hello again

Well hello there blog. Long time no talk. As usual, one of my goals for this year is to blog ;) But this time I've set my standards a little bit lower. My goal is to blog at least once a month. I think I can accomplish that.

I'm now a modern-day Mary Poppins (lots more on that in another post) and I spend my days reading books to the kiddos. As I was reading Clifford it struck me how much the series shaped my design sense at a young age. Clifford books were my favorite to read when I was little, probably because I REALLY wanted a dog. Now I love reading them to the kiddos for the simple 1960's aesthetic.

aprons!

I made these two aprons for my friend's sister and I'm pretty happy with the results.

P.S. Sorry for the icky photos, I was too lazy to deal with my camera settings lol.

mint chocolate chip dress

 a.k.a. The Million Mistakes Dress

Only read the below paragraph if you have way too much time on your hands ;)

I cut this dress out a month ago, and promptly forgot about it. Then when I started working on it again  I decided that the bodice would look amazing with a bias tape trim. Yeah, wrong! I chose a bright yellow (should have used the baby blue)  from my stash and was horrified when I saw the final combo of brown and yellow. So I gave up and considered cutting it up (to show the dress who was boss of course). Thankfully I didn't cut it up, and instead came back to it last weekend. I turned the ugly bias to the inside, top-stitched and was relatively happy with the result. After attaching the skirt and putting in the invisible zipper I got the brilliant idea that the skirt need to be shorter. And of course I decided to just guess at how much shorter, instead of putting it on. FAIL! I cut off way too much and once again abandoned the dress. My mom gave me the brilliant idea to use a pretty fabric for the bottom and I chose this Amy Butler (?)  scallop print. And the dress looked great until I decided to hem it with bright pink thread. I still have to rip out the hem and redo it white, but overall I'm pretty happy with the dress, and even more happy that I'm finally done with it. <3

 have a happy weekend!

where do I even start?

Well first off, it is Mother's Day, so obviously this post is going to be about my mom :) A lot of you have been asking how she's doing with the cancer (thanks :)) She is in remission!!!!!!!!! We, meaning our little family of three, knew she would be fine. But it was such a relief to meet with her doctor and hear the words come out of a professional's mouth :)

I was planning on being super mushy so my Mommy would know how much I love her. But as I was looking through pictures I realized that she already knows, because she loves me as much as I love her. Okay, already getting teary-eyed. But really, she is amazing and I can't even imagine what my life would be like without her. For 21 years she has protected me as much as possible, and pushed me to always do better. She is my BFF.

Here are some photos of us from the last few years. Maybe next year I'll scan the photos of us from my childhood :)

Hope you had a lovely day with your mum <3

spray paint magic

Happy Friday! 

I found these plant stands in an alley and have wanted to paint them for a long time now, and I finally got around to it last weekend. I love how a simple coat of paint can transform something from icky to beautiful :)

Before:

 

After:

date night dress?

Ikat is one of my favorite prints, after florals and polka dots of course. My mom bought this fabric for me in the Summer of 2009, and I was going to make a maxi dress out of it. Well it's been 2 years and I finally used it to make this cute dress for a date tonight :) I sort of used this pattern, but really only for the bodice, and I did away with the ginormous ruffles.

So here's the funny thing, I hate how this dress looks on me and will not be wearing it on my date tonight. The neckline is too low, the hem is too high, and the gathers at my tummy are not doing me any favors. I love the dress, the fabrics, my beautiful invisible zipper. But it makes me look fat, and according to my mom my eyes just don't sparkle when I put it on. So this dress will be going to my friend, Rachel. She is petite, lacks any type of tummy, and is sure to sparkle in this dress :)

Enjoy this beautiful day.

from Columbia with love

The second I saw this dress I fell in love with it. My parents brought it back from Columbia for me, and it is just perfect. Well almost perfect. The sleeves made me look like I had the broadest shoulders ever.

