Upholstered!

Oh, awesome.

I have a new hobby. Let's add that to the 598624 other hobbies that end up in labeled Rubbermaid containers in our basement. OK, wait. Really, my hobby du jour is merely a branch of my umbrella hobby: "makin' stuff". Anything that involves getting paint on my clothes or hot glue burns on my hands or a staple through the thumb is my idea of spare-time-awesome. But where is my spare time? What am I DOING with it? (I smell a resolution comin' on.) Clearly I'm not blogging enough. I even worry that my dogs and my husband get neglected. How do people add kids to this mix?

Magic, obvi.

I don't have/make enough time to cut and paste and bedazzle, but I'm getting better with the help of my equally crafty friends. We've been combining socializing (something I won't forfeit for extra time) with sewing and crafting to help encourage each other. 

{ the fruits of my labour and too much day-drinking }

Thanks to these mostly-wholesome get-togethers (OK, there's still booze and raunchy convo topics), I pumped out 2 dresses, a handful of necklaces, a pendant lamp, and a chair over the summer. More than I could (would) do on my own. Whee!

The chair in question was my chosen piece for a 2-day upholstery workshop that I took with Bunce this summer. I've dabbled in some furniture recovering (self-taught, trial-by-error-style as usual) but wanted to really dive into the guts of upholstery.

{ before aaaaaand after! }

I'm kind of in love with every part of it. Pneumatic staplers! Rotary sanders! Upholstery tacks! In 2 days, I took a deflated and stained chair seat and gave it back its confidence. Springs tightened, foam refreshed, webbing reinforced. It's also pretty chic now with a light sanding, fresh coat of varnish, new ikat fabric and a clean row of finishing tacks. It's my new sewing chair. It's divine.

I also started a little footstool – a confusingly small piece that I picked up from a thrift store. Like hobbit-sized. Before and after pics to come!

Bunce, that ambitious little beaver, tackled a bench and two chairs in the same amount of time. They were more straightforward (no guts and springs) but proved to be a major challenge due to immovable stain and grit (this bench once belonged to a fast food chain!)

After the workshop, I asked for a pneumatic stapler and compressor for Christmas. "Santa" was kind enough to oblige! Guess I was on the nice list this year? (A slip-up, for sure.)

No chair, couch or footstool is safe now. Neither are your eyes, BTW; wear goggles at all times, my friends. 

Two chairs rescued roadside will finally get a proper makeover, and I may even tackle our couch this year (it's the victim of two terriers). 

 { Pinterest gems // Jane Hall Designs }

 
As usual, I've also been stacking my Pinterest boards with inspiration. The total of all of the projects in my Crafts + DIY board would take me into the next century to complete, but the secret to eternal life will be discovered in my lifetime, yeah? I'm counting on it.

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RESOURCES!

For Torontoites looking to learn the craft, I recommend contacting Andrea at RE:Style Studio. Her workshops are self-directed, casual, and really hands-on. 



If you already know your way around a tool belt and a sewing machine, check out this online tutorial via Better Homes and Gardens.

 Also, this handy yardage estimator is a must. See the full chart here.

City of Craft!

I'm in! I'm in!

Waited oh-so-patiently and it paid off! I was accepted into City of Craft's holiday show and I'm just so thrilled! I was neglecting my little Etsy shop over the summer. I shelved it to attend to more pressing matters like: patios and brunches and music festivals and mojitos and canoes and picnics and outdoor movies and hammocks, of course. Then I spent early fall recovering from those hardships.

I'm back, puppies.

Now I need to get motivated to cut and sew and design like crazy. Probably I should set aside some weekends, but they're filling up so fast. Yikes. It's only, err, 3 weeks away; that's closer than it seems. And it seems close.

I'm in trouble. Especially because I can't say no to anything! 

Luckily, I somehow secretly slipped a clause into my marriage contract that basically means hubby must (by law!) cut fabric shapes and iron seams until his hands bleed. Anytime I ask! JK, you guys! OK, it's not a law. It's just a reeeeealllly big debt accumulated over years of band-wifely support. JK?

Stop by and see me December 8th & 9th, won't you? It's one of the best holiday craft shows of the season and I'm so stoked to be a part of it! 

(Aside: can I get away with saying "stoked"? Like, am I too old?)

p.s. Eventually I will need an awesome graphic designer/web-wonderperson to help me revamp dudleyandbea.com and this blog. Barter, anyone? I have to stop pretending that I know what I'm doing. I have other talents. Sewing, I mean, SEWING. Geez. (That's enough out of you.)

a handmade holiday!

