The Rainy Day Blues...and Pinks

Are you experiencing unpredictable weather in your neck of the woods?  Well, we are.  Don't get me wrong.  Hawaii is a beautiful place to be especially as we're entering the winter/humpback whale season; but lately, the weather has been slightly bipolar.   It's hot and humid one day, blustery hurricane winds the next, torrential downpour to follow, with temperatures ranging from 52-99 degrees F thrown in for good measure. 
*Disclaimer:  I know, 52 is a lot warmer than most of you experience in the winter, but....its Hawaii

Today just so happened to be a scattered shower/no school day which meant one thing:  indoor entertainment.  Luckily for me, my Little Guy enjoys crafting as much as I do.  So after a scavenger hunt through my refashion drawer we came up with this:

an old/tunic that I originally bought from a Forever 21 type junior store and

a jersey racerback tank.

 

The print and colors of this tunic were to die for but had one major problem....

 the super plunging neckline!

Since the scoop-neck neckline of the racerback is more flattering, I decided to make this the new top portion of the tunic by cutting it below the bust.

I then seam ripped the tunic above the elastic ruched waist.

With right sides together, placed the tank over the tunic and stitched all around the waist using a zig zag stitch to allow the stretch.

Snipped a few inches of the bottom and hemmed...

And the problem plunging neckline is no more.

Of course with all this cabin fever the Little Guy couldn't contain himself.

Here he is doing his best Mary Poppins impersonation while I'm trying to get a good after pic and again...

When I wasn't looking...talk about talented.

Always singing in the rain, 

lori

A Super Mario Halloween

If you've been keeping up with my blog, you already know that Halloween is kind of a big deal to me.  The warm fall colors everywhere, pumpkin added to just about everything, and the fact that I can stroll around in a costume all day without getting "the look."  I am pleased to report that Halloween is turning out to be a big deal to my Little Guy as well; which made costume coordinating super fun this year.  After much deliberation our choices for matching costumes were as follows:  Finn & Jake from "Adventure Time" (my personal fav, I might add), Iron Man & Wonder Woman,  or Scooby Doo & Shaggy. 

And the winner is.....

Mario & Luigi...again?

This albeit dynamic duo didn't make the short list for one very big reason...

we rocked it out as Mario & Luigi 2 years ago!!!  But, as the Little Guy does get 50% of his genetic code from moi...there was NO changing his mind.  Since he got to pick out his own costume, mine was the only one I had to worry about modifying.  Luckily I had these on board:

Little Guy's old Mario hat, my set of Gap overalls  I have had since high school (i know, very old school), and the refashioned t-shirt turned jacket I used last year for my Veronica Lodge costume found here.

I began by seam ripping the monogrammed "V" from the jacket (*sniff)

Once completed, I turned the jacket to the inside and pinned the opening the jacket together.  Stitched close to the edge to transform jacket back into jersey shirt.

Traced two large circles onto scrap piece of yellow felt I had hiding in my craft stash and cut out.

 I secured the yellow buttons using adhesive velcro dots (hey, they're super convenient).  With right sides of the velcro together I secured one adhesive end on the bib, positioned the yellow button to cover the fastener and pushed down to secure on the velcro adhesive.

Finally, I seam ripped the hat at the center seam to let it out a bit and make room for my noggin. 

And there you have it, Mario & Luigi; or should I say Luigi & Mario, make their Halloween debut.  Again.  Oh well, you can't win them all.

lori

15 minute refashion: Business chic skirt

Trying to beat the heat in the past week (word play totally unintentional, but let's face it...i have mad skillz) has been near impossible.  Day 1:  water play day with our pooch Milo.  Day 2:  swimming at a buddy's fresh water pond.  Day 3:  devise a plan to wear less clothing but still be publicly acceptable.  Enter this little ditty:

 Nothing special here, just your run of the mill business casual department store skirt that was a little too long, a little too big, and a little too used. Most likely cast off for the following:

unraveling at the seams.

I loved the color and the fact that it could stretch and figured with a little time, could be turned into a "mom" appropriate mini skirt to add to the "beat the heat" arsenal.

 Took in the skirt about 1 inch on each side seam, which eliminates those unsightly unraveled seams.

Stitched with a zigzag stitch first because the material is stretch and I thought it needed it, but discovered that it also needed a straight stitch for stability.  Trimmed and discarded the excess.

Then I cut about 2 inches off the bottom, turned in the hem twice and stitched.

Because the skirt was meant for business, there was a back zip and seam.  Since taking the skirt in at this seam might have caused some unsightly puckering, decided to let it be and instead used my fuzz shaver to eliminate those seam threads.

And with a few minutes to spare,  I have a brand new versatile mommy-mini skirt that is cool, relaxed, and kiddie appropriate.

And the Little Guy Ham demonstrating the TA-DA moment in his very own "beat the heat" ensemble.

