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thoughts

Showing posts with label thoughts. Show all posts

I made it back late Wednesday night from my excellent, amazing, memorable and exhausting trip to NYC! I can't wait to show you all the gorgeous fabric I bought and some of the finished items I made for the trip! However, I was dumb and came back to town just in time for 2 days worth of work craziness and a weekend trip, so those things will have to wait...

Yeah, I met Swatch at Mood. No big deal...

In the meantime, two lovely ladies gave a blog award while I was gone!

Big thanks to the fabulous Vicki of Ruffle & Whiskers who's Mad Men inspired dress is a stunna and to Crissy of Adventures in Adventuring who is a fellow citizen of the Alamo City and who makes fab vintage inspired clothes. We need to meet up soon girl!

So here are 7 random things about me as per award requirements...

1. I have a green bathtub and it is one of the great loves of my life.

2. I have a real thing for suits and other "business attire". Dressing up for work was something that really excited me when I graduated from college. I sometimes dream of having a non-9-5 job, like being a full time blogger or owning a catering company or vintage store, but then I realize that I couldn't wear suits...

3. I adore living in San Antonio and I am definitely one of those obnoxious Texans who is crazy proud of her state. I have traveled to some fun places but I've never been somewhere I'd rather live. It's warm, the people are fabulous and the food is great. Come visit me!

4. As an adult I swore I would never get a pet. I didn't miss the fur covered clothes of my youth. But then I found this tiny yellow girl abandoned on the street and crying and decided I had to take her in since we're both blondes. She is a total crazy sassy nightmare but I love her to pieces.

5. I am a tequila girl. It is by far my favorite liquor and I usually have 3 or 4 varieties in my house. I love it straight on the rocks but I'm also a huge sucker for margaritas. If I don't have at least one a week I get grumpy.

6. I have this dream of buying a vintage travel trailer, fixing it up and going camping all over the place with the boyfriend. Still on the lookout for the perfect one...

7. Tuna melts are my favorite sandwich and pretty much the only thing I order at Subway. This is the one I attempted to eat at Carnegie Deli last week. Shockingly, I didn't make it all the way through...

PS did you know that Gertie's book is already available for pre-order on Amazon? Yes, I have been checking every few weeks to see if it was and yes I pre-ordered it today. Also, you're welcome for letting you know...

Almost Friday Darlings!

So before we get to the giveaway winners, can we talk about this crazy thing that happened last night?

I just happened to see this last night as I was doing my final Facebook check of the day! So crazy! I'm definitely not used to having my little blog mentioned by other people! So turns out it was a little controversial (here's a link to the Sewing Club page if you want to check out the comments and here's the original post). Apparently people were upset that I said "women" should sew rather than "everyone" should sew. There was also some fodder about some women not wanting to learn to sew. So just to clarify for the Facebook commenter's who probably did not read the actual post, I do think that men should know how to sew as well, and I'm not insisting that everyone MUST know how to sew. If you hate it you don't have to! Anyway, whatever, I got 700 pages views on that post alone yesterday so I'm not complaining!

Now on to the winners!

The winner for a pattern from Victory Patterns is...

Sarah C of Musings of a Seamstress!

And the winner of the Pattern Runway pattern is...

Christina from This, That, The Other Thing!

Congratulations ladies! I've sent you both an email to confirm which patterns you'd like so be on the lookout for that! Also, thanks to everyone who entered! I wish I could share the warm weather and the strawberry margaritas I've been enjoying lately with all of you!

1. Every woman should own a sewing machine and know how to sew a seam, in my opinion. Case in point... I bought this dress (and it's sister in navy & white) at Walmart on the clearance rack months ago (lets be honest, probably over a year ago) for something like $5. Unfortunately it was about 2 sizes to big but I really liked the print and I firmly believe that a girl can never have too many knit wrap dresses. (Particularly a girl like me who literally gets out of bed 30 minutes before she has to be at work and needs clothes that are EASY) Anyway, all I did to this dress (and it's sister) was to take it in about 2 inches all the way down the side seams. I didn't even adjust the sleeves because they weren't baggy enough to bother me and I'm pretty lazy. Literally took maybe 5 minutes per dress and I've gotten so many compliments when I've worn them these last few weeks! Everyone should be able to do this, particularly if they're on a budget. I know I'm preaching to the choir, but I'll make this my life mission. Sewing machines for all!

