Hungry Zombie Couture

Laquer Lundi

2012-01-23T05:33:00.009-05:00

Straight to the pretties...

Quo - Flirt
- purchased at Shoppers (chain drug store) for $10 CDN

Colour: A sheerish purple with teal and pink flashes.

Number of Coats for Opacity: Three. I was trying to get it as opaque as possible.

Formula: Really good - not too thin, not too thick. I realize it's meant to be a sheerish polish, but I would have loved it with more pigment.

Wear: Tip wear and one small chip after two days.

Comments: This is a nice enough polish, but it didn't blow my socks off. Great colour, but too sheer for my taste. Also, the shape of the bottle is cute on the shelf, but a PITA to use. The square handle (which holds the brush) is difficult to manipulate when applying the polish.

Avon Nailwear Pro -Splendid Blue
- purchased at Avon.ca for $2.99 CDN

Colour: A dark navy blue with silver shimmer.

Number of Coats for Opacity: Two - plenty of pigment in this one. If I had been more careful I may have gotten away with one coat.

Formula: Really good - not too thin, not too thick.

Wear: A bit of tip wear after two days.

Comments: I love this polish - the colour, the formula, the wear - everything.

The Taming of the Arse - Week 3

2012-01-22T07:07:00.001-05:00

Week three is all wrapped up and all I can say is that I'm glad it's over!

I started the week by over-eating, due to the monthly surge of hormones. Is anyone else completely unable to say no to chocolate for around two days a month? Please tell me it's not just me.

Also, there has been a stomach flu going around school lately and usually I am immune to those nasty little buggers. Usually. Not this time though. By the end of the week, I had it. Apparently Mother Nature felt strongly that I should do a cleanse. So, I had to go with the flow (snarf! flu humour - hilarious!).

And the timing on this sickness could not have been worse. This is the end of the semester, so I'm finishing up classes and putting together final exams. Busy, busy, busy. No time time for this crap (again, with the flu humour!).

All this meant that I was only able to exercise two days this week. However, I did eat healthy most of the days (except for the days I didn't really eat).

So, when it was all averaged out, I actually came out ahead...or behind - I guess it depends on how you look at it. Regardless, I am down another pound (for a grand total of five pounds lost in 2012). Yay, me!

So, fess up folks. How did your week pan out? Down a pound? Up a pound? Still working out? Sitting on the couch with a bag of Fritos? C'mon, tell me all about it.

Laquer Lundi

2012-01-16T06:03:00.059-05:00

Straight to the pretties...

Wet n Wild Craze - Undercover Graffitti
- purchased at The Bargain Shop! (chain deep discount store) for $2.99

Colour: A bright green creme. It reminds me a bit of Kermit the Frog.

Number of Coats for Opacity: Two, but if I had been more careful (or used a slightly thicker coat), I could have gotten away with one.

Formula: Really good - perhaps a teenie, weenie, tiny bit thick, but not annoyingly so.

Wear: Only slight tip wear after two days.

Comments: I have never had much luck with Wet n Wild in the past - either the formula was off or the wear was awful. This polish, however, is excellent.

Wet n Wild Craze - Tagger
- purchased at The Bargain Shop! (chain deep discount store) for $2.99

Colour: A bright blue creme. It reminds me a bit of Grover.

Number of Coats for Opacity: Three coats.

Formula: The formula on this one was not as pigmented as I would like, but it still applied nicely.

Wear: Not stellar - I had tip wear after one day and a few large chips. Since I can't stand chipped nail polish, I took it off immediately.

Comments: I am not as impressed with Tagger as I was with Undercover Graffitti.

Wet n Wild Craze - Art Crime
- purchased at The Bargain Shop! (chain deep discount store) for $2.99

Colour: A bright yellow creme. It reminds me a bit of Big Bird.

Number of Coats for Opacity: Three coats and I still had streaks (which is pretty typical with yellow polishes).

Formula: Good - not too thick, not too thin. However, more pigment would be nice (but, this is always a problem with yellow polishes in general, so I can't fault Wet n Wild for this).

Wear: Okay - tip wear and a couple small chips after one day.

Comments: I have other yellows in my collection that wear better than this one, but I do quite like the crazy bright colour of Art Crime.

Wet n Wild Craze - Scratchiti
- purchased at The Bargain Shop! (chain deep discount store) for $2.99

Colour: A bright orange creme. It reminds me a bit of ... um, no one.

Number of Coats for Opacity: Three coats.

Formula: Good - could use a bit more pigment in order to cover in just two coats instead of three.

Wear: Okay- I had tip wear after one day and a couple of tiny chips.

Comments: Good polish, but Wet n Wild still needs to work on the lasting power of their polish. Only Undercover Graffitti gave me great wear.

The Taming of the Arse - Week 2

2012-01-15T06:17:00.002-05:00

Week two is done and I'm feelin' fine. Still exercising regularly and eating healthy homemade meals.

This week, besides walking on the treadmill, I tossed in some yoga and stair climbing.

I forgot how helpful yoga can be in easing my lower back pain (ah, sciatica, you lovely little creature!). All of that controlled stretching is just wonderful, so I will be adding more yoga to my future work out schedule.

As for the stair climbing, on Friday I got into work early and decided to walk and climb the stairs for 20 minutes. It's a really great work out - talk about burning butt and thigh muscles the next day!

Besides feeling stronger and healthier due to all of the above, it also added up to some weight loss. I have now lost a total of four pounds since January 1st. I truly cannot believe how well I am doing. I never lose weight this fast, but I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth.

I think I am doing well because I have amazing support at home, at work and here online. It is always easier to do something difficult if you have a cheering section! And in conjunction with this outside encouragement, I have instituted another form of motivation. If I stay on track, I get positive reinforcement in the form of cold, hard cash:

For every hour I spend exercising (walking on the treadmill, taking a walk with Hartley, lifting weights, stretching, doing yoga, climbing stairs, etc), I earn $10.00.

For every healthy meal I prepare at home, I earn $1.00.

For every pound I lose and keep off, I earn $25.00.

I have really been enjoying watching the dollars adding up every time I log some exercise or a home-cooked meal. I'm thinking I will eventually buy myself a new Babylock serger with my windfall. I can almost smell the automatic threading already...

Keeping Track of My Fabric

2012-01-13T05:40:00.004-05:00

Last time we spoke, I shared how I organize my fabric shelves by folding my fabric neatly. Today, we discuss how I organize it all electronically.

Keeping Track
At last count, I had one and a quarter kilometers of fabric (that's about three-quarters of a mile for my metric challenged friends). That's a lot of fabric to track and manage. Although, I probably could list out a good portion of my fabric off the top of my head, I figured I'd go a bit more high tech with the actual cataloging. I use an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of it all.

Here is a screen capture of a section of my actual spreadsheet:

The headings for each column (from left to right) read Fashion Fabric - Shannon, Content, W("), L(m), O(m), R(m), Use, Pattern, Fr, Cost, Cost, Cost, Date.

Let me explain the headings:

Fashion Fabric - Shannon
This is a list of all the fabrics in my stash that can be used for me (I have another spreadsheet for fabrics that I use for my hubby). It is a visual description of the fabric (colour, pattern, etc).

I have often thought of adding photos of the fabric (which I keep in a separate folder on my hard drive) to the spreadsheet, but I have never actually needed more that just the written description to trigger my memory of a fabric. So, to date, I haven't bothered with this extra step.

Content
I list fiber content here (silk, cotton, linen, wool, etc) if I know what it is. If I am unsure of fiber content, I either leave it blank or take a guess (all my guesses are followed by "?" so in the future I remember that I was unsure).

W(")
Fabric width in inches.

L(m)
Fabric length in metres. This serves as an indicator of how much fabric is brought into my stash.

O(m)
Fabric out is how much of a certain piece of fabric gets used.

R(m)
Fabric Remaining. If I use the whole piece of fabric, the description of that fabric gets grayed out. Also the font used to list the fabric remaining turns from black to red in colour when the value falls to zero.

Use
This tells me what type of garment was made from the fabric (pants, dress, skirt, etc).

Pattern
This tells me what pattern(s) I used for a certain fabric. I find this invaluable for future reference. Often, when a favourite garment gets worn out and I want to recreate it, I can't remember what pattern was used. This column allows me to go back in time and find out.

Fr
From whom did I purchase this fabric (Fabric Mart, Fabricland, Fabric.com)?

Cost, Cost, Cost
Cost of the fabric per length. (for example, $16.99/m)
Cost of fabric per piece. (two metres @ $16.99/m = $33.98)
Cost of fabric piece with taxes and shipping worked in. (include Ontario HST of 13% = $38.40)

Date
The date the fabric was purchased (listed as month-date, so 3-11 would be march 2011). I just started including this information last year. I wish I had done this right from the start, as sometimes it's fun to see how long it a piece of fabric has mellowed in the stash.

I love this spreadsheet. It is so helpful when I need to find 2.0 m of a 45" fabric for a project. I can sort the info by both these criteria and narrow down my choices. Then, it's just a matter of pulling the fabric off the shelf and sewing.

Ahh, organization...my precious...

Fabric Folding Tutorial

2012-01-11T05:41:00.006-05:00

After my last sewing room post, I have had few inquiries as to how I fold my fabric so it looks neat and presentable on my shelves. Since I love organizing* and encouraging others to organize, so I am more than happy to share my method (and my madness) with you today. In a future post, I'll talk about how I keep track of it all.

Folding Fabric
First, I sort my fabric by width - 45" (anything with a width up to 50") and 60" (anything over 50"). Then the folding begins:

This is the way we fold our fabric, fold our fabric, fold our fabric...c'mon sing with me...

Many people like to roll their fabric to place on shelves. I am not a fan of this for many reasons. I find that the fabric can get pulled off grain. Larger lengths of fabric (of which I have many) are difficult for me to roll neatly. When fabric is removed from the middle of a pile on the shelf, there is a hole that remains until the other fabrics eventually collapse into it, making a mess. And, most importantly for me, I don't find it aesthetically pleasing to look at a shelf of rolled fabric.

Granted, stacks of folded fabrics have their own issues. Removing a single piece from the middle of a stack can be tricky/messy if the stack contains many pieces. Also, placing fabric back in its starting spot requires removing the whole stack from the shelf to relocate the piece to its original home. This is one of the reasons why I store my fabric by wardrobe groupings. Each grouping contains fabrics that are complementary in colour and season. So, I don't need to place any removed fabric back into its original location within the stack, I can just add it to the top of the stack. This way, I still have a grouping of related fabrics, just in a slightly different order than before, which is fine by me.

So, there you have it. Stay tuned for how I keep track of it all.

* If I had to change careers and become something new, I would open my own business as an organizational expert. I cannot think of a better way to spend an afternoon than cleaning up and organizing a cupboard, closet, room, etc. My friends think I'm nuts when I ask if I can come over and help clean up their closets or rearrange the contents of their kitchen cupboards!

Lacquer Lundi

2012-01-09T05:00:00.011-05:00

I haven't done a Lacquer Lundi post in ages. I stopped doing my nails when we first adopted Hartley. He was still a puppy then and he demanded attention (which I was more than willing to provide) every five minutes. So, drying time for polish was in very short supply. Well, now he's all grown up, so I have more time to lay on the lacquer. I have a drawer full of untrieds, so I will be hopping back onto the mani bandwagon.

However, I will be using a new method to review the polishes. I'll be using less words than before, so the new format is short and sweet (kinda like me!). Besides, everybody pretty much just looks at the pictures anyhow, right? :)

On to the pretties...

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri - Blazing Blue
- purchased at Zehrs (chain grocery store) for $5.99

Colour: A dark navy blue with subtle silvery shimmer. Intense and moody.

Number of Coats for Opacity: After one coat, most nails were fine, only a few needed a slight touch up with a thin second coat. So, shall we sahll 1.5 coats did the trick?

Formula: Excellent - not too thick, not too thin.

Wear: Great. Two days with only minor tip wear.

Comments: I have always loved these Insta-Dri polishes. The wide brush is one of my favourites!

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure - Sea And Be Seen
- purchased at Zehrs (chain grocery store) for $4.99

SH Sea And Be Seen in a well-lit room

SH Sea And Be Seen in direct sunlight

Colour: Light blue, frosty with silver shimmer. In the bottle, a pink/mauve cast can be seen, but not so much on the nail. The shimmer, however, is very apparent on the nail when in direct sunlight - it's very pretty! I have included two pictures - one in direct sunlight and one in a well-lit room.

Number of Coats for Opacity: Even after three coats, I still had a bit of visible nail line. However, I don't fault the polish, as I believe the intention was for a sheerish application.

Formula: Excellent - not too thick, not too thin.

Wear: Great. Two days with only minor tip wear.

Comments: The SH Complete Salon Manicure line is excellent. Great colours. Great formula and application. Great wide brush. Love 'em!

****************************************************************

Finally, just before I go, let me do a public service announcement. Denise (who is a real sweetie pie), over at Blue Gardenia, has asked me to tell you about a sale she is having. And, since she says it better than I could, here's what she had to say:

Take the left turn at ABQ and save, save, save on lovely patterns!

You're wondering— I know you are — about our annual end-of-year sale. The bad news: We didn't have it. We were in Prescott packing. We were. Box after box.

But.

There is good news: The Blue Gardenia is having a Take the Left Turn at Albuquerque sale instead. So here's the scoop:

Buy 3 or more patterns, get 35% off your total sale!
Sale prices good now through
11:59 p.m. PST Sunday, January 15, 2012
Payment must be received by Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Shop Early for Best Selection!

Happy New Year!

The Taming of the Arse - Week 1

2012-01-08T07:33:00.001-05:00

Time for an update folks.

It has been exactly one week since I decided to make a change in my health habits. I vowed to start exercising more and making better food choices. Tired of being fat and lazy, I announced to the world that I was going to make a change - for the betterment of both my health and my vanity.

Although I didn't post this at the time, I had hoped to exercise four days this week and eat healthy food 80% of the time.

Well, it didn't quite work out as I had planned.

I didn't quite do what I had hoped.

But, I won't feel bad about not following the plan I had in my head, because...

I DID BETTER!

I walked on the treadmill every! single! day! for an hour each time. I ate healthy meals, full of veggies, whole grains and lean meats. I had a chocolate treat (my true weakness) each day, but I was able to do it without eating the entire box.

One of my downfalls is going out to eat when I don't feel like cooking. This typically leads to poor food choices. Not this week though. I made every meal we ate (with the exception of one lunch date with a friend - but, I made a healthy choice - broiled chicken sandwich and salad, dontcha know). So, not only am I eating better but I'm saving money too. Bonus!

I must say I am pretty proud of myself. I also lost one pound. It's not a lot, but it is a start. Besides, in the past when I lost a substantial amount of weight, I was actually happy to lose one pound every two to three weeks. My body loves to hang on to its fat stores - it's tenacious. So, to lose one pound in one week makes me very happy indeed.

For those that have been playing along with me, how'd you do? Still all fired up and ready to go?

If not, have you thought about why you faltered? And are you ready to recommit?

Evolution of a Sewing Room - Part 7

2012-01-04T12:58:00.010-05:00

As per Vicki's request in a comment to my last sewing room post (which was approximately 1000 years ago - I'm obedient, but really slow), let's check out the fabric closet.

So, c'mon in, the door's open...

FABRIC
I have two large shelving units that hold most of my fabrics. The metal unit contains all the wovens, while the wooden unit holds the knits, flannels, fleeces and home dec textiles.

Metal Unit
I organize the fabric on this unit a few different ways. By season, by fabric type/fiber content and in wardrobe groupings.

Sometimes if a group of fabrics looks right together, I will kept them near one another on the shelf in a wardrobe collection. Then, when I am sewing a SWAP-style group of garments, I already have pre-made collections of fabric.

Wooden Unit
I organize this unit completely by fabric type. You can see stacks of knits, ordered by fiber content (cotton, bamboo, polyester, etc). I also keep flannels, fleeces, home dec and corduroy here. Beside this unit, I line up some of my linings on bolts.

