Remake: Blue Satin Bridesmaid Dress

You got the teaser of this fabulous blue party dress last week...

...and today it's time to see the upcycled results!

I started off by removing the pouffy sleeves.

Just to get an idea, this is the purplish discoloration underneath that was found under both sleeves. Cute, eh?

Once I got rid of both of the sleeves...

...the top portion of the dress looked just like this:

Because the trim is a bit much at the neck, I started to remove it with a seam ripper, right at the bust.

With the trim removed from the front of the dress, I was left with this train o'trim!!

To hide the leftover portion of the discoloration at the arms, I stitched down the layers of trim right under the armpits.

Now I'm still going to work with this frilly trim, but turning this dress into a halter and using these guys as the straps! I cut the center in half and moved on to tweaking the length next.

I want to make this fun and flirty, so a big portion of the length of the dress got cut off.

I pinned under the raw edges of the dress...

...and stitched down a new hem.

I ironed down the straps...

...then pinched and cinched the bust line, adding a safety pin to the center of the dress for a bit of ruching. My new party dress was complete!!

I love that this dress still has the party vibe essence! It still has a vintage-y feel, but it doesn't scream 80s anymore!

Those ruffles are hidden now!!

Except for a few hints of the ruffles in the back. I liked keeping the back of the dress' ruffles as they were, but it's always an easy tweak to stitch them down to match the area at the arms if I change my mind.

I think this makes a perfect wedding guest dress or one that's ready for a summer cocktail party.

Paired with a vintage shell purse and a pair of yellow BCBG shoes with bows, the accessories had just the bit of bold color flair to make the dress pop even more!!

After a long day of sewing, it's time to kick up my heels!!

Next time I have to remember not to lean all the way back when I'm sitting on a ledge right in front of succulents. Yep, there's now a band-aid on my back covering the little puncture wound. Oh the pains of fashion...

Teaser: Blue Bridesmaid Dress

Happy Friday, friends!! I just wanted to thank you for all the warm wishes and thoughts being sent my way - my dad is doing amazingly well, post-surgery, and my week of hanging out with the family during his recovery has come to an end. So long North Carolina and your beautiful white blossoms - I couldn't take my eyes off of the gorgeous flowers! We took a quick pic before I left because he said that I had to do something with his scrubs!! His nurse gave me an extra set to sew and I just can't wait to work them into something fantastic! That's on the summer project list, for sure.

It was fun to go a bit offline this week to hang out, help run errands, pick up meds, and cook (lots of homemade hummus and other heart healthy snacks) before getting back into the swing of things at home.

I will be getting this dress finished to post on Monday...

...so get ready for a new, revamped, satin blue bridesmaid dress!

In the interim, there are a few giveaways going on - a $100 Visa gift card with a copy of Save the Date by Mary Kay Andrews as well as a $100 Target gift card and a three month subscription to the DIY/crafty company For the Makers! Head on over to enter!!

Have a most incredible weekend!

Revamped Summer Look with St. Ives + Target $100 Giftcard Giveaway

"Summa, summa, summatime. Time to sit back and unwind." Taking a cue from DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, summer is officially here! (Woooooo!) I love this time of year because the weekends are filled with barbecuing, beach volleyball, and bonfires. Now that's a summer trifecta! Winter is over, the wool sweaters are coming off, and the tank tops, swim suits, and upcycled muumuus are getting worn!! I partnered up with St. Ives® to create a fun little video to chat about their brand spankin' new Fresh Hydration Lotion Sprays that are here just in time for summer!

The scents make you feel like you're on vacation (Energizing Citrus & Vitamin C, Naturally Soothing Oatmeal & Shea Butter, and Naturally Indulgent Coconut Milk & Orchid Extract) and the 360 degree spray factor, allows for a nice coating of lotion to hit your skin without feeling heavy, super greasy, or thick and goopy.

Get Moisturized!

With new, moisturized, summery skin comes a new, reinspired muumuu-turned summery dress.

My before look was just a tired muumuu that I found sitting at the bottom of a garage sale pile of my neighbor's cast-off clothes.

Muumuus happen to be my jam because the patterns are so colorful and they really just scream summer.

They're not the chicest pieces of clothing, however with some seam removing...

...pinning...

...and stitching...

...they can become a summer staple.

With my new upcycled dress (cinched at the waist) paired with some mules, a beach bag, and a spritz of St. Ives® Naturally Indulgent Coconut Milk & Orchid Extract Fresh Hydration Lotion - not only because it matches my outfit :)-  to freshen up and moisturize my skin, I'm ready for a Saturday in the sun.

I want everyone to get in on the summer action, so to celebrate the summery season and all the goodies that need to be purchased to keep your skin glam, BBQs well stocked, and wardrobe filled with beach necessities, a $100 Target giftcard is up for grabs! To enter, leave a comment below of one of your favorite summer staples! Perhaps it's a trip to the Jersey shore, a vintage crocheted swimsuit cover-up, or the fudgy-wudgy bars that are sold at on the beach. A winner will randomly be selected on 6/30. Good luck! 

For more information on these products you can visit the St. Ives website or Facebook page!

Sweepstakes Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

1. Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
2. Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
3. Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
4. For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher email address. You will have 72 hours to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 6/2-6/30.

Be sure to visit the St. Ives brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ posts!