Me Made May Continues!!!! I had to start planning out what to wear based on the weather (and also when my legs did not look yucky.) in order to make it to the end of the month.
Monday: Flirting the Issue Skirt. I was super excited to pull this one out of the closet.
Tuesday: Summer Top. Also excited to take this out of the closet. I missed it.
Wednesday: Staple Dress. So glad to wear this dress without tights!
Thursday: Swiss Dot Top.
Friday: Ruby 2.
Superlatives for Fun:
Worst Hair Day: Monday, clearly.
Blurriest Picture: Staple Dress. Oops. I was in a hurry.
Outfit with most Almond Butter At End of The Day: Tuesday's. I even had it on my ID badge.
My Favorite: Ruby 2.
Most Fun to Wear: Flirting the Issue skirt.
On to week 3!
Lauren
Monday, May 19, 2014
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Gotcha Day!
Today marks one year since Blaze came into our lives. Life hasn't been the same since then. Charlie and I tried to add up the monetary value of all the things he has chewed or generally destroyed. We lost count, but let's just say it was pretty high, but also pretty funny. The biggest/most expensive were my glasses, and my night guard. Let's just say that it's a good thing Blaze is so cute and lovable because he sure is naughty.
Blaze and Penny get along very well, and are rarely apart. They also fight a lot, and Penny eats his food when he's not looking.
Blaze and Penny get along very well, and are rarely apart. They also fight a lot, and Penny eats his food when he's not looking.
He has such a good personality and is such a happy dog. Coming home from work is always a treat because of how excited they both get to see us. They keep us busy, and on our toes. I get in a lot of walking everyday thanks to these two.
Despite the chewed belongings we really are happy to be celebrating a year with our Blazer Boy.
Lauren
Friday, May 16, 2014
Ruby Top: Part Two Hashtag Wear A Belt With It!
I had grand plans for sewing a top for myself for Spring Top Week, but then I didn't. Looking at the Flickr pool is pretty inspiring though, you should do it if you're looking for some inspiration. After browsing the pool I decided i just needed to make a new Ruby Top for myself in preparation for the summer weather.
Couldn't resist the lace top. The flowered part is a medium, but I changed the pattern and cut the lace out using the small pattern pieces so it fits better. I probably could have cut the whole thing out using a small, since it's really flowy, but I don't mind because #WearABeltWithIt. Charlie makes fun of me because I usually add a belt to most garments I make for myself.
The shirt is very comfortable. I expect to get a lot of use out of it this summer. Speaking of summer, there are only 20 days left of school for yours truly! *fist pumps air*
Now it's time for me to put on my sweatpants and cuddle some cute puppies on this rainy Friday.
Happy Weekend!
Lauren
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Me Made May
The first week of Me Made May was a success. Let's hope I can keep the momentum rolling.
Here is the run down
Monday: Ruby Top.
Tuesday: Tova Top. (Wow my hair was short.)
Wednesday: Wishful Thinking Spring Dress.
Thursday: Lorelei Skirt.
Friday: Josephine Top.
Most Commented On: Spring Dress.
Most Wrinkled and I Didn't Care: Tova Top.
Most Fun To Wear: Lorelei Dress.
My Favorite: Josephine Top. I wear it all the time.
Most Used Pose: Arm On Hips. Obviously.
Best Photo Taking Tool: My snazzy shutter remote. Charlie never has to take my picture again.
Most Unhelpful Photo Assistants: Blaze and Penny.
On to week 2! After a good nights sleep that is.
Lauren
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Wishful Thinking Spring Dress
This dress (Cynthia Rowley 2215) had been cut out and in my sewing room for almost a year. Over my rainy vacation last week I finally got the guts to just do it. It's definitely the most complex pattern I've taken on thus far. Honestly, I knew that my Mom was coming to visit for Mother's Day and figured if worse came to worse she could help me with it while she was here. Luckily, I didn't need any help, just a streak of confidence. The invisible side zipper was not super hard, due to my special invisible zipper foot (thanks John and Claire!).
The second to last step was the button holes which seems silly given that you've already invested several hours into a garment and that is a pretty easy things to mess up. I practiced on a scrap piece of fabric at least 6 times to make sure I was doing it right, then just jumped in. Luck was once again on my side and all 4 button holes turned out alright. I would not say they are excellent, but they do their job. I followed the pattern 100 percent; which is nearly unheard of for me. If I made the pattern again I would lower the neckline, like Andrea recommended because my neck claustrophobia kicked in after about 5 minutes of wearing the dress so I had to undo the top button in order to not have a freak out.
