Christmas Tree 2010

As I get older I have come to realize I do get wiser. One thing that I have learned is that, That Christmas Decorations need to go up on Thanksgiving weekend! If they don't they sometimes don't make it up at all, or they make it up late, because everyone is gripping about the fact that they are not up.

This year we took my nephew Keegan with us to go pick a tree. He was a little confused over the whole thing. He seemed kind of dazed. Then I brought out my 3 large plastic boxes full of Christmas Decorations and he woke right up. He opened all three and started pulling things out, 'What is this?' A decoration for the tree. 'What is this?' It goes on the wall. 'What is this?' It's baby Jesus, it's part of the nativity. 'What it is?' it continued - gotta love a 3 year old.

One of the big reasons that the Christmas Decorations have to go up on Thanksgiving Weekend is because of the Advent Calendar. I made it the Christmas I was pregnant, so it's as old as my daughter. Most years it has made it up in time to start counting, some years it hasn't. On the years that it doesn't make it up in time to start counting (mostly because it has been a bad year) that year only gets worse.

On the years that it makes it up, the Christmas Season starts off wonderfully. I'm happy to say 'It is up!'

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas Season.

Thanksgiving 2010

I really do need to write things down before going to bed. Here it is less than 2 days later and the feeling has moved on. Not that I'm not grateful anymore but the excitement the happiness to have family around, I guess it's just the focus has changed. This Thanksgiving was a million times better than last year, as a family we are in a better place. We have grown together through our trials. It was also the first time in a while that we were back at Mom's (well those that could attend).

I am Thankful for My God, My Church, My Family, My Brother's and Sister and their families (oops just realized I forgot to return some phone calls, man I'm bad, I blame it on early Menopause!)

We tried to take a picture at the table with the timer on the camera - We didn't get one good one:

My brother Rigo is the cook. We had tons of food:

My little sister made this yummy gobblers for her babies daycare class and she posted them on Facebook and the whole family turned the post into a mile long thread asking for our gobblers. Well she made them!

We are a family of Monkey's - Monkey see's Monkey doo's:

Then we all plopped on the couch - like the rest of America I'm sure. We watched Karate Kid (the newer one) it was good. The kids thought it was great!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

QuinceAñera Dress Muslin

As a Mexican member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints it's sometimes hard to do some of our Cultural things, because the Culture is so tide to the Catholic church. A Quinceañera for example, is a Catholic Religious ceremony, were one actually takes and makes covenants at the church with the priest. Or something like that. I was baptized Mormon when I was 10 years old, so I really only know what I here from the rest of the relatives and what I sometimes am curious about and research.

As you all know I love making Special Occasion dresses. So when I asked my best friends daughter when she turned 15 and if she was having a Quinceañera, she replied no Mormons don't do that. She's a wonderful young lady, very righteous young woman. Her mom then asked me why I would ask. I replied that my mom just gave us girls a big 15th birthday party, big dress, big dinner in the back yard invited all the family and friends. She then convinced her husband that that is what she wanted to do. She had wanted to do something but didn't know what to do. (Sorry Sal, it will all be ok!) I of course said GREAT Natalie you call me 3 months before your birthday and I will make you your dress.

Well the time is here. We are in the middle of the dress. Today she and mom came over and made replica dresses for a cake topper and a give away doll. She also cut the netting and arranged the lace on her test dress the way she wanted it. She did all my hard work for me. THANK YOU Nat and Erica!

COD Street Fair

I found my mojo - well sort of, it's getting there. I just had to come to the realization that this is my new normal, and I can't keep waiting for thing to 'get back to normal.' I even think I'm getting used to only sleeping 6-7 hours a night, mind you I used to sleep 9-10 hours to be productive.

I set a goal last month to attend our local Street Fair that is put on by our local Community College. I had set 2 dates previous and procrastinated and didn't go because I didn't feel prepared. I realized that wasn't working I had to set a date and go no matter what.

We went yesterday. I would like to say it was a screaming success but it wasn't. For many reasons the big one is that we were supposed to have our first big storm of the season - it was supposed to rain. Some day people will realize it doesn't rain in Palm Springs no matter how much the weather man says that those clouds coming from LA or San Diego are going to make it over the mountains, they aren't. Unless it's already been raining in LA or San Diego for a couple of days, then it's strong enough to make it over the mountains. Even though one little cloud that could did make a liar out of me for about 5 seconds.

