I'm Gonna Make You Love Me

I need some new poses for these pictures.



- Pink necklace - vintage
- White button-down - converse
- Striped sweater - thrifted, altered
- Black belt - trade with friend
- Pleated skirt - thrifted
- Boots - forever21





I've been way too addicted to fashion blogs recently, and have decided to whip up a links page in the next few days to put on my sidebar. I love finding new blogs & getting to know different people (because strange as it may seem, I do feel that you get to know bloggers, at least in a sense), and the best way of doing that is through my favorite blogs' Links pages. I figured I ought to spread the love!

Besides, there's so much more inspiration in everyday style. I much prefer to see how someone pulls off a piece that they thrifted to seeing how they wear a runway look. There's more character in an outfit put together from vintage pieces, don't you agree?

What are your favorite blogs? (Feel free to plug your own site, too, of course!)

Ruby Tuesday

Well, hello, internet-land! Long time, no see! I took a longer hiatus than I intended, just because there's so much happening & so much to do. But I am going to try to take outfit photos most days this week.



This is a pretty simple outfit, but I feel like you don't need to add a lot of accessories or layers with this dress... although, I certainly will try sometime! (It should be noted that I switch to boots when I'm actually out & about, & then slip on these shoes when I come in.)



Today I am wearing:

- Sunglasses - bleudame.com
- Cupcake necklace - etsy (gift)
- Handmade dress - (from a Vogue pattern)
- Tights - Target
- Vintage peeptoes - wonderwardrobe.etsy.com



For the curious: I am really enjoying college! I like my classes, especially Intro to Shakespeare, which I find fascinating. It's probably the hardest, so I'll let you know how I feel about it in a month. I'm also planning on getting a job in the costume department here. They're doing As You Like It this year, so if all goes well I'll be learning to make Elizabethan clothing.

My roommate is lovely & totally cool with my sewing, although I haven't exactly gotten a chance to do much since I've been here. I'm looking forward to stopping by the local Salvation Army & finding some things to reconstruct.

I'll try to get back to regular posting. Thank you for all your feedback on my previous post, I was so excited to hear from you all. I'll continue posting everything here, and I've actually been considering setting up specific themed days so that you can count on posts then, as a regular feature.



So before I leave you to the rest of your afternoon, I'd like to ask you this: How's the last bit of your January going? Looking over the last few weeks, are you happy with 2010? Have you stuck with your resolutions? I haven't completely, but so far, I'm pretty darn excited about this year. I actually like change -- without change, our lives would be fairly dull, don't you agree? -- and while some things have been hard, everything always has a silver lining. At I'm pretty much always happy.

BRB - Moving Out

I'm all packed & about to fall into bed, only to get up early tomorrow to pack the car. We're leaving immediately after church and driving for about 8 hours. I'll probably take a few days to settle in before getting back to posting, but in the meantime, I have a question for you!

What's your opinion on the outfit posts? It will, most likely, become the bulk of my blog while I'm at school, as I don't anticipate having much time to sew. Would you rather I make a different blog (under the same account) and post them there, instead? That would mean things would be much quieter around here, but would be strictly DIY stuff & none of the outfit nonsense.

So, yea or nay? I'm really curious to hear what you think, & I want to keep you happy!

xoxo.

We Have A Winner!

I am so excited to announce the winner of the wallet giveaway! I actually did it at exactly midnight--I was up, so why not?--and Random.org gave me the number 8. Proof:



Which is...drumroll, please!

Twifanheather !

Congrats, darling; I sent you an email already with details!

As for everyone else -- this is a big, fat, juicy-squishy, full-of-love THANK YOU for entering and making my first giveaway a success! (I was afraid nobody would enter, haha. That would be lame and awkward.) I would give you all hugs if I could!

& I have plans for more giveaways in the (near!) future because this was ridiculously exciting for me!

Daily Outfit: 1/14/10

Confession: I changed into this an hour ago for the sole purpose of taking advantage of our warm (see: 25F) weather & taking pictures. I did not factor in the wind, which somehow feels colder when it's been blowing across miles of frozen lake.



So I've had these red tights for a few months, but I've never figured out how to wear them on their own. I bought them on a whim--something I rarely do--and have only layered other tights on top of them, trying to dim the red a bit. It's loud, and let's face it: most girls don't really want to be loud about their legs! But as I was fussing around with this dress, trying to figure out things that would go with it, red things just started working with it. First the belt, then the hat. I needed to balance out the top with color, so I threw on the tights.



To my surprise, I think it worked! What do you say?



