Burford Designs

For Delicate Male Sensibilities

Here at our Ugly Christmas Sweater headquarters, the staff (consisting of Mommy and me) got into making some really over-the-top sweaters and simply could not leave off making ones for men, specifically men who enjoy more juvenile, 13-year-old boy humor. We, however, enjoyed making them just as much as any of the others.

The first two sweaters are inspired by the Duck Dynasty guys. The first sweater came about because we had a bunch of vintage faux fur laying around and four snowmen sitting on the table just begging to be made into the Robertson’s likenesses.

(The Beards Are Snowmen – my image)

The second one is decorated front and back and actually has a musical farting mooning Santa. (I know, I know.) These characters are handmade by Mommy using soft sculpture methods (something she used to do in the eighties!).

(Hairy Christmas – my image) 

An additional sweater with a mooning Santa (or elf) on it also has an older weight lifting stuffie and an angry talking golfer. (He has three phrases.)

A quick aside - I just asked Mommy if she remembered what the phrases were and she said, “I don’t know, I think it’s something like ‘hit my ass’ and ‘make me feel good.’” If I didn’t know better, I would think that she’s been reading too many romance novels, of the 50 Shades variety. Even thought she has never read it, yet.

(It’s a Man’s World – my image)

Seriously, I can’t believe the amount of empty booze bottles (even if they are miniatures) we have used… and none of us drink!

(Go Elf Yourself – my image)

Another aside – while reading this post to Mommy she asked what sweaters I was writing about and I mentioned the title for the sweater above “Go Elf Yourself” and Mommy gave me a scrunched up face look to which I replied, “whoa, you just said that the golfer phrases were ‘hit my ass’ and ‘make me feel good’ and you don’t like ‘Go Elf Yourself?’”

Too funny!

This final sweater, for today’s post, came about because of all of the dog shaming/ dog confessions we’ve seen on social media sites like Facebook… so we couldn’t resist.

(Dog Shame – my image) 

Of course, if you would like to see any of our other eBay offerings you can click the following link, search by username “libbynell” or click on one of the other links in this post and search “see other items.”

‘Tis the Season for Ugly Christmas Sweaters

Seriously, the house looks like Christmas exploded all over it. Even though the floors get swept and or vacuumed every night there is still tinsel everywhere and somehow Chewie and Spanky always seem to find that one stray piece of the teeniest tiniest bit of it. But that is not my reason for writing today.

Today it’s all about why the house looks like that… Ugly Christmas Sweaters!

Boy did Mommy and I have fun creating these this year. I wasn’t sure we would top the creativity of last year but I’m so pleased (actually down right giddy) with what we’ve created this year. There have been several sweaters that, once created, one of us (or the other) have stated “I don’t know if I want to sell it, I really like this one!”

This is just a smattering of some of our eBay listings.

(Deck the Halls – my image)

This sweater is from the Eighties with a vintage cloth storybook page... the colors matched so well.

(An American Original – my image)

This is one sweater that Mommy really wants to keep.  Somehow the photos just don't do it justice.  It is body hugging yet slimming and oh so cute in person.

(Grandma Got Run Over – my image) 

A little insider's secret... Rudolph was made out of an unfinished sock monkey!  I wasn't sure what I wanted to name this sweater, so many ideas, then I thought that "this must be how grandma got run over."

Of course, if you want to see more you can check us out on eBay – username Libbynell. 

Also, thanks for passing this along and sharing with anyone you know who may be in the market for an Ugly Christmas Sweater.

And as a post script – some people have been asking (and others didn’t need to ask) the live model for our pics is none other than Mommy herself. We love to joke that she’s not your typical 63-year-old grandma! You’ll know why if you take a look at our listings or wait for one of my follow-up posts.

What Do Jay Leno and Craig Ferguson Have To Do With Ugly Christmas Sweaters?

