Impossibility Remains Impossible! An Update

Tuesday, January 24, 2012


Well, for the past few weeks I have been working when I can on my Impossibility Challenge which was to sew a dress.  I decided to challenge myself a bit more and instead of a sleeveless frock I stepped it up and picked a pattern with sleeves.  I found this wonderful english tan corduroy... I was excited.
Here's what I did, it's not pressed and I didn't finish the hem

Front

Back

Looks ok right?  I was feeling pretty good about this.  That is until I tried it on, and I use "try on" here as loosely as I possibly can.  You know what, "loosely" is really the worst word I can use.  In no way would this ever in my wildest dreams fit me.  Not if I lost 15 pounds... maybe if I was Kelly Ripa, not a 5'10" size 10!  I checked again and looked at the pattern to make sure I wasn't out of my mind.  It says size 10!  Maybe it's a junior size 10!  I'm pretty bummed, but know that I tried my best and took my time to follow the instructions.  I even watched a youtube video about making sleeves five times!

I really do wish it fit because it looks exactly like what I wanted.  I'm going to have to pick myself up and try again.  Get right back on the horse.  This pattern will be shelved.

The Blue Booties

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

My booties have brought a lot of laughs to the house.  My husband gets perplexed when I make things that most people would clearly just buy.  I laugh in my head because I know that I secretly planned to make them blue and orange (like his favorite basketball team, Syracuse) to immediately trigger his mind to like them even though it may have been ridiculous for me to make them (and he did make a comment that he liked the blue and orange)!  I must say I had an extremely enjoyable experience planning and making these and they are pretty cute!

One of the first "prototypes"

 I designed my own little pattern pieces, first out of the felt because it was just easier for me to visualize and cut them while pinning.  I had a few "prototypes" and tried to just cut the pieces down to where they looked good to me.  I wanted a "shell toe" front piece which I'm not sure actually worked out.  Once I had my pieces looking good I took it all apart and traced the pieces on paper and scanned them into my computer just in case I ever wanted to make another pair.

Orange bottom... look out le bouton

Since The Baby is just learning to walk I still needed a soft bottom shoe.  After walking the aisles at the fabric store I settled on burlap for the bottom because I loved the orange color.  There is some non-slip paste I can buy that you get if you want to make your own rug which I think I'll try on the bottom because they do slip a bit on the ceramic floor.  I also added an elastic on the inside of the shoe to try and help it stay on his foot.  He still pulls them off but he would any shoe.

I think these were successful!  I think I'd make a few changes if I wanted to make another pair, but once I got everything down it didn't take me long to make the final pair.  I hope you like them too!

Links:
Not Just a Housewife
The Southern Product Queen
Rae Gun Ramblings
It's Overflowing
Chatty Chics
The Shady Porch
Uncommon Designs Online
Clean & Scentsible

Imagine the Impossibilities

Thursday, January 12, 2012

So, I have to be honest, the first thing that came to mind when I heard about the Impossibilities Challenge was wallpaper. I have a hallway that I believe was once wallpapered before.  I think it is a plaster wall and it has a very strange texture. I painted it a lovely shade of gray (my favorite color). I painted right up the stairs meeting up to a nice buttery yellow. It's been a few years now and the paint is chipping all over the place. It's disturbing and upsetting mainly because I do not like house painting even a tiny bit and the thought of picking up a roller again is heartbreaking. I'm also not a big fan of wallpaper, I should actually say that I'm not a big fan of wallpaper that has fruits and eggplants and strange vines on it. That is what I was faced with in the house when I first moved in. Miles and miles of wallpaper. I fought with it so much it made me cry.

The fact that I would even consider hanging wallpaper back up is mind boggling, but I've decided it's the best decision. I went to the wallpaper store and informed the woman that I wanted something simple and gray. The first thing I picked I guess had glass beads involved and she basically told me no. We came up with this textured paper that has a checkerboard pattern on it.

I know I'm not taking any big risks with this one, but I really just wanted a gray wall so I think this will look nice.  She raised her eyebrows at me numerous times when I told her I would be going up the stairs with it and doing it myself. So, after much debate with my husband I have decided to already abandon this impossibility and make it a very possible goal by hiring someone to do it for me and making all the bad dreams of cutting angles and wallpaper paste disappear for good.  With all of the painting I have done in this house I will enjoy having someone else do it for me this time.

