Confessions of the Pink Obsessed

Simplicity 3503: The non-maternity version

noreply@blogger.com (amber) — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 04:13:00 +0000

So, yeah, who knew that raising a baby was so much work. ;) Needless to say, after my last post, the roller coaster of having a new baby continued on. We had some highs and some very low lows. While I don't think I ever had true post-partum depression, there were some really rough patches, one of which caught me off guard as it hit when J was about 5 months old - after I had felt like I was finally get my feet back underneath me.

J just turned 10 months old this week and we have been in a good place for several months now. I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight and am fitting back into all of my old clothes (I didn't realize how much this was a contributing factor to my rough mood) and J is just a lot of fun. He's sleeping better and fighting me less on eating, so our day to day routine just feels more relaxed and less frantic. I am so in love with my little man and thank God every day for blessing me with such a dear child.

I did start taking time for myself early in this motherhood gig, but sewing just felt like too much work at the beginning. Getting to the gym to work out my ever evolving set of emotions or sitting down to a book were much more attractive activities when I had some spare time. It was only when J turned 7 months that the sewing room started calling my name again. And holy smokes did I pick a humdinger of a project. LOL Nothing simple for my first garment sewing project in months. No way, no how!

I really wanted to make a casual version of that ever popular Simplicity pattern 3503 - the one that I sewed to death while I was pregnant (3 versions - 1 floor length, 2 short - in all). However, there were some serious fit issues to work out. Namely, the smallest size bodice was a good fit when I was very pregnant (aka - pregnancy chest was in effect), but shrinking back to my normal bra size, I knew that I would need to make it considerably smaller.

To complicate matters further, I chose a beautiful ITY jersey from my stash that screams summer, but is quite a busy print to work into a dress. I knew it would require lots of single layer cutting and playing around with where the print would fall on the dress. I bought it from Mood 2 years ago and I've been dying for it to become something that would live in my closet instead of a stash bin, but had never really matched up the right pattern for it. This marriage of pattern and print felt right though.

I ultimately used the full width of the fabric border for the midriff band, becoming more of a full stomach band. The border was also used for the neckline.

I then arranged the bodice and skirt pieces over the main print of the fabric. It was a total pain to get all of this to match up and it's still not perfect, but I'm happy with it.

It took me a solid 2 months to complete this dress. I worked on it in fits and starts, but it held my interest and was actually a really good project to get my creative juices flowing again. I've already worn it twice and I love it. My inaugural outing in it was to Beverly Hills for brunch and it was perfect. It has a summer resort feel and I felt like a chic woman in it, not just a mom. While it's completely impractical for my new role as a stay at home mom, it makes me happy nonetheless.

I've already got another dress and 2 skirts just waiting for hems and a 3rd dress on the cutting table. See, this project really helped me find my sewing mojo!

And for making it this far, here is a picture of me and J from the 4th of July. Love this little guy so much!

One month

noreply@blogger.com (amber) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 21:25:00 +0000

I have no idea where October went, mostly because I've spent the entirety of the month in that lovely new mom fog. ;) Our little peanut arrived late September, on his due date, and he has been keeping us on our toes ever since.

My pregnancy was fairly uneventful and labor and deliver was also great. 9 hours from the start of timeable contractions (and only 10 minutes of active pushing) and we were able to meet our son, who came out with a few loud screams and then quieted down to start taking in the world around him. All the while, holding my finger in his hand. Precious and amazing doesn't even begin to describe it.

After all of that, it didn't seem all that surprising that the other shoe had to drop. Little J had a couple of issues in the hospital, ones that threatened a NICU stay, but thankfully that never came to fruition. Being typical overly-worried first time parents, Jim and I barely slept in the hospital and the first couple of days that he was home with us.

We had a few bumps in the road with nursing, though thankfully those have been resolved. And then the screaming began. Oh, the screaming. This child was never just awake and happy, he was either eating, asleep or screaming. It was brutal. A call to the pediatrician and a quick check and they think the poor little guy has silent reflux - no spitting up, but the acid is still backing up into his throat and making him pretty uncomfortable. Add an insane amount of gas and GI discomfort and he was making his pain known to us in a big loud way. It was damn near impossible to comfort him, which will make you feel like the worst parent in the world. I hit rock bottom when he was 3.5 weeks old - sobbed to the nurse from the ped's office when she called to check in on us, was horribly snotty to my husband and really wasn't feeling very fond of this new little person living with us either.

Thankfully, things started getting a little better the next day and have been generally better since then. He's easier to comfort when he cries. The screaming is less. He has these stretches where he is alert and happy. He's trying to coo and I swear he's working on smiling, though I know at this point it's very likely just gas. Whatever, I'll still take it!

I've loved him from the moment he grabbed my finger in the delivery room, but I'm starting to like him a whole lot now, too. I think he's going to be a fun kid and I'm feeling pretty lucky to be his mama.

I'm sure there is still plenty of rough stuff on the horizon, but we survived the first month with everyone still intact. That feels like a real win at this point and I'm happy to celebrate it.

The nursery

noreply@blogger.com (amber) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 04:15:00 +0000

Not that you would know it from the lack of posts on this blog, but I've actually been a sewing maniac the past few months. I've even nicknamed my sewing room Amber's Sweatshop. Unfortunately, life has been hectic and I haven't carved out time to actually post about the projects here. Who knows if I'll ever really catch up, but hey, I'm going to at least try to get a few things posted.

Waaay back when we first told our parents that I was pregnant, my mom and I were chatting and she mentioned that I should sew stuff for the baby's room. I immediately shut her down, saying that just sounded like a ridiculous amount of work for something that I could easily buy, etc.

I mean, we all know how this ends, right?

I looked for weeks for a gender neutral set that I liked, but nothing. The stuff that I thought was priced right didn't appeal to me and the stuff that I thought would be cute was so stupid expensive that it just made me angry.

So yeah. After trolling a few online fabric shops and picking up a fairly classic pattern for a crib skirt, I started putting together a plan to make a lot of the stuff myself. Let's just say my mom has been quite good at not gloating too much. :P

The baby room overlooks the backyard, which features a lot of blues and greens. That plus my recent obsession with orange formed the color scheme for the room. I found a Kaufman fabric that featured the colors I liked and felt a bit retro. I matched it up with a solid orange and an embossed aqua print for the crib skirt. I was able to find solid aqua and orange coordinates from Carousel Designs so that I wouldn't have to tackle sewing drapes or crib sheets. I also knew I didn't want a traditional bumper due to SIDS concerns, however, I saw a great tutorial for adding a little umph to a breathable bumper, which helped to tie the whole set together. Lastly, my friend sewed an adorable blanket for one of my showers, which fits the room perfectly.

