My Family

So here we are in Las Vegas for a few days visiting family. On Monday, the hubby and I decide to take the boys out to shop and get lunch. As we are attempting to get on the freeway and missing the on ramp we decide before we go anywhere we need Diet Coke, logical right? It's while we are in the drive-thru that a typical family conversation occurs. 

Me: (reading billboard) Tourists bring in 45 billion in cash to Las Vegas. 

Hubby: really? 

Me: that's what the billboard says. I think that's what I'm going to do, open a casino in the living room. You won't mind will you? I'm sure the Feds won't either as long as I pay my taxes. 

Hubby: the local authorities might. Well I guess you can bribe them. 

Me: so this is our plan, we'll start with roulette and craps. 

#1 son: and Russian Roulette, you gotta have that. 

Me: no thanks, I'd run out of places to hide the bodies. 

#2 son: no mom, you're missing another income opportunity, organ harvesting. 

Hubby: yeah, think of the money to be made, it doesn't have to be a good kidney, just a kidney. 

#1 son: then you've got, hearts, lungs, livers, corneas and I'm sure someone will take the rest off your hands, this is a win/win. 

Me: how did I go from hypothetically running an illegal gambling den to harvesting body parts? 

Hubby: we're just trying to help you realize your full potential. 

This people is why I love my family. 

New Sewing Room

I've been busy all day today so just a brief post. I moved my sewing room! I've been working out in the garage for years now and although I've created some fun and gorgeous stuff out there, let me just say that it was also hotter than Henry Cavill out there. And in the winter it was colder than a penguins butt.  So I decided while I'm working on my daughters wedding to move into the living room, next to the dining room it is the least used room in the house. I swear some men should not be allowed to design houses, they have no idea what women, especially mothers need in a house. If I designed my kitchen, it would be all stainless steel and have a drain in the middle of the floor. I would be able to hose it down too. My boys bathroom would have shower stalls, urinals and toilet stalls. It would also be capable of being hosed down for easy cleaning. It would be located next to the laundry room/locker room where clothes would be left to be washed and kept.  Just a few thoughts on how houses should be designed. So here's my new work space. All of the living room furniture is in the garage for the time being. Did I mention how awesome it is to have 4 strapping teenage and adult sons to to the heavy lifting and a hubby that knows how to get them to work? 

Pretty much my entire fabric stash is still in the garage and getting to most of it will be a problem because the 2 sofas are blocking the garage, but I think I have enough to keep me busy for a while. 

In other news, in case you didn't know this about me, I am a geek.  I love superheroes, comic books, superhero movies, animated superhero movies, you name it. I have every season of Warner Brothers Batman the Animated Series on DVD. I love this series, I loved Kevin Conroy's voice work as Batman/Bruce Wayne and Mark Hamill as the Joker. I'm working on getting all the different series of the animated universe, Superman, Justice League, Batman Beyond and the stand alone movies. If Bruce Timm and Andrea Romano had a hand in them then I want them. So having said that, here's how I feel about the casting of the upcoming movie "Superman vs Batman: 

Yeah, what idiot did the casting? Did they not see Daredevil? Gigli? Jersey Girl? I love Ben Afflecks writing and directing but Batman? I think they should have gone with Richard Armitage. Just sayin. 

Well that's it for now, I'm a little fried from all the moving. 

Take care,

Terri

Did it ever occur to you that the Ruby Slippers belonged to the Wicked Witch?

Really when you think about it, Dorothy Gale murdered her sister (you could call it involuntary manslaughter) then refused to give her the shoes that she rightfully should have inherited. What kind of person kills your sibling and steals her shoes?! 

Seriously though, I love shoes. I believe I have mentioned this before. I grew up with a mom who believed you only needed 3 pairs of shoes. Black, and brown for Fall/Winter and white for Spring/Summer. Boring. I remember throwing a hissy fit one year at age 7 because I wanted a pair of tap shoes for Christmas.  I got the shoes but I couldn't dance, still can't, and there were no available lessons in the area we lived. But I wore the crap out of those shoes and loved the noise they made in the store or at church. Did I care if I annoyed anyone? Not a bit, my shoes have always been for my enjoyment that anyone else likes them is secondary. A few years ago a friend and I went halfsies on a pair of stripper shoes with a 7" heel that lit up when you walked. These were the first pair of shoes I bought solely with my husband in mind. I wore them in Vegas  where you can get away with that kind of stuff. 😉

So, here's a look at my closet: 

My friend Cheryl should recognize this shelving unit, it's from her son's bedroom. Then it was my son Andrew's shelving unit. I was going to pass it on but realized it was a perfect fit for my closet and shoes. 

