Moving On

I have been working the past week or so on these silly white jeans. Bleaching them worked awesome, and I was excited to take them in and make them fit. However, after hours and hours of working on them, I think it's time to count them as a loss and move on.

I definitely got them to fit a lot better than before and if you just glanced at them you wouldn't notice anything wrong. But, they just don't feel comfortable and I feel like if I sit down the seams are going to pop right out. That would be a horrible disaster. Also, the button fell off. :(

Well, I did learn a few lessons from this project. The first one was how to take in the waist band of pants/jeans. I followed this tutorial, and let me tell you, I did an AWESOME job on that part. It's really simple and doesn't take too much time and looks very professional. The second lesson I learned is that even though you could refashion and sew everything, does not mean you should. You have to take into account the amount of time and effort you will be putting into the garment, and if you would actually wear it. In this case, I'm thinking I would be better off buying some white skinny jeans from a store, rather than making my own.

All in all, it was a good experience and I learned a lot. I think i will try modifying pants in the future, but just to work on my sewing skills. Also, I think if I wanted to make skinny jeans again, I'd use a pair that I already have and love, then use them as a guide to get the measurements and cut right, sort of how I did this blouse.

Here are some pictures anyway! Recognize the shirt? This whole outfit is bleached! I just cut the sleeves and length where I wanted it, no sewing necessary since it's a knit and won't fray. Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy.

30 Day Shred

Do you know who Jillian Michaels is? She's a beast... in a good way, of course! She is one of the toughest personal trainers on the show "The Biggest Loser." Now, I've never seen the show, but I have seen pictures of the results, and man are they amazing!

Jillian also has her own work out dvds! I started them this past year at school. I love work out dvds, they are so much nicer than having to go to the gym, although sometimes they are kind of lame and don't really do anything for me. BUT, Jillian's are amazing. I've heard nothing but good reviews from those who have used them and they really make you feel good.

I started doing her '30 Day Shred' and let me tell you, it's kicking my trash... and I love it! No pain, no gain. It's super fast, only about 20-25 minutes a day. It's circuit training, so it's super effective in that short amount of time.

Now, you can buy the dvd (which is well worth the money, actually) or you can cheat like me and just read the instructions online for free :)

There are 3 levels, and I am half way through the first level (I'm going to spend 10 days on each). Maybe I will even weigh myself and see if it makes a difference... but probably not. I'm very anti-weighing-yourself. I think as long as you feel healthy and beautiful, it doesn't matter what you weigh. Usually I feel my best when I am in good shape, so it works out anyway.

So, try this work out some time! It's a great way to get in your daily exercise without having to leave your house... oh and there's barely any equipment needed (I use a blanket for a mat and I have used heavy objects instead of weights before).

What is your favorite work out dvd or training plan?

Nail polish

This past year or so, I've been really good about painting my nails. And by good, I mean I take off my nail polish when it starts getting chipped, instead of leaving it on to just grow out or eventually flake off. I also repaint them promptly. Maybe this isn't so healthy for my nails, but... heck, they look cute!

Here's something I've been doing a lot during my nail polish revolution. I paint my ring finger a different color from the rest of them. It's sort of a color block idea, but for your nails. (Color blocking is totally IN right now) :) I got the idea from Rihanna.

Photo Cred: Google images

Thanks girrrrl! hah.

A lot of people ask me why I do this. My answer is: because it looks awesome. I don't have a reason... well, that is, until I read this post, on a wonderful blog called Moorea-Seal.

Although I love to paint my nails for the beauty and fashion aspect, painting them to remind you of your weekly goals seems like a grand idea to me. Fashion, which in my opinion includes nail polish, can be such a strong statement of what you believe, who you are and how you are feeling. Yeah, sure, you can throw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that you don't think twice about. But, you can also put on your favorite pair of skinny jeans that make you feel beautiful, and a bright yellow shirt to show your inner happiness.

This summer, I'm trying to make all my outfits say something. Nothing profound, if only to say "I am confident. I am beautiful. I am fun-loving." These are three things that I want people to know about me, but more importantly, these are three things I want to believe for myself. Everyday I can be reminded of these ideas and hopefully by the end of the summer, along with a new wardrobe, I will have increased love and belief in myself and my capabilities.

Whew. That is what you call a tangent! Back to nail polish. I like nail polish. A lot. And I'm going to adopt Moorea's idea and every time I paint my nails, have a goal in mind and work on it the whole time my nails are painted.

What do you do as a reminder of your goals? What are some fun nail polish techniques or designs you like to do? Please do share!

