Retracing Footsteps

Opening today at the mission was Lewis & Clark Expedition Across America. This children’s exhibit focuses on the explorers’ experience: befriending American Indians, tracking wild animals, and enduring a transcontinental journey. I can imaging school kids next week playing with the period costumes and teepee, building with Lincoln Logs, smelling the plants, and being grossed out by the animal remains…although the prairie dog pelt was kind of cute. There’s even a “Wheel of Misery” (or at least that’s what I think it’s called) that told me I survived falling from a bluff. Nasty!

Two of my sisters and I spent this afternoon checking out the new addition and amusing ourselves with the Thomas Jefferson quotations. (Being voting season, anything said by a politician gets responded to by a smirk!) For adults, the California Exhibition Resources Alliance has sponsored Lewis and Clark Revisited: A Trail in Modern Day. Photographer Greg MacGregor retraced the path forged by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark’s expedition. He documents not untouched nature but modern reality, yet his black and white pictures still convey a wild and historical feel. If you take a look at the photos online or in his book, Lewis and Clark Revisited: A Photographer's Trail, you’ll see what I mean. Mission San Juan Capistrano’s a small organization not really known for hosting major traveling museum exhibits, but this photo one was a good choice.

Of Men and Makeovers

About a week ago, I attended “Fit to Flatter,” this month’s free styling event hosted by Style 2020, a fashion consultation firm here in Orange County. What first impressed me was that this was not just some hour-long sales pitch. The stylists were actually interested in educating the guests on how to improve their look. But what I really appreciated was that the first half of the presentation was entirely devoted to men, arguably an underserviced demographic when it comes to teaching about appropriate dress. Too bad the male sex only made up probably 1% of the audience.

Most women will agree that most men need serious help in the fashion department. Most men, I think also agree. But unfortunately very little gets done about it. It’s not that men never ask for advice. I’ve been called upon by friends numerous times to make suggestions, but rarely have I seen a significant effort made to follow through on any of them. Men will admit they have problems, but then refuse to do anything about it. Looking good is a low priority.

There are a number of reasons for this. Men have been indoctrinated with the false notion that looks don’t matter to women. They realize they could use a makeover, but they don’t think of it as a necessity. Whether in the dating market or the job market, men expect to be valued by everything but that related to dress and grooming. Then they’re hurt and offended when they’re judged by their appearances. No, nice clothes and a fit body aren’t mere proxies for money and power. Women like good-looking men. So do employers and clients. It’s a well-proven fact.

I remember once having an otherwise good-looking student who seemed to be unsuccessful hitting on the girls in the class. I really wanted to inform him that his standard wear – disheveled and unwashed hair, tank-top-like undershirts with armpit and chest hair peaking out, worn flip-flops, and too-thin swim trunks – was probably a major turnoff. But he apparently put more trust in his smarts and winning personality. Hopefully, a job search has changed things. (It did for me!) But I know many more like him. You, dear reader, probably do too.

Unfortunately, some men just aren’t motivated to change even when they recognize much can be gained by the process. It’s more fun to criticize women’s dress: too immodest, too old-fashioned, too frumpy, too revealing, too whatever. All the while, men ignore the logs in their own eyes. Case in point: A friend of mine has been very supportive of people creating new books, magazines, and websites devoted to beauty and fashion for Christian women. However, when I once suggested creating a resource for Christian men (soon after Men’s Vogue met its tragic end), he shot that idea down in a flash. Why? He didn’t think it was needed! Hello? I can spend a whole day in LA without spotting a guy wearing a shirt or suit jacket that actually fits well. Yet men think women need another magazine to tell them what to wear?

Many women are low class when it comes to fashion, but it’s the men who are below the poverty level. Who really should get the charity? Many Christian and secular resources are out there telling women “what men want.” Men probably live in fear of retaliation. We don’t see the Harris boys doing a Modesty Survey about what guys wear that disgusts and embarrasses girls! Would giving up sagging pants and “bicep seams”* really be too much of a sacrifice? Maybe it’s true that men can “dish it out” when it comes to criticizing women’s figures and swimsuits but can’t “take it” themselves?

