Sewing Project / Linen Black Vest

I know this is not such an extraordinary project, but I have been wanting to make a simple black vest like this for years. Besides Audrey Hepburn, my other fashion icon is Diane Keaton. Many years ago(I think I was in Jr. high) I watched Annie Hall. I enjoyed the movie, but above all, I was in love with what Diane was wearing and how she was wearing it. It was very different than Audrey's signature feminine style, but the style I saw in the movie left a strong impression...

I don't know why I just didn't do it much sooner. Unlike a more dressy, formal vest (the kind that is made out of suit material), I made this with linen and no lining. It's meant to be worn daily, casually and I probably won't even iron it.

I love clothing that has uniqueness and character, but it is always nice to have simple items such as this. I can think of many ways that I can coordinate this vest with things that I already own. Most of the clothing I have are pretty feminine, but I feel like adding stuff like this to my wardrobe will create an interesting edge.

For example, wear it over a pinstriped shirt (made out of very light weight cotton). Wear it with dark charcoal dress- the vest won't stand out, but it is still there... I think the subtle difference is nice. I can button it up and wear it under a jacket in fall and winter. I am planning to wear this all year long! But today, I am wearing it with a cream colored dress and brown belt. It is perfect for the end of summer beginning of fall weather.

Do you have an item that you have been wanting to add to your wardrobe? Just a simple item might give you a whole new prospect for what you already have. :)

New Jewelries with Colors Outside of My Norm

Bah... I have been sick the last couple of days and today I finally felt better. There are things needing my attention right away, but I wanted to take a little bit of time to post some jewelries I have created before I got sick.

I love to combine beads, charms, buttons and other findings to create one of a kind unique items. This time was no exception, but I worked with a different color scheme outside of my norm. Pink and yellow.

*Pink

I made a two layer pink necklace with solid color pink shiny beads to create very subtle drama...

Then, I made my usual. It is so much fun picking the right parts and moving them around till I find the right position for each one of them.

Then, this yellow beauty... Usually I am not a yellow person, but I love how this one turned out!

It is fun to work with different colors sometimes. I feel like I discovered I like yellow more than I thought after I made this necklace, if that ever makes sense.

I am always looking out for unique findings; if I have enough to create other color scheme necklaces I will share them with you. :)

Shoes Refashion ~ $4 Shoes to Two Tone Beauties

Psst... I have been sewing something lately and it is done, but I can't reveal what it is until a couple months from now... Just a little teaser here, hehehe.

In the meantime, I just painted another pair of shoes I found at a thrift store.

Here is how they look before...

Then after...

If you have been reading my blog for a while, it is no secret that I love thrift stores and garage sales. I love finding things for cheap and giving them a second life by fix them up and adding my personality to them. There is one thing I hardly ever buy... shoes.

There is something about shoes that I usually stay away from. If I decided to buy, it has to look brand new or very close to brand new. On top of that it has to be the right size, right style, right height (with my prosthetic it has to have a heel 1 1/2" or less), what are the odds of finding a pair that qualify based on those standards???

I was at a thrift store the other day, and found such shoes, can you believe it?

When I first looked at them, I thought "!!!!!".

Then when I took a second look I thought "It looks a little granny-ish..."

It wasn't until the third glance that I saw the potential.

I have been wanting to have two tone shoes, I decided that these shoes are a perfect candidate for them!

In the picture, the main part looks more like light beige, but it is actually light gray. I went back and forth if I should do gray + peachy orange or gray + mint green. When I looked in my closet, I noticed that I have some mint green clothes... I decided to go with that. After I painted them with gray + mint green, I felt like still there was something missing. After thinking it over for sometime, I decided to add a line of gold. Than I thought "YES!".

I love how my $4 thrift store find turned out. I can wear them with casual outfits like this, or with something more dressy. I am looking forward to enjoying them for a while. :)

Special note: Big thanks to Mr.TRH for taking picture of me before our date night. XOXO

Shoes Refashion ~ Plain Black MaryJane to Anna Bond Inspired Shoes

I bought these flat black Mary Janes 10+ years ago. They are comfortable, but I hardly ever wear black clothes or shoes. They have been sitting in my closet collecting dust.

I have been drawing lately and was inspired by Anna Bond... My love for floral designs started when I was very young and I have never gotten tired of them. When I was organizing my closet last week I found the black shoes and was going to give them to DI, but decided to give it a make over just like I did a while ago with these shoes. After all, they are very comfortable shoes...

