A New Feature

After spending close to an hour going in circles trying to set up a Facebook page for Etcetorize I finally deactivated the account (I think?!?!?) and went and played online video games.  I had to hit something to get rid of my frustration, even if it was only virtually.


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Do any of you use Facebook as a professional account to link to your blog or Etsy shop?  Is it useful to you?  Do I dare try to reactivate the account and try again?

Anyway, in the spirit of trying something new I decided that instead of Facebook I would try Google Translator.  I've noticed over the past several weeks that I'm getting more and more visitors from other blogs from all over the world, many of which are in languages I can't even begin to understand.

Hopefully, with the new translate button (up top and to the side) even more people can come visit and take part in all of the fun projects that I post.
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French:Titulaire de lunettes de soleil

OK, je l'admets, j'ai quelques faiblesses. Un quelque chose avec du caramel en elle, une autre est assez blouses, lunettes de soleil et un autre est bon marché. Je n'ai jamais même envisagé l'achat de lunettes de soleil de conception d'étiquette, car je sais que je les avais casser ou se perdre eux ou quelque chose.

Donc, j'ai toujours été pour les 10 $ - $ 20 rack. Il ya quelque temps que j'ai réalisé que j'avais acheté autant de paires de lunettes de soleil bon marché, que je pourrais probablement avoir acheté ce magnifique paire de Emilio Pucci:

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Japanese: サングラスホルダー

[OK]を、私はいくつかの弱点を持って、それを認めることがあります。 一つは、その中にキャラメルとは何であり、もう一つはかなりブラウスであり、もう一つは安いサングラスです。 私はちょうど私がそれらを破ると思いますたり、または何かを失うこと知っているので、私も購入のデザイナーブランドサングラスを考えたことだ。

20ドルラック - だから、私は常に$ 10行ってきた。 しばらくは、も前、私は私はおそらくエミリオプッチから、この美しいペアを買ってきたことがサングラスのように多くの格安のペアを買っていたことに気づいた：
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Lithuanian: Sunglass turėtojas

Gerai, aš pripažinti, aš turiu keletą trūkumų. Vienas iš jų yra nieko su karamele į ją, dar yra gana palaidinukės, ir kita yra pigi akiniai nuo saulės. Aš niekada net laikomas pirkimo dizaineris etiketės akiniai nuo saulės, nes aš tik žinau, aš jas laužyti ar jų prarasti, ar kažką.

Taigi, aš visada dingo už $ 10 - $ 20 stovo. Kurį laiką atgal, nors aš supratau, kad aš nusipirkau tiek daug pigūs poros akiniai nuo saulės, kad aš turbūt galėtų jau nusipirkau šią gražią porą iš Emilio Pucci:
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Pretty cool hey?

As a bonus, I tried it out myself....I translated Etcetorize into French to see if my French classes are doing me any good.  Whoohoo!  It worked, both the classes and the translator!

If you use it, leave me a comment and let me know if it works for you~

Sunglass Holder

OK, I'll admit it, I have a few weaknesses.  One is anything with caramel in it, another is pretty blouses, and another is cheap sunglasses.  I've never even considered purchasing designer label sunglasses because I just know I'd break them or lose them or something.

So, I've always gone for the $10-$20 rack.  Awhile ago though I realized that I had bought so many cheap pairs of sunglasses, that I probably could've bought this beautiful pair from Emilio Pucci:

    

or this lovely Balenciaga pair:

 and even purchased a nice hard case to keep them safe...

and not had this problem:

Right now all of my sunglasses sit on top of my water cooler.  And every once in awhile one pair goes flying into the cat food dish below while the water is glug glug glugging out.

Although I've made an effort to curb my sunglass addiction, I thought I'd also find a better place to store them.  So today, I'll show you how to make a sunglass holder:

Here are the materials I used:

Steps:
1) Depending on how many sunglasses you need to hold you might use different measurements, but I began by having a piece of wooden doweling cut 20.5" (51cm) long.

