DIY Infinity Scarf

I whipped up an infinity scarf, or as I also like to call it, a uni-scarf. Have you done this? Or thought about doing this? It has to be one of the easiest sewing projects ever. I was literally done in about 5 minutes. Maybe 7.

I happened upon this oatmeal knit scarf from H amd M, at the thrift store for $3. This would be the perfect opportunity to try sewing the ends together. 

I didn't care for (or need) the fringe on the ends, so I carefully cut it off. 

 Then I pinned both ends together.

And sewed all the way down both ends, with my sewing machine, using a zigzag stitch.

Voila! A regular old scarf turned infinity scarf in mere minutes. 

Side note: I wouldn't wear it with this particular outfit, it's just what I happened to have on while I was making it. 

Side note #2: Yes, my hair is actually as long as the scarf. Yowza.

Here's some more infinity scarf inspiration. You could make one out of any type of scarf, or fabric for that matter. Have a scarf in your closet you're tired of? Refresh it by sewing the ends together for a new look! You won't have to worry about tying, looping or configuring it - just loop it around and go.

Dolman T-Shirt Refashion

This one's for you Kimi. It's time for another one of my clothing refashion adventures. Pinterest strikes again! I saw a tutorial for turning an XL men's t-shirt into a dolman shirt that I could wear. I didn't even know what a "dolman" was, so I looked it up on wikipedia (the source of all "reliable" answers of course).

I got an XL plain gray t-shirt from Marshalls for $4.50. I figured it couldn't hurt to give it a try. 

As you can see, it was far too large and not fitted at all. This was my project at our June craft night. 

I  followed Trash To Couture's tutorial, as seen here. She has great step-by-step instructions, photos and a video to follow. It didn't take me very long at all. Next time, I would allow a little more fabric for the width of my sleeves - I sewed them a little too tight! And it took me two tries to sew up the body of the shirt because I hate measuring. I tend to wing it. Then I have to re-do it. No patience I tell ya. 

I was pretty pleased with how it turned out. Even if I wear it around the house, it's a comfy shirt. Leah was my stylist for this photo. I think she should take all my fashion photos from now on. Notice the beautiful white storage bench I'm leaning against - this was an amazing furniture transformation by Christy. You have to see the before photo. Read about Christy's dresser makeover here. And then leave lots of comments so she'll start blogging again!

I also made the leftover fabric from the t-shirt neck into the lovely visor that Leah is modeling. That girl can make anything look good! I may be on to something.

Elastic Empire Waist Skirt

I've been wanting to make an elastic empire waist skirt ever since I saw few examples on Pinterest. 

I was inspired by this dress made by Meg at Tripping Over Joy

Meg referenced this dress tutorial at Smashed Peas and Carrots

I've had this $7 dress sitting in my closet for a year or longer but I didn't like the top. It was too drape-y and wrapped at weird angles. I never wore it, but I liked the fabric and the teal color. I decided to cut the top of and make it into a skirt.

I bought thick black elastic, measured the length I wanted and sewed a seam connecting both ends.

I cut off the top of the dress and laid out the skirt fabric on the table.

Next, I gathered and pinned the skirt fabric to the elastic waist band, trying to make even pleats, all the way around.Then I sewed the fabric to the waist band (going around twice). It was fairly easy to do. The one thing I should have done was use elastic thread instead of regular thread, to allow it to stretch with the elastic. Next time. 

I decided not to attach a tank or shirt to the skirt, which makes it more versatile. I can wear it with a tank top or T-shirt. I can also add a fabric flower or dress it up with jewelry. Now I have a cute summer skirt that I re-purposed from a dress!

Flutter Flower Shirt

I finally finished my flutter flower shirt, and I'm really happy with it. This was the first project I ever pinned on Pinterest, almost two years ago! I was quite inspired at the time, and got the materials right away, ready to go to work. And then, as some of my projects do, it sat in the closet for about a year. Until I brought it to craft night around Christmas time, and decided to give it a go. I cut out all the flowers (about 26 of them!) but didn't feel like sewing them on by the time I was done. Then I brought it to craft night again in the new year and worked on it some more. Then I didn't like where I placed the flowers. I almost gave up on it. But my motivation to have a new article of clothing was strong, so I finally finished it at our most recent craft night, adding the last few flowers. Hooray! 

