A Reason Not To Sleep

Two reasons actually. A dress and a necklace. Both good reasons, right?!
Here's the dress. It's one I saw while blog surfing. I check in at A Diary of a Sewing Fanatic's blog every so often. I just love people who are sewing fanatics! (I guess I'm one too) Carolyn was also inspired by this dress from Banana Republic. It's so interesting to see how my inspiration pans out compared to Carolyn's inspiration. You can't see mine yet, because, well, it's still in my HEAD, but I think it might begin popping out sometime today. I was about to put the women's vests on the back shelf for a while, but now that I've seen this dress, a new vest style is in the works. I'll post my progress here, so, if you're even a wee sewing fanatic, check back soon to see the progress. Also, if this dress inspires you, or keeps you up at night, well, I hope you'll have something to show for that too!

And this is the necklace. Marcia again. Marcia, Marcia, Marcia. Now you rob my sleep at night. Oh, what have you done to me, Marcia? The beads... it's the beads. I struggle and try to stop. Try to stay away, but the beads keep calling me back. The colors, the combinations, the possibilities galore. Okay, I'm about ready to throw in the towel and admit to the fact that I have become a beader. Yesterday, I was at, yet again, Lost Cities, and a woman came up to me to remark on my amazing earrings. Yes, I answered, I made them from a MARCIA design. But the good thing was that I made them also a little bit "Val". They are about 2/3 Marcia and 1/3 Val. So, that counts, right? I am proud of my beautiful earrings. I am making them by the bundle now. I can't stop. I'm figuring out how to put the bead colors together so they "pop" and "sing". It's not easy. It's involved making several designs, and cutting them up the minute they are done. Hate them. Pressing on, I'm learning what works. And soon, I will have a new photo to post. "Singing" earrings... has a nice ring to it, no?