I sincerely believe that, despite the lack of resources, men can learn to dress appropriately. Admit that baggy clothes don’t hide thin frames or belly fat. As one Style 2020 consultant pointed out, clothes are supposed to touch your body. And we need to strike “metrosexual” from the English language. It’s become a catch-all negative label for “anything I don’t usually wear.” And, by all means, men should take solicited advice seriously. It wasn’t provided for them to pick and choose what sounds like the least amount of work.

Now, there are a few brave souls who ask for advice, but they usually doubt its validity and usefulness. Men seem to require at least two female witnesses before accepting that showing off their backsides is disgusting. I’m not saying that all women are fashion geniuses. (After all, I was the one attending a style event!) But there needs to be more resources offering help to men, especially Christian men.

So here’s my idea: the Men and Makeovers Survey – Part I. Women, this is your opportunity to provide your Christian brothers with constructive criticism about men’s fashion, grooming, and modesty (or lack of it). And men can participate too, by submitting questions that women can answer in Part II. The survey’s anonymous on both ends, so there’s no reason to not to participate. Mean comments will be edited. I expect that few men will participate or read the results, but at least there will be a platform for discussion. I’m looking forward to reading your thoughts and sharing them in the future.

*That was a Style 2020 consultant’s term for the shoulder seam on a shirt that’s definitely too large for the wearer!

Renda e peles – Lace and fur

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Neste conjunto só o colete de pelo não foi feito por mim, mas tanto o top em renda como as calças largas de cintura subida não têm postagem no Couture et Tricot, por falta de tempo para escrever os artigos (também acho que estava a fazer uma pausa do blogue nessa altura). O top em renda foi feito a partir de um molde de uma revista Burda antiga (dos anos 90) e as calças foram feitas a partir do molde Vogue 8604, apenas acrescentando umas varas de rigilene (tipo barbas de baleia) na vista da cintura subida para esta não deformar e encorrilhar com o uso. Na altura também fiz uma jaqueta de veludo de lã amarelo mostarda, para completar o conjunto, que mostrarei noutra oportunidade.

The only piece that I haven’t made in this outfit is the Mongolian fur vest. Both lace turtleneck top and wide leg, high waist trousers were made last winter, but I didn’t review them for lack of time (I think I was taking some time off from blogging at the time, too). The lace top was made from an old Burda magazine pattern (from the nineties) and the trousers are Vogue 8604; I made them with no alterations except adding rigilene boning to the waist facing so it would keep its form. At the time I also made a mustard yellow jacket made of wool velour to complete the set (I'll show it later).

Christians: Artistic and Entertaining

The 7th Annual Evening of Arts & Entertainment certainly offered a unique experience. I first heard about Arts & Entertainment Ministries back in the summer of 2006 when Joel Pelsue spoke at one of David Bahnsen’s Southern California Center for Christian Studies conferences here in Orange County. But as schedules go, I didn’t have a chance to attend the organization’s annual event until this year, meaning earlier this month. It was definitely a lot smaller and more intimate than I expected. But it was nice to have the opportunity to leisurely browse the gallery art and actually have conversations with many of the featured artists.

When it comes to art, many Christians focus on how Scripture inspired them. William Butler, Jennifer Kimbrough, and Glen LaMar were three such artists, using paint to convey poetic messages about God’s power and care for His people. Think of soothing lines and abstract work.

By the exit, however, was a very different approach. Kevin Rolly showed highly controversial paintings on not-so-pleasant Bible stories such as Jephthah’s sacrifice and Judah’s affair with his daughter-in-law. He spoke about the importance of depicting evil in art and offering something relevant to the suffering world around us. Although his pieces aren’t what most middle-class Americans would envision in their livingrooms, I felt that they were the most powerful ones exhibited in the gallery.

