Jo-with-it's Portfolio

The Canadian Tenors

2012-01-20T18:34:00.000-08:00

I have been enjoying this lovely album be the Canadian Tenors recently. Have you heard of them before? Their songs have such wonderful harmonies. And a couple are in different languages which makes them extra awesome. :-)

With the exception of "Remember Me"I really like them all.

Here are Watching Over Me,

Because We Believe

And Belle.

Carolyn + Philip︱Engaged

2011-12-28T21:41:00.000-08:00

Hello all! I hope you aren't sick of photo posts. :-) There IS sewing stuff coming, I promise. A couple weeks ago Carolyn and Philip and I braved the gelid weather to get some engagement photos. :-)

Carolyn is in our local church, so we've known her for quite some time. She and Philip just got engaged this past summer/fall. They met over 10 years ago at a Bible camp!

Philip is a medic in the army and just finished Boot Camp recently. Carolyn is in nursing school. They may not get married for another two years yet because Carolyn is still in school, but I'm so glad they decided to get pictures. Wouldn't you want pictures is you were away from your fiancé for months at a time? I know I would.

Check out the boots. :-) Army issue. I'm an "air force brat," as they call it but I don't participate in the rivalry between USAFA and West Point...ok, sometimes, and just in a joke. Having family in the military and/or going into the military has given me a great appreciation for all military personnel.

Carolyn, you have gorgeous eyes!

Grandma like "Woah!"

2011-12-27T21:22:00.000-08:00

So, my sibs and I pretty much have the best grandparents ever. One in particular, Grandma Judy, is extreme. Have you guys seen the first Hoodwinked? (I haven't seen the second one so I can't recommend it) It is pretty neat and one of the main characters is "Granny," or "GGG," as you find out later. BTW, you say that "Triple G." :-) For a while my older brother has been calling my maternal grandmother "GGG" because she is so cool and it just stuck. Recently, my brothers showed this Julian Smith video to my grandma and she kinda took a liking to it.

Julian takes some getting used to and his humor style isn't my thing, but he does have some funny videos. Check out "Handbag" and "With Child" for some laughs. Anyway, she bought the guys gansta hoodies for Christmas, so we had to take a picture. :-) Grandma is being "righteous" and reading her Bible. :-)

Preston Family

2011-12-25T16:11:00.000-08:00

Meet Grace! Grace brought her parents up for a weekend at our house in early December. :-) You may recognize her, or at least her mother from her mother's blog, Humble Beginnings. Jenny first came to our house about a year and a half ago and we had a blast. This time we got to meet her husband and cute little baby!

And of course, we had to take pictures. :-) They were only here for a weekend and we had lots of activities planned so all of these shots are just around or in our house. Enjoy!

Gracie, you are gorgeous.

Check out the above dress! Gracie's grandma made it all by hand. :-) Isn't it gorgeous?

I love the expressions we got out of Gracie.

Thanks so much for letting me take your pictures!

Family Pictures on Thanksgiving

2011-12-09T23:15:00.000-08:00

Hello all! I just wanted to share a few of OUR family pictures we took of Thanksgiving Day. Jamie was home, so we snagged the opportunity and the tripod and ran outside. It had rained earlier, but then wetness went away and left us with a whole sky of softbox. :-)

All photos were edited in Lightroom 3.

We have fun. :-)

The Guys. <3

Hud, Daddy, J✭, Than

The Girls

Mommy, Emmy, Moi

Webber Ninjas.

This may take a little explaining. The "Big Kids," meaning the four oldest have our own secret gang. Complete with an exclusive facebook group. Yeah, we're cool like that. :-) Jamie decided on a whim to call it Webber Ninjas. It is a nice way for us all to keep up, especially as Jamie is away at College now and I'll be leaving next summer as well. What do we talk about? I guess you'll never know...;-)

The Ninja photos were taken by my Dad, as well as the picture of us girls.

Enjoy!

Soda Shop Angel

2011-12-07T23:13:00.001-08:00

This fall our Homeschool co-op put on the play "Soda Shop Angel." It was my first play and I think it went pretty well. I got to know the people in the cast better and I learned a good deal. It was set in the 1550s, so I made a poodle skirt (Post on that sometime in the future). Before the play we also acted in skirts. Since this is a picture heavy post, though I'm not posting even a quarter of the photos I took, I'll be adding a page break...Enjoy these backstage pictures!

Getting ready!

Yes, two of them have their eyes closed. I know.

Not sure what they were doing here.

Stage makeup is such a bother in my opinion. UGH. I took almost a week to get all the eyeliner off!

In character for their skit. :-)

Marissa, Mark, Jacob, Zach

Nate, Emily, Mark, Hudson

Marissa, Anna, Julia (remember her form her senior pictures?)

Anna, Victoria, Joe, Andrew, Jami, Marissa

Zach, Nathan, Mia

Mo. :-)

Dan and Jami & Mo

Poor guys. They had to put pomade in their hair and slick it back. :-) My brother wore a hat, so we got to avoid that mess.

Ricky and his Gang and the camera man

Andrea and I

Thanks Braydon for taking the picture!

Andrew and Lucy

Stevenson Family

2011-12-07T22:34:00.001-08:00

This is the Stevenson family. They have got to be the cutest family ever! Wow. I almost died of over-exposure to cuteness that weekend. They have 6 kids and another on the way! Mr. Stevenson came to speak at our church and the family stayed at our house. On Sunday afternoon (before lunch, which was not a good idea :-) those will little siblings will understand) we stopped by a field on the way home and took some pictures for their Christmas cards etc. Enjoy!

Father/Daughter sweetness! It was a bit windy.

It's Coco!

It was windy. Otherwise they wouldn't have been facing the sun.... Oh well.

Grace!

Caleb! All the girls want the new baby to be another boy. :-)

Kels! So cute! I got some terrific smiles out of her just in our home. I shall have to share those sometime...

Hope! Now the big responsible sister, but I knew her when she was Kelsey's age!

Did I mention it was windy?!

How can you resist so much red hair and freckles? Thankfully the girls didn't ask me to do to much, because it would have been SO hard to say no!

Winter Wonderland

2011-12-05T18:36:00.001-08:00

Hello all! We haven't had a lot of snow here yet, just dustings here and there, but it is definitely started to feel like winter! How I love the holidays. :-) Check out Simplyaccapela on Youtube! It is so encouraging to see Christian girls using their talents to God's glory!

Sewing things

2011-11-30T15:07:00.001-08:00

Hello all! I'm now interrupting my photo like to talk about sewing! Yay!

First off, I'm not a black Friday shopper. I actually don't enjoy shopping nearly half as much as you all probably do. However, when Cyber Monday came around (I didn’t know there was a such thing till this past Monday) I saw some good deals. For example, Jenny Chancey of Sense and Sensibility Patterns was having a 25% off sale. That is the biggest sale they have ever had that I can remember. So...I picked up two patterns. :-) The Regency Underthings Pattern

and the Girls 1780s Portrait Dress Pattern. I hope to make my little sister a dress for Christmas and I have the fabric for a regency gown, but I want to make period correct undergarments first. I heard today that they shipped, so I’m super excited. :-)

And then I popped over to McCalls, quite by chance and saw that their $15.95 patterns were on $1.99...(That means butterick, and vogue too)so I got a couple. :-) I bought some to make costumes for my brothers/myself, a skirt pattern for me and a dress pattern for my little sister. :-)

Butterick 3072 - For my brothers. I don't know when we'll need them, but hey, they sure are cool!

McCalls 4698- I've always wanted a cape...They work with all eras except our own. :-)

Butterick 5061-I was captivated by the nightgown in this one. I don't know why exactly.

