and...i'm out. but not really.

hi mom (because you're likely the only one that may read this from here on out.) i've started a new blog. it will feature some crafty projects that i make along with a plethora of inspirational items that i feel like sharing. 

you can find it here.

so long, kiddos.

ONE BREAK OR ANOTHER

In preparation for the wonderful year that 2010 will undoubtedly be, I made a monster list of crafty projects that I'm really excited about.

Unfortunately, my creative education is currently preventing me from having any sort of free time to create anything outside of school work.

So, in order not to have a break down, I'm taking a break from the blogosphere. 

I'll be back in a few short weeks with all the crafty goodness you can handle, PLUS a whole new skill set with which to create. (seriously...plaster animals? miniature gehry replicas? gowns made out of recycled pop cans? bring. it. on.)

Song to keep you going: The White Stripes - Stop Breaking Down

MATCHMAKER

I've been known to wear some pretty bright colors in my day, but recently I've been digging monochromatic outfits. It's just so easy! Now I just reach for things that are black and various shades of gray and I don't even have to think about if they match. Because they allll match.

For this project, I decided to make a two piece set (top and scarf) using the same fabric. I dig the look of gray on gray and I can layer other blacks and grays over or under this pending the weather. The scarf has enough texture that it doesn't blend into the top even though they're the same color (light gray.) This project requires a little sewing, but very little.

Here's what you'll need:

- 4-5 yards of fabric (I got mine on sale for $1/yard! Steal of a deal)

- thread

- scissors

- sewing machine

TOTAL: $5 (depends on fabric)

I bought 10 yards of fabric (because it was so cheap!) so I started by cutting two long strips to use for my scarf. Depending upon the length of fabric and how many loops of scarf you want,  cut strips about 1.5-2 inches wide until you have enough. Once you have the strips, sew the ends together so you end up with one giant loop of fabric. When you're ready to wear, you'll just wrap the scarf around your neck as many times as you like. I like a lot of scarf action going on in my outfits, especially if I need to distract attention from an unfortunate hair situation (i.e barely rolled out of bed in time to get to class.)

Once you have the scarf strips cut off, you're ready to get crackin' on the shirt.  For a rough pattern I used a long, baggy tank top that I have. As you can see, I cut my shirt wider and longer than the koala tank top because wanted to ensure that there's a lot of flow to the shirt.

 

 

Be careful when you're cutting the arm holes, neckline and bottom if you plan on leaving the edges rough (seamless) as I did. It can be tricky to make little trims on stretch cotton. I cut the scoop of the neck a little lower than the back, mainly so I can keep straight which side is front.

Since my fabric has a bit of shimmer to it, I turned both shiny sides of fabric in toward each other for the sewing. Then, just sew the side seams together and the tops of the shoulder straps. That's it!

Here's the shirt by itself:

As you can see, the fabric is a bit sheer and it's cut so that you can see a little bit of what's underneath. You can either wear a cool bra or a tank top underneath depending upon how scandalous you feel that day.

Then, layer on the scarf and you're ready to rock 'n roll!

Added bonus to this project: now you have a cool scarf that you can throw on with anything, not just the matchy match shirt. Woot! I love bonuses. 

Song to get you going: Zoot Woman - Grey Day

YOU SAY IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY

While many people were busy celebrating the birthday of an important religious figure, my family was forced to celebrate the birthday of someone else on December 25th..me! I won't bore you all with the details, but this year I bought myself a few birthday presents that I thought were well deserved (and super rad.)

First and foremost, the coolest pair of shoes I own. Jeffrey Campbell, I love you.

They have a little peep toe and are super comfy because the whole shoe is really soft leather, so you don't get blisters like you do with strappy heels. I will likely wear these beauties ....ummm...everyday. Yep.

Next, I decided to really splurge with some birthday money and go thrift shopping. I figured if it's with "birthday" money and I'm thrift shopping I don't have to feel bad about breaking one of my new year's resolutions (to shop less.)

My first find was at the American Apparel Outlet on Venice Beach.

Yes, those are origami cranes on the print (so rad!) I added a vintage teal belt to give the dress a little more shape. This dress cost me a whopping $3.

These next finds were all picked up at my local Goodwill, which has proven to be a vintage goldmine (the whole two times I've been there.)

The photo doesn't capture the true 80's beauty of this dress: the shoulder pads, the draped slit, the big bow (with rhinestones!)....I'm just dying to find an occasion to wear this gem out.

This dress makes me feel like a stewardess in the 60's (that was still the PC term back then people, I'm not trying to offend anyone.) I love all the buttons and envision a beehive-esque hairdo accompanying this dress.