Last was Kengsen Chong, a Malaysian preacher who enjoys incorporating ancient Chinese characters into his paintings that add very subtle theological meaning. His work might be thought of as “Sir Edward Elgar meets Pablo Picasso.” Although restricted by the Muslim government, this artist apparently has managed to touch his community through his work and arts programs.

For the performance part of the evening, the sanctuary of Vineyard Christian Fellowship-West turned into a theater. First up was Yolanda Tolentino, singing two numbers from her musical Spirals, Boxes, and Clocks with the AEM House Band. I hope the musical eventually gets performed; I’d like to know the story behind “Back to Holding” and “Still Sadness.”

Another vocalist, Kelda, sang “Puzzling” and “I Hear You Now” from her Free album. She had a sweet voice, so I really enjoyed listening to her. In contrast, hiphop artist Jahmal Holland (aka “One Truth”) showed the music video Cannot Close My Eyes, telling a story about the plight of teens (but I wasn’t sure about what exactly). His “He Brings Change,” in my opinion a better song, was performed live along with a shorter work where he rapped about men taking responsibility (from what I could make out). (Next time I’ll have to bring along a baby sister or brother to translate!)

The evening wouldn’t have been complete without spoken word. Kristin Weber, a homeschool graduate who opens for Christian comedians, talked about moving to Los Angeles and informed the audience that she, age 26, was actually 90 in single-homeschool-girl years. (Guess that makes me a centenarian!) Later, poet Aaron Belz read excerpts from Lovely, Raspberry, adding more laughter to the night’s program.

Two films made the cut: The documentary In a Still Small Voice (site) by Steven Holloway featured interviews of Christian artists talking about their work and what being an artist meant to them. Closing the program was Jeffrey Travis’ animated film Flatland (site, imdb). It’s been more than ten years since I’ve read E.A. Abbott’s “romance,” but I remembered enough details to both appreciate and dislike Travis’ modern retelling. I was pleased that the overall point of the story remained intact.

Far cry from a church talent show, this event showcased professionals and their serious work. Not all of it was “Christian” in the sense we might generally use the term, but it was “Christian” in the sense that Christians were doing what they loved and glorifying God in the process. AEM is a small organization, so the evening wasn’t exactly a smooth run. Patrons had a disadvantage since seating was dividing into three categories: reserved for artists and performers, reserved for volunteers, and saved-two-hours-before-curtain-by-family-and-friends. However, I’d still encourage everyone in the Southland to try to make a future show if possible. You probably won’t like everything featured – I sure didn’t! – but it’s worth one trip to see what’s going on with Christians in the secular world of arts and entertainment.

On a Stick

After playing dress-up in the PhoBooth at Ms. Debbie's a few weeks ago, these mustaches and lips on a stick would definitely make for a lot of fun at a reception!

Photo via Maro Kits

Photo via Carl Zoch

Too funny!

(MasterPiece Weddings and its affiliates have not been paid for, for this post.)

Capa azul noite feita por mim – DIY Midnight blue cape

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Esta é a capa de que vos falei aqui e que fiz a partir de um molde da revista Burda de Janeiro de 2010, apenas acrescentando as aberturas para os braços no alinhamento da posição extrema do ombro. A capa é feita do mesmo tecido de malha estável do conjunto top + calças azul noite. Gostei bastante do resultado destas três peças. O molde da capa pode facilmente ser adaptado para tecido de fazenda, sem a gola alta nem o trespasse e com alguma espécie de fecho na frente.
Os posts acerca deste conjunto no Couture et Tricot vão ter de esperar, pois tenho estado bastante ocupada e sem tempo, e neste momento é prioritário ir mostrando os passos da confecção da jaqueta do Paco inspirada em Celine (e mesmo para a jaqueta, provavelmente só terei tempo no fim-de-semana). A mala de mão com revestimento leopardo foi comprada no eBay, em 2ª mão e foi uma óptima aquisição (à falta de boas lojas de artigos de vestuário e acessórios em 2ª mão, valha-nos o eBay, o Etsy e o site Português Leiloes.net, entre outros).