Vogue 8729- Ah yes. Vintage. :-) I'm in love with this full skirt and huge bow. I'm not a fan of low backs, but the high neck on this one almost makes up for it.

Butterick 3134-This pattern wouldn't probably have grabbed my attention, but one of my favorite bloggers, Olivia, over at Eager Hands can't say enough good things about it. So I've got to try it out. :-)

Butterick 4967-This was just to cute. I think the chiffon in the example won me over...:-)

Butterick 5371- And what is a dashing brother without his accessories? Worst case, or perhaps best case they won't want them and I can dress up as maid marian, or snow white from Once Upon A Time, or turn that belt into and awesome Prince Caspianesque Narnian belt? What think ye?

More sewing posts to come...After I finish all my school work! :-) So..Next Wednesday? Hehe. Just kidding. I'll post before then. Pinky promise...it just won't be sewing probably.

Lesko Family

2011-11-26T21:58:00.001-08:00

The Lesko Family! These guys. are. fun. I met them just slightly over 10 years ago. Back when Shawn and I were the same height. :-) Mr. Lesko works with my Dad and the family goes to church with us. Shannen and I have grown close over the years and you'll probably be seeing her sewing projects on here at some time. She has been learning so much, and her last dress is just gorgeous! I'll have to have her model it for us. :-) Shawn actually is my older brother Jamie's roommate at Mich Tech and brought him back to us for Thanksgiving, which was so nice. We got some family pictures of our own while they were here. There may be a blog post on that to follow...

Shawn and Shannen

Mr. and Mrs.

This is probably my favorite all day. Such real smiles!

Pretty much. ;-)

Thanks so much Leskos! I had a blast! and thank you Shannen for coordinating the outfits, they worked out beautifully. :-) It makes a big difference.

Do-It Yourself CD Cover Template

2011-11-23T13:23:00.001-08:00

Hello All! I'm sure you guys have seen this on Pinterest. It is a Do-It-Yourself CD Cover! As a photographer who is working on branding I thought this was pretty cool. You can customize it any way you want!

Source: google.co.uk via Joanna on Pinterest

Can you see one of these in that translucent almost wax like paper? Uh huh. Yeah. :-) I'm liking this. You can use ANY color paper you want, ANY font you want, ANY image you want (providing you have the rights to it etc.) Some of you may even like to add glitter, leaves, paper cut outs. I can even see some of you modge-podging fabric or something to the back. :-) Anywho, so I decided that I needed to make a template for it so I didn't have to think through it every time. :-)

So...do any of you have an Apple computer? Or, I guess, more importantly, do any of you use Pages? I've made a template and I want to make sure it works. Follow the link to go to google docs and download it. PLEASE comment and tell me if it worked. :-)

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B2McKqF6m7QnMTJmZjgzNDktZGYzYi00MGU1LWJhMzUtYTQ5YmRiMWQ5Mzcz

Thanks so much!

The Liesl Dress

2011-11-08T18:47:00.000-08:00

Yes! I'm finally posting about my Liel Dress. Some of you have been waiting since February I think, back when I bought the fabric for it. :-) Well, in keeping with my old habits, I waited until the week before my party to make the dress. I made a toile out of brown junk fabric just to make sure it fit. You see, the pattern had different sizes and some comments about darts that I wanted to make sure fit.

Oops! You don't even know what I used!

Pattern: Liesl's Dancing Dress by Katrina A. Casey @ Edelweiss Patterns

Fabric: Dusty Rose Chiffon Georgette from Hancock Fabrics on sale. ¢27 a yard folks!, I bought the Antique Rose Taffeta Lining from fabric.com for $3.49 a yard. 1 spool of 1/4 inch pink silk ribbon and one pink zipper form Joann Fabrics. I think we already had the elastic.

The whole pattern was pretty straight forward, but I do recommend making a toile first. In the directions Katrina says to go by your measurements and not your sizes. Do it. Follow her advice, she knows. :-)

The skirt is basically a circle, but it is made with 6 (if I remember correctly) panels. Because I wanted the insides to look really nice I used french seams wherever i could. It uses a lot more thread and takes a longer amount of time, but I think it was worth it. When I wash it I don't think I'll have anything to worry about.

I let the dress hang for 3 1/2 days after it was sewn up before I made the lettuce hem, but it has stretched a little since June. ;-)

I LOVE the sleeves. They are the best part. The hardest parts I think were making the casing for the elastic on the sleeves and stitching the gathers/ribbon. Making everything look even is harder with chiffon. :-/

I'm still a little unsure about the bodice to skirt seam...I tends to sag in the middle creating the illusion of a rounder middle than I have, but oh well. :-)

As you can see in the picture above, one thread in my right sleeve snagged on something. It will not even out now.

Sorry about the picture heavy post. :-) Here are some from the day of the party.

Such precious girls. :-)

Sara, Emily, Moi, Shannen, Kara

Sara and I taught ourselves the Laendler by watching the scene from the sound of music over and over again. I took like 3 hours, but we got it in the end. This was back in December '10. The night before the party we taught it to everybody staying at our house. Wow. Yeah, that was a feat. :-)

During clean up Emily and I ran from bench to bench like Liesl and Ralph do in the movie. :-)

Waltzing with my bro.

Bunches of Awesomeness. :-D

Hudson, Jamie

Josiah, Nathanael, Emily, Joanna, Kara, Sam

Shannen, Emily, Sara

Does this picture remind YOU of yogurt and daises? :-) My older brother says it does for him.

Au Revoir!

Pretty Pears

2011-11-01T22:18:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago I popped in on my friends Natalie and Carolyn because I was in the area and we chatted for a couple minutes. They asked if I had taken any pictures recently and I realized that I had not! So, I trotted on home and took pictures of some pears for my mom.

It was lots of fun. :-) I took them just after sunset, so the light was very diffused.

I used the soft gold side of my reflector to lighten them and decrease the blue cast of shadows.

Though I did edit them, I didn't need to. The colors were a very near perfect representation of real life.

Enjoy!

Personal

2011-10-13T19:12:00.000-07:00

Because doing french homework in cursive is just that much cooler. :-)

Hello all! I realize it has been a while since I updated you on my personal life. So here is what is happening. I'm a senior in high-school this year.

At our homeschool co-op I am taking:

-Anatomy and Physiology : The Human Body by Dr. Jay L. Wile
-P.E.
-Economics
-Algebra 2
-French 1
-Drama : Soda Shop Angel
I'm on a Model UN team, participating in FIRST robotics, starting a photography business, and staring in a movie. Ok, so it isn't a full scale movie. It is a homemade movie, but it is still going to be awesome. It has been named E Pluribus Unum, you know, "Out of many one." It's on our penny, in case you were wondering. Joel made a trailer here. We get to dress up and go see the premiere in a couple of weeks and I can't wait. It is going to be awesome! Because we have some pretty sweet and amazingly talented friends. Anywho... Yes. If is isn't obvious, I'm trying to start a photography business. I'll be posting pictures here, but don't worry all you creative people. I'll still be posting my sewing projects and such.

And, because catchlights are amazing, and I don't have any photos of myself....here I am. :-)

Have a wonderful night!

Julia - Class of 2012

2011-10-13T14:13:00.000-07:00

Julia...You are amazing! Guys, this Miss Julia. She is in my graduating class at our homeschool co-op and I've known her for quite some time. She is bright, bubbly, funny, and gorgeous! She is also a very strong young lady. Julia lost her mom to cancer only 3 weeks ago. Please keep her entire family in your prayers. Julia, I'm so sorry for your loss. Thank you for spending the afternoon with me and letting me take your senior pictures!

