This is so cool!

Go see for yourself!

I wrote a quick post about it for RSF, but I'm so impressed and excited by The Uniform Project that I had to share it here, too.

Going Away Present

I found out Thursday morning that a good friend, Brettany, and her husband have decided to move back to their hometown, where they'll be closer to family and the cost of living is less. We're sad to see them go, but completely understand that "you gotta do what you gotta do." When our group of friends found out that not only are they moving, but moving next weekend, we threw together an impromptu Friday night Rock Band party at my house.

Thursday night, our friend Allison and I came up with a gift that pooled our crafting talents for a little something sweet and unique. Since Brettany bakes, and does so very well, we decided on a blank cookbook she can use to compile recipes she discovers or creates herself. It was a lot of fun to make and (if I must say so) turned out a lot better than I'd hoped on the first try! I was a little hesitant about my sewing skills and the striped fabric we chose for the cover. Allison wrote about it on her blog, with great photos, so I'll just leave it at that.

Count your blessings, one by one.

I think it happens a lot and my last couple of weeks have been no different. We get busy, pulled in different directions. We get lost in our own thoughts. I know I sometimes forget to stop and rest. I'm a worrier and although I know things are beyond my control, I need reminding. I forget to acknowledge how fortunate, blessed, we are.

A friend linked to a Time magazine article about someone who was laid off and how the 'ripple' of one job lost has affected the small town... my hometown. It is sad and scary, because it has happened to numerous people in towns all over the country. The article says the first week of unemployment is hard to take... I counted them up (I know I shouldn't have) and it has been 32 weeks for DH.

Moments like this do help me realize how much I (very much) need the little pick-me-ups of every day life. So, to count them, here are the every-day things that I've been up to... remembering them and naming them, one by one.

We made a second trip to the Outer Banks, which was super windy and rainy due to a non-tropical low pressure system. Basically, something popped up just offshore and never had a chance to become Tropical Depression anything. Just my youngest brother went with us this time and we still had a pretty good time, but spent a lot of it reading or playing "Go Fish" in the tent!

I finally got the results from the architecture exam I took on June 30... I passed! I still have a few sections left, in a new format, so I'm not holding my breath for when I'll be able to get to them.

We're still working on house projects, but making progress and wrapping some of them up. I have the patience to do a decent joint compound/plaster job or caulking and painting siding, both projects which move things right along!

My second Wardrobe Refashion pledge is going well! I didn't actually post anything there last week, but posted my intro and a project the first week. I'm hung up on what to do with this little shrug/sweater I've rebuilt, although the idea became clearer last night.

DH and I celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary on Sunday... without much fanfare, which is, traditionally, how we celebrate. We ordered takeout and cuddled up with a cute movie. We did have a nice simple dinner at our favorite Irish pub one night last week, too, and they were even giving away free Guinness! Hard to believe, still, that we've been married 6 years, and that we'll celebrate the 12th anniversary of our first date on November 1st!

Tonight we're having dinner at our friends' house, which means spending time with our favorite curly-blonde girls and their fabulous parents. I'm so sore from my workout yesterday, but will grin and bear my ache-y arms to cuddle my one-year-old goddaughter, Samantha!

We have wonderful, supportive friends and family. I'm married to my best friend in the whole world. Every day is an adventure and a blessing.

All time best lucky find...

... I ever found in the whole of today!



I stopped into my favorite consignment shop, Revolver, the other week without my wallet. This isn't a bad thing, really, because it gives me a chance to spend time considering things and really choose something I will love. I found a very cute pair of Kate Spade espadrille wedge sandals (they ARE orange!) but, alas, I am not a 7 1/2.



There were a couple other pairs of shoes that I'm still considering, but I only left with this wonderfully interesting jacket that fits just right! You'll have to excuse the weird angle, my photographer (DH) was busy, so I had to take this one myself. The shaping of this Buffalo David Bitton jacket is vaguely reminiscent of the 'biker chick' look I've been seeing in the Fall trend articles. Since the Canadian designer's closest stores are nowhere near Raleigh and this still had the tags on it, I'm thinking it's a pretty lucky find!

A wardrobe staple made a favorite again

This green shirt has been one of my favorites for a good 8 or 10 years. The color suits me pretty well and I liked the snaps instead of buttons. A critical look at my wardrobe made me realize that, although the weight of the fabric was light and draped okay, it was rather boxy and not so flattering.

The first thing I did to update it was to rip out the stitches holding on the collar piece and sewed it back together, leaving a little band collar. I also added darts to the back of the shirt, to bring it in and give it some shape. I still go back and forth a bit on whether I should have added more darts or taken more up in them.



Another contributing factor to the boxyness was the 3/4 length sleeves. The 'cuffs' hit at my waist and it just added more fabric and visual mass to the middle area I was trying to trim down to show my shape. Using another shirt as a guide, I gave 'em the chop! I actually took some of the scrap and made a band to edge the new, shorter, sleeves. This required a little tuck on the top, center, to match up the circumferences. It didn't start out as part of the design, but it is a neat little touch that I like.



I actually refashioned this shirt back in May, when I took my first pledge. I've worn it several times since and I'm so glad to have found great examples on Wardrobe Refashion that encouraged me to take the leap... this shirt is definitely a favorite all over again!

Re-signing to Re-fashion!

I have been a huge fan of Wardrobe Refashion ever since I found the site at the beginning of this year. There is so much inspiration for a fledgling sewer such as myself! I love to find ways to recycle much-loved items and make my clothes more expressive of my personal style.

I joined for four months at the beginning of May and posted the pledge here, but lost the posting email to the spam filter! I kept up with the sewing and photos, but not so much with the posting. I still have lots of to sort through. Let's just say having too much to do is my biggest hobby!

I promise (pledge!) to do better with the photos, but believe me when I say I do love the sewing part!