Blue Thai Silk Dress & Bow Tie

I’ve been taking a class on Craftsy.com called The Couture Dress. I love this site; the classes are affordable & worth every penny. Plus you can view the class as many times as you want. This is the blue dress I made with Thai silk I received as a gift in Thailand. I’m super proud of how well this dress turned out; it fits so well! Of course, I made my hubby a matching bow tie so we could be that cute couple.

Clothes & Photo Memory Quilt

Allison & her dad with memory quilt.
Made with his fathers suits, pants and overcoat and a splash of blue fabric.
The quilt features photos in every other block and the family name ‘Berger’ is quilted with a stippling design throughout.

a closer look

One pot roast= 4 meals for two people!

My husband Joe and I made a beef pot roast together. I decided to get a full cut of beef to roast, so I could use the leftovers. Luckily,my neighborhood boasts several meat markets and I bought this 4 pound baby for around $16 bucks! We ended up getting 4 meals out of it! First-pot roast w/ roasted potatoes, Second- beef enchiladas, Third-pulled beef sandwiches w/ swiss cheese & mushrooms, and Fourth-a fantastic veggie soup made with the leftover broth! We didn’t eat the meals consecutively, that would have been beef overload and we usually don’t eat a lot of beef. So we refrigerated some and froze the rest. There was so much broth after we stored it and I couldn’t let it go to waste. I threw in potatoes,carrots, celery and beans in for an amazing impromptu soup!

Preparing the beef!

Adding the veggies-mushrooms,carrots, celery.

A couple hours and it’ll be delicious…

So freakin’ good!

Homemade Purple Cocktail Dress

I made a simple purple cocktail dress to wear to Lauren & Jamal’s Wedding.

I’ve made a several dresses before; improving my own patterns & cutting/pinning/sewing where ever I liked. But this was the first time I really used a pattern.

The material did not lay flat at the bottom of the dress, so I got it dry cleaned & pressed. It cost $2.5 to make (I bought the purple fabric for $1 a yard!!!) but $9 to dry clean!

I’ll have to alter the pattern so it has a skirt lining that will keep the hem (hopefully) laying nicely.

All in all, for $2.5 and a GREAT conversation starter, ya’ can’t beat it!

The materials & pattern on the floor of my NYC apartment. it was really hard to find space!

Sewing the bodice.

The bodice on my dressform next to our bikes. Yes-That’s a ‘bikestache’ on my husband’s bike.

Front of finished dress. See how my pleats buckled at the bottom? The hem was too thick, so I sent it to be dry cleaned & pressed.

Back of dress.

Happy Wedding Lauren & Jamal!

My First Etsy Listing!

I listed my first item on Etsy! It’s an orange velvet pillow cover with a lace pattern, solid orange back, and gold zipper. Very unique! I’ll be posting more items soon, check out ThatsSewTrina on Etsy.com!

Romantic Tapas Night at Home

We ate half of it before I realized I should take a picture!

I had all intentions of being productive with various projects.
As the day went on, I didn’t really feel like doing anything. Now, usually I beat myself up for not getting my to-do list done. But lately, I’ve been doing what I feel like doing and have found myself a lot more happier. An even better reward? I’ve felt more satisfied with myself.

So today I cleaned the house and decided to make a great dinner for my husband to celebrate his new job!
Recently, I went to a great tapas place and wanted to recreate a few dishes, but not at that price.
I googled ‘free tapas menu templates’, edited it with the nights dishes, and even named it ‘La Casa De Ferrante’ after the mock restaurant set up. The menu:
– Bacon wrapped dates stuffed with cream cheese & almonds on a bed of endive leaves
– Roasted Brussel Sprouts
– Stuffed peppers with rice, chorizo, & cheese
– olives
– portabella mushrooms
– bread
– watermelon
– strawberries
– chocolate cake

Sounds like I spent a lot of money right? Not at all. Here is what I spent:
– dates $2.49
– cream cheese $ 1.99
– endive $0.69
– brussels sprouts $2
– 1/4 lb shrimp $2
– 2 small orange peppers $0.60
– Olives $3.29
– Portabello mushroom $0.78
– bread $1.99
– watermelon slice $2.29
-strawberries $1.99
– slice of chocolate cake $2.49
– bottle of wine $8.99
$ 31.59 total

I used leftover rice/chorizo/cheese that I had in the freezer to stuff the peppers. I already had some basics like garlic, spices, and olive oil. I only buy what I need, so if produce is sold by the pound-I just get enough for the dish. It is cheaper and nothing goes to waste ( I hate waste). It took me a little over an hour to prepare all of this but I took my time to enjoy it and not feel rushed. I let the brussel sprouts roast next to the peppers before stuffing them, then sauteed the shrimp in olive oil & garlic, sauteed the mushroom, added a few spices to the olives to jazz them up, sliced the bread. I laid them out on the table and voile! Way more affordable, romantic, and I could eat without shoes on at the table 🙂 Plus my husband Joe was really suprised.

Hello World!

Hello, I’m Trina! I’m a young New Yorker who wears many hats: Actress, DIY crafter & cook, cyclist, and wife.
Thanks for following me as I explore ways to make life more efficient and fulfilling…

I came to NYC to act. I went to Marymount Manhattan College to study acting and later took a private class at the Neighborhood Playhouse. As the ups and downs of the acting biz happen, I’ve been finding ways to be creative and stay inspired.
This past year, I parted with my agent & I’m seeking new representation. I want to take the reins of my career and steer it.
I have a desire to work on my own content… An idea for my own webseries was born! I’ll be posting about that often. But like most artists or New Yorkers for that matter-I feel the need to stay inspired, not just about my career but about life. Its so easy to be put down, turned off, and feel plain shitty in this city. So instead of letting those feelings take over-I’m going to explore what makes me feel fulfilled and how to do it more efficiently. I’ll be posting about acting, biking, cooking, sewing/crafts, and relationships among other experiences. Want to make the most of your time, money, and life? Then follow me on this journey! YAY!