Cupcakes and Macarons

Holy Moly I just realized that today is my one year blog-aversary!! I remember thinking about this a few months ago and thinking that I should host a give-away...but then I wasn't quite sure how. I'm sure it's super simple, right? Hmmm...maybe sometime in the near future. Any tips or suggestions for hosting a give-away?

Anyways, I want to say thank you all for stopping by and reading my blog. It started off as a fun little hobby but has now become a regular part of my life- I love it! I get so happy when people pop over to see what I posted and it makes my day reading your comments. I love this little blogging community that I belong to, you're all such positive and wonderful people! And it's so cool that I don't even know most of you but I almost feel like I do... in a way- so awesome!

Also a litle thanks to my dear husband for being a good sport for having to take some of my blog photos- it somehow alway seems to be on the way to dinner, and when he's starving too!

Outfit Details:

Macaron Dress- Made by Me! (by Colette Patterns)

Shoes- Seychelles

Bag- Anthropologie

Cupcake Ring- bought from Greece 

Thanks again and I hope you keep on stopping by! Happy Monday! xoxo, Tammy

Square Knot Clutch

Yay I have a new clutch! And even better, I made it myself! 

I've been taking sewing classes at Sew LA for about 8 months now and I was lucky enough to take this class taught by Devon, from the blog Miss Make. Devon is such a sweetheart and she made the class super fun and simple. All of us gals were so happy with our new clutches (read more about it on her blog here)!

My kindle also fits into it perfectly!

I love it so much that I already made 2 more to gift to my friends. The best part is that it doesn't require much fabric at all and you can whip one up pretty quickly.

To get your very own square knot clutch pattern, click here. Or if you live around LA, sign up for the March class taught by Devon herself! You can even buy super cute fabric from Sew LA online, which is where I get all of my fabric.

Have a happy Friday and a great weekend! xoxo, Tammy

Macarons... to Wear?

Happy Christmas a day late! I hope you had a great one and that all your wishes came true. Tad and I both had to work Christmas day but we did get to spend all of Christmas Eve together and it ended up being a beautiful, wonderful day. We woke up and went for a morning run with our dogs, gave each other our gifts, and went to lunch at one of our favorite places, Gyu-Kaku. We then spent the evening celebrating with family and friends. It was a perfect Christmas eve!

This was my Christmas Eve outfit- not very "holyday-ish" but I just couldn't resist wearing it! You see, I stayed up late into the night finishing this dress so that I could wear something special to celebrate the day in (please pardon the wrinkles...we had a very long lunch sitting down).

Outfit Details:

Dress- made by me!

Pattern- Colette Macaron No. 1001

Fabric- by Kokki

Purse/Tights- Anthropoligie

Shoes- Urban Outfitters

Necklace- Forever 21

Not only do I love eating macarons, I apparently love to wear them as well! This dress is called the Macaron Dress and it took me about 12 hours total to make but I just adore it. The color reminds me more of spring than winter but I just couldn't help putting it on! Beside, it pretty much felt like spring, with the weather being a beautiful, sunny 73 degrees! Who needs a White Christmas anyways?

Tugboat Style

Last month I started sewing this coat and I finished it last night and it made it's debut today. It is the perfect light coat for fall- just thick enough to keep me warm cool but sunny day. I wanted my coat to have a whimsical touch so I chose a cute fabric with little tugboat prints and added big wooden buttons. I'm thinking of making this in a solid color too.

Outfit Details:

Tugboat Coat- made by me! (Indygo Junction IJ866)

Dress- Modcloth

Shoes- Modcloth

Tights- Target

I think this is my favorite thing I've sewn so far- I love it so much! I definitely think this coat is going to be worn not just in the fall, but all year long! Do you have a favorite piece of clothing that you wear year-round?

Anniversary Photo Shoot Part 1

Today I thought I'd share our anniversary photo shoot with you guys! We chose to do it in Downtown Pasadena because Pasadena is our first hometown city and we've really explored it together. These were shot by our good friends Amy and Maurice of Betwixt Photography- we heart them so much! Not only are they talented but they are just great people- people you would LOVE to have as your friends.

I made the tie and matching skirt from a super cute fabric that Tad says remind him of ice cream. Well, I am an ice cream freak so maybe that's why I was drawn to it!

In case you're wondering, my little pin says "I'd rather be smooching my nerdy husband" and his says "I'd rather be smooching my crafty wife. We're also using the mustach/lips props we had for our photobooth at our wedding :)

These are our adorable birdie cake toppers that resembled our wedding day outfits- they currently live on our living room shelf. 

 Outfit Details:

Me: Top-Ruche, Belt- Anthro, Shoes-Seychelles, Skirt- Kwik Sew 3794, Earrings- Anthro

Tad: Shirt- Kenneth Cole, Tie- Kwik Sew 3183, Shoes- Converses

I hope you enjoyed these photos! I'll post part 2 tomorrow :) Have a great Thursday!