Get ready...

If you're thinking, "Whoa! Those are some pretty serious acid-washed mom jeans," you are exactly right. Good ol' Lee's. These will be used in a future project. I love the wash but even I don't have the cajones to wear these suckers out without a few alterations. I mean...look at the waist to hip ratio on those. Serious.

This year was the first year that I bought myself birthday presents and I think it's a great idea. You all should try it, it's a guarantee you'll like what you get!

Song to get you going: The Beatles - Birthday

THAI ME UP

Some of my favorite items of clothing or accessories that I own have been acquired during trips to foreign countries, or as gifts that family and friends have brought back from foreign counties. I love incorporating the styles of other cultures into my wardrobe to mix it up a bit and also to evoke nostalgic memories of my trip there (or if the item is a gift, to evoke lovely daydreams of what traveling to that place might be like.)

When my sister studied in Southeast Asia in college, she brought me back all sorts of goodies to wear. A favorite item she gave me was a pair of green Thai Happy Pants made out of a light weight material (likely a rayon because that's what this website uses for the fabric.) They're very flowy and comfortable, a life saver during the humid summer days in the midwest. I liked the pants so much that I wanted to figure out a way to wear them during cooler temperatures.

So...you guessed it...I made some for myself! This project does require a sewing machine but you only have to sew a few basic lines so it takes a pretty minimal skill level of sewing.

Here's what you'll need:

 - 4 to 5 yards of fabric

- thread

- rope, ribbin or other material for tie (if desired)

- sewing machine

- scissors

- pins

TOTAL COST: about $10 to $20 depending upon the price of the fabric

Start by measuring how long you want your pants to be. Keep in mind that these pants are generally tied pretty high on the waist and that you'll need to leave a few inches on either side of the fabric for hems. Next, determine how wide the pants need to be. Hold the fabric in front of your body and the pants should be as wide as your waist, plus about 5 inches on each side. The pants are made up of two big pieces of fabric (pretty much giant rectangles) that are sewn together on one seam that goes under your legs and then tied on a bit like a diaper. I know...I'm really selling these pants right now. Giant diapers! Who wouldn't want to wear that?!

Cut two pieces of equal size and lay them on top of one another. Then determine how low the crotch area needs to hang (they should hang pretty low...that's why these pants are so damn comfortable) and then draw a "U" on the fabric where the crotch seam will be cut. See the photo below to see what the shape will look like.

Fold over the fabric about 1 inch all the way around the edge and pin into place. You'll then sew this line all the way around the piece of fabric to make the edges of your pants neat.

Once you've sewn around each piece of the pants, pin the two pieces together in the "U" shaped area. You'll then sew these two pieces together.  In the picture below, the green dotted lines are there you'll sew a hemline and the pink dotted line is where you'll sew the pieces of fabric together.

  Then, figure out what sort of tie you want on the pants. For this pair I just used pieces of the same fabric, but on the next pair I'll show I bought a nylon rope-like material to use as the ties. You need to attach your "tie" material or rope to the top four edges of the fabric (one tie to each top side of both pieces of fabric.)

Now...to put them on!

The seam which you've sewn in the "U" shaped area will go down the center of your body. Take a tie-piece on either side of the seam, hold the pants either in front of or behind your body and wrap the tie-pieces around to the other side and tie them together.

Then pull the pants through between your legs and pull them up on the other side. Take the remaining ties and wrap them around your body (whichever way you didn't wrap before) and tie them together. This sounds rather confusing as I type, but hopefully the pictures are more helpful than my instructions. I promise they're not that tricky once you get them on the first time.

This is the how this patterned pair looks on. Keep in mind that these pants are just two flaps of fabric tied around your body, so your legs can be exposed on the side (depending upon what you're doing.) When you use a heavier fabric you don't have to worry too much about flashing your legs everywhere...the lighter fabrics may flow in the wind a bit more and allow you to show off your gams if you so desire.

The next pair I made is all black (so photos might be a bit difficult to see) and I used a silky rope-like material for the ties. On the front panel of the pants I made the ties very long (probably 4 feet long) so that I could wrap the rope around my waist several times.

On the pack panel of the pants I attached three ties on each side, each about one inch apart.

And...here's the final product!

 

These pants are more of a Spring/Summer item, but if you're bored this winter you can make them while you dream about warm summer sun! I often wear my Thai happy pants to the beach because they're so easy to just untie and dip in the water. You can also throw them on with a tank, some ornate silver jewelry, a patterned scarf and some gladiators or moccasins and rock out the boho-chic style. Anyway you wear em, you can rest assured that you'll be super comfy and feel like a bit of an international traveler.