(Now lets not talk about the fact that I've had these dresses for ~~months~~ a year and just got around to doing the 5 minute alteration...)

2. I spent all Sunday adjusting my Clover muslin, transferring the adjustments to the pattern, then because I'm cheap and hate wasting fabric, picking apart the original muslin, ironing it and recutting based on the pattern adjustmensts. Luckily after all that the fit was decent enough for my non-perfectionist self, so I spent last night making Sallie Oh's trouser modifications to the pattern, then I cut everything out. Now I'm a little too scared to sew it together. What if after all this time and effort they don't fit? What if they look terrible on me? AHHH! I'm going to try to bite the bullet tonight and put them together. Hopefully they'll fit perfectly, look fabulous and make all my dreams come true. Stay tuned...

3. I have been wanting to make a black circle skirt for 100 years but I can't seem to make myself do it. Circle skirts are pretty simple right? Like I could do this in a night? (minus hemming since it has to hang for a while...) I might need something easy after these crazy pants...

Source: thesimplyluxuriouslife.com via Forrest on Pinterest

4. Enter my blog birthday giveaway! You have until next Monday! Go go go!

So I have actually been sewing but I've been getting home after dark all week so I haven't been able to take pictures. Coming soon...

In the meantime, do we think I could make this dress with some modifications on the Lonsdale?

Source: modcloth.com via Forrest on Pinterest

or, an example of why you should always check your email...

I, like many of you I'm sure, have been desperately waiting for Gertie's second Sew Retro course on Craftsy since it was announced in their email a month ago. As soon as I saw the email this morning I immediately purchased it...

Then, about 5 minutes later on a whim, I decided to also purchase the Jean-ius class with Kenneth D. King, which shows you how to draft a pattern for jeans based on ones you already own. I don't have a pair of jeans I love right now, but I thought this would be useful to have in the future and I wanted to take advantage of the sale...

$39.99 each didn't seem too bad until I went back to read the confirmation email from Craftsy and saw this!

Pretty sure this means I could have gotten the Jean-ius class for $25 instead of $40... Ugh. I'm looking on the bright side and considering the $15 as a donation to Craftsy for having awesome classes. The other downside to this is that now I can't focus on work because I can't wait to get home and watch these classes! Why won't someone just pay me to sew clothes for myself so I don't have to have a real job?

Happy Thursday Lovelies!

I've gone back and forth with the idea of doing a 2011 wrap up post, mostly because I'm lazy, so I decided instead of going back through everything I've made this year I would give you my top 5 favorite makes (in no particular order)...

1. Cocktail Dress

2. My Fair Lady Dress

3. Plaid Trench Coat Dress

4. Minoru

5. Asian Print Dress

Since I started sewing in 2009, I would say this has been my most productive year and a lot of it has to do with starting this blog in February. Not only has the amount of garments I've made grown significantly, but the quality of them has as well. Also, I find myself wearing them on an almost daily basis. It was interesting the first time I woke up and put on a dress I made, not because I wanted to wear something that I made, but because I just wanted to wear a cute dress. The moment handmade clothes move from "something I made" to "something I just like to wear" in your brain is pretty cool...

This blog has been such an awesome outlet for me in the last year. As I mentioned above, it's certainly upped my productivity, but it's also such a great place for support. All of my readers are so kind and encouraging in my sewing forays and it's really special to me to be part of a community of people who love the same thing and who support each other in our collective hobby. A few months ago I was gabbing to my sister about some fellow sewing bloggers and projects they'd posted and she said "I'm so glad you've found this group of people to do this with." I'm so glad I've found you too!

