Things about me men should find attractive:

I am conscientiously not a hoarder.
I bake to show love.
I like to iron shirts.
I have soft elbows.
I'm really good at remembering birthdays.
I kill my own spiders.
I have a 34" inseam.
My hair's pretty fancy sometimes. 

Opening Night Dress '13: I just want to bead it already!

I had my mom fit me in the mock up a couple of nights ago and I trued up the patterns today. I thread traced the pieces that will be beaded and will bead them before I cut them out. I obviously won't bead into the seam allowance, nor close to it. I'm planning on leaving 1/4"-3/8" clear of the seam so I can keep the foot away from the beads and have room to take it in if I need to. I'm going to set it up on my mom's quilt frame bc the beads won't work with a hoop. 

I just want to bead it! SO excited (for now...)
Since I'm not sure if I'll have enough beads I'll do the back and shoulder pieces first and shorten the sleeves if I need to. I'm not 100% sold on the sleeve length as it is, so this'll give me more time to think/might force me into shortening them.

Silk gazar

Jackjack worked with silk gazar this fall in NYC and I finally got to see it at Mood. This stuff is incredible. If you can imagine a quadruple weight organza then you're getting close.

Wikipedia says:

Gazar (also gazaar) is a silk or wool plain weave fabric made with high-twist double yarns woven as one. Gazar has a crisp hand and a smooth texture.

Gazar was developed by the Swiss textile firm Alexander in collaboration with Basque couturier Cristobal Balenciaga, who featured silk gazar in his collections of 1960-68. Balenciaga's mastery of this gleaming, lightweight fabric with its "claylike" ability to hold its shape was exemplified by the trapezoid wedding gowns in his collections of 1967 and 1968.

Dior Couture Spring 2013

Balenciaga 1967

Oscar de la Renta Resort 2011

Jason Wu...I just want to have this. 

Watch looks 28 and 44 move from the Dior Couture show.
http://www.style.com/fashionshows/complete/S2013CTR-CDIOR

More about love...

You know how Marie Curie comes up in your English assignment in 5th grade and all of a sudden she's everywhere that week? That night's episode of The Simpsons, the next Friday's episode of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, various and sundry other sources.

Whelp, since my Valentine's Day entry love talk has been everywhere, esp in relation to relationships. I've had more than three conversations in the past two weeks with disparate (nonMormon) friends about relationships and marriage, Sunday School was about how to have a good marriage and how to treat your spouse, and my friend posted an Ensign article on Facebook that I think is so on point about everything I've been trying to communicate.

One of the amazing things about LDS doctrine is that it's very simple and logical. Spiritual and moral reasons aside, not drinking, doing drugs, sleeping around, staying out of debt and having a 72 hour kit makes sense. So what do we say on marriages and love? (taken from Agency and Love in Marriage by Elder Lynn G. Robbins)

"There are no perfect marriages in the world because there are no perfect people. But our doctrine teaches us how to nurture our marriages toward perfection and how to keep the romance in them along the way. No one need ever “fall out of love.” Falling out of love is a cunning myth which causes many broken hearts and homes."

"Too many believe that love is a condition, a feeling that involves 100 percent of the heart, something that happens to you. They disassociate love from the mind and, therefore, from agency. In commanding us to love, the Lord refers to something much deeper than romance—a love that is the most profound form of loyalty. He is teaching us that love is something more than feelings of the heart; it is also a covenant we keep with soul and mind."

"Because love is as much a verb as it is a noun, the phrase “I love you” is much more a promise of behavior and commitment than it is an expression of feeling. “I love you” is a phrase we should be using in our homes much more than we do. "

"Scripturally, the Lord is very clear with us on this doctrine—you can’t “fall out of love,” because love is something you decide. Agency plays a fundamental role in our relationships with one another. This being true, we must make the conscious decision that we will love our spouse and family with all our heart, soul, and mind; that we will build, not “fall into,” strong, loving marriages and families. “Don’t just pray to marry the one you love. Instead, pray to love the one you marry.”"

"It is only by our constant, committed effort that we will make the love we share with our spouse a constant for eternity."

Putting it out there: I have very little romantic relationship experience (although I love my friends dearly), but I 100% believe that love takes work and that the constant and daily effort to make your partner happy is how to have a successful relationship. I've seen it work and know it's true. 

Opening Night Dress '13: Oh yeah, this

So...I better get back to my Opening Night Dress huh?

Today was my first day for just me in two weeks. I cleaned my room, ran some errands, worked on a painting I need to finish for my sister, and did a sample for the beading on my Opening Night Dress. I'm worried I won't have enough beads and sequins...so I should probably use the most of the beads I can get in town...or get Jackjack to get me more in NYC :)

This 2"x1" section took me about an hour...

British words...

that are just too weird to prounounce/use like they do...
...yogurt
...the past tense of eat
...urinal
...aluminum
...zed
...h

word I will gladly use...
...the past tense of shit
...fancy
...get it sorted
...hiya

NYC: What I Bought

Now THIS is the entry I'm sure you've all been waiting for.

Like I said previously, I spent all of Saturday with Jackjack thrifting. We also hit Anthropologie. On Tuesday I did my notions shopping for my Opening Night Dress 2013. Here's what I got!

Pinafore from a uniform supply company.
I will wear this over things at work to stay clean. 

I tried on lots of vintage dresses.
Jack thought I'd get other things than I did.
I got this because it's super comfy and cute,
believe me.
It also fits me, most of the dresses I tried on
were too short waisted.

Jack to a girl near us "EVERYTHING has ducks on it!...PUT A BIRD ON IT!"
Next thing he touched was this skirt. He's on the fence about it, but I LOVE it!
I just want to wear dresses and skirts all summer, like I do. 

This is an All Saints dress.
Leave it to All Saints to come up with this jankity masterpiece.
Jack convinced me to get it. It's unlike anything I have,
but it's fierce and casual. It needs to be rocked with some insane black heels. 

One of the selling points for me was the defined lower back
 since the waist isn't as trim as I'm used to.
But the small of my back looks phenomenal. 

 Got sequins etc from a trim place in the Fashion District. 

Got double velvet ribbon and good grosgrain from Mood for belts.

flower pot (for flowers!) and a belt from Anthropologie

I talked to girls at church about how having a style/dressing well takes work. It does. It takes a lot of work, esp if you're on a budget. It takes hours, and you have to take time to try things on. Eventually you will hone your shopping skills like Jack and I so you know what you won't like before you try it on, weeding out a majority of the things you won't buy before you try them on. I am a pro shopper, but it still takes time and patience. Somedays it pays off, others it doesn't.