Sewing by accident...

Okay yes, I did accidentally get roped into sewing an Easter dress for my little sister. How in the world?! Generally when I say yes to things I mean 'yes sounds like a good idea', or 'yes, that would be nice', but not 'yes, I'll do it'! Anyway, I made the mistake of saying yes to my sister Sarah, so the night before we left town last-minute to visit my pregnant sister the fabric got shoved under my nose. Oh well...I made it without an actual pattern, and after working a couple hours on it had it nearly finished. Tuesday morning I was at it again and my sewing machine's tension is set for thicker fabric so I kept having problems...We left Tuesday early afternoon and didn't come back until Saturday night. You guessed it...I didn't even bother. Sunday morning I woke up thirty minutes early, worked on it for fifteen minutes and I was done! I was happy with the result even though it might've lacked a lil inspiration. It has an elastic band for around her neck, and then some stretch lace that goes around her back and elastic at the skirt so she could get it on without a zipper. It's so thin that I had to use a lining too...I should really do this more often! I received some much needed encouragement from my big sister so I have no excuses (as always lol.)

Elisabeth

momless week

Omg...This week has been long! My mom has been away since Friday, I really miss her, and feel like I'm the mother while she's away since usually I'm the one home while everyone works. Besides leaving me behind, she also left behind the baby she babysits, and my two little sisters (ages eight and ten.) I have learned a lot. I learned that Monnie does everything slower than Nece, I've learned that they'll do anything to get out of doing something you ask them to do but are always "helping" when you don't want their help, and I've learned that keeping the house clean means going hoarse telling them to clean after themselves or becoming very tired from cleaning up after them myself. The major amount of stress comes from trying to fill my mom's shoes, I want to be as helpful, as strong, and diligent, and (with the girls) as instructive...I have failed. Fortunately though, I have found that I can be some semblance of a great future homemaker/fashion designer. My sister Sarah and I worked on a menu (all of which somehow I'm cooking) and with our budget in hand went grocery shopping; every evening we have eaten a delicious meal although I have missed the daily "what should we have for dinner?" "Ummm." type debate I have with my mom. I taught my ten-year-old sister the finer points of laundry also, rule one being that you don't take any out of the dryer when it ISN'T DRY, and wash all your play clothes together and let me wash the dress clothes...Whew...
Today I cooked lasagna while my sisters cleaned the pantry, and folded some clothes, and directed a bed being made and room being cleaned. Tomorrow we'll clean the bathroom, wash a load of towels, vacuum the living room, and cook coconut chicken with vegetable and cornbread.

Getting started is easy; not getting distracted? Not so much.

Do you ever feel the need to create, the desire to see something coming together right beneath your fingertips? I feel it all the time, and there's an excitement and thrill...and then *poof*. I see that my room is a cluttered mess and I can't possibly sew with it looking like this, or my mom calls from downstairs and asks me to watch the busy little toddler we babysit while she runs out (for about an hour,) and my whole train that was gaining steam has now come to a stop.
Well, so much for that. Try again tomorrow. Nope, not today! Today I'm going to throw that load of clothes in the washer very quickly while I still have steam going. Today I will pick up the stacks of book and make them into one singular stack of books while I'm still humming with excitement. Today I will thread my sewing machine and ignore any clutter because if I stop nothing will happen and I'll never find my happy place even for a moment. Today I'm going to find my happy place and then I'm going to pat myself on the back, because it won't even matter whether I finish the project anymore, I'll just be happy that I started on it, because a project half done is one that I will have to come back to over and over.
Now, right at this moment let me take the first step and put on my "day clothes" lol.

Elisabeth

Mother will you...?

Today I talked to my mom about really getting into my etsy shop. My mom is the type of person that can start cross-stitching something and keep at it for a year if it takes that long...for me, I would stay really excited and start right on it (without planning necessarily) and then fizzle out if I haven't finished it in a week at the most. Sooo my mom can see things through while I can get them started (it's my activator strength at work.) Because of this I decided that having her "in the loop" would be veryvery helpful. I'm so happy because she said she'll do accounts. Basically she's gonna keep up with how much I spend to make the garment, how much I sell it for-or whether it sells-and all the subsequent costs and profits from there. 
I want to start right away, but I know that these cushions my aunt has me reupholstering, and these pants I'm making into a skirt for a friend come first. So when I was on a rare planning spree I wrote down how things will go. I'm going to finish taking this cushion apart, and make the pattern and every week I'll finish a cushion. That way I won't get so caught up on the cushions that I won't get to do "my stuff".
As for life in general, I'm getting over a virus which a church friend generously passed on to me. It had be down for a few days, and while I can now eat regular food, my poor shrunken stomach is not happy with the small portion sizes that it can contain...or maybe it's my eyes that want more...
I will keep updating about how things go. 

