Getting Organized

Receiving the dress form in the post the other day caused me to evaluate the space I had in my bedroom. Where am I going to put it? I realized I had to do some cleaning and re-organizing in there if I wanted to be able to work freely.  First though, I had to put it together.

I couldn't wait to start working.  I have so many refashion and sewing projects I want to do and the projects have just been piling up since I ordered the dress form.  I mean really, just have a look at my sewing table, what a mess.

I decided to get to work on my sewing space before tackling any other projects. I went from having the above messy table to this below.

I turned the Shoedazzle boxes into storage boxes.  They have these nice little pull out drawers and each box holds quite a bit.  I plan on putting spray paint to them at a later date.  As you can see I broke out a piece of equipment that has been sitting in a closet for more than a few years.  I haven't tried to sew with it yet because I need to thread it properly. That could take a bit of time as I haven't done that in a while.  

I'm glad I made the time to get organized though as it makes me want to do more. I can't wait till tomorrow.   

Casual Friday

Today Casual Friday truly was casual.  At home caring for two sick little girls I decided to clean my room and clear off my sewing table while they watched TV and caught up on some reading.  I picked this flannel up at the Salvation Army after watching a tutorial by Cotton and Curls blogger Lizzie B.. The price tag said $4.99 but I only buy when everything is 50% off, so a cool $2.50 was all it cost me.  Yay!

This is the before...on my new dress form btw.

And here's the after.  Check out my little guy Jack.  He follows me everywhere.   

I'm so happy to have refashioned this shirt into something more like what I would wear.  I don't like long sleeve shirts especially flannels, but I really do need a flannel or two for the barn or when riding my motorcycle.  This will do just fine:-)


Jeans-ON skinnys, Sandles-ON clearance, Flannel-SA 50% off, earrings-F21

Wednesday Wear

What to wear, what to wear?  The weatherman said it would rain today and when I left for work it certainly looked like it would. When I returned from work the sun was shining, so some of my pics have me in a cardigan and others do not.

   Also, I love these shoes, but after a long day at work my feet can get a bit tired, so out come the Scholls Fast Flats until I can handle wearing the heels again. 

Cardigan-ON clearance, Top-Target clearance, Skirt-Salvation Army 50% off of $6.25, Shoes-ShoeDazzle, Bracelets-WalMart, Earrings-Target

Impatiently Waiting

Can't wait, can't wait! This waiting is killing me.  A few days ago I ordered my dress form.  The one I wanted my whole life.  Well, maybe not my whole life, but for much of it.  I've been a sewer since like forever.  My mother taught me to sew with needle and thread at a very early age.  I believe I was about six when I went running through the living room with my arms wide open and caught the thread my mother was sewing with. I pulled it right out of the needle she was using to darn some red socks for my dad.  She was a little perturbed, but when I asked her what she was doing, she took me aside and showed me.   That was my first lesson and from that point on I have always relished in having that skill and ability, one that has served me well over the years. Oh sure, I've put it away when the funds were flowing and shopped my heart out at the local mall. But over time, I've learned that my money is better spent elsewhere and I can use the skills I have to foster a more thrifty lifestyle. After all these years of wanting a dress form, I finally got one on the way. I feel like a kid again and this waiting is killing me.

Bold For Blue

I'm not one for wearing much blue and as you know by now I have lots of black. I've had this skirt sitting in its packaging at the bottom of my closet for more than six months now.  I purchased it online from New York and Company during their year end clearance.  You may have noticed by now that I usually don't buy something unless it's on sale or clearance.  There are select pieces I feel like you simply must pay the price for but for the most part, clearance and sales will do. 

 I like this pencil skirt because it goes to the knee, totally appropriate for work. In fact it could probably be raised about an inch just for giggles.  The detail of this skirt is what drew me to it.  

The waist has darts that are above the grosgrain ribbon. I'm still wearing black (there's so much more in my closet) but I am mixing it up a bit. 

Top-Target sale $6, Watch and necklace were both on clearance from Target, Skirt-New York and Co clearance, Shoes-Jessica Simpson from Ross $29, Ring on right hand 2 for $5 bin at F21,

 Wedding ring-Ben Bridges Jewelry 

Magic Monday

Check this out, so today I come home from work to find these two sleeping on the lawn furniture, no big surprise, right?

But when I catch them, Jack sticks his tongue out at me.  Guess he's not happy to see me.

Today's selection is actually one of my favorite looks and what makes it so magic is that my daughter sent me a surprise to wear with the outfit and it arrived today. Thank you to my hubby for taking the pics today, he makes me laugh. 

