Makeover Monday (on a Tuesday)

It's makeover Monday... on a Tuesday! Whoops, guess I dropped the ball on that one.

I loved the lavender color and little floral print on this set, but it was a bit too "grandmother dressed for Sunday Mass" in its before state.  So, I cropped both the top and the skirt to make it more modern, and then added a yellow pom pom trim for a bit of fun!

Outfit Details
Skirt Set - for sale in the shop here!
Headband - gift
Heels - Marshalls

Anyway, this week is not my favorite so far, but I'm hoping it can just go up from here! Nothing a little dose of sunshine can't fix!
xo Hannah

Makeover Monday: Tropical Peach

It's been awhile since I've done a makeover monday post! With summer quick approaching, I have been doing alterations to a ton of vintage sets for the shop, which are my favorite!  This set started out as capris with little jeweled dangles on the leg and a normal length blouse.  I went ahead and made it into shorts and a crop top instead, and while I was going to originally add my signature pom pom trim, I thought this set was cute enough alone without it!

Outfit Details:

Vintage Set - for sale in the shop this week!

Shoes - Swell.com

Jacket - Rue21

Sunnies - c/o Kameleonz

Anyway, we finally had a beautiful hot and sunny weekend here.  We didn't really do anything special, but spent lots of time outside in the yard, which was perfect!  Hope you guys had a good one too!

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 

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

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!

Makeover Monday: Falling for Plaid

It's makeover Monday! I am really liking this series so far because it motivates me to always be working on something crafty or artistic for the next week.  Last week I did not include the pictures of the process, but I decided to do a step by step this week so you guys can copy it if you like it!  With cooler weather quick approaching (I rode my bike to work today while it was around 50 degrees, BURRR), scarves are one of my go-to transitional accessories. Another thing I cannot get enough of this time of year is adding plaid back into my wardrobe.  Plaid gives floral a run for the money in terms of my very favorite print! So without further adieu, I bring to you a long plaid dress that I transformed into an infinity loop scarf! 

 

1. This is the perfect DIY if you are hemming a long dress with a soft, thicker fabric and wider skirt.  First, measure and mark where you will cut your dress.  If you are interested to see what the new shortened dress turned out like, you can see it here (it is heading off to a lovely lady in Hong Kong today)!  After you cut you dress, you will be left with the bottom piece of fabric, which is what you will be using to make your scarf! I did not have to cut mine at all as it was a good size already when I wrapped it around my neck twice.

 

2. After you have the piece bottom fabric cut and ready, you should lay it flat and fold over the rough cut edge twice. My fold was about 3/4 inch.  Keep the fold in place with pins. I also removed the two buttons that were left over from the end of the dress.

 

3. Now you are ready to sew! Sew the bottom edge of the fold, as pictured, using a simple straight stitch. Pull out the pins as you get to them.  When you get to the end, make sure to turn the corner and sew the edge down too. 

4. Next, you will connect the two ends so your fabric forms a circle.  Align the two ends and pin them in place.  Proceed to sew the two ends together.  I tried to follow the seem that was already on the fabric for aesthetic reasons.  

5.  Now you have your circle scarf! You can easily stop here, but I wanted to add buttons to mine because I thought that would add a cute touch at the back of the neck.  Plus, I liked that it paid homage to the fact that it used to be a plaid button up!  I used a white sewing pencil to mark where I want my 5 buttons to be placed in a row along the edge where I had just sewn the two ends together.  I used a needle and thread to sew my buttons into place.  

6. Once your done, wrap it twice around your neck for the perfect cozy fit.  Ta-da, now you have a new fall/ winter scarf, perfect for latte sipping and pumpkin picking! 

Let me know if these steps were clear and helpful! If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments section and I will reply.  Also, if you have an ideas or requests for future makeovers, I would love to hear them! I hope you all are having a lovely start to you week!
xo Hannah