RIP Navy Jersey Knit Dress

So I thought this weekend would be a weekend of progress, especially with getting on track to start my wedding guest dress goal. The first wedding we have to attend is May 17. I'm hoping to at least have 4-5 pieces done by then. There's just on itsy-bitsy problem.

I'm super impatient.

I'm one of those sewers who wants the pattern to be cut out already, the dress to be made and everything to be easy. Well, yesterday I started on a dress that I've had the pattern to for a long time as well as the fabric. It was a jersey knit hot mess train wreck. And that's me being nice.

Instead of beating myself up over it and being my usual self-loathing self when I mess up I decided that, "hey, let's not try jersey knits for awhile." Because really, that's not my ultimate goal. It's not what I want to achieve.

I recently purchased the Colette Sewing Handbook and the beginning of the book (before all the good stuff) really hit home for me and what I want to achieve in regard to my personal style. We spend so much time accumulating "things" that don't necessarily make us (or me at least) happy. When I think about my closet, I have a ton of stuff but only a few key pieces that I'm absolutely in love with and wearing all the time.

And there are those times when I'm looking for a cute dress for a specific occasion and I decide to go to the Outlets or Kohl's or Penneys to grab something to wear. I almost always walk away empty handed because the "trendy" stuff fits me funny or in most cases is uncomfortably short.

In my ideal world, the one where I don't have a clothing budget, I would buy adorable expensive vintage dresses from Etsy, or the vintage inspired styles on ModCloth. But I honestly would rather spend (or save) $80+ dollars on something else that isn't a cute sunglass print dress that I'll only wear once.

So I'm going to be taking inventory of my closet, seeing what I want, checking off what I have and building a new wardrobe (myself) around that. I'll keep you updated!

2013 Bucket List

Yes. The annual "this is what I'm going to do in 2013" post. It's a must, you guys, I'm sorry. This will be quick and painless. I'm not going to try and do a million or a cliche "13" in 2013. Nope, we will stick with . But this is what I want to do in 2013:

1. Sew a dress/skirt/outfit for every wedding we have to attend (minus the one that I'm in) in 2013. We have a lot of weddings to go to this year (it's closing in on double digits but I don't think it'll get that out of hand--who knows!), and I'd like to try and make a few dresses to wear to them. Most are in summer, and the one that is in December 2013 will definitely be a dress/tights occasion. I feel like if I could tackle my fear of pockets and zippers I can definitely do it, but I have to start now. I'll make a separate post tag for this--it should be interesting!
2. Run a 5k. As much as I want to make "lose weight" as one of my goals--it's just a given goal that I will always keep. I feel as if it's a given for [almost] everyone. I've been saying I've wanted to run a 5k for at least four years now. This year is the year. I don't know when, but it will happen.
3. Cook/bake as much as possible. Before the holiday, the hub and I were doing SO good at eating healthier than we ever had. Then came the cookies. And the cheesy potatoes. And the ha--well, you know. When I cook we eat better, so I'm going to be cooking and blogging about that as well. AND, I might even throw in a scone recipe in this year just so my blog name makes sense. ;)
4. Better photography. I've had my beautiful camera for over six months now and I still have so much to learn.
5.  Happiness. All the time. Sometimes I can be SO cranky. I don't know how my husband deals with me--he's a saint. In 2013 I'm going to be more like him. I'm going to laugh at myself, smile all the time and let things roll of my back. It's one of the MANY things I love about him, and it's one of the many things I want him to love about me, too.

I think this is a pretty solid 2013 Bucket List. A couple of things that didn't make the top five were wear more makeup (it sounds vain, but I really need to start making myself look more presentable) and get rid of my yarn stash--I have WAY TOO MUCH YARN!

I'll be making a larger bucket list that doesn't have a "yearly" timeline (AKA my LIFE Bucket List) that I'm sure I'll share.

Anything I should add to the list? What are your goals for 2013?