But, wait...there's more...

Guest Bedroom Closet
I have too much fabric to fit in the sewing room fabric closet, so the guest bedroom closet houses the overflow. Arranged on hangers, I have the slippery silks, laces and all the fabrics that don't take well to folding (faux suede and laminated fabrics for instance).

MAGAZINES & PATTERN ENVELOPES
I have a large collection of Threads magazines (top shelf). I have almost every copy of the magazine ever sold, but I am missing a few of the earlier ones. I can't decide if it's worth stalking eBay for the few issues I need to complete my collection or if I should just buy the Threads Archive DVDs. Decisions, decisions.

I have quite a few issues of Vogue pattern magazine and to a lesser extent, the now defunct Butterick pattern magazines, mainly from the last few years (bottom shelf). I could kick my self for tossing out all the copies I had from the 1980s and 1990s.

I have a number of issues of Australian Stitches (also, bottom shelf). I used to love the wardrobing (SWAP) articles. Alas, the steep price and finding that I wasn't as interested in the other articles combined to force me to let my subscription lapse two years ago.

I store all envelope patterns in a similar fashion. The guts (tissue and instructions) are placed in large manilla envelopes, which are kept in my cutting table (the patterns can be seen in their drawers in this post) . The pattern covers are placed inside page protectors and organized in three-ring binders (middle shelf) by category (active wear, dresses, skirts, tops, jackets, wardrobe patterns, etc) and then by pattern company. This makes it easy to browse through my patterns without having to root through the pattern drawers. If I grab a cup of tea and a binder and I can spend many a happy hour dreaming and plotting my next big sewing adventure.

THREAD
I love this cabinet and it's serendipitous acquisition. I was lucky enough to be in the right place, at the right time. A few years ago, the librarian at my school was disposing of this metal film cabinet (moving forward with the times, I guess) and I happened to walk by. I asked if I could have it and he said yes. The poor man even single-handedly loaded it into the bed of my truck for me. Chivalry is most certainly not dead! (I just realized something - he has been off for the last month recovering from a major hernia operation - oh man, I think my sewing obsession may have finally injured someone. Yikes!)

The cabinet has several shallow drawers that have dividers in them. The dividers have round holes that were meant to hold projector film canisters. Now, however, they are perfectly designed for spools of thread. All my Guterman thread is organized by number in the same order as can be found on the thread sample chart. This way, it's easy to reorder any thread that I am low on, not to mention that it looks really pretty when I open the drawer!

The other drawers hold more thread (like embroidery thread and the serger thread shown below), as well as dyes.

At the bottom, is a cabinet with a swinging door. Inside, there are vertical dividers that are just perfect for organizing my interfacings.

So, there you have it. The HZC Fabric Closet of Joy & Wonder. Feel free to stand back and bask in its warm glow.

Shannon Tested, Zombie Approved: Dior

2012-01-02T16:10:00.003-05:00

I have always been drawn to the fashions of the 1950s. The feminine silhouette of a tight bodice and full flared skirt has consistently been a draw for me. I especially love the work of couturiers of the era - I find it all very romantic and intriguing.

That said, I enjoy researching fashion giants of the era and basking in their legendary works. For that reason, I bought a wonderful book earlier this year and I am simply awestruck by it. Dior is breathtaking for many reasons.

First, its sheer size is amazing, 37.1 cm x 30.5 cm x 5.1 cm (14.6" x 12" x 2"). This is a coffee table book in the most literal sense - it is the size of a table top and it weighs about as much. I cannot sit for long periods of time and look at this book while it's in my lap - it's just too darn heavy. I have to place on a table in front of me to comfortably browse through it.

Second, the photographs are exquisite. From full length shots of the garments to eye-popping close-ups. If you don't have the opportunity to see the garments in person, this is certainly the next best thing.

The flow of the book is ordered chronologically. The first chapter, of course, focuses on Christian Dior himself. There is a brief history of his life prior to launching his sensational couture collection of 1947. We are then lead through each important collection that was to follow, up until Dior's sudden death in 1957.

Bar Suit, Spring/Summer 1947 collection

We are invited into the atelier and given insight into what it was like to be a client. There is also a section on high society and celebrity fans and clients, including Ingrid Bergman, Grace Kelly and Lauren Bacall.

Famous clients in attendance at Dior shows throughout the 1940s & 1950s.

From there, the book takes us through the highlights of the each subsequent designer to lead the couture house, beginning with Yves Saint Laurent. Saint Laurent, in his role as assistant, was said to have been groomed by Dior himself as an eventual successor. And, what a an excellent successor he was. Although he only reigned for six seasons (he was called up to do military service), he made an indelible impression upon the fashion world.

The iconic photograph of the model Dovima in a Dior dress designed by YSL

Marc Bohan took over as artistic director of Dior haute couture from 1961 to 1989. Unfortunately, despite the length of time Bohan spent at the reins of Dior, his work has not made a lasting impression. There are, however, still some exquisite garments from this period.

Evening dress, Spring/Summer 1972

Next up in the historical record is Gianfranco Ferre, who headed the house from 1989 to 1996. He was to create collections imbued with sophistication and elegance, with an emphasis on the architectural approach to garment design.

Koh-I-Noor gown, Fall/Winter 1996 collection

Finally, the book closes out with a look at the work of John Galliano, who presented his first Dior haute couture collection in 1997. At the publication date of the book (2007), Galliano had not yet been dismissed due to his anti-semetic tirade.

promotion published in Harper's Bazaar in January 2007 to mark Galliano's ten years as artistic director at Dior

The most exquisite part of the book is the exceptional photographs that showcase the garments to their full potential. The backdrops are subtle, yet complementary and add to the aura of wonder surrounding each piece.

Fidelite wedding dress, Fall/Winter 1949 collection

My favourites photos are those of the garments, inside & out. It is a seamstress' dream to sneak a peak at the interior of a true couture garment. It is astonishing to see the hand finishing up close and personal.

Mugeut dance dress, Spring/Summer 1957 collection

I cannot recommend Dior highly enough. It is a glorious gathering of luscious garments that inspire and amaze.

New Year, New Beginning

2012-01-01T16:06:00.001-05:00

I have put off writing this post for ages. So, let's just jump in, shall we?

I AM FAT

There, I said it.

Over the last two years, I have gained 22 pounds and I am now firmly in the overweight category. I am very unhappy that I have allowed myself to get to this point. Of course, I have many excuses for my predicament, but none of them really hold any water. What it comes down to is a lack of caring and effort on my part. It's easier to grab a quick meal of garbage food and then sit on my ever-expanding arse. Much easier than say, eating well, logging my calories and exercising.

I don't feel good - inside or out. My knees (one of which has always given me trouble since I dislocated it years ago) are stiff and creaky, my left hip is sore and (ready for TMI?) my monthly cramps are becoming very painful. All of these maladies are non-existent when I'm at a proper weight.

On a more vain note, most of my clothing no longer fits - all the beautiful garments that have I sewed over the years sit idle in my closet. And my desire to sew new outfits has dwindled to almost nothing. Also, when I look in the mirror, I no longer see the vibrant woman that exists in my mind's eye. I see an overweight, tired, middle aged woman that has given up. It ain't pretty.

So, it's time for a change.

Please don't tell me that I need to love myself more. Trust me, I love myself - I think I'm pretty darned awesome. And one of the reasons, I like myself so much is that I have put effort into it. I have an excellent education that took long hours of sacrifice and study. I'm great at my job, which takes hard work. I am a good family member and friend, all of which takes effort. I am an excellent seamstress and it took years of honing my craft to get to this point. I love to learn new things and I will leave no stone unturned to develop a new skill. Do you see the pattern? All the things I like about my inner self are the result of work, time and effort.

Also, please leave the "you need to embrace your body as it is" mentality out of this. I realize that there is a real movement these days to encourage women to love themselves, no matter what size they may be. And, although the root of the message is empowering, I think it has gone too far. In fact, the mere suggestion that someone would want to lose weight is often regarded with disdain. Some people I know even go so far as to inappropriately exclaim that a thin woman "really needs to eat a sandwich." For some, it has become a fat pack mentality - it's okay for me to be fat, as long as other people are fat too. Believe me, I have fallen prey to this as well. Over the past year I have often put off getting back in shape because I would reason that I'm thinner than most people, so I must be doing okay. What a cop out on my part.

Please understand that I have no problems with folks choosing to be fat, nor do I have issues with them loving the body that they have. My aggravation occurs because of the intimation by some that a desire to lose weight (through healthy eating and exercise) is letting down all of woman kind. Recently, when discussing my need to lose weight, I was actually told that I shouldn't mention my goal to my students or I could "turn" some of them anorexic. Um, yeah.

I will not let this daunt me though. I continuously work hard on my inner self (it's always a work in progress), so it's time start working on my outer self again. I have a goal, I have a plan and I have the means. So, it's time to start the hard work.

I wasn't sure whether or not to share this on my blog. It is deeply personal and I may be opening up myself to comments that will annoy, sadden or anger me. But, I am more likely to stick to my plan if I put it out into the universe.

And just to keep myself honest, here I am today, heading down to walk on the treadmill in my basement. I cannot believe I am actually going to share this picture with the world. But, I am. Please be gentle.

I am wearing no make up and I haven't fixed my bed-flattened hair. I have not sucked in my stomach or turned to a flattering angle. I am not wearing clothing designed to camouflage my "trouble spots" and I haven't cropped out the bits I don't like. This is me, as I am, right now. A friend told me I was brave to post this photo for the world to see. (I'm thinking that there is a thin line between bravery and insanity.) But, I figure if I have a record of where I started, I can stay motivated and encouraged as I watch my progress unfold pictorially over the next few months.

It's a brand new year, with brand new possibilities. I refuse to let 2012 go by without at least trying to create a brand new physical version of me. If anyone would like to join me on my journey, I welcome the camaraderie and support.

So, here's to a new year, a new beginning .... and less ass fat.

Finally, Malware Warning Free

2011-10-09T14:57:00.003-04:00

Well, I'm back in business - no more stinky malware warnings. Wahoo!

So, here's what hubby & I believe happened. A blog I followed seems to have been infected by some nasty bug. And any blog that linked to it (and was recently scanned by Google's bug detectors) was also flagged as containing or distributing malware. When I removed this blog from my blog roll, I thought I was in the clear. But, Google still said I had malware issues. Then hubby realized that I may have had comments that linked back to this blog. So, I had to go through my almost 7000 comments to delete any links. Now, I have the all clear from Google.

Unfortunately, in trying to track down the issue, I lost all my blog formatting - all the custom colours and fonts that I had put together to make my blog look the way it did. So, for now, I have a different look (not that anyone that reads in a blog reader would notice :) ), but at least I'm back up and running. Halleluiah!

I Spoke too Soon

2011-10-07T15:30:00.003-04:00

Hubby still can't figure out why I have this malware warning. He's still working on it...

Malware

2011-10-04T16:48:00.000-04:00

Thank you to the folks that gave me the heads up about the malware message that comes up when trying to enter my blog. My hubby believes that he has tracked down the issue and now I'm just waiting for the all clear. What a PITA!

Gilding the Lily

2011-09-03T08:34:00.001-04:00

A colleague of mine has a green thumb. And he employs that green thumb in the pursuit of beautiful daylilies. Luckily, I was able to finagle an invite to go check out his beautiful gardens a few weeks back.

He hybridizes his own daylilies, in pursuit of certain characteristics, like ruffle-edged petals or an intense chartreuse eye.

While visiting, I took about a million and twelve pictures. I thought I'd share a few of my favourites. Enjoy!

To say that his lilies are breathtaking is an understatement. I was lucky enough to secure several plants for my garden at the new house.

Happy Birthday, Hartley!

2011-09-02T09:06:00.003-04:00

My little man turned two years old a couple of days ago.

Not only did Grandma (who he adores with a burning passion) come over, she brought presents. His favourite was a duck.

He got lots of nibbles from Grandma's lunch plate. He also went on a walk, during which he chased grasshoppers and tried to eat toad jerky.* This made for a blissful day - tiring, but blissful.

*Toad jerky = dried up toads that got squished on our road. I think it's disgusting, but he is always trying to eat them up. He can often be seen with a pair of legs dangling from his mouth. I know, eww. Any body else have a toad jerky lover in their family? Or is there another tasty treat that your dog, cat or other critter loves to snag, regardless of your distaste?

Evolution of a Sewing Room - Part 6

2011-08-29T16:22:00.007-04:00

Since moving in to the new house, I have been working diligently at putting my sewing room together. I love to organize, so this has been super fun for me. I even have things to the point that sewing has commenced - I have already turned out a dress, two pairs of work pants and several pairs of exercise pants. I'm a mad woman!

Today we will take a gander at my cutting table that doubles as a pattern and notion storage cabinet. Originally, I was going to cobble together a few old bookcases and a piece of plywood to act as a cutting table in my sewing room. However, hubby said (and I quote),

"Why don't you design something and the cabinet maker can build it?"

Hmm, let me think about that for a min---...wahoo, new sewing cabinet, here I come...

So, I sat down with my trusty graph paper and a pencil and got to work on a viable design. I wanted an ample cutting surface - enough room for a long length of 60" fabric to rest nicely on top. I ended up with a 3'3" x 8'4" (39" x 100") laminate counter top that has rocked my world so far. Ah, the joy of having enough room to cut out a complete pattern in one go. I used to use the pennisula in the kitchen of our old house and it was too tiny to be really useful. I had to cut out pattern pieces in sections, while trying to keep the fabric from falling off the edge. Can you say PITA?

I also wanted storage for all my patterns. I have a ton of mainstream patterns: BMV, Simplicity and New Look. As well, I have a large assortment of independent designers, including Loes Hinse, Textile Studios, Jalie and Kwik Sew, among others. In addition to my envelope pattern collection, I have several years of Burda magazine, a few Ottobre Woman and several Japanese pattern books. Finally, I have a large collection of vintage patterns (mainly spanning the 50s, 60s and 70s). So, obviously I needed a few good sized, deep drawers. I ended up with 6 drawers on one side of the unit and 3 drawers on the other side, for a total of 9 deep drawers, each with inside dimensions (length, width, depth) of 29" x 14 3/8" x 12". These 12" deep drawers accommodate any size pattern, including my Burda mags standing up in holders.

My last desire was for easy to access notion storage - elastic, zippers, buttons, trims, etc. I have 6 drawers on one side of the unit - each drawer measures 29" x 4 5/8" x 14 3/8".

I even have a drawer for UFOs (although I purged most of my UFOs for the move, I did hang on to a few of them - now, I just need to complete the little rotters) and patterns that are next up on the docket.

The cabinet maker did an amazing job turning my design into reality. I could not be more pleased with the resulting cutting table unit. It is highly functional and it is also a gorgeous piece of furniture. Le sigh...

Home, Sweet Home

2011-08-17T19:07:00.002-04:00

We survived the move (although it was pretty touch and go at times) and I'm here to prove it. The boxes are ~~all~~ mostly unpacked, the house is organized and the decorating has commenced.

And just to prove that we are now new home owners, within a brand new community, I will regale you with pictures of our first trip to the mail box:

Here we are starting the adventure. The air is thick with excitement. Hartley is straining with anticipation!

So much anticipation, in fact, that it excited the pee out of him. Must stop for bathroom break...

Fully relieved and more committed than ever, the odyssey continues...

Finally, we reach our destination. Hartley is obviously overwhelmed by the immensity of the moment.

Let's take a look-see inside...

And what is my fabulous postal bounty, you may ask? Stinkin' bills!

A well earned rest after a job well done...

I'm Ready to Pack It In

2011-07-25T13:54:00.002-04:00

So, I've come to several conclusions lately. Here they are, in no particular order:

I f---in' hate packing.
I have too much crap.

Holy hell, if I pack one more box, wrap one more piece of crystal in paper or nestle one more tchochke into a Styrofoam peanut laden box, I'm gonna lay on the floor and pitch a fit. My knee is killing me, my back is ready to go out at any second and my right shoulder is on fire.

