Procrastination.

Yes, yes.  I know that Halloween was on Monday.  I am a slacker but I am ok with it. *Insert "winning grin" here

You wanna know why I am ok with slacking?  Probably not but I will tell you anyhow:

My husband, Chris, and I are doing NaNoWriMo this year.  Is that no one in the back asking?  I would be glad to answer!

It is a collection of people who are mentally unstable that decided, do to their instability, to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days, during the month of November.  

Like I said, we are all a little unstable... We would have to be to do this right?

On to even more awesome subject: my Halloween costume.  Can you guess?  I will be sad if no one gets it.

By Rachel Abi

I'll give you some hints:

1. I am a character on a TV show

2. I made my debu in a wedding dress

3. I am a tad whinny and self obsessed.

and  if you haven't gotten it by now. . .

4.  I work at "Central Perk"

The deranged man standing next to me was my husband Chris, in this shot however he is not "Chris".  With his costume I will tell you who he is... otherwise I am pretty sure no one would get it.

He is the actor, Matthew Perry, who played Chandler on friends when he was on Cocaine , if you didn't know Matthew Perry, though a wonderful actor and from all I can tell in interviews a great guy, has had some substance abuse problems.  If you recall in the show Chandler goes really thin two times. . . yea. . . Well that is the reference Chris is making.

I hope if you aren't confused enough you'll let me know how your Halloween went. . . seeing as I haven't' asked thus far. 

Further on the dress

Next step.  I ironed the sides because I wanted the side hem to be as small as possible.  

By Rachel Abi

I hemmed the to top pieces together so that the top would be seamless later 

So this is the hem on the side of the top, the one were I ironed as to have the smallest hem possible

I did my top with two small side panels near the back so that the front and side would be seamless

I did the same thing to the side panels as I did for the top: ironed and hemmed

Then I took the side panels and the front and sewed them together

The final process for now...

Date night!

Date night at home with Chris.  We like to do dates at home to save money.  We don't have kids to work around but I do understand that sometimes it is hard to not just fall into the same things, of every day.  We like to set the table, light some candles, some nights we make a rule that the TV won't come on.  To each his own but my rule for dates at home.  Nothing fancy.  I lean towards comfort and something that makes me feel pretty, so that I can be comfortable when we snuggle (yes, we snuggle) on the couch and I still look pretty and feel pretty.

by Rachel Abi

Slow and steady wins the race...

Here is the top cut out.  I will make my top double layered just to make sure it isn't too thin.  I am making mine a higher neck cut but it could be done in many different styles and cuts and still work for the style... besides if it doesn't work well for the style and works well for you it will still work.

It isn't about "being right" it is about having fun and making yourself look/feel pretty.  Who cares if you aren't supposed to do ____.  Do you look good in it?  Do you feel pretty?   Ok, then fine (so long as you have people who will be honest with you).

By Rachel Abi

Taking it slow. . . but here is the dress. . . well part of it.

Step two: Sew together the parts you cut.  For me I did alternating fabrics so make sure you keep to whatever you are doing or make what ever you do look on purpose.  If it isn't perfect?  Great.  Undo it and try again.  Still not perfect?  Awesome: cause it isn't going to be, accept it!

Who wants perfect anyway... what is perfect.  Even the stuff done by machines and sold in stores aren't perfect so what make you feel like you are going to be different?  

How are you going to get better at it if you don't practice?

By Rachel Abi

By Durham Wedding Photographer

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The last. . . how can it be!

Slightly to do with fashion but mostly do to with awesome!

T Minus 

52 Days

11 Hours

and just over 30 minutes 

The last Harry Potter movie is coming out.  Yes, I do indeed have a deep and pitted affection for this lore.  Do I wish deep down to have my own wand... oh wait I do!

My husband, Chris, my sister, Sarah, a gaggle of friends and I are going at the midnight release.  You ask: could I wait?  Possibly but I am not going to!  

Not only are we going but we are going in garb.  I am in the process of making our uniforms.  step one: scarf! Yes, it is going to be July but you can't go in uniform without the much needed scarf.

 Step one: get yarn (and if you don't have them needles).  Be specific because you need to get your house's colors perfect!

Step two: start (if you don't know how to it is fairly simple but you may want to practice some before you start the endeavor to make your house scarf)  I used the knit/pearl method on the ones I have made thus far.

Step three: do the finishing touches.  Mind in those extra strands.  Make those tassels you know always wanted!

By Rachel Abi

Step four: enjoy your spoils!

By Durham Wedding Photographer

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No money but creative

So here is where I start.  I have little to no budget to spend money on clothes and accessories.  So I try to do my style based not based on my lack of money lest I become an advocate of the "homeless" look. ;P

So instead a little cheaper way to get your style: make it.

Now this is not for the weak of heart.  This is not for the people who are afraid to fail.  Have fun is my rule of thumb.  Are you scared?  You can always get a guide.  I prefer to shoot from the hip.  I try and error on the larger side (you can always take in but you can't add more fabric).  I take an idea and just run with it.  So this is the start of a dress.

This is a picture of the fabric I chose to use.
By Rachel Abi

This is the cut of fabric I chose to use for the skirt.

Now I had the benefit of someone giving away fabric so that I didn't have to pay for mine, but try your local Walmart or even Joann's they have clearance sections.  You may not get the exact fabric you would want but more often then not it will turn out better than you had thought.   Contrast are great; play with them.  In the next couple of weeks (in the midst of everything else I will be doing) I will upload more pictures of what I am doing and why.

Do not feel like I know what I am doing.  The only thing that I do know: a basic knowledge of my sewing machine.  I look at clothes I like and look at the threading.  Look at how they are bound.  Do you ever see something in the store and think that looks cute, but it seems simple.  That's because it is.  You can do it.  Start small to not get overwhelmed.

By Durham Wedding Photographer

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