#41 Throw Your Husband A Bear-thday Party

Three days before my husband's birthday party, I had already invited everyone. I wandered down every isle of Partycity and Michael's and could NOT find any prepackaged party themes or decorations that were remotely masculine. My manly man likes camping and his favorite animal is a bear so I decided I would throw my husband a BEARthday party. Oh and be warned, this post will show you how passionately committed I can become to a sort-of-lame idea. I'm not, how do you say, a "cool" person.

Step 1) DECORATE

Once I have an idea....I freakin' live for decorating! It's a good thing you aren't here with me because I would just start shaking you by the shoulders. I get so excited! I turned the art on our walls into bear stencils, fur print, and plaid.

Step 2) GAMES

We played three games which I titled: Papa Bear, Bear with Me, and Bear Grills. And yes I made them up.

Papa Bear is a pre-printed worksheet of puns aka dad jokes, hence the "Papa." Everyone had one minute to complete this worksheet.

Bear With Me- Everyone had three minutes to list any bear species, fictional bear characters, or bear foods they could think of. Whomever had the most original ideas gets a prize. Example: Black, Grizzly, Gummy bear, Yogi, Bear Grills...

Bear Grills- I "grilled" my husband on some trivia about himself and all guests had to guess what was true of him.

Step 3) TREATS

I made vegan oreo truffles and peanut butter cup truffles.

Step 4) Prizes!

You guessed it. ALL. BEAR. THEMED!

#40 Game Of Thrones It Up

I've been sewing for a solid 6 months and want to take a lil break so I don't get burnt out before the year is done. So in honor of my husband's birthday month, I'll show you a party a threw for him.

I love to do anything to make him feel loved and special (because let's face it, almost every other day of our lives he's spoiling me). It was easy for me to come up with a theme two years ago as we Game of Thronesed it Up!

I made him a throne out of cardboard and metallic paint. Honestly, it looked a lot cooler in my head but I simply ran out of time. I also surprised him with a straight up hand made sharpened sword. Weeks leading up to his birthday I kept saying, "I'm not going to buy you a sword," because I wasn't going to buy him one, I already had and left it hidden in out closet.

These dragon eggs? They are foam craft eggs covered with hundreds of flat push pin and then painted.

We had lemon cookies (for Sansa), chocolate gold coins (because a Lanister always pays his debts) and root beer floats in bright green (wildfire) cups. All food labels complete with a red wax seal on top.

And of course I cut out paper house sigils as a banner. I don't know if my husband liked it more or I liked making all of this for him.

#39 Red (eyes) White and Blue (shirt)

I blame my friend Kathryn.

My top and pants are BOTH Jalie patterns!

The day before I left for my trip she asked if I'd be wearing red, white, and blue on Independence day. At the time I'd painted my nails white and was going to wear blue. But the next morning I woke up at 5am and had convinced myself I needed a proper 4th of July outfit.

I still had yet to pack and was leaving for the airport at 9am but managed to turn an old white t and some marvelous Art Gallery jersey knit into a festive top.

I made my Jalie dolman top a size U in the chest shoulders and tapered into a size T in the waist and hips. I also added 2inches in length to the overall shirt. Oh, and I sliced the the top front piece of the pattern and added seam allowance to give it the color block look.

So even with sleep deprived red eyes, I made a white and blue dolman top. Was it worth it? Sure.

#38 Bring Out the Button Jar (Chi-Town Chinos continued)

Mom used to have old decorative trunks filled with vintage collectables. A cracked porcelain doll,  delicate lace, a lamp made with a glass canning jar, and a weathered stereograph viewer. Oh course none of these items were toys, so naturally, I had strewn them all around the house while transporting myself back in time. Much to my family's annoyance I was a very messy and imaginative child.

This is stereograph viewer. It allows you to see old timey pics in 3-D

The trunks are gone, and I'm no longer that messy child, but I think my active imagination serves me as I continue to get lost in my own little world creating. Recently my mom gave me the (now broken) lamp with the base of a glass canning jar and it happened to be filled with buttons. So for my Chi-Town Chinos I got to bring out the button jar.

