Andi's Wedding Dress

So, my little sis, Andrea, got married two weeks ago. Ah, what a beautiful day...and what a beautiful dress she wore, if I may say so myself. I hope it's okay for me to be so pleased with (okay, proud of) my work. Though I've sewn pretty much everything under the sun, wedding dressery was uncharted territory for me up until then. Andi didn't want just any dress, either -- she actually wanted a two-in-one of sorts: a long, elegant, 1940s-inspired gown that could convert into a shorter dress suitable for swing dancing. And she knew how she wanted every last detail. It's super-tough to sew for someone who has such a specific vision but little experience with sewing/designing, but I think I pulled it off nicely.

I just wish I had good pictures to show you.

Good pictures -- that's what I've been holding out for. Steven's sister took a ton of pictures (like, official ones) at the temple and the reception, but is taking a while to get them to me. I'm kind of getting super-impatient -- one of my more prominent character flaws -- so, for now I'll just show you some random snapshots I took myself. I was just tagging along behind the photographer, so these are sorta lame pictures, but hopefully they'll give you an idea of what the dress looks like. I'll post some real ones later.







These just show the "long version" of the dress -- it's actually a knee-length dress with a long skirt over the top. I probably won't make another wedding dress for a while (I hope), but I am so happy with how Andrea's turned out!

Table Cover

I just finished a super-cute, fitted cover for my kitchen table. I got the idea from Ilona a couple of years ago and have been dying for one of my own. About a month ago I was at Quilting Cottage in American Fork, and spotted the perfect fabric -- vintage green, polka-dotted, vinyl-coated cotton. It was about $15/yard...kind of expensive, but totally worth it. Not only is it adorable, but spills wipe off easily, which is especially nice when Scott's kids are visiting.

My table is small -- a 36x48" oval -- so I didn't need a lot of fabric. I think I bought about a yard and a half. I started by draping the fabric, wrong-side-down, over the table. I used a pencil to trace around the table's edge then cut, leaving 1/2" for a seam allowance.



To make the cover fitted, I cut a long strip 6" wide and sewed it around the edge of the table-top piece. I graded and notched the seam allowance (to reduce bulk) then edge-stitched around the top so it'd lie flat.





Finally, I sewed a 1/2" hem around the bottom.



Ta-dah!



I love it, and it was so easy to make!

A New Smile

I've always been self-conscious about my teeth. Even after three years of braces, I never loved the way they looked -- until now. I had Dr. Larsen put veneers on my front six teeth and am thrilled with the results! Everyone says I smile bigger and all the time; who could blame me, though? I probably sound like an infomercial for cosmetic dentistry, but having a beautiful smile makes me feel beautiful all over -- haha!

Here's my smile before...


...and now!




Happy. :)

Happy Spring!

Today was so great -- a whole day off with fantastic weather. I worked hard and accomplished a ton! I finished a mock-up of Andi's wedding dress. I ran 6.5 miles. I finished a new spring wreath for my front door. Maybe this will encourage Mother Nature to play nice -- I'm tired of pulling my freshly-potted flowers inside every night!

Conference!

I think there are few things I love more than watching General Conference at home in my PJs. And with last night's snowy surprise, today is the perfect day for that...and the perfect day for a delicious, homemade breakfast. Enter my favorite cinnamon rolls:



Light and fluffy, buttery and cinnamon-y, and loaded with gooey cream cheese frosting. Yum.

Cinnamon Rolls
2 cups hot milk
1/2 cup shortening, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp yeast
3 eggs, beaten
4 to 4 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Mix the hot milk and sugar together. Add the yeast and wait for it to blossom, then add the shortening and salt. Stir in the beaten eggs and 1/2 of the flour. Add the remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, until a soft dough forms (it will be very sticky, but that's what makes the rolls so light and fluffy!!). Cover the dough and allow it to rise until doubled in size.

Roll dough out onto floured surface. Mix the butter, sugar and cinnamon into a paste, and spread it allllll over the dough (all the way to the edges). Roll up and cut with a string or a piece of dental floss in 1 1/2" widths. Place on greased cookie sheets and allow to rise again until doubled in size.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Makes 12-18 rolls, depending on how big you like them. :)

Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 package cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-3 Tbsp milk
powdered sugar

With an electric mixer, cream the heck out of the butter. Add the cream cheese and beat it well, too. Stir in a bunch of powdered sugar (yeah, I don't know how much), and add the vanilla. Add the milk, then additional powdered sugar as needed. Spread on hot cinnamon rolls and watch it ooze everywhere.

Double-yum.

Perfect

Today was the first Saturday off I've had in quite a while, so I had to make the most of it. After a grueling run on the treadmill, I started making a pattern for my sister' wedding dress, which I intend to make completely awesome. Then I spent most of the afternoon in Salt Lake with Scott. We ate authentic German food at Siegfried's-- super-fantastic. I must say, I never knew that wienerschnitzel is nothing like a hot dog, or that I would love rotekraut (red cabbage sauerkraut) so much. Siegfried's is like a deli/grocery store combo and has some really neat things. I couldn't leave there without my own jar of rotekraut, some European chocolates, and a bottle of gooseberry & kiwi jam -- which, consequently, is amazing.

After Siegfried's we spent a couple of hours perusing antique shops, then headed back to Orem for a Utah Flash game. I love basketball games, but I get so distracted from the sport itself. I love to people-watch, and spent most of the game making silly faces at a little boy in front of us. When the game was over, we wrapped up the evening at my apartment by eating ice cream and finishing Julie and Julia (we started it last night but both fell asleep).

I can't believe how much we packed into one day, but it was seriously awesome -- one of the best days I've had in a long time.

For Baby Tessa

I just finished a dress for my friend Traci's little girl. I used Traci's wedding dress for the fabric, and I am so pleased with how it turned out:







Also, on Sunday I made a fun breakfast for Scott's kids. We had heart-shaped pancakes and I set each of the kids' plates with a little Valentine's Day surprise.