 This was my inspiration. A full step by step tutorial can be found here. Isn't it cute? 

All you need are two of the same shirt. One in your size (medium, in my case) and one much larger for cutting out flowers (XXL). The best part is these actually didn't cost me a penny, because they were on sale for $5 each at Old Navy and I had two $5 reward coupons. Score! 

I followed the tutorial and cut 1.5 inch strips out of the XXL shirt. 

Then cut and assembled the flower petal shapes with matching thread. 

And two years later (ha ha), I have a new embellished shirt! I do like how it turned out in the end. Ruffles and embellished clothing are everywhere you look. It's not that difficult to make one yourself - you can actually accomplish this in one sitting, I promise. If you don't start and stop and start and stop like me.
 

Glad I didn't give up on this one!

Yes, I took this photo of myself while riding (not driving) in the car. 

And yes, I always wear my seat belt. 

Mumu Turned Tunic

This is the story of how I turned a mumu that was 10 sizes too big, into a tunic I could actually wear. I was browsing at one of my favorite thrift stores a few months ago - I don't even know what I was looking for - when I saw this colorful medallion print silky dress (a.k.a. mumu), brand NEW with the tags still on it, for about $5.50. That was a lot of fabric for not a lot of money, and I was sure I could figure out something to do with it.

So, I brought it home, and then it sat in the closet for a few months. I thought about how I could re-fashion it into a dress/tunic - but would it work? More importantly, would I actually wear it out of the house? Couldn't hurt to try, right? 

I found the original dress online.

It didn't look all that bad on the model. 

 

Unfortunately, it wasn't anywhere near my size and it had this horrible gathering at the neckline and pleating down the front.

I'm kicking myself because I accidentally deleted the "before" photo of me in the too-large dress, but it looked something like this...

Eventually I decided to just go for it! The first thing I did was cut out the pleats! 

I sewed up what was then the front, and made a smaller v-neckline, and decided to turn the front of the dress into the back of the dress. 

All that was left to do was shorten the hem (I had to take about 12 inches off). 

This photo was my inspiration. A bold printed fabric with a chunky belt.

I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I actually received a number of compliments the first time I was brave enough to wear it! Not bad for a $5.50 refashion.

If you have a miscellaneous item of clothing you want to experiment with, I encourage you to try it! If something is too big or you don't like a portion of it, take it in or turn it into something else. Better yet, find something for cheap at a thrift store, and if it doesn't go as planned, you won't feel as bad. Don't be afraid - you might really like the result!

A Few Favorite Things

You know when you find a product or something you like that makes you want to twirl around a blossoming meadow with mountains in the distance? It's a pretty good feeling. Sometimes it's for big things and sometimes it's the little things in life. These are a few of my faves that I'm digging right now. 

Wet n Wild Megalast Nail Color 
I know, I know ladies, Wet n Wild brand was for junior high. But hear me out, it's still good! I picked up a bottle this summer, because I liked the shade "heatwave" (a very punchy poppy-orange-red) and it was cheap. I found out the name "Megalast" really holds true. This stuff lasts a week or more with two coats. I keep coming back to this color. I think it's my new favorite, at about $1.99.

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Nail Color 
Also at the top of my list for nail color. It will cost you a bit more, about $5, but they weren't kidding when they named it "Insta-Dry." It's perfect if you're like me and often paint your nails before bed - no more sheet imprints! Or before you're heading out the door. One coat will do the trick, or you can use two. Plus it lasts a week or more! I actually have it in this pretty color "Lively Lilac." 

