Archive for June 2011

8 Weeks to a Better Me: Week 7

5:15 PM 3 Comments A+ a-


2 more weeks! I feel like I'm really get stuff accomplished through this challenge!

Last weeks goals:

1. Clean out and organize cabinet in bathroom. Working on it right now, stopped to post!

2.Weed through my books. Done!

3. Buy flowers for my house. Bought a rose plant so that I'll have flowers for more than just the week!

Week 7 is Personal Style. The guest blogger on Sometimes Sweet was Elsie from A Beautiful Mess, a blog I ADORE! Since I'm a sewing blogger, the "personal style" goals are going to relate more to sewing than anything else.

1. Go through my fabric and weed out any pieces that don't fit what I consider to be my "personal style". Just because it was cheap and cute doesn't mean it will work for me and my wardrobe!

2. Plan my sewing projects for the rest of the summer and fall based on what holes I have in my wardrobe.

3. Weed out bags and accessories that don't match the rest of my wardrobe. I go through my clothes and shoes fairly often but I never go through bags and accessories. I'm sure there's a ton of random stuff in there!

On to the dress for the wedding...

I finished it in time and I have to say I love this pattern! (Opera Dress from Chic & Simple Sewing) It went together quickly and easily and it looks great on the inside too because I finished everything with french seams! (So glad I finally mastered that technique!) Love that it doesn't have a zipper, even though I have to do some interesting yoga poses to get in it. Didn't intend for it to be so boob-a-licous but I don't think it's too hoochy... Of course I didn't manage to get any pictures at the wedding, so I had to recreate back home...


Also, because I pretty much only knew the groom and groomsmen at the wedding, I had a lot of time to bum around Houston by myself while they were doing wedding things this weekend. I never shopped for fabric at Goodwill before but I ended up scoring some great fabric. The two pieces on the left are top sheets, the piece in the middle is cotton lawn and the grey piece on the right is a sweater knit. I've never sewn with this kind of knit before, or even really seen it for sale in stores so I'm a little nervous but it has cardigan written all over it...


Happy Tuesday Shoesday!

Happy Birthday Baby!

8:30 AM 2 Comments A+ a-




Happy Birthday to the boy:






who makes me laugh so hard I cry




who brings out the adventurer in me




who kisses me on the stairs




and who puts up with my grumpy cat...



Love you buddy, happy 24th :)

Pattern Buying Binge

9:34 AM 3 Comments A+ a-

I got some not so great news on Wednesday. It's fine, my life will go on, but it was kind of a bummer to hear mid-morning. So what does a girl who lives in material world do when she's having a bad day? Go shopping of course... I received a postcard earlier in the week informing me that a local JoAnns was closing (thankfully not the one by my house) and vultures were requested to come pick it clean. Who could resist?

I assumed that I would binge on fabric and come home with a million more yards that it will take me years to sew, but in fact, the fabric was only on sale for 33% off, which as any faithful JoAnns shopper knows, is not the best discount you can get. Instead I focused on patterns and nearly fainted when I saw that Vogue patterns were $1 each! However, I quickly discovered that other vultures had been there before me and made off with all the Vogues. The bright side was, Burda patterns were $1.99 and there were plenty to go around!

Altogether I bought 12 or 13 patterns, but I'm super excited about a few. I had this obsession with making a tuxedo for the past few months, based on the fabulousness of these ladies...






Then Burda read my mind with this post... So luckily, I found these two patterns in the Burda sale that I think will make my dream come true!




Also, a few menswear patterns. The boyfriend acted like it would be cool if I made him clothes but I can't tell if he was just being nice...




Finally, I'm moving forward with the Opera Dress from Chic and Simple Sewing for the wedding this weekend but I switched up the fabric. I felt like this one was a little more summery, and since I'm not sure how casual or formal the wedding will be, this felt more like it could go either way. The problem is, the two nights this week I was hoping to devote to sewing were eaten up with other things so the fabric is cut but I'll only have this afternoon to put it together. I know it's super easy but time limits always make me nervous!


TGIF!

