Friday, March 25, 2011

Home Ec Helps Japan (we'll donate $10 for every registration this weekend)


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ETA: Donation period is now closed. Home Ec helps Japan donated $120us via RedCross.

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This weekend, we will donate $10 from each Home Ec Registration to Japan Disaster Relief (via RedCross).

Visit HomeEcOnline.com for full e-course details (including Project & Skills Overview, FAQ, Teacher Profiles L/R/C and Testimonials from Past Students). You can register here or with the paypal link below. Register you & a friend at the same time and we will donate $22!

Questions? Please email Hello@FreckledNest.com

What is Home Ec? Home Ec is an online sewing course created by Leigh-Ann Keffer, Rachel Denbow and Courtney Tucker. We've developed Home Ec intending for it to help increase your confidence behind the machine with usable techniques, projects you'll love and progressive development :) All three of us *love* sewing and have found it to be an extremely useful, fun and rewarding part of our lives! We hope that you can discover the same satisfaction for yourself in Home Ec and beyond!
Full information and sewing projects previews at HomeEcOnline.com

Sunday, March 20, 2011

new acquisitions

Ok, this post is kind of a hodge-podge, but it sums up pretty much all of my free time (read: everything I've been buying and/or obsessing over) for the past month.

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New thrifted wall art.

I keep thinking about moving to a new place and how fun it's going to be to decorate! [The house I'm thinking of renting probably won't be ready until after June, but I'm still excited.] I've been collecting this stuff, like many of you, for so long that my taste has changed...a lot. When I move I'll probably have to weed out a bunch of stuff that just isn't working for me anymore.


Case in point: my pitiful bedroom wall display. Definitely staying- Elsie painting!! Probably going- "Boston Fern" (and rhino head, since Mark is claiming him).
[I actually took this pic with my phone because I thought it was hilarious that every single thing was crooked.]

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Found this vintage dress during our traditional "Sunday breakfast at Anton's, flea-marketing at Charlie's" today. I love the fabric (floral cotton, my weakness!), the belt, and the micro-pleating on the skirt. I hate the buttons and the neckline. The buttons are somewhat easily fixed (though I have in mind rhinestone buttons, which can get kind of pricey), but I have no idea what to do with the bodice. Scoop neck with narrower straps? Collar? Help!

There were also a few additions to my wardrobe recently that were total splurges.
I had been really good with my spending as of late (if you don't count food, oh goodness, the food). Christmas money=bills. Birthday money=bills. Tax return=bills. Money from selling a few favorite dolls=bills. It was bound to compound into a little bit of a fixation.


New shoes!! Not counting my Toms (and a couple of thrifted pairs that were probably never worn), it's been a couple years. I'd wanted a pair of Salt Water Sandals since last summer. Cool and classic. And the J Crew flats I'd been lusting after since this post. They had sold out while in my cart twice, so I searched good ol' eBay and found that the only pair available...was my size! And a lot cheaper than buying them from J Crew. Score.
[Also: I'm pretty sure having two different pairs of mail-order shoes fit perfectly is a small miracle.]

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And then...there is my new baby. The Marc by Marc Jacobs Classic Q Natasha crossbody handbag. I've coveted this bag since it came out around two years ago. My main purse previously was a MBMJ Turnlock I bought in NYC four years ago. For whatever reason, I've religiously kept up on MBMJ handbag styles for...oh...the last six years? So I don't think I've done too bad only buying two of them. ;)
This was meant to be my birthday present to myself back in February, but I had some last minute guilt. Last weekend I said to heck with the guilt, give me my bag!! And yes, it is amazing.
[PS if you ever want to order designer anything, order from Zappos. Free shipping & free return shipping means you won't lose out if you have buyers remorse, and their customer service is unparalleled...in my opinion!]

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This is how I spent my Saturday morning. Waiting alone for two and a half hours in the box office line for Elton John tickets, all the while texting a friend who was trying to get through on the online server which was hopelessly crashed. Rumors spread through the line about the lowest priced tickets selling out, the mid price selling out, the server being back up, and so forth. I watched on my phone as scalpers started listing tickets on Craigslist! When it was finally my turn I ended up getting seven tickets for my friends & I, and was so relieved that some of the rumors were false, and proud that I hadn't given up (and that I could make a few other people's day!). These babies are worth their weight in gold right now, let me tell you.