I love how the blue in her outfit just pops off the bright October leaves. :-)

Julia was such a great model! And she has the clearest blue eyes EVER!

I think this is my favorite.

And just to show you how awesome she is, here is a picture of where she had to stand to get some of these photos. And guess what, she loved it! My kind of girl. :-)

Thanks again Julia!

{Preview} Julia

2011-10-12T15:58:00.000-07:00

Natalie - Class of 2012

2011-10-12T15:52:00.000-07:00

This is Natalie. She rocks! Natalie and her sister Carolyn (my assistant for Casey's senior shoot) moved to Rockford only about 2 months ago, but we quickly became friends. Of course, when you go on crazy lunch outings, go to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, eat midnight meals, move furniture and clean up each others rooms together, how can you not be friends? Anywho, Natalie is a senior this year so we treked downtown for an awesome photoshoot. I must shout out to my brothers Hudson and Nathanael for tagging along and not only being bodyguards but making jokes on request. So...here are some of the pictures form that day.

Natalie was so easy to work with and made my job super fun and easy. Also, check out her outfits! They are great.

*Leading lines!*

This on is my favorite I think. :-)

So Nat!

I LOVE this wall. :-) I'll definitely be coming back.

Ahh! My first rainbow flare!!! Can you see it? It's right there...that stripe right across the middle...see? NO? Well, it's there, trust me.

Love this one too...

Gus.

Thank you Natalie SO much! I had a blast. Enjoy!

Refashion: Blue dress Mod.1

2011-10-01T12:09:00.000-07:00

One of the elders in our church got married recently to the nicest lady from Iowa. She and her daughters are SO much fun and we are all happy they've come to live here. Mrs. W picked out this dress to wear but it needed a little help, so one lovely Sunday afternoon she brought it over and my good friend Shannen and I got to work.

Here is the before of the front and back...

We added triangles of pleated fabric to the front and back to raise the necklines. Shannen took over the pleating and I worked on sleeves and sewed it together.

We talked it over and agreed on a flutter sleeve, so I based it off of Katrina Casey's Liesel Pattern sleeve but skipped the elastic. Sewing the sleeves on was a little tricky, but I found a way to do it so that is looked good and felt fine. The sleeves have a lettuce hem.

And here is the after of the front and back.

It was a very small wedding, but I was able to find some pictures from the actual day on facebook. I'm not sure who took them.

What do you think?

Casey - Class of 2012

2011-09-19T19:14:00.000-07:00

Here it is! My first official photoshoot ever! And of course, by default, my first senoir! This is Casey. She goes to our church and is a fellow period drama and historical clothing enthusiast. She is beautiful. But then, I don't have to tell you that. See for yourself! We took most of the photos at Lockwood Park, where she works with the horses mainly in the summer.

Casey,
Thank you so much for letting me take your senior pictures, for taking that blind leap and entrusting an amateur with your future... ok, not quite. But thanks for being my first client! Enjoy your 50¢. :-P Carolyn (my assistant) and I had SO much fun shooting and laughing with you! Enjoy!

{Preview} Casey's Senior Shots

2011-09-17T14:16:00.000-07:00

Stay tuned! I'm almost done editing the rest.

PWP 2: Days 5 & 6

2011-09-09T08:39:00.000-07:00

Day 5
Today we edited our shoots from yesterday and prepared them to send to our clients. At lunch we bid farewell to Amy and Peter and then got back to work. Then we said goodbye to Ashley and Anntonette. :-( Goodbyes are hard sometimes. Thankfully, there is a thing called facebook. :-)

More new bubble tea tryers! Tiff's not a fan, and Anntonette no te gusta I'm afraid. Oh well. :-)

Jennette and Ashley

Moi, Anntonette, Ashley

Day 6: My last day in Portland, OR, dawns bright and sunny.

Andie and I on Saturday morning. Andie is an amazing photographer, previous IPS student and now an IPS instructor! She is SO much fun. :-) Love you Andie! Check out her blog: A Visual Anthology.

And a last picture with the remaining hostel peeps.

Tiffany, Moi, Ashley, and Jacob

And here is the hostel. Quaint little place, isn't it? I have some good memories there. :-)

Then Jocelyn, Rowan, Maddie, and I went to breakfast, cleaned out the classroom, moved everything up two flights of steps to the Gillson's apartment, went to lunch, went to Best Buy, and then I got dropped off at the airport! Goodbye Portland!

Just a reminder that Portland is indeed unique. :-)

PWP 2: Day 4

2011-09-09T07:58:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are at the second to last day of class. These weeks have just blown by; it feels we just arrived and got acquainted, but now we're about to say goodbye.

Today we learned about some more equipment and then geared up to go do our client shoot. Anntonette and I were paired together to shoot the E children's portraits. This family is SO much fun and they are all adorable, which make my job pretty easy. :-) Here are a couple.

Vanessa

Memphis

Abby

Rayden

Robby

Scotty

Thank you so much for letting me take your portraits!

After our big shoot we got to meet Christa Taylor and watch her organize a fashion shoot. THAT was cool, and I got to meet Christa!

<- See? :-)

A Bee and a Song

2011-09-08T20:49:00.000-07:00

Hello friends! So sorry I haven't been posting. I have many sewing and photography posts in my brain queue (I should add them to wunderlist...) and I will get all caught up soon. Meanwhile, to tide you over, here is a photo I took recently of a bee. I'm still really new to photoshop, so bear with me as my edits improve. :-)

Unfortunately for you all, this means posts will take longer make it to the blog. My new and improved equipment means there are more steps. But trust me, it will be worth it. :-)

Also of note: I love this song. Jon Schmidt and Steven Sharp Nelson have made me love it even more.

PWP 2 : Days 1-3

2011-08-22T19:20:00.000-07:00

Day 1

Lightroom 101

Light quality and direction

Flashes

Today we were put in teams of two and told to take 10 pictures to put on the wall of a local coffee shop. A flash had to be used in every photo. John and I did fairly well, getting paid 750 out of 1000 dollars. (Fake checks of course. :-)

Day 2

LR develop module

Location Portraiture

Posing

Today we learned more about lightroom and successfully edited some of our photos. The bottom two directly above were edited, for example. Then we learned more about posing and went out in teams to shoot. Jake and I were partners.

Day 3

Light and flashes

This is Tiff. She might kill me for posting pictures of her, but she is so pretty that I'm gonna risk it. :-)

This is Ashley. Wow. No matter how you shoot her she still looks good!

Today we learned about different kinds of light and applying flash knowledge to portraits. I was teamed up with Tiffany and Ashely for our studio shoot.

An IPS weekend in Portland, Oregon

2011-08-20T17:51:00.000-07:00

Hey all! Well, we all survived our first week of Prizewinning Photography at the Institute of Photographic Studies! Yeah! I had SO much fun. Over the weekend the "natives" of Portland went home and only Ashley, Amy, John, Jeanette, and I were left at the hostel. So we decided to experience Portland with the Saturday Market.

First a last minute goodbye to Christi D. I really should get a remote. :-)

Then off to the market! It was probably 20 blocks away and we walked it. Apart from all sorts of photographic lessons I have definitely learned to enjoy walking. The first couple days I got terrible shin splints. My forelegs (do humans have forelegs...?) anyway, they felt like they were on fire all of Wednesday. Thankfully I can walk normally now. :-)

The market was like a clean flea market that they have outdoors. Many different vendors come with their booths and sell their (usually) homemade wares. Some of the stuff was REALLY neat; the hats for example. There were hundreds of hats.