After getting the crib finished, my sewing projects weren't done yet. I also whipped up two minky changing pad covers, two cotton/minky boppy covers, 2 stroller blankets, a 6 pack of burp cloths and coordinating size dividers for the closet. I found some adorable prints for the wall from Children Inspire Design by way of Zulily and metallic frames in aqua, orange and lime. Jim's cousin also designed two ridiculously cute prints for the room that we were able to use as well. A slew of fabric bins from Target in aqua and lime are being used to store all of the baby stuff. Lastly, we added a whimsical animal rug that helps to pad the hardwood floor and continues the defacto animal theme we have going on in addition to the color scheme. Oh, and I have a really comfy neutral glider in the corner.

But, enough talk. Pictures, yes?

Changing Pad Covers

Boppy Covers

Stroller Blankets

Burp Cloths and Closet dividers

It was all a ton of work, but I'm so happy with the way it came out. I find myself making up excuses to hang out in there and I know that I'll enjoy hanging out in the room once our little guy arrives. I can firmly say though, that if I never have to sew another crib skirt, it will be too soon. ;) That sucker was such a pain in the arse to sew and while I love the finished product, I have no desire to ever make another. Home dec sewing is really not my thing, I'm much more of a garment sewing kind of gal.

Monkey Around: KS2257 and O+S Bedtime Story PJs

noreply@blogger.com (amber) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 23:30:00 +0000

Thank you for all of the kinds words after the last post. My absence here wasn't so much due to the fall, but having a crazy week after the fall, being on vacation for almost two weeks after that and then the mad catch up that comes with such a vacation.

Even before I took a header off the retaining wall, we had planned to celebrate Father's Day with my in-laws the first weekend in June since prior plans would keep us from getting together until way after the fact. While I feel like this Father's Day doesn't *really* count for Jim, I still wanted to do something to mark the first unofficial one since he was quite generous to me on Mother's Day.

My husband looooves monkeys. It's his favorite exhibit to visit at the zoo (especially the crazy awesome enclosure they have for them in San Diego), he has t-shirts depicting their likeness and several stuffed versions in his home office. So when I saw this fabric about a year ago from Moda, I grabbed several yards - some in flannel and some in the regular quilting cotton. I figured it would come in handy eventually.

As soon as we found out I was pregnant, I knew that I wanted to finally cut into it and make a pair of pajama bottoms for Jim (in flannel) and matching pajamas for the little one (in quilting cotton). I figured the print was gender neutral and would work for either a boy or girl. To keep things simple, I re-used the Kwik Sew pajama bottom pattern that I first tried 2 Christmases ago and my TNT baby pajama pattern from Oliver and S. Nothing difficult in the construction here and they both went together over the course of several days, doing bits and pieces a little at a time. The lucky part to this was I finished them about an hour before I took that nasty fall, so I still had something to bring for Jim to dinner that next day. Whew!

We found out for sure what we were having a couple of weeks before I completed these, which made the construction even more fun. What can I say, the idea of matching daddy and son pajamas just makes my heart melt. ;) It was nice to see I wasn't the only one though, as my in-laws about melted into a puddle of goo after Jim opened them.

Jim loved them, even though the print is totally silly. This also marks the first garment that I've made for *my* baby, which is pretty much awesome after making a ton of clothes and stuff for everyone else's babies.

Happy very belated unofficial Father's Day to Jim! If his excitement and enthusiasm during the pregnancy is any indication, then I'm willing to bet he is going to be one awesome dad. :)

How not to spend a Friday afternoon

noreply@blogger.com (amber) — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 17:45:00 +0000

This weekend was going to be all kinds of awesome - house stuff on Friday, a bridal shower and a family dinner on Saturday and then a full sewing day on Sunday. Friday morning started off great. Got in a good workout and then ran back up to the house so that Salvation Army could come by and pick up a bunch of stuff. Had lunch with my brother that afternoon and after he left, the DirecTV guy came by to add a few more services to the house.

We went outside so I could show him where the dish was on the roof. I was on our back steps and looked up so I could point out the dish. Mid sentence and next thing I know I was falling straight back off the side of the staircase - about a 3 feet drop - onto the concrete below. Tried, but couldn't break my fall, so I landed directly on the back of my head and my upper back. The DirecTV guy lost his head. I, somehow, stayed really calm, even after he started freaking out about how much blood there was on the ground.

He eventually got through to 911 and about 5 minutes later, the fireman and paramedics showed up. Even though I could feel all of my extremeties and never lost consciousness, they erred on the side of caution and off I went to the hospital in on a backboard in an ambulance. I mean, when I injure myself, I go big. :/

Thankfully, after 4 stitches and a trip to L&D, both the baby and I are okay. Well, the baby is more than okay, kicking all over the place during the entire stay. I'm pretty sore and my head feels like a combination of a bad hangover and like I banged it against a concrete floor. Oh wait, that's because I did.

I'm benched from my gym workouts until the staples are removed, which is a total bummer for me, too. But, I'm so grateful that it wasn't any worse than a bad bump and a nasty cut on my head and some icky bruising and swelling on my back.

And because no post is complete without a picture, here is the way Jim found me when he met me in the ER. Kinda looks like I'm an extra for a civil war movie, doesn't it?

When sewing supplies do double-duty

noreply@blogger.com (amber) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 05:06:00 +0000

What do you get when you combine a Cricut, some fancy paper, a few scrapbooking embellishments and lace hem tape?

A perfect card for a lingerie bridal shower, that's what.

Lace hem tape may not work for real bras and panties, but it sure is a lifesaver for adding a little pizzaz to the paper variety. ;)

KS 3703 + 3561: The throw it on and go dress

noreply@blogger.com (amber) — Tue, 31 May 2011 05:05:00 +0000

The older I get, the more I love wearing dresses. Not only for work, but on the weekends as well. But, my big caveat is I like my dresses comfy, but still cute. For some reason, this seems to be difficult to find in stores. Yay for sewing! ;)

I loved the little racerback dresses I made last summer from KS 3703 so much and wore them to death. I wanted something for the fall/winter that had the same basic shape since it was so flattering for my pear-shaped hips, but that had a plain scoop neck and long sleeves so that I wouldn't freeze in my icebox of an office. Oh, and it had to look cute with boots. Quite the list, eh? I'd like to say that I used a bunch of fancy pattern skills to combine KS 3703 (the bodice) with KS 3561 (for the neckline and sleeves), but the truth is that I totally winged it and somehow wound up so very happy with the result.

