Danse De La Fleur - Sewing, Crafting, Baking and more!

Marie Skirt!

2010-09-27T12:13:00.001-07:00

It’s been awhile since I last posted hasn’t it? I made this Marie skirt from a free BurdaStyle pattern (love that website!) almost a month ago and finally got a chance to take some photos over the weekend, thanks to my sister :)

I used a wool suiting material for the skirt with silver stripes going across the fabric and it turned out pretty nice. The only thing is the material is a little too scratchy for my liking so I’m going to have to make a petticoat to wear under it, or wear it with leggings once cooler weather comes.

I found this sew-a-long from One Pearl Button and thank goodness I did because the instructions she put up were really easy to follow :)

Summer at the Country House Frock Grosgrain Giveaway

2010-08-30T07:44:00.000-07:00

Summer at the Country House Frock Grosgrain Giveaway

Grosgrain is giving away her "Summer at the Country House" frock and it's absolutely gorgeous! Head on over for a chance to win! :) (I hope I do!)

Wedding Cakes

2010-08-20T08:16:00.001-07:00

These wedding cakes are TO DIE FOR!! My favorite is the bottom left one… so dreamy and definitely looks too good to be eaten!

(Source: Magpie’s Cake)

What’s your creative style?

2010-08-16T11:32:00.001-07:00

Creativity is a release

For you, creativity is first and foremost a form of expression: it creates a special link between the internal and external worlds. It allows you to get a grasp of your powerful emotions, by moulding them into a physical form. In fact, the most important thing for you is to be able to release your emotions. You need to be able to touch them or look at them in concrete form, and to do that you have to find a way to make them come alive. This is how your desires and anxieties take shape. Keeping things bottled up creates a tension that can only be resolved once you have expressed how you feel. This means you have to be strong enough not to let yourself get swept away by chaotic impulses; if you turn your creative urges on everyday life — making a picnic, singing to the baby, choosing what to wear — you can express yourself while staying rooted in reality. Creativity is principally cathartic. It relieves a deep need, an almost primal, archaic impulse. For you, being creative is about having the power to give form to something you feel, to those deep personal issues that are often raw and disorganised. For these reasons you are usually attracted to art that demands physicality, that allows you to express what’s inside, and that unites spontaneity, strength, freedom, power and movement.

I found this interesting quiz here.

What is YOUR style?

Baklava

2010-08-02T08:19:00.001-07:00

I made Baklava the other day! It was really easy to put everything together – the tedious part was having to brush each layer of pastry as I laid it out. Very labor intensive!

I used a recipe I found on All Recipes and mixed lightly toasted walnuts and pecans.

Baklava (Makes 3 dozen)

1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough
1 pound chopped nuts
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C). Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9x13 inch pan.
Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut whole stack in half to fit pan. Cover phyllo with a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place two sheets of dough in pan, butter thoroughly. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered. Sprinkle 2 - 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go. The top layer should be about 6 - 8 sheets deep.
Using a sharp knife cut into diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. You may cut into 4 long rows the make diagonal cuts. Bake for about 50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp.
Make sauce while baklava is baking. Boil sugar and water until sugar is melted. Add vanilla and honey. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it. Let cool. Serve in cupcake papers. This freezes well. Leave it uncovered as it gets soggy if it is wrapped up.

Tuxedo Onesie and Baby Booties

2010-07-02T16:54:00.001-07:00

Tuxedo Onesie and Baby Booties
Originally uploaded by dansedelafleur
Finally got around to finishing the onesie and baby booties! About time too, my friend is due next month!

It's not typical baby boy colors but definitely looks fierce :)

I got the Tuxedo Template from How About Orange and the booties pattern from Crochet and Knitting.

Click here for more pictures!

My Coffee Date Dress

2010-07-02T09:26:00.001-07:00

I saw this free dress pattern from The Selfish Seamstress a couple of months back, and really loved the whole ruffled dress look. Of course, since I never made anything out of a pattern before, I was totally lost and did not know how to make it!

Enter grosgrain and her fabulous Frock by Friday series… it just so happened that she was making this dress and so I finally got my chance to make it :) The instructions were all really easy to follow, along with the pictures and I put it together in no time at all.

I think I have to hone my zipper skills though… the back looks kinda weird upon close inspection. Oh well. First dress from a pattern… complete! Yay :)

I made my sister model for me yet again… and now she wants me to make one for her too, after seeing how well it fit her.