This is the cape I mentioned before here; I made it from a Burda Magazine pattern (from the January 2010 edition, to be exact), altering the pattern by adding the arm vents , aligned vertically by the shoulder point marked on the original pattern. The cape was made of the same stable knit fabric used for the midnight blue set and I really love the outcome of all these three pieces. This cape pattern can easily be adapted for a woven fabric removing the turtleneck collar and adding a front closure of some kind. The overlap can also be eliminated.
The sewing reviews at Couture et Tricot will have to wait because I’m extremely short of time and at this point I’d rather update my readers on the Paco’s jacket construction (probably I won’t have the time to show some progress until the weekend, anyway). The leopard print furry handbag was bought second hand on eBay and I got an excellent deal for it (here where I live and in Portugal in general we lack good thrift stores, but thankfully there’s eBay, Etsy and the Portuguese website Leiloes.net, among others).

Like PB and J

Etsy is the best, because shops like GardenArts make amazing cake toppers like this one! The Peanut Butter and the Jelly are getting married!!! It just doesn't get any cuter.

If you have a cute cake topper, we wanna see it! Please email it to melissa {at} masterpieceweddings {dot} net

(MasterPiece Weddings and its affiliates have not been paid for, for this post.)

Trail-Mix Ice Cream

Awhile back, I wrote out this recipe for a contest, which needless to say I didn’t win, probably because it wasn’t original enough. I’ve never requested this from Cold Stone Creamery, but it’s very similar to the way they create their strange mixes. At any rate, here is the revised version without exact measurements (how I do most of my cooking) for your consumption, it you care to try it.

Scoop a desired amount of pre-softened vanilla ice cream on to a pre-frozen piece of stoneware. Thoroughly mix in whatever amounts of Milk Chocolate M&Ms Chocolate Candies, raisins, roasted unsalted peanuts, and roasted unsalted almonds that look appetizing to you. Then let the ice cream refreeze in a mixing bowl for a few minutes. After dishing it out evenly into serving-size bowls, drizzle some chocolate syrup and caramel sauce on top. Then let me know what you think of it.

this little piggy....

is going to quilt market! i am a tad bit excited about it too... ;) fabric booths, sample spree, fabric 2.0, and finally meeting soOOoo many of my online friends that i've been talking with for the past year and a half!! ;) i even thought about a super fun way to introduce them to you when i get home... a little guessing game... with prizes of course ( and by prizes, i mean soon to be released fabric! ) hehe....

it's true... i just bought my tickets... 4 days before i needed to leave, but i'm a chicken butt! i've never left my baby boys that long by myself before!! but there was a little incentive for me to go... i'll get to meet a new friend that i'll be working with closely for a while. However... all i can say about my new friend, is that they will be helping me with my new project that rhymes with... cook. ( wink, wink )!

i'll leave you with a some yummy craftyness... and i'll see ya when i get back! :) this weekend... my design wall has been loved with Heather Ross Munki Munki!

Elizabeth's new book ( which happens to be fantastic!! ) sooOOOo worth the moo-lah!

MMmm... then my Modern Affair by Patricia Bravo arrived from Hawthorne Threads!!! i'm super excited about this line, since it reminded me so much of the fabulous fabrics used in those tasty patchwork quilts at Urban Outfitters!!... but in my favorite colors!! so, i got the whole line... hehe!

then i hit up a little Ikea this weekend to pick up some quilt backs!

and Etsy... for some more Neptune by Tula Pink for my WIP Lattice quilt!!