So I gently seam-ripped the sleeves, being careful not to tear the beautiful crochet work, and then finished the armholes with seam binding. Now I have a beautiful flowy dress that I'm sure I'll be living in come Summer time :)

 Just look at the beautiful neckline! 

note to self: MUST learn to crochet soon.

a quick little re-fashion

A few weeks ago Goodwill had all dresses on sale for $5.99. I may have gone to at least 4 or 5 Goodwills around LA in one week and bought at least 15 dresses. It is possible ;) Some of the dresses were perfect as-is, but some were in need of a little help. I'm pretty sure the dress below is a child's dress, but it fits, so who cares lol. It had this weird shirt attached that made me look like a five year old.

So I just cut the top out, and voila! a simple summer dress. I'm such a lover of stripes. I know they supposedly add visual weight, but for some reason I feel that I look thinner in horizontal stripes.

So looking forward to Summer <3

wedding dress shopping

I've spent the past two Monday afternoons with my lovely friend Stephanie while she picked out a wedding dress. We had so much fun and she found a beautiful (and my favorite lol) dress that is absolutely perfect for her June wedding. I love Steph because she's not a bridezilla. She didn't freak out if I told her that I hated a dress that she had picked out, or the time I told her the waistband of one of the dresses looked like it was holding a bunch of folded up napkins.

This is what I wore:

sweater: thrifted, top: thrifted, leggings: Target, boots: Target, bag: Urban Outfitters

I really wish we had gotten a picture of the seamstress looking really confused as I ran around in a long veil. lol.

what a lovely day.

happy 2011

Long time no post. So I have a quick little money saving sewing tip for all of you.

Because I sew A LOT it's really expensive to buy tiny spools of thread, and my machine is not equipped to use serger thread. So I did something about it ;)  

I simply put a spool of serger thread in a (cute vintage) coffee cup and threaded my machine as usual.

The placement of the coffee cup and where you start threading may be different depending on how your machine is set up. Don't be afraid to fool around with the placement and your tension until you get it just right :) 

happy sewing.

so womanly ;)

Dear Ovaries,

I know you hate me because I don't plan on using you for children. Sorry my heart aches for the orphans in Ethiopia instead of birthing my "own" babies. But do you really have to cause me so much pain!?!? I'm only 21, shouldn't I have a few years before I start getting cysts? So in conclusion... Leave me the F alone! The pain sucks!

Love,

Your Home For Now

a funny quote

This summer I taught several kids sewing classes to sweet little girls that were full of funny thoughts. I've been meaning to post this one since then, so here it is.

"I don't really like being  Christian, well except for Jesus. He's really awesome!"

-Little V

 and here's another...

"Live, Love, Sew; That The Way We Roll."

-Little P

some thoughts

Tomorrow is one week away from Thanksgiving, which is one month away from Christmas, which is basically the end of 2010! I just looked at my goals for this year, and pretty much I have failed. But I feel mixed because I have accomplished a lot and been through hellish times. So am I really a failure because I didn't accomplish those goals? Or did my goals just change? Let's review my goals...

1. Lose at least 25 lbs.
So I gained 10lbs because I'm an emotional eater and my mom had cancer. Now I have 35lbs to lose and I am 20lbs over the most I thought I would ever weigh.

2. Cook at least 1 meal a week.
Yeah, um that I really did fail at ;)

3. Blog at least once a week.
Ooh another fail, but at the same time not a fail because I just didn't want to.

4. Teach Bella to sit, stay, come, down, roll over, shake, and speak.
She can sit and down when I have a treat, and come when she feels like it. She does this adorable version of roll over where she rolls onto her back and looks at me like, "Is this good enough?", and it always is.

5. Get my real estate license and sell/buy 1 house.
Um what was I thinking lol? So not in my future :)


6. Stay in control of my spending.
For the most part I totally rocked at this. But I may have had a brief Iced Soy Latte addiction that I'm still battling.


7. Buy a car.
My pretty Prius :) Currently I'm getting 43.6 mph. You know you're jealous.

8. Get a tattoo.
I still have time for this one.

9. Find a charity to believe in and give to.
check.

10. Stop cursing like a sailor.
Well on the positive side, I don't curse in front of clients?


Well I think it's a combo, I failed at some and my goal changed.

have an oh sew lovely day ;)

P.S. My Mommy's cancer is all gone!!!!!!! Remission baby!!!!!!!!!!!