My version of the poofy skirt

2010-07-01T08:54:00.001-07:00

I came across ::verypurpleperson:: and her full skirt tutorial and just had to make it! It’s so simple and literally only requires less than and hour to make, shorter if you’re a pro sewer :)

All you need to do is cut out a rectangular piece of fabric thats 1.5-2X as wide as your waist, sew together, hem the skirt, and add elastic to the waist! Easy peasy.

Here’s my sister modelling it for me!

Close up of the material:

Vespas!

2010-06-09T11:31:00.001-07:00

My sister has been researching all sorts of electric bikes and pocket bikes in her spare time and I told her she should get a Vespa!

I love the whole vintage, cheery look of Vespas… they remind me of VW Beetle’s actually… I don’t know if it’s just an illusion, but Vespas look like they would be easier to ride/balance on than regular motorbikes.

How cute is this pink Vespa?

I absolutely love this color on this one too!

My absolute favorite though has got to be…

This colorful Vespa designed by Gap! The mix of vibrant colors with the white body is just stunning, cute but not too girly :)

Wouldn’t it be fun, riding one of these through the lush green fields of the countryside and stopping along the way for a quiet picnic? Ahhh…

PS (Please click on images for link to source)

The First Dress

2010-05-28T08:24:00.001-07:00

I do believe this is the first dress I have ever made! And it was really easy too – always a plus :) Here’s what I did:

Cut off an old tank to the appropriate length, make sure to leave seam allowance.
Cut a rectangular piece of fabric for the skirt, about 1.5 times the length of the waist.
Sew a straight stitch to the top of the skirt part, pull top thread and gather to fit bottom of tank.
Sew tank to dress, right sides together.
Hem bottom of skirt, leaving a little hole to thread elastic through.
Thread elastic through bottom hem of skirt, sew elastic ends together and finish hem.

There you have it! A cute ‘lil bubble hem dress :)

If you pull up the top just so, it makes a cute bubble hem top as well! :)

Chocolate Overload!

2010-05-26T07:27:00.001-07:00

I absolutely love Vosges Chocolates! Even though I can’t pronounce the name, they have such amazing, exotic chocolates that it almost feels like your mouth is travelling the world through chocolate :) Not to mention the very pretty packaging and website that they have. Some of the flavors can be a little odd though – curry flavored chocolate? I’ll pass on that one… :S

Here are some that I’m eyeing…

"When you press me to your heart, I'm in a world apart, a world where roses bloom."

Inspired by Edith Piaf’s La Vie en Rose, these Le Chocolat en Rose truffles have Pink Champagne within a 65% cacao dark chocolate and rolled in rose bud poudre. Mmm… how gorgeously decadent does that sound! Totally suited for their Gatsby Truffle Collection.

Alas, these beauties don’t last very long – to be consumed within 4 days!

For something that will keep longer, they also have Candy Bars that you can mix and match flavors. Flavors that sound really, really good include:

Barcelona: Hickory smoked almonds + Fleur de Sel grey sea salt + deep milk chocolate
Gianduja: Almonds + caramelized hazelnut paste + deep milk chocolate
Goji: Tibetan goji berries + pink Himalayan salt + deep milk chocolate
Matcha: Japanese matcha green tea + deep milk chocolate
Woolloomooloo: Roasted & salted macadamia nuts + Indonesian coconut

Mmmm…. :)

[Images taken from Vosges]

New Home

2010-05-25T14:00:00.000-07:00

New home, new look! Thanks to Angela for introducing me to Shabby Blogs!

They have so many nice backgrounds it was hard to pick just one :)

Chewy Lime Sugar Cookies

2010-05-08T19:00:00.000-07:00

So I woke up this morning with an insatiable craving for sugar cookies and I simply HAD to make some :)
Found a great little recipe on My Baking Addiction and I followed all the directions, minus the coconut since I don't like it.
The cookies came out great! Crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside, and the lime gave it a really great flavor. Yumm...
Might try making some with nuts in it next time.
Craving satisfied! :)

Ranunculus Inspirations

2010-04-06T20:36:00.000-07:00

(Source: International Flower Bulb Center)

(Source: The Future Mrs Darcy)

(Source: Small Treasures)
I am so loving the lush petals of the Ranunculus family of flowers! I think I may have just found my second favorite flower, the first being tulips. :) Wouldn't a fabric version of these flowers look great as a headband or corsage? Hmm...

Brother CS6000i

2010-04-06T19:30:00.000-07:00

I have finally gotten down to getting myself a proper sewing machine that will sew more than 1 stitch! Please welcome my dear little Brother CS6000i :) Can't wait for it to arrive so I can start making stuff with it!

(Source: Amazon.com)