplicable! ;-) But there it is.

All that compiled to make me rather dread August's approach!  But, 24 comes to all of us and it was rapidly approaching me.  This fabric seemed like a good way to soften the blow and give me a reason to look forward to my birthday despite myself. :-)

As it turns out, God was faithfully working, even throughout my struggles- which really isn't surprising after all... but the timing was wonderfully perfect. :-)  At the beginning of August, I began to feel much better about this whole Birthday thing. :-)  It seems unreal to think that I'm already in my mid-20s, but now I'm encouraged when I think back to all I've seen, done, experienced, and learned in all the years I've been given, and I'm so thankful for the many personal reminders of God's care and leading.

I've still got a long path ahead of me, but I'm thankful for the fresh page that Four and Twenty is bringing. :-)

Enough of all that- back to the real reason you stopped by! :-)

I used Butterick 6927 (a reprint that has since gone out of print) as a base for the bodice, and added a full skirt onto it.  The skirt included in the pattern is stunning, though- I really need to find the perfect project to make the dress in its entirety!

I love the practicality of this fabric!  It's a cotton, so it's breathable and comfortable as well as easy to wash and maintain.  However it also has metallic accents so it's perfectly dressy enough for just about any situation. :-)  It's a great dress up/dress down fabric. :-)

We found this triple-strand of gold pearls at an estate sale earlier this summer, and they're the perfect match!  Score!

The surplice bodice has pleats that are sewn down and release at the bust for a fitted, flattering look.  I decided to go with pleats on the skirt to keep a cohesive theme for all the elements of this dress. :-)

I'm absolutely adoring the craze for all things gold dotty this year.... I could just buy it all!!

This neckline is so super clever!!!  I love it!  The sweetheart shape is formed by a pleat that releases toward the shoulder- I'm so pleased when patterns include details like this that are so difficult to draft on your own!

I was obsessing about exactly how to position the bodice on the fabric- I felt that placing the bodice right along the densely-dotted selvage would make the bodice too densely gold and that would upset the overall proportions a bit.

I placed it a couple inches from the selvage, which in turn meant that I had a strip of border *just* wide enough for a matching belt- hooray!

Birthday shoes!!  We recently found Hotter.com, and we're sold!  Leather, several vintage-looking styles.... and cushioned insoles. :-D  These rank among my most-comfortable shoes now!

I always take advantage of hiding pockets in my full skirts!  After all, you never know when it'll be handy!

Actually, you do know.  They will *always* be handy.

The ribbon binding finishing off the inside of the neckline and sleeve hems was part of the splurge that was this dress. :-)  I do love an excuse to buy gold dotty things, and since I needed ribbon to bind off the neck anyway.... why not just use something frivolously appropriate?!  Since I had leftovers, I used them to finish off the sleeve hems, too!

If this ribbon is anything like my other polka-dotted ribbons, the dots will come off in the wash.... So I'm just making sure to enjoy them extra much before then. ;-D

When I first spotted this fabric, I knew it would be a perfect candidate for an "upside down" border-print skirt!  I've admired the look of border-print dresses that have the border at the waist, radiating out toward the shoulder and hem, but most of the prints available are only intended to be used with the border at the hem.  I'm so, SO pleased with how this skirt turned out!

Another perk to this print is that I was able to cut the skirt from Simplicity 1459- the pieces are flared and pleated, and I love the effect that gives!

· Photos by Kathryn- thanks dear! :-) ·

· See you later! ·

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I wanted to let you all know that in lieu of my usual posting,  I'll be MIA for the next 2-3 weeks while I'm jetsetting with my family over to Europe!

We're all excited about the itinerary- several different countries and lots of castles and mountains! :-)

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It's a new area for all of us to explore and (eek!) foreign languages for all of us....  It'll be an adventure!

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I'll see you again in 3 weeks and until then, I'm planning on posting to my instagram so follow along there and say Hi!

(Caveat- As you may know, I'm really rather technologically illiterate.  So I'm planning on posting- we'll see how well the plan succeeds. ;-D )

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· Top 11 Things to Do in the Portland, Maine Area ·

I finally have photos of my recent trip to Maine to share!  It's been a dream of mine to go to Maine for a while, and for the last year I've been having a hankering to go on a fun "girls trip" cross-country and thankfully my friend Kathryn was up for it, too. ;-)  I usually like to be super prepared and extremely frugal but this was my chance to be a bit more laid-back.  Which considering I had a list of locations to go to everyday and all the details for them... was only partially a success, I guess. ;-)

We stayed just outside Yarmouth, on the edge of a penninsula- complete with a private dock. :-) Yarmouth is right on the coast, 20 minutes north of Portland.  I looked up a few things to do before and we discovered a few of the things on this list while we were there. :-)

We flew into Portland airport, picked up our rental car, and headed off for our first bucket-list item:

1. Go blueberry picking!

I came across a recommendation for Libby & Son U-Pick Farms in Limerick, so we decided to try it out!  The blueberries were just coming into season when we went and I was so pleased the timing worked out so well.  Robert McCloskey's work was a huge influence in our desire to visit Maine, so naturally we wanted to get the Blueberries for Sal experience!  We definitely got it.  If felt just like the book! With the exception of bears. ;-)  Oh, but sadly no tin pails to go "kerplink, kerplank, kerplunk"....