So, here is my living room and master bedroom right now. For an everything-has-its-place kind of gal like me, this is torture. The chaos and disorder is more than a little overwhelming.

Even poor Hartley looks confused and rather put out. And, I don't blame him. Here's hoping we make it until Friday. So, we can turn right around and unpack it all...sigh...

Evolution of a Sewing Room - Part 5

2011-07-20T15:21:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, the cabinet makers were at the house installing the cabinetry and putting on the toe kicks. We now have the base and upper boxes in the kitchen, butler's pantry, laundry room, all the baths and my sewing room. The doors and drawers will be added as soon as the counter tops are in place.

Boy, oh boy, does this make me feel like this house is striding into the finish line (as it should, we only have one week until we move in). I am positively giddy with excitement at this point!

In the picture, you can see my sewing room cabinet in place. I designed this piece to do double duty as a cutting table and as a pattern/notion cabinet. On one side there are six deep drawers. On the other side there are three deep drawers and six shallow drawers. I should be able to house my entire envelope pattern collection in the deep drawers and most of my notions (zippers, elastic, buttons, etc.) in the shallow drawers. I am dying to fill up this bad boy with delicious sewing goodness. My next moment of joy will arrive when my shelves are in place and I can go nuts loading the textiles into the fabric closet.

Dear Clueless Youngster

2011-07-17T13:08:00.006-04:00

At the end of the school year, I was chatting with two of my female grade 12 students. They were relieved, yet sad, about high school coming to an end. They were also excited, yet nervous, about university starting in the fall. They were mainly anxious to get on with the next phase in their lives.

It struck me that we often try to zoom through our lives, yearning for the next big moment or experience. Sometimes, we forget to enjoy the present, to savour the moment. Conversely, we often don't think ahead enough. You only have to look at how many people are in a financial crisis because they didn't plan ahead. I guess we all need a balance of "living in the moment" and "preparing for the future."

So, I suggested that they write themselves a letter containing how they felt right that instant and what they wanted for themselves in the next few years. The letter should include what is important to them, who is special in the their lives and where they look for inspiration. It would also lay out the path they intend to follow to reach their goals.

The young ladies lit up at the suggestion and began to write for the remainder of the class. I hope they finished those letters to themselves. I hope they keep the letters in a safe place, so they can reflect on their thoughts over the next few years. Most of all, I hope they mature into the fine, strong women that I know are inside of them.

I wish I would have written myself a similar note. Although I can't turn back time to when I was 17 and write my future self a letter, I can reverse the process. I can write down the few things I wish I had known when I was a teenager about to embark on the road to adulthood.

Dear Shannon,

Okay kid, listen up! Take off the Walkman, turn down the Depeche Mode and pay attention. There are two things that you can do today to make yourself happier in the future:

1. Start contributing to a RRSP now. Don't wait until you're in your late 20s - do it now. Even a small amount of money contributed each month now, will add up to big bucks in the coming years. So, stop buying crap and wasting your money. Instead, take a portion of that money and invest in the future.

2. Wear sunscreen every single day. I know you mainly avoid the sun now, but sunscreen is so important. You will be pretty happy with the condition of your skin at 41, but a daily dose of sunscreen might stave off the tiny wrinkles you'll see starting around your eyes in your early 40s.

So, did you get all that? Good luck and I'll see you soon.

Love,
Shannon

P.S. Stay away from John during first year of university - he's a jerk and he'll end up breaking your heart.

So, what would you say to your younger self?

Evolution of a Sewing Room - Part 4

2011-07-14T13:23:00.001-04:00

The baseboards and the trim around the windows and doors were installed today. I love how it finishes everything off so nicely.

In the comments to a previous post, I was asked about the colour of paint used in the this room. The walls are Pale Wheat from Behr's Premium Plus Ultra line. The trim will be Polar Bear from Behr's Premium Plus line (however, what you are seeing right now in these pics is just primed MDF). Below are the cropped screen shots of the two colours I snagged off of Behr's website (which is fun to play with BTW).

Pale Wheat was an obvious choice for me. It is so pretty - it reminds me of cashmere. I wanted something neutral on the walls so that it wouldn't compete with my fabric. I like a quiet colour in an area where I create - I find a soothing, pale colour allows me to work with my fabrics without colour overload from the room. I have richer shades in other rooms in the house (I'll have to take you all on a virtual tour once we are settled in), so those rooms satisfy my need for saturated colour and I am content to keep it subtle in the sewing studio.

Evolution of a Sewing Room - Part 3

2011-07-12T16:04:00.013-04:00

Let there be light!

The electrician installed the lighting in my sewing room yesterday. When choosing the fixtures, I wanted a good balance between aesthetics and practicality. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to unpick thread in a dimly lit room. Likewise, tracing a pattern without enough ambient light is annoying too. But, I wanted something pretty, not just utilitarian.

In the centre of the main portion of the room (where my machines will be located), there is a three light semi-flushmount fixture from Progress Lighting's Madison collection, in the antique bronze finish.

The other fixture, a three light chandelier which will hang over my cutting table, is from the same collection.

Both lights were ordered from Home Depot. I have to say I was wary of ordering lighting online from Home Depot (since I couldn't see the product before hand), but these fixtures are quite nice at a decent price.

Now all I need is trim and doors. Yowza!

It's Too Late

2011-07-11T06:53:00.001-04:00

Don't say I didn't try to warn you. I thought I had given you ample time to prepare. To train your family in combat techniques. To squirrel away supplies. To fortify your home. But you didn't listen, did you? And now, it's too late.

Oh, and don't expect to come knocking on my door, looking for shelter. If I have learned anything from watching movies, it's this: you never allow extra people into your shelter. It's a guarantee that some dumb ass will have a zombie bite that they don't tell you about. And then, 30 minutes later, you're the main course at a brain buffet.

P.S. Hubby and I saw this sign on the roadside during our drive home from the new house. The town was using it to inform commuters that some construction is taking place this week. However, some smartie pants switched it to this instead. It was blinking out the above warning all weekend long. Hilarious!

Evolution of a Sewing Room - Part 2

2011-07-10T11:51:00.004-04:00

In my last post, I showed you the progress on my sewing room. Since then, the flooring has been installed.

I chose to go with cork flooring that coordinates with the red oak hardwood found throughout the rest of the second floor. I have a few knee and back issues that crop up if I stand on a hard floor for too long. The cork is a remedy to this potential pain.

Cork is a so much nicer to stand on for long periods rather than tile or hardwood - it cushions achy bones and muscles like a dream. And since I didn't want carpeting in my sewing room (trying to vacuum stray threads out of carpeting is a royal PITA), cork was the obvious choice. The bonus is that it is very aesthetically pleasing as well.

The cork comes in strips that click together very easily (similar to many laminate floorings on the market). It was such a quick installation that the builder was able to complete my entire sewing room, including the fabric closet, in less than a day. Talk about instant gratification.

Below are pictures of the installed floor. Unfortunately, not only is the floor dirty from the installation, but the lighting was not on my side when I snapped the pics. However, it still gives you an idea of how the cork looks on the floor. Now all the room needs is trim, a door and the proper light fixtures.

Much has been done throughout the rest of the house (inside and out) since we last spoke. Below is a picture of the house front as of yesterday. The outside of the actual house body now only needs a tiny bit of siding, a few lights, the front door and eaves troughs. The septic system and geothermal heating/cooling is supposed to be installed during this coming week. Then the land can be filled in around the house, graded and seeded.

It is really starting to come together and look like the house I have envisioned in my head for the last several years. I really feel like it is turning into a home for us now. At any rate, we move in on July 29th, so it's 19 days and counting...

Evolution of a Sewing Room - Part 1

2011-06-27T16:06:00.004-04:00

There are many things that excite me about the house we're building, but very close to the top of the list, is my new sewing room. I have never had a dedicated sewing space. I have sewn in the dining room, the basement and in a guest bedroom, but I have never had a place to call my own. Hmmph!

So, when I was choosing a house plan, one of my first priorities was ensuring that I would have my own sewing studio. And, it had to be big. And it had to have lots of windows. Oh, and lots of storage. And you better damn well believe I wouldn't be sharing it with any one or anything. Oh yeah, baby, you heard me. No.stinkin'.sharing.

This plan afforded me the luxury of stealing an extra bedroom for my studio. I redesigned the layout to allow for a large fabric closet and plenty of room for my machines and a cutting table. The real selling point was the four windows that allow in tons of natural light. Since March, my sewing studio has morphed from simply a dream into a still-forming reality.

So, let's go back to the beginning. Here's she is all framed in but looking a bit emaciated - gotta get some meat on those bones!

The walls have gone up. Hartley can't resist checking out the view!

Everything is better with drywall.

Time for taping and mudding of the drywall.

Hello gorgeous! Getting paint on the walls certainly spruces things up.

This is the area that will house all my machines.

The space by the window will have a chair for Hartley to lounge in while I'm sewing.

Our cabinet maker is creating a 3'x8' cutting table for this space.

Ahh...the fabric closet.

Today, the builder began the installation of the flooring. Soon, there will be trim and doors and all the finishing touches. I can't wait.

Greatest Moments in Teaching

2011-06-15T15:06:00.006-04:00

I came into my classroom the other day and found this scrawled on the board:

Needless to say, my students and this drawing are pure awesomeness.

Didja Miss Me?

2011-06-12T16:14:00.001-04:00

Huh. It's been over two months since I last posted. Imagine that. Apparently I suck at blogging when my life goes nutso.

I've been a busy girl. Selling an old house, building a new house - so much to do, so little time. The last we spoke, I was hoping for the builder to rev up the digger machine to start excavating the foundation for the new house. Since then, we have come a long way baby! I'll let the pictures do (most of) the talking:

March 29th: Digging the foundation - woo hoo!

March 29th: Framing for the basement footings - Hartley & I are super excited!

April 4th: Molds for the basement walls - time to pour the concrete!

April 15th: Basement walls done - let's get the first floor started.

April 22nd: First floor all framed.

May 2nd: Second floor all framed.

May 5th: Here comes the roof.

May 10th: The roof is shingled and the windows are going in.

May 31st: The field stone is being applied.

June 9th: The garage doors are in, the siding is started and some trim is in place.

Despite the outrageous amount of rain in southern Ontario this spring, we've made some decent progress in two months. Of course this is just the front exterior of the house. Inside the house, we have walls being clad in drywall and mudded, plumbing being installed, electrical and network cable being wired and a gas fireplace finding its new home. As well, the cabinets for the kitchen, butler's pantry, bathrooms, sewing room and library are being built. Soon the flooring, lighting, plumbing fixtures and inside trim will be installed.

In the mean time, we staged our existing home and put it up for sale. Thankfully, the first couple (a pair of soon to be newlyweds) that came through the house, loved the place and put in an offer. After a bit of negotiating, we sealed the deal. The only hitch is that we close on the existing house and get the keys for the new house on the same day - July 29th. That is going to be one seriously hectic moving day - yikes!

I'm hoping to get back to a more regular blogging schedule now that I have crossed a few things off my to-do list. I just hope y'all don't mind if I blather about house stuff for the next while.

My Fifteen Minutes of Fame

2011-03-20T19:29:00.000-04:00

Denise, of The Blue Gardenia blog, has posted a wee interview with moi. So, go check me out if you please.

In other news, I wish I could tell you all that I have been sewing but not posting about it. Alas, my every waking hour, and countless sleepless hours during the night, have been focused on picking out more "stuff" for the new house. We have now officially settled on most of the exterior and interior items. But, it seems that for every step forward (we picked out all the kitchen and bath fixtures yesterday), there is one step back (the islands in the kitchen were too big to allow for adequate traffic flow and had to be redesigned). However, since spring has sprung in these parts, the builder hopes to start digging the foundation very, very soon. I cannot wait to see those digger machines chugging along!

Kitchen of my Dreams

2011-03-03T16:52:00.003-05:00

When choosing a house plan, I knew I needed a kitchen that was central in my home and open to the main living areas. I love to cook, so creating a functional, beautiful kitchen was a priority. A few months ago, I shared my happiness over the purchase of professional grade Viking appliances for the new house. I can't tell you how much I look forward to using the 6 burner range. Ooo, nelly!

Since then, we have decided upon flooring, cabinetry and all the incidentals. It has been especially tricky to maintain a proper balance between desires and budget considerations. There are plenty of things I want, but we can't afford them all.

We have decided upon shaker style cherry cabinets for both the main kitchen area and the butler's pantry. We have found a business that will recreate the cabinets in our present house. Several years back, when we remodeled our kitchen, I designed my cabinetry and my father-in-law built them. It was a wonderful partnership that resulted in fabulous cabinets and I always loved them. Below are a couple of pictures of my existing cabinets.

In terms of flooring, we are pretty set on Jatoba (aka Brazilian cherry) hardwood from Mirage. It's a very hard wood (so it can stand up to Hartley's nails) that has gorgeous variations of colours throughout the boards (see photo, scammed from the Mirage site, below). As you can probably tell, we are big fans of reddish woods.

Countertops were a bit of a agonizing decision. We want to use quartz or soapstone, but it is just not in the budget at this time. So, we will likely install laminate for now and replace it in the next couple of years. I love a dark countertop, so we will be going with Wilsonart laminate in a colour called Graphite Nebula.

My sinks will be Kindred stainless steel, single bowl, drop-in sinks - a large one on the biggest island, a small sink on the smaller island and another bar sink in the butler's pantry. The large sink will be equipped with an American Standard semi-professional pull-down faucet and an instant hot water dispenser.

The house will have a central vacuum system, with a dust pan in the kitchen area - I can't wait to sweep all my dirt into the cute little opening!

I still need to decide whether I will do tile or a stainless steel panel behind my range and I also have to find stools for seating at my large island. So many decisions...

Any tips or advice from the crowd?

Elevator?

2011-02-21T05:48:00.002-05:00

In response to my last post, I got many a question about the elevator and the "hers" closet expansion. So, let me set the record straight.

Yes, the plans do call for an elevator. However, for right now, we are having the elevator shaft roughed in, but it will be fully enclosed and used as pantry space on the first floor and extra linen closet space on the second floor. If the day ever comes that hubby or I cannot manage the stairs, we will have the elevator actually installed. We are trying to think ahead as to our needs with this house and the possibility of increased accessibility in the years to come was a factor in the choice of this plan.

As for the "hers" closet expansion. It is a ~~20'8"x6'~~ (ETA: the architect redesigned the closet space, so now it is 20'8"x8'4" - oh, yeah baby, I may actually sleep in there on occasion!) extension that runs the length of the garage beneath and it does have a window at the far end. Isn't it splendid? Surely you don't have enough clothing to fill a closet that big, you might be asking. Well, not quite yet...but I have big plans for the future. At some point, I'm planning on hosting a tea party for my dearest girlfriends in there. Tea, surrounded by shoes...quelle magnifique, non?

P.S. Nice job on yesterday's title source folks. There are a lot of My Fair Lady fans out there!

All I Want is a Room Somewhere...

2011-02-20T11:26:00.000-05:00

You may have noticed the downturn in posting frequency as of late. I wish I could say my absence was because of my long hours in front of my machine. Alas, not much sewing has been happening around Chez HZC. Mainly because hubby and I are busy picking out "stuff" for the next Chez HZC.

Who knew that building a house from scratch would be so time-consuming?

Oh...so you say everybody knows that do they? Piss off.

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of tile, hardwood, cabinetry, counter tops, doors, windows, mouldings, siding, roofing, trim work and lighting. It's frickin' exhausting. Yet, exhilarating, all at the same time. But, mostly exhausting.

So, I hope you all don't mind if I scatter a few house posts into the mix for the next while.

In that vein, I wanted to show you one of the most important places in the new house. The Sewing Room (notice I capitalize Sewing Room because it's so darned important) will be in the largest guest bedroom. To change the original house plan to better fit my sewing needs, a smaller closet was removed and the bathroom was converted into a Fabric Closet (again, the capitals are intentional - a Fabric Closet is nothing to joke about people).

