Paris Sewing Cafe and dreaming

Today on Facebook my friend Sheila posted this link to a Sewing Cafe in Paris!

The Article is here "Sweat Shop"

Picture is taken from the Article

It is an amazing and wonderful Idea.  Classes, coffee, juice, for adults and childern, Sewing machine rentals by the hour.  This is very near to my heart with a dream I have for opening my own place up in Columbus.  I have an 8 year plan.  Of course I would like it to be sooner but money needs to be saved and time carefully judged between work, teaching and wedding, eventually family.

I'm a planner deep down even though it seems I do things on a whim sometimes.
I thought I would never want to do this in my life but the more and more I dwell on it and am inspired by my friend Stephanie Bair- Garant and her shop, The Gangway, I can't help but dream.

Interior Photo of back of the Gangway

My dream is to in 8-10 years open my own little store in Grandview/Columbus area. The missing link Yarn, craft gift store that is lacking. Someplace to have tea, knit, paper craft, what have you, that isn't Joanne's that specializes in the unique, handmade, and elegant.

Photo from Martha Stewart Crafts of Purl Soho

How wonderful would that be to have my own little shop with some kitties in tow where I can sit, blog, create and inspire other people. Have very simple DIY classes and just some general workshop hours, making little cubicles to use in house die-cutter tools and purchase things as needed. A small library collection to browse while in store.  Perhaps some embroidery machines.

I look at balls of yarn, knick knacks, the things I save from magazine after magazine that I think someday this will make a beautiful card. I am a collector and the only way to make room in my life for new things is to sell them and give them away. There are also so many things I want to continue to do and I feel like I just do not have the time to really get these things accomplished unless I have full days to dedicate to perfecting them.

My main joys in life are to make things whether it be from fabric, paper, beads, wood upcycled items. I feel like it is the next step in my life is to pursue this after I am more financially settled and the wedding is over. School sounds interesting but not as interesting as educating myself and reviving some long ignored crafts into this new world of Indie Crafts and DIY mentality.  Not to mention just having my own little awesome space to meet with friends, past students and meet new people.

OTD January 3rd, 2011

Okay! So I am trying really hard to start this year off right with my new spiffy camera and take some OTD photos but I am in constant learning and transition.  Like where is a good place to take the photos (IE Not in the low ceiling basement)  There will be one more small set in the basement because I didn't learn my lesson the first time.  I got my wondorous cord in the mail and I don't know what posessed me to think 1 meter (3 feet) would be long enough for me to take photos of myself from head to toe in one shot.  Unfortunately that is currently the only remote shutter on the market for my camera that isn't professional grade costing more then $500 bones.

Fair isle Sweater with Feather & Fan stitch: Tulle from TigerTree

White Undershirt : Express

Jeans: Dark Denim Zelda Ultra Skinny Express

Boots: Miss Sixty from Victoria Secret Catalog

 

A Closer less sexy look at the Boots. 

They were my huge splurge this winter and completely worth it.  Super Comfortable and looked great with my skinny jeans.  Rubber soles that are long wearing and flexible.  Best part is that they are over the knee and do not make you look like a hooker!

So the lessons learned from these photos are:
1. Pay attention to your background
2. Don't be afraid to be cheesy in the photos
3. Run Fast to get maximum pose time from timer
4. Make sure there is nothing to trip you and don't trip on your tripod
5. Keep your legs mostly together
6. Don't shoot photos in the basement if you want them to look nice

I remember when Style Bubble did this post about how cheesy she felt taking OTD's and how there were only so many poses she felt comfortable in but I can't find the specific post.  I think Keiko Lynn talked about it also once upon a time.  I swear more recently (like in the past 3 months) I read something from Park & Cube on how uncomfortable it was to pose for OTD's.

2011 Inspirations

As I slowly trudge into this new year kicking and screaming to get out of my holiday slump I snatched up some pictures to put me back in mood to sew and create. Once again I am at a lose to tell you where they all came from but I'll try!

