Hem and Her Household

New furniture at the Hem and Her household.

Yep, bright blue couch! We seriously ordered this couch over two months ago and after much anticipation it arrived on Saturday!! 

My mom bid on some furniture (and won) at an auction this weekend for us. $200 score! We are now the proud owners of this mid century bedroom set. Now we just have to figure out how to get it from southern Indiana to our house. 

Things that I think I need.

I need the majority of these items in my closet, like right now! It's gonna be 80 degrees in Indy today peeps! Happy Tuesday!

Make it!

For the last several years I have been searching for websites and blogs that are geared towards people interested in fashion and sewing. I found Make this Look and think it's a great idea! Make this look shows a dress and then pattern and fabric to make one similar. Unfortunately, they haven't updated the blog for about 6 months, so I don't know what is going on there.

Fashion design TV shows such as Fashion Star and Project Runway have increased the popularity of what some might call a dying art or hobby (sewing). Both shows collaborate with pattern making companies and I personally think this has led to patterns being more in line with current trends. Slowly over the last few years patterns have been trendier with better fitting pieces and I couldn't be happier! 

This past week I have found some great patterns that look very similar to designer pieces. Here are my favorites and how you can make them yourself! 

I love this Victoria Beckham dress! Similar McCalls pattern. 

I am IN LOVE with the whole Kate Spade Saturday line really, but this top is super cute and I just happened to see that McCalls has an exact pattern, that comes with 4 variations. I bought this pattern this week when it was on sale! I can't wait to make a few tops. 

Julianne Hough looked super cute at Coachella a few weeks ago! I think you would have to look for a vintage crop top/bralet pattern, but McCalls has a great lace shorts pattern! 

Miranda Kerr looks great in these tuxedo striped crop pants! I have never made pants before, but this looks like an interesting pattern from McCalls. 

How cute is this Diane Von Furstenberg dress for Gap kids? I wish they made it in my size. Here's a cute matching pattern to make for girls from McCalls. 

Simple Salad Dressing

I got this recipe out of a magazine at my in laws house, but can't think of what magazine it was. I'll update when I find it. My mother in law had it on just greens for us and I thought it was delicious. It's so light and lemony but with a little kick. We have been making it every other night now. It's a simple recipe and you don't need much to spruce up your salad.

Simple Salad Dressing
Ingredients
2Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil.
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
pinch of pepper

Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl. Toss with 5oz of mixed greens. I usually use less than half for 2 salads.

Salad Ingredients from picture- romaine lettuce, cucumbers, yellow peppers, cherry tomatoes, cracked black pepper and fresh shredded parmesan cheese.

Jewel IQ

I found this website today, Jewel IQ where everything is under $25 and free shipping! Great deal for statement jewelry! Above are some of my favorites.

 

Painted Porch Furniture

It all started with this...

A friend gave us this furniture when she moved and had no use for it anymore. It was pretty beat up with the finish peeling and sat in our garage for 6 months until a few weeks ago we drug it out and sanded it. We bought an electric sander, which is really fun and much more efficient than hand sanding (obviously). We tightened all the screws and then I painted it!

 

I wanted it to be a cool aqua color and just couldn't find the right paint color. So I ended up bringing in a Tiffany's box and had the nice people at Lowes create a color match for me!

 

Here's the finished look! I love the way it turned out. We have an enclosed front porch that has served as the dog's room until now. I'm anxious to find a rug and decorate the rest of the room! Cushions are from Home Decorators Collection.

Weekend

Here's what I did this weekend.

 

Got a hair cut. Sporting bangs again. Went to a new salon and ended up loving the cut.

 

Celebrated my good friend Kerrie's 30th Birthday. Went to dinner at Napolese Pizzeria, a new restaurant in Indy for dinner. It's the same company that owns Patachou restaurants and equally as amazing! Try it out! 

Kerrie and her husband Hank flying with the artwork at Plat 99 the swanky bar in the new Alexander hotel that serves "inventive cocktails". Another must try!

 

Saturday, Dan and I decided to shop. We hit up J Crew outlet.

 

Then bought some new artwork at the Inventorialist, a shop on Mass Ave that has everything from vintage furniture, signs, artwork, pottery, and all kinds of other fun knick knacks.

Sunday, I shopped some more. Loving the floral fabrics I found above and trying to decide what to make with them Skirts? Dresses?

Found this pillow at Marshalls and I just love it! I can't stop thinking about it, so I might go back and get it!

 

 

How was your weekend?

Jalapeno Popper Pizza

My friend Alison constantly posts pictures of amazing looking dishes she makes and every time I ask her for the recipes. She is obviously an awesome cook because all of her recipes have been fantastic and this is no exception. Thanks for the recipe Alison!

