For the Love of Lace - Part 2 - Finding the Lace

So, my first thought was that I wanted to find some cool, beaded/sequined, lace appliques to embellish my party dress.

Some that weren't too expensive and that I could combine to create an interesting focal piece.

I searched online and all of our local fabric stores...to no avail. I did find some online but the selection was slim and they were very expensive. The local stores only had small appliques and not a big choice as far as color or design.

I took a short trip to a fabric and trim factory in hopes of finding something. They had beaded lace trim but again they were SO expensive!

Then I found an embroidered lace, wide trim that had a pretty pattern. It was a specific type of lace called Alencon, I believe. It is sort of embroidered which gives it texture and has large clusters connected with a fine netting.

While I studied the pattern, I realized that I could cut out some of the larger shapes and create my own appliques.

The price was good so I bought about a yard not really sure if it would work.

The picture above isn't the exact piece I purchased but is the same idea. I had already cut mine up before I decided to blog about this!

So I cut out the larger shapes in all different configurations...some small individual flowers, some with the stems, some clusters...so that I would have plenty to choose from when combining them on my dress.

If needed I could add a bit of Fray Check to the cut ends to prevent unraveling.

Now what about the color?

...to be continued

For the Love of Lace - Part 1 - The Dress

I recently stumbled on a really pretty party dress.

Spaghetti straps, short, flirty A-line skirt, low cut waist...in a matte, brushed, antique gold color.

It is made well...a designer name... and I got a smokin deal at a national discount store.

For me, it is the PERFECT blank canvas.

I decided I wanted to add some lace...sort of sparkly, bridal lace...and really customize it.

I was looking forward to having a small fun project and to having a unique dress for our next special occasion.

In this series of posts I will document my dress embellishing journey!

Sunday in the Kitchen

I have become very fond of cooking...or "un-cooking" raw entrees and desserts on Sundays.
Getting ready for the week.

Trying new recipes, exploring new ingredients...flipping through our book selection.
It has become a family activity and one of our favorite ways to spend time together.

We learn about healthy eating and try new things...it has opened up our children's diets to unusual and normally excepted items.

It's a good thing...all around!

Creative Chip

We had dinner at a Mexican restaurant the other night and Logan found a chip that looked like a profile of our "pointy shaped" dog.

We have a Miniature American Eskimo and this chip actually looked like her from the side!

It made us laugh.

Get Silly

The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too.

~Samuel Butler

Now What?

So, he went from the ARMY, to being a cop...SWAT, Recovery Diver, Detective, Bomb Tech...to personal security, then to Afghanistan.

Now he is home...where does he go from here?

Only time will tell...should be an interesting ride.

He's Back!

Steve returned home last Tuesday from his year in Afghanistan.
Home for good!

...so I might be a wee bit distracted.