Tuesday Remake

Here it is!!  Thanks to you guys for helping me pick the dress I wore to my cousin's baby shower!

We all know what the before looks like, so time to check out the rest!

I began by taking off the sleeves...

...along with that collar!!

I did some folding and pinning to get the top portion of the dress looking just how I wanted.

I'm adding straps to the dress, so I decided to make the back of the piece end right around mid back.

I stitched the front and back of the piece while also taking the top in a few inches as well, right at the sides of the bust.

For the straps, I went with elastic just because that was what was in my mom's kit, but this is where a pretty ribbon or trim could work as well too.

I put on my dress and went to celebrate the cuz at her shower!

I think I chose well because not only did I match the wall of the sunroom...

...I matched the cupcake toppers too!

My cousin's favorite beverage is Cheerwine, so there was the most delish Cheerwine punch served to all the guests.  (Cheerwine is this soda that is kind of a cherry-ish Dr. Pepper flavor, if I had to describe, that pretty much is only seen in the South.  Others out there might have better knowledge about the specifics.)  I'm obsessed with Cheerwine too, so I couldn't wait to imbibe!  I need to find the recipe.

There were hanging socks, diapers, and dresses across the fireplace...

...and I got a fun pic of M hugging her new, stuffed pup!

We were also hugging this real pup too.

The M&Ms were personalized with the new gal-to-be's name!  (The baby is being named Logan after our grandfather who passed away a few years ago.  M and her husband decided that would be the name if the baby was going to be a boy or a girl, which is so special!)

The dudes arrived after a day of golfing, and my dad and I had to bring some dramatics out for photo purposes.

And the favors were adorable - everyone went home with cute little floral pots filled with seeds!

It was such a fun day celebrating M...

...and getting to hang out with all the family who came in town for the weekend!!

Marissa's NDAD Creation

I didn't just decide to feature today's look because the lovely reader who submitted her dress shares my name...that's just an added bonus!  Check out Miss Mariss' awesome remake!

Hi Marisa, I really like your name!  Haha.  I have been following your blog for a few years now and find your idea of re-purposing an existing piece very inspiring.  So...when I came across this great pink and white polka dot knit dress I couldn't pass it up.

As you can tell the dress was far too large for me...

...especially in the top area.

Time to check out M's remake.  Spoiler alert!!!  She makes TWO fab things out of this!

I turned the top into a peplum with a high low hem.  And the bottom...

...I turned it into a simple yoga skirt!

I couldn't be happier with how they turned out!

Any time you can get two pieces from one is A-OK in my book!  I'm always a sucker for peplum and the skirt is perfect for a summer day.  Keep the remakes coming, Mariss!!  For more from Marissa, check her out HERE!

Michelle's NDAD Creation

Today's creation comes in from Michelle and her adorable daughter, M.  I love that they had a fun crafternoon making something new from something outgrown.  Check it out!

Hi!  I've been following your blog for a few years now, and LOVE it!  Thanks for all the inspiration!  I'm a single mother and I work full time, but I still find time to get my crafty fix!  My daughter is 12 and we've always upcycled old clothing.  Our most infamous projects include costumes and tons of dress up clothes made from old prom dresses and evening gowns.  We've made everything from sweatshirt cardigans out of clearance sweatshirts and skirts from old thrift store dress shirts.  About 5 years ago, I got my "dream come true" embroidery machine and used it to make the little project I'm sending you!  I am a pharmacy technician at Walgreens, so with my employee discount, I bought a stack of plain little tee shirts for 85 cents each.  I used my machine to make fancy edging and designs on the plain shirts - one of them was a freebie design of a cat's face - and we used colors to mimic our first cat, Lucille (who is actually a LOUIS but we didn't know that at the time, but that's another story).

My daughter had this adorable little shirt that she wore to school and wore to play in, and eventually spilled fingernail polish on the front! 

After the fingernail polish incident, she only wore it as an undershirt until she outgrew it.  I've kept the shirt, because we both loved the design and I finally decided today I'd do something different with it!

What will Michelle and her daughter M do with this feline tee??

I had a thrift store frame that I bought for 25 cents (gotta love quarter day!) and it was one of the vintage folding ones that stands up by itself.

We used a LOT of Windex (those old thrift store frames can be ICKY!) and cleaned up the glass.

We trimmed the embroidery from the shirt...

...and with a little snipping and some duct tape, we came up with a piece of art work to go in her room!

So basically, I spent $1.10 (unless you include the $650 spent on the embroidery machine), and used one shirt for two projects that will last forever...or until she no longer wants pictures of cats in her room!

We are also planning on using the leftover fabric from the shirt to make her an "ABERZOMBIE" tee, but that's another project for another day!  Thanks so much, and keep up the great work!

Michelle!!  What a cute project you and your daughter came up with - I love that you repurposed that tee once and aren't finished yet!  I'm looking forward to this "Aberzombie" creation you speak of and can't wait to see how Miss M looks in it!  Thanks for sharing your amazing creativity with all of us.