Amy! ~~She bought~~, excuse me, her brother bought her a new grey hat. It is pretty swell looking, no? :-)

We all brought our cameras and shot away. Portland, as weird as it is, is very friendly to photographers. We could go anywhere and photograph anything. Normally restaurants and stores are picky about having pictures taken, but here they even encourage it. One girl even had a lady ask her to include the store name in her photo because it was good advertising! How cool is that?

I ended up buying a really cool beaded metal hairstick. You'll probably see it floating our around the blog here sometime...

Wooden trinkets...

Dispersed throughout the market were all sorts of buskers and performers. Some were really good, even if I don't particularly enjoy their genre of music. There are also many homeless people in Portland. I can't count how many times I was asked for "even just 15 cents."

The floating glass ball statue type person... No really, it was actually cool. :-) Ashley helps Amy get her Remy picture.

Give it a tip and it will shake your hand!

My first fish and chips...

Ashely and John

Our fabulous weekend group! John, Jocelyn, Rowan, Elizabeth, Amy, and Ashely.

Then they said we should get a picture with me in it. Hmmm...not what I was expecting, but very sweet of them. :-) I didn't know that they had done it until I reviewed the picture!

Experiencing Stumptown Coffee. Supposedly the best in the world, almost certainly the best in Portland and the U.S. I don't drink coffee, so I wouldn't know, but I have a reliable source. :-)

I've got to find a youtube video that will teach me how to make those cool foam shapes in the top of the coffee. That would be so cool.

Another Portland must: Voodoo Doughnuts. famous for being situated above Portland's Shanghai tunnels and their crazy doughnut flavors. Here Amy has a Bacon Maple Bar.

More Buskers...

My first Voodoo doughnut: Chocolate frosting, oreo pieces, and some sort of Peanut-butter frosting drizzled over the top. SO good.

RoJo! Two of our amazing instructors. :-) They are SO cute.

Then we went back to the hostel and watched Roman Holiday. It was my first time and it was pretty sweet. Yay for Audrey Hepburn!

PWP 1 : Day 5

2011-08-15T22:38:00.000-07:00

Day 5

All things digital

Equipment

and Business!

Over lunch today I worked on more macro photography.

Then came the goodbyes! You all were SO much fun! Here I am with Amy G.

Later, we were invited to Jocelyn's parents' home. Thank you SO much Mr. and Mrs. E! I had such a good time!

Amy and Sarah say farewell.

Abby, Christi, Sarah, and I

Bonfire and Scotty roasting a marshmallow. Wow, marshmallow is spelled really funny.

We sung hymns and praise songs around the fire and then more goodbyes. :-(

Sarah and Rachel are on the right. I don't have a picture on my camera of Rachel and I, but someone else does...I hope. :-) She is SO much fun.

PWP 1 : Day 4

2011-08-14T15:02:00.000-07:00

Day 4

Metering

Landscape

Macro

And a shoot!

This morning we walked out to a park to take more portraits. We had a shot limit of 50 and every picture we took would be printed, so we had to be especially careful. Amy and Luke were in my group today.

Head and shoulders front and 3/4 views of Amy.

Luke in the Mills pose.

After this shoot we took an IPS group picture and hung around until we decided where to go to dinner. On the left is Jeanette, another of my roommates. She is sporting permanent marker art curtesy of Canon Peter. :-) Amy, on the right, shows some national pride. :-)

Ashley 2 gets some Peter art. :-)

This is Jocelyn. :-) She is one of the instructors and SO much fun. Here she is with her bug-eyes and more Peter art.

Back Row: Nic and Christi

Middle Row: Jeanette, Moi, Ashley, John

Front: Amy, Ashley, Peter

After dinner at Little Big Burger we went to the "Tea Zone" and got (for many of us) our first bubble teas! They were fantastic. I got a mango one with coconut jellies.

Later we worked on some macro photography

Enjoy! More coming soon...

PWP 1 : Day 3

2011-08-14T13:46:00.000-07:00

Day 3

Light Quality
Exposure Compensation
Portraiture

For our morning assignment today we worked more on exposure and motion. We went to one these many SUPER cool fountains in the Pearl District not far from where our hostel and the classroom are.

Moms and their children come and just play in here instead or going to a pool or beach.

Later we worked or Portraiture and and went out in teams to practice.

The is "Canon" Peter. There are two in the class so we have to distinguish between the canon and the nikon one. :-)

The Mills pose...

After class some of us went to the park and kept practicing.

This is Ashley. She is so much fun and lives on the bunk bed above me. :-)

This is Amy. She is SO photogenic. I love taking pictures of people who are so positive and patient, even though they aren't used to using our US dollars. :-)

This is John. He and Canon Peter are also at the hostel with us. They are kind enough to escort us girls to the grocery..in downtown Portland...at 10 PM. Yeah.

Tonight, instead of going out to eat, all of us at the hostel decided to make dinner.

We mad rice and chicken and stir-fried some veggies. It wasn't to bad. ;-)

PWP 1 : Days 1 & 2

2011-08-13T12:15:00.000-07:00

Hello Everybody!

I've survived my first week at IPS and loved it! Every morning we had a "life moment" session where we sang and watched a leadership video by Jeff Meyers. Then we would hop straight into the instruction sessions. They were taught by Rowan Gillson, Jocelyn Gillson, and Andie Haugen.

Day 1

PURPOSE: Why am I taking this photo?

AUDIENCE: Who is it for?

EMOTIONAL IMPACT: How can I visually stimulate the viewers' emotions?

We learned about camera settings, but shot in Priority Mode with almost everything in auto.

Our assignments for day one had to do with our instruction in composition.

Rule of Thirds : Leading Lines : Depth

Repetition : Unity : Framing : Shape

And most importantly, FILL the FRAME! :-)

Day 2

Tuesday we talked about ISO, Depth of Field, and Shutter Speed. Today we shot in Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority Modes.

Depth of Field

Blurred and Stopped Motion

Panning. Harder than it looks!

And I won the "exuberant" challenge with this picture. :-)

Everyone here is crazy about photography, it is so fun. :-)

Warm and cool tones

IPS - Portland, Oregon

2011-08-07T11:08:00.000-07:00

I'm in Portland! Or, depending when I can get internet, I'm in the airport, or Seattle. :-)

For the Next two weeks I will be attending the Institute of Photographic Studies! I SO excited. IPS is a group instructors that is not only passionate about their Lord Jesus Christ, but about photography as well. They offer many different classes ranging from the basics, to photojournalism, to videography. Their "campus" moves all over the U.S. and to certain places overseas for PhotoExplore.

I will be attending Prizewinning Photography 1 (the basics) and Prizewinning Photography 2 (more advanced everything and editing).

Pray for safety as I am flying by myself for the first time, staying away from home without anybody I've met before, and being gone for 2 whole weeks. :-) Also, this isn't just photography we will be learning about. The point of the workshop is to bring us closer to God through photography. Learning lots of awesome skills and making lots of new friends; seeing new places is just the icing on the cake!

Here we go!

Meanwhile my family is tearing up my house without me. :-( Oh well. I'll be really surprised when I get back!

Making a Travel Dress...

2011-08-03T15:38:00.000-07:00

Went to Schaumburg and Evanston yesterday to fabric shop at Vogue and interview with the admissions counsellor at the Art Institute. Brought back this fabric for a comfy travel dress for my trip to...

Can you guess where?

My latest Gadget

2011-08-01T12:53:00.000-07:00

Can you guess!!!

Ok, don't fall over. :-) I did get a Macbook Pro! I was going to wait another year for my graduation, but since I need it for an upcoming workshop...post to follow....my Grandma Judy bought it for me a year early! I can't believe how generous she is. There is never something I can't thank her for.