I do feel really good about going. Only by doing it did I remember everything that is involved in setting up a craft booth. I was not prepared our booth did not look professional I didn't like our set up. I came back with a long list of things to do, this time I think I'll set up in my drive way to make sure I am prepared. I've set a new date, and have planned and drafted 2 new bag patterns.

My daughter Stephanie displayed her Jewelry - she also learned a lot.

But the big success was My husband and his doll houses. Everyone stopped and admired. I need to make him an order form.

We did pass out plenty of Postcards with our information on them.

Spring/Summer 2011

Designers work several season's ahead of actual time. So in my preparation to create a new Me, I pulled out my old plans and one was to put out a 5 dress collection each season. This is really going to be pushing the envelope for me so I think I'm going to change that goal to 1 wedding dress, 1 Bridesmaid Dress and one Mother of the Bride dress.

That seams like an achievable goal. It is similar to doing one dress a month, which I was doing and still working a 'Day Job Full Time'. Can't quit the Day Job it pays the rent, Plus 75% of the time I actually like it. (And I'm not just saying that because the Boss sometimes reads my blog).

So in order to work ahead Designer's sign up to Forecasting companies. There are many Forecasting companies out there. Specially specialized Forecasting companies. I would love to Subscribe to a Wedding Forecasting company but it is not in the budget.

What is in the Budget is FREE. I love Infomat it provides some Free information and small glimpses that help a lot.

There Spring/Summer 2011 Forecasting is online now.

Here are some Runway images you can see the rest HERE: 

I love the Color Forecasting you can view it HERE:

You'll want to go see it there - there are tons of images for each color.

My focus & a Wedding Dress

I seem to be having an identity crisis. I never thought I would be where I am at 40 years old. I've been feeling a bit trapped. My truck keeps braking down and I never thought I would be in a situation were I'm having to figure out the bus schedule, because I have no money or recourses to fix what needed fixing.

Lots of flat out wrong decisions and some not so good one's on my part and the part of those around me have landed us here.

I don't like the feeling of being trapped, I run out screaming. Literally, I've had a truck since my senior year of High School and more than once I've put everything I owned in the back of it and disappeared, just moved on. I can't do that this time, it would be irresponsible, not that it wasn't before, but this time it really really would be.

So I have decided to decide Who I am! and What I want to be! I think I lost my path a while back, and I'm getting back to it. I printed off the local Community College Spring course catalogue and have chosen a few classes. I'm going to meet with a counselor and see what needs to be done to move on to the local University and get my Bachelors Degree, and then start hiding some money to move back to San Diego or maybe Los Angeles (my family doesn't like LA) and continue with a Textile or Fashion Degree.

I want to have a Fashion line to specialize in Modest Wedding and Formal Attire! I was on that path once, and then lost that focus. I'm getting on that path again.

Here is a dress a did a few years ago - that I just found the pictures to. 6 years ago I was doing at least one dress a month. I want to get back to that. It gives me Joy!

November Sewing Group

I am amazed at myself. I had the sewing group on the 2nd Tuesday of the month instead of the 4th Tuesday and I was actually prepared, and had a full house.

Now I want a bigger house! 2 Ladies did my shoulder bag pattern. Two ladies did my Apron and Placemat Pattern, One did the Apron pattern for a 4T - and because I had drafted the Apron pattern in Garment Designer I was able to open it up choose a size 4T instead of Misses 12 and in less than 3 minutes print out a small pattern, Voila Great Tools make you a magician. And My sister made a Gathered skirt with waistband, pattern not yet finished.

My photographer (my daughter) went to bed before we had finished projects, but you can tell we all had fun.

And I realized I want a bigger house with a really really big GreatRoom so I can host more than 6! Or I can just do this more often.

No knit - Knit bag

I have been holding on to my favorite sweater for 2 winter seasons now. I stained it, I don't remember with what. I just couldn't get it clean for nothing in the world and I tried everything anyone suggested.