Magnolia Bakery finally opens in LA!!!

So the Friday before last I was able to attend the pre-opening party at Magnolia Bakery with the lovely Sasha. Guests were given free reign of the desserts, champagne, and picture taking, and it was lovely. If you're not familiar with Magnolia they basically started the cupcake craze when they appeared in an episode of Sex In The City. But it turns out that they have other amazing creations too, like banana pudding, amazing cheesecakes, the blueberry jamboree (my favorite), cookies, cakes, ice box pies, and so much more. The owner is really sweet, and smart because he totally had me addicted before they even opened up. Oh the joys of working on 3rd St and getting free samples :)

So in love with the ceiling. Sounds odd but the ceiling is just so fun.

This picture doesn't even capture how pretty it is inside.

Pretty sprinkles :)

I'm so in love with her scarf! I asked her if she made it but it turns out it's vintage.

Seriously the BEST banana pudding ever!

Yes, that dog is eating a Red Velvet cake. lol.

Stuffing my face with the Blueberry Jamboree. Yummy.

Magnolia Bakery is located at the corner of West 3rd St. and Orlando in LA.

beautiful video

cancer sucks, but her attitude doesn't

January my amazing mom found the tiniest of lumps in her right breast.

February she was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer.

April a double mastectomy was performed.

May was spent healing, both physically and emotionally.

June chemo started, along with the loss of her hair.

Although it has been a roller coaster ride we have tried to stay as positive as possible, and it has really helped. The moments of pity and anger are normal and totally ok, we just try not to linger in them for too long. The type of breast cancer that my mom had ("had" because there is not a trace of it left in her body) is the rarest, but we were blessed because she found it in its earliest stage.

My Mommy is amazing, my BFF and always there for me. She has guided me through everything and taught me so much :) I'm so proud of the way that she has chosen to approach this sucky situation. She'll be the first to admit that its easier for her to be negative rather than positive, but she is trying so hard now to look on the bright side. I love her forever :)

 

My Daddy is pretty awesome too :) He shaved his head to show his support for my mom.

Our "bald" heads :)

What's for dinner?

Lately I've been on a quesadilla kick, they're quick and satisfy my cravings for "real" food. Currently I'm making my quesadillas with organic tortillas, peppered or crumbled goat cheese (SO yummy, and a little goes a long way), and pico de gallo salsa. These ingredients are way better, in taste and health, than the normal cheddar cheese and beef/chicken.  

I tend to eat the same food for a while until I get sick of it, and then move on to another thing and then again get sick of it. Are you seeing a pattern? I just might have a bit of an addictive personality. lol. Either that, or I get comfortable with a routine.

On a side note I'm LOVING that Blogger has finally added new and customizable page designs. I think I might change this design and layout way to often like I did in high school with my myspace. Seriously, I would change it like every week. lol.

Well here's to a lovely week :)

this will make you lol

I found this on A CUP OF JO, one of my favorite blogs, and I could not stop laughing. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do :)

fashion blogger?

So I would love to be a hardcore fashion blogger that has an American Apparel ad on my blog and wears really uncomfortable shoes. lol. Hopefully that will happen one day. When I was a little girl I dreamed of becoming a super model, but then I didn't grow very tall and realized that I love food way to much. I'm hoping that my love of posing and just being in front of a camera will come back. But I just feel kind of awkward when I'm the only one in a picture. I guess I'll just keep forcing Bella to be in my pictures too. lol.

This picture was taken in Los Feliz, currently my favorite part of LA <3

You know that school that they use as an exterior shot in almost every TV show ever made? Well I found it one day while driving through Los Feliz. I'm sure I could have just googled it, but stumbling upon it was so much more exciting :) Somehow I was able to talk Dani into taking a bunch of pics of me with my pretty new camera. Here are a few of my favorites:




(I had a brilliant idea to jump over Bella, luckily I did not land on her when she made a run for it)



have an oh sew lovely day

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.