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Thursday, August 15, 2013

By Plane, Train, or Automobile

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It's not to often I get to sew for a little boy (mostly my sewing projects involve ruffles) so it was nice to take some time to make something very all boy! We are luckily enough to live right next door to a little boy who is only a couple of months younger than Cordelia, and it's been loads of fun to watch them grow up together. I can't wait till we get to the point when they really play together, instead of just next to each other, then maybe their exhausted parents will be able to sit down for a bit! 

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He is really into trucks, and trains, and airplanes so off Cordelia and I went to find the perfect fabric to make him a shirt! Cordelia really liked this colorful one, and I hope he is just as tickled with it. 


I used the short sleeve button up shirt pattern from the book Sewn With Love. Brendon bought me the book awhile ago, and I have to admit that this is the first time that I tried any of the patterns. I had to cut down the size 3-4 so it was more like a 2-3 but other than that it worked great. The directions were clear, and the book is just beautiful to begin with. 

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I added the piping around the arms, and the pocket to play off the bright red buttons. I'm a tad worried it looks like a pajama top, but I think it will be ok once it's worn with jeans- what do you think? 

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

A Rainbow at the Aquatic Gardens

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This is part adventure post, part "look what I made!" post. The other day Cordelia and I went to the fabric store, and as we were walking through the cotton section (my favorite place in the store) she went running over to grab this bolt of fabric while saying "rainbow! rainbow!". I didn't even know that she knew the word rainbow until that moment. I asked her if she wanted me to make her a dress out of the fabric and she very happily said yes. She was such a bubbling ball of excitement I couldn't say no. 

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The funny thing is that the next morning Miss C woke up and the first thing she said was "rainbow dress?" she was just soo sad that I wasn't magic and I didn't make the dress overnight. In fact it kept getting pushed back on my to do list so it took longer than I had hoped, but she kept asking for it! Which is pretty cool because she has never been so excited for me to make her something. 

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I drafted the pattern myself, and I made this dress a little shorter than the other dresses I have sewn recently because she has such cute knees. However, I have a feeling I'll have to add a ruffle soon. I thought it would be fun to keep the dress simple in design and play with the stripes- running them horizontally on the bodice and pocket, and then vertically on the skirt and sleeves. I added the blue ribbon belt to break up the pattern. She was soo excited when she woke up to this dress. However, after I got the pictures she ripped the bow off. 

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I figured an adventure was on our agenda so we took a trip out to the Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens. I had heard about it on our community list serv and after looking at the photos on the website I knew we had to check it out. We went early in the morning because the website says a lot of the flowers don't stay open once it gets over 85- and I have no desire to be outside when it's over 85 anyways.

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We only saw a small fraction of the park, it seemed to go on forever- but Cordelia had soo much fun running around, playing in the dirt, and checking out the bugs. And it worked great to exhust her, we went home and she went right down for her nap.

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Monday, August 12, 2013

Over The Weekend

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I have grown up going to the Montgomery County Fair, I really don't remember life before my mom started volunteering there. When I was a kid I would run around and collect free balloons and stickers while my mom and sisters did all the work, then when I was a teenager I actually volunteered and would hang pictures till late at night. This year I couldn't help because I had to watch Miss C, but on Sunday Brendon, C and I  went to enjoy the fair. 

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It was fun to see the animals, but it was way too hot, and crowded and I think that Sunday is my least favorite day to go to the fair. Brendon and Cordelia weren't really feeling it either. Cordelia really enjoyed the animals but it was hard to get close to them in some of the barns- however, we did pet a rabbit which had her totally overjoyed. I tried to get her to sit on a tractor so I could get a picture for my dad, but she refused which really made me sad, I guess we will try next year!

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Cordelia did take her first pony ride! On the way to the fair I told C all about the things we would do, about the food and the animals, and the pony ride. She was so excited and kept saying "up-and-down" "up-and-down" thinking that we were going to go ride the carousel and I almost thought she would get freaked and refuse to get on when she saw the real live pony. I was really proud of her for being brave, and almost looking like she had fun! How was your weekend?


Friday, August 9, 2013

What I Wore When...

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I wore this outfit to Sarah's bridal shower, I hadn't meant to match the party but the dress I was working on was a flop and I had this fabric lying around so this dress was born and I am really thrilled with how it turned out. I paired the dress with a cardigan from Target- a couple of seasons old, and some fun polka dot yellow flats from Old Navy.  

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I was so busy getting everything together that I couldn't take these photos before the party, so my hair is a little messy. However, since I almost never style it I was excited to have a reason to style it and I had to share. Next time I think I want to try to do two rolls instead of one. 

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I made this dress using a very heavily altered New Look Pattern. I lowered the waist, took the shoulders up, and let it out in the bust. I also used some horse hair braid on the bottom to make the hem float nicely.

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Cordelia insisted on taking her own outfit photos, it was really cute, and really funny. P.S her outfit is from Target. 

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I'll leave you with some funny outtakes, have a great Friday! 