Here's the part you can't see:

This is the floor in the center section of my closet that I haven't figured out a solution to. Actually, I have but my husband doesn't want to buy me a bigger house. 

So back to shoes. My mother-in-law, who happens to be an amazingly talented artist, believes every outfit should have matching shoes. Hallelujah! I finally found my sole-mate. Someone who understands. I even think some outfits can have more than one pair of shoes that match it.  What if you need to take the outfit from day to evening? Hence the multiple shoes. 

Yesterday I read a woefully misinformed blog by someone who listed the 12 essential pairs of shoes all women should have. I have stopped following said blog because I felt she was wrong. 

Let's be honest no one really needs that many shoes and if I'm being completely honest my favorite state is barefoot or flip flops, I love a good pair of flips, my current favorites are about 3 years old worn down and need to be replaced but until I find another pair like them, they stay. I don't want to talk about the essential shoes every woman needs because we all have different needs, a woman that's a bus driver probably has different shoe needs than a woman that is an attorney or a woman that works in a school or an office or etc.  The list goes on. I'm a mom that works at a college part-time I really only need a pair of Vans or Nikes for my job. I'm usually barefoot at home. Again my shoes are for my enjoyment, having said that let me introduce you to some special members of my shoe family:

My favorite pair of black sling backs. These are Coach brand and were a replacement pair for a beloved pair of BCBG sling backs that the heel snapped on one day in church. Not sure how it happened but it was when they died I realized how much I love shoes. 

Everybody should have shoes that make them happy. These are a few of those shoes: 

Red peep toe Mary Janes. I found these in Downtown LA in Santee Alley. They made me feel girly the moment I slipped them on. My friend Helle covets them and actually told me she was going to steal them, trust me if she did that, I would have no qualms dropping a house on her. 

More happy shoes:

This little number is a leopard print D'Orsey named Lolita. I found this at DSW on my friend Natalie's birthday. She wanted to go shoe buying on her birthday and insisted that rather than spend money on her we all had to buy ourselves shoes. My kind of friend. These

Make me feel like a 1950's screen siren. Think Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes".

The Holy Grail of Shoes:

Christian Louboutin black patent leather pumps. This style is named Pigalle and that heel is 5" high. I sit a lot wearing these shoes. But the toe cleavage is very sexy, I got these shoes after my hubby lost a bet to me. 

Probably the oldest pair of shoes in my collection:

I've had these for about 10 years now and still love them, I have another pair in pink. I think these were the shoes that started my collection of fun shoes. 

Speaking of pink shoes:

Most people would call these formal shoes, not me. I've worn them with jeans and gone grocery shopping in them. I remember seeing a blog of a woman who was going through chemo treatments for breast cancer, the disease had ravaged her body, taken her breasts and hair but she wore shoes just like the pink glitter shoes above to every treatment because they reminded her that she was more than just the disease and they made her happy. 

More pink shoes:

I shared the story about these shoes in one of my early blogs. I got these on clearance. Half price shoes are the best shoes!

This pair I found when the local Bakers Shoe store closed its doors. 

I bought 2 pairs of shoes and a pair of awesome boots for only $60.00! If you know anything about Bakers you know that most of their shoes start at $60.00. At least I can still order them online. 

Another pair of Natalie shoes:

What I mean by that is Natalie is quite the instigator, it usually starts with, "hey come with me, I need to find something to wear to a Christmas/Easter/GroundHogDay party" next thing you know, I'm looking at shoes. Then I'm buying shoes. It escalates that quickly. These are some fun double t-straps that I found to go with a gray dress I made for myself. 

My Steve Maddens: 

Sparkly platforms, yes please. The funny thing is I own 3 pairs of Maddens, all in shades of brown. 

