A Little Obsessed.

This sewing hobby of mine is getting out of control. Not that I'm going to do anything to cut back, but I have just been in the zone so much that other things are falling down on the priority list. Things like "paying attention to my children" and "home cleanliness"... those aren't THAT important, right?

I love browsing blog tutorials, and I just keep adding to my list of sewing projects. Here's what I have so far. And hopefully when I type it out it will make me STOP LOOKING AT MORE TUTORIALS OF SUPER CUTE THINGS TO MAKE.

1. Finish my 2nd shift dress, which I'm making out of a super-themey harvest-colored flower print. I'm making it out of a thicker stretch knit and added longer sleeves so I can wear it for Thanksgiving. I need to move the pockets (I measured where to place them but somehow they ended up weirdly low so I need to move them up, grr), finish the neckline and hem it. It's so interesting working with the same pattern/tutorial but with different fabrics. It feels so different than the same dress I made with the batik woven. Bonus: The knit version is stretchy enough not to need a zipper! Have I mentioned that I love learning a new skill??

 

2. Matching PJ pants for the boys. Daddy was so jealous of Max's that he wants a pair. He picked some gray flannel with a fishing design.

Check out the tight spiral on my imaginary football, yo

 








3. A slouchy bag for my aunt - I'm going to use this tutorial. I haven't picked out all the fabrics yet but I DID pick out this super awesome button with a coffee mug on it (shh, don't tell!)
4. Infinity scarves for Christmas gifts following this tutorial from my current blog crush Merrick. She is tots amazing. And so is her and Leanne's online sewing course that everyone should do. I made a scarf already with some knit and it was very easy:

Plus its easy to add my "xoxo Phae" tags to them which are so awesome

5. A baby dress for a close friend - I've already bought the most adorable corduroy!
6. A baby blanket for another close friend - haven't chosen the fabric here. They are a unique couple and so I want to find some unique fabric to match their personality!
7. I would love to make a copycat of my Pascha dress, but in a thicker black fabric with some texture. Ideally I want to wear it for Christmas Liturgy but if I'm being realistic, that is not going to happen with the aformentioned other projects!!!!

Christ is Risen!

SELF: stop looking at tutorials. Just stop.

(But you know you're not going to.)

xoxo Phae

Frugal Fun: The Art Car Parade



R.O.U.S.?



Singing fish & lobsters

All photos in this post are courtesy of my super awesome & talented dad Nick Papas.

So, the art car parade is just one of the many cool, free, unique things to do in Houston.  Maybe some of you went.  Maybe you don't live in Houston so you don't really care about it.  But I was thinking about the principle of "frugal fun" and how to apply it.  I'm going to use the art car parade as an example but talk through a few pointers on frugal/free local events.  Besides the obvious pointer of GO TO THEM!

• First, you have to know it's going on in order to take advantage!  Social media is ripe with advertisements about all of the things going on in your city.  So many neighborhoods/cities and organizations have Facebook pages that you can join, websites you can subscribe to, and magazines/newspapers that contain ads for these events.  All you need to do is keep your eyes peeled.  I subscribe to:
• the Shop Heights 19th Street fbook page (antique shops just up the road from our house,)
• Thread Houston fbook page (more 19th St. info plus they just started doing DIY nights,)
• the Discovery Green fbook page (see my previous post about the DG,) and
• get emails from Houston Downtown Happenings. 
• Also, when I enjoy an event, I mark it down on the wall calendar (if it wasn't already there.)  Then, when I copy over all of the birthdays/special days to the next year's calendar, I put a reminder on the month of the event.  That triggers me to go check out the website or whatever for the new year.
• Anyone have any other suggestions for me??




Guess which ones are my friends and guess which one is part of the parade

• Be friends with people who like to go to free events.  Let's be honest - free events can be a little... quirky and certainly attract a WIDE variety of people.  Have fun, enjoy yourself, and don't take it too seriously.  You may actually have a good time!



Shaded under the tent & a hat

• Be prepared.  At the art car parade, we were expecting a rainy day but the afternoon turned out to be hot and humid.  Luckily we adapted and brought sunscreen & water - plus the friends we met up with were awesome and had a tent set up for shade.  Also, be creative with your "water" bottles if that's your thing.  Generally, fun things are funner with a little Tasty Beverage/"Daddy Juice".  An icy-cold thermos full of margarita never hurt anybody. (Wait...I'm sure that's actually a lie.  What I mean is: drink responsibly.)



Zoe poppin' tags

• Just GO.  A lot of times on the weekend, all you want to do is sit on your butt and relax.  You don't really want to make a plan for driving to something, figuring out parking, what do I wear, who's coming, etc. etc.  Well, just get over it.  You will not regret going!  These kinds of interesting, fun things are what make life cool.  You may need to drive around for parking.  You may need to pee in a port-a-potty.  But with the right attitude, these are all part of the adventure!  And also, you have something super-cool to tell your friends at work on Monday instead of "I went to Home Depot and sang Wheels on the Bus 50 times with my toddler."
• P.S. This last bullet point was me talking to myself.

Inappropriate comment

I encourage you to get out there and find some cool things to do in your city!  And please, leave a comment with your favorite super-awesome-secret Houston event!

Happy searching....

xoxo Phae

Frugal Houston Fun: the Discovery Green

Tiny baby Zoe and dad enjoying a bonding moment at a DG picnic

Our family is so lucky to live in the 4th largest city in the U.S. of A. There are so many amazing places to see, and a lot of them cost little to no money! Going to these places is totally aligned with one our family's values- you don't have to spend money in order to have a good time!

We love to spend a sunny Saturday at the Discovery Green. (Or if you ask Zoe, the "Na-na-na-na Gween")  It's like an oasis in the middle of downtown Houston.  They have a lake with kayaking, an outdoor stage, two large water playing areas, a big playground, several different flat field areas, and boccie courts.  They also have free yoga and Zumba classes a few times during the week (still need to try these out...anyone want to go with me?), will have free movie showings, and many other awesome FREE events!

We take Zoe to the splash pad ("splash iPad" as our technology-savvy toddler calls it) around lunch time.  We will either pack a picnic from home, or we will hit up Phoenicia, the delicious Mediterranean market just a block away from the Green.  When I'm not pregnant we may be known to pack a thermos of adult beverage although technically "it's not allowed."  We'll have some lunch on the grass, then let Zoe go wild in the fountains.

Z and YaYa exploring the "splash iPad" last year

There are so many beautiful parks in Houston, including the Green.  The crazy part is that they are almost never crowded!!  Where is everyone?  Don't they know how great it is to spend the afternoon outdoors enjoying the abundant sunshine, green grass, delicious food, and the company of your family? FOR FREE?! Get with the program, people!!

An added bonus to a little kid playing in the sun and water is that it knocks her out:

an excuse to post this super-cute picture of 4-month-old Zoe after a day at the pool

That means a little extra alone time for mom and dad (wink wink)...

GO! Get your butt outside and explore your city's parks!
xoxo Phae