Quick Fix ~ Call me

 

Someone gave me this shirt last year and I never used it because it was a big awkward shape and the sleeves were so wide - it really just looked ridiculous.  Growing up in England as I did though I really liked the design (there are floaty numbers on the back too) so I wanted to see if I could fix it up.  really all I did was cut a much wider neck and bring the sides in to make it a better shape with normal sleeves. 

Honestly it's not what I'm working on for today, but again yesterday I decided to chill with my girl on a rainbow blanket in my peaceful yard instead of finish my project.  One has to know their priorities.  Maybe maybe I will get home in time to finish up, but if not it's not the end of the world. 

Fun discovery this morning though.  My favorite coffee place BattleCat Coffee Bar just got an outdoor facelift which was unnecessary but awesome considering most people spend their time out here from the time the weather gets a few degrees above freezing.

priorities.  

quick myfm - stars - hold on when you get love
Oooo but getting in my car they announced the number one country song of all time...He Stopped Loving Her Today, by George Jones. I am Tyler's complete lack of surprise. Just don't see why it should come to that is all.

opposite of boisterous

Happy random Tuesday.



So, she's really into tattoos lately.  She come up to me a couple times a week and asks if I can paint a tattoo on her, but this time, I was busy and said, "Sure, but after I finish what I'm doing.  Why don't you make one for me while you're waiting."  So, I ended up with an amazing flower garden with huge awesome roots,  I finished what I was doing and it's her turn.  "What do you want today love?" ... "A flower garden just like yours." ...  So I get on it.  I think they turned out pretty sweet : O)  Yes, there is a big stupid box over where she wrote her name, but  she's friendly enough without strangers knowing her name.  I love my girl.  She makes a pretty spectacular sidekick. 

 

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favorite pin this week

Why Being a Nerd is Awesome

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Then there's this ~

 freewillastrology~

Ha!  I laughed for awhile.  Done and done.  

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At a game night with a bunch of buddies recently, we are playing Taboo and it's Owen's turn.  He begins, "........the opposite of boisterous", to which my incredible 4 year old kiddo barges in before any of the adults and shouts - SHY!  I was not alone in my shock and awe, but it just makes it that much easier to ignore people that look and smirk when I explain words like sarcasm and tremendously to my sweet inquisitive girl.

Then it's not so humorous when she then turns around and uses it correctly in an amazing sentence like, "I love you tremendously."  Well, maybe to me.  I think I filled up the store with laughter with that one. 
I'm so thankful she shares my passion for words and songs and books filled with them.

For example, this is what I wake up to just about every day~

You may not be able to tell, but that is a badass pop book of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, except with the original text not some watered down version. 

Here's to making the conscious choice to always have real conversations with our kids.  They can handle the information if we just give it to them. 

For example, the other day I was laying on the floor at work (not the wear all black one, the works with kids one) and my sweet hearted girl comes up and says

I need to snuggle mamma.
~Perfect, I say, because I could use some good snuggles right now.
Why? (My four year old just asked me why...here are the options, be honest - or - talk to my very observant child like she hasn't eyes in her head or a huge feeling heart and blow it off.  Well self, when you put it that way who wouldn't just talk to their kids?)
~Well, because I have to do something difficult and it makes me sad.
Oh mom.  I'll help you.  When you have something hard to do I'll always always help you.
~Baby, you always always do. 

Sure, in letting my kiddo know that I'm sad about something she is exposed to something less than pleasant but that's life and in my opinion it's better that she have safe realistic exposure to the whole scope of emotions than to be sheltered or coddled and left unable to process them.  Love and honesty and strength and words and music may be some of the few things I can share with her but there isn't a whole lot more that's essential to life from my point of view. 

I love my girl, tremendously. 

