Buy it or Make it: Denim Jeans

I have been the luckiest girl lately. I am back to my pre-baby weight and size thanks to a change in my diet and making time to exercise! It means that I can fit my old jeans, but that doesn't mean I want to wear them. I'm a new girl after having a baby and my wardrobe should reflect the journey. As much I love denim, I don't like to shop for it. Isn't it a chore when it comes to finding new jeans? I also cringe at the cost of Paige Jeans, $298 for a basic pair, even though they are truly a remarkable feat of beautiful engineering. I'm a mom now and budget is the word.  Thanks to lady luck on my recent shopping spree! I went vintage shopping and scored three pairs of jeans that I am in love with! As I'm not Canadian, I wasn't familiar with these two Canadian denim manufactors, but holla! Every girl in North America should know these labels. First up, Silver Jeans Co. 

{Image from Jason in Hollywood-read this blog to keep current on billboards in LA}

The Silver Jean Co. was established twenty years ago by Michael Silver. He earned an degree in Fine Arts and went to work in the fashion industry for Western Glove Works. He learned the craft of denim and was inspired to launch his line of clothing for Men and Women. I respect that he mentions in an awesome interview on creating denim fashions that he is tireless about details such as thread, fabric, and dye.

Read more awesome interviews at Denim Blog

Three Favorite Things: Simple Gifts

Last January, Alt Design Summit and Design Milk hosted a lovely webinar. At the event, I was fortunate, blessed, pick your own adjective here to describe meeting Judy of Cute & Useful. Judy is simply brilliant! She is a graphic designer, crafter, and mother. I'm very excited to introduce her guest post for Three Favorite Things!

Judy, what are your three favorite things?!

 My three favorite things are simple gifts. Simple Gifts are thoughtful, lovely, and special.

It's easy to make these simple gifts. All you need is card stock, scissors, glue, and a printer. First, print the template on card stock. The template download is at my blog, Cute & Useful.  

Next, choose a printable paper and print it, also on card stock. I made three neutral-colored printable papers special for this project (I chose them to compliment the gifts inside the boxes), or you can choose from any of my printable papers at Cute & Useful. Trace the template onto the back of the printed paper.

Cut the traced template from the printed paper and fold. The original template has dotted lines you can reference as guides, but it's pretty easy to see what to do. The tabs show where all the folds should be. 

I made all my folds before beginning to assemble. In assembly, I made the lid first, then I put glue on the side and bottom tabs and assembled. After I had the bottom tabs in place, I gently pushed the bottom against the tabletop to make it snug. I used as much glue as I needed but no more; a little glue and the tabs stuck right away -- too much and they were slippery. The glue was Elmer's. 

And then, you have a cute little box! Fill it with practically any small thing. The box on the right is filled with silver binder clips. The box on the left has beads and elastic cord to make a bracelet. Wouldn't these little boxes make a great teacher gift? Don't you think they'd be a thoughtful gift for a neighbor or friend?

What's in the box in the middle? Candy, of course! These kisses with melt-away centers are really, really...mmmmm. I think the boxes would also be fun filled with Jelly Beans for Easter. (I recently made a colorful Jelly Bean paper.)

Aren't they cute? Aren't they useful? 

It's been my pleasure posting today on Modern Girl Style. Remember to find the printable papers and template for this post at Cute & Useful. My very best to you!

Thanks, Judy! I feel so inspired! This will come in handy for giving out little gifts to friends and family! XOXO!!

Here's to You, Jeanwest!

One of the aspects I love about blogging is meeting new people, places, and things. This post is a loving shout-out to my loyal readers at Jeanswest that have been reading my blog for the last few years.  More importantly, the Australian & New Zealand denim outfitters have beautiful news! They are celebrating forty years in the business this year. Since the thought of sewing my own pair of denim jeans is like the idea of me flying a spaceship to the moon, I'm going to drool over these beautiful images by Jeanswest. Who wouldn't want to be wearing a pair of these?!

Where am I? Where am I going? Or Welcome to 2012!!

Can it already be four days into the New Year?! I've been busy getting my daughter her US citizenship and now that that hustle is over and the holiday is packed up and put away. I'm back at my desk and wondering where was I before Thanksgiving and where am I going? Have you had a chance to slow down enough in 2012 to ask yourself these same questions?

It's a hard question...what do I want out of life. It sounds easy if you win the lottery, but unless that happens a girl needs plenty of mojo to tackle the true desires of the heart.

Weekend Read: Water for Elephants and Effortless Style

Water for Elephants Film Still. Robert Pattinson. Image Source.

Sometimes the only benefit of being an early riser is that you have time to discover amazing books. After hearing all the glowing reviews of Water for Elephants, written by Sara Gruen, I had to pick up a copy. I vaguely knew that it was turning into a movie and I can't deny that after seeing the film stills that it looks absolutely fabulous, too. 

Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon. Image Source.

Water for Elephants published in 2006. Although, it wasn't Sara Gruen's first novel, it was the book that brought her to immediate fame. The book leapt to New York Times #1 bestseller and has sold over 3 million copies. So I'm not the only one to adore this book. Let's get to the plot of things:

BOOK SUMMARY: With its spotlight on elephants, Gruen's romantic page-turner hinges on the human-animal bonds that drove her debut and its sequel (Riding Lessons and Flying Changes)—but without the mass appeal that horses hold. The novel, told in flashback by nonagenarian Jacob Jankowski, recounts the wild and wonderful period he spent with the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth, a traveling circus he joined during the Great Depression. When 23-year-old Jankowski learns that his parents have been killed in a car crash, leaving him penniless, he drops out of Cornell veterinary school and parlays his expertise with animals into a job with the circus, where he cares for a menagerie of exotic creatures[...] He also falls in love with Marlena, one of the show's star performers—a romance complicated by Marlena's husband, the unbalanced, sadistic circus boss who beats both his wife and the animals Jankowski cares for. Despite her often clichéd prose and the predictability of the story's ending, Gruen skillfully humanizes the midgets, drunks, rubes and freaks who populate her book. 