Here's my button jar formerly know as lamp

For these shorts I measured a size 14 in the waist and 10 in the hips. Alina, the designer,
conveniently added a back extension for people like me, who are shaped more like a pint glass than an hourglass. I did add 3.5inches to the inseam of the shorts. Check out my first post about these shorts.

I used a green linen fabric I found at "Are You Ready To Rummage" and for my bias tape, inner pocket flap, and pockets I used a vintage fabric I had found at the same rummage sale one year prior. My heart smiles at a rummage sale.

I love this little button I used for my back flap pockets.

Thanks again Alina for letting me pattern test. You can buy this pattern I've been talking about so much. And thanks Mom for stirring a passion in me for finding old world treasures...and for encouraging my imagination...and putting up with my messes.

#37 Dolman top time Jalie 3352

You watched me K.O. my first dolman top and now (ding ding) contestant two enters the ring. It looks so simple in black until you see the punch of color in back.

For me this is an ideal shirt. The front is simple black jersey knit cotton, which means I can wear it with jeans. And yes, you have seen those jeans above before.  

The back is a poly lycra spandex which means I can work out in it and it's stretchy and breathable. I have a very hard time sitting still so it's fun to have a shirt I feel totally me in.

#36 Eat an elephant (Chi-Town Chinos)

In our home, we have a question that we ask each other when a task seems too big to accomplish.

How do you eat an elephant?

One bite at a time.

It essentially means you better stop complaining, start working, and little by little see it through to the end. And that's the way I made these Chi-Town Chinos.

I love that the designer of the Chi-Town Chinos, Alina, had no formal fashion education (like me) and manages to not only educate is her pattern instructions, but empower. She wrote, "If you can stitch a straight line...you can make clothes" As, I was seam-ripping I'm sure I muttered to myself several times, "I can stitch a straight line." "I can make these." "How do you eat an elephant?"

And bit(e) by bit(e), stitch by stitch I finished these shorts and the skills learned are more precious because it cost me more to gain them. Call me crazy but I hate mistakes, so I learn from them.

These shorts had a lot of firsts for me: 

First time sewing a pattern with woven fabric

First time making bias tape (thanks Kathryn!)

Belt loops

Bar tacks 

Slash pockets

Pocket lining

Pocket flaps

Button holes

Adding a zipper

How have I been sewing all my clothes for 6 months and never run into these things?!

So to steal Alina's words once again, "...I'll be your biggest cheerleader. I've been where you are-and if I can do it, you can too." I may have needed an extra dose of cheerleading which is fine because we are in-person friends not just inter-web acquaintances.

Seriously, a huge thank you to Alina for letting me pattern test and learn so much. My next post will have even more details about the cuteness of these shorts, but for now check out this amazing designer!

#35 Are you ready to rummage?

We got swept up in the frenzy of people, smells, and used items (like the spinach bits in my blender from that mornings' green smoothie). A couple minutes of confused wandering passed before I stopped Jacqui and I dead in our tracks, "Look at us acting like a couple of amateurs!"

We have priorities. We need a map. Let's make a plan. Are you ready to rummage? 

Hecks yeah!

The big goal for the BIG rummage sale was fabric and embroidery supplies

Obviously, we got to the sale near the end so everything was 1/2 off, obviously. The craft room was our first stop where we were informed that everything was 1/2 off (as we planned) OR we could do a bag sale (come again?). A bag sale is when you buy an empty garbage bag for $5 and fill said bag with anything in that room, so long as it fits, so help me God, Amen.

I'll take it!

I guarantee nothing else could fit in that bag. Sadly we ripped the handles.

So for a measly paper Lincoln: I doubled my fabric stash,  got oodles of felt, found amazing metal embroidery hoops (and thread to boot). We also experienced the high of a cheap and dirty time.

My beautiful mountain of fabric

I'm looking forward to showing you all the things I'll be making with my new stash including something for my rummage buddy.