Wednesday Giveaway: Andy Warhol Inspiration Box

I absolutely love the 4th of July and this year I have a wedding to celebrate as well, so there's lots to get ready for!  I've been spending the past day prepping outfits for the holiday weekend and can't wait to get them all finished - you'll get to see everything I've put together soon, but in the interim I thought this giveaway was apropos. I sorted through a ton of magazines over the weekend pulling pages of inspiration!  I found oodles of accessories, home goodies, and outfits that are giving me so many ideas for upcoming posts.  To tie into all the creativity, I'm giving away an Andy Warhol Inspiration Box and a Knock Knock "When Pigs Fly" post-it pad.

I love the inspiration box because it comes with a little mini Andy Warhol figurine, a book, and stickers!!

It's always a good time to get/be inspired, so this just might help for any of those moments where there's a lack there of.  To enter, leave a comment below of something that you're looking forward to doing this weekend.  Perhaps you've been inspired to get a little DIY action on or maybe you're looking forward to being with family.  A winner will be announced post-holiday weekend!  (Also, I'm waiting on finding out the winners from the Visa gift cards but as soon as I get the two names, I'll announce right here!)

I hope that everyone can find a little time to get inspired over the holiday weekend here in the US.  For those outside the US, it's a non-holiday weekend for you, but I wish you the same inspiration!!  (And, keep your eyes peeled for a post asking your advice on what to wear for the wedding!!  I'm working on an accessory to bring but think I'm just going to pull two dresses that I already own from my closet and pick one to don.  I shall be asking for your help in the next 24-ish hours!)

Monday Remake: ASOS Bird Print 40s Dress

Happy July 1st!! What I love about today's piece is that it didn't take much to give it a completely different look!  It's awesome when you can change a few little things to really transform the style/look/feel of something.  Here it goes...

I got this dress from one of the swap parties that I attended this year.  It was an ASOS dress and was not my size, however I adored the bird print!

The bones of this piece are amazing - I tried it on at the party and gave it a good look over before I tossed it in my bag.  I saw lots of interesting ruching and layers and knew this piece could totally become something I'd love to wear.

Hey long waist ties!!!

A super chic dress is just waiting to emerge!!

Right off the bat I had to make the top of the dress work.  There was already ruching down the middle, so I just enhanced that.  I took two large safety pins and gathered this area even more, cinching another inch and a half or so.

There were these fantastic rounded edges sewn into the fabric (right by the ruching) and those really got my wheels turning.

I decided to follow this round shape and remove the material above it which went all the way up to the neck. Hello new neckline!!

I re-pinned the rounded area where the stitches were removed to prep for a quick sew - I ended up grabbing the same grey shade of thread just re-secure the seam that had been compromised when the other bit of fabric was taken away.

I also tweaked the shoulder area a bit as well.  If I were to have removed the entire panel, the shoulder would have started where the ruching is, which ultimately wouldn't have stayed up.  I opted to keep a bit of the fabric attached to the shoulder and I made a 45 degree angle with it...it kind of gives more of a 40s-esque feel.

With everything pinned, I stitched my new seam at the neck and tweaked the shoulders.

Now those waist ties that were attached to the dress were pretty long.  It ended up working perfectly to wrap them around my waist twice and tie in the front.  It was an insta-cinch for the waist, so I didn't even need to take it in at all.

The little peplum at the waist can actually be seen now!!  I love that little accent!

I added some red lips as my only accessory and wore this to dinner with friends.  It was amazing because I got tons of compliments - so fun saying that I got it for free from a girlfriend who didn't want it anymore and then just changed a few things to make it my own!

Ooh, and the extra material at the bust was just tucked under the bow I made, which completely hid it from view.

And now, this dress can totally work for varied sizing because I didn't do any structural adjusting.  The pins can be changed out and the waist can be tied to fit, if I happen to bring this back to the next swap party to add to the mix!

Who knows...maybe my friend will want her dress back again??

Oh, and check out the original dress...

Happy Monday, friends!!

Mariah's 2nd NDAD Creation

Mariah is a natural NDAD'er!!  Her first piece was highlighted right around the Oscars - click HERE for her first creation -and this second one is just screaming summer.  Here's her summery and vacation-worthy project!

I found a an awesome muumuu at Goodwill for $2 and loved the Hawaii fabric!!

How do you think Mariah will adjust this fabulously printed dress??

I want to cut out one of those flowers and put it on a tote bag!!

I got to work on the piece and took off the sleeves, shortened it, took it in, and made a sash with the excess.  It quickly became my favorite summer dress and I wear it at least once a week!  

Nothing like feeling proud to wear your own recreation!! (And yes, there is a pocket in it - awesome!  And yes, my iPhone cover is a rubber 90-min cassette tape lookalike!) 

This dress is something I'd wear all the time too!  It's summery, boldly printed, and light and breezy which are all requirements for the perfect June/July/August outfit.  And I love that you called out your iPhone case because that was the first thing I noticed!  Such a rad cover - it's meant to be front and center in the shot. Keep your recreations coming!   Looking forward to the next submission!