Frayed Denim Shift Dress Refashion

Hey there beautiful people!

I've been down with the flu for much of this week + my husband has been out of town on a camping trip so I've been a one-woman show!! And it is not easy. To take care of baby + the house + sew, film, edit, and upload + try to take care of myself... I'm pooped! haha. Happy to say I'm feeling on the mend today and hoping to be back to 100% for the weekend. I'll admit... I probably do myself a disservice when I'm sick because I refuse to really bunker down

Black + White Floral Midi Dress Refashion

Well, guys, it's Friday. The end to another week. I've kind of been MIA the past week because we went out to visit my sister-in-law's family in Washington and it was just a dreamy trip altogether. We were in the middle of "nowhere," 30 minutes from the nearest traffic light. And it felt so so good to get away, and bask in sunshine + family time. We filled our days as full as we could with adventures... snow cones, parades, swing sets, picking cherries, cliff jumping

Project #3: Shift Dress to Bell Sleeve BabyDoll Refashion

Hello, hello, hello! Today is Day 5 of Refashion Your Summer Wardrobe & my third refashion of the week! There was a lot of hard work and preparation that went in to this week, but these projects have been SO fun. I am excited to add these pieces to my wardrobe and I'm already planning out specific dates/occasions to wear them (anyone else do that??)

Two things I want to talk about today:

Project #2: Button Up to Tie-Front Blouse Refashion + 2 Tricks

Good morning beautiful humans! It's Day 4 of Refashion Your Summer Wardrobe and my second refashion for the week! If you missed my first refashion, you can find it here. Also, reminder to ENTER our 2 giveaways before they close!

Today, I'm sharing the look you see above, which is a transforming a slouchy button up that I might wear with sleeves rolled up, a cardigan, and boots in Fall... into a short-sleeve, button-less, tie front blouse for summer. It's a fairly easy refashion, but one that completely changes the whole look! I have been loving all of the ties that are trending this year, as they are a simple, but interesting, detail that can give pieces a more flattering shape and work with many, many body types.

Thrifting & Refashioning Q&A

Helllllllo everybody! Welcome to Day 3 of Refashion Your Summer Wardrobe! Have you entered our giveaways yet? There's still time! ENTER THIS ONE! It will take 30 seconds to enter & closes this Friday! And don't forget this one! It closes Friday, July 7, so you still have time! :)

Today I wanted to dedicate some time to offering up my best thrifting & refashioning tips as I answer questions I got from you guys a couple of weeks ago on Instagram and Facebook.
So, without further ado, let's get started!

Project #1: Easy Bow Sleeve Dress + My Refashioning Approach

Hey everybody! Welcome to refashion #1 and our first day of refashioning bootcamp!

I have received SO many questions from people over the past few months about HOW to approach a piece of clothing you want to refashion. How to dive in, how to get started, how to get ideas for what to change in your piece. So today I want to talk you through, and demonstrate, the approach I take to refashion garments everytime.

When I approach a garment that I want to refashion, I look at 4 specific areas, one by one, to break down the piece

Refashion Your Summer Wardrobe + 2 GIVEAWAYS!

Today is SUPER DUPER CRAZY EXCITING! Today marks DAY 1 of a fun project I am doing called a Refashioned Summer! I have teamed up with Heather from Feathers Flights to bring you a week jam-packed full of summer refashions, giveaways, and refashioning bootcamp!

During this week, Heather and I will both be sharing 3, that's right, THREE refashion projects each. My goal is

Men's White Button Up Refashion

Hello friends!

I have a fairly simple refashion for you all today -- one that anyone of you could easily duplicate with just a simple men's white button up shirt. :)

This refashion was inspired by the fact that my husband went through his closet and got rid of a bunch of stuff, this shirt

DIY Bohemian Striped Separates - Ruffle wrap skirt + ruffle sleeve top

Saturdays are all about family time. Big breakfasts. Morning chores. Parks and walks and hikes and seasonal activities. Movie nights and bbqing. I looooooooove Saturdays.