This is my favorite sweater:

Today I took a pair of scissors to it and made this:

I will now be able to keep my favorite sweater as a recycled sweater purse! This instructions for this knit bag are here. Only instead of knitting a 10" x 20" piece of fabric, cut it out of your sweater, or someone else's sweater.

Day of the Dead

We went to a Day of the Dead celebration at the Palm Springs Art Museum. It was a wonderful Cultural experience. I love going to these events. It reminds me of my Grandmother. The funny thing is that when I brought my mother the masks, paper flowers and other Day of the Dead tokens, she said my Grandmother never participated in the Day of the Dead celebrations. She said she didn't recall ever going to church. She recalled being forced to kneel every night for long hours praying the Ave Maria (She said this with a mimic of a tired facial expression her shoulders coming up and down and letting her head fall from side to side making the falling asleep motion). My mother is a Character now you know were we all get it from.

She went on to say that it was probably because they lived on a Large Ranch several miles out of town and it would take hours to come and go, with 4 girls and no husband, she just wasn't up to doing that, but she had the strength to chase down my Grandfather and yell obscenities at him as he was forced to walk past her house on his way to his own house coming home from work every day, She went on.

The Day of the Dead is a Day to remember our Dead. This should happen all the time, but it doesn't. They are our Ancestors and we need to know where we came from. This is the day that I analyze what I have done with my Genealogy and renew my goals to do more.

It also reminds me that I need to teach my children there culture. The Event was very well organized they had Ancient Dancers:

They had Ballet Folklorico:

They had Mariachi (sorry no pictures, I think we were tired by then and had put the camera away)

Then they had set up different stations were you could do crafts related to the Day. We did the Paper Flowers, the Masks and the Posada Printmaking.

They did a great job of decorating, and asking local artists to build Alters:

I had a wonderful time, I hope my niece and nephew will remember it. It was a hard long day for my sister but I believe well worth the effort. Plus we got to eat Free Pan and Posole.

Halloween Parade

There are no more little one's in my house, so I invite myself to tag along with my niece and nephew as often as I can. So my Halloween pictures for this year are of my niece and nephew.

Now these two have character. Keegan has had it since he was born! Check him out struting his stuff down the Costume contest parade.

And Lexi...well she woke up on day between one year and 15 months and probably said to herself "I better get some character if I'm going to survive in this family!"

That's our Halloween picture parade. For more Halloween pictures on Parade visit the SITSGirls were I am entering to win a Canon Rebel DSLR camera http://bit.ly/dtwrjJ  - I'm doing this because Tiffany is such a Pretty and Generous SITS Girl

Day of the Dead Wood Mask

We went to a Day of the Dead Event at the Palm Springs Art Museum on Saturday. They had quite a bit of crafts the children could do (I'm a child at heart - that counts). One of the projects was a Day of the Dead wood mask. They gave you a Wood Mask they had pre-cut and put on a stick, they stick was actually one of those wood sticks you get for free when you buy paint - I thought that was an ingenious Sponsor contribution, since they probably used about 500 or so of them. Here's a template if you wish to make one:

Then they handed you a paper plate with a dab of lots of colors of paint, and you would go to the table and paint your mask.

Well I'm not a painter - so I brought my mask home and this is what I did to mine. I brought home some tissue that they were giving away to make flowers, I had some colorful fabric I had bought to make something for Day of the Dead (and never did) and then my trusty Mod Podge.

I put a layer of Mod Podge on the skull and then put two layers of the Yellow tissue paper. I then cut out some orange teeth and put those down.

Then I made a tissue twist grouping (was trying to make it look like a flower, it almost made it) on one side.

To make those you tear off small squares of tissue put them on the eraser end of a pencil.

Twist them nice and tight.

Then hold on to the tissue and stamp it in the Mod Podge.

And then stamp it down where you want to glue it.

I then cut some of the graphics from my fabric mostly the flowers and Mod Podged the small pieces of fabric down. I forgot to take a picture of the finished project before I took it all over to my mom in the Hospital. So here is a picture of the small grouping I set up on my mom's nightstand.

Boo! I’m celebrating Halloween with @SITSGirls & entering to win a Canon Rebel DSLR camera http://bit.ly/dtwrjJ  - I'm doing this because Tiffany is such a Pretty and Generous SITS Girl