inspiration
Showing posts with label inspiration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inspiration. Show all posts

A New York Wardrobe

I'm going to New York y'all!

I know to most of you this is no big deal but not only have I never been to New York City, up until age 15ish I had a sincere plan to move there after high school graduation and work on Broadway plays. My life went in a little different direction but I've never stopped dreaming of visiting the city.

So the deal is, one of my darling best friends/former college roommates is living in New York this spring while interning at Christies. Yeah, that Christies... She's kind of an art genius. Anyway, the plan is that me and one of my other best friends/former college roommates will fly up for a long weekend in early April, so I'm of course already planning my wardrobe and lining up my sewing projects. I'm not sure what the weather will be like, but since I'm used to Texas temperatures, even if it's "warm" by New York standards I'm sure I'll still be freezing...

This is my main inspiration picture for the weekend's outfits (with a little more color). I have a great leopard trench similar to the one in the picture and since we'll be doing mostly touristy things and walking a bunch I think I'll go with a pair of dark jeans or black cigarette pants (more on that in a minute), a sweater or pretty top and ballet flats for day wear.



I'm in love with these pants! I'm planning to recreate them using Colette's Clover pattern with the pocket and zipper fly modifications from Sallie Oh.



Here are a few more day wear inspirations...


Source: lookbook.nu via Forrest on Pinterest








Then I'll of course need some fun dress for night...








I'm still pretty scattered on what exactly I want to pack/make/buy, but I need to decide soon considering how slowly I've been sewing lately!

Ok, New Yorkers, I need your advice. What will the weather be like in April? Will I look like an idiot wearing any of the above items of clothing? Where should I eat? Which touristy places are worth it and which are lame?

And most importantly...

What are your favorite fabric stores?

XOXO!
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You know you're obsessed with sewing when...

You stay up WAY past your bedtime watching "The Couture Dress" with Susan Khalje on Craftsy, even though you have no plans to make the dress anytime soon...


from Craftsy.com
 When Miss Dibs first posted about this new Crafty course my interest was peaked, then when I saw Frabjous Couture had a discount ($39.99 down from $79.99!) I made an impulse purchase. I'm so excited to watch the rest of this course! I had already planned on purchasing Gertie's new Sew Retro Jacket course (When is that coming out by the way? The suspense is killing me!), so it looks like Craftsy is getting my money twice this month! Budget be damned! Whatever, $40 is WAY cheaper than the $1,000 + her Couture Sewing School costs! Anybody else jumped on the Susan Khalje train yet?
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Dreaming of sunny days...

All day I've been obsessing about my latest, non sewing DIY project...

Here's the back story: Yesterday I got an email from ShoeDazzle, otherwise known as my "shoe of the month club", advertising their Valentine's Day sale (by the way, if you're a shoe lover you should definitely be a member of this site). I'm a sucker for new shoes so I of course clicked through to look at the options. Turns out they were peddling more than shoes. Among other things, they had this picnic set available for $39.95...





I immediately wanted to purchase it. The boy and I did some picnicking last summer when our local botanical gardens offered a free classic movie series in the park and it was so much fun! The dreary winter has left me longing for picnics and I had already mentally planned menus for several in the spring and summer. I was about to click "buy" but 2 things stopped me.

1. I don't really love the color or look of this backpack, I love the cute dishes and the "idea" of the set but I think I'm more of a picnic basket kind of a girl, rather than a picnic backpack...

2. It's $40 and I could probably make my own for around the same price in a style I like...

So this is my mission before spring! The plan is to find a vintage picnic basket similar to this one:


Source: etsy.com via Forrest on Pinterest


If it's in good shape I'll leave it as is, otherwise I'll spray paint it a pretty color, line it with felt and maybe a pretty floral print fabric, create elastic loops to hold silverware and dishes and then go on the hunt for pretty things to fill it will! I think I'll also make some napkins to match the lining fabric. Then maybe I can find a great blanket to match?

This is actually a miniature picnic basket made for dolls, but you get the idea I'm going for...

Source: etsy.com via Forrest on Pinterest


Anyone else dreaming of picnics?
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Wednesday Wants

I want...

this dress,



this drink,



this closet,




this manicure,

Source: None via Forrest on Pinterest



this outfit,




this baby shirt to give the boyfriend's nephew (so cute!),



rain,



and the boyfriend to come home. Franklin and Bash is not the same without my buddy! 21 days to go...

