Away to Brawley

I am going to Brawley again to sew for Keirnath's friend's wedding. I will spend three days there doing fittings and sewing like a fiend to try and complete the dresses. I will have to go back, unfortunately, since two of the bridesmaids are from out of town and I will not be able to fit them at all until a day or two before the wedding. I sincerely hope the measurements I received for them are accurate or we are in serious trouble LOL! But there is nothing I can do but hope for the best and get the other dress completely finished this week so I have no other worries. You may or may not hear from me during this time. I will bring my computer and try and upload an article or two if I can, but I am not promising anything! I really will try and get the girls to pose for pictures at least. They were pretty camera shy for the first fitting. I could barely get one girl to even disrobe to try on her gown! I told her I REALLY did need her to put it on so I could see if it fit in key places. I think she thought it was like buying things off the rack. Ummm.... no. Not even close.

I hope all of you had wonderful holiday time with your families and I look forward to coming home and spending a relaxing New Year's Eve with my husband. Just us, no parties and no stress :) Oh, but maybe a little sparkling wine, cheese and fruit to share while we ring in the new year.

Blessings to you all!

Pel

Friday Finds Dec 25 and Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate this holiday. I will be spending the day at my mother-in-law's house, She has Alzheimer's and this year we have been struggling to find gifts for her that she can appreciate.

Here are items like what I bought her.

For Mom by Peldyn featuring Forever21

Items in this set:
Loopy Crochet Vest, $12
philosophy | holiday spice | holiday spice scented, high foaming..., $16
Lancome Tresor Sheer - Limited Edition Fragrance Spray, $63

A nice soft layer to keep her warm as she naps in her favourite chair. Shower gel and perfume. What woman doesn't like perfume? We just have to make sure she uses a gentle hand with it :)

Pel

Merry Yuletide to All!

Today we are celebrating Yule at my house. The morning started with gifts and lots of laughing and hot cocoa and cookies. This afternoon I will prepare a lovely roast and my children and grandchildren will gather round for dinner together. The final tradition is the lighting of the Yule log. We always toast marshmallows over it and make S'mores and sing Yule carols culminating in a rousing rendition of the Beatles' "Here Comes The Sun." I hope all of you and your families have a happy holiday as well.

Pel

In An Instant-Review

You may all have heard that I was horribly seduced by a late night infomercial. I plead lack of sleep for this lapse! Well I received my package of In An Instant products in the mail and tried them out. So far I am underwhelmed by the results. The eye cream is a no go since I am allergic to it. The face wash is alright, but it does no better than the Aveeno foaming face wash for sensitive skin I was previously using. I tried the warming scrub and it was okay, but burned a bit. So far the firming serum seems to be the same as the same serum I was using from Boots. The tinted moisturizer is different though. I am not sure if I like it or not. It doesn't make my face oily and it has SPF which is really nice. But I don't know if it makes my skin too dark. Maybe I am just not used to that "sun-kissed" look. I will have to use it more to tell if I really like it. This may be a keeper. As for the "In An Instant" line remover itself, I don't think it made much of a difference. I checked out the ingredients and it is basically a "plastic" that temporarily fills the lines in so they are less noticeable. Seriously, it lists a vinyl copolymer. There is also caffeine that supposedly plumps the skin to even out furrows. Well, I still had frown creases between my brows and fine crepey lines under my eyes. I got some of it too close to my eyebrow and had a heck of a time getting it out! It looked like the scene in There's Something About Mary in my eyebrow! Ugh!
As you can see there really isn't a difference between these before and after shots of my face. On TV the models had such dramatic changes. I am not sure what they were using, but it wasn't the same thing I had!


Before


After

Well, I will give these items a couple more tries. Maybe they need to be used more than once or twice for full effect, but I am not getting my hopes up. Heidi Klum, you have disappointed me.

Pel

Friday Finds Dec 18th

Here is some more window shopping, this time from Etsy.com. I was feeling in a grey and red mood. I sooo wish I could win the lottery and buy everything here!

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade TwistedBritches.etsy.com

When the weather is grey nothing can cheer you up like a nice pop of red! Do you have something that never fails to pick you up when you are down? Do tell!

Pel

Baby It's Cold Outside!

Winter weather can wreak havoc on dressing with style, but with a little forethought you can put together cute outfits that will keep you toasty warm. I know, I am lucky to live in Sunny California. But it was 38 degrees and sleeting off and on the day I wore this outfit. I was completely warm and got so many compliments throughout the day.

• Forgo jeans in cold weather. They do not keep you warm and cold, wet cotton will just suck the warmth from your body. Hikers have a saying "cotton kills." It is true. Stick with wool, linen, silk or synthetics if possible.
  


• Use layers to trap air pockets that will hold heat next to your body. By layering you can also remove a layer or two if you get too warm. The goal is to stay an even temperature and to not perspire. Perspiration makes you wet and that will make you cold.
  


• Wear a hat! Most of your body heat escapes through your head. Hats are so cute and you can wear them all day long. I add adorable hairpins, flowers and bows so that I don't have to worry about hat hair, I just pin it back if I have to take my hat off.
  


• Don't forget a scarf and gloves. If the wind is really blowing a scarf can be very handy to wrap around your lower face to keep the freeze off. Gloves are not just to look stylish. Buy a pair that are meant to keep the digits warm.
  


• Tights and or long underwear can keep you even warmer. The super thin silk or polypropylene underwear know as a base layer can be worn under almost anything! If it keeps a skier and Winter hiker warm, it will keep you warm. Sockdreams has wool and synthetic tights that are the best for Winter. I layer with the thigh highs to look cute and for extra warmth. Try REI for base layers. I bought mine there on clearance.
  


• Wool socks are awesome if you are not allergic. I love my Smartwool since they are latex free. No rashes when I wear them! They come in all weights to wear with my boots and shoes and to layer over tights.
  


• Make sure you have closed shoes that can stand getting wet. Nothing is worse than wet feet. Makes you miserable and cold faster than anything. Sturdy boots and oxfords can look stylish, but still be practical. Another pair of boots is next on my list since I have only the higher heels and I need a low heel for it if snows again this year. Slipping on ice in heels sucks!
  

By following these tips I am sure you will be styling it out there while everyone else is wondering how you pulled it off! Just direct them here ;)

Now I am off to round up that pair of boots and maybe some more socks. You know you can never have too many pairs of socks!

Pel