Love this!

{this will especially nice after tomorrow's half marathon}

I love this site! It helps me remember the positive :)

Hair: Curls?!

It never happens, so I'm showing everyone: This is my hair on curls.


It won't last long though. Sadly :(

{why do I look like such a creeper in this one?}

Some Sweet Book Lovin': The Thirteenth Tale

I just barely (like a few hours ago) finished the book, The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Now let me tell you, this book was chosen by someone else for our book club, and when I went to the store to buy it, I grimaced slightly.

You see, I am an English major. However, English major ≠ I love to read anything and everything. Especially books that remind me of my college English classes (you know, the ones so full of symbolism, it's hard to understand the story?). And I did it. I judged a book by its cover.

Even as I started the what-I-knew-would-be-long-and-boring book, I had to push myself onto the next page.

But then something odd happened. I actually wanted to read. I wanted to know what was going on with Vida Winter's past life, who Adeline and Emmaline were, and what made me feel as though something was off about the whole thing.

So yes, while I had to push myself through the first 50 pages, I really had to pace myself for the last 300. I really enjoyed the way in which Setterfield details several different stories, all while uniting them!


Now that I've finished this book, I'm looking for another. Any ideas? What good books are you reading?

Blogger Conference

DIY: Cute Ruffle apron! {I pinned it, I did it series}

Ruffles! Any guesses as to what this is??



I found this pattern here, and I just LOVED it! So I had to try it myself :)

Here's what you'll need:
Sewing Machine
Thread
Fabric
Grosgrain Ribbon
Scissors
Iron
Measuring tape or board


This is what I did.


First, pick out your fabrics. You'll need seven 3 inch strips and one 18 inch by 22 inch rectangle. I wanted to go for a modern vintage look, so the fabrics I chose looked kind of like that.



Next, cut your base fabric into one 18 inch by 22 inch rectangle. I wanted something really simple, so my base fabric is pretty plain.

Once you've cut your base fabric out, sew a 1/4 inch seam in all four sides.


Then cut out your fabric strips {that's soap in case you were wondering--I use it to mark the fabric; easy on, easy off}. You will need seven 3 inch by 44 inch strips. Once you've cut your strips out, sew a 1/4 inch seam on 3 sides (both short sides and one long side).

Got that?



K, next, you want to sew across the top, but don't back stitch on either side. THEN {here's the hard-ish part} pull the top thread until it starts to bunch together. You'll likely have to move the bunched up part down toward the end until it's bunched all the way across the top {as pictured below}. Do this for each of the seven strips.

Now, decide the order you want your ruffled up fabrics in, pin them down, and just sew across! Make sure that you start at the bottom and work your way up, that way you can cover the sewn part with the next ruffle.

Are you excited? {We're almost done!}

Sadly, I did not document this next part very well, but here's where you need your grosgrain ribbon. You should have a little space on the top to cover up the last ruffle, so that is where you will pin your ribbon. It should line up with the top of apron.


I did a zig zag stitch across the middle first {go slow! this part is a little bit hard}. Then, to make it durable, I sewed a straight stitch across the top and the bottom.


So to add my own little touch, I wanted to put in a little something extra. Several years ago, my grandma gave me some sewing stuff, including some very vintage buttons.

So I just hand sewed a couple of buttons onto one of the aprons I made {did you notice there were two different aprons? I gave one to each of my sisters-in-law}


And then you're done!

{P.S. Don't make fun of my pictures, these are all iPhone pics :) I think they actually came out half decent for a cell phone.}

Miss Dorian

Okay, so she isn't really that new. We've had her for about 3 months, but she is so cute!

I don't know if many of you have heard of the book The Picture of Dorian Gray. Well, although our kitten has nothing really to do with that book, we decided to name her Dorian because she is so gray. I don't know if that really makes a lot of sense, but Jordan started calling her that, and it just kind of stuck.

{She just fell asleep like that}

Any guesses?

Ruffles! Look for an update this week on what in the world this is and how to make it!