i am a scared but brave momma

hey everyone! its' 545 in the morning...

i have been up since about 3 with my baby thea

as most of you know i have 2 pups that are my babies. thea had an allergic reaction tonight and it was my first trip to the emergency vet.

she was asleep in my uncle's room and had woken him up because she was salivating and bopping at "something" in her mouth

he came to get me and when i looked i could not believe the size of her tongue! i immediately gave her 25mg benadryl (i could not even close her mouth proper to get her to swallow but she managed somehow) and flew to the vet. yes, i flew... there was no driving involved. i grabbed a sweater but i didnt even feel the cold because my adrenaline was pumping.

i wanted to just cry and panic but i knew that would not help my baby love

so i grabbed every bit of bravery i have and handled it.

the vet said looks like she was stung by a bug. they gave her a bit more benadryl and a steroid for the swelling. she said it was caught in time that she should be fine by late morning

she is sleeping next to me now and already looks a bit better

her tongue should be noticeably smaller by morning and once the swelling is completely down she can eat again.

my poor, sweet baby!

she gave me such a scare! i am glad she is going to be okay.

now that my adrenaline has dropped i am freezing and hungry

(i am such an emotional eater)

i have been trying to get some sleep but had not realxed enough... i think blogging has helped though.

i wanted to share some of my favorite pix with you of my theadora <3

this is the first day she came to my house, her second bath lol (she was one dirty baby). i made her a mohawk

 after her bath i wrapped her up and she fell right to sleep

such a good girl

 just look at that little face. the vet guessed she was about 8 weeks

am i ever glad she picked my house to wander into

and no one claimed her so she was mine

 here she is giving momma kisses

 i love this picture because it looks like she is laughing

 my love with a new toy

my animals mean the world to me

i am glad she will be okay

now if momma can just get some sleep...

xoxoxoZzZzzzzzz

Lily Bean

p.s.

Penny was so distraught and nervous! these pups are so bonded and take care of each other. shes happy to see thea home safe and now shes sleeping sound

they are good sisters

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!)