This time I kind of wanted to do a Swedish fork art style floral design and decided to just dive in to it. The only challenge was, I don't have that many different colors of leather paint. I had to work with what I have and I made my own colors by mixing them up.

Yay! They are done! It is time to try them on.

I am so glad I organized my closet, I found this blue cardigan that goes perfectly with my new shoes!

I love how they turned out, they look pretty much like what I had in mind. I know those one of a kind painted shoes cost a pretty penny, mine just cost me my time and some paints. Better yet, I enjoyed the creative process so much!

I should go 'shopping' in my closet more often. :)

New Pattern ~ Winter Daisy

I have been working on this pattern for the last couple weeks. It is easy for me to whip something up, but it is VERY challenging to create a pattern on the computer. Since I am technologically challenged and have no knowledge about how Adobe, GIMP or Publisher works, I am just experimenting with stuff and trying to come up with a look that I want for my pattern.

Phew... it's done! :) I listed them on my shop and they will be sold at a couple local shops too. I am so very excited about this. It has been a long time since I felt like I am on the move (sewing or business aspect of my life wise). One thing I can say is that I. LOVE. to. CREATE. There is no doubt about that.

I am also going to teach a class for this pincushion at Harmany again in October. The class fee include the pattern and I am going to make a kit. They have a list of many wonderful classes, if you are local you might wanna check out their class schedule.

This unique pincushion is a combination of everything pretty. The coziness of wool felt, the beautiful flower print showing through the window, cute buttons and lovely trims around it! This mostly hand sewn pincushion is very fun to make and it will be a perfect holiday gift for yourself or for your friends.

Please go check it out and let me know if you have any questions!

Three Way Tablier ~ Getting Ready for Fall

It has been a while since the last post! Before I start writing about the Tablier, let me share where I am in life (just a part of it) a little... I feel like I finally got the rhythm back in my life, since the kids went back to school. Some people asked me the ultimate question.

"What do you do all day, now that your kids are all in school??"

I asked myself the very same question once. Though, I really don't have "all day". After I send my family off in the morning, I start working on the house work. Because I get busy after I pick up kids, I prefer to start working to prep the dinner. Sometimes I need to go places to run some errands, and the day after my kids started school two of the kids got sick, so I was tending to them for the first week.

Well, getting back to the subject... So, usually, I think I have three hours or so for me to do whatever I want, if I don't have other obligations. The first thing that popped in my head was to "SEW" and next was "BLOG". Years ago when I started blogging, I had no idea how long I would keep blogging or what I wanted to do with it. At one point I was so into blogging, coming up with tutorials constantly, up dating 3, 4 times a week. It was fun, but with the move and other happenings in life, I needed to re-evaluate myself and my life and decide how I would distribute my time.

I know some people are very focused and energetic, and can do it all (at least it seems that way) but I am not one of those people. I don't think I am a multi tasker. If I spread myself too thin, often times I catch myself being frustrated and people I love the most, my family are the ones who feel that the most.

I had decided to cut back on sewing and blogging for a while till things calm down. That is why you haven't seen me up-dating my post as often as I used to.

Now, we have been in our house for a year, the kids are back to school and I am not doing a series of procedures right now (though that might start up again).
You know what that means? I. Am. Ready.

I consider myself very lucky to know what I love to do. Thinking about what to make, what fabrics and trims to combine and drawing designs makes me happy. Sharing them on my blog is like icing on the cake - adds extra sweetness and joy! I will still be careful and go at my own pace, but I promise you, you will see me and my projects a lot more.

I just want you to know how grateful I am for those of you who still check back and send me kind emails.

BOY, that was a long intro, but I am ready to share my latest project. I have a lot of Japanese sewing books. For years I have been collecting the books more than actually sew anything from them. I have decided to start making them! The first thing I decided to make was this three way Tablier. "Tablier" is Apron in French. I can wear this three ways as a skirt, or dress as pictured below. Isn't it very interesting shape?

I was going to make it with black at first, but when I saw this deep emerald green linen at Joann fabric, I pictured myself wearing it with some fall items.

There are many ways to coordinate this item, but this is how I wore it one day.

When the weather gets colder, I can pull out my over sized scarf too.

Just like the sewing book, I can always coordinate with tights or leggings too!

Thinking about fall leaves under my boots... are you ready for fall?

Thank you for visiting today, everyone. I am working on a new item right now, hopefully I will be ready to share it soon. :)