things i like

im too lazy to bring the camera out, so i took a couple of gritty mac photos instead. these are some things i especially like this week, all of which are total essentials to get me through this week.

this is one of the sweet ass presents brought home from europe thanks to my big sis and her hubby. after spotting my blog post where i mourn my lack of nutella and go, they so graciously brought one back for me so i no longer have to live in agony. the day i open this will be a very special day. crunchy wafer stick things, a pocket of nutella, and a little sip of orange tea (which i heard isnt so tasty, but ill give it a shot). nom nom nom.

foreign fashion mags hooray! more loot from my sister/bro in law's european adventure. foreign mags without that pesky hiked up american price tag. i may not be able to read the magazines, but the pictures are 110% better than most of the u.s. magazines. my sis also got me some really pretty earrings that are dark purple with gold flecks, but when i tried to take a picture of them they weren't showing up how i wanted, but i wore them today and was loving their glam status.

i'm typically not a huge drugstore lipstick fan, but i was testing some out at target and i picked up 2 that seemed pretty promising. they're both reds, which is kind of ridiculous considering i already have 4,5, maybe 6 reds already, but they're completely different shades! i can't remember the other one i bought since it's over in my bag and i'm totally lazy right now, but this one is very cherry by maybelline and it surprised me but in a good way. it took a couple of swipes to get it totally opaque, but i've worn it all day and it's lasted really well and it's way more moisturizing than my nars lipstick, but not too slippery like my ysl tends to be. overall it gets a thumbs up. as for the shade, it's a nice bright red with just a tinge of a deep pinkish cherry, very pretty!

an attempt to show the color better. i was trying to hold my hair back cause it was doing a crazy spiky thing. red lip tip! pink blush does not look nice with red lips. ICK.

t-shirt loot! i've got myself a brand spanking new dj mike rizzy t-shirt which i'm totally excited about. GET IN THE KNOW, http://deejaymikerizzy.podbean.com/. sweet jams, simply good music.

give richmond the byrd! get it? support the byrd theatre, buy these sassy new shirts we just ordered up, come watch a movie, eat some popcorn, hear the organ, give us money!

as for the weekend, i'll be eating till i'm comatose at a chinese buffet for the bf's birthday, watching sex and the city 2 at the byrd, and doing some reasonable paycheck damage. also, i'll be adding my big sis to the blog so she can update her learning-to-sew adventures! sweet!

Built By Melinda

I decided to take a shot at this Built by You pattern (well, a fusion of the 2 styles) after seeing this beautiful blouse by Nadinoo, though my attempt at fabric covered buttons was a humiliating failure. In the end, I tore the fabric off and left the buttons to shine in all their shameless, silver glory. Hussies.

On the upside, this project reconciled me with the button hole function on my sewing machine. I'm sorry I ever said one bitchy word against you, my dear, dear friend!

Camera Face

The simplicity of the pattern seemed to complement the busy-ness of the fabric, so I had to give it a whirl. Probably the funnest sewing project ever. I actually woke up early today and was about to go back to bed for a little more shut-eye but the desire to sew the armhole binding was strong enough to rouse me to awakedom.

with belt

without belt

Hot Pants!

How do I relax on a Friday night? By staying in and listening to On Point while sewing a flamboyant pair of high-waisted shorts.
And for a Saturday night--after a day of farmers' market-ing, wine tasting, and stuffing my face full of sweets--I think Lowboy and a cup of tea would be just right. Good night!

Fresh Prints

Last week, after rediscovering old fabrics I had collected after several trips to the Philippines, I decided to hunker down and churn out a dress. I used an old pattern from the seventies but modified it to make it a little bit more modern (thinner straps, shorter skirt without a ruffled hem, and simple band trim on the bodice rather than a cuff). Also, ignore my curled silver toes; getting my picture taken always make me nervous and that's just one form of fidgeting for me.
Now that I have the first garment of the summer out of the way, I hope to take the pattern below...
...and the (badly ironed) fabrics below and make something fun. I foresee a summer sewing mixtape being created in my very near future. Anyway, most of these fabrics only came in small quantities of 1 or 1 and a half yards, so I'll have to use them sparingly.