Monthly Archives: January 2010

I have finished the first two pieces for my SWAP. You can check out the full write ups at Pattern Review. I know I said I would post a pic of me in the complete outfit but after putting it on I decided that my ghostly pale winter self was not ready to show my legs just yet. Instead you get hanger pictures. Both these projects knocked a total of 5 yards off my goal.

My first piece is the Simplicity Project Runway 3504. I did the top with inset and puff sleeves. I added ribbon trim around the neckline and inset. Check out the full review here.

My second piece is is a pair of shorts using McCall’s 5333. I stitched nude lining to the back of each piece so you won’t be able to see through the white. Check out the full review here.

I don’t know if you did or didn’t watch the Golden Globes last night but I did. I am choosing to not be negative or mean about the gowns I didn’t like and only talk about my favorites.

Penelope Cruz looked stunning in her Armani Prive. Black is such a fantastic color on her. She never looks morbid or goth when she wears it. She always looks elegant.

Nicole Kidman in Nina Ricci. This champagne satin gown has a lingerie inspire air about it. It looks fantastic on her. It looks very vintage inspired.

Marion Cotillard in Dior. Vavavoom! The lines on the dress are so flattering. And then the little black lace sticking out from the slit…sexy, but not slutty!

Jennifer Garner in Versace. Elegant! What more is there to say?

Anna Paquin in Stella McCartney. Stella is one of my favorite designers and this dress is dazzling. The deep v neckline is perfect. The fabric is gorgeous. Anna looks radiant.

Robert Downey Jr. wins for my best dressed male. The suit looked fantastic on him, although I have to admit, I have no idea which designer it is.

I was scanning the InStyle website today and came across this article about Mrs. Obama’s colorful fashion and why it works so well for her. She has worn every color in the rainbow and they all look fantastic on her. I can only dream of being able to wear orange and yellow like she does. She has been one of my style icons since she first stepped out with President Obama. She has brought such a fresh younger style to the White House, which I appreciate. Quite a few of the pieces I want to make for myself are some version of something she has worn.

I am borrowing this post idea from Erica B, so check hers out too. She posted her 10 favorite things of 2009. I thought it was such a fun idea I would share my 10 favorites as well. These are in no particular order.

1. My Coke Rewards is awesome. I have been doing this for a few years now and I love it. I have gotten so much great stuff from them this past year including a really nice toaster oven, 5 magazine subscriptions and 2 photobooks off of Snapfish. I have several people who used to give me their caps and such until I started talking about all the great stuff I got. Now they are doing it too.

2. While I may have a biased here because I sell Mary Kay. The Timewise Miracle Set is still one of my favorite products. I think my skin may actually fall off my face if I stop using it and I am not willing to test that theory.

3. I spent a large portion of 2009 stuck in the world of Sookie Stackhouse. It started with season 1 of HBO’s True Blood and then moved on to the book series by Charlaine Harris. If you haven’t read them I highly recommend it. They are not my usual sort of reads but they are very enjoyable.

4. My most guilty pleasure this past year has been the Rachel Zoe Project on Bravo. I love the drama. I love the fashion. I love Brad. I love Taylor. I love Rachel.

5. My friends introduced me to this website and I have been addicted ever since. The Pioneer Woman is smart and funny. She has great recipes, stories and pictures about her life on the farm. Everyone should check out her site at least once. She even has a cookbook out now.

6. Peggle! Oh this has been a major addiction for me and many others this year. Eric and I play it on our X360, but you can get it just about anywhere. It is from Popcap games. It’s sorta like Bust a Move and Plinko all mixed together. I can and have sat and played this game for hours.

7. Our Netflix subscription has been a source of never ending entertainment. I have over 400 movies in my queue currently. It has taken me awhile to get on board the Netflix train since I used to work for Blockbuster. But now that I am I think I may stay for a bit.

8. Emergen-C is a life saver! It is a vitamin pack that you add a little water to. While it is not the worlds best drink, it sorta tastes like Kool-Aid without the sugar, it has helped me minimize getting sick this past year. I drink to packs a day. You can get it in a variety of different flavors and you can go to the website to get free samples. Woot!

