scrumdilly style: day 4

So here I am in items 5 and 8. I think I have already talked about the love hate thing I have with this dress/top. I love it, the idea of it, the color, and neon pink zipper in the back, and the fabric. It;s all fun and so very late 80s but when I put it on and actually see myself in it I feel like the frumpy forty-something year old I am. Well poop...either way I wore it and it was super comfortable and I at least pretended I was a bit er a lot less wide than I really am. That wideness always startles me. Actually, this photo doesn't look too bad...it is the final day ensemble that has me thinking I must have inhaled something in my sleep to think it was a good outfit idea. Oh and the shoes! Lookie the shoes! Pair number two of my nifty thrifted allegrias.

diy: patchwork cloud {plus a giveaway}

I whipped up this patchwork cloud for the march bed in under an hour. It's really easy to do! The hardest part is choosing your fabrics. I went with vintage linen pieces, most of which were a gift from Tara and I left the quilting threads long to create a raincloud. They are not very easy to see here but they are there. This is a really loosey-goosey diy and can be adapted in any number of ways.

 

Think about where you are going to hang or display your cloud. Make sure your fabric choices will showcase nicely with your wall color. I went with white because the bedroom is really dark and the aqua colored walls make it seem even darker. I was hoping the white would show up better and brighten things all around. If you have any fat pieces of lace or trim around, add those as well. The contrast in textures is really nice to have. Along with my vintage linens I have some vintage floral seersucker. I love the texture of the seersucker!

I wanted my cloud to be a bit larger than the paper I had on hand so I taped two sheets of 11"X17" paper together with packing tape. I drew a cloud shape until I was happy with it then cut it out. Ta-da! A pattern!

Next up I cut my fabric pieces into smaller bits all about 3" tall/long and anywhere from 2" to 6" wide. I adhered my fabric bits to the pattern (beginning at the bottom) with my trusty craft glue stick. Just swipe it onto the paper and press your fabric on top. This is really just to hold it in place until you stitch it all together. You could pin it all in place if you prefer to do so. Once I had one row adhered to my pattern, I popped it into my sewing machine and did a quick zig-zag stitch (set at 4) across the whole thing. Repeat with the glue, add more fabric a few inches above the bottom row, stitch and repeat.

Once I had covered my whole pattern, I flipped the whole mess over and trimmed away excess fabric. Popped it back into my sewing machine upside down so I could see where to stitch and stitched all the way around with a running/straight stitch (also set at 4). When the cloud shape was too wide on the right to move nicely through the machine, I rolled it up and continued on.  After stitching around the entire cloud I flipped my cloud back over so that the right side faced up and "quilted" the top pieces by vertically stitching along the cloud at various intervals. This serves two purposes, one to anchor down edges of overlapping fabric scraps, and two to add a textural element to the piece. The quilting threads also made for happy "rain" along the bottom of my cloud.

 

Trim threads where you want them trimmed and hang in a happy place (I used washi tape looped onto the back along with a length of yarn clipped to a wire)! I love my cloud and will need to make more I think. If you would like a chance to win this bit of happy, leave me a happy comment below. You have until Earth Day to leave a comment!

scrumdilly style: day 3

The temps for the week seemed to be summery. I think it was 85 on the day I wore this ensemble. I love this ensemble. Cool, comfortable, and not in the least bit old lady-ish. I paired items 3 and 8...easy peasy. And the shoes I have to tell ya were a thrift find. Barely worn if even worn at all these were a studio shoe...a shoe that was purchased to be worn by an actor or extra. They have writing inside for the wardrobe department. I know this because I am a child of the San Fernando Valley (like omigod) and have visited a few wardrobe departments in my day. Not only that, these babies are Allegria and sport rhinestoney skull bling on them. Skulls! My inner 80s death rocker loves them for that and my inner old lady who pines for the comfort of nursing shoes loves the comfort of these. These retail for pennies shy of $120 and I got these and two other pair for a total of $24.98! It's the thrift score of the year!

