Monday Remake

This dress totally brought me back to the 90s.  A little bit Reality Bites.  A little bit Kelly Taylor.  A little bit not right to be worn in its current state in 2013.

I mean there was even a dangly pearl charm at the neck, attached to the lace!!

I'm not going to let this dress stay in the box with all my Melrose Place VHS tapes.  It's getting remade!!  (PS, that box o'tapes got donated a bit back but yes, they definitely existed.)

I started by cutting the dress in two pieces.

The top will be used somewhere, however today we're focusing on the bottom.  Skirt time!  Now there was an issue...there were a few missing buttons.  I crossed my fingers in hopes to find a secret button or two stitched to a tag inside the piece and when I turned the dress inside out??  I found a button!!

I called in for the replacements, taking that found button along with one from the top of the piece to put in the empty spots.

After the buttons were attached, I stitched the top of the new skirt to mend the raw edges.

I want to make this a bit of a gathered waistline, so I took a piece of the excess fabric and stitched it to form one long fabric strand...my new belt loops!

(The gathered waist was an idea that I took from one of my fave skirts from H&M.  I totally used it as the inspiration piece!)

I trimmed the fabric into four pieces and pinned each one around the waistline.

I stitched my loops in place...

...put on a vintage belt, some thrifted gold heeled Charles David sandals, and my vintage Dooney & Bourke purse for a little "woo for springtime" sidewalk dance!

When the sun was shining, it was glorious, however those little gusts of wind caught me off guard.

I was inspired by this weekend's reader creations to really put together something fun for the warm weather en route.  In LA we saw 70 degrees which was a total treat, and as I'm starting to feel better I was actually able to enjoy it.

Fingers crossed that the snow starts melting for those experiencing extreme chill.

I'll try to absorb as much Vitamin D as possible for everyone!

PS, Happy Spring Break for those about to have some time off from school too!  I'll be living vicariously through your fun vacations.

Gigi's NDAD Creation

Spring is in the air!  I know there's still snow on the ground in many spots, but we're getting closer!!  I loved this piece from Gigi just because it screams warm weather!

At a first glance, this dress is just awful, but hey, it was only a 6 bucks at my local thrift store.  I could not leave it behind after I realized that I have yet to dive into the current floral trend.

Mainly because I don’t see it lasting very long, and I’m not into spending a substantial amount of money on something that I will only love for a season or two.  Call me crazy, but I kind of shop with forever in mind. But this print caught my eye and...

I feel you, girl!  Let's see how this dress gets tweaked!

...I figured it would make a great midi skirt.

She cut it apart, added a waistband, and voila...brand new midi skirt ready to take over the warm weather.

I'm totally loving the knotted end, not to mention the fierce nails.

Gorge, Gigi - the whole outfit is killer and I just love that you would never know that the skirt started off as that thrifted dress!  Thanks so much for sharing!  Now I can't wait for my tanks, skirts, and sandals!

Tracy's NDAD Creation

I love my girl Tracy!  She upcycled an awesome dress for her DECA competitions that was featured back in September (click HERE for the refresher) and now there's another piece she's sharing with us.  It's totally summer apropos and since spring is offish here, why not start channeling the heat, amiright?  Check out her handiwork...

It's almost summer, and here in the Seattle area the days of rain are sometimes broken up by rare days of sunshine.  I've been looking for new clothes for those hot days and have been really on the prowl looking for one of those cute, button up, sleeveless blouses.  Alas, everything I like is out of my price range.  Recently I went to Value Village and the bright pink of this $4 top caught my eye.  It's XL and shoulder-padded...

...and my mom gave me a look that said, "what on earth are you doing with that?" (She doubts my skills).

I have full faith in you, Tracy - work it girl!  Time to see if mom's mind changed!

After removing the shoulder pads, cutting off the sleeves, and taking in about five inches on both sides...

I think I have a top ready for summer.

I am in cahoots!  Such a fab top for summer and the color is perfect on you!  I love it paired with white shorts too.  Keep the remakes coming Tracy - I can't wait to see what you come up with next!  PS, you'll have to share you mom's thoughts with us...I bet she ate her words :)