78. Go to the movies once a month for a year, alone if I have to! (2/12)

January 26th, 2010
Me and Jen,

Up In The Air



Who doesn't love a movie with George Clooney in it?!?
Is it a chick flick? Is it not? It's a toughy. It does have a few chick-flick-y moments in it, but ultimately, I think not.
This movie was so funny! I was laughing nearly all the way through it. Often in parts where no one else was laughing. So maybe it was just me that found it so amusing....
The storyline was original and clever, the dialogue hilarious!!, the characters were very likable. Dare I say lovable? There was a variety of moods expressed, from warm and fuzzy, to desperate and dire.

I. Loved. It.

3. Explore craft fair

These are some vintage pillowcase aprons I've made to sell at the annual craft fair at our cottage. (Awaiting ties.)
I figure I have 7 months to make stuff to sell. I have many, many ideas of things I want to make, but will start small and easy until my sewing skills develop.

44. sewing (machine), one me thing

After the success of the cushions, I decided I'd break into sewing clothes. From scratch. Running before I can walk? Yes, I think so!

Here's the pattern I bought for $1.99




I decided to do a practice run, so made the dress out of a flat sheet from Value Village.

It seems like the sheet was the perfect fabric for the pattern. Only thing is, I was going for a cool, summer dress and instead got an old granny's nightdress.



NOT nice! I hope to make something a little more flattering next time......

(More details here.)

43. sewing (machine), make one house thing, 21. cushions for sofa

So, I have finally finished all 5 cushion covers, and have filled them.
Here's my final cushion extravaganza!!

Flat and lifeless.....


Filled with love!!!


For more info, see here.

52. 3 non fiction books on different subjects (1/3)

A Long Way Gone - Ishmael Beah

Ishmael Beah was a soldier in Sierra Leone - at just 12 years of age. This is his story, in his words, of how a child can loose his childhood.

When you forget that this is a true story, it's a good book. But then you remember that these things actually happened, in real life, to this boy, and to every other person he tells about in the book. It's shocking, for sure. It reminded me of the movie Blood Diamond, only this time it was real.

I remember at university in the Demography and Sample Surveys class, there was a table with the average life expectancy for different countries. A quick scan found that the lowest life expectancy was for males living in Sierra Leone. It was only in the 20's, a good 10 years lower than that of a female living in Sierra Leone. Our professor told us it was due to the civil war, and then we quickly moved on to learning equations...
Well, now I know how the life expectancy could be so short.

91. New Family Tradition - New Year's Day Walk

When I was at Uni, a group of us spent one New Year's Eve at a friend's family home. We went out, danced the night away, had a fantastic night, then all went back to L's house and crashed in the piano room in the not-so-early hours of the morning.
Next thing we know, at some crazy time the following morning, we were being woken up and and corralled out the door for the Annual New Year's Morning Walk. It was a tough job to get us all awake, dressed, standing of our own free will, but soon enough there was a bunch of very hungover 20 year olds, going for a bracing walk very early on New Year's Day.
When we returned to the family home, we were feeling great, hangovers gone, with a hearty appetite for a Full English Fry Up! What a great start to the year!
So this New Year, as part of my recent quest to find Family Traditions for me and D to do together, we introduced The New Year's Day Walk.
We got up at a reasonable hour, got dressed, grabbed the dog and hit a local walking trail we'd seen. We blew out the cobwebs and remnants of the Old Year, to make way for the fresh and the hope of the New Year. And when we returned to our family home, we were feeling great, hangovers gone, with a hearty appetite for a Full English Fry Up! It was, indeed, a great start to the year!

43. sewing (machine), make one house thing, 21. Cushions for sofa

I obviously was a very good girl in 2009, because I got a sewing machine for Christmas!! I know!
I've wanted one for forever, and on Christmas day there was card from D under the tree with a VERY cryptic clue inside, about a gift he was picking up for me on Boxing Day morning. Needless to say it drove me crazy all day - what was it?
But when I came downstairs Boxing Day morning, there was a wonderful, beautiful sewing machine that was mine, all mine!!

I quickly made 2 blankets for my 2 nephews. Then I moved onto a cushion cover!! Of my own design! I couldn't believe how easy it was, compared to the B*****d Blanket,



so I set about designing another cushion cover, made a template and cut out and pressed pieces for 4 more. I have sewn 2 together so far, the other 2 to follow shortly. Here they are on the chair, with the bag whose seams had split, that I fixed on my New Best Friend.



What do you think?
Cushion cover 2: Front, back, detail.
Cushion cover 3: Front, back, detail














Not bad, eh!
All 5 cushion covers came from a package of 6 x 1/2 yard cottons. I think maybe they were starched, too, as they crisped up nicely whenever I pressed them.