The smaller area near the laundry room (which will be linked to the Sewing Room by a pocket door) will hold a cutting table. The larger area will have two wrap around desks for all my machines and a chair for Hartley to lounge in while I create. I am positively dizzy over the windows in this room - all that natural light will be devastatingly gorgeous, I'm sure. I often have daydreams of myself in the space - windows thrown open, birds singing, machines whirring...ah, it's just so loverly!

* Bonus points to anyone that can identify the origin of my post title.

Lacquer Lundi

2011-02-14T06:06:00.006-05:00

Y'all know that I am not a pink girl, but for Valentine's Day I have made the ultimate sacrifice and I have (among other polishes) some pink polish for you all to ogle. I truly am a trooper considering that I think Valentine's Day stuff is mainly puke-inducing. Especially pink Valentine's Day stuff. So, don't say that I don't love you.

On to the pretties:

Sally Hansen Nail Foils - Pink Foil
- purchased at The Bargain Shop (chain discount store) for $1.08 CDN

Pink Foil is wicked! It is a hot pink polish with a glowy metallic finish that is super cool on the nail. This is what all pink polishes should look like - hot and fab and kick ass cool! My only complaint with Pink Foil is that it shows every ridge and imperfection of the nail beneath, so apply carefully for the best finish.

Pink Foil required one coat (yep, one single coat) for complete opacity. It dried extremely quickly. It wore well, with only tip wear after two days.

Sally Hansen Nail Foils - Scarlet Foil
- purchased at The Bargain Shop (chain discount store) for $1.08 CDN

I bet you're thinking that Scarlet Foil looks a heck of a lot like Pink Foil above. Well, you would be right. They look the same in the bottle and on the nail. I'm not sure if Sally Hansen is just messing with us or what, but Pink Foil and Scarlet Foil are one in the same if you ask me. Regardless, they are still super pretty polishes and I'm glad to have them in my collection.

I got these two Sally Hansen Nail Foils in a a packaged assortment with a bunch of other discontinued Sally Hansen polishes. Prior to this, I didn't even know Nail Foils existed. I sure would love to find some others though. Assuming there are others that are actually different colours.

Zoya - Blair
- purchased at spaboutique.ca for $9.00 CDN

Blair is one of the most gorgeous red polishes that I have ever worn. It has a rich depth to it that is positively captivating. Not to mention it's stunning metallic shimmer. I could not stop staring at my nails when I wore this polish. Blair is the best red polish that I own - hands down - bar none. It is destined to be one of my favourites for a very long time.

Blair applied nicely (like all my Zoya polishes) and covered perfectly in two coats. It wore wonderfully, with only tip wear after three days.

Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear - Lavender Envy & Strobe Light
- purchased at Rexall (chain drug store) for $1.52 & $2.95 CDN, respectively

Lavender Envy is a very sheer light purple (lavender) polish with a turquoise flash that shows up in certain lights when viewed from the proper angle. For the woman that prefers a subdued polish with a bit of a fun edge, I highly recommend Lavender Envy (photo at left).

Hoping to add a bit of bling to my mani, I layered on Strobe Light (photo at right). It is a sparkly pink glitter polish that is fun and funky.

Both polishes applied nicely (due to the great formula and the excellent wide brush). I used two coats of each polish and even with the four layers, the mani dried in a reasonably quick time period. The wear was good, with only tip wear after two days. Although the tip wear was not very visible due to the light colour of the polishes.

Lacquer Lundi

2011-01-31T06:00:00.005-05:00

So, it's been a while since I posted a variety of varnish, a load of lacquer, a plethora of polish, ... um, yeah...I'm done now.

Last time I was at Sephora, I picked up the Sephora by OPI Havana Nights mini collection. It contains four tiny litle bottles of polish in the prettiest shades. From left to right, we have Teal We Meet Again, Read My Palm, Rumba Romance and Caliente Coral. Although I am not a fan of the mini brush (it's small, so it's difficult to hold and it doesn't fan out across the nail very well), I am a fan of mini collections. They allow me to try out a bunch of neat colours without having to store large bottles of polish that will never get used up.

On to the pretties:

Sephora by OPI - Teal We Meet Again
- part of the mini collection purchased at Sephora for $18 US

Teal We Meet Again is a polish right up my alley. I love teal and this polish delivers with its deep greenish-blue base that catches light like a beetle's wings. It is so pretty that the cashier at the mall told me she loved the polish I was wearing. Of course she did - it's gorgeous.

Teal We Meet Again required two coats for complete coverage. It wore okay with tip wear and a few tiny chips after three days.

Sephora by OPI - Read My Palm
- part of the mini collection purchased at Sephora for $18 US

Read My Palm is a lovely blue-green creme polish that leans toward the legendary Tiffany blue colour.

Read my palm applied well, as the polish formula is good. However, it did take three coats for completely opaque coverage. Two coats would have sufficed for the individual that is not as picky about small streaks as I am. The wear was good, with only tip wear after two days.

Sephora by OPI - Rumba Romance
- part of the mini collection purchased at Sephora for $18 US

Rumba Romance is a coppery metallic polish that glows on the nail. It is a warm, beautiful colour. It caught the eyes of many of my colleagues that thought it was beautiful as well.

Rumba Romance required two coats for total opacity. It wore well with only tip wear after two days.

Sephora by OPI - Caliente Coral
- part of the mini collection purchased at Sephora for $18 US

Calienta Coral is a juicy orange creme that is bright and sunny and delicious. Pretty much everything the weather around here is not right now. But, never fear, warmer days are coming to the northern hemisphere and Caliente Coral would be a perfect mani/pedi polish for a hot summer day by the pool.

Unfortunately, I needed four coats of Caliente Coral to render my nails completely streak-free and opaque. This means that it took a fair while for the manicure to dry, which is not good for an impatient gal like myself. The wear was okay - I had tip wear and a few small chips after two days.

Before I sign off, I wanted to gush about my new favourite hand cream, Dermalogica Mutivitamin Hand and Nail Treatment. A while back I received a free sample of this product (when I placed an order through Spa Boutique, they tossed in a few tester freebies) and I really liked it. This hand cream is rich and moisturizing, without being heavy. Best of all, the cream absorbs quickly into my skin and doesn't leave me with greasy mitts. In addition, it also has a wonderfully fresh light citrusy scent that I find very appealing. Love it!

Now, this stuff is not cheap compared to drug store brands, but I think it's worth the extra dough that I have to shell out for it.

Exams - Blech!

2011-01-26T14:31:00.002-05:00

It's the end of semester one. Which means it's time for final exams. I do believe the only thing worse than writing final exams is creating final exams, proctoring final exams and marking final exams. Oh and then I get to compute final marks and write report cards. This time of year is always so crazy hectic that I barely have time to breath.

So, needless to say, I am dying to get back into the sewing room. I have so many projects swirling around in my head and I have no time to make them come to fruition. It's torture, I tells ya. Torture!

The only good thing about the end of this semester is bidding adieu to a particularly difficult student. Every once in a blue moon, I run across a kid that stretches my considerable patience to the limit. That.Was.This.Kid. However, to put it in perspective, I had 73 other students that were wonderful to be around. So, the odds are still considerably in my favour.

Any other teachers out there with a student (or twelve) that just drives you batty? Tell me about it, so I don't feel like I'm alone in my misery. *sob*

I Want to Believe

2011-01-16T14:37:00.003-05:00

Scotland has the Loch Ness Monster, the Pacific Northwest (USA) has Big Foot and Mexico has El Chupacabra. But, there's a new mythical monster and it's located in SW Ontario.

The Abominable Snow Vizsla

Can you spot him? This is an elusive creature, capable of blending into its surroundings seamlessly. So, look very closely.

Witnesses are rarely taken seriously. It seems most observers are lucky to take blurry, dark or half-formed pictures. Nothing that will allow for serious scientific investigation.

More often than not, the Abominable Snow Vizsla leaves only tracks, as if taunting us.

A lucky few claim to have seen it seen sprinting through the tree cover.

Or shrouded in a swirl of snow.

This truly is is a mystery for the ages. We may never know if this legendary creature actually exists or if it is just the product of fevered imagination.

The Wazoodle Coat

2011-01-15T08:06:00.001-05:00

Next up is a winter coat. I will be using the coat pattern from Butterick 2457, a vintage pattern from the 1960s. I'm smitten with the raglan sleeves and the fabulous roll collar that stands slightly away from the neck. Unfortunately, the pattern was not designed with pockets, so I will be adding some to make the coat more useful - I need a place for keys and the like. I haven't yet decided whether I will place the pockets in the side seams or go for some cute patch pockets on the front. Right now, I am leaning toward the latter.

I will be using a mid-weight wool/cashmere/acetate blend melton in balsam. I purchased this fabric in several colourways from Wazoodle many years ago (back when they actually carried fabrics that were desirable - lately, their selection has been less than stellar). Since I want this coat to be reasonably warm in the colder weather, I will be underlining the entire garment in a thick ivory coloured cotton flannel, also purchased from Wazoodle.

As this coat is to be a quick(ish) wearable muslin to test fit, I won't be going crazy with the tailoring techniques. I have plans to use this pattern for a bigger project if this garment turns out well.

In the Navy

2011-01-12T06:18:00.000-05:00

I am a huge proponent of the "Don't Sew an Orphan, Sew an Outfit" approach, so I sewed up a couple of other pieces to go with my new jacket. I absolutely hate when I make a fab piece of clothing and then have nothing to wear with it. So, a few years back, I started sewing outfits - entire looks from head to toe. That way, I will never have one sad little garment, sitting forlornly in my closet, being overlooked.

I have paired up my navy tropical wool Butterick 5567 (view D) jacket with a pair of navy medium weight cotton twill pants (McCall's 2101 - an elastic waist pant, now sadly out of print). Like Carolyn, I am a big fan of elastic waist pants. Not only does my waist change size over the course of the month, but also over the course of the day. With my job as a teacher, I can't afford to be restricted by my clothing, so elastic waists are heaven sent to keep me comfortable. Besides, most people don't even realize that I'm wearing elastic waist pants since I rarely tuck in my tops.

The top is Vogue 8597 (view A with the long sleeves of view B), a fabulous cowl neck top with raglan sleeves. This top is interesting as the front of the top and the cowl neck are all cut in one piece. This makes for some quick and easy sewing. I used a rust coloured bamboo knit from Fabric Mart that picks up the rust striations in the jacket fabric. This top is so soft and luxurious. I love the bamboo knits!

I have styled this outfit with navy socks and a pair of rust leather Mary Janes by Clarks. I opted to forgo any costume jewellery, but I am wearing a sapphire and diamond channel set band on my right hand - I like how the blue sapphires play off the navy fabrics.

12-4-12 Jacket Numero Uno

2011-01-10T15:59:00.000-05:00

Pattern: Butterick 5567 - view D

Size: size 8 - no alterations

Fabric: navy blue (very subtly striated with dark plum) tropical weight worsted wool gabardine from Fabric Mart

Project Photo:

Comments: Since joining the Jacket a Month (12-4-12) sewalong on Stitcher's Guild, I have been seeing amazing jackets and coats everywhere. Whether in pattern form or on retail shopping sites, I am bombarded by inspiration. Oddly enough though, this first jacket sprang forth without any outside influence. I picked up the pattern at the last BMV sale and while going through my stash, this wool seemed like the perfect match.

This jacket sewed up very quickly and easily. The pattern is drafted well, the instructions are good and all the pattern pieces fit together perfectly. This would be an ideal project for a beginning sewist looking for a simple intro jacket project. There is essentially no fitting due to the dropped shoulders and the large amount of ease built into the design. Also, the jacket closes with a single snap at the neck, so there are no finicky closures (like buttons or zippers) to fret about.

I'm not sure this would be the best design for the busty gals in the crowd - due to the limited fitting options. However, the rest of us boobically impaired ladies don't need much fitting. Flat pattern, flat chest - it's all good.

Conclusion: Nice little jacket. I won't likely be making it again, as I prefer jackets with some more waist shaping, but this one will be a nice addition to my professional wardrobe.

2011 - So Far, Not So Good

2011-01-08T21:29:00.001-05:00

This has been a tough week in my neck of the woods.

On Monday, a friend of mine lost her father. He died of a massive heart attack. There were no warnings, so no one had a chance for proper good-byes. It's tragic.

Also on Monday, a colleague of mine was laid to rest. Marlene was a 31 year old teacher at my school. She died suddenly of septic shock just after the holidays. I can't imagine the grief and disbelief that her husband of three years, her parents and her friends are feeling. I was not close to Marlene. In fact, I barely knew her. And that makes me sad. Sometimes, the pace of life is so quick that we forget to cherish those around us. I hope not to make that mistake again.

Butterick 5523

2011-01-03T16:39:00.002-05:00

Pattern: Butterick 5523

Size: size 8, with modifications discussed below

Fabric: coral wool blend knit from Fabric Mart

Project Photo:

Comments: I love this dress. It's such a wonderful addition to my work wardrobe for the winter months. The combination of the long sleeves and the heavy knit fabric allows me to wear a dress in the dead of winter and still keep all my important bits warm and cozy. Also, this dress is so comfortable and easy to wear. And the best part? People kept complimenting me all day long (even the clueless men in my department that never notice anything!).

The dress is sewed up straight out of the package, with only minor alterations. The instructions would have you construct the bodice (complete with sleeves), followed by the skirt and then attach the two parts together.

Instead, I sewed in a different order. I completed the entire front, followed by the entire back. Then, I set the sleeves in flat. Finally, I sewed the side seams for the entire length of the dress (from sleeve cuff to armpit to hem). Since my fabric was a very stable knit, with only minor stretchiness, I wanted to have the ability to sew smaller side seams if I needed the extra room. In the end, I used 1/4" seams, instead of the typical 5/8" seams and this helped me avoid the stuffed sausage look.

My only qualm is with the depth of the neckline. It's a wee bit too low for my taste. I will be raising it by 1/2" to 1" in the next version. I like to be able to bend over at school and not have all my wares on display (however, paltry those wares may be).

I styled the dress with an enamel bee pin (Joan Rivers, similar here), worn at the waistline, a pair of opaque black tights and my fabulous new black leather boots (Clarks Wyld Polka).

Before I sign off, let me take a minute to gush about my boots. I always have problems finding boots that will fit my monster calves (they are 15" in circumference in case you're wondering), but these babies zip right up, no problemo. They are nicely cushioned in the sole, they have rounded toes and a lower heel, which is so important for a gal on her feet all day long. I wore them for eight hours with nary a pinch, twinge or ouchie. Also, the leather is soft and they are well made. An extra added bonus was that I got them for an excellent price ($90 CDN, regular $160 CDN). I will most certainly be looking for these bad boys in brown as well. So ladies, if you have problem feet, combined with the calves of a Russian weight lifter like I do, then give these awesome boots a whirl. You might be glad you did.

Conclusion: This cutie pie of a cowl neck dress is a definite winner! I can see myself making up several more versions of this little number.

Hartley vs Guinness

2011-01-02T07:00:00.004-05:00

I have a riddle for you.

What do you get when mix a 4-pack of beer and very rambunctious pup with very strong teeth?

Don't worry. No vizslas were harmed during the making of this riddle.

One/One/One One

2011-01-01T10:30:00.002-05:00

I'm gonna be honest. I can't bring myself to do a recap of 2010. The first six months of the year were some of the most grief stricken times that I have ever lived through and the final six months were some of the most joyous. Either way, it's just too exhausting to think about.

Did I keep my New Year's Resolutions from last year? I'm guessing probably not. I refuse to look them up and find out.

Do I have any resolutions for the year going forward? Not really. I'd like to sew an outfit a month and I'd like to start exercising more. But, other than that, I'm pretty flexible.

I finally feel like I have myself in a positive place and I won't dwell on the past. My sewing mojo has returned, my fabric buying habit is back in full gear, we're prepping to build our dream house and Hartley keeps me laughing everyday.

Things are good.

