Fringed Denim Vest for Halloween

I'm not always a Halloween costume kind of girl, but when I go for it, I go for it all the way. Luckily for me, my husband was game!


The idea started with the hair; I knew I had what I needed naturally, and thanks to my mother-in-law's wig collection, we had the other side covered as well...


I found this horrid, cropped, mid-90s, jean jacket in a box of my old stuff at my parents' and cut it apart.


(Oops! Forgot to take before pic so I kinda pieced it back to show the idea.)


I sewed what were the arms onto the waist of the now vest, then shredded, washed, and dried for the perfect look that I needed.


I borrowed the hat from a friend (thanks Becca!), but the rest of the outfits was stuff we had. (Not sure if that's embarrassing or not!)


The only thing we purchased was about $10 worth of temporary tattoos! :)

Happy Halloween everyone!

Guns N' Roses all the way, baby! 

Sweater to Cardigan Remake

I. Love. Cardigans. To me they are a quintessential layering piece, adding depth, texture, personality, and of course warmth to any outfit. They can be any shape, size, or style, but are always easily tossed on and off as your day and comfort changes. Sometimes the focal piece, sometimes insulating between shirt and jacket, sometimes dressing up, sometimes playing down- cardigans: I think you're pretty great.

Looking for comfy and cozy, I found the first part of this equation in my husband's side of the closet. The collar was kind of jacked up and I didn't think I could mend it properly, so like a good partner, I decided to reuse it for myself instead. ;) It can be simple enough to turn a pullover sweater into a cardigan by slicing it open, but I wanted to take it a step further...

The second part is another sweater. This one is a find from the Goodwill "Bins" (aka outlet store/pay by-the-pound) which cost me about a quarter! It's super soft, has a color palate that is very me, and stripes are a relatively classic pattern choice, so I chose to see its potential...

One + One = One

I love the 50s-esque vibe it conjures, and the pockets out of those short dolman sleeves might be my favorite part! I see many more refashioned and up-cycled cardigans in my future. But for now, I'll enjoy the fruits of this labor.

A beautiful fall day in Austin in my current favorite fall remake pieces: cardigan, and green cords.

Bootcut to Skinny Cord Refashion

I know I just posted a pair of shorts a few weeks ago, but that's the way we roll in Texas.

Now it's corduroy weather. 

This is one of my favorite remakes thus far- perhaps because they were one of my favorite pair of pants to begin with. Bright green, comfy, soft; what's not to love?! They are even more of a fave in their re-birthed, skinny form. And this update was surprisingly easy to perform.

These pictures were taken a while back and aren't super (photo skills = work in progress), so here's another point of view. The black are the exact same as the green, pre make over. It was love at first wear, so I bought 3 pairs of the exact same cords in black, green, and tan. The tan have died and will make a yet-to-be-imagined resurrection appearance, but I'm thinking I might skinny up the black pair too.

In researching for this redo, I found tons of tutorials out there on the old www. I won't take credit or make yet another. Honestly, I used a hybrid blend of info and techniques from several sources, but the one I found the most helpful was at 49 Dresses. Also, hers happen to be green like mine, so I totally identify! 

Repurposed Tablecloth, Part 1

I found this white, lace-ish tablecloth at a thrift store for about 3 or 4 bucks, and had to snatch it up. I am a sucker for all things lace and all lace-related cousins. Although it bore one fist-sized, yellow stain (and I'm not really a tablecloth kind of lady anyway), I knew it would be useful for something. Turns out, for many somethings! Here's one:

Using a T that I liked the fit of as a pattern, I just went for it; cut and sew. It was pretty boxy, so I looked at some other blouses in my closet and eyeballed some darts. Still kinda boxy, but better. Rather than hem the edges, I zig-zagged my way over them a couple of times to prevent and fraying, but leaving sort of a raw look. The whole thing was very fly-by, but I think it turned out alright, and love wearing it!

Good times at the Oddball Comedy Festival- wish I had a pic with Flight of the Concords in the background, then my smile woulda been even bigger!

The Acetone Experiment/ Unpainted Coffee Mug

On Pinterest, I came across some ladies repurposing plastic containers by taking the words off with acetone. Itching to try, but also curious to experiment with a couple of other items, I set out on an elementary-science-fair meets thrifty-domestic adventure!



With my chosen test subjects, I began by following the 2busybrunettes suggestions. I soaked a rag in the acetone for each, covered the item, let it sit for a couple of minutes, then attempted to rub of paint or words. (I really kind of loved the freeze effect of the acetone!)



Here's how it all turned out:

Test Subject #1: Plastic Cup

Nothing.





Surprising! This was the one I thought was a guarantee. But the brunettes did say it worked better on certain plastics, brands, etc.

Test Subject #2: Sunglasses

Everything.





Pretty much ruined. The white plastic underneath looks all bumpy and corroded.

Test Subject #3: Plastic Container

Nothing.




I really want to reuse this! It's from my facial moisturizer and I have several of them. Anyone have an idea of how to get these words off???

Test Subject #4: Travel Mug

Something!





Being the only one with any luck, I decided to keep working...

I used up the first bottle of acetone on 2 attempts each at these 4. So I picked up another, and went back to work, this time trying a different technique. I dumped the acetone into a bucket, and sort of slopped it on with the rag. (I donned gloves and an apron, and wish I was in an even better ventilated area than I was for this.) It took a bit more elbow grease than I anticipated, but I finally got a fairly smooth finish!

But one question still remains: why did the words stay on when everything else came off??

Guess that's branding for ya.