I know 2012 is going to be amazing for all of us. I've decided to commit more time and effort to this blog and really make sewing a bigger priority in the next year. I hope to re-vamp the blog, start some weekly series, work on my photography, work on busting my stash and hopefully get to know more of you! Here's to a great next year!

XOXO

FNA

The lovely Reana from Curves, Patterns, and Pins gave me the Versatile Blogger award! Such a doll! I really love her blog, it's on my must read list, so I was super excited to know she reads mine! If you haven't read her blog, go check it out!

So for this award, you're supposed to reveal 7 things about yourself. I tried to think of things I haven't mentioned before on the blog that show you how absolutely fascinating I am! ;) Here it goes...

1. I love magazines. Love. Them. I've been reading and subscribing to them regularly since Junior High. I subscribe to anywhere from 5-15 magazines at any one time. They've kind of taken over my house and I have to go through and recycle pretty regularly. I love a brand new, crease free periodical and an empty afternoon. There's nothing better!

Source: seaofshoes.typepad.com via The Girls of Lincoln Park on Pinterest

2. I don't have a spleen. Had to have it removed in high school after it exploded. (yeah, they can do that...)

3. I have a Bachelor's degree in Radio-Television-Film. I don't really use it now, unless the Jeopardy category is film of the 1930's or the history of British film. Then watch out, I'll smoke you...

4. I have listened to every single Ricky Gervais show audio book 20 times. You haven't listened to them? Go download them right now. Seriously. Go.

Source: platformnation.com via Aimee on Pinterest

5. I studied ancient Latin all through high school and college and competed at the national Junior Classical League competition in ancient geography and architecture. Remember, semper ubi sub ubi!

6. Parks and Recreation is my favorite show on television. My favorite character is Ron. No, Tom. No, April. No, Anne. Whatever, just watch it!

Source: google.com via Katie on Pinterest

7. I always have my fingernails and toenails painted. Always. I literally always have polish on. I can't emphasize enough how much nail polish I go through. I even keep a bottle in my purse and my desk so I can constantly touch up. It's probably because I wear a lot of flip flops since it's so hot here, so the toes always have to look good and obviously the nails can't get left out...

Source: weheartit.com via Forrest on Pinterest

So now that you know the innerworkings of my brain, time to share the love. Here are some lovely bloggers who I've discovered recently:

Justine @ Sew Country Chick

Emily Kate @ Emily Kate

Sam @ Young People in Love

Check these ladies out!

When I saw this post today from Tonya Leigh I was super excited for something to get me through August, which is not my favorite month. My birthday month is over, is super hot in Texas and I'm longing for fall weather which won't be around for another few months. It would be a better month if I got to do this this weekend:

Source: thesartorialist.blogspot.com via Forrest on Pinterest

but alas, I'm not sure when my next river weekend will be...

The idea of this challenge is to do at least one of these things everyday for a month in order to remind yourself to enjoy life and be seduced by the beauty around you. Or at least that's what the point is for me. Since it's the 2nd, I'll have to double up at least one day, but with such lovely things to do I don't really mind! Join me won't you?