The pattern pieces that I wound up with consisted of a fitted scoopneck dress with an a-line skirt and long sleeves. I knew that I wanted to make this out of relatively thin jersery knit fabrics, so I also added a full lining, using the dress pieces. Each shell was sewn together separately and then they were attached at the neckline, right sides together with clear elastic sewn in to provide stabilization. The sleeves were then added to the dress. I left the jersey lining unhemmed, but cut short enough to not show at the bottom and hemmed the sleeves/outside layer of the dress with a twin needle.

My inital test dress (which has since been packed away in the "Yeah, this isn't fitting until after baby" box) was a smidge too short and too tight. I mean, it fit, but it needed a little tweaking to be perfect. I adjusted my already crazy frankenpattern accordingly and cut out the next version in some Missoni look alike fabric that I grabbed from Michael Levine. I lined the dress in a nice, beefy bamboo jersey, which not only added warmth, but also smoothed everything out. It is also so comfortable against the skin - an extra bonus. Sure, I paid more for the lining fabric than the fashion fabric, but in my opinion, it was totally worth it.

To finish off the look, I made an infiniti scarf in some teal jersey using the instructions that came with the Hot Patterns Uptown/Downtown dress. After I finished this one in December, I have since worn it no less than a dozen times. I love the colors, I love the style and I especially love the fit. Oh, and the best part - almost 22 weeks pregnant and it still fits pretty well. Oh sure, it's getting shorter as the bump gets bigger, but it's nice that I'm still able to wear it since our weather is showing no signs of wanting to warm up any time soon.

And a comparison - the same dress at 10 weeks and 21 weeks

I finally got around to making another version of the dress in April out of this crazy loud floral sweater knit, also from Michael Levine.

I didn't realize just how much less stretch this fabric has compared to the teal dress though and really should have added a bit of room in the sleeves and the bust, since it's a bit more snug than I normally prefer. This was my Easter dress this year since it was so chilly and it still fit over the baby bump, so I guess the fit isn't awful. I'm guessing that (eventually) after baby it will be even better.

Simplicity 3503 again

noreply@blogger.com (amber) — Tue, 24 May 2011 17:16:00 +0000

And I should just warn you now, this isn't the last of the dress for the summer. The neckline and bodice is really flattering on my ever expanding chest and not having to tweak a pattern again and again is really useful when I feel like I only have limited sewing time.

I bought this really pretty Jones and New York group jersey fabric from Mood last year and just never got around to using it. I had originally planned to make a dress from it for this year's Easter dinner, but after finishing it and realizing the weather was all yucky, it came out for a friend's bridal shower the following weekend instead.

The dress went together super quickly. I made the midriff band a little tighter so it wouldn't just hang from the bodice (one thing that bugged me in the earlier version of this dress) and I cut the front of the skirt a tad longer and with a subtle curve to accomodate the bump.

Please excuse the fact that I look exhausted in this picture. It was taken after the party and well, I was exhausted. ;)

I learned, however, that I really, really dislike the way the skirt gathers in the front and back center not only accentuate the bump, but make me look way more pregnant than I actually am. :/ I don't need to look 32 weeks along when I was only 18 weeks or so. Ugh. By the time I realized this, it was way too late to change it.

I'm planning yet *another* version of this dress for a wedding we're attending in June. For that one, I am going to use the skirt pieces from the tunic I made last month since it's a more flattering shape on me. Third time is totally the charm, right? ;)

Kwik Sew 3611 - Mini Tunic Dress

noreply@blogger.com (amber) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 03:53:00 +0000

I've been trying to expand my wardrobe options a bit by making some of my warm weather pieces work for cooler days. I have a mini dress from Velvet (purchased a few years back at Anthropologie) that I love and wear often during the summer. Last week I decided to pair it with leggings, a long cardigan and tall boots and it was a perfect casual outfit for the office. Not only was it cute, but it was so incredibly comfortable, that I decided to make a few more for my closet.

Kwik Sew 3611 was a great base pattern as it already had the right general shape and the upper bodice section was perfect.

I took measurements from the Velvet dress and added a narrow midriff band to the bodice and re-drew the skirt pieces to more closely match the inspiration dress. Instead of the skirt pieces being just plain rectangles, they are now an a-line shape with some gentle shaping at the bottom.

I was able to eke out a wearable muslin using the leftover fabric from this DVF dress I made last year. I forgot how stretchy the fabric is, though, and the midriff band stretched out a bit more than I had planned. While the dress generally fits well, for the next version I will add about a half inch to the length of the upper bodice and will decrease the width of midriff band by about an inch.

All in all though, I really like it and it's great to have another tunic-type dress that will work with leggings and boots or flats. Even though this version is a bit looser than I had hoped, I figure that won't be such a problem in the next few months as my expanding belly fills in the extra space. ;)

Yup, we're expecting a new member of the family this fall! We're very excited and are still in a bit of disbelief that it's actually happening. After a couple of shopping trips this weekend where I started looking at maternity stuff, expect a lot more posts like this. I think I'll be making a lot of my clothing for the next few months - it'll not only be less expensive, but I think I'll have a higher likelihood of actually enjoying what I'm wearing that way, too. ;)

Simplicity 3503 - The silk jersey gown

noreply@blogger.com (amber) — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 03:38:00 +0000

Note to self - jersey dresses are totally the way to go for formal events with short sewing deadlines. The fitting is easier, the dresses are more comfortable (at least for me) and if you make it in something as luxe as silk jersey, the drape and movement is just beautiful. Needless to say, I was quite pleased with this gown. :)

After attaching the skirt to the muslin bodice, I realized I had actually mis-judged my size and needed to jump down one. Thankfully, re-tracing the pieces was quick and then it was a breeze to cut out the dress pieces from that beautiful silk jersey and sew it up. I did a self-lining for the upper bodice portion and then used a thick beefy rayon jersey to line the midriff band and the skirt. This made the dress feel nice and stable and provided an extra layer of warmth against the legs - especially nice since we had a real cold spell this weekend in Los Angeles. Aside from lining the skirt, I sewed the dress exactly per the pattern instructions. Such a wonderfully drafted pattern and one that I'm sure to revisit this summer.

My friend Rachael, that owns Charmed Beauty came up and did my hair and make-up. After putting in the time on a great dress, it was well worth it to splurge for professional hair and make-up to boot. She did a fabulous job and I felt so pretty and chic.

The event itself was lovely. The food was delicious, the decor delightful and the whole vibe of the event happy and uplifting. Shaun Robinson from Access Hollywood hosted the auction portion of the event and she was great. I always knew she was pretty, but in person, she is tiny and drop dead gorgeous. Wow.

The California Science Center does some amazing work for our community. The science outreach they do to kids of all ages, but especially minority and lower income students is really fantastic and much needed. As a science nerd myself, anything that fosters a love of science in children gets a huge kudos from me.

