Happy 4th of July!

This 4th, I am celebrating with my family, eating and drinking well (more about that later), and hanging with a certain little pirate (among other four legged members of the family). I will admit that he is much higher on the cuteness scale than the ferocity one.

I’m wearing a new top that I made just for the 4th and drinking a new cocktail based on, you guessed, Rum. Today’s post is about three things: styling, the cocktail, and sewing my top. So, let’s get started…

My Style For the 4th


With my little sock stealing pirate, Niki the Ornery

I’m leaving my top for the end of the post in the sewing section. I’ll talk about everything else now. The pants are a repeat. They were originally purchased for the dress white party my daughter and I went to and are 95% Cotton/5% Spandex bi-stretch Meronas from Target. I love these pants. I just feel elegant in them and have been wearing them way too much. I think they are even going to be in next week’s post.

The blue sandals are the third pair of a Tod’s deal from eBay a couple of years ago. I got them from a lady who was selling a three-pair deal of her old Tod’s so she could get new ones. The other two have already made their appearance on the blog, but this is the first for these. Aren’t these sandals perfect for the 4th?

The purse is Coach. I’ve been wanting this color forever and finally got it at a great price at Coach online. Is anyone else in this group? I think it’s hard to get in now, but it’s worth it if you like Coach.

I guess I’m a sucker for Coach. During the early 70s, we had no money (Michael was in graduate school and I had just finished my student teaching). We had our daughter, Michelle, eleven months after we were married (I can tell you, my Mom was counting the months). Michael gave me the smallest Coach bag there was for Christmas even though we really couldn’t afford it, because he knew how much I wanted one. I still have that bag. So now, maybe, you can understand why I relish my Coach bags.

The shoes and bag almost match. It’s good enough for me!

How can you not wear a polish called Liberty on the 4th? I love this blue PixieDust by Zoya. But then again, there are few PixieDusts I don’t love. Zoya said last year they were discontinuing making PixieDust. Now they have a Summer PixieDust set called Seashells. I guess that everyone griped so much, they finally asked themselves, “Why stop a good thing?”

Rum Poodle Rum – The French Poodle Martini Lounge

My recipe for my cocktail, Rum Poodle Rum, is inspired by the ease of summer’s lazy days and our own little pirate and sock-thief extraordinaire, Niki The Ornery. I can’t think of any spirit more associated with summer than Rum. Just the classic rum drinks take you to a place of summer and island paradise. Names like ‘Mai Tai,’ ‘Bahama Mama,’ ‘Daiquiri’ and ‘Piña Colada’ give a feeling of swinging in the hammock and taking in the salty sea breeze.

So let’s get on with the drink. You will need a tall glass for this one. It can be shaken or just stirred around in your glass, before or after adding ice. The ingredients are easy and few. With everything having equal representation, the alcohol is not overpowering and also makes it easy to mix up a big batch.

Rum Poodle Rum

2 ounces dark rum, my favorite is Goslings Black Seal
2 ounces pineapple juice
2 ounces cranberry juice

Mix or shake. Serve in a tall glass with a lot of ice.

Enjoy!

This drink was originally published on Time For Poodles and Friends. Visit us there to see more photos, especially of Niki.

Sewing With Burda

This top is a first for me. I finally made something from my Burda Pattern magazines (July ’16) and I finished it within a week rather than weeks. I scanned the three different ways the T-top was styled and although I didn’t care for any of the styles in the magazine, I really liked the pattern. It only had four pattern pieces, which made it even better.

The dress version shown is too 70’s Disco and too short for me. The blue and white eyelash yarn top? I didn’t even like eyelash yarn when it was trendy during the early 2000s. I do like the pink and orange color combo on the bottom top, but my belly button bearing days have been over for decades (if I even had any).

What I did want was a standout top for the 4th that was also something that I could wear for the rest of the summer. I wanted red and white stripes, but not insipid ones. There would be the possibility that I might look like an old box of popcorn, but I was willing to take the risk.

I found my fabric at Mood Fabrics. They call this Brick/White and it’s so soft to the touch.

Brick/White Striped Cotton Jersey Knit

Product #: 308105

I added cuffs because I wanted to see what they would look like and can always change them later if I tire of them. The neck was a little wide. Although I thought I fixed the problem when I cut the fabric out, I had to do some on-the-spot redesigning with the addition of some cross-pieces of fabric. Also, I added a binding to the neckline rather than just turning it under and stitching. I just like a bound edge better.

At first glance, the Burda pattern sheet looks intimidating, but really they make it easy. I didn’t have a problem, but will admit that I started with something that had minimal pieces on purpose.

Michael snapped a photo of me when we were doing our grocery shopping for the 4th. Same top with jeans and navy kids and my red Horse Bucket Bag by Coach. My top passed its test. I can wear it with other things, and yes, I am checking out the rum!

So, a little fashion styling, cocktail mixing and a sewing for today and that is that. As usual, it’s a crazy long post. Hopefully, there is something that everyone could enjoy. I’m just a retired art teacher doing her thing. With that, it’s goodbye until Sunday. Take care and Happy Styling!