sewing 101

In my opinion, hemming clothes is the most basic form of sewing. This practical skill comes in handy when needing simple modifications. I found this fabulous BDG top (a line that Urban Outfitters carries) at my favorite second hand store called Red White and Blue. I go crazy in there! I always find great things and before you know it, I have a full cart and am playing the eeni-mini-mynie-mo game. This last time I walked out of there with 11 items of name brand clothes like GAP, Fossil, Tommy Hilfiger, BDG and more for under $50! Steal of a deal if I say so myself. 

I love the vibrancy of this top but wasn't a fan of how long it was. It came to my upper thigh which in turn accentuated my backside. Here are the simple steps I took in order to get the perfect length. 

Grabbing a pair of scissors, I snipped off the excess fabric from the bottom. Having the plaid pattern helped to make sure that my line was straight. 

 

 I ironed the hem about a quarter of an inch up, making sure that it was on the inside of the shirt. I pinned it in place with a few needles and began sewing.

 Hope this gives you confidence to buy clothes that need a little TLC. Second hand shops are full of unique pieces that can rev up your wardrobe if you spend a little time working with them. Happy hunting!

Kennedy School

 

Merry Christmas everyone! I know it's a bit late, but we've been so busy having fun with family and friends. These pictures come from last nights adventure. Portland's Kennedy School is one of the most unique and creative places this town has to offer. Once an old elementary school, this building was purchased by the restaurant McMenamin and transformed into the ultimate date night. With numerous restaurants, patio area, and a theater converted from the old gymnasium, it's offers everything you need in one place. The walls are covered in mosaics, murals and photographs of the pre-world war students that ad the unique effect. 

We went to the theater as a family the other night and had a blast. We saw the movie RED and cracked up the whole time. The best part of the theater is the fact that you sit on antique couches. Afterward, we couldn't help but meander into the various rooms and snap some photos. I really wanted to peek into the hotel rooms they offer as well, but unfortunately they were all locked. They must of known I was coming!

Anyways, I hope you are all enjoying the holidays with family and friends! Let me know what you are up to, I would love to hear about your adventures. 

Oh! P.S. These photos are taken with our new SLR camera and we LOVE it!

sheer awe!

I'm designing a logo for a friend of mine who is a photographer. After she sent me some specifications of what she's looking for (a stylized tree) I did a little research to get ideas on tree variations. While on my search, I came across this gem

Isn't this custom canopy bed simply fabulous! Shawn Lovell has some serious talent with metal. I can only imagine how long it took to make this. If it weren't for the price and my pinching pennies mindset, I would buy this in a heartbeat.

meet my friend Holga

Holga is my friend. No she is not a foreign exchange student from Germany or Russia. She is my camera. My hubby hub hub gave it to me as a wedding present. Best present ever! I've been wanting a Holga camera for years but never got around to purchasing one. He heard me talking about it a number of times, stored the information away in his brain, and brought it out at just the right time. This is a picture of my hubby and my Holga. Together, I feel the love.

Camera + Husband = Love

Want to know where I got my paper heart? There you go :) I hope you love it as much as I do.

Another thing I hope you love, is the pictures I took with the Holga. It was my first time ever using it and since it's a poorly made medium format camera with a plastic lens, you get some interesting light leaks and overlapping. I can't wait to experiment with it more!

Some of these pictures were taken on our honeymoon at Lake Tahoe, others at the Idaho Blackfoot fair, finding the perfect pumpkin and other adventures. If you have any experience with Holga cameras please let me know! I would love to learn how to manipulate the vignettes and other cool characteristics it has.

Please let me in on any Holga photography tips you have :) and have a happy Friday! Then again... what kind of Friday isn't happy?

when I go home...

I'm gonna check out this little place! Amy Ruppel is a talented artist in Portland and recently opened a store! I love her unique illustrations and colorful designs. She designed this beautiful light fixture. I think it would look fabulous in our apartment. However, I don't think it will survive the plane ride back.

 I'm also going on a scavenger hunt! I'm going to seek out all the shops on this list of must see home decor boutiques. I love adventure and trying new things. But I must admit that I am a creature of habit. When I go shopping in down town Portland, I definitely have my regular stops... Anthropologie, Powels Book Store, Buffalo Exchange... ah my heart is pounding just thinking about them. But I know I must branch out. The Pearl is one of my favorite areas so I know that the list won't steer me wrong. Plus it's from Design*Sponge so I know I'll love it. I'll have to take pictures of my favorite new finds :)

Oh I almost forgot to mention...We now have the delight of hosting H&M! Located in the heart of Portland, H&M is waiting for me to get off the plane and walk through those delightful department store doors and find great deals on fashionable items. For now, it's studying hard, taking finals and praying a get good grades in all my classes. Wish me luck!

i love you more!

It's true. I do love you more. Ha ha ok so there is a story behind all of this. I promise. My husband and I say "I love you" to each other. A lot. I mean why wouldn't we? We are madly in love. Ok enough of the gooey stuff. Whenever he says "I love you" I playfully say "No, I love you more!". Then he reply's with "No, I love you more!" This goes back and forth for a moment. Almost like we are teenage lovers saying "No, you hang up the phone first!" "No you hang up first!" It's quite comical really. 

The second part of the story goes back to the day we got married. We had a DIY photo booth made from vintage doors, a fun banner and a Polaroid camera. That's right! A Polaroid camera. Basically the funnest way to capture moments. Along side the photo booth was a case full of dress up costumes. People had such a great time with it, which is exactly what we were going for.

Needless to say, after the wedding we had tons of Polaroid pictures needing to be showcased. I thought of putting them together in the shape of a heart, framing it, and placing it along side our favorite phrase "I love you more." I'm excited with the way they turned out and I hope you are too! I'm also really excited with the advancement of my Photoshop skills. Ha ha ok don't tease but it took me a while to figure out how to mash two pictures together into a panoramic shot.