scrumdilly style: day 2

Day 2 was a work day where I spend most of my time outside with kiddos running around all over the place. I tend to get covered in sand and silt and paint and all the fun stuff that plays well with preschoolers. We had a short week...only two days of work for the week though so I thought the patchy jeans would be okay for one school day. The top is from Forever 21. I thought it worked with all the other pieces and it was a bit whimsical so I went for it. I wore it with the poorly made skully boots cuz I felt like wearing boots. I'm not exactly smitten with the wee ponty-tails but my hair was not cooperating so there ya go. So this is outfit number two...items 1 and 8.

the march bed

 

 

 

 

Top pillowcase, cloud, and large patchwork throw made by me. The awesome floral green pillowcase on the left there was from a wonderful swap years and years ago. The other three cases were thrifted. The fantastic orange bedspread was a lovely pass along from this lovely lady and the vintage daisy throw came all the way from Oklahoma care of my seester. Oh and the fantastic headboard was made by my brother, while the shelves were tinkered by the mister...the wood came from an old bookcase that was repurposed into my blanket shelf (I need to take a better photo for ya to see how cool it is). and don't worry, a cloud diy is coming soon!

scrumdilly style: day 1

 

Wearing items, 2, 6, and 7. I suppose this combo is a bit on the plain side, save for the colors. A skirt, top...flats. Not too fancy but you can dress it up with a fitted jacket or maybe a bit of velvet...boots perhaps or grab and old man cardigan and wear it with some purcels. All kinds of options here.

time for a mini capsule wardrobe: round 1

I have to admit I really did enjoy my adventure in capsule wardrobing. I enjoyed it so much I thought I would give it another go but this time make it for a week...it seems I have a LOT of bits and bobs crammed into the not-so-large closet. It's about time I actually stretched myself to wear what is inside instead of pulling on the same pair of jeans and same three grey tops over and over again.

There are all sorts of things in the closet that I always seem to make the cut when I purge but never actually get worn. Though I can't really say that is the case for this round as most of the items are a bit new in the newly thrifted sense...I'll break it down for ya in case you are actually reading thisand are interested.

1. newish top from F21 for some reason I can wear their tops. This one has a faux cross-stitch design. I like that about it and that this is a t-shirt cut but in lace. I really need to wear it though (and I did...three times!)

2. An old Mossimo fave from Target. I remember I really wanted the button-down but there was no way it would um...button down. It's the colors that make me smile and so I got this top instead. It is a soft cotton and I like the boat neck. The sleeves could be a little longer though.

3. This orange top was purchased last year from F21. It is a vivid orange which doesn't show up in the photo. It's sheer and boxy and I like the assymetricality of it. I only wore this once during the week but I tried it on with the green skirt and under the smock dress and it worked.

4. This smock dress was thrifted sometime last fall from the outlet wear clothing is sold by the pound. It is a bit more faded than in the photo and it has pockets which is always a good thing. It worked as a smock on it's own and as a jumper when worn over other tops. All of the tops save for the black sweatshirt worked with this.

5. I picked this up from Target around the holidays. I love it. It is super soft and comfy and has a neon pink zipper that flashes about in the back. While I do love a babydoll I am ready to acknowledge that maybe it is not the most flattering shape for the goodness that is my chunky self. Sigh...you'll see...

6. This green skirt is a F21 skirt but I got it at Goodwill for $1.98 (yay for half off days). It is a super vivid green...like crayon green. This was the basis for the entire capsule. I picked it to wear for St. Patrick's day because I am nothing if not a ham. Looks good with all the tops and under the grey dress...or so I though.

7. Another F21 purchase. Eeegads it looks like my mini wardrobe has been sponsored by the place but really I own maybe a dozen pieces and it seems I tend to wear them all together, I love the boxy shape of this sweatshirt...and the zippers. It however may not like my body.

8. And my old baggy patchy jeans. I love these jeans even if they do tend to fall down a lot. I usually only wear them at home now because the hitch and walk is not really a pretty sight. but yeah...I wore these all week. I like the patchiness and how they have been patched for ages way before the couture trend.

