Tuesday, June 30, 2009

purple flower maxi

I saw this really pretty maxi dress in a local eco-clothing store.
very pretty flower printed fabric.
I really wanted it, but it was a bit more than I am generally willing to spend on a piece of clothes.

I thought the design was simple enough that I could make it!
so I went fabric hunting.

there was nothing really catching my eyes in the fabric store.
but I thought I'd give it a try with this purple flower fabric anyway...

interestingly enough, as soon as I started working on the dress,
I did not follow her how-to since I already started making it with Burdastyle Tara pattern
(I just LOVE how quick and easy Tara is!),
but it was a great reference.
thank you Chie :)


I am happy with how it came out.
but I'm not sure if I will keep it for myself
or list on my Etsy shop and keep looking for a perfect fabric for it...

Monday, June 29, 2009

open back dresses

I have been daydreaming about open back dresses for a while now.
and I personally find it much sexier to show off your back than showing the cleavage.

I am in love with this dress marryy created.



and I remember I really liked the dress Hilary Swank was wearing
in the movie, p.s. I love you(love this movie!) in the funeral scene,
which had a beautiful open back line.
image: webwombat
I couldn't find any pics of the back shot :(
does anyone have a good pic of the back of the dress?

my weekend

my weekend flew by really quickly...
B, my husband, gets three day weekend, Fri, Sat & Sunday, because he works longer hours each day.
it is really nice having three day weekend.
Friday is usually our running errands day - grocery shopping for the week.
then Saturday and Sunday is chill out and play day.


I bought these vintage lace from a local vintage/antique store on Friday.
they were $1 each - score :)

Saturday, I made little L a strawberry custard tart from scratch for her half birthday.
of course, little L didn't get to eat it.
it is too early for her.
she has just started eating a little bit of solid food a few weeks a go.
instead I and B enjoyed it :)
B forgot to take the crust out of the oven while I and little L were having a bath,
so it was a bit over baked...
but it was still quite tasty!

Yesterday, we went to help our friends move.
I carried little L in Ergo Baby on my back, and moved boxes to a truck.
they had a lot of stuff!



*****************************************************************************************************************
I decided to extend the giveaway until Friday the 3rd(till the midnight Pacific time) !
and if you like it in a different size, please mention it too :)
*****************************************************************************************************************

Saturday, June 27, 2009

6 months old


Happy Half Birthday, little L :)
I love you so much.
and am so lucky to have you in my life.
she is a few days old in this photo.

Friday, June 26, 2009

little L's 6 month BD giveaway

today is the big day we all have been waiting for!
yes, it is finally here!

little L's six month birthday
GiveAway

tommorow, June 27th, is my little L's 6 month birthday :)
I can't believe it's been six months since we've welcomed this precious little girl to our lives!
time flies...

I have chosen this little love ring for the giveaway.
I have one made with goldfill.
it is in size 4.
if you don't know your size, please refer to this.


here is how it works:
and paste a link of one of your favourite items with your comment.
2) visit my print Etsy store,
and paste a link of one of your favorite prints with your comment.

so, that means you can enter twice :)!

***************************************************************************
all the comments must be posted by July 3rd, Fri, at 11:59pm (Paciffic Time).
be sure to leave your e-mail address!
(if you'd like it in a different size, mention the size too)
one winner will be chosen at random Saturday the 4th.
***************************************************************************


GOOD LUCK, EVERYONE :) :) :)





Thursday, June 25, 2009

Etsy - print updates #2

okay,
I've uploaded the rest of the prints to my print Etsy shop!
I have a few more random prints laying around,
but it's not worth uploading on Etsy.
so that's all I have currently.

since we moved to Vancouver Island from Oregon,
I have not been able to print
because I need an entire facility
- printing press, inks, drying racks, acid tank, pallets,,, to name a few,
oh and the space!

I was very fortunate to be able to print in one of a few totally non-toxic printmaking labs in the world.
traditional printmaking techniques can be very toxic,
and so many printmakers died from rare types of cancer...
I think now it is moving more towards to the non-toxic techniques, though,
which is a wonderful thing!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

gigantic strawberry

we got a big container of organic strawberries the other day.
and one of them was particularly BIG!
I mean it was HUGE!!
I gave it to my little L.
she was really digging it :)


and today,,,
I did a quick sewing/crafting project.
I made little L a couple headbands.
they were very easy.
basically just a strip of lace and elastic band sewn together.
I put one of the leftover fake flowers (from this project)
on one of them after removed all the plastic pieces in between petals,
then put a bead in the middle.



I thought she might hate wearing them,
but she didn't mind them at all :)






Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Burda Mode Magazine 07/2009

I had been really excited about this news for ages!