Author Sara Gruen

Sara Gruen came to the States from Canada in order to work as a technical writer. Two years later, she was laid off and without work. She had that zany idea that perhaps she should write a novel. The rest is history. Amazing history, once it sold to Hollywood and landed Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon. However, toss the movie aside. The first hundred pages have been a luxurious treat not just in terms of plot construction, but in language. The prose is crisp, vivid, and enigmatic. The ambiance and mood is pushing toward a love story that is going to have depth and resonant with the heart. The character Jacob Janowski is someone to love, even with his faults and short-comings. If you've been like me, putting the book aside. Don't delay in reading it. If anything, read this book instead of seeing the movie. I can promise that you won't be disappointed.

Water for Elephants

Blog Reads: Effortless Style 

In keeping with an elephant theme, I found a great old post on elephant envy at Effortless Style. Say that sentence three times fast!

Effortless Style is a sweet weekend blog read!

Effortless Style is winning combination of husband and wife, Jon and Camilla. Their about page is totally fabulous and lists sweet tidbits like in 2005 they bought their first decorative piece, an elephant. Together they offer interior design services that have been covered by HGTV, Apartment Therapy, Casa Sugar, and more. The website is a sweet venture in style and humor. A great weekend read!

Elephant Envy at Effortless Style

One last shot of Water for Elephants! I can't wait to finish this book and then see the movie!

Weekend Reads: Drood by Dan Simmons & Capital A Blog

At over 700 pages, Drood by Dan Simmons, will turn into more than just a weekend read for me since I love to brunch and have fun. However, it was a spur of the moment move at the grocery store that I landed this books and I'm really delighted to read it. See if you can't understand why I had to grab it....

SUMMARY 

On June 9, 1865, while traveling by train to London with his secret mistress, 53-year-old Charles Dickens--at the height of his powers and popularity, the most famous and successful novelist in the world and perhaps in the history of the world--hurtled into a disaster that changed his life forever. 

Did Dickens begin living a dark double life after the accident? Were his nightly forays into the worst slums of London and his deepening obsession with corpses, crypts, murder, opium dens, the use of lime pits to dissolve bodies, and a hidden subterranean London mere research . . . or something more terrifying?

Ghosts on the London Tube 

Just as he did in The Terror, Dan Simmons draws impeccably from history to create a gloriously engaging and terrifying narrative. Based on the historical details of Charles Dickens's life and narrated by Wilkie Collins (Dickens's friend, frequent collaborator, and Salieri-style secret rival), DROOD explores the still-unsolved mysteries of the famous author's last years and may provide the key to Dickens's final, unfinished work: The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Chilling, haunting, and utterly original, DROOD is Dan Simmons at his powerful best.

I'll update as the reading goes. I'm only about 30 pages off and I'm a bit worried that this is going to be an overwritten Victorian-style novel. We shall see...I try not to go bust on a book until page 100 or so. A great rule my mother helped to instigate in my reading life as a young adult. Thanks mom! Without that rule, I might have missed out on some awesome Classics.

Other Recommendations

Recently with my poor sleeping habits I've been sweeping through books. Here is a quick list of books that I've been meaning to read and finally did!

Impact was a fantastic read. I couldn't enough of it. What's not to love about exotic locations and lots of actions. If you're looking for a pure entertaining read that might make you ponder what is happening in the universe around us, then Impact is the book for you.

In all what kept me reading this book were the descriptions of the French countryside. It was the perfect escape to linger over the beauty of French vineyards, rustic provincial homes, marketplaces, and of course, every foodie, like me, loves to read about French foods and wines. My only discontent was that it seemed obvious to me that this was written by an older man that was a bit fond of the eternal bachelor hunting for ever yet younger ladies. The plot was also a bit out the window and a second thought. Read this book if you love France and wish you had a first class ticket to travel there by tonight. I've been meaning to get to other books by Peter Mayle, like French Lessons: Adventures with Knife, Fork, and Corkscrew, so this book didn't put me off enough to adventure through his other works. I think I wanted to read more French foodie books and there was one that I've really been meaning to get to...

I just finished Julie & Julia Project yesterday-imagine that! I loved her imagination descriptions and author's voice. I felt when reading this book that I was having a conversation with a best-friend or at times I felt like it was moi talking. If you skipped reading this book to avoid all that hype or, like me, you just hadn't had the time, then I totally recommend this book. I'm also looking forward to reading her latest book, by Julie Powell Cleaving. As I'm not a big fan of meat, this book is going on the backburner of things to check out. 

Blog Weekend Read

In the hunt for good blog reading, I recently discovered Capital A. Its a lovely mix on style, design, celebrity fashion, and oh so yummy food.

Capital A is written by Abbey Watson, a D.C. girl that works by day as a media relations and online communications specialist and a night she is an explosion of creativity.  She also recently posted an awesome recipe for Devil's Food Cupcakes. That is totally something for the weekend, yeah! Let me know what you read and did. 

What are you going to read this weekend?