Jalapeno Popper Pizza

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons cream cheese, room temperature (I use 1/3 less fat)
• 5 tablespoon ranch dressing (I used light)
• 2 jalapeno peppers, sliced. (you can use the jar kind)
• 4 slices bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces and cooked
• 1 cup mozzarella, shredded
• 1 cup cheddar, shredded
• 1 pre-made pizza crust (if you are feeling spunky you can make your own)

Directions

1. Mix the cream cheese into the ranch dressing.

2. spread the creamy ranch dressing over the crust.

3. Sprinkle the jalapeno peppers, bacon, and cheeses onto the pizza.

4. Bake as directed or until golden brown on top, about 5-10 minutes.

Enjoy!! 

Outdoor Entertaining

Before the weather even got warm I started obsessing over our deck and outdoor entertaining. You know I love to throw a good party and this summer will be no exception. We only bought a table and chairs for the deck last year because we moved in our house at the end of the season. This year, I plan to go all out since I know we will be outside quite a bit grilling and entertaining. I love all the bright colors and am slowly but surely adding to our outdoor space. Here are some of my favorites.

Straw Chevron Paper Straws / Warm Venice Paisley Gusseted Outdoor Chair Pad / Turquoise Blue Outdoor Chair Pad / Outdoor Metal Drink Bucket / Multi Stripe Chevron Tray / Colored Acrylic Stemless Tumblers, Set of 3 / 7.5' Auto-Tilt Market Umbrella / Frosted Bulb String Lights / Zak Designs® Melamine Ella Dinnerware - jcpenney / Vintage Patio Chair Photo / Jordan Manufacturing Co Inc. Knife Edge Seat Pad / Ikea Ps 2012

Bakin' Bacon

I Google a lot of "How To's" on a regular basis and this is one. "how to make bacon in the oven". For some reason I can't seem to remember and for that reason, I'm going to post about it so I can refer to my own blog for instructions.

This may be a no brainer for some of you, but I have been frying bacon in a pan for years now, splashing grease all over the place and having to wait because I can't only make about 4 pieces at a time.

Making bacon in the oven is so much easier, cleaner, and everyone can eat at the same time!

How to make Bacon in the oven.
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cover a cookie sheet in foil.
3. Spread bacon pieces on foil.
4. Bake for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

 

**Couple of notes based on some questions I've had. You can use turkey bacon but you will want to leave it in a few minutes longer to get crispier. Regular bacon will get crispy. As for the grease, I would recommend placing the bacon on a plate with a  few paper towels to soak up the grease. But it's no more than if you would have pan fried it.

Black and White

Beyoncé wore this Osman Yousefzada jumpsuit to the Grammys earlier this year and it gave me the idea to make this black and white dress.

 

I posted this on Instagram a few weeks ago before I finished it, as you can see by the hem. Someone suggested I take a picture in the dress.  I haven't actually worn it yet but, I might wear it to a wedding this summer.

This is a super grainy selfie. What do you think of these shoes? Too much black and white?

 

Sewing details:

 

I used Cynthia Rowley 1873 (B) for the top part of the dress. Instead of cutting the front piece on the fold, I cut one in black and one in white then sewed them together to form a full front piece. I lined the top in white.

 

I have been searching for a tulip skirt pattern with a gathered waist and tapered skirt. I ended up using Cynthia Rowley 2512 pattern for the skirt. I omitted the waistband from the pattern. I made the pockets in the contrasting white. I couldn't get a good picture of that though. It was an excellent pattern to work with and I will definitely use it again. I might need to make the skirt a tad bit longer. I had to hem it 1/4 inch because otherwise it would have been too short.

 

I used a stretch cotton satin fabric and cut the pattern in a size smaller due to stretching. It fits perfectly!

 

Oh hey Spring!

It's finally arrived! The weather is warm and I can wear my spring clothes! I got this necklace a few weeks ago and it's my favorite! Goes with everything. It's hard to tell in this picture, but the cardigan is the prettiest neon(ish) color.

 

Peplum top- Target

Pants, cardigan and necklace- H&M

Peep toe wedges- Nine West

 

 

Tassel necklace

Check out the tassel necklace my Mom got me for my birthday. It's vintage from a flea market in Tennessee and I love it!

The fever

Admittedly, since my niece was born I have had major baby fever. I just love her so much and think there couldn't be a cuter and more well behaved child. I want one just like her!

Darling!

 

She's standing! Isn't she a doll?

 

See! I feel like a proud mom, but I'm just an adoring aunt.

 

AND THEN- I read things like this...Your body: What to Expect. And I'm like well, shit maybe I'd rather not have kids at all. There are some pretty terrifying articles on the 'net that make me reevaluate and appreciate our childless life.

 

After reading a few, I promptly Googled and am now planning a trip to Europe. Just as exciting!

 

And so if you're reading this all those nosy "when are you having a baby" types. I'm telling ya, not yet!