Wonderful Tentacles Knitted into a wreath, I'm love the idea of this into a collar of a sweater or jacket

I believe I got this off of Craft:

 Gorgeous texture and shape on this knitted Pineapple bag that I randomly found on the net.

Delicate spidery effect on this crocheted Hanger makes me want to do unpatterned lace panels into strech knit garments.

I just love the way this looks.

(Found on Stylebubble)

This shape just calls to me and the craftmanship of the wood is divine

This was an entry from Etsy for the contest of sending a craft to the Moon.

Her unconventional freehand embroidery on this gives me so much mojo for hand emboidery goodness.

By Average Jane Crafter

I want so badly to create a little hanging plush city like I keep seeing all around. 

 I feel like this came from the same place as the Pineapple

Speaking of that Devilish Pineapple here he is again with closer look at those sublime knitted stitches

Something a little more class in Embroidery

No yearly inspriation can be complete without a look back at some Alexander McQueen

I think I saved this because of the Orgnaza Collar on the chick on the left side.  It made me want to do some more work with Organza while I am working on my wedding dress.

Goergeous ruffles in layers and layers and layers. 

This came from once again Style Bubble

Gold Paillettes Dress also from Style Bubble

The layers of these discs just looks like luscious scales from a dragon

These Images are from Park & Cube

I just love the knit wear inspriations of doing something a little bit different to something so simple and the gauzy layers with the open knit work.

Lastly no year for me can be without a little octo friend.  This image was taken from National Geographic site about strange new animals found in the year 2010.  This is a purple breed of Ocotpus.

Finished Projects - Piecing

Many a turns ago I had a blog post about this pieced quilt type thing I was making to put in our bathroom to cover up the spaces that were our built in shelving spaces.  Very awkward little space directly across from the toilet.  Those were finished shorting after but I never did get the photo posted.  Finally with my new fangled camera I am going around and taking pictures of things to finally post.  It was a little tricky since it is directly across from the toilet in a small bathroom.

 This first one hides our spare toilet paper and trash can. very narrow space, you can probably guage it off the toilet paper roll peeking out.

 This is the full length of the Upper, it hides about 5 shelves of toiletries and random cleaning supplies

Close up of the Top half

 Middle portion of top hanging

*I noticed that I didn't actually talk about Piecing here or the other post.  It is an interesting process it's like knitting compared to crochet for people who sew garments instead of Quilts.  Same medium but different forms.  Piecing is about being exact, absolutely exact.  It's like a puzzle but a little more difficult as you don't have nice blobby shapes that fit perfectly together with their match.  You must be competatnt in keeping everything in order because 1/4" off and you are toast!  Also pressing is highly important to piecing.  Unlike a garment where you can fiddle and fudge some or press it all at the end for the most part (if you aren't tailor obsessed like me) you must press all seams as you are piecing.  I thought it would be easier to make things more random and skewed and work everything else around it, but nope.... would of been easier with a more simple pattern palette. 

One of my awesome books I got for Christmas!

I have several other projects lined up such as chiffon skirts, leather bags, more hand embroidery, exploring millinery techniques and editing some machine embroidery patterns.

Ohayocon Post date from last year.........

**Dislacimer** This is a post that I had apparently forgottan to post last year after Ohayocon and I just found it while looking up something else.  I thought I might as well post it since later this month is Ohayocon once again.


