Resisting

I'm resisting fall a little bit.  I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm as excited as the next girl for scarves, hats, boots, layers, hot drinks, ect.  But when the rains come in Oregon, they stay for 9 months.  I'll be wearing those hats and scarves for a long time.  So please, fall.  Don't rush it.  Give me a little more time to wear shorts and tank tops and drink lemonade and swim in the pool.

That being said, I did start giving into fall today, with my first scarf of the season.  But I refused to wear a long-sleeved shirt and I rolled up my jeans at the bottom just to hang on to that summer vibe for just a little longer.

 

Are you hanging onto summer or jumping into fall?

 

Niki

 

Sweater: thrifted.  Jeans: Levi's.  Shoes: thrifted.  Scarf, leather cuff and hair bow: self-made.  Tutorials coming soon.  :)

DIY Book Page Inspiration Board

 

I was very inspired when I saw this wall of book pages on much more than the birds.  (Super cool blog by the way.  You should check it out.)  Anyway, I was tempted to duplicate it in my room, and I still might someday, but for now, I decided to start smaller and just cover my bulletin board.

 

Here's before pictures of me and my sister's bulletin boards.

 

 

 

 My side had some of my favorite photos that I've taken.  I liked it, but I wanted to try something new.  My sis's side had drawings and postcards, a dream catcher and....stuff.  Surprisingly, she gave me permission to take it down.  :)  So the first step is to clear off your bulletin board.

 

Step 2: Tear out a bunch of pages from an unwanted book or two.  Book-lovers, this may be hard for you.  For me, it felt almost sacraligious, but now I'm glad I did it.  Just make sure it's a book you don't want to read someday.  :)  I used two books for a little variety, but you could easily use 1 book or 7 depending on your preference and how many boring books you have lying around.

 

 Step 3:  Glue down your pages.  I used a plain ol' glue stick, but you could also use tape or scrapbook adhesives.  I don't know how easy the pages will be to take off, but I'm just gonna cross that bridge when I come to it. 

 

 I started gluing in the corners and worked my way in from the sides so that I knew it would line up.  (And yes, that is my teddy bear watching the proceedings.)

 

 Step 4:  If your adhesive works better than mine did, this step might not be necessary.  I just spread some books over the board to keep the edges of the pages from curling back while they dried.

 

 Step 5:  While the glue dries, gather your inspiration!  Browse magazines, catalogs, websites or your stash of treasures to find pretty things to put on your board.  It doesn't have to have a theme, or match your decor or look like any other inspiration board you've seen.  Just pick things that make you happy and that you like to look at.  The wonderful thing about bulletin boards is they can be changed as often as you like, so there isn't any long-term commitment risk involved.  :)

 

 Step 6: Arrange your pictures and use push-pins to attach them the way you like them.  I like how mine turned out. 

 

 My sister let me take over her board as well.  I wanted her to put things that she liked, but she said she didn't care.  We ended up picking a few "themes" for me to find pictures for.  Like pirates, ships and old bottles.  Of course, I also ended up putting a few other random things I liked on there too, like mushrooms.

So there you have it!  This is actually a super easy DIY and I really love the way the book pages look.  It makes your board look full even when it's not, but at the same time, it's a neutral, non-cluttered background.  And let's be honest.  I just love book pages.

 

Niki

Feelin' Tribal

So today I'm going to the art museum with a friend of mine.  I've never been, so I'm a little excited.  And since I'm going to an art museum, I might as well wear a piece of my own art, right?  Besides, I was anxious to wear my new shirt anyway.  This is the shirt I made in my last post.  I think it turned out quite well. 

 

I wasn't quite sure what to wear it with at first, but then I spotted my orange skirt.  I decided to go with the whole tribal vibe and wear my moccasins and turquoise ring as well. 

And that's my "performing a war dance around the fire" pose.  ;)

 

Thanks for reading!

