Eliza's NDAD Creation

Eliza submitted something fabulous my way and it's a dress that she got for free! I love remakes that come from situations like this. One person's throwaway is another person's brand new, gorgeous dress!  The color is so fantastic too! Check out what she did...

I worked as an RA my junior year of college and one of the other RA's in my building was given a bunch of bridesmaid dresses by a student's mother. After they floated around her hall for a while she asked me if I wanted any of them.

My mom taught me to sew when I was ten-ish and now I make a lot of my skirts and dresses, but had yet to refashion anything. This dress was free and so I decided to go for it. 

See how Eliza's new dress turned out...

First I removed the bottom panel of the skirt and gave it a new hem. Next I took of the sleeves and the waist ties and recut the armholes into a slight racerback shape. I used the waist ties to face the armholes which was a whole lot easier than making bias tape. 

I love how it turned out and I can't wait to find more things to refashion. (My little brother wanted to be in the photos too). 

Thanks for the inspiration Marisa and for the reminder that making beautiful things doesn't have to start from scratch.

True that, Eliza!  I love what you did with this dress! What a perfect "new" piece for summer and yellow is such a gorgeous color on you. Also, you and your brother are adorable - you guys have that bent knee pose down to a science! I can't wait to see more refashions from you, now that you have one under your belt!

Remake: Blue Floral Polyester Dress

This dress was a simple and easy polyester one that I snagged from the thrift store. Hi pastels, I've missed you!!!

Elastic waist, high neck - a very basic number, just one that I wasn't super excited about.

I love the pattern as pink flowers are my fave, so I couldn't resist bringing it home with me. Easy summer dress, here. We. Go.

I started off by making a slit in the neckline to create a V-neck shape. Generally speaking, I usually don't go for the high necks on pieces unless they're something super structured. For this, it needs to be a bit flowier, something that really screams spring and matches the swing of the skirt!

I pinned my neckline in place...

...and stitched it in place.

To match the top portion to the bottom, I cut the dress a little shorter. Best part of that trick, is that the excess material can now be used as a sash at the waist. I like the idea of making it a bit more fitted, so instead of sewing it, I'm just going to cinch!

Just a few steps gives me a new piece that is summer approved.

It's the perfect thing for a bridal or baby shower...

...or something fun to wear to the Farmers Market!! Well, just without those major heels...they're definitely not the proper footwear to scour stalls of fruits and veggies in!

I'm digging the laid back feel of this dress and feel super feminine in it!!

It's like I'm wearing a field of lilies and lavender in this piece! Just wish the fabric was scratch and sniff :)

Happy Friday and I'm back from vacation on Monday (!!) and will be getting up all the fun Bali posts asap! Can't wait to share...

Earth Month: Sonya Dakar

I'm almost back in the USA, friends! Just a few more posts from Asia before I hop on a plane and cruise back home. Today's Earth Month post is devoted to one of my favorite skin care lines by Sonya Dakar, whose products have kept me hydrated and moisturized while I've been away. Sonya is a skin genius and I remember first being introduced to her by a friend who grew up on the West Coast, when I moved out here for college. That was when I was still skin naive, hardly used moisturizer because I thought it was going to make me break out, and didn't know what exfoliation was!

Since then, I've become a bit more skin savvy. As I've aged, my skin has changed a bit and I've tried to find things that work for each specific area. Sonya Dakar's products have been so major across the board for me and being 100% natural (fragrance free!!, no parabens!!, sulfate & detergent free!!) they make my skin feel like butter...in a non-greasy, delicious on top of your popcorn, kinda way.

The detox collection has been a travel savior for me this trip as my skin has dealt with plane rides that dried me out, heavily trafficked and polluted air, and humid (read: sweaty) weather, but with all of those transitioning elements, Sonya's products have kept my skin even keel. Take that, skin roller coaster!

Sonya Dakar Skin Clinic www.sonyadakarskinclinic.com Price – $12+ Varieties – moisturizers, exfoliators, sun care, anti-aging, masks, and eye care products.