Here is one last picture from the night with my cutie pie husband Jim. Such a fun evening!

The downside to sewing

noreply@blogger.com (amber) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 16:51:00 +0000

So hi! I'm still here. Hope folks are still reading. Heh. I swear I'm in a post-holiday fit of lazy because unless it's working, hitting the gym or playing in the sewing room, I'm not doing too much. I have cute things to show from the sewing room, but my photographer (aka Jim) has been slammed at work and photoshoots have taken a back burner. Ah well, I'm sure I'll catch up eventually.

Anyways, back to the point of this post. We were fortunate enough to be invited to the California Science Center's Discovery Ball again this year. While I love the dress I made for last year's event, I wanted something new - both because that dress is now a little too big and with food being a huge focus this year, I really want a jersey gown so that I'm comfy from cocktail hour through dessert. ;)

While I've been toying around the sewing room here and there, I was kind of hoping that I could just cop out actually making a dress and just buy one. I had a little extra time before the gym one day and ran next door to Macys, one with a huge dress department. I found dresses that fell into one (or more) of the following categories:
a) OMG, that is ugly as sin!
b) Wait, they want HOW MUCH for that?!
c) Well, that'll only $200 of alterations, but I'm sure it will look fine afterwards

Le sigh. Needless to say, I left realizing I should really just suck it up and make something. Sure, it wouldn't be inexpensive, per se, but it would still be less money than a RTW dress, it would be simple, something that fit me well and that I would feel good in. And that is when I came to the conclusion that as many upsides as the world of sewing has, it pretty much completely removes ones ability to dash into a store and settle on any old garment. Because, unlike most shoppers, sewists actually have options and the make-it-yourself one is most often much better than the RTW one.

The next week I drove my still slightly frustrated self down to Mood and happily found my favorite gal working. She helped me select the fabrics for last year's silk number and has been great fun to work with on other more mundane shopping trips, as well. She listened to my initial thoughts, pretty much confirmed that I was on the right track and 30 minutes later, I marched out with a bag of lining fabric and interfacing and an order for 4 yards of a beautiful navy silk jersey. It's a nice alternative to black, but should look great with my bronze heels and bronze-gold jewelry.

This past weekend, since the fabric is still in route, I made a wearable muslin of the selected pattern - Simplicity 3503, view E.

Save for nipping it in a bit on the sides of the bodice, it fits beautifully right out of the envelope. Love that!! I just have to finish up the skirt on the wearable muslin and then I will have a dress I can wear to work and that will easily transition to spring with a change of shoes and accessories. This design is so well drafted and since it's fully lined, it just feels really good to wear. I am guessing I will be making several more of these this summer.

Now, I just need to get the real fabric, get it cut out and sewn up. Hopefully, by the end of the weekend, I'll have a finished dress and will be all ready for the ball. And yes, pictures of the final look are forthcoming. I'll actually have my photographer at the event, so it should make it easier to convince him to snap a pic. ;)

Holiday Wrap-up

noreply@blogger.com (amber) — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 18:20:00 +0000

So yeah, I kinda took a bit of a blogging break there, huh? After a crazy Fall, I tried to keep December as stress-free as possible and that basically meant that sewing and blogging got to take a backseat to all of the other holiday activities. While I may not have been sewing, I was spending enough time in the kitchen to more than make up for it.

This year, I spent a full 3 day weekend baking and making sweet treats for co-workers and other friends and family. The goodies were packed into individual boxes and delivered over several days. I think I made somewhere around 600+ white chocolate pretzels snacks, 5 dozen gingerbread snowflakes, 20 dozen cakeballs, 5 dozen gingerbread cakes and a tray of brownies. Yeah, it was nuts. Pictures from the kitchen madness:

Two weeks later, we had my mom and brother over for a small Christmas Eve dinner before we opened gifts and generally made merry. I grabbed the ham from Honey Baked Ham shop so I could focus on the sides - slow cooker gratin potatoes, creamed spinach, roasted carrots with dill and roasted asparagus. For dessert, homemade pumpkin pie.

Add to that a ton of beer, wine and other spirits and we had a great night.

The next morning, Jim and I were up super early to head off to his parent's house for Christmas breakfast and more gift opening. The breakfast spread is always yummy and expansive including pancakes, breakfast casserole, fruit, muffins, bacon, eggs and a variety of beverages. That afternoon, we had the rest of the extended family (including my mom and brother) over for a full Christmas dinner. The average group is 40+ folks and I'm always amazed that we're able to get everyone seated in the house. See?

I had been asked to make a couple of appetizers, so I made mini caprese bites and a gigantor cheeseball (thanks again Winnie!).

The cheeseball was the hit of the pre-dinner hour. That sucker was gobbled up and only a few dregs were left by the end of the night. Guess I'll file that one in the "tried and true" favorites box. ;) Another rollicking good time was had by everyone, but I was pretty much exhausted by the end of the weekend. It had been a looong month.

We were the definition of boring for NYE, hanging out at the house with a homemade dinner, a bottle of wine and the countdown on television. Even though it wasn't terribly exciting, it was just what we needed. We managed to catch up on some sleep and get the house all put back together before returning to work that Monday, so I'm calling it a win.

And now, here we are in 2011. Crazy! I'm not one for resolutions, but this feels like it's going to be a good year. I figure if it's anywhere close to as awesome as 2010 was, then I will be more than thrilled. I'm back in the sewing room, which I missed terribly and am happy to be back to a normal schedule. Hope the holidays treated everyone well and that 2011 is starting off on the right foot for ya!

Butterick 5397: Easy tunic dress

noreply@blogger.com (amber) — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 05:30:00 +0000

While it feels like all I've sewn this fall is baby clothes, I have managed to squeeze in a few things for me. I've tired to focus on softball projects that would go together quickly so I could get back to gift sewing. I'm in dire need of dresses for fall/winter, so this Fast & Easy tunic pattern was a no-brainer.

I had originally wanted to make it in a remnant of grey doubleknit in my stash, but there wasn't enough to make it work. Instead, I copied the pattern photos and used a deep red doubleknit - so original. Ha! The construction was a breeze though I did have to alter the pattern a bit to fit my pear-shaped body, cutting an XS on top and tapering to a M in the hips. I had added a few inches to the length, then cut off too much when I went to hem it, so it's a bit shorter than I would have like. Not a huge issue since it will always be worn with tights or leggings.

I wore it to work a few times this fall, but after picking up a classic leopard print scarf, it made a perfect Thanksgiving outfit. Comfy and cute - my kind of holiday dress!