OOhhh... and looky look at what i won at the Portland Modern Quilt Guild last week... Elizabeth brought some prizes for Halloween!! eeek... ;)

and this is pincushion i got in our swap from Marcia... such a patchwork cutie!! love!

well... here's for a super week and a fantastic holiday ( if you're in the states )... be safe, have fun, and i'll see ya after market! ;)

xo, Heather

The Marriage Market

Early last week, I was teaching my students about the unemployment rate and suddenly it hit me just how similar the marriage market is to the labor market. So here are some redefined terms not found in any legitimate textbook that you can use to impress (or depress) your friends at your next singles party:

Adult Civilian Population: Economists usually define this as those age 16 and older. We know better. Parents may pretend that their daughters are too young to start dating, but girls as young as three start practicing their man-hunting techniques.

Out of the Labor Force: These are women who, when pressed, will say they don’t want a relationship right now. They’re officially not in the marriage market. They cite careers, education, and lifelong singlehood as the reasons. But we know most fit the bill of the “discouraged single,” corresponding to the economist’s “discouraged worker,” who’s given up looking because “There just aren’t any men available.”

In the Labor Force: These are the employed (women who have men) and the unemployed (those willing to fess up about wanting them).

Employed: These are the attached (steady girlfriends) and married (wives) living in relationship bliss. Well, maybe not. Some economists theorize that there exists the “underemployed,” who have unfulfilling jobs with bad hours, poor working conditions, lousy pay, and irritable bosses. So we suspect that the “under-attached” also exist. Even though they appear to be out of the marriage market, they continue to give the unattached a lot of competition because they’re always on the lookout for a chance to move up.

Unemployed: These are the unattached (never married, widowed, and divorced) singles looking for Mr. Right. They spend millions on improving their human capital. (The beauty industry owe a lot to them.) They spend more time with matchmaking services than at their college career centers. They put more effort into constructing online dating profiles than they do revising their resumes. And many leave the marriage market still single, fed up with it all.

Homework Assignment:

1. Calculate the unemployment (unattachment) rate.
2. Some economists argue that singles are single because they refuse to underbid their competition (offer more for less) or settle for a less-desirable mate. Others argue that society owes single women husbands commensurate with what they believe they can offer in a marriage. Which view do you prefer?

Monday Funday!

Just thought we'd give you something to make you smile on this beautiful Manic Monday!

The Duke..Mussolini, not John Wayne

Over the past few months, while soliciting participants for my WWII Political Leaders Opinion Survey, I’ve been blogging about times when my path through life has inadvertently crossed these guys. I suddenly realized that not only did I know very little about Il Duce Benito Mussolini of Italy; but unlike Churchill, Hitler, Roosevelt, and Stalin, his legacy has been pretty much zilch. My life has virtually been untouched by this man. I decided some movie-watching was in order. So far I’ve watched one: Vincere (site, imdb).*

This historical drama is about Ida Dalser and her fight against the man she worshipped who literally took her for a ride. She spends the rest of her life fighting back and loses. It’s dark. It’s sad. It’s depressing. And if I were cold-hearted I’d ask, “Why does she bother?” But hormones definitely can do that to women. That was what the NWNW movement was all about. Some men are perfectly happy to take a woman’s virginity and money and run, leaving her with a kid and a difficult legal situation. At least from what I’ve been able to find, Ida Dalser was actually able to get a marriage out of him (unlike what the movie portrays). However, that didn’t do her any good when her husband was Number One Fascist and eager to avoid a bigamy charge. (Where’s the Italian Inquisition when you need it?)

Now the details: The acting was fairly convincing, even if the leading actor looked nothing like the real deal. I also really liked the use of historical footage and silent film interspersed throughout the movie. But did I enjoy the movie? Sort of. It’s not American “family friendly” by any means, so I’m not recommending it. But for me, it painted a more personal view of the dictator’s life than I’d gotten from any history textbook. He was Number One Cad.

*Netflix has this film on instant viewing, but not the documentaries. Shows you where their priorities lie.