When I put the dress on to make sure it fit I showed Charlie and he said "Wow! You won't need a belt!" I guess to him a successful garment is when it's fitted enough to not need a belt. I do think it would look cute with a belt.
Lauren
The second to last step was the button holes which seems silly given that you've already invested several hours into a garment and that is a pretty easy things to mess up. I practiced on a scrap piece of fabric at least 6 times to make sure I was doing it right, then just jumped in. Luck was once again on my side and all 4 button holes turned out alright. I would not say they are excellent, but they do their job. I followed the pattern 100 percent; which is nearly unheard of for me. If I made the pattern again I would lower the neckline, like Andrea recommended because my neck claustrophobia kicked in after about 5 minutes of wearing the dress so I had to undo the top button in order to not have a freak out.
When I put the dress on to make sure it fit I showed Charlie and he said "Wow! You won't need a belt!" I guess to him a successful garment is when it's fitted enough to not need a belt. I do think it would look cute with a belt.
The pattern even has pockets! I would have added them anyways, because I love pockets.
I am going to attempt to do "Me Made May 2014" by wearing something I've made every (work day) in May. I think I'll post a roundup either halfway through or just at the end. This is my first brand new garment, I have a few more in the works or in the old noggin.Lauren
Friday, May 2, 2014
Paint All The Walls!
Did you know it's May!? How did that happen? I've been on vacation this week and the time sure did go by quickly. Once I realized it was May I also realized I only posted once in April. I'm a bad blogger. The main reason I didn't post is because my hands have been covered in paint for pretty much the last two months.
It started with the trim in the downstairs. It was a blueish grey color, and was very dinged up. We had two professional painters come in to give us estimates on how much painting the trim would cost. The prices they both told us seemed like way too much money. So we undertook the project ourselves. During the process I may have said it would have been worth it to hire a professional, but now that it's done I am glad we just did it ourselves. The left is the before and the right is the after.
We also didn't just do the trim, we did all of the doors and windows as well.
Painting the trim led to painting the bathroom, which as you may recall had bleach stains all down one wall. This project only took us one day. Left is from when we first moved in, and right is the after. If you look closely in the mirror you can see that the cabinets above the washer and dryer are also painted. Charlie undertook that project last summer.
Then we just decided to bite the bullet and paint the walls in the living room and dining room. Charlie had vacation last week so he did all of the rolling, which I stink at. Then last weekend I did the cutting in. I was nervous about going too dark, and also committing to three gallons of paint since it's such a big space with no place to really stop. My step-mom tried to convince me to not pick such a "boring color", then our friends came over and were able to convince me to go one shade darker than the color I had picked. I only agreed to it after said friend told me it was the color of her living room which I like a lot, so Revere Pewter for the win. Here is the before (taken the day we moved in):

It started with the trim in the downstairs. It was a blueish grey color, and was very dinged up. We had two professional painters come in to give us estimates on how much painting the trim would cost. The prices they both told us seemed like way too much money. So we undertook the project ourselves. During the process I may have said it would have been worth it to hire a professional, but now that it's done I am glad we just did it ourselves. The left is the before and the right is the after.
We also didn't just do the trim, we did all of the doors and windows as well.
Painting the trim led to painting the bathroom, which as you may recall had bleach stains all down one wall. This project only took us one day. Left is from when we first moved in, and right is the after. If you look closely in the mirror you can see that the cabinets above the washer and dryer are also painted. Charlie undertook that project last summer.
Then we just decided to bite the bullet and paint the walls in the living room and dining room. Charlie had vacation last week so he did all of the rolling, which I stink at. Then last weekend I did the cutting in. I was nervous about going too dark, and also committing to three gallons of paint since it's such a big space with no place to really stop. My step-mom tried to convince me to not pick such a "boring color", then our friends came over and were able to convince me to go one shade darker than the color I had picked. I only agreed to it after said friend told me it was the color of her living room which I like a lot, so Revere Pewter for the win. Here is the before (taken the day we moved in):
The after with a cute dog for your visual pleasure. Now every wall in the downstairs of our house has been painted.

Our friends not only convinced us to go a shade darker on the paint they also mentioned how much better it would look if we replaced the switches and outlets with white ones. When we were taking off the face plates to paint some of the outlets were cracked, many were just dirty and all together gross, and some even looked like they were not done correctly. Once the paint was dry we started to change over the switches and outlets as well as the face plates. It takes a while, and a lot of trips to the basement to turn the fuses on and off, but so far it does look much better. And so far neither of us have electrocuted ourselves. Hope I didn't jinx it.
This weekend we are focusing on outdoor projects. Happy Friday!
Lauren
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