Baby Clothes Bonanza for Blondie's little girl

noreply@blogger.com (amber) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 02:07:00 +0000

Much like I did for Vino, I stitched up a bunch of clothes for Blondie's little princess. Even though I love pink, I specifically shied away from sewing pink clothes for her figuring that she would get more pink stuff than she knew what to do with at the shower. Let's just say I wasn't incorrect in my assumption. ;)

First up, my favorite baby gift of late - a minky blanket and coordinating Bedtime Story Pajamas from Oliver + S. I fell in love with this ladybug minky fabric last year and bought a ton of it for my stash. It was nice to use some of it for my bff.

I chose a coordinating red and black quilting cotton for the pajamas. While I thought it might have been too loud at first, it got rave reviews from my co-workers, and Blondie liked them as well.

Blondie and Chaz are huge Chargers fans and I thought it was only right that their little girl have an appropriate outfit to wear to help cheer on the team next year. I've made Butterick 3782 before and I still think it's a winner. This particular version was made from a mid-weight white stretch denim and Chargers quilting cotton. I cut everything on single layer to get the patterns situated just so, although I miscalculated a bit on the back. Oh well, at least I made sure to get the logo right on the booty of the diaper cover. ;) Blondie reported back that this was Chaz's favorite gift. I can't imagine why....

Lastly, I wanted to make a quintessential summer dress for the little gal. I stumbled across Heather Ross Mendocino Swim Class fabric in Pacific and absolutely fell in love with it. It screamed summer, but also felt chic and not too childish. The problem, of course, is that this fabric is now discontinued and only sold on the secondary market. Hmph. I really tried to find something else, but I kept coming back to the Swim Class fabric. I finally just bit the bullet and ordered 2 yards from an Etsy seller - one for this dress and one for my stash. Hey, if I was going to go to all the trouble to get this fabric, I wanted some for me, too.

Can I just tell you that not only is this print adorable in person, but the fabric itself is amazing. It's a beautiful crisp cotton with a slightly brushed feel. Even after a tumble in the washer and dryer, it maintained it's character. I really wish I had been sewing when this line was first released. I think I would have bought the entire line, no joke.

Anyways... the dress. I knew I wanted a classic sundress - round neck, sleeveless, big gathered skirt - and ultimately settled on Simplicity 3854. When I first cut out and sewed up the skirt portion, I really thought I had made a mistake. I could have worn the thing as a (very short!) skirt, it was that wide around. However, once I started the gathering and got it attached to the bodice, I fell in love. LOVE! You guys, I think this might be my favorite thing I've sewn to date. Like, I've already warned Blondie that if we ever have a daughter, I totally want to borrow this back from her. I made sure to finish everything with french seams or bias tape so there isn't a raw seam to be found. I really love the juxtaposition of the formal dress shape with the casual quirky cotton fabric. The deep machine hem on the skirt also adds to the balance. This really feels like something that would be sold in a baby boutique, so I was pretty much thrilled to be able to give it as a gift.

One last touch was adding a baby bolero (from the same pattern) in aqua cotton. I think a bit of piping might have dressed it up, but I was very under the gun, so self-bias tape had to do.

Not clothing and I had to break my "no pink" rule here, but I did make her a set of flannel-backed burp clothes. I knew that the nursery was pink and brown and thought she might appreciate that at least one thing that I made matched her theme. Again, this is becoming a favorite baby gift item - easy to make, useful and super cute!

So, it is a damn good thing we had Blondie's shower when we did. The following Saturday morning, at 36 weeks, her water broke and by lunch that day, she was cradling her daughter MJ in her arms. :) I was able to go and see her after Thanksgiving and OMG, she is so teeny tiny and absolutely precious. Blondie and Chaz are smitten and I can see why. Blondie is a trooper and we still made it out for a bit of Black Friday shopping with Sporty where she was able to get a bag of tiny little clothes for MJ. Needless to say, they didn't have a whole lot of newborn stuff on hand so now she is all set for winter. I figure it's only a few years before Blondie's daughter will start to join us on our crazy after-Thanksgiving shopping excursions. Puts a smile on my face just thinking about it. :)

It's a baby shower for Blondie!

noreply@blogger.com (amber) — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 20:08:00 +0000

Last weekend was the second of two baby showers that I've helped to plan this fall. This one, a Beatrix Potter Tea Party for Blondie, who is due with her first baby, a little girl, in December. I've been working with Blondie's sister, Sporty, throughout the fall to get things coordinated for the shower. While this one was a bit more stressful to get together and resulted in little sleep for Sporty and I, it was still a great event.

I headed down to San Diego after rehearsal on Friday and found Dressing Queen and Sporty hard at work on the food prep. Thank God for Dressing Queen - she generously volunteered to help with the food at the end of Vino's shower and we quickly took her up on the offer. While Sporty and I had a good outline of what we wanted to do, it was great to have Dressing Queen offer her expertise and to clean up the final menu. I love to cook and all, but things have been so crazy this fall that it was a blessing to have someone else really pulling the food stuff together.

After a yummy dinner from Sporty's mom, we got down to business putting together the favors and tissue poms. Oh, the tissue poms. Yes, they're adorable and in the end, I'm so happy we used them, but oh my. They took for-ev-er to assemble. We we're punchy by the end and it looked like the kitchen table had exploded with tissue paper balls. Heh.

The next morning we were up super early to get everything ready. Vino, Dressing Queen and their mom Crafty joined us as well and between the 6 women (including Sporty's mom) and the two guys we recruited for brawn, it all came together right as the first guests were arriving. Nothing like cutting it close. ;)

Sporty's mom has several sets of beautiful china that she has collected over the years. She happily let us use them for the shower. Each table was set with a different pattern and I think that they fit the theme beautifully.

Hard at work in the kitchen!

Appetizer Table

We also had a full spread for lunch - 2 tea sandwiches, chicken salad in cucumber cups, spinach salad, but I completely neglected to take pictures of it. Oops. :/

Dessert was mini NY-style cheesecakes with strawberries and pumpkin spice cheesecakes.

