Sail Away {Makeover Monday}

Hi guys! It's been quite awhile since I showed a little makeover here on the blog!  While I do small alterations to most of the vintage I sell in the shop, 99% of the time I am working on a large pile of clothes at once and always forget to take before pictures!  For this darling sailor dress, I actually remember to take  before and after though, so without further adieu...

 So, the dress was pretty darn cute to begin with but the length and sleeves felt a bit frumpy.  I altered the hem and sleeves to make it a bit more modern and wearable.  What do ya think?!  It's now listed for sale in the shop here if you're interested!

I also want to say a great big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to R today! We went to the Denver zoo yesterday for an early celebration and the zoo people let him in for free, gave him a birthday pin, and even a certificate for free ice cream! I can't wait until he gets home from work so he can open presents!

Anyway, lots to do before we leave on our big Italy trip on Thursday!  I hope you're all having a great start to you week!  Oh and if you haven't entered my cardigan giveaway yet, please do so here!  We need about ten more entries for it to count! Thanks guys!
xo Hannah

Nautical Mini Vases DIY

With moving to a new house last month, I definitely have had a case of the DIY/ decorating/ nesting bug so I'm going to start sharing a few projects and recipes on here!  With a yard full of fresh blooming flowers, I realized I had nothing to put them in.  Rob had brought home a case of cute little Sessions bottled beers, so I decided to clean & save a few of the empties to hold little fresh cut flowers.  I added the white nautical rope as to give them a more finished & summery vibe!

Project Cost:
About $2 for the rope, I already had all of the other materials.

Supplies needed:
Glue gun
Glue Sticks
Recycled bottles of your choice
Rope (from craft store)

 Step 1. Put a dab of glue at the end of the rope and start rolling it into a tight circle.  Put dots of glue intermittently to hold it together while rolling.

 Step 2. Once the rope circle is approximately the size of the bottom of the bottle, attach the circle to the bottom with glue.

 Step 3.  Start wrapping the bottle with rope, making sure to intermittently put dots of glue every inch or so to hold it in place.

 Step 4.  Cut off end at the height you would like, securing the frayed end in place with extra glue.

Note: I did half of my bottles wrapped to the base of the label, and for the other two I removed the label and wrapped the rope higher.  Whatever you think looks best!

And there you have it: cute little vases to put buds in!  These would look super cute on outdoor tables for a 4th of July BBQ.  Have you been doing any summery projects lately?  If you've posted a DIY, link to it and I would love to take a peak!
xo Hannah

Jungle Fever {Makeover Monday!}

Hello and happy Monday! Hope you guys are ready for another little clothing makeover I did recently! 

Sometimes when I am on the hunt for vintage treasures for the shop, I spot something that is quite frumpy in its current form, but then an idea pops into my head about how to spruce it up for the modern day gal.  So was the case with this Jungle Parrot print blouse and shorts set.  I instantly fell in love with the wild print and knew it would look even cuter as a crop top and high waisted shorts set.  Then, the idea to add pom pom fringe came to me and the rest is crazy.  Beware, this makeover is not for the feint of heart ;)

Outfit Details:

Jungle Parrot Set - Vintage/ DIY

Vintage Oxfords - for sale in the shop here!

Sunnies - Lulu*s

    Anyway, this outfit may be more appropriate for a tropical beach than the mountain road trip we took this weekend, but you've got to work with what you've got.  And here in Colorado, there's no beach in sight (unfortunately).  To do this makeover, I took up the length of the blouse and the shorts a few inches each, hemmed them on my sewing machine, and then added the pom pom fringe mostly by hand, since my sewing machine wasn't being very cooperative.  I got the pom poms from Jo Ann Fabrics, and now am thinking about a whole line of cute crop top with pom pom fringe for the shop.  What do you guys think? If only I could figure out how to make my machine cooperate with the thick materials a bit more, because this took me hours and hours to do by hand!

     This set should be up in the shop later this week!  And in other exciting news, I am doing a giveaway over on Southern (California) Belle today!  The winner will get a custom designed floral crown in the colors and size of their choice, handmade by me! All you have to do to enter is be a follower of this blog, so head on over to enter here!

xo Hannah 

DIY Rustic Spring Wreath

Hello!

     I don't even know if this can be called a DIY because its so simple and self explanatory, but today I am going to show you how I took a Christmas wreath I had laying around and turned it into a Rustic Spring Wreath.

This is what the wreath looked like before.  It was a basic evergreen wreath with a few pinecones and red berries. 

The supplies needed are:

• Basic Green Wreath
• Faux Flowers
• Scissors
• Tape (Floral or electric)

I then cut individual flowers and went around attaching them sporadically throughout the wreath.  I originally was using green floral tape to wrap the base of the stems, but the tape wasn't sticking very well so I switched to black electric tape (which looks ugly from the back, but is completely invisible from the front).

And this is how it came out after! I stayed with a pink and red color scheme to play off of the red berried that were already present on the wreath.

