Merry Christmas!

Hope you find someone

to smooch under the mistletoe this year!

I think I've 'Nailed' It!

Last weekend was my uncle's wedding and

It

Was

Awesome

Beautiful

Perfect

A whirlwind!

Because December is always such a busy time professionally (end of quarter, end of year) and socially (can we say Parties anyone?!), I didn't have time to get my nails done before the wedding. 

When I was a teenager and working nights at a fabric store, my supervisor at the time, a spunky woman who wore turtlenecks and puffy paint sweatshirts, had a smoker's cough and always complained about her nails - because they never stayed on.  They were the press-on variety and they'd always be flying off & I'd always find a neon colored one near the register or cutting table and know exactly where she had been. 

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So when I think of press-on fake nails, that's always what I think of. 

And yet, I still decided to go this route for the wedding (keeping it classy, of course).  I just had to keep them on through the ceremony and pictures, Right?  So off to Walgreens my sis and I went at 11pm one night last week and picked up a $5 set of fake frenchies. 



Yes this is an also an excuse to show off what cute bridesmaids we were

And here I am, seven days later, clicking away on my keyboard still sporting my fake nails.  They haven't chipped, fallen off or broken!  And the compliments I've received on them?!  Who compliments someone's fingernails?!  I've certainly never received a compliment (or multiple compliments); even after I spend Big Buck$ in $ome fancy $chmancy $alon!

They're awesome!

This may be the way of the future!

Dum Dum Da Dum...

Today my uncle is getting Mawwwwied! 

Today I make my 9th repeat performance as a bridesmaid.

His bride mentioned during the rehearsal that she wants her maids to embrace our indiviuality; we were allowed some free reign on shoes, dress and hair

What do you think she'll say if I wore my hair like this?

I've been dying to try this updo since like wedding number 2!

and yes, I'm (partially) kidding  but it seriously cracks me up

EVERY SINGLE TIME!

Congratulations to the Groom and his wife-to-be!

Snow Bunny

Ever since our snowy Thanksgiving, my pup has been EXTRA good

Mellow

Quiet

He listens, and responds

(Weird)

We're not dumb enough to think the combined high energies of his two breeds: Labrador Retriever + Viszla would go away in one weekend. 

We're not dumb enough to think he's maturing

and exiting his puppy stage. 

He'll be two in April 

(one would assume its coming soon, right?)  

However!

We do think two full days in the snow did him a little bit of good

In fact, we firmly believe if he had his choice, he'd choose snow over us. 

& if it means a mellower pup, I wholeheartedly agree

Handsome boy, isn't he?  :)

Tardy Thanksgiving

This is tardy as it should have been posted a week ago.  But I had image upload issues that are still unresolved -  I'll make it up to you - Promise!
 Every year after we give thanks and stuff our bellies of hearty food with loved ones, my immediate family heads up to our cabin - built in the sixties by my very own bloodline - it certainly is a treasure. 

We go up frequently, but Thanksgiving weekend is a weekend I always look forward to.

all year

every year.

The rare weekends when it snows,

 are beautiful and magical

makes me wish it snowed year round

even after I shovelled the driveway

even after I had to (watch my dad) put chains on my car just to make it into the driveway

makes me wish I didn't forget my ski and snow gear at home

makes me grateful period (.)

Hope your feast was full of grace and warmth

Happy (tardy) Thanksgiving

Now... on to Christmas!

What's on your Christmas list this year?

I'm wanting myself one of these:

image via http://www.fabulousfit.com/

which is ironic considering my mom had one when I was growing up.  It sat there headless in the corner of her bedroom wearing a thick green velvet victorian dress.  To make matters worse, my mom named her Hilda and occasionally put a wig on her.

Hilda terrified me. 

Murder at the Juice Joint

Saturday night I was invited to go back in time, to the days of prohibition and bootlegging.  I met with friends at the Juice Joint for a party of Murder, Mystery and Mayhem!

My character was Mabel Biggs, the Mayor's wife

Inspired by the fashion of the era and being the wife of the mayor who was running for govenor (Gavin Newsom, anyone?), I opted for classy over flirty. 

None of this flirty-flapper business. 

 I borrowed my great-grandmother's fur coat (Sorry PETA), my mom's antique purse,  purchased some flowy, textured green chiffon from my local Ghetto Fabric Store and with a few hours of last minute sewing, I had my ensemble for the party. 
~~

Before the party barely got started,

Notorious Nick (who I might add was a bad influence on my husband's career) dropped dead! And we couldn't leave until the murder was solved!

 Here I am with the Mayor - my husband - discussing the murder.  I haven't yet discovered his late nights weren't for the sake of public office, but in fact was spent canoodling with one of those flirty flappers I opted not to dress like! 