I'm really loving the built in sd card slot. It is SO nice for transferring photos from the camera to the computer. No more cables! :-)

As many of you know, we are a hardcore Apple and Canon ex-military family. In my opinion, you can't get much better. :-P

Anyway.

My older brother and our friend Ryan also have Macbook Pros like myself and my mom has a Macbook. So... when they are all just sitting in the living room you have to take some pictures right?

Right. :-)

"I'll take three please."

My Mom on her Macbook. Probably blogging. Check out her writings here: Organized Everyday

Jamie - Ryan - and Nathanael is using my computer

P.S. How is the new look? I love the labels gadget and I use it on almost everybody elses blog so I couldn't get rid of it but it was to long for the sidebar. It resides at the bottom of the blog now. :-)

Newsie Bits

2011-07-30T12:16:00.000-07:00

Ok folks! Gather round and listen up because I'm thinking about changing things up a bit here and I need your help. A couple of months ago I put a poll on my sidebar and asked what you all liked best about the blog. Correct me if I am wrong.

Everyone seems to enjoy the sewing projects
A few enjoy the photos I share
Some people (even though you don't comment. tsk, tsk, tsk :-) read this blog to see what is going on at our house how my life is going etc... Those are pretty much the people I know in "real" life. :-)

Now my dilemma:I have two passions, and hundreds of hobbies. How do I keep the blog simple and streamlined while posting about many very different subjects?

Of course, there is the more than one blog option, but that hasn't worked very well. Not to mention it is slightly annoying to keep track of three different blogs all by the same author.

I mean really....

I bead

I sew and knit and crochet and woodwork and draw and paint play the piano and viola

I bake and cook and clean and organize

I take photos

Lots of photos...

I'm very involved in my church and school and robotics

I have the most crazily awesome family and friends

And I have JESUS, who makes everything worthwhile.

So folks, I have THE life.

And I'd love to blog it all, but there isn't time or space.

So what do you REALLY want to hear about?

Emily's Renaissance Outfit

2011-07-25T17:06:00.000-07:00

Cute and she knows it. :-)

Fabric

Shirt: leftover kona muslin form my renn. top

Vest: leftover fabric from a skirt I made a while ago

Skirt: Brown sheet type stuff that was given to us

Grommets we had, elastic we had, and lacing we already had.

All in all, a pretty inexpensive adventure. :-)

Pattern

I made up the skirt, drafted the shirt form a drawing, and made the vest by shrink the ladies vest from Simplicity 3809.

I don't remember the fine detail of the vest shrink, but I measured Emily and then redrew the pattern on paper. Then I modified some lines and made a mock-up. It fit well, so I basically followed the pattern's directions for lining the vest and it was done! I did not put any boning in it, but I did put a double layer of cord in the very front to add stability to the grommets.

For the skirt I sewed 6 rectangle that were each around 17 inches wide together, hemmed it, and made a casing for elastic at the waist. Simple.

For the shirt I looked at the diagram drawing of the off-the-shoulder blouse in the same pattern (Simplicity 3809). Basically the front and back pieces are rectangles with the upper corners cut off and rounded. The sleeves were a full sleeve looking pattern with the tops cut off in a straight line. I then sewed a casing on the inside and sewed the elastic into it when I sewed the ends together. So the sleeves were sewn the the "rectangles" and the top edges of everything were turned under to make a drawstring casing. :-) Clear as mud? Yeah, I thought so. Oh for a computer drawing program. Soon. :-) Very soon.

I LOVE the way it looks from the back.

Here she is wearing another skirt underneath it and it got bunched up in the back. I think it actually makes it look nice. :-)

Gathering and arms=not so even

Oh, and don't forget to hem your sleeves and the bottom of your shirt. :-)

Lacing.

Ta Da!

Fantasy Princess in Red Velvet ~ January 2010

2011-07-23T21:28:00.000-07:00

I made this about a year and a half ago and Emily has worn it many times since, but I never posted about it (that I can remember) so here it is (maybe again).

I used leftover red crushed paine velvet from a costume of mine I never posted about and some ivory/cream crinkle chiffon stuff my mom bought before I was even sewing. :-) As this was done awhile ago, please excuse the terrible red facing that is always showing above her cowl neck and the not so nicely matched back side. :-)

Simplicity 5520, the view in the lower righthand corner.

Ah! She is so cute! She has gotten tall enough now that she doesn't trip on it. :-)

In Progress

The Back

(Gotta love the Pooh Bear hairband.)

Could almost work for LoTR no?

More recently Emily wore this dress again for her part in a film we were making with some friends.

Here are some of the "Behind the Scenes" shots of her and Nathanael, who played the prince in this skit.

Grey "Office" skirt for Emily

2011-07-23T20:40:00.000-07:00

With the extra fabric from Kara's vest I whipped up this 8 gore skirt for Emily. Originally the pattern (just one piece) had elastic and was designed for various girly fat-quarters, but I just used enough to make it wearable with a side zipper.

While we were up at our friends house in WI we were filming a movie and one of the scenes was in an office environment so technically this is a movie costume. :-) Either way, she loves it. :-)

back

bow embellishment

Covered zipper

Whipping up things for Emily has become so much fun and I am getting so inspired by all the mom blogs I read. They make clothes sometimes for themselves, but mostly for their kids and have lots of great ideas. :-) With some extra fabric I have I think it would be cool to make Emily some new princess costumes. The only one I've made her so far is really simple and she loves it. :-)

Greens and Browns Paisley Print Summer Dress

2011-07-23T20:04:00.000-07:00

This dress is SO comfortable! I don't know exactly what the fabric is, but it was on sale at Joann Fabrics and is SO comfortable. To start things off, I made the dress to big and too short. Yup. Lovely. Oh well! Like I said, it is super comfortable. I wear it around the house mostly, and always with a belt to break up the pattern and add some waist definition.

McCalls 6027 view c without the jewel embellishments

The pattern was very straight-forward and would have taken probably around 2 1/2 hours, but I raised the neckline 5 whole inches so I had to change the tops of all the pieces. That took a lot of time. Once everything was cut out it went very quickly.

VERY full skirt (and I didn't even choose the version with gores) and the side.

The back is pretty low. I'm not sure what I think about that, but I couldn't fix it without a lot of hassle. I have three cover-ups in that beige color, so there isn't much trouble there.

The day after I made it we went to a wedding, so I was able to wear it. I also made Emily a skirt with a plain knit waistband. I is definitely not my best work, but she says it is her favorite, so that is good. :-)

Kara's Grey Pinstripe Vest

2011-07-19T17:34:00.000-07:00

Hey! This is Kara. Kara is a VERY good friend. In fact, her whole family is like a second family to me. We were just up there for a week and a half and I was able to finish this vest I started for her a month or so ago.

I used Simplicity 2556, view c with a collar and 2 "pockets"

The grey pinstripe suiting I got on sale at Joann Farbics, and I believe the buttons came form there too... the vest is lined the leftover pink broadcloth from the underskirt of my Masquerade dress. The interfacing is far too stiff, but I had it laying around. She loves it anyway. :-) She even wore it in the film we made while we were up there. So my name will probably be in the credits as part of costuming. :-) Hey, gotta start somewhere, right?

This vest was actually very easy to make. As usual, cutting out the pieces was the hardest part. :-) Matching grains and making sure everything is straight is especially hard when I have an obvious stripe.

Four black buttons... they are actually harder to place than I thought they might be. Making the button-holes was SO much fun.

Speaking of buttonholes... THIS is a good use for them. :-)

The "welts"

And the back...

We added a hook-n-eye because my buttons weren't exactly right... :-) Shhh!