Also, thanks for all the help with the apron! I think I have it figured out so hopefully I can get them finished soon and move on to pretty clothes!
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Pattern Buying Binge

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!
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8 Weeks to a Better Me: Week 3


So, on to Week 3...



But first, last weeks goals:

1) Take a ballet class. Didn't happen. The studio I have a Groupon for only offers adult ballet once a week and I couldn't make it last week. Hopefully this week, but, if not, my Groupon expires at the end of June so I'll have to hurry!

2) Take at least one yoga class at my studio. Made it! I went to class with my favorite 93 year old yoga teacher! She is the best marketing tool my studio has. Over 50 years of taking yoga and she's still going!

3)Do yoga at home 3 times this week. 4 times actually. Gloating just a little...

Also, my studio is starting to offer hoop dance and this video is seriously making me want to go...




Week 3 is about healthy eating. I consider myself to be a pretty healthy eater, in that I really like to eat fruits and veggies and I cook most nights, but I'm sure in the grand scheme of things I'm rubbish, so here are this weeks goals...

1) Drink only one Dr. Pepper a day and drink a full bottle of water. Instead of an addiction to crack, I have an addiction to Dr. Pepper. And it's probably just as bad for me (and maybe as expensive). I usually have 2 cans a day and although I'm not ready to give it up altogether I do recognize that I need to cool it a bit and drink more water.

2) Eat three to four servings of fruit and veggies per day. I may already be doing this most days but the problem is that I'm not sure and I need to work harder at being mindful or eating healthy things.

3) Finish reading Naturally Thin by Bethenny Frankel. I'm not trying to lose weight right now but I think her approach to being mindful and balancing what you eat is a good one and something I need to put into practice daily...

This was officially my only full day of work this week! Half day tomorrow and then off the rest of the week for a family graduation! Hooray for days off!


Happy Tuesday Shoesday!
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8 Weeks To A Better Me: Week 2

Obviously I am not capable of getting this post up on Sunday or Monday so maybe, for the purposes of this challenge, my week starts on Tuesday...







As far as last week goals go:

1. Find a design I like for my blog. Done! I like this one a lot for now, but you never know, I could hate it in a week!




2. Create a banner. Done! Love it!




3. Practice taking pictures. Sorta. I took a ton of pictures with my Iphone and various photo apps and I feel like I'm taking good pictures on those, but I still need to work on photos with my camera for outfit posts...






Week 2 is about fitness and health and the guest blogger on Sometimes Sweet was Amber from I Love You To The Moon, a blog which I've recently discovered and absolutely adore! (And Amber's a fellow Texan which makes me love her more ;)

My three goals this week are to:

1) Take a ballet class. I took ballet for 8 years as a kid and loved it but I haven't done it since I was 14. I have a Groupon for dance lessons but I haven't used it yet so I'm hoping to start this week.

2) Take at least one yoga class at my studio. I LOVE my studio but I never seem to make it over there, so I'll try to at least once this week.

3)Do yoga at home 3 times this week. Yoga is my workout of choice and I try to do at least 20 minutes everyday but I'm not always consistent. It really calms me down and makes me feel stretched out and great so I really need to work on doing it more often and, as my yoga teacher would say, with "intention"...

Also, I know I haven't sewn in FOREVER, but I did make a necklace last night with beads I picked up at Michael's the other day, so that counts as crafty right?









Happy Shoesday Tuesday!
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Just Another Manic Monday... (or Tuesday)

(I was planning on getting this up yesterday but didn't get around to it... Oops!)


I have an aunt who I'm very close to that, as long as I've known her (aka my whole life), is obsessed with "organizing her life". I would say, compared to most people, she has a very organized life but it's still a major quest, something she's always striving to do better. Lately, I've been in an on-again off-again funk. Don't get me wrong, I'm generally happy in my life and consider myself to be a very blessed girl but occasionally, in the last few months I've been feeling out of sorts so I want to strive to find small things I can do improve my happiness and general quality of life and constantly work towards making my life easier and more pleasant. Whether it be committing to visit a museum once a month or going to yoga twice a week or making myself cupcakes whenever I feel like it...

When I heard about Sometimes Sweet's "8 Weeks to a Better Me" Challenge (via Sew I Thought), I fell in love! Basically she's taking one area of her life every week and picking a blogger who is proficient in that area to guest blog on her site. Then she sets three goals for the week based on the theme. I think this is such a great concept and a way to make little changes to improve things and make me happier! I'm always in a better mood when I'm working towards something, and weekly goals seem really achievable and not huge and scary...


