So Long, August

I have been avoiding posting all week; after the plaid skirt experience, I just didn't wish to write about it. However, after all that was endured, the skirt was a success. So, here is the before and after of the dreaded skirt.

This is what the skirt looked like, before I cut it open. It was a very long wrap skirt, with a tiny waistline. Pictured below is the resulting aftermath: a much shorter skirt with a more accommodating waistline. I also added the pocket, so that my lip balm would remain, securely, on my person.On the left side of the skirt, at the hip, is an added zipper; which was a HUGE pain to add, but entirely necessary.

 

As I mentioned in my previous post, it was a struggle to finish this project. I was very happy and quite relieved when I finally completed the skirt. With any luck, I'll be happy to wear it. It will be a few months before it's cold enough to wear. Perhaps by then, I won't have such terrible emotions attached to the skirt.....maybe.

 

Yesterday, I finished another skirt and a sweater alteration. I have several repurposing projects that I will do soon, and I'll blog about them too! It is the last day of August; and in many ways the unofficial end of summer here, in New England. The leaves on the trees are already beginning to change color, marking the transition into Fall. Soon, I will be waking to chillier days. My future projects will be reflective of the changing seasons and I'm looking forward to the change.

Tonight, as I sit here typing this post, rain is falling heavily outside my window. Undaunted, I will sip hot cocoa, with Fred at my side, as we sit to watch a movie. Until next time. ~Toodahloo!

Glitches

This post will be all about the many, many glitches that I encountered over the week. As I had mentioned in my previous post, I was working on a skirt, but wished to blog about other things too. I'll begin with the skirt project. Much like this week, I naively approached the project thinking that it would be ridiculously easy accomplish. When I first opened the skirt by cutting off the waistband, there was so much fabric and it was an even rectangle. I looked at the piece of material and thought that I had lucked out. Oh, silly Ladytoesocks! I snagged the fabric, cut off more than I wanted, broke a few sewing needles and, at one point, I think I might have injured myself. A project that was meant to be an afternoon affair quickly escalated into a test in frustration. I had to look at the skirt, more than once, and tell myself to walk away. Otherwise, I had this unnerving feeling that I would soon turn into the Hulk. It took a week to finish and I'm just happy that it is over. I became so burnt out by the project, that I've had to take a wee break from sewing.
Then, the news of a fallen sorority sister, was a disappointment. Cancer, you're relentlessly cruel. So, the stumble in my step sucked out most of my motivation. Any time I wanted to post about a certain topic, I just lacked the energy to do so. Then, when I did try to post, there was a glitch with the computer, again. I looked at all of this and decided to not think about anything. I spent a substantial part of my day staring at endless pins on Pinterest. I sort of needed nothing, I don't mean I didn't want anything, I simply wanted Nothing. All I wanted was for nothing to happen, to be temporarily suspended. It worked wonders and I feel much better.
Now, as I mentioned in a previous post, I need to cover my thoughts on the show "The Adventures of Merlin." The whole Merlin thing happened completely by accident. I was watching my nephews, who insisted on torturing me with a terrible Disney show (bad writing and terrible acting, in my opinion). I suspect fate was paying me back for all the many hours I forced my parents to sit through my viewing of the movie "Annie". My childhood was filled with jazz hands, it was the 1980's, after all.... I digress. In an effort to maintain my composure, I suggested they watch the show "The Adventures of Merlin." The writing and acting was superior and who can resist guys, with swords, in chainmail? Well, after the first episode there was a terrible addiction experienced by myself and my tween/teen nephews. It became another guilty pleasure. After watching the final show of the series, I didn't have the same reaction as I did when David Tennant left "Doctor Who." In fact, I slept just fine that night, I guess I've grown.
Overall, this past week has been totally out of whack, and that's okay. Life goes on, and when I am back in the saddle, I will be able to look at my sewing machine without feeling the sensation as though I were entering a duel. Until then~ Toodahloo!

Potato Stamping

 

When I filled my $5.00 bag with creative possibilities, I included a sheer blouse. Usually, sheer blouses make me think of baby boomer ladies; wearing blouses without camisoles. A white bra worn underneath a thin white shirt is VERY apparent. I also think of that trend in the 1990's, when it was cool to wear black bras underneath sheer black tops. Neither of these looks appeal to me. However, there was something about that blouse that spoke to me. It said, "You want this, this looks like something 'Aria' would wear."

