Goodreads | 2011 Reading Challenge

A few of you are also avid readers or would at least like to read more books this year. Goodreads is having a Reading Challenge that you can track, watch, and encourage your friends along with fun widgets like the one on my sidebar to add to your blog or profile! My profile is here

Sign up here:
Goodreads 2011 Reading Challenge

Will you be joining?

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Fashion, Design, and Architecture Loves

Loving these images by Christina Fluegge today!

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2011 Goals and Resolutions

Well it's 2011 (two-thousand-&-heaven as Gala sweetly calls it) and I finally got around to making a whole new set of goals/resolutions for the year

 Lets take a look at last year's resolutions:
•Try cross country skiing  Loved it! Only went once though
•Go snowmobiling
•Start a reading log for the books I have read  I update my GoodReads page often with books I currently read, my own critiques, and can keep a sturdy to-read list all in one spot!
•Take a cooking class with the hubby. Never did this, however we do spend a lot of time working on new and interesting dishes from cookbooks my Mother-In-Law buys us every Christmas
•Get rid of old clothes and shoes I never wear and start figuring out what style I'd like: Start a scrapbook & fill it with images, words & ideas to keep inspired. Keep a list of "must haves" outside closet for easy shopping. This seems like an on-going task, but here is the before and afters:
•Create a new Budget Mint.com is incredible! Take a tour here
•Have a personal date once a week: Go to a movie, eat an amazing meal, go for a long meandering walk or have a candlelit bubble bath. Just take time out for you. Regularly.  This one was hard to track, but I worked to keep good constructive times for myself to re-group.
•Write a letter to the one person you allowed to make 2009 more difficult than it needed to be. Be as angry & vicious as you like, but when you’re done, burn it or tear it into little pieces.  This I cannot recommend enough!  A lot of times you cannot confront the ones that hurt you so you have to deal with it yourself.
•Learn to use Photoshop like an almost-pro (YouTube has cute little sessions, but I am at work so I will add the link later) Took a class here
•Get active, get physical 3 times a week. Sign up for a class! didn't do :(


I didn't complete all my goals, but was glad to have one spot I could reference to. This year I have bigger and brighter goals for 2011!

• Read double the number of books read last year (read 33 last year, 66 is the goal for this year) I will be tracking on GoodReads for this too!
• Start making my hats for Etsy
• Keep trucking through school, gotta get that degree
• Finish writing my book (I am at about 25,000 words so far)
• Publish the book?
• Try going on different dates with the hubby, try new things, enjoy new things together :)
• Blog once a week, I have plenty of posts started, ideas etc. Just haven't taken the time to work them out and post them with updated pictures.
• Remodeling monthly goals:
• January - Pantry organization
• February - Update the bathroom: biggest goals is to finish the last bits of my lower bath and update the mirror and rugs in the upper bathroom
• March - Closet trash/recycle/donate/organize: my guest closet is a blanket dump right now and I still have several mismatched sheets and pillow cases and even ones for bed sizes we do not even have anymore.
• April - Wash all the windows, panes, screens etc to let in that beautiful spring sun
• May - Prep, wash and setup the deck for Spring
• June - Plant and move the gardens to the end of the yard
• July - Organize the garage
• August - Re-paint the house
• September - December I want to work on the kitchen remodel
• A few little things that have been in the back of my mind to do
• Finish a project before you start a new one example1 example2
• Update and delete all those songs I keep skipping through on my iPod!
• WORK OUT, I like doing it once I get there!

What are your goals this year? Link em up, I'd love to check them out!

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January Blues shopping for Reds

January is the worst month for me. Its mid winter season up in the midwest and its just bone cold, you dont want to go anywhere or do anything because even running a quick errand into the store your car insta-freezes in a little less than 2 seconds. 
So, when I stopped at my favorite store: Joanns I end up spending about an hour or so in there just wandering, staring at fabrics wondering what I could do with it at some point, coz my sewing machine is on the fritz and I dont have an extra $75 laying around to get it tuned up.

When what do my little eyes spy are these lovelies!

Shelving and brackets <3, I would love a little chair sitting on a shelf somewhere in my livingroom, and those little birds are so adorable!

 Jewelry tree, lotus flower candle holders and that red box is too fun, loving the arabian look

 everything.

Mirror is adorable (yours truly reflecting grumpliy), and look at those end tables <3

I have to go back soon and its all on sale, just waiting for 'spending money' day.

What do you think?

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DIY steampunk/victorian and renaissance hats

I have had a few comments and questions about some of the hats I have made in the past, so I thought I would share what I did!

1. Do you sell your hats?
I have seriously thought about selling a few hats on Etsy here.  I will start making a few and posting them in February  which I will announce here on my blog!
2. How much will they cost?
Depending on the style and materials, but they will start around $20!
3. What materials will you use?
I generally use buckram frames and cover them with velvet or taffeta and accents with netting and feathers
4. How do you make them?
Its pretty easy if you take the time and have a lot of patience!

For this hat I bought my buckram frame kit from here: http://www.denisenadinedesign.com/Dianne%20Home.htm. Sewing the brim on was the most difficult, make sure to have a thick needle.  I used a leather needle with a pair of leather gardening gloves on (grips nicely). I used remnant taffeta fabric, ostrich feathers and a necklace broach from Joann's. Sew the fabric around the hat glue on some pretties and tada!

This hat was also from a buckram frame, but less sewing involved and more glue used.  It was the quickest one of the two to make by far!  I used velvet and a little trim to match the dress and a jewel I had stashed away from a pair of chandalier earrings that had broken.

Here are a few of my favorite stores for supplies:

Buckram frames:

Hats by Leko

Southern Importers

California Millinery Supply

Pattern Studio

Hat Materials and supplies:

Judith M Millinery supplies

Such Pretty Things





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