 A closer look at the bracelet. Isn't it grand?

Jeans-Gap clearance, Cami-Ross set of two for $5.99, Blouse-ON clearance, Booties-Salvation Army 50% off.  Earrings-gift, Bracelet-Nordstroms also a gift from my lovely daughter C. Thank you for the surprise sweetie.  It's just as lovely as you are.

Casual Friday

As I've said before casual Fridays don't have to be about jeans and flip flops. As such I decided to go with this black and gray combo, because after perusing my closet yesterday it turns out that I own an enormous amount of black and gray.  Working on that, I swear. I figured going with knits and wedges were a safe bet today. 

Check out the hair today. Was going for some kind of bohemian look.  Thing about using crimpers, once you start, you have to go all the way or re-wash your hair.  

Dress-ON super sale, wound up getting it for $6 after my coupons and discounts.

Cover up-Target, paid full price $16.

 Wedges-VS on clearance. Earrings-Target clearance for $1.50.

Ring-F21 in the 2 for $5 bin. 

  

I'm Going Shopping Today

In my closet that is.  After reading many posts on thrifting, refashioning, etc.  I decided it's time to do a little of my own from what I already have.  I thrift more now than I ever did and lately I've been finding quite a few finds.  But because it seems I have so little time on my hands what I find typically goes into the closet, a virtual wasteland of unused clothing.  Last summer I had a yard sale and rid myself of so many summer dresses I could have refashioned into some awesome skirts. Kicking myself on that one.  So, I'm hoping that today when I get home I will be able to pull some pieces out of there and start re-working them.  Stay tuned.

My Biggest Challenge

I'm not so certain the title of this post really tells it all, but every day is a challenge for me, as it is for most people, when it comes to dressing for work or play. Add to that the fact that I commute 62 miles each way on a motorcycle almost daily.  So you can see where the difficulty comes into play here.  I have to dress nicely for work but I also have to dress safely to ride.  Riding in Stilletos is a no-no, so putting together an ensemble that can be ridden in also is truly my biggest challenge.  When I leave the house I look like this...with helmet and gloves of course:-)

When I get to work, I quickly change out of my riding boots, can't see them in this pic but I wear my stable boots to ride both my motorcycle and my horse.  

Then into my heels, earrings and blazer so that I look like this...

Oops!  Like this, but take notice in the above pic, my bootie heels.  Love em.

The only thing in these pics I paid full price for was the striped T from ON.  Blazer-ON clearance, belt-NY&Co clearance, jeans-Gap clearance, earrings-F21 sale, booties-Salvation Army 50% off.  

Casual Friday

Casual Friday is not an excuse to grunge it up. To many people casual Friday means just that, flip flops and t-shirts. While many use Fridays as an excuse to put on their grungiest of grunge, I'm pretty certain there are guidelines for what you really should be wearing.  You can look just as good on casual Friday as you do Monday through Thursday.

 I took a walk on the wild side by combining textures and prints today.  I have much too much gray, black and blue in my closet and I want to start mixing it up a bit.

Top-ON clearance, cardigan-BR clearance but pricey still, jeans-Gap clearance, earrings-F21, wedges-DW clearance. I put this together because it's basically all I could find this morning, but I like it just the same.   I combined my cheap, inexpensive pieces with one pricey piece, the cardigan.  I normally wear it with a button down and skirt combo, but today it went casual.  I apologize for the pics.  My hubby photographer wasn't available today so I had to make do. Now I'm off to clean my closet:-)

The Wrap Dress

Wrap Dress w/jacket

Wrap Dress without jacket.

I can remember my mother trying on a wrap dress for the first time when I was a little girl. The sales clerk at JC Penney's said it was fashionable and all the rage back then. And still it holds the honor of being one of my favorite pieces of clothing.  This one is made of knit and accommodates my fuller figure at a smaller size.  Purchased from Banana Republic online, I got it for a steal at last years end of season clearance. Jacket-Wet Seal, Boots-Marshall's, cuff-yard sale, earrings-birthday gift from my friend Tiff.

Rainy Day Wear

It was a rainy day here in Cali and I had to find something cool that could be layered into something warm.

  I chose to wear leggings with boots because it was so wet where I live. But when I arrived at work in San Diego, I had to peel off the layers. Boots-Marshalls, leggings-Ross, blouse-BR, boyfriend sweater-Target, necklace-DIM, earrings-F21.  It was also a bun day because I over curled my hair and it just didn't look right, so up it went.  Oh and the blouse is silk, bought it from Banana Republic Online during their end of year clearance for like $18.  It's sleeveless and I turned the collar under until I peeled off the sweater.