 " Happiness don't drag it's feet, and time moves faster than you think."   Somehow both appropriate and irrelevant but a beautiful song for somebody somewhere  : ) 

This one just made me laugh.  Thankfully I find equal discomfort in both being depressed and slouching so I never tend to do either for long once I realize that it's happening ~

"This is my 'depressed stance.' When you're depressed, it makes a lot of difference how you stand.  The worst thing you can do is straighten up and hold your head high because then you'll start to feel better.  If you're going to get any joy out of being depressed, you've got to stand like this." ~ Charles Schulz


Here we go.  Half the time I'm vibrating (albeit invisibly to some) with excitement for one thing or another ~

"Happiness is excitement that has found a settling down place.  But there is always a little corner that keeps flapping around." ~ E.L. Konigsburg

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That ended up being somewhat of a ramble but whatevs.  To put it simply, my little kiddo is fucking awesome and I'm so thrilled to know her. 




myfm. Hayley Williams is amazing. 

not sewing but ...

So, it's Sunday and I don't have my upcycle ready for this week.  I've just been insanely busy. Literally, two days off this month.  But, here is what I did yesterday instead of sewing or sleeping (either of which would have been a suitable alternative) ~

 

I'm going to have to be more specific when putting out the notice that I need something.  I've been needing drawers (as in a dresser but like I said I guess I wasn't specific enough), and this is what I found outside of work earlier this week.  You may just see a boring slightly dented partially rusted ugly file cabinet, but I saw HOLY COW THAT'S A TALL STACK OF DRAWERS!!!  I saw the dents and rusty bits too but only for a second.  Then it was replaced by a vision of a lovely blue color (found one with sparkles!) potentially covered in some pretty mod podged something. 

Being ashamedly as unexperienced as I am with spray paint I only got one can so this is all I have gotten to so far.  Also, I was experimenting with the best way to make it look lovely so this is just a rough vision of what it will look like a few solid coats later.  When it stops being so humid and rainy I will get on finishing it, but this is what I've been up to instead of sewing recently. 

myfm for this evening ~ I dunno.  I heard so many good songs at work today.  How about this one. The Staves, Tongue Behind My Teeth

Happy Monday all~

 

Summer Set for the kiddo

*sigh

It's 11:whatever and I'm just getting to this.  I could have done it this afternoon but after kicking first my bowl of pins and then a jar of mixed beans (Here she would argue - it's not a jar of beans today mom, I made you a delicious cake with a turtle on it - she totally built a little oven out of foamy square things to bake it in.  Made the house smell amazing too apparently) across my entire kitchen floor I decided it was time to put all sharp objects away and check out in the form of a nap for a while. 

So ~ here I am home from work trying to be consistent and get this out while it's still Thursday. 

I've had this fabric for a bit.  Fun and bright and actually pretty soft which doesn't always happen with this kind of fabric.  Finally did something with it.  Pretty basic but my life certainly isn't all ball gowns and soirées. 

 

 

A simple top and bottom set for my sweet girl that doesn't really have a sense of modesty yet, but really, what 4 year old needs that?  Well... maybe a 4 year old that has on occasion removed every article of clothing and proceeded to run out the door for fun.  Not that I know any boisterous headstrong little girls like that.......nope.......



 

 

You can't see it but it's got elastic in the top back.  Here's another one that will last a few seasons : )

You may notice the absence of bottoms in the pictures.  It just wasn't an I'm gonna wear some pants kinda day. 

 

 It was however a spin in circles until you fall down day,

 

 

and a whoa hey there's mushrooms kinda day,

 

and a see how fast I can roll down this hill a dozen times until I can't stand kind of marvelous afternoon.  

myfm ~ kind of a crazy mash up this evening.  For a good part of the day it was this one but since I got home this one just popped into my head.  Haunting for sure but still a lovely song.   JLS and Taylor Swift/Civil Wars sure makes for an interesting mash up.

What To Do - July - Dresses!

Hey all.  It's that time again - I've got to get ready for July when I'm going to be focused on dresses. *YAYS
I love them.  I would wear some form of dress or skirt all the time if I could.  So, with that in mind, what kind of dress does this want to be?  Send me words, photos, links, ideas, a sketch on a napkin, idle ramblings of a wandering mind, whatever. 

My bestest friend Masako sent me this and I've attempted to turn it into something but it didn't get there yet so help me out. 

