diy ripped jeans

So, my birthday was a few weeks ago.  I don't get to go shopping very often, even though I LOVE clothes and fashion.  The two times I DO get to shop are after my birthday and after Christmas.  But money doesn't go very far these days and, after spending all of my birthday money, there were still more things I wanted/needed.  I would have liked to get some new jeans, for example.  

I dug through my clothes and decided to give these old F21 jeans a makeover.  It's pretty subtle, but I think it's just what the doctor ordered.  I used a pair of fabric scissors, a safety pin (or you could use a needle), and some tweezers for the holes.  And I used a cheese grater, sandpaper, and foot scrubber to try and distress the thighs (the foot scrubber worked best but if you don't have that, the other two will do).

I chose these jeans because they were cheap and I don't wear them very often (I have a different pair of dark skinnies that I wear most of the time) so I knew it wouldn't matter if the whole project went wrong and I had to throw them away.

                                      BEFORE:                                                   AFTER:

I MAY do a little more distressing later today to give it more of a drastic change but for now, I like them.  If you do some of your own, send a picture (I'm talking to you Tare.  You're the only one who reads this blog).           ; )

{Here's a good tutorial for getting that ripped jeans look}

and the music is one of me and my husband's favorite bands, The xx!

Spring shopping

This is the time of year I get a serious itch to go shopping. We went to the new City Creek Center, in SLC, last week with friends. . . .and 6 kids (combined). The mall is beautiful and it was fun to hang out with some of our closest friends, but I can't say I got much more enjoyment from it than that. It was really crowded so there wasn't much walking room for four adults with two strollers and three other kids to chase around.

The husband and I have decided to give it another shot tonight, without kids. I can't wait! If only there wasn't SO MUCH on my list. I love to shop a little too much, if you know what I mean.

I'm going to have to hold back, but there are a few stores I'm looking forward to shopping at:

Sephora- I'm a huge fan of lipstick. I'm going to have to stop in and look for some new shades. I'm thinking orange/coral and maybe light pink or nude. I have a feeling I'm going to get sucked in and want everything I see.

{source}

I would be so happy if I could find some cute colored jeans somewhere. My favorites are mint green (like the ones below, from REVOLVE clothing), robin's egg blue, light pink, or kelly green. I'm pretty picky with jeans though, so we'll see.

I'll also be stopping into ALDO, for some nude heels and maybe something fun, like color block wedges or sandals.
LOFT will be another stop, where I'll look for a summery maxi dress and maybe something cute for Easter.

And hopefully I can get Brad to try on a few things, too. He never (and I mean NEVER) shops for himself. I'm working on getting him to develop a little style of his own. ; ) I'm loving the styles below, from h&m.

I also REALLY want to browse J. Crew (even though I can't afford anything), because their clothes are fantastically beautiful, and maybe Tiffany & Co., just for fun. A girl can dream.

Scarf slash Shawl

I want to try making this Anthropologie-inspired scarf/shawl. The tutorial can be found in the Pretty Ditty archives.

Shirt Re-fashion

I re-fashioned this shirt (which I have had for years, but never wear). . . .

into this. . . .

I used these instrucions. Mine is a little different. My shirt started with a boatneck, which I didn't like as much, so I played round with it a little and made it more of a scoop.

The ruffles on my shirt also don't lie flat like the tutorial. When I follow tutorials, I like to keep in mind that I don't need to follow the directions exactly. If something else comes to mind, I do it.

SO. . . .like she says in the tutorial, when you cut the sleeves off and open them up, they're only as long as the shirt and you WANT them to be about 1 1/2 the length of the shirt.

To fix this, after opening the sleeves up (I DID cut off the curved side, unlike her, which is shown in the pic above, before I cut it off), I cut each of them in half lengthwise, then lined one of the short ends together and sewed across.

So then I had two looooong strips (double the length of the shirt). I cut a little off the ends to make them about 1 1/2 the length of the shirt. Trim the sides so that one strip is a little wider than the other. Then I followed the directions the rest of the way.

I don't know if any of that made any sense, but that's what I did. : )

I LOVE the result. I get the feeling this shirt will get a lot more attention from me, from now on.

the other skirt

Today I'm wearing the other skirt I made, so I thought I'd take the time to take a picture. It's more full than the other one, which I was a little unsure about, so I made a pleat in front. This was the first skirt I made so there are a few little mistakes.

The other one went a lot smoother, because I was a pro by then. ; ) I took a picture of the pockets too.

It's kind of an awkward angle because I was too lazy to take the skirt off for the picture.

Even with the mistakes, I love these skirts and can't wait to make more.

Go here for the tutorial.

Bonnets- POPPY

I don't know why, but lately I've really had a hankering for making a baby bonnet. Lately, even though I don't have girls and I'm not pregnant, I've been making baby girl things like crazy. Here are two tutorials I'll try next: Somewhat Simple and Craft Gossip.

This is kind of cute too.

I wonder if there's a crocheted bonnet tutorial? I'll keep you posted.

UPDATE on the crocheted bonnet (that was easy):

here, here and here

Elastic-Waist Skirt

I made two of these skirts but I only took pictures of this one.

These are SO easy. I'm tempted to get more fabric and make about ten more of them.

I made this one Sunday morning and had it done in time to wear to church (at 1).

I liked the vintage feel of this fabric but the other one I made is equally cute. Since I made this one second, I made a few changes. It's not as full as the pink one and it's a little shorter, but I love them both. And they both have pockets! Which I love. I should have gotten pictures of the pockets!

Hermione grows up

I did a double take at these pics from Teen Vogue. That's right, that gorgeous girl is Emma Watson, aka Hermione Granger. Wow! Beautiful. Her and the clothes!

ModCloth -POPPY

When I was doing research for the 1940s party, I discovered a retro/indie online store called ModCloth where they sell the most adorable little dresses. They sell other things too (tops, bottoms, shoes, accessories, apartment) but I can't get enough of the dresses. Here are just a few of my favorites but check out the site. Pages and pages of the cutest styles. My birthday is next week. I may have to treat myself to a new outfit? Shh! Don't tell Hubba.