So, what's next? Finish Gone With the Wind? Maybe sometime in my thirties.

What I really really want to accomplish is sewing. It's been my life dream to know how to sew. Sure, I can make my sons their Halloween costumes but I struggle. I have a grandmother that is an expert, why do I not know? So, I have been sneaking away to get a few lessons from her, we are making a button down shirt. She assures me that once I'm done with that I will have a lot of useful knowledge under my belt. But she lives a couple of hours away and we haven't even gotten to the arms yet.

I need to do something now to keep this dream alive. So, by the end of January, I will be sewing myself a dress... no sleeves... little aggravation... just a little jumper. That's it. I will have to escape up to my "craft hole" (that's what I call because of the slanted ceilings I bump my head on and this crazy dark blue carpet). If I can pick up just an ounce of confidence I think it will be the start of something great!

My stack of vintage patterns I buy on Ebay and my fabric

So Cheers to conquering the Impossible!  Let's Go 2012!

An antiques blog that make your mouth water.  She also has an online store!

This is a 1950s Jivaro Tribe Red Feather Belt found in Illinois.    I think it would look absolutely incredible as a necklace.  amazing. beautiful.  Here are some other finds from the same trip:

You know I used to rock one of those shell necklaces!

Possibly my new favorite blog Erie Basin. (I'm pretty sure I first saw this via texturism again... my other favorite blog!)

Camp Vivier

I am love with this little bag perfect for summer.  An amazing shape and size by accessories designer Clare Guerrero Vivier

Grey Glorious Gray

So, Megan filled me in on a little interior painting project (or rather mishap) where she attempted to paint one of the rooms in her new house grey... when she woke up in the morning the gray had actually dried baby blue!  That is a blue boo!  Anyway, she bought new paint this afternoon and as a lil bit of inspiration I wanted to show her this outfit I saw today. (via out of habit via coco+kelley) what is the difference between grey and gray??

Zebrawood Obsession

Okay, so my spring look also includes these flipping awesome sunglasses by Shwood, a company based out of Portland: I must have be mine!!

I divulged my obsession with these this winter and I have fully discussed the rational of purchasing them with Megs.  I need to sell some paintings so I can pull the trigger!!

See what I'd look like!!! Ha, and there's Meg's with me sipping a cocktail!  AM I RIGHT!  Just have to curl my hair... that's all, lol!

Bangle Some Inspiration

I keep coming back to Kate Spade.  I think it is her simple uses of color, the graphic nature, the classic concepts.  Both my sister-in-law and I choose our China patterns via her collections.  

I have absolutely fallen in love with these bangle bracelets (via Kate Spade) that have inspirational thoughts written on the inside.  I am usually not in favor of announcing inspirational sayings to the world like, "look at what my necklace says aren't you inspired and impressed"?  That's really not my thing, but this little inner note, like it was written just for you, really works for me.  While the price is not right for me to purchase for myself, I do think that they would be a lovely gift for a great girlfriend for bridal showers or birthdays or what have you.  And there is a range in price... the thinner it seems the cheaper.  I suppose that makes sense! (via Simplesong)

Moop Must Have

One of my favorite blogs on tumblr is Texturism and she is always introducing me to great and fantastic new things.  One of her posts that I absolutely loved was about a gift she gave to a friend that was about to become a new mother and you can read about it here.

Take a look at this wonderful bag from Moop highlighted in her post and that I put in my spring look from polyvore.com it is priced well at $83:

Moop has a lot of other great bags so I would consider clicking around a bit!

Must Have Been The Roses

While picking out a necklace for the spring fashions I plan on rocking... I found this beautiful jewelry shop on etsy: Tamar's Shop: Nest Pretty Things!  Etsy is sooo overwhelming because there is just so much to choose from and everything is so inspiring.  This shop has captured my spring mood: the whimsy, floral, soft, and fun!

Next step... breaking open my piggy bank and buy one of these banging necklaces.