I'm wearing:

~Slouchy hat - crocheted by me
~Jacket - Ragstock
~Chain necklaces - gift from Mom
~Dress & bow belt - made by me
~Tights - We Love Colors
~Boots - F21



I haven't quite figured out how to take good pictures in dim lighting without a flash. Maybe my camera just can't do it? They always turn out grainy or blurry.

In other news, I finally registered for classes yesterday! If you're interested, I'm taking Environmental Geology, Intro to Shakespeare, and Stage Craft. I'm not excited about Geology except that my brother & two of my friends are in the class, which will be cool. I'm very excited about the Shakespeare class. I wouldn't have been able to take it as it's an upper level class (or something), except that miraculously I was exempt from the prerequisite (College Writing). I've always wanted to take a Shakespeare class. I'm not sure what Stage Craft is going to be like, but I'm sure I'll enjoy it.

I'm leaving on Sunday (eep!) and there may be a brief hiatus here, for which I apologize in advance!

OH OH OH & there are is only about a day left to enter the wallet giveaway! Are you excited? I know I am! & if you were curious about the fairness, I'll be numbering posts (doubles from the same user don't count, obviously) & using Random.org. I'll announce a winner promptly Saturday morning!

So now I need to attend a Luncheon...

Or a tea. Or an afternoon cocktail party. I would be properly attired!





This outfit was ridiculously easy to make. Here's a rundown of how I did it:

The skirt, believe it or not, used to be a pair of pajama pants. It's 100% silk fabric & I couldn't possibly say no! I cut the legs off right below the crotch & opened up the inseam so I had two large chunks of fabric. Then, I stitched the two together, making the hem of the pants the top of the skirt. After that, all I had to do was pinch + pin a bit to adjust the fit, insert an invisible zipper, and hem the bottom! So simple.



I'm really excited about the shirt, & am thinking that a version of it will be in my spring/summer collection. It was just a basic scoop neck top, but with a longer cut & an unfinished bottom (so as to avoid awkward lines under the skirt). Then I cut spirals out of the fabric, and handstitched them with pearls to the neckline. I was inspired by... okay, this is going to sound funny, but you know how in regency times, men would wear those huge, ruffled, complex cravats? And the fabric is just spilling out over their vests & coats. I love the way that behaves! So I tried to modernize it, & it ended up being a very pleasing effect.



So, yes, I'm very excited about this new outfit! I made both pieces yesterday evening--that's how easy it was! It doesn't exactly fit in my world right now, but I'm wearing it anyway.

Official Tutorial Skirt Pictures

It's almost done, sweeties! I just want this to be really good, you know? It's also taking a little longer because I have about zero experience editing videos, and dang, it's hard to do it well. (Which, it should be noted, I'm not doing. Doing it well, that is.) But I finally got a chance to run out with my dad to get good pictures of the skirt (which are needed for the video, as well!) & I thought I would share them with you!



I just want to note, stilettos + snow do not work together.





Oh, this thing is so poofy. It's also big on me, so it sits much lower on my hips than skirts normally would. I had a lot of fun adding details, which you'll see better in the video, and it's funny that I made this in a couple days, but it took me a month to finish my other skirt.

xo!

WALLET GIVEAWAY

OH EXCITING.

I've never done a giveaway before, and now seems like a perfect time. Watch the video if you like seeing me make a fool of myself, & then read the specifications below.



To win, you must:

• Be from the U.S., or have an address in the U.S. that I can send it to
• Become a follower of my blog
• Leave a comment on this entry with your email address

Contest ends midnight CST on Friday, January 15th.

& that is all. Thanks, darlings.

Stuffed Animals

I did not make this, but it was so cute that I had to post! My cousin Robyn is one of the most amazing, creative people I know, & she's able to sit down and just figure things out by looking at them. She whipped up this stuffed elephant, from an angora sweater, for her daughter without a pattern. It was so soft and adorable that I couldn't help but hug it!

Last spring I took a needlefelting class. We made stuffed animals. I chose to make a pygmy goat & an owl. The base for the goat is mostly foam, so he's lighter than he looks! I still don't have a name. Any suggestions?





They're needlefelted & then wet-felted & then all details are needlefelted. I'm actually really excited about the goat. He's such a handsome feller.

Announcement: SALE!

Because I'm leaving in about a week, I'd kind of like to clear out a lot of my stock. I'm having a huge sale on most things in my shop--seriously huge, things as low as $12--and I'd love it if you took a look. I should let you know, too, I'm flexible on sale prices. Make me an offer! My hope is to launch a collection in the late spring on a very clean slate, without all these older pieces still floating around.

