1 Whole Tee + 1 Half = 1 Fabulous DIY Dress!

I saw this adorable little DIY dress by lhdctv yesterday, and I just knew I had to make this. Problem is I can't sew to save my life.  Seriously.  But hey....the instructions looked so easy I decided "what the heck!

And so, armed with two blouses that I decided to sacrifice....ahem, I mean sew.  I began making my dress.

First I cut the bottom of the first blouse in half.  I like the more fitted blouse for the top portion of my dress so I cut the floral blouse in half for the bottom.

Of course I eyeballed this.....I just cut it as straight as I could but no ruler was involved. At all.  (Use a ruler if you are not cray cray brave like me)

Next, I got an orange hue thread (since it matched my dress) and hand sewed the floral piece to the bottom hem of the blouse.  Now, I could have stitched this with a machine like they did here but I am more comfortable hand stitching so I decided to go old school with this.

And there it is....all done! My bloggie pal Laura from my grandma reads my blog  would be so proud.  She posted her very chic DIY dress a week ago and it really inspired me to learn how to sew.  Thanks Laura!
Your grandma reads your blog and I am sure she is proud too.  Shhhhh, my mom reads mine and my sister's but she has no choice......lol, I set our blog posts to go straight to her email)


Cherio!

An Unconventional Love Story

When I said yes to my husband's marriage proposal, I did not have any grandiose ideas about having a big wedding or even a reception. There was only one thing I had to have, and that was a nice ring. A wedding ring to me is sacred and it represents the everlasting love between a husband and wife. Hopefully. But in addition to that, my wedding ring is what I will wear everyday "till death do us part"...... so I wanted one that I really really liked. Well because I am such a nit picker, I mean selective shopper, I ended up designing the rings myself and having them custom made.  Our jeweler did a wonderful job and I fell head over heels in love with my ring at first sight.

Then the worst thing happened two years later...I lost my ring!

I had been hiding this little dark secret from my husband for three months.  I just couldn't bear to tell him I had lost it, after all it had cost him a small fortune.  To make matters worse, I knew exactly where I had lost it and there was no hope of ever retrieving it.  You see, I had lost it in the ocean. Way out in the sea where Jaws and his crew hang out......probably.  It was only a matter of time before my husband figured out the real reason why I had not been wearing my ring and I was beside myself......and out of valid excuses.

Well, the very next day my mom and brother came for a visit and I got this sudden urge to go to the beach and collect shells.  I love beach combing so why not?  My brother on the other hand could care less and refused to go with me. For some strange reason though, my mother and I relentlessly begged him to go with us until he got sick of us and gave in.  (To this day I find this quite strange since it is out of character on both sides.)  When we got to the beach the tide was low, so low you could walk out about a quarter of a mile on the sand banks which my brother did by himself.  Mom and I stayed closer to shore picking up beach goodies, there was so much beautiful shells to choose from that day.

getty images

 All of a sudden, my brother who was out so far he looked relatively smaller, starting yelling.  My mother and I rushed to see what was wrong.  He seemed quite excited, he was waving frantically at us and jumping around. When we got within earshot of him, he was grinning ear to ear.  "I found something he said."  What is it?, I asked eager to see.  He slowly opened his hand and there nestled in his palm was my ring.  The one I had lost three months ago in the ocean.  My mom recognized it instantly and asked me "Wan, isn't that your ring?"  All I could do was gulp.

Turns out my ring somehow serendipitously reappeared out of the abyss after three months in strong sea currents and miles of shifting sand. My brother finding it equates to finding a needle in a hay stack. He said he saw a small beam of light emanating from the sand out of the corner of his eye.  Those were his exact words. Trust me, I am still in awe of this, I mean what?!!!  That beach is huge, plus the ring was buried under 15-25 feet of ocean for months.  What are the chances....and my brother had almost stayed at home too. All the planets had to be aligned just right for this to have happened, and they had. To this day, I just call it what it was. A miracle. My husband and I love each other so very much and our rings are a symbol of that love.  Maybe that is why it found it's way back to me.  Back to us. ...well that is what I believe anyway.

