Bebe Jacket - Part 1

This little gal, she likes to quilt (and to sit upon quilts). She curled up behind me today in the floor and snoozed while I worked on part of Bebe's jacket.

It's a free form process and I'm still not in the habit of taking photos as I go. So far it's been... cut out tissue paper pattern, try tissue paper pattern on dog, make another tissue paper pattern, cut 5" and 3" random strips from not-quite-scrap fabric, arrange, arrange again, stitch pairs together vertically, pin, stitch together horizontally...

Iron the windowpane, just like Miss Audrey taught me.

And, voila, a pieced fabric for the top of a cozy dog jacket!

(Slightly rumpled here from behind tied on the Bebe dog for size.) It's bigger than the finished product and will be trimmed into nice curves later. I hope it works. :crosses fingers:

Meanwhile, Judy the Pocket Beagle says that she would like one in yellow paisley, please ma'am. She pulled the fabric out of the stack herself! 

Jumping Through Hoops

{doggie kennel "camp" set up on the bleachers}

We went to a Dog Agility Competition today. It's free to go and watch! (And every bit as fun as the circus.) Our first sight was a "DOGS NOT ALLOWED INSIDE THE BUILDING" sign taped to the door, then walking through the door to be greeted by a lazy lab and the echo of barking. Hah.

There were border collies (and yes, this blur was about all you saw of them most of the time) and Boston terriers and everything in-between.  (Even a Chihuahua! After the tiny terrier's, we were wondering how much lower the rails could go, but lower they did and the Chi didn't miss a one. Neither did the Boxer - I was very impressed by how great all the off-breeds did [aka - not Sheltie/Collie/Border Collies]!

Still, it was easier to take pictures of things that weren't flying through nylon chutes.

Should've gotten a pic of our nachos.... Mmm, yeah.

Foster Puppy #2

This is Jude (or Judy, rather) the beagle. She came in last night. She's only 10" tall (that's full-grown!). She's very shy, so - shhh!

Dog Gone Cute

Is this seersucker dog collar by Pecan Pie Puppies not the cutest thing you've seen all winter? The felt flower snaps off for ease of care (and dog napping). Bebe would love this!

Geological Museum/Park Photoshoot

Hey, I was the location scout/model/and maybe photographer of the last photo, so I get to post them too, yes? ;) I think it turned out rather fairytale-ish - nearly as much as it felt. We were there on the hunt for a letterbox, thus the first picture. (We found it!) The amateur landscaper in me was carefully inspecting these manmade "dino eggs". They seemed to be heaps of packed earth held together with plastic netting and moss encouraged to grow over the tops. Anything you care to replicate at home?

Photoshoot by the beautiful and talented ActuallyLaura.

Armchair Gardening

 

(images mostly from davesgarden- whoops! I got the roses twice!)

Now this is the way to spend a January afternoon....Pulling together some images for my Plant Notebook, enjoying the sunny snowy day and watching parts of the Inauguration on TV...I was pleased to see that all the assorted plants I had chosen so far look rather pretty together! I like armchair gardening - when I'm planting and pruning and picking flowers in my mind, they all grow up so nice and fluffy. :)

something to entertain you

I'm supposed to be working on a new story, but Petfinder.com distracted me with it's entirely unexpected and far too cute Mutt-Maker. What does your dream mutt look like? 

Fashion Show Follow-up (and a really cute pup besides)

I came here this morning to share this beautiful photograph that my friend Lizzie took of her dog (whose name is Toffee - doesn't it fit? I need a chair like this for my desk!) and found a pile of comments waiting to be approved. Thank you, everyone for your responses! My day/week has officially been made. I'll try and reply to the questions here.

Laura said: Where do you find awesome skirts like that Sara? I have a few cool ones, but can't seem to find any lately. I can't seem to find any clothes that fit my "style" either. Are there particular stores that you usually find stuff?

My current favorite place to shop for skirts is Sundance. Their bottoms actually fit me (and my style!). The outlets have some reasonably priced things - especially taking into consideration the CPW, cost per wear. These are hearty, versatile clothes that you can wear hundreds of times! Look at the Sagebrush skirt, or the Escapade skirt. (I for one wish that the Cornelia Jumper and the Liela skirt were just a little bit cheaper! The jumper is rather short though...wear it over leggings?)