[CLICK HERE] to head on over to the shop!

A Different Creature

...that's almost what I felt like, at least, when we filmed the last bit of the tutorial. (Goodness gracious, for the amount I'm talking this up, it's probably going to be a let-down.) I did my make up all crazy-like, teased up my hair, and acted like a little elf. Here are a couple shots of right afterwards.





(I DIY'd the candles hanging, by the way. We have a wagon wheel light fixture & it was just begging for it. Just took jars, a bit of wire, and tea lights. So pretty.)

You'll probably have noticed my sudden increase in blogging. I made made a final decision to close my shop completely while I'm at college, because I simply won't have time for it. I'll be opening it again in May sometime with new designs & fresh fervor. So in place of my shop, I decided I'll try to become a Blogger. For real. Several times a week, every other day, or even maybe daily. I'm really flattered that you ladies (& gentlemen?) come to read what I have to say, and view things in my little world. Everyone's time is precious to them, so the idea that you would come and spend some on me is huge & lovely, & I want to live up to that.

*sniff*

What can I say? I'm pretty sentimental and nostalgic, what with this moving-out stuff.

Something Fabulous Is Coming Your Way

One of my (--many, many, many; I always go overboard--) New Year's resolutions was to make a couple tutorials. Video, preferably.

And it seems like I'm actually going to fulfill this resolution. I'm really excited about how this is coming together, & I can't wait to share the finished product with you. I won't say any more beyond that it will hopefully involve sitting on tables, candles, and mad slashing of fabric with razor blades. (I think the image I have in my head is much cooler than this will actually turn out to be. Even just writing about it here makes it sound lame.)

Anyway, be excited. Be very excited.

Four Leaf Clover Tee Reconstruction

So many reconstructions! I'm not really sure where this shirt came from, but my mom handed it to me & asked if I'd be able to use it. I couldn't turn it down! It had this great huge clover in the back, but the front had some silly, girly text that I had to work around. This is what I came up with:





I have tried before to do this kind of bust and the fit was always off. But finally, I've figured it out! It has slightly puffy sleeves, a side pocket, and piping detail which is actually more like trim than piping.





I'm so excited about this. I have a couple Threadless tees I want to reconstruct in this style, so maybe I'll get to those before I leave home!

Victorian Floral Skirt

My dear friend Tany sent me some beautiful fabric & buttons for my birthday, and I finally garnered the courage to cut into it to make this skirt! It's a beautiful fabric with a rose print & the loveliest sheen. I'm so excited with how it turned out! this skirt is definitely one of my favorite things to wear.







Haha, the above picture was before I realized the scarf was just too much. But, shoes! Perfect with this skirt.

I actually wore it on New Years Eve, & would post full outfit pictures from that night if I'd actually gotten them, but that never happened. I do have this cute picture I took on the lake, right around midnight. We were braving the cold & ridiculously gleeful. Hannah (center), Solveig (back) & I were dancing around and squealing about the fact that it was 2010, OUR GRADUATION YEAR. Haha, amazing.



I also have photos of the awesome dessert that night & my meringue mushrooms, but I'll be doing a post full of baked goods in a little bit.

Be sure to visit Tany's shop, 'k? She's incredibly fabulous.

Threadbanger Guild -- on Threadbanger, the show!

I made a video for the Threadbanger guild last summer all about tagging your items properly. Yesterday, Threadbanger posted a Viewer Takeover video, & Maniacal Mickey and I are in it! I'm a little hesitant to post it because, well, it's hard to watch yourself on video! But Mickey is adorable, it's worth watching for her. (& this is good exposure for the guild.)



Remember, you can visit the Threadbanger Guild HERE to check out all the shops.

"Midnight Showing" Reconstruction

More Threadless love! This is an incredibly awesome shirt printed with glow-in-the-dark ink so it has a secret design on top of the run-down movie theater. I reconstructed it into a style much like the "My Crony" shirt that I did a while back, but I gave this one puffed sleeves. I made it this afternoon, and my friend Hannah photographed it this afternoon. (She's brilliant & I'm planning to bribe her with clothing to take photos for me this summer.)









The above is what the design looks like in the dark. Amazing, isn't it? I've never been to a drive in movie, but they seem so classic and terribly romantic. I'm so ridiculously excited about these pictures. They're exactly what I wanted. Hannah just totally got it! The shirt is listed HERE, if you're interested.

Okay, I'm off to sew again. I'll post about NYE (& what I was wearing) soon. How's 2010 going for you so far?