I won't name names... but SOMEONE kept me up all night. So I'm a little bit of a zombie this morning. But, a thankful zombie nonetheless. Thankful for the sunshine and warmth, even though it creeps into our non-air-conditioned house a little too much. Thankful for the sweet squishy baby whose face lights up when he sees me, even the grumpy 3am version of

Blue Tribal Print Dress Refashion

Hey hey hey!! Happy Monday everyone!

Kay. Since my last post, I've had a BUNCH of questions like this---

How much of a gameplan do you have when going in to a thrift store?
How do you figure out what you can make from something at the thrift store?
Do you have the plan just in your head?
Do you sketch it out?
Do you have the same plan start to finish??
How do you know what the heck to get at the thrift store? How can you see "potential" in outdated, and often ugly pieces?

Refashioning 101: Taking in an Oversized Dress

Happy Sunday you beautiful people!

Today I want to talk about one of the biggest and most basic parts of refashioning-- taking in an oversized dress. This is a key part of maaaanny of the refashions I do. As I've said before, when I go into a thrift store and look for pieces to refashion, I look mostly at the fabric-- pattern, texture, and quantity. I look for a fairly large quantity of fabric to work with for a few reasons: 1. it gives me room to add to the piece in the way of ruffles, sleeves, panels, collars, etc. And 2. it gives me room for error (and trust me, that happens a lot). SO most of the time, the pieces I pick up to refashion are XL or bigger.

Because the pieces I'm picking up are not my size, it's crucial to know how to bring them down in size and get a good fit with

to the artist, ready to give up.

To the artists---

Today I'm thinking about the artists. Of any and every medium. The painters, writers, musicians, actors and actresses, the dancers, and the photographers. The artists who are struggling. Who have doubts, insecurities, and are all too aware of their shortcomings and flaws. You know who you are.

I recently saw a post that described the creative process as something like this:

Oversized Blue Gingham Dress Refashion

I know I often start my posts referring to that given day being "one of those days." And over time and across those posts, I've used "one of those days" to mean a lot of different things. It's been used to refer to good days, bad days, crazy days & dreamy days. Mom life days and "this is my life??" days. But... for reals, guys. Today was one of those days. In the best, best possible way. 

One of those days when you feel a spark, a light, a flame. An idea, a dream, an inspiration. When a tiny vision sprouts in your mind and over the course of a couple hours of thinking and dreaming and talking it out, that vision grows and blooms and can barely be contained in that head of yours. When, for once, your dream matches up with your husband's and you're in awe at how good it feels to both of you. 

Those are the kinds of days you have to scribble about across the empty pages in your journal. The kind that make your

Denim Overall Dress Refashion

We're going back to the 90's/00's with a lot of the trends this year. And I'm not complaining! (Except for the choker thing... I still don't quite get that one. But power to all the girls who rock it anyway!)

So. As an "artist," some days I feel completely blank. Not a speck of creativity or inspiration to be found. I feel unmotivated and so not confident.

And other days, I can't sketch fast enough to keep up with the ideas in my head! The art just comes freely... flows my from head to my hands and into my creations. It's an amazing feeling. You lose all

Embroidered & Distressed Jean Refashion + Skinny Jeans Tutorial

I'm typing this late on a Saturday night. After a full, happy day. One of those days that sends you to bed with tired feet, tired eyes, and a full heart. One of those days. A day when you catch yourself smiling without even thinking about it and replay moments from just hours ago in your head.

It wasn't a day full of grand outings, lavish living, or anything of the sort. Nope. Just a day full of being outdoors, cuddles in bed, open windows, baby talks, holding hands, yummy food, a summer thunderstorm, long talks, and just... being present. Days like this, with my boys, are my favorite. I'm sure you know the feeling, right? Days when you remember to live life

Easy Men's Polo Refashion

Hey there! :) 

Well guys. It's MAY! Can you believe that? My baby just turned 3 months and it has seriously been the fastest 3 months of my life. Also. It snowed this past week in Provo. On April 28th. Seriously, Utah? You need to go back to elementary school and learn the seasons. Spring means flowers and sunshine and green and perfect temps and yes, the occassional rainstorm. But snow? Nope, nope, nope. You got it allllllll wrong. 

