Mar 21, 2011 An accurate depiction of how I, and The Killah, have been feeling today...
photo: iPhone 4 image by Chris Roby of a yawning Gataface.
Chris "borrowed" my snuggie for the Gata's tipi. It's probably for the best, anyhow. I would have been wearing it around all day otherwise. No wonder why she looks so comfy...
Mar 14, 2011 
I'm on spring break!
I may be far from my college days, but I still love calling it "spring break." Just rest and relaxation in the sun! Don't worry, I packed the spf 60 sunblock and a bottle of 50 for later in the week. My college, spf 4 self is laghing at me right now...
Meet you back here next week!
Mar 11, 2011 Outtake 1
camera: Nikon D80
settings: f/11, 1/60
Outtake 2
camera: Nikon D80
settings: f/5.6, 1/60
This time of year, I can't count on being able to photograph at leisure. The instant I see sunshine, I drop everything and leap for my camera. Working in a frenzied haste, I photograph aspects of every project in progress because I know that the light can be gone in an instant and who knows when it will be back. This week, the process began in much the same way: I noticed it was sunny outside, I ran to my camera, I grabbed a few books off the shelf that I'm working with, and I started photographing them.
Alas, I couldn't get high enough above the books to achieve the angle I was looking for. So I held the camera slightly above my head, shooting at the pile of books. Holding the viewfinder slightly out of reach turned into blatantly throwing it over my head and pressing the shutter release at will. Letting go of double checking camera settings and carefully composing the camera angle was a nice release.
The light faded and I didn't get the images I "needed". Oh well, I had fun and perhaps that is what I needed most.
Mar 9, 2011 Is the veil a perplexing object to no one but me? There is a side of me that wants to resist the veil and sluff it off as a boring, out-of-date accessory. On the other hand, however, I wonder if my wedding dress is simply a fancy white dress without one. There is no other foreseeable time in my life that I will have the opportunity to wear one again, so why should I show up on the big day with nothing over my face, right?
With all this in mind, I'm going to go with it. I'm going to put flowers in my hair and a piece of translucent or webbed fabric over my face and feel prettier for it. I'm pretty pumped now that I said it out loud!
This morning was a dark, rainy morning in Seattle. Too dark for photography, the rain provided me with the opportunity to sit down with a hot cup of coffee and browse the internet for inspiration. After some time bookmarking, my favorites all seemed to come from the same place, Twigs & Honey! Myra Callan, designer and founder of Twigs & Honey, has a simple, organic, well-crafted aesthetic I adore.
I'm easing myself into the veil by choosing the smaller headpieces first. From there, I believe finding an appropriate veil will become more apparent.
The images below are a couple favorites from Twig & Honey's newly released 2011 collection. They are photographed by Elizabeth Messina.
images by Elizabeth Messina for Twigs and Honey, 2011 Bridal Collection.
Thoughts?
Mar 7, 2011 Have I mentioned that I love being an Aunt?
My niece Bailey celebrated her first birthday in January! Her mom, Ashley, baked themed cupcakes each month from birth to the big birthday bash. I, anticipating the momentous occasion, began knitting a cupcake stocking hat. Everything was going great until one evening when I attempted to carry more than humanly possibly from the house to the shed. Like Rachel Ray going from her fridge to her stove, I piled an unreasonable amount of things in my arms to make the 20 foot dash across the deck and through the yard - all while balancing a very large, very full cup of coffee.
I don't know how it happened, but by the time I reached the shed there was coffee everywhere and the cupcake hat was ruined. What a let down!
So, I wanted to make Bailey something special this spring, sans coffee. This lovely bubble dress from Oliver + S was exactly the kind of special I was looking for and knew Bailey would love.
I purchased this fabric a while back for curtains I was sewing for the shed. When the pattern arrived in the mail, however, I knew that I needed to use it for this dress instead. Shortly thereafter I discovered that the fabric was also designed by Oliver + S founder Liesl Gibson! It's from her collection called City Weekend for Moda Fabrics.
In lieu of cutting original patterns, I always trace printed patterns using architectural tracing paper. The reason I do this is because, you never know, Addyson may need a spring dress next year and be a different size. Besides, while Gibson's patterns are easy to read and her instructions generally easy to follow, that isn't always to case. It requires a few extra steps, but keeping the pattern intact for future use is worth it!
I'm pleased with the way the bubble dress turned out! Oliver + S offers the most classic, contemporary children's patterns out there and I hope to make more of their clothes in the future.
Update: As I was sewing Bailey's bubble dress, Oliver + S released this adorable book, Oliver + S Little Things to Sew 20 Classic Accessories and Toys for Children. Great timing! I need another sewing project for the girls...
above: image from Oliver + S.
The pattern I am most looking forward to is the penguin backpack.
above: image from Oliver + S via The Purl Bee.
Although the girls won't be going to school for a few years, that doesn't mean I shouldn't get started, right? This is way cooler than the green Little Mermaid backpack I had in Kindergarten.
Check out the book trailer!
Video: Oliver + S Little Things to Sew, by Liesl Gibson from STC Craft on Vimeo.