 

Niki

 

Shirt: refashion.  Skirt: thrifted.  Moccasins: thrifted.  Ring: my great-grandma's.  Headband: made it.  Earrings: my sister made them.

DIY Aztec T-Shirt

So, I don't know if you've seen this picture floating around Pinterest, but I decided to give it a try because I had a gray t-shirt with an unfortunate grease stain near the collar.  But of course, like always, I didn't exactly follow the directions.  Instead of sponge, I tried making stamps out of cardboard, but I quickly gave up on that and just free-handed most of it.  So my lines weren't as clean as the original, but I think it still turned out pretty well.  :)

The one thing I did follow exactly/pretty closely was their stamping pattern.  I just wasn't feeling confident enough to figure out a good design on my own, but if you're artistically talented like that, go for it!  Also, my own personal tip is to put cardboard inside the t-shirt to avoid any paint bleeding onto the other side of your shirt.  We'll see how it looks once it's all dry.  :)

 

Well, that's all I have for now, since I have to leave for work in 25 minutes.  Yikes.  I'm not even dressed yet.  I do have lots of ideas for projects swirling around in my head though, so there should be some posts coming soon.  I went to the fabric store and craft store yesterday, so I'm feeling inspired.  You know how it is.  ;)

 

Do you like the aztec/tribal print trend?  More specifically, do you like the shirt I made?  ;)

 

Niki

An Ad for Coca-Cola?

You know the how it is.  When you get something new, you just have to wear it right away!  So today I'm wearing one of the dresses I thrifted yesterday.  It's made of a light chambray, so it's really cool and comfortable.  I added some color interest with my red polka-dot flats and a little red in my necklace.  Sorry the pictures aren't the greatest, but I was in a hurry.  I want to have time to go to the library before work.  So that's it for now. 

 

What do you have planned for your weekend?

 

Niki

 

Dress: thrifted.  Shoes: thrifted.  Tank: Old Navy.  Necklace: a local vendor.  Bag: an army surplus store.

Another Thrifting Trip

Just a little sneak peek of the two dresses I found at the thrift store today.  I will definitely be wearing the first one tomorrow.  I'll try my bestest to do an outfit post then.  :)

 

When I was at the thrift store, I was debating with myself about whether I should buy both of these dresses or just pick one.  I ended up getting both, so I started thinking... I have quite a few dresses now, and I always seem to have a hard time wearing them.  I always think I look to formal for the occasion or something.  So I was thinking that maybe I should give myself a dress-wearing challenge sometime.  Only wear dresses for a week.  Or two weeks.  Or a month. 

 

What do you think?  Would you join me in a challenge like that sometime?

 

Niki

Sheer Blouse Refashion

 This summer, I was really liking the sheer shirt trend, so when I saw this lime-green sheer top at a thrift store for $3, I figured I should buy it.  The problem?  It was probably an XXL.  At the smallest.  But it had potential.  So I brought it home and it sat in my projects pile for a while.  Not gonna lie, I was slightly intimidated by it.  Sheer fabrics can be *very* tricky to work with.  Fortunately, I found some wonderful tips here. 

My first step was to cut off the sleeves (but save them for later!).  I used another shirt to try to figure out how wide to make the sheer shirt.  Then I hemmed around the sleeves.  You'll want to then sew pretty much straight down from there to take in the sides.  I have yet to figure out the perfect method to take in a shirt. 

Once you've sewn up the sides and hemmed the arm holes, try it on and decide where you want the bottom hemline to fall.  I decided I wanted to go for a high-low hemline, so I cut the bottom off at an angle.  The picture was of my first cut, I later cut the angle a little sharper to get my desired result.

Finally, I cut strips from the sleeves to make a little tie thingy for the neck.  And I didn't take any pictures of that step.  Sorry.  Once I get into a project, I have a hard time stopping to take pictures.  :)

 

Ta-dah!  I am excited to find ways to wear this before summer is over. 

 

What do you think of how it turned out?