Kay. Annnnyway. What was I saying? Oh yeah, May. I'm extra excited for May this year because I am participating in the #MeMadeMay challenge. Have you heard about this before?! If not, you should read about it here. Basically, you make an individual goal in regards to your #memadewardrobe... whether that's to wear something you made 3, 4, 5 times a week... to

WHEN THINGS DON'T GO TO PLAN: Tales of a Dress Mess

There's a drawer in my closet filled to the brim with failed projects.

Yep, you read that right. Failed projects. Tops, skirts, dresses with accidental holes, scorch marks, ruined necklines, knotted stitches, and uneven hems. A drawer full of abandoned, unfinished, frustrated endeavors that didn't go according to plan.

Why am I sharing this?

I've been thinking a lot these past few weeks about selective reality. About the false picture that things like Instagram, Snapchat, and Pinterest create for a person's life. 

We fill our social media accounts with perfectly filtered photos and perfectly happy posts. I'm guilty of it, too. It's easy to fall prey to the delusion of "perfect". If you're anything like me, you've admired someone's pictures, someone's posts and found

QUICK SIDE-LACED SWEATSHIRT REFASHION

Happppppy Fridaayyyyy!!!

Man, what is it about Friday that is just so dang special? I always find myself waking up with a smile and just a different energy on Friday. I wait anxiously for Dal to get home from work so that we can do something carefree and adventurous (or just lounge, eat, and Netflix... that's great sometimes, too!) I just love the possibilities of Friday + the weekend ahead. It's a gooooood day.

Today, I'm in California visiting my parents and tomorrow, Dal and i are going to Disneyland. I am so. excited. It probably

Floral Maxi Easter Dress

I have always LOVED Easter. It's a beautiful celebration of new life, spring, sunshine, and Christ's life, sacrifice, and resurrection. It just seems like a really happy + hopeful day to me. Growing up I remember getting a new dress every year especially for Easter Sunday. Always in bright, spring colors and often with poofy tulle and fabric roses. 

This year I knew I wanted to make my own Easter dress. I had the prettiest, most buttery soft floral fabric sitting in my fabric pile that I got in Downtown LA back around Thanksgiving, and I knew it was perfect for Easter. (Did I mention I'm going to the Fabric District again in just a few weeks!? I am so. excited. Holy. Crap.) I spent a lot of time browsing Pinterest, looking

WHITE EMBROIDERED SPRING DRESS REFASHION

Spring, spring, glorious spring. I feel like both my mood and my productivity directly correlate with the temperature outside haha. Spring just gives me an extra pep in my step. All the blossoms, the returning green, the sunshine... it's all so happy + beautiful and makes me want to create pretty things. :)

I found this white embroidered XXL maxi dress at the thrift store and felt like I had hit the jackpot. The detail at the neck and hem was so beautiful. The perfect details to work with for creating something new.  Pro tip-- when digging through thrift stores searching for things to refashion, look for details- special, unique little features of clothing items that you can

Our NICU Story + Making "Little Comforts"

I went in for a routine weekly exam on Thursday, Jan 26. I had always had this unexplainable inkling that G was going to come early, but at 37 weeks, I thought I still had time. At my checkup, however, the Doctor was concerned about my blood pressure. I remember them checking it 3 or 4 times, and one of the times it was something ridiculous like 160/100. So, my doctor sent me over to the Labor and Delivery ward at the hospital so they could monitor me and test for preeclampsia. They found that I did in fact have preeclampsia and I was in the early stages of labor already. They admitted me and broke my

BLUE + WHITE KEYHOLE DRESS

Happy Sunday! 

Ahhh... Sundays. I look forward to this day every week. It's a day for rest, spiritual rejuvenation, family time, and inspiration. By the time I get to Sunday every week, I feel drained and tired and just overwhelmed by chores and work and everything going on. Sunday always seems to come right in time to create a "pause" and recenter me + my family. 

This Sunday is especially special because I'll be watching this. It's one of my favorite things to happen twice a year. I always

A Story in the Stitches

Photograph by Alayna G. Clark Photography 

A couple people asked me recently why I suddenly became so much more dedicated to my blog, more diligent in my creative projects. I've spent some time thinking about this and decided to write some of it down.

