Snail Mail, Coffee, and Skype Dates...

Today was a rather bleak and grey November day...  I've been off work for a week now, so I'm trying to keep busy.  We don't have TV so at least I don't spend the days wasting away in front of the tube.  I've been trying to take advantage of this time to sew, and cook and clean, and just generally do things I don't normally have time to do.

I'm thinking about entering Burdastyle's "Party Through the Decades" International Competition, so I've been busy working on my entry for that.  It's nice they opened it up to folks outside of the U.S. and I can't wait to see what people come up with.  I've chosen to do an early 60's inspired look and am hoping to wear it to my husband's staff Christmas party this year.

While I was busy cutting out the fabric this morning, I received a Skype call from my very best friend (and her 3-month-old son) and had a very lovely chat.  It completely made my day!  I miss her a lot; it sucks that British Columbia and Newfoundland are on the complete opposite sides of the country! 

After being considerably cheered up by the Skype chat, I went and got the mail only to find that the 2 Colette patterns I ordered came in!  I've seen tons of great creations on the web, and decided to order the Chantilly and Crepe dress patterns.

(both images from http://www.colettepatterns.com/)

I love their vintage inspired looks and have heard nothing but great things about the patterns and the instructions.  My cousin asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding next summer and it's going to have a 1940's theme.  I showed her the Crepe dress as a possible bridesmaid dress, and she really liked it.  So I guess we shall see!  I like it well enough that I will probably make myself a few dresses anyways.  The Chantilly dress is so pretty and feminine, plus judging by the Flickr group, I can see that it looks great on a variety of body types.  I've been wanting to make something for my mom for quite awhile now and I think Chantilly will be just the ticket!



My husband sent me a link to this fable the other day.  It's become a bit of a daily mantra for me when things seem bleak.  I hope it will comfort and inspire you as well...

A farmer had only one horse. One day, his horse ran away.


All the neighbors came by saying, “I'm so sorry. This is such bad news. You must be so upset.” The man just said, “We'll see.”

A few days later, his horse came back with twenty wild horses. The man and his son corraled all 21 horses.

All the neighbors came by saying, “Congratulations! This is such good news. You must be so happy!” The man just said, “We'll see.”
One of the wild horses kicked the man's only son, breaking both his legs.

All the neighbors came by saying, “I'm so sorry. This is such bad news. You must be so upset.” The man just said, “We'll see.”

The country went to war, and every able-bodied young man was drafted to fight. The war was terrible and killed every young man, but the farmer's son was spared, since his broken legs prevented him from being drafted.

All the neighbors came by saying, “Congratulations! This is such good news. You must be so happy!” The man just said, “We'll see.”

Here's hoping that if life gives you lemons, you can make lemonade!
xxx