Corner View: Me

7/20/10

7/21/09

My 21st Birthday. My 37th is coming up soon.

I still love Guston. (Talk about '90's fashion.)

How can one person look like so many different people? Who are we?
What are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going?

Thanks to social media, in the last few days I have been in touch with people I haven't seen or talked to in about a decade. It is so weird. I feel like a totally different person than I did back then. Memory is strange- and it has been interesting to compare what I remember about people, and those past years, and what people remember about me.

I found out this year, that one of my best friends from high school passed away from cancer in January.
We had lost touch, drifted apart- I had tried over the years to find her & her sister, who was also one of my best friends back then, to no avail. Then one day, her sister located me via Facebook. I saw her this past Sunday night for the first time in 15 years - I invited her to my home, and made her dinner. It was wonderful and sad. Mostly wonderful. It turns out my friends had both been living in Southern California for the past few years. So close and we didn't even know it.

I don't know what it all means, if anything.

More CV's here.

Wanted: Good Prints.

1, 2: Isabel Marant Etoile blouse (I'll take the dress version, too).

3,4 : Zero Maria Cornejo Tile Print gown and Stone Print Dress.

All images via Creatures of Comfort

Zuma

Due to the recent heatwave & no air-conditioning, went to Malibu on Friday. Zuma Beach is our favorite spot that is not too out of the way. Everyone else gets the same idea when it is this hot, though. Since we live on the Eastside, we often spend as much time time in traffic trying to get to & from the beach as being at the beach- very L.A.

More Weaving

More photos from the weaving studio. Need to get in there more next week!

Garden Party

Thistle. Not edible, but pretty to look at. Technically a weed in our garden.

Frittata made with Swiss Chard from the garden. We had this for dinner on Tuesday night, but it was even better for breakfast the next day.

Watermelon that was yea big about a week ago.

We have figs (I thought this plant was just an ornamental fig...is there such a thing? It's up at the top of our hill, and starting to bear fruit for the first time since we have lived here in 3 years) !

We have honeydew melon (not a fat cucumber as we initially thought...plant from the store was mislabeled) !

Walking & Talking

I love Nicole Holofcener & Catherine Keener!

Just saw this early Holofcener film, Walking and Talking (1996), for the first time the other day. The dialogue was great as in all of her films- but I was actually kind of 'meh' concerning the storyline about the friendship between the two women played by Catherine Keener and Anne Heche (mostly I think because I'm 'meh' about Heche as an actress).
I think Catherine Keener's character is much more compelling here- so smart, so funny & beautiful. Keener has been Holofcener's muse for some time now.

I loved Keener's mid-90's wardrobe in the film (brought back memories) the boxy little tees, chinoiserie tops, high-waisted lime green pants, and the minimalist tan bag she carries throughout the movie ... and not that Keener is 'old' by any means, but she looks like a baby in this film! Tried to take some still photos of the film, but you should just really watch the movie!

Easiest, Most Fun Dress Project Ever!

I look so serious. I had fun! Trust me!

This crazy necklace that I bought from an antique store when I was in high school matches this dress perfectly.

I have cankles and I am sorely in need of a pedicure, but doesn't the shadow from the rosemary bush look pretty?

Whipped this tunic style dress up from Anna Maria's free pattern & tutorial on her website located here.

This cotton dobby voile is so lightweight & silky. A pleasure to work with.
All you need is a very basic knowledge of sewing (I only started sewing a couple of years ago and I am completely self taught- if I can do it, anyone can), a couple yards of the fabric, a sewing machine and some 1/4" elastic & you are set.

I just added a single elastic band under the bust line as opposed to the 3- 4 bands she recommends. It is nice that the fabric's print is laid out in a grid pattern, making it easier to match up and sew in a straight line.
The positioning of the print on the fabric turned out a little differently than hers in the end, but I still love it! This was my first time working with elastic and it was easy.

My very first garment I made was from an Anna Maria Horner pattern, and I still think she is a genius. I'm kind of in awe actually that she planned out this particular textile pattern so well (how did she do it??). Her genius partially lies in the fact that a beginner seamstress can make simple, well- fitting garments with her sewing patterns, that feel easy to execute. Her patterns encourage you to keep sewing. Give it a try! You'll see!