I haven't completely lost my touch...

Wow...I really can't keep up with my blog so well, can I?
I have a couple pictures to post of new sketches that I have done...so far they aren't that much to look at, but they are works in progress, and works in progress mean that you are doing something at least. I will only post two since that's all I have that has been "clothed" all the others are naked figures waiting for me to be inspired and clothe them lol. My teacher told me that if I didn't keep practicing my sketching my illustrations would go downhill...well, in my chill mode after finishing school I didn't practice much at all until one night I picked up my pencil and was very disappointed in myself. Nothing would "work right"! Sooo I worked at it awhile, then went at it again the next night and actually realized that even though I'm not as good as when I finished college, I haven't completely lost my touch.
I'm going to try posting more pictures to keep my blog more interesting from now on.

This is a quick sketch I did of a suit Sarah (my sister) was modeling right before an interview. I didn't bother to really clean it up because it's not something I plan to do anything with.

Even though by the time I was done I realized that her head was too small and neck too long I left it alone anyway. I was so busy working on the rest of her body and making her clothes fall correctly that I really wasn't going to go in and fix the rest of her until I could be away from it for awhile.

2009 most significants :-)

2009’s Most Significant…




1. Most Significant Blessing—Another year! Ummm no, let me think. God has put a lot of people in my path this year with wisdom. Some of these people didn't/don't even live by the things they say, but they said some things that truly touched my heart...So I am going with people. This year people around me have been my most significant blessing.



2. Most Significant Trial—My granddad had a lot of health issues this year and it worried me an incredible amount. I spent a lot of time praying and crying out to God for him.



3. Most Significant Lesson—In the end everyone can fail, just because they are human...I can't depend on them to make me better, or blame them for getting in my way...I have to depend on God for strength, and work to get where I want to go.



4. Most Significant Life Change—I'm home all the time now that I'm out of school. In a way I hate it, and in a way I don't want to change it.


5. Most Significant Purchase or Acquisition—It's definitely my laptop; I bought it about a week ago :-) and I'm loving every minute of it.



6. Most Significant Regret or Personal Failure—Not being more of a witness in college. People knew I was a Christian, but I didn't get a single person to church with me, and I think I just didn't try hard enough.



7. Most Significant Accomplishment—Again, finishing school, earning my Associates Degree.



8. Most Significant New or Improved Relationship—This is a hard one: Ayesha and Hannah. Hannah is a friend that I've known for years, we used to be penpals when I was like 8-12 or something...We started talking again this year and it was like nothing changed! We have only grown closer and now we're planning a visit, either I got to Kentucky, or she'll come to Georgia. Ayesha is about ten years older than me (give or take) and has been in my church a really long time, but for some reason this year we have spent more time together. She does my hair whenever I ask, and that's really a job; she truly has no idea how much I appreciate her.


9. Most Significant Event or Trip—I'll have to go with either the single's conference in Virginia (which was truly phenomenal), or my trip to MS for my birthday in March--it was total awesomeness. I guess I benefitted from each of them in different ways, but I definitely enjoyed both of them tremendously.


10. Most Significant Memory—Getting ready for the BBT...I got home from school and immediately started finishing up my dresses. I stayed up all night, a lot of tears, memory verse quotation, and of course praying went on that night. I don't think I'll ever forget that. It showed me that I can do a lot more than I give myself credit for a lot of times. The next night when I went to sleep I didn't wait until my head hit the pillow. There were  a lot of these actually, my sister Sarah and friends winning the singing competition (second place,) our family all getting together for Thanksgiving and fourth of July, I have so much to be thankful for.

weight loss? Noooo

I am working on my weight, I weigh...yeah right, like I'm really gonna tell you. Anyway, lets just say that since my accident a year and a half ago, and the steroids, and the sudden appetite surge when I couldn't smell anymore (look it up) I just can't say I like my size anymore. For awhile I was really exercising, I had an exercise buddy who I went running and walking two miles with every day but she didn't have time anymore. I miss the companionship and I miss the good feeling exercising gives to me...soo I'm not only going to start exercising, I'm also going to start changing my eating habits a little. I won't get all into it, but these changes are so necessary and I think I'm even ready to make them. I was supposed to have someone to keep my accountable, but she has forgotten to check on me. It's all on you me! I can do this.

"all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

Elisabeth