Red Carpet Fashion Dreams

Brad's at the computer.  I'm on the bed...crocheting.  Zion is next to me watching an online tutorial on how to make ribbon hair barrettes.  Jemima is digging through my closet...looking for something to wear.  

Jemima:  When Dad does his big movie and we get to go to the Oscars...I know what red carpet dress I want.  I've been dreaming of it.

At this point...Brad turns from his work and almost breaks down.  Seriously...he is close to tears.  He and I have eye contact.  What a sweet thought.  What a sweet encouragement. So much hope. 

Jemima:  It's a cross between Aundrey Hepburn's in Funny Face...wait.....(she googles).....  no Sabrina!  So gorgeous!!!! 

Jemima:  And Jennifer Lawrence's.... I don't know what year...wait... (she googles.)

Me:  The one she fell in?

Jemima:  Yeah.

Me:  The white one?

Jemima:  Yeah.  So classic.  So beautiful!!!!!

Then ...for the next five minutes...Jemima and Zion go on to discuss 50's fashion.  Cinched wastes...silhouettes...skirt lengths...etc.

Zion:  Remember in Call The Midwife...that outfit she wore when she went to the bar...with the cute sweater that went to here (points to high waste)  and the pants?   The black high wasted pants.  It was the late 40's early 50's outfit.

Me/Jemima:  The cigarette pants.

Zion: Yeah.


I am not sure where all this would fall on an academic record...but it should fall in there somewhere.  

Creativity Heals

So we attended a fantastic event last night.  It was a fundraiser held at Lab Art for Creativity Heals. 

I am totally in love with and inspired by  Wrdsmth's work.  There was this one piece being auctioned off that especially caught my eye.

I wanted it.

Bad.

So did this other guy.

He and I circled the room...eyeing the bidding table...stealthily upping the ante over the course of an hour....until things went absolutely CRAZY in the last 60 seconds!!!!  It was full on warfare.

I was victorious.

This bench was being auctioned off as well.   I couldn't agree with the message more than I do...so I just had to leave a little love note for it's new owner.

 

My favorite shot of the nite...

by Kai.

Thrifting / Evangeline Cottage

Finding this MOSCHINO jacket is why I love thrifting so much.

I was about to price it and list it FOR SALE over at Evangeline Cottage ....when I realized how much $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ MOSCHINO jackets are going for!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Obviously we are keeping it.

The icing on the cake?  The color.  It's a shade of that coral color in the Marie Antoinette pallette that you see hanging on museum walls.  It's what caught my eye on the rack. 

I want a couch in this color.  

Evangeline Cottage

I love being a wife.  I love being a mother.  I love being home.

It is for this reason...that I spend some of my free time using & growing my
gifts/abilities/talents...at  Home.  Home is my base camp.

Whether you've purchased items from me in the past or if you are new to my little creative space...WELCOME and I hope you enjoy Evangeline Cottage. 

Proverbs 31 10:31

¹⁰ Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
¹¹ The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
¹² She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
¹³ She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.
¹⁴ She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.
¹⁵ She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.
¹⁶ She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
¹⁷ She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.
¹⁸ She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.
¹⁹ She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.
²⁰ She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
²¹ She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
²² She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.
²³ Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.
²⁴ She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
²⁵ Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
²⁶ She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
²⁷ She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
²⁸ Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
²⁹ Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
³⁰ Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.
³¹ Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.
 

Late Night Ramblings

I might have already blogged about some of this stuff...but I don't go back and re-read my posts...so I don't really know.   Even if I have....obviously it's a new day...which hopefully brings new insights.  

It's been known to my family and close friends that I was feeling restless and itchy for quite a while......as if I were being prepared for something.

Then the move to LA occurred.

Since then...it's coming up on 2 years (which I can hardly get my head around)...I've been going through something...processing through something.

It's come to the forefront of my consciousness that..... during this season.....in which I've run the gamut of emotions....that I've been mostly surviving.  Merely surviving.

I've gone from feeling shell shocked...to trusting totally...to being fearful & stuck...to being brave...to being exhilarated...to being tossed to & fro.... to feeling lonely...to being hopeful...and then back to stuck....sometimes all in the same week.  

There have been lots of high points during this time...but for the most part...in general...I have been navigating life in a fog.  

I've been functioning while in a depressed state.  A subtle one.  But one nevertheless.

