Remake: Vintage Black Floral Dress

I gave a little teaser of this dress yesterday - the waist is loose and it just doesn't fit well. It also had a very musty scent, which is never pleasant, even after a thorough washing!  Everything else was perfection, though. I loved the print, the draped V neck, the length...

I couldn't let this one leave my hands! (And on the scent front, after another more serious soak/hand washing/more soaking combination, the smell vanished! Thank goodness.)

I love easy fixes that take a piece from an "eh" status to one that puts them in the front of the closet! For this, the elastic needed to be adjusted, so I started by opening up a few stitches at the waist with my seam ripper.

The elastic was still in good condition, which meant no need to replace! If it was completely stretched out and starting to crumble (old elastic is not my fave) I would have just done a full, new elastic routine.

I measured the amount of elastic that needed to be removed and made a knot to secure its place. I snipped the excess elastic and then restitched the seam that I opened.

That's it! One basic tweak and I've got a brand new dress!

It's really amazing to see how much the shape changes just by removing a few inches of elastic.

It was the perfect little dress to wear on this bright and shiny day to enjoy a bit of vino with some friends. It's still Earth Month and one of my favorite California vineyards, Estancia, is one that is committed to sustainability. I had NO idea until I started doing a bit of research, but 75% of the winery's energy demand comes from solar panels which is basically the equivalent to planting 27,000 trees. Because of their efforts, 1.5 milion pounds of greenhouse gases stay out of California's air. I'll cheers to that!!

Or cheers to that by myself while I wait for everyone to arrive! (I promise that I didn't finish the entire bottle...)

One of my favorite parts of the dress are the cute little ties at the end of the sleeves! The little details are the icing on the cake sometimes.

I paired the dress with a pair of Moschino heels that I scored at Crossroads along with my Urban Outfitters sunnies to complete the look.

This is made from a thin, sheer polyester, so wearing a full slip, or half slip and cami is necessary, fyi. I must say that it's super breezy for being polyester! That, however, has no bearing on how much I'll still sweat :)

Remake: Vintage White Nightgown

I felt a bit ambitious when I was away and thought that I could get away with making something fun with this top sans a sewing machine. It was a Goodwill find and the lightest, gauze-iest, cotton I've ever felt - super perfect to wear in a hot climate. I planned out my DIYs in advance and brought some tools along with me that's going to make this piece fah-bulous!!

Any thoughts on where I took this??

I met up with my concrete pal over by the outdoor shower and gave this top a bath.

Then came the rubber banding :) See where this is going??

I brought along some of ILovetoCreate's dye (they're awesome powder dyes that come in plastic bottles) and then filled them up with water before I got to playing. I didn't have to worry about any dye leaking in my suitcase using these guys, which make them perfect for on-the-go crafting. Blue, orchid, and green shades made the cut!

With my dyes set and my top rubber banded...

...I started adding color!! I added five rubber bands to the piece and matched the color from the outside going in, making a green/orchid/blue/orchid/green color combination.

Ready to add the blue!!

When I finished adding all of the color, I tossed the piece into a freezer Ziploc (smart move Maris, using that Ziploc bag that brought over your carry-on toiletries in.) and let it marinate.

I got some work done and consumed some Indonesian beer while the dye soaked.

I got a little pool time in while I waited...

And, I even hit the local flea market for some textile browsing while my piece was chillin'.

I ended up letting it veg overnight just to make the color super rich. When it was ready to exit the Ziploc, I thoroughly washed it in warm water until all the excess dye had come out and the water was running clear.

I let the piece dry in the sun (it was literally hanging over the balcony ledge...when in Bali...) before making some final tweaks!

There was a flower on the front of it that just screamed nightgown, so I removed it.

With the flower gone...

...I created a little pinch and cinch in the center of the lace portion...

...and had my new piece ready to go.

Unfortunately I shot my after pics at home because I wore this as a bikini cover-up and was in/near the water the whole time (blerg on leaving my phone at the room while on the beach) but, the pics are just as fun.

This totally works as a top with a dark cami or bra underneath! You can't even see how sheer it is anymore!

Didn't the colors turn out awesome? I love this combo - I want to use this as my bedroom decorating inspiration!!

I found some flowers that I matched...

...as well as someone's vehicle.

Not my car, but when it's parked on the street it's just fair game for me and my photos.

I think the owner of that teal car needs my shirt! Teal car owner in the mid-city area of Los Angeles - if you see this and recognize your lovely car as the backdrop of my photo, hit me up and I'll get you some tie dyed gloriousness to match yo ride!

Remake: Springtime Watercolor Skirt

Springtime is officially here and I've been SO inspired by watercolor prints as of late. I've been seeing all kinds of gorgeous dresses in stores...

(from L-R, Rhyme Los Angeles $98, Isaac Mizrahi $138.50, Kay Unger $700)

...that I wanted to create my own version!

I started out with a white skirt (it's a fab white cotton Gap one) that I picked up at Goodwill...

...and got together my dyes in multiple shades of springtime colors! Before adding dye to the skirt, I wet it completely to help the dye bleed into the piece in a natural way, à la watercolor paints.

I diluted the shades in cups of water...

...and got to painting! I started off with the lighter colors, painting them on with a sponge brush, letting them bleed and blend into each other.

I continued with some green (to give an essence of leaves) and violet (for a flower effect) before letting the piece completely dry.

I gathered my accessories along with my DIY'ed skirt to create the perfect Easter ensemble!

The sunnies are Forever 21 (these are similar) and necklace is by Honey Rose & K, this really cool line of vintage repurposed jewelry. It was made from a pair of vintage earrings, repurposed into a necklace using a beaded tassel and chain! How genius to take earrings and turn them into something that looks like this? Sidenote, they're actually having a 30% off sale on Tuesday between 3-7pm if you want to score some new pieces -  I need to start looking at all the vintage jewelry that I have and get to brainstorming!

It was 80 degrees where I was, so all this skirt needed was a tank and some sandals!

I totally feel like this has a rainbow sherbet palette and should be scooped onto a cone!  (Mmmm, cone!!!!!)

It's really such an easy project that even kids can get involved with! Just let them go paint-wild!

I love that my new skirt puts me in such a happy mood. Nothing like bright colors, warm sun, and some good Easter company to bring a smile to my face!

Hope everyone had an amazing weekend!!

(For those wanting a bit more detail of the dye process steps, head on over HERE to the Rit Studio to see a full rundown of the dye process.)