July 31

It feels so luxurious when it's only Saturday afternoon and I already feel like I've had a whole weekend. But I get tomorrow off too! NICE!

While still in my jammies (OK, I stayed in my jammies till 1pm. What?) I finished Round 2 of the felt food lunchbag.


Then I grabbed Lauren and got her to model the Young Lady's Purse.

This was made by sewing strips of assorted lace to a base fabric, then dyeing the whole thing. The different fiber contents take the dye in varying amounts, resulting in a monotone smorgasbord that's texturally and visually yummy. The bag itself is not as long as it looks; the last two rows extend beyond the bottom of the bag, creating a little 'skirt'. Would anyone like a tutorial on this? I could be persuaded to write one.

My model decided we needed some 'action shots'.
(Do those legs go on forever or what?) Sorry about the compost bin in the background. No time for set dressing. I was being rushed, and bossed around.

July 30

I took a 'summer day' off work today, and powered through my 'to-sew' list.

I completed my first Ottobre project, and it's just as stinkin' cute as it looked in the magazine. Even though I made both the pants and top the same size (74cm), it seems to me that the pants will fit a much smaller baby than the top will. Without having a baby handy to try them on, I am going to hope for the best; if the garments can't be worn at the same time, they'll still work separately in different seasons, so it's all good.

I also made a bunch of trinket keepers for some upcoming boys' birthdays. Easy and fun.

While clearing off the sewing table in between projects, I found a visitor on the side of my ribbon box. I don't usually kill spiders, but this one had to go.

Tomorrow: more felt food. A button tree. A cushion cover. Removable covers for our office seats. Burp cloths. And a young lady's purse. Purse is done. Photo tomorrow.

July 24

Last night's dinner party was so perfect, I don't want to take down the table setting this morning. The mix of guests was just right, the conversation was warm and wide-ranging, the food was lovely and not-too-much, the cleanup was easy (thanks to Lauren) ... I'm still glowing.

It feels so RIGHT to cook and feed my friends. Is there a way I can make a living at this?

July 22

My faraway-firstborn's birthday is today, which means I can, at last, share my slow stitching project with you all. She tells me it fits like a second skin ... waiting to see photographic evidence of this ... so happy that she loves it!

July 21

This is one of the reasons I married him. He plays with his kids.

This is another one. He's a goofball.

July 20

Birthday gift for a young miss, made using this tutorial from Myrtle & Eunice. Yum yum! I've never made felt food before, but I'm liking it! I think I need to make a banana too.

July 17

We don't dress up and go fancy places too often, so to honour the occasion (and my new haircut), we got Lauren to take some goofy photos of us before Jaclyn's wedding. Well, there were a bunch of non-silly ones too, but I like these the best.



She was a beautiful bride. I was keen to 'shake a leg' on the dance floor, and Josh isn't really one for that kind of thing. The only other person I knew there was his ex-wife, so I danced with her :-)

July 16

Summer. It's here.

July 14

Summer has finally come to Southern California. I live on the hot side of town, but I work on the cool. So I didn't feel the heat till I got home at 8:30pm to a house with broken air-conditioning on a 90° (32°C) evening. Oh joy. It was working fine yesterday. Not surprisingly, the AC repair dude hasn't returned our call yet. I'm sure he's swamped.

After work I visited the Urban Craft Center where April Winchell of Regretsy fame was making a guest appearance. She is funny and not nearly as snarky as you might think. By her own admission, she just says out loud what everyone else is thinking. She has a genuine love of the off-beat and quirky, as evidenced by her slides showing the 'treasures' in her home. I really liked her ... she seemed the kind of person I'd want as a friend.

July 12

Ottobre magazine arrived last week. Anna Maria voile arrived today. Coincidence? I think not!

In other sewing news, I finished my slow stitching project, but until a certain someone receives it in the mail, I cannot do the full reveal.

July 11

When I started my hike early this morning, I was a little spooked by being so alone. But when I got to the Grotto, I was glad to be the only one there; it was so very pretty and peaceful. On my re-emergence, the parking lot was full of cars and folks applying sunscreen. I beat the rush :-)

July 10

At Annie's Café in Lake Elsinore, first-timers are given silly hats to wear, and the entire restaurant applauds and welcomes them (or, in this case, us). Fun times over breakfast.

Before getting out of town, we couldn't resist taking some goofy photos at Stater Bros. This supermarket chain is not located in our neighbourhood, but Josh and I like to gently mock their low-budget tv ads, where 'real customers' exclaim about the meat.So we swung into the store and did some exclaiming of our own. Actually, I have to say that the prices were low and the meat looked very fresh. If I wasn't vegetarian and far from a fridge, I might have bought some.

Then it was over the mountains on the curvy Ortega Highway to San Juan Capistrano, Orange County's oldest city.

The mission is really spectacular, the largest and most interesting I have seen.
After wandering around and enjoying the ambiance for a few hours, we attempted a few bites of some inedible lunch at the taco stand across the road. At that point, we were both ready for naps, so decided to head home instead of staying out for the rest of the day.

What a fun (and economical) 24 hours. Here's to local day trip getaways!

July 9

Josh and I tossed around a lot of ideas for our anniversary getaway, and settled on something low budget and different. We drove 100 miles to Lake Elsinore, stayed in cheap hotel, and watched a Minor League baseball game.

Did you know that Lake Elsinore has an awesome(!!) dress shop? Well, it does.

It also has a man with a white curly moustache who managed to eat his loaded hot dog without also consuming his facial hair.

I really enjoyed the game. It was so much more laid back than a major league game, and the best seats in the stadium were only ten bucks each! That's my kind of entertainment budget :-)

I loved the look on this kid's face. He was on tenterhooks as his favourite player came up to bat. Priceless!

July 8

My theatre-loving baseball fan has a birthday tomorrow (and it will also be 6 years since we said "I do"). We have some fun plans ... photos at the end of the weekend!

I commissioned this portrait from our good buddy Phil D'Amore. I recommend him, if you want a special gift or memento. His rates are very reasonable :-)

July 7

Our orange tree has one big ripe fruit, and a bunch of tiny green ones. What's with that?

July 6

He always leaves his breakfast things out on the counter. I don't mind anymore. After all, he's off earning a living by the time I find them there.

July 5

Many years ago, on a summer's evening, I walked past a home in Brisbane (Australia) and heard adult laughter emanating from someone's back verandah, where a group of friends gathered. I paused and viewed their silhouettes through the gap between the houses. They were eating dinner and drinking wine and enjoying their mutually convivial company. I was already an adult myself -- I was married, and had a child -- but my life was so different from theirs. I was so tempted to just walk onto their property and ask to join them; I knew it would be awkward but I thought there was a 50/50 chance they might welcome me. But I had to go ... I stood for another five minutes as an outsider in the darkness, captivated by their relaxed, civilized world, and I said to myself, "THAT .. THAT is the life I want."

Well guess what? Now I have that life.

:::happy dance:::