a dress for baba + a birthday for me.

IMG_1.jpgtoday’s post is a very bittersweet one. first, i will begin with this dress tutorial.

when my baba passed away two months ago, my mum and i went through her house and began to decide what should stay and what should go. i found myself going through her closet and having a memory for each piece of clothing that was in there. when i came across her favourite plaid shirt, i just knew that i had to take it home and do something with it. we also had some denim in our home, and i thought that the two would make the cutest and trendiest dress. i bought my first pattern, and began to create what i call baba’s dress.

IMG_2.jpgthe first step was to choose a pattern.

IMG_3.jpgnext i cut the sleeves and bottom half off of the shirt.

IMG_4.jpgthen i followed the pattern for the skirt.

IMG_5.jpgi also added pleats (my first ever attempt). it was a success!

IMG_6.jpglast, i sewed it all together, made alterations, sewed some more, altered, sewed, altered, sewed, altered … you get the picture. ;-)))

1.jpg2.jpgi also made a huge mess since i do not have a sewing room. my cat loved it, though! however, perhaps leave this out of your own diy.

IMG_1.jpgIMG_3.jpgIMG_2.jpgIMG_5.jpgnow i can always wear something that once belonged to my baba. for that reason, this has become my most cherished dress.

IMG_6362.jpg IMG_6361.jpgreaders, today is my birthday. while i do not like to celebrate turning a year older (what woman does), i am spending the day with my family, as well as at a museum. that is the best gift that i could ask for.

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favorite fridays.

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the riverboat cruise.

the shearwater river cruise will always have a piece of my heart. here is an outline of its important role in my life:

in 2009: *g* and i had been friends for a few months, but had been dating for less than one. wanting to experience something different together, we thought that a few hours on a boat would be perfect. it was, and a new tradition began that very night. 

in 2010: that summer we were married and moved away, so unfortunately we missed it that year.

in 2011: having moved back to the province, we happily made our second trip down the river! it was magical, and it made us feel like we were home again.

in 2012: our city purchased a showboat from las vegas, and the cruise itself was transformed. the boat was given a new name; the prairie lily. this time, we brought my parents along and made a double date out of it. it was a night that i will never forget! (we also promised one another to take my baba on the boat the following year.)

in 2013: my baba had her heart attack in may, and for the next four months her health deteriorated. we never did get her aboard the prairie lily, but she did watch it from her hospital window and would often talk about it with my mum. so this year, and once again, it was just *g* and i. i do love these nights with him, and i hope that we continue doing this every summer. 

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above is a photo of the mendel art gallery and conservatory. because we live quite close to the river, we often walk to the gallery and in and around this amazing area. life can be so beautiful. :-)

have a wonderful weekend, everyone! happy thanksgiving to all of my fellow canadians.

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for baba.

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followers of hello scarlett may remember this post that i wrote in honour of my baba. at that time, her heart attack had only recently occurred, and she was slowly getting back onto her feet. i wrote it in hopes that we would be able to continue our weekly shopping trips, and because she more than deserved the attention and the surprise of finding herself on the internet.

this last sunday, my baba passed away.

i will never be able to describe what she meant to each and everyone that she knew. i will say that i will never forget our hilarious excursions, watching ‘i love lucy’ in the hospital, or spending weekday afternoons together (i was her home care and she was my entertainment).

my baba was such an amazing woman. she loved her family, and relished any company to come her way. she was funny. she was a fighter. she appreciated life and would not take no for an answer. i can only imagine what sort of trouble she is getting up to in heaven with her late husband, and with everyone who has passed on before her. i do know that our lives here will not be the same without her. 

i love and miss you, baba.

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elliot is five.

today is our oldest niece’s fifth birthday!

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the photos above were taken at my baba and gedo’s house when elle was just learning to crawl. at least gedo got to meet her before he went to heaven.

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this is elle now. she is brilliant, funny, shy, and best of all, she loves animals!

congratulations on turning another year older, my beautiful, growing girl. we’ll always love you!

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favorite fridays.

shopping with baba.

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once every week or every two weeks for the past few years i would take my baba out for the afternoon and we would go shopping.

in just a few hours, we would always manage to go to at least four or five places. our second last stop was always to get groceries, saving our last to be a coffee date. she and i would always get the same meal, which must have looked very funny given that we are nearly the same height, with the same haircut, and eating the same food. i always joked to her that we were twin sisters, and she would reply that i acted more like her mum since i took care of her when we went out together.

last month my baba had a heart attack and since then everything has changed. we will no longer be having these shopping trips of ours. this makes me incredibly sad but at the same time i am so relieved that the outcome of what happened to her was not fatal!

this post is in honor of my baba. i love you. :-)

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  • Hello! My name is Emory. I am a wife, mother of four (three on earth in heaven). This is our life on the Canadian prairies.
    email: helloscarlettblog@outlook.com

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