Nauti New York

P.S. If you've fallen in love with any of my photos just send me an email and I'll be thrilled to send you the big format of the photo to be used for printing. LV 

"Just Love" dress

Lately I've been addicted to the local 99 cent store a few blocks away from us. I bought the t-shirt there that I made into the dress previously and many other things for future upgrade.
Technically, it's not a 99 cent store but a "close-out" store with items that Jay Leno would be showing on his program. You know, the food that's about to expire, the tights with two different leg patterns, the polyester pants that create an electric circuit, the t-shirts with misspelled words and dresses made out of a material that are exfoliators at the same time.

So, I walked into my favorite moth ball smelling store and saw this ... You know there is something wrong with these dresses just by the sign "asssorted" styles ... don't you?

Of course, I took a look at the rack and there was a bunch of Plain Jane dresses, surprisingly made from a pleasant, non-scratchy material. Pink looks good on me, so I grabbed a magenta (?)/hot pink dress and headed towards the seemingly annoyed shop assistant even from a distance. 

"Excuse, me. Where is the dressing room?"

(She looks me up and down then down and up)

"There is none!"

I get it! What she was really saying is "Lady, you think you're shopping at Dior on 5th? For your 6.99 USD that you are about to pay for that dress of yours, wouldn't a dressing room be just a tad too much to have?"    

I bought it anyway! Now look ... what is so obviously wrong with it???? 

Well, if you haven't guessed, let's just say I prefer people (men in particular :) talk to my face and not below :) The cut is so low, it felt like I was half naked with the dress on ... 

So, I rummaged through my leftover fabric stash, found this cute pink and brown flowery fabric, made a belt using heatNbond giving it stiffness. Made two ruffles sewed it onto the rim, connected the two in the middle and it was ready!~    

LOOK:

Don't you "Just Love" it?  (I am not fishing for compliments here - it's the "designer's" label :))))

There! Now I can even lean over and smell the flowers!

Ok, LoLoVies ... this is it for this week, but next week I'll be back with more photos, maybe some necklaces, maybe a recipe and even some I Love NYC stuff. 

Ta Taaaaaaaaaaaa 

Lo(Lo)V(i)E to you all, LV

P.S. Leave a comment, will you? 

I love getting the inspirational push to keep creating, sewing, 

making stuff, plus it always puts a smile on my face. 

Or you can just "like" LoLoVie on Facebook and we'll be friends :) 

DIY wedding bouquet

We were thrilled to get a last minute wedding invitation this past Saturday from my friend Jenna and her partner Elise for their Sunday celebration. As you surely know, same sex marriages were made finally legal on July 24, 2011 in New York and we would have loved to share the special day, had it not been my birthday weekend also with plans to brunch, a walk on the Highline and an evening concert at Jones Beach.

I still wanted to do something special, but with the time crunch all I could come up with is making a wedding bouquet. Post-brunch and pre-concert we rushed to the local florist just to face a bunch of wilting away sad bouquet's of flowers left over from the heat wave we've been having. I finally picked out what seemed like the last barely alive bunch of roses and a few other healthy(ish) looking kinds. I sort of knew how to tie them in a pretty little arrangement, but wasn't ready for the self- decapitating rose heads. After coming home with a huge bunch of flowers, working on it and throwing a few swear words around (for the loss of my basic gift material), this is what I succeeded in making ...

When I was ready, hubby looks at the bouquet and says with surprise: 

"This is ALL you've made from ALL THAT?" 

(Yes, this and a crate of petals :)

See? I would have made a cute bridesmaid too ... I wrapped the stems with burlap, added a purple ribbon and pinned it down with pearls (fake pearls that is :)

Would it come as a surprise, that at one stage in my life I really wanted to be a florist and a wedding planner? ... I didn't think so :) 

LO(Lo)V(i)E to all lovebirds out there. 

Now go get married so I can make a few more bouquets ...

 LV

New York Moments

Sometimes I pretend to be a photographer ...  

Here are the results ... Enjoy!

LV 

T-shirt + Fabric = DRESS

Did you know that I am a dress-a-holic? Yuppp, if I could, I would wear dresses all year 'round. The only problem is that the dresses I see in stores are either made for an office job or for a night out and none (mostly) for "mommas that want to look pretty pushing a stroller, doing their grocery shopping or laundry, running under the spriklers with their tots, jumping like popcorn in dance class or by a stove ... and etcetera ... (my favorite English word btw - ETCETERA ... and scissors ... )

I keep seeing these dresses for kids that look like it's a piece of material attached to a top, so finally I decided to make one for myself. Being a little girl at heart, I thought these dresses would be great for me (in size 2 not 2T).  I always have trouble finding t-shirts I really like and I didn't want to sacrifice those I have in my closet for a fear of having to end up with no dress and no t-shirt, but adding to my pile of fabric that "one day will make it into something useful" ....

