It's COPYCAT day!! Welcome to the first week of copycatdom. Each week a different piece from your favorite store, celeb or designer will be targeted. These pieces will usually be snagged by yours truly, staying true to the $1 budget, because I have a "I HEART" laundry list of things I want to make. Now, there's always the chance that something will be sent my way that will fit into one of these themes, so if you're on the same wavelength as me I'll be using your piece to redo soon enough. Today it's Natalie Portman's amazing Viktor & Rolf dress from the Golden Globes.

The before piece is this lovely dress that I procured from my go-to pile sale for $1...

...and the leftover flowers from last week's Week 52: Lilah.

Let's get crackin!

First thing I did was cut that dress in half!!

I was left with the top piece - that looks like it could make a fab bolero soon - and the bottom piece that was going to be today's ensemble.

I took the skirt and pinned under the raw edges at the waist line and gave it a new seam.

After the piece was stitched, I grabbed the leftover flowers...

...and threw them into a dye bath of RIT dye in Crimson.

I used an old vase to let the four flowers bathe after boiling water and adding the dye to the bath. I ended up letting them simmer overnight and took them out the following morning. They looked a little something like this...

I was obsessed that those white sandy/plastic bits around each flower took so well to the dye! They came out just like I had hoped! I let them dry and then used a few safety pins to pin them together into one mini bouquet :)

I took the flowers and pinned them to the top of the new piece which I was thrilled with. I loved my version of Natalie's stunner.

I didn't go as long with mine as she did and instead paired it with some skinny jeans and silver flats.

I have to say that I love the pink and red color combo - it's like a pre-Valentine's color medley! I even tested out my best Black Swan-esque moves while waiting for the car!

The elastic waist of the dress made for a comfortable and fitting top to this strapless piece and yes, I did wear a jacket for most of the night. I have to say that I'm dealing with this crazytown weather going from super chilly to super warm and my body still can't keep up as I was having hot flashes at one point in the evening.