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HI DARLINGS! I am so excited to share this before and after of my sewing studio and office. I am not sure how many of you know that earlier this year I relocated to Georgia. I had been spending a lot of time on the east coast because so much of my business dealings had me traveling back and forth so when I decided to buy a new home I knew I wanted to do that in Atlanta, my husbands family is here and I do a ton of business in here so it just made sense. This all happen as the pandemic was revving up and we are all so glad we managed to get moved and settled before it got really bad. Needless to say, I have been in Georgia and settled in since April and I LOVE IT SO MUCH!! We have a beautiful lake behind the house and so much space. The kids and buttons have a huge yard which we never really had in LA. I have already done a lot of changes to the house like ripping up the carpet and putting in hardwood floors because I do not do carpet. I will share more of the house soon but today we are talking about my studio and office! Here is a look at my office before we refreshed it! So when I started replacing the carpet with hardwood floors we started on the first level of the house, the living room, our bedroom, and the hubby’s office all had carpet. Then after that was done we waited a few weeks and replaced the carpet upstairs too. Table of Contents MAKING YOUR ROOM FEEL BIGGER THE COLORS BY BEAR TIPS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN USING COLOR HOW TO PAINT THE SECTIONS THE FINAL ROOM MAKING YOUR ROOM FEEL BIGGER Carpet shrinks your room! After we took it out and put the floors in it felt like my studio was twice the size, lol! That’s not always the case because you can also use carpets with color and print to expand your room BUT in many cases, the carpet can almost dull your room and create an enclosed feeling which is what happened in my space. Using color can make a room feel vibrant and happy and that can give the appearance of a larger space. Using mirrors in clever ways can also expand your space, you will see a lot of that when I start sharing the other rooms in my home. This is the room after the floors went in. I decided before putting all the furniture back in my studio that I wanted to add color! I love color and I have never been afraid to use it but for me, it really depends on where I use the color. For example, the rest of the house has a lot more neutrals and darker color schemes but my office has to evoke a sense of creativity when I walk into it. It needs to brighten me up immediately! THE COLORS BY BEAR Courtly Purple Desert Coral Sweet Chrysanthemum I knew I wanted to use colors from my branding. I have used these colors and variations of these colors on and off in my online presence for years. I didn’t just want to paint the entire wall one color so I took to PINTEREST for some inspiration. I decided after looking at a ton of walls that I would create a geometric feel and the taping idea began. Once I decided on the line placement and started taking down my shelving and taping up the sections. TIPS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN USING COLOR If using a bright color like the bubble gum pink I picked try to balance that wall with furniture. For example, the coral and lavender are bright but softer on the eyes. The pink is bold and bright and unapologetic so I decided to use pink as the much larger section on the wall the my white shelving, desk and bookcase would be. This allowed for much of the color to be seen without it being too much visually. You can see that further down the post. On the wall that has less furniture choose a color that is a bit more calming like the lavender which was used as the much larger section on wall #2 Make sure the colors you choose are ones you love. I have navy on my walls in the living and dining rooms, navy is a neutral color for me, it whirls with a lot and I know I won’t tire of it. These colors are part of me and so I can confidently use them without fear of being over it six months from now. Play with color combinations, free paint chips at your local hardware store are an awesome tool, grab some and see what combos you are down to. HOW TO PAINT THE SECTIONS I have seen a lot of walls that do something similar but will use a white taped line to break up the color and I knew I did not want that. I wanted the colors to come up against each other which required painting a section at a time and allowing it to dry enough to remove the tape and place it over the color that was just painted. Once the walls were painted and had time to dry I started bringing in my furniture. THIS IS MY FAVORITE CORNER, I SOMETIMES SIT AND READ HERE. I LOVE THE USE OF BASKETS IN A SPACE. THIS IS ONE FABRIC STORAGE AREA MY MACHINES FACE THE WOODED LAKE BEHIND THE HOUSE. The lavender wall is where I have to main cabinets, one holds the tools I needed closest to my cutting table like scissors, rotary cutters, and pressing tools. I love baskets! I use them all over my home, they add such a cool vibe to any room. These are from HOME GOODS and were purchased at different times. The four on top I have had for years. The baskets underneath are new. They hold linings, scraps, interfacings, fleece, etc. The cabinet itself is from HOME GOODS as well. The other white cabinet on this wall holds part of my fabric stash. It also holds my printer and sometimes stacks of PDFs. I got this piece from IKEA. My sewing machine tables and chairs are also from IKEA. THE FINAL ROOM Here is the room is all done up and ready for some work to get done. As you can see the pink wall is balanced by white furniture and greenery. The lavender wall which has a lot less furniture is softer. The TABLE is a butcher block counter from IKEA that I purchased and added adjustable legs (also from IKEA) so it can come up higher and I don’t have to bend at all to cut. I have a huge space to work so I am able to have this 41.5″ x 72″ TABLE in the center of the room. I have enough space to add a second table but I like the space as it is right now. That BILLY BOOKCASE with glass doOrs is also from IKEA The white floating shelves were purchased from BED BATH AND BEYOND. I am happy to answer any questions on anything I may have left out so just leave it in the comments. BEFORE & AFTER BEFORE & AFTER