Oh! the Heartbreak!! 

by the end of the night, the murder was solved and the Mayor apologized for his infidelities and like the good politician's wife, I stood by my man. 
It was the 1920s after all, divorce was almost unheard of!

Thrift Store Refashion: The Purple Gingham Men's Shirt

First let it be known that for one year less than all of the years I've been alive,

I have hated (HATED) the color purple.

Then... about a year ago, with a single pair of shoes (of course it had to be shoes), I slowly began to change my mind and started seriously thinking of incorporating this previously ghastly color into my life.  And then sometime this summer I thought it would be fun to have a purple gingham shirt.

This weekend

At the thrift store

I found a 

Wrinkled

Purple

Gingham

Men's Shirt

XL

It was HUGE!

So I took in the sides

Took in the Sleeves

Added some feminine darts both in front and back

and kept the length (sometimes a long shirt is exactly what your stylist ordered!)

Oh ya, I ironed it too!

Here I am at work today, paired with a nice skirt (complete with dog slobber),

belt and a(nother) pair of purple heels!

(so what the heels aren't the same color purple as my shirt,

just be glad I have come to accept Jesus Christ purple into my life!)

Bubble Bath

The current house project is the master bath...

Thanks to Dogsitter Kelsey who stripped

ALLLLLLL of the wallpaper off the walls

(while I was at DISNEYLAND!)

Now after a couple coats of fresh paint and
 new floor boards, its almost done...

Except for matching towels

and the crown molding

(I discovered a miter saw and nail gun can be scarey yet fun!!)

Above the bathtub I was thinking of a pretty mural

(have an artist on retainer)

or maybe some bubbles?!



via hgtv

Maybe I'll just settle for a real bubble bath

instead

you're so vane... I bet you think this post is about you...

Here is my roof...

Struttin' its new shingles

and fancy-dancy new weather vane

me thinks all this new stuff might be going to my house's head...

The Election Night Chicken

My buddy won an election the other night for his local city government. With almost 43% of the vote running against three others, he came home to family, friends and volunteers to celebrate his victory.

Before giving his acceptance speech and enjoy the rest of the evening,

he needed to freshen up

So downstairs he went to his bedroom...

only to find a sign on his bathroom that read:

 

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he entered anyway

Inside there were Chickens!



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SIXTEEN of them!

In the toilet, in the shower, the sink...

EVERYWHERE

(and the chicken poop too!)

The first person he thought to blame it on was me

and while I'm way flattered,

I only wish I was brilliant enough to think of it first!!

Election Day

Just a reminder to all y'all Americans... Go out and vote today!

Halloween Block Party

Being new to these parts, I was excited to learn my neighborhood had a little Halloween Celebration... and it was anything but little

There were costumes and floats

Guest appearance by Sharkie

 

and lots of cute kids...

 So I invited some characters over, enticing them with food and candy

Back at the homestead...

Hope you had a Happy Halloween!!

It all started with this...

Shopping for a wig so THIS GUY

 can be a lion for Halloween

and then I saw THIS wig

So of course I had to get it

Which then meant a trip to the fabric store

on the night before Halloween to compile a costume
fit for the red, white and blue

I wouldn't call it procrastination
just a costume change

No, I was not Wonder Woman,

Just my own interpretation of the American Flag

All set to rid the world

of killer lumberjacks

in different colored high heels

Carving Pumpkins

Friday we had our 8th annual pumpkin carving party

Its serious business...

Go Giants~!~!~!

What's the hardest thing you've ever done?

I was in an interview once and that question was asked of me. 

"Tuxedos" was my response.  "Periwinkle Tuxedos" 

I'm pretty sure my high tech interviewer never heard that response before, so with a little smirk, he asked me to explain.

I made Tuxedos for Cindy and Eric's bridesmen in their 2004 wedding.  To this day, it is the hardest thing I've ever done. 

I made tear-away pants too!

Actually, making the tuxedos themselves was not that difficult, what nearly killed me and delayed production (so I was up until 3am the night before the wedding in a hotel room sewing) was the pockets.  Welt Pockets to be exact. 

Welt Pockets are SUPPOSED to look like this:



image via sewingtutorials.blogspot.com

... Not like this:

There are so many things wrong with this welt pocket,
I don't think its necessary to go into all of them.

Let's just say I cried.
tears of pain
tears of sorrow
tears of frustration
tears of failure

I've never tried to do a welt pocket again. 
Of course I should just get back on that horse

but I'm not ready yet

I'm waiting for someone handsome to ask me to make a gold lame tuxedo
(to match my imaginary gold lame dress)
Then maybe I'll reconsider.

Oh!!

and do they remind you of anything (from a previous post perhaps?)