LA brings up much for me.  Even things I wasn't anticipating.  

I've known this city since the age of 10.  I've enjoyed it...despised it and been apathetic towards it.  Not it...cuz I'm not sure you can attach those emotions to a place...but they can definitely be attached to what LA represents during various times in my history.   

Never have I loved it.

Until now.

I really really think I love this city.  It's just a city.  A place.  Why do I have this affection?  Can I attach such feelings to a place?  Maybe it's what LA represents right now that I am in love with?

I think that's it.

It represents faith.

And trust.

And hope.

And abandon.

And redemption.

And obedience.

And growth.

And abiding.

What is the Lord up to?

He will make a way...I know...but which way?

This way?

That way?

The good news is the Lord has never left my side and that He has brought me out of the fog.

He's been tenderly & persistently moving me forward...I know...but now I actually detect the movement.

On a completely other note....

The older I get...the more clarity I have.  Clarity about what I like and what I don't like.

One of the first things on my TO DO LIST is to clean out my closet.  I have lots of cool things hanging in there...but I need to streamline.

I want my wardrobe to represent who I am.

This is what I am drawn to...and what I am going for...

I'm not even sure why I am blogging all this.  Maybe it's because I want to express the idea that when the Lord shakes things up in our lives...or when He slows them down...it might have something to do with Him showing us who we really are.  Who He created us to be.

And when our identities are found in HIM and HIM alone we are truly free to be who we are because He gives us the desires of our hearts.  He actually puts them in  their.

idk

.....it's late and I feel if I continue....I'm gonna start rambling...

One more thing...

....the safest place to be is to be within the will of God.

Mark Sayers / The Road Trip That Changed The World

What brings a large crowd out in Hollywood...pretty much known for it's self absorption... on a cold rainy night?

A Mark Sayers lecture.

He not only seems to have his pulse on current sociological worldview trends & patterns...but on things off in the horizon as well.


Memorable home-educating moment of the evening...."when we are clinging so tightly to our dreams...we're just like Smeogol with his ring."  That one caught the attention of Jemima.  I didn't mind that she was busy with a crafting project cuz I knew she was listening.

I got to speak with Pastor Mark briefly...in order to probe deeper into something he said during the
Q & A.

Yeah I heard him right.  He most definitely thinks the "Western World" is gonna come head to head with a militant China sooner rather than later.

In so many words....It's gonna be insane.  It's gonna be ugly.  An epic showdown.  He prays for peace...but it is not looking like it will go that way.  The Chinese are having mostly boys.  Raising them as "little emperors."

It's his sort of talk that resonates with me.  It's like a kindred soul thing.  Brother & Sister...living on different continents....speaking the same language.

I'm so excited to read his latest book.  In fact...I'd like to read every book he's written.

The photo of Jemima crafting during the lecture reminded me of another similar Jemima moment.

She and Galilee take a Physiology & Anatomy class at Master's College.  She arrived home one day recently...only for me to discover that she had been sketching prom dress designs during Science class. 

There was no way I could be upset with her though...cuz she promptly waved her test in front of me.   100%...and....she had discovered 2 errors that the prof hadn't noticed prior to her questioning the original grade he had given her. 

Knowing her...she'll probably be the only Gregg kid to ever attend a prom.

Evangeline Cottage / Shalom

Every now and again I'm inspired to work on jewelry.  Evangeline Cottage...as many of my friends know...is the place where I take special orders for custom designs.   

This Shalom line has been slowly but surely working it's way out of my heart.

My inspiration?  

Post abortive friends...men and women...who have bravely shared their stories.  

And those who have lost children through no choice of their own to early death.  

Some have found healing in Christ.  Others are still searching.  

As a Christian...I know that shalom is found at Calvary and I would like to share that truth with whomever the Lord gives eyes to see and ears to hear.  

        

And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.    Luke 7:50

My hope is that  post abortive believers would wear my designs and that the Lord would provide open doors for stories of redemption to be shared.  

There are many out there who are engaged in this battle for life without being post abortive.  The message remains the same.  

Death is horrific.  Christ has conquered death.  The enemy is a dog on a leash.  The story is written and it ends in victory.  Christ longs for you to live a life of shalom...here on earth and for eternity.

For those believers who have had children taken "too soon"...we sympathize. 

