#MMMay14: Days 11 & 12

I'll be away for the next three weeks due to a death in my family. My posts will be infrequent, though I do plan to continue with the Me-Made May challenge. I will simply post several days at a time catching up all at once. I hope to also complete a few easy refashions and diy projects during this time, but that will all depend. So, to catch up these past two days, here's what I wore yesterday...

refashioned jeans and a thrifted tank. And here's what I threw on today...

a pair of refashioned yoga capris, my chucks and a thrifted t-shirt. Until next time...

Peace,
Andrea

#MMMay14: Day 5

Day 5!!! And after four days of basics, I decided that today's outfit needed to push the boundaries a bit. I started off with these beautiful bright aqua jeans that I thrifted and altered (waist) several weeks back. I threw on a chambray shirt that I'd also altered slightly and took my son to school, planning to come home and actually plan my outfit a bit better :). I had pulled out this skirt turned top that I refashioned last year as one of the pieces to wear this month and when I looked at it a little more closely I realized that it would go perfectly with my jeans...along with a bright yellow thrifted belt and a thrifted ivory cardi as its a bit windy today. Bright, bold, and I feel so feminine ;).

Love how gathering it in the back with a belt gives a bustle effect! Oh, and the stand-up collar!!!

When you look at the closeup of this top, you'll see that the aqua and yellow are there, along with orange, black, green, etc. Love how I feel in this outfit, and though I initially thought this would only work for fall/winter, I'm finding the floral pattern and the weight of the lined 'skirt' make it perfect for spring weather!

Did anybody spy the pattern pieces in the background of the pics??? Cut out an 80's pattern for a top that I'll be making later today! Can't wait to see how it comes out and hope to wear it tomorrow :) Yay, for my second item made from a pattern! Now, I just have to make it...

What have you made lately? Are you wearing your you-made pieces this month?? I'd love to see pics of you all in your you-made items, so let me know if you are posting somewhere and add a link so I can follow along :).

One last reminder! The button bracelet giveaway ends today at 5 pm EST and the winner will be announced at that time! Open to US residents and all you need to do is go here and leave a comment on which of the two colors you'd prefer :) Good luck!

Peace,
Andrea

#MMMay14: Day 3

Shoulda had this posted yesterday...asked my son to take pics of my husband and I and they all came out really bad! (Normally he does a great job). It was evening, and the lighting in the outdoor eating space at the restaurant wasn't great. Soooo, I put my outfit back on this morning to take pics by the light of day ;).

We spent most of the day at my son's preschool helping with the annual garden clean-up and celebrating the 10 year anniversary of said garden. It was tons of work, fun and they had great music besides! The local middle school jazz band played and were very talented, then a local band played that specifically do gigs geared towards kids and were so much fun (and awesome to boot!). Needless to say, we came away well-fed, worn out, and having had a great time :). Oh, and dirty. My son then saw balloon animals floating around and we remembered a street fair that was happening, so we went, ran into some friends, had mango lemonade and our son enjoyed a balloon superhero and the free bouncy house. After a couple of hours back home to rest, relax and freshen up, we decided to head out for dinner. (Busiest day ever as we tend to spend so much time at home and haven't hit the hectic schedules that being involved in extracurricular activities produce!)

Here's what I wore:

The cropped jacket is a consignment store find. My top was thrifted and refashioned, while my jeans were bought new 5 years ago and 'skinnified' two years ago. My gold flats were bought new. My bracelets and earrings were thrifted, as well.

This top is something I have repeated often when refashioning thrifted blouses. I decide whether the sleeves and collar are staying or going (in this case, going and staying, in that order), then I take the blouse in from the armpits down to the hem gradually tapering out to give it an a-line shape. This is a very flattering fit for me and makes it easy to grab any of the blouses I've refashioned without worrying too much about how it'll look on any particular day. The jeans, again, are a repeat of a process I've performed over and over again on jeans and pants. Try them on inside out, pin or mark how much needs to be taken in and after running them through my sewing machine, I cut off the excess and finish off the raw edges. You could call this outfit a uniform, of sorts, as I wear a variation of it at least 3-4 times a week. It's easy and casual for daytime, and its a snap to dress this up for a family dinner or even a date night (with heels and bolder jewelry).

Hoping to jump into some of my dresses and skirts soon, but its been windy around here and I don't like the opportunity for mishaps ;). Stay tuned a little later on today to see what outfit I've put together for a relaxed Sunday...

More me-made pieces are on their way!
Peace,
Andrea

Thrifted OOTD: Going Green

I've been down with a stomach bug since my shoe refashion and am on the mend today, breathing fresh air and eating lots of chicken soup and crackers :). Perfect day for an outfit post, since I just don't have the energy for a new refashion.

The secondary brick on our building is gorgeous, I think. And it provides a great backdrop for photos! You'll see the front of the building in a later pic and its just not as appealing as the sides and back where all of these lovely rusty brown shades come together. Without further ado, here is my outfit of the day...

Awkward pic of me trying to get a shot of my braid & bun (good thing I cleaned my ears!)...love doing my hair
like this and there are lots of variations to try!

I went with a thrifted pair of Gap jeans that fit like a boyfriend jean, I guess, and have patches that I sewed in using gray thread and straight stitching back and forth in a random crisscross pattern. They aren't very visible at any distance, so I may use different blue shades to make them stand out a bit more. Why not make a repair a feature? I paid $5 max. My top is a refashion from a couple of months back: the green granny silk. Not sure what I paid for the original blouse, though my local thrift normally marks silk tops at $4 or $5...just depends on if I grabbed it during a half-off sale. My earrings are actually a gift from my sister in law and are sterling silver with a smooth mint/aqua stone and I love them...they are just my style. The shoes are also thrifted! duh ;) and cost me $4. I found them at a thrift store in MI when I was home visiting a couple of years ago (love thrifting with my sis whenever I get a chance to go home!).

There you have it! This is what I wore today out to the store to buy my chicken soup and crackers, then later to the library with my son once I'd regained a bit of strength, and as I write this cuddled up on the couch eating my toast with almond butter. Easy, comfy, and still pretty darn stylish!

Peace,
Andrea