Which Dress is Best?

Below are the two dress options I am considering for my class project.  Make sure you read my ideas along with looking at the pictures - it will make a huge difference!  I hope you are able to "see" what I see - my vision for these dresses.  We don't need to have our patterns picked out for at least a week or two because we are going to start working with these fabrics to give us a better idea before we decide exactly which dress to make.  Who knows - maybe I will change my mind completely after working with lace next week! 

Let me know which dress you like best!

OPTION #1:  Vogue Dress: Badgley Mischka
First of all let's talk about the fact that it is a Badgley Mischka design.  That, in and of itself, is enough of a reason to make this dress!  I think this is a gorgeous dress, but I am uncertain of where I would have to wear it.  The only change I would make on this dress is probably to bring the bust together so it is a little less low cut: a little less "J-Lo", if you know what I mean.  And I don't know what colour I would make it in either.

OPTION #2:  McCalls Dress

This one is going to need a little more imagination on your part.  My idea is to make the dress out of a really beautiful fabric like a dupioni silk or a silk faille (trust me - very nice, and structured) and then add a layer of lace over the bodice of the dress (top half).  Then perhaps I would add a lace trim along the bottom of the skirt.  Version A is the one I would make, but it has the entire dress with a lace overlay - I would probably just do the top half.  Or perhaps I would add version C's sleeves.  How beautiful would a textured dupioni silk with a french lace overlay be?  Plus, I love how the dress has the side slant pockets, which makes it a bit more stylish.  The only pattern change I might make would be to make the neck line a bit lower - a deeper scoop.  As for colour, it would likely be in the grey or champagne colour palettes.  It would depend on the lace colour, but I wouldn't want the underlining to contrast too heavily - moreso just complement the lace (not match it).  This would be a much more "wearable" dress, especially because it isn't a floor-length gown.

Class is in session...

I started my class on Tuesday.  As I have previously mentioned, I am taking courses at Mohawk College in Hamilton in dressmaking.  I am working towards getting my Dressmaking Certificate:  it is eight classes in total, and this one will be my sixth class.  I take one class per semester, and each one is 10 weeks long:  it's a lot of work considering I am working a full time job, plus the rest of my life.

I have been looking forward to this particular course though.  It is the evening wear / special occasion outfit class.  We learn how to work with specialty fabrics (e.g. lace, satin, silks, etc.), boning, beading, shirring, etc., and then we also sew an outfit for ourselves (from a pattern).  I am excited to learn a lot in this class, because every other class thus far has dealt with fabric that is quite easy to work with.  Moreso, I would really like to start sewing more with delicate fabrics:  I love the idea of designing and creating beautiful gowns and dresses.

But because I haven't learned yet how to take my own ideas to the fabric, I am stuck using a pattern!  I have narrowed it down to two patterns, I think.  One dress is gorgeous but I would have nowhere to wear it, and the other one is less fancy, and definitely more wearable (but still would be beautiful).  Perhaps I will post the two options, and see if anyone else has an opinion?

Not what I had thought...

There is one truth that has been glaring me in the face lately, as I have embarked upon numerous renovation and design projects for our home over the last year.  Brace yourself:  it is a sad truth, and one that many of you may be avoiding in denial.  Or perhaps you have already realized it, and now you are wallowing in a deep design depression.

And here it is:  completing a project from design concept to final details never happens like it does on tv.  Darn you, HGTV, for making me think that a renovation or design project can be finished in a reasonable amount of time, with minimal mess.  You have real nerve to make me think I can pull it all together, including accessories, and find exactly what I'm looking for from two or three stores in a week and a half.  Of course I don't just blame HGTV - that would be very narrow of me.  I blame all design shows, and I blame my naivety and my unbridled sense of hope.

One down...

I am happy to say that I have finished the drapes!  Grommets and all!  This is now one thing to cross off my list of projects (sidenote:  I'm a list maker by nature, and the thought of crossing something off a list is so appetizing.  Even if I didn't have it written down somewhere officially, I would make a list just to cross it off!  Right now Tim is somewhere shaking his head in disbelief).  I just looked back at the list I had blogged in August and really the only thing that is unrealistic to get done at this point is reupholstering the chair.  I will have to put that aside for a few months until after my dressmaking class concludes (it starts next week).  The kitchen cupboards are in process, as we all know, and I have plans for the china cabinet.  I will be able to complete that once the cupboards are out of the way: I need the space to work in the garage!

I will post a picture of the drapes when I hang them, which will be after I buy a rod to hang them on.  Simple logic, isn't it?  But I had promised my friend Frankie I would post a picture of the fabric after I blogged about it awhile back, and I never did (and she reminded me of that yesterday).  So for Frankie, and anyone else who was curious to see what I was attempting to describe, here is the fabric that will soon be hanging in front of my windows!

Kitchen Cupboard Woes

There is one reason, and one reason only that I haven't written in awhile.

I got mad.

As I previously mentioned, I was on vacation for a couple of weeks. I decided that this would be a strategic time to paint my kitchen cupboards, because I calculated the time it should take and it didn't seem like it would take up a lot of my vacation-resting time. It all went down hill from there. Actually, someone we know who paints as his profession had offered earlier in the year to paint them for us, and then he totally bailed on us. In reality, I think it went all down hill from there. 

I'm on vacation, and I had a stressful day. I didn't think that was possible, and more importantly, I don't think it's allowed. But something that made my day just a little bit brighter were these beautiful flowers that my mom brought over today. What a nice surprise: gladiolas and a sunflower! Especially since it was their anniversary today! Happy anniversary, mom and dad!

Curtain Call

Tackling the curtain construction for my living room has been my first project from my "ambitious" list. The word "tackling" may be better saved for the cupboard project, because that will be the one that will need the most will and grit. Nevertheless, tackle I will. I think I've figured out my sewing game plan enough to say I'm confident as I proceed. Honestly, I think the most difficult part will be figuring out my measurements for the curtains and cutting straight lines. And the grommets intimidate me a little bit. Just a little bit.

The fabric I picked out is a fun floral of yellow and grey. I would dare say that it has an "Amy Butler" feeling without the "Amy Butler" price tag, if you know what I mean. In the rare case that you are tempted to cringe, you first need to understand a few things. The floral is a simplified modern floral, and my living room is greige, so the yellow will be the "pop" of colour I'm looking for. The yellow is a more subtle than a neon yellow, rest assured. And they are curtains, for goodness sake. In my opinion, curtain material is not something you would usually also choose to drape yourself in. If it were, then it would no longer be curtain material. Curtain fabric has a certain quality that separates it from all other fabrics for that specific purpose.

This will be a work in progress that I do in my spare time, and as long as it is done before my class starts in a little over a month, I will be happy!

Final thoughts....

I have a few more thoughts I thought I'd share on the bathroom renovation. We did not end up changing the layout of the bathroom at all, because that would not have made sense in our situation. There definitely was not space to do that. Our goal then was to make the bathroom a place we wanted to be. We left only the tub and the toilet, and everything else was replaced. We were on a budget, and I'm pleased to say that there was minimal costs involved in the project: basically all of the materials. I mean it wasn't free, but I had heard what bathroom renovations can easily cost, and that worried me at first! Lucky for me, Tim is so talented that he was able to do the work himself. And mad props also go out to Jason, who gave us one full day of intense tub surround work. And also we scored a few really great deals with the vanities.

Because we did not have to spend exorbitant amounts of money to accomplish this renovation, I think that we will come out on top when comparing money spent to the value added to the house when we decide to eventually sell. More importantly, we will thoroughly enjoy the bathroom while we are living here.

Hopefully this inspires you too. Now on to my next project... because I am always dreaming of a new project.

Without Further Ado....

Finally! Here are the picture of our bathroom renovation, extraordinaire! At least I think so!

First, let's recall what we were working with: the "before", if you will.

And here are the "afters"! Immediately what you will notice is that the shower doors are gone, replaced with a curved rod and shower curtain, and beautiful new, rich, vanities.

You will also notice that we ("we" meaning Tim) replaced the tired linoleum with a new ceramic tile. It actually looks less brown in real life.

Tim retiled the tub surround with a white 8x12 tile, and re-plumbed the tub so that we could install this beautiful new rain showerhead and single control faucet.

New paint, lighting, mirror, and accessories round out our renovation. It feels like my own little spa! Although I would never turn down a day at the spa, no matter how nice our renovation is!

I am so happy with how the renovation turned out! One room down...

Grey Matter

When we moved into our little townhouse last October, the renovation list quickly grew longer and longer. Needless to say, the entire house needed a fresh coat of paint, once we quickly removed the tacky early 90s wallpaper borders that had infested the rooms. I knew that I wanted to paint the entire main floor a sort of "greige" (grey + beige), and I soon found it in Ralph Lauren's "Neutral Grey." It is a warmer grey that works nicely on the open main floor. We painted, and added our new cream leather couch and black and cream accents. I was soon concerned that there wasn't enough colour though: my plan was to add an accent colour (preferably a bold yellow), but I was afraid that my palette may be too neutral.

It was then that Domino magazine (now out of publication) came to my rescue with its feature of Jenna Lyons' brownstone. As you can see from the picture below, her design palette was exactly what I was picturing, and to see it complete fueled my original plans. While I am not quite ready to post pictures (a few more things to be done first, like the curtains!), I will eventually show you my humble version that I have created.

Ambitiously yours,

I have ambitious plans for the next few weeks, now that the bath reno is complete. Tim is very supportive, because he doesn't have to be involved in any of it! It's all me! I hope to accomplish the following tasks before much of September has passed me by:

1. Paint my kitchen cupboards
   
2. Make curtains for my main level sitting area (I would say "living room" but its really not that big!)
   
3. Set up my china cabinet (it currently is a china cabinet, and soon will be a cabinet / sideboard... more on that later)
   
4. Reupholster a chair. (This one is the most ambitious of all because I have a very narrow and clouded idea of what I am doing, so I'm not going to hold my breath.... although I hope to have some help from someone a lot more experienced than me!)

This does sound like a lot, but luckily I have vacation time coming up in two weeks, for two weeks. I think I can get it done, but I also thought that I could have bathroom pictures up for viewing weeks ago too. So we will see what happens! The good news is that I have started in on each project in some form or another. I have researched exactly how to paint the cupboards, and I have not only a game plan but a discount on paint coming my way. Figuring out how the heck to do it properly is half the battle, I think.

I have picked out and bought the fabric for the curtains, as well as the liner fabric. I have also scouted out a few tutorial websites on curtain making, and once I review them again, I should be okay to proceed. As the kind lady said in the fabric store, "If you can make those complicated flower girl dresses for your wedding, you should have no problem with the curtains." Easy to say, but I feel a little naked without a pattern to use! As for the cabinet, I bought that back in the spring (I believe that was my second blog) and we have found it a home in our house and just need to put it there! It will need a bit of work, and I may or may not paint it out. Still deciding.

I have until September 22 to complete these projects, because that is when my next dressmaking class begins. Good luck to me.

Pulling it all together...

I don't know what it is about renovations, but unless you are preparing for an HGTV episode, it always seems that the last few details can take the longest to accomplish. You can work so hard to get all the main things done, but when it comes to hanging the towel bar or finishing up the trim, all of a sudden time just flickers by. I think part of the reason for this is that the room is in a functional state as you near the end of the reno and the small details get pushed to a level of lesser priority. And sometimes you just are not sure how to finish it off, let's be honest! Design magazines always caution that the hardest part of a renovation or a new room design are the final details and the accessories. I don't doubt that one tiny bit. It's much easier to pick flooring and cabinetry than to sit there and figure out if you should hang mirrors or art work over the couch, what colour and pattern drapery, and if the cushions should match the drapes or pull in an entire new pattern or colour palette. I think the best designers are the ones that can pull those final pieces together with the least amount of stress. In fact, that's probably what makes them designers and everyone else just hopeful decorators.

All that to say, I hope that I will have pictures of the bathroom to post this week!

Apologies!

My apologies to anyone and everyone who is reading my blog! I have gotten behind with my posts. I was away for two weeks doing youth camps and my writing unfortunately slipped down the list of my priorities.

I plan to get back to posting in August, and I hope with August we get some warmer and drier weather!

Hello, Judy!

Everyone, meet Judy! In the dressmaking world, sewing mannequins have cheerfully been nicknamed "judy." This is my Judy, and at this present junction I would like to point out the fact that "judy" is one of those words that if you say it enough, it doesn't sound like you're saying it right anymore. A little known fact, I'm sure.

More importantly, it's what is on Judy that I wanted to write about. This is the lined jacket that I just completed a few weeks ago for my dressmaking class. This is the fifth class (of the dressmaking certificate's eight courses) I have completed. I hope to complete all the ten-week courses, and then also eventually take pattern drafting and fashion drawing. My full time job (and desire to have friends) only leaves me enough time to take one night class a semester, if that. It's a slow, arduous process, but I will finish! Not very disappointing, once you consider the fact that I started with only the experience that grade 7 and 8 home economics afforded me... back in.... grade 7 and 8.