A Sh-tload of Shetland

2010-12-31T12:19:00.004-05:00

Fabric Mart has a fab fabric sale on now. They are offering 50% of their huge selection of Shetland wools. That means that they shake out to $9 US per yard. If you are in need of a few winter coats like I am, you may want to follow my lead and pick up a few good wools.

From amongst all the delectable hues, I narrowed it down to these choices (Watermelon Rose, Heathered Rust, Goldenrod, Concord Blue, Spring Green and Heathered Palm Leaf in order from top to bottom). Now, I'm pretty sure these guys are going to be scratchy little rotters, but I couldn't resist the rainbow of beautiful saturated colours.

While there, I also picked up a super cool teal and black plaid wool gabardine. This little beauty will become a nifty circle skirt.

So, enlighten me folks, has anyone else bought some of the Shetland wool? Is it a picky, pokey nightmare? Will I rue the day that I snatched up all this fabric yardage? Or will I marvel at my bargain hunting skills while I stroke my new soft and cosy acquisitions?

A Few More Retail Goodies

2010-12-29T07:10:00.003-05:00

I've hate the word "goodies." I had an aunt that always used this word to refer to candy and there was something in the way she said it that would make my skin crawl. Otherwise, she was a wonderful aunt, but every time she said "goodies," I wanted to poke ice picks in my ears. Just thought I'd share that bit of family trivia before I get to the point today.

Now, onward to the point...

What with all the double knit/ponte knit/RPL knit love that has been going around on sewing blogs lately, I was inspired to pick up a couple of pieces of Sophia Knit in Sweet Violet and Teal from Fabric.com (20% off sale, dontcha know). These puppies will become some fabu knit dresses in my future professional winter wardrobe.

And, in other news, aside from the fabric, I also picked up the knitting pattern book, Thrown Together, by Kim Hargreaves. I was inspired into single-minded obsession for this book after seeing Amy's version of the Aimee Shrug (which is pictured on the book's cover). For a peek at the other fab patterns in this book, check out this link.

Oh, so you didn't know that I can knit? Yesiree bub, it's just another of my varied and spectacular skills. I truly am a domestic goddess!

12-4-12 Vintage Pattern Picks

2010-12-28T06:08:00.006-05:00

Yesterday, I showed a bunch of modern jacket/coat patterns that are on my short list to be made during the 12-4-12 Jacket Sew-a-long. Today, I want to send out some vintage pattern love.

Aren't they all just delicious?

12-4-12 Modern Pattern Picks

2010-12-27T11:05:00.010-05:00

In my last post, I mentioned the "Jacket a Month for 2011" (which I have been calling "12-4-12" in my head each time I see the name) sew-a-long at Stitcher's Guild. At this point, I have already completed two unlined jackets from Butterick 5567; view B in a yellow wool/polyester blend gabardine and view D in a navy tropical wool that looks like fancy denim.

I have also cut out the jacket from Buttterick 5247 using a nifty brown wool that has burnt orange and off-white threads running through it.

I may seem like I'm really getting ahead of myself (considering it's not actually 2011 yet) on this 12-4-12 challenge, but I know I will be inordinately busy in the spring and summer with the building of the new house. So, I want to build in a buffer of a few jackets already finished for when my time is limited.

Lastly, here are a few more jackets/coats that have captured my imagination lately:

The Floodgates are Open

2010-12-26T15:12:00.006-05:00

Oh man, I can't stop buying fabric lately. Just the other day, I bought a major crapload of fabric and here I am back at the trough. Lately, I am a fabric glutton and I blame it all on Fabric Mart and their emails of temptation. How is a gal supposed to resist 30% off? Not to mention that I wanted to sign up for the 2011 swatch club and I wanted a mystery fabric bundle. So, I figured I'd kill ~~two~~ three birds with one stone.

I have been on a bit of a navy kick lately, so I picked up (going 'round clockwise) navy wool blend seersucker from Calvin Klein, navy cotton lycra twill from Dana Buchman, navy striped Italian cotton shirting and midnight navy worsted wool. Trust me, that's what they are, even though they probably all just look like massive blobs of navy on your monitor.

I also nabbed a lightweight wool and cashmere blend olive suiting to use for Vogue 7764. I have had this pattern for an age, but I never got around to making it. However, I was recently inspired by the lovely Robin, who is thinking of sewing up this jacket out of a gorgeous plaid fabric. Unlike Robin, who is capable of thinking outside the box in terms of novel fabric/pattern pairings, I decided to be as predictable as possible and use this olive fabric to make view B. Or I may get real crazy and make view B, with view A's collar. So, you'll obviously want to stay tuned for the thrilling conclusion of this important decision.

I guess I just have jackets on the brain because I have decided to join in on the "Jacket a Month for 2011" sewing frenzy that was inspired by Gigi and promoted by Marcia on Stitcher's Guild. I have already finished two jackets and it's not even 2011 yet. I know - I'm really awesome! So, if you are inclined, feel free to meander on over to SG and join us.

Straight from the Hartley

2010-12-24T15:43:00.000-05:00

Here's hoping you have a doggone good holiday season! May your days be joyful, your nights be restful and your bowl always full of kibble.

Happy Holidays!!