Christmas isn't over...yet!

I love Christmas. Besides Valentine's Day (my birthday), it's my favorite holiday. I love that everyone gets together. I love the look on everyone's face when they open up a gift they didn't expect to get. It. Is. Wonderful.

This Christmas was the first married one for the hub's and me. For awhile there it didn't feel like Christmas--maybe because of no snow, no fam around all the time--I'm not sure. But he did his very best to make it 110% better and Christmas-y, just for me. He gave me awesome gifts and we were able to make memories that will last us forever (queue the cheese).

We did a little bit of decorating, as I like to keep things simple. My mom offered us a very small tree to use as our first Christmas tree. It was small, but it was ours--wonderful. We decorated it about a week before Christmas, and that's when I gave Josh his gift: a Steeler's ornament with sloppy writing on it that said "Steelers vs. Bengals 2012." He didn't quite process it at first--we were going to the big Steelers game of the season as his present!

Our tree and one lone decoration

That was what made our Christmas special as well since he hasn't been to a game since we've been together. Plus, it was my very first Steelers game. Ever.

But, Christmas isn't over! Since we spent Christmas Day with his family we only got to FaceTime with mine (technology is SO AWESOME). We're making the trip to see my side over this weekend/into 2013. I couldn't be more excited.

I hope whoever is reading this had a wonderful Christmas as well--it's a magical time of year and I can't wait for the next time it rolls around!

Super Easy Zippered Bag

I don't know why I've been so afraid of zippers. Seriously--it's silly how much I've avoided projects with zippers. It's SO EASY. My goodness! Thanks to an encouraging comment on my last post from Amy of Sews N Bows I have officially conquered the [regular] zipper.

Amy posted a link to her post about quick and easy lined bags. She links to this tutorial on how to make the bag. Here's my result:

I found the Marvel fabric on clearance at Walmart, and the lining is leftover from my skirt. I found the zipper in my stash--it was the perfect quick project. Thanks for the suggestion, Amy!

What should I work on next?

In the years since 4-H...

It's been years since I sat down at a sewing machine. In Elementary/Jr. High, I frequently was found making shorts, a dress here and there (with the help of my mother, of course) but that was all for 4-H. Yes, I was one of those kids you rolled your eyes at in Home Ec. because the teacher knew me and let me run wild with whatever I wanted to do while you were still learning how to thread the machine. Sorry.

My Aunt Debi, a very wonderful woman, recently gave my sister and me two beautiful Brother sewing/embroidery machines because she simply didn't need them anymore. She lives across the state, and when she first offered I merely thought, "Oh, awesome, I'll have a sewing machine similar to my Mom's and I'll make some stuff." No. The machine I received is the most amazing machine I've ever sewed with. I'm not even trying to be dramatic. It's beautiful.

My beautiful baby.

I've been itching to try it out and I finally got to last night. I found this wonderful pattern and whipped it together. It was even my first time doing pockets--ever! I don't know why pockets scared me so much.

I'm not a huge fan of the elastic waist--it makes me feel kind of old and lazy. My next project to tackle by myself is definitely a zipper. I'm just really excited to have made something so tangible for the first time in probably 5-8 years! And I am truly grateful to have been given a gift that really kind of inspired this blog. 

Any tips or good first zipper projects?

To 2013...and beyond

I've written a "hey welcome to my blog!" post so many times it's almost pathetic. I've done it here on the Blogger platform, Wordpress, Tumblr, etc., and frankly, I want this to be IT. The final first post on the "final" day of the Mayan calendar. How appropriate!

As a follower of so many different craft/sewing/food/etc. blogs, I really wanted to started my own blog to document what I love. I am an avid knitting, crocheter, pinner and I'm also pretty damn good at cooking and baking. I recently received a sewing machine from a wonderful aunt--that's also inspired me to start documenting the hobbies I love.

So welcome. Here's to 2013 and beyond!