Now my little sewing nook behind my desk is ready for spring!  Have you been doing and spring cleaning or projects around the house lately?
xo Hannah

Makeover Monday

It's been awhile since I did a Makeover Monday post here!  I thought I would share a cute little makeover I did this past week on a vintage shorts set I bought for the shop.  Recently, I have been looking for sets for the shop, and want it chock full of cute cropped tops and spring items!  When I spied the safari animal print on this set on the racks, I knew it had potential but it was very frumpy in its original state.  So here you have it: the makeover!

To do this makeover, I took up the length of both the shorts and the blouse and then hemmed them.  I also took up the sleeve length a bit after I was done because the original sleeves didn't look quite right on the new cropped top.  

The set will be in the shop later this afternoon :)  Have you ever given a makeover to a piece of clothing? I would love to hear more about it!

xo Hannah

Coffee Dress: A Stylish Dress Book Review

     I have to say... Monday is just a little bit more bearable now that I'm my own boss! Even though I am waking up at the same time and trying to keep a pretty regular schedule, Sunday evening was not filled with the normal cloud of gloom hanging over my head as when I was going into the office every Monday.  Anyway, on to more important things like this dress, which I am pretty excited about because it is the first thing that I have ever sewed from scratch!  Oh yeah, and the fabric that I used has a COFFEE print (which I found at my local Jo Ann Fabrics).  *Fuzzy kitty by my feet not included.

A few months ago, the awesome people at Laurence King Publishing sent me two sewing books to review by Japanese designer and seamstress Yoshiko Tsukiori.  The Sweet Dress Book and the Stylish Dress Book both contain beautifully styled lookbook images, as well as 26 sewing patterns so you can make the garments yourself at home!
    I will start off by saying that I have never in my life used a sewing pattern or tried to make something from scratch.  I really only ever learned how to fix hemlines and do small alterations to already made clothing, so I was a bit nervous to try something on my own!  This project did take me a few weeks to create, but mainly because I only had time to squeeze in an hour here or there on weekends.  I chose pattern B for a simple looking drop waist dress out of the Stylish Dress Book and couldn't be happier with how it turned out!  While I did have to look up a few of the sewing terms online, I think these books are wonderful for anyone with a basic sewing knowledge and I am so excited to create more!  If you want to take a peak inside the book, you can flip through a few sample pages on the Laurence King Publishing website here!  And if you have any other questions about my experience with the book or about the sewing part itself, I would be happy to answer your questions in the comment section!
     Have you guys ever used a sewing pattern before?  If you have ever made anything and showed it on your blogs, I would love to take a peak!  Have a great start to your week!
xo Hannah

DIY Heart Pillow

In the midst of helping R move into his new apartment all weekend, I actually found a bit of free time on Sunday to do some crafting that has been on my list for forever.  Around Valentines Day, I saw an oversized plush heart pillows at target that I really wanted but wanted to try making myself.  I immediately went out and bought red fuzzy fabric, and now three and a half months later, I actually sat down to make the pillow!

Supplies Needed: Fabric, pillow stuffing, scissors, ruler, marker, pins, needle, thread, sewing machine (or you can hand sew it if you are feeling ambitious and don't have a machine!)
1. Draw out a large heart on the back side of the fabric.  I did mine by hand and use a ruler to draw in some center lines so it was even. 

2.  Cut out the heart, but cut about a 1/4 or 1/2 and inch on the outside of the line. This way, you can actually use the line as what you will be following for your seam.

3. Sew along the line, slowly turning the fabric as you go around the curves.

4. Leave an opening in the bottom of the heart so you can easily stuff the polyester filling inside. 

5.  Turn the fabric right side out and stuff, trying to make sure it is even.

6. Hand sew the bottom opening closed with a needle and thread.

TA DA! Now you have a cute throw for your bedroom or couch!

This was my first time trying something like this and it was really easy and more affordable than buying pillows from the store.  I love me some throw pillows, but man can they get pricey! Have you guys ever tried making your own pillows or plush toys before? I think I want to try a kitty stuffed animal or something next! Any recommendations?

xo Hannah

p.s. I am posting over on Flock Together today and would love if you guys stopped by to say hello!

Makover Monday is back!

Hello Friends! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  Today I would like to bring back a series on the blog I started awhile ago but quickly let slide: Makeover Monday!  On makeover Monday I'll share some before and after photos of a piece of clothing I have recently altered and given new life to!
     Today's makeover is a 90s plaid button up I bought at a thrift store a few weeks ago.  I loved the bright summery plaid but was not a big fan of the poofy sleeves or boring length, so I decided to make it into a crop top!

 Cropped Blouse - for sale in shop here! // Shorts - Vintage- thrifted // Shoes - Mojo Moxy via DSW

      First, I removed the sleeve seams with a seam ripper, always a slow process but it always is worth it.  You can also just cut off the sleeves, but the benefit of using a seam ripper is that the folded sleeve hem will still be in place! All I had to do was fold it inward once more and sew a new seam!  Then, I marked the new desired length with a marker, cut it, and hemmed the bottom. That's all folks!
     The newly made-over crop top is now for sale in my shop.  If people seem interested in these button up crop tops, I may make a few more too! I can't wait to pair them with sandals and a high waisted maxi skirt next!
xo Hannah
p.s. Don't forget to enter our Giveaway on the Flock Together blog here to win a $75 gift card to Modcloth!