Floral circle skirt

Continuing on the circle skirt theme...


I actually made two of these today.  There was one with purple polka dots that didn't make it.  That was a little bit sad.


Style notes: Shroom hat, Old Navy striped v-neck,  Navy Tweed Cardi, Frye cowboy boots.


I had to re-do the waistband twice on the purple skirt (not shown), and still somehow the hem edge doesn't hang properly.  Ah well.  I'm totally in love with this one though. 




And I think I need a hair-bow to go along with it.  Or maybe an embroidered felt embellishment on a clip.  Mostly, this skirt just makes me want to go all mismatched and sort of hobo.  I initially put this on with my muted teal February Lady Sweater, but it didn't match the blue of the print, and I thought that all of you would care.  In real life though, I'll probably just wear it with the teal sweater.  And fuchsia tights.  Because I'm suddenly all about rocking the miss-matched, and I don't care who knows it.

Once again, skirt tutorial is from Made.  Thank you Dana for posting such a helpful tutorial, and just when I started thinking about circle skirts.  Love it when that happens.

Brian McLaren Comes to Austin

Faith and I had the wonderful privilege of seeing author/speaker, Brian McLaren this past weekend at St. David’s Episcopal in Austin. Brian’s books and spoken word have been an inspiration to us ever since first discovering him in 2005.

Due to the nature of my occupation it is sometimes difficult to catch certain special events as our family moves around the country, but this time everything worked out perfectly. Child-care was included as well, which is pretty huge for us! We have great baby sitters who our kids love but it’s always a surprising treat to have it for free. The people of St. David’s were all very warm, wonderful people and Brian’s conversation was part of their Eckhardt Mission Series.

Brian’s talk was largely in-line with his most recent book, A New Kind of Christianity, which I highly recommend. In his book, Brian proposes that throughout church history, generations of Christ followers have largely understood the biblical narrative backward through the lenses of various faith leaders like Luther, Calvin, Wesley, Edwards, Augustine, etc. Brian in no way tries to discount anything those respected leaders did. Rather he offers that we should instead understand the narrative forward from Genesis, always remembering that it is a Hebraic storyline leading up to Jesus, thus revealing a much more Jewish and much more revolutionary reading. Brian’s view, which I can largely agree with, is that when we read the narrative parallax-free, a somewhat different story begins to emerge. He asks 10 questions in the book: 1) What Is the Overarching Story Line of the Bible?; 2) How Should the Bible be Understood?; 3) Is God Violent?; 4) Who Is Jesus and Why Is He Important?; 5) What Is the Gospel?; 6) What Do We Do About the Church?; 7) Can We Find a Way to Address Human Sexuality Without Fighting About It?; 8) Can We Find a Better Way of Viewing the Future?; 9) How Should Followers of Jesus Relate to People of Other Religions?; and 10) How Can We Translate our Quest into Action?

Much of Brian’s presentation was open to question-and-response, allowing us to engage with each other and with him on many of these topics. I was impressed with Brian’s theological competence and most of all with his tremendous humility. Over the years he has received more than his fair share of criticism and to see this man continue to stand up for re-thinking and re-imagining Faith was immensely encouraging.

Yellow and Grey

I made a circle skirt!

 

There is black elastic sewn on to the top to create the waistband -- tutorial found here at Made.

A circle skirt is called such because it is literally made out of a circle with a hole cut in the middle for the waist.  This creates a bias-drape which is flattering and very, very, swishy and full.



(You can't tell, but this was beautifully ironed...and then I wore it for 2 seconds.  Such is the joy of pure linen.  But for the drape, the feel, the breathability...it's all worth it.)

No close-ups though; the skirt edges are a little scary.  I was learning to use my serger for the first time... (the fabric seems to be continually guided out from under the presser foot -- a friend suggested that I play with thread tension, so I'll revisit this in the near future.)

I also made a matching hair-bow, and attached that to a small alligator clip.

 

Probably, I should make matching hair-bows for everything.  EVERYTHING.  (Tutorial over here at A Beautiful Mess.)

Fabric for skirt was a thrifted linen tablecloth.  Shirt from Old Navy, control-top leggings from Wal Mart, handknit Noro socks hidden inside the boots, Frye Billy Stud cowboy boots (yup, I finally bought the black ones -- happy New Year to me!)


 

Now I want to make an entire week's worth of circle skirts.  They're just so twirly, I want to wear one every single day.

Link-tastic Friday

A few weeks ago, I showed you a pile of burlap.  I haven't had a moment to show you before, but this is what that turned into:

 
During the month of December, it said "Merry and Bright", but now I've changed it.