The Search for the African Christian Tradition

A few weeks back I finished reading Thomas Oden’s How African Shaped the Christian Mind: Rediscovering the African Seedbed of Western Christianity. The author claims to be presenting a case for an ancient African Christianity to encourage the growing African Christian population. Just by reading that last sentence, you’ve probably spotted the problem, as I did somewhere near the beginning of the first chapter. What does he mean by “African”?

Ancient North Africa produced many theologians (e.g., Augustine, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Tertullian), church traditions (Coptic Orthodox and Ethiopian Orthodox), and Christians of many different ethnicities (Berber/Numidian, Coptic/Egyptian, Ethiopian, Nubian, etc.). It’s a no-brainer that Christians today of any heritage should be studying the contributions and lives (especially the martyrdoms) of this region. However, Oden, playing with terminology, argues that this heritage is of particular importance to what might be called black Africa, the “Negro,” “Niger-Congo,” or “Sub-Saharan African” world. To him racial divide and social isolation don’t matter, but the modern scientific definition of “continental plate” does. Any “Africa” is “Africa” in his book, but he remains as unconvincing as if he were telling Queen Elizabeth to study her Basque heritage. Even discussing the need to translate the ancient writings into completely unrelated languages (e.g., Zulu and Swahili) should tell Oden that something’s amiss. The chronology provided in the back of the book is another clue: No members of the Niger-Congo family to be found, and I looked really, really hard.

Oden has a legitimate concern about the future of African Christianity. Islam is promoted falsely as an indigenous language compared to Christianity, which has been cast as the religion of conquest. Everything from legitimate historical research to silly works of fiction like Alex Haley’s Roots: The Saga of an American Family reiterate a Muslim legacy. An old Christian tradition has been a source of comfort for the persecuted Assyrians and Coptics, but unfortunately not everyone has the ability to draw from such a long history. However, Christianity is about tearing down walls between nations. We can take comfort from the lives of people who shared our faith and yet were of a different background, culture, ethnicity, language group, race, or social class.

What I admire are Oden’s aspirations for reviving the works of ancient “African” Christians. Sub-Saharan Africans should be able to read Augustine and Origen in their own languages just as we now have English translations widely available. I’m looking forward to seeing what The Center for Early African Christianity accomplishes over the next decades in that regard. However, we just can’t expect children in Botswana to connect with these teachings any more than children in China. It’s equally their Christian heritage. (And likely equally boring.)

Also, Oden is focusing on the past to the detriment of the present. It’s not as if there is no local Christian tradition from which Sub-Saharan Africans can draw. There’s at least two centuries if not more of converts, cultural transition, schools, and churches to discuss. Read anything written by the old Anglican bishops. Listen to the Nigerian composers of both high church and gospel music. Keep up with the controversies in Kenya and Uganda over homosexuality. And I’m speaking to the Americans here. We should be promoting the Sub-Saharan African Christian tradition that really exists instead of telling our brothers and sisters in Christ to confirm their identity in the ancient Mediterranean world. We don’t like it when the historical revisionists claim Socrates was “black.” We don’t need to be doing the same for the Early Church Fathers.

Campaign, intr. v. To avoid work

This morning my mother was trying to reschedule her flight lesson. Why? Because Mr. President was at USC, campaigning for Governor Jerry Brown and Senator Barbara Boxer. So LAX, the Republican movie stars,* and all the little puddle-jumper runways in the Southland were shut down for his arrival. Now, it’s not as if I think Senator Boxer shouldn’t have her celebrity endorsements. After all, the Hewlett-Packard lady Carly Fiorina has the McCain-Palin vote. But on a general level, it bothers me that campaigning has become the number one item in every politician’s job description.

Instead of doing important things like learning how to appropriately greet foreign dignitaries, President Barack Obama is in the worst part of LA trying to convince college students not to do what they do best: avoid the voting booths. At the same time we have Congressional representatives running around saying “Vote for me again!” after proving how incompetent they are by leaving Washington before passing a budget. Really, normal people would be fired for not showing up for work. Why not them?

*For non-Southern Californian readers: I mean the John Wayne (Orange County) and Bob Hope (Burbank) airports.