And the lining... Both side seams has to be hand sewn so the outside looks good. :-)

Sara's Civil War Corset

2011-06-22T22:31:00.000-07:00

We used Simplicity 9769

Fabric:

Sturdy cotton bottomweight from Joann Fabrics

Grommets, boning, twill tape, bias tape, and lacing all from corsetmaking.com

The Side

Sara goes to Civil War reenactments from time to time and has a pretty nice get-up, but her lime green corset had plastic boning and didn't give much support, so she decided to order the materials to make her own metal corset. She got it into her head somehow that I'm really good a sewing, and so she waited till she would be staying here for two weeks to make it.

The Back

I had the pattern and getting fabric from joanns was no big deal, so we set to work. For some reason I had it in my head that making a corset was hard. I guess the victorian ones with all the gussets and things might be, but this one? nothing could be simpler. :-) It was tons of fun.

GOOF.

Everything was straight-forward. Putting in 30 grommets and the busk was even fun. :-)

Busk

I got a blister from lacing her up 4 times that day...just for fun. But what can I say? We're nuts. And now I want one for myself. :-)

We got it laced almost completely shut later, as the fabric stretched, but this is pretty much where it should be. Look like fun?

Here it is with her hoop-skirt.

50s Polka Dot Jumper

2011-06-22T12:46:00.000-07:00

My sincerest apologies. As anonymous ever so astutely pointed out, this has been the longest 2 weeks ever. :-) Life moves on. I am still terribly busy, but I will endeavor to catch you all up on my latest sewing projects. First off... My polka dot 50s dress!

I used Simplicity 3673 view C

Fabric: Blue Leno Shirting from Fabric.com for $1.95/yd

Underlined in a white sheet.

I have been planning to make this dress for quite some time now, almost 4 years i think. A couple of months ago I got this light blue and white polka shirting on sale and could immediately see it as a fun 1950s dress. It was pretty sheer though, so It became obvious that it would need lining. I delayed for a while because I wasn't sure how a separate skirt lining would look with the 12 darts. I decided to risk using it as underlining and treat both fabrics as one.

I spent a lot of time making the darts perfect and hand-basting every one of them to make sure it would lay right.

The Back

The Side

I also served and hand slip-stitched the hem. It was SO worth it. :-) This is one of my FAVORITE dresses now. I will definitely be making this pattern again. I can't wait to make a 50s petticoat and see it poofed out!

Vacation

2011-05-18T20:27:00.001-07:00

Hey guys! I am working on a couple dresses and other sewing projects, but I won't be able to post for 2 weeks! Get ready for a bunch of posts in June!

Purple Anniversary Dress

2011-05-15T17:34:00.000-07:00

Pattern: McCalls 5752, view C

Fabric: Very stretchy purple floral knit

It has been downstairs for years and I've been trying to get my Mom to make herself a dress out of it for a while, but being a busy Mom of five and homeschooling and teaching pilates.

The Front.

Well, my Mom and Dad are going on a Mediterranean cruise for their 20th anniversary, so I bugged my Mom until she decided to let me do it. :-)

The pattern was really easy and our serger made it go pretty fast. I modified the sleeve to match what my Mom wanted. I basically cropped the sleeves and added tiny circle skirts to them. :-)

Because of the crossoverness of the dress, my mom wanted a coordinating top to wear under it.

The different areas of gathering are so interesting.

Sleeves...

She gave me a cami and I figured out a way to cover it without making it look awkward.

I covered the entire front, but there wasn't enough for the back. Oh well. :-)

The Back.

Definitely cruise wear, but my Mom likes it, and that is cool. The more I sew, the more creative I feel and the more willing I am to try new things. Perhaps we'll see a pair of pants on here in the future? I don't know. What are you guys working on?

Teal Cowl Top - the "teal knit saga" part 1

2011-05-13T21:44:00.000-07:00

My darling Grandma Judy and I went shopping at Joann Fabrics a couple weeks ago during one of their big sales. I picked up some button the the CPJ and 11 McCalls patterns. If you're familiar with Joann's I'm sure you know what the red tag section is? Well it is a sale section and it was 50% extra off at that time. My friend and I are both really into teal/aqua at the moment, so I immediately thought of her when I saw this fabric. Turns out that since it was only $1 a yard (!) my Grandma just bought the whole bolt for me! Like 9 yards I think. :-) Loveliness. :-)

So I gave some of it to Shannen and she is going to come over sometime and sew up a shirt. I made one up yesterday afternoon to test the pattern and was a little worried about the finished product, but I think it is growing on me. Anyway, I wore this outfit to my awards ceremony last night and one of my new friends loved it and I told her she should make one. :-) So Kristiana will also be making one.

(Finally got to wear that pendant! Been looking for something to match it. :-)

Here it is.

Pattern: McCalls 6034, view b

The side...

Hemming knits is not the loveliest task in the work, so thankfully this pattern only requires the back of the neck to be hemmed.

The back.

I realize I am wearing it a little short here, but with this skirt it did not sit well very low. I tried it on with jeans today and it works though. :-)

Pictures thanks to the tripod and self-timer. Now...to get a remote. ;-)

Nat's Patch Bag

2011-05-13T21:21:00.000-07:00

Pattern: Slouchy Bags by Cindy Taylor Oates, views d w/o the pocket.

Natalie hadn't ever sewn anything before, so we decided that we would make her a bag and finish it before we went on a field trip to Chicago the next day. We were up till 11:30, but it was worth it. The bag really doesn't take that long, but we made our own fabric, so that took a good deal of time.

All the edges are raw, and it looks SO neat. We pulled parts of a towel, parts from a cut up flowered chiffon skirt, some corduroy, some cotton, some minky fabric, some quilting fabric, and a knit t-shirt from the scrap bag and went to work. It is lined with a sturdy tablecloth so there isn't stress on the more delicate fabrics. I think it turned out so nice! Our approx. 5 inch squares were not very even, but she did a nice job. When it came down to crunch time I did the darts and straps, but she did everything else.

Great job Nat!

Double Breasted Eggplant Dress Vest

2011-05-10T20:32:00.000-07:00

What a mouthfull! And what a lot of fun. Other than the boys doublets, and tunic/blouse thing I haven't made any men's clothes. Well, the Masquerade ball was coming up and I knew I would be making my dress, so I asked Hud if he wanted me to make him a costume too. To my surprise, he said that would be nice. :-) Originally I was thinking along the lines of the Phantom and Raul from "The Phantom of the Opera" with the frilly shirt cool waistcoats and capes etc. As time went on however, I realized that just a vest, and one that could be worn again in "real life" was more in order. So I double checked the color with Hud and ordered extra fabric when I bought it for my dress.

Pattern:

Simplicity 4762

We chose the look with the lapels.

Materials:

Eggplant elegance taffeta from Fabric.com

Generic black lining fabric scrap that was lying around

faux black suede with interesting embroidery scrap

metal buckle from joanns

4 random buttons from the downstairs collection. :-)

No, they don't match. :-) At least they are the same color and size.

Hud sort of like the spontaneous and use what you got style, so it works.

The buttonholes weren't perfect, the under-stitching hand done and the back V rather sloppy, but I love how it turned out. I also like the added detail of the hidden button helping to hold things together.

After I had finished basic construction and pulled the sides through the shoulders we had to leave for prayer meeting. When we got back we had people over and were snacking and playing cards, so I decided to do my under-stitching.

Hudson fitted the vest and said "So what about your insignia"

"Huh?"

"You know, the tag thing or emblem that says it was made by you. The thing that shows you made it."

"I don't have one yet! That is called branding and it takes lots of thought."

"Well, you at least have to have a pocket!"

