It wasn't until a few days later that she came up to me asking to get everything out for the tea party. After explaining to her that she needed to give her friends some kind of advanced warning if she wanted them to show up, her finger in the air as she enthusiastically said, "I need you to make me invitations!"
Well OKAY, my dear! The cutest little art director hovered over my shoulder to make sure all the details were correct. She needed gold bits on the invitations (see the little foil dots in the above pic?). And she needed them sealed with glitter washi tape to deliver to her friends.
I was thrilled to have a little peace and quiet while she walked the neighborhood, dropping them in the neighbor's mail boxes. Since it was a Monday and she was inviting her friends to a party on Tuesday, I made sure to text each mom to double-check invitations were received. All but 2 girls showed up. We had a full house of giggly girls with their pinkies high as they sipped "tea".
I served honey chocolate toasts, mint oreos (at Penelope's request) and raspberry lemonade. They thought it was the best tea ever.
(taken from an entirely different party, but I love this pic of her)
Penelope was the most gracious host exclaiming, "Welcome!! I'm so glad you could make it!" while I sat there, hands over my mouth, trying not to squeal and giggle at the same time. She is incredibly more socially astute at her age than I was in college. The girl knows how to throw a party.
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I had this fabric in my stash from an excursion to the fabric district years ago. I thought I would just make something for Penelope with it, but it just sat. And I never made anything for her. The bright, tropical print was screaming at me the second I purchased my flight to Hawaii, so I did something about it.
I made this button up without a collar. Basically using 
It was part laziness, part strategic planning that I opted for only 4 buttons in the front. I tie the front of most of my button-ups anyway, so I just omitted them for that very reason. Tying up the excess like that makes for a sleeker line with the skirt since there's no bulk of a shirt underneath the skirt. I know. I'm genius. It's not a matter of style, but a matter of comfort in this case. I don't like bulk.
It was an easy enough sew, taking me just under 2 hours to make it happen from beginning to end. I feel a little Miami granny-ish with the florals, but paired with the metallic knife pleats I just own the look.
Outfit details
I've been aching to design foil temporary tattoos for a while, but I just couldn't think of a design! Designer's block got the best of me for a good portion of a year.
At Alt Summit this last June, I handed out my business cards (above) with silver and gold bees. Since my name is Melissa and I hail from the beehive state, it only seemed fitting.
Thanks to my awesomely tan neighbor for modeling these for me. I noticed that foil tattoos don't photograph particularly well on my pasty white skin. Perhaps I need to get out of the house more?
Now that I've done one design, I'm ready to do more. I've got a few ideas. Mostly words that I want to design. What word(s) should I do next?
I wanted it to be something flowy and free for summer. Miriam convinced me that I should make a fit and flare dress. She's right. She's always right when it comes to sewing matters.
I didn't have any good light-weight stretchy black knit on hand, so I ended up dicing up an old maxi dress that I made (and never blogged, only wore once) while I was pregnant with Juniper. That fabric is getting much more use now as the top and sleeves of my dress.
I used the scout tee for the base of this dress. I pieced the front and took in the sides to compensate for the knit in the back. I considered not taking it in and having it with more of a 90's proportion, but it feels so feminine with the tapered waist. I'm glad I didn't make it baggy.
The dress is so comfortable and light-weight. Perfect for those hot summer days. It was an easy sew, too. Because of the knit back, I didn't need to put in any enclosures. And I put in a knit binding at the collar so that was super easy.
Anyone know a good technique for binding a woven neckline without it puckering or curling? Let me know. I'm all ears!
Outfit details: