Bust out the Jams!

Please excuse the totally cheese-ball post title.....but I'm excited. In a very short period of time I've heard a lot of good news and have had many of the things I've been working so hard for finally 'fall into place'. Now that some of the pressure is off and the anticipation of waiting has sub-sided, I it's safe to say I can dedicate some time to making my blog much better! I think everyone could agree the addition of more personal pictures will be a good first step towards that goal.

One thing that I have been up to lately, which I've been very excited about, is P90X. I've had this dvd set for over a year, but to be honest have not actually followed the program; only done workouts as it suited me. I am now happily following the Lean program, and only just at the beginning of week 4 I have seen phenomenal results. It's actually quite amazing to watch your body change like this, and I cannot wait to see what I'll look like by the end of the 90 days. I don't really want to bring this up too much on this blog, simply because I don't want the blogs focus to be too much about weight loss. But since it is something important to me, I figures I should mention it as I will be commenting from time to time. 

Of course, weight loss also means I have been very enthusiastic about sewing and planning quite a lot of new clothing for myself. Meaning more outfit posts and more to blog about! Whoop! And I must admit that I am a proud fabric hoarder, and now that I've found a stable career I can once again commence ridiculously indulgent trips to the fabric store......I've already mentally planned out many of the items I will be getting!

~A

Lazy days & thoughts on fashion

I've got a case of what's affectionately referred to as "the blahs" today. Do you ever get like that, where you can't really will yourself to do much of anything? I did a lot of reading ghost stories and making delicious food.

I did watch 2 chapters of my Modern Pin Up dvd, and it is absolutely fantastic! Micheline sure has a way with make up, and I had never thought of using lighter & darker shades of foundations as contouring/highlighting tools. She's really changed the whole way I look at doing my makeup and I cannot wait to get through the rest of the dvd's. Me thinks a beauty shopping trip will be in order for the near future, I must stock up on some new beauty essentials that I never even knew I needed. Oh the consumeristic power of persausion. Watching the video got me thinking about fashin, beauty and my own revolution into a very classic 1940's, early '50's look.

There are many different sub-genres on the whole vintage idea of fashion, none of which I am opposed to in anyway. But for myself personally, I prefer a  more classic look. I unfortunately do have 3 tattoos, 2 large ones on my upper left arm (which I absolutely detest) & a smaller one on my right calf. I state unfortunately because I got them at quite a young age and regret them terribly; especially the ones on my arm. I plan to have them removed by laser as soon as I can, but in the meantime ussually prefer not to show my upper arm. One of my one of my main style idols is the always beautiful Betty Grable (pictured below with Lauren Bacall and Marilyn Monroe).

I first became aware of Betty while watching How to Marry A Millionaire as a young child. I just remember seeing her wonderful hair and big smile, thinking that I wanted to be like that when I grew up. I continued to watch these classic Hollywood movies all throughout my childhood, and would often sew outfits for my Barbies based on the glamorous clothing the stars wore. I could remember thinking how exciting it would be to get dressed up like these women everyday and look just as stylish. Then that moment sets in where you become old enough to realize the world  is now a very different place, and polyester prevails.

I went through many different "phases" of look growing up, but would always come back to some variation of a vintage concept. Finally finding myself in the look I call my own today. Many wearers of vintage looks will relate when I talk of the stares people often give, or the comments "what are you all dressed up for?", or the wolf whistles from appreciative men. These are things you become quite used to the longer you've been dressing this way. One of my favorite reactions is when an elderly person, who surely grew up in the time I so often yearn for in my clothing, will look upon me affectionatly; mentioning how I remind them of their heydays in the 40's or 50's. It's ussually those people that will comment how nice it is to see some young people are still dressing 'proper' or classy, as it is seen as a sign of taking care of oneself. I will never go out anywhere, no matter how mundae the task, wearing sweats or (heaven forbid) pajama pants!

It is fot this reason that I often find I must sew my own clothing. I am tall, 5'9", and find real vintage often does not fit my long body and limbs. Dresses are obviously too short and sleeves look ridiculous on my long arms. Don't even get me started on the ill fitting bodices of dresses made to fit  petite women. In making my own clothing I can tailor my wardrobe to my needs and literally create anything my imagination can come up with or that I see in one of my beloved old Hollywood films. I have tried a few 'repro' brands, but have not been impressed with the quality of the clothing, nor the fabrics often used. And of course there is that all too familar statement many home sewers often catch themselves saying, "why would I pay that much for That, when I could make a better one myself". The popularity of vintage inspired dress has defenitely blown up in recent years as well, which can often come with is advantages for a die hard such as myself.

Dita - a true inspiration, and no doubt one of the more well known vintage mavens of today

While there are many vintage fashion themed blogs out there, many of which I thoroughly enjoy, I wanted to carve my own piece of the virtual world. But I promise to try and ramble abou more than just fashion, heck it's my bog and I'll talk about whatever I please! Haha. People will often be suprised to learn that a die hard skirt and heel wearer such as myself is also a devoted runner, P90X enthusiast, practicing mountain climber and kick boxer. It's interesting how people will look at one aspect of a person and often assume there are no other layers to them. Surely people who enjoy wearing high heeled shoes do something more with their free time than polish their shoe collections? Well I think I may be done my ramble for today, but keep your eyes peeled for that much promised outfit post (I'm camera shy!).

*A



A Birthday weekend

Yesterday was my birthday, and I must say it was actually one of the best I`ve had in quite sometime. I had a true day for myself and actually came across what could be a very exciting business opprotunity in the process. I believe that is called syncronisity, being at the right place at the right time.

 

Anyhow, I am not a huge fan of showy `look what I got for my birthday`posts, as I find them to be rather.....materialistic. So I won`t list all the gifts I got, but I will mention 2 things that I treated myself to. Below behold what I hope is the begining of my renewed interest in drawing!

 

 

For those who are not familair with Andrew Loomis, he was a highly celebrated illustrator whose main period of work ws from the 1940s. He has been something of a drawing legend based on his very well acclaimed series of instruction books that until recently were out of print. Thanks to Titan books they are now available in all their glory, and I`ve started my collection with the one above; which the UPS man kindly dropped off this morning!

I`m an art school graduate, and have always been creative in many meduims but drawing used to be one of my favorite past times. Over the years of progressing into so called adulthood I`ve found myself drawing less and less, and that`s just not acceptable any longer! One thing that makes me very sad is when I meet someone who has let go of all of their passions, in the pursuit of socalled success or just in the daily grind that can be everyday life. In my opinion success is having a rich life full of all the little things that make the world such an interesting place.....and I don`t count prime time television or boardroom meetings as particularly interesting.

I hope to show case some of my work on this blog as I progress through the series. in the meantime I highly suggest that anyone even remotely interested in drawing to check out these books! Even if you don`t end up become a master illustrator, they would make very nice coffee table additions.

 

 

My second birthday gift to me is a DVD I have been humming and hawing about since I heard of its release, and finally made my mind up about once I watched a review by Lisafreedmontstreet on Youtube.

 



 

And just my luck that a local boutique, The Foxy Shoppe, happened to have some in stock! Yay to not paying shipping charges. I`ve only watched a few minutes of this 3 dvd set so far, as I only bought it yesterday afternoon, but I have heard great things and am looking forward to hopefully devouring the whole thing this Sunday afteroon. I`ve heard some great review, and although this is by no means a `purists`dream, Micheline Pitt is an amazing makeup and hair artist. I really look forward to learning some new tricks, especially mastering the poodle hair do which for some reason I can never get to look just so.

 

And that my friends, is that. I hope to write a post sometime this weekend about my latest tailoring project and possibly my gardening endeavours if I don`t get rained inside. Tonight I will kick off the long weekend with a wrestling themed burlesque show, and the debut of my newest creation, a cherry bloosom and humming bird printed wrap pencil skirt that I feel has a `tiki` groove about it.

 

Oh! And one more note, which is actually an experience I would like to share in the hopes that it may help someone else who has possibly faced something similar.

 Winnipeg is not really known for its booming garment industry, although we are lucky enough to have some amazing fabric & notion stores, we are no New York or Los Angeles; with their bustling garment industries and all. You can imagine my utter shock and excitment when I learned that a Italian born & trained Master tailor has been operating his own shop on one of our most prominnt boutique streets for years. How had this gone unnoticed by my ever exploring mind!? Well first thing Tuesday morning I marched down to his shop, in one of my best constructed outfits, with a garment bag full of creations in hand; with the intention of asking this man if he could share some of his knowledge with yours truly. Of course I did not expect this knowledge for free, I would have been more than willing to work cash, clean, do a couple days a week grunt work in exchange for lessons. In a recent local news channel interview I had seen this man mentioning that not many people are interested in learning this art, and he is afraid that this is a dying trade. "Fret not!" I thought, "I will absorb your knowledge like a sponge!". Alas my enthusiasm was not met with the positve response I had so hoped for. Instead I was laughed at and bluntly told that "Women cannot be tailors, they cannot make mens suits". My response was simply to give a chuckle and respectfully comment that "You are dearly mistaken sir", before walking out the door with my head held high (albeit my pride slightly bruised).

While I would hope this man would have givin a second thought to his abrupt response later that day, mulling over in his mind that perhaps traditions can on some occasions be broken in order to keep an art alive, I highly doubt that he will infact ever see the error of his ways. But the point of me telling this story is that just because this rather pompous fool tells me that I cannot do something, will not stop me from achieving it. I will continue to make suits for both men and women, and continue to get better over time. While my skills may progress at a slightly slower pace, teaching myself from my many books instead of with face to face instruction, I will not let this persons closed mind stop me from achieving my goals.

And neither should you! Doors closing in your face should only make you work harder and reach higher! Trust me, you can achieve any dream you set out for yourself, just as long as you have the right attitude along the way. Don't let others reactions affect your goals, as those reactions are most often a reflection of how they feel about themselves and not you.

 

*A

 



Bernina 1008

Happy Mother's Day Everyone! we've had lovely weather this weekend, and were lucky enough to spend this Mother's day strolling along Osborne Village; one of Winnipeg's most lovely boutique neighbourhoods.

 

But thats not the focus of today's post, for this little segment of my blog is going to be dedicated to my new to me Bernina 1008! I say new to me for the obvious reason that I purchased it second hand on Ebay.

 

 

Now I would like to start by saying that yes, I know Gertie has already done a post on this machine and thus most people are probably sold on that alone. But I have enjoyed using my 1008 so much that I feel compelled to sing the praises of Bernina.



As I stated, I bought this machine second hand. After a lot of research, both online and with my local Bernina dealer I decided purchasing a machine on Ebay was not only the most economical option for me but also made the most sense, as one thing EVERYONE very clearly stated was that Bernina`s are for life. If so the case I concluded I could get a much better deal from buying a gently used machine for half the price that my local dealer was offering. I purchased mine in Ebay for a great price, from a dealer that also offered a return option.

 

When my Bernina finally arrived I was so excited that I brought it up to my sewing room immediatly, styrofoam peanuts a trailin, and plugged her in to discover what all the fuss was about. I have sewn on a cornacopia of difference machines throughout my many sewing years, both high and low, each with their respetive issues. I would say the most prevalent issues I have noticed are tension problems, bad stitch quality and bobbins headaches. As the years went by and my own skills advanced I found I was having trouble finding a machine that would keep up with me, and meet the demands I require. Before purhasing my Bernina I was even considering throwing the towel in and buying an industrial workhorse.

I can say with confidence that I will never sew on anything but a Bernina again (unless i do end up buying that industrial, which serves it`s own purpose), and I am in utter love with this machine. It is no fuss, no muss and does exactly what I want to the highest degree. The stich quality is superb, I have not actually had to adjust the tension once and she purrs like a kitten no matter how fast I run her. And I love that the entire chasis is made of metal, I could write a whole post alone on my distainment towards plastic machines.

 

All in all I could not recommend this machine more highly, and I have every confidence that other Bernina models are made just as to notch. One draw back is the press feet, which cost a pretty penny but are well worth it. Made sturdy, a huge range of finstional options and they have a snap on shank making them much sturdier than the comon snap on foot. Go on, try a Bernina! You`ll fall in love too.

My next post I promise to show a picture of myself! I suppose if I want people to actually read my blog, I will have to feature a bit more eye candy. Luckily tomorrow I am going for a haircut, and whilst I am rather camera shy I just have to suck it up and snap a photo!
 

*A



Oil & lemon make the best......

FACIAL CLEASNERS!

 

Please excuse my cap locks attack, but I am absolutely dumbfounded that after YEARS of trying most everything on the market the 2 things that would save my skin were sitting in my fridge. Strap yourselves in people, because this is a long one.

 

Let me tell you my skin tale.....I've never had bad skin per say, a blemish here or there and all very typical of a teenage complexion. But like every other girl that is pale as the driven snow, I have lusted after the perfect 'Snow White' porcelain complextion. Then at the age of 24, I unexplicably began to break out with Cystic Acne!

 

Oh prfect skin! Where art thou?

 

This was a nightmare, and as someone who has never worn very much foundation I dreaded my new routine of slathering my skin with flesh coloured make up every morning. Oh how I felt a fool to once have cursed at those few measely blackheads on my otherwise clear forehead! And let me tell you, those cysts hurt like hell!

As one can imagine, I would search the internet for answers; why would I develop such an aggressive skin condition in my twenties!? What had I done wrong? I cut out various foods, went to skin spas, dermatologists, tried every benzoyl peroxide & salicylic acid laced product on the market and even some prescription creams that made me my skin look dead. The only thing any of this ever managed to accomplish was dry, red, irritated skin, less answers than when I started and unforunately a slightly smaller bank balance.

 

I was finding myself becoming withdrawn, not as social as I was previously. I would constantly be paranoid that people where staring at my skin condition and would often dread looking in mirrors. Where as I previously had enjoyed applying my makeup to leave the house, I now saw it as a dreaded chore and nessecity to mask the ever present bumps on my chin, neck and temples. And then oneday, as if by fate, my mother presented me with an article about lemons and their anti-bacterial properties.