Once the blouse was home with me, I had to decide what to do with it. I immediately envisioned skulls. However, I soon realized that the shirt was too pretty to destroy with paint; the paint would bleed on the it and be too heavy for the light fabric. I made the choice to get a cotton tank to wear underneath, and paint skulls on that, instead.



This past Friday, I was at the mall. As I walked into a clothing store I saw skulls staring back at me from all directions. The last thing that I want is to make something too trendy. So, rather than make a skull stamp that looked like a true artist's rendering of a skull, I decided to make a stamp of a more primitive skull. I looked through photos that I took of colonial graves and I found a skull on a stone that I liked. I made a stamp, in the shape of a skull, by carving a potato. I combined acrylic craft paint with fabric paint medium to use as the "ink." Then, I stamped away!

I did sandwich a newspaper between the layers of fabric, in case the paint bled through. Once the paint was dry, I heat set it with a warm iron. I really like that I used two different metallic paints (bronze and silver) and I layered the paints on some of the skulls. Each skull looks unique and slightly alien-like.

 

Here is the tank top paired with the blouse. I think this will be fun with a skirt or tweed trousers. The skulls make the blouse look a lot less stuffy. The blouse was, most certainly, intended to be worn with a camisole underneath. However, sometimes a girl just wants to have fun.

My next project will be a skirt. However, there are things that I wish to blog about, other than just crafts. I think that I might continue to blog my craft projects every few days, but also write about other things in between. I don't intend to have this blog be all about my crafts; it's just what I've been working on the most, as of late. However, I did just finish watching the final season of the show "The Adventures of Merlin," I have many thoughts about this. I'll keep that majority of those thoughts to myself, but I will write about the show.. among other things, next time. Until then~ Toodahloo!





A Skirt Make-over

When I first spotted this skirt, I noticed the color first, then the texture...wool! What I really liked about the skirt was that it had big, deep pockets. I really adore pockets and they are not always easy to find with skirts. Without pockets, I feel vulnerable...how will I keep lip balm on hand without pockets? What I didn't like about the skirt was the length, easily fixable; but then I spotted the worst offense of the skirt, a deal breaker in the form of an elastic waistband! I returned the skirt to the rack and walked away. However, all weekend, I kept thinking about that skirt and those lovely pockets. I knew that I had to find a way to work it out. So, once Monday arrived and the store was open again, I went back and bought the ugly skirt. The waistband was a gift with purchase. :)

I decided to not use any particular pattern and to use my own design for this piece. First, I removed the excessive length.
 

Then, I cut off that waistband, but I didn't throw it away too soon.
 

I used the extra material that I cut off from the bottom of the skirt to recycle into a waistband. Using the dreaded elastic, I cut a piece from the original waistband and attached it to the back of the new waistband. However, this one is cleverly hidden inside, as I sandwiched it between the fabric. This will provide a hidden belt.
 

With some more left over material, I made a strap with a button hole and added a button to the waist ( the button was a scrap from another project and matched the  buttons on the pockets).
 

Before

 

After

 
 
 
 This is a lovely skirt for Fall and will look adorable with many different sweaters and accessories. The pockets are so deep that I can hold many tubes of lip balm, that is great! I really love the color and the hidden elastic makes me happy. Next, I'll be working on a potato stamp project and that will be a messy adventure. I still have many refashion projects ahead to keep me busy the rest of summer. I will continue to post these as I go along. Then, Fall will be here and I'll have plenty to share then too. Until then~ Toodahloo!

 



I Made My Own Eyeshadow Palette!

Ever since October 2011, I have been watching many make-up tutorials on Youtube. It brings me a lot of joy to watch them. The makeup gurus have taught me so much more about makeup than I ever knew before. They usually have such an upbeat attitude that they put me in a great mood and inspire me. The videos tap into that part of me that would rush to the tv to watch Mtv's "House of Style" and never missed going gaga over the October issue of Vogue. For a portion of my life, I was programmed to believe that this part of myself was shallow and should be avoided. However, I got over that.

