Impromptu Movie Date--Julie & Julia

It's sad that hubby and I don't go on very many dates. Maybe 3 times a year. Hubby scored some passes to a sneak peek of Julie & Julia earlier this week. After several phone calls, we secured a babysitter (thank Sis!). Mind you this was all the day before the screening.

I didn't expect to be able to see the movie in the theatre, maybe on DVD later. It was quite a treat. Even with the woes of the Metro, my sister finally made it back to Silver Spring and we rushed off to the theatre. Thankfully there were still seats. (Usually at screenings, they give out more passes than available seats). We even splurged on a soda and popcorn thank to a great coupon.

I read Julie Powell's book last year and enjoyed immensely. I love reading books about cooking and food. It was fun to follow along Julie's adventure as she cooked through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking in 1 year. Quite an endeavor right? I'm not sure I could eat rich French food for an entire year. I love my Vietnamese food too much.

I loved the scenes in the movie with Julia Child (played by Meryl Streep) & Paul Child (Stanley Tucci). I don't know very much about Julia Child's life, so it was fascinating. Ann Roth, the costume designer did a great job of making Meryl Streep look super tall. With the long pants and the gorgeous wedge shoes.

Since I used to work in costume design for the theatre, I alway notice the costumes in movies. And I'm a sucker for period pieces. I loved fifties dresses. Those are dresses that flatter almost any figure, even mine! The striped chevron dresses and skirts--such eye candy.

Streep & Tucci had such amazing chemistry in the movie. Julia & Paul were deeply in love. They did a great job of showing that, not just with words, but expressions and gestures.

I know the movie was about Julie Powell's journal through Julia Child's cookbook, but Meryl Streep definitely stole the show. Gotta love Nora Ephron! She did a great job with the screenplay. Though it was much sappier than the book, I did leave the theatre feeling very good.

That's what you want at the end of a date, right?

Maybe hubby can score passes for The Time Traveler's Wife?

Don't forget to breathe

Yep, I gave in. Those who know me well know that I don't like pink. I even requested no pink items at my baby shower. And my daughter's favorite color is. . .you guessed it! Pink! And now she loves princesses! We're even having a princess birthday party next week. I figure, why fight it? It's just a phase right?

Halloween was such a beautiful day: blue skies, warm sun, and of course, candy! Sophia loves her princess dress. By the time Halloween rolled around, she had already worn it everyday for 3 days. I'm so glad the day was beautiful enough for pictures outside. As you can see, she loves taking pictures. These are the candid shots, between her princess poses.

This dress was a result of 3 all-nighters. I'm the queen of last minute projects. I started Sunday night and finished it early Wednesday morning. The pattern is Vogue 7819. I'm very pleased with how it came out. I loved how the directions had me bag the lining for the bodice. I've never done it that way before--it would work really well with vests too. The sizing on this pattern was very true to size. Sometimes other pattern companies, the ease in the finished garment is so big, I have go down a size. Hopefully she won't outgrow this dress too quickly. It'll be making another appearance at her birthday party.

I think I'm addicted to being busy. I love looking at my calendar and seeing all the days filled with things. All day I run around and try to cram in as much housework and other work as I can. And I forget to breathe and be present. To enjoy the time of just sitting with my thoughts or being fully present with my daughter. So I've joined a Soul Coaching group, found via Leah (who is an amazing artist, btw. Check out her blog!). I joined the group because I need the accountability. Every day I'll post a few thoughts on the process. As suggested by Denise Linn, I've gotten a composition book to record my progress in. I think on Monday, during nap time, I'll decorate the cover and make it mine.

The New Black Friday & Treats

Happy Halloween! Later This weekend, I'll share with you the princess costume I pulled 3 all-nighters to make for Sophia. Thankfully she'll get a lot wear out of it.

I just wanted to share with you the special that I sent out to my email list. Don't miss out on any news or sales. Make sure you sign up for my newsletter (link to your right).

Happy Halloween and treat yourself to something fun! (Not nice, but fun!). You can even treat yourself and help raise money for breast cancer awareness.

I'm ending October with a bang. TODAY only, Oct 30th, save 18% on your entire order from my website. That's right, your ENTIRE order! It's my birthday gift to you. But you have to order it before midnight Oct 30th! Use code BOO when you check out.

The first 10 orders using this code will receive a surprise gift valued at $15!
(The usual exclusions apply. Not valid with any other offers or specials. Not applicable for orders towards parties. Cannot be applied retroactively.)

P.S. Don't forget that you can join Passion Parties for only a $100 investment and start at a 40% buying discount, our highest commission!

A date!

Wow, hubby and I actually went on a date last week! We had passes to a sneak peak of The Duchess starring Kiera Knightley. I didn't know much about the movie, except for a really short blurb in some magazine I can't remember.All I needed to know was it's a period costume drama.

Bring on the fabulous costumes! Bring on guys with sexy accents. And there was a special cocktail hour at the fancy schmancy Ritz-Carlton Georgetown before the screening. I had a sexy drink called, what else, the Duchess. It was tasty, all I remember that it had fresh blackberries and raspberries in it. Hubby had the Duke, which had strawberries and fresh basil. We got there late and missed all the good swag from the party but hubby won the door prize, which was dinner for two at the Ritz! How awesome is that? My 30th birthday is coming soon, so I think that might be a good time for another date.

The Duchess was such a great escape. It's about the life of 18th century aristocrat Lady Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, played by Kiera Knightley. She was stuck in a loveless arranged marriage and unable to be with the man she loved. To top it off, social decorum also meant that she couldn't stop her husband from sleeping around. Whew! It definitely makes me appreciate the freedoms we have as women today. Kiera Knightley did a great job. In a role like this it's so easy to overact, but she didn't. And Ralph Fiennes, who played the Duke, is an amazing actor. I know he was the villain, so to speak, but he played the Duke with such subtle nuances.

If you're going to see the movie, definitely bring a hanky. It's a drama, I tell you! Did you know Lady Georgiana is an ancestor of Lady Di?

Let me talk about the costumes! They are beautiful. And sewn so beautifully. She had on a different outfit in every scene. The detail was amazing. This is the first dress we see her in, still an innocent young girl.
You can see more detail pictures at the official website, but The Costumer's Guide has some great stills from the movie too. I think the fashion from the 18th century is gorgeous, but I definitely would want to wear a corset all day! Not to mention, as royalty, the clothes were so complicated you couldn't remove them by yourself.

The movie is based off a the book Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman. She was quite a celebrity and politico for her day. I'd love to read more about her than just her love life. Off to add it to my list on Paperbackswap.com.

The Penguin Walks!

Did you have good Halloween? We certainly did. We dressed up Sophia as a penguin--I had fun making the costume. I thrifted a nifty jumper, added the front furry patch, some wings. Then I made a hat (lined in sushi fabric!) and attached a beak made of felt. Everytime I sew for fun, I like it more and more!I had fun making her a penguin. Hmmm, what should we do next year?

And the big news is, this past Saturday, Sophia walked! All the way down the hall!!!!! I guess I'm in for it now. She's getting braver each time, taking more and more steps. I'm so proud of my little girl. She turns 1 year on November 9th. I've been planning a big bash. I'm going to make the cake and everything.

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by your creative ambitions? I was thinking about this today. There are so many art forms and crafts that I want to try. Of course when I learn a new one, I don't want to do anything easy, I want to jump right in to the intermediate/hard projects! Of course I try and it doesn't always come out right. And then I get frustrated with myself for trying too many new things and not sticking with something until I get good at it. But then I realized, Gosh darn it! I'm a fabulous seamstress! I'm great at it!

It's good to know you're great at something, isn't it?