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!
Read More

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?
Read More

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?
Read More

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!
Read More

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!
Read More

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!
Read More
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)