1. Buy fresh flowers for your home
2. Take 15 minutes to eat a delicious, artisan dark truffle
3. Go skinny dipping (or at least go swimming)
4. Visit the farmer’s market and inquire about the life of one farmer. Get into his/her world.
5. Tell someone exactly what you desire without shame
6. Walk barefoot in the grass
7. Make love in an unusual place
8. Spend a day doing nothing except relax
9. Throw a dinner party
10. Dress up to go to the grocery store (I’m talking make-the-butcher-turn-his-head dressing up)
11. Send a surprise I-think-you’re-fabulous handwritten note to someone
12. Go technology free for one full day
13. Get a massage
14. Flirt with a stranger (for beginners: brief eye contact with a little smile, then look away)
15. Get a makeover at a makeup counter
16. Go for a stroll after dinner (I said stroll, not power walk)
17. Bring up an intoxicating topic with friends
18. Have Champagne for no reason at all except to celebrate life
19. Set a timer and say a gratitude on the hour
20. Choose a feeling you desire to experience and think/do/be whatever it takes to create it
21. Wear your most bold, bright lipstick; reapply as needed
22. Serve your dinner in courses and spend at least twenty minutes with each. End with a bite of something delicious.
23. Remove 5 things from your environment that don’t make you feel beautiful
24. Do something completely out of character
25. Write a love note to yourself
26. Invite someone you desire to know to lunch
27. Put a trip on your calendar that you desire to take within the next 6 months
28. Buy yourself a lovely fragrance
29. Spend a day writing out your desires in a beautiful journal
30. Learn 5 new words in a foreign language and actually use them
31. Kiss someone (even if it’s your dog)
32. Try an exotic food you’ve never tasted
33. Pretend that everyone loves you and wants you to be a huge success
34. Light candles
35. Ask more questions and talk less
36. Read a poem to someone you love
37. Teach a kid something they’ll never forget (e.g. card trick, secret handshake or a funny word)
38. Take one small step that frightens you
39. Wear a flower in your hair
40. Pretend for one day that you don’t know your age
41. Watch a foreign film
42. Throw a slumber party
43. Turn a common dish into a delicacy (e.g. truffled popcorn, carmelized onion burgers, grilled brie and pear sandwiches)
44. Buy yourself a silk pillowcase. It feels good and is better for the skin
45. Brag on yourself at least 5 times
46. Pay extra special attention to your posture
47. Wear an apron when you cook
48. Listen to romantic, sexy music all day
49. Speak love to every animal you see, including insects
50. Send your worst enemy flowers anonymously
51. Catch moments of negativity and charge them with laughter
52. Donate $10 to your favorite charity. Every little thing matters
53. Smile a lot. Best beauty tip on the market

Source: galadarling.com via Forrest on Pinterest

Today is my 24th birthday. I do not feel older until I realize that next year I will be 25, which for some reason seems old. Not old in the scheme of my life, but old like "now I have to be an adult". Which is funny because I am an adult. I live by myself, pay all my own bills, have a good, adult job, etc, but somehow 25 seems like time to start thinking about adult things like marriage, babies, buying a house, not eating cupcakes for breakfast and spending 20 minutes a day re-painting my nails.... I guess I have a year to worry about it!

Anyway, just some birthday musings for ya on this Monday morning ;)

For the past few years I have made a list goals to completed in the year between my birthdays. 23 by 23 went pretty well, but 24 by 24 was rubbish, so I'm hoping I'll get all 25 by 25 finished in the next year. Here's the list so far (it's subject to change in the first month or so). Maybe by putting it on my blog I'll be more accountable? Probably not, but it's worth a shot...

25 X 25

1. Read 25 books
2. Watch 25 movies from AFI's Top 100
3. Sew 25 articles of clothing for myself
4. Sew 5 things for other people (or animals)
5. Make a Lady Grey coat
6. Learn how to knit or crochet
7. Create a plan for saving and paying down debt and stick to it!
8. Save a $1,000 for a rainy day
9. Figure out my career goals for the next few years
10. Join a Sunday school class/small group/etc.
11. Empty out my "filing" box
12. Decorate my kitchen
13. Take a trip
14. Go see a Spurs game
15. Go through and recycle magazines
16. Donate 25 pieces of clothing/shoes/etc.
17. Find my perfect foundation
18. Find my perfect shade of red lipstick
19. Find a new hairstyle
20. Learn to curl my hair with my GHD straightener
21. Bake someone a birthday cake
22. Find a healthy muffin/bread recipe that I love
23. Learn to make really good broccoli and cheese soup
24. Buy a nice camera
25. Buy myself a nice piece of jewelry

I'm off today so I'm finishing up several sewing projects that I'll post later today and this week!

Also, saw Harry Potter with the parents for my birthday on Friday. It's come out around my birthday every year for the past few years so this has been sort of a birthday tradition. I sobbed through the whole second half. Don't know what I'll do for my birthday next year!