Stay cool peeps!!

lori

Prom Bombing

Well, I'm unsure if it's the weather, the unending list of things I have to complete in a given day, or the fact that I have absolutely NO time to care how I look; but, I have been LIVING in my jeans lately.  No, really.  I had to stop myself from buying a pair of "pajama jeans" while at the checkout at Walmart the other day.  A decision that I am sadly regretting right about now. 

Anywho, when having to decide what to wear to Little Guy's "Meet the Teacher" night at his new school, there was no question...jeans and a top.  Enter this little ditty:

 Prom bomb, bridesmaid dress, or something in between?  All I was sure of was that while the color was fantastic, the stretch satin was sooo not flattering, and a little too formal for everyday wear.  I loved the ruched detailing though, and thought a quick fix would do this dress justice.

 The fit up top was a bit baggy so I seam ripped the straps at the back,

 and marked about 1 inch from the original seam.  I placed the straps back into place and stitched.

I measure about 5 1/2 inches from the end of the ruched detailing and snip.

 Then folded in the new hem twice and stitched...zig-zag style.

 Finished product with my favorite (okay, one of my favorite) pairs of jeans, just in time to "Meet the Teacher."

But first...a little Fatburger and chocolate milk shake for the Little Guy.

Toodle,

lori

I don't always shop retail...

...but when I do, I ALWAYS make this funny face:

 

 Yup.  My sleep deprived, slightly cross-eyed, "hope I secured my camera well enough so it doesn't fall and break like the last one" look.  

I bought this little ditty eons (read: I don't really remember) ago at a popular clothing chain that rhymes with "Sold Gravy."  Now in my defense, I was actually in "Sold Gravy" in an attempt to find Little Guy some adjustable shorts because he literally grows like a weed (a giant weed, I might add), and there just so happened to be an additional 50% off clearance promotion.  Let's face it, I'm a creature of habit.  Of course I loved the girly print and color combo, and the fit was surprisingly okay, albeit a bit long.  With plans to shorten and utilize for church, I filed the dress in the back of my closet where it was abducted by the closet gods, never to be seen until 2 days ago.  Go figure.

 Enlisting the help of a discarded white tank in my refashion stash, snipped about 8 1/2 inches from the bottom hem.  New top..check.

Then, I snipped the bust off of the original dress right above the waist using my super-de-dooper pinking shears.  New skirt...check, check.

With right sides together, I placed the white top over the skirt, and stitched using a zigzag stitch with a 5/8" seam allowance at the top unfinished edge.

 The top was a bit stretched out (the numero uno reason it was to be refashioned) and needed a bit more support.  I folded the top down about 1 inch and stitched, making sure to leave a small section open, in order to form a casing for some elastic.

 Attached length of elastic to safety pin and threaded into new casing.

 At this point, I tried the dress on, adjusted the elastic to my liking, marked the closure with the safety pin, and stitched the elastic.  I also stitched the opening in the casing closed.

To tackle the length, I placed my most fave refash over the skirt, matching at the waistline and snipped.  Folded in the hem and stitched again. 

 Presto, Chango!  Completed in enough time to meet the gals for KK's B-day festivities at Monsoon India.

The view from our table.  *insert collective sigh*

 Enjoying the food, booze, and company.

Happy Birthday KK!!

Toodles,

lori

Working the Magic...

...Magic Mike that is.  Quite possibly one of the most highly anticipated movies of ALL time (move over Breaking Dawn and Hunger Games) due mostly in part to the following:

While I'm not a huge Channing Tatum fan, this movie was the perfect "Mommy's Night Out" flick...well, for obvious reasons.  Of course the gals had to pull my leg to go (not really) and I was mostly interested in the storyline (bwahahahaha), it served as the perfect opportunity for me to whip out this little ditty:

Scored for a mere $1, this colorful little ensemble was brand new with tags.  I was especially drawn to the vibrant print and gauzy material.

Unfortunately the intricate bead detailing up front was a bit much and soooo not Magic Mike worthy.  Removed post haste with handy dandy seam ripper.

Almost done!  

 I decided to take advantage of the crisscross wrap neckline and fluttery sleeves and turn this into a kimono inspired top.  I began by taking in the shoulder seams by  2 inches.  I wanted the sleeves to be as fluttery as possible, so left these untouched. 

I then removed the satin tie at the seam from the left side.  Once removed, I folded the raw edge to the wrong side and stitched.  Of course, having matching orange thread to do this would have been ideal, BUT as my last post stated, I'm a little "redneck" and didn't want to head to the store to buy some.

Lining up the tie with the cross at the bust, stitched to the band trying to overlap my white stitches to make it less obvious.  When tied with the remaining strap from the right side of the top, this detail will serve as a belt and cinch the waist.

Paired with my favorite jeans and "movie purse" I was ready to meet the girls and take one for the team.

Waiting patiently in line with about 200 other fabulous females (and 3 males) to watch the MAGIC!

Let's hear it for the boys!

lori