In the Garden

This skirt used to be almost floor length- I bought it at Goodwill in some wierd state of mind that I would look good in a skirt skimming my ankles. Well, it sat in my closet (of course), and I suddenly had this mental image of what it would look like with  a peplum- so I chopped off the bottom nine inches, hemmed it, and re-sewed the extra fabric onto the top. It's only in the front, though- there wasn't enough to do it all the way around. Whole project took about an hour.

I didn't even wear this today. Working 5-6 days a week means I'm normally in my Sonic atire, because when I get home from work I normally watch movies with my friends at home. No attractive outfits reqired. I actually made this skirt a couple of weeks ago, just didn't get around to posting it.

My little sister has a garden- she's growing peas, zucchini, beets, tomatoes, cucumbers, and some other stuff I forgot.

That's her checking something out. I absolutely can't wait to have some fresh produce to cook with....

A duck watching over tomatoes.

Mint growing in our stock tank- it's taken over really fast. I don't actually know what to do with it....

Unripe zucchini.

Unripe tomatoes.

Zucchini blossoms. Summer's so beautiful...

In Praise of Vibrams

(Me and my Dad, the Narrows at Zion National Park)

So, these are pretty much the best shoes I've ever owned. Well, not even pretty much. They ARE the best. They cost almost $100, depending on the style, but that ended up being completely reasonable. These guys are so comfortable, and they're healthy for you. They exsercise your toes, and also whole new mucles you didn't even realize you had in your calves. I go jogging in them, and it's great. My legs hurt for DAYS, guys. I mean, in a good way.

(The Virgin River, Zion National Park)

The best part is that you can't even feel that you're wearing them, once you get over the initial awkward feeling of jamming each individual toe into its tiny respective slot. It feels like you forgot shoes, and you've just been running around barefoot- the way we originally did. Sounds cheesy, but it's a great feeling. You can feel the textures of the ground beneath you- when you're walking on grass, versus tile, versus carpet, pebbles, or pavement. You can feel the cracks in tiles through these guys.

(My feet at an outdoor concert)

Basically, I love taking pics of my feet in them. They're awesome. I hiked the Grand Canyon and Zion national park in them, and it was way better than any tennis shoe or hiking boot I could have worn. They're grippy yet lightweight, and they offer protection without taking away the feeling of the terrain.

(Same concert, now henna'd up)

I know they're far from fashionable, and to be honest, I don't wear them out much when I'm not excercising. But they have a special place in my heart, and when I'm going on an adventure, they're what I immediately slip on. With a little bit of toe effort, of course.

(Note: About Eclipse: I hate to admit, but I really enjoyed the movie, although the farther the films go the more I hate Edward. Really, girls, why DO you like him? He's clingy, overprotective, jealous, obsessive.... His face leaves alot to be desired too. And it really seemed like everyone in this movie was determined to be, well, pissy. I just want Bella to legitimately smile, even once, and look like she means it. Too much to ask? Maybe. Anyways, liked the movie but mostly liked Charlie. And the Harry Potter trailer.)

Street Style

I want to start off by saying, we are currenly experiencing weather in the 90's-100's, with at LEAST 50% humidity every day. So, any climate that can currently wear layers.. well, I'm experiencing extreme envy. Fall/ winter is MY SEASON, guys. It's when dressing gets really fun again.

I am in such admiration of these girls. I feel like I'm slowly finding my own style, and it's ultra-feminine. I love florals, full skirts, layers.. These pictures just make me wish the weather would drop out of the 90's.

Fabulous winter coats.... Summer clothes all layered up underneath. Perfection.

And finally, LOVE this jumper, but I feel for the girl because what if she has to use the bathroom....? It'll take her at least 10 minutes to get out of all of that!

Anyway, that's all for today. Going to the Eclipse premier tonight... No outfit post at the moment since I'm in a robe and my old AP Lang shirt.

(Images from Hel Looks)

Little Bit of Free Time

Got a job at Sonic, and they have scheduled me for about 30 hours a week- basically, too much. I'm carhopping, though, which actually makes good money because of the tips.  Never mind the fact that my pocket full of $1s makes me look kinda like a stripper at the end of the day... The hairstyle I've got going here is the perfect working hair because it's all out of my face, but it looks cute and keeps my hair neat. Customers keep complimenting me, and then they tip me! Hey, just sayin', it pays to look put-together. I learned how to do it from this tutorial, on the awesome Blog for Better Sewing.

So anyway, this is me a couple of hours before work. The romper, sunglasses and shoes are all from Wal-mart- craziness, right? I don't know. I love all of it. The cardigan's Target, and the purse is vintage. Cheap clothes are appealing to me lately, but at the moment I'm saving up for a big purchase: a pair of floral Doc Martins. I need winter boots, and to be honest, I can't think of a pair better suited for me than those shoes. Now that I'm a working girl, I'd like to think I can justify buying them- right? View here.

I like how you can see all the haphazard bobby pins hangin' out up there in this pic.

I love this purse, but am in constant fear that the strap will break. That happened with the last beaded, vintage purse I loved...  I try and treat it with caution, but it goes with everything so it definately gets alot of use.

Delicious

Mmmmmmm.

I realize most people don't like it, but I recently realized I love licorice. It's delicious, it tastes like big kid candy. Maybe it's one of those things you have to learn to love.

I like the pink best.

Again

So, it really is done now. I just submitted it and everything.

At the last minute, things started going wrong.

The zipper broke. Well, not entirely, but now it will only zip up about half of the time. Also, although I had worked so hard to make it look invisible, it... is the opposite. My thoughts as I was unable to zip it up past halfway where, "Oh god, I just need to wear it long enough to take these pictures."

I know I need to replace the zipper before homecoming, if nothing else but for my sanity the next time I try and put it on, but right now I'm so burnt out on this dress that I don't know if that will ever get done. I'm just glad to be finished.

I know I'm only focusing on the flaws. There are alot of positive things here. For one thing, it's done, and zipper aside, it's the best one I've made yet. The first two muslins cannot compare to this one. Another plus: the belt turned out quite well.

Will I win the contest? Probably not. If I make the top 20, I will be absolutely ecstatic. I think what will give me an edge is the styling of this dress; I am just holding on tightly to the fact that not many are creating a vintage-style dress from such interesting fabric. No matter what happens, I strove for perfection, missed the mark but did my best. Sounds cheesy, but I really did learn alot from making this dress.

So that's all for today. I may cut out a new muslin to work on; maybe I'll take a temporary sewing break. Hard to say... Anyway, enjoy, anybody who may have found this blog.

Homecoming Dress

So it's not done. But it's very close; it needs a hook and eye added, the straps need to be taken in a tad, and the invisible zipper is not quite so, umm, invisible in one spot. But I'm happy. I've been working hard, not procrastinating that much for about the last week, and this is definately the most professional-looking garment I've ever made. Plus, I'm just in love with the fabric. The way it flows from dark to light let me add an extra level of detail to the dress, by cutting out the pieces just so.

Let's just... umm.. not talk about my face, which I'm covering so you can't see the lack of makeup and the disheveled, I-just-spent-3-hours-sewing hair. Anyway. More pics when it's really done, but for now, I'm happy, and the rest can wait till tomorrow.