a few vintage dresses for me - part 1

This first one is special - it came from my grandmother's closet. This was a dress she wore in the 1950s when she was a junior in high school! It's snug in the top, but I decided if it fit I was keeping it.

So I did.

(Someone always manages to sneak into the photos ...)

It is actually a vegetable print with tones of cream, yellow, green and purple. The skirt is amazing and I think I need a petticoat. It still has its belt (many, many vintage dresses do not) and it's double rope-like belt that I just tied around my sweater.

I wore this one to church one day and got several compliments. On a vegetable dress, I know!

dress: Grandma, sweater: thrifted, cream tights: Target, brown shoes (not shown): JCP.

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This one is a handmade, crazy pink, 70s print polyester maxi dress that seems to have seen better hippietastic days. I thrifted this one and decided I'd try a dress re-do (you can't get good at sewing if you never try!) - so I snapped a few "before" pictures and then cut it up.

The skirt was a crazy wide bell and the sleeves had elastic cuffs (yuck) so I...

... cut off the skirt length
... narrowed the skirt bell
... narrowed the waist (then took it out again and gave myself a little more wiggle room)
... cut off the sleeves in favor of a cap sleeve
... then shortened the neckline ties.

Probably my least favorite of all of my vintage dresses (first time's a charm!?) - mostly because of the crazy print and because it doesn't flatter my figure at all ... I look straight all the way down! But I still am proud of my first attempt.

dress: thrifted and altered, necklace: my MIL's 80s closet, belt: LOFT, white lace leggings: Khol's clearance, clutch: Korea, black peeptoes: my closet.

a few vintage dresses for me! (*week series*)

This week I'm featuring some of my "new" vintage dresses! One of my goals of 2012 was to "continue to develop my personal style" - which included acquiring several vintage dresses.

This was the first one. Remember this post?

Looking forward to some fun posts showing off my recent finds!! :-) 

DIY Sticky Game for Toddlers

I got a great idea from Parents as Teachers and wanted to try it out with Ladybug - a super easy DIY sticky game for toddlers.

1) Take a piece of (old) contact paper and place it sticky side out on a flat surface about as high as your child.

2) Learn with him/her about the light items that stick and others that are too heavy.

(her baby was too heavy.)

This wasn't a long game (it lasted about 10-15 minutes) but it was super fun and she enjoyed it thoroughly. I had fun, too, collecting items that wouldn't break but may or may not stick.

A few things to note:
- the contact paper did leave a little residue behind on the widow.
- I wanted to leave it up for about 24 hours but in about 4-5 it had fallen down.
- Jeremy came home and thought it was "art" that we made. I appreciated that thought! :-)

Have a toddler? Try it out! It's fun.

Ninjago Birthday Card DIY

One of my piano students shares a birthday with my mom (Happy Birthday Mom!) so I celebrated with an awesome card and some of her favorite candy.

She is also a tomboy, hates pretty much everything girly and loves the color green. For her birthday party she went to a "ninja place" - and her favorite show to watch is Ninjago.

RIGHT. Like this mother-of-a-2-year-old knows anything about Ninjago. (I do Baby Einstein, ABCs and Twinkle, Twinkle, not school or Legos or haute kid TV shows.) 

But I digress. So Google was my friend and there was an easy peasy Ninjago idea for multiple things - perfect for an easy card.

I printed off a sample birthday invitation with a good facing photo and printed it off at about 50% of its original size to fit a card. Then I cut the main shape out for a template.

I was going to use black cardstock for the eyes/brows but I had no black cardstock! So I went to plan b and sketched the eyes/brows directly on the yellow cardstock piece cut from the template and then filled it in with a permanent marker.

Perfect! Glue yellow piece on green (her favorite color), cut out a matching piece for writing ease inside and glue.

Pretty impressive for this non-Ninjago Mama, huh? :-)

Except then she told me her favorite Ninjago ninja was blue... ha! Can't get everything right.

Reading about Food.

Lately, I've run across some resources for clean/organic/local/better eating and after our CSA experience last year, I've kept my eyes peeled for different ways of eating. Because, truly, something has to change. 

Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser provided an in-depth look into the "dark side" of American fast food from its history to its modern day practices. Overall an informative (and yucky) read on fast food - something that I wasn't overly interested in eating in the first place.

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Many, many of these types of books are very negative toward food, corporations, mass production, etc and understandably so! There is some junk going on in the industry that is controlled by only a very few and will probably not change. However, in presenting the same information, Barbara Kingsolver shared her family's year long eating experience in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and put a completely positive spin on it. I loved that! It was a long read, but well worth it.