And last but not least, a new kitty. Okay, technically she's going to be living with my boyfriend. So I guess she's not really mine. But, we found her at my house! So she will always be a little bit mine. :) She is super tiny and adorable. Oh, and don't worry, I talked to my neighbor who is the expert on the local outdoor cats...she didn't have a forever home yet! Now she just needs a name.

Longest blog post ever. Sorry, I guess I've just been holding it all in. I could have broken this in to like five posts, but I probably would have forgotten half way through. Yup.
Loveeeeee, Courtney.

yes, i sewed something

Can you believe it? No, me either.

I sewed more the past two days than I have in the past two months.

I needed a little Spring pick-me-up project. Something to get me out of the work-week routine blues.
And, I had thrifted this adorable little frame last week for $3 and almost instantly had a vision for what I wanted to put in it.

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Just like that, problems solved.

But then I had a new problem. In order to make one of these blocks, I had to make seven of these blocks.
[it was made with this quilt tutorial vaguely in mind; I started with seven 13" squares, and instead of cutting into a nine-patch, I cut them in a radial pattern]
So, what to do with the remaining six?

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Duh.

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An idea of the scale, and my crazy long toes.
Also, crazy sunset lighting.

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I didn't want the blocks to get lost by being next to each other. But, I didn't have enough white in my stash for sashing. Then I remembered this almost-white sheet I thrifted the other day! Okay, so maybe it's a little (a lot) busy...but I dig it. I think it might benefit from some strategic quilting. Though, that step could be years from now, so I'm going to try not to think too hard about it. ;)

Thursday, March 17, 2011

needs more vintage

I have definitely been trying to shy away from vintage clothing as of late, for my own sanity (/wallet/closet). But, if I didn't have to do normal human things like earn money, and wash dishes (which I totally haven't done for...like...three weeks...), this is the type of vintage I would want to sit around for hours trying to recreate:







*sigh*

ps thanks freepeople.com for hoarding all the awesome vintage in one spot.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Home Ec is up and running!

As you might have already heard, registration for Home Ec opened up this past Monday. We've once again been getting some really positive feedback, and are sooo so happy to be re-releasing it for those who might have missed out the first time around. Remember, registration is ongoing and access for the new class never expires, so if you're not ready right this minute, there's no need to just forget about it. :)


Please visit the new Home Ec website for full information on our Sewing E-Course, HomeEcOnline.com.

Registration is now open.


Saturday, March 5, 2011

Back by popular demand, Home Ec!!

I know I have been ridiculously absent, my thoughts lately are more consumed by babies than sewing, fashion, or blogging (that whole working at a daycare thing...no babies for me, haha). But I have to say, I am so excited for this! Home Ec was without a doubt one of the coolest projects I have ever worked on, and I can't wait for it to reach an even bigger audience. Now without further ado...


Learn to sew at your own pace from the comfort of your own home!

Home Ec is not just for teenagers-- it's for everyone, everywhere!! Leigh-Ann, Rachel and I have created this sewing e-course for beginners and those who want to develop and polish their sewing skills! No sewing skills required-- we'll start right at the beginning (how to turn on and work your sewing machine).


Home Ec Includes:

- 3 Beginning Guides (How to Work your Sewing Machine video, Tools of the Trade, Tips & Troubleshooting video)

- 27 Step-by-Step Projects with at least one new sewing technique in each

- A Tips Post on How to Invent & Adapt Projects of your Own!

- An overall 'Frequently Asked Questions' section plus a FAQ section related to each project

- Unlimited Access (no expiry)

- A learning environment perfect for visual learners, taking it step by step! LOTS of pictures!

This course is different than others we've taught. The projects are each amazing and useful, but the real purpose behind each project lies a new built-in skill learned by practice and application. The value is insane!

This is an e-course hosted in a private blog with NO time limit and all projects are live when you arrive with instructions on how to get started. Please know, this course does not include live teacher support but almost any question you could ask or problem you could run into has been addressed :)


Visit HomeEcOnline.com this Monday for a full course outline with project pictures, teacher bios and registration details. Class cost, $60us

Questions? Please email Hello[at]FreckledNest[.]com

(Note: Most questions will be answered Monday on the special Home Ec website)