...And Thursday

With my last round of tests over until finals, life in San Diego is easy and fun once again.  It's spring time and while the sun is out the wind is keeping me in coats and jeans, instead of the V-necks and skirts I prefer this time of year.  Sitting inside looking outside at the pretty blue sky has me itching for all the things about summer I love.  I am daydreaming about events that are sure to be mentioned in detail while they are happening.  One of my favorite summer events is my annual 4th of July party. Everything about the party is a surprise until people arrive.  I plan the menu and decorations way in advance.  As in- I already have the main and side dishes planed, still working on desert and drinks! I have been working away on different ideas for a few weeks now and when I stumbled upon this dress, I knew that I would be wearing a version of it on the 4th!

 Isn't it amazing?  It is the perfect mix for nautical and patriotic, something I can wear all summer long!  But there is no way I am paying over fifty dollars plus shipping for this dress. So here is my plan.  Find a suitable tank top replacement and add it to a skirt in a similar cherry red.  I will probably make the skirt myself.  It is a fairly simple A-Line number with a little extra volume in the form of pleats/ruffles at the top. Sounds pretty easy and fun, I hope to keep the entire look under 20 dollars.  I am currently debating between two different tanks, one about five dollars and the other ten. I might actually go into forever 21 and see what I can try on in person as well.  But here is where the fun feature come in! I am defiantly not going to rock a huge bow on my waist, like some pretty package waiting to opened...UM ICKK!  Bows are one trend I cannot get with!  Instead I am going to make this...

Totally Awesome Rose Belt!

I think this belt would be the perfect topper for my tank dress. A fun detail at the waist, but not a huge bow like a bride's maids dress! The belt is simple to make, all you need is some fabric, interfacing and 2 D rings.  Another positive about this over the bow, is that I can wear it with more than just my dress.  Hop on over to Emily Spark's blog and browse the fun other fun tutorials she had.  But don't forget the awesome rose belt! 

In other news, I graduate in less than 30 days! 23 days and 19ish hours according to the senior tab on my school's website!  Once I return home this blog is going to be SO MUCH MORE AWESOME!!  I will actually be able to sew some projects!  I will have all my craft items in one single place, instead of split between California and Washington.  Needless to say I am very excited!  But I will keep crafting and sharing and writing in the meantime.  A big thanks to all the readers who have supported my baby blog, which is growing up everyday!

...And Thursday

Spring has sprung in the hearts of fashionistas around the globe.  Anything and everything from television adds to magazines spreads, even bloggers are sharing the latest spring pieces.  But as most know, spring can be a difficult time to dress, one second its sunny and the next it is blowing rain in your face, and messing up your hair, uggg!  Pieces that are just a bit on the warm side are perfect for spring and summer evenings. A perfect transition into summer is a knit dress, good with tights, leggings, or even jeans now, and great for summer evenings later.  Enter on of my favorite free knitting pattern blogs out there Pickles.  This is the third Pickle's pattern I have featured, so you know I must visit the site often, I do.  When I am there I usually stop over at the store to droll over the yarns too.  Someday when the amount of yarn I own can fit in just one SMALL box, I will buy from the store.  I really recommend their yarns, as buying the yarn helps support the free pattens, plus they are reasonable in price and the colors are amazing!

But back to the dress...

Is is a sweater, or is it a dress?  It can be anything you want.  Since your are knitting it you can control the length, a little longer if you want to wear it as a dress alone, a little shorter if you are short like me, or super confident, or plan to wear it as a tunic style sweater. Another great way to make this fun dress perfect for spring, knit it up in the nudes and pinks that seem to be everywhere. One tip when choosing colors, if you are fair stick with pinks, roses and warmer colors, if you have tan or olive skin the lighter cooler colors work like gray, and if you have dark skin think bronze when choosing yarns or any nude pieces for that matter. Knitting the trim in a black or navy would be a great way to get a pop of dark in the dress! Another idea, you could knit it in two colors, color block style, with the change at your waist and then belt it to exaggerate the color block style. The possibilities are endless.  Have I convinced you yet?  Simple stated this dress is quick and simple to make and sure to become a spring favorite! Click here to visit Pickles and the sweater pattern!

Fashion Forward Wednesday

Today's Fashion Forward post comes from a blogger who's style I have admired since I stumbled upon her blog once upon a time.  I encourage everyone to go take a peak at Alisa Burke's blog, she is totally unique, unlike anything I have seen on the web, and I mean that in the best way possible.  She is so creative and I am sure I will be featuring her in future posts! Today I am showcasing a project that involves no sewing or knitting, just the willingness to let your creativity go nuts, with paint!

The Messy Dress

If you head over to the amazing tutorial to create this dress, you will find that with a few tools and some fabric paint you can turn a plain target dress, into your own custom work of art. Like most of the other projects I have featured, you can customize the final product with different dress choice, she shows a gray and green dress, and different paint colors.  Another perk of this project, you start with a fairly cheap dress, and end up with something totally fabulous looking, so much craft bang! Once you have tried her method out you could even expand the technique to tee shirts or skirts. Let your imagine run wild! Check out her awesome tutorial here!  As the artist said both the dresses are "simple, graphic and a little edgy" a perfect addition to you spring wardrobe and sure to become a dress you will love to wear!

See you tomorrow!