So that's it folks. The week has been completed and I will be posting the results here...I'm beginning a new week this week as well....you just may get tired of all this but I hope you are inspired instead.

a wee wander on the mountain...

Yesterday, the mister and I headed out for a wee wander. We didn't really hash it out ahead of time so of course found ourselves in the driveway, in the car, asking each other..."So...where do you wanna go?" There may have been a wee squabble and there may have been a bit of crankiness on both sides but we were determined to walk and so we hit the Lemon Grove Loop on Cerro San Luis aka Madonna Mountain. We stopped at the eucalyptus grove as eucalyptus and this jek do not mix but continued on the loop once we met up with the main trail...

 The total loop is 2.2 miles...there's a bit of up and a bit of down. Not too much shade and you can see the freeway and hear it...not the best but the morning was overcast and so we continued on.

 A few trees here and there...tons of cactus and not much else save for the dirt path and grassy bits...

 I was winded. Super winded. More winded than the Rinconada trail which had more of an elevation climb. I was also congested with allergies and now I am more so but still I got out!

 I may have stopped a dozen or so times to photograph the mossy bits on the few and none-too-frequent posts...I still need to upload the photos from the Rebel thee are probably a dozen or so of the mister's back...wheee!

 See? Dirt trail and grass...there were a few wildflowers popping up and a mockingbird or two sing-songing about with the occasional tweeee of a hummingbird zipping by...no insects, no tracks, just a lot of bags of canine crap...really people? Ugh. So we walked, and it was pretty enough and I got my cardio for the day...then I came home and moved piles around in the pink room and planned for some craftiness. Planned being the operative word but there shall be crafting! I'm working on getting my mojo back...and doing something about it. Tomorrow is the final day for my second round of The Great Wardrobe Adventure...I need to remember to take photos...note to self...TAKE PHOTOS!

yeah...well...camping did not happen

the return of the cold pressed coffee

 at least for me it did not. I got sick. Or I continued to be sick. I don't know about you but my allergies tend to manifest in cold-like symptoms. I generally feel all snuffled up and so so so tired. Colds however make me ache more than the allergies and then the sore throat part tends to build up and whammy me over the noggin. I think I had a cold then allergies that masked the cold which made me feel like I was the same old allergy ridden jek until I overworked myself and got walloped all over again. Sniff. So now, the cold is gone but the allergies are back! I shake my fist at the wind. Darn wind carrying all those tiny spores that like to invade my sad immune system. So yeah...everyone else went camping while I stayed home sucking on cough drops, drinking hot tea and watching various internet television such as this and this and this.

cloud pillows in the classroom

I'm still so very sleepy. Soooooo sleepy. My endo tells me my T3 has gone all hyper on me and so we're playing with no thyroid meds over the weekends and I tell ya, one day with no tyhroid meds makes a huge difference in how I feel aka BETTER! But enough about my old lady health issues, let's look at some pretty...

 Lookie that! That's a peach-to-be. This warm weather that never really got cold kept everything from going dormant and now everything is in bloom (hence the allergies). We have an apple tree and a peach tree bursting with blooms. The peach tree produces a fair amount of fruit but the apple is still a young'un and only makes three or four edible apples but it will get there.

Do you see the bee? This rose, for some reason is a haven for large black bees. I can't tell if they are bumble or carpenter. My guess is carpenter and maybe they have nested in the wood trellis. I haven't found them entering anywhere but good golly do they buzz buzz buzz around. There were around a dozen or so flying around when I snapped this photo. I love the bees!

