Fuzzy Cam

I was trying to get  nicely setup family portraits while on vacation,  took my tripod with me, setup at the beach at sunset... all that. But unbeknownst to me, the focus went out of whack when I set the auto-timer.  I didn't think to check cause I was exhausted and on lots of pain medication I'm derpy like that. But I couldn't resist these two cause the blue gingham dress has turned into one of my ALL TIME FAVORITES and well,  the family photo just speaks volumes.

Oh yeah, and I have a big (for me) announcement coming up later today.

Star Trek Fuzzy Cam!

Yeah, we're like that.

Sometime later I'll tell you how my husband shocked the mess out of me coming home with a mohawk.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

I'm back! We had a total blast, too. I hafta say that vacationing with kids is exhausting. I probably got more exercise in one week than the last three months combined, though I blame some of that on not one, but two major falls making ignoring the pain hard.  I took a good number of photos but I tried to focus more on just being there in the moment than capturing it on film.  There was beach combing, bike rides, sand castles, water park,  and horse back riding.  We even managed to squeeze in the newest Spider Man movie, which was pretty darn good. I also did some antiquing and found some pretty awesome items.

 And I have photos of the "cheater dress".  Felicity wore it almost the entire time we were there. I had to wash it after she dumped chocolate all over it and it shrunk.  Cause I didn't prewash when I made the dress the day before leaving. WOOPS.  Since I don't like how the me-sized one worked out I'll just wash it then make another one for Felicity. I expect she'll live in it this summer.  I'll probably go back and get a yard of every other color and make more because it ends up being about eight bucks a dress and I can't buy them that cheap and that well made at the store.  Win-Win.  Coincidentally, my favorite photos of Felicity this vacation are her in the dress.  WOO.

Taken on St. Simon's Island

criss cross back straps

Sleep: The Best Beauty Product

I tend to avoid the news whenever possible because its just depressing. I do, however, like to go through the "Science" and "Health" sections of Google News.  Recently this article came across my news feed.

We all know that sewing while tired is a bad idea. Nothing sucks more than realizing you just serged the wrong two seams together and there was no wiggle room for error in the fabric left. Being tired makes those kind of mistakes more prevalent.

And since many of us in the sewing corner of the internet are also interested in looking our best, there's something else sleep can do for us.  Remember the old saying "I need my beauty sleep"? Well, now there's scientific precedence to back it up!  Digging up this article on WebMD further studies show this:

6. Lack of Sleep Ages Your Skin
Most people have experienced sallow skin and puffy eyes after a few nights of missed sleep. But it turns out that chronic sleep loss can lead to lackluster skin, fine lines, and dark circles under the eyes.
When you don’t get enough sleep, your body releases more of the stress hormone cortisol. In excess amounts, cortisol can break down skin collagen, the protein that keeps skin smooth and elastic.
Sleep loss also causes the body to release too little human growth hormone. When we’re young, human growth hormone promotes growth. As we age, it helps increase muscle mass, thicken skin, and strengthen bones.
“It’s during deep sleep -- what we call slow-wave sleep -- that growth hormone is released,” says Phil Gehrman, PhD, CBSM, assistant professor of psychiatry and clinical director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine program at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. “It seems to be part of normal tissue repair -- patching the wear and tear of the day.”

That's right, a good night's sleep can do more for your complexion that Dove or Oil of Olay. Not that there is anything wrong with a good moisturizer. I still say Mom's beauty advise was the best I have ever gotten.

"Getting a good night sleep, moisturizer, and avoiding too much sun are the best recipe for beautiful skin. Oh, and always wear a good bra."  - Mama Katza

So what do ya'll think? Did you know this already or is this a revelation? What do you do to make sure you get enough sleep?  I know, particularly for us working Mom's that it can be very hard to take care of everything we need to but maybe watching out for yourself in this way is the best thing you can do for success.

Since I'm on vacation the rest of the week,  I look forward to an inbox full of thoughtful discussion. Cheers!

In closing, I leave you with this little tip for success:

Last Minute Sewing

I didn't get any of Felicity's retro outfit done, but she was much more excited about this dress anyway.  We bought it during last Saturday's excursion down town that involved me getting more batiste and silk organza for underlining and the kids picking out fabric for their elf costumes. Which was news to me cause NO ONE had said anything about their costumes previously.  WTF?  Anyway, I call this "cheater fabric" because its already shirred.  Its also 55" long so I had to cut and hem it for Felicity.  And its a seriously pretty dress on her too and makes her look too grown up.  It was fairly inexpensive, so, you know. Its cool.

Simon and my husband, on the other hand, spent 30 minutes looking for the the exact right green for Simon's Legolas  costume. They came back from the silk section and both had this very self-satisfied triumphant grin on their face.  They then procured the bolt of emerald green silk dupioni for a whopping $25 a yard.

"REALLY???" I asked my husband.
"Yes, it was the only thing that fits, and it shimmers and looks like trees."  Which it did, he was right.  I was incredulous.
"Twenty five dollars a yard for a costume? A KID'S COSTUME?"  They both just grinned big ass grins and nodded at me.  Husband went on to explain that silk would have been worn by archers anyway because it wraps around the arrow if they get hit and helps make it easier to get the arrow out.  At that point I gave up and was like "OK FINE!".

My husband is an enabler.  He's not allowed to complain about my fabric habit anymore. SHEESH.

In any case, we're about to pack the car and head out of town.  If you want you can follow me at Instagram.  Username is  "ladykatza", like it always is.

Stay cool everyone. CHEERS!

Independence Day!

I know this is just my particular country, but I will wish you a Happy Fourth of July Day!  Or as I affectionately call it,  "Happy Drink Beer and Blow Sh*t Up Day".

Though, I think that the announcement from C.E.R.N. labs that the Higgs Bosen is real today is just kinda more awesome.  Smash atoms together to create tiny black holes? Man, it doesn't get any more bad ass than that.

Couture of the Lambs?

If you are anything like me the news that the Fall/Winter 2012 Couture shows have started was exciting news. YAY!  I surfed on over to take a gander and not exactly sure what to make of it. Versace was nice, I found Chanel just plain... meh.  Then I took a look at Giambattista Valli. This collection looks like it was inspired from scenes of "Snow White and the Huntsman" and, wait for it... "Silence of the Lambs".  Um.. what? 

Is anyone else creeped out by this?

Braving the Heat!

Yesterday, since I needed to go downtown to Gail K's for foundation fabrics (batiste, organza, etc), I woke my husband up early and said "Lets go to Fernbank while we're at it! Planetarium is free today!".  Given it was 8am I had to convince him this was a great idea. We ended up having breakfast at the Landmark Diner since the fabric store doesn't open till 10am.  Unfortunately, we missed the first planetarium showing and the next one wasn't until 1:30pm and by noon I was asleep on my feet. That's like midnight for me! I'm getting old.  We promised a trip back another time to the kids. We did get to see the Apollo Six landing pod and Simon was all about that. I mentioned his Grandpa (my Dad) worked at NASA for a while but I can't remember if it was the Voyager (which just left our solar system!!) or the Apollo missions.

My absolute favorite shoes, too.

Anywho, I wore my newly finished Simplicity 2369 wrap dress (don't worry, I brought a change of sensible shoes) and despite it being a poly blend of some sort it was not bad even in the 100F weather. I tried to get good photos but most off them weren't even rescueable with photoshop.  This photo is just to prove I actually finished it.  Oh, bonus!  The lady that rang me up at Gail K's recognized the fabric, as I bought it there, and complimented me on the dress. That made me happy. :)

Later I'll have updates on the other projects and my husband the fabric enabler. I know right, who'dathunk?