Refashion Runway 4, Week 5: Riverside

Our final challenge for this season of Refashion Runway was Riverside Blue, predicted to be one the hottest colors for fall 2016 by the Pantone Color Institute. Have a look at what I cooked up below, then head over to The Renegade Seamstress to see the other competitors' project and vote for your favorite!

Photo credit: Pantone

I actually had quite a hard time finding something in this blue hue. Everything seemed to be too royal blue or too navy or too teal, but eventually I found this 100% cotton wrap dress with just the slightest hint of purple. Just what I was looking for!

Refashion Runway 4, Week 3: Buttons

On this episode of Refashion Runway, the contestants were given the theme "Buttons" to inspire our creativity! Have a gander at my project below before you hop on over to The Renegade Seamstress to see the other entries and vote for your favorite!

I picked up this giant, blue, faux wrap dress at Thrift City a couple months ago with the intention of turning it into the shirt dress of my dreams, and this button challenge played right into my hands!

DIY Earring Display

Sometimes, when you're a maker of things, you tend to accumulate an abundance of said things. Sometimes, you run out of room to store these things. Sometimes, you have to make new things to organize your existing things. This weekend I made a new earring stand to accommodate my collection. I was pinspired by this, although I went about it a little differently.

First, the supplies:

• Mesh trash can - I found one for $5.99 at Tuesday Morning
• Lamp base at least a couple inches taller than the trash can - $5.99 from Goodwill
• Epoxy - I already had some on hand from a previous repair project
• Wire snips
• Paper plate and plastic knives - or something similar for mixing epoxy
• Drop cloth or paper bags to protect your work surface

Using the wire snips, I removed the lamp's cord.

The lamp I found had a plastic ring that would hold the shade or globe onto the base.

I mixed a small amount of epoxy with my two knives.

Then I smeared it on the flat side of the plastic ring, making sure not to get it on my skin, and stuck it in the center of the bottom of the trash can.

I let the epoxy set overnight. In the morning, I screwed the lamp base into the ring, and there we have it!

Finally, I loaded it up with all my earrings, in rainbow order naturally. I put the studs near the bottom rim, so I can reach up into the trash can to get the earring backs on and off. I had originally intended to use a lazy susan to make it spin-able, but since that plastic ring screws onto the base, I can spin it as is, as long as I don't spin it too far and unscrew it entirely.

Now don't you want to make your own? Have fun personalizing it! Painting the trash can and using a different style of lamp base (or maybe a paper towel holder or a large candle stick?) could give it a completely different look if the modern, minimalist style doesn't appeal to you. You may also have to get creative when it comes to attaching the two together. Not all lamps will have that unscrew-able ring. You could drill a hole in the bottom of the trash can and stick your lamp right through. Add a decorative finial on top to finish it off!

Thursday Thrift Score: Putting on the Ritz

Thrift scores come in all shapes and sizes - and prices. It's all relative really. You'll see what I mean.

This past Friday, my husband and I got all spiffied up for a charity gala for his company. He warned me weeks in advance how fancy it would be - that he would probably be in the minority by not wearing a tux. I hadn't been to an event that formal since prom, so I knew I had some shopping to do.

I was hoping to find a old bridesmaid/wedding/prom dress at the thrift store and refashion it. I really loved making my Cinderella costume last Halloween and have been itching to do something extravagant again. In fact, I was recently honored to be included in Paris Ciel's 55 Intelligent & Fun Ways to Refashion Prom, Wedding & Formal Dresses, and some of the other projects on that list are so inspiring! Makes me wish I had more excuses to go all out!

Alas, it was not in the cards. I went to all my usual haunts, searched high and low for the gown of my dreams (or perhaps nightmares), but I just didn't find anything suitable. My last resort was a consignment store in a pretty wealthy area of Dallas. I knew they would have something - maybe something that might only needed slight alterations since I was starting to run out of time to do a lot of reworking. I also knew I would be paying more for that luxury, but I figured, "What the hell! I don't get all dolled up very often. Might as well splurge a little!"

Not only did I find the perfect dress that needed no alterations, but the tag just happened to be the color of the day, so I got an extra 40% off the ticketed price. Behold, my Carolina Herrera black chiffon gown.

I can't find this exact dress online, but the least expensive CH dress I saw was about $2500. So I feel like my $171 post-tax price was well worth it.