HI DARLINGS! This is another look at my SIMPLICITY FALL PATTERN #9186. This coat is such a favorite already and I can’t wait to see you guys make it. I won’t write much because if you missed the first post on the coat and my pattern release you can catch up HERE. I uploaded the SEW-ALONG to my YOUTUBE CHANNEL! Head on over. THE LOOK I wore my favorite jeans and booties. I also wore a white tee. I have also worn this coat already over a sweater and it works great! Maybe I will share that look too.

HI DARLINGS! I don’t know about you but our family loves holiday traditions and finding any excuse really to cook and eat great food. I partnered with WALMART to share one of our favorite holidays, el Dia de Los Muertos. My family is pretty culturally mixed and with so much going on this year I think it’s even more important to celebrate each other. Walmart made finding just the right dinnerware a breeze. They had such beautiful and bright colored plates, glassware, and tabletop decor like that amazing DECORATED SKULL in the images below. I am always blown away by the everyday low prices, and convenient next day delivery and pick-up options WALMART offers which makes shopping stress free. Sitting down together as a family is always something I look forward to but doing it in style makes it even better so can we talk about how gorgeous these AMELIA GOBLETS by PIONEER WOMAN are and her 12 PIECE SCALLOPED DINNER SET. I couldn’t help myself and then I saw her FLORAL PASTA BOWLS! Do you guys have any traditions you love celebrating?

HI DARLINGS! It seems like ages since I made this dress and posted a peek on my INSTAGRAM. I had a week of non-stop sewing a few weeks ago and made several garments and this one is just now coming up in my queue lol. The ASTORIA DRESS by STYLE ARC is a great dress! I love how easy it was to make and the fact that it has a t-shirt feel in the bodice, making it comfy to wear. I used a rib-knit I had picked up from Blackbird Fabrics a while back. The tie, although might look fussy is very easy to do, I think I am going to make this again in a print. THE LOOK

HI DARLINGS! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, I have always enjoyed having a house full of family and friends and cooking for everyone. With covid, it has been challenging to be around those we love so this year we are making sure to enjoy togetherness, tradition, and family time but it’s just a bit smaller. Just because we will be having a smaller gathering of the immediate family doesn’t mean I can’t still enjoy decorating and setting the holiday spirit. Walmart has the assortment and prices I need to make our home a joyful space.  Setting the table is the one thing I look forward to the most and I was able to find the most amazing vintage looking plates by Pioneer Woman. Everything I needed to create a holiday home I found at Walmart! There were so many beautiful and broad assortments of dishes and decor for my table that it was hard to choose. I think everyone is going to love our tablescape this year. I also could not resist this cast iron pot! Aside from all the great must-haves and low prices, Walmart makes shopping so convenient. I can shop online and ship or I can do curbside pick up. I want the very best for my family and Walmart helps me do just that with affordable and quality products like this beautiful serving tray! These small touches make for a wonderful and memorable holiday so I always remember to treat myself and since I am doing most of the cooking I picked up some new cookware and baking wear because cooking should look good too! The most important thing about Thanksgiving is being able to enjoy one another and thanks to Walmart I am all set and ready to go! How are you planning to make this holiday joyful?

