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Broken vintage sofa pt.2

Posted on 15. April 2012 by girdlesandpearls

I broke my sofa again. A leg fell of. It’s not that I’m fat (sure), the sofa is old and fragile so it’s not my fault. Besides, the only thing holding it together was duct tape and wood glue.

My sofas broken leg

Can I fix this? I don’t think so. Sadly I’m not a carpenter.  The sofa is missing pieces, the leg hasn’t just fallen of, it broke of and destroyed other parts close to it.

My vintage sofa with all legs

But now I have a problem because I have nowhere to sit! Need to fix the old one or buy/get a new (old?) one. I love my sofa because it’s pretty, but it’s not very comfortable. I do want a classy vintage sofa, but I must say that it would be practical and comfy to get a new new one with big fluffy pillows that would be comfortable enough to sleep on for guests.

Style vs. comfort, or can I get both? The quest begins!

I like vintage sofas and aesthetically I favor the Scandinavian contemporary look, but I can also like a slightly more romantic sofa with more details and curves.

The sofas above are both new and modern sofas. I don’t think white sofa is the smartest choice for a messy person like me. I always spill something. My other furniture is dark wood tables and bookshelves so I don’t think a black or very dark sofa is the way to go either. The room would just be too dark.

Stressless

But maybe a Stressless is a good choice? This one is black but they do have other colors. It’s a comfortable, high quality sofa. But I can’t decide which style to go for. I’ll probably just put of the decision by buying a cheap one from IKEA until the time I’m comfortable taking a long-term investment in a good sofa.

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Sewing my first skirt and making my first pattern

Posted on 11. March 2012 by girdlesandpearls

As you now know I haven’t been sewing a lot or doing much of anything lately, besides studying and working of course. But I have made an attempt to sew a skirt.

I got this amazing book about sewing for Christmas. It’s all about making your own patterns for timeless and classic outfits, it’s in Norwegian so I don’t have to look up all the weird English sewing words.

There is a section in the book about taking measurements of your body. I was really shocked when I did that because it turns out that every part of my body is a different size than the other parts, non of them match each other, my body is like a surrealistic painting. That’s why I love this book because you make all the patterns out of your own measurements so it will fit you perfectly.

So a few weeks ago I had a sewing date with my sister-in-law, she’s also one of my best friends. I made my very first pattern, a simple skirt pattern. The best part is that I can use my basic pattern for the basic skirt to make different types of skirts, so I don’t have to use a lot of time making new patterns.

Pattern making

Pattern making

The pattern is really easy to make, but of course I messed up a bit when measuring so it’s a bit to big. And then again I messed up a bit cutting the fabric  from the pattern, because I’m blond, I just misunderstood one little part of the directions but it made my skirt look weird on me.  My best advice: Use inexpensive fabric the first time you have a go at a new pattern, it’s better to make it twice and mess up with the fabric you wouldn’t use anyways.

But since I’m a newbie on this whole sewing stuff I still learned a lot! To sew buttonholes and zippers, it’s very easy but difficult at the same time because on the zippers you have to pay attention so it doesn’t become crooked.

Sewing a zipper

My lines are not straight! But that’s no crisis on a trail skirt.

The skirt turned out great, it just fits weird around the hips because of my measuring mistake. So now I’ve made a new pattern that’s correct, I’ve triple checked it, so any day now I’ll make skirt that I actually can wear.

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The sun is back from hiding!

Posted on 11. March 2012 by girdlesandpearls

The snow is melting and the trash is unraveling. Beautiful.

Trash in Akerselva

I haven’t blogged in a while because of personal problems. Haven’t sewn or done anything interesting either, but that’s all gonna change now. The sun is back and we have to celebrate by doing stuff. People living far north is gonna understand me on this one. When the sun comes back from hiding all winter it feels like you’re reborn again and the life you’ve had on hold all winter starts back up again. Suddenly there’s all this things you wanna do that you haven’t done since last summer, like hanging out in a park, eating and playing, and just go out and be with other people outside in social areas that’s been dead the last months.

Maybe I’m gonna have Spring resolutions instead of new year resolutions, because spring is when the new years really starts again after the dead that’s winter. That’s probably different for people who like winter sports, but I’m not one of them so for me outside life starts at spring. And this is especially a turning point for me because I’ve just come out of a breakup with my boyfriend, so my life as a single person starts now and therefore timed perfectly with the new year (Spring). It’s time to throw away all bad habits and routines from last year (winter) and starting new and better ones for the new year and new life.

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There’s no business like show business

Posted on 2. February 2012 by girdlesandpearls

My little sister is in town for a visit because I’m having a late birthday party today,  and now that she is a grown up, 18 yrs, we’re finally at that stage where we can be friends and hang out as two adults without all the non-stop sisterly fights.

There's No Business Like Show Business

Yesterday we watched a Marilyn Monroe movie “There’s no business like show business”. I love old movies, but I’m always puzzled about the lack of  constant drama and twists to the plot, the general slowness of it all. It’s part of the charm of old movies, but I still have to have brakes while watching them so I don’t fall asleep. Don’t get my wrong, I like old movies, the slow pace is charming in it self, but when you don’t get what the story is about before an hour in to the movie it’s hard to pay attention and get interested in the movie and the characters. But the wonderful clothes, hair and eventually the story, makes up for it. And of course Marilyn Monroe is a big plus in any movie. She’s just so charismatic and beautiful that it doesn’t matter that she’s not that good at the acting stuff.

