feeling jitters as i prepare for my sewing class, seeking pin-up inspiration

Hey there! My sewing with commercial patterns class officially starts this Saturday.

In 5 weeks I will have a new dress that I made!

This will open such a HUGE world for me and I can really attack my 2012 projects.

I have 65 clothing patterns... all of which have more than 1 view that I can't wait to make

I can finally follow through with my New Year's Resolution

I really feel like this class is the beginning of a new me

a more mature me

a more glamorous me

a more feminine me

I was gathering my supplies from the list needed for my class

 pattern ... check

hook and eyes ... check

fabric ... check

tracing paper ... check

tracing wheel ... check

hem gauge ... check

fabric pencils ... check

measuring tape ... check

scissors ... check

seam ripper ... check

pin cushion full of pins ... check

14" zipper ... well, i will buy that tomorrow because the ones i have are pink and blue

I was feeling a bit nervous so I turned to my "Great American Pin-Up" book to get inspired right now. This is my favorite coffee-table read. Problem is I haven't actually read anything besides captions... I always flip through pictures looking at shoes, clothes, hair, make-up, and poses. I decided I really want to read up the history in this book. If only I can pencil it into my schedule...

 I took some pictures of some images that i found inspiring. These are all pre-World War 2.

The romper this model is wearing has geisha's. SO CUTE!

 I am in love with this model's hair and make-up. She has gorgeous features

 Look at this beautiful dress! And the model's pin curls are perfect, not to mention her graceful pose.

 I just adore the hat this model is wearing.

 This dress this model is wearing is so glamorous. And she looks like such a strong, seductive woman. All while remaining feminine. 

 These are all post-World War 2.

Just look at this gorgeous smile! This model looks so playful and super sweet.

 What a fun bathing suit! The one thing that stuck out most to me from this image... how beautiful her body is. I love how voluptuous her body is. These days it is all skin and bones. I think us woman are so much sexier with real curves. What happened?

 I love the star pillow behind this patriotic image. And another model with a gorgeous smile.

 I am absolutely in love with this model's hair! And her dress is amazing! Beautiful all around

 When I look at this dress I am reminded of a mermaid.

I am so jealous of this era. One where ladies were ladies and men were gentlemen. Where it was all about glamour and beauty without being trashy.

I seek to make my own wardrobe to fit my love of times like these.

I will share more photos next time I flip through.

Do you have any favorite era?

Wish me luck this Saturday!

xoxoxox

Lily Bean

p.s. Today is my Bempa's 84th birthday

Happy birthday to the greatest grandpa a girl could ever dream of

<3

new curtains, fabric bookmarks, and sleeping pups

Hey there!

my goodness... here i am blogging at midnight on a work day. why? because i took a nap when i got off work and didnt wake until 10pm. holy smokes right!

so in an effort to get sleepy very fast, i came to my computer screen

i have been making a few things lately, they are all for a dear friend of mine and i wont post until the package is done and she receives it.

for myself i have made 2 pillbox hats. and i am so in love with them! they are fun and easy to make and wear! i am planning a tutorial for you all =D maybe i can do that this weekend

(start saving your cereal boxes)

i went spring-cleaning-crazy last week and decided a door needed some new privacy curtains. The room is painted a light greenish-blue so i went with this green owl fabric and blue ruffles.

 arent the owls adorable!

i had mentioned joining a bookmark swap before. all 4 of the bookmarks i sent have been received. here they are, front and back:

this one went to a girl in Germany who loves zombies and bunnies

this one went to a lady in Seattle who loves nautical themes. i got the idea for latitude and longitude off her pinterest account 

this one went to a girl in Virginia who is obsessed with Harry Potter and loves sea turtles

 this one went to a girl in Mexico who loves kawaii. i got this naked cupcake image off her pinterest. i just fell in love with it!

Tomorrow i will call the sewing center and find out if my class starts this Saturday or next. I have to double check that I have all i need on my list. Feel free to drop your opinion and help me pick a commercial pattern to use to make my first dress.

well, thankfully now i am sleepy again. i may still need to put on The Land Before Time to have the narrator "read me a bed time story". Works every time! ive seen that movie about a million times so i can watch it even with my eyes closed

my puppies are already fast asleep... time for me to join them

good night my lovelies!

xoxoxox

Lily Bean

help me pick a pattern for my commercial pattern class, pretty please

hey everyone! so my commercial pattern class starts in a few weeks. i need to take a pattern to make and i just cannot choose! i want it to be easy enough for my first dress, but challenging enough to actually learn while im with my teacher. i think it should definitely have darts since i still feel awkward trying to make them and can sure use the practice.

so i narrowed it down to 6 patterns and would love some help with picking which i should use.

 in no particular order...

 Butterick B5315: view B

semi-fitted mid-length dress

has collar, darts, back yoke and pleat,

uses buttons, zippers, bias tape, and elastic

 Simplicity 3833: view D

retro 1960's dress

has darts

uses eye hook, zippers, and a button

 Butterick B4790: view B

Retro '52 dress

has darts

uses buttons, snaps, and bias tape

Butterick B5605: view C

Retro '56 dress

side pockets and back pleats

uses hook eyes, zippers, bias tape, button, and a buckle

 Butterick B5603: view A

retro '56 dress

has princess seams, side zipper, bateau neckline

uses zipper

Butterick B5209: view B

cap sleeve retro '47 dress

has fitted bodice with gathers

uses zipper, and hooks & eyes

well there you have them...

i am leaning towards simplicity 3833, butterick 4790, or butterick 5209 after reading all the details to write them out.

i would really love to hear your thoughts and opinions!

thanks!

xoxoxo

Lily Bean

PLEASE HELP GET THE WORD OUT

Francesca Lia Block is my all time favorite author!