HI DARLINGS! Well, I am so excited to share that you can now order my FABRIC COLLECTION at MELANATED FABRICS, shipping will begin. on 12/9 and we are so happy. Here is one of the looks I made from my LEOPARD WOVEN RED! I made my REGAL MAXI and the OGDEN CAMI. Head over to check out all the other prints but at the end of the post is a little look! THE LOOK I wanted to share how much this collection means to me, I wrote a bit more about it HERE if you want to take a read. As always thank you so much for always being so supportive! SHOP FABRICS HERE

HI DARLINGS! Today’s DIY is another dress I have made before and posted HERE it is such a quick and easy dress to make. I love the back so much! I also love that I can wear it with a turtleneck and boots for those cooler days. The fabric is from MY COLLECTION. It is the ZEBRA IN TEAL, I also have it in BROWN, BLUSH and BLACK AND WHITE. You can get them online now at MELANATED FABRICS. THE LOOK

HI DARLINGS! Happy Monday and omg it’s almost Christmas already. This year has been crazy. Despite Covid I was still able to get a lot done that I probably would no otherwise had time for so that was a plus. Brittany and I also managed to open our online fabric store which was a huge undertaking and is doing so great. We are so grateful fr the support we have been shown. I also have had a little but of time to sew so I recently made a favorite of mine, VOGUE 1747 I love this shirtdress pattern so much, lol. It is fast and easy and requires no fitting, lol! I made and posted it HERE. The ZEBRA PRINT fabric is available in the SHOP as well. THE FABRIC This is our VERONA VOILE, we have it in three colors: TAUPE, RUST and MUSTARD I am wearing the taupe color. This fabric is so great, it has a beautiful hand and presses like a dream. Great for layering in the fall/winter and perfect for the spring/summer. THE LOOK I wore my over the knee boots from Steve Madden and some gold jewelry I found a vintage shop in Savanna. http://sewitacademy.com

HI DARLINGS! I can’t believe it is almost Christmas already. I know I have no special events to attend but I could not let the holiday pass without making a holiday dress. I decided to make MCCALLS 8037 which I love! I used a TENCEL MICRO SCUBA KNIT from MELANATED FABRICS and it is just perfection. This is a really simple pattern to sew up and the fabric juts made it look really luxurious. I am going to take e few days off but I want to wish you all a beautiful and safe holiday! THE LOOK

http://sewitacademy.com HI DARLINGS! Today is a cold and rainy day in Georgia so I am still in my jammies working on this blog post, lol. I have to get up and get to the grocery store at some point. I used the trousers in my SIMPLICITY 9114 pattern and just added elastic to the hem for a jogger look. I think I want to make them like this again in leather! I had just under a yard left so I made an ODGEN CAMI. THE FABRIC I wanted to post todays DIY look because I am obsessed with this fabric. It is our SAVANNA PRINT IN RUST which we also have in PINK and MINT. THE LOOK My shoes are my favorite Jessica Simpson’s from years ago. The necklace is from H&M and the blazer is not a DIY, I bought at Bloomingdales some time ago. http://melanatedfabrics.com http://sewitacademy.com

HI DARLINGS! Happy New Year. We made it through 2020 and although 2021 started off with some wild stuff I am going we will start to get it together soon. I am starting my first post of the year with a 2020 make because I had yet to take pics and post my last few makes of last year. This is my MCCALL 8121 jacket in MELANATED FABRICS Cotton Jaquard which we sold out very quickly. We had it in Navy too and that was the first one to go. The pattern isn’t all that complicated and I was surprised at how quickly I was able to sew it. THE LOOK

HI DARLINGS! I am loving all these retro vibes I am giving off today in these DIY wide-leg corduroy pants. The pants are my SIMPLICITY #8655 wide leg, high waist pants pattern. I love great wide-leg pants so when I took two yards of MELANATED FABRICS purple CORDUROY I knew I was going to make these. The PLAID WOOL is also from MELANATED FABRICS. I only had a yard and half of this so I decided to make the CIELO TOP from Closet Core patterns. You wouldn’t think to make a blouse from wool but I knew I wanted a structured cropped top with exaggerated sleeves and this wool would be perfect! and it was. The pants are my pattern and you can find the PATTERN HERE and of course the SEW-ALONG HERE. The top is fairly simple however I did end up taking up a center pleat because the neckline was pretty big and had a lot of extra room in the center front neck. Next time I make it I think I will remove it from the pattern before cutting. THE LOOK