Then I cut my fabric, and backing, so that it measured 20.5" (52cm) X 10.5"(26.5cm).  In the end you want your fabric to measure slightly narrower than your doweling rod.  If you cut it the same length now, your seam allowances will take care of the rest for you.

Quick note: It's not necessary to have a contrasting lining (backing).  I just did that out of habit.  No one will see the back of this, so use whatever you have handy.

2)Cut two pieces of elastic approximately 15"(38cm) long.  Attach to the front of your fabric approximately 2.5"(6.5cm) from each edge in two rows.  If you're using a patterned fabric find something in the pattern to use as your guide to keep the elastic relatively straight.

There should be a little bit of give to the elastic.  It doesn't need to be stretched or lie completely flat.  You'll want it to pucker when it's sewn down.

3)With pins, mark off all of the other spots along the elastic that you'll sew down to create little 'pockets' for the sunglass arm to slip into.  To do this, I just divided the elastic in half and pinned it, divided those two pieces in half and pinned, etc.

They're hard to see, but if you look closely you'll see all of the pins.

4)Now just do a quick stitch across the elastic everywhere you have a pin.

5)Now you can sew your front and back together along the top, bottom, and sides.  Stack your fabric right sides together and pin, making sure to leave a 1"(3cm) gap at the top to create a pocket for the wooden dowel and enough space along one side to turn everything inside out.  Use a 5/8" seam allowance.

6)Make sure to cut your corners diagonally so that you get a nice clean corner when it's turned out.

7)Turn your fabric out and slip stitch the hole in the side seam.

8)Stitch across the top, 1" (2.5cm) from the edge and insert your wooden dowel.

9) Almost done, you just need something to hang it with.  I used hemp twine and did a basic twisted square knot to jazz it up a bit.  You can just use ribbon or cord without the macrame stitches and it'll still look just as cute.

Tah dah!

And what do you know...there's even room for more sunglasses!!!!

I skipped the macrame steps but if you want me to show you how to do that just leave a comment below and if there's enough interest I'll do a separate post on easy macrame knots.  Or, just leave a comment anyway and let me know what you think.  Is this something that would be useful in your house?  Maybe you could find other uses for it?  Share your ideas below.

As always, I'll be posting at all of the linky parties on the linky tab. 
And don't forget, if you're a follower and you have a blog, you can post
your button on the Follow My Friends tab. 
You can see my first featured Friend from earlier this week here .

Have a great week~

Burdastyle: Featured Member!!

What an exciting day!  Head on over to Burdastyle and check out their current Featured Member... it's me!!!

No matter what your level, Burdastyle is the place to be if you're a sewer.  There are currently over 491,000 members (can you believe they found me out 491,000 people?!?!?!) who come together to create a very fun and supportive community.  You can post your own projects, they have loads of free draws and fun competitions (you night remember my Halston Inspired Dress from their Party Through the Decades competition).

Sometimes they even get well known high end designers to create and share patterns!

Karl Lagerfeld Jacket Pattern

 There are always great articles:

Great article on Bias Tape uses

 And awesome tutorials:

Amazing tutorial on covering shoes with fabric

And every once in awhile they interview one of their members, share photos, sources of inspiration, etc.

Excerpt from my interview:

              Do you have a style icon who inspires your sewing projects?
                 I have a theory that people always long for the era of their childhood.
                For me, that was the 70’s. I was still a kid so I was too young to wear
               the glitzy disco stuff from the end of the decade and was too young at
               the beginning to fully grasp the freedom of the styles in the earlier part
               of the 70’s. So, now I’m naturally drawn to it. Right now I love the boho
              chic vibe and use lots of Rachel Zoe and Nicole Ritchie images. They’re
              both quite commercial but the look is easy to infuse your own style with.
              Plus it’s a style that suits almost anyone.