Black to White Jeans, and a Quesiton for You

Hello! Sorry for the lag in posting. I have two excuses! One, I started working full-time and just don't have as much time to do fun things (bummer!), and Two, I broke all the needles on my sewing machine, so I have to wait to buy more (woops!). But don't worry, I still have lots to do and I'll get those needles soon.

Before I start, go visit my friend Lesa's blog post. She did it for me!! She's a funny gal with lots to say on lots of fun topics, so read all her stuff while you're at it!

Ok, back to business: I found my very first pair of skinny jeans in a pile of clothes to donate to the thrift store. I was sad because I really loved them and the only reason I had them in that pile was because they got white paint on them (they are black jeans). Then something amazing happened. A stroke of genius, inspiration, whatever you want to call it... but I had the thought to bleach them! I did the same thing I did over here, but this time I had to do the process about 4 times at 45 minutes each. Woof.

Silly me, I didn't take a picture before, but here's a picture of a seam which I removed (more on that later) so you can see the great contrast in the before and after with these jeans. I was really amazed they got so light!

Well, I was really excited and I tried them on and...




They didn't fit. Not even close! They were HUGE. Like, 3 or 4 sizes too big! Ok, so either I lost a LOT of weight in college, or something about the bleaching made them get ginormous. I have a hard time believing either. So, it's still a mystery!

I was sort of bummed, but then I remembered this post from C&C, and I got more inspiration :)

But, until I get more needles, I can't finish them :( Here are the before shots, though, so you can admire the bleach's job.

 SEE?? HUGE!!

I am in need of some new music. I love my Pandora stations, but I'm getting a little tired of the same songs over and over. Please, comment below and give me suggestions! :)

Headwrap made from extra fabric

Remember this post? Remember I said I had something else in store from the extra fabric?

Well here it is! (I realize this secret may have been ruined by my header pic... oh well!)

I made a headwrap with the extra scraps leftover from my dress to blouse reconstruction. I'm not gonna lie, I used to think headwraps looked absolutely redonkulous, but after a while they started growing on me and I decided to try it out one day. I used a fabric belt that came with one of my old dresses and wrapped that sucker around my head and what do you know... it looked cute! Also, headwraps are perfect for those days when you wake up late and don't have time to shower. No one will know ;) (oops, guess my secret is out!)

All I did was:
1. cut two long strips, equal widths

 I'm sorry it's so blurry! I thought it was fine on my camera, but now I can obviously see this picture is so blurry it makes me sick! Can you say glasses??

2. sew the short ends together to make one really long strip of fabric
3. fold in half and round off the corners to make a nice edge

 Yikes, this one is blurry too. :/ But, you get the idea.

4. sew the long edges together to make a long tube
5. flip inside out and sew the open end shut
6. wrap on your head and be the coolest chick in town!

This was fun to make and also super fast. So if you have any extra fabric from another project you did, or a fabric belt from an item of clothing, try it out! Comment below and tell me: True or False, Headwraps are awesome and I do/will wear one! Tell me why :)

chop chop!

Well I found these lovely white jean capris at the local thrift store a while ago. I didn't really like them, but they fit and I knew I could do something to make them acceptable.

I chopped 'em. Right above the knee. Sorry I didn't take a picture before I cut and sewed the seams, but you get the idea!

I was too lazy to look up how to do a good-looking legit jeans seam, but I think this will work well. I just cut them, did a zig zag stitch to keep it from fraying, and then folded it and did a straight stitch.

Now they look a lot more updated and are perfect for summer!

Also, this sweater is the whole reason I wanted white jeans. Love it!

  Look at those cute buttons. Also, this picture was an accident, but I sort of like it!

What is your favorite thing to wear in the summer??

Dress to Blouse Reconstruction

This is one of the dresses I found while shopping at a local thrift store. I loved the fabric, but not so much the shape or the giant pocket on one side.

I gave it a little trim! Following advice from another fashion blogger, I used a shirt that I already had and liked the fit of, then cut around it, as sort of a make-shift pattern. If you do this, make sure to leave a little bit around the edges for the seam allowance.

  (like my toenail polish??)

After that, I just sewed it up and finished off the seams with a simple turned in edge. It only took about thirty minutes to do the whole project. I've been needing new shirts, this will be perfect! And the pocket is still there, just not as huge and weird... perfect for carrying my everyday essential: vanilla mint chapstick. (I'm seriously addicted to that stuff)

Also, I used the extra fabric from the bottom to make something else just as great. You'll have to come back for that, though!