(This all said with a little sarcasm on both sides)

I sketched for a bit, then told him to draw what he would like in the vest. So he drew this cursive type j and k thing.

that is what I used. :-)

The back.

And yes, I know the buckle and buttons are not the same color.

This project was surprisingly easy. It only took probably 4 hours start to finish. The longest part was lining up the buttons and buttonholes.

These pictures were taken the day after the masquerade, but her wore it to his solo recital (see previous post) so I was able to get nice photos. :-)

Masquerade Gown Part 3 Finished

2011-05-09T13:46:00.000-07:00

The only pictures I have right now are the ones from the banquet, but I will probably get others after school is over. (Two more days!!!)

I used Simplicity 4092 and Simplicity 3637

Just about everything is from 4092, but since the sleeve pattern was wacky I used the sleeve pattern from 3637. I read the directions a couple times before I started cutting my fabric because I knew I would be doing this project over the course of about 2 months. In this way I was able do plan out what sort of embellishment I wanted to do and when to do it.

Fabric:

Eggplant Elegance Taffeta from Fabric.com

Fuchsia Taffeta from Fabric.com

All-over nylon scalloped white lace from Fabric.com (though when I washed it with the taffeta it took on the slightest hint of pink. :-)

Beads from my collection

Pink Broadcloth from Fabric.com

Pink bottom weight tablecloth from Thrift store for lining

LOTS of thread :-)

The back

The side (Yes, it is that long!)

Even though you aren't supposed to see the pink broadcloth, I think this shot is really cool. It looks more like a dress from the 18th century because of the way it poofs out. :-)

Hudson and I

I added 1 1/2 inches to the neckline, but it is still on the verge of being a little too low. :-/ Maybe I'll wear a fichu next time. To fill the gap a little I threw together a charm and wore it with some black cord.

The underskirt

The ribbon waistband does clash, but it fits perfectly and is so easy to get on and off with the two hook-and-eyes.

The pink invisible zipper I got from our stash downstairs. Perhaps it was not the best idea. It had been recycled from something else and was pretty old. It was metal, which was nice, but I had to work it a dozen or so times before it decided to cooperate most of the time. My brothers had to zip it up on me a couple times. :-)

Pleats in the front and gathers in the back. It is a little odd, I admit, but that is what the pattern said, so that is what I did.

The Sleeves

Here you can see that hint of pink when it is stacked. :-) By the way, 3/4 sleeves with lace have always been cool and a dream of mine. They are amazing. Seriously. Go make yourself a dress with sleeves like this! To die for. :-)

The necklace

The Mask

I made a black mask with the leftovers from the leftovers from Hudson's lapels, overlaid it with the lace and glued fuchsia glitter on it. Not the coolest (no feathers :-) but it worked, and it matched.

Hudson's Solo Recital

2011-05-09T11:27:00.000-07:00

In which Hudson plays beautifully...and wears his vest. Post to follow. :-)

Light Polka Dot Coverup

2011-05-04T08:26:00.000-07:00

Because of the open back and shoulders of the Lime Summer Dress, I found it necessary to make a summer coverup that I could wear this dress to church with.

Ever since I got Simplicity 2560 I have liked view E. So I used it for this bolero.

Fabric:

Red Tag tricot from Joann's

After I made it I found that if was too short, so I had to add a band around the bottom to make it work.

The Back...

The sides...

And my brother, who helped me with the pictures. Thanks Than!

The Lime Summer Dress

2011-05-04T07:57:00.000-07:00

It is finished! I finished it a couple of weeks ago, just in time for Resurrection Sunday. Hallelujah! We serve a risen Savior!

The Front

Pattern: NewLOOK 6589? View A without belt.

Fabric:

Lime Organdy from Fabric.com at $1.95/yd

5mm silk from Dharma trading (not the best for this project)

An old zipper from our stash

Part of an white cotton sheet.

I love this dress! If you read my earlier posts then you know that I was struggling with the sheerness of the organdy and the sheerness of the silk I had planned to line it in. You could see through it. Not good. Well, I made the entire dress up and it was pitiful. So, I took the dress apart. Well, most of it. I took the skirt off and dissected the bodice. I added a layer of the cotton sheet to the bodice and made a separate cotton skirt to line the real skirt. I took a coupled hours, but boy, was it worth it! To the hem of the skirt lining I sewed a little lace, so it peaks out ever-so-gracefully. :-)

What I love: The full skirt! Look at those twirls! I have full range of movement and can run and play ultimate frisbee in this dress. Big Plus. :-)

What I want to change: The height of the neckline and the straps. I place the straps by myself, so they are to far out and want to fall off my shoulders. They are also to big, which doesn't help the next thing…The neckline is a little low. The bodice fits perfectly, but I feel that is is a little low to wear by itself. The back is pretty low too. I added and inch to the pattern, anticipating this difficulty, but It still needs more.

I think I will put a tuck in the straps so they 1) stay on my shoulders and 2) keep the bodice as high as it can be.

Ok, last I checked, I had strawberry blond hair. Why does it look so red here?

The Back

I am SO glad I took the time to take this dress apart and restitch it the right way. The inside is professional looking and feeling. The one raw edge is serged and you can't tell it is there.

P.S. Nathanael and I getting better at taking pictures of me. ;-)

Masquade Gown Part 2

2011-05-04T07:20:00.000-07:00

Progress on the bodice! More to come...

Masquade Gown Part 1

2011-04-12T19:18:00.000-07:00

Our Spring Banquet at Hallstrom this year has a masquerade theme! I was so excited when that theme won. How often do you get to go to a masquerade ball? I mean really! So of course I'm making my gown. I didn't want to go in a formal and just wear a mask. That doesn't fill the masquerade bill for me. It you are wearing a modern dress it has to be couture quality. :-) Lots of folds and feathers. Otherwise, you need to wear something historical, like a Marie Antoinette gown. :-)

I was inspired by Celine's Maire dress.

I am using Simplicity 4092

Fabric:

from fabric.com- Eggplant taffeta, fuchsia taffeta, and lace (I can't remember what it is called).

Lined and underlined with a sturdy pink tablecloth I got second hand for $5

I am overlaying the bodice with lace and beading it randomly with purple shell rocks, white freshwater pearls, and purple glass beads.

Stay tuned for further progress!

I'm currently having a lot of trouble with the sleeves... :-(

Toothless

2011-03-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

Not a night fury, but a little sister! She has lost 6 teeth now and is missing her two front ones. :-)

For the longest time she wouldn't let anyone go near her mouth and she wouldn't eat anything so that the food would pull the tooth out. Then she just woke up one morning and wanted it out. I told her to go have Mommy pull it out. She looked at me like it was a brilliant idea and said "Ok."

:-) She is such a goof

I love watching her grow up.

Thanks for being my sister Emm!

Caribbean Cruise Part 3 - Photo albums

2011-03-20T19:31:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! It is taking to long to upload all the photos from the cruise and I already have them on facebook so I'm just going to post the links to the albums!

Be advised, my cousins wear bikinis. Just in case there are any guys who happen to read this blog, I am not trying to stumble you.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2105214&id=1544657120&l=6992de8a46

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2105583&id=1544657120&l=3acd2c4f0a

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2105584&id=1544657120&l=8251347a07

Enjoy!

Vintage Pattern Giveaway!

2011-03-07T23:30:00.000-08:00

Go check out Atlanta's blog for the details! Click here, or on the cool button she made up.

:-)

Lime Summer dress progress

2011-03-04T14:32:00.000-08:00

I've finished the bodice of my lime green dress! But I'm having a little more trouble than I though I would.

