Recently, I have developed quite the girl crush on actress Ginnifer Goodwin. It started with her hair cut. I'm obsessed with it. I created a whole board on Pinterest devoted to pixie styles, but it's really just an homage to Ginnifer.
However, as I was clicking around the interwebs looking for images to pin (more! more! MORE!) I noticed what great style she has in general. She walks the fine line between being accessible and relatable for real girls with real budgets, and putting on the Hollywood glam quite successfully. Plus, she has an incredibly charming laugh and got her start in Ed, the TV show about the bowling alley lawyer. Remember that? Remember? REMEMBER?! Great show.
Georgia and I used to watch it every week with our bro M, and eat Wizz Fizz. Don't ask me why the Wizz Fizz became an integral part of the Ed experience, but it got to the point where we would say things like "Oh, Ed is on tonight. I better go to the supermarket and get some Wizz Fizz on the way home."
I need to be honest with you. Some of you will already be aware of this, but to those of you reading this who may not know me, there is something about me you should know.
I own way too many clothes. My room looks like a monster from a Miyazaki film has opened its giant mouth and vomited clothes all over it by the time the end of the week rolls around. My wardrobe is stuffed - literally, and potentially figuratively. I live in fear of the clothes rail finally giving in and collapsing under the weight of clothing I expect it to support.
I don't feel guilty. I love all my clothes equally. Each piece, okay - item (I never really spend enough to refer to my clothes as "pieces") is bought with grand hopes and dreams for the ensembles it will contribute to, for the life it is going to live. Everything in my wardrobe is perfect for something.
I also like talking about clothes. Not too long ago, upon overhearing a conversation between me and my friend L about all the clothes she had purchased on a trip to London, a friend of ours commented that he could listen to us talk about clothes all day long. Not because he cared about the subject matter - I feel that he would like me to point out at this stage that he is an incredibly masculine, bearded Canadian, with little time for such trifles - but I like to think he found the rhythm and cadence of the conversation soothing. Maybe.
As full as my wardrobe is, there is always room for more. With the change of every season there are new dresses and jackets to dream of and new sartorial hopes and dreams. This winter, I am delighted by the bright cobalt blue that I am seeing everywhere. It pops out from the seas of black and grey, while still providing the strength in colour that we look for in our winter wardrobes. When the temperature drops no one really turns to pale colours, do they? It's as though we need the strong tones to remind us that we are still alive, in the icy mornings.
Sewing is something I like to do in my spare time. As I get older I'm actually starting to make more pieces that I am happy to wear outside of the house. I think that must be because of a combination of things - I'm slightly better at sewing, I'm better at choosing the patterns and fabrics I work with... or maybe it is just that I'm more realistic about these three things... or I have lower expectations. Either way, I'm not going to retire my sewing machine any time soon.
I came across Jenny Gordy of Wiksten via flickr some years ago. I think I originally came across her work via her friend Elly who I also discovered on flickr. Both ladies have a simple and lovely style about them and their work. Jenny designs clothes and has produced a few sewing patterns over recent years. Two of these I have used and I have another waiting for the warm weather to come back to our southern hemisphere.
The first Wiksten pattern I used a few years back was for a tulip skirt. The pattern came in the first issue of Stitch magazine which I picked up on ebay at the time. The skirt, in a light denim (or is it a chambray?) from Tessuti Fabrics in Sydney, has had a number of wears and is still going strong. There are plenty of other versions that people have posted on the net to give anyone thinking of sewing this skirt some inspiration. Contrasting buttons and topstitching are something I am thinking about if I ever get around to sewing another one.
My Wiksten tulip skirt - pattern from Stitched Magazine.
More recently I purchased another Wiksten pattern from Jenny's website. (She sells paper patterns or you can download and print them yourself at a cheaper price.) The Wiksten Tova shirt (named after Elly's daughter I think) always looks comfortable when I've seen it sewn up. A quick flickr or internet search will bring up plenty of finished versions to browse. This one of mine was meant to be a 'test run' made out of cheap gingham from Spotlight. It has turned out to be better than a test and is on high rotation in my wardrobe. I've already cut out two more versions for sewing. Both will have winter-friendly long sleeves rather than three-quarter sleeves and I am going to make one of them dress length. I'll let you know how they go.
There isn't much on television or the net that I love more than a 'Before & After'. Sometimes it feels like I just can't get enough. I am most partial to hoarding clean-ups and organisational before & afters, makeovers or weight loss before & afters and even a renovation before & after. I also love a bit of a montage or slide show to illustrate what has happened after the before to get to the after. I've often taken a snapshot at the start of a craft project or a clean-up but I can't say I've ever really gotten to the point where I can take an 'after' photo. I'm not great at finishing projects (although I am improving). I think I will try harder to finish some projects just to snap that satisfying after picture.
Since becoming a parent I have had to move all of my 'stuff' out of one of the bedrooms to make way for our toddler. This 'stuff' has since been conspicuously hiding in a corner of our lounge room for some time now. Some progress has been made but there is still a way to go before I can take the after photo. I can show you a 'before and during' comparison though, but I seem to have reversed the technique for good before & after shots here.
Clean-up before and during.
First lesson learned - there is an art to a good 'before & after'. The
before shot above should have been taken at night with the harsh flash and
the after shot in the soft, bright light of day. Somehow the before
looks better here. So wrong. Lesson noted.
Stay tuned for more 'before and after' (or 'before and during') action.
John Mayer and I have such a complicated relationship, sometimes I wonder if we'll ever get it right. On the one hand, if you were to look at the 25 Most Played Songs on my iPod, you would be certain to find a little gem called "Half of My Heart" pretty close to the top of the list. On the other hand, when the leading single from "Born and Raised" was released, "Shadow Days", my incredibly eloquent review to a friend was that it was the "sookiest of all the sooky la la songs. Ever." I know. Erudite is my middle name. Let me be honest, I still stand by my review of that particular song. I think it's a bit much for a guy who spent a lot of time talking to journalists about some pretty ungentlemanly things to release a song about what a good man he is with such a good heart. Just google his Playboy and Rolling Stone interviews from 2010 if you're curious, and didn't hear about his comments at the time.
So I procrastinated about making the decision to spend $16.99 on downloading "Born and Raised", and giving our troubled romance (ha ha) another chance. But, apologies and deleting of Twitter accounts aside, I was genuinely interested in what his latest musical offering had to...well, offer. Mayer has been pretty quiet publicity-wise over the last few years and I was also curious to see if I could listen to the album without all the white noise of celebrity gossip and drama seeping through. Also, this is one of the best photobombs I have ever seen. The guy clearly has a sense of humour, so how could I say no?
For a girl raised on what I affectionately refer to as "Dad Music" the opening chords of "Queen of California" - the first track on the album - are a lot like slipping into that comfortable soundscape of 1970s music populated by The Eagles, James Taylor and Fleetwood Mac. In fact, the title track features backing vocals from David Crosby and Graham Nash, and is one of the best cuts on the album. Mayer is nothing if not straight up about his musical influences, so for those who would call him derivative well - at least he's honest about it, right?
One thing that Mayer does well, and has only become better at since his 2001 debut album "Room for Squares", is tell stories in a way that we don't see too much outside of country music these days. "Shadow Days" aside, his lyric writing is crisp and straightforward, without venturing too far into the territory of twee or fey. In fact, the album really does have a strong country vibe. But think the country of Townes Van Sandt, rather than Billy Ray... One such track is "Walt Grace's Submarine Test, January 1967." When I first listened to it, I could imagine The Dixie Chicks doing a cover, and the song itself is one of the standout storytelling tracks on the album.
For the guitar nerds among us, Mayer plays with Fenders and Martins on the album, and surprisingly enough there are less guitar solos on this album than there have been on his previous efforts. Some listeners will prefer this, but I've always been a fan of a well-done guitar solo, cheesy or not. Instead, the more complicated licks and runs are hanging out in the background, sneaking into the layer of each song like a whisper in your ear, rather than front and centre demanding your attention.
I was surprised by "Born and Raised" and pleasantly so. It's an album that is a lot quieter than I expected, and cruises through the 13 tracks without requiring too much effort from the listener. But if you choose to pay close attention to the details of the lyrics, and the production and instrumentation choices, you won't be disappointed. And really, anything with a bit of pedal steel on it is always going to make me pretty damn happy.