Bradley and I have miscarried 5 times. We did not lose "tissue."  We lost 5 children to early death.  

We have many friends who have lost children to early death.  Some to miscarriage...some to still birth...some to death beyond the womb.  All children...in various stages of development...taken by death.  

The Lord weeps for the earthly loss of children.  

Because of the cross...and our beleif in all that was accomplished there....we live in shalom with our Lord.  

He creates life.  We are stewards of the lives He blesses us with.   

Children are fearfully and wonderfully made.            

 A portion of all proceeds will be donated to Abort 73 and Abolish Human Abortion. 


DONATIONS + SASE 
Please contact  isa646@aol.com for shipping instructions

*For those who desire an explanation for the use of skulls.  Christ died at Calvary or Gogaltha...also known as "Place of The Skull."  This is where He became victor over death.  In Him...believers share in that victory.

Traditionally skull imagery has been used in Art to call man to contemplate the vanity of earthly things and to symbolize mortality. 

 

Happy Flower Designs

I am very proud of Jemima Bakytgul... Little Dove in Hebrew & Happy Flower in Kazak.

She works hard at her studies and at her cottage industry.

This daughter of ours is passionate about Design, History & Politics,  and Literature.  It makes perfect sense that her passions would overlap.

Visit her etsy shop here.

I love Home-Education!

Goodwill

 There are few things I enjoy more than digging for treasures at thrift stores.

My Mom taught me how to pinch pennies.  If we shopped RETAIL for clothing...it was rare.

Even when there was more $$$$$ to spend...we hit the Outlets, Swap Meets & Discount racks.

It all boiled down to...why pay more for an item...if you can find the same thing or something very similar for cheaper?

Jemima was funny the other day...laughing to herself as we drove...she said..."Can you imagine if Dad started working as an actor again and was making millions of dollars and we were being followed by the paparazzi???  They would be saying...."There goes Dawn Gregg again as she enters the Goodwill...cuz I know you, Mom.  You wouldn't change."

Mcabe @ Ford

Here's a little video introducing the new faces on Ford LA's men's board to the fashion world.


That gorgeous long haired guy in the beginning is sweet Amadeus...and of course...there is beautiful John in the bowtie.


Originally Posted: April 4, 2012

$1 Finds

Originally Posted: January 23, 2012

Ford Video & Alternative Apparel Runway

The Ford office is super "homey." We are very happy w/ how loving they are towards Mcabe.


And, what sweet guys Amadeus and John are!  Gorgeous inside and out. Whoever said male models were a bunch of self absorbed dimwits was dead wrong. 


Originally Posted: October 21, 2011

Mcabe

It's a very good thing that he is such a Mama's boy.  Prayers, please.




The behind the scene observations and conversations are FANTASTIC!
I am very proud of our son.



Originally Posted: August 15, 2011

Crafts w/ Zion Evangeline

 Halter Top Tutorial



Originally Posted: July 21, 2011

Dead Rabbit

Dorian Caster shoot.
Video.....shot & edited by Brave.  Featuring Mcabe. 

Originally Posted: July

Summer School

 I've needed a break from academics...so because of that.....the girls have gotten one too.

I finally found the curriculum box amongst all the other boxes piled high in storage and had Bradley pull it out the other day.  Still haven't opened it and to be honest...I don't really want to.  Although I know I must...soonish.



Until then...we will be exploring new territory...reading occasionally...and keeping busy w/ DYI projects.

Altered Halter "t"s









Originally Posted: July 18, 2011

Handbags And Home-brewed Beer

What we did today:

Slouch bags...and.....





....the recipe.



Originally Posted: July 11, 2011

Mcabe Justus

Dorian Caster shoot.

Mcabe's take on the middle shot...."We look like a box of crayons."


Originally posted: June 26, 2011

Rasberry Ripple Purse

Jemima has been advancing in her sewing skills thanks to lessons @ our local Bernina Store. She's made a zippered change purse, a pretty blouse, and this intricate handbag...all under the tutelage of older mentors. It's been so sweet to watch her interact w/the ladies. They are tickled by her tender age and obvious passion.

We're thinking this is most likely a life long bent that we need to nurture.

If you have a kid that wants to sew and make pretty things...take advantage of the Bernina groupons whenever they pop up. I highly recommend their shops.

Nylon