The happy grandmas-to-be

Games and gifts

Group Pics

It was a such a fun afternoon and I think Blondie had a great time. Blondie, I'm so excited for you and can't wait to meet your little girl in just a few weeks. :)

--------------
Our group has now planned almost a dozen parties together for one another - baby showers, bridal showers, birthday parties, etc. The moms always joke that we should just go into business together already. We all just laugh it off, but I think that after planning these two showers practically back to back, it was a thought that seriously crossed my mind. Realistically, we all just live too far apart to ever consider it for real, but I've never met a group of women who are able to plan events so efficiently and without any drama. We all just seem to feed off of one another's ideas and visions and the events develop and grow in ways that always appear to be more than the sum of their parts. Sure, we all put in a ton of work to make the parties beautiful and special, but it's always more fun than it should be and I look back after all of the hard work and am so happy with the final product. I love these girls so much and am so happy to consider them all friends and partners in crime. It'll be nice to have a bit of a break, but let's get back on the party bandwagon soon ladies. Anyone up for starting to think about 1st birthday party themes for the wee ones? ;)

Ramble, Ramble

noreply@blogger.com (amber) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 16:50:00 +0000

Life is hectic this week. Well, technically, it's been hectic for several weeks and it's going to continue to be nutty until November 21st, but this week is particularly bad. Rehearsals and baby shower prep and mother-in-law's birthday all falling right at the same time. I'm pretty surprised that I've been able to keep it all together so far, but my head is just a jumbled mess of thoughts and to-do lists. For example:

* I'm like the queen of flat tires recently. I'll take full responsibility for one of them, but I've had like 5 or 6 this past year and the rest were so not my fault. Another one this week in the middle of everything else that's going on about set me over the edge. Thankfully, the lovely techs at the dealership got everything fixed quickly and free of charge, right before I lost my mind.

* Love that the holidays are upon us, but don't have much brain space to enjoy the season just yet. Soon though. I'm already planning what goodies I want to bake/assemble later this month. The list is long. Like that's a shock to anyone.

* Starbucks red cups are back!!! YAYAYAYAY!!!!!

* I'm knee-deep in rehearsals (more on that later this month) and while it's a lot of extra time and stress on the body, I'm loving it. I love the people that are on the team, I love the work that we're doing and I love being reminded of my high school days where practices and rehearsals were a common occurence. Even the small act of pulling out my old beater dance bag has put a smile on my face. I think we're all feeling a bit worn out at this point, but I'm making sure that I sit back and really soak it all in and enjoy the process right now. I know that once it's over and it's back to "normal" life, I'm going to miss it so very much.

* Since I don't have time to go to a spa right now, but could really use a little extra zen in my life, I picked up some lavendar bath gel and lotion. Wish I had bought it weeks ago. Perfect way to unwind after a long, long day. Hot shower, lavendar bath stuff, comfy clothes - yup, perfection.

* Putting the finishing touches on the gifts for Blondie's baby shower and I've absolutely fallen head over heels in love with one of the dresses I made for her. Like, if we ever have kids, I'm totally asking her to borrow it. How sad is that?! It's just a perfect marriage of pattern, fabric and finishing techniques that add up to one kickass dress. Pictures soon. Once the shower is done though, I'm taking a couple of weeks to just sew for me. Me me me me me. ME. And the projects that I'm wanting to tackle first are somewhat boring, but that's okay. At least they'll be for me. ;)

* I really need more hours in the day. Even just one or two would be fabulous. I'm guessing that I'm not the only one that feels this way.

* Haven't had a real conversation with Jim since sometime last week. Why, you ask? He's away at his first real trial and has been just as stressed and over-run with work as me. At least I've been getting 5ish hours of sleep a night compared to his 2-3 hours. Eeek! He's home this afternoon just in time for his mom's birthday dinner. I miss him, but at the same time, it's probably good that both of our hectic weeks happened at the same time. At least I know I'll see him tonight and at Thanksgiving. Heh.

Okay, well after that brain dump I feel better. And now, back to the never-ending to-do list. Wheeee!

Call for help re: Burda Back Issue

noreply@blogger.com (amber) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 23:18:00 +0000

Hey fellow sewists, thought I'd put this out to you guys and see if anyone could help me out. I would really like to get ahold of the wrap top pattern from Burda January 2008, style 116. I've searched ebay, etsy and have an email to GLPnews, but so far, no luck. If anyone has a back issue that they are hoping to sell OR if anyone would be willing to trace the pattern and send it to me (with instructions, as poor as they are), I would be more than happy to pay for your time/trouble/postage or arrange some sort of a swap. Your call. :)

And why, might you ask, am I so determined to get ahold of this particular pattern? I stumbled upon two missoni-inspired sweater knits today at lunch and one of them is just begging to become a fitted little wrap sweater. Begging.

Anyways, any help you could provide here is much appreciated. Thanks all!

Self-Stitched September: Days 7-16, The Hawaii Edition

noreply@blogger.com (amber) — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 03:00:00 +0000

Okay, I know this is soooo after the fact, but I made a point to take the pictures, so I want to post them. :)

Day 7: Burda Navy Floral A-line Skirt

I specifically bought this fabric with Hawaii in mind and it was fun to actually get to wear it on vacation.

Day 8: Kwik Sew Frankenpattern Blue Knit Dress

Comfy little tank dress that was perfect for the hot and humid evening. You'll notice a real lack of accessories (but the same two pairs of shoes) in these outfits - it was just too hot to wear more than the bare minimum of clothing. Heh.

Day 9: Kwik Sew Multi-color Racerback Knit dress

Here is one of the dresses that I was raving about before I left for vacation. Love it so much! I would have been content to wear a version of this dress every day in Hawaii, but that would have gotten a little boring, I guess.

Day 10: DVF Tank Dress (aka The Anniversary Dress)

Happy 5 Year Anniversary to us! This is another version of the DVF tank dress I made earlier this year. This one was made specifically for our anniversary dinner with the notion that it would also be a great work dress - one that would work in warm or cool temps.

Day 11: Kwik Sew Multi-color Racerback Knit dress

See, told you I love this dress. ;) As a side note, I don't know what my hair and face were doing. Ugh.

Day 12: Kwik Sew Striped Racerback Dress

Perfect casual dress for lunch at Mama's Fish House, the same beach where we got engaged 6 years ago. :)

Day 13: Burda Goldfish Mini Skirt

The crazy skirt in action. I still maintain that it's a ridiculous garment, but I love it. It was really comfortable to wear and I'd happily make it again in another print.

Day 14: Burda Mardras A-line Skirt

I've worn this skirt to death this summer and it was a nice easy piece to bring with me on vacation. I'm just kicking myself that I didn't get more of this fabric in a different color - it's really perfect for miserably hot summer days.

Day 15: Kwik Sew Striped Racerback Dress
Oops! Forgot to take a picture that night. Just see Day 12.

Day 16: McCall's Cream Scoop Neck Tank

My super comfy travel outfit - Lululemon Define Jacket, Still Pants, and a self-stitched tank. Made the 6 hour flight a little easier.

Baby Clothes Bonanza for Vino's little boy

noreply@blogger.com (amber) — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 03:17:00 +0000

When I first found out that Vino was pregnant, I was thrilled for her and then immediately started thinking about what I wanted to make for the little one. I was convinced she was having a girl, so when I was proved wrong, my plan had to quickly change. Now, I freely admit that I might have gone a little overboard here, but really, she is my bff and it's her first baby. I think I'm more than entitled to have gone a bit nutty in the sewing department. ;)

I wound up using exclusively Oliver + S patterns for this project - one tried and true favorite and two new ones. As always, I can't rave enough about the fabulous instructions and wonderfully drafted patterns from this company. They really do help to make sewing little tiny clothes such a joy.

