6 months!!

Wish List

Up next on my sewing wish list is a serger. As I've said before I'm not great at finishing projects. By this I mean the inside of them looks a mess. So I'm dying for a serger to make my dresses look more finished! A serger trims the seam and encloses the seam allowance or edge of the fabric, inside a thread casing, all in one step. 


See: 

Look on the inside of whatever you are wearing, you will notice the edges are finished with a serger. The dresses I have been making have unfinished and raveled edges. 

New sergers cost a pretty penny so I have been scouring Craigslist and Ebay. I can't believe how much fun bidding on Ebay is!!! I haven't won yet though (except for a necklace I paid double for) I really want a Bernina because that's what my mom has and she'll be able to answer any questions that I have. 

Anyone know where I can find a used serger in Indianapolis? 

Coffee Cake

I do 99% of the cooking/baking in our household. Dan does the occasional egg sandwich, grills pork-chops and helps out whenever needed. He does have a few specialities such as pigs in a blanket (a very romantic meal) and coffee cake. 

Dan makes his "famous" coffee cake every few months for his office Friday morning breakfast. And while I have never actually tasted it, I have heard nothing but amazing things about it. Apparently Dan is the breakfast coffee cake king. Or maybe he just tells me this. 

Last night Dan asked me to help make his famous cake and promise to showcase it on the blog. "I'm the master chef and you are the helper, like a sous chef."That's what Dan told me while he re-stirred and re-mixed everything I did. haha :) 

Dan's Coffee Cake

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients

1 Yellow cake mix

1 box of instant vanilla pudding

1 box of instant butterscotch pudding

1 cup+ 1 Tbs oil

4 eggs

1 c water. 

Mix well. 

Topping

1 c brown sugar

1 c crushed nuts, optional

1 Tbs cinnamon

Mix in separate bowl. 

Pour half of batter in greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 of topping. Pour remaining batter and then remaining topping on half to layer. 

Bake 45 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. 

Dream Sewing Room

Again, sorry for the lack of blogs. Still busy with the wedding planning and now we are moving as well. Finally we will have a bigger place! While I won't have a room dedicated to my sewing hobby, I will have more space! Getting myself organized and packing for the move I started thinking about the possibility of having my own sewing room in the future and what it would look like. I found some pretty cool studios online.

Love, love love the floor!!

Pretty chandelier! 

Cool idea with the letters. 

Organization

How fabulous is this room?!?

Sew Many Ways

My dream sewing room would have lots of natural light with nice sized windows. It would be painted white for cleanliness and the best lighting. It would have a black and white checked floor, chandelier (for a girly pretty touch) and be immaculately clean and organized with lots of shelves for material and thread. I would have one wall made of cork board to pin ideas, pictures and sketches on. Ahhh... what a dream! Maybe someday! :) 

Well I'm inspired now! If nothing else I can have an organized and pretty sewing corner of a room. 

Awards Season

Awards Season starts today!! I love the red carpet season. In case you don't follow, I'm talking about the Golden Globes, Academy Awards, Grammy's, SAG, Emmy Awards, etc. To be honest I usually watch the Red Carpet shows on E and then only half pay attention to the actual awards. I'm more concerned with the fashion anyway.

I've been inspired by many red carpet dresses, hair styles, jewelry, etc. Here are a few of my favorites over the last few years.

Amy Adams

I fell in love with this necklace and all statement necklaces after this awards show. 

Reese Witherspoon

Reese always looks awesome on the red carpet. I literally printed this picture and took it to my stylist the day after this Golden Globes and got the exact same hair cut. You may remember my similar bangs and layers circa 2008. 

Eva Mendes

Another fab statement necklace! I love the white dress with the turquoise jewelry. Great summer look!

Lea Michelle

I can't get enough of this dress. My wedding dress may or may not be a similar style ;) 

Will you be watching this season? Who are your favorites to watch on the red carpet? Who will win? 

I love her!

I love Lauren Conrad! She always looks flawless and effortless as well. Whether she's dressing up or going casual she looks fantastic. I love each of these latest outfits.

  

Ahhh... I miss the Hills. 

Chic Cookies

Cool Cakes

On my to-do list is find a baker and design for the wedding cake. The options are endless!! Did you know they make "fake cakes" and then serve guests from a sheet cake in the back? This is a good way to save money and also another way to have an amazingly huge cake when you don't really need to serve hundreds of people.

As an event coordinator I wore many hats and one was the cake-cutter at the wedding. I won't lie, besides the hours this is the part of that position I disliked the most. Cutting a wedding cake with inch thick icing is messy. I almost always came home covered in icing. Moving a several tier cake in front of a crowd is crazy stressful. But on the bright side I saw and tried some awesome (and some not so awesome) cakes. I learned what makes a good cake, why some are super tasty and why some crumble, sweat and fall apart easily.

For my own wedding cake, that I will NOT be cutting myself (woohoo!) I'm thinking something simple and not too colorful. I want something trendy, modern and elegant. I don't know if I will do a groom's cake, but have you seen the cool ones out there? Ace of Cakes is/was a great show! Is that still on??? I'll save groom's cakes for another blog.

Here's some of the cakes I really like.

  

 

 

 

Ok, yeah told ya there's a lot of options out there. 

Missing in Action

So so sorry for being MIA this week! I've been super overwhelmed with wedding planning. What was I thinking leaving everything until after the new year?!? I feel so behind, even though I have 6 months left. Ahh! Every time I look at one of those checklists or timelines in bridal magazines I realize I've forgotten something and get overwhelmed.

I worked in the events industry for a few years and helped coordinate several weddings. At the time I promised myself when it was my turn I would be super cool and laid back, never a bridezilla. Umm..... I would guess the vendors I have been working with consider me the biggest bridezilla, know it all, perfectionist, never-ending question asker bride ever! I'll tell ya what, it's seriously so much easier and admittedly a little more fun planning other people's events :-/  Well maybe its not more fun, but definitely less stressful.

I've got a huge list of things to do in the next few weeks, so bear with me my next several posts will be wedding related.

On another note, I've taken a break from my sewing machine. I put it away for our New Years Eve get together and decided not to take it back out until we move at the end of the month. I'm not sure I can last that long. But I'm forcing myself to focus on work and wedding planning.

New Apron

Check out the new apron I got for Christmas! It's vintage from Etsy.  I wore it for the first time here making food for New Years Eve. 

2010 Year in Review: Dresses

Happy New Year blog readers!!! Thanks so much for reading my blog! 2010 was a fantastic year. I turned a passion into a hobby and made several dresses and a couple skirts, started the blog, got engaged and had some really memorable times with our family and friends this past year.

I'm looking forward to what 2011 will bring... a new sewing room, a fabulous wedding, relaxing honeymoon, new puppy?!? and so much more. I feel so lucky to have such a wonderful family, fiance and friends!

Cheers to a happy, healthy, and successful 2011!!!!

 

 

  

  

  

NYE Dress

I've been wanting to experiment with some type of cutout dress. Originally I really wanted to make something like this....

But then I remembered that cap sleeves don't flatter me and neither would an elastic hem. Also I started seeing some really awesome cut-out dresses with back appeal that I liked better. 

Gucci

Lulu's 

Blue Fly

I love all of the above and am looking forward to making another dress with a cool back in the future. It really wasn't that hard. I used the same pattern top as I did for the overlay of the Christmas Date Dress. I cut out the back and used a straight skirt pattern for the bottom. I had the past week off work so I spent Tuesday and Wednesday working on the dress. I found this fabric in the holiday section and actually used the back side of the fabric.  I wanted a sparkly number for New Years Eve and I loved the silver! 

Happy New Year!!!