9. I love football! More over I love the Colts! Now I am not one of those girls who doesn’t know squat about it. I do! So when I say I love football I mean I looovvvve football. Jeff Saturday is my favorite Colt. He’s their center, the one who snaps the ball to Mr. Peyton Manning. It’s unfortunate that we decided to give away our last two games but we will not hand the playoffs over to the Chargers like we have in previous years. I strongly dislike Philip Rivers, the Chargers QB.

10. My favorite scent this year is Mary Kay’s Bella Belara. It is a fresh fruity floral blend. I wear it just about everyday. You can order it at my website! 😉

Now that I have shared mine, what were your favorites of 2009?

I hope everyone had a fantastic New Years holiday. I know I did. Eric and I spent our holiday in Chicago with some friends. One of those friends being the recipient of this “Snuggie” that I made. It is meant as a joke from back in our college days. He would tend to wake up in the morning and instead of getting dressed wrap a blanket around himself. We put a ban on “blanket as clothes,” and then they came out with the Snuggie.

I spent my New Years Eve day in Indianapolis at the Indiana State Museum. I had such a great time. There were a handful of people there, so it was very quiet. I was able to tour the exhibits without anyone around so I could take my time and really soak it all up. I recommend going to museums on holidays. The main exhibit I toured was a walk through the history of Indiana. It started with the big bang and ended in present day. Of course, there were costumes, which I have pictures of. All of the items throughout this exhibit were things from Indiana businesses and residents. It was really interesting to tour about the history of the my state and learn about it’s past residents.

Now on to the real reason for this post. Since it is a new year I have decided to set up some sewing goals for myself. I have not previously done this, but I feel it will help me to improve my sewing skills and maybe have a little more discipline in my sewing. So, here they are.

1. Sew more for Eric. I sew him costumes, which he enjoys, but he would like me to make him a dress shirt and some tailored pants for his new job.

2. Get my Etsy shop up and running. Eric and I have been talking for a very very very long time (at least 4 years) about starting a renaissance costume shop. We eventually want it have a booth at the Ohio Festival, but we are going to start with Etsy and go from there. Goal is to have it open in February.

3. Improve my skills of sewing with stretch knits. I have previously made 2 knit tops, one I wear often and one that made me stop sewing knits. I have a large stash of knit fabrics from a couple of years ago when I decided I needed more knit tops and then did nothing with them.

4. Make myself at least one pair of jeans. I have wanted to do this for awhile but keep finding the idea as a bit intimidating. I am not sure why since I had made myself a pair in high school.

5. Finish the never ending quilt. The hand quilting is so tedious. I find myself easily getting bored by it and wanting something new to work on.

6. Take more pictures of my projects throughout the construction process. I tend to take a picture when I start and then forget about it while I am working on it.

7. Actually make my Chanel sew along jacket. I bought everything for this, made my muslin and never worked on it after that. I really want to get this jacket done so I can show it off.

8. Do a costume study on clothing from the wild west era (1880’s). We will be attending the Ohio Wild West Festival this year and I want to be prepared for it.

9. Participate in a sew along or month of. I signed on for the Chanel sew along and had everything ready but became distracted. I would would like another go at this. It is a great way to connect with other sewers from around the country and world.

10. Cut my fabric stash by about 50%. I know this is a large goal to meet, but I am accumulating more than I am using. I have lots of fabric that I bought with specific projects in mind and have not done them yet. This is going to be the year to get those items out of my fabric closet and into my wardrobe!

11. Knit myself a sweater. I have been knitting up a storm since I learned how in March of ’09. Sometime in the middle of this new year I want to learn to knit and sew myself a button up cardigan type of sweater.

I do have a list of a few of the items I would like to make this year as well. It includes my Chanel jacket, jeans, a new winter coat, pirate costumes, wild west costumes, a trench coat, knit tops, dress skirts and a Christmas party dress for next holiday season.