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Finally, The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan was also a very long but informative read about the author's journey through attaining four (very different) meals in the USA. First, fast food, then a supermarket organic meal, a completely local meal from Polyface Farm and finally a hunted and gathered meal. I have to admit that he pretty much lost my interest at the end with the hunting/gathering so I didn't actually read the last section of the book, however I read what I wanted to. This opened my eyes to the corporate organic companies and takeovers and solidified that local is probably the best. Currently, we're looking for the best organic/local/grassfed meat options for our limited budget (eatwild.com). I'll let you know who we find!

I'm looking forward to reading Pollan's follow up called In Defense of Food.

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We're watching documentaries including Food, Inc., Tapped, Fresh and King Corn.

And I just came across another web resource for Clean Eating (Thanks Jess!). While I was disappointed at the misnomer ("clean" really only means less processed foods rather than truly organic foods) it was a great resource for substitutes and less processed food items in every day places. A great first step for people trying to eat better. 

March's Loaf - Irish Brown Soda Bread

Irish Brown Soda Bread seemed just right for March's loaf on a cold day supper involving a broccoli-cilantro soup.

A wheaty, dense loaf that has no yeast - so there is no resting/raising time required. Just needs about 45 minutes to bake. However, a soda bread really needs to be eaten freshly warm and in one sitting - because it doesn't last as well as yeast breads.  

Mmmm.

After cutting a 1/2" deep cross in the center of the dough, this baby raised in the oven like there was no tomorrow! I love the lack of symmetry in this crusty, handmade loaf.

Happy St. Patty's day, folks! 


See previous loaves here:
January's Loaf
February's Loaf 

**As usual, I'm not going to detail the recipes for sake of time (and my sanity with a 2year old!), but if you'd like a recipe just email me at lisamarie (dot) de (at) gmail (dot) com and I'll be happy to send you a copy.

cutest boy ever! sock monkey inspired.

I can be biased, right? There are no baby boys in the family (or boys at all for that matter!) and this little dude is the only one. My nephew. (Aren't I lucky?)

And we LOOOVE him, along with those long eyelashes and squeezy cheeks.

J, S Hodges

My sister dug out his Christmas present and tried it on him (the tummy buttons are popping - love it!) and it was perfect. Little Mister is 6 months old and this sock monkey inspired outfit started with the onesie. I picked it up and it immediately reminded me of a sock monkey - so I searched on Etsy to find the perfect sock monkey hat and ...

J, S Hodges

...tada!! Here he is.

Ash Wednesday "Experiential" Service

I lead my church's Ash Wed service several weeks ago and am just now getting this post up - it's still Lent and I'm allowing myself to type this online even though I'm just having one session a day. Just in case anyone is looking for resources to plan an experiential Ash Wednesday service, I am sharing the ones I've found and the worship order plan I used. 

My pastor said I could just repeat last year's service but I'm not really into doing the same exact thing two year in a row. Much of it was similar, but this year I focused on the concept of emptying space in our busy lives in order for God to fill us. See explanation further. 

Sample Worship Order - Ash Wednesday, February 13, 2013

(Christ Community Church of the Nazarene)   

On screen before service starts: “Remember, you are dust.” 

Welcome & Prayer 

“Recycled Orchestra” Video 

Explanation of Ashes 

Explanation of Lent 
(Here is a snippet of what I shared.) 

I think it’s interesting that New Year’s and Lent are coinciding for me this year. I’m a small goal person, so I like to take challenges in little steps. For the last few New Years I’ve taken some time to revisit the year before by answering a few questions like what the best thing was that happened in the previous year, the most challenging thing, what were the best books I read, in what ways did you grow, etc. One of the last questions that asked, “What was the single biggest time waster in your life in the past year?” I thought about it, wrote down my answer then a little bit later looked back at my answer from the year before that (2011). It was exactly the same thing.

Oh. 

(My biggest time waster? Spending time online looking at blogs and DIYs and creative ideas and checking my email and checking my email and checking my email...)

It was rather eye opening to realize that I’ve been wasting my time the exact same way for two years.

 

If you haven’t decided a way to fast or empty yourself for Lent this year, I’d encourage you to think about that question: “what is the single biggest time waster in my life?” Is it electronics? Texting? Complaining? Cooking? Eating? Multitasking? TV? Movies? Shopping? The list is endless and let me clarify, lots of these things aren’t necessarily bad or sinful – although for some they are. However, they can reach a point where they consume you and too much of your life. I can find myself spending too much time online – time that could be spent in other ways. So during Lent I’ve decided to limit myself in that area.