This is happening. Today.

And I'm only blogging about it now at the very, very last minute because, well, I've been busy sewing my face off to get ready for it. Oops. But if you know and love me, I've already told you and you're already coming. The rest of you: go. Spontaneity is good for you.

While I had planned to write a proper post, this will have to do. Short, sweet and riddled with typos. 

So yes, stop by your local West Elm store for snacks, DIY workshops and shopping local Etsy sellers. But most importantly, visit the Liberty Village location in Toronto. That's where I'll be. Bleary-eyed from all-night sewing and baking. I'll be selling my Dudley & Bea goodies, including new products that you'll just have to see in person!

Oh, and BRING CASH. I'll accept PayPal via the iPhone app, too. Many small vendors are unable to accept debit and credit cards.

I'll be sharing the spotlight with these lovely folks - my fellow T-dot-Oh Etsy-ers:

The Penny Paper Co.

Better Stay Together

Tiny Poppies

Setsuko Studio

Every Bear Jewel

Get there: 109 Atlantic Ave., Toronto

Holiday style: All that glitters (and bows!)

Nicole just wrote about her very favourite party dress. I am envious that I do not have this sort of relationship with any dress in my current (and sadly outdated) wardrobe. Sure, I have a handful of LBDs (little black dresses, Dad) - holdovers from my short-lived corporate life - but very few Holiday-cheer-appropriate frocks. We have three events to attend during our short trip to Ottawa for Christmas. They're close-friend/family gatherings, so it's not like I have to impress.

But you know how I love pretty things.

I live for excuses to dress up. Sometimes putting the outfit together and getting ready to a ladies-of-dance-pop soundtrack is the best part of the night. I was very pleased with my outfit Friday. (Before the tights ended up with black knee stains, of course.)

So in the spirit of torturing myself (as usual), I perused online fashion while Alex slept in this morn, and "shopped" for my would-be (SHOULD-be) holiday wardrobe. If my ridiculously talented husband and his ridiculously talented band was as bloody rich-n'-famous as they should be, I would be stocking my closet with the lovely covets below.

I noticed a theme emerging: sequins and bows!  I think showing up at a make-out-under-the-mistletoe party dressed looking like a present is pretty much the best idea. 

 Alice + Olivia sequin top

 Kurt Geiger velvet pumps

 Bebaroque BEDAZZLED!! tights

 Balenciaga suede pumps

 Adam sequin dress (via netaporter.com)

cream bow flats (via moxsie.com)

 Thread Social shorts

 Bird by Juicy Couture sequin racerback tank

 cocktail dress (via modcloth.com)

nordic sweater (via yessstyle.com)

miu miu GLITTER!!! oxfords 

 Betty Draper-esque dress (via modcloth.com)

 Oasis bow-print sweater

 patterned tights by Emilio Cavallini

 Kurt Geiger platform wool bow pumps

 Miriam Ocariz wool dress

But, instead, I will have to make do with what I have, plus any pity-purchases my mother makes for me the next time we're shopping (Boxing Day, obvs). I do have a glittery CM party skirt similar to the one below (but more sparkly!). It should be a decent jumping-off point. I've been known to work thrifty miracles before.

[ All photos via polyvore.com, except where noted; collage by me! ]

It's been three blogs since my last confession.

Or not.

It's Christmas WEEK. We're not sending cards or buying gifts for friends this year, because we simply can't afford it. We're doing some baking, buying little things for our siblings, and we've capped spending on each other to $40. So, it means I'm not holiday shopping, on top of already being (self-) banned from rest-of-the-year shopping. It sucks. 

But, I did desperately need a camera bag. And I finally found one - this baby cost me $29 on ebay. I love that it doesn't look like a camera bag. It's a perfect fit (I hope) and I'll just line it with some neoprene or foam for protection.  Whew - I just narrowly avoided a nasty case of ugly camera bag!

 [ Vintage Dooney and Burke crossbody bag, $29, ebay ]

OK, more confessions. I bought some tights at Winners. Three bucks each, though. Less than a take-out soy latte, right? A snagged a pair of Coral tights by Hue and a metallic damask pair by Emilio Cavallini.

 

I'm not done. While on the way to the cash, I spotted these. They were $30:

A steal, but yeah, just a little more than a coffee. Arg. I just need to steer clear of retail, and I'll be fine. Alex called me a hypocrite because I forced him to buy frozen concentrated orange juice that same day because "we're on a budget". I promise, I'm done. 

To make my life hell, I agreed to take on the gift guide for blogTO. OK, I really love the assignment, but yeah, let's put an alcoholic in a bar, shall we?