The dictionary defines 'blogging' as... just kidding! Sorry. No, I really am sorry.
So, what are we doing here? As a mother of an active toddler and as a self-employed work-from-homer with a mending and sewing pile as tall as myself and a kitchen that is rarely tidy I thought I needed something else to fill my time. Writing a blog with my sister! It's going to be fun for sure and together we can motivate each other to keep going. And at least we know there is one other person who will read our posts. So here we go!
As I said, I have an active toddler. If he doesn't get outside each day he gets a little stir crazy. We were both very happy to see some sunshine a few days back. The grass in the yard has dried out a little bit after some rather rainy days so we ventured out into the garden for some sunshine the other morning. The little guy tottered around trying to pick up everything that wasn't nailed down while I pulled a few weeds and inspected the plants that survive my gardening skills.
Top left: A happy pot plant. Top right: A little lady (a gift from a high school friend many years ago). Bottom left: The carrot seeds I planted about three or four weeks ago have sprouted in their
seedling tray. I'll transfer them to the veggie patch once they are a
bit bigger. Bottom right: One of our gardenia bushes
doesn't look well. Many of the leaves have a black mould. Sooty mould?
Time to investigate on doctor Internet.
He ate some dirt, tipped out some dead plants from their pots to locate the ball of roots left behind and he tested some rocks using his mouth. He loves it. I wander around wondering how many times I should bother saying "What's that in your mouth?" as he never seems to mind a mouth full of dirt. I guess that's just the age he is at right? Strengthening that immune system. He's going to have a very strong immune system at this rate, at least until he goes to preschool when I hear everything changes. But that's a little while away.
Anyway, back indoors now and back to learning how to be a 'proper' blogger. As you may have gathered from this post you might end up seeing entries from me about life in general (does that make this partly a lifestyle blog?), motherhood, amateur gardening, sewing and craft, working from home etc. and a few pictures here and there. I'm more than sure my sister Caroline will showcase her various talents and interests here too. I've already had a glimpse at a couple of her music and book reviews and she has some fashion and style to share with the world as well. I know I'm looking forward to seeing more.
Wish us luck!
(P.S. Why does the spellcheck on blogger ask me to correct the spelling of 'blogger' and 'blog'!?)
Welcome to the inaugural Four Letter Birds blog post (which will probably double as the 'About Us' blurb).
Before we start turning the handle on the word churn we thought it would be a good idea to introduce ourselves and our blog.
Who are we? - In alphabetical order we are Caroline and Georgia.
We are two sisters, and we are also two aunts, two daughters, two
nieces, two cousins, one mother and two friends. We have day jobs and one of us is a
mum too but all of that sort of stuff will unfurl as the blog unfurls we
suppose. We are, at the same time, a bit deeper than you might realise
and a bit shallower than you might think... and by that we mean that
even if we are interested in discussing our superannuation for example,
we also would love to have that chat while getting eyelash extensions
applied. Well, you know what we mean... don't you? Hopefully we can
blend our mix of interests nicely so they come out on this blog all
smooth and digestable... but not too saccharine.
We
also hope to include posts from friendly ring-ins as we move along.
(Friends, if you are interested in contributing then get in touch.)
Where are we? - We are in Australia. Sydney, but we are also on the internet... which means we are all over the place doesn't it? You can find Four Letter Birds on facebook, twitter and pinterest too. (Check out the buttons in the side bar.)
Why a blog? -
Many reasons. We are both always looking for creative outlets and this
is the latest incarnation. We can also catalogue our other creative
outlets right here. We have both attempted small blogs before but this
time we are going to give it a red hot go as a team.
Why 'Four Letter Birds'?
- Have you ever tried to name a blog? It's harder than we expected. All
the great ideas seem to be taken already. 'Four Letter Birds' was
something we came up with that we both liked the feel of. And of course,
as they say in Portlandia, we wanted to 'spruce it up, make it pretty' so we should - 'Put a bird on it'. (And also... I can't get enough of word plays. I make no apologies - G.)