 

So, think about it. What is the biggest time waster in your life? Could you move that aside and make some time for God for a season? During Lent, I encourage all of us to be deliberate about setting time aside for Him and not filling those empty spaces with our busy activity. Allow God to fill the emptiness, that space in your life for Lent.

“Emptying to Fill” (read by 6 different women) 
 

Response 
Now let us prepare for a journey of the heart. Let us be open to the grace that enables our growth. With gratitude and wonder, we receive Christ’s Love in our minds and hearts and souls. If you are able, I invite you to kneel and silently pray. As you do, listen to the gracious words of our Savior Jesus Christ:

(Matt. 11:28, 29; John 6:35, 37; Matt. 5:6)
 

Come to me, all you that are weary

and are carrying heavy burdens,
and I will give you rest.
 

Take my yoke upon you,

and learn from me;
for I am gentle and lowly in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.

I am the bread of life.
Whoever comes to me will never be hungry,
and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
No one who comes to me will I cast out.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.

Silent Prayer

Litany of Penitence (pp. 225-226)

SONG:  My Jesus, I Love Thee (vs 1, 2, 1) 

OT Lesson: Psalm 51:1-17 

The Word of the Lord 
Thanks be to God.

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 
The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
Praise to you, Lord Christ.
 

Explanation of Stations 
We encourage everyone to participate, however no one is forced to participate. If they choose not to, they can remain in their seats and just watch/reflect.

(About 20 minutes with music playing in background.)
  
The four stations included:

1) a station of emptying where we filled a small votive with sand and emptied it as a symbol of emptying something out of our lives this season. 

2) Then there is a station where the light of Christ can fill your votives - your newly empty places.  

(Between those two there is a box that can be used to write what you are taking away or adding to your life for the season – as a tangible act.) 

3) There is also a station of forgiveness where you write a word on a piece of paper and stir it into the basin and watch as it dissolves.

4) A blessing station with oil to bless your children, your spouse, your friends. Also communion included if anyone wants to serve each other.

Each station includes more in depth explanations (a scripture, reflection and action), and we encourage everyone to take time to reflect on them. 

Ashes: At any time after the pastors have returned to the center, we are invited to receive communion and the imposition of the ashes on our foreheads.

Music Video to reconvene: “You Make Beautiful Things”
  
Litany of Pardon and Renewal

Benediction/Sending 
May we empty ourselves this season and allow the light of Christ fill those empty places.
May God, who has forgiven and fed us, now make us strong for these days ahead.
May Jesus lead us, and we be found faithful to follow.
May the Spirit drive us into the wilderness, burning away the chaff of our lives, and purifying our hearts for all to see and be blessed.
And may the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be with us and remain with us always! 
Please go quietly and in peace, to love God and serve others.

**To find more links, visit my Ash Wednesday post from last year.

vintage thrifting finds! {shop update!}

Just when I said that estate sales were my new thrifting, I scored at the thrift store! And, mind you, I'm not writing off thrift stores in the least, and most definitely not now...

Stop by the shop to check out the rest!

Ombre Four-leaf Clover St. Patty's Day Banner

Using this tutorial for a "Shamrock Barrette" I made an Ombre Four-Leaf Clover banner. Just for fun and to quiet down our wall from So Many Hearts.

(If I would've actually pinned it, I could've qualified it as another Pinterest project! Isn't it sad that I have to try to do that?! haha.)

It's rather labor intensive (as far as crafting goes), so if you have the time/patience to cut out and hand sew 60+ little clover leaves, you should!

I rather think it's festive, simple, yet fun. (15 clovers = 3 colored sheets of felt @ 25 cents a piece makes for a rather inexpensive project too! the squares on the ends are some scraps...)

We aren't celebrating Irish in our family (although aren't we part Irish, Dad?), but adding some GREEN to wintry March is so very appropriate in my opinion.

A few other green sparks ...

here...

and here.

Cheers!

Reading lately...

I've been reading ... and already have another book post forming in my mind, so I'd better get this one off.

Have you heard of or read In the Presence of My Enemies? It was free on Kindle so I got it awhile ago and just read through it lately. It literally made my heart stop. (When it got going again, all I could do was cry! And not many books make me cry.)

After my experience in Haiti, the story of Gracia and Martin's kidnapping was a very vivid picture in my mind. (Kidnappings/unrest have been a fairly regular thing in Haiti.) The very powerful story of their struggles during the year in captivity were all presented in such a real way - these were just people who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Both struggled very deeply with bad feelings toward their captors (of course, who wouldn't!?) and it was such an amazing story of faith.

