Early recap of KCWC so far

A quick recap of things I've made for M this month:

Then the first two things I made for the Kids Clothes Week Challenge. he wrap dress from Sunday. The pants I made on Monday were cute, but a little too slim for M.

Yesterday I went for a quick-n-easy project: a simple circle skirt. I used Made blog's tutorial but made a covered elastic waist since I didn't have any thick, fancy elastic on hand. I'm really enjoying picking through all the fabric pieces I have already. It's paring the back stock down while giving me a fun challenge to match complimentary patterns up. (If you want to make a circle skirt that fits 2T to 3T, I have a jpg collection in google docs to make the circle cutting easy as pie.)

If I decide to try another pair of pants, I have some super cute, colorfully striped fabric that would be just perfect for these flat front pants.

I think I only post pictures of myself in this plaid dress. It, too, has a circle skirt and is probably why I was determined to make one for M. I love to randomly spin around the house and watch it flare out. Other times I hoist it up like Melissa Gilbert/Laura Ingalls does at the beginning of Little House on the Prairie as she's walking through the fields.

Just for the record, M likes to spin around and see her skirt flare up, too.

Sew Intense

I flickr-posted pictures of my dress in process last night and this morning I found a comment from Emira:

So you're telling me that eventually there will be time and space in my life to sew again?

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! And you don't have to sell your soul to do it! But you do have to brush up on your negotiating skills and hone your selective hearing skills.


Between me and C, our negotiations went something like , "I'd like to take my motorcycle over to Tom's to switch out the bearings. Would that be okay?" "Yes. And I'd like to work on this new dress pattern I just got, but I need uninterrupted time to do it. Would that be okay?" These negotiations work better if you have a gleam in your eye that says, "I really need to do something for myself, please let me do this, please!"

Sometimes stinky diapers help with negotiations, they add a little leverage. The hardest part is if I'm sewing/drawing/having me time and I hear M crying in the other room. The urge to go find out what's going on is very strong, but I have to tell myself I need and deserve me time and I have to let Charlie stay in charge. {And also don't run into the other room every time you hear something that sounds cute and/or exciting.}

The details: Colette Pattern # 1004 {Eclair}; Alexander Henry Fulham Road Bluebells for the outer shell and an old calico sheet for the lining {not seen}; Hancock Fabrics Madras Plaid for the contrasting sash. The dress has gatherings, hidden pockets, a lining, and a hidden zipper, so it threw me right back into the ring of challenging sewing, but it's fun to watch it all come together. I'm not sure why I thought a dress with so much gathering at the hips was a good idea, though. . . hmmm.

{PS I put a few ready made etsy shop banners up in the ol' etsy store yesterday. Check 'em out, they're cheap!}

white out and winter dreams

several hours after I ordered the boots, I received notification they were already sold out. so no boots for me. but I had my heart set on a new pair of winter shoes (a little variation in the day to day never hurts, right?) so I went on over to the Lebo's site. Are Lebo's just a regional retailer or are they all over? That's where I got my last pair, so I figured it couldn't hurt, right? Guess what? Same boots, lower price! $124.90! Ding ding ding! We have a winner!

I loved all the vegetarian comments. . .I was vegan for 10+ years and lapsed when the now-mister and I got serious. Not because he asked me to, but because another person makes life a little more complicated, and I had to give up something to maintain balanced complexities. It wasn't so easy a process to describe then, but in hindsight I think that's what happened. For the past 2 summers I've been wearing my red rubber garden clogs (Sloggers) and have quite literally worn them out. The time is quickly approaching for them to find their second life in another form, and so far the only life I see ahead of them is in the landfill. I hate the thought of that.

Perhaps all this guilt of disposable living is what has given me such an attraction to natural , renewable resources in the home? Well, the branch pillar candle holder isn't renewable (it's resin) but it reflects the desire and trend I'm leaning towards. But the likelihood of me ever having a white/neutral based home is nonexistent with 2 cats, 2 dogs, and a man with an unquenchable adventurous spirit! Combine that with my magnetic ability to cover myself in wet paint and we have quite the non-neutral home!

I can still dream, though, right? Of a seaside cottage in the early winter with snow falling all around, cuddled up with my honey in a white cotton quilt, and a furry little dog on my lap?

All in one easy to swallow caplet

There is no hiding the glory of good design. And a good design deal?? Waaaaay better. In fact, it just might be a daily dose of something you've been missing: Vitamin D.

Let Jaime of Design-Milk give you the antidote to the malnourished world of good design.
Remember those Legna tea light holders I mentioned? They've got 'em!


A design mantra to live by? They give you the option to wear it proud!
And, of course, my favorite: me! They've got me, not only by the heartstrings, but if you were wondering about the Tillandsia poster I showed a couple days ago, you can only get it through proper Vitamin D absorption.

In a fit of purging last month, I put the old coffee table out by the street with a "free" sign on it. It was rescued by a woman in her 20s or so. I saw her get out of a car and sit on it until a more suitably sized vehicle came back to get her and the table.I replaced it with a West Elm bench with black webbing straps for the seat, suitable but not quite rigid enough for beverages to rest safely. (See image above, bottom left square: oak and black bench.)
The search for a "new" coffee table was semi-frustrating and involved hitting all the chain furniture stores, which were plentiful here in the furniture state. Nothing popped out as worth $300 + dollars. I searched Craigslist and eBay until I finally found this antique walnut table:It suits my tastes quite well, but I'm still kicking myself for passing up the danish modern coffee table at the local thrift store that was $50 more than I had at the time; the table was really a bargain at $50.
Today I went to Velocity Art and Design to check out these super cute melamine plates (not to buy, just to ogle)and stumbled upon my knight in shining armor. It is, I'm sure, too rich for my blood, but I love it so much I'm going to write I [heart'] Scrapile on my hand and never wash it. Thank goodness the link to it is acting up!