Black Military Jacket

Today I've got another quick fit fix. I picked up this military style jacket from the thrift store thinking I could make it work, though it was a little big and the silver braid on the shoulders wasn't my thing.

So I hopped right in and removed it! Next I unpicked the sleeve hems and the hem of the jacket at both sides. Once I'd unpicked I took in each side from wrist to waist by about 2 inches. All I had to do to finish up was to trim the excess and restitch the hems in place!

Now I've got a fitted military style jacket that is comfy yet stylish. I paired it with my <almost> all thrifted outfit: slouchy white t-shirt, skinny jeans, boots, and ring. The earrings I bought retail a few years back...Forever 21 maybe?

Mixing metallics with my latest at-home manicure!

Just a couple of quick changes, but they made all the difference for me. This is my favorite kind of jacket/blazer because it is made with a cozy fabric that feels like I'm wearing a t-shirt or sweatshirt.

I actually started my photo shoot off with red lipstick and black on black with a camisole, but I shy away from lipstick after about 5 minutes, and then I wanted to translate this jacket into more of an everyday casual look, so I switched to the slouchy tee. If you follow me on IG <@little_didyouknow> then you've seen the pic with lipstick...if not, I'll share here as well!

Do you have any makeup that you are afraid of? For me it's lipstick and eyeliner...more fear of the unknown probably since I rarely wear either but also rarely experiment with them. It always feels like I have far too much makeup on when I do both, so the trick may be one or the other for me ;).

I also posted a preview of a refashion I'll be putting up later today or first thing tomorrow...here's that sneak peek!

It'll be a scrap buster and I'm so loving how the mix of colors/prints/patterns turned out! So, stay tuned!!!

Peace,
Andrea

Green Velvet

Need I say more? These cotton velvet pants were a very recent thrift score and though they weren't a perfect fit, I knew that it wouldn't take much effort to make them into my favorite pair of winter pants. First off, they're green...deep emerald or forest green *sigh*. So pretty! And they're pants, which are super functional for work, home, whatever! And don't forget velvet.

Now, these are a size 6 petite, which meant I knew there would be a length issue, and though I wear a size 6 in some brands, these ended up being a couple of inches two large around the waist and hips. They have no belt loops, which means they're meant to fit well (i.e. they don't slide down) and they didn't...fit well, that is.

I put the pants on inside out and marked with chalk how much I needed to pinch in on each side...but here's where it gets interesting. The zipper closure, for some reason, sat slightly off center. So, I ended up taking in both sides an even amount initially, then unpicking the side that the zipper tended towards and just took them in on the opposite side. Does that make sense? Essentially I centered the zipper while taking them in the necessary amount. I took the one side in from the waist down to the top of my thigh, to start. Then I tackled the the bottom of the pant legs. I marked how much I could take in on each side of each leg, giving them a skinny fit. Once I'd marked, pinned, and then finally sewed everything in place, I cut off the excess and finished off the insides. Sorry, no pics...I was transitioning from one phone to the next and did all of the sewing while I was without a phone/camera.

Now, I feel, the fit is much better and much more flattering in the legs. I still don't like how these pants look on my butt, however. They have pockets and I'm considering sewing them shut and trimming away all of the excess fabric to see if that helps them to look better, but it may be an issue of the cut and type of fabric of the pants and I'm not sure how I'll fix that. Or its my butt....... nah! ;). If I decide to play around with that I'll let you know and post an update with pics. And hopefully better quality pics with better lighting!!! Winter is so dreary.

Anywho, this is how I wore the pants to work on Sunday, and I got compliments on both the pants and my cropped kimono jacket!

Thanks for stopping by! Stay tuned for another post on making your clothes fit better...

Peace,
Andrea

Some Recent Thrift Scores

As I attempt to get myself back in the blogging game, I figured a thrift score/haul post was in order as it simply requires photographing items and not remaking them before photographing them ;). Here's a look at just some of the items I've thrifted through November and this past week!

One word sums up my thrifting luck lately: SHOES!!!

From left to right: not thrifted but bought when clearance was an extra 50% off at UO, these vintage style leather heels are comfy and only cost me $10!!!, men's italian leather shoes that are just my size and super fly at $12, fugly men's winter boots in my size at $6 (who cares what they look like if they're functional!!! ), and these lovely brown tall leather boots are like new and cost $20!

Today, I picked up these next four items.

A 'toy' dish rack that I'll use for notions or jewelry ($2), a softie homemade Christmas tree ($2), a fleece ear warmer for my son ($1), and a button-up shirt with a fun print ($4) TBR (to be refashioned).

Now, the tree's bows are in poor shape and a couple are missing, so I figure I'll use these miniature ornaments I picked up for a total of $.50 earlier this week to replace the bows!

I also picked up a bag of little angels at $1 for four and may use one as the new tree topper for this softie tree :).

I'll share more later on about my Christmas decor this year, almost all of which is thrifted or hand-me-down!!! Hope you enjoyed seeing some of my recent scores...have you found any treasures lately??? I'd love to hear about them...

Peace,
Andrea