Go with your gut

I have trouble making decisions.  I will have certain feelings about something, but I can't explain them.  So, I spend a long time thinking rationally about my decisions and end up making the wrong decision.

I recently painted my daughter's bedroom pink and then made a head board (or what I call a corner board) for her bed.  I debated for a long time over the fabric for the corner board.  I initially was drawn to one fabric but decided that it was too thin and not wide enough.  So, I used a fabric that seemed more appropriate -

I felt uneasy about this fabric from the moment I ordered it but wrote off my feelings to nervousness about the size of the project.  It turned out well...but it didn't feel right.  Every time I walked into her room, it bothered me.  It was too much pink with too many black lines in the print.  It jumped out at me and didn't feel balanced.

There are few things that I hate more than re-doing something that is already completed, but I couldn't stand it any longer.  So, I went back to my original fabric (Amy Butler "Fresh Poppies" in fuchsia)-

Now, it feels more like a bedroom.  It feels more English country side.  Since I like to balance everything with a dose of modern, I'm going to use a gray and white zigzag fabric for the roman shades -

I did have to deal with the issues that initially made me decide against the floral fabric.  I had to iron this 100% cotton fabric several times and had to sew pieces to the bottom to make it big enough.  However, it wasn't as difficult as I had imagined. 

According to Jonah Lehrer in How We Decide we often think too much which "causes us to focus on all sorts of variables that don't actually matter."  He recommends that on matters of preference and in areas in which you have experience, don't think so much.  Go with your gut.

Wrap dress - Part 2

I have loved wrap dresses for a long time.  I think they are elegant and classic looking as well as flattering on everyone.  After purchasing a few at Macy's and H&M, I dreamed of owning a Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress.  She is considered the "inventor" of the modern wrap dress, but her "inventions" cost a lot of money.  Last year, I found one at a consignment store in Buckhead -

Then, I dreamed of making my own.  I started with a pattern that was for a fully lined cotton dress.  It wasn't exactly what I wanted and was wearable only after sewing the skirt completely closed in the front and adding a tank top -

This week I adjusted a pattern that I found here to make a knit wrap dress -

Now I have enough wrap dresses to last a life time.  Next I'm going to work on one for my mother.

Barnsley Gardens

My family and I just returned from our spontaneous trip to Barnsley Gardens.  Just an hour north of Atlanta, it is an easy drive -

Its quaint cottages and beautiful surroundings make it look like a movie set.

I'm a little obsessed with "walking cities".  Although this is not a city, it is a place in which you park your car and walk everywhere.  It is relaxing and quiet and beautiful -

Barnsley Manor was built in the 1850's by Godfrey Barnsley -

It now looks like this -

My daughter said that if we lived there, this is where she would sit everyday to look out the window -

I don't think we will ever live there, but it would be a really cool place to have a party.

We had a full day of activities wandering around the plantation, swimming at the pool, and playing games like bocce ball -

...and croquet -

...but the girls' favorite activity was horseback riding -

We packed it all in to two days and one night, but it was the perfect amount of family time.

Nature invasion

There is a lot of nature going on around my house.  First of all, there are birds that are constantly building nests on our house -

They make a lot of mess, but they are interesting to watch - especially how they dive bomb you anytime you go close to the nest. 

Then, there is the garden that my husband and daughter are tending-

We had our first harvest of cucumbers, squash and beans this weekend.  I failed to take pictures before everyone gobbled them up. 

And every Spring there is a ladybug invasion, which I don't mind -

My kids think this picture of my skin close-up is really gross.  But I think it is amazing how it looks like my skin is made of tiny triangles all connected together. 

Wrap dress - Part 1

Well, I finished the wrap dress for my mother-in-law -

I give myself a "B" for that project.  However, the difficulty was "HIGH", since I didn't use a pattern and made it for someone else.  Starting from scratch taught me a lot of the "why's" in clothing design.  I made a lot of mistakes, but that's how you learn.  Now I am ready to make one for my mother with slight variations. 

MARTA and the museum

My kids went on their first MARTA ride yesterday.  (MARTA is Atlanta's "rapid rail" train system, although it doesn't get you there any faster than a car can.)  I remember my first ride on MARTA.  It was my first date.  A little boy in my 1st grade class asked me to ride MARTA with him.  So he and his dad picked me up one day, and we rode MARTA.  That's all we did, and it was so much fun.

My youngest daughter decided she was not going to smile the whole ride -

...so we played the "don't laugh" game -

...."don't laugh" -

We rode down to the High Museum, which now has fun art in crazy shapes and colors on the lawn -

They probably weren't supposed to sit on the art, but they did (just for a minute) -

As usual, the museum won't let me show you the art inside the building.  They currently have a special exhibit about the history of golf, which sounds pretty boring, but it is actually interesting.  There are 2 new photography exhibits coming next week - "Picturing New York" and "Picturing the South". 

Speaking of the South, I snapped this shot of the typical Atlanta male uniform -

If you want to blend in in Atlanta, wear khaki pants, loafers and a button up shirt.  On the other hand, if you want to stand out (in a good way), wear a bright floral wrap dress and carry an orange purse -

I am currently working my first wrap dress from scratch.  I'm making one for my mother-in-law out of this fabric -

It's the first piece of clothing I've ever made for another adult.  I'll be excited if it works out.

Inspired by dancers

I have watched a lot of dancing this week.  My daughter's recital was this week as well as a friend's.  I have decided that I enjoy watching amateurs better than professionals.  When you are watching an amateur, you can still see all of the hard work and the ideas.  It is great but not yet effortless.  It is inspiring but still attainable.  It makes you feel like you can work really hard and be good at something, too.

Here's my little ballerina, who is totally inspired by the older dancers -

I'm a little old to be a great dancer, so I'm going to go work on my sewing.