Thursday, August 8, 2013

Wonderful Wednesday- Became a Thoughtful Thursday

SO I started writing this post yesterday- but after a day of going non stop I couldn't focus. Yesterday was go go go- dishes were done, errands were ran, the house was scrubbed (like really scrubbed, like cleaned the window air conditioning units scrubbed) mountains of laundry was washed- and put away (which is the hardest part) and a couple of episodes of Supernatural were watched. Today, so far, is just as busy. I sewed up an awesome dress for Miss C, we went on an adventure to the Aquatic Gardens (that post will be up Tuesday), picked up some things we needed from Target (and some things we didn't need, but couldn't live without) now it's nap time where hopefully I'll get more laundry and more dishes done, and then out to dinner with C's grandparents! But before all of that let me share some of my favorite things from the internet this week. 

Earlier in the week, I got sucked into reading the Huffington Post blog section, and two articles really stood out to me. The first article, written by Joy Gabriel and titled Kate Middleton and the Mom in the Mirror is a compelling piece about the pressure society puts on new mothers to look like they had never had a baby- despite the fact that the way your old clothing fits shouldn't be anywhere close to the top of your list of things to worry about. In the article she talks about how hard it is to look in the mirror, how easy it is to see lumps and bumps and how hard you judge the bags under your eyes, and the spit up on your shirt. She used to fear glancing herself in the mirror, but instead she decided to look at herself differently, this quote is my favorite part of the article: 

"I see a woman who knows that makeup is great but making a baby laugh is even better. That a chic haircut will make you feel like a million bucks but rocking a baby to sleep is priceless. That working out feels good but not half as good as the look in your child's eyes when you drop everything to read a book or play kitchen or just be together. That every time you have to choose between worrying about yourself and caring for your children it isn't a choice at all."

The second article was written by Galit Breen and discusses something I hadn't put much thought into Should We Teach Out Girls To Fight Back? She tells her own experience of listening to a mother tell her daughter to hit back at the kids that were pushing her around- that she didn't ever need to be a victim. I have to say, I agree. Sure we always want our kids to play nice with others, and be sweet and kind, but what if playing nice doesn't work? I think I totally support Cordelia hitting back. What are your thoughts?


On another note- I'm in love with this dress from Old Navy, and they are running a sale so it's 20% off! I'm trying to hold off and focus getting back to making the majority of my clothing again- but it's hard and I'm not sure I will be able to!

Womens dexflex by DexterWomen's Claire Scrunch Flat

These shoes are another thing on my wish list- that is also on sale! They look totally comfortable and it would be nice to have a nice basic, match everything pair of flats. 

          

Speaking of shoes, I am on a mission to find magic shoes. Cordelia is going to be a flower girl in September and I am trying to think of anything that will help her not be shy in front of all the people. So, we have been talking about "magic" shoes. I'm thinking yellow because she is obsessed with my yellow polka dot flats, but we will see.  

Cherokee® Infant Toddler Girls' Blouse - Thundering Grey Cherokee® Infant Toddler Girls' Trench Coat Circo® Infant Toddler Girls' Bicycle Windbreaker Jacket
Harajuku Mini for Target® Toddler Girls' Woobie Hoodie - Beige Disney® Princess Toddler Girls' Ariel Sleep Gown Carter's Lemon Footed Pajamas - Toddler

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Lastly, I've been window shopping (or whatever you call it when you window shop online) and the kids clothes right now are super super cute. Cordelia asked me to make her some shirts instead of dresses, and I'm thinking the style of the one on the top left would be great- I love that top just the way it is too because it has bows on it, and who doesn't love bows? I'm dying over these jackets from Target too- I have to start sorting out Cordelia's clothing to see if she needs any new coats, or sweatshirts, since she has grown like 3 inches since last winter, and if she needs any these are on my to buy list. I'm waiting with great anticipation for Miss C to keep her PJs on- I love this Little Mermaid nightgown, but I know I would find Miss C awake the next day totally naked. Right now she sleeps in outfits like on the bottom right with a safety pin in the neck so she can't unzip- but since she has grown all of hers are looking a little short in the body, so I'm eyeing some new ones. 

I hope all are having a great Thursday! 

Monday, August 5, 2013

Over The Weekend, Sarah's Bridal Shower

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This weekend was a lot of fun because I got to spend it throwing my best friend's bridal shower. It's not often in life that we get the opportunity to have a real best friend- a friend you talk to every day, who calls you just to say hi, who sends you cheer up packages when you are feeling defeated. I was soo excited with this opportunity to do something fun and special to give back to her. I'll have more detail photos of the DIY things I made for the shower later in the week, but for now I'm just going to share some highlights of the day. 

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Tons and tons of yummy food. This was a mostly paleo and primal tea party, so we had lots of options and for drinks we served tea, coffee, and wine. 

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When I sat down with my partner in crime Ada (another close friend of Sarah's who did almost all of the cooking ) we decided it was very important for everything to be colorful, and for everything to be very classy. We focused our color pallet on teal, pink, and yellow (three of Sarah's favorite colors) and we made sure to use real table cloths, real china tea cups and real serving dishes. 

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There was soo much laughing, and talking, and socializing you wouldn't have believed that most of the guests didn't actually know each other which I think truly made the party the most fun shower I have been too. 

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The beautiful tissue paper flowers were made by Sarah's soon to be sister-in-law, they really helped turn the drab class room into a fun party space. I wish I had gotten a photo of the beautiful photo bunting she made as well.  

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I love the faces Sarah makes when she opens presents- you can really tell how excited and happy she is. 

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The Bride to be and her mother. 

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Bride to be, mother and future mother in law. 

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The party was so much fun,  I had some really great people help throw it, and we had such great ladies attend it, I can't wait to see everyone again at the wedding.