Can U C Me Now?

The title is a little play on words...well, sorta...if you are familiar with California Universities you know that all the schools in the UC system use some variation of blue and yellow as their school colors.

This is the dress I wore in our family pictures but you couldn't really see it in our pictures.  I love the length or the high low hem, it's perfect for me...not too short and not too long.

Cardigan: Sway (similar), Dress: Francesca's (similar) (same in silver), Belt: Forever 21 (similar)

Last budget update (May):

Spent: $429.22

Remaining: $327.79

Project of the Moment - PDF Sewing Patterns

I bought my first PDF sewing pattern the other week and now I want more of them.  I remember a while back seeing somewhere online that you could buy and print out your patterns but I thought it was dumb because I figured you needed a special printer or something to print them out (I was wrong). 

I used a professional PDF pattern for the first time in my Sewing for Kids Class and now I'm loving the idea of PDF patterns.  I love them because you can buy it once and continue to print the pattern and make different sizes without having to buy the pattern all over again (at least that is with most PDF patterns)!

I actually have a stash of patterns that I've bought but have been reluctant to use because I don't want to have to buy a new one if I ever need a different size.  I'm aware that they make special tracing paper to preserve your patterns but that stuff is more expensive than just buying the pattern again (because I always buy mine on sale).  So now I've become very attracted to the idea of PDF patterns and I want more!

I just bought this cute little dress pattern (I found it at Pink Chalk Fabrics) so I can make my friend a gift for her new little baby (and so I can keep just in case, wink wink).  It's simple, yes, but it was so darling that I couldn't resist plus I'm supporting the handmade movement ;)  ¡Viva Los Crafters!

Source: leilaandben.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Here are some pictures of the dress I just finished, I love it and I'm sure my friend will too.

I used my Etsy label so I could write the size.

New Hue

Have you been seeing as much coral as I have lately?  I have developed a coral crush at the moment, however I doubt it will affect my love for cobalt.  Remember my cobalt colored pencil skirt?  Well this is the same except in a different color.  I just loved this color so much that I had to get it too!  It sure helps add some life to my wardrobe.

I had a little fun using the 1960s photo effect.

Here's the real color of the skirt.

Top: Target (similar), Skirt: Target

Last budget update (May):

Spent: $381.37

Remaining: $375.64

I'm pretty sure setting an $800 budget was a little unrealistic for myself.  What can I say?  Most of my pre-pregnancy clothes don't fit as flattering now that my body has changed.  

However, like I said before, setting a limit for myself has really made me think and re-think each item I do buy.  Now I try to avoid buying things at full price, I will watch an item and wait until it goes on sale.  

Also, setting a limit has prevented me from making any impulse buys.  Unfortunately, I think I already exceeded my budget I really wish Anthro had more sales and I'm not even half way through the year. :( 

Eureka!

Yup, I found it!  Remember how I wanted a red belt and couldn't find one?  Well I did end up finding one at Forever 21, they are the perfect place to find inexpensive belts.

I also got this skirt on sale at Anthropologie.  In the pictures it looks white but in person it's looks dingy.  I was a little disappointed when it arrived in the mail but I loved the material (plus it was on super sale!) and the frayed hem so much that I kept it despite the color.

Yup, that's Nik in the bottom right corner.

Nik playing with rocks and dirt.

Top: Target, Skirt: Anthropologie (similar); Shoes: TJ Maxx (similar); Belt: Forever21 (similar)

Last budget update (May):

Spent: $356.37

Remaining: $400.64

Happy Anniversary to Me!!!

It's been 9 years since our first kiss which marked the beginning of the end of life as we knew it.  As you remember I told you what led up to that moment.   My husband claims that the first kiss was a result of a miscommunication...he thought I was going to kiss him, but I wasn't, I was going in for a hug when I dropped him off and he was getting out of my car.  I guess it doesn't really matter how it happened because it was inevitable since we both liked each other.

I really can't believe it's been 9 years, it feels like a lifetime ago when we were young and crazy.  We'd make trips between the SF Bay Area and Los Angeles to visit each other.  The drive always took too long and the weekend visits were never long enough.  I prayed for the day when I'd never have to leave him again and we could stay together forever. 

I'm so happy we found each other and I thank God everyday for our awesome little baby, Nik.

For my husband's anniversary present I did something a little different...I got my hair and make-up done and I had professional pictures taken.  I really loved the whimsical style of Alloria Winter Photography and I'm so glad that I took the pictures because my husband loves them!  Rhiannon is an amazing photographer as you can see.  If you ever get to work with her tell her I said, "Hello!"

Finish What You Start (Tip on sewing with velour)

I still have a few projects left to do for my e-course and I think should be done before July (which is when I will no longer have access to the material).  Of course since those projects are for learning and not for pleasure I had to sew something for pleasure me on the side.

I started finishing a skirt that I wanted to sew back in January.  I thought velour fabric would be an excellent choice for a winter skirt.  Boy was I wrong!  

No one told me that velour was sooo difficult to cut and sew!  Geeeze...I had the most difficult time trying to make everything even and pin my seams.  Finally my husband when to search for tips on how to sew velour online (now why didn't I think of that?).  One of the tips he found said to use tissue between the two layers of fabric.  It worked like a charm and I was finally able to pin my side seams.