Since this incident, I wish I could tell you I never lost it again but I did lose it once after that nine years later.  And you know what, it found me again under very strange/unlikely circumstances. Call me crazy but in my sixteen years of marriage, because of the times I lost my ring, it is even more precious to me.  It is so true that you never realize the value of something until you lose it.....even if only temporarily.  I realize now that it is not the cost of the ring that matters so much to me but the cause of the ring.  It's all about love. And so lovelies, today on Valentine's day I wish you love.

Cherio!

Its A Wrap! Chic Eco-Friendly Gift Wrapping Ideas

 

 I adore brown paper and burlap.......like you have no idea how much.   By themselves they are the humblest of materials but paired with the right accessories, they are the belle of the ball!  So with this in mind I am totally siked to "go green" this year with my gift wrapping. What could be better?........I get to save money, and preserve the planet while creating something beautiful.  Something that my friends and family will love and appreciate.  Win. Win!

Burlap and brown paper are the perfect canvas to create the most fabulous creations.  From Rhinestones, ribbons, stencils and stamps to feathers and pretty much anything else you can imagine, these materials are perfect to dress up.  I personally love using small pieces of burlap/ brown paper as an accent (like you see here) and using handmade bows and other crafty knick nacks to bring my packages alive. Who wouldn't want to receive a gift like this?  Just make sure though that the contents of your package lives up to the presentation ...... lol, just sayin.

I really like the idea of this doily on brown paper. (You can find paper doilies like this

 one at most party favor stores, and even at dollar shops.)  Sweet!

Cherio

Love. Straight From The heart

If there is ever a time I thank God for being born female, its just before and on Valentine's day.  And its not for the reasons one might think.    

What makes me grateful to be a woman on Valentines day is not having the pressure and anxiety that most men feel to go beyond what they did the previous year.  To be more romantic, to buy a bigger/ better gift and to wow everyone, not just his wife or girlfriend. Especially if the gift or flowers is delivered at work.  In a lot of ways its like a competition with drastic consequences if you mess up. The gift has to be spectacular or the poor guy finds himself in the dog house, on the sofa, or enduring "the silent treatment."  Either way, there is a serious lopsided dynamic happening here that women do not experience.  

Now, I am not endorsing the inactions of inconsiderate men.   Those of you who year after year fail to let your lady know just how special she is to you, shame on you.  I suggest you get your act together and start making changes.  Like right now.  Am no Dr Phil but one thing I do know is that everyone wants to feel loved and appreciated.  If you show your spouse more love and affection, your relationship will become deeper and more fulfilling.  As a direct result, you will be a happier man and there will be peace in your home. A woman needs to feel that she is heard, loved and appreciated in her home.  Its the greatest gift you can give her.

Contrary to the commercials and marketing rhetoric, love is not measured in chocolate, red roses or karats.  Love is measured by our actions.  Our actions speak much louder than our words ever could.  I truly believe that true romance is in the little things we do for each other.  Like when your man offers to cook, do laundry or take the kids to the park just to give you a little time to relax.  Or how he remembers your likes and dislikes and tries his best to only do what you like.  Thats love. 

Some of the most romantic experiences I've had with my husband were unplanned and spur of the moment.  Like the time he stopped a public transit bus after it had already pulled off just to "kiss his wife bye" and then get right back on.  And, over the years he has surprised me with river rocks, beach glass, wild flowers, shells, sand from my favorite beach in the Bahamas and so much more.  He's a hardcore city guy and not at all outdoorsy like me so its that more special to me that he would go to these lengths to make me happy. Although I do receive expensive gifts from my husband sometimes and despite the fact that he enjoys spending money on me, I am glad that he knows that I love him.  Not the stuff.  

And Thats Amoire.