EUROPEAN TOUR 2010!

And we're off! Persuasion is off to Europe this morning and we are so excited! Elizabeth will be back in 19 days to tell you the highlights of our time together (Mary will continue on for three more weeks) and we will try to post (albeit sporadically) while we are gone as well.

It turns out that there just wasn't room for the cat in the suitcase. Oh well -- next time, Ruby.

THE QUEST FOR COMFORT

Historically I've liked to travel as retardedly as possible, ie. bring 6 pairs of ridiculous shoes rather than 1 or 2 pairs that I can actually walk comfortably in for 8 hours a day. I seem to do this every single time - the desire to look!good!in!any!situation! always seems to outweigh any notion of practicality. Which is dumb, cause I'm generally a practical person.

Especially dumb because when I travel I like to hit the pavement - I don't 'vacation', I walk ..... for days.

This time though I've smartened up, I've made the bold decision to bring just 2 pairs of shoes - and flats at that! You hear me world? I'M ONLY BRINGING TWO PAIRS OF PRACTICAL SHOES!!! Maybe it's a 30s thing.

Or maybe I've realized that between the shopping in Paris, the souks of Morocco, & costal Spain, many, many ridiculous shoes await.

EUROPEAN STYLE

Okay, so I know you're not supposed to go and buy yourself new things right before a trip to Europe, where you will no doubt want to buy everything, but my wardrobe was pathetic and not at all acceptable for Paris or Florence or anywhere in-between. If only I could whip something up on the sewing machine like someone else I know... anyway, I feel a little more prepared now.

EASY PEASY LAZY POT PIE

This is what we had for dinner last night: easy yummy vegetable pot pie. We roasted potatoes, parsnips, fennel, broccoli, shallots, whole garlic & jalapeno with sea salt, caraway and dill. These were then coated in a yogurt, white cheddar and baby dill sauce, topped with a pastry crust and thrown in the oven for half an hour.

Peek-a-boo.

Yum. We ate it in about 4 seconds. Comfort food makes me happy (running out of natural light, however, does not....must start cooking earlier.)

DREAM HOME

It's practically perfect, in every way. From Design*Sponge earlier today.

CAT BREAK

Peek-a-boo.

PANTS CONTROL

Fun thing about being a clothing designer going on vacation: GREAT excuse to try out samples while simultaneously building yourself a brand new Paris wardrobe. Cause Paris demands a new wardrobe.

I made these pants today, 'slacks' as my Nana would call them. Pants are my favorite thing to sew ever, they're like math, not necessarily easy but always turn out right if you follow the formula. Which is funny cause I hate math.

I wanted a simple, well-fitting, basic black pant. High-waisted, tapered ankle, two welt pockets in back and subtle pleats in front (not that you can see any details in these photos) - these will most certainly become a summer staple. I'm really happy with them, the fit is great and I think they'll be good in both low-key and fancier situations. If I were to put them into production I'd make sure they had front pockets though, which this pair does not. I hate not having anywhere to put my hands. Perhaps if I'm lucky my Nana will deem these 'very smart'.

Ugh, excuse my weird red alien limbs, god knows why I can't just be a nice, normal skin colour.

Next up: an ankle length dress to wear in Morocco.

BEEN BUILDING A DRESS

The hardest thing about working on my own (besides the terrifying quantity and quality of conversations I have with the cat) is that there's never anyone around to give me any feedback. With a background in fine arts, I thrive off critiques, and talking through my work with peers is just something I like to do. It's not that I don't trust my own instincts, I do, but explaining & defending my work and hearing observations & criticism from others gives me a stronger perspective and often a stronger piece.

I've been slowly working away at what may be the first dress in my new collection. I think I'll have a better idea of whether or not I want to include it after I come back from my trip. For me this is the first piece designed for the consumption of others that I've worked through entirely alone - it's bizarre that this is a new thing to me.

Hopefully it will get easier with time.

PERFECTION/CONFECTION

As you may be able to tell with the heart theme throughout, this is a project that I had intended to finish before Valentine's day. Unfortunately V-day just came too quickly and the cupcakes (a white cake) were tossed into the freezer, forced to wait until I had the time to give them the perfect, over-the-top frosting.

The two flavors of inspiration for the icing, lavender and coconut.

Delicious ribbon coconut.

And the far too sweet lavender.