8 Week's to a Better Me: Week 6 (plus a lot of other stuff...)

10:09 AM 5 Comments A+ a-

Week 5 down! Here's how I did...

1) Send an "I'm thinking of you" text everyday. Most days...

2) Go on a fun, crazy date! Last night was Bingo night! The boy actually remembered the crazy date goal and had to remind me! PS Bingo is the new weekly obsession...


3) Take a cute picture! Accomplished at a Missions baseball game last Friday!

Week 6 is Home Sweet Home! The idea is to make your home more functional and make you happy when you walk in the door. What a lovely idea! I'm not going to have much time this week as I'll be out of town this weekend for a wedding, but I'll try to get some serious stuff done!

1. Clean out and organize cabinet in bathroom. I have a black hole of a cabinet that is full of medicine, travel size shampoos, curling irons etc. It's an awkward shape and has never been organized since I moved in so I'm planning to get that taken care of!

2.Weed through my books. My mom's a librarian and I have inherited the trait of collection books but they're now overflowing from my 3 bookcases. I need to weed out so I can buy more!

3. Buy flowers for my house. Peonies are my favorite and they're in season. Plus they make me happy when I come home!


Now, on to the Sew Weekly Challenge! My first challenge and my first true vintage pattern! I used McCalls 7827 (which I got at an estate sale and did not pay as much as that link!) and a satin backed crepe from JoAnns. I LOVE this pattern. I am having some problems with straps, they're a little far apart for my frame but that's what I get for not making a muslin...
Love the low back!


Close up of the bow detail on the back. Wasn't sure I was going to keep these on beyond the photo shoot but they so nicely cover the waistline and top of the zipper, which I don't usually think look that great on my garments, so they're probably going to stay. Wish I had been at Ascot myself!

Finally, I need your help! I'm hoping to get a dress finished for a wedding this weekend. I don't know much about the wedding, other than the fact that it's not super casual. I was thinking about making this dress from Chic and Simple Sewing with this red satin fabric. I'm thinking this pattern will go together pretty easily, especially because it doesn't have closures and my time to work on the dress is limited. Does this look appropriate? Can't decide if red is too much for a wedding...

People are Reading My Mind!

10:19 AM 3 Comments A+ a-

First of all, finally finished the Sorbetto top. I gave up on making my own bias binding and bought some in a slightly contrasting shade of gray to finish the neck, arms and hem. Not sure if I love it but I'm not changing it now!





The top on the leopard print version of me, with the cat hiding behind...




Secondly, I am constantly amazed at how connected our brains are in the sewing blog community. It's like we have communal ESP! Just this week, my fellow Texan, Sarah at The Sew Weekly, made a dress crazy similar to the She's Out of My League dress I made earlier in the year for the black and white challenge. (PS pictures of my completed dress for the challenge will hopefully be up tomorrow)



Hers is made from a different pattern (also from Simplicity's Project Runway line) but with the exact same fabric from JoAnns! Guess I'm not the only one who thought that fabric screamed for a full skirt!



Secondly, I have a huge fashion box of thrift store finds begging to be re-fashioned so I thought I might use this week to do a "New Dress a Day" style challenge to re-do a new piece everyday for 7 days. Then yesterday I found out that not only is The Sew Weekly challenge this week a re-fashion challenge, but Meg from Meg the Grand announced that she's doing a 7 day re-fashion challenge as well! It turns out, I wouldn't be able to do my challenge this week anyway, so I'm excited to read her blog and see what she creates! Great minds do think alike ;)



Hope everyone's having a fabulous Monday!

A first...

11:00 AM 4 Comments A+ a-

Drum roll please... For the first time ever, I'm working on a Sew Weekly challenge! It will be a miracle if it gets finished but I'm trying. Also, I took this picture of the fabric thinking it would be a cool "sneak peak", but in reality, the dress is not much more completed than this. It's still just a pile of fabric waiting until tomorrow afternoon to be worked on...


In other musings, I LOVE this version of Simplicity 2250 that was featured on BurdaStyle yesterday. I've made the dress and I've been dying to make the jacket but couldn't figure out which fabric I wanted to use. The denim is genius! Coming soon...



