Crochet success

Yesterday a friend on Facebook shared a picture of crochet birds that she wanted to have for her daughter.  I happened to have the amigurumi book that they were from and made her one.

I also got around to photographing my yarn paper chains.

To make your own you need:

8 ply yarn - mine has pompoms already attached!

Size 4 crochet hook

Method:

Step 1. 

Chain 5 plus 3 more chains.  The last 3 chains will act as your first treble stitch.

Step 2.  

Count 4 chains back from the hook. 

Step 3. 

Treble stitch into the previous chain. 

Step 4. 

Treble into remaining chains. You should now have 6 trebles.

Step 5.  

Chain 2 and turn your work around so that you can continue. The 2 chain becomes your first treble.

Step 6. 

This bit can be tricky - count 4 chain shapes from your hook. The last two chain shapes will actually be above the previous row's trebles.

Step 7. 

Treble into remaining chain shapes. You should have 6 trebles now on this row.

Step 8. 

Repeat steps 5-7 for a total of 16 rows. Cut thread leaving it long so that you can sew with it in the next step, and then finish off using a slip stitch knot thing.

Step 9. 

Sew into a chain link - I used whip stich. Weave in ends.

Step 10. 

Pick a different colour. Repeat all over again - make sure to sew the new chain through the previous chain loop. I sometimes forgot to do that.

Aussie Curves - vulnerable side

So about ten years ago I didn't even realise that there was anything wrong with my arms, but apparently there was and I just needed the advice of a rude, socially inept woman to put me straight.

We were swimming at the local pool when the manager swam up to me and whispered conspiraciously (yes I did use that word),

'To get rid if those flabby teacher arms you need to do this,' as she waved her arms around in the water.

Shocked and speechless I swam over to my husband and told him that we were going, now.

From that point on I let that bitch's comment rule my wardrobe. 

What? A dress with no sleeves - no thank you,,, wait I could wear a cardigan over it.

So my aim the last year or so was to rebuild my confidence about this area of my body - I started by doing work with dumbbells. I'm still not all that happy about them but I usually don't have to worry about it because we have to wear sleeves at work.

At the moment I am making dresses for our choir, and I'm trying to convince myself that going up on stage with no sleeves will be okay, because we will need to move our arms for choreography and it's going to be hot as well.

Little steps though.

What I wore to a friend's surprise hen's night:

Dress - Virtue

Shoes - Toni Bianco

Necklace - Collette

Cami - Target

 

Not a single thing was said about my flabby teacher arms, shoes went down a treat though.

P.S. At the start of the week I shared a bit more about myself and my body image here.

What I came home to

Cats on the pile of clean washing.

They don't care.

How do I feel about me?

I wrote this on the 1st of Aug, but haven't really felt like sharing.

I guess with this week's Aussie Curve's theme being 'vulnerable' I thought it was about time.

We have also been quite rocked at school because a new teacher has joined us with a PhD about food.  Everyone has been really putting their best 'diet' on show, and there has been so much self body dissing.  But as I said to someone today, 'You are an intelligent women, you don't have to justify your food choices' or something like that.  I wish they would get over trying to impress someone who really shouldn't matter in the big scheme of things.

So anyhooo...

I have a fat belly and heart shaped hips that stand out like the genitals of this squirrel; plus teacher wings and I have boob-alicious huges* as well.

I know all this and I don't think the people that I know and work with think any worse of me because them.

But as soon as I have lost weight (because I've managed to remember that I exercise at 5:30 in the afternoons and not because I cut out yummy food from my diet, OR I happen to have coordinated an amazingly flattering outfit that has made me magically lose weight) I get the comments.

Have you lost weight?

What have you been doing?

You're looking good!  (The most awful backhanded compliment ever)

I'm sure people have all heard them before.  I'm not covering new ground here.

I have fad dieters and fitness afficanados and fad dieters turn fitness aficionados at my workplace. I hate the idea that I sometimes feel like I have to boast to people that are talking about their daily run that I too exercise - I don't think they'd believe it anyway.  I bite my tongue or eat my lunch instead.

I studied nutrition at Uni - I found the subject boring because of the lecturer and not because of the content. I'm interested in health and would at some stage actually like to do more at that uni level (no not more study! Ek!) I know that when people start to talk about their 'diets' that half the time they are quoting something they read in Women's Fortnightly** or on Facebook or something their mum told them twenty years ago. I know that I really want to correct them, but I also know that they would look at me and my figure and think, 'What would you know.'

So although I am at the moment the most accepting of my body I have ever been I'm still facing confidence hurdles.

And just because I started with a list of what are my perceived shortcoming here is a list of some of the things I love about my bod:

Tiny ankles, killer calves and outer thighs that could kick a man senseless. Pouty lips and soft, feathery hair. Shoulders a swimmer would be jealous of if they didn't already have them, strong fast growing nails and a butt my husband loves.

 * my new name for my boobs
** not a real magazine

Peripera and Gelicious - Bubblegum yum

I realised today that I hadn't shared my latest haul and subsequent manicure!

A while back, I bought two polishes from Peripera and had told myself that I would buy more, but never got there. It was in my eBay watch list though!