We have this cheapo store that smells of moth balls not far away and I found a t-shirt I liked for 3.99 USD .. Here is the proof ...

Then I looked for some coordinating fabric ... 

The goal was to make something sort-of apron-ish but dress-ish and very very cute(ish?) ... 

(sorry for butchering the English language with this description)

This is what I did: 

Ruffle the two kinds of fabric, measure the circumference of where you want your skirt to start, sew to the t-shirt. Easy, huh???? If I just came up with this version the first time and not the 3rd after trying different variations and designs. I bought a yard of the bottom (longer) skirt and half of the top one). ... 

A fashion tip nobody asked for: If you have no butt like MOI this dress is really cute and makes it look like there "may" be something in there (hahahahah), on the other hand, if you do have something "there" I probably wouldn't go with these big poofy ruffles ... I like the way mine looks like though :))) 

See? Perfect for grocery shopping! 

Or a fake photo shoot with your hubby behind the camera ... 

I am just glad all my limbs and my head fit into the picture!

So what do you think? 

CUTE or NOT?

LO(lo)V(i)E, 

LV 

(the original one and not the one on those ugly handbags! :)

Basil infused iced tea ... hm hm hmmmmm

Basil, basil, basil, ... it's my favorite herb. I eat it, I use it as garnish, I grow it, and sometimes I just run to our terrace, rub my my hands over a bunch of it and smell its aroma for pure pleasure.

My favorite tea is rose hip. (I had no idea it's spelled in two words ... )
It's not very popular in the US, but we used to pick it and dry it back home, in Slovakia and drink it often (mostly in the winter). A friend of mine, Annie, found a Polish store in Brooklyn where they sell packets of it - as it turns out, it's actually 50% rose hip, hibiscus and dried apple and it's delicious.

Sooo, I made iced tea with it, added honey while hot, ice and about 5-6 basil leaves .. I let it sit for quite a while and the result is so refreshing, I am addicted!
I "sell" it as juice to LoLo and with the pretty color it really works! (for now)

This is how rose hip looks like: 

My basil ... (and LoLo's accidental bubble)

Basil infused rose hip tea ...

Hope you LO(lo)V(i)E it! 

LV

Re-fashion: Toddler dress from an adult blouse

I was so excited to find a top with Hungarian embroidery (Made in China) at Strawberry a few years ago, I didn't even care that it didn't fit me properly. It was about 12.99 USD if I remember correctly. Every time the seasons changed I took it out of the closet, tried it on and put it neatly away again - it still didn't fit. It also was sewn in such a weird mass-produced way, that I could not possibly mend it. Last week I decided to gift it to the local charity store, but then a lightbulb went off ... "What if I make a dress for Lola instead of giving it away???" Remember, I am not a sewer by any stretch of the imagination - well, at least not the kind that plans, draws, measures, and measures again and finally cuts. I do all in two steps - cut and sew and sometimes, but only sometimes measure :).

The top:

I first parted the top of the top from the bottom ruffle ... 

Then cut the sides to fit Lola's chest. 

The back has a part with elastic ruching that I did not even touch. 

I ruched the bottom originally of the top, now the skirt-to-be to fit the new circumference; cut the straps in the middle, made a knot at the end and it was READY for Lola to be worn ... See? It's that easy ... And if you need to know, yes it is meant to be "off-shoulders" - remember? :) It's DESIGN!!! :))

What do you think? 

"Look at my new dress, guys!!"

Something is stuck to my "fip-fop" .. I mean "flip-flop" 

"Now off you go finding old tops in your closets to make other little girls some beautiful dresses!" .. . Lola says 

Momma says: "Finally, a successful project!"

Lo(Lo)V(i)E, LV

P.S. If you like the flower in Lola's hair you can learn how to make it HERE

Post linked up here:

 

Line Cooks: Pasta Alfredo with Parma Ham and Tomatoes

Whenever I look at my friends I always think to myself what a great mix of people i have around me, from all walks of life. I know this sounds cliche, but I feel so lucky to have the people I do in my life and having met so many wonderful people, with whom I share my life, sometime a single memory and sometimes a photo album of an amazing trip ... I decided to "collect" my friends on this blog and tell the world about them, plus I thought it would be so great to see what's cooking in different households ... 

You've already met Denise from California and her Super Quick Pasta with Italian Sausage and Sauce, today Line from Norway will cook for us. 

