I immediately fell in love with this polka dotted number as soon as I set my eyes on it!!
It was a buck and obviously an invitation to a peplum party to be had my me, myself, and I!!
(Let's just say that some of the outtake shots had me jumping up and down, making that peplum pop, pop, pop, pop, pop!!) Time to get this weekend ready!
I began by removing the black skirt. I was in a slight pickle trying to decide which way to take this - keeping it as a dress or making it a top. The more I thought about it, the more I was getting pulled to the top route. (I'll find another one of these soon to keep as a dress!)
I cut the black material off and then pinned under the raw edges, preparing to sew down.
Before we hit the sewing machine, I wanted to adjust the neck. I'm obsessed with polka dots, but I wanted to open up the neckline just a bit, because there was a whole lotta dots going on!!
I make a snip about 3 1/2 inches long...
...folded under the edges, and pinned it in place before sewing everything down on the machine! I threaded up the needle and gave a new hem to the bottom of the piece as well as the neckline.
With my sewing complete, I had a brand new top to celebrate one of my dear friends, Andy Molnar, and his incredibly talented students who put together this year's Young Author's Book Project for the amazing organization 826LA.
Their book, A Ring of Sunshine Around the Moon, is filled with stories written by the students themselves discussing the uncertainties of growing up that stemmed from JD Salinger's A Catcher in the Rye.
It was such a powerful night, listening to the students read their excerpts aloud, and seeing their writing come to life. Books are an incredibly emotional thing - from reading (I remember the first time I actually wanted it to rain was after reading Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, hoping spaghetti would fall from the sky), to writing (ooh, can I share stories with you!!), to actually seeing them come to life.
I couldn't have been more proud of my collegiate pal (donning a Holden Caulfield-esque hat that was a gift from his authors) or his brilliantly brave and talented LAUSD students.
The event was held downtown LA at The Last Bookstore which is one of my favorite booksellers, filled with used and new gems that I can't get enough of each time I'm there. The hours I could have spent scouring the shelves this weekend...
I was super comfortable in my shirt, and felt that it tied in with the company I was in...lots of very chic teenagers. I'm looking forward to another book to add to my summer reading list and beginning my volunteering with 826LA.
Hope everyone had a lovely weekend as well!! Happy Monday!!