Libby & Son was a fabulous experience and well worth the extra drive it takes to get there (about 1 hr from Portland)- the bushes are on the side of a mountain and the views are gorgeous!  The picking was great- everything was well-groomed and neat, and the golfcart rides up to the bushes are super convenient!  I felt so spoiled- it was almost as pampered as the "strawberry picking party" at Donwell Abbey in Emma. ;-)  The blueberries themselves were amazing and it's almost embarrassing how quickly 2 of us can eat 6 lbs... except that they're so chock full of antioxidants that it's a good thing we ate that many.  Right?

Not to be missed are their incredible blueberry donuts!  Now, neither Kathryn nor I are super fond of blueberry baked goods....  However the donuts came highly recommended so we took a chance and bought a half-dozen.  Oh. My.

They were SO GOOD!  Fresh, warm, light, and yummy!  By far the best donuts I've had!  They may not look like much (I was a bit skeptical that they really worth the raving) but wow! do they ever make up for it in taste!

I loved the excuse to drive inland more, since the majority of our itinerary was along the coast.  Our roads winded throughout the countryside and we had ample opportunities to admire the quaint old houses.  I do love the allure of older architecture....   Also, does everyone in inland Maine own a black vintage car??  We saw plenty!  Since we had plenty of time, we decided to be spontaneous and stop at a river that looked cool.  There was parking nearby and a little path through the trees to the edge of the river.  The water was comfortable and the area was so peaceful.

Our day ended with our drive back to Yarmouth and settling into our accommodations for the week- a refurbished airstream trailer!  We didn't get a chance to get many pictures of it, basically because we were enjoying it too much. ;-)  The exterior was adorable too- wish we had taken a few more pictures with the camera!!  I've wanted to go "glamping" for quite a while- I was so thrilled to be able to cross off yet another bucket-list item. ;-D

2. Picnic lunches on the coast

The next day we went down to Kennebunkport for the day.  It's a lovely town, but the downtown area has been built up into tourist central.  Lots of good shopping and food, but rather crowded and traffic was bad all day!  We packed a picnic lunch but there wasn't a good place to eat it in town so we walked down Ocean Ave. to the sea.  Well, turns out it was over a mile to walk before we got to a nice place to sit, which wouldn't have been an issue at all if I would have prepared in the footwear department... (you'll notice my footwear was ditched shortly after reaching our destination ;-))

The walk was entirely worth it however, our view was amazing and it was so relaxing!  We're both big fans of bread and cheese lunches, so we brought that along for our lunch.  A local mouse was apparently also fond of bread and cheese lunches.  We didn't get any photographic evidences of his (multiple!) attempts at hauling off our bread nor our startled/disturbed realizations of his sudden appearance in our personal vicinity.

But, really.  A view like this makes up for it. ;-)

3. Ocean Avenue near Kennebunkport

We returned to Ocean Avenue later in the day by car and it's a great drive!  Wonderful views of the ocean, lots of places to pull off on the side of the road, and areas to explore on foot!  If you make it to Kennebunkport, make sure to go a little bit off the beaten path to explore this area! (and dream about the real estate....)

4. Have a Lobster dinner!

Of course, what's a trip to Maine without lobster??  Yeah, that's right- nothing.  I looked up the best place to get an authentic lobster dinner and Nunan's Lobster Shack got great reviews everywhere.  They're less than 10 minutes from Kennebunkport (15 if you take the scenic route along Ocean Ave.) and definitely off the beaten path!  It's not somewhere you'll happen upon, but it's a popular favorite judging by their full parking lot!  We were concerned about waiting when we showed up at 6:00, but since we were only a party of 2 we got seated immediately.

I wanted a more authentic experience for our dinner- after all, it's not really a clean meal to eat!  Nunan's delivered on that!  It truly is a lobster shack and has been from day 1.  However, it's super clean!  Win, win. :-)  Huge points for the atmosphere and the food was good, too!  It was my first time eating lobster at all, so I don't really have much to compare it to... but it was good!  And we successfully ate our lobsters without making too big of a mess. ;-)

5. Wiscasset and Boothbay Harbor

The next day, we were off to Boothbay Harbor for the day!  Along the way, we stopped in Wiscasset to do some antiquing and window shopping.  Wiscasset was one of our favorite towns- smaller and less touristy than Kennebunkport and oozing charm. :-)  One of our lodging options for the trip was a B&B in Wiscasset... I think I'd love to do that sometime!  We also admired real estate here and plotted our lives as little old spinster aunts in a cottage here in 30-40 years. ;-)