One trend that is popular with all of the gurus that I follow is the nude color scheme. Whether it is for lips or eyes, nude is in. Sadly, I don't have a rock n' roll lifestyle and as such, I cannot spend money on massive makeup like others may be able to. So, I decided to make my own "Pretty Lady" eyeshadow palette. With a little bit of spray paint, hot glue, scrapbook paper, a recycled magnetic calendar and an old tin, I was able to make a lovely container for some eyeshadow.

It was a bit of a messy process, I had a lot of shadow on my fingers by the end. However, I really like having the colors all in one palette. The original containers were difficult for me to open, for some reason. Now, I can recreate looks from tutorials using this palette and that will be a lot of fun!
I have already crafted a skirt for a re-fashion and have many more planned to share. Until then~ Toodahloo!

A Fun Refashion Of An Ugly Dress, Pt. 2

Hurray, I figured out my glitch and I'm able to post with my photos! Pictured, above, is the unfortunate dress. I remember my mother having a similarly styled dress, back in the early 1990's. At the time, it was very fashionable and I'm sure some lady felt lovely, while wearing it. However, two decades later, the dress is less than stylish, but it had tremendous potential! I really liked the color and the polka dots, but the applique detail and the shape were not my favorite aspects of the dress.

This part of the dress would have been great for any lady who wished to hide any extra winter dough. On the back, was an elastic waistline. This must have been great for weddings...forgiving for a non-jazzercised figure. However, for my vision of what I wanted the dress to be, it had to go. I was able to, easily, remove it once I turned the dress inside/out.

I tried the dress on, a few days before the refashion. The zipper was very long and difficult to zip, as it was on the back. At one point, the zipper got stuck on the surrounding fabric. Then, I was stuck wearing an ugly dress. I faced that apparel panic often faced by women in many changing rooms.  Suddenly, I was squirming about, thrashing myself from the dress that wouldn't give up. Eventually, I decided to remove it like I would a sweater; then, I was safe.

The experience taught me to NEVER wear anything with a zipper on the back, and to get rid of that beast of a zipper. Done and DONE! Next thing to adjust was the hemline. I did make a booboo when I made the first cut. Since I had already removed the pearl applique area of the dress, nearly 4 inches of the front of the dress was gone. So, when I lined the bottom hem of the front a back and made my cut, the front hemline was obscene! Not to worry, this mistake made for a delightful part of the dress. I took the extra fabric that I cut and added it to the front, as a ruffle. It is super cute and for less naughty looking. Ladytoesocks prefers proper hemlines.

 




I decided that I wanted to add a Peter Pan collar to the dress. I lined the neckline on top of my drawing paper and traced the shape. From there, I drew the collar shape, as I wanted it to look. I must admit, the collar part was the hardest step in the refashion and I was glad that it was over.



After all the trouble that I experienced making this collar, I really like the way that it turned out!

Once I had finished the adjustments, I finally made a last minute decision to open the upper front part of the dress. This way it would be easier to get on. So, I cut a slit from the neck line down to the waist line. After that was properly sewn, I added buttons. I recycled the pearls from the applique and used them as buttons for an extra feminine touch!

                                                               Before the refashion.....

                                                                 ......after the refashion!

I had a tremendously fun time making this dress. I look forward to more refashion projects! Soon, I'll be working on a skirt and a fabulously frugal craft project. Until next time!~ Toodahloo!