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*On the flip side of Haiti, reading  this beautiful post and "room for one more", here.

I've heard tons about The Happiness Project and decided to see what the buzz was all about for myself. I love Gretchen Rubin's easy-to-read, humorous writing style and she made some really great points in this book. Overall a quick, yet thought-provoking, read.

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Finally, another free Kindle book, The Rose Hotel. I'm not very familiar with Iranian culture, but the writing of this "true life novel" helped normalize Middle Eastern culture for me. It is a story of a girl and a tragedy in her family. It is a powerful story, yet no earth shattering endings. Another real life story from a different voice than I'm used to reading.

That's all for now! Share anything you've read lately and recommend in the comments - I'll see if I can pick it up!

estate sale finds

The day after the last snowstorm (last week - we've had another since!) I asked Jeremy to help dig out the car so I could go to an estate sale in town. I'm on an email list for a certain company and usually they are in the surrounding towns ... but this was was only a couple of miles away. Score!

I arrived about 10 minutes after it opened and what I wanted to find (skeleton keys) were gone in the first few minutes. Two lessons learned: 1) if you want something, get there when they open and 2) ask right away where something is located. I hunted around for about 20 minutes and then asked, but they were gone.

Oh well. In the meantime, I found ...

...this beautiful vintage suitcase!

It's not perfect (it's used, duh!) on the outside but inside is still in wonderful shape. One of the best I've seen! The elastic is still in tip-top shape, no rips, tears or fading. And (amazingly enough!) it has no musty smell - awesome!

A couple of vintage pieces for the shop:

They had a bunch more clothes but most were very, very stained. Something I have to watch out for when buying! Otherwise I might've gone crazy...

And some amazing metal letters with great chippy patinas... also for the shop!

Estate sale hunting is now the new thrifting! At least in my book. Last time they featured a 70% off and I got 30 baby clothing pieces for $9. Amazing. This was full price, but still worth it. Still less than thrift store pricing.

Find anything vintagely amazing lately!? Do share!

February's Loaf -- (Orange Cinnamon Swirl Bread)

For February's loaf it seemed appropriate to go sweet.

I had no problem with this.

How does Orange Cinnamon Swirl Bread sound? I'll take some thank-you-very-much!

The process was a lot like cinnamon rolls, except no cutting - and the result was not gooey rolls but a moist, delicious hot slice of orangey heaven! There was 3/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice and plenty of orange peel involved.

Taste perfection! I still am having odd issues with my oven - the bread is splitting on one side. I may just have to live with that, but I'd love to know why. Maybe one side of my oven is hotter than the other? Have any ideas bakers?

See past loaves here:

January's Loaf

** I'm not going to detail the recipes for sake of time (and my sanity with a 2year old!), but if you'd like a recipe just email me at lisamarie (dot) de (at) gmail (dot) com and I'll be happy to send you a copy.

Ash Wed - Lent begins!

You may've noticed less of me around these parts for the last 2 weeks and that will probably continue. I've been planning our church's Ash Wednesday service for a couple of weeks and between screaming two year old and no extra time, blogging has taken a back seat quickly.

I actually am giving up a majority of my time online for Lent so you also may not see me for another 6 weeks except here and there. I will have to be online some because of my business and some communication that has to take place online (I'm not going to be that strict about it) - but definitely the majority of my time. I'm going to miss my DIY and beautifully inspiring blogs!

I will, however, blog about the Ash Wednesday service and may even let you into a few of my thoughts as I fill the newly empty space in my life with more of Him.

How will you observe Lent this year?

Need some ideas on how to celebrate Lent as a family? Go here.

Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Heart Cookies

I love making heart-shaped cookies for Valentine's Day. Call me corny, but I do. Usually it's the magic, traditional heart shaped sugar cookie recipe, but this year I decided to make shortbread cookies for the first time.

I used this recipe here without the frosting. (It had 1/4 cup more sugar than the other and used a tiny spot of baking powder.) Then I just melted some semi-sweet chocolate chips and dipped half of the cookie in them. When the chocolate was too low to dip, I grabbed a spoon and made pretty drizzles on the rest.

For my first shortbread making try, I was pleased. If you let it warm just a little after refrigerating, it rolls out very well (because of the butter). But it also sticks to the rolling pin quite badly if you don't flour enough. So 1) let them warm for 5-10 min and 2) flour up! Finally, the cookies will hold their shape better in the oven if they are refrigerated after cut.

What rich, yummy goodness!