Fall Fashion Trends

Hello Everyone!
As what is most likely the last post before my freedom is gone and I go back to school, I thought I'd do a post on my favorite fall fashion trends to try out soon.
5. Velvet
Velvet just makes me think of royalty: luxurious, elegant, yet still wearable in small doses. Wearing a floor length gown of velvet would seem too costume-y for everyday wear.

4. Bright Blues
This season, one of the "it" colors is blue, whether it be a vibrant cobalt or a soft sky color. Be bold and wear it as the centerpiece of your look with a dress, or wear it in small amounts with earrings or a necklace.
  
3.Pastels
If you're thinking pastels are just for spring, you would be wrong. Wearing all pastels, however, can be overwhelming, so choose a signature piece like a coat or a bag.
 
2. Grunge Revival
Plaid, beanie hats, graphic tees... it's all fashionable again (shoutout to Northampton)! Pair with dark plum lipstick and you're all set for the fall.

1. Revamped "New Look"
My favorite look of the season is the revival of Christian Dior's "New Look", the classic 50's silhouette. Think voluminous tea-length skirts and small waists!

DIY T-shirt Time

 Do you ever find just a plain t-shirt in your closet and try to come up with a way to jazz it up and embellish it? Here are two cute ideas to turn your boring t shirt into a piece of art.

The first idea is to cut out individual flowers out of a fabric of your choice and handsew them onto the neckline of your t-shirt. I bought a plain grey shirt at Target and used some random polorfleece scraps to cut out the flowers.  I layered some of the flowers (placing smaller ones on top of the larger ones that were in a different color) and sewed them on with grey thread.  Easy, simple, and look how cute it is!

 Anya calls it her "Ophelia" shirt (as in Hamlet)

The second shirt was actually created by my sister and my mother, so I guess I'll give them credit :) This creation was made using, again, a plain t-shirt, tulle, and some small seed beads.  You have to twist the strips of tulle so that they make one long, skinny piece, and curl it up so it makes the flat, round shape. You can then use a sewing machine to sew over the flower in an X shape so that it keeps the round shape.  Anya then sewed on some seed beads by hand just to add some sparkle.  

yay flower crowns

There you go! Two easy tutorials to make when you have a plain t-shirt. If you get stuck trying to come up with a different embelishment, you can always check Pinterest!

All Dolled Up

Today's blog post is a little different from my usual. Instead of writing about and photographing clothes for humans, today is all about dolls.

look at all those lovely soulless eyes

As some of you may know, I've been to El Salvador a few times to volunteer at a children's afterschool program and at an eye health clinic. All year round, my family and I collect toys, books, school supplies, and all sorts of things to send to the kids in El Salvador (who are awesome and include some of our best friends).

We found some old, sad dolls at the Boutique at the dump in my town (where people abandon things they don't want - we've found some really cool stuff there (like one time I found a barely used Coach bag (that was a great day))).

We brought them home, hugged them to make them happy again, and made them some new clothes. (I really wish I remembered to take a "before" photo, because they looked horribly bedraggled to begin with.) We used the same pattern for each dress - a simple tunic style - and used different fabrics to bring out each doll's unique personality. Anya took on the brave job of brushing out their hair, and discovered that most of them had such awful hair, almost all of them got haircuts (coincidentally, as this was all occurring, we were watching the makeover episode of America's Next Top Model).

After our What Not To Wear-esque intervention, the dolls ended up looking much shinier and lovlier. We hope these dolls end up with a happy little girl :) (or boy, we don't judge)

Peplum Party!

Hello Everyone!

This week we bring to you the ever-popular peplum top. Seen everywhere from the red carpet to the streets, the peplum top is extremely versatile and can go with anything from a maxi skirt to casual denim jeans.   

  

I love all three of them!

Using McCall's M6724, I made two adorable peplum tops out of two different jersey knits, one a

 turquoise, lightweight knit, and the other a bright pink, slightly heavier weight. 

 Paired with frayed cutoffs and scruffy Converse, this top completes this perfect outfit for a casual summer day. You can even ride a bike wearing it!

We paired this top with my everyday dark wash AG jeans from Anthropologie and a pair of boho fringed moccasin boots.  I love the color combination of the turquoise and warm brown. It's one of my favorites! 

These tops are quite easy to make, it's only three pattern pieces. A little bit of pinning and a couple of stitches and you're all set! Super simple, yet totally adorable!

Flea Market Finds

Hello Everyone!

So this past Sunday my family and I took a little trip up to Portland, ME and what do I see hanging up on multiple poles? This sign of course!

How pretty is it?

Now, my family knows that I cannot resist a clothing sale, especially a vintage clothing sale.  So we ventured onward and eventually found the site of the sale (it was inside an old building apparently. Who knew?)

Inside there were three glorious levels of vintage clothing, appliances, bowling shoes, pins, typewriters, and more (Although the two things I bought happen to not be vintage).

The first item I acquired at said flea market was a short sleeved cashmere sweater from Ann Taylor, bought for a mere 12 dollars.  It's so soft, but what makes it so pretty and unique is the back. 

It reminds me of this little article of clothing from my childhood...

oh ballet sweater. How I loved you so. 

The second piece I bought is even better. 

This is a BCBG Max Azria Runway Limited Edition skirt that originally sold for $218.  I bought it for only $18. Such an amazing deal. It's a little bright (at least I'll stop traffic), but so cute! I love the bow on the side. I would have loved it even if it was still $200. 

Until next time!,

Sarah

Beauty Ideas for a Sweltering Summer Day

Hello everyone! Sorry I haven’t been posting much, I’ve been in Vermont these past few days, spending some time with my family (including my lovely little cousins Charlotte and Lindsay from New York), which also means spotty internet access and a lack of quality time with my sewing machine. But not to worry, I still have plenty to show!

It’s been unusually hot up here – usually the rainy coolness of Vermont is a welcome change from the heat of Boston – but for some reason (global warming?), it’s been in the nineties, at least.  Luckily there is a pool here!

So, to keep my hair up to stay a little cooler, I upside-down French-braided my hair, and them twirled it in a messy bun. I got the idea from Pinterest, and I’m a bit surprised it worked out as well as it did – it stayed in all day, despite running around with my cousins and exploring deep Vermont forests – which was another plus. 

And another idea that is loosely based on a pin from Pinterest are these glittery nails; according to Pinterest, you paint your nails, put glitter eyeshadow on the cuticles, and blow it onto your nails, but instead we just dusted the eyeshadow directly onto to the wet nail itself.  It adds a little shimmer without being too overwhelming.  

(Orly nail polish (FOR AUDREY), Sephora eyeshadow)

Little Birdies

With so many last minute projects and finals before I am finally free from Sophomore year, I unfortunately have not had a lot of time to do some sewing. So, while these might not have been made by me, they were made by Anya so that's close enough.

And they are absolutely adorable! All you need is some felt, thread, black seed beads, and of course, love. There is now a whole line of them hanging from our basement ceiling. It's our own personal little army.   

Yay, birdy closeup! Aren't they so cute? This is one of my personal favorites. I love the colors. 

And while I haven't had much time to sew, I was able to paint a ceiling tile for my AP European History classroom.  This tile will just be a small part of the entire world that will eventually take up about half of the ceiling.  I am personally a big fan of Canada.  That's a pretty cute maple leaf. 

Hope to be back soon with some actual sewing projects!