This was one of my favorite projects that I crafted while away in Bali! I was obsessed with Miu Miu's starfish sandals that came out a few years ago that I had to DIY a pair for myself!
Full tutorial to come later on today!!
Bali Week: Patterned Tunic Remake
I'm back in the states after a most incredible excursion to Asia. The two weeks were packed full of activities, small day trips within Bali, flights to Thailand, and lots of food, photos, and fun. (Had to get the "f" alliteration in there!) I'm in serious jet lag mode, but couldn't be happier to have it because the trip was just one of the most incredible experiences of my life. It was my first venture to Asia and I can't wait to return. This week will be a fun recap of what I did and what I made while I was away! Thanks to all of you for your patience in my lack of posts over the two weeks - I had a bunch of things that were scheduled in advance and ran, however my internet connection wasn't always top-notch in some of the places that I was staying. This week will be chock full of awesome remakes and DIYs as I was crafting all along the way! (Here's a few teaser shots on Instagram!)
Today's piece was this awesome patterned tunic that I scored at a swap party before I left on my trip.
I loved the purple and white color combo with the rust trim around the arms and neck...
...but knew that I wouldn't ever wear it being as long as it was with the high, open sides.
The cotton was so thin that I knew it would make a perfect piece to bring along with me.
Time to get rid of that extra fabric and turn this piece into something that I won't want to take off!
I started by cutting the piece shorter, trimming about two inches below where the side seam began.
With the piece trimmed, I pinned under the raw edge of the fabric...
...and ironed it down to fully prep for a new hem to be sewn.
I stitched the bottom of the piece...
...and was left with the perfect cover up for my trip!
I wore it when I took a weekend trip to Nusa Lembongan/Ceningan, two small islands just off the south-east coast of the main island of Bali. (I'm jumping ahead a little on my trip, but we'll backtrack this week so you'll see everywhere that I went!)
While on Ceningan, I stayed at the most charming hotel - Le Pirate Beach Club, which was actually made up of 10 little "beachboxes" right on the water.
The colors couldn't have been more inspiring! Who doesn't want a little teal in their lives? It was a great spot to wear my newly transformed piece on top of my bathing suit!
I was wearing and reapplying sunscreen the entire time, but right at the hottest point of the day (the noon-2 pm time frame was the most brutal) I put on this top for some extra shoulder coverage.
Oh, and I had a friend visit me at this time too...
There were roosters everywhere on the island and they acted as the most amazing natural alarm clocks. I was trying to make as many sunrises as possible during the trip, and the roosters were quite helpful on this leg. If you weren't looking to wake up at 5:30am, this probably wouldn't have been the best spot to stay, unless you're the hardest sleeper in the world!
Each beachbox was named something different...
...and being right on the water, I was so surprised to see that this area is also where seaweed gets farmed. The tide goes in and out twice a day, so at low tide, it looks like this...
...and at high tide, it looks like the shot below. It was really such an incredible scene.
When I was up at sunrise, I got to see all of the farmers out in the sea with their flashlights gathering seaweed as well - early risers get the first worm basket of seaweed!
Oh and that's an infinity pool on the edge of the property. Yeah, my first time in an infinity pool, and this is my view. The amount of times that my mind was blown this trip cannot be counted on all my hands, feet, your hands, your feet, etc.
This top got another wear on this trip...
...but I'll post that later on this week. It's styled a bit differently and if it's possible, I'm acting even more goofy in those pics!
Earth Month: Earth Therapeutics
I wear my flip-flops about 93% of the time (you can get away with that in Los Angeles even on brisk days) and having exposed skin all the time doesn't make for the softest of skin on my feet. I not-so-secretly get pedicures mostly for the amazing loofah action the pedicurists rock on the bottom of my feet. Sometimes I'm embarrassed that they're making fun of me because of how much comes off, a la Elaine on Seinfeld.
Dry skin tends to plague me, so Earth Therapeutics has been a dry skin savior.
The foot balm is made up of three natural plant butters (cocoa, mango, and shea) and has a mix of tea tree and peppermint oils which stimulate and purify as well as aloe vera, that gets in there deep to soften skin. It's thickly textured, free of parabens, and not tested on animals - an awesome trifecta of good stuff getting absorbed by your skin.
The peppermint scent is strong enough to open up a few airways as well - it's like a mini aromatherapy sesh with your toes!
Earth Therapeutics www.earththerapeutics.net Price – $2.99+ Varieties – body butters, foot balm, cleansing strips, nail and cuticle care, and exfoliating soap.
