Bridal Shower Gifts: travel undies bag & passport cover

I am SO behind on blogging about all of the projects I have been working on! I have been redecorating my apartment and have completed many projects. I will hopefully have some tutorials later on.

My friend's bridal shower was in August and I made her an undie bag and a passport cover for her new passport. I used these tutorials and pretty much followed them to a 'T'. The only difference is that I sewed on a undie for the clean and dirty sides and stitched the words clean and dirty as well.

Here is a picture of my completed gift!

http://handmadeisbetterblog.com/2013/06/28/sew-a-passport-cover/

http://www.itstaylormade.com/2010/04/lingerie-bag-clean-dirty.html

Dress to Skirt

My friend wanted to change a dress she had so I simply cut off the top part to make it into a skirt. She didn't like the look of the dress anymore but loved the design. Another 2 minute clothes transformation!

A Baby Sized Quilt

The baby I babysit just turned 1 last year and I wanted to make some special for her. It was very last minute and used some old fabric I had from a quilt I was going to make. It ended up be 1 foot by 2 feet, a lot smaller than I had intended but I got busy and didn't have enough time to make more squares. It works well for her though since she is so small :) I still need to work on being more precise and accurate when I sew because many of the corners didn't match up well but first I need to get a rotary cutter and mat!

50 cent scarves!

I have been visiting two different swap meets quite often in the past few months...I think I go at least once a week! There are so many cute, unique finds and this past week I found some super cute chiffon fabric that would look great as scarves!

The cream scarf with pink and purple flowers was $2 a yard but I asked for 2 feet. I should have gotten 2 yards so the length would be better 72" vs 60" but oh well. After trying on the scarf more I decided that 2 feet was a bit too wide so I cut in half and made two! Which made one scarf cost 50 cents! :) Love deals!

The mint scarf with stripes and mini polka dots was $1 for the whole piece, which was 60"L x 40" W. I also cut this piece into two and am giving one scarf to my boss since she loved the print.

After making several scarves I have decided that the ideal size for a scarf, for me, is 72"L x 18" W. The longer length allows me to be more versatile in how I tie it and the width is ideal for the fluffiness. I prefer it to be more fluffy vs too skinny. If I make the scarves longer I will have to always purchase 2 yards of fabric, which costs more but in the end I think its worth it...and I have 1-2 extra to give away or sell!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the prints and the price! :)

Refashioning Old Clothes

I recently went to visit my best friend and she gave me a huge bag of clothes that she was giving away and I took some stuff, even though I knew the cuts/styles were a bit out of style and/or not quite my style. I love getting clothes from her because she also has a small frame so her clothes fit me better. :)

As I was trying on clothes this afternoon I saw a lot of potential in certain outfits that didn't fit me that well or were out of style. By simply cutting away certain parts of the clothes I gained 3 new pieces and 2 scarves! I love it when ideas come out well!!

Project 1: took about 2 minutes to cut off the top! Be very careful when you cut and cut as close to the edge as possible. 

The dress with the top attached. The top was a bit small for me but I loved the crocheted waist band!

No top! Now I can wear it with different tops. Need to fix the hem though..it is starting to come out.

Project 2: took about 2 minutes as well! I might add some buttons/buttonholes or edge it with lace..not sure yet. If you look really close you can kind of tell the edges were cut off but most people won't notice it! :) And I have been looking for a cream sweater and a cream soft scarf is also pretty awesome!

The sweater with all the extra draping..out of style and sort of old momish.

The new and improved version! Looks like a normal cream sweater.

And I got a scarf to wear as well!

Project 3: took another 2 minutes, had a few minor mis-cuts but they can be easily fixed!

Cute sweater with cowl neck..not quite in style anymore and again, old momish

even cuter! and just what I have been looking for, more simple sweaters :)

And I have an infinity scarf..but since it is only 1 loop I might add a necklace and make it a scarf necklace combo :)

Mason Jars with Chalk Labels

I love mason jars and chalk labels! I love how chalk labels look and mason jars are super versatile! They can be used  for baking, cooking, storing, organizing...all sorts of things. I have been on the lookout for plain mason jars, not the ones with "ball" or "kerr" on it. There aren't many stores that carry them and to buy them online is crazy because shipping is so high! When we went to CO for our anniversary trip we came across a Hobby Lobby and I had to go inside. We don't have one near us and I have heard its a crafters dream store. We found the mason jars I had been searching for and it was even on sale! We figured that we could take a dozen in our carry on for our flight back home and so I purchased a dozen mason jars. I was so excited to find them and it was cheaper than I had budgeted! When we left the next day we stuffed our clothes into the jars and when we got back home, they were all safe and sound.

I put them on the counter, next to my OXO baking containers and I love how I can easily see all of my baking items.

Materials
-Chalk Labels
-Ball Smooth Sided Mason Jars (these are same as the ones I purchased at Hobby Lobby)

Shabby Chic Redecorating: The Bathroom

For the past few months I have been wanting to redecorate our apartment and make things more cute. The bathroom was the easiest room to redecorate. There was already a shabby chic amoire on the counter that a friend had given to me and all that was needed was a shower curtain, some vintage drawer knobs and a few trays for the counter and toilet. I found the vintage drawer knobs at the swap meet and the shower curtain was from Marshalls. The knobs were the awesome find of the day! They were about 50 cents each, such a simple and cheap way to make the drawers cuter and more shabby.

Here are some before and after pictures:

The old simple curtain

The new, pretty, cute and colorful curtain

The white daisy flower knobs

The gold and bronze rose knobs

An assortment of designs!

I LOVE this amoire! It is probably the my favorite piece in the whole house :)