Not too long ago I whipped up a frittata to feed seven adults. Sauteed some onion in the cast iron skillet, added some rainbow chard from the garden then a pack of frozen sweet potato tots from TJoe's  and a dozen eggs. Topped it all with some parmesan and monterey jack then popped it into the broiler for a few (maybe a few too many it got kinda brown). It was devoured! DEVOURED. Usually we end up with a slice or two leftover but not this time. I need to get more eggs. I wish we had chickens. So there ya go. Some craftiness that happened, some cooking, and some garden goodness. I'm on day three of the new wardrobe adventure and I'm not really into yet but I will be. It's been warm and I'm not a fan of warm. I need to tackle a spot in the granny room to take pics of the pieces...coming soon!

this and that

It's warm today..I suppose this warming trend is here to stay. It's kinda a bummer. One of the reasons I love living up in this little town is that it tends to be cooler than Los Angeles and cooler longer at that. Our summers were mild kinda like most springs but now? Eegads it's been warm. The garden likes it, the birds do too. It's kinda nice but so out of place. It makes me feel a bit discombobulated. Tends to make me feel a bit off, sleepy and even a smidge weepy...you know, more than usual. Yup, I'm a bit a of a mess. A mostly happy mes with weepy bits in between but a good number of those weepy bits are happy weepies so there is that.

My nose has sort of been working (thanks to evil meds) and my breathing has been sort of okay but the wind has been kicking up a storm here and I did ingest a wonderfully scent-happy-feel-good essential oil that I forgot to verify ALL the ingredients to...I shake my fist at you, eucalyptus, you! So I have no idea if the wheeze is from that darn oil or from the whatever it is the wind throws at me. I'm not 100% certain I am allergic to eucalyptus...it's just that whenever I am around the trees and back when I used good old vick's I got sick. Some say vick's does not have enough of the oil in it and that I am probably allergic to the camphor or the menthol but other products with menthol are fine for me. When the wind dies down and I am feeling better I will try the oil again and see what happens. It smells so good!

In other news I found this coffee concentrate from the Georgia Coffee Company and it is awful. I should have read the ingredients. I usually do but this is what happens when I operate with a fever and too little sleep and need to be at work. The first ingredient is water, the second is HFCS....it is more sweet than coffee...I mixed up an iced coffee in my to go cup but didn't try it...when I got to schol I almost did a spit take it was so sweet. I thought I added flavored half n half but I didn't. Yowza! Note to self always, always, ALWAYS read the ingredient list.

 

Thank goodness I still have some of my happy me. Super drats though that I found it at TJ Maxx and only picked up one box. I went back and it was all gone. And now I can't find it online anywhere. Grr. This tisane is really tasty and smells delicious. I only drink it when my sniffer is working.

 

I got some grannies in the mail the other day and it totally made my day! I miss happy mail and love sending it as well so if you have a knack for granny squares or want to swap something, drop me a line...for reals!

We're going camping next weekend! Looking forward to it but hoping the evenings are not too chilly. My sad throat and nodes don't like the col cold air. We're talking sore throat for days. But where we are camping is surrounded by oak and knock on wood, oak is one of the very few tres I am NOT allergic too. Whoo-hoo!

Well folks, that's all for now...nothing much really. I'm heading out to meet a friend for coffee then a fabric shop wander but first I need to finish laundry, eat some lunch, and hit up the library. Oh wait! I forgot to tell ya I'm jumping back into this capsule wardrobe dealio (though I will be taking a break from it when we go camping). The new batch is built around a sheer pleated skirt in emerald green that I scored at the thrift for two smackeroos! While one combo may make me look like the middle-aged gal I am, I am hoping the rest are quirky yet stylish enough to make me look like a grown up and not just a crazy chunky 40-something. Happy March!

nine years hitcherooed!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We arrived to a newly landscaped fountain and not another soul about. If you follow along you might remember last year the fountain was closed. It was overcast but not raining and I eyed the height of the fountain edge and felt old and out of shape. But then the mister pulled me up to the ledge, we clasped hands and flew! While I did manage to not do that weird spider-man thing I usually do, I totally forgot to think about my face. GAH! Oh well...both the mister and I were feeling under the weather and silly poofy face or not I adore that guy and the jump must go on! Many many mwahs, hugs, and kisses to my bestest who pushed the shutter button for us. I adore you!

*if you want to see all of our jumps, hop on over to flickr!