Song to get you going: Dengue Fever - Seeing Hands

SOMEONE CALL THE DOCTOR

No, I don't have a case of a love bi-polar. What I do have is a project that utilizes materials often used for injuries.

I'm a huge fan of arm accessories and sweet glove-like things, so when I came across these beauts it was instant love. Then I saw the price. What the what? You want me to pay $215 for something that looks like an ace bandage? No way jose, I'll get me some bandages and make them myself.

Here's what you'll need:

- two bandages (width is up to you...I got the target brand for $3.00 a piece)

- fabric dye (mine was $3.50) 

- sink or bucket to dye in (or washing machine if you so desire) 

TOTAL COST: $10

This project is basically one step...more if you want to make your bandages gloves more fancy pants.

Supplies:

Dye both of the bandages (one for each arm) following the directions on the dye. There are also different dying method directions here. I would note that the dye color may not fully take due to the elastic in the bandages. That was just fine by me because I used a black dye and ended up with gray and half of my fall/winter wardrobe is gray. I meant to do that.

Make sure to thoroughly wash your bandages, because if you use a dark color like me and don't wash them well, your arms could be dyed. Then you would be wearing permanent gloves. Not cool. 

Here's how mine turned out.

Once your bandages are all dry, wrap it up! (giggling...to myself. or at myself?) This is where you could get fancy if you feel so inclined and actually stitch the bandages in place so that they stay in their glove shape and then you could just slip them on. I was going to do that...but then I got lazy.

I began by folding the bandage in half so that it doesn't cover my knuckles. As you wrap down your hand unfold the bandage to its full width.

I think these are a neato accessory and they make me feel like a ninja warrior. Hi-ya!

 

Domo arigato.

Song to get you going: Hot Hot Heat - Bandages

SILKIN' IT

Gearing up for the holiday season (under the false pretense that I'll have fabulous holiday parties to attend) I wanted to make something that makes me feel festive and ready to tackle any egg nog that comes my way.

I saw a necklace similar to the one I made, but the necklace I saw was made out of tulle. After completing the project, I realized why the necklace was made out of tulle...it's MUCH easier to work with than silk. But...being me I wanted to make something shiny. My love for shiny things rivals that of babies and ravens. It's pretty serious.

Here's what you'll need:

- 1 yard of silk (or tulle if you're smart)

- needle

- thread

- clasp of your choice 

TOTAL COST: $5.00

Begin by cutting your yard of fabric into strips lengthwise. I did one strip about 3 inches wide, two strips about 2 inches wide and two strips about 1 inch wide. No need to worry about making the cuts perfectly even, as you'll be folding up the fabric and the edges won't matter.

With each strip, you'll fold it in half the long way and accordion fold the entire strip. The 3 inch wide strip I made my folds about 2 inches long, the 2 inch wide strip about 1.5 inches long, and the 1 inch wide strip about 1 inch long. It's up to you depending how much volume you want.

To secure each folded strip, I used bobby pins. Depending upon the fabric you use you can also use safety pins, but given all the layers of silk I was working with it was a bit difficult to get the safety pin through so I had to turn to hair accessories. Whatever works.

They look sort of like pretty silky flowers. Do I feel another project coming on?

Now take your thread and needle and thread all five adorable little bundles together. Make sure you have the two thinnest bundles on the end and the thickest in the middle. Widths going from one end of the other should be 1 inch, 2 inches, 3 inches, 2 inches, 1 inch. Everyone with me? Great.

Once the thread is through (which may be a battle requiring a thimble or other hardware to prevent injury) figure out how long you want the necklace to hang around your neck and tie on your clasps. I used the little ring thing because it's easy to attach and easy to get on and off.

Now, take off the bobby pins and evenly spread out the fabric along the length of the necklace. Beauuuutiful. Since I was working with silk and didn't have any fray check on hand, my ends got a little fuzzy after all the folding. I used a lighter to burn the frayed parts off and prevent future fraying. However, you don't want to let the fabric start on fire and you definitely don't want to let your house start on fire. Just be careful. Or use fray check beforehand.

Here's the finished product. And...

Ta-dah! Throw this sucker on with a little black party dress and get me to some mistletoe! I realize it's not even Thanksgiving yet but a girl can dream.

Song to get you going: Jamie Cullum - I Get a Kick Out of You 

(...because this is a song I would like to hear at a lovely holiday party...preferably being played by a beautiful man on a baby grand piano. Again...allowed to dream.)