1. Clear an open space on a table or desk. Lay out your sweater (or shirt, in my case; $2.00 on sale at Target), embriodery thread, chalk/white colored pencil (I prefer to use chalk because it is much easier), and embriodery needle (which is stuck into my pink pin cushion).
2. Take the chalk and make a mark in the middle of the neck. This is the middle of the collar.
3. Going from the half way point, draw the collar, being sure to round it as you begin, then follow the shape of the actual shape of the shirt's neck. It's hard to explain, so see the third picture on the left to see what I mean. It doesn't need to be perfect, but you should be able to see about where you plan on sewing.

See Part 3 for steps 4 through 6.

Another installment is in the works. I'm not really sure if anyone is actually planning on doing this DIY, but I'll still finish it. Maybe seeing the finished result will change someone's mind. :]

Yours Truely,
BeccaBalboa

Ever since second grade, I've worn glasses. I have an astigmatism: "A visual defect in which the unequal curvature of one or more refractive surfaces of the eye, usually the cornea, prevents light rays from focusing clearly at one point on the retina, resulting in blurred vision."* My eye sight has been getting worse every year.

I am going to the eye doctor tomorrow to order more contacts and to also get a new pair of glasses. My old glasses are bent slightly and now seem too chunky for my taste. When I wear them with any sort of black item of clothing, I look emo. No offense to any emo kids out there, but I just don't want to look like you all.

The first picture is basically what my glasses look like now, except for the fact that instead of being pink on the inside, they are leopard print. I loved the leopard so much that I over looked the shape a bit. I mean, they don't look horrible on me, but I wouldn't call them flattering. So therefore I want to get a more simple pair that suits my face. The pair in the second photo is very cute, but I doubt that my eye doctor sells gucci and I couldn't afford them anyway ($163.30...I don't understand why they couldn't have just rounded down to an even $163 haha). So the second is my dream pair. I'll probably end up getting a pair that looks like the pair in the last photo.

Do any of you all wear glasses? Do you have any suggestions or advice?

Yours Truely,
Becca Balboa

*Thanks dictionary.com for the defenition.

When I was surfing the internet today, I found something amazing: a picture of a woman, in a fashion magazine mind you, who has a belly!

A normal, beautiful, full figured woman who is in front of a camera in her underwear, smiling! No joke. This woman's name is Lizzie Miller. She is a 20 year old plus sized model who was chosen to be in a story in Glamour Magazine's September Issue (pictured left). When it hit news stands, Glamour was flooded with letters from women who said how much they loved the woman on p.194. "I'd loved this photo at first sight myself--we'd commissioned it for a story on being comfortable in your skin, and wanted a model who looked like she was," said editor-in-chief Cindi Leive. "But even so, the letters blew me away: 'the most amazing photograph I've ever seen in any women's magazine,' wrote one reader in Pavo, Georgia. From another in Somerset, Massachusetts: 'This beautiful woman has a real stomach and did I even see a few stretch marks? This is how my belly looks after giving birth to my two amazing kids! This photo made me want to shout from the rooftops'." But is there a down side? "Some people wondering if, by celebrating bigger bodies, are we encouraging obesity? To which I would say, absolutely not," Leive told the New York Post.

To view the rest of Glamour's story and the actual picture click here. If you'd like another view point here's the story by the New York Post. 

In my opinion, I love the photo. Mostly because I have the same belly. I'm not overweight, but I'm no stick figure either. I've got curves and I always try to embrace them, but like everyone I sometimes wish I had a different figure. This photo has given me hope. It makes me realize that it doesn't matter if I can't keep my abs flat. It's totally normal. As long as I try my best to stay healthy, that's all that matters.

So what do you think? Is it a step in the right direction for the fashion industry or is it "encouraging obesity"?

Yours Truely,
Becca Balboa

p.s. DIY directions are still in the works. I'll get them done. lol.

Since fall is just around the corner, what better way to celebrate it than with cute sweaters! I was poking around the internet and I have found these little jems. I feel so bad because I can't find the links for these photos...they've disapeared in the black hole that is my favorites section. :[ But I did find one link! Dotti, the lovely gal behind the blog dottisdots sewed on a pretend peterpan collar to a regular t-shirt instead of paying 115 pounds (about $186) for a sweater with the same decoration! Check it out here.
 
I think, why pay lots of money for something you could make yourself for a lot less? So here is Part 1 of my DIY Embroidered Sweater!

Stuff You'll Need:

• A sweater, sweatshirt, t-shirt, regular shirt, etc. (that you didn't pay too much for; buy something that's cute but cheap. Try Target or Walmart.)
• An embriodery needle (It's easier to thread an embriodery needle and a regular needle could cut threads in the cloth*. Buy it at a craft store.)
• Embriodery thread (in a color of your choice, preferably something that contrasts with the clothing item you are using. Buy this at a craft store too.)
• A pencil, a white colored pencil, or a piece of chalk (to draw your pattern, writing, etc. onto the clothing to use as a guide.)
• Patience, time, and a little expierence (for anyone who hasn't embriodered before, I recommend practicing on an old t-shirt, rag, or piece of cloth before attacking any of your nice sweaters or t-shirts! It won't be good when you realize that your idea wasn't as cute as you expected. I'll include links to sites that'll give you a visual of the different stiches I use.)

In my next installment I will begin the steps (I need to go out and buy a sweater first, haha). Pictures will be included with each step! Stay Tuned!

Yours Truely,
BeccaBalboa

*Thank you lyniee482 for the tip!