Monday, May 30, 2011

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Kids are Funny

So I'm sitting here looking for an apartment and Brook is on my lap cutting up foam sheets into tiny pieces. Well apparently I'm in the zone, because I snap out of it to hear Brook saying, "Mom, I need help. Mom, I need help. And so for the rest of the time, she needed help because her mom couldn't hear her."

Oh Brook, you are too funny. I think she's going to be a writer.

Rousseau

Okay, so I'm in a crafty mood. I decided instead of following a tutorial, I really wanted to try to copy an anthropologie necklace like all the cool blogs do. So I found this pic:
Isn't that beautiful!?!?! I love it! I wanted to compare costs to see how much I saved, but Anthro doesn't sell it anymore, so I don't have any idea how much it was.
UPDATE: I found the source! The necklace is the Rousseau and it retails for $138....

Anyway, I had some fun fabrics/laces from a yard sale last year- I got 4 garbage bags full of fabric and lace for $4! It was awesome! Anyway, I used two of the laces out of there and two different ribbons I had on hand (one from the dollar store, one from Hancock's 69 cent section)
Here's what I came up with:
It's not exact, but I like it. I wish the beading was a little darker, like the Anthro one...
Ben thought it was "different" but then he said he'd never seen anything like it before... seriously honey? You've never seen a bib necklace?!?!?! I guess I can't trust his fashion judgement on this one... so I need your input!
Tell me what you think!
A close up of the lace/beading. I added the pearls.

My total cost:
Lace: 2 cents
Ribbon #1: 20 cents
Ribbon #2: 13 cents
Pearls: On hand, but maybe 8 cents
Total cost: 43 cents.
I'm willing to bet that is SIGNIFICANTLY less than Anthro's...

Friday, May 13, 2011

On a Roll... or Outta Control

This happens to me a lot- I get working on something, and then I can't stop myself and I go crazy. Anyway, I had this button up shirt from my mom. Pretty plain, but the material is this tapestry looking stuff- I LOVED it
I tried to get a close up so you could see the design.
Anyway, I took some inspiration from this lady, but my final turned out nothing like hers, much to my dismay:
I wanted to leave sleeves on it so I could wear it without a cardigan, but it seems... matronly or something. The sleeves just aren't good... do you think there is some way I could make them cute? Or is it just a lost cause?
(And I just re-looked at these pictures and I look TERRIBLE, don't judge me)
I do like it with the cardigan though- not sure about the skinny jeans, I'm still trying to decide if I can rock them or not.
So that one was a little disappointing, but this next one MORE than makes up for it! I LOVE how it turned out.
So this is what I started out with...
And here it is completed:
I seriously love it- favorite transformation yet!!!
Brook is getting better at photos, is she not? :)

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Transformations

I think that is what I'm going to call my refashions from here on out- it just makes me feel that much cooler....

Anyway, I got some old dress pants from my mom and I have really been wanting a pencil skirt. The pants were INCREDIBLY comfortable, so I thought they would work great! I googled some images to find a skirt I liked the shape of for some inspiration. Here's what I found:
Cute right? I thought so. So here are the terrible quality before pics:
EXTREMELY flattering pants, no?... yeah, No. Love that the mirrors in my gym are the only tall mirrors I have and Ben is never home to take a pic when I need him! I'm still training Brook, as you'll see below :)

Anyway, here's the terrible quality after pictures!
And Brook's attempt:
Right now my compy doesn't like my photo editing software, so you get what I get. Anyway, I'm really happy with it! SO comfortable and I think I will definitely get some wear out of it. I didn't get a photo of the back- I did a short little slit in the back seam so I could actually walk in it. It also has one back pocket. I'm really excited with the possibilities this project has opened me to! And if you've wanted to try "transforming" but you're nervous to ruin good clothes, just find some free ones like I did and take the plunge!

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Great Mother's Day Gift

I got THE BEST mother's day gift today at church. As you know, Brook has graduated Nursery and is in Sunbeams now. Today all the little Primary children went to the front to present their Mother's day song. They sang "Mother, Tell me the Story." Words can't express how much joy filled my heart as my sweet baby stood at the front, beaming from ear to ear singing her heart out. I was so proud of her- she knew all the words and smiled the whole time! She did wonderful! I wish more than anything I could have recorded it. Heaven knows I will keep that memory close to my heart and replay it many times. As she came back to her seat and saw the tears streaming down my face, I assured her they were "happy tears that Mommies get when their kids do something so sweet."

Thank heaven for my eternal family.