The Dress

I completed the dress and thankfully it doesn't look like a knock off Gordon Gartell! I used white silk dupioni and this McCall's pattern. I combined the bodice from view F and a shorten skirt from view B. It was challenging but I'm happy with the results...and it seems Chloe is too.

Merry Christmas!

I hope you had a Merry Christmas. Mine was beautiful (and super busy). Things are still kind of busy around here so, I hope to get back to blogging soon. I have tons of things to show you guys...including the dress! Above is our Christmas card this year. I was able to get the quality and style I wanted for a fraction of the price. I love the design and styles of Tiny Prints and Minted but was looking for something more cost effective. I thought I would go with Pear Tree Greetings but couldn't find a style I felt complemented our photos. So, I went with the trusty Vista Print. I was able to get double-sided flat cards on 100lb matte paper for as little as 40cents each! To add more style and color I paired the cards with envelopes from Paper Source rather than the free envelopes that came with the cards. I was very pleased with the results, and especially pleased with the price.

Photo: Amy Tripple

Design: Hubby using PhotoShop

Printing: Vista Print

Envelopes and Labels: Paper Source

Christmas Cookies (Project Update)

So, I have not finished the dress. I was on a roll then needed a creative change of pace. So, I have been Christmas card distributing, cookie baking, gift stenciling, Christmas brunch planning, and gift wrapping (actually I watched my hubby wrap gifts). I will post pictures of the dress soon, but until then I'll show you guys what I've been working on. Above are cookies we gave to our neighbors...a sweet treat as well as an invitation to church!

My Current Project (and Gordon Gartrell)

I am currently working on a project for my daughter--a dress. Not just a dress but a special dress. Did I mention I am giving myself less than a week to complete it? Did I also mention I've never made a dress from start to finish using a pattern? Crazy, I know. I just pray it doesn't look like a Gordon Gartrell knock off once its done. If so, I won't be posting pictures...in fact I may act as if I never even mentioned it!

Addition: After watching the clip I realize Denise and I had the same budget and time constraint (sigh). Well, at least Chloe isn't old enough to complain.

MIY: Christmas Wreaths

I've been busy gathering supplies and trying to block out time for Christmas crafting. I hope to make this pretty wreath from Martha Stewart before the Christmas cards start rolling in! Below are a few other wreaths, from recycled materials, if you too are feeling crafty--or if you just want to look at pretty things.

Martha Stewart

Good Housekeeping

Good Housekeeping

Good Housekeeping

Christmas Pictures (This Year)

Back in 2004 my good friend was getting married and invited me to attend a bridal showcase with her. While there, I was introduced to photo-journalistic photography and fell in love. I loved the idea of telling the story and emotions of the day through photography, so three years later when I got married I knew exactly what kind of photography I wanted! This style was exactly what I was looking for over the summer as I started thinking about this year's Christmas pictures. Thanks to the internet I was able to find Amy Tripple, a photographer in our area with a style I adored. She's not only a great photographer, she also is such a sweet person. My son was so comfortable with her...and so was I (I even hugged her after our session!) I'm sure Chloe would have warmed up to her too--if it wasn't 40 degrees out! Below are a few pictures from our session. Hubby was out of town on business the day of our session. Also, I took the hat I made Chloe just in case we needed it and it ended up working out perfectly! I'll be sure to give details about our Christmas cards once they're designed and ordered...my goal is chic style with a meek price tag!

Photo by Amy Tripple

Photo by Amy Tripple

Photo by Amy Tripple

Photo by Amy Tripple