Thursday, September 12, 2013

Customized Makeup Travel Bag

Having recently expanded my makeup and brush collection, I was left in a bit of a pickle with regards to storage for travel! Not that I have much makeup -- but still, I wanted something more than just a zippered pouch (especially for my brushes).

After browsing various bags, rolls, and other mediums of makeup storage, I came up with a design of my own. Half roll, half bag, and wholly customized. This little bag has a lot of details, so please forgive the plethora of photos!




I used a green striped cotton from my stash, accented with tan moleskin and brown corduroy. The roll is stiffened with a heavyweight Pellon fusible interfacing and fusible fleece. Sadly, the fabric is a bit wrinkly -- probably because I'm not patient enough to ensure a really good bond when I'm fusing! 

Here's what it looks like when open:


The brush flap is closed in this shot


And here's what it looks like when you unfold the brush flap.

The mirror can be removed, thanks to a velcro strip in the back

The zippered pouch went together quite nicely! It attaches to the back with two plastic snaps (looking back, it would have been better to use four -- but it's quite secure as it is). I love that I can grab just the bag if I want to. 




The pouch has a little pleated detail on the front. Just because.




The bag opens quite well whether or not it's snapped in. Here's a view inside -- it's lined with the striped cotton:


A glimpse of my makeup collection -- I'll be posting about it soon.

This project originated out of my need for brush storage, and here it is!


Yes, this is my entire brush collection (minus my concealer brush)

The brush pockets are made out of brown corduroy, with a buttoned flap to protect them. 




Half of the challenge of make this was determining positions for details like handles and snaps. They had to be attached before the piping was added and the roll was assembled, so I had to make educated guesses about their locations. Definitely the biggest downside to making up a pattern as you go along!




Fortunately,  it all came together splendidly. A thick hair tie served as the main closure loop. It's sturdy enough that I could hang the bag from a hook, if needed. I used thinner hair ties to attach the wooden toggle and to make the loop for the brush pocket flap.


The hair ties work remarkably well!


I love the texture of the moleskin, which I salvaged from a $1 thrift store skirt.

Sadly, this bag is not very practical for daily use -- I'm not patient enough to unroll, unzip, and unbutton every single day. However, the next time I take a trip, I'll be prepared! It's compact, yet roomy enough for all of my essentials.

Mission acccomplished? Oh yes!

Sunday, September 08, 2013

Beautiful

Our modern culture is obsessed with physical appearance. Ads, commercials, films -- it's difficult to escape the tidal wave of "beauty" as defined by the world. However, the standard of beauty that is presented is physically impossible for any human being to achieve; even the models and movie stars hired to "be beautiful" are subjected to the make-up chair and the airbrush. And let's face it: Photoshop can make anyone look gorgeous. Even my limited experience with photo editing has exposed me to techniques to enlarge eyes, redden lips, and eliminate blemishes (I'm occasionally guilty of that last one, since they're not "permanent" features. *wink*).

Our culture demands physical perfection -- flawless skin, perfect hair, and not a single extra pound (in fact, you should probably be underweight, because cameras make you look fatter). Some have rebelled against this impossible ideal by claiming that "real women have curves." Which seems hardly fair to women who are naturally skinny and may even be trying to gain weight -- aren't they real women, too, or are curvy hips somehow essential to womanhood?

I recently saw an ad produced by Dove, which I found quite interesting: Dove Real Beauty Sketches. I applaud their efforts to combat mainstream definitions of beauty (and their companion efforts to educate girls about how artificial and unrealistic advertising can be). However, in a sense, their focus is still superficial. "You are more beautiful than you think you are." That doesn't really challenge a "standard" of beauty -- it just makes us feel that we're closer to that standard (and consequently makes us feel better about ourselves).

But really, what is beauty? And who defines it?

Here's what the Creator of the Universe has to say about it:


~ Proverbs 31:30
"Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."

~ I Samuel 16:7
"But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." 


In other words, we're not supposed to be focused on our outward appearance. It's our inward beauty that God cares about! "Inner beauty" has become such a cliched concept. But as Christians, we realize that our outer shell is a temporary covering, while our souls are eternal.




~ 2 Corinthians 4:16
"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is renewed day by day." 


I saw a pin on Pinterest with a before-and-after photo of a woman. In the first photo, the woman looked normal (and quite pretty, in my opinion). In the second photo, extensive make-up had drastically changed her appearance. The caption under the photo read something like, "Amazing! She doesn't even look like the same girl!" And it was true. She looked like a totally different person.


~ Ephesians 2:10
"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." 


I realize this passage in Ephesians is not talking about physical appearance, but I think it holds an important concept for the consideration of beauty. We are God's workmanship. He created us! Every detail is exactly as He planned. And while sin has brought flaws (don't we all love acne?), aging, and ultimately physical death, that doesn't change the fact that God knit us together in our mothers' wombs. If God made me the way I am, why would I want to entirely change the way I look?

We are beautiful not because we have perfectly proportioned faces, but because we are made in the image of God, and as Christians our hearts have been transformed by His love and grace.


~ 1 Peter 3:3-4
"Do not let your adorning be external -- the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear -- but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious."


I don't think the Bible is suggesting that it's sinful to braid your hair or wear jewelry (because, if you notice, clothing is included in the list -- so if hair braiding and jewelry are forbidden, so is clothing! *wink*). It's easy to fall into legalistic traps when we try to define exactly what is appropriate and apply it to every believer. Obsessing about the lack of external adornment is still obsessing about externals. Rather, the point is that we are to focus on our conforming our hearts to Christ, instead of trying to impress others by our physical appearance.

We will all come to different conclusions on what is appropriate. Some Christian women wear makeup and others wear none at all; some dye their hair while others let it go gray; some wear more jewelry than others; some wear nail polish while others don't; some wear Spanx while others don't fret about a bulge or two. We'll never all be the same, and that's part of the beauty of being in the body of Christ. For that reason, I'm not here to suggest that you should or shouldn't wear mascara. What I am here to suggest is that the Bible teaches that we should not focus on our physical appearance to the point that it becomes an idol.




What we can do is evaluate our hearts and our attitudes toward beauty. If I am trying to look like someone other than the person God made me to be, perhaps I need to reconsider my perception of beauty. If I am trying to perpetuate youthfulness in a desperate attempt to avoid growing old, perhaps I need to remember what the Bible says about aging. If I want to take drastic measures to reverse the changes that child-bearing has wrought in my body, perhaps I need to recall that God values life, and that Christ made the ultimate sacrifice of His body on the cross so that we could have life everlasting. Ultimately, if our hearts are truly fixed on Christ, we won't have the time or the desire to become obsessed with our bodies -- or with anyone else's.

We can also evaluate our attitudes toward other women, and sisters in Christ in particular (because, let's face it, we generally have higher expectations for those who share our beliefs). We will each find some humans more attractive than others, based on our own unique preferences. But let's look deeper and value people on something less superficial than a profile or a haircut.  Are we judging others based on their external beauty? Or perhaps even on how much makeup they wear (or don't wear)? Let's be gracious to one another, and realize that our opinions and convictions are not shared by all.

In our media-saturated world, it is increasingly challenging to ignore what the world says and focus on God's criteria for beauty. But we press on, with the encouragement that cultivating a gentle and quiet spirit is something that God prizes and cherishes. And if He is the only one on this earth who ever considers us beautiful, His is the the only opinion that truly matters!


You can find my theological disclaimer here.

Saturday, September 07, 2013

Laura's Banbury Cross Cardigan Pattern

Little did I realize that my bloggy friend Laura was planning to publish her Banbury Cross Cardigan pattern! I've been in love with this design since she posted her first version a few years ago. From the shawl collar to the sleeve patches, it's just perfect!

Wouldn't you agree?


You can find the pattern in her new Etsy shop: Quietude

And you can also enter giveaways for her pattern on Laura's lovely blog (she's also offering a discount code good until September 11th), and a giveaway for two patterns over at Deep Roots at Home.

I'm so looking forward to sewing one (or two) of these up for Little Man this winter! It's so difficult to find classic styles for little boys (at least for a price I'm willing to pay), so I have a feeling that this will be a staple in my pattern collection.


Wednesday, September 04, 2013

A Trip to the Zoo

Now that Little Man is approaching his third birthday, we thought it was time to take him to the zoo. Photos and YouTube videos just don't do justic to the wondrous array of animals that God has designed!

Thus, we undertook the rather lengthy drive to the closest zoo, and began our explorations.

Curious 

It was a blistering day, but at least it was sunny -- one of the few dry days we've had this summer! 


See the baby in tow?


I'm a huge fan of ring-tailed lemurs, so I was delighted to see some at the zoo!

The highlight of my day was definitely feeding the giraffes. They're one of my favorite animals (those eyelashes!), and having such a huge animal lick your hand with its giant purple tongue is quite remarkable. Twenty-five cents for giraffe "chow" was some of the best money I've ever spent!


Notice that the giraffe's head is about three times the size of mine? Amazing!


Check out those fingers!



Well, hello there!


Love those horns



I wonder what the silverback is musing about...


It's just not a zoo without a llama


There were little peachicks (baby peacocks) wandering all over the place


Peek-a-boo


Everyone was looking for some shade!

Overall, our little trek was quite a success! I had been anticipating that most of my enjoyment would come from watching Little Man see the animals for the first time. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed the trip on my own account! 

And while Little Man has pretty much sworn off naps, apparently the fatigues of the day were irresistable...