Blame the Woman

Flashback to Sunday School. The Bible lesson is straight forward. There’s a story with “good guys” and “bad guys.” Afterwards, there’s a verse to help us remember the good deeds the “good guys” did and encourage us to do likewise. Simple. Too simple. When are we ready for the heavy stuff (1 Corinthians 2:14-3:3)?

Recently, I read Max Lucado’s Outlive Your Life, a sixteen-point study of The Book of Acts, motivating Christians to live a more active faith. Although the lessons provided much food for thought, the author’s reliance on stories – his, his acquaintances’, and Bible characters’ – was more than a little disturbing. Of course, I spent much of my early teens listening to Bill Gothard creating a whole theology around personal testimonies, so perhaps I’m oversensitive to this approach. However, we can’t construct sound orthopraxy out of people’s behavior. Lucado doesn’t provide biblical support for the action he advocates, and it’s not as if it doesn’t exist. Even if most of his readers are “baby Christians,” I still think he could’ve provided more meat for consumption.

There’s an additional problem with the storytelling approach. Lucado, like many authors, reverts to modern retellings for emphasis. I’m of the opinion that this is an effective technique. Often the biblical culture is so far removed from ours today that the severity of a situation goes completely unnoticed. In addition, a lesson’s general applicability is missed if Christians don’t immediately recognize a modern analogous situation.

That said, modern retellings can be dangerous. It’s so easy for a misleading interpretation to creep up, especially when the author believes that it’s okay to sacrifice little details for the sake of a gripping story. Take Lucado’s version of Acts 5:1-11. Luke is obviously stressing the fact that Sapphira knew what her husband did just to rest assure the reader that she indeed deserved death too. But Lucado decides to make it her idea (p. 89). Instead of the moral of the story being “Don’t lie to the Holy Spirit” (Acts 5:9), he has inadvertently turned it into “You shouldn’t have listened to your wife,” a lesson for a different time and place (Genesis 3:17). Some might say he’s just being creative, but I think preachers least of all people should appeal to artistic license.

*This book was provided for review by BookSneeze.

Estou mesmo numa de estilo militar - I’m really into the military style

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Desculpem pela foto cortar os pés, não reparei que a máquina estava com o zoom! Desta vez as fotos foram tiradas com o flash e acho que até nem ficaram mal.
Mais uma vez estou a usar sobreposições (podem ver que por baixo estou a usar o colete de imitação de couro feito por mim, além de uma t-shirt de mangas compridas verde tropa com efeito coçado). As botas são as mesmas de ontem, mas desta vez estão dobradas abaixo do joelho.
Foi mais um dia bastante esgotante no trabalho, mas no final tudo correu bem e estou pronta para um fim-de-semana mais relaxado. Obrigada pela vossa visita e comentários, sempre muito apreciados, e tenham um bom fim-de-semana!

I’m sorry for the cropped feet on the photo, but I failed to notice that the zoom was on on my camera. The flash light was also on and I kind of like the end result, not bad for an indoor photo.
Once again I’m channeling the military vibe and also relying on some layering (you can see the leather vest I made some time ago and underneath there’s also a green silk distressed t-shirt (with long sleeves). The boots are the same as I wore yesterday but this time I’m wearing them folded down.
My day at the office was really stressful but in the end it all went well and I feel ready for a more relaxed weekend. Thank you all for visiting and commenting, hope you guys have a great weekend!

Love Wedd is here!

It's officially here! And we had the best time at the VIP Preview Party the other night! I know there will be professional pictures coming, but in the meantime, you'll have to deal with my pictures from my phone.

MasterPiece Weddings, is proud to be one of Gainesville's most sought after wedding planning firms, and even more honored to be apart of Love Wedd!



Everyone browsing and have a great time! Pretty, eh?



We aimed to keep it simple and elegant! Whattcha think?