I got an offer to be featured in Burda Mode Magazine two or so months ago.
so, I sent an e-mail back with original photos and such.

I almost forgot about it until recently.
and, I got a bit nervous because I had not heard from them since then.
I thought it might have been a scam!

I guess it takes a while editing to publish things.
well, I knew that,,,
but couldn't stop thinking of bad scenarios.


anyhow, it was all real!
and I received an e-mail with the PDF file of where I was featured :)


of course, it is all in German,
which I don't even understand a single word... :(
so, I went online and used a free translator thing.
but it didn't quite make sense...

does anyone out there understand German?
and could you please translate it for me :)??

Alice in Wonderland - Tim Burton

oh,
this is going to be
pretty awesome!!!


brown rice pudding

we got 2 litters of organic milk from our landlord.
they said they got too much milk and they are expiring very soon.
we were not sure what to do with it.
we generally don't drink much milk at home.
I was thinking of making custard pudding,
but we didn't have many eggs left to use up the milk.
so, my husband B came up with an idea of making rice pudding.
well, we didn't have much white rice left,
so we used brown rice!

we checked a few recipes online,
but didn't really follow any of it.
B made it up as he was making,
and it turned out really good :)
it just had to be cooked longer
- for a few hours -
so that the rice is soft and gooey.

now we ended up with a big pot-full of brown rice pudding...
we'll be eating it for the next few days for breakfast and afternoon snack :P

Monday, June 22, 2009

colorful rain drops


I made this dress actually before the 'sailor's' dress.
I used this fabric I got in Japan.

I used Burda Style Tara pattern,
but now I am regretting a bit about the dress...
I saw a cute maxi dress in a local shop,
and I thought this fabric would have been a perfect one to make something like that!

Oh well,
I still like it :)

I guess now I have another excuse to go fabric hunting to find nice fabric to make the maxi dress :P

feisty sesame

I ♥ Fiest :)
this is a really cute collaboration of Fiest & Sesame Street.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Etsy - print updates


ahhhh

I finally updated & re-listed some of my prints on my print Etsy shop!
I am in a process of moving my prints from my Jewelry & Clothes Etsy shop to the Print Etsy shop!

I thought I could go to the expired listings, then copy and paste to a new listing.
but, I couldn't open the pages for the expired listings... :(
so, I got lazy, as usual, and procrastinated until now.
it's been,,,, hmmmmmm,,,,, a few months now?!


I know, I know, I am bad...

but I had to take all the measurements once again
(this time I learned to write those down in my book),
and new photos are needed for some prints
because they didn't transfer well to a memory stick from my old computer...

a lot of work!

I have not taken any new photos just yet,
but they are coming!
yes yes, very soooooooooonnnnn!!!
I promise :)


so, hopefully I can get the rest rolling in the next few weeks!




late birthday gifts

it was almost a month ago...
while my camera was dead,
a package came in the mail.

it was from our good friends from Ashland.
birthday gifts for both I and B, my husband!
how sweet :)
(both of our birthdays are close together.
and yes! we both are tauruses!)

when I opened the package,
there was a little printed patch for B,
and a happy birthday card.

then, I noticed something was missing!
MY GIFT???!!!
it was supposed to be a yard of pretty fabric as she told me ahead of time...
but it wasn't there...

the only thing I could think of was someone,
who probably works in the mail business (sorry if you work in the business!),
took it out of the envelope because it was sealed, but not taped.

how cruel is that?!
I mean, it was my birthday gift... :( :( :(

I told her about the sad incident...



and a few weeks later,
here comes another parcel in the mail!
she sent me a new one!
and this time it was in a cardboard box and the fabric was even wrapped in a pretty tissue!!

aw
she is so sweet...

there was also a 6 month birthday gift for my daughter - a bib she made :)



she has a baby girl who is just two months older than my daughter.
and she is also a printmaker.
be sure to check out her website!!!



P.S. yes, the giveaway is still coming!
I haven't forgotten about it! it's just around the corner :)

Monday, June 15, 2009

mellow yellow contest @ weardrobe

I wrote a post about how much I've been dreaming about the color yellow.

ah!
this is a perfect contest for me to see how people wear yellow!!

You have to submit your mellow yellow outfit via e-mail to contests@weardrobe.com by June 21st.
The winner will be awarded with $50 gift certificate to Anthropology!


Unfortunately, I don't own anything yellow to wear and enter to the contest :(
but I am sure excited to see how people wear their yellows!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

telepathic love

do you believe in telepathy?