What kind of dress is this going to be? 

 

 

 

It's got that wide band across the bottom so I (you) have to come up with a dress that will make the most of it. 

 

 

 

 

myfm ~ Holly Williams.  Just about her entire album is perfect but this is my favorite one ~ Waiting on June

 

 

 

and now for something completely different.......mid week randomness

On the way to work …

sweet girl of mine - Mom, why don’t you like zombies?

me - …..Because…they’re…dangerous?

kiddo - Why are they dangerous?

me - All they do is try to eat people love.  But it’s okay because they’re just pretend.

kiddo - They’re pretend!?

me - …….yes?

kiddo - You mean…they’re not really in this world?

me -  no baby.  They’re really not in this world.  Just pretend. 

kiddo - oh……………..really??........So they just pretend eat your brains??

            …I’m going to go home and look them up on the computer. 

She doesn't really believe in santa but I've just shattered her world with the knowledge that zombies are in fact make believe.  May she never ask me about unicorns.

Pinterest again - because they keep asking

Reason 42 I love this place.  Random Ladybug landing while I'm chillin on one badass porch with amazing music from some lovely string playing ladies next door.  

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And because I didn't grab a paper yet here it is straight from the site~



I expect you will be called on to move fluidly between opposing camps or competing interests or different realities. Maybe you'll volunteer to serve as an arbiter between the crabby good guys and the righteous bad guys. Perhaps you'll try to decode one friend's quirky behavior so that another friend can understand it. You might have to interpret my horoscopes for people who think astrology is bunk. You may even have to be a mediator between your own heart and head, or explain the motivations of your past self to your future self. You can't be perfect, of course. There will be details lost in translation. But if you're as patient as a saint and as tricky as a crow, you'll succeed.
freewillastrology

Figures.  That seems to be what I've been doing for the past week already.  *sigh

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myfm~just one?  I don't think so.  I've been chilling to the Civil Wars a lot this week but while I've got this going tonight I guess it's Paramore.  Pretty much their whole album Brand New Eyes.  Thanks for getting me moving today Hayley and co.

 

Re-creation~Frikin sweet tank top and a quick upcycle for my girl

taken from here

 

 

I. must. make. this.

 

And I did. (a version of it anyhow)

 

Here it is.

 

 

 

I tried. That's the best picture I could get this morning.  But I'm pretty excited about the shirt.   

 

 

So, yes, I did go buy a new tank top for this but I have two reasons.  1.-it is really hard to find a decent tank top at the bins and most of mine have just about bit the dust, and 2. - I was gifted the lace from sweet Vivian and I know a shop downtown that has a literal rainbow of tank tops in their window.  Finding the lace has been the hardest part.  Once I had that it was easy to acquire a tank top to match. 

 

Instead of just cutting straight up the side I detached a section of the edging at the top so all I had to do was reattach it for a nice finished edge once I had put the lace in.

 

I will more than likely make more of these because it took less than an hour even with trying to sort out how I wanted to make it happen and they are so flippin cute.  I want to try it with a different style top.  We'll see what I can find.  I will just continue my perpetual search for pretty lace soft enough to use for something like this...

 

 

And for my sweet girl I turned a stupid shapeless shirt from the bins into a simple comfy dress/top to run around in. 

 

She's getting pretty tired of the pictures already.  I have turned into my grandma. (*love you grandma)



 I like the back the most I think.  I got another just blue ridiculous shirt just like this one.  Simple comfy easy fix x2. 

 

 

 

 

myfm - ugh.  I had this one going for awhile because it was on the radio when I got here.  Not even the country version the new one with Nelly.  All better now ~ managed to drown it out with Lindsey Stirling. She's amazing.  I plugged in my headphones and now I'm just enjoying this magnificent day in the shade on this badass porch with some cool people and their cool dogs . 

 

 

 

: )

 

 

 

 

Sweet skirt June Week 2

So, not a whole set but I already have a top that goes with this (not the one in the picture I couldn't find it and I'm impatient)  so why make things more difficult?  I got this fabric ages ago in Japan and I knew kind of what I wanted to do with it but never got around to it.