And, of course, we can't talk about fancy outfits without mentioning the shoes, right? I picked up these Tory Burch strappy heels at Nordstrom Rack for a mere $75 (retail $399). Just so we're clear though, these are not dancing shoes. They are not even walking shoes. They are by no means gracefully-descending-the-stairs shoes, though I was forced to at least attempt the feat (after a few glasses of champagne to boot!). I'm proud to say I did not fall on my ass, though I was certainly not graceful about it either.

Now that I was properly clothed, we still had to address the hair and make-up. Being the cheapskate I am, I like to go to the nearby Paul Mitchell beauty school for all my coiffing needs. My thinking is, I could go to Super Cuts and get my hair cut by someone who just graduated beauty school, or I could get my hair cut by someone who is about to graduate and has an instructor there to fix their mistakes. Plus, I feel like my super thick hair offers the students a healthy challenge. Three hours later, I left with my hair styled and my face painted for just $50, including tip. So if you're keeping track, that brings the total for this whole night to just under $300.

Sadly, we were a bit rushed to get to the party on time, so there was no time for pictures. But as luck would have it, there was a professional photographer there taking complimentary portraits for the attendees. So here you go, probably the only chance you'll get to see me in full make-up. I threw on pale pink pashmina (thrifted of course!) to cover the tattoos, and accessorized with a handsome hubby.

In other news, tada!

That's right! The peyote bracelet is complete! I finished it Tuesday night, meaning it took less than a week - a lot better time than I thought it would be when I first started it. It was super tedious, but I really loved the process. I definitely see myself doing more peyote work in the future.

Be sure to follow me on Instagram, where I'll be posting something pink every day during the month of October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

Beads, Beads, They're good for your art

This weekend was the Dallas Bead Market, which I didn't even know was a thing until a friend called me up on Saturday after seeing a sign for it while driving past one of the local civic centers. So on Sunday, we hit it up, not because I need more beads, just, you know, out of curiosity. I wouldn't be gone long, I told my husband. Yeah, that happened.

But look at all the pretties! I fell in love with these blue metallic beads and bought three strands for $3 each.

Then there were these freshwater pearls. I realize pearls are more valuable the more round they are, but I actually like the oblong ones better. Maybe I'm weird. I snagged these two strands for $5 each.

I found some cute black skull beads on the clearance table for $2. These are going to make a great gift for a friend who loves all things skull.

Finally, I sorted through a bin of fossil pendants and picked out the very best one to bring home with me. This set me back $6.

I was still on a bead high when I got home, so I immediately made a quick and simple necklace and earrings set with the blue beads.

Meanwhile, the peyote bracelet continues apace. It's definitely getting easier and faster (but still super slow) as I get more practice with it. It's about twice as long as last time you saw it, but only because I haven't had much time to work on it the past few days. I'm really happy with how the transition between the pinks is going so far.

Experimentation

I feel like I can be honest with you guys. I've been a bit out of it this week.

You see, I've been experimenting with peyote, and I'm afraid I made have become addicted.

What?

Oh no, not that peyote! This peyote:

I made a couple practice swatches using two different sizes of fake pearls. I've learned I like the smaller beads better. The fabric - for lack of a better term - they create just looks more delicate and more uniform.

I've also learned that the first few rows are quite fiddly. Once the pattern's established and you've got a solid piece to hold on to, it isn't that bad, but getting it started can be a chore.

Then I got to eyeing these pearly pink glass seed beads in my stash. I'm thinking they'll make a lovely gradient bracelet, slowly fading from the paler pink to the darker one.

Finally, I've learned the whole process is really slow and tedious. Tedium, I love - getting all those little beads in neat, tidy rows - but slow isn't exactly my cup o' tea. The beginning of my bracelet, a mere inch long so far, took at least a couple hours.

It's great. I'm really enjoying the process. I just wish it were a faster process.

So have you tried peyote before? What did you think?

Bling It On!

In my ongoing obsession with refashioned jewelry, I present to you these lovely little barrettes a friend gave me to re-purpose. It's been a good 20+ years since I've worn barrettes, let alone sparkly ones, but these are mighty cute. I think we can find a way to make them a bit more age-appropriate.

Bejeweled

I haven't sewn a single stitch this week. You see, I've been on a jewelry kick, and since it's kind of an ordeal to get out and put away my copious beading supplies, I like to make sure it's all out of my system before I clean up and proceed to the next craft project. So at the moment, my entire sewing desk is covered with beads, wire, jump rings, and whatnot.