I'm excited to wear this jacket, once the weather cools down again. Mind you, I'm perfectly happy with summertime weather right now!

Bath Update

The bath is so terribly close to being done it takes everything in me to withhold posting pictures just yet. The tub is done, the floor is done, the painting is done, the vanity is done, the fixtures are done, and the toilet is done. The room is functional again, and everything left to do has been purchased and is anxiously waiting to be installed or added to the room. Tim and I are away this week though at a youth camp, so it will unfortunately have to wait until our return, and so will you!

A Word to the Wise...

One thing that I have learned from our adventures in home renovations thus far is that you need to have a contingency plan.

This advice is two fold: first of all, you need to plan to have an extra percentage over and above your reno budget on standby in case one of the dreaded "what ifs" come to pass. No matter how well you budget, even down to the exact brad nail and ounce of grout, those sneaky little circumstances rear their ugly heads. Suddenly you are re-drywalling a section of the wall, or re-plumbing your tub. I'm not exactly sure the percentage the pros say to have as a contingency over and above your alloted budget, but my advice is to figure that out and don't be surprised when you actually have to pull the proverbial wad of cash out of your back pocket to pay the furnace guy (yes, again, a reference to the great furnace/hot water heater debaucle of '09).

The second part of that advice would be to expect delays. As you head full force into the renos, past the point of no return, keep in mind the ever present reality that it just may take longer than you hoped. Again, no matter how well you plan, right down to the grout-sealing-second, things can suddenly put your scheduled reno on hold, or set you back days (or, heaven forbid, weeks). Funny enough, these setbacks usually work in seamless cooperation with the extra money you are forced to shell out. Not "haha" funny, so much though.

What brings this advice about, you ask? The bath renos are going well, don't get me wrong. But it is costing a bit more than we had planned, and won't be done until later this week. Luckily, we planned for those "surprise" expenses, and we haven't worn out our welcome at my parents. And if they do change the locks on us, it will just be further incentive to get that bathroom done.

Bath Update

So it is Day 7 since we began bath renos, but only Day 5 since we lost complete use of the facility. The tub surround is almost done - the grout needs to be sealed and the edges caulked, but it is all plumbed to perfection and the 8 x 12 tiles we chose are really great! The floor is half done, and I believe that Tim will be working on that tonight. Basically, we have the floor to finish, the walls to paint, and then we can put everything back: the toilet is in the tub and the new vanity is in the garage. They will look (and function!) much better where they belong!

I'm excited to see the finished product, and thankfully I am not too anxious yet. Tim is working really hard, and is doing a great job. I can now help with painting because I'm done my sewing class (more about that later!). Making the trek to my parents' house for showers isn't so bad when its summer time (trust me, I know... we had to do this back in March with the furnace and hot water heater debaucle of '09).

I originally was planning to post pictures of the progress, but now that I reconsider, I don't think I want to ruin the surprise of the finished bathroom, nor do I want to show you disaster that is our upstairs hallway.

Let the Renos Begin!

One of the projects I have anxiously been awaiting the start (and finish) of is our bathroom upstairs. Currently it is our only official bathroom, although we do have a toilet in our laundry room. While in the future our goal is to tastefully transform our laundry room into a laundry / three-piece bath (trust me, I have vision), our present focus is on moving our main bath from merely functional to a pleasant experience, so to speak.

We are looking at a job that fits nicely between total gutting and sprucing the place up. The tub and toilet will stay, but we are planning to retile the tub surround, redo the floor, replace the vanity, mirror, sink and tub faucets, and paint. Not a job for the faint of heart: Tim (with the help of his brother Jason) has taken on the challenge, and they are more than competent!

The work began on Thursday evening, and although much as already been done, there is still lots to do! I hope that this will only take less than a week until its functional again; perhaps a bit longer until its to my exact liking with finishing touches. Until then, we're showering at mum and dad's!

I definitely will post updates and the finished project. And below is a "before" picture, because a transformation isn't quite as wonderful to appreciate if you didn't understand what was there. What is the counter made of, you ask? I don't know, but the former home owners thought it would be a good idea to spray it with a green stone finish. Yes, stone. It's very rough, and not fun to clean!