And finally: 

These are the newest additions to the family. A pair of over the top patriotic Swarovski crystal encrusted pumps, I will probably wear them to my next high school reunion since these are the school colors. And I will definitely wear them to church on or near Independence Day. 

My husband loves the Union Jack spiked pair. I haven't worn either pair yet because I've missed the last 2 weeks of church. We rented a beach house and spent a very relaxing vacation tanning, laying about, barbecuing and walking to the pier to get ice cream. Heaven. 

So my take on shoes? If you love shoes and can afford them, indulge. Buy the necessities that you need for your lifestyle first but then if you see a pair that make your heart go pitter-pat and put a smile on your face, buy them!  This is just a small sample of my collection, I have several pairs of fun platform pumps in orange, turquoise, fuchsia, and lime green that are known as my Skittle shoes. I could go for days talking about shoes but I will end with: 

Cinderella is proof that shoes can change your life. 

 

Now, go find shoes that make you happy!

Terri

Like Columbo, just one more thing:

The wedding purchasing blitz has begun, what could possibly be in all those bags? 

😮

 

Back Again!

So what have I been doing for the last year? Stuff. Many sewing jobs and a lot of down time. I worked part time for a woman that makes vintage style swimsuits. You can check out her stuff at www.mysugardoll.com I had fun learning new techniques!

My son Andrew came home from serving his mission in Fiji. He was only home for a month when we shipped him off to live with his grandparents to go to school and help them out. He's back home again but will be leaving soon to attend school in Idaho.  

My daughter Ashton became engaged last year and her wedding will be in October. The reason for October you ask? So we can use pumpkins for the decor. We have purchased the gown, found a photographer. booked the church, reception venue and caterer plus the In n Out truck. This Saturday I will be heading to LA to purchase fabric with the bride and her bridesmaids for their gowns. The groom and his guys will be purchasing new suits in September. There is still a bit to get done but that's the big items taken care of.

This summer I also attended Chaffey College, I took a computer aided design class. It was taught by one of my all time favorite teachers, Colleen Poteet. My sewing skills have improved exponentially since meeting her. I was also offered part time employment by the college as an apprentice working in the fashion design program side by side with Colleen.  Definitely my favorite job ever! 

Here's a recent photo of the hubby and me at the Martin Johnson House in La Jolla, California, we were there for a wedding. Gorgeous location. 

A dress and jacket I made for my friend Natalie Hughes. She had purchased the jacket fabric in LA, when I asked what she was going to do with it she said she wasn't sure, she is an amazingly talented quilter and every year she makes quilts for the 4th grade class of her local elementary school as part of a reading project they do. I volunteered to cut batting and help with the binding along with some other ladies. When ever I was over at Natalie's I would see the green fabric on her shelf. Finally, as I was leaving one day I grabbed the fabric and told her I was taking it. She protested that it was hers and I told her she would get it back but only after I made something out of it. The jacket is what I came up with. While searching my fabric stash I found the light green linen and made her a dress to go with it. 

A dress for Natalie's daughter Bailey who was in a wedding, there was enough fabric left over to do a tiny dress for Bailey's daughter Peyton!

On the left is my wedding gown, I purchased it in 1988. It was very in at the time. It's been hanging in my closet for a while now and with the daughter getting married I got it out hoping to do something with it. I had an idea of making it look like a dress from the 1950's, the photo on the left is the bodice after I had taken the entire dress apart and recut it into a sweetheart shape. This is as far as I've gotten with it:

This is another fun project I got to work on,  my friend Edee and her granddaughter Ariel asked if I could replicate this vintage dress they found on Pinterest:

They loved the dress but wanted sleeves and a skirt that wasn't quite as full, here's my design:

And Ariel in her dress:

There have been other sewing jobs, most of them were alteration jobs. I have a customer that really loves Tommy Bahamas gear so I've been making stuff for him, mostly shirts and a pair of swim shorts. I tried my hand at making swim suits, I successfully made a couple for myself but I won't be posting any photos of myself in swimwear. And shoes! I have a couple of pairs of new shoes that are awesome! I will post those next time. 

Again, welcome back to my blog, I'll try to be better about posting, thanks for sticking with me! 

Terri