It all started when I noticed the dreadful state of my boss' lanyard for her keycard to get into our office. It was essentially a ribbon with colorful rhinestones glued to it, and now that most of those rhinestones have fallen off, it's looking a little sad. So I decided to make her a new one. I went to Joann's and grabbed some lanyard clips for $1.12 (25% off $1.49) and two strands of bright, cheery beads at $6 (40% off $10) to supplement some similar beads I already had. Those beads were in the form of this necklace, which I had made several years ago from an old brooch that was my grandmother's. I just never wore it though. The colorful brooch plus the wild beads was just too much bling.

So I took it apart, and used its beads - and the beads I had just bought - to make this brand-spanking-new [and much more durable] lanyard!

Then I added a length chain to the brooch using jump rings. I feel like simplifying the necklace will help keep the brooch the focal point, as it deserves to be.

But as I said, I couldn't just put away my jewelry stuff after two items. So I pulled out this necklace, which a friend had given me months ago. She said she was never going to wear it, so I could have it or re-purpose it if I like.

I'm not that keen on chokers (they're a little too '90s, right?), so I disassembled it and made it new again. I used head pins to dangle the stones from a basic chain necklace. Then I added a second, shorter chain with a few more drop beads on it.

The best part of this one was when the friend who had given it to me complimented it when I wore it on Friday.

Next up was an old bracelet (with I totally forgot to photograph) from a different friend. It was just a basic, single-strand bracelet in shades of purple.

I took all of one kind of bead from it (the rest went into the stash) and put them on head pins. A little chain, some jump rings, and a clasp later, and I've got another new necklace.

After that, I went through my stash and grabbed a few random one-of-a-kind beads.

Dangled on head pins from a bit of chain, and they look like they belong together!

Lastly (for now), I pulled out another necklace I made years ago. This one began life as a pair of clip-on earrings from my Granma's jewelry box.

I had wired them together and strung up a necklace, but the wiring wasn't the most attractive solution, and I wasn't happy with how I strung the beads. The smaller beads at the top just made it look like I ran out of the red and silver beads at the bottom (which I had).

So this time, I used jump rings to join the earrings together and created my own linked chain with the red beads incorporated.

Vast improvement!

Fair warning: I'm not sure it's entirely out of my system yet. So don't be surprised if you see some more beadery in the near future.

This is not the post you're looking for...

That's right, folks. There is no Thursday Thrift Score this week, for a couple reasons.
(a) Have you ever noticed how frustrating it can be when you go thrift shopping with a specific item in mind? Say, for instance, you're looking for something in a lovely cobalt blue that needs no alterations? Yeah, that's tricksy.
(b) I've been suffering from a minor case of The Plague this week. Okay, so maybe it's not The Plague, but there were certainly times I wished I were dead. Anywho, I'm on the mend now, but you still won't be seeing any pictures of my face today. I don't want to frighten anyone's children.

So what's your consolation prize? Why, it's a bonus refashion! Picture this: I'm all tuckered out from an evening of clothes swapping at the Fabulous Ladies Clothes Swap last month. I'm hanging with my theater friend back stage while her crew boxes up the leftovers for charity, when someone grabs this stringy bit of who-knows-what and aims for the trash bin.

"Wait!" I exclaim. "Is that suede?"

"Uh, maybe. I dunno. It's broken though."

"Gimme."

And with that, I saved this damaged braided leather belt-thingy from an unceremonious end. And I knew just what to do with it! I grabbed some jewelry pliers, a couple jump rings, some ribbon crimps, a clasp, and a safety pin, and I got started.

Bonus White

Once again, rain has delayed our bonus refashion this week. But not to worry! I've got two different projects to show you to make up for it! Plus, there's still time to vote in the final Refashion Runway challenge - voting is open until midnight tonight. So hurry!

I really make an effort to use up the scraps leftover from my various projects. Sometimes they sit in my scrap pile for quite a while before they see the light of day again. But this time, it didn't take me long at all to decide how to make [re]use of the lining I removed from that lace tee last week.

So here's the remnant, basically a white tank top, with raw edges at the armholes, collar and shoulder seams, where I snipped it out of the lace.

And the plan is to essentially keep it that way, because a girl can never have too many white tanks. They go with everything!