Is it Leno worthy?  It’s something you might see on a typical Monday night during Headlines on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

 

It’s definitely Craig Ferguson worthy… he and Geoff Peterson would get a tremendous kick out of it on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson... because it’s puerile.  And that makes it perfect fodder for both Craig and Geoff Peterson because they both love things that are childish and seem naughty and in poor taste.  At least it would give Craig something to torment Beth with throughout the show (or a few shows since dragging it out makes things funnier… right?).

 

What is this ubiquitous IT I am referring to?

 

Well, I’ll tell you… it’s a close up photo of one of the ugly Christmas sweaters Mommy posted to sell on eBay.  While scrolling through the photos posted (most of these pictures were taken by Daddy), I noticed one that make me do a double take.  As I looked at the photo I couldn’t help but notice an, let’s say, unusual shadow being cast upon the sweater. 

 

I think it would more than likely get an “oh-la-la” and a censor blip or pixilation if it were to be shown on the tellie, especially if you didn’t know that it was simply a shadow of Daddy’s finger... at least I hope that’s all it was!  LOL! 

 

Although the picture of that sweater would make for great late night television… but anyone who watches The Late Late Show would know that Geoff Peterson would prefer either the Manly Man sweater or the Trio sweater because they have balls oops, I mean BELLS!

 

There are still a couple of days left to grab one of these lovely ugly Christmas sweaters for your very own or maybe as a Christmas gift.  GP looks pretty cold in that studio sometimes…

Ugly Christmas Sweaters For Sale

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here... well, that's if Christmas was all about horribly terrific, gaudy and ugly Christmas sweaters and vests... and around here that's exactly what we mean.

(Ugly Christmas Sweater - my image)

Mommy has finally decided to part with some of her collection of vintage and not-so-vintage Christmas and winter scene sweaters...  some are decked out and hand-decorated a bit more to make them even more over-the-top... and trust me, that is possible.

(Musical Ugly Christmas Sweater - my image)

I've included some links to the auctions and a few photos so you can see what I'm talking about.  If you want to see more picures for yourself and possibly buy one, just follow one of the links or look up eBay seller: libbynell. 

Fun little bit of trivia - there are two listings that have snow in the background of some of pictures and they were taken last week and the other photos (no snow) were taken this morning.

Look...  it's got big brass bells!

(Manly Man's Ugly Christmas Sweater - my image)

Feel free to share with anyone who may need or want one for there very own this holiday season.  Thanks a million!!  I'm sure Mommy will appreciate it as well!

Announcement from Grosgrain

This week Kathleen, from Grosgrain, will be offering a glimpse into a new (free) series she plans on offering next month. The series will be called From Semi-Scratch Sewing: Using small patterns to transform your wardrobe.  It will consist of individual patterns to use for thrift store refashions... something that I really love to do.

She will be taking a thrift store find and using a new sleeve or collar or skirt pattern that she has designed to transform the piece into something new and amazing and she will be offering that pattern in PDF for you to use yourself. 

 

This is what Kathleen wrote about her new series, “I really like the concept of taking an already sewn piece because it's a great way for beginners to start in their sewing journey without feeling overwhelmed. AND it's a great way to have a new piece in a much shorter time than sewing from scratch.”

 

She just finished up her latest series, Free Pattern Month, of free tutorials and patterns from guest bloggers and you can see any and or all of them on the sidebar at her Grosgrain Fabulous blog.

 

I know that I will be following along... how about you?

Winter Wear Necessities

With all this snowy and cold weather there are certain articles of clothing and accessories that are necessary for survival.  It’s a good thing to have several different styles depending on what you plan to do.  On work days I have an everyday winter boot that I wear.  When I worked in a dressy office I had snow boots like those pictured below and traded them out for heels once I was in the office.

 

Another necessity for cold weather is having a good coat, or several ood coats.  I have a few stylish wool coats, a nice rain jacket that I bought years ago, and a fleece button up that I wear just about daily.

 

Of course, no matter what I am wearing I have a plethora of scarves to brighten any outfit and to keep me warm.  There are so many varieties of scarves out there.  I like long ones that I can wrap around a couple of times.  One of my favorites is a beautiful ruched teal fabric scarf.