Now I'm off to do some appropriate shopping - baking ingredients! We're making matcha cookies, homemade Irish cream, peppermint meringues, biscotti and truffles this week. Just a tad ambitious, maybe?  That's the way I roll. It wouldn't be the holidays without self-created impossible deadlines and stress, right?

 [ photos via ebay.com, asos.com, annetaintor.com, Emilio Cavallini ]

 

Life fail (and the re-write).

[ iPhone glowiness. the OC Transpo never looked so good ] 

Returned last week after a 4-day road trip to Ottawa to see the folks, get wrinkly from hours in the hot tub, and to collect my husband. I dragged Mere along, and the dogs, of course. We back-to-back partied with music boys. Thursday, with Arkells. And Friday, with the best darn little Toronto (worldwide) band around (ever). Kay, yeah, we've established I'm biased. 

[ you don't know from jokes. ]

Sweet Thing played Ottawa, which I always love, of course. Tons of catching up with high school friends and extended family. Yay! Mom and dad (and the in-laws) opted out due to old-people reasons (the show started at midnight). Can't blame them, really.

I haven't blogged in over a week! Ack.

Busy-busy with blogTO stuff lately (yeah, giving precedence to things that make money). Oh, did I tell you that I only lasted 2 weeks as a "full time" employee? It killlllllls me to think that I "failed" in a way, but really, it was my decision. I'm one of those annoying over-achiever types*, so not excelling at something makes me CRAZY. I just couldn't maintain the volume of work required of me (no matter what the salary might be). I felt like the quality of my writing was suffering because of it. 

And, I work to live. So a 93-hour work week just isn't my thing.

If I ever DO become a "live to work" person, it'll be on my terms. Giving myself 24/7 to a company will only happen when I'm the boss. So, it's a bit of a bummer, sure. But I'm still writing for blogTO pretty consistently, and I may work up to writing a bit more in the new year.

In fact, I'm working on a gift-a-day guide right now! Shopping AND writing for a living? I mean, c'mon, could it get any better? OK, it could. Not being broke would be nice. 

For now, I'm trying to figure out life in general. I pretty much came to a decision, though...

I am making a go of this pet business. It's what I want to do, right? So why the heck am I waiting?! This is the time, if any. I obviously need income of sorts (in addition to blogTO), but I may be on to something there... more later! Alex's music career is STILL less than lucrative so I'm not quite a kept woman yet. Dudes, get famous, OK?

Speaking of Sweet Thing, I'm acting as merch girl for a few shows this month, including 2 next week. I've done so many free things for the boys over the years that I really don't feel bad being paid for this (considering they'd pay someone else anyway). Might as well be me, right? Plus, they ALWAYS balance when I work merch because I'm super-anal and math-y. Of course I WON'T be at the merch table for the Mod Club show on the 17th. It's the dance floor for me. Meet me there?

Also, their new vid comes out ever so soon! It appeared in sneak-peek fashion on ET Canada last night but I forgot to watch. Bad wife. Bad. But I did see the first rough cut and it's ever so adorable. I can't wait to see the final!

Me again. Working on some more travel pet water bowls. They seem to be getting some attention and I sold two last week. They'll be a good item for Spring when I plan to start approaching stores. Oh, and I think I'm setting my sights on a One of a Kind Show booth for next Christmas. I really only work well when I have actual deadlines. 

My brother is here to take another Japanese language test at York. But I'm not allowed to talk about him on my blog, so that is all. Shh. He's leaving tomorrow and Alex and I are having a Christmas day (tree-trimming, cookie making, hot-chocolate drinking). And Christmas movies! Wheee!

Already watched Home Alone, thanks to a little mid-afternoon movie-fest at Miranda's on Sunday. Too fun. (More please.) NetFlix has a serious xmas-movie-drought, and Queen Video, too. Not sure what we'll do. Counting on good ol' basic cable (which we've canceled but still seem to be receiving).

Too long. Bah. OK, but I needed to talk all of that through. It helps me vent and organize my brain. Ahhhhhh. 

Bed.

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*In the 10th grade, my horrible English teacher tried to give me a 53% at mid-term, even though I was a straight-A student at that point and had ended my 9th grade year with an English mark in the 90s. He didn't like my "style". He should have been a math teacher. I re-wrote every essay and paper from the beginning of the year until that point and ended the semester with a mark in the 80s.

"Some teachers are trying to low-ball me, Daddy. And I know how you say, 'Never accept a first offer', so I figure these grades are just a jumping off point to start negotiations."

(Clueless, 1995)