Reversible Placemats: Christmas + Winter

For Christmas I decided to make a few of the presents this year.  It's only appropriate since I received my sewing machine last Christmas :).

Materials:

Light-weight iron on interfacing

Quilt batting

two types of fabric

I used some placemats I had on hand as a guide for the size of all interfacing and quilting which I ironed together.  For the rest of the fabrics, they are much wider than the interfacing-quilting pieces as shown below.

The first fabric is sewed to the interfacing-quilting piece.

Trim a bit of the fabric.

Sew the other fabric clipped to the other side with the edges folded in.

Voila! Quick and simple :).  I think this will be really nice through winter with the plaid side perfect for the holidays.

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Staying comfortable through a cold

Staying comfortable through a cold by Feier 

I've been feeling a bit poorly for a few days and am very glad that I took today off. I realize that is a luxury to be able to take days off here and there so I took advantage of the day to take care of myself.

These are the items that have made the few days much more tolerable. I've been drinking a lot of Ginger tea, consuming a lot of chicken noodle soup and vitamins... And winding down with a shower that clears me up. This shower gel by kiss my face for cold and flu is awesome, it feels luxurious, refreshing, and helps clear up my sinuses without resulting me in walking around smelling too much like Christmas peppermint.

I think my body is telling me that I need to be less stressed, take better care of myself, and just chill. 

I'll get back to my hobbies asap! The past few weeks have been a bit stressful and the next few will be as well with a good deal of traveling so I won't be around to sew and craft, sigh. 

Anyway, hope all is well with the world and that everybody is healthy! If you're sick, maybe some of these items will make it more comfortable and maybe enjoyable! 

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Quick and easy plastic bag holder

I haven't sewn anything in quite some time... Pretty much since I sewed my thumb by accident (it's all better now!).

As of late I've been thinking about how there are a lot of things I used to do that I don't really do anymore and it is making me feel less lively and a bit blah. I find that when I am a little down or unmotivated that doing something quick and easy makes me feel more positive about everything. I have a collection of plastic bags from grocery shopping (I should remember to bring my own bags) and I've been meaning to make a plastic bag holder. This took maybe half an hour and I think it's very pleasant to look at. It is super easy to make as it is just a tube with one end scrunched up with elastic and a handle on the other end.

Little things make the day a lot better :)

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Lay-N-Go Cosmo: Travel Make-Up Organizer

I travel a lot.  That's not saying I'm taking vacations or anything, but I do live what feels like a double life going back and forth between Ohio and Kentucky.  Josh and I take turns doing the weekend drive back and forth, with the dog living in two states.

Maybe I carry more products than I should with me, but I do like to be prepared to look nice.  It is a bit of a hassle to keep things tidy, to pack things in a pack... unpack, re-pack... then there's the fear of make-up falling rolling all over the place and onto the floor.

I first came upon this product a few years ago, but originally I saw the Lay-n-Go Activity Mat for kids and their toys. 

Then I discovered the same concept for make-up and purchased the Lay-n-Go Cosmo Bag to accompany me on the many weekend trips (and hopefully an actual vaca soon?).

I keep my favorite make-up essentials in it, as well as some jewelry.  It is incredibly convenient, cute, and keeps everything nice and tidy.  It just takes 1-second to cinch it up and be on my way! Perfect for on the go.

The bag cinches up and has a little handle to carry it around with.

The bag even has a front little pocket! I'm not sure what it is for, so far I just put the little pouch the mat came with in it.

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Seersucker Blouse & A Precautionary Tale

Finally got around to sewing this shirt (and sewing in general).  I used a Deer & Doe pattern, the same pattern that I used to sew a previous blouse (that included a collar!).

I really like this lightweight seersucker fabric that I bought for my birthday with a fabric.com gift card that I received.  This fabric is just right for a summer workday because it is hot and humid outside the building but very cold in the office.  This is a good transitional temperature shirt with it being cute and comfortable to boot!

Blood and sweat literally went into this blouse.  It is not a difficult blouse to sew actually but I did have my first sewing injury the evening I started sewing this.

I had finished the bodice and was on to sew the sleeves onto the shirt.  I was not being as careful as I should be and was trying to sew closer to the edge.... then the machine ate my thumb.

My thumb was obviously too close because before long I had a broken sewing machine needle in completely through the top of my thumb.  I swiftly got it out, cleaned up and rested.  I'll spare you the details but I got paranoid that I didn't get it all out as it had broken in half so I went to the urgent care to get it x-rayed to make sure.  Thankfully, I had an hour before the urgent care closed... also thankful that I have health insurance.