 

My everyday cold weather gloves are just some nice and simple Isotoner ones.  They are great for keeping my hands warm in the rain and snow.  However, on heavy snow days I wear ski gloves.  They are the only ones that keep my hands warm and dry whenever I have to work out in the snow or clean my car off.

 

On Oprah yesterday one of the segments dealt with some great winter wear on Fashion Must Haves for 2011.  I really like Adam Glassman’s choices.  Even if not all of them are in my current price range, I do believe in buying quality items and for boots and winter coats that should last a long time I don’t mind spending a bit extra.

The Slope Side Down Parka from Eddie Bauer is fabulous.  I love the stitching and how the diamond pattern defines the waist and that it comes in a variety of sizes ranging from XS to 3X.

 
The Sorel Cate the Great boots were another favorite of mine and they come in three different color combinations.

 

Now I want new winter wear.

Project Runway Season 8

It is much easier to contain my excitement by writing this, that way you can’t see my Cheshire Cat grin and the fact that I am bouncing in my chair as I type, thank goodness no one is recording me right now.  In just two days Project Runway returns… yippee!

 

There are a few changes to this season and one show change.  Apparently Models of the Runway will not be back this season and I am fine with that, especially since it means that Project Runway is expanding to a ninety (90) minute format… yes, you read that correctly, an hour and a half of ProjRun every week!

 

There are also seventeen (17) designers!  Here is the list (alphabetical by first name since Casanova is simply, Casanova).  I’ve also linked their individual pages at mylifetime.com.

 

A.J. Thouvenot, 26, St. Louis, MO
Andy South, 23, Waipahu, HI
April Johnston, 21, Savannah, GA
Casanova, 33, Astoria, NY
Christopher Collins, 30, San Francisco, CA
Gretchen Jones, 28, Portland, OR
Ivy Higa, 30, New York, NY
Jason Troisi, 33, Greenwich, CT
Kristin Haskins Simms, 39, Philadelphia, PA
McKell Maddox, 29, Layton, UT
Michael Costello, 27, Palm Springs, CA
Michael Drummond, 31, St. Louis, MO
Mondo Guerra, 32, Denver, CO
Nicholas D'Aurizio, 32, New York, NY
Peach Carr, 50, Lake Forest, IL
Sarah Trost, 27, Toluca Lake, CA
Valerie Mayen, 29, Cleveland, OH

 

This year there also seems to be a lot more being offered online as well.  I’ll let this excerpt from Lifetime fill you in on all that is happening and where:

“Lifetime’s digital offerings will represent a robust collection of video content, including extended runway judging, designer and judge video blogs, and more. They will also feature full streaming episodes of the show, available only on myLifetime.com. Also returning for Season 8 are Rate the Runway photo galleries of the show’s fashions, as well as blogs by mentor Tim Gunn and fan-favorite designers from past seasons.

Other return offerings include the 2010 Webby Award–nominated Tim Gunn’s Workroom videos and Designer Portfolios. Tim Gunn’s Workroom will continue to showcase his critiques of the contestants’ garments-in-progress, and the interactive Designer Portfolios will display the designers’ previous work along with sketches made before the show and throughout the season. Roiworld.com’s popular weekly Project Runway dress-up games (which accounted for more than 4.8MM game plays in Season 7) will also return, featuring illustrated versions of the winning designs in an interactive wardrobe.

"Project Runway" enthusiasts can also interact with fellow fans, show insiders and designers by following @projectrunway on Twitter or visiting www.facebook.com/projectrunway for the latest "Project Runway" news and updates.”