A few weeks ago chocolatencappucino put her Peripera's on sale so I bought up. 

Ohhh, so pretty!

 

They came with samples... yep... I was pretty stoked.

  

I'm such a cat lady...

I just love how cute Korean cosmetics are. I need to get me some more cute stuffs - so much of my eBay watch list is TonyMoly etc stuff.

And here is my mani.  

Base colour - Gelicious - Bubblegum Yum

Glitter - Peripera - 040 Sparkle Gold

Usual top coats for both layers. I put two layers on my index fingers.

I find that the Peripera polishes dry really quickly, and really aren't all that different from your 'normal' polishes quality wise.  This glitter polish stayed on my nails for a week.

 

This purple chipped before the fortnight was up, but that could have been the because of the extra nail polish on top,,, or because of my dodgy application. 

I think I've cracked how to remove the gel, I give my nails a quick once over with a file before I let them soak in the wraps for about 10 minutes. I then take them off one at a time and use an orange stick to push of the loose stuff. I then scuff the surface with the orange stick and then reapply the wraps with a little extra remover. This seems to get it off pretty easily.

But I am worried about damaging my nails - they are dried out after I clean everything off (obviously) and I already had some peeling before hand so I don't want it to get out of hand. Anyway, I'm giving my nails a break for a week and have just applied clear normal polish. But of course, I've already split one on the side. Doh!

Parrots - Erstwilder

Went with the parrot earrings today from Erstwilder.  Paired them with a necklace from Rockmans. I also wore a yellow cami from Target and a top from Big W.

Aussie Curves - LBD

 

I had a fabulous time over the weekend. I had my cousin's wedding and the next day we had a drive on the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. 

I found the best store, I can honestly say with hand on heart that this shop is the BEST.  It's called Johanna Designs and is in Kenilworth.

Anyway while I was there, I bought up 6  pieces of jewellery that were from the designer 'Erstwilder'. These earrings...

 

 How could I say no!

So I put the orange cheetahs with purple leggings, bangle, watch and a black beaded necklace.

 

 

You can't really tell that my tights are purple, so here they are:

Pretty darn chuffed with my effort this week.

 

LBD - Basque. I got this dress on sale for  $12.50, so I bought two, 1 in red and this one. But Myer left the magnet on and I didn't realise until I got back to the place I was staying. When I got to Myer the next day they gave me my money back. I think I've told this story before - but... two free dresses from Myer!

Stockings - Autograph

Shoes - Rubi

Earrings - Erstwilder

Aussie Curves - work

Work clothes for me is comfort and fun. Sometimes if a big wig comes through I'll wear more professional clothing but early in my 'teaching career' a teacher (probably an art teacher) told me that if you make sure you look like the most interesting thing in the room then you'll know the students are paying you attention.

Hence I like to wear colour, big necklaces, funny details and I'm not really scared to try new things.

Anyway - turquoise jeans, metallic t-shirt, and a shrug that I made.

I'm travelling around at the moment so I might not be able to figure out the linky code on my phone! I can't even sort out my photos!

Went to my cousin's wedding last night and had a great time. Wore the black lace with gold shoes.

Aussie Curves - feminine

I found feminine hard this week. And then it was Friday and I had one of those days when nothing felt right when I put it on.

I finally went with this but I wasn't sold on it. Quite a few people commented on the colour combo - mint and light salmon. Matches my BLOG!

 

Jeggings - Crossroads
Scarf - Autograph
Shirt - Sara
Shoes - Rubi

PS. Thank  you everyone for voting on my dresses - looks like I'm going with lace!!!

Aussie Curves - Celebrate

I have two weddings coming up in my unusually social social-calendar.

So my Mum and I have been talking about what we will be wearing.  I just want to wear the same thing to both weddings, because I will be the only person that will be attending the two. The first is a cousin's wedding and the other a friend's.

So I did a pull in my cupboard for cocktail-ly dresses that would do okay in a carry on.

Dress 1: Target

Price: $70 approx

This first one fails totally.  Great colour and feel nice on because of the fabric but look at those creases! All this dress has done is hang out in my wardrobe and she already needs a press!  Plus because the fabric isn't stretchy you can really see my my tub rolls.

Dress 2: Basque
Price:  $12 on sale
Super comfy. It's black so it absorbs all my tub rolls. It has a peplum.  Only minus is that the cap sleeves make my arms wider.

Dress 3: Autrograph
Price: $19.99 on sale
Comfy even though it's quite a body hugger. It has sleeves that I think are nice.Does the wide neck makes me look top heavy? I need to sew on bra catchers and also I worry about the zipper quality.

Dress 4: Autograph
 Price: $19.99
 Feel a little bit like I'm on an episode of Star Trek.  Pretty comfy, nice sleeves. I will have to tack the front cross over so that it doesn't show my bra.

 

I had a few others, but took them out of the game before I even photographed them - too dressy or too casual.

What do you think?

Which dress should I wear?

Blue

My Lincraft order of yarn arrived today. I needed a turquoise for my blanket so I ordered a few blues. I ended up with two possibles but I'm going with the brighter blue.

Of course I ended up with a 'few' other colours as well.