The Holiday Post in Which I'm Rude

2010-12-23T07:21:00.001-05:00

~~~Caution!~~~

If you are not amused by immature sexual humour, bypass the beginning and head on down to the "Safe Zone" toward the bottom of this post.

Alright, now that all the old fuddy-duddies are gone, the rest of you pervs can proceed...

In the past, I have confessed that one facet of my sense of humour is that of a hormonal twelve year old boy. Using the words "shaft", "probe" or "package" in my presence is guaranteed to have me devolve into fits of giggles. I have tried to develop a more sophisticated funny bone (snarf!, I wrote "bone"), but alas, I am still mired down by juvenile inappropriateness.

So, bearing that in mind, you won't be surprised that the following decorative lights at a local park had me snickering.

C'mon, I cannot be the only one that sees distinctly non-Christmasy things here.

Okay, maybe I am.

Anyhoo, on another (very related) note, Hartley is recovering from surgery today. Yesterday, he got the "Big Snip" and now he is now two balls short of a load. Poor little man.

*********************SAFE ZONE*********************

Lastly, for all the readers that aren't fans of blatant innuendo, here are some more holiday light pictures. There's not a rude one in the bunch. (Okay, maybe the last one is a bit boobalicious, but you'd have to be a real prude to be offended by it. So, if you are a real prude, avert your eyes, go no further and ignore this whole post.). Enjoy!

Can you tell I live in an area surrounded by water. Maritime Christmas, anyone?

Hungry Zombie Tip of the Day

2010-12-22T11:29:00.005-05:00

Do you hate finishing the edges of facings as much as I do? Folding down that teeny tiny little hem on the curved edges of the facing is mucho annoying. So, I handle the whole situation another way. Check it out below.

1. Cut out the facing in your fashion fabric and in your interfacing just like normal.

2. Pin each fashion fabric piece to an interfacing piece, right sides together (this means that the right side of the fashion fabric and the non-gluey side of the interfacing should be together).

3. Sew a 5/8" seam on the edge.

4. Trim the seam to 1/4" in width. This makes the next step easier.

5. Turn the interfacing over so that the wrong side of the fashion fabric and the gluey side of the interfacing are together. Carefully iron the interfacing to the fashion fabric, ensuring that the interfacing does not show on the good side of the fashion fabric along the curved seam.

6. Stand back and admire your handiwork. You now have a fully enclosed seam that is finished beautifully and cleanly! Hungry Zombie says, "Sew smart. Use your braaaaains..."

The facing in the pictures above is for view B of Butterick 5567, which I have making out of a wool/polyester blend gabardine (which is behaving like a royal PITA, but, that is a story for another day).

Cylon Night

2010-12-21T10:46:00.004-05:00

I made this fabulous snowflake* for Angie. Because nothing says 'holiday spirit' like six murderous robots.

* I wish I could take credit for this awesome idea, but I have to tip my hat to Pixels Review.

The Slippery Sloper

2010-12-20T10:25:00.005-05:00

A few days ago, I received the following question and I am just now getting a chance to answer it.

Shelley wrote, "When I read about how to sew clothing, all the books talk about making a muslin, usually starting with a dressmaking pattern. The problem is (well, the first, there are probably many) that my books tend to be rather vintage and the commercial patterns they suggest seem to be out of print. Is there a commercial dressmaking pattern you could recommend for a novice sewer for this purpose? I’ve dreamed of making my own clothes for most of my life and it’s time to either get on with it or give up the dream. I’ll be very grateful for any advice you might give."

It's sounds like you are referring to a "sloper" or "block" or "fitting shell" rather than a muslin. Back in the day, all dressmaking books suggest making a sloper and many modern seamstresses still swear by them. The basic concept of a sloper is that you create a snug fitting dress (usually, but you can create a pants sloper as well) that has a bodice, with sleeves and straight skirt joined at the waist. For example, below are the dress (V1004) and pants (V1003) fitting shell patterns offered by Vogue. This Burda Style link also provides other sloper resources.

The goal with the sloper is to create a garment that fits you like a comfortable glove. Using your personal measurements, you want to make changes to the sloper to ensure that all your unique fitting issues are addressed. For instance, I would adjust for my small shoulders, yet relatively broad back, as well as my small waist, tiny bust and large hips. For work clothing, I would ensure that my bodice and sleeves allowed me to write comfortably on a chalk board (I'm a teacher) and that my skirt would have enough sitting ease.

Once you have a well-fitting sloper, then you can use it to check the fit of commercial patterns you may wish to make. This is done by laying your personal sloper pattern pieces over the commercial pattern pieces to look for any changes to be made. For instance, I would check that the shoulder length and armscyce are the correct dimensions and adjust accordingly. Or you can use the sloper to draft patterns of your own. This is done by adding design elements to your basic sloper. For example, you could slash your sloper to add interesting seaming details or colour blocking effects. Check out this sloper series, as well as the link above, for more details.

All that said, I do not use a sloper. I have been sewing long enough that I can just flat pattern measure vital areas (shoulders, bust, waist, hips, etc.) and add or remove tissue to accommodate my particular measurements. If I am planning on using a very expensive fabric or if the pattern is very intricate, I will create a "muslin" or "toile." A muslin is a quick and dirty mock up of the desired garment in a fabric of similar weight and drape to the final fashion fabric. All major pattern pieces are used (bodice, sleeves, collars, skirts, etc.), as well as any closures (zipper, buttons, etc.), but facings are not. This allows me to determine if the major fitting issues are addressed before cutting into the good fabric. Often, if the garment is to be done in a forgiving knit/stretch woven, I will throw caution to the wind and just go for it, after a few quick flat pattern measurements.

I am also a fan of using TNT ("tried and true" or "tested and true", depending on who you ask) patterns. These are patterns that I have made over and over, tweaking the fit on each successive garment until I have the perfectly fitted pattern. I have several TNTs - pants, tops, skirts, dresses, jackets and coats - and by simply using an array of fabrics, I can get many different looks. As well, I will add or delete design details to arrive at a completely different look.

So, I guess the moral of the story is that you have to decide which method suits you the best - sloper or muslin or just diving straight in.

HZC readers, how 'bout it - do you have any additional info or insights for Shelley?

Better than Lithium

2010-12-18T19:54:00.001-05:00

I have not been the usual productive me the last few months. I haven't felt like sewing or blogging or doing much of anything. Besides being sick constantly with a string of colds and a bout with the flu, I have been lazy and a tiny bit depressed. Not clinically depressed or anything, just not my normal, bouncing-off-walls, energy-to-burn, spazztastic self.

Well, I want to throw off the shackles of apathy and get back down to business. In order to kick start my return to the land of the stitcher, I have finished my cowl neck dress (pictures will follow very soon) and I have started work on a coat for Hartley.

And I have purchased fabric.

What better way to salve a broken creative soul than to slather it with the tools of the trade? Nothing gets my juices flowing more than some new fabric and Fabric Mart was very obliging by placing their wares on sale. So, I imbibed.

I mean, really, how could I resist these gorgeous Armani suiting fabrics?

Or these fabulous boucles, which will transform into pretty jackets?

Or these luscious bamboo knits that can be whipped up into amazing new tops?

Or these Cache ponte knits that are so excellent for some comfy winter dresses?

Making Progress

2010-11-27T08:06:00.002-05:00

I am forging forward with my B5523 project. I found a gorgeous coral wool knit in my stash that I purchased from Fabric Mart a while back and I have cut out all my pattern pieces. Today, I will be sitting in front on my machines to put it all together. If all goes well, I can see making up this dress in a few different fabrics, as I really need to flesh out my professional winter wardrobe. Things are looking a bit sad in the HZC closet these days.

Also, from the "I-didn't-want-to-tell-you-all-because-I'd-rather-increase-my-odds-of-winning-but-that-would-be-wrong-so-I-guess-I'll-tell-you-all-anyhow" file, Denise, of The Blue Gardenia blog fame, is having an amazing giveaway. So, I suppose you could go check it out. I'll be right here, trying to work some voodoo magic to ensure that I win. And not you. :)

Lacquer Lundi

2010-11-15T15:36:00.001-05:00

Straight to the pretties:

Essie - Overnight
- purchased at Rachelle's (beauty salon) for $0.50 CDN

Overnight is a lovely traditional red. If it was the 50s and I wanted a "bad girl" reputation, I'd likely be sporting something along the lines of Overnight. These days, it fits the bill for the gal that wants a nice solid red in her collection.

Overnight applied nicely, due to the fab formula and great pigmentation. I needed two coats for perfect opacity. It wore well, with only tip wear after three days.

Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear - Gunmetal
- purchased at Rexall (chain drug store) for $2.95 CDN

I love the greys that have been around for the last two seasons - you get the look of a dark nail without the goth references that can accompany the black polishes. Although I do love a moody black polish, I'm not always looking to go quite so dark, so grey is a nice compromise. Gunmetal is a gorgeous medium metallic grey that glows on the nail.

Gunmetal applied exceptionally well (as have all of my Xtreme Wears), requiring two coats for full coverage. It also wore well, with tip wear after two days.

Icing - Roger That
- purchased at Icing for $3.75 CDN

Goodness knows, I love a teal/tuquoise polish, so I could not resist picking up Roger That the last time I was in an Icing store. The colour is a gorgeous sea colour that makes me long for warm summer days (to all my Aussie and Kiwi friends, I am so jealous of you all right now).

Roger That applied well, but I needed three coats for full opacity. I am not a fan of applying more than two coats, so this was a bit of a disappointment. I was also left unhappy by the wear - I had tip wear and major chips after two days. Colour me unimpressed at the polish formulation.

Finally, Some Inspiration...

2010-11-13T20:31:00.039-05:00

...or at least I hope so.

It will come as no surprise to those of you desperately hoping for some new sewing porn to grace the pages of HZC that my mojo has gone missing for quite a while. When Simon died in July, it was as if all my desire to create beautiful garments vapourized into the ether. I guess grief can do that - it wrings you out and leaves an empty husk. Even with the introduction of joy back into our family through the adoption of dear sweet Hartley, I haven't felt the pull of my sewing room in months. I have done a few things here and there - a couple pairs of pants and some skirts - but, the need to get involved in big projects has escaped me.

So, I have decided to try making a knit dress. A simple knit dress. A simple knit dress, that won't require much fitting and that I should be able to complete in a couple of days. I'm hoping that this simple knit dress will be the impetus to get my arse back in gear.

I have settled upon Butterick 5523, a fab looking double knit dress, with a cool cowl collar (alliteration, anyone?) and an empire waistline. This dress will be a nice addition to my cold weather professional wardrobe.

Now, I just need to rifle through the stash and see what I have in the way of double knit. I know there is some chocolate brown in there that I scored from Fabric Mart a couple of years back. I guess I'll see what's what when I look.

They Call me Karl

2010-11-09T15:25:00.001-05:00

I have expressed my love for Cleaner's Supply in the past. The prices are exceptional, the customer service is impeccable and the shipping is inexpensive (free, if you buy enough) and fast. I normally buy all my thread from Cleaner's Supply - they have an excellent selection of Guterman and Maxi-Lock. I have also purchased some other supplies, like chalk, snaps, a sleeve board and machine needles.

Recently, I received a $10 off a $100+ purchase coupon. Not one to waste such an opportunity, I decided to buy myself something that I have wanted forever. I have salivated over the Fairgate Fashion Designer's Carry-All Kit for years. It contains:

"Everything you need in a handsome briefcase. Kit includes tools for designing, measuring and finishing: Designer's L-square, Half size L-square, Curve Stick, Variform curve, Variform long curve, Straight edge, Cuff width marking rule, and pattern-making guide."

I cannot wait to get my hands on this fab kit! I'm pretty sure that by simply owning these tools, I can officially be called a Fashion Designer. Am I right? So, effective immediately, I will dye my hair white, don leather driving gloves and dark sunglasses. I will begin to speak in odd riddles and confound all those around me. I will singlehandedly revitalize the house of Chanel (except I will rename it, "Shanel"). It's gonna be awesome!

Lacquer Lundi

2010-11-08T11:14:00.028-05:00

Straight to the pretties:

Zoya - Roxy
- purchased at spaboutique.ca for $9.00 CDN

Roxy is a luscious berry shade that is jam-packed with glitter. It is exactly the type of deep, rich colour with which I always fall in love. Toss in some sparkle and I am smitten.

Roxy applied nicely, requiring two coats for opacity. It wore well, with only tip wear after two days.

Zoya - Pru
- purchased at spaboutique.ca for $9.00 CDN

Pru is such an interesting colour. It is a pretty purply-pink base with a gold shimmer that makes this polish come to life. I don't normally go for pinks, but Pru is an exception.

Pru applied nicely, although I needed three coats for coverage and even then, it was a bit see-through. It wore well, with only tip wear after two days.

Rimmel Lycra Wear 10 + Minerals - Milk Chocolate
- purchased at Shoppers for $3.79 CDN

Milk Chocolate is a light beige creme that I wanted to like more than I do. Unfortunately, the colour of this polish is so close to the colour of my skin that it virtually disappears on my nails. I'm not sure what is worse - the crappy colour or the fact that my skin tone closely matches the crappy colour.

Milk Chocolate (despite it's chromatic deficiencies) did apply nicely, covering perfectly in two coats. It also wore well, with minor tip wear after two days.

"Fall"ing in Love

2010-11-07T09:08:00.003-05:00

I have had a few inquiries about Hartley lately, so I thought I'd post an update.

To say that I am madly in love with this pup doesn't quite convey exactly how I feel about him. Everyday, he amazes, amuses and astounds me. Last weekend we went for a walk at a local park. The fall colours this year are wonderful, so I couldn't resist taking a few (hundred) pictures. I have a few to share with you all:

Hartley looking bigger than life!

Hartley found a new friend at one of the local homes that borders on the park grounds.

Hartley and me, cruising along the trail. Be sure to notice how I intentionally matched the colour of my sweatpants (and hair!) to that of the changing leaves.

Stopping for a treat and posing for a glamour shot.

The Detroit skyline from the top of a hill in the park. Hello my American friends!

Hartley, doing what he loves - sniffing the air and chasing a stick.

Winding path down to the pond.

The oak leaves look like lace against the lovely blue sky.

The perfect finish to a perfect day!

Stop Apologizing

2010-10-24T14:00:00.002-04:00

How often do you say those two words? If you're a woman, probably way more often than you should. All too often I hear women apologizing. Just over the last few days, I have witnessed the following incidents:

A female co-worker is walking down the hallway and a male student, goofing around with his friends, bumps into her. She immediately turns and says, "Oh, I'm sorry."
A friend and I are having a good natured debate. At one point in the conversation, she exclaims, "I'm sorry, but that's how I feel."
A woman walks into a store at the mall and trips over a stack of shoe boxes left haphazardly by the door. As she rights herself, she apologizes to the sales staff and offers to help pick up the strewn boxes.
A teary-eyed female student keeps apologizing for being a burden when I offer to help her develop some tactics to overcome her test anxiety issues.

Why are these women apologizing? They have done nothing wrong. I hear women exclaim, "I'm sorry" without even thinking if it is appropriate. It seems to be so ingrained into the female of the human species that it is usually an automatic, hair-trigger response.

I used to do the Sorry thing too. I said "I'm sorry" to so many people so often during any given week that it lost all meaning. And when I took an inventory of the situations that prompted the "I'm sorry, " I quickly realized that almost none of them warranted this exclamation. I felt like a fraud. I was ready for a change.

It took time, but I no longer blurt out "I'm sorry" unless I actually am remorseful. These days, I don't diffuse situations or placate others with those two little words, unless it's actually warranted. I have found more effective methods of communication that allow me to be pleasant without handing away my integrity and self worth. I now know that it is possible to be self assured without being rude or brash.

So, I urge every woman out there to turn in her Sorry Gang membership card. I won't lie, it will be hard at first, but in the end you will feel more genuine and true to yourself - it truly is liberating.

Lacquer Lundi

2010-10-11T09:34:00.001-04:00

Straight to the pretties:

Joe Fresh Style - Tomato
- purchased at Zehrs (chain grocery store) for $3.33 CDN

The name Tomato is not a misnomer for this juicy red beauty. It really does evoke images of summer fresh vine-ripened tomatoes. Unfortunately, in the northern regions of the southern hemisphere those glorious summer days are over. But, this polish can put salsa on your tips all year long.

Tomato applied beautifully, as have all the other Joe Fresh Style polishes that I have tried. It covered opaquely in two coats and wore well, with only minor tip wear after two days. All in all, this line of polishes is a bargain hunters dream - nice colours, great formula and application and darn good wear, all for a small price. Nice, nice indeed!

In a New York Color Minute - Manhattan
- purchased at Rexall (a CDN chain drug store) for $1.39 CDN

Manhattan is a deep, dark burgundy, with some serious purple leanings. It is vampy, with a capital "V"! This is the perfect fall colour for those of us that like a moody polish shade.

Manhattan applied well and covered fully in two coats. It wore reasonably well, with tip wear only after two days.

Finger Paints - Putty in my Hands
- purchased at Sally Beauty Supply for $4.99 CDN

Putty in my Hands is a light brown, cafe au lait shade that...Oh, c'mon, this polish is the colour of Hartley's poop when he's had too many treats. All together now - ewww! Yup, I really wanted to like this one, but it looks way better in the bottle than on the nail. Blech.

Putty in my Hands applied nicely enough, but it did take three coats for maximum opacity. It wore well though, with only minor tip wear after four days. Good formula - horrible colour.

I Now Own a Viking (or Five)!

2010-10-09T09:58:00.000-04:00

No, gentle readers of the blog that is supposed to have sewing related content, I am not referring to this kind of Viking:

But, rather, this kind of Viking:

Oh, yeah baby - that's a 36" open burner range from Viking's Professional Series. I have always wanted a professional kitchen and I will now have one in the new house. The only catch was that my new range insisted on bringing along a few friends (vent hood, microwave, fridge and dishwasher):

Last weekend, I shelled out the down payment and they are now waiting to be delivered to the new house next spring/summer. Other than the blueprints, this is the first purchase that was made for the future abode.

Can I just say........SQUEEEEE!!

Oh, and for those of you that think that this post was all just a sly cover to brag about my new, awesome Viking appliances, it was.

So, neener, neener, neener.

And right now, you should all go to your kitchen and tell your Maytags, Kitchen Aids and Kenmores to kneel before my new appliances in supplication.

Go ahead, I'll wait.

Home Sweet Home (Soon!)

2010-09-20T16:46:00.003-04:00

Quite a while ago, I had mentioned that my husband & I own a 4 acre property. We purchased it five years ago with the intention of building a house. Well, life intervened and we didn't build immediately. Translation: Hubby works for Chrysler Canada and although they did not go through bankruptcy like the American counterpart, we were still hesitant to commit to house building during strange economic times. We are now at a point financially that even if he was to lose his job (which is an extremely remote possibility now), we would still be financially sound as new home owners.

So, we have picked a house plan (that's the exterior over on the left - I loves me some Craftsman styling!), found a builder and are now in the process of putting it all into action. The builder says that we should be walking through the front door by August 1st next summer.

It's very exciting and very time-consuming. Being the anal retentive, control freak that I am, I have been designing kitchen and bathroom cabinet layouts, as well as sourcing appliances, fixtures and home goods. There are close to one million little things that need to be chosen and assessed for suitability. Should the master bath have an infinity tub or a whirlpool? Should we use vinyl siding or fibre cement board? Can we afford to panel the library in cherry now or will it wait until later? Etc, etc, etc...

