Life Updates

As per usual, after a long blog break I've decided to update you all on what's been going on in my life. Here goes:

• I went to a three day conference in Pittsburgh, PA. It was amazing. My brain is still full and buzzing with ideas and knowledge. If only all conferences were that good. 
• It's now April Vacation, so I have a week off from school. I still have a pile of evaluations to write, hopefully those will get done on one of the rainy days ahead.
• Spring cleaning has kicked into high gear around here. I've been organizing, donating, and just plain throwing away trash left and right. I even tackled the bottom half of the closet...couldn't bear to throw away the bag of rice though....don't ask. I think I might make a pile of sewn items that I don't use anymore; purses, clutches, etc and see if anyone wants them. Would you be interested? Dad, you want a purse? No?
• Once the spring cleaning settles down and the evaluations write themselves I have several things I want to start sewing. The pile of potential projects is growing. Most even have patterns. Who would have guessed.  
• Charlie got a job! Hurray! He even gets to coach track.
• Yesterday I shut Charlie's hand in the door and we spent the whole morning at the doctors. Nothing is broken, thankfully, just very bruised and bloody. 
• We've started looking at houses, online, to buy. Haven't made the leap to actually looking at the houses in person. But later today we're meeting with a realtor *GASP*. We're just trying to get the feel for it. Hopefully she doesn't talk us into buying the house I've been eyeing online that was built in 1890 and is a "fixer-upper."
• Last but not least, we got a dog. Her name is Penny. We love her. She loves going for runs and hikes with us and loves the water. See pictures below of unbelievable cuteness. 

That's all for now. I hope to be back later this week with some projects I've been working on.

Lauren

Bridal Shower Apron Part 2

Have I told you lately that it's bridal shower season? Yeah, I thought so. One last post. I used the same basic pattern from the other apron to make this one. The major difference is that I actually had bias tape that matched this fabric and could therefore use it on the apron so the navy trim shows on this apron. I ran out of navy polka dots which is what I wanted to use for the waist ties so I settled for the aqua accents. 

 When Jill opened the apron at the shower one of the bridesmaids said; "Is that a Vera Bradley?" Talk about a complement. Thank you Denyse Schmidt! Since the pleated bottom worked so well on the other apron, I did the same for this one, and thus the vicious cycle of straying away from math continues.

On another math related note, I should have done more math because I seriously have almost a yard of this left over. Any ideas? Pot holders? A Casserole carrier for us? The options are as endless as an almost yard of fabric.

And lastly here is a picture of Jill. She just looks like she's been ripped out of a Good Housekeeping magazine or Mad Men (note: I've never seen an episode of Mad Men in my life, and I don't frequently read Good Housekeeping.) But she does looks cute, I mean look at those heels!

Alright, as promised, this is my last bridal shower post for a while.

Lauren!

Bridal Shower Apron

A few years ago I had this idea that aprons make the best bridal shower gifts ever. I still stand by this thought. Aprons are easy to make, can be personalized, don't require fitting, and my favorite, only have to look good from one side. 

This one was made for my friend Abby. She's so sweet and nice I don't even care that her wedding is over Memorial Day weekend, which is when I typically sit by the lake and get my first sunburn of the year. She's an artist/graphic designer so I went a little crazier with her apron than I have with others in the past. It was really fun. When else would I buy neon green fabric and hot pink piping?

I have about 4 unopened apron patterns. I find it easier to fold an apron I already have in half and use it for basic measurements and then let the sprit move me from there. This one is a variation of an apron I got at my bridal shower last year. See...I'm not the only genius!

 The pleated ruffle (is that an oxymoron?) at the bottom was a last minute touch. I like the ruffle-y look, but it's such a pain sometimes to gather and pull the thread, at some point the thread always breaks on me and I have to start again. Pleating it was just so much easier. I thought I was going to have to do math to do the pleats but I just guessed and got lucky. Sort of love when that happens, since obviously I didn't have to fix anything or start again, but it's also bad when something like that happens because it just reinforces my terrible behavior ie: fear math to the point of avoiding it at all cost then get positive reward from fearing math, therefore continuing the vicious cycle. 2 + 2 WHA????

I mailed it last Monday in order for it to get the the shower in time. Mailing it on Monday obviously means I finished it on Monday afternoon. Charlie wasn't home to subject him to taking my picture so I settled for this mirror shot before wrapping the present in used recycled wrapping paper and running to the post office before it closed. I don't live far from the post office so I really did run. And there was a rock in my shoe the whole way there but I was too nervous about not making it there in time to stop and take the rock out. Talk about dedication....or just plain crazy.

I always make the ties way too long, but this length allows you to wrap it around to make a cute little bow in the front. 

The best part is I know Abby likes to cook so this apron will get some use. Unlike my aprons which are only for tracing to create other aprons, and also for wearing when I do the dishes after eating spaghetti.

Lauren 

Bridal Showers: Part 1

You read correctly, bridal showers. That's right my friends, wedding season has started again. We've got three weddings to go to this year, much less than the 4 plus our own that we attended last year. Anyways, I found this pattern for a casserole carrying case a few months ago, and then when I saw etched glass casserole dishes on pinterest, I knew the combination would make great bridal shower gifts.

This first one is for Charlie's High School friend Johnny, and his lovely fiance Abby. 

I really liked the fabric combinations.

The hardest part was finding casserole dishes with covers.

Oh, and etching them. I did the etching at my dad's house. Since I don't have a fancy printer that cuts out letters and designs like all the people on Pinterest apparently do (I'm not jaded) I used a simpler/cheaper method. We stuck duct tape to the bottom of the glass and then used an exacto knife to relief cut the letters for their names. Abby wasn't sure if she was going to take Johnny's last name so I just wrote both of their names. Now no one can steal their dish at parties or keep the dish and say "Oh, I didn't know it was yours!" This reminds me of a hilarious episode of Modern Family.

I digress. I also made another carrier for my friend Jill.

The etching was relatively easy. I wish I had been able to do something a bit fancier, but I like it. The cream cost quite a bit and also smells terrible. At one point during my etching in the basement my dad and brother came downstairs to "check in on me" read, poke fun of me. My dad said "I thought their name was Harriman not Harrimon." I nearly cried, turns out he was just kidding. I'll blame the near crying on the effects of the toxic etching cream. Looking at this picture makes me want to call Jill ASAP and tell her to clean her dish before she uses it. Yikes!

When I showed Charlie my finished products he said "Those look a lot like something I've been asking you to make me for  a few years." Yeah yeah yeah. I'll get on it. Until then we'll just have to keep bringing un-etched casseroles to parties wrapped in an old bath towel. 

Lauren!