Red Velour Nightgown & Sewing Goodies Giveaway

I spent the weekend in bed with a cold, so in-between copious amounts of Nyquil and AlkaSeltzer Severe Sinus Congestion pills (who knew AlkaSeltzer made cold meds? I quickly found out during a trip to CVS where I hopefully did not infect the pharmacists...sorry pals!) I was trying to get apartment and outfit inspiration on Pinterest....

...while getting work done on that velour nightgown!!

Hey zippy, zippy!

Progress was made...

...but it hasn't fully made it to completion. We're almost there!!

In the interim of my nose blowing, tea sipping, working the day job from home, I'm offering a little stay crafty, but most importantly STAY WARM goodie stash for a lucky reader.

A Dritz kit with all the sewing necessities and a cozy handmade ear warmer that will come in super handy for the bitter cold that is still plaguing the country! (The mini sewing machine is yours too, if you so choose to take it!)

Leave a comment below with an activity you love doing while stuck indoors. Maybe it's catching up on housework, or maybe it's watching ALL OF HOUSE OF CARDS' SEASON THREE EPISODES THAT JUST CAME OUT ON NETFLIX!!! (That's not me...yet, but that is how a large group of people I know spent their weekend.) A winner will be chosen next week (3/13!!) so get those activities listed.

Also, big congrats to the winner of the Rafe purse giveaway, Jessica :) Fringe is on Spring's must list, so that bag is going to be the hit accessory staple of your wardrobe! Send pictures - can't wait to see how you style it!

Upcoming Outfits!

I've been playing around with a bunch of fun pieces that you'll see over the next few days!! This one looks like something that I would have worn when I was six as my nightgown. This is like the grown-up, adult version! PS, it's velour!!!

This one feels like I should be in Annie. You know, if Annie gets remade again and it's all adults playing the orphaned kids?

And this might be the piéce de resistance. HELLO, too big jumpsuit!!! The before shots that go along with this one are AMAZING. Just you wait...

All coming soon to a screen near you!! Stay tuned :)

Remake: Vintage Purple Pleated Dress

There's nothing more uncomfortable than a tight neck!

I feel like I get neck-claustrophobia (yeah, that's a word I just made up) when I wear things like this. The color was fab...

...but the dress needed a little more something added to it, you know?

Plus there were some major shoulder pads that needed to get removed.

I should stuff new pillows with all of the pads that I've accumulated :) Ready to see how this dress looks now??

First off, I started with those pads! Seam ripper + stitches holding the shoulder pads onto the dress...

REMOVED!!

I decided to adjust the length next and trimmed off enough to make this hit above my knees.

And next...the neck!! There was a seam down the center of the dress, so it was easy stitch removal.

That's more like it!

I stitched a new hem at the bottom of the dress...

...and cleaned up the neckline.

Pairing this with accents of black, my newly upcycled dress was ready to wear!

I love how fun this dress feels now! It was just "eh" in the beginning, but now this is something quite chic.

And the addition of a thick black patent belt, black tights, ankle boots, and a vintage pin, the dress just had more character.

Minor changes = major upgrade

Oh, and instead of actually trimming the sleeves, I just rolled them up. Now, there's the option to still go long when I get chilly. (I know - it's not just chilly but FREEZING cold in many parts right now, so I'd definitely wear this long-sleeved with a BIG sweater on top if I wasn't in California!)

This works for day or night too - it's something that I can wear during the day at work and then roll off to a dinner or a girls night in it at night!

Yeah, this before/after works for me!!

Dress: Thrifted | Tights: Daiso | Boots: CottonOn | Pin: Vintage (Goodwill - Charlotte) | Sunglasses: Ray Ban | Belt: Thrifted