Short on words. Big on style.

This is my new favorite fabric combo. I LOVE it.....LOVE it. I mean, what's not to love about all of Jennifer Paganelli's fabrics, right?? And a little Vicki Payne thrown in there.....then a fabulous shade of acorn velvet. Delish.

And I found this dress on etsy by the very talented Monique Martinez of Ouma Clothing. Perfect!

Now to find appropriate party to wear this to....

luvluv.

Simone

Gone country.

I think it must have started with those gorgeous pics Anna Maria posted on her site about that fabulous country wedding. Then a customer sent me this picture to draw inspiration.

What's not to love about the party "tent" on Ralph Lauren's Ranch just outside of Telluride, Colorado??? Look at all that color and texture...and that sky!

Inspired, it looks as though Gardenhouse has gone country! It's in the shop and ready to ride off with you.

Paired with this shirt....

Skinny Jeans and any of these boots.....

Yes, Mr. Lauren, I'd love to come to your party!

Giddy up ya'll.

luvluv.

Simone

Everyone has their place.

Although these two spend most of their time on the cold tile floor inside, when it comes to a bath, their place is outside.Cooper at 180lbs loves it. Thank goodness because inside is just NOT an option for bath time.

Higgins, well, not so much!

Talulah Bean Howell, loving called Beans.... she rules the roost at 8lbs and either goes to the groomers or gets a warm bath in the master tub.

She also gets a new handmade collar and leash. This was SO easy to make, contact me if you're interested in some quick directions.

Sorry Big Boys, but we all have our place in the world.

Mine?? Naturally......


Back to my place to make two jumbo sized collars.

luvluv.

Simone

To school & the pool.

They're off! Back to school. Yesterday was the first day of school for the girls.

They were both so excited. We hit campus, they threw their bags down and went hand in hand to hunt down their friends. THAT made me happy! Miss A is on the big kids playground this year with her sister and her sister's friends- she could not be happier. It's going to be a great year! I spent yesterday hosting a welcome tea for the new Kindergarten parents. One of the perks....being able to see the playground through the window. I got to snap some pics of the girls first day of school that I would not normally have been able to take...and I did it very incognito. Stealthy, yes!

I can't believe how much they are growing. I dropped them off this morning at the valet and they just ran.....I had one of those moments where I was like "OK, I don't have little kids anymore, those are my girls." WOW! What am I going to do with all of my time?!? I'm sure I'll find something constructive! Yes, right, Sangria by the pool. Oooooh, I should share with you my sangria recipe from this summer....tdf! Next time.

And did you notice Miss O's dress. She is my "skinny jeans and Hollister shirts" gal. That was until I kicked the designs more into her gear. Lots of fun stuff to come. I have been hard at work on more tween things. The dress she is wearing was repurposed from one of my hubby's shirts that had a hole in the sleeve. I'll either do a tutorial or combo pattern for this one. I love it so much that I honestly tried it on....really, I did. I got it on but there was no way I was sitting down in that bad boy...the fabric is just not that sturdy! So she gets to keep it! The next one is for me.

Off to raid the hubbys closet....and make Sangira for tomorrow.

luvluv.

Simone

Supplies and Sauce-- How to make baskets and mix drinks.

I have finished the short basket tutorial. I have made 30 of these baskets for all of the teachers at school {for a PTA function} so I'm thinking I won't be making any more in the near future....they are quick and easy {and I know will be much appreciated} but enough is enough already!
So here you are...how to make fabric baskets.

1. Cut two pieces of fabric for the outside of the basket, 17" wide by 14" tall. Cut two 4" squares out of the bottom corners of the fabric. I find it is easier to square boxed corners when the piece is pre-cut, so this is why you are cutting out the corners. Do the same for the lining and heavy weight interfacing.

2.Iron the interfacing to the back of both the outside pieces as well as the lining pieces.

3.Place the outside pieces right sides together and sew down the sides and across the bottom. You will have this..

{note, i am not using interfacing as I had a very tight budget so chose to use duck cloth for the lining. It will be strong enough to hold the basket upright when it is full.}

4.Now make the corners by pulling the front panel away from the back panel and matching up the side seam and bottom seam. {This is boxing the corners, there is a great tutorial on it here..although you have already done the cutting} pin and sew.

5.Turn right side out. You have just made the outside of the basket!

6.Repeat the same steps with the lining but don't turn right side out when finished.

7.Place the basket lining inside the outer basket..with wrong sides together.

8. At this point there are a few ways to finish the top edge, if you have a serger and volunteered yourself to make 30 of these {yes, mama, you're talking to me!} you can use a contrasting color thread, throw some wooly nylon in there and serge around the top edge for a quick, fun, funky finish. Another option is to turn both top edges in a half inch, pin in place and top stitch 1/4 inch from the top edge. Note~~ the fabric in the next photo has change. I was speeding through these so fast that I accidentally serged the sample so had to use a different basket to show this step. The green fabric is the lining, the cream floral is the outside (would have been the peach paisley from the tutorial. hope that makes sense!)

Once you finish the top, fold down about about 2 inches and fill with goodies for school.

This is the list of items I put in

each teacher's basket...

2 boxes of tissues

baby wipes

a package of glue sticks

thank you cards

white out

pink erasers

dry erase markers

4 packs of crayons

hand lotion

bottled water

energy bar

I will say I can't take ALL the credit for making 30 baskets. I lured some friends over with my famous beer margaritas.... The recipe sounds a little crazy, but I assure you they will be some of the best Margaritas you have ever had! I mix drinks like I mix fabrics! ;)

Fizzy Frothy Beer-ritas

In a pitcher filled with ice mix

2 Corona Lites

1 container of frozen Margarita Mix. thawed.{I use Bacardi as it has the fewest calories...yes, these are diet margaritas!)

Fill the margarita mix container 2/3 full with tequila, dump that in.

Fill the container 1/3 full with triple sec, dump that in....only if you want your marg's a little on the sweeter side. You can add this to taste if you like.

I also like to add some fresh lime juice to taste.

Stir vigirously to make it a little frothy. You can also pour from the picther into a cocktail shaker and then serve extra frothy.

Salt the rim, pour over ice, sew and cut....and chat.

One note on this...if you invite a friend over who thinks it's OK to use fabric glue to put buttons back on, you should not expect that she will be able to do much more than iron and make margs. We all have our place in the world ;) We love her no less.

Adios and enjoy.

luvluv.

Simone

The Buzz

So I promised a bag to go with this shirt....the fabulous honeybee shirt that is on it's way to me. Here ya go.

Day bag.....{because we have to have options, ya know!!?!}

The brooch has the most fabulous tassel elements hanging off the bottom edge... I think it would be amazing paired with this Banana Republic bracelet. And it's only $42....it's a steal, ladies! I was in BR a few days ago and had to laugh as they also have a necklace to match this. Last year at one of my local flea markets, I picked up the vintage Sarah Coventry necklace that I am sure both the necklace and bracelet was based on. I'll be on the look out for the Sarah Coventry bracelet next weekend when I'm at my favorite flea market. Can't wait!

And the night time bag...

Paired with a J Crew pencil skirt and some sort of fabulous necklace...maybe the over sized pearl one my mother in law {who is, by the way, fabulous, amazing, and wonderful} gave to me this summer.....oh I should photo that...maybe when the shirt arrives.

The girls are heading back to school soon and I have a million sewing projects I want to get done for them. I mean, what self respecting designer sends their kids to school in store bought clothes?? Oh, yeah...the one whose almost 9 year old daughter wants to wear nothing but skinny jean and Hollister shirts. Oh. my. gosh! How is Miss O almost 9?? I. am. not. old. enough. to. have. a. nine. year. old. Thank goodness I started when I was 20 {that would make me about 29 right?? ;) ha.

I am still working on lots of projects-- including my first tutorial! I took on the job of hospitality for PTA this year so I'm working on fabric baskets full of school supplies for the staff. I'll be posting a tute' soon on how to make them. It'll include a recipe for margaritas that will lure friends from all over town to help! Stay tuned and gather limes!

luvluv.

Simone

Never enough bags.

A few fun clutches on their way out. I will be listing them in the shop as made to order. I really wanted to carry this one today. We hit Sprinkles {boutique cupcakes} in Beverly Hills and it would have gone perfectly with my outfit! I left it home for fear of frosting {that and the fact that it's not really mine!} I think I'll be making myself a bag out of these fabrics.

This is my new fave. It's Amy, it's Heather, it's Paula, it's earthy and hip, perfect for fall. I'm seeing this combo on other bags coming soon too! LOVE.

luvluv.

Simone

Lotta' Lottie

Between working on Miss A's room and wholesale and custom orders I have not had much time to blog! I must say, though, that while browsing etsy for artwork for Miss A's room, I found something, well someone and somethings, that stopped me in my tracks. I shall share.....{you're welcome.} Lotti Frank. Lucy Claydon is an artist out of London who does the most amazing fashion illustrations.

I. am. in. love. with. Lottie. Frank. Lucy's work is chic, bohemian, original, vintage, modern....hmmmmm how can you not connect with that? The Lottie Ladies rock~~ Inspiring people to be strong and push there own boundaries to get closer to the independent, free spirited ladies portrayed in her work. Check out her blog, with fun "Lottie Ladies Love" fashion tidbits.....on the list right now.....over sized bows, bold eyes, red lips and 3.1 Phillip Lim heels {red, of course!} Love those Lottie Ladies! Never enough bags....I can relate! I have bunches of new bags ready to be shared. I'll be posting those soon so stay tuned.

Now off to dream up some dresses for my two Lottie ladies who are heading back to school soon!

luvluv.

Simone

Weekend comfort.

We've been at the beach in NorCal. A fabulous beach house perched up 47 steps above the gorgeous ocean and sand. NorCal beaches are much different than SoCal beaches {mostly different in that they are about 20 degrees cooler!} I should have remembered this....I spent many a weeks at Northern California beaches in elementary school~~ knocking knees, goose bumps and blue lips, but refusing to come out of the ocean with my boogie board and group of friends. Would you believe that we are at the beach this weekend with the same friends I used to boogie board with when I was 7! Now our kids are the ones on the boards! It is insane! Loads of fun. There is something so comforting about a group of friends that have know you for so many years. Yesterday was cold....very cold. So I spent a little time on the computer. I was in lounge mode and found these

I'll be lounging in them when they arrive...usually about 7 days from Anthro to front door!

And this tee shirt! The honeybee tee from Evolution Now on etsy! Love! I could easily chill in it with the pants.....or rock it out J Crew style with some really chunky pearls, a tailored jacket and slouchy boyfriend jeans. Hmmm...and shoes.....well, give me a day or two.

Now to make a matching bag!!

Home soon.

luvluv.

Simone