Moving Sale Marvels

Today my mother-in-law and I came across the most wonderful moving sale! It was half off day and the previous owner of all my special finds seemed to be exactly my size. I had to be selective to only end up with these!

The Gap $2.50

Ann Taylor LOFT $4.00

The Limited $7.50

The Limited $4.00

Banana Republic $2.50

Vintage $5.00

Nine West $5.00

All of these finds, in great condition, cost only $30.50! Stay tuned to see how I style them.

Goodwill Outlet... Again!

What's a gal to do while her husband spends hours and hours in the library archives? Check out the local Goodwill Outlet of course!

As I leisurely learned the lay of land I was able to snag a few deals. For only $2.15 I got a vintage fur (NO RIPS OR TEARS,) a mint condition Nine West purse, and a wooden hanger.

I was SO blown away by the great price for my finds that I think I'll be back.

Another Two-fer

 This story starts with a garage sale FREEBIE. The best price evah! We were ready to leave a garage sale when I spotted a free chandelier. I remembered having seen a Pintrest post about using the globes in your garden so I grabbed it up. My husband no longer asks questions. He just prepares to be amazed later on.

You can see it was a very 1970's type thing and just needed some love.

I removed the globes from the chandelier and inserted skinny solar lights. If you look really closely you can see that I needed to choose the next size smaller light. I really like the effect in the garden at night. It is so hard to get a good photo at night you will just have to trust me on that one. That process must have taken a minute or two. Seriously, you put the globe where you want it and insert solar light stake and attach solar light. Done.

Well of course that left the metal part of the frame and  no left overs can go to waste so.... I had to start turning the rest of it into something. Then my memory kicked in of another Pintrest post. I didn't repin those posts because I didn't think I would ever actually do them. Sorry I can't link back to those original ideas.

 I took all of the electrical fixtures and electric wires out of the lamp. Then I turned the whole thing upside down so that it set flat on a table.

I painted the entire piece silver. I chose the Hammered Silver paint because I thought it would help cover any of the little blemishes that the lamp's original paint might have. I was very pleased with the results. When the paint was dry I wiped some gel stain over it to give it an appearance of age. I added votive cups and candles and have a new center piece. I enjoy getting crafty with free items and using what I have on hand at home to create something new.

Side-by-Side Challenge: NEON

2 Girls in 2 Cities / Franish / Kacie's Kloset / The Other Side of Gray / I Get My "Crafty" from My Mama

Today I am participating in a NEON side-by-side challenge with the lovely ladies above. Don't their ensembles inspire you?

This challenge inspired me to add a trendy neon piece to my wardrobe but I wasn't willing to spend a lot on it. I am currently investing in classic, staple pieces that will help me to build up my professional wardrobe so this re-fashion was the perfect option for an inexpensive summer piece. To see my before and after picture as well as the re-fashion process please visit my neon floral dress re-do post.

Neon Floral Dress Re-Do

Yesterday I went thrifting with my mother-in-law and we found the SALE OF ALL SALES! It was the final day of a church rummage sale and everything you could fit into a paper bag was ONLY $5. I picked up this vintage teal floral dress because I loved the print, the vibrant colors, and knew that I could quickly and easily update it. 

Before

YEAH! It has pockets. :)

Later shoulder pads, sleeves, and length!

For this alteration I first took out the shoulder pads, took off the sleeves, and cut the dress length to just below my knee. Then I sewed the arms-eyes closed and hemmed the bottom of the dress. After a quick press I was ready to go to a family party!

After

After

This vibrant, neon dress was a trendy addition to my wardrobe and one that I would not have done without a cost saving re-fashion!

Return of the Lost Sewing Machine

I took my sewing machine in to be serviced in April and was feeling quite lost without it. Thankfully I got it back within a few weeks and it was in perfect condition. The serviceman recommended that I use it right away to make sure it was working well and I had just the right project to test my newly oiled machine on.

The blouse I cut out while my machine was being serviced.

I used a vintage pattern and material from one of my mother's previous projects. In a few short afternoons I had a beautiful coral and white polka dotted blouse. So glad to have my sewing machine back!

I love this new, trendy addition to my wardrobe!

My first button stand!

Top 10 of 2012

This year was our first full year blogging and we had a blast doing it! I especially liked hearing from friends and readers about things that they would like to see and DIY's that they would like to learn how to achieve. You gals are all so inspiring!