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Birthday girl

Posted on 27. January 2012 by girdlesandpearls

Yesterday there were balloons waiting for me on my desk at work because it was my birthday!

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And I got cake and had to wear a birthday cake hat while eating the cake.

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 I went out to have drinks with colleagues after work, and then eat out with my boyfriend and watched “How to marry a millionaire”.

Good birthday! Today my father is visiting me, he stays until tomorrow when the rest of my family comes for a visit.

It’s funny how when I was younger my birthday was a big deal, and I always felt older instantly. I don’t really feel older now than I was a few days ago. I still love birthdays, but that’s more about hanging out with all my friends and family.

Next Friday I’m having a party at my house. I love having friends over, but I’m a little concerned about the party because what if they break something or there’s drama? Because I’ll be worrying about that I won’t enjoy myself as much. That is a sure sign that I’m getting older. I wouldn’t have thought about stuff like that at all a couple of years ago. Maybe I’m getting old and boring, or maybe I’m finally an adult. I don’t want to be an adult because that means a part of my life is over and that’s kinda sad. But I must face the facts, I am a grown up now. I have a job and go out for drinks with colleagues, and I have responsibilities so I go to bed before midnight. That’s what grown ups do. So yeah, maybe I feel older, but not older than a few days ago. Age doesn’t happen in a day it just silently sneaks up on you and then you spend your birthday thinking about the things that made you older and the things that you do that’s different now.

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Curling my hair

Posted on 23. January 2012 by girdlesandpearls

So I’m home from work today because I’m still sick. I’m just home sipping on cough syrup (that contains morphine!) I’m sleepy but can’t sleep, and too tired to do anything.  Boring. So I decided to curl my hair, since that’s something you can to while sitting and watching TV. It turned out pretty good actually, considering I’m on morphine (just a small amount but still).

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I just used a curling iron all over my hair, then brushed it out and molded the curls with my hands. Now I’m exhausted so I’m gonna take  a nap on the sofa. I hate being sick.

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Sewing a wedding dress and buying hair rollers

Posted on 22. January 2012 by girdlesandpearls

So, I’m sick. Not sure if it’s the flu or common cold, but I feel terrible. I’ve just been inside on the sofa the whole weekend, boring. But I’ve seen every episode of Pan Am. Good show, I like the clothes, hair and general style of the show. It’s  been too sick to do anything but well enough to be bored.

I’m thinking about buying electronic hair rollers, hot rollers. I have to wait a week until payday but I promise to document the experience of first time usage and share with the whole world here on the interwebz. Thinking about buying these Remington hair rollers, anyone got experience with them? I have medium length hair so I’m not sure I’m gonna be able to use the big rollers.

Anyways, the weekend haven’t been just boring, I had a visitor today.  A good friend of mine is making a short film and she needed a wedding dress for the movie. With a limited budget she decided that it was much cheaper to make a dress than to rent or buy one. So she came over and I helped her make a wedding dress. My part in the masterpiece was mostly tips from the sideline and general guidance, and some help with the sewing. It was fun and it turned out nicely.

The dress turned out very good considering it was made in a few hours by two people with limited experience when it comes to sewing dresses.

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Knitting café and cat tattoo

Posted on 20. January 2012 by girdlesandpearls

Yesterday I went to a knitting circle to hang with some friends. Fun. I didn’t knit, I just sat there and talked and played with my phone.

The girls knitting

One of my BFFs work in a shop that sells sewing and knitting supplies, and twice a month she organizes a knitting café where you basically sit and knit with other people and there’s free coffee and tea. I don’t knit but I like to hang out so I went and did that.

My BFF just decided this weekend that she was going to get a new tattoo as soon as possible because a tattoo artist she knows was in town, and on Wednesday it was done. It’s a crazy cat tattoo. It’s not my style but I absolutely like it. It’s funny and a bit evil at the same time. I’m so jealous, I also want a new tattoo, I just can’t decide what to get.

Crazy, evil cat tattoo

I haven’t written about my love for tattoos here in this blog, and now it’s about time! I absolutely love tattoos. I have 3 small ones  and 1 large on my shoulder/back. Last week I tought about tattoos and that I really want another one, and I remembered that I haven’t had a new one since may 2010. That’s a long time ago.

Anyone got tattoo ideas for me? I like cartoony, colorful new school tattoos with old school motives.

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Stop American Sensorship – stop SOPA & PIPA

Posted on 20. January 2012 by girdlesandpearls

As you may see I’ve but up a banner to support the SOPA & PIPA protest. I haven’t actually read the proposed bills so I can’t guarantee that they are bad… But as always I choose too blindly trust Facebook and Google.

Please read more about it and make up your own mind. Take a stand and protest to make sure American cowboys don’t spoil our fun.  I <3 teh interwebz, don’t ruin it for me!

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Already failed…

Posted on 12. January 2012 by girdlesandpearls

my new years resolutions! But only two of them. I haven’t been exercising three times a week, and I have skipped breakfast at least four times already. That’s how it goes with resolutions you don’t really like.

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