Sadly, some of our very favorite places to visit are the ones we didn't get photos of.  But that's kind of how it goes- you're too busy soaking up the moment and making mental photographs to take the time to get any pictures to share with others!  So you'll have to take my word for it and go visit yourself. :-)

Boothbay Harbor was... grand.  I loved the area!! (again- no pictures. We were too busy soaking it all in!) The town itself was super busy like Kennebunkport but the location is fabulous!  The area reminded me of One Morning in Maine- all the little islands in the harbor, each covered with conifers and each with a few charming vacation cottages.  The iconic New England steepled churches.  Sigh.  Loved it there!!  The further north we went in Maine the more I loved it, so I'd love to go back and see Bar Harbor and Acadia since I've heard such wonderful things about them! :-)

6. Burnt Island lighthouse tour

Our reason for heading up to Boothbay Harbor was for the Burnt Island Lighthouse Tour.  Highly recommended!  The island is a few miles out from the mainland, so it's only reachable by boat.  Well, or canoe.  But we aren't that good.  The lighthouse tour is run seasonally by Balmy Days Cruises and takes 3 hours.  2 1/2 hrs are spent on the island; reenactors portray the lighthouse keeper and family from the 1950s and the program was very well done.  It includes a tour of the home and the chance to go up in the lighthouse as well as an hour or more of time to explore the 5 acre island!

This was one of our very favorite things we did!  Exploring the island was great fun- we quickly discovered that if our day included "scampering" on rocks, we were happy as clams. ;-)  It was so peaceful and quiet on the island- just my style!

7. Lighthouse tour of the Portland area

Our 3rd day was spent in the Portland area going on a lighthouse-spotting tour!  I found driving directions online here and we were off!  The directions were good and made for an enjoyable trip.  If I was doing it again, I'd recommend starting earlier than we did....  Arriving at Two Lights (picture below) anytime after 11 means minimal parking is available.  The lobster shack there is super popular, so go a bit earlier to avoid traffic jams!

Next up was Portland Head Light- the biggest crowds here, but still enjoyable!  And, well, it is the most well-known and gorgeous, so you have to go, right?!

My personal favorite lighthouse was Bug Light.  That Greek Revival influence is right up my alley!

8. Lobster rolls! (of course!!)

While we were at Portland Head, we made a point to stop at the local food truck, Bite Into Maine, for lobster rolls!  Eating lobster rolls in Maine is a must and I wanted to be sure that we went to the place with the best reviews.  Lots of places rank high, but Bite Into Maine seemed like just what we were looking for.  It's not a cheap lunch, but oh my is it GOOD!!  I'm salivating just thinking about it....  Toasty buttered bread, tons of fresh lobster meat, just a bit of mayo, and a sprinkling of green onions.  Heaven!

We were able to take our rolls down to the coast to eat them on the rocks.  Gentle, cool breeze.  Warm sun.  Stunning lighthouse in the distance.  Sea spray.  Yep, it was wonderful. :-)

9. Eat Ice Cream!

Maine is known for its ice cream, so naturally one must do full justice to such a reputation, right??  We got some at a shop in Kennebunkport (one of many available!) and look how big they are!  Their claim of being "1 scoop" seems a bit far fetched... but that just means that only 1 scoop of calories counts, right? ;-)

We got some more ice cream at Toot's just outside of Yarmouth as well.  No pictures of that since the cones were so huge that we had to eat them quickly before they made a mess!  Oh, the trials of it all....  Another great place for ice cream- and lots of great flavors!

10. Explore downtown Portland

Our final day was spent in downtown Portland.  We wanted to do a bicycle tour of Peaks Island just off of Portland, but the ferry times weren't working well with our schedule.  So we just wandered the town!  It's very "up-and-coming" and has lots of fun shops in great old buildings!  I think this was the one day I wished I had more planned as we didn't have enough to do to fill our time.  I'd recommend spending 2-3 hrs exploring the area, but unless you're a big shopper, you won't need more time.

We did find a great place for lunch, though- the Portland Lobster Co.  The clam chowder was great and the location was wonderful!  We ate at a counter right on the wharf and we had the perfect day for soup- cloudy and cool but no rain!  We also adored their decor and logos- perfect retro vibe!

We finished off the day before catching our flight with donuts at The Holy Donut- yummy!  But also super busy, so be prepared for a line!

11. Take time to enjoy the coast!

Maine is all about nature, so take plenty of time to explore it!  I'm not a big sand person, so all the rocky coasts were my favorite!  I never get tired of scampering around and exploring in areas like this! :-)

Portland Head Light



Kennebunkport



Yarmouth



Oh, and since this is a sewing blog after all.... here are links to detail posts for our outfits!
My BBQ Dress
My 50 States Dress
My Fruit Dress
My Navy Polka-Dot Dress
Kathryn's Nautical Outfit
Kathryn's Gingham Dress

· Photos by Kathryn- mixture of camera and phone shots :-) ·