(i actually have this picture framed in my room lol)

She is currently in danger of losing her home and in a terrible situation due to Bank of America.

They were more than happy to be bailed out by America, but will not help good upstanding customers!

Shame on you BofA!

Francesca asks that we just help spread the word, in hopes that she may finally get the attention of the right people and get helped, along with all the other customers who have never been late and are struggling after the market crash.

My heart breaks for her and her situation, as well as for those millions of people in the same boat.

I have personally met her twice and can tell you, she is a beautiful soul! (Met once at a reading at Barnes and Noble - Huntington Beach, CA and once at Festival of Books - UCLA)

Click here to read the post on her blog regarding the situation.

Please help spread the word on your blog or social media sites.

Thank you

with love!

xoxoxo

Lily Bean

(p.s. i look so goofy ini the last pic... caught in saying something lol. but i love how FLB looks. She was so much fun to talk to! and i was so excited!)

meat and potatoes kind of girl

hello again! i am super happy with my meals this weekend. i havent been able to pick a recipe and shop for all ingredients because i am saving every penny until i know how much school will cost. but i have been better at making a meal with what i have.

goes to show my confidence is rising in the kitchen

i would like to start with my top sirloin steak meal from today:

 i got the steak super cheap yesterday and it was big enough to feed 3 adults

i made my rub using

1 tbspn garlic powder

1 tbspn celery salt

1 tbspn oregano

and 1 tsp pepper

 i have the rub i made on the left, steak in the middle (ignore the onion in the tupperware, i didn't use it lol) and a asparagus stir fry frozen veggie mix thawed in the fridge overnight.

 first i took 2 tbspn from the rub i made and put them in a gallon size ziploc bag. i used the rest of the rub, massaging well into both sides of the steak. pop it in the broiler set to 375. (i have a flavor wave oven and used that instead.) let it cook for 6 mins.

 there was a pinch or 2 of rub left over which i left in the bowl and added 2 tbspn of butter. pop that in the microwave for 15 secs or so to melt. you will use this to butter your steak when its ready to be flipped

 while you wait for your steak, grab that ziploc bag with the rub. drain any water content from your veggies and put them in the bag. give a good shake. pour in a splash of olive oil and shake again to ensure coverage.

 lay your veggies on a cookie tray and pop in the oven for about 10 mins

 it's time to flip your meat. brush your butter on the top side then flip it over. cook for 8-10 mins more, depending on how well you like your steak. i prefer med-well

oh baby! i am getting hungry all over again just typing this up. i served the steak and veggies with some left over mashed potatoes.

 saturday i made a ground beef mix with a pound of beef, potatoes, tomato and onion.

 chop all your veggies up

 brown your meat with some salt and pepper. once its mostly cooked you can add your veggies. i also sprinkled some garlic powder in. do not drain the oil. if you are like me you will have to fight the urge not to, but it will be what cooks the veggies.

 cover and simmer for about an hour or until potatoes are cooked stirring every 20 mins or so. this will be great as a burrito! i served mine with some grated cheddar cheese.

for dessert this week i made brownies and pink lemonade cookies.

they didnt make it past 24 hrs! guess ill need to bake up some cupcakes =P

 these were some of the greatest cookies i have ever eaten! i will be stocking up in case they are only for spring... anyone know of a good recipe from scratch? i must find one

 

thing i learned:

• as much as i love oregano it may be too strong when baked
• when there's emotional eaters in the home, bake even more than just extra lol

sugar and spice and everything nice!

xoxoxo

Lily B. Homemaker

im a busy, busy girl on my way to becoming an educated lady

hi there! holy cow have i ever had a busy week! i have no one to blame but myself!

master proscrastinator extraordinaire!

anyhow, i finally took my placement test for english courses on tuesday since i needed to be scored by registration thursday. i also went to see my counselor wednesday or i would not be able to register on thursday without seeing her. i have known i would need to do these things for months... leave it to me to wait until the day before

well i have never been happier to see my counselor until this past week! she gave me great news! i am eligible for ranking this june! that means if i complete the laundry list of things she gave me, i start the program classes this fall and will graduate with my RHIT degree june 2014

hoooooooooooray!!!!!

that saves a year of my life! that also means i will be swamped for the next 2 years. i am trying to look ahead to figure when i will get some me-time in between working and school. i know it will all be worth it!

i am only a few weeks away from starting my saturday sewing classes. i cannot wait! i am still trying to figure out which pattern i should take to class. i want it to be simple but still have techniques i can learn from the teacher.

that will open an amazing world for me! and i will be able to really start hitting my 2012 projects.

i cannot wait to start spring cleaning the heck out of my house! i really have some cabin fever from winter blues. i want not only to clean and tidy things up... but really organize and decide what i want to keep and what is really just gathering dust. with life starting to move so fast i feel myself growing and changing as a person. some things just dont feel that important anymore and i could use my space much better.

in the crafting world, i have a few projects i am working on

• a care package for my pregnant friend and her 2 year old little girl
• teesha moore packages for a personal swap long overdue
• penny's winter sweater... for next year at this point lol
• a few more knit caps for my friend and her mom who have just lost their tresses in a battle against breast cancer
• a few pillowcases (im hoping at least 10) for ConKerr which has a drop off in my city.
• i would like to make myself a few pillbox hats and fascinators

as you can see i have my plate full. i always need to bite off more than i can chew or i will just be bored. i have always worked best in controlled chaos.

so here is to the next 2 years... if i can just get through the next 2 months first hahaha

wish me luck!

all my love, xoxoxox

Lily Bean