You see... a little boy named Grayson made me a mama on Jan 27 of this year. And it has changed my world and opened my heart. I love that little boy in ways I never imagined until it happened to me.

As a mom, you spend all day, everyday,  pouring your heart into raising these little souls. Making sure their needs are met-- physical, spiritual, emotional. You sacrifice your body, your time, your independence, sometimes your career, your

DIY BABY CARDIGAN

 Yesterday our little Grayson boy was blessed in our church. It was a pretty special day for our family. :) It was one of those days where my heart was just... mush. haha. We were surrounded by our immediate and extended family and I was just in awe at the amazing people that love my little boy. It made me feel hopeful about his future and all of the souls here & in Heaven helping in his journey.

A few weeks ago, I got this crazy idea that I wanted to make something for each of the three of us to wear for G's blessing

MIXED STRIPES SHIFT DRESS

The past week or so, I've been battling a lot of self-doubt and subsequent creator's block. We all go through days, weeks like that sometimes, right?

I have 5,002,348 projects (not exaggerating at all, there), half-finished to nearly-finished sitting in my sewing room. But none of them were calling to me this week. None of them were exciting me... putting that usual fire under my feet when I tackle a project. I knew that I needed something new to help get me out of my funk.

So! Baby G and I did some wandering and ended up at the mall. And what do ya know, I found it. My creative inspiration. In

4 SIMPLE TEE MAKEOVERS + SOME THOUGHTS

Ahhhhh. This week has been one of those weeks (and it's only Thursday!) You know what I mean by "one of those weeks", don't you? I mean one of those weeks where... one day you don't even leave your bedroom until 1PM. One day you have 4 meltdowns before dinnertime.  Your to-do list continually grows, but nothing really gets taken off. One of those weeks where you just don't believe that you can do it. "It," being everything from doing the laundry to being patient to finding time

MEN'S TEE TO BABY ROMPER REFASHION

Ohhhhh, this little man. I seriously cannot get enough of him. I could not have imagined the absolute bliss of having a newborn to snuggle all the time! Don't get me wrong -- I'm exhausted. And I've been peed on. Spit up on. And as of yesterday, pooped ALLLLL over (Does that officially make me a member of the Mom Club?! I feel like it is a rite of passage! haha) 

BUT. Having a baby... that's all yours... is the most dreamy thing ever. 

---

I had so much fun making baby leggings for G a few weeks ago that I decided to try baby clothing project #2. One of the fun

A QUICK BLACK DRESS REFASHION

Hello lovelies! It's a bright & sunny Wednesday, and I am currently eating Taco Bell. All is right with the world. :)

I've got a super quick refashion for you today that would be easy to adapt and use on some pieces from your own wardrobe! I find myself getting bored with pieces

DIY CLOSET STAPLE - BLACK PENCIL SKIRT

There are certain clothing pieces that I strongly believe belong in every girl's closet. Closet staples. Those pieces that are timeless and can be worn 100 different ways, and for many different occasions.  Pencil skirts do just that for me.

I realized a few weeks ago that the black pencil skirt in my closet had been there since 9th grade and much to my dismay, was

EASY DIY CAR SEAT + NURSING COVER

Before G was born, I looked around quite a bit at nursing covers and car seat covers, but didn't really find any I loved until my cousin showed me a couple companies that made a car seat & nursing cover in one.  I looooved the idea of these, but couldn't bring myself to spend $40 - $50 for them. I found myself coming back to one company's website over and over again. I'd put a cover in my cart, then take it out. Then put it back in again, only to take it out ten minutes later. Every time I

EASY SWING DRESS WITH OPTIONAL BELT

I picked up this black, white, grey chevron knit at the Fabric District in Downtown LA (aka Heaven on Earth) a couple months ago and decided to use it for one of my first post-baby sewing projects for myself.  I stared at the fabric for dayssss, trying to decide what to turn it into... where to start as I dove back in to sewing. 

Ultimately, I decided to keep it simple and start with something that's super wearable,

DIY BABY LEGGINGS

Okay, guys. You wanna know something? Having a baby is great for a million reasons... