Dye time

Love this pic

TGIF!  

What a week it has been.  Another busy week of work work work work. Thank goodness. I will take all the job security that I can get!  And of course we managed to do a lot of partying at night too.  Monday night was another friend marathon-notttt talking about Rachel and Ross.  After work we met up with the Vincents and Keslers for tennis, a trip to Coscto, homemade (salmon salads..yuuummmmm) and the Bachelorette!  Sounds like a perfect night to me!  Tuesday Cameron had a soccer game..which they won of course..and then we came home to a date night.  Cameron surprised me with a tub of popcorn straight from the movie theater and Safe Haven on Redbox.  He brought in the mattress to the living room and I sat there with the tub of popcorn in my hand and a permy smile on my face..good good hubby.  On Wednesday night Cameron had to work late at the hospital which was a perfect excuse to get my craft on....

So for a few months I have been on a dying (fabric) kick.  I have been on blog after blog reading tips on how to dye fabric, which dye is the best, and how to create the most vibrant and long lasting color in your fabric.   So when I got to London I was on the lookout for unique and interesting fabric dyes.  I chose a "Flamingo Pink" dye.  I mean go big or go home right?   I was so proud of my choice and the fact that it was from London.  Until I went to Joannes and spotted the exact same dye.. same color..epic fail.  Jk.  The fabric color turned out so great I am actually thanking my lucky stars that I don't have to convert pounds to dollars and pay a ridiculous shipping fee to get the fabric dye from the UK.  Epic fail turned epic success.

Loved this dye.  It held the color well, was super easy to use and you don't have to go to London to get.  Its on Ebay for about $9.. Oh and its enough dye to color your entire wardrobe! 

My only regret in the whole situation is that I did not take ANY before pictures.  In fact I barely took any pics at all:( ... Its a learning process right?  But let me explain the simple process that I used to turn my Walmart white fabric into a beautiful flamingo pink skirt!

1.  Bought white fabric at Walmart.  So I learned that cotton holds color the best.  I tried dying a few pieces of lace and a shirt that I already owned and they just looked like I had washed my clothes with a pink sock.  It is not impossible to get polyester/lace materials from white to flamingo, but if I had known I would have kept the dye in the the tub in my sink and re-dipped everything that didn't turn out quite as vibrant.  One more dip would have been perfect for the lace and polyester blend shirt.

2.  Fill a bucket with water.  Add three tablespoons of salt (I just used Morton's) and mix in the dye.  It really is that easy.

I love when everyone gets in on my crafting!  Love our crazy Saturday nights! 

3.  Get your fabric damp (I just ran it through the sink) and then put your fabric in the bucket!

4.  Wearing rubber gloves, stir the fabric in the dye mixture for 15 minutes.

5. Let sit for 50 minutes (or longer)

6.  Put a bucket of water in your washer, then add 1/2 cup salt, and 1/2 cup white vinegar and throw your dyed fabric in!  Let that sit (without turning on the wash) overnight. (This will help the dye to set and will keep your fabric looking vibrant wash after wash after wash!-just a little tip from my Momma Lowry:)

7.  Start the wash in the AM.  and Hang dry!

And Voila! You will have a beautiful new canvas to begin sewing on!  I decided to make a skirt with my new flamingo pink fabric.  I used this pattern from Craftsy.com that I downloaded and I LOVE it!  It is supposed to be a mini skirt, but I added 4 inches to the length to create a longer more classic look.  The pattern does not have seam allowances included so I also added an inch and a half to the side seam.  It is probably the easiest pattern I have used.. and I am pretty much obsessed!  Maybe I made myself two skirts......But here is the pink skirt all finished and ready to be worn!  The second skirt I will be debuting in NYC this weekend!!

Loves!
Brooke

Grateful.

