Hate, Hate, Hate

I HATE spending money on clothes - always have.
I HATE having clothes that don't fit properly
and
I HATE never finding the material/fabric and textures that I want to wear

Besides clothes are so ridiculously expensive I just can't get over the markup.
Even when I was young and in a scholarship pageant (yes--I had to try to come up with the money to go to college), I wore a homemade dress.

So, Jovan (my son's gfriend) wanted to help me make a dress form - and we did - so I could make my own clothes.

Here's how we did it using an old shirt and duct tape.

First I picked out an old shirt.

Then we started duct taping it.

I think I'm saying, "Hey watch where you're putting that duct tape."
After one layer was finished
We put on a second layer of duct tape, using white duct tape so we could see where we'd already put the tape. I was getting tired standing for so long (maybe because it was 11:30 p.m. or maybe because I'm just getting old) but it was worth it. We ran out of white duct tape but thought we had enough layers already so
then we cut off the duct taped shirt
Then we stuffed the shirt with newspaperand sealed the bottom with paper and tape. We used black duct tape to seal up the top portion so the paper wouldn't fall out. Then I made my own pattern off of one of my favorite dresses.
And started sewing
I had to adjust the shoulder seams and take it in on the sides, but it is a whole lot easier to get a good fit when you use a dress form that is made to your body.
And, I'm not model but here's how it came out (and I even had enough material to make a scarf)
I also tried using the scarf as a belt and a cummerbund for another look

Love is Like Beauty - it's deep inside

I wanted to show Love Lays Deep in the Heart - I wanted to show it by making a cake with a heart hidden deep inside. I got the idea from a cyber friend. She's making the cake for her hubby.

But here's how I did it.

First I baked five cakes, four white cakes and one red one.


Then we hollowed out the centers, making one with a point and the other two with two rounded sides.

Then I filled it with the red cake.


Then I frosted the cake
And served it- yummy!

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you have a wonderful day filled with love and yummy treats!

Oregon Goes Green(er)

Portland might be the city of roses, and it may be the season of love and wearing red but Oregon is definitely coming out all green and I'm not talking about leprechauns. We have bikes galore, MAX, recycling centers and stations everywhere. So what more can we do?

We may be the first state to ban plastic bags. Read all about it here. So, what do you think? Are you a bag toting shopper? What do you think of banning the plastic bags?

Wordle

If you write, and you'd like to see your text in a pretty word bubble, check out this site: Wordle and run your text through it.

I ran Mary Had a Little Lamb through it just to test it out. It's fun. Try it and tell me what you think.

Answer to Word for Wedneday

The English language is always evolving. It morphs and changes quicker than we writers can keep up with. So, here's a site that will help you find words you might not know the meaning to.

Hangry is a mix of two words that can be found in the Urban Dictionary. It's a fun place to find new "trendy" words. Check it out here.

Hangry means: hungry and angry. It's a word that was invented to describe that feeling when you get when you are out at a restaurant and have been waiting over an hour to get the meal that you have ordered.

Word for Wednesday - a game for Writers

Play along guess what it means then come back around 3:00 to see, if you were write or wrong ;)

Word: Hangry

Put your guess in the comments - it's fun to play

RIDDLE ME THIS

What do you call someone wearing sunglasses in Portland, Oregon?


Come on take a guess...


Scroll down


And down further






Answer: An Optimist