You see, I ordered this lime organdy from Fabric.com (for $1.95 a yard!) and when I got it I saw that it was really sheer and stiff. That is what I get for ordering a fabric I've never used online. :-) So I decided to line it in 5mm Silk Habotai. Boy, oh boy. I had no idea what I was getting into. :-) I've never used 100% silk (Dharma Trading Co. btw.) before. 5mm silk is super thin. The silk is so sheer it hardly helps! (picture on right) So even after every piece is interlined in silk I'm still going to have to wear some sort of dress slip. I don't like slips. :-( Oh well, I still am excited about the dress.

I am making view A without the ribbon.

BTW. Silk is a pain.

:-)

Spiegel im Spiegel

2011-03-03T17:03:00.000-08:00

Arno Pärt, Estonian Composer

A Cartoon

2011-03-03T08:26:00.000-08:00

I did always wonder...how did those victorian ladies sit down?!

:-) Click on the photo to enlarge.

Caribbean Cruise Part 2 - Embarkation

2011-02-18T16:18:00.000-08:00

Ok, this is still Sunday. It is getting on the boat and leaving a rainy FL.

A storm is coming! :-)

Jamie, with his xs.

Drawbridge! Super cool.

Jamie, Uncle Gordy, and Nathanael

Uncle Scott

This pretty much sums up everbody. SUPER DUPER UBER EXCITED! Smiles everywhere. :-)

Cousin Katie and Hudson

Cousins Annabelle, Hayes, and Katie with Aunt Elizabeth

Dancing with excitement. :-)

Grandma and Grandpa! The reason for the trip.

A pool, two hot tubs, two levels and a movie screen. wow.

Caribbean Cruise Part 1 - Flight/Departure/Hotel

2011-02-05T19:28:00.000-08:00

I'm so sorry at how late this is! Our cruise was back in November, over Thanksgiving break. We went with my Dad's entire family. 22 of us in all. We were celebrating my grandparents 50th anniversary.

In O'Hare Airport.

Doing school...reading A Tale of Two Cities

Emily wears her big brother's hat.

All three brothers played together on their iPods while waiting to board.

Views form one of the hotel windows.

City Bokeh!

Amazing stuff.

City alight.

Lower pools

Our great hotel. Here is a little known fact. Priceline is amazing!!!!! We got this hotel that is normal $300+ a night for $75 a night both there and back! SO cool.

Very posh. Sunrise reflection.

One of the coolest pools ever! There was a glass circle in the floor in the middle that you could see down into the lower pool through.

Ft. Lauderdale skyline. Our hotel was smack dab on the ocean!

Glass ceilings. :-)

Sunrise on the ocean. My first ocean. Yes. I had never been to the ocean!

It is amazing...

The love of God...

were the ocean vast of ink, it would drain the ocean dry!

(to describe it)

from a hymn that I can't remember the name of..grr.

Seagulls! Photo by Than, my brother.

One of my favorite shots.

Sunday Morning

That same glass ceiling, from the bottom

Outside..

Westin Diplomat...Just the name sounds cool!

Hotel fountains.

Our rental car, another praise to the Lord and very cool.

Beautiful, sunny, Sunday morning!

LOTS of roundabouts.

And hurricane evacuation signs...

Daddy and Mommy were able to see some friends they hadn't seen for years!

And the rain. How fickle is the weather in FL! How do you all put up with it?

It's Another Giveaway!

2011-02-04T08:15:00.000-08:00

And just in time for Valentine's day too. Ashley and Gabrielle are hosting it over at Bramblewood Fashion. Click of the header ↑ To go to their lovely blog.

The giveaway is for this beautiful heart necklace. Head on over to get more details and enter! Good Luck!

Click on the Photo ↑ to go to the giveaway.

Our Blizzard

2011-02-02T10:27:00.000-08:00

Does this look like a blizzard? I didn't think so either. They said there was a blizzard warning, but all it was was lots of wind and a foot of snow. Ok, so visibility was pretty bad and the roads were terrible, but blizzard?, that is a snow storm. We used to live in Minot, ND. THOSE were blizzards. HUGE drifts, crazy fast wind, and sometimes the inability to leave your house. Things are so relative in the world. Thanks be to God that we have a SOLID rock, a shelter in the time of storm.

Meditating on God's changelessness. :-)

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."

James 1:17 (ESV) Emphasis added

A Challenge for February, 2011

2011-01-31T15:49:00.000-08:00

Ashley, of Live for Today invited me to do this challenge with her. Put quite simply, the One Comment at a Time Challenge. (OCT)

So, what do you think? In her own words...

"But I got to thinking how important a single, simple, little comment could be.
It could improve a persons mood.
It could make a person laugh for the first time that day.
It could change a persons mind.
It could totally change a persons day.
And most importantly, it could show the person the love of God."

Doesn't everybody love comments? I never met a blogger who didn't, and I think Ashley has really hit on something here. I mean really, if you are going to waste time on the computer, you might as well encourage somebody while you're at it. :D

So, here is the challenge. On EVERY POST you read during the month of FEBRUARY, you will COMMENT. It doesn't have to be a well written thought out epistle that takes 10 minutes to read, just a simple, "Wow, what a great idea!", or "That was so encouraging", or "Haha! That reminds me of..."

Make 'em, laugh. Make 'em think. Make 'em pray. Make 'em feel like dancing.

"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing."

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Innocence

2011-01-26T09:58:00.000-08:00

Innocence

1822 - 1896 ~ Oil on Canvas

Rehs Galleries Inc. New York, New York, U.S.A.

Fritz Zuber-Buhler

Fabric for Leisl Dress

2011-01-18T12:21:00.000-08:00

"Dusty Rose" Chiffon Georgette

97¢ a yard. Oh yeah.

Jo-with-it's Portfolio

The Canadian Tenors

Carolyn + Philip︱Engaged

Grandma like "Woah!"

Preston Family

Family Pictures on Thanksgiving

Soda Shop Angel

Stevenson Family

Winter Wonderland

Sewing things

Lesko Family

Do-It Yourself CD Cover Template

The Liesl Dress

Pretty Pears

Personal

Julia - Class of 2012

{Preview} Julia

Natalie - Class of 2012

Refashion: Blue dress Mod.1

Casey - Class of 2012

{Preview} Casey's Senior Shots

PWP 2: Days 5 & 6

PWP 2: Day 4

A Bee and a Song

PWP 2 : Days 1-3

An IPS weekend in Portland, Oregon

PWP 1 : Day 5

PWP 1 : Day 4

PWP 1 : Day 3

PWP 1 : Days 1 & 2

IPS - Portland, Oregon

Making a Travel Dress...

My latest Gadget

Newsie Bits

Emily's Renaissance Outfit

Fantasy Princess in Red Velvet ~ January 2010

Grey "Office" skirt for Emily

Greens and Browns Paisley Print Summer Dress

Kara's Grey Pinstripe Vest

Sara's Civil War Corset

50s Polka Dot Jumper

Vacation

Purple Anniversary Dress

Teal Cowl Top - the "teal knit saga" part 1

Nat's Patch Bag

Double Breasted Eggplant Dress Vest

Masquerade Gown Part 3 *Finished*

Hudson's Solo Recital

Light Polka Dot Coverup

The Lime Summer Dress

Masquade Gown Part 2

Masquade Gown Part 1

Toothless

Caribbean Cruise Part 3 - Photo albums

Vintage Pattern Giveaway!

Lime Summer dress progress

Spiegel im Spiegel

A Cartoon

Caribbean Cruise Part 2 - Embarkation

Caribbean Cruise Part 1 - Flight/Departure/Hotel

It's Another Giveaway!

Our Blizzard

A Challenge for February, 2011

Innocence

Fabric for Leisl Dress

Masquerade Gown Part 3 Finished