I need a present..

Okay, who wants to buy me one of these??



I'll take this one..


..or this one.



If neither of those are available, this one will do.

Kthanxbye.

Credit:
Adolie Day via La Marelle

So close, and then so wrong..

To the people who said I really should see The English Patient(you know who you are)...YOU SUCK!!!!! Seriously. Okay, not seriously, lol, but man, this one hit all the wrong notes! Of all my prejudices in the world, infidelity is one of my topmost, can't step around, sick to my stomach ones. Main premise of this love story?? Yupp. *sigh* And it had so much potential, too.

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Thankful...I never have to watch that movie again. :p

Some color..

On a walk, I saw a splash of color..

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Today...it's actually Thanksgiving Day. In the States, anyway. But that doesn't stop us from having a super yummy meal with all the trimmings. I even managed to make a pumpkin pie, without the canned stuff I have relied on every other time. Go me. :p

I have a family who loves me, and I have my connection to God who loves me. I have everything to be thankful for, and I am.

Gardenia love..

My dd gave me the heart a long time ago...it's one of my favorite little bits..

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Thankful today for a day at home.

Kaat Tilley..

A random designer I stumbled across...






Credit:
Kaat Tilley

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Thankful today for music.

Shameless, shameless self-promotion..

Look...over there...on the right...I did it. I opened my Etsy shop. I finally sucked it up, bit the bullet, did the deed, took a deep breath, dove in. Who knows how it will work, and I'm scared to death to put my own work out there with a dollar value on it; but, you know, everybody has to start SOMEWHERE, right?? So, here I go. I started. Feel free to take a peek, and tell me what I might be doing wrong. What might be a better idea. I'm all ears. :D

For my inauguration, I just listed two things.



First is a little pin. Simple. Cute. I adore it. :p The cow is modeling it, up top. I didn't make the cow. As if.



Second is a little peasant dress, using a vintage sheet from here...I LOVE it!! I want one myself. :p

Wish me luck, guys.

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Today I am thankful for laundry weather. Self explanatory. :p

Not so color blind...

Alis of A Mad Tea Party with Alis took this color test, and scored a perfect. Naturally, I had to give it a try. A perfect score, baby. :p My ego is very boosted right now. lol

Come on, give it a go. I wanna know everyone's results. :D

As a total aside...congratulations to the New Zealand team for winning the World Cup. There are some pretty happy Kiwis around this house. :p


Credit:
Image swiped from Alis, cause I was too lazy to do the computer hop to the one with Photoshop, to get my own version. :p

Got it...

So I tweaked the pattern I made up for the American Girl doll I showed here, and now it fits perfectly. Really happy with it. :p You can't see it, but the white print is little pink flowers, with little red cherries. Very cute. :D And the jeans are the same pattern as before, too. I made this one for another little girl, not the same as the first.

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Today I am thankful for information. Information is a powerful thing.

Matchy-matchy..

I am not really about matchy-matchy...and definitely not with a doll. But I am not a 7yo girl. :p

Ottobre #..11, I think? From 2/2005. Redrawn into a longer tunic style, with a flared hem. And made the elastic on the front into a cased elastic that continues all around.


And because it's a present for a little girl who loves her American Girl, I made a matching outfit. I took the free drop waist, set in sleeve dress pattern from here, to use as a base, and then completely redrew it into this..raglan sleeve, peasant dress. :p I am not COMPLETELY happy with how this turned out; there are a few tweaks that needed to be ironed out, which I did, on another little outfit, to be posted when I get pics. But 1. it was overall fine, and 2. it was all the fabric I had left of the pink stuff, to make it matching, which was the point in the first place. So it stays.

Oh, yeah, I made the jeans, too...took the bloomers from dd's Josefina doll, lay them down and traced, and then redrew them as narrower and longer legs, for jeans. They fit PERFECTLY. I am so proud. :p I've made two pairs now, one for this outfit, and one for the next one coming. By the second time, I remembered to topstitch the legs BEFORE sewing up the inseams. Just works so much better that way. lol Oh, and, since I used an old pair of cheapy, thin jeans, I was able to use the hem as hems for these, so it has that nice, washed denim hem look. I really like these. If you can't tell. :D

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Today, I am thankful for a line full of clean, sterilized, extremely cute vintage sheets, just WAITING to be busted into. :p

Pyromania..

It is REALLY fun to burn things. My ds was really jealous. :p



I had seen a flower similar to this ages ago, and had my ideas on how it was done, and seeing this tut linked on One Pretty Thing confirmed what I was thinking..though I think I was a little more singe-happy than she was. :p I LOVE how they turn out! :D I've now attached it to a pin backing, and it is currently residing on my tiny, fake dressmakers dummy.

Though, after doing just the one, breathing the melting plastic fumes, I started feeling really sorry for the Etsy sellers who do that for a living. Eeks.

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Today I am grateful for a working sewing machine. Okay, so it never really got broken...but it sure seemed like it at 2am. Moral, don't try to sew at 2am. You can really miss some OBVIOUS things! :p

How to make a Perfect Patch Pocket...