 



One of the usses suggested in the article was a lemon wedge applied directly to the skin as a toner, then steamed off with a hot wash cloth. Now I must admit I was skeptical that a lemon could provide me with the answer so many could not. But let face it, at this point I would have applied concrete to my face if there was a chance of some improvement. So that night I cut a lemon into 8 pieces, and after washing my face I rubbed the wedge onto my skin, brushed my teeth & steamed the juice off. I will not lie to you, the juice stung like hell, but immediately I noticed my skin calm down, the reddness subsided and some of the cysts looked to have reduced in size before my eyes. I moisturized and went to bed.

People I do not lie when I tell you this, the next morning almost half of the blemished were comlpetely gone, redness entirely gone and the remaining cysts had reduced signifignatly in size. I could not believe my eyes, and initally tacked it up to coincidence. I continued using lemon thou, and by the 5th morning my skin was begininng to look like it former self. I could have cried.

 

It was at this point that I had a natural revolution. If lemon worked as a toner, than surely I could find just as effective of a natural cleanser? I took to the internet and found some compelling informtion about oil cleansing. It seems absurd at first, until you actually thnk about it. Oil is natural to the body, and most of us don't think twice about applying harsh, abrasive chemicals to our skin; effectively stripping it of all natural oils and leaving it dull and lifeless. We then apply shimmery powers to gain back that 'healthy glow' that we just stripped away. But one of the trusted properties of Chemistry states that like substances will remove each other, oil removes oil. I was sold, and from my reseach learned that Hemp oil is in fact the most similar in profile to the oil our own bodies produce. It has a pefect PH balance, has similar properties of Linoleic acid and will not clog pores. Luck would have it that I already take 2 spoon fulls of this wonderful suppliment daily, and had a bottle in my fridge.

 

Oh how I love you!

So that night I brought it into the bathroom with me, cleansed for 10 minutes, gently rubbing onto my face and neck. Once done I steamed my face twice with a wash cloth, proceeded to tone with lemon, steam and moisturized.

 

Now you can doubt me, or you can try it for yourself and see the results first hand (and hemp oil may not work for everyone, but I am conviced that oil cleansing is the way to go), but I woke up the next morning and my skin was beautiful. Anyone with cystic ance will tell you that those things are impossible to zap and sometimes take months to disapear. Hemp oil got rid of most of them overnight. I have been doing this routine every night now for 2 weeks, I have ZERO cysts, no blemishes and 1 blackhead on my nose. My skin looks better than it ever has and I imagine I haven't even seen the full results yet. My skin glows, it absorbs mosturizer beautifully, I look awake and refreshed every morning. People comment on how beautiful my skin is and I have to laugh beacuse less than a month ago I was hiding underneath pancake make-up.

 

I have added a weekly masque of melaluca honey to my skin care regime, I let the honey sit for 20 minutes to take advantge of its anti-bacterial and moisturizing properties. my friends laugh that i will raid their fridges for things to wash my face with, but if you are having skin problems and feel like you've tried everything then I do implore you to give this a try, because if you've tried everything else than what have you got to loose?

 

*A

I promise to myself

A blog is something that I've wanted (and attempted) to do for years now, and for some reason I always fall short on the actual posting.....I get lazy? Forgetful? Well no more!! I promised myself that this is the year (I count years as May - May, because I was born in May lol) I will do all those things I want to achieve and all those thing I always say I'll do.

 

So there, now it's on the internet.....which means I have boldly proclaimed this for eternity. I will be a blogger. Maybe no one will follow me for awhile, but maybe eventually someone will think what I have to say is pretty fantasic....or at least suitably entertaining!

 

My next blog post (I have to state this here becuase it solidifies to myself that I'm going to do it!) will be about my new skincare discovery, and a little about sewinf and why i love it sooo much

 

*A 

Because I want to

Yep, it's another sewing blog. Everyone else seems to have a blog, so why shouldn't I? This certainly will not be a particularly exciting post, but I promise if you stick around things will get much more interesting! I do have a few interesting projects planned for the up coming months, and feel that I would like to share these with whomever may be interested. Some of my upcoming projects are including (but not necessarily limit to!) this:

-  Learning to master the great art of corsetry! Obviously this is not something I am arrogant enough to think I will become good at over night. I have quite an interesting project planned with an amazing tight-lacer local to me, which I'm beyond excited about!

- Compiling an online portfolio of my sewing work. I am a seamstress & tailor for hire, and often get requests for my portfolio. Foolishly I have never thought to put together any sort of portfolio of my work, I would like my blog to serve this dual purpose as well as getting the good word out.

- Continuing my own quest to sew a rather extravagant vintage inspired wardrobe. I have a life long love of vintage everything, and am personally more comfortable in clothing from the 1930s-50s than more modern attire.

Who knows what other exciting opportunities will come my way, life is full of surprises after all.

My next post will be about my newly acquired Bernina 1008 sewing machine & how it was love at first sight!

~A