 

Niki

Wardrobe Remix: Gray Maxi Skirt

 

 Do you have a piece of clothing that just feels like home? So comfortable that you almost want to wear it all the time? I do. It's a gray maxi skirt that is made out of a soft knit fabric. The best part about it? I made it myself from a dress that only cost me $3. Oh yes. This was definately my most successful refashion ever, and all I did was cut off the top of the dress and add an elastic waistband.  Super easy.  Anyway, I wanted to give you 3 ideas of how to wear a skirt like this. 

 Look #1:  Pair it with a dressier top, wide belt, and heels for a dressier look.  Even a knit skirt can look fancier depending on what you wear it with.  Accessorize as desired.  This is the shirt I made in my last post. 

 Look #2:  Wear the skirt as a dress!  You'll need a belt, unless you want to look shapeless.  ;)  I wore sandals to keep this look summery, but you could add a cardigan and flats for a cooler day.

Look #3:  This popular pin on Pinterest was my inspiration for this look.  I wore the skirt with a white tank top, a wide belt, flip flops and my dad's denim shirt.  I also added my peacock feather necklace just cuz I love it.  How do you think this outfit compares to the original?

This skirt is definately one of my go-to pieces, both when I'm dressing to go out or just spending the day at home. 

What's your favorite go-to piece of clothing?

Thanks for reading!

Niki

Look #1:  Top: me-made.  Belt: thrifted.  Necklace: found it laying around my house.  Don't really know where it came from.  ;)  Shoes:  Fred Meyer

Look #2:  Belt: gift, I think.  Necklace: shop in Mexico.  Sandals: I've had them for years, so I don't remember.  Fred Meyer?

Look #3:  Tank Top: Old Navy.  Flip-flops: Fred Meyer.  Necklace: Claire's.  Denim shirt: my dad's.  Belt: thrifted.

Polka Dot Shirt

Hi!  I wanted to show you my latest sewing endeavor.  The shirt below was my inspiration. 

Again, I can't take credit for the idea, because I followed another tutorial from Cotton and Curl. And because the original tutorial is so excellent, I didn't bother taking pictures of how I made this shirt.  Besides, I didn't follow her directions exactly, and I think you would be more successful if you did.  ;)  I came across a few hiccups as a result of trying to do my own thing.  Ha ha.   Anyway, here are some pictures of how it turned out.

I found this silky polka-dot fabric at a wonderful little hole-in-the-wall fabric store in Portland.  There was only about a yard of it, but it was $2, so I snatched it up.  I had plans to make a skirt for it, but I would have had to buy some contrasting fabric to add to it, so when I saw this shirt tutorial, I decided to try it out.  The silky fabric was a little hard to work with, and I'll definately have to hand-wash it, but I really like how it turned out.  In fact, I pretty much love it.  I'm totally wearing it to work tonight.  :) 

This was a super easy project and I love the way it turned out.  I think I might make another one once I find the fabric for it.  :)

Would you ever attempt this project?

Niki

Easy-peasy Maxi Dress

I saw this dress on Pinterest several weeks ago, and knew I had to make one.  I didn't have a maxi dress and this one looked so easy and comfortable.  A trip to the fabric store and three seams and a few cuts later, I had a finished dress!  Then I had to go to the thrift store for a wide belt to wear it with.  The pictures don't accurately show the beautiful deep purple of this dress.  I made a red one as well.  What do you think?

How would you style a dress like this?

Niki

Wearin' the Blues

Today's outfit inspiration came from this month's Everybody Everywear challenge.  The theme was monochromatic.  Turns out I missed the deadline, but oh well.  I'm still showing you my take on a monochromatic outfit.  I decided to wear all blue today, in different shades to keep it from looking boring and too matchy-matchy.  I accessorized with some fun jewelry to pull it all together. 

Would you wear a monochromatic outfit?

Niki

Button-up tank top: refashion.  White tank top (underneath):  Old Navy  Skirt: thrifted.  Shoes: thrifted.  Necklace: Claire's (clearance!)  Ring: my great-grandmothers