Who Doesn't Like Unicorns?

When I was younger, I use to believe that unicorns were real. When I would come across a horse, I was always on the lookout for a horn. I wanted so badly for them to be real. Wouldn't that be awesome? Like Rainbow Bright's unicorn, Starlight...okay, why do I even remember his name? 

So when I saw this unicorn printed fabric, I knew I had to make something cute from it- this dress! I love it so much...except that it did end up being a little crooked on the back waist. But I can hid that with a belt....and if you look closely, the top is a little lumpy because I think I messed up sewing the lining in ....oh, and the top back of the dress is also a little crooked so I have to make sure to leave my hair down...but I still love it!

I wore this dress all day last Saturday. At night,  Tad and I went to the the movie so I threw on a pair of tights and a bright cardigan since I always get cold in the theaters (I also switched into glasses so I can see the screen a little better). I think this dress is going to transition nicely into the fall by adding a cute coat, tights, and boots!

Outfit Details:

Dress- made by me! (Kwik Sew pattern 3521)

Shoes- BP by Nordstrom

Bag- B. Makowski

Cardigan- J. Crew

Headband- Anthropologie

Belt- Anthropologie

I'm thinking of making dress in this cute mushroom print fabric that I found...I'll make sure I do a better job lining the dress and sewing this time!

Do you have a pretty dress that doesn't fit too well but you still love it so much that you try to hid its imperfections?

(btw, Tad took these photos- isn't the bright pink wall awesome? He's the best...but he does ask one thing in return and that's to give him credit when it's due. Fair enough. Thanks babe!)

Firecracker

This week I finished a blouse that I have been working on for 3 weeks. It was a little more advance than what I was sewing before and I used a new slippery fabric that made sewing more of a challenge. Also, it took almost 3 full hours just to cut out the pattern- crazy! I'm so glad I decided to take on this blouse because I learned so much! I learned how to make pleats and sew a princess seam, things I didn't know how to do before.

These sewing classes were taken at Sew LA- I've been going there for a couple months now and they are awesome! This particular class was taught by the talented Christine Haynes- she's actually trying to kickstart her new line of sewing patterns!! Help her reach her goal of $6,500 to launch her adorable patterns here.

The fabric sorta reminds me of firecrackers and the 4th of July. I guess I'm a little late as 4th of July was almost a month ago- but hey! Maybe next year I can wear it!

Outfit Details:

Top- Sewaholic 1001 Pendrell Blouse

Skirt- Urban Outfitters

Purse- by Hobo from Nordstrom

Shoes- by Report from Nordstrom

Glasses- Marc by Marc Jacobs

Belt- Anthropologie

I love this blouse so much that I may just make another one. Have you done something that was challenging but then you were glad that you did it?

Awkward and Awesome Thursday!

I've been a fan of Sydney from The Daybook for some time now and one of my favorite things to read are her awkward and awesome Thursday posts...usually I just read them and laugh...but today I'm going to take part in it! So here goes...read below for my awkard and awesomeness!

outfit:
Vintage blouse- from my mom's closet; Skirt- handmade by me; Shoes- Steve Madden;
Belt- Anthropologie; Bag- Thrifted; Bracelet- my mom's; Necklace- Forever 21; Sunglasses- PacSun

Awkward:
- My hubby and I trying to save money by cooking and eating in more. So we decided we wanted to eat burgers and took a trip to the grocery store. Only we spent $20 bucks on ingredients to make 2 burgers. We could have just gone to In-and-Out for cheaper (and faster...and tastier?) burgers. They were yummy though.
- Getting asked three times by different people at work if I was pregnant only because I was wearing a flowy blouse.
- Having my sewing teacher show the class an example of my skirt and how it should be done. Then her realizing I made a mistake in a step and having to rip those stitches out and start over.
- Sitting in a waiting room at the Drs. office next to a couple that was arguing. I just kept my head down pretending to read my kindle but really I was listening to their points and silently siding with the guy's point of view. I couldn't help it.
- Going into the tattoo parlor to ask for a tattoo the size of a nickel and getting told that it would look awful. The awesome thing was getting a super cool sketch of the tattoo done by the guy (he said it has to be at least the size of a quarter to show the details).

Awesome:
- Meeting photographer and designer Kristine Ko for plans about an upcoming photoshoot- I can't wait! More to come later. Eek!
- Discovering The Dog Haus in Pasadena that makes really yummy hot doggies.
- Surfing with my surf buddies again- it's been a few years since we got together but we made a summer goal to surf lots and lots together these next few months (we've been surf buddies since 1998!)
- Having our Love Story featured on Ruche's blog- so cool!
- Discovering a new Macarons store in my neighborhood!
- Getting my yearly eye exam done by my best friend Sharon- she's the best optometrist there is!

So there you have it! We are all totally awkward and awesome in our own way and it's great! Lastly, it's my Friday today! We'll be flying to Seattle for a friend's wedding and I can't wait.

I just really love weddings. Alot.