So this past weekend I went to the Famed OHAYOCON, it is an anime convention.
If you didn't remember from an earlier "Truth" I am a huge video game anime nerd.  I love this stuff.  I really think it is great fun but only to a point.  I am not what they call Otaku.  I love it but I don't need to live it and it is mostly a good excuse for a lot of really cool friends from out of town to come into town to spend some quality time together.   I did one cosplay which was was the Nana outfit.  No photos of this yet, still waiting to get one from a friend.  I was a little sad by the crowd, did not seem to have as many people as the years before.  I feel like the entire economy crash is still affecting people more then expected. I mean coming from out of town that is a lot of money you are dropping for a weekend of basically nothing but hanging out and being with other Fans.  A large part of these Anime Conventions I feel is made up of younger kids still in High School.  If you are a High School kid of course most everything is dependent on your parent.  There is travel expenses, hotel room for 2-3 nights, Convention pass fees, food for the weekend and not to mention general spending money in the Dealer's (vendor's) Room.

I am an adult going to this and still I feel it is a bit of money I need to save up.  There are certain toys or plushies I look out for to collect and you never know when a good import game is there.  Just for a 2-day pass I paid $30 and then I spent another $94 at one booth and $24 at another booth and that was small change to what I have spent in the past.

Along with what I felt a lack of people were the lack of Cosplayer's and Vendor goods.  All I think have in part to do with the Economy.  Some Cosplayer's will spend several hundred dollars on a one time costume for a convention, but then those are high quality and very detail oriented.  I saw very few compared to the normal years.   As with Vendor's good toys cost more money but I didn't see anything really original or new that I wanted and what was there was old merchandise with higher prices then the other years.  All was not a total lose because there was one vendor there selling Authentic Toki Doki merchandise and giving a hefty discount.  I got a new purse and cell phone holder which I will show later.

For now here are some closing pictures from above the common area in the Con

OTD- New Year's Eve

Bad start. Never let drunk boyfriend be responsible for taking your OTD photos.  We were a smashing couple but he was also quite smashed by the time we got home on New Year's day so the best I have are these and some Makeup photos.

 

My dress is by Romeo and Juliet, black sweater dress with an exposed back zipper.

 

 Makeup as Follows

Brows are MAC Spiked

Clear Brow Gel Sephora Brand

Eyeshadow is MAC White Frost for highlight

Eyeshadow is MAC Crimson pigment

Eyeliner is MAC navy gel liner

False Eyelashes from korean brand

Lips are MAC Russian Red

Foundation is Some Kind of Gorgeous Light from Benefit

Primer is Dr. Feelgood from Benefit

Eye primer is Urban Decay

These are the shoes I wore, Betsey Johnson's

Christmas Spoils

OH and how, did I ever get spoiled!  I love Christmas not just because I get gifts but mostly I love to shop and giving other people gifts.  I like the challenge of trying to find the unique and perfect blend for someone else.

This year however my wonderful Fiancee out did himself completey!  He got me my long coveted DSLR camera and not even just the one I wanted but the newest biggest bad boy on the Nikon Block without going "pro"

I present my wonderful Nikon D3100 

(of course I didn't take the photo, that would be silly to try and take a photo with the camera that I am photographing I got it from here)

He also got me the long needed dvd/cdrw disc drive that I needed oh so badly for my little Dell netbook and of course a fantastically huge Memory Card for the new camera.  This thing is AMAZING!  Tha quality of photos doesn't even compare whatsoever to our little point and shoots.  I love being able to tinker again in the manual modes but now I can do it and be able to see the instant results.  Before with my Chinon SLR I would have to wait to take an entire roll in either B&W or Color and then get it developed and to my disaapointment only about half of the photos would turn out correctly but when they did it was so beautiful!  I still intend to keep this camera around and tinker with it when I have more expendable expenses.  I feel it is like having a treasure to still have a fully functional SLR from a Brand that no longer exists but was at the Top of it's game when it was in production.  The fact that I even have the flash to do with it is amazing and the timer still works as well.

To top it off, I ordered the remote shutter control from Nikon the MC-DC2 cord that is to arrive right before my Las Vegas trip!  So I can FINALLY set up a tripod properly and take some quality OTD photos.  That also means that I have a good excuse to not dress like a slob and take myself a little more seriously even if it is just Ohio. 

 

This is going to be the Start to some wonderful new things on this Blog.