 

Easy enough to know where I’ll be on Thursday…

Aunt Tees

One of the things that I busied myself with was altering t-shirts for each of the sisters.  I really only wanted to make shirts for the visiting sisters but begrudgingly made one for everyone so that they could each have a memento of their time together.  I have wanted to mess around with some shirts for a while now and even got a few for me to have personally, but I didn’t want to just go for it on my own shirts so I began with a simple white tee that I had in my “to alter” pile and began the process while I was watching a movie.  I cut, gathered and stitched everything by hand for my first try with this tee

 

I loved how it turned out and decided that my best path to crafting the shirts was to just go for it and let my creativity take over.  I sat down to complete them one afternoon but the power choose not to cooperate (I decided for the sister’s shirts I would do a combination of hand stitching and machine stitching depending on what exactly I was doing with each shirt.)

 

Mommy and I got a great deal on these shirts when we found them on sale at Michael’s in early June.  I picked out specific shirts for each sister choosing colors that I thought would look good on them or that I knew they would really like. 

 

Here is a photo of all of the shirts getting ready to be delivered to the sisters. 

 

One of the sisters is a little more subdued so I made the blue one with the rolled roses and smaller ruffle for her.  The other sisters are a little more outrageous so the colors and adornments got a little crazier, more fun, etc.

 

I did a little extra altering on Mommy’s shirt because she has lost a lot of weight and I like to make sure she is styled well.

 

I’ll share my shirts once I finish them. 

 

Happy Monday!!

Grosgrain Giveaway: The Reporter Frock

Seriously, I just do not understand how Kathleen (from Grosgrain) finds the time to whip up all of these gorgeous frocks, especially when she has three beautiful little girls at home.  I get a lot done during my days and nights but I guess it’s different for me because I’m not making clothes like she does.  I also wonder what her own closet must look like since she gives all of these beauties away on a pretty regular basis.  That would be a great post for her… what’s in her closet (like what she actually had/ keeps).  I just love how generous she is. 

 

This giveaway is for this beautiful frock named The Reporter Frock because Kathleen thought it reminded her of “something a reporter from the 50s or a secretary from Mad Men would wear”.  I concur.

For me, the devil is in the details and I adore the collar and armhole pleating on the top of this dress.

It is so pretty and something that would be fun to wear to work, no matter what your position may be.  Funny enough, I’m working on a little hat that I think is almost an exact match to this olive top.  Of course if I won, I’d beg Kathleen for any scraps she might have (from the blouse part and or the skirt part) to add to my hat.

As with all Grosgrain giveaways, please see the original post and follow the instructions to enter.

Good Luck!

Grosgrain Giveaway: The Naiad Frock Giveaway

When I was a little girl Mommy had a beautiful black negligee that I thought was the prettiest thing in the world.  It was very 1960s (although we were in the 80s when she had it) it was a definite throwback to a different era.  This beautiful frock reminds me of that. (And it doesn’t hurt that Kathleen and the photos (courtesy of her hubby Brian) are absolutely gorgeous.

 

Here’s the 4-1-1 from Kathleen:

 

“The dress is made of fine nylon chiffon, a lot of it, 7 yards to be exact. I gathered the neckline and lower tiers by hand and then I used elastic thread for the fluff at the bottom. It might look like it is see-through but I have sewn a nude colored opaque slip into the dress.

As you can see the dress is sloped to one side. Almost impossible to wear a bra as it dips very low in the back and is one-shouldered. I used packing tape for support (not the best option), but if you used an adhesive bra you might feel better protected. Also, because of its poofy shapelessness I made the dress very short to show off the legs...again please keep in mind that this is NOT an everyday house frock so please no comments about immodesty. I realize, it's showy. Though I should point out....no cleavage:)

 

In Greek mythology, the Naiads (Ναϊάδες from the Greek νάειν, "to flow," and νἃμα, "running water") were a type of nymph who presided over fountains, wells, springs, streams, and brooks.

The Naiad was intimately connected to her body of water and her very existence seems to have depended on it. If a stream dried up, its Naiad expired. The waters over which Naiads presided were thought to be endowed with inspirational, medicinal, or prophetic powers. Thus the Naiads were frequently worshiped by the ancient Greeks in association with divinities of fertility and growth.”

 

As with all Grosgrain giveaways, please see the original post and follow the instructions to enter.

 

Good Luck!