Finally, in the midst of all my other sewing (ps the bias binding on my Sorbetto tank is a NIGHTMARE) I'm thinking about making a dress for a wedding I'm going to next weekend. I think I'm going to make Butterick 5599 in navy blue. Anyone made this dress yet?


Happy Thursday!





8 Weeks to a Better Me: Week 5

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Week 5! Loved "loving myself" week! It really ended up mostly taking place in one night, but it was a glorious night of eating, bathing and "soaking in" (pun intended) a beautiful museum!

1) Take 2 bubble baths. Just made one but when you add Norah Jones and Vanity Fair, it's perfect!

2) Go to a museum. Visited the McNay Museum, which is an incredible museum in the home of a great San Antonio modern art lover, Marion Koogler McNay. It houses several Picasso's, Rivera's, O'Keefe's, Monet's, Renoir's, etc. And the house is GORGEOUS! Visit if you're in SA!

McNay Sculpture Garden

3) Cook myself a real meal. I made roasted chicken with potatoes and onions, green beans and bread and strawberry balsamic crumbles with vanilla ice cream!

Week 5 is about Loving Life and Having Fun! I'm definitely liking these weeks more than the work out and eat healthy weeks... I think I want to use this week to focus on my relationship and enjoy having the boy in the same town as me!

1) Send an "I'm thinking of you" text everyday. I used to send him a cheesy knock knock joke almost everyday but I've let it drop off, so whether it's a joke or just an "I miss you", he's getting one everyday!

2) Go on a fun, crazy date! Pretty self explanatory...

3) Take a cute picture! We used to take pictures all the time but I'm not sure why we stopped... I want an updated pic!



Happy Tuesday Shoesday!

I want this...

10:24 AM 8 Comments A+ a-

I want...

this haircut







and this necklace







and this bathing suit





and this dress





and these earrings



and this bag



and this John Kaldor fabric


and the June issue of Burda...


Any idea where I can get Burda without subscribing?

Happy Monday!

(first 6 images from Pintrest, you can follow me here)

The Universe is Consipiring Against Me...

7:19 PM 7 Comments A+ a-

I'll admit, the reason I'm HORRIBLY broke right now has a lot to do with several unnecessary, impulse, splurge-like purchases in the last few weeks (True Blood Season 3, I'm looking at you...). However, when I realized I didn't have the right elastic for my fabulously 80's green polka dot dress, I thought, rather than running to the fabric store and being tempted to buy tons of things I don't need when I pretty much can only afford to eat rice and air sandwiches until next Tuesday (aka payday), I'll just start some other sewing projects that I can make entirely with stuff from my stash and in the process, clear out some room for new purchases.

So I start working on the Sorbetto top from Colette Patterns since I NEVER sew separates and I figured all I needed was fabric and thread, which I have plenty of!



Due to my current obsession with Pintrest/Polyvore, I found this fabulous top and decided to modify the Sorbetto pattern with a ruffle and use the remenants of a gray bedsheet I had in my stash to imitate it...









After carefully cutting, gathering and attaching the new ruffle to near perfection, I ran completely out of gray thread!!! Looks like this whole "sewing from my stash" plan is going to be more difficult than I thought and this potentially cute top will be added to the stack of things that will get finished after payday...


Maybe We're Crazy...

12:52 PM 2 Comments A+ a-

Yesterday afternoon the boyfriend closed on his new house 20 minutes from my apartment!



the boy and his new house


For that to mean anything you need a little background. I've known JM literally as long as either of us can remember. We grew up in a small town in South Texas in the same church and same schools our whole lives. He was my first boyfriend and I was his first girlfriend in the 8th grade when we couldn't have been more dorky if we tried (I thought overalls and plaid button downs were the coolest ever, very "farmer chic"). I was mean and a slave to peer pressure and broke up with him after a month, obviously crushing him and ruining him for other women ;) We stayed friends all through high school and when we came home from college after our freshman year, despite our best efforts to avoid a relationship, we ended up dating again. This summer we will celebrate our 5 year anniversary and in that 5 years we have never really lived in the same place! With the exception of a few summers back home living with our parents we have always been long distance, usually only a few hours apart but for a while there, a whole continent apart, so this will obviously be a HUGE but exciting adjustment for us! I'm so looking forward to seeing him everyday, cooking dinner together, creating new traditions and enjoying this fabulous city we live in!

hanging our feet off the Acropolis in Athens



So glad to have you here buddy, I can't wait for our next adventure together ;)


XOXO


Hogtie

8 Weeks to a Better Me: Week 4

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Half way through the challenge and I think I've had an "Aha" moment. I'm realizing that setting these mini goals every week works better if they're one time goals I can cross off my list, rather than attempts to build habits. Even if I keep up with say, doing yoga 3 times in the fitness week, by the next week I'm concerned about the new set of goals and I ignore the habit I tried to start the week before. I think it's more impactful to do one action that supports the weeks theme.

With that in mind, last weeks results (all pretty bad):

1) Drink only one Dr. Pepper a day and drink a full bottle of water. Mission NOT accomplished. In part because I was traveling and exhausted last week so I needed more caffeine and in part because I just didn't think about it... Guess I'm not ready to break the habit...

2) Eat three to four servings of fruit and veggies per day. I'm pretty sure I did this most days but I didn't pay attention to it like I planned to. I think this week was too distracting to complete any of these goals adequately...

3) Finish reading Naturally Thin by Bethenny Frankel. Mostly finished...


Week 4:

This weeks goal is "Loving Yourself" and Sometimes Sweet focused on body image issues. I have to say (hopefully without sounding too obnoxious) that I was lucky to grow up without too many body issues. It's not that I have a perfect figure, in fact I was probably overweight in junior high and high school but somehow it's never bothered me too much for some reason. Probably because my mom always told me that my teens and twenties were probably the best I was ever going to look so I should enjoy them. So for this week's theme of "Loving Yourself" I'm going to work on taking time for myself to do indulgent things that I don't normally allow myself...

1) Take 2 bubble baths. I love them but I usually feel like I should be doing something more productive...

2) Go to a museum. I LOVE the art museums in town and I used to go to the free community nights a few times a month but I haven't been in forever!

3) Cook myself a real meal. I also LOVE to cook but since I started living by myself in an apartment with a tiny kitchen and no dishwasher I usually don't do any large scale cooking. I need to take the time to make a good, full dinner (with dessert) and really enjoy the cooking process.

Celebrating Tuesday Shoesday with my blue suede shoes!

Speedbump...

7:53 PM 3 Comments A+ a-

I was working on the green polka dot dress last night and I got thisclose to finishing it when I realized I didn't have the right elastic and I'm trying to avoid JoAnn's until
a)I have a good list of all the fastenings I need for my next several projects so I don't have to run back and forth to the store and
b)I get paid because I am broke as joke right now.

So as it stands now the dress is without elastic, so it can't be hemmed properly and I can't decide if I need to move the buttons because I won't be able to tell what the finished bodice will look like. So here's its sad state...



Until I allow myself to go to the fabric store, I will be working on clothes either without fastenings or with buttons I already have. First up, inspired by Threads and Thoughts and Things I Love, I'm going to make a Sorbetto tank top from Colette patterns out of a gray sheet I have and maybe some pink broadcloth. Then we'll see where the wind takes me...

Graduation!

1:43 PM 1 Comments A+ a-

Got a mid-week break this week to travel to Houston to see my cousin Hunter graduate! Which, for those of you not from Texas, means traveling through the best Barbeque country in the world! Even though we were running late, I convinced my mom to stop at me and the boyfriend's favorite, City Market in Luling...

When the guys in the smoke room saw me taking pictures they let me come back to the pits and see inside!
Best lunch ever...
Wednesday night was graduation night and my darling cousin from Nashville flew in to see his brother! From left to right: future Nashville star cousin, gorgeous little sister, fab mom and aunt.
Graduates!

I was able to make progess on the green polka dot dress last night and got the bodice mostly finished. Now to attempt buttonholes for the first time ever. Wish me luck!

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