When I went on my little shopping trip last week I didn't find a whole lot of stuff that I really loved. Mostly because it seems that all the colors for this Fall are black, grey, or dark plum. I have no problem with those colors, but seriously, how many days a week can you wear dark plum? I have plenty of black and grey in my wardrobe already, and I know it's technically Fall/almost Winter, and my brown sandals have been put away until next Summer, but still, I want to have some color in my life. I started out with flowers for my desk last week. They're still looking pretty good, for cheap grocery store flowers:


They definitely helped satisfy my need for color, but I still wanted more. A trip to Old Navy helped, when I found a pair green pants ($15!) and a stripey blue t-shirt (2 for $15!). I decided to take it just a bit further, and added some big, flowery appliqués

I know, it may be a little much, but I don't care, when everyone else is looking dreary in their black and grey and dark plum, I'm going to be feeling bright and cheery. I added another flower to the hem:

I think I've got a thing for carnations lately.

Here's the how-to, just in case you need a little color too:
I just cut out the flowers from some cotton fabric in my stash (Kaffe Fassett Flower Lattice, which I cannot find anywhere online) and cut out some Wonder Under roughly the same shape. I carefully ironed them in place, and then just did a plain running stitch around the edges. They'll fray a bit around the edges when I wash it, but I think that will look cute.

I have lots more colorful ideas and things to share this week, so check back soon!

I only have two pairs of shorts that fit anymore, a black pair and a white linen pair. The black ones are a kind of dressier fabric, so not really conducive to various weekend activities, like cleaning out the chicken coop. And white linen, well, also not the proper attire for that either. When I checked my clothing budget for the week, I only found about 56 cents, so I got creative. Despite the fact that I only have two pair of shorts, I have quite a few pair of khaki pants. I’m not sure how that happened. I wear khaki pants once, maybe twice a week, but I don’t think I really need the 6 pairs in my closet. So, I took the ones I wear the least (pretty much never), and cut them off. My first thought was to just leave the raw edge. Then I considered tidying them up with a hem, but then I had the brilliant idea to bind the edges with some red calico. It might be kind of nerdy, but I think I like it.


The obligatory macro shot of the binding:


Oh, and while I have your attention, notice the birdcage in the top picture. I’m still on my spray paint kick, and I decided I didn’t like the original color of my birdcage. I may have gone a little crazy. Is the blue too much? I had also considered white or yellow. I think I better have another poll.

Does this happen to you? You get an idea, and you can’t stop thinking about it, and you just have to try it out right then? That happened last weekend, when I was thinking about some vintage mother-of-pearl buckles I’ve been hoarding, and how pretty they are, and how I’m not quite ready for skinny belts just yet, but would like to wear one of those buckles anyway. So I dug around in my drawer of vintage lace and scraps and pulled out this bit of embroidered silk, and made a belt for my wrist.

Here’s a better view of some of the embroidery:

I stitched the silk to some linen and attached one end to the buckle, wrapped it around my wrist and slipped the other end through the buckle,tightened it up, and wore it! I think it’s kind of fun, and quite pretty.

Later today my sister and I are going to make a t-shirt, so come back soon for a step-by-step photo tutorial of the flower-y t-shirt!

Recently, I was feeling a little vain and brave, so I added this photo to my flickr stream:


Hi, it’s me :o)
Then, this week I got tired of all that hair every time I went swimming, and did this:


Ahh, much better. I’ll miss the long hair, but it grows fast, and this is so much nicer for the summer.

I also added more to my t-shirt and wore it yesterday:


So that’s a lot of pictures of me. Sorry about that :o)

I ripped this picture out of an Anthropologie catalog awhile back, and remembered it while on a recent trip to Old Navy:


Cute, right? The price? $98. It’s a t-shirt people. Who pays $98 for a t-shirt? Not me, but I really do like this t-shirt. So, back at Old Navy; they have lots of t-shirts for just $10 each, and they’re a lovely soft cotton knit. I bought two stone colored t-shirts, and cut one up and stitched the little heart shaped pieces to the other. I’m not sure if I’m done yet, but I think it’s looking pretty good.


I’m a bit on the busty side, so I may not want to add more. We’ll see.

I also got an unexpected package in the mail this weekend. It’s the second book which includes a pattern by moi:


I love those pomegranates on the cover. My creation didn’t make the front cover this time, but it did show up on the back, which was a nice surprise.


And here’s a look inside:


It’s a lovely book, although more for inspiration than actually making any of the projects exactly as they appear, I think. I love the flower magnets (also on the back cover), and think they would be a fun little project. It also makes me want to make another mini-quilt. They’re just so much fun.

Speaking of books, I’ve been doing a little reading lately. I was just browsing at the library and happened upon The Friday Night Knitting Club. New York Times Bestseller! the cover proudly proclaimed. And it’s about knitting, so I’m sure I would like it, right? Wrong. Very, very wrong. I don’t think I got past the third chapter. It was so poorly written, I kept wondering why the author didn’t have an editor. She couldn’t have with all the awkward sentences. Most knitters that I know are also pretty smart people, bad writing isn’t going to get past them. The characters were all such cliche’s, I just couldn’t take it. And then the main character gets all pissy because the father of her daughter comes back into her life, and she doesn’t want him to have anything to do with them. I get that the guy cheated on her and dumped her, and that was a really jerk-y move, but now he does want to be a part of his daughter’s life and she’s so selfish that she’s going to deny her daughter that opportunity out of spite? He’s not abusive, he paid child support, there’s no reason for her daughter not to get to know her father. Better late than never. I hate it when chick-lit books have to be all "girl-power" and we don’t need no stinkin’ men to be happy. Blah blah blah. Why belittle men to give a woman a sense of self-worth. Maybe it all turned out different in the end, but I can’t be bothered. And that’s what I thought of that :o)