 
I love the way that it can be personalized or changed to be seasonally appropriate, and since the colors are just "funky" and not "Christmasy", I can keep it up for as long as I want.

 
Which is awesome, because it took a little while to cut out all of these circles.  I kind of felt like a rockstar with that glue gun though.  It had been far too long since I'd held one in my hands.

 
Stop laughing at me.  I relish the amusement found in the small things, and I'M NOT ASHAMED TO SAY IT.  (Tutorial found here at Tatertots and Jello.)


And now for today's links!


Newly in love with these blogs:

• i love it all -- lots of free downloads, tons of ideas for creative scrapbooking.
• The Dainty Squid -- a constant stream of quirky and eclectic inspiration, fun style, and craftiness.
• A Beautiful Mess -- the owner of a vintage clothing botique, she has gorgeous inspiring style both in clothing and home decor, crafty ideas, etc.  When I found this blog yesterday, I literally could hardly tear myself away.

Looking Fabulous: 

• Gorgeous (and very reasonably priced) repurposed and indie jewelry at So Very Charming.
• After spending too much money on lip glosses that I hated the taste or feel of, I finally found an unexpected favorite in one of the least expensive glosses on the shelf: Rimmel Vynl Gloss.  It lasts a long time, the color selection is satisfactory (there is more than they have listed on their site), and it actually keeps my lips hydrated -- not sticky.  Love it!
• I've been playing with liquid eyeliner lately, which takes a bit of practice to get right, but I've just found something that's easier to control, yet just as dramatic, and a little more versitile: Maybelline Lasting Drama Liquid Gel Liner. 

Crafty:

• Have you decided on your 2011 calendar yet?  Here's a free -- and completely gorgeous -- downloadable calendar at Blog Guidebook. I plan to print it on this linen paper, and then get it spiral-bound at a nearby copy shop.
• Seriously though, who says you can only have one?  Here's a whole round-up of printable calendars.
• I've got the fabric for this circle skirt all cut out (via MADE).  Now if I could only grab a few moments in the studio without interruption...
• Make your own brooches and hair clips with this super-simple tutorial from Max Califorina.
• I've already got the the Wilton Cupcake Stand, but it would be terribly cute to have one of these DIY ones (tutorial by Skip To My Lou) alongside at a party.  And I actually have a drill!
• These Mini Top Hats are so obnoxiously ostentatious...and yet I'm drawn to them like a siren's song. Tutorial at the Offbeat Bride.
• I'm pretty sure I can't live another day without a Cowgirl bustle skirt.  (In a grown-up size for me)  Tutorial from No Big Dill.  
• Andrew and Elijah are fascinated with maps.  Inspired by this tutorial at Inhabitots, I'm going to start saving our cereal boxes to create this Cereal Box Map for their room.
• With the Christmas gift-making season past, it's time to make things for myself.  I think I'll start with some homemade body scrub.
• Now that school has started again, I've been looking for some fresh ideas to keep Lavella and Jonah busy.  We'll be making this Homemade Poster Paint sometime soon.
• We will also definitely make some of this slime.  Way too fun to pass up!
• Another fun project to do with the littles: Acorn owls.  So cute!

Food (savory):

• After all of the fussiness of holiday food, I find myself craving things like this Egg Salad Sandwich.  Because whatever Joy The Baker makes, I have to make.  I'm helpless to resist.
• Not sure if I've posted this before, but even if I have, it bears posting again.  This Curried Lentil Soup recipe by Molly Wizenberg just makes me love my life every time I make it (also, her writing never fails to charm me).  French Green Lentils maintain just a bit more texture than the usual green/grey sort, and the soup is softened out with a creamy swirl of pureed chickpeas (brightened with a touch of raw garlic and a squeeze of lemon), and a pat of butter stirred in at the end.  This has become a repeat recipe in our house that even the children are excited about seeing at the dinner table (I serve it over rice to make it a little more filling for Greg The Food Vacuum).
• Since we're on the topic of soup (my Very Favorite Food), check out this recipe for Vegetable Barley Soup.  This was dinner last night, along with some hard rolls from my batch of Artisan Bread In Five Minutes A Day dough.  Warm and soothing -- perfect for the chilly nights we've been having now that Texas has finally acknowledged winter.  (Note: next time I will add half the amount of tomatoes, because Greg felt it was a bit "too tomatoey".)

Food (sweet):

• The perfect cinnamon rolls?  I plan to test out this recipe by White On Rice Couple sometime soon.
• Love the winter flavor combination in these Orange and Clove Snowballs by Baking Bites.
• Speaking of winter flavors, these Gingerbread Stout Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting sound like they would be perfect at any cold weather celebration.  Or maybe Just Because.  (Recipe via Love & Olive Oil.)
• I made these Tiramisu cupcakes recently for a dear friend's birthday.