I apologize for the wrinkles but I'm still currently sans iron so it will have to do for now.

 It came in a strip with three of these lovely fan designs on it so the easiest thing to do was to take advantage of those predestined sections and make a sweet skirt.  I briefly considered a dress like thing but just no.  I had to get lining for it because crazy thin + white = just not something I'm looking to share with the locals.  I was really excited to find the exact kind of fabric (mostly polyester with some rayon) at the fabric store.  I was also really excited that I went (for the first time since Thanksgiving) for one thing and I left with just that one thing.  Also, I had a coupon so it didn't sting quite as much. 

I didn't use a pattern for this one because it was really just fusing the pieces in a decent place and making a waistband which isn't really all that hard.  Just time consuming.  I forgot how long it takes to get a waistband like that in place...

ta daaaaaa

....and this boys and girls, is why we always use our tools in the way they were intended.  For the record, rotary cutters don't make good seam rippers.  At least I somehow got a moustache out of it...

myfm ~ I heard this at work this morning and it's so sweet.  Emmylou - First Aid Kit

mid week randomness

Nifty pins - random neato stuff I peruse through when I've got a few minutes to "spare"
.........ha....that's a funny concept....time to spare.


anyhow~

I like the little blurbs in the paper, but it's not the entire article, which continues to say~

I invite you to keep a running list of all the ways life delights you and helps you and energizes you. Describe everyday miracles you take for granted . . . the uncanny powers you possess . . . the small joys that occur so routinely you forget how much they mean to you . . . the steady flow of benefits bestowed on you by people you know and don't know. What works for you? What makes you feel at home in the world?

freewillastrology




Another reason I effin love this place~

yup, that's a spoiler....of sorts.

I know that some people just don't like or get Macklemore, but I really appreciate this video.  Seriously, take some time. 

myfm. turn it up.

Quick Fix ~ Ridiculous shirt ----------> Awesome floaty skirt

I saw this ridiculous shirt at Express ages ago, but I wasn't ready to spend however much they were asking for it.  *sigh.  I walked away.  But a few months later I was looking in this discount store - the kind that gets the old castoffs from the 'normal' stores, and there it was - the ridiculous shirt with the nice picture.  The shirt itself I never would have worn.  It was one of those one sleeve off the shoulder things but the one sleeve was full length.  Really, it was silly (probably why I found it at the discount store) but the fabric was super soft and the picture was kind of nice and I knew it would only take a few minutes to change it into something marvelous.  All I had to do was take out the one lonely seam that made this into a 'shirt'. 

 

It's got this funky shaped edge but I love it.  It's so soft and floaty and it just reminds me of taking a slow walk under big shady trees. 

 

 

 

myfm - ugh.  I woke up with this in my head and now this evening it's back again.  I'm not even sure I like it....kind of reminds me of Mariah before she got....well, however you choose to describe her in the past decade.  whatevs.

He's rocking a pretty ridiculous sweater though which makes me like it a tiny bit more.

Happy Sunday all~

Affirmation of my commitment to not shop for the next year...

I just made the mistake of attempting to shop at the mall before work.  Usually I walk in the door and take the first left into work and am completely oblivious of the rest of the scary establishment.   However, my kiddo needs socks.  Those I can/will not make.  At least not right now. 

I'm not usually very motivated to shop anytime ever, but I went ahead and walked past the safety zone of my work into the closest department store.  Half a mile and an escalator later, I have made my way through the literal ocean of stuff to the (of course) farthest corner of the store where they hide the kids area. 

Here's the thing ~  I don't understand how I can walk through fifty feet of pointless costume jewelry and another hundred of countless perfumes to get to a 3 foot section with about a dozen pairs of socks of the same size (too big even for her) and color (white). 

My brain hurts.  I walked back out, sat under the closest thing to a real sky I could find and spent the half hour I had left before work lost in my latest book.  Thank goodness for Audrey Niffenegger. 