I used tape to keep the tissue paper from shifting while I was pinning.

I did the cutting and the pinning at night when I was tired and frustrated and I didn't bother to look at the fabric until I finished the side seams and put a hem in the skirt.  When I finally took the skirt out from my machine and turned the fabric to the right side I noticed that the direction of the velour wasn't the same.  Meaning one side looks darker than the other....so I did all that work for nothing because I didn't have enough fabric or patience left to fix my mistake.  Now that skirt is going into the fabric to be re-purposed pile.  Uggh, what a waste of time! 

I think my next one will be to finish a blouse I started 9 years ago. Yup, I never finished it and I ran across it (and a few other uncompleted sewing projects) last summer when I was dusting off all my sewing things. It's been great to have sewing back in my life!

Do you have any old projects you need to finish?  Ever made a silly mistake like I did?

Project of the Moment - Baby Shirt

I was sooo scared of this project!  I have never made a collared button up shirt before and the thought of making a small one terrified me.  I'm not being funny right now, I think it was the fear of failing and messing up that kept me from ever wanting to try this project on my own.  However since I registered for Sewing for Kids and it was part our of lessons I figured it was time to conquer my fear.

I bought the fabric I wanted to use for the shirt and since it's the "good stuff" I thought I should try making the shirt out of muslin first before I use the nice fabric.

It's a good thing I used muslin first because I ended up messing up the collar band.  I think it would have been an easy fix with normal cotton but since I had used muslin it was thin and frail, it started to unravel when I tried to rip the seams to fix the collar band.

See how it's straight and not curved?

Please excuse my threads!

I'm going to move on and go to the next class project (since I need to make some presents for two little girls) and go back to the shirt again and try working with some cheap (thicker than muslin) cotton to see if it's easier than muslin.

Over the last few months I've learned that I really need to break down my sewing time into small chunks of time here and there so I CAN finish projects.  It's been really difficult for me to not be able to finish my project in the same day like I used to back in high school.

I'm one of those people that NEEDS to finish what they start otherwise it will drive me crazy thinking about it!  Also, I'm an impatient perfectionist...sound like an oxymoron, huh?  I think it is but that's me....I want it done right BUT I want it done right away....those two things don't always go hand in hand.  So it's like a constant epic battle to not take shortcuts and to do it right the first time.

Everything's Coming Up Roses

I think these look more like posies than roses but I couldn't think of a catchy title with posies besides ring-around-the-rosie a pocket full of posies...so here are my new spring shoes!

It's hard to say no to reasonably priced cute looking shoes that are comfy.  I take BART to work so I speed walk to and from the office, which makes comfy shoes ideal!  I really wanted to wear them everyday this week but I refrained from doing that, I don't want to wear them out so fast.

Happy Cinco De Mayo!!!!!

Cardigan: Nordstrom (similar), Top: Old Navy (similar), Pants: Calvin Klein, Shoes: b.o.c. via TJ Maxx (similar)

Last budget update (April):

Spent: $399.36

Remaining: $400.64

Currently Coveting...

...comfort shoes!

What?!?  Yup, I said it!  I want comfort shoes (mostly because I walk a lot more and I don't like blisters).  I remember a time when I thought that most comfort shoes were ugly and maybe that was true at the time, but not anymore!  About four years ago I started noticing a shift in the design of comfort shoes, they became less blah and more on trend.  Now it's easy to find comfy shoes in styles that look like those of high end designers.

Here are a few of the shoes I've been coveting:

 

Naturalizer Women's Posh T-Strap Pump

Sofft Shoes, Bessame Wedge Sandals

Naturalizer 'Sherrie' Sandal

Born Shoes, Raquelle Flats

Born Rebecka Wedge Sandals

Naturalizer Women's Alarm Open-Toe Pump

Sofft Morocco Espadrille Sandals

Easy Spirit Shoes, Raince Sandals

Born Shoes, Riviera Platform Sandals

Aerosoles Shoes, Well Wisher Wedged Sandals

Easy Spirit Shoes, Krisette Ballet Flats

 Hard to believe these are comfort shoes, right? What are you currently coveting?

Project of the Moment - Baby Pants

Yeah I finished the pants!  Making pants was one of the lessons in the e-course I took and I finally got around to sewing them.  I was a little nervous about making the pants because it looked like a daunting task, however they were very easy to make!

I've made pants for myself before using one of those two hour patterns but that was 10 years ago and I didn't remember anything I had learned during the process.  I'm glad that I finally stopped procrastinating and I made these pants, they've really boosted my confidence in my sewing abilities.  I'm ready to tackle almost anything now!

Front View

Can you see the mock fly?

Back View

Elastic Back Waist

I don't know what I was thinking when I cut out the pants in a size 3T, my son just turned one in April.  These are pretty big on him, oh well, I guess he'll just have to grow into them.  I think I'll make another pair in a size 2T but make them shorts for summer.  I've had this fabric since last summer and I wanted to make him shorts back then but I never got around to making them (I suppose better late than never!).