John Frieda Precision Foam Colour 
You know it's for real when they spell color with a "u." If you color your own hair, this little box will change your world. I don't have the money to get my hair done professionally on a regular basis, so when those pesky gray hairs start showing up (yes, I have gray hairs, sigh), I try to color it myself. I've used multiple brands and had varying success. This is probably the only hair color I will use from now on. Why? Because it's applied as a thick luxurious foam. No drips, oozing bottles or messy application. I know I sound like a commercial, but it's true. It doesn't have a horrible odor and they provide black gloves that actually fit. Available in 20 shades for about $12.99. Compared to salon prices that's a steal! You can even use the shade selector tool on the website. I've used it twice and both times was very happy with the even coverage and ease of use. And it's all thanks to Kristy for giving me some coupons! 

Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Lip Gloss
I don't shop at VS often, but when they mail me a $10 coupon to use on anything, I know not to let a good thing go to waste. My goal was to find something for exactly $10, which was a bit of a challenge. Their Beauty Rush lip gloss was on sale for 2 for $12. I picked out two natural looking shades, one with shimmer and one without. I really like them! They go on very smooth, aren't horribly sticky (still sticky though) and stay on your lips for a long time. And they taste/smell like candy. Thumbs up. 

Simply Vera Wang for Kohl's Leggins 
These are the best leggins I have found, and I was looking for ones like this for a while. I wanted thick material (not tights), that felt like stretch pants. They are available in ankle length and cropped style. I have them in black and brown and I love wearing them. They're usually around $15-$20, but they were on sale and I used a coupon. Kohl's is always running some sort of sale or coupon. Perfect with boots and long sweaters. 

Peppermint
I know Christmas is over, but I've been on a peppermint kick lately. Peppermint hot chocolate. Peppermint Patties. Peppermint candies. Peppermint lattes. Peppermint lip balm. I tend to latch on to certain flavors for a while, have them all the time, then get sick of them. Right now I'm riding the peppermint train. Next stop, who knows?

Three Cool Stores

It's no secret that I like shopping. No, I love shopping. I could honestly be a professional shopper. A really, really good one too. I especially like shopping in new and different stores. While in Arizona, I got to spend an afternoon shopping with my Mom, which is simply the best. We hit up the mall and a few favorite plazas. I now have three new favorite stores. If you're lucky enough to have them in your area, go there. Now. 

World Market. Have you been to one of these beautiful stores? It's like Pier 1 on steroids, but better. They have all types of goods from around the world, jewelery, soaps, candles, furniture, coffee, chocolate, wine, dinnerware, kitchen goods, home decor. Oh, how I wish there was one my area. I think the closest location is in Ohio. I wanted to buy gifts and food and goodies, but they wouldn't fit in my suitcase.

Charming Charlie. Accessory and bling heaven basically sums it up. I have been hearing about this new fashion accessory boutique popping up around town. As soon as I set foot inside the two-story shop in Phoenix, I knew this was my kind of store. Jewelery arranged by style and color. Big rings. A table devoted to cute owl necklaces. Scarves and bags. Earrings. Formal and casual accessories. I looked around, and it was good. Very good. 

Forever 21. I know, I'm officially the last girl on the planet to set foot inside a Forever 21 store. No excuse. But I finally did, and it took going to Arizona to do it, and I loved it. I had no idea. I definitely had a complete misconception of what the store was like. For starters, I could not believe how HUGE it was. The place iterally seemed to go on an on, from one side of the mall to the other. The selection was overwhelming. I've been in a lot of stores, and this one had my head spinning. I wasn't sure what I wanted to look at first.

I did buy the first thing I laid eyes on - this three strand gold necklace with little vintage style medallions. My jaw dropped when I looked at the price, expecting it to be a pretty penny, only to learn it was an affordable $5.99. I thought it was a joke. As I looked around the store, I couldn't get over how reasonably priced most of the items are. Shirts for $14.99. Dresses for $24. I got another necklace for $2.50. I think I may have found my new favorite place to shop. I will need a few hours next time. I'm glad we have one in our area.

I was even more impressed with Forever 21 when I got home and noticed the bottom of my little yellow shopping bag. On the gusset was printed John 3:16. How cool is that? I did some research and I learned that the Biblical quote is a demonstration of the owner's Christian faith. The company's story is detailed in this bloggers post. It's inspiring to see such a popular organization leaving their mark in the world and trying to reach their customers with the Gospel. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."