Marissa's NDAD Creation (#2)

So I featured Marissa just last month when she made a fab peplum top/skirt out of an old pink and white polka dotted dress (click here for a refresher) and we're seeing her again because this remake is tied into Mother's Day!

My mother, sister, and I were all able to enjoy Mother's Day together, just the three of us, which hardly ever happens any more.  We spent the whole day doing girly things, like shopping and crafting!  While at Goodwill I found this dress with a vibrant floral print and great skirt detail.  However, it was a little too busy and a little too roomy in the top for my taste.  I saw a lot of potential in the bottom portion of the dress...

...so I decided to buy it for a re-do!

Let's see what Marissa makes from this dress!

Once I got home I cut the top of the dress off above the waist band. (I did this one layer at a time so not to cut into the waist band on the lower, unseen layer.) This way worked best because the dress had an existing waistband with elastic in the back! 

I have seen so many cute dresses with black tops and bright floral bottoms that I decided to do the same with my re-do.  I found an old black t-shirt in my closet and tried it on with the dress bottom.  Once I had the faux skirt at my natural waist, I pinned the shirt to remember the finished location.  I chalked this line to sew along, measured one inch below it, and then used my rotary cutter to make a straight cut. 

With the right sides together, I pinned the shirt chalk line to the edge of the faux skirt waistband and sewed the two together as close as possible to the waistband.  

Ta-Da, the finished product!

And the whole project only cost me $3.69 plus tax since I already owned the other supplies.

Marissa, this dress is fantastic!  I am thrilled that this gorgeous new dress is what you made with your mother and sister on Mother's Day - I love that you guys were able to spend quality time together getting crafty :)  Not sure if you have the same plans on the books this weekend, but I hope this piece will bring back awesome memories from last year!

Friday Remake: Blue Eyelet

I love me some royal blue!

This dress totally stuck out not only because of the color, but because of the amazing eyelet as well.

It was just a smidge too large...

...and the elastic was completely worn out at the waist.

That isn't going to stop me from turning this into a new summer staple!

I began by removing the straps that were just too small to work as straps for me!

(Now I have two fun swatches of this material leftover that I'll have to find a second use for.)

With the straps off, I tucked under the top of the dress and lined up the new top edge at the round areas in the fabric right under the arms.  I'm making this a strapless number!

I stitched the new top of the dress, leaving about 3/4 inch saved, to add in ribbon as a drawstring.

I picked a gold metallic/navy/white ribbon blend and added a safety pin to the end of the ribbon to push through the area that was just stitched.

I cinched and pulled the ribbon all the way around...

...creating a fabulous new drawstring top for the dress!

With the top portion complete, I worked on the waist next.  Because the original elastic was worn out, I removed it completed and replaced it with new elastic.

I stitched the edges of the new elastic together and was ready to put it on!

I worked in some gold accessories, a studded pair of Marc Jacobs heels, and a gold trimmed pair of sunnies to match the ribbon.

Completing two rather simple tweaks - adding new elastic at the waist and creating a drawstring at the top - gives the dress a brand new feel.  I actually think it feels dressier now!

This piece is great with heels, but would work just as well for me with a pair of flip flops, a straw hat, and some sand in-between my toes :)  I'll wear this one to the beach next time...

Happy weekend, friends!!

Vintage Floral Match Up!

So this is kind of crazy/cool... I was going through Pinterest, like you do, and came across this fab pic of the stunning Ece Sukan that came from one of Glamour.com's slideshows.

I was like hmmm, this rad floral print looks extremely familiar...

Could it perhaps be the same fabric from the dress I remade less than a month ago for my cousin's baby shower?

I'm pretty much positive that it's the same.  What do you guys think?

Also, I'm finishing up my Mother's Day gift for my mom as we speak!  Here's a little teaser...

I got my hands on some of those gold "love" charms from Etsy, picked my bead choices and started making some bracelets!  A finished piece will be up shortly to check out - perfect for Mother's Day and perfect for me!  We're totally going to have matching arm candy, Mom :)