A Fun Refashion of An Ugly Dress

So the other day, I visited my local thrift store, which has recently changed hands. I always enjoyed the store, for many reasons. In the past, I have been able to find many materials that I could recycle into craft projects. I have also been able to snag excellent kitchen gadgets that were made during the Reagan era. What is so significant about that, is that 20-30 years ago, appliances were crafted with better quality. My hand mixer, which I found at my thrift store, is much heavier than any hand mixer you'll find at the local box store. Usually, when I get a hand mixer it survives a few months, until I challenge it to mix cookie batter; then I dies a slow, undignified, death.
I was also able to buy an awesome waffle maker; it isn't round, nor square, but a rectangle. It can also be used as a griddle, simply by removing the waffle attachment..amazing. However, this was not the point of my post. The point is, that my thrift store was sold to a new, lovely, owner. The new owner inherited the merchandise from the previous store and she wishes to sell it off, while she brings in new items. This is where the story gets interesting. In an effort to sell items quickly, she is having an amazing bag sale. This inspired me to search for hideous items that could be refashioned into something lovely. I've seen this done before on other blogs, via Pinterest and I was so intrigued. The ladies doing these refashions looked to be having so much fun!
So, I bought a lot of items for only a few dollars and I am up to the challenge. I have a vision for every hideous item. I should add, that I did find some really nice items that I bought to keep as is. I mean, how often can you buy a cashmere sweater for less than a dollar?
However, the items I bought have a lot of potential. I spent the weekend on Pinterest, looking for tips on sewing and searching for images of "Aria Montgomery" fashion. So, for the most part, I am fashioning clothes as inspired by the wardrobe of the character "Aria Montgomery" from the show "Pretty Little Liars." If you haven't watched this show, go do it, it's great. At any rate, I already refashioned one dress. I am anxious to post about it, but for some reason, my pictures won't load. When I can work out that glitch, I'll get on it and post my dress refashion. My next project will be a wool skirt. This is going to be a blast! Until then~ Toodahloo!

I Made A Shower Curtain!

Whenever I go to a store with a friend who's looking for curtains, I feel terribly frustrated. Why are curtains so pricey for something so simple? Most of the time, I see ordinary curtains that don't have anything tremendously special about them; at least,  not anything worth the price at the store.

Usually, I find that curtains, whether they are for showers or windows, are made with a simple straight stitch. The curtains are, merely, panels of fabric. At times, the fabric is a lovely material, but the pattern on it is hideous. Other times, I find the opposite, where the curtains have a fantastic pattern on cheap fabric. Another issue, the color- you might find a great fabric with a beautiful pattern, but the color doesn't match your decor. What to do?

I decided to make my own shower curtains, using supplies that I had already on hand. I purchased white flat sheets, at a thrift store, for 50 cents per sheet. I intended to use them for Halloween costumes and forgot all about them, after stashing them away in a closet. Obviously, the sheets had been washed and bleached before I made the sheet into a shower curtain.

I also used two shades of lavender acrylic craft paint, lids from candles, one large soda bottle and one small soda bottle. I used the bottles and lids to stamp the paint, in a random pattern, on the sheet.

In an effort to thin out the paint and to make it more flexible, I blended a bit of fabric softener into the paint. After spreading the sheet on top of newspaper (the paint bled through the fabric), I began stamping a random pattern onto the fabric. Once the paint was dry, I needed to add tabs onto the sheet so that the curtain could be fastened to a rod. I had matching lavender fabric in my fabric bin, already on hand. Using a sewing machine, I sewed on the tabs so that they could be added to any shower curtain rod, with ease.

In the end, it was a very easy and inexpensive project. It didn't take very long to complete; in fact, it could be done in an afternoon. Since it would be used in a bathroom, I wasn't too concerned with how perfect it looked. I really only wanted a curtain to use over a tacky plastic shower curtain. The random pattern is fun and it will look really cute in a small bathroom. For an investment of less than $2.00, it was worth my effort; it was fun to do and it prevented me from enduring the frustration of curtain shopping.

The satisfaction of making my own curtains, for cheap, was worth the afternoon spent on making the curtains. Honestly, I really dislike spending money on things that I know that I could do myself and  for way less money. Now, I'm looking forward to finding ways to sew curtains for other rooms! Part of the fun will be the challenge of making the curtains for as little money as possible. Frugality is foxy!

In other news...I grabbed vintage dress patterns and a dress at the thrift store and I'm hoping to do some fun crafting with them soon! When I manage to do that, I'll post about it. Until then~ Toodahloo!

It's Never Too Warm For Hot Cocoa

Over the past month, I have been very busy helping out various family members who needed an extra pair of hands. Needless to say, my hands have been very full. Now, I am back and focusing on preparing for summer. It has been very warm here, which has enabled me to complete many tasks that needed some tlc. 

Now that the temperature is warmer, I can finally open a window and let some clean air circulate throughout my room. It is nice to feel a little night chill, especially with a nice mug of hot cocoa sitting on my desk. Ever since childhood, I have been a big fan of hot cocoa. I enjoy the richness of the drink and the various flavors that one can add to it. Up until last year, I always added a lot of sugar to my mixture. I like my cocoa nice and sweet, maybe almost too sweet.

