Karen's NDAD Creation

I get lots of emails about the perfect LBD and thought that this piece that Karen shared was perfect to feature.  She totally succeeds in the LBD arena, and I'm wanting to try something like this for myself now!  Check out what she did...

Hi Marisa!  I've been following your blog since early 2010 and look forward to your posts each day!  I've always wanted to repurpose something, but most of my projects end up in a pile with other unfinished projects... until today!  I intended on taking in a few tank tops that were too big, but instead felt inspired to try something different!  I took one of the tank tops and an old dress and put them together to make something new and fabulous!

The dress was a $10 Express find that I bought in 1997 for my senior year homecoming.  I hadn't worn the dress since then because it had a small snag near the top - it's always just hung in the back of my closet ever since, following me from place to place.  I must have known all along that it was destined for something better!

Time to see how this pairing turns out!

I put the dress on with the tank top over it and pinned the lace at the top of the tank to the dress.  I sewed the lace to the dress, made a new seam in the back, and began carefully cutting the bottom of the tank top off, leaving just the lace.  I finished the piece by cutting the top of the dress off and taking care of that pesky snag that had always been an issue. 

I was left with a pretty cute LBD that I can't wait to wear out!

Hopefully someone will compliment my unique dress so I can whip out my phone and show them some before and after pics!

Karen, you must send updates because I'm sure you've been inundated with compliments!  I think that you came up with just the right recipe to make your snagged dress something that won't sit in the back of your closet anymore!  (PS - I totally love that you held onto this since Homecoming '97 - I still have my dress too and just I might need to get some reworking done!)

My Mother's Attic: April

While I've been in dreamland thinking, er wishing, about a European excursion, Ashley is actually taking Europe by storm.  It's her 30th, so she's ringing in the new decade in Sweden.  The closest I'm going to get to Sweden is heading to IKEA this weekend to score some new shelving.  Le sigh...I will have to live vicariously through her in the interim.

As you read this, I am stomping around the streets of Stockholm, celebrating my 30th birthday with my BFF.  She just so happens to be a talented Swedish fashion designer, so I can only hope that I am in the midst of wearing something fabulous and picking out a few choice items to bring home to my stateside wardrobe.  But I digress!

In preparation for this trip, I decided to dig out a piece of my mother's that she purchased and wore during her years living and studying in Paris.  She lived in France during the late 70s, where she received her Master's degree in French from the Sorbonne. (To this day, she's a high school French teacher!).

During that time, she developed quite a stylish European wardrobe and held on to many of the items that she then passed on to me and my sister.  I've always found this particular dress intriguing, but the elastic in the shoulders was completely bagged out, and it always looked like an awkward, loose fitting, sack of blue potatoes whenever I tried it on.

In the hopes of reviving it to its former glory and returning it to its European stomping grounds for a good show, I decided to finally tackle the much-needed facelift it required.

I started by pulling out the wrinkled, limp drawstring and replacing it with this funky, twisted fabric rope that I had leftover from this DIY project.

I then ripped out the old elastic...

...and replaced it with brand new, fresh, stretchy elastic.

I then sewed the seams I'd ripped in the process and added a button to the lower part of the skirt so it didn't open up quite so high up the leg.

And boom!  Dress restored!

I realize that this is much more of a facelift than a makeover, but I loved the original design and wanted to truly bring it back to it's former state...

...and show off the unique design (just check out the placement of those pockets!).

Here's to many more years of use and adventures at home and abroad.

I'll see you next month, perhaps with a fabulous Swedish accessory or two in the mix!

To keep up with Ash online, find her over at Blog a la Cart and here on Twitter, Instagram, & FB!

Thursday Update!

Hey friends! I've been on overdrive this week - I got prescribed antibiotics from an infection that stemmed from my never-ending colds, I had my first post for Goodwill's blog due (it runs on Friday and I'll make sure to leave the link as soon as it's live!) and I've been busy prepping a Copycat post!  The post features this thrifted sweater from Target...

...and these bad boys...

I can't wait for you to see what I'm making over!

Hope Thursday treats you well - tune back in for a new post tonight!