Check it out and let me know what you think~

Inspiration Shot: Roman Ruins

What do you see when you look at pictures like these?

(These pics were taken pre-digital camera days so please pardon the quality)


Roman Forum, Rome,  Italy

I see what used to be.  I see Cleopatra in all her shimmer and shine enchanting every Roman who looked her way when Julius Caesar showed her off to his people.  I see Mark Anthony partying the night away at some ancient palace with incredible mosaics everywhere you look.  I see fountains and statues and a beauty that everyone thought would live on forever.

Please tell me that you see the beauty and experience and adventure inside each of those stone pillars.  Don't look at the cracks and broken crumbling rocks.  Today is my birthday, and it's a big one.  In case you haven't picked up on it, I'm afraid I'm having a hard time with the whole growing old gracefully concept. 

Leave a comment and share some words of wisdom.

Show and Tell: Mary Tyler Moore Inspired

Have you noticed how many bloggers out there do a "look what I wore today" type of post?  They show all their pretty shoes, thrifted and recycled tops and skirts, and lovely accessories.  Well, I was inspired and thought I'd do one of my own.  Here's how I looked when I showed up for work this morning...

As you can tell, I'm wearing my new cable knit Romeo and Juliet tights, a beautiful angora V neck sweater, and ....oh, who are we kidding?  I could tell you that I'm wearing a haute couture Versace gown and you wouldn't know the difference.  -40 degrees celsius today people!!!  OK, deep breath (not too deep or you'll freeze your lungs), only 3 more weeks and spring will be here and somehow all of the mountains of snow around me will melt, I can take off a couple of layers, and hopefully regain my sanity~

And now onto business...last weekend I discovered that I was getting a free preview of the Comedy Gold network.  They ran back to back episodes of the Mary Tyler Moore show all weekend long.  Now, I didn't sit there and watch it all weekend but I did watch a few and I was loving the wardrobes of both Mary and Rhoda.  (Why did Rhoda get such a bad rap?  She had the best hair and had such cool clothes)



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So, I got inspired and created a couple of outfits:

I love a pretty caftan top and this fabric was perfect for one.  Can you see the storks?

And I think almost every MTM Show featured at least one maxi dress.



There's a short version of this dress in my Etsy shop.



Do you have any favourite TV shows from the past that inspire you?  Leave a comment below and tell us all about it~

I'll be posting at the linky parties so check them out up above.

Hidden Treasures: Beach Dreams

If you're not part of the Etsy community (yet), you're missing out on an incredible place that is totally committed to the art of the handmade.  It's a wonderful place to find everything you need, or just want, while supporting fellow crafters and artists.  It's also just a treasure trove of  great ideas and inspiration.

For something new this year I thought I'd post a treasury of various Etsy sellers each week.  Click on the thumbnail to visit the shops and see what else you can find.  And while you're hanging out at Etsy you can feel free to visit me at the Etcetorize etsy shop~

If an item doesn't have a selling amount below it just means that it's already sold.  Check out the seller's store for similar items, you never know what you'll find!

'Beach Dreams' by Etcetorize

Dreaming of warmer days to come~

In the Shadow of Gold - 8x10... elgarboart $30.00	Handbag Palm Tree kunstobjekte $380.00	BRITISH Seaside Series2... B... Lampreia $30.00
Sea Green Spring Scarf BenaBasilsDesi... $52.00	New Item - Pandora Artisan B... paulbead $10.00	80's Vintage Ladies Sung... whatthefunk $26.00
Strapless Maxi Dress Mix To ... GypsyAccessory $29.00	Drilled Sea Shell Fragments ... 808Sunshine $5.00	The Love Me 2 Times Short Sk... gaiaconception... $75.00
Soft Cotton Bracelet easternsky $12.00	Best Quality Hand- woven Tur... Turkishtowel $22.00	Hammered Hoop Seaglass Earri... shoresidechic $14.00

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com A/B image testing.