Princess Dress

I haven't done something crafty in quite sometime that I have pictures of, and this seemed to be the only writing prompt from mama kat's that was inspiring to me this week. So I found a picture on my computer of one of the biggest craft/sewing projects I've ever done (with a good deal of help from my mom and one of our neighbors.

Yeah, that was me in 2003 off to my senior prom - and what I would give to have that body back! And yes, my mom and I made that dress! It had to be the most complicated pattern that I could have possibly chosen and of course it had to be pink (forever and always my favorite color). The top was almost like a corset, boning and all, something that my poor mother had never done. The skirt was 6 layers of chiffon and satin and was totally beautiful. We worked on that dress for two months solid until my prom in early May. I felt so bad for making my mom so frustrated with that dress, but at the same time it was fun and a learning process for both of us. I remember many pin stabbings, jammed up bobbins and broken machine needles but also lots of laughs and in the end a beautiful dress.

My mom made my homecoming dress that year too (far less complicated I might add) and my dress for graduation (which needed to be white = impossible to find for an 18 year old). I always loved doing sewing projects with my mom and hopefully once things are more put together here we can start working on window treatments and all kinds of fun stuff! And someday in the not-so-far-away future she is going to make my wedding dress. I've been looking forward to that project for most of my life, since we're making it out of my moms wedding dress!

What kinds of crafts do you like to do? Sewing, floral design, scrapbooking!?!?

Do's and Don'ts of Homeownership

I'm participating in Mama Kat's writers workshop this week and I chose prompt 4. It took me a little while to decide what I was going to write about but since home-ownership is something new I've experienced in the last year why not write about that!

DO: Let people come and help you (it doesn't have to be professionals, almost everyone you know will have some kind of skill) - landscaping, drywall, painting, moving furniture, cleaning or whatever they want to help with! Ask you friends if they would be willing to help and your family too!

DON'T: Think you can do everything yourself. Sometimes you do need to call in a professional and let them deal with things....we had to for our furnace and some other issues.

DO: Take your time and do things the way you want them! If your house is a fixer-upper like ours don't feel like you have to get everything done right away, work at your own pace and take your time!

DON'T: Freak out when bizarre things happen, like say you turn on the faucet and the handle falls off or you blow a breaker and think that you broke a brand new appliance. A house is always a work in progress and no matter if its brand new, weird things are going to happen.

DO: Shop for items at Garage Sales and Thrift Stores, Craigslist is a godsend as well. There is NOTHING wrong with buying used. The only new appliance we have is our dishwasher, all of our furniture, lamps, stove, fridge, washer/dryer, curtains, table all of it is used! You'll save more money than you can imagine doing things this way! I don't understand people who have a complex with "second hand items" because saving money is something everyone likes to do!

DON'T: Hire a professional without checking their references, looking them up on the BBB website or asking friends and family who they have used. Then have 3 that sound good come out and give you a quote and pick the best one.

DO: Shop around at different stores (Lowes, Sears, Home Depot, Menards, local hardware stores) for the best prices on items. Sometimes they will match the sale prices of other stores if you find the same thing cheaper and don't think there is anything wrong with going to 3 or 4 places to get everything you need just to get a better deal!

I'm by no means an expert on this topic, but these are just some of my do's and don'ts.