As I left, the receptionist was funny and called out "now you can get back to sewing!" to which I responded.... "maybe not today"

I did get back to it the next evening to finish the shirt though then wore it to work the next day.  Thumb is still a little sore, but it's healing really well.  I'm very fortunate it wasn't worse, which is why I urge you all to be very careful.  Sewing can be very dangerous! There are a lot of sharp objects involved in this art.

Was the shirt worth it? I think it was certainly worth the lesson to be extra careful, and it turned out nice :)

Be safe and be happy, everybody!

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Purse Essentials June 2014

Purse essentials June 2014 by Feier featuring a satchel purse

I like to be prepared wherever I go yet I also don't like to carry large purses.  Those are two conflicting wants in life so over time I've limited myself to a handful of items to keep in my purse.  For my medium-sized purses I'll put a lot of these items (+ some other personal items) in a small pouch to keep my purse organized.

I recently purchased this Mini Satchel Bag with Scallop Bar Detail purse from ASOS.com and I'm quite fond of it! It's not real leather but it has a nice feel to it, is not expensive, and is just darling.

Considering that I use my phone a lot for texting, browsing, calling, listening to music... my iPhone works pretty hard and sometimes runs out of juice.  There are a lot of battery boosters out there available for our electronics, but I'm a big fan of how sleek and small this Ultra Compact Portable Charger Lipstick Size by Anker (in pink!) is!

Also, being that it is summer right now my face gets oily quicker and I don't want my make-up to be running off my face.  I like to have oil blotting sheets with me like this Boscia one.  To freshen up on the go I like having this Instant Body Smoother by LA Fresh handy.

I wash my hands a lot, or use hand sanitizer (one of my essentials!) if necessary.  Washing my hands a lot results in some dry hands, dry cuticles... I really like having Rosebud Salve with me because it is good for moisturizing my skin, my nails, and work like a lip balm!  Speaking to dry cuticles and such, my nails have been getting hang nails and chipping more recently lately so I like to have mini nail clipper/file/poker with me at all times as well! It is really miserable for hang nails to be pulled out by accident by being caught on things like clothes.  I'm a big fan of the Tweezerman Nail Rescue Kit because it really does rescue my hands!

Band-aids & Re-wetting drops because I'm a contact lens wearer is always helpful as well! My shoes tend to rub on the backs of my heels so I like to have band-aids handy to protect my feet.  Re-wetting drops for contact lenses is a no brainer for me, because my vision is so horrible.  If I got stranded somewhere with no contacts or glasses I don't even think I could get myself home.  I like to minimize that likelihood by keeping my contacts moist and I keep extra pair of glasses in the glovebox of my car.

You never know what happens when you're out and about... enjoy lunch but splatter some sauce on yourself? Spill coffee? ... I have a lot of clothes that happen to be white/light colored so having Shout Wipes with me is so practical not only for myself but other people I'm around (accidents apparently don't only happen to me ;-)). I actually like them a lot more than tide pens even though each wipe doesn't go nearly as far.  Even so, I find them to do a much cleaner job which is the point of having touch up cleaning on the go.

Last two items: Stationary.

I Love Collecting Stationary. I Love Colored Pens.  I have multiple sets of colored pens.  My favorite is actually the Paper Mate's Inkjoys + Staedtler Fineliner Pens because they both write so smooth.  As much as I love those pens, they are rather large.  For my purses, when I feel like carrying stationary with me I like to have these  mini Stabilo's with me along with a small notebook.

Yes, all of these things are teeny and purse friendly!  There's something so satisfying with being prepared for the day, especially when the items are so cute and small.

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Closet Oranization June 2014

Closet organization 2014 by feieron Polyvore

My closet is starting to get out of control and I have no good excuse for it. It's a very large walk in closet and I just shove everything in there even if they're not clothes/accessories. There are things hanging on the back of the door, bags piled on each other, shoes still in boxes taking up room unworn because I don't notice them in their box... 

It really is not making good use of space.

It is really the multi-purpose closet because the coat closet is so tiny it barely fits my vacuum and a few jackets. I want to de clutter my apartment better. Just because things fit in the closet does not mean they should look like that in there, hah.

I bought thin hangers in the past but I still have a lot of thicker plastic ones which would be better served playing role of impromptu drying racks. I'm also accumulating skirts and like them to be hung up because I won't notice them to wear them otherwise... Same goes to pants hence I have extra pant hangers on my list for organizing my closet.

I'm curious about how the purse/shoe hanger will actually work out on my closet because I'm worried it will squash purses too much or shoes won't fit in it right.

One of my favorites on this list that I have yet to purchase is the hanging coupler thing that allows me to hang two sets of clothes in the same space.

I missed the wagon for spring cleaning but it's never too late!

Happy summer!

Time to make room for the summer wardrobe :)

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