Kaoru Marie

I made a friend in Italy :)))))) In what feels like forever, I finally just relaxed this weekend. No guests, no parties to host or attend, no gifts to frantically finish making, no commitments! Sometimes it's nice to not have anything on your schedule. Recently I met someone in my industry who sews! (Hi Shannon!) We met at a professional organization luncheon last month and then soon after she came across my blog . We had already planned on having lunch with colleagues to talk shop before she found my blog. We met for a business lunch this week with our colleagues, but it was fun to get in some sewing talk. I'm pretty sure my college was like, ' wtf.... ', when he heard us talking about sewing near the end of lunch. He made a weird comment like, ' did you guys finish catching up? ' I'm not sure if he thought we already knew each other or wanted to have a business meeting as an excuse to talk sewing, but whatever. Thankfully Shannon didn't mention m...

I've been wanting to share these pajama shorts all summer long because I'm such a huge fan of them. My house (condo, technically) stays really warm, like it's hardly ever below 75 degrees unless it's the dead of winter. The inside temp probably never got below 80 degrees this summer and it's probably been hovering around 85 the past month! Ugh, this summer will never end! I only have one photo to share because I've basically been living in these shorts all summer long (and no, you don't want to see a photo of me wearing pajama shorts). I made a full pajama set (long sleeves, long pants) when I tested the Closet Case Files Carolyn Pajamas Pattern earlier this year. Unfortunately I haven't worn them much because as soon as I finished them the weather got warm, which is why I made the shorts. I got this awesome tencel fabric from the FIDM Scholarship Store for $2/yard. I love it when I find great fabric there! While I like the colors, blue and red, th...

Happy Monday! Or rather, ' Ugh, Monday!' . Yeah, that's more like it. I meant to post this on Friday, and then Saturday, and then Sunday.....but I had better things to do, like finally watch Season 2 of The Great British Sewing Bee! I didn't even realize there was a Season THREE until I was looking for videos online of S2 and saw I was so far behind in this show that a whole additional season was also online. Unfortunately I couldn't find episodes 5, 7, or 8 (THE FINALE!) of Season 2, but I did watch episode 9, which was a reunion/flashback episode so at least I saw highlights of the final challenges and who won. I gotta say, I really liked a lot of the contestants on S2. So many of them were really, really likable. And who isn't totally inspired by Chinello's way of dressmaking? I want to learn how to sew that way! Quite fascinating indeed. Then I got started on Season 3 and I wasn't really feeling it a couple episodes in. No offense to the cont...

Ahhhhh, this workweek was even worse than last week. I pretty much reached my breaking point Thursday evening, but I shook it off and had a good time at happy hour yesterday. Getting drinks with former coworkers to bitch about work and catch up on life is always a good stress reliever. The no-good, very bad, horrible project is still alive, but will hopefully end this week. It better. I also can't believe we're in the home stretch of July. When did that happen?? Craziness! I have another happy hour scheduled for this week, a mid-week all-gals one, which should be fun. Happy hours....the best way to make it through the work week. Our new kitty is doing better. Her eyes have stopped watering, we're heading to the vet as soon as I publish this post, and she is a major cuddler! Nothing beats waking up to a tiny kitten snuggling next to you. I haven't done any sewing in awhile, but hopefully I'll sneak some in this weekend. I bought a large spool of thread for $1 in...

Every month I tell myself to stop buying fabric until I make several garments with the fabric in my stash. Unfortunately, most of what I currently have in my stash is for making dress/button-up shirts, which I still need to work out some fitting issues. I've gotten a lot better about not buying new patterns by the five-fold from Jo-Ann Fabrics during the Big 4 sales, although I have bought a couple new patterns from Sewaholic and Thread Theory. But fabric shopping....oooooh, I just can't help myself sometimes! I'll have an idea in my head and then I HAVE TO GET THE FABRIC NOW! I got into one of those fits last Friday. I blame Marrie and her amazing stretch cotton sateen dress . That dress is so cool and exactly the style and colors (black and white!) I would love to use as the backbone for my work wardrobe builder. After thinking about stretch cotton all morning, I sped-walked over to Michael Levine during my lunch break hoping to find some fabric to make a dress. ...

Gaaaah, I'm so glad this week is over! It started with a meeting with a client that absolutely did not go well and I've been busting my arse trying to finish a lot of work in a short time frame. I really only have myself to blame, so lesson learned. Hopefully this time next week this particular project will be over and I can move on from it. Instead of beating myself up over this project, whenever I start to sense that I'm getting frustrated and overwhelmed I focus on how I will feel once it is over. I will feel so relieved. and happy. as if a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. That feeling is driving me to finish this project and it's keeping me surprisingly sane and in good spirits. So let's move on to what I've discovered the past two weeks. Hope you enjoy some of these links. Did you catch Norma's tip for working with lingerie elastic? Steam It! This was the first time I've read about this and now I can't wait to try it on my nex...