Week one is blogging, so my three goals are to:

1. Find a design I like for my blog. I see other blogs that I love but I can't seem to get mine the way I want it. Sounds like I need to read tons of other blogs this week for inspiration... Darn ;)

2. Create a banner. I have the Adobe Creative Suite but literally know NOTHING about it. I'd like to look for a tutorial on banner making for the blog and get one created.

3. Practice taking pictures. First of all, I have a terrible point and shoot camera, but I would like to learn to make the best of it until I can afford a nicer one.

(Speaking of photography, I recently discovered the Hipstamatic app for my IPhone and I love it! I know I'm late to the game. Every time I heard about this app I thought I would never use it but I bought it in boredom and now I'm OBSESSED!)

Also, I finished up my sewing area/dining room and it looks SO MUCH BETTER! Below are pics of the new room (taken with my Hipstamatic app of course!)


My dining table that I could now dine on! Plus my new fabric shelf!

Fabric shelf completely stuffed! This has actually been a good exercise in awareness of how big my stash is! I literally cannot stuff one more piece in that shelf so I'll have to sew before I can buy more fabric. Also, all my new patterns are in the cardboard boxes on the right.
Closet of doom no longer! The cardboard boxes hold vintage patterns and my scraps and trims are stored in boxes on the second shelf from the bottom.
Hope everyone is having a fabulous week!
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Duchess Kate

It's no secret I'm a huge Kate Middleton fan and since I'm still basking in the post wedding glow (no, I'm not over it yet!), I've been googling pictures of the Duchesses' much talked about sense of style. If I were a good blogger I would find and post patterns to match all of these outfits, but I'm not a good blogger, so I'm just posting gratuitous pictures of gorgeous Duchess Catherine of Cambridge...






I love the classic, simplicity of her style. So lovely! In the spirit of inspiration, I'm going to try to knock off one of her dresses, (maybe the most famous other than the wedding dress) the gorgeous Issa dress she wore for the engagement announcement.

It's also a inspired by this Monique Lhuillier dress, another on of my favorite style inspirations, from her Pre-Fall 2011 collection...

I love the plunging neckline and the wrap waist, so I'm recreating it with Burda 7697, shortened to Kate Middleton length with a vintage, shiny blue polyester jersey (that photographs badly), which, despite being polyester, is really lovely feeling...
Have a happy weekend!
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Blog Award!

So, the lovely Dibs of Dibs and the Machine, nominated me for a Liebster Award, which caused me to literally squeal with delight! When I first started this blog I figured no one would ever read it and, in a way, I kind of hoped they wouldn't because I wasn't sure I had much to say! But after a few months of blogging I've gotten so much more support and kind words from the sewing community than I ever expected! It's so cool that this hobby connects all of us across the world!

The idea of this award is to encourage small blogs with less than 300 followers. But before I get to my nominations, I have to say I love Dibs and the Machine! Her projects are inspiring and always things I would definitely wear! I'm also jealous that she can crochet and that she lives in London, since I consider myself such an Anglophile but have never visited!

I'm also nominating the following 3 blogs that I love to read!


Meg at Meg the Grand:I love that she's keeping up with the Sew Weekly Challenges, Something I definitely aspire to! And, I would totally wear pretty much everything she makes...


Emma at The Cute Octopus: As the title implies, she's very cute, as are the animal plushes in her Etsy shop. Cute cute cute!


Valerie at Threads and Thoughts and Things I Love: She is a doll, her clothes are fun and modern and she makes me laugh! Also, she's making me consider reading Hunger Games, which my mom has been trying to get me to read forever!
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Royal Wedding

Oh yeah, I watched it and I'm not ashamed! I'm most definitely NOT one of those Americans who is annoyed by the Royal Wedding coverage! I caught a wicked case of Royal Wedding FEVER!
At the crack of dawn this morning my mom, sister and I woke up, snacked on two breakfasts of scones and tea,



then cake and champagne,

in our pjs and sighed over Kate Middleton's stunning beauty... I ofcourse adored her dress, (such a great choice!), but...

I really loved Pipa's dress! Sooo pretty!
Ofcourse the best moment of the whole wedding was when Will first saw Kate and his face lit up... Sigh. I always thought I would marry him as a little girl but, I guess in the end, the best woman won!
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