First up, an oldie but a goodie, Bedtime Story Pajamas in a giraffe print knit. This pattern calls for woven fabrics, but I found that it worked equally as well with a nice stable knit. I really love this print - it's sort of whimsical, which is hard to find in printed fabrics for little boys. To go with the pajamas, a coordinating minky blanket in greens and brown.

For the other two outfits, I wanted to use some fun printed woven fabric. I was kind of stuck on what to sew that would make good use of the fabric, but also still be somewhat comfortable for a baby to wear. I ultimately settled on making two short-sleeved Sketchbook Shirts - one in a UCLA quilting cotton and the other in a Kokka midweight frog printed linen.

Folks, this was my first time making a button down shirt with a collar and they couldn't have gone together any smoother. For the UCLA shirt, I finished all of the raw edges in bias tape (I know, I know, it's baby clothes, but I still wanted this stuff to look as nice as possible). After sewing the first shirt, I realized that french seams would work just fine, and only had to use bias tape for the armsyce seam in the frog shirt.

I made two coordinating bottoms for the shirts. First, a pair of Sketchbook Shorts in brown linen. I love the flat front waistband with the elastic back - such a fun detail for such a tiny pair of shorts. The fly front is faux, but looks pretty convincing with the button sewn on the waist. Again, I finished the seams with bias tape. [Btw, I fully blame my obsession with bias tape on Amanda S. Don't know whether to thank her or curse her. ;)]

The other coordinating bottom was a pair of Sandbox Pants in a dark khaki stretch cotton. I originally wanted to make the waistband in the UCLA cotton, but switched a more neutral print at the last minute so they would work with the frog shirt, too. I took a cue from Night Knitter and cut the pockets on the cross-grain. My fabric is so fine-waled that the effect isn't as obvious as it was on her son's pants, but I still think it's a cute look. And yeah, there's more bias tape, too.

I contemplated making t-shirts to match each ensemble. Then, I regained my sanity. Heh. American Apparel had some great basic options and I took advantage of them - a kelly green tank to pair with the frog print and a grey long-sleeved lap tee for the UCLA shirt. A box of Trumpette Johnny socks completed the outfits.

Lastly, the night before I headed down to San Diego I remembered that I wanted to make Vino a set of homemade burp cloths using the good 'ol Gerber cloth diapers. Thank goodness there is a Joann's a whooping 10 minutes from my house. I swung by, bought some coordinating flannel prints and whipped up a set of three burp cloths using this excellent tutorial. For a totally last minute project, I was so incredibly pleased at how these turned out.

So, now ya'll see what I've been working on for the past few weeks. This weekend I'm working on a couple of simple fall knit dresses for me and then it's back to baby clothes - Blondie's daughter needs a box of goodies, too. :)

It's a Baby Shower for Vino!

noreply@blogger.com (amber) — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 02:55:00 +0000

Last weekend found me trekking down to San Diego, my home away from home, to help throw a baby shower for Vino. As a recap, Vino is pregnant with her first baby, a boy, in December. Blondie, our other bff, is also pregnant with her first baby, a girl, in December. Due dates are only 4 days apart. Mmmm hmmm. Needless to say, we're not relying on either one to do too much to host the other's shower since they're busy cooking a baby and all. Trying to work on both showers at the same time has kept me pretty busy this fall, to say the least. :)

I had been working with Vino's mom and sister for the past several weeks to get everything ready and I can happily say that the day was such a success. Our theme for the shower was Dr. Seuss, inspired by similar showers thrown here and here. While I was the one that first suggested the idea, this was such a group effort - Crafty and Dressing Queen really took the theme and ran with it and between the three of us, the creativity was really flowing. Blondie also helped us last weekend, but since she is, you know, cooking a baby and everything, we thought we'd let her take it easy for the shower planning this time around. ;)

The original idea was to have the party outside, but the rain made that impossible. Instead, we moved the set-up inside and dare I say, I think the cozy atmosphere help to concentrate the decor, which made a much bigger impact.

The Cat in the Hat greeted everyone at the door. Love him so much!

The main dining area. Paper lanterns hung from the ceiling while gerbera daisies, Dr. Seuss books and plush toys decorated the tables.

We "disassembled" a couple of Dr. Seuss books to make banners that hung around the house. Blondie did a great job stringing everything together and it was a simple way to add some color to the party.

The large diningroom table featured more plush characters and books. The fish in the bowl about killed me. He was just too cute!

For the favors, Dressing Queen and I made mini Cat in the Hat "hats" from marshmallows, white chocolate and mini gluten free cookies. While they turned out so super cute, they took HOURS to make. Maybe not one of my best ideas. Heh.

In the food department, Dressing Queen pretty much killed it. She put together a lovely lunch spread that included a selection of chilled dishes, including "green eggs and ham", of course. Made the morning food prep so much easier and the final products were just delicious! There was lots of going back for seconds and thirds - always a good thing. Instead of boring menu cards, Crafty made the cutest menu sign I've ever seen! I want one of these at every event I host!

This was easily one of the most relaxed and laid back events I've ever had the pleasure of helping to host. No super late night doing last minute tasks or running around super stressed out before the guests arrived. It was just so nice and mellow. Most important, it seemed that Vino had a great time, which is really all that matters. I'd say we are some very happy ladies, don't you think?

Congratulations again Vino! I can't wait to meet the little man later this year. :)

Maybe I should just stick to paper books

noreply@blogger.com (amber) — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 20:53:00 +0000

So, vacation. As you can see from the previous post, we had a lovely time. And as I mentioned, I spent a lot of it reading. I'm usually not one to read much on my stomach because I can't get comfortable propping myself up and still having to hold a book open and turn the pages. However, the Nook changed all of that. I could stay propped up on my elbows for long stretches and just use my thumb to advance the pages. Fantastic, right? Did I mention that I read over 1500 pages on vacation? That's a heck of a lot of page advances, let me tell ya. Yeah, well, this all came back to bite me on my tush when we finally got home. Le sigh.

I jumped back into my regular routine, including my gym stuff, the day we got home. Felt fantastic! But a few days later, I started to notice my right shoulder was a bit sore. Saw the physical therapist at my gym who thought it was muscular in nature - that my pectoralis muscle was tight, which was pulling the shoulder and neck muscles a bit out of line. Okay. The next day my hand went a little numb. Didn't think too much of it, but my favorite soft tissue therpist thought my forearm was a little tight, too and worked out the knots while he worked on my back. I was good that weekend, but Monday at work, I could barely think straight because my entire right arm was numb and tingly with no signs that it was going away. Yeah, not good.