Feeling very grateful today for life and the joys that Cameron and I have been able to experience lately. We have dreamed about this path we are on for a while now and it seems like everything is falling into place so beautifully.  It has definitely been a test of our patience (never thought I would still be putting someone through school at my age) but I can't imagine not being a part of Cameron's life in this part of his (now our) journey.  We may not have money till we are 40, Cameron may be in school for 20 more years, and I might be redecorating tiny little apartments for years and years to come but we are having so much fun along the way.  Which I didn't quite expect.  And I definitely have my hubby to credit for that.  He is great at reminding me of these simple words from Sister Hinckley:

 

 I am so proud/grateful that Cameron is every bit the man I thought he was the day I married him.  He has worked so hard to create a life for our little family and I never doubt his ability to achieve goals that he sets for himself.  And on top of those blessings we have made friends in the last few months that we will have forever.  I am grateful for their positive influence in our lives.  They make us laugh, they motivate us to work hard, and they inspire us to make righteous decisions.  I cannot think of better qualities to have in a friend.  Cameron and I have truly been given much in this life.  And we are constantly feeling the joy of that blessing.  But because we have been given much we know that in return we too must give.   And I hope that in our times of great joy and even in our times of sorrow we will feel that responsibility and make it a priority.  

Lately.

Just to finish where I left off.. The rest of the London trip was amazing.  Filled with yummy crepes, a birthday in Holland park, lots of chocolate happy hippos, and finally tons of time spent with my amazing hubby.  It was a perfect trip that we will never forget.  I still pinch myself thinking about how quickly the opportunity came up and how perfectly it all went.  Such a dream. 

Life has slowed down a little bit for us in Nashville.  All the trips are done, and we are back to the normal grind (which we LOVE.. seriously we do).  Cameron is busy working at the hospital and tutoring while taking 18 credits this summer.  I am lucky I married such a busy body.  I never knew how much I wanted/needed that.  He still finds time to go boating (at 6am!!!) and we spend every free second on the tennis courts or on our bikes. So maybe life hasn't quite slowed down...I dont think it ever will and that is A-OK with me!

Date night on gift cards.  Any excuse to get out of our scrubs and dress up a little bit!

This boy loves loves LOVES shoes.. Don't worry those did not end up in our closet! Love my dad in the backround ps.

I have been sewing lots lately (YAY!).  I have to admit I went a little crazy fabric shopping in London.. which I don't regret at all.  But it was pretty hilarious watching Cameron stuff all the goods in his suitcase.  He is a good sport:)  Unfortunately the day I got back from London I found out that the fashion show I had been invited to showcase my line at was cancelled:(  The main sponsor had requested changes that could not be made with such short notice and eventually pulled out.. and blah blah blah.  So here I stood with a suitcase filled to the brim with beautiful fabrics, and a line that no longer existed.  It was a sad day, but a blessing in disguise.  Since that time I have been bombarded with custom orders!  Had I been working on my line, I would not be able to accept any orders so I am grateful that it all worked out how it has.  And now my customers are getting beautiful European fabrics to chose from!  Its a win win really.

So what's on my sewing table?  I am currently finishing a beautiful white dress a bride will be wearing to her rehearsal dinner.  Then I will move on to another custom dress (style TBD), three custom skirts, and a baby blessing dress. Oh and somewhere inbetween I will be making myself a unique shirt/skirt  patterned combo to wear to a wedding. Sounds funky I know but the fabric is gorgeous.. just you wait!!  Everyone always asks do you get bored with making clothes for other people?  And I just think how could I be? The fun part about doing custom orders is that everyone likes/wants something different.  Whether it be the style, the article of clothing, the color, the embellishments...it seems that every new project I work on is a new challenge for me.  And my creativity is always being pushed to new levels...so no, I never get bored. Ain't nobody got time for that bored thing anyways!!

Sarah Critchlow's birthday dress pre-sleeves and before the hem was finished!  More pictures to come.  

My pity party dress made out of frustration when I found out the fashion show was cancelled.  At least now I have a pretty dress to wear. 

Showing off our homemade skirts!  Sarah is a machine on the machine!  You would never know this is the first apparel piece she has sewn!

Baby Bandana Bibs!  Made for my sweet friend Shelby and her baby due in October!

Ok this is a shoutout to my mom who made these amazing slipcovers!!  Aren't they beautiful! Ordering some myself:)

Samantha's Skirt.  Can't wait to see it on her!! hint..hint.. send me some pics you busy woman!!

Practicing on myself is always fun.. Made this shirt in preparation for another I will be making for someone else.  Im sure it will be getting lots of use!  (can you tell I love my London pants)  

My BFF Sarah and I made these for a cute bowtie themed baby shower! So cute and so easy. 

Nope.. I didn't make this.. but Cameron says I should wear it because it would "fit" me perfectly! I would be mad but he's right....

Loves to you all!
Brooke

Fabric, economics and chocolate.

Tuesday June 11th, 2013.

OK so let me first explain myself (ourselves).  Last weekend Cameron and I averaged a bedtime of 2:00 am because Miranda was in town and no one sleeps when that party animal is around!! JK Miranda:)  But seriously we wanted to wait up for Miranda to come home from CMA fest and then when she got home we just wanted to talk all night long (totally worth it). And of course we were up early working/studying/sewing/packing.  OK so Saturday night we slept on the plane.. Sunday night we went to be around 2am (because that is about 8pm nashville time) and then woke up at 4am to head to work. And on top of that I have been so nervous about working in a different country/hospital that I have NOT been able to sleep well at all.  phew. Now maybe we wont seem quite so lazy when I tell you that we slept in until 11:30am! I mean it wasn't like we woke up then went back to sleep.. nope we flat out zonked at around midnight and didn't make a move until nearly 12 hours later....!!! Cameron and I just started cracking up when we found out what time it was.  I guess we were a little bit tired.

Starting your day at 11:30 is craazy! I mean do you eat breakfast? or just fast forward to lunch? I don't have an answer for that.  We ended up doing neither.  We hurried and got ready and went straight for the fabric market in London.  I thought we would just peak through the stores and then move on to food (food must always be a priority when married to Cameron Lowry) but I was totally lying to myself.  We spent like three hours there.  Poor Cameron.  He was such a good sport about it. He brought a backpack and every time I bought a new fabric he would figure out some ingenious way  to fit it in the backpack without making the backpack look bigger at all.  I can't quite explain it but it was pretty impressive.  Cameron didn't even know I knew how to sew when we got married so Im still in awe at what a good sport he is with all of this.  In every fabric store I would say about 50 times "honey what do you think about this one?"  and Cameron would always tell me straight up "oh wow that is really spectacular" or "hmm I dunno thats a little weird but if you have like a vision for it or something then go for it".  Love that hubby of mine.  It was a perfect morning/afternoon and Cameron and I laughed harder than we have in a long time.  After the fabric escapade we ate dinner at a chinese restaurant that was disgusting. Totally grossed us out.  I wont go into much detail about that experience.  And then we hit up a dollar store and bought loads of candy.. If you haven't eaten a happy hippo I would highly recommend it.  I was skeptical at first too.. and now I've eaten about 5 of them.

We spent the rest of the day wandering around aimlessly.  We have a list of so many things to do and see but everytime we walk out of our hotel we just keep walking and we can't stop.  We say we are going to head somewhere else but then there's something just ahead that we just have to check out!  I must admit I'm taking full advantage of not having to be anywhere at any certain time right now.  It has been so much fun to just wander around and find hilarious and interesting things to see on the way.

Wednesday June 06/12/13

Wednesday was another day that began with fabric shopping (I know I have a problem) but Cameron had lots of homework to do so I was able to run from shop to shop while he sat at the cutest cafe drinking hot chocolate and studying Economics (doesn't that sound like a dream).  Ok if I thought Tuesday's fabric escapade was amazing...Wednesday's blew it out of the water.  Berwick Street is only a couple blocks from us and there are probably 5-7 beautiful fabric shops.  We are talking top of the line shops with fabrics that go on up to 300 pounds!!  But luckily in every single shop I went in there were remnant pieces for very cheap.. I'm talking silk remnants, shirting remnants, fur remnants, every kind of fabric you can imagine in every color and every pattern for less than we can get in the states.  And then you walk a couple blocks and there is Klein's.. a notions store (or haberdashery as they call it here-such a fun word) with beading, ribbon, buttons and zippers.  It is pretty inspiring just dreaming of all the things you could make with the beautiful pieces you see in these shops.  Its all just such a dream!  I feel very blessed to get to see such creativity at such a perfect time in my life.

The rest of the day was filled with more wandering.  After another backpack full of fabric we were headed home when we decided to walk down one street to see what was going on...well 4 hours later we finally made it back to our place.  One turn literally turned into four hours of us looking around and saying Wow lets look at that... oh Wow I want to see that.. haha we couldn't get enough of the area (Reagent Street/Oxford Street/Bond street).  We literally did a complete circle and ended right back at that same street four hours later.  It was an amazing day.  We did eventually make our way to see good ole Big Ben and the London Eye.. and then headed to Phoenix Theater to see "Once" which had some incredible music! Cameron and I weren't completely in love with the plot but the music and the beauty of the theater made the show for us.

All in all it was another wonderful day that we are so grateful to get to experience.  I know this time won't last forever so we are just trying to soak it all in as best as we can.

Cheers
-Brooke
.

Stripes on stripes on stripes

Of course I had to make a dress (very quickly) to take on our trip. So I whipped this one up just before we left. It is a fairly simple bodice (no darts because I wanted to keep it quite simple and not take away from the width of the stripes) and the skirt is just gathered panels pieced together. Turned out to be perfect for bumming around town all day...comfy.. stretchy (great for this chocolate diet I'm on right now) and I def didn't see anyone else wearing it today. But I can tell you that stripes are in!! Everywhere I turn I see amazing fabric lined with stripes.. All diff colors all diff sizes. And in all different directions! Such a fun trend! I might need to make myself a few more... Hmm...

(Testing it out before our trip.. Oh the lengths we go for a picture when the hubby's not around)

It's so fun to be able to wear clothes that you make yourself but there's just something special about making clothes and taking pics of other people wearing them. In other words I am pretty excited to get to work on my line and other custom orders I have been getting lately. Until then I'm grateful to spend this precious time with the hubby in an absolutely charming place. 

Loves. 

Brooke 

Collie

Monday 06.10.13

Monday morning we woke up at 4 in the morning to head to Ashford, Kent which is two hours outside of London.  I had to work there for the day and Cameron was nice enough to make the long journey with me and patiently do homework in the hospital lobby while I was at work.  Luckily Cameron ate the best breakfast sandwich he has ever had in his life (he seriously keep talking about it) so I think that made it all worth it for him.

Our commute started by walking to the bus station then taking the bus station to the train station then an hour and half train ride to then take a taxi and finally we were at the hospital!  Probably our favorite part of the trip was Collie.  He took us to the hospital and we loved him so much we called him when I was done working and he took us back to the train station.  Collie was seriously so legendary.  He told us all about the town of Ashford...and how it used to be a quite pleasant town but when chain grocery stores knocked down local groceries and took down farms the town became quite bloody boring (according to collie that is).  When we asked him if there were any good places to eat he told us he didnt know because if he was hungry he would head to the river and catch himself a fish and filet it up.  We are conviced that if we kept this conversation going we would be sitting at Collie's dinner table eating homemade caught and fried fish---biggest regret of the trip so far!!  Cameron told Collie that he was from Utah and Collie commented oh lots of mormons there.. funny people those mormons.  Do they preach to you all the time? (imagine all these converstions in a british accent it makes the story much more funny).  Wish you all could get a chance to meet that hilarious and wonderful man.

I wore this boy out! He says I am the first person ever to exhaust him. If you know Cameron you know that's probably true. #winning 

My work experience was like out of a movie.  The hospital was tiny and charming.  And the staff were both hilarious and incredibly sweet to me.  I just couldn't get over their accents!!  They were so thick I could barely understand them sometimes.  One of the guys that I worked with (a larger man) said that he would love to come back to the states with me because he would be nearly anoroxic in America with all of those big mac eating Americans!  Another guy told me that England is wonderful although the weather is just dreadful and disappointing.  He said your life consists of an endless series of planned and cancelled barbecues.. it really is such a shame.  Hahah. love those English workers.  Oh and I have I mentioned that they are OBSESSED with Britains got talent..I saw so many ads on tv and on the streets before we got to the hospital and then of course the first conversation I heard among the lab techs was "Did you happen to catch britian's got talent last night?". Bloody brilliant.

Our dinner every night..mmmmm it's so good! 