One snowy winter day, I made hot cocoa for myself and my nephews. Being that my nephews were so young, I figured that they would appreciate a sweet cocoa. My nephew couldn't finish my cocoa, because it was too sweet. That was a wake-up call to me. When a child thinks that something is too sweet, it's certainly too sweet. Now, I don't add any sugar to my hot cocoa. I just add cocoa powder to warm milk and whisk it into a frenzy. Oddly enough, I like it better that way...who knew? Now, I am experimenting with various cocoa concoctions, and developing my own wacky methods of hot cocoa preparation. I've even figured out a way to make hot cocoa with a banana! Wacky, wacky stuff! When I have perfected my technique, I shall share it. Until then...~Toodahloo!

Spring Confessions

Sooooooo, like many women today, I have discovered Pinterest. To say that it was a life changing experience, would be a HUGE understatement! I have discovered so many crafts, recipes, a love of pallets, and that I am not alone in a deep love affair with chocolate hazelnut spread. I do what so many do, I think that I will sit down for a mere 15 minutes, searching for ideas. Before I know it, an hour has passed and I have no idea what just happened on "Being Human." Luckily, I can always catch the show, again, later. However, it has been an extremely useful resource and it has opened my eyes to blogs that I would, otherwise, never see! So, I am happy for it.

Which brings me to my crafting and cooking. I have been very busy, over the winter, and I have crafted and baked like never before. Unfortunately, it rarely occurs to me to capture my projects on camera, and they go undocumented. :( I do hope this will change soon. It is Spring now, and I find myself transitioning into the cleaning and de-cluttering mode. Over the winter, I have gathered many supplies, which I wish to dedicate to crafts. This is where the clutter lies. I will be spending the weekend, gathering all of the clutter and organizing it for each craft. Then, I will set a date for each craft on a calender to complete. I always have more success with projects if I write it down on a "To Do" list. The more crafts that I complete, the more clutter will be removed from my space. This will be a good thing to accomplish. With any luck, I will remember to put fresh batteries in my camera and blog about my crafts and my culinary adventures.

Finally, I have also discovered fantastic beauty gurus on Youtube. These makeup artists not only have taught me so much about make-up, but have re-awakened something within me that was long lost. I will share these fantastic vloggers with you in another blog, because I think they more attention than just a simple mention in a craft post.

Oh, sigh Spring is here, the weather is better and great things are to come! Until next time!~ Toodaloo!

I Completed The Doggy Jacket!

The Autumnal Equinox has passed, bringing forward colder nights and chilly mornings. My canine baby requires a jacket; due to low body fat and short hair. I decided to repurpose an old tweed jacket into a lovely doggy jacket. First, allow me to explain that a) I never wore the jacket b) I bought it during the tweed fashion craze a few fall seasons ago and c) I obtained it at a local church rummage sale for, about, $3.00.

The jacket, lovely as it was, felt too masculine to me and I could never bring myself wear to it. So, it sat, unloved in my bedroom closet for a long while. The great thing about the use of the jacket, is that, I still have plenty of material left over to use to repurpose into a handbag project for another day!

I used a fleece doggy jacket that I already had to trace into a pattern. This way, I would be certain that the jacket fit properly. I also traced the pattern of the jacket onto an old flannel shirt that I bought at the rummage same rummage sale as where I purchased the tweed jacket. I used the flannel as a liner.

 


I placed the layers with their right sides facing each other. I had to use a no. 16 size needle and a large stitch, because the tweed was so thick. I finished the belly straps with the addition of green felt and Velcro. I added a collar on the back of the neck line and for the breast strap, I added a wine colored bow tie. For an added touch, a sewed a button from the jacket on each side of the collar, which helped to keep the collar pinned down.

Here is a side view of the jacket.

 

 

Overall, I think that this jacket will keep my pooch nice and toasty once November comes along. Also, my doggy not only looks very stylish, but he's ready any time he wishes to go to a Doctor Who theme party! I look forward to what my next project will be. Until next~ Toodaloo!