I meant to post this on Sunday, but somehow life got in the way. By the way, how was your weekend? (I feel like talking about mine so I'm going to pose a rhetorical question first.) I felt so off all last week as I kept getting the days mixed up and my husband was out of town for half of the week and normally I'm all like " SEWING ALL NIGHT! Woooo!! ", but I just wasn't feeling it. Instead I was mopey and sad that he was gone and my cat ignored me most of the nights (is that not the saddest thing you've read all day??) This is how I felt all last week.......mehhhhhhhh...... But the weekend made up for it. We celebrated our SIXTH (!!) wedding anniversary at Animal , which we first went to three or four years ago, I think for another anniversary dinner. Then two nights later, on Monday, we went out for sushi at Sugarfish , which in my opinion is the best value for the quality you get. And now it's already Wednesday evening! Where did the week go? ...

Do you ever get so close to finishing a garment, but you don't finish it....and then you wear it anyway? Yeah, I've done that. Twice. With the same garment. I made this McCalls 6696 shirt dress back in late 2014. I admittedly totally blatantly copied Mary of Idle Fancy . I saw her version and immediately bought the fabric. No shame. None at all. It looks amazing on her. I wanted to have it. And now I do have it. I wanted to make the dress with sleeves, but I didn't have enough time to modify the sleeves. I was scrambling to get the dress done in time to wear to a friend's baby's baptism, so I just threw on a cardigan. " I'll work out the sleeves later ", I said to myself. That was back in December. Then earlier this week I discovered all of my work pants were too wrinkly for me to feel comfortable wearing. I'm not above wearing slightly wrinkled pants to work since I sit all day, but even I have my limits. I was too lazy to iron any of t...

Happy Fourth of July Weekend, Fellow Americans!!!! Hope you have a wonderful holiday tomorrow and hopefully you have today off to enjoy doing whatever pleases you. We have a friend in town this weekend who is staying with us tonight and then with another friend tomorrow. We have a lot of eating planned this weekend as we take him to our favorite restaurants. My current plant-based diet will be on Holiday this weekend. But I gotta say, I haven't been missing meat or desserts this week and this is coming from someone who is probably addicted to sugar (candy). My husband told me about some ridiculous dessert he had the other night and I was like, "meh....not interested, that shit's so bad for you." Here are some articles and fun tidbits I read this week. Enjoy! 1. I always think it's odd when Eastern Cultures build structures that are so Western looking, and vice-versa. So I was totally weirded out when I came across this article that highlighted some global c...

I almost declined testing Heather's newest pattern for Closet Case Files , the Sallie Jumpsuit/Maxi , because it looked sooooooo farrrrrrrr outside my comfort zone. Jumpsuit? Excuse me, what? Long, flowy dress? Hmmm, don't think I've ever spotted one in my closet. But I took a chance and accepted. It wasn't that I didn't like the line drawings or concept. It just it didn't seem like me. And it didn't seem like me because I had always, always, always stayed away from those styles. But if what if they were for me? As I contemplated what to respond to Heather, I put myself in my private fantasy version of " What Not to Wear ". I could hear myself telling Stacy and Clinton, " but I never wear maxi dresses! I'm short, I can't wear them ." I could almost feel Stacy rolling her eyes as she forced several maxi styles in my hands and pushed me into the dressing room. Out I appeared in a long, flowy and ridiculously comfortable knit...

Hello, hello, Happy Monday ;) How was your weekend? I meant to do a lot of cleaning since we have a friend arriving this coming Friday, but of course that didn't happen. Instead I did a lot of fun me-stuff. The highlight of my weekend was that I had my first volunteer shift with Found Animals,  at one of their adoption/retail locations. My first shift was a training session with their on-site kitten foster program. Apparently it's "kitten season" right now so there are tons of kittens that need taking care of so they can eventually get up to "adoption-ready" status. And then I got home and couldn't believe how enormous my own cat is! I decided to do a mid-year check-in of the goals I set for myself this year. I enjoy doing a mid-year check-in so I can remember what I've done so far and what I need to "work" (or rather, focus) on. If you recall my 2015 Goals, (I sure don't so I doubt you do; here's the link to that blog post ),...