After work we headed to Canterbury.  OK I LOVE CANTERBURY.  I was in thrift shop heaven!!!  Seriously where else can you find shoes for 5 pounds.. ahhmazing!  We ate empanadas and bought bread and cheese and chocolate at the local grocery store YUM YUM YUM.  And walked around the town just taking in the cobblestone and architecture.  It was beautiful! 

I'm a little bummed we didn't have this cake for our wedding.. So sad.

Poppa Lowry this is a shout out to you! Cameron was trying to be just like his pops:) 

After Canterbury we headed back to London and took the underground to Picadilly Circus.  The crazy thing about England is that it never gets dark!  Seriously we were up at 4am and then out again until about 10pm and it was still light outside!  Its amazing!  So we just bummed around town checking out the amazing Nike and Ferrari stores and finished the night with an amazing italian meal!  There is so much shopping here I can't even stand it.  I just love taking in all the styles and fashions here in London. Its fairly similiar to the styles we see in NYC but with a certain edge to it.  It has given me a new vision for my line I'll show in October.  I can't wait to get moving on it.. Oh London you are a girl's dream come true.

Cameron and the Russian lady trying to talk me into these shades. Probably not gonna happen. Just sayin. 

I think this is Cameron's very favorite pic. He wants those sooooo bad! 

Best wall in the world! A wall full of sewing machines. The only thing that could make it better is if it were lined with fabric!

Chao
-Brooke 

London Calls

I wanted to document (for Cameron and I) our London trip.  Because quite honestly it has been the biggest miracle and most amazing opportunity for us at this time and I never want to forget how blessed we are.

Lets start from the beginning.  A couple of weeks ago I got an email from my manager asking if anyone was interested in going to London to cover cases for our company for a few days while the UK team held their first countrywide conference.  I just happened to be sitting at the computer when that email was sent and yelled out to Cameron "Should I go to Europe to work for a few days??" his response was "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!  If you ever get asked to go to Europe DO IT!" haha (just another reason for loving my hubby) so I quickly emailed back and well here I am!  Cameron and I debated back and forth as to whether he should come with me (tickets are EXPENSIVE! and so is school!)  But because my company would be paying for my airplane ticket, hotel for a few days, and my food for a few days we decided to chalk up the money and go for it.  We found out a day later that my company would not just be paying for a few days of my hotel they would be paying for our hotel for the ENTIRE time (blessings blessings blessing).  I am thoroughly convinced I have the very best job in. the. world.



So after three straight weekends of family in town, a week at the beach (hard life I know) and finishing four dresses in a week.. we packed up and were off to London.  The flight over was hectic.. like always.. if you know the webbers you know that no one in our family takes international flights with out some kind of drama.  I was hoping since I am now a Lowry my luck would change but alas it has not.  Picture Cameron and I running in a full out sprint for about 5 miles while carrying three bags in heels uphill in the snow (jkjkjk) through the Dulles airport to make our London flight (otherwise we would have to wait until the morning to leave which would throw off our trip and my work etc etc etc.)  We might have sat on that flight smelling bad and all sweaty from the sprint..poor guy sitting next to us... but we made it. Can I get a hallelujah. 

Our first 24 hours in Europe has been pretty epic.  We pulled into our hotel and I swear my mouth dropped to the floor.  I have been to Europe with my family before so I know how the hotels can be in Europe (small.. or lets say cozy..most closely relating a dorm room from the 60's).  I kept telling Cameron no you dont understand this is AMAAZING!!!!  We have tea tree shampoo and conditioner in our bath need I say more?  Thank you again to my wonderful job.  We spent the day feeling like zombies as we walked around the town.  Goodness that time change is a beast!  But the town near the Marble Arch is so charming!  Oh the accents, the shopping, the bread and cheese its absolutley BRILLIANT (heard that one on the train today.. wish I could get away with saying that and sounding wise like the English do). 

(Our amazing hotel-minus the two twin beds..oops! Haha. We fell asleep holding hands #newlywedsforever)

So here we go!  I will try to keep up on this for the next week as almost a way to journal.  Feel free to read if you are interested!  I Should be getting pictures soon.  Love and chao to our friends and family back home.

--Brooke