Target has some very nice knee length skirts on their website.

Check out this cute double button skirt from Gap!

Thrift stores and Ebay are also great skirt resources - just keep your eyes open! 

Reborn said: ...I love hats but can never find classy hats that I like. Where did you find that one?

Walmart or Kmart. Shhh - it's a secret! What do you think of these from Forever21? They could pull off a similar effect...

Again, thank you guys a ton for all the comments! I'll see you later, with pictures of dinosaur eggs in a forest. Sound intriguing? 

Fashion Show: Modest = Easy & Stylish

Especially in the wintertime! Drawing inspiration from the freezing weather and Sundance catalog, this outfit features a chunky knit teal sweater (aunt's hand-me-down, more jewel-toned in person), my favorite winter skirt - a purple/burgundy/nuetralish cord from the Sundance Outlet, textured tights and BareTraps clogs (I still can't get over their cute buckles!).  Peculiar expression spur of the moment. 

While we're on the subject, I knew there was a good reason I'd been taking pics (or asking Laura to) of more interesting outfits lately! Here are some from earlier this year:

Cool brown linen drawstring skirt for summer (J. Crew), striped blouse (BITTEN), super comfy sandals, and a wide headband for color.Trying to figure out someway to wear a bucket hat...warm eyelet tee (Sundance Outlet), wool tweed skirt, belt, tights and those clogs again. Also, Ben Franklin's auto-biography makes for a great accessory. :)

 

Most unusual combo of the year. ;) I was...inspired? Teal tee (AE), striped blouse worn jacket-style, grey corduroy skirt and more yummy tights.

I do wear pants too - skirts just seem to be the most fun to rearrange in outfits! Modesty is so easily attained. I have piles of catalog and magazine cutouts that demonstrate this - even some that are frum and still super cute! 

Now, go to LikeAWarmCupOfCoffee and see all the other outfits!

See?

Told you Shih Tzu paws were cute. They're like tiny (and slightly mud-stained) bear paws.

Things about Cammy:

• She cannot tell where a squeaker's squeak is coming from. 
  
• Thus, she swears a mouse is under my armoire.
  
• She doesn't like dog bones.
  
• But she takes her medicine (cheese helps so much!)
  
• She likes to have her head rubbed.
  
• And ruffled.
  
• Especially first thing in the morning, when, if you get the right spot, she'll roll over on her back, happy as a lark.
  
• Feather dusters drive her crazy.
  

She goes on her way bright and early tomorrow morning. I hope they love her lots up in Virginia!

(PS - I got accepted into Master Gardeners today!!)

Quick, before the taters are done...

Being a stray and all, Cammy doesn't seem to respond to the name Cammy. Inspired by our groomer, we've been playing a game of calling her all sorts of names. "Emily?" "Gizmo?" "Heidi?" Nope. (Bebe, meanwhile, responds enthusiastically to all of the above. Love that dog!) 

So...if you had a dog like this, what would you call her? 

Stylish Modest

Sometimes blog hopping, even for just a few moments can yield lovely results... 

I was checking SimplyVintageGirl and noticed the new button on her sidebar (which is now on mine as well) going to a Modesty Blog Fashion Show and then from there...Christa-Taylor. It's not often that you see an modest clothes designer with such great vintage-inspired style and a terrific website besides. Her blog maybe one of my new favorites. You should go and see!

Anyway, back to regular broadcasting!

she's here!

...And sleeping behind me, stretched out on the floor. (Shih Tzu paws are pretty cute, just so you know.) 

Bebe's doing her best at coping with not being the only dog. (She liked that, just so you know!)

I'm enjoying having a small dog patter after me for a few days.  (It makes one feel quite vain, just so you know. ;D )

like a magazine theme or a month long festival or pony blinders

This blog is entirely too scattered. But a girl just can't condense herself into one 'genre' for any length of time, so this is hereby declared DOG MONTH! 

Upcoming posts:

• On fostering Cammy
  
• On fostering in general
  
• A quilted dog jacket for Bebe
  
• Dog books, stories, art, etc...
  

as we were saying...