Here she is with her two beautiful daughters: Sarah and Vilde: 

We met in 2002 (I think) on a trip to the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. It was a Trek America trip and for those who are not familiar with it, it's one of those "hippie" busses with people crammed into a small van, who cook under the stars, sleep in cheap hotels and travel days without a shower at times. 

I have so many memories of this trip - celebrating New Year's Eve in San Cristobal de las Casas (an amazing city) and laughing my head off at Line's romantic encounter with a local boy a head shorter, who could not resist and mid-dance bit her nipple, sleeping in a hammock by the ruins of Calakmul, climbing up the Maya pyramids at the crack of the dawn and getting Montezuma's revenge right on the top surrounded by our group and a view of Guatemala, snorkeling a dark cenote (a sinkhole with exposed rocky edges containing groundwater) and feeling as if I had just stepped into the paintings of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. 

Oh those memories! Look at us so young and beautiful right below ready to conquer a cenote ... 

 

But back to what's cooking in Norway ... Here is what Line writes .... 

I once found this recipe in a Norwegian blog, and then I gradually changed it for my taste.

For 2 hungry people:

200-250 grams spaghetti

6 slices of parma ham (in small pieces)

75 grams parmesan, grated

1 tablespoon butter

1,5 dl (3/4 cup) cream

10 cherry tomatoes (divided into two)

toasted pine nuts

freshly ground nutmeg

maldon (or normal salt)

freshly ground pepper

olive oil

basil or/and leaf parsley

Boil spaghetti in salted water according to package directions.

Heat the butter and cream gently in the pan.

Season with nutmeg and freshly ground black pepper.

Add the tomatoes and cook until they are slightly softer (but still a little "al dente")

Then add the cheese so the sauce becomes thick and creamy. (mmmm mmmm )

Don't let it cook too long after this, or it will be too creamy.

The sauce is then ready to be mixed with spaghetti and parma ham (yes, this is a very quick meal to make) Add salt if you like, but I would say that the parmesan and parma ham makes the dish naturally salty.

Top it with really good olive oil , chopped fresh herbs and toasted pine nuts... and if you are really into cheese: more parmesan ;)

Hungry?

Thank you Line for this delicious recipe! 

Just what any mom needs - a quick and easy dinner for the hungry bunch! 

Are you inspired yet? I hope you are! 

Do you have a recipe to share? Send it the LoLoViE way! 

LO(lo)V(i)E, LV

Make a toy stabilizer boot or "The most useless tutorial on the internet"

I love seeing all the craft projects that people make and most often, I wish I had thought of the idea myself. I admire the creativity and work that goes into making them.
At times though, I see tutorials for items like a "TV tutu" or David Hasselhoff popsicles and think to myself "Who on Earth would put time and effort into this?!!!" or I think "What is this person smoking to come up with this??" :)))

I like making useful items, plus anything that has a double function or is made from recycled, re-used materials I love from the get go!

Having said all this, I think I am just about to post the most useless tutorial (hopefully) .. so go ahead roll your eyes like I do when I see something like this ... Although, I have to tell you the story to go with the project ...

The other night, when I was putting LoLo to bed, London crawled down from the sofa (like he has done million times before), took a step and carrying his favorite "kuku" (kangaroo) he collapsed screaming, crying. I knew it wasn't "just" a wrong step immediately, because he was crying hard and wasn't stopping even after 30 minutes of sobbing. We ended up at the emergency room and the next day at the specialist's office. We were worried, that London will need a cast, but thankfully all he needs is a stabilizer boot for the next two weeks and he should be back to running, pushing the baby stroller and catching bubbles in the park.

And what does a helpless, but crafty momma do?

You guessed it right! Makes a copy of the stabilizer boot for the favorite - Ernie's foot ...

All you need is an "oh so multifunctional" empty toilet paper roll, another piece of cardboard (cheerios box as for this one), some glue, felt and velcro. 

Make sure you take good measurements of Ernie's (or anyone else's) foot, so the boot fits like a glove (?!!!)

Here is the happy customer ... Excuse the lack of pedicure. 

I tried to wash Ernie's feet many times, but didn't succeed. 

And Ernie's best friend with the boot - London. After all this effort, I expected the boot to be a huge success, but you never know how kids will react ... When I gave London, Ernie with the boot on, he looked at it, got visibly upset and said "Ernie no shoe!!!!" and tore it off with a single move!

There! You never know what will be a hit and what a complete waste of my time. 

I guess, Ernie's boot turned out to be the latter  :)))

LO(lo)V(i)E, LV