 

Her favorite dessert is Tiramisu, but I couldn't find Lady Fingers in stock anywhere that close to the holidays (less than a week before Christmas), and didn't have time to make any from scratch, so these ended up being a cute little substitute.  I frosted these with Stabilized Whipped Cream, which worked wonderfully.  (Note: I put the cream/gelatin mixture in the freezer to chill for only 10 minutes before whipping and it worked perfectly.  Any longer, and I would have had a frozen Panna Cotta on my hands.)

 

Still, nothing compares to a good old fashioned Tiramisu, but I will save that for another day.

 

Jonah's birthday party

For Jonah's 2nd birthday last month, we decided to forgo a large party in favor of a day at home with just the 6 of us.  Every year we try to make the time to put together a little gingerbread village, and it turned out to be the perfect party activity for a two-year-old...meaning that he was allowed to eat candy for 2 hours straight while the rest of us decorated.  (AGGGHHH!!!  WHITE SUGAR COMA!!)  Not all that healthy -- especially for a family of mostly non-candy-eaters, but sometimes...well, it was fun.  Anyway!  on to the party!


 


 


 


 


 
Andrew's house was the most fantastical, and we couldn't help but laugh when we really took a look.  So cute and twisted and whimsical.  He just wouldn't stop layering on the candy and frosting; it's a good thing that I actually baked solid gingerbread pieces this year instead of using the usual graham crackers.  The crackers would probably have shattered under all the weight!


 


 

Once we were done, we lit a "2" candle and sang happy birthday to our big guy.


 

Just as Greg was lighting the candle, Lavella reached forward to touch something on the still wet village, and was sharply repremanded.  Greg and I looked at each other, looked at her, and...no response.  Interesting, because usually she's super offended by the slightest correction.  Part-way into the Happy Birthday song...

 

As it seems, sometimes, there's a rather delayed reaction.

 

"Da-ha-ha-ha-hady said don't touch the house...."

Oh my goodness.


 

After, Jonah opened up his gifts.  He was so impressed that everyone was actually encouraging him -- our resident Book Destructo -- to shred paper.

 


Jonah would like to formally thank everyone for his gifts.



And especially for all of that lovely, crinkly paper that he was allowed to rip.  For more pictures of his very, very, VERY sweet little party, click through to the Flickr set here.


 

Our Christmas

Hello 2011!  Happy New Year, my dear friends and family.  During this unintentional -- but much needed -- blog break, we have enjoyed a beautiful holiday.

On Christmas Eve, our dinner started out with a sampler we had ordered from Salumeria Biellese.

 


We spent the evening in the plesant company of our dear neighbors with a dinner large enough to get us through the rest of the weekend on the leftovers.

Christmas morning I put a Cowboy Christmas Breakfast in to bake (I had put it together the night before), and Greg read the children some of our Christmas story books while I did the morning dishes and readied our house for the day.


 
Lavella woke up with a fever, so she was languishing on the other couch listening to the reading.  Poor babe.

After breakfast, we gathered around the tree, and the boys were in charge of handing gifts out to each person.  We try as best we can to not let it turn into a manic gift-ripping-wild-toy-flinging experience, and this year, while exciting to be sure, was at the same time just a little bit graceful.  Also, I managed to stuff the wrappings into a large garbage bag after each gift, so that helped a little to keep the children from becoming buried up to their eyeballs in who-knows-what.  It's nice to actually see what everyone gives and gets, and to take a moment to appreciate them.


 


 


 
An embroidered pillow with a backing that matches Andrew's new pajama pants that I sewed for him a few weeks ago.


 
The chess set that the boys had been asking about for the past few months.


 


 
An apron and a tiny wool-felt cat that I made for Lavella.


 
Two wool-felt monkeys that I hand-sewed for the boys.


 


 
An art project that Elijah made at school as a Christmas gift for Greg and I.


 
A calendar that Andrew made for Greg and I.


 


 


 
Matching red sweatshirts from Jonathan.


 


 
Lovely gift tags on the books that Jonathan sent me.


 
Swords from Poppy and Nana


 


 


After all of the gifts and the playing with new toys and eating our Christmas Eve leftovers, there was this: Softly glowing tree, darkness fallen outside the windows, tiny bare feet, a favorite book...
 

Of all of the time and energy and money spent in preparation for this one day, the beauty of a moment like this is the best gift I could ever hope for.

For more pictures of our Christmas, click through to the Flickr set here.