As for my girl, thankfully she shares my affinity for a complete absence of footwear.  That gives me a few months to work up the nerve to attempt sock shopping again......ugh.

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myfm is broken or something...
So this song has been stalking me for two days now. Every. Single. Time I turn on the radio - alarm comes on - this song comes on. Turn on the radio in the car it comes on - change stations - it comes on there too.  I was in and out of my car six times today and I heard it eleven times.  Doesn't stop there though.  Internet radio, at work, at the store, in a car passing by??  Seriously?  Honestly JT, it's an incredibly lovely song that is quite moving, it really is, I just don't know why you feel the need to engrain your sweet irrelevant words into my brain today. 

Growing Spinny Dress

I started this dress years ago.  Probably 2010 ish?  I made it a little big so it could grow with her and it really has.  Here she is, probably 2 years ago









I just made a few pleats in the back because it was big to start with and viola ~ it makes it an even more awesome spinny dress. 

Here we are, 2013, and I have finally had to take out the pleats in the back and now it's more of a shirt and shorts than a dress and rolled up pants.  But hey, I still love it and seriously, what parent doesn't love a set of clothing that lasts more than a season (going on three now) on their growing kiddo?  Not a one that's who. 

A completely unscripted dose of sweetness. 

 

Mid spin.  Love this girl so much.

 

And yes the weather is amazing.  You guys are totally missing out.  The air smells like hot honeysuckle and the nights are filled with fireflies. It's divine. 

 

 

 

myfm

"Life is short, let's go live it, ain't no time for wastin time, days like these they go by way too fast"

 

 

 

 

most recent reasons for staying up an extra hour (or three)....

Here we are - on request from a few friends - randomness from the black hole otherwise known as pinterest

But while I'm on the subject of randomness this is pretty awesome. Like me and my girl but with us it was completely by accident - the first song I ever learned to sing and play at the same time ~ I played a chord, sang a line, played another chord, out of nowhere she sings clear as day, "Disregard your father's wooooooorrrrrdds".  omigoodness, this girl of mine.  Right now as per her request we're learning Wagon Wheel which is pretty frikkin cute with her sweet voice and her hand a slappin her leg in time.  Yup, I'm one lucky mamma.


And because this periodical is my companion Tuesday evenings and I find amusement within it~

well, that's....something to look forward to...?

freewillastrology

 

speaking of freewill~

“Chaos is more freedom; in fact, total freedom. But no meaning. I want to be free to act, and I also want my actions to mean something.”  Audrey Niffenegger

 



 

 

 And there are oodles of songs about chaos but what's really in my head right this second is this one.

Happy Tuesday all~

upcycled - black fold over skirt

Not very impressive but I'm happy to have it.  I've had this black dress for going on a decade or so (why?) and n.e.v.e.r. wore it. Just didn't fit right.  Or something.  But, one of my jobs says I have to wear all black (terrible) and I didn't want to waste an opportunity.  I cut off the top part, brought in the side seams and turned it into a fold over skirt.  Simple, ridiculously quick, and I got the amusement of having people at work amazed to see me in a skirt instead of the same pair of pants I wear literally every time I'm there.  I happen to love dresses/skirts, it's just been too stupidly cold to want to wear them until quite recently. 

I tried, but this was the best picture I could get to work out by myself.  Better luck next time I guess.  Thankfully I won't be making a lot of black things so it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

 

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On a completely random note I just got to see a huge abstract metal chicken (?) sculpture thing drive by on the flat bed of a truck.  I effin love this place.

wohoo!  It just stopped to turn around - enjoy!

Which obviously tunes myfm straight to this guy, who is pretty easy to listen to and made not one but two chicken songs!   Not my go-to songs for the Zac Brown Band (or ever?) but otherwise he's got a few ridiculously poignant tunes.  But yay spring almost summer!  And warmth! And the opportunity to stop wearing pants!  And metal chickens!  And an abundance of exclamation points!!!! 

No.  Not really.  That's just an annoying abuse of emphasis.   That's what I get for being pleasantly caffeinated I suppose.  
Happy Sunday all~