Needless to say, I have been busy due to all the house design and planning. Not to mention that I have a sweet pup with which to spend time and a job that is more necessary than ever if I really do want all those professional caliber appliances in the new kitchen.

I still have many garments to share with you all, but with time at a premium, I am finding it difficult to squeeze out the moments needed to photograph and blog. So, please bear with me, I'll get it in gear soon.

Grow a Pair

2010-09-01T09:25:00.003-04:00

Lately, I have run across a number of woman who care too much about what other people think of them. Worse still, they are allowing other people to dictate how they feel about themselves. I think it came to a head for me recently on a sewing discussion board. A poster asked for opinions on a fall fashion trend. When many of the responses were dissenting (most posters were respectful and many were quite funny), it was suggested that this negative view of the trend would discourage many woman. They would feel too shy to indicate that they were fans of the trend and/or they would be too intimidated to try out the trend for themselves. After this was pointed out, I felt bad (I was one of the dissenters*) and I posted an apology just in case I had made anyone feel bad.

Well, I have been mulling this over in my head for the last few days and I have to say, I'm feeling less charitable now. I'm actually kind of annoyed. Why do women do this? Why do they give a flying fig about what other people think of them? Why are women so bloody sensitive? And why do women let others dictate how they feel about themselves?

In Style Magazine

As much as I hate the lack of dressing in North American society these days, I fully endorse a woman choosing to dress as she pleases. I'd much rather see Ms. Mutton-Dressed-As-Lamb out in the world feeling foxy than the well-dressed clothes horse behaving like a mouse. There is something about an aura of confidence that makes anyone more attractive, regardless of their garb.

For instance, I think Betsey Johnson dresses like a complete weirdo half the time, but there is no denying that she unapologetically owns her look. Although, I cannot imagine ever dressing like her, I am drawn to her image - she appears happy, content and above all, comfortable in her own skin. I'm guessing that she never lets any one's opinion impact her confidence or self-esteem. In every photo I see of Betsey Johnson, her greatest fashion accessory is her self-assurance.

So, let's all take a page from the book of Betsey. Remember ladies, you are strong, you are powerful, you are capable of making your own decisions. If you want to wear a crazy fashion trend or a not-so-crazy fashion trend, go for it. Maybe you'll look great, maybe you'll look stupid, maybe people will talk about you behind your back or maybe you'll get compliments. Regardless of the outcome, you'll likely live through the experience. So, why all the angst?

*In the end, I actually came around to seeing the positive aspects of the trend, but I still don`t think I`ll be adding it to my wardrobe repertoire.

Happy Birthday, Hartley!

2010-08-31T19:23:00.002-04:00

Today is Hartley's 1st birthday!!!

There was cake...

and presents...

Oh, and a lot of hat wrestling.

What a spazz.

Lacquer Lundi

2010-08-30T06:57:00.096-04:00

When I was in high school, my Mom would bring home catalogues from an Avon lady with which she worked. I loved thumbing through the many glossy pages, taking in the colourful offerings of eye shadows, lipsticks and blushes. I was allowed to choose a few items from the catalogue and I always delighted in the task. My transition from adolescence into womanhood owes a partial debt of gratitude to the transformative powers of Avon cosmetics. Then came university and long hours in classes and in the chem lab replaced cosmetic frivolity, so Avon and I became estranged.

Happily, I rediscovered Avon about a year and a half ago and the products are as shiny and pretty as ever. One of my favourite finds is the nail polish offerings. I have become a huge fan of the Nailwear Pro line. What drew me in was the gorgeous colours - ranging from the typical pinks and corals to fashion forward shades like pastels, greens, blues and vamps. The formula is also excellent - nice consistency, great pigmentation and easy application. The polishes dry fairly fast and they wear quite well (I only have tip wear after two or three days). Also, I am smitten with the bottle - it is a great rectangular shape that nests nicely with all its brethren in my polish drawers. I love a good bottle shape - I have been known to pass on entire lines of polishes because of ugly bottles (Nicole by OPI, I'm lookin' at you).

Below are my latest Avon purchases. They all conform to the description above, so I will let the pictures do most of the talking.

On to the pretties:

Avon Nailwear Pro - Luxe Lavender & Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure - Hidden Treasure
- Avon purchased from avon.ca for $2.99 CDN
- Sally Hansen purchased at Shoppers (chain drug store) for $7.99 CDN

Luxe Lavender is a beautiful pastel purple. I absolutely love this colour. It changes a bit in depth depending on the lighting - it's a bit softer in natural light (left photo) and a bit darker in low light (right photo).

Over top of Luxe Lavender, I applied one coat of Hidden Treasure. This polish is a a colourless base packed with iridescent flakies that flash green or orange depending on the angle of viewing. Hidden Treasure is a great polish to use when you want to give a simple base polish a bit of added interest.

Avon Nailwear Pro - Vintage Blue
- purchased from avon.ca for $2.99 CDN

Vintage Blue is a light blue pastel. In some light conditions, it reads as a cool white colour. It reminds me of a clear, cloudless summer sky - so soothing.

Avon Nailwear Pro - Urban Grey
- purchased from avon.ca for $2.99 CDN

Urban Grey is my least favourite of the three Avon polishes presented today. It is a light grey colour that unfortunately reads as "dirty" on me, but I think it's mainly because of my skin tone. I find that I look better in deeper, darker greys.

ETA: I am in no way affiliated with Avon - I just like 'em.

I Am Too Doing Stuff! Really.

2010-08-28T21:17:00.001-04:00

Contrary to popular belief, I have not (a) fallen off the face of the Earth or (b) given up on my blog or (c) stopped sewing altogether. I have actually been spending some quality time behind my machine for the past couple of weeks and I have much to show you.

I just haven't had the gumption to get my ass in gear, set up the tripod, fix my hair, slap on some makeup, pick out the proper accessories and climb into my latest creations. I love you all, but apparently not enough to expend any energy on your behalves.

A few weeks back, I had all but lost my sewing mojo. Most of this 'creatus interuptus' stemmed from my overwhelming anxiety. After pulling out all my transition/fall/winter wardrobe and doing the big purge (bye-bye worn-out, out-of-style or I-have-grown-weary-of-you garments), I was left with a sad state of affairs. I had very few remaining cool weather clothing choices. I quickly came to realize that if I didn't start putting in some major Kenmore time, I was going to be standing at the front of my classroom naked. That's bad.

And so the anxiety set in. How in the heck was I going to sew up an entire fall wardrobe in less than a month? That's when I made a startling decision.

I prefer to make the lion's share of my clothing, but sometimes a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. So, I went shopping with my best friend. I didn't expect to find much at the mall, but I was desperate to shore up my waning wardrobe.

And, much to my surprise, I hit the mother lode. Almost every T-shirt, blouse, tank and tunic I tried on was perfect - good colours, good fit, good prices. I came home with 19 tops (yep, 9 + 10 = 19, nineteen) and a much better attitude about my fall prospects. All of a sudden my desire to sew returned and I have been on a roll. I have been focusing mainly on skirts, pants and jackets to turn all my purchases into ensembles that are very Emma Pilsbury/J. Crew-like in vibe. So, stay tuned, when I finally feel like stepping in front of a camera again, I will have much to share.

And just because I hate to put up a picture-less post, check out this absolutely, fabulously, awesomely scrumptious colour-blocked coat (photo at right). As soon as I got the latest Boden catalogue (Autumn 2010), I was instantly smitten with this lovely garment. If I can find three pieces of wool in my stash that are complementary in colour and weight, I will be knocking off this beauty. Oddly enough, prior to receiving the Boden catalogue in the mail, I ordered the Pure & Simple pattern from Cutting Line Designs (photo at left). Coincidence? More like fate...cue Twilight Zone music...

Lacquer Lundi

2010-08-23T13:31:00.003-04:00

Hmm, it seems that polishing one's nails on a somewhat regular basis and having a new puppy in the house are two mutually exclusive things. A certain Mr. Hartley Dog is not a big fan of the drying time required for a manicure. He believes that all waking hours should be filled with walks, belly rubs and games of fetch and chase the puppy. And I tend to agree, so the nail polish selection is quite limited this week (but, they're both very pretty purples, so check 'em out).

On to the pretties:

Zoya - Adina
- purchased at spaboutique.ca for $9.00 CDN

Adina, from Zoya's Spring 2010 Reverie collection, is a medium dusty purple base with awesome teal (and sometimes gold at the right angles) shimmer. It is such a pretty duochrome - the finish reminds me of the inside of an oyster shell. This polish really needs to be experienced in person - it is such a pretty and interesting colour - it is one of my favourites from this year's offerings.

Adina applied wonderfully and covered completely in two coats. It wore well with only minor tip wear after two days. This polish is very unique in my collection - I don't have anything else like it.

New York Color - Irresistible Indigo
- purchased at Rexall (chain drug store) for $1.36 CDN

Irresistible Indigo is an older offering from New York Color, but you may still be able to find it in drug stores that don't clear out stock well or at a local dollar store. If you can find it, it's worth it. Irresistible Indigo is a gorgeous medium purple, with a very subtle silver microshimmer. For some reason, it makes me crave grape pop.

Irresistible Indigo applied fairly well, although it is prone to bald spots. I was able to get adequate coverage with two coats, but I did have to go back and even out some streakiness on a few nails. It wore well, with tip wear after two days. All in all, a decent polish at an extremely affordable price.

A New Man in my Life

2010-08-12T06:00:00.004-04:00

There's a new member of the HZC family that I want to introduce to you:

This is Hartley. He is an 11 month old Vizsla and he is responsible for the return of joy into our home.

Since he has taken up residence with us, he has been doing all the things a sweet puppy should do.

Like rolling in the grass:

Getting up close and personal with bugs:

Trying to balance on the windowsill (okay, maybe that's something puppies shouldn't do - oy!):

Eating spaghetti:

Cruising around at the dog park:

And napping in the warm afternoon sun:

Each day with him is an experience.

Lacquer Lundi

2010-08-11T13:15:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I forgot to publish this post on Monday. Oops! Well, better late than never. I'm still going to call it "Laquer Lundi" though, 'cause "Lacqur Mercredi" just sounds weird.

On to the pretties:

NARS - Purple Rain
- purchased at Sephora for $23.00 CDN

Purple Rain was a splurge on my part - I don't normally shell out $23 on nail enamel, but the colour drew me in and I laid down the money. Purple Rain is a reddish purple base with copper shimmer that gives the polish a gorgeous beetle shell look.

Purple Rain applied well and covered completely in two coats. However, it did not wear really well on me. The day after I put it on, I was doing some (gloveless) housework and after having my hand in or around water for half an hour, the polish started to peel off in sheets. I know I was a bit harsh on the polish, but I have never had this happen before. To say I expected more from a $23 polish is an understatement. I will give this polish another shot on a non-housekeeping day and hopefully it will hold up better.

Orly - Purple Crush
- purchased at Sally Beauty Supply for $5.99 CDN

Purple Crush is not normally a colour to which I am drawn. But, sometimes I crave something different and on one particular day, while browsing at Sally, this polish insisted that it had to come home with me. Well, I'm glad it did. Let's get one thing straight, though - Purple Crush is in no way, shape or form a purple colour. Rather, it is a neon hot pink. Talk about a perfect summer colour.

Purple Crush applied nicely. It did require three coats for opacity (although if you click on the photo, you can see that it is still a little sheer in places) and this slowed down the dry time. It wore well - only tip wear after two days.

Sally Hansen Nail Prisms - Pink Rose Diamond
- purchased at eBay for $3.99 US

Pink Rose Diamond is from a now defunct line of Sally Hansen polishes called Nail Prisms. I think ol' Sally really needs to consider re-issuing these babies - many of them are amazing. Take Pink Rose Diamond for instance. It is a gorgeous medium pink holographic polish that is so pretty (and this is high praise coming from a self professed pink hater).

Pink Rose Diamond applied wonderfully and covered opaquely in two coats. It had decent wear - I had tip wear after two days.

Sally Hansen Nail Prisms - Golden Tourmaline
- purchased at eBay for $3.99 US

Golden Tourmaline is the sister of the above polish that leans more toward coral-pink. However, it is still jam packed with holographic goodness. You should see this polish in the Sun - it is breathtakingly gorgeous.

Golden Tourmaline performed the same as the above polish. Great application, two coat coverage, tip wear after two days.

Couch to 5K

2010-07-29T09:17:00.001-04:00

Remember back when I made this skirt? I still haven't worn it because it's too small. It shouldn't be too small. I made it to "my " measurements. Unfortunately, over the last few months, I have been expanding and my measurements are no longer my measurements.

And I'm not happy about it.

Oh, I have excuses. Actually, I have really good excuses. My life has been turbulent to say the least. And when I'm stressed, I eat...and eat...and eat. The scale and my measurements are bearing witness to my headlong tumble off of the healthy living bandwagon.

Well, it's time to get it back in gear. I have already started to clean up my bad eating habits. Goodbye ice cream for dinner (I wish I was kidding). Hello well balanced meals.

Now, I want to add in some more exercise into my life. I have always been intrigued by the concept of running 5K or 10K or a marathon. So, I decided to start looking around for a training program. In my googling, I ran across the "Couch to 5K Running Program" and it piqued my interest.

Basically, C25K gets you up off your (my) lazy ass and, over the course of two months, turns you into a 5K runner. You train at a manageable three days per week (with rest days in between) to reach the 5K goal. In the beginning, each 20 to 30 minute training session consists of alternating intervals of walking and jogging. As the program progresses, the amount of walking decreases and the amount of jogging increases, until finally, the entire session consists of jogging.

To aid in my C25K journey, I downloaded some free podcasts that correspond to each training session. The music is techno and the rhythm makes it easy to keep the walking and jogging pace.

I have already completed the first week and I did great. Prior to starting the very first session, I half expected to puke up a lung at about ten minutes in, but I flew through without a hitch. I'm actually looking forward to my next workout. My only fear is that my bum knee (I dislocated my left knee during university while playing softball and ever since it can be a bit finicky) may cause problems. However, if I slow down when it acts up, I should be fine.

So, has anyone else ever done this program? Did it work for you? If you haven't, would anyone like to join me? The more the merrier...

Lacquer Lundi

2010-07-19T09:31:00.003-04:00

Everybody remembers the colours of the visible spectrum (rainbow), right? Say hello to ROY G. BIV.

Behold the pretties:

Zoya - Nidhi
- purchased at spaboutique.ca for $9.00 CDN

Nidhi is from Zoya's Summer 2010 Sparkle collection and sparkle it does. It is a gorgeous warm red with gold microglitter. Although I'm not normally a big fan of red polish, I am a big fan of sparkle (I think I was a magpie in a prior life), so Nidhi has won me over.

Nidhi applied wonderfully (as have all Zoya polishes that I have ever used). It covered beautifully in two coats due to excellent pigmentation (just be sure to add a shiny top coat to really bring out the sparklies in this polish). It also wore well. I had this polish on for five days and only suffered tip wear - no chips or peeling in sight. Wonderful!

Zoya - Gwin
- purchased at spaboutique.ca for $9.00 CDN

Gwin is one of the offerings in Zoya's Spring 2010 Reverie collection. It is a luscious orange base with copper iridescence. It is absolutely stunning on the nail, as it positively glows from within. I know the colour orange is not for everyone, but if you're like me, you will be smitten with this one.

Gwin flowed on smoothly and moved around the nail easily. I only needed two coats to completely remove all bald spots. I actually could have been done with one coat if I had been more careful, as the pigmentation of this polish is superb. Gwin wore well - only tip wear after two days. (P.S. Sorry for the war wound on my middle finger - I did battle with a cheese grater and lost).

Joe Fresh Style - Butter
- purchased at Zehrs (chain grocery store) for $3.33 CDN

Butter was like almost every other yellow polish that I own. It drew me in with its colourful siren song, then wapped me up side the head with its streakiness. Ah well, it's a small price to pay for such a pretty pastel yellow hue.

Butter had a good consistency - not too thick, not too thin. However, as stated above, it was streaky during application, requiring three coats to even out any thin areas. It did wear well though - only minor tip wear after two days.

Spa Ritual - Optical Illusion
- purchased at spaboutique.ca for $12.00 CDN

Optical Illusion, from Spa Ritual's Kaleidoscope collection, is an amazing polish on so many levels. It has a very unusual swampy green base, packed with bits of gold and bright green/teal microglitter (I love me some weird colours). In addition, all Spa Ritual polishes are Big 3 Free and completely vegan and cruelty-free. Unfortunately, they are a bit pricey.

Optical Illusion flowed on perfectly, due to the excellent consistency. It did require three coats, but the coats were thin and so they dried quickly. It also wore well - only tip wear after three days. I love this polish and I will certainly be adding other Spa Rituals to my stash.

Zoya - Charla
- purchased at spaboutique.ca for $9.00 CDN

Wow, wow, wow! What more can I say about this amazingly gorgeous polish? To say that this polish is stunning doesn't quite do her justice. Charla is a deep, rich teal, jammed with gold microglitter that positively shimmers on the nail. When I wore this polish, many people grabbed my hand and stared at Charla in awe. I love this polish so much I would put it in my top three choices.

Charla applied nicely and was mostly opaque in two coats (I did three for perfect coverage and an extra depth of colour). It also wore well - only tip wear after two days.

Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear - Indigo
- purchased at Rexall (chain drug store) for $ 1.52 CDN

Indigo is another of my beloved Xtreme Wear polishes (in the past, I have gushed over the fabulous colour options, the amazing wide brush, the excellent formula and the awesome low price). Indigo is a dark purply-blue polish with a glowy metallic-like finish. It is quite a dark navy without reading as black.

Indigo applied nicely and moved around the nail well. It required two coats for complete coverage - with a more careful application, I likely could have gotten away with just one coat, but I wanted to eliminate any bald spots. Indigo wore well - only tip wear after four days.

Milani - Totally Cool
- purchased at Superstore (chain grocery store) for $4.99 CDN

Totally Cool is a really pretty polish with its reddish-purple jelly-like base and coppery/purple microglitter. This is the kind of purple that always catches my eye, so I really like this polish.

Totally Cool applied nicely, but it did require three coats for opacity due to the sheerness. It wore reasonably well - I had tip wear after two days.

It's the Little Things

2010-07-17T09:39:00.001-04:00

I miss toenails clicking on the hardwood floor. I miss the intricate dance we would do in the kitchen when I was cooking. I miss the nose poking through the open door when I arrive home from errands. I miss having a pre-rinse cycle for plates going in the dishwasher. I miss the smell of fur.

I knew when Simon died there would be a lot of big sorrows - the obvious indications of a family member missing. Not being pestered to get out the door for a daily walk, not having a warm body to snuggle on the couch, not having the responsibility of caring for him. What I didn't expect was all the little things. Those have hit me the hardest. I think the most difficult moment I have had so far was finding a single paw print embossed into the seat of his favourite chair. That small impression was an overwhelming reminder of what has been lost.

So, I have been trying to focus on the happy times. I have almost fourteen years of memories that bring to mind love, laughter and wonderment. From his first joyous romp in the snow as a pup to his disdain for squirrels to the howls he would elicit whenever I shouted "Release the hounds!" Simon was the master of manipulation with those soulful hound eyes - just try refusing him a bit of food off of your plate. He was comic relief - picture him booting around the house with my husband's underwear in his mouth, growling and shaking for all he's worth if you try to approach him. He was a big sissy - he spent every storm tucked up against my chest despite many attempts to desensitize him to thunder.