Here are the top 10 posts that you enjoyed reading this year:

1. Hot Pink Polka Dot Dress Refashion

2. Floral Dress Re-Do

3. Interlock Headband

4. Brown Vintage Apron Mid-50's

5. Simmering Potpourri

6. My Pretty Pink Peplum

7. Upscaled Thrifted Summer Skirt

8. Jersey Refashion

9. Like daughter, like mother...

10. Upscaled Thirfted Dress Slacks

Please continue to let us know about crafts you are interested in in 2013!

Waste Not, Want Not

This picture makes me laugh every time I see it. I remember the colors and textures of these outfits so clearly. I am the one on the right and my sister (also crafty) is on the left. We were all set ready to walk to church on Easter Sunday. We are holding Easter chickens in our hands.

My mom (Helen) was often given clothing and fabric from people that knew she knew how to sew. She turned those hand me downs in to the very most fabulous things. She never wasted a thing, and we very rarely "wanted" for much. The jackets were wool that was reborn as children's bolero style jackets. Gloria has that added little detail of a rabbit because she was only a four year old in this picture and it made the jacket more age appropriate.The skirts were also down sized adult pleated skirts. The only thing that she did not make were the Easter bonnets and even they were cleaned up and a few artificial flowers added. Don't you wonder what was in those purses?

Flashback Friday

This was my 4-H project in 1973. I was thirteen years old. The fabric was a double knit. In that era it was "the stuff". I wonder now why my mom let me have a photo of this outfit without a good pressing first. It sure could use it. I actually liked this outfit at the time and loved the soft green color. The collar was a newly learned skill and the skirt had a zipper. Boy oh boy, those were the days.

Look how long my newly straightened hair was. NO ONE had curly hair in 1973!!

Vintage Aprons Continued

Happy Birthday to Helen. Today would have been her 87th birthday. All of us learned our crafty skills from her. She of course learned to repurpose long before there was such a word. Thanks mom for all of the lessons you taught us about life, living and making do with what God gave us to use and take care of.

This is Helen, in one of her aprons somewhere in the mid '60's. This apron was strickly functional. It was a simple cotton print with seam  binding finished edges. The pattern was a criss cross in the back with no other closure. There weren't even pockets on this one. This was one of her every day work aprons. Isn't she beautiful? And check out those glasses.  Yikes!

Farewell Summer

Well, I think it is fair to say that summer is on its way out, but before I could say good-bye I had to make this one last post.

These glasses were my Aunts and headed into the garbage when I saved them! How fun and vintage! They are light weight, a fun shape, and free. Does it get better?

 

Adios, Summer. I'll be dreaming of you when the snow is up to my giggy. 

Brown Vintage Apron- Mid 50's

Smocking

Vintage 50's Apron

Vintage Apron circa Mid 1950's

This delightful little brown gingham apron is very typical of it's era. It is made from simple gingham that was readily available to most sewers. It is a rectangle of fabric hemmed on all four sides. To turn it into the special occasion item that it is, smocking was added at the waistline. Smocking is time consuming, but the reward is well worth it. Note the varied shades of green and the yellow thread used to create the smocking. That also speaks to the era. The pocket has additional detail that is noteworthy. It is pleated and smocked! By pleating the pocket it became more user friendly, by creating greater space in the pocket. The smocking at the top of the pocket prevented the pocket from relaxing and becoming “baggie”. The detail and precise stitches tell me this is a project created by a very fine seamstress. Thanks Helen for your legacy of art and functionality! Love you.

Features of the Era:

•  Cotton gingham 
• Machine and hand stitching
• Smocking 

Vintage Apron- Mid 40's

Vintage Apron circa Early 1940's

Its History: This apron was hand made by our matriarch, Helen, previous to her marriage in 1943. The eyelet insets were a fanciful detail. Sheryl and her sisters played with this apron. Amazing that its still in such great shape. Gotta' hand it to Helen, it was created with durability. Wal-Mart could use a lesson or two, eh?

Features of the Era: The main features of the era shown in this apron include the following...

• Simplicity
• Using what was available such as recycled lace
• Majority of stiching done by hand

During our photo-shoot I realized that my Grandma had signed the cookbook we got out of our mothers cupboard. "Helen 1944"