My First Party Here

The party was a success. The guest list was smaller because some people couldn't make it and the smallest children were ill and stayed home, but we still had fun. There were pastel cupcakes on a transported cupcake stand (brought by my guests), eggs with mozzarella/cheddar cheese and spinach, English muffins, and hash browns. Regular orange juice and (my favorite) orange/pineapple juice for cool drinks and mint green tea and more Madagascar Vanilla Red tea for hot.

I spent the morning waaaayyyy behind. I was still arranging furniture, storing things away, and doing laundry just hours before the arrival time. In fact, I left some clothes in the dryer downstairs until after guests left, 3 hours later. I didn't even start cooking until after the first guest arrived. Next time, I will definitely cook in advance and have food warming in the oven. Even though I have many planning books by the likes of Matthew Mead and Katie Brown, I guess I'm just not that girl. Perhaps once I get some help for my major procrastination problem I can deal with things like place settings and themed decorations.

A friend brought her new camera; a Canon G10, and took some pictures of my little trinkets and stuff. Suddenly my place looked like it belonged on Desire to Inspire or some other blog with beautiful interior shots. In fact, her camera made all the colors more vivid. With my apartment full of yellow green, blues, red, and orange these pictures were great! I wouldn't recognize my own place. I feel so much better in my apartment. With the new arrangement I can now walk from end of the apartment to the other without bumping into things and knocking stacks of papers on the floor.

children, cupcakes, & color

There is nothing better than arranging for people to come over to get you motivated to clean your home...in a hurry!

Images: michellebarte.com

Quick & Easy Sewing skirt and Simplicity 4077

My inspiration pics:

In real life:

The mid-calf length is fine but it's not the cute n' kicky feeling I was going for. Now I could keep this one as is and buy more fabric for a fun one, perhaps in a more fun color than GRAY!

Bonus: Here are pictures of the finished Simplicity 4077* blouse I finished a while ago. After wearing these two pieces to work together, I don't think it was the right combination for me. I felt like Laura Ingalls teaching school. I need to go through my clothes and figure out what works with this skirt to give it a more modern feel.

Yes, I know, I have to get better garment photos on this blog, right?

The finished waist.

When I put the elastic in the waist; at first, I only put it in the top casing. Something felt wrong so I decided to add another row of elastic. However, it feels too bulky now. I guess I'm just so used to waistbands on skirts. I'm thinking I might make a sash like the one below so I can wear tops inside the waistband with style.

Isn't this lovely?

Images: Phillip Lim, Devi Kroell, Phillip Lim, my own, Phillip Lim

*Did anyone else find the underarms and cuffs too tight on this blouse, or is it just me?

Gathered Skirts - Quick & Easy Sewing

During the past holiday a few weeks ago, I thought I would get a lot of sewing done. Umm, No. Not until the very last minute, did I actually start a sewing project. I needed something fast and easy to get my mojo going so I ran out to Joanne's to find about a yard of fabric to make a gathered skirt.

My inspiration was these simple puff skirts on Childhood Flames. A seam, some elastic, a casing, a hem and done. I decided against a patterned fabric as it would cut down how many things I could wear it with and I knew I didn't want it to be black ('no more!' cried my closet). I had been eyeing this really nice solid suiting fabric the last few times I was in the store. It came in gray and a nice taupe/tan shade. Thin but with enough body to drape well. The other times, I couldn't think of what to make with it since it was so cold outside. However, I decided thick tights and boots could help me out for this project.

So, I draped it around my hips and decided that I wanted a slightly fuller skirt than first thought, so I bought 1 1/2 yards of the gray (denim heather solid suiting at $4.19 per yard). I also noticed that the selvage was almost imperceptible from the rest of the fabric so I vetoed the need for a hem right there. Clever thinking, right? Well...you see my other time saving idea was to use the width of the fabric to my advantage by cutting the fabric down the fold line and attaching the two pieces together. Therefore, I could make a simple casing, add elastic and be done. Well, I had not thought of the concept versus the actuality of the fabric I ended up buying. The suiting was 60' not 44/45' .The skirt would be much longer than the one I had envisioned, almost mid-calf length. So if I wanted that skirt in my mind, I WOULD have to hem it. Still not a problem but not in my original plan.

Because of laziness, it is staying the long length for the time being and will receive a very deep hem later if I feel it needs to be. I mean the actual skirt was a party skirt anyway out of shantung or something festive, not a durable suit fabric. So the skirt that was supposed to look like this...

Phillip Lim

instead looks like this now...

Devi Kroell

I'm fine with that. You will see the skirt in a future post, you know, pesky pictures must be taken first.

More pics of similar skirts, these with sleek waistbands:


Phillip Lim

This look by Manuel I just LOVE!

Images: Jargol, Style.com, little thoughts, Jake, Lucky

Fashion In Film: Oh, Coraline!!

Have you heard about the Coraline movie? Directed by Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas) it is based on the novel by Neil Gaiman See the trailer here. Also check out the incredible movie website and more movie info on Gaiman's MouseCircus website. This book, Coraline: A Visual Companion and these alphabet posters look great too!

I am definitely going to see this!

They produced an incredible viral marketing scheme that involved bloggers and related to the multitudes of hand made objects that were used in the filming. These two websites have tracked down the 50 artisan-made boxes that were sent to the various bloggers around the country; Notcot and Super Punch. I would have freaked if I had gotten one of these, especially the one with the miniature tools, seen here.

If I could I would also buy up a lot of the merchandise. I love miniature movie figurines from animated movies. Animation (starting with Saturday morning cartoons) is something that my 19-year old nephew and I have always had in common. He collects the larger "15 in models from sci-fi and horror films. So even though the ones he has are usually extremely gruesome, I can still appreciate the love. A few years ago I had him track down a Harley Quinn from Batman: The Animated Series, even though I ended up not getting her in the end.


But check out these 7" Bendy Fashion Dolls (that's what they called them) of Coraline that will be available in March from Forbidden Planet. I waaant one.


*Though this movie is animated, most of the objects shown were created by hand; in duplicate. The marketing kits that went out included some of the objects actually used in the filming along with Henry Selick's autograph. How exquisite is that!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my birthday and I have a little gift for you:

I can't remember how I found this man or his cool invention but I've saved the url address for years. You have to try Paul Sadowski's Birthday Calculator! You input the month, day, and year of your birth and you will receive the strangest compendium of facts associated with that date.

Things I found out:

• One of the top songs in 1969 was In the Year 2525 (Exordium and Terminus) by Zager and Evans. Well, this has been a favorite song of mine* ever since I heard the 1983 new wave/new romantic version by Visage when I was in college.
  
• As an Aquarius, the Amethyst is considered my birthstone. However, I've never been a fan of that lavender color (too close to pink) and instead in my adulthood found that I loved the milky iridescence of the Moonstone. Well, this calculator lists the Moonstone (along with Onyx and Bloodstones) as an alternative birthstone for my sign.

Spooky...

*along with the stylistically similar song; 1957's Kisses Sweeter Than Wine by Jimmie Rodgers, of which the 1991 Ann Magnuson/Bongwater version is my favorite.)