This photo was taken a couple years ago. I came across this little guy chilling on the corner directly outside my apartment, when I went out to go for a walk. I quickly ran inside to get my camera because I didn't think anyone was going to believe me that a raccoon was just quietly sitting in the gutter in Hollywood! Several months later I almost came face to face with another raccoon when I was walking to the bus stop early one morning. I quickly ran across the street and was so paranoid the raccoon was going to chase me. Can I outrun a raccoon? I never want to find out. 1. I bring up my Hollywood Raccoon Stories because this week I came across an Instagram account of a PET RACCOON!!!!! I couldn't stop watching every single video clip. My husband was less than enthused when I kept texting him links to the videos. His exact quote: "This lady is teaching her 'pet' basically everything it'll need to survive after it kills her and eats her face". ...

After my initial attempt to spruce up my patio with succulents, I decided to go all out and start growing vegetables. I've been enamored for years with the gardens Pookie and Schnookie of Interchangeable Parts grow year after year. They're so lucky to have so much open land on their property! Let's see if I can have even a tenth of their success. Here's what I've planted so far. Everything, except for the basil and "curry" plants, was started from seeds. Most of the plants were started in a little Jiffy "Greenhouse" kit, but a couple things were planted directly in pots or the garden bed. The tomato plants have been growing the best so far. I think you're technically only supposed to have one plant per pot, but ehhhhhh.... Next up are green onions. They look so feeble. I'm always concerned about knocking over those teeny tiny stalks whenever I water. I don't have high hopes for them so wish them luck! The sweet bell p...

We did it you guys! Another workweek down! :)))))) June is my second favorite month of the year because it's my Birthday month and the start of summer. Here are a handful of things that caught me eye this week. 1. I read the NY Times Part 1 expose on nail salons when it first came out, but I only just read Part 2 this week. Then I fell down the rabbit hole of nail salon articles. Then I started wondering if my current nail polish is slowly killing me. { Perfect Nails, Poisoned Workers // NY Times} { Where to Get an Ethical Manicure in NYC // Racked} 2. I'm not much of a "let's recreate vintage everything" person, but this line of vintage make-up available at Sephora has such stunning packaging. I'm tempted to buy lipstick or a compact from the line just so I can carry something that pretty in my purse. { Besame Cosmetics // Sephora} 3. Honey and cream iced espresso drink recipe. I made it the other evening as soon as I got home from work and it...

Weekly Links!! Argh, I haven't done one in so long. I used to try and do them on Sunday nights, but let's try Friday evenings, so you can have something to read during the weekend. 1. I first learned about this story via the Start-Up Podcast (which is FANTASTIC, by the way). Listen to the podcast or read the article and then you decide: is it 'Sexual Harassment'? My opinion? Hells Yes! { Is it Sexual Harassment? // CNN Money} 2. This article highlights exactly why I have been so reluctant to take any "boutique" fitness class. While broadcasting your salary is still taboo, boutique fitness is an almost stealth way to display one’s conspicuous consumption. I'm fearful that I'll feel like I *have* to keep going and I can't afford to have that kind of habit. { Why Fitness Classes are Making you Broke // Racked} 3. Good on Melissa McCarthy for attempting to bring larger sizes to regular stores where they can be sold side-by-side with all th...

What's your definition of "Work Appropriate" when it comes to dresses? Of course, one's work environment will determine the definition of "work appropriate" so it's not necessarily a one-size-fits-all situation. I started drafting this post before I read Charlotte's recent post about dressing for work and loved reading her post and the discussion in the comments. Personally, I work in a fairly conservative industry. I'm an engineer, I work in an office, and when I go to client meetings, project interviews, public outreach meetings, and professional work events, the guys are in suits (mostly with ties) and the women are in similar attire (suits, pencil skirts w/ nice blouse, sheath or fit-and-flare dresses). Go to Banana Republic or Ann Taylor's website and check out the work styles. That's my "work appropriate" attire. Apparently my husband severely disagrees. And I found out we had drastically different opinions regar...

There was hardly anything I knew about Hong Kong before visiting. So when I asked my friend who lives there what we should do in HK, and the suggestion "Get a custom suit made for your husband" was on the list, I immediately disregarded it. I sorta thought she was just being funny. Custom suit? What? Why? That's ridiculous! I mistakenly left that item on the list when I forwarded her email to my husband. Naturally, he replied saying we should most definitely get him a custom suit. {Dammit, the idea had been planted!} Then, to my surprise, when I told other people about my upcoming trip several of them also asked if my husband was going to get a custom suit. Little did I know, but apparently Hong Kong is well known for its custom clothing because it is significantly cheaper than getting custom-made clothes in the States. While I didn't think it was necessary for my husband to get a custom suit, and I would have preferred to use the time we spent going to the ta...