Don't worry... we changed the toilet seat when we moved in!

a favourite thing...

One of my favourite stores right now is Home Sense. While some may feel a bit overwhelmed by the plethora of home items to browse through, I view it as an amazing adventure. I especially love the fact that this week I can walk in and see one set of merchandise, but next week they can have a whole new set of items to peruse, with (*fingers crossed*) the merch from the week before marked down further!

I am not kidding when I say that I could go in there every week and happily browse, keeping my eye on certain items to be marked down further, or to snap up random things for my house. I even used to go in there when I didn't have a house!

I definitely don't buy something everytime I am in there (and Tim says, "thank goodness"), but it serves as somewhat of a "retail therapy" for me. I think the only ones who do it better than me are my cousins Lori and Leanne. You could learn a thing or two from those two saavy shoppers.

Summer Herbs

Since we moved in last fall, I have anxiously been awaiting the warm summer weather for many reasons: one, because I'm convinced that I would function best in a more tropical climate, and two, so that I could plant an herb pot for my back patio. We don't have the luxury of planting a garden at our condo, but the thought of fresh herbs to cook with makes me want to flip through recipe books. My mom generously offered to make up the small pots for me and we decided on two kinds of parsley, basil, cilantro, rosemary, and lavender. We brought them over on Saturday and here they are, waiting to be used!

Dressing Room

I often tease my husband that one day when we buy a new house, I would like to have a dressing room: a pretty room dedicated to my clothes and shoes and accessories. What is funny is that I am serious, and I actually say "when we build", and we just bought this place we are in and are having an adventure of home renovations as it is. Regardless, I would still like that room! In it I would have a big beautiful chandelier and below that a comfy chaise. After that, the possibilities are endless! Below is a shot from Jenna Lyons' (the creative director of J.Crew) wardrobe room that I first saw in the November 2008 issue of Domino.

I am really loving Amy Butler fabrics right now (http://www.amybutlerdesign.com/). They are graphic and vibrant and I would use them in a second in my house. The problem is choosing which one! Just browsing through the fabric options on her website provokes my creativity. What is also great is the fact that there are plenty of stores that carry the fabric!

Here are some of my current favourites:

Antique Show Success

Yesterday my friend Frankie and I went to the Christie Antique Show. Before now, this show had not really been on my radar, but apparently I was the only one. Frankie and I were only there for a few hours, but the scores of people there when we arrived at 9 am and the traffic jams we witnessed as scads more were arriving as we left leave me to believe that this was the place to be.

While I wanted to bear witness to this great gathering of antique dealers and buyers, I was also hoping to find a small china or curio cabinet for my house. I felt a bit of sensory overload as we began walking up and down the aisles of the marketplace, and even more frustration as I soon realized that no one was planning on giving anything away (translation: the prices we saw were far beyond my budget). But suddenly, there it was: the diamond in the rough we were looking for. It even had the glass front and bottom drawer I had envisioned. When we looked at the price tag, Frankie asked me “do you think it is missing a zero?” I bought it for a song: literally, if it had been any cheaper, I would have asked to sing some sort of tune instead of exchanging monetary funds.

My plan is to paint it out the same colour as our trim and moldings, which incidentally are the same colour that I plan to paint our kitchen cupboards. I am also hoping to be able to wallpaper the back wall of the cabinet. I will post the pictures of the finished product when I get it done.

As a side note, Frankie and I saw Sarah Richardson and Tommy at the Antique Show, filming for some upcoming show. I had a funny feeling we would spot them or some other HGTV personality there. I desperately wished in that moment that I had some connection with them other than “hey, remember that episode when…?” Just to chat with them about design or some random current event even. They seemed like fun people.

Here is the cabinet I bought... Looks like this guy was interested in it as well. Sorry!

Where I'm headed...

As I contemplate the intent of this blog, I am excited to share with you all the things that I love. I could walk through fabric stores for hours, dreaming up potential couture dresses and reupholstered genius. I constantly sketch out renovation possibilities for our new condo (to the irritation of my husband), combing over home magazines for inspiration. HGTV has worked hard to convince me that I can DIY, although I'm still somewhat skeptical about that.

I think that this can be a place to showcase my ideas and the people and places that inspire me, share my journey of renovations, decor, and fashion, and maybe even inspire someone else! Stay tuned... I am literally bursting at the seams to share the pretty things that I love!