Fashion Ideas Organized

I stumbled across this great site that lets you organize different ideas and outfits together so you can see how it looks before taking the big plunge with your wallet.  I compiled my spring lounge around outfit and some pieces I already own so I can just see that it's my style and that it would work on me.  You can also add some unique things that you find while scouring the internet.

Visit Polyvore.com and start dancing!

Glorious Ball-Orrific Necklace!

It has become quite clear to me that I absolutely love multiple groupings of balls.  It most likely began with Megan's  wonderful wreaths, but it is now showing up all around me.

This necklace was handcrafted by jewelry artist Kristina Klarin.  I am absolutely loving how big it is and that you could basically wear just a plain tee or tank and wear this necklace with it and feel totally hip to be square.  Her color combinations are spot on too!  via: constant changes

Dreams Do Come True!

I have two pairs of TOMS sneakers one pair in red that my grandmother got me for my birthday, and one pair in army green that I wore everyday last summer.  I love everything about them especially the fact that they are so comfortable, but also the fact that for every pair of shoes you buy through them they give a pair to a child in need.  That is just too good to be true, but it is!

WELL WHAT DO WE HAVE HERE!!! Coming soon to my closet are these absolutely adorable wedges courtesy of TOMS!!  I mean they do not come cuter! via: adored austin

The Golden Egg

Gold-lined quail egg by Stephanie Simek

I have absolutely fallen in love with this necklace.  The egg is coated in resin and there is also 23k gold leaf inside of the egg.  I really want this in my life.

And to kind of talk to ourselves here: Megan, do you see that it’s resin?… we were talking about that remember… time to research more about it!!

Lens Cuff

How much do I love this and want one!  Camera lenses recycled in South Australia by Craig Arnold. re:vision brings old school cameras into an entirely new focus

re:vision recycled camera lens bracelets - Oye Modern. Unique, funky, limited edition jewellery.

De Stijl Inspired! Some Mondrian Love.

Mondrian Cake! 

Crafted by pastry chef Caitlin Freeman, who studied photography as an undergrad and uses her love of art and baking to create themed sweets at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s rooftop cafe.

A Springtime Bag

So, I've been having what I would describe as Painter's Block. So, I decided to finish up some sewing projects. First thing on the list was this lined satchel/grocery type bag. I made it out of a linen type fabric. It's really soft and I love it. I printed my own little design on it using my Gocco printer (yes, finally!). It was a good first attempt, but I think I will make one more just to iron out the kinks.

Fuzzy Fingerless Gloves

Over the weekend I made these fun (slightly useless) fingerless gloves! They are pretty tough (in a beat you up kind of way) ... and they were really easy to make.
If you really want some instant gratification then I would go for these.

The pattern was basic and simple and you can follow this video on howcast.com
Again you can see this all on the video above but just for a quick reference:

for each glove:
leaving 8 inches of yarn(for stitching later) cast on 24
knit 15 rows in a basic rib stitch(knit 2, purl 2, repeat till end)
knit 12 rows in stockinette stitch (knit one row purl one row, repeat)
knit 4 rows in rib stitch (knit 2, purl 2, repeat till end)
cast off following the rib pattern leave 8 inches of string for sewing
fold the glove in half and sew down 2 inches finish and knot
from the bottom sew up leaving a whole for your thumb finish and knot.

Crochet Accomplishment

After reading a great post about different beret/hats on the craftzine.com blog that you could knit or crochet via Threadbanger, I settled on this easy pattern from Crafty Pants. It took a little refresher course in crocheting because I had forgotten some things, but it came back to me quickly.



I had never crocheted a hat before so I had to watch a video explaining how to crochet a circle. It was a little different then the pattern but helped me grasp the path I needed to take. Also helpful was the video posted by Crafty Pants on how to crochet the puff stitch.



I have to say that I've worn this all weekend and am loving it. Of course it is a little different than the one shown on the Crafty Pants blog, but I think that is because of the yarn I choose (and my skill level). Mine is a bit more bulky. Overall though I'm happy with the outcome and it is the first time I have actually worn something that I've crocheted!

Hyper-Color Umbrella?

Holy Cowzers! Remember Hyper Color T-shirts!

Well take a looksy at this:


via (http://www.ohgizmo.com)

That's right, umbrellas that change color at UK-based Squid London... I just can't get enough.