Cashmere Scarf Prototype

I've been playing around with some new scarf styles lately.

I'm excited to present to you, one of my latest designs.

What do you think of the "chain" style?

Making A Statement

For the last couple days, I've been playing around with my odds & ends stash (in all its sparkly glory) of vintage costume jewelry.
My sewing machine is on the fritz, so making jewelry has been a nice break.
I've noticed a trend for big bold statement jewelry, so that's the look I went for with these collage style necklaces.

Each statement piece is created with an array of vintage earrings, pins, necklaces, and some old buttons too.

"Statement" is the key word here. These pieces are supposed to stand out rather than just blend with your outfit.

Bright colors and chunky pieces, are what's HOT!

The more sparkle and flash, the better!

My one-of-a-kind pieces were designed to be remembered, and to make you feel more excited about your look.

Thanks for stopping by!

Summertime Lemonade Stand

The girls and their friends ran a successful lemonade/cookie/jewelry stand, today.
So many smiling customers made it so fun for them!
Each girl put in much thought and time over last couple of days, to make it happen.
I'm so proud they stuck with it.
I think they are too!!

S'mores Cookies

A fun cookie, perfect for summer.
I made these today.
You can find the recipe here.
They're really good!

Dress Form Makeover

Update!
Thanks so much for all the interest in my scarf pictured on my dress form. It's definitely one of my most pinned pictures on Pinterest.
To answer a couple of the many questions I've received...
Yes, I made the scarf. I have been making and selling my ruffle rose scarves since the fall of 2009.
Sorry, I haven't shared a tutorial because I sell them.
Periodically, I do list a few here, in my Etsy shop.

Yay! I finished a project that's been on my "to do" list for a long time.

I've had this table top vintage dress form for some time now, and its been in desperate need of a makeover. Since it's made from a soft spongy foam material, it didn't paint well. I tried a long time ago. Can you tell? Ha! After painting failed. I decided to decoupage it with old magazine pages and finally took the time to do it, yesterday.

I gathered up a few old Needlecraft magazines from the 30's that were once my Grandmas, and a couple Playbills from the late 40's I picked up antiquing a few years ago.

Mixing 1 part glue and 2 parts water, I made my own decoupage solution.

After ripping pages out of the magazines, I started by painting some glue mixture on the form. Next, I took the pieces of paper, dipped them in the glue mixture until they were saturated, removed the excess (so it didn't get so drippy), and began layering the pieces on the form.

Once I had on a good base layer, I added some ads that I liked and wanted to remain visible. Another layer of glue was brushed on to seal everything together.

Here she is, in all her glory!

So happy that my "to do" list is one project shorter - at least for now anyways....ha!

Wire Hanger Makeover

Want to make your wire coat hangers much prettier?
You can! With a custom slip cover.
Slip covers can make anything more beautiful, even icky wire hangers!
I was inspired to make my own recently, when I saw these on Pinterest.

Here's a step by step on how I made my own covered wire coat hangers.
First, choose your fabric (I used vintage tablecloth scraps) and place your hanger over the part of the fabric which you want to show.

Next, trace* around your hanger making sure to include a seam allowance. I allowed for a 1/2" seam and a little over an inch for the bottom to hang below the wire.
*I always trace around each hanger I cover. Even though wire hangers seem to be the same, they can vary - and by a lot!

Cut out two pieces (front and back) of fabric, along your traced line.

If your piece of fabric isn't hemmed on the bottom edge, now is the time to do that.

I mark (on the wrong side of fabric) where the neck of the hanger will come through. With wrong sides together, sew from that mark to the bottom edge for both sides. Make sure to leave that 1/2" open at top for the hanger to fit through.
Before I turn and press, I clip the seam allowance with pinking shears.

The fun part is adding some embellishments.
I love the scalloped edge on this one!

Adding a button a couple inches from each shoulder makes a cute way to keep a thin strapped dress from sliding off the hanger.
Do you have any old embroidered pillowcases laying around?
They make pretty hanger covers too!

What an improvement to those pesky wire hangers, right?