dirty thirty

it just kinda hit me recently... i'm going to be thirty someday. and it's going to happen sooner than i meant for it to. just one year, six months and 29 short days... or 576 days to be exact.

i don't feel 28 yet. i don't even feel 25 yet. i still feel like i'm getting away with something when they let me into a bar without checking my ID. so after doing a little research i compiled a list of a few somewhat ideal accomplishments to theoretically be completed by the time i blow out my 30th candle.

1. complete a marriage counseling course (we skipped pre-marital)
2. buy a house with my husband
3. officially take z’s last name
4. get another computer (we are currently a one laptop household)
5. wear more hats (figurative and literally)
6. find a new hobby Zac and I can enjoy together
7. come up with a regular cleaning schedule
8. host a girl’s night
9. host a family holiday
10. find a signature scent and wear it daily (body mist doesn't count)
11. get a new stamp in my passport (canada for our first wedding anniversary?)
12. go on an impromptu weekend trip (camping or staying with friends/family won't count)
13. find the perfect shade of red lipstick
14. determine my personal style and purge everything else from my wardrobe
15. get my hair done (by a professional, in a salon)
16. create a wedding scrapbook or memory box
17. print and display wedding photo(s) in our home
18. pay off my (one and only) credit card
19. grow vegetables and use them in a meal
20. make a painting
21. make a new meaningful friendship
22. have a true, dedicated guest room
23. write a letter to myself to read on my 30th birthday
24. have my own creative space
25. sell a piece of artwork i created
26. grow the emergency savings account
27. eat less fast food and more real meals
28. take a class
29. further develop my blog
30. make us a household notebook
31. try more new recipes
32. clean up and update all my iphoto albums
33. organize our filing and important documents
34. go to the dentist
35. send handmade Christmas cards
36. use my own grocery bags
37. get on some form of health insurance

its a race against time!

xo, pearl

pumpkin patching

my take on: tulle flowers

in the spirit of, lets say "fall cleaning", i've been going through some of my less stumbled upon drawers and boxes and came across these little gems. i made these about a year ago with the intention of using them in my wedding bouquet (which never happened).

let me show you how i made them...

here's what you will need:

two tulle strips (roughly 10"x 2" but i rarely measure and it won't matter too much)

a needle and thread (i used embroidery thread and separated the 6 strands)

small pearl beads or other beads, sequins or similar...

separate the embroidery thread and use one strand to thread the needle

lay out one 10"x 2" strip of tule and roll up the second piece and place it on top then fold the first piece around the middle piece almost like a hot dog.

thread the needle through the folded corner, making sure to catch both pieces of tulle and tie a knot to anchor the thread.

now, using either a loose basting stitch or whip stitch, sew along the short edge and around the corner. basically you're sewing a tube of tulle around the other piece of tulle. bunch as you go and make sure the bunching goes in a spiral pattern. that's how the flower shape is formed.

once you reach the far corner of the long side, poke the needle up through the center of the flower to the top and string a bead onto the thread. bring your needle back down through the center of the flower to the bottom of the flower.

tie a series of two or three knots to finish it off and keep everything in pace.

you're pretty much done. you can either trim the loose thread or not, depending on what you're going to use the flowers for. if i were going to tie them onto something i would leave the thread for that.

try different variations. this one was made with a length of lace in place if the inner strip of tulle.

admire your work and decide how you will use these adorable little tulle flowers!

 

i strung mine up with some gold thread

for now they're stung inside an empty frame on the mantle above my wood stove.

although they never made it much farther than my dining room table (which is also my craft desk and sewing room) i still love how they turned out and wanted to share how i made them. i ended up getting my actual wedding flowers at Safeway the day before my wedding and wrapped the stems with ribbon, akin to how a real florist would. a bouquet for me and a slightly smaller one for each of my back-up-dancers. maybe i could be a florist.

xo, pearl

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