To make a very long and convoluted story short, it seems as though all that time spent propped up on my elbows, using my thumb to page advance* totally threw my neck/back/shoulder into a frenzy and left me so knotted up that I managed to pinch a nerve somewhere in my neck/upper back area. At least, that's the best guess. I've been cleared by an orthopedist that it's not a shoulder issue and that I haven't lost any strength in my right arm in the almost two weeks that it's been numb. He did leave me with a referral to a spine guy, but with the caveat that he didn't think it was anything serious and to see him only if it's not better with a steady diet of anti-inflammatories and muscle release work in two weeks. Hence, I have a chiropractor** who is slowly getting my neck and back into alignment again and that seems to be taking some of the pressure off whatever was being compressed. Added to this, my soft tissue therapist is slowly working through the amazing collection of knots that I've amassed in my neck, back and right arm. So generally speaking, I'm kind of a hot, needy mess right now.

The one bright side is that I've still been able to keep up with my cardio routine. Everyone that I've seen for this little annoyance is in agreement that since I'm not having any pain, the activity is a good thing and that keeping the arm and shoulder moving is beneficial. Hallelujah! The numbness does seem to slowly be retreating, although at much more of a snail's pace than I'd like. I'm hopeful that I've turned a corner and that I'm slowly getting back to normal.

So, I guess the moral of this story is to stop laying on my stomach to read while on vacation and refrain from using my thumb to advance the page. Duly noted universe. Now, can I get the feeling back in my arm, pretty please?

* There is actually a way to advance the page without pressing the button, but I didn't discover it until our flight home. Oops! Needless to say, I've been using that method ever since.

**I know chiropractors can be controversial, but I've been going on and off for years and they've really helped me when I've had neck and back troubles.

Our Big Hawaii Vacation - The Short Version

noreply@blogger.com (amber) — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 22:14:00 +0000

After having to reschedule this trip 3 different times due to Jim's work obligations, we finally made it to Kauai and Maui just after Labor Day. We absolutely adore Hawaii and some major milestones in our relationship have happened here - namely our first big trip together when we were still dating and then getting engaged on Maui a few years later. Since we've been so many times, we tend to shy away from hitting all of the major tourist spots and instead we try to just relax and enjoy the time together.

We visit the local beaches and enjoy the sun, sand and ocean.

When we get tired of laying on the sand, we head back to the resort pools and take advantage of the comfy lounge chairs.

In general, Jim tends to favor catnaps, while I prefer to read as much as humanly possible.

We get a little crazy and have impromptu photoshoots. Sometimes, they're even without the other person knowing they're the featured subject.

All that laying around and reading makes us hungry. And goodness knows there is no shortage of delicious food in Hawaii.

We time our dinner reservations to ensure that we have a great view for the amazing sunsets.

We usually celebrate an anniversary or birthday. This year, it was our 5 year anniversary and we spent it at Spago. So yummy - both the food and the views.

There isn't a ton of nightlift in Maui or Kauai, so we take advantage of the lanai and have after dinner drinks under the stars.

As you can see, it was a rough trip. ;) Needless to say, we had a lot of fun and it was great to get away from everything for a bit. I only hope we can make it back again very soon.

Peak 10 peaks again (and see me chat about the program!)

noreply@blogger.com (amber) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 20:28:00 +0000

So, we're back from paradise. We had a fabulous time! Heck, I even have some pictures to share. However, real life slapped me in the face pretty much as soon as we landed, so I'll get around to posting a real Hawaii update this weekend. Oh, and a Self-Stitched September update, too. In the meantime, want to hear about one of the things that made coming home a bit easier? Sure you do! ;)

Peak 10, round 3 officially started while we were on vacation, but I joined the group last Friday. Almost all of my favorite gym friends are doing this round, which is really exciting. Even my brother is joining me this time - Suh-weet! He has been slowly working out with me more and more until it became apparent that he needed to just get a membership already and that led to him joining the Peak 10 group as well.

The workouts are proving to be just as tough and fun as the first two rounds. Although, can I just say that taking a full two weeks off means that those few classes back in the game are just brutal. Like, haven't felt this beat up in months, brutal. I think by this weekend my body will start to feel normal again, at least, I sure hope so!

While round 3 was getting off the ground, the first two DVDs were officially released and are now available for purchase! If you'd like to play along at home, why don't you pick them up and join me, eh? Either way, you should check out the website. There are previews of both videos (you can see me jumping around in the Cardio Intervals preview) and if you'd like to hear what I think about the program and my results take a look at the behind the scenes video. ;)

Our core group of Peak 10 folks are all doing this round and I'd say that we're all pretty dang motivated to just kill it this season. I've got some pretty lofty goals for the next 8 weeks, but I'm so excited to try and reach them. Bring on the crazy!!

5 Years later

noreply@blogger.com (amber) — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 14:00:00 +0000

and I'm still having as much fun with you today as I did on our wedding day.

I love you Jim and am looking forward to many more years together.

Burda 06-2010-133: Bright and Fishy

noreply@blogger.com (amber) — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:00:00 +0000

I really like wearing bright colors and prints when we're in Hawaii. Something about the ocean and the beautiful flowers and plants makes me want to drape myself in turquoise, pink, blue and any other bright shade I can find. So, when I saw this teal golfish print from Patty Young, I had to have it and earmarked it for a mini-skirt.

I loved the Take 1, Make 4 skirt section in Burda's June issue and since I'm trying to branch out from using McCall's 3830 over and over, I tried skirt 133, just a basic mini. I left out the pockets thinking I didn't need any extra stuff around my hips. I'm glad I did as I had to alter the hip curve a bit after cutting it out and the pockets would have just complicated matters.

I like that the straight size 40 sits below my belly button (M3830 sits higher on my waist), but still fits well through the hips. I used french seams on the sides, hem tape and bias tape on the remaining raw edges. After fixing the hip curve, this one is being added alongside M3830 as a TNT pattern!

I freely admit that this skirt is what some of you would call a "craft project." I mean, really, bright quilting cotton with huge goldfish on it is about as far from elegant and sophisticated as you can get. And yet, I kind of love it. It's so wacky and ridiculous that I can't help but smile when I look at it. I'm pretty excited to bust it out on our vacation while enjoying a tropical drink, watching the sunset. I asked Jim what he really thought of it and he swears he likes it. I figure even if everyone else thinks I'm nuts for wearing it, at least the cutie that I'm with is a-okay with it! ;)