Despite the pain I'm in now, I wouldn't make it go away if it meant never knowing him. I was privileged to be his Mommy and I am a better person for having known Simon. I'll leave you with a very short video that makes me smile every time I see it.

It Was Time

2010-07-13T18:20:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I wrote the post below the asterisks and didn't get a chance to publish it. Reading it makes me realize how much your life can change in a few short hours. This morning Simon took a turn for the worse. He was extremely lethargic and had a hard time moving around. He was uninterested in his breakfast until I practically forced it on him. His breathing was very shallow and he looked tired of fighting. So, we made the call. It was time to let him go. My heart hurts and I hate how quiet the house feels. But, we did right by him and that makes it slightly more bearable. If you have a pet, please go hug him or her - I know Simon would like that.

*******************************************************

I want to start out by thanking everyone that has passed along a kind word or thought in my direction. I appreciated every comment and every email that has been sent to me. The words of understanding and empathy have been so comforting.

Simon has his good days and his bad. He sleeps almost all day every day, only getting up for extended periods of time to eat and go for his short morning walk (both of which he still really enjoys). The flashes of his mischievous, spunky personality are coming fewer and farther between lately. Some days he is more feisty than others, but he is winding down.

I keep reminding myself that his is a little old man (72 in human years if you believe the accepted conversion charts) and that he is fighting a losing battle. I tell myself that he has had a splendid life. He has always been surrounded by people that love him and he has had wonderful adventures. He always had the softest beds, the tastiest foods and the squeakiest toys.

But its hard to see him faltering. I keep asking myself how I will know it's time to say goodbye. And I'm always torn between what's right for him and what's right for me. I couldn't bear letting him linger beyond what is humane and loving, just so I can have one less moment of grief after his loss. So, as of now, I have decided that when he loses the ability to enjoy his two greatest loves, eating and walking, it will be time. I just hope I have the strength of will to be so selfless when the time comes.

Lacquer Lundi

2010-07-12T08:52:00.005-04:00

It's been a while since I have done a Lacquer Lundi post and I miss sharing my polish adventures. So, there's no time like the present to get back in the saddle.

Behold the pretties:

GOSH - Peachy
- purchased at Shoppers (chain drug store) for $6.00 CDN

Peachy is exactly that, peachy. It is a juicy, saturated medium coral creme that just looks like summer to me. Although, I'm not a fan of the peach fruit (the first time I ever got drunk was on Peach Schnapps - yeah, I know, real classy, but hey, it was the 80s - now the smell of peaches makes me horribly nauseous), I still really like this colour.

Peachy applied nicely, due to a not too thick, not too thin consistency. It covered well in two coats and dried quickly. It wore well, with only tip wear after one day.

Essie - Wacky Wicked
- purchased at Rachelle's (beauty salon) for $0.50 CDN

I admit I bought Wacky Wicked simply for the name, but when I put it on, I was smitten. Wacky Wicked is deep, rich burgundy with a gorgeous gold shimmer that makes the polish come to life. It is a perfect vampy red.

Wacky Wicked applied wonderfully and covered opaquely in two coats. It dried quickly. It also wore well, with only minor tip wear after three days.

Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear - Green With Envy
- purchased at Zellers (chain discount store) for $2.99 CDN

Green With Envy is a bright spring green creme. It is so wonderfully bright and cheerful on the nail. It reminds of the new shoots of some plants as they push their way up out of the ground in the early spring.

Green With Envy flowed onto the nail without a hitch and covered completely in two coats. And, can I say again, just how much I love the Xtreme wear brush? It's the perfect width and thickness. Green With Envy wore well, with only tip wear after two days.

GOSH - Black Passion
- purchased at Shoppers (chain drug store) for $6.00 CDN

In the bottle, Black Passion is a black base with fine silver shimmer, but on the nail, it mainly just reads as black. I'm not sure I am in love with a true black nail polish like this one. It just reads "Herman Munster" to me (especially with the super short nails I was sporting when I wore this) and I'm not sure that's the look I'm going for. I may try using it as a base for layering in the future - I can see livening it up with some fab glitter.

Black Passion applied nicely and covered opaquely in two coats. It wore well, with only tip wear after three days.

Presents of Mind

2010-07-10T15:38:00.004-04:00

At the end of each school year, I buy myself a present (or ten) as a celebration of surviving another pair of semesters with my sanity intact (and more importantly, for not maiming any kids in the process). This year, my gift to me is a batch of vintage patterns. All of these will make excellent additions to my work wardrobe.

These beauties were purchased at Your Pattern Shop, which has a 40% off everything sale. They also offer free shipping (US & Canada) for the purchase of three or more patterns, plus additional volume discounts. As I was browsing, I noticed that there is a good selection of sizes (bust 30 - 44) at very reasonable prices.

I have never purchased from this vendor before, but I'm always willing to give a new merchant a chance. I'll report back when the patterns arrive.

Summer Begins

2010-07-01T14:05:00.002-04:00

My marks are done, my room is clean and my photocopying for next September is done. Today is the first day of my summer vacation - I am officially a woman of leisure. The next nine weeks are mine to do with as I will. I hope to get some sewing, gardening and painting (home dec) done.

I just wish I could feel more upbeat. Although Simon is still eating well and relishing his morning walks, he is showing the effects of the lymphoma. He sleeps most of the day now and the lumps in his throat are quite large (making it a bit difficult for him to breathe). Most days I am able to remain positive and thankful that I get this chance to say goodbye to him. Other days I am in a rage at the injustice of it all. And on even other days, I am melancholy and sad.

Thank you to everyone that has left a message (either on my last post or via email). I cannot tell you how comforting it is to know that other people understand my sorrow. Every word has meant more to me than you'll ever know.

In closing, I want to send out a huge Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canucks (both real and honourary). And to end with a chuckle, check out The Canada Song, as sung by my favourite MST3K* trio, Servo, Crow and Mike:

* MST3K = Mystery Science Theatre 3000; one of my all time favourite shows!

Heart Break

2010-06-20T16:43:00.001-04:00

I have put off writing this post for many days now because I needed to find the strength.

Two weeks ago I felt two lumps in Simon's throat. As I made the vet appointment, I tried to convince myself that it was going to be fine, that it was an infection or a side effect of his Cushing's meds. But, deep down I knew that it was bad - horribly bad.

Simon has lymphoma (cancer of the lymph nodes) and although I caught it early, it is still a fatal diagnosis. Most dogs can undergo chemotherapy to extend their lives by 6-12 months, but Simon has other issues. With his advanced age (he is almost 14) and the Cushing's disease, the vet was unsure of how the chemo (or other treatments) would affect him.

So, I made the call not to treat him. I just couldn't put him through any more testing and medicating. I want his last few weeks to be calm and peaceful.

Right now, he sleeps much more than normal and he is slowing down considerably. However, he is still eating heartily and demanding his daily morning walk. He still smiles at me and does a little dance when I give him treats.

I'm still trying to come to grips with all of this. I alternate between sobbing and trying to remain philosophical.

Unfortunately, I know the inevitable decision is coming.

But for now, I just want to pack as much love and joy into Simon's last few weeks as I can. My sweet boy deserves no less.

Lacquer Lundi

2010-05-31T16:23:00.004-04:00

Apparently I was channeling the Christmas season this past week.

On to the pretties:

Essie - Life of the Party
- purchased at Rachelle's (beauty salon) for $0.50 CDN

Life of the Party is a dark red base with gold shimmer that makes it look slightly metallic (it reminds me of car paint). This is a nice glowy red for my red fans in the crowd.

Life of the Party applied very nicely due to a really great formula that was the perfect consistency. It covered perfectly in tow coats. It also wore well, as I only had minor tip wear after two days of wearing.

China Glaze - Emerald Sparkle
- purchased at Sally Beauty Supply for $1.99 CDN

Emerald Sparkle is a gorgeous dark green base packed with green glitter. It screams, "Look at me!" This polish is luminous and positively scrumptious. It is certainly one of my favourite green polishes.

Emerald Sparkle had excellent application. It covered opaquely in two coats, but I applied a third to really get a rich depth of colour (a move I would later regret at removal time - I needed a sand blaster to power off all the glitter). It wore well with only tip wear after two days.

Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear - Vanilla Bean
- purchased at Rexall (chain drug store) for $1.53 CDN

Vanilla Bean is an off white polish that reminds me of milk.

Vanilla Bean had a nice consistency, but it was so sheer that I had to apply four coats and I still had visible nail line. It was also rather streaky. I you are a fan of sheers this may be up your alley, but I am not a huge fan of this polish. It wore well though, with only tip wear after two days (one of which included gardening).

Simplicity 2871

2010-05-30T09:05:00.002-04:00

As the school year is winding down (my last day of work is June 30th), the workload is heating up. The last month of school is always a whirlwind of activity.

Also, my gardens are demanding more and more attention. So, I have been spending many hours on the weekends digging, pruning, transplanting and deadheading.

Not to mention, my house looks like a pig sty because I simply don't have enough time for real cleaning duties. Not that my husband or Simon notice. Why are most men so oblivious to filth?

So, unfortunately sewing has been on the back burner at Chez HZC lately.

However, I will sew today.

I already have the project all picked out. I don't normally go for sheath style dresses, but Simplicity 2871 looks so chic (and above all, easy to sew).

I have a navy floral cotton pique fabric all picked out and ready for cutting. It was a freebie in a Fabric Mart bundle, so hopefully it makes a nice wearable muslin. But, if this project goes south, no tears will be shed.

Now, I just need to get my arse in gear...

Make a Run for the Border

2010-05-29T23:51:00.003-04:00

Like Carolyn, I have always loved a good border print fabric. So when I see them, I tend to snatch them up with wild abandon, 'cause ya just never know when they'll stop making fabric. Hey, don't laugh, it could happen. Then you'll be wishing that you had hoarded like me. Just sayin'.

So, when Fabric Mart sent out a sale notice, I decided to partake:

What? So you noticed that they aren't all border prints, eh? Yeah well....sheepishly trails off....

I see some fabulous sundresses in my future.

Lacquer Lundi

2010-05-24T17:53:00.001-04:00

I have been pretty vocal in the past about my dislike for soft pink nail polish (and I still stand by that sentiment). However, this week I was feeling the love for pink, but not just any pink. If I'm going to do pink, it has to be special. So, check out the three pinks, with a twist, below. And, I have a nifty purple, to finish things off.

On to the pretties:

Sally Hansen Nail Prisms - Pink Rose Diamond
- purchased on eBay for $3.99 US

Pink Rose Diamond is a gorgeous hot pink holographic polish. It is beautiful in all light conditions, but it absolutely comes alive in the sunlight. Unfortunately, Sally Hansen Nail Prisms are no longer on the market, but they can be found on eBay - most for reasonable prices. I can't believe Sally Hansen discontinued this line of polishes, as they are so pretty. I have been trying to collect as many of the polishes in this line as I can get my hands on.

Pink Rose Diamond applied wonderfully and required only two coats for complete opacity. The polish wore well also, with only very minor tip wear after one day.

Sally Hansen Salon - Exotic Magenta & Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear - Rockstar Pink
- SHS purchased at Rexall (chain drug store) for $5.99 CDN
- SHHANXW purchased at Zellers (chain discount store) for $2.99 CDN

Exotic Magenta is a hot pink with a silver shimmer that gives the polish a metallic look. It is what pink should be - bold, bright, poke you in the eye with colour kind of pink.

Exotic Magenta applied nicely and covered in two coats. However, I decided to kick it up a notch by laying on some glitter.

Enter Rockstar Pink, a hot pink (the main colour), teal, red and silver glitter. It is everything glitter should be - sparkly, with just the right amount of gaudy. Delicious!

I used two coats of Rockstar Pink on all my nails, except for the ring fingers. I really like this look. I had tip wear and no chips after two days.

New York Color - Purple Pizzazz
- purchased at Rexall (chain drug store) for $1.36 CDN

Purple Pizzazz (their spelling, not mine) is a really cool purple/blue duochrome (it looks purple in some directions, but flashes blue in other directions). You can see both colours in the photo to the left.

Purple Pizzazz applied well and was fully opaque in two coats. It wore well - only tip wear after one day.

Momma, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Powerless

2010-05-18T15:25:00.000-04:00

When I was in high school and university (late 80s/early 90s), there was a movement toward educational equality. Teenage girls were encouraged to consider careers in male dominated areas, like the maths, sciences and engineering. We were told that we could excel if we put our minds to it. The days of being forced into subservient roles was over and we were the generation of women that would shatter all the barriers. We were encouraged to think, to question and to strive for our dreams. The boldest, most empowering part of this message was that we were valued for our minds, not just our bodies. Brains trump breasts. Grey matter is more valuable than a tight ass and killer legs. Your mind is your greatest physical asset.

What has happened to feminism? Over the last thirteen years as a teacher, I am seeing a disturbing trend taking hold of teenage girls. Many young women are handing over their power. I often talk to my students about the ways of modern teenage life. Let me relay some (disturbing) insights that they have passed on to me:

A large number of 14 year old (and younger) girls are now sexually active. Mainly because they think they are supposed to be having sex to be normal and popular. TV, movies and music make it sound like all the cool kids are having sex, with multiple partners. Nowadays, the "good" girls are "only" involved in oral and anal sex, because that way they won't get pregnant.

Girls are still pretending to be dumb to attract boys. Boys don't like it if they feel inferior to a girl.

Alcohol, Ecstasy and marijuana are common ingredients at most teenage parties. Girls are often so drunk and/or stoned that they have severely impaired judgment or they may pass out, leaving themselves open to sexual assault.

A surprising number of girls are still hoping to attract a wealthy mate to take care of them. It is considered amusing to be elected as "most likely to marry for money."

Many young women are being verbally, physically and/or sexually abused by their boy friends. Often they are too scared or embarrassed to report the problem or to seek help.

It's time for a revolution. A raising of female voices.

So, mothers of the world, sit down with your daughters. Tell them that they are worthy of respect. Let them know that they have exceptional abilities beyond tantalizing the opposite sex. Make them aware that they are greater than the sum of their body parts. Let them know that they should come first - that their goals and dreams take precedence over everything else. Encourage them to take care of themselves and to carve out a future of their choosing. Inspire them to be powerful, smart, headstrong women that can take the world by storm.

Lacquer Lundi

2010-05-17T15:32:00.005-04:00

In a comment to this post, Debbie Cook said "Just because I can see your toes, I was wondering - do you match your toes to your fingernails? And what color(s) did you wear with this great dress."

I must admit that I very rarely match the polish on my nails and toes. I like changing my mani too often to change up the pedi as well. So, I tend to go for very dark polish - it seems to de-emphasize my toes and just create a neat, clean look, that coordinates with anything I wear. So, I go for colours like dark navy, bittersweet chocolate, charcoal or eggplant.

And, if I'm to be even more honest, I pretty much never do my own pedicures, because I don't enjoy the process. I don't have any foot issues like some people do - I just don't like hunching over my feet to clean up cuticles and such. Instead, I go to a local place that does a great job at a good price. It's one of the very few times I pay someone to pamper me, so I enjoy the relaxation and the indulgence of the experience. I can usually get away with going once a month during toe-baring seasons (I can't be bothered with pedicures in the winter months).

See below for the polish that I wore with my Prom dress.

Now, on to the pretties:

BB Couture - Green Goblin
- purchased at overallbeauty.com for $9.00 US

This is the colour that I wore with my recent Prom dress. Green Goblin is a dark green creme that reminds me of a deep, shadowy forest. It reads as black in low light conditions, but it is most definitely a dark green in regular indoor and outdoor lighting. As I love green nail polish, I very pleased to add this one to my collection.

Green Goblin applied wonderfully, just like most BB Couture polishes. It covered perfectly in two thin coats. It also wore well - only minor tip wear after two days.

Revlon - Ocean Breeze
- a present from a friend

Ocean Breeze is a pretty turquoise colour with a frosty, metallic finish. It speaks of cool water on a hot summer day. It is also scented and it is supposed to smell like an ocean breeze (hence the highly descriptive name). However, when first applied it smells overpoweringly like Sea Breeze astringent and it gave me a wicked headache. After a few hours, the odour became less pronounced (or perhaps my nose went into overload and short-circuited - who knows). By the next day, I could hardly smell the scent at all.

Ocean Breeze applied nicely and required two coats for opacity. It wore well, with only tip wear after one day.

Milani - Key Lime Shine
- purchased at Superstore (chain grocery store) for $4.99 CDN

This is the first Milani polish that I have reviewed. I didn't even know they were available in Canada until I saw them last week while browsing th emakeup section in the Superstore. I was even more excited when I saw some of the great colours (I have more to show you in the future).

Key Lime Shine is an unique light silvery seafoam green polish with a frosty finish. I was smitten by the colour in the bottle.

Key Lim Shine applied reasonably well, although it was a bit streaky and required three coats for complete coverage. Unfortunately, the wear was abysmal - I had major tip wear and a lot of chipping after one single day of wear. I am not impressed. I hope the other Milanis I got are not as craperific as Key Lime Shine.

Emma Goes to Prom

2010-05-15T06:37:00.000-04:00

Just recently on the blog, What Would Emma Pilsbury Wear?, there was a challenge posted. The readers were asked to provide a Prom look for Emma - either what she would have worn to her Prom or what she would wear to chaperone a Prom. Well, I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this all important question:

Hungry Zombie Couture

Laquer Lundi

The Taming of the Arse - Week 3

Laquer Lundi

The Taming of the Arse - Week 2

Keeping Track of My Fabric

Fabric Folding Tutorial

Lacquer Lundi

Take the left turn at ABQ and save, save, save on lovely patterns!

The Taming of the Arse - Week 1

Evolution of a Sewing Room - Part 7

Shannon Tested, Zombie Approved: Dior

New Year, New Beginning

Finally, Malware Warning Free

I Spoke too Soon

Malware

Gilding the Lily

Happy Birthday, Hartley!

Evolution of a Sewing Room - Part 6

Home, Sweet Home

I'm Ready to Pack It In

Evolution of a Sewing Room - Part 5

Dear Clueless Youngster

Evolution of a Sewing Room - Part 4

Evolution of a Sewing Room - Part 3

It's Too Late

Evolution of a Sewing Room - Part 2

Evolution of a Sewing Room - Part 1

Greatest Moments in Teaching

Didja Miss Me?

My Fifteen Minutes of Fame

Kitchen of my Dreams

Elevator?

All I Want is a Room Somewhere...

Lacquer Lundi

Lacquer Lundi

Exams - Blech!

I Want to Believe

The Wazoodle Coat

In the Navy

12-4-12 *Jacket Numero Uno*

2011 - So Far, Not So Good

Butterick 5523

Hartley vs Guinness

One/One/One One

A Sh-tload of Shetland

A Few More Retail Goodies

12-4-12 *Vintage Pattern Picks*

12-4-12 *Modern Pattern Picks*

The Floodgates are Open

Straight from the Hartley

The Holiday Post in Which I'm Rude

Hungry Zombie Tip of the Day

Cylon Night

The Slippery Sloper

Better than Lithium

Making Progress

Lacquer Lundi

Finally, Some Inspiration...

They Call me Karl

Lacquer Lundi

"Fall"ing in Love

Stop Apologizing

Lacquer Lundi

I Now Own a Viking (or Five)!

Home Sweet Home (Soon!)

Grow a Pair

Happy Birthday, Hartley!

Lacquer Lundi

I Am Too Doing Stuff! Really.

Lacquer Lundi

A New Man in my Life

Lacquer Lundi

Couch to 5K

Lacquer Lundi

It's the Little Things

It Was Time

Lacquer Lundi

Presents of Mind

Summer Begins

12-4-12 Jacket Numero Uno

12-4-12 Vintage Pattern Picks

12-4-12 Modern Pattern Picks