Or perfect patch pocket with curved corners, anyway. :p Welcome to what has got to be my most unattractive post ever...MAN were the photography Gods not with me on this one. Would you believe these were all the same brown pocket??





Cut out a pocket template, minus the seam allowance, but including the top section that will be folded over, out of cardboard, using the pattern as a guide. Cut out the pocket (INCLUDING seam allowance :p ) in fabric using the pattern piece.




Finish off the top edge however you want. I just did a quick zigzag, just to contain the loose threads. Run a line of stitching all around the edge, not including the top edge, INSIDE the seam allowance.



Lay your cardboard template over the pocket, and pull the running stitch tight. The seam allowance will pull up and around your template, in the exact shape of the future pocket. Press firmly with the iron, to set in shape.


Remove the template, fold over the top edge, and press again.



Topstitch, however you want.




Attach the pocket by lining it up according to the pattern markings, pinning or basting in place, and then stitching around the edge. I like to make a small bartack at the corners, as well, for strength and durability.




Done!!

You can also make a perfect square pocket, too, using a template. Cut out the size you want, and then press the seam allowances over the template, to form the pocket shape, and then follow the rest of the instructions from there. :)

Any questions, let me know!! :D

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Today I am thankful for Skype. :p I just spent over two hours, first webcamming with my sister in Hawaii, and her new baby; and then jumped over to California, to my mom, who was visiting my Grandma, Aunt, Uncle, and their new puppy. How on earth did we get by without it before?? :D

Lost track somewhere..

I can't remember the pattern number, from Ottobre, but doesn't really matter, cause either I messed up bigtime somewhere, which I can't figure out where, or the pattern is wrong somehow. Haven't quite figured out which, yet.

Meant for a 2yo, but I have none around me to see if they are still wearable, since they might be too far off to actually fit that size. :( So, they go into limbo. Oh, well.



And yeah, the pockets are a little off....I lined them all up, pinned in place, careful careful, and there they are, visibly wonky. Sigh.

On the plus side, isn't that the cutest fabric?? Was a little remnant, sitting around, and I thought it'd make the cutest pants. And I was right. Too bad they are useless now! :vent:

Heeelp meeee!!!!

Does ANYONE know who did this shirt from the (really terrible) movie Bulletproof Monk???


You can click the pics for a better view, but they still stink...and they were the ONLY reasonably decent ones I could find ANYWHERE on the net!! The back of the shirt is just as cool, though...the ties loop around the back, and crisscross, looking SO cool. I WANT THIS SHIRT! :wah:

All I can figure out is that the costume designer for that film was Delphine White. But that is helping me absolutely in no way. :( Does anyone recognize it?? For their sakes, preferably because they know the designer, not because they had to sit through two hours of terrible movie?? :p

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Okay, I am really bombing on the Thirty part of Thankful for 30, but..you know. I'm flaky. :p

Today I am thankful for a quiet Sunday.

Credits:
1, 2. Allmoviephoto.com

Weekend Wars..

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Today, I am thankful for good friends.

Are we human..

I'm not usually one for techno, or dance music, but that isn't seeming to be a problem with this song. :p
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Today I am grateful for the sun. :)


ETA There seems to be a Maroon 5 song after the first one..how odd. :p

Peach-Mango Crisp..

The peaches have arrived, and the mangos are still going..and they go so goooood together!! :p A recipe of sorts, to go with it..


Peach-Mango Crisp or Apple...that one was damn good, too. :D

6 or so cups of cut up fruit...whatever is in season

a couple tablespoons of flour

a half tablespoon or so of cinnamon

half that of nutmeg

sweetener of choice, adjusted to the tartness of the fruit. Obviously, if you have sour fruit, you are going to need more. Just saying. Cause otherwise you might find yourself loading the sugar into the cream before whipping, to balance it back out. Ask me how I know. :p


Toss together well. Load into your baking pan...slightly heaped is best. Dot with little pats of butter.


Topping

1 1/2-2 cup flour

cinnamon and nutmeg to taste

1/2 c butter or so

sugar, or whatever


Rub it all together, to resemble fine breadcrumbs. Put on top of the fruit, spread it around evenly, and slightly press down. Bake for 1/2 hour or so, til the top goes a nice golden.

Serve with a scoop of whipped cream, or ice cream, or whatever your choice. Yogurt is pretty yummy, too. :D

Edit 1: I made this with canned peaches the other day, and just as yummy.

Edit 2: I've submitted this to Fun and Food Cafe's Vegetarian Thanksgiving recipe carnival!! Jump on over and have a peek at all the other options...Yum! :p

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I've joined in over at Confessions of a Craft Addict, for Thankful for 30...30 days of gratitude. I am expecting to do as well as...well, Blogtoberfest. :p IE, I left big holes in the schedule all over the place. We'll see how I go. lol

First Gratitude: My babies are all well and healthy today.

And the winner is...

Loaded all the numbers into the handy dandy number generator, and came up with a winner!!! :D

So shoot me your addy, Patty, and I'll drop your new little book in the mail! I can't wait to see what you come up with! :D