So, next time you are in Haile, stop by the Love Wedd boutique and check out all of the amazing vendors in Love Wedd, your one stop shop for amazing vendors without having to let your fingers so the walking! And its' free!

Vestir por camadas - Layering

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É a única forma de lidar com este tempo; quando tirei esta foto, de manhã cedo, deviam estar uns 10 graus centígrados ou menos. Neste momento estão 22 graus (e entretanto já tirei o colete e a écharpe, mas mais logo ao fim da tarde as temperaturas descem outra vez e tenho que os tornar a vestir).

This is the only way of dealing with the wide temperature range weather; early in the morning, at the time this picture was taken, it was 50F or less. A few hours later it’s 71F (the fur vest and the scarf are gone until late in the afternoon, when the temperature starts dropping again).

Professional Referrals

Photo via SF Weekly

It's our job to make sure you get paired up with vendors that will work best with your personality and budget.



As a bride, you don't want to open up the yellow pages of the inter-webs and not know the reputation of a wedding professional, their price-points, or their personality. But we do. We know our cake bakers, photographers, floral designers, caterers, venues... go ahead quiz us!



When you come to visit our office, we'll sit down with you, really listen to your needs, wants, wishes, dreams and then give you 2 or 3 or more profesionals that we know and trust you'll love. Then it's up to you to study, do homework, check out their work and see what you think.



It's your wedding after all. And remember, some of those people will be in your face your whole wedding day, you and I want to make sure that you love them! All of them!



We'd be happy to make those decisions for you, but usually our clients want to know their vendors, feel comfortable sharing a cup of coffee with them.



I mean, it's your wedding. You should love every aspect of it!

EXPOSE... the unknown crafters!

i just lOVE doing this post! everyone knows i'm quite the girls' girl... so, i'd better do an expose on a man soon! haha... but, i couldn't pass up a chance to show off my dear friend Erin's crafts! :) Not only is she incredibly talented, but she dedicates a huge portion of her online efforts showcasing other peeps talent! Erin is the brainchild behind the Flick group Quilting Bee Blocks and now facilitates the Quilting Bee Blocks: the blog!

fantastic, yeah!

xo, Heather

Continue to Learn

I had an amazing opportunity to go to Orlando last week to attend a workshop held by The Association of Bridal Consultants. And I finally got to meet a long time friend, Mark Kingsdorf! One thing that was said by Mark Kingsdorf has stuck with me. And reigns true always.

Vendors drive Hot Dog carts, we are Wedding Professionals.



I think that will forever change the way I think. You, of course, want professionals at your wedding, and in the rare occurrence, maybe a Hot Dog Cart (and if that's the case I'll find you one...) But regardless, the people, the professionals that make your wedding dreams come true must be a professional.



You want an expert to handle your wedding, someone that is knowledgeable, reliable, honest, trustworthy. Not a vendor, a Professional.



(and if you want a Hot Dog Cart, I'll make sure they are professional)

score 1 goes to Mom!

in the { House } of A La Mode... score 1 goes to Mom! Usually... score 1 - 100 goes to the boys... but not this time! nope... this time i saw a chance to change the direction of the game...

here's how it went down:

boys: playing ball against my photo gallery wall

Mom: knock it off you two!
boys: successful score by knocking down photo & shattering glass
Mom: are you kidding me???
boys: what???
Mom: aaarg!!!!

but no, not this time... this time i would not throw out another fabulous frame... i'm evolving into a more creative cat! hence... the fabric photo!

so, i took a little of this fantastic business...

and my poor frame...

added a little batting, making sure i left the inside ledge uncovered...

and presto.... new urban art!

it's funny, once i realized i was cutting into my fabulous Indie Music fabric to NOT sew with... i kinda had an easy time doing it! maybe i should frame a few more of my favorite prints?? ;)

OOOhh... and my Kona Pepper showed up yesterday! Yay!! i can finish my chevron quilt now :) i also picked up a bunch more solids i've had my eye on!!... really is there anything more addicting the solids???

xo, Heather