This story begins several weeks ago, in the fall, when Laura, our niece De'Anna and me were walking back from the park. We happened upon a little black dog wandering around the streets. He looked old and sick and when we went back to check a while later, he was still there. We took him home and posted flyers all up and down the street. We contacted a local realtor, who has a heart for helping strays and generously offered to take him to a vet, but the little black dog didn't last through the night. About two weeks later, we got a call from the owners. His name was Sonny and he had been very sick for a very long time. 

The experience was wrenching, but inspired us to help other dogs in the future. The realtor promised to write us the next time a fostering opportunity came up and yesterday she did! 

A Shih Tzu mix named Cammy was in transport (something like an Underground Railroad for dogs) and needed a place to stay for two weeks. This we could do! You can't get too attached in two weeks, right?

There was some drama involved with getting her... (She's already fostered! No, she's adopted! No, they came, they saw, they left) which threw Cammy off the transport and put her on the euthanize list for this afternoon. But now she's safe and by 3 o'clock should be on her way here!

This is her Petfinder page here: Cammy. 

I'm so excited to help watch this baby until her next transport to a forever home! Anyone need a little dog? (This little dog is going to need a bath! And a bow...)

Project 365

Among other New Year's Resolutions, I plan to spend my 2009 taking pictures. Three hundred and sixty five to be exact - one for every day. Since I've nearly forgotten twice already, here's to hoping that I make it past June! :D 

1) Bebe wore a cute bow & sweater for New Years.

2) A new children's story that I'm working on was inspired by these sweetgum balls - my tiny heroine makes them into chic chandeliers.

3) I organized my closet.

4) ActuallyLaura, our niece and I are trading this little journal back and forth.

5) Time for the lights to come down!

6)  Errand day, but I forgot the camera, so some cheesy self-portraits were called for later.

7)  There should be stories told about this big, blue ball that has been wandering around the windy neighborhood for weeks and today got stuck in our 'swamp'. 

Also participating in The Writing Endeavor, reading through the Bible at a slower pace, and a few other things...like fostering dogs! More on that tomorrow - I'll see you then!

A Transformation

Remember that 'Secret Project' I posted about like, a gazillion years ago? It took me long enough and is still a work in progress, but I would like to present my first 'flipped' furniture. :) From this avocado green secretary desk from my aunt...

To this! Honeysuckle White with aged finish, metallic blue interiors and Marigold Orange drawers, inspired by some picture in CottageLiving. (Oh, how I love those marigold drawers!)

Wouldn't some Anthropologie knobs just top the whole thing off? If there were only a way that I could concoct my own that were just as nice....

Now onto the bed frame. And no more aging finishes for me...that was sloppy and stinky and not so necessary after all. Hoping that the next project turns out better, I'll take more step-by-step photographs. Wish me luck!

Pop Tart Knitting and Who Says Jo March didn't have a Checkbook Cover?

Do you know what's fun? Knitting a pop tart cell phone cover for your niece. This tutorial was just too cute to resist: Putting the "Art" Back in Pop Tarts. It was my first try at intarsia (where you've got a block of a different color worked in) - pretty obvious from the way the icing is piled up thick on top (it's not supposed to be). Also had to free wheel parts of it, since my niece's phone is a different size. I went with the dimensions off the Verizon site, said a little prayer and - whew! It's a perfect fit!

Also fun is dreaming up a checkbook cover for ActuallyLaura's birthday. I used some vintage lace, pink floss and a Martha Stewart font that she had been using earlier in the week on some beaded gift tags.

It's not as hip as I had hoped, but it reminds me of something straight out of a Louisa May Alcott novel, and that is a part of Laura too. :) I forgot to take a picture of the back! It has a little stitching like this: * X *. Hugs and kisses! Finally got the hang of French knots with the help of my new book. :) Those things have been giving me trouble for nigh ten years...French knots - thou are conquered! 

1" tall Bambi

We popped the last of our Hanukkah poppers before bed last night, to celebrate the new year. Usually mama makes everyone one, full of candy and dreidels, but there was a shiny box of them at Michael's that really pop. They're loud. But we do have ideas for next year! Like making our own tissue paper crowns, and who knows - maybe firecrackers wouldn't be such a bad idea now that the girl/boy ratio of our family is altering. ;) My favorite prize is still the little yellow plastic deer keychain that is now looped to our new High Rise Dominos game (hiding from the paper robot, maybe...). She's so little and retro! Sweet thing.