I have been experiencing little telepathic occurrences a lot lately with my husband, more or so, since a few years ago.
it is not that of a big thing or anything...
they are something like,,,,
he says about something I was just thinking about.
and vice versa, I know what exactly he is going to say next.
or, on the same day, we wear clothes that are in the same color theme.
for example, just the other night...
my husband was going to go out to a pub to watch one of the Stanley cup games with his friend.
I can't go because, in BC, it is not allowed to bring children to a pub with you.
so, he was asking me if he could go out.
(I wouldn't say NO, but he was being nice to 'ask')
I thought in my mind,
[hmmmm, I should ask him to bring me a slice of chocolate cake from the pub(they have good deserts!)]
then, a second later, he was like
"I will get you a piece of chocolate cake! that should make it up to you."
also, my friend was telling me,
her husband can guess what the dinner is that night.



I know it's silly and insignificant.
but makes me wonder why these things happen.

is it really telepathy carrying a person's thoughts to another?
and does that prove those two people are meant to be together?

or
it is nothing to do with telepathy.
but it is just because you know what the other person's behavior patterns are like?
you of course know, or at least expect, what they do/react next after spending some time together.



have you ever experienced anything like this?
and what do you think why these things happen?





Wednesday, June 10, 2009

sailor's little girl

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
I finally received my battery charger from mom today :)
now, I can take pictures of a lot of things....


to start with...


this is a dress I made last week.




the pattern is Tara from Burda Style.
I always wanted to try this pattern.
it was very easy & quick!
I like that :)


I added some lace on the bust.
the back yoke is lowered a little,
and straps are crossed on the back then tied in a bow on the front.



I will list this dress on my Etsy store by tomorrow!


unexpected award

I received this lovely award via Akazukin!

I was not expecting anything like this for my blog since it is pretty much for my own complacency!
But yes, it is awesome!
Thank you, Akazukin :)


So, here are the rules:
1)Accept the award,
post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
2)Pass the award on to 5 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

My awardees are:
sew I do - Very Purple Person: full of sewn items & love to her family :)
Little Sweet Hearts - Karencilla: lovely blog. very fun to read :)
Chelsea Blog - Satomi: I love seeing what she creates! sorry if you don't read Japanese, but check out her photos :)
CREATE - Leigh: I am a big fan of her wonderful art work!
Boubou Teatime - Boubou: She makes inspiring collages :)


hope you enjoy these blogs too :) :) :)

Saturday, June 6, 2009

yellow fever

yellow yellow yellow
the color yellow has been catching my eyes a lot lately.
don't know why.


I never used to like it so much...
I think it is a harder color to wear
because it has to be just in the right hue & tone of yellow.



image: nitrolicious image:Nadinoo








awghhhhhh

I think I need something yellow to wear this summer!
Which color has been catching your eyes?



Thursday, June 4, 2009

chocolate love. gelato love.

I have been craving for chocolate since yesterday...
also something cold sounds great in this hot weather.


hmmmmmmmmmm

gelato!



I love ice cream, but love gelato even more!!
Big thanks to the Italians who brought such a sophisticated wonderful yumminess to this world!!




chocolate + gelato

together, it is heavenly.



Salt Spring Gelato makes the best chocolate gelato.
It is the best I have ever had in my entire life!

It gives you a little buzz after you eat, and makes you totally high!
{{{CHOCOLATE HIGH}}}
that means it is good chocolate!


ahhhhhhh
my mouth is watering....
image from: arianek

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

giveaway pre-announcement

I am planning on having
my first giveaway this month!
Because my daughter is turning 6 month old later in this month,
I am going to post the actual giveaway announcement on her 6 month birthday.
I have not decided what the prize is, but have an idea!!
pshhhhhhhhhhhhhh
There are not too many 'followers' of my blog right now.
So, you'll have a greater chance to win the prize :)
Please stay tuned!

dead...

my camera's dead.... :( !
I forgot the battery charger at my parents' in Japan.
it is so inconvenient
and it totally sucks!
I've been sewing quite a lot lately.
trying to catch up with all the daily sewing dosage I missed while I was in Japan.
my mom is sending the battery charger to me,
so hopefully it will arrive here soon so that I can upload some of my recent creations.

Monday, June 1, 2009

summer shorts with bow

I was sewing pretty much all day, making the shorts.
I wanted to make something like these ever since I saw something similar to these somewhere online.


I used navy blue linen. They are super comfortable!
Linen makes perfect summer clothes :)

I used Ruby pattern by Burdastyle as a base,
but instead of using buttons on the side for closure, I just used a zipper fly in the front.
It was my very first time making shorts/pants,
so it was a bit challenging, especially trying to figure out how to insert a zipper fly.
I used a sewing book for a reference.
I also made the belt to tie a bow on the waist.
You can place the bow anywhere you like
- front, side or back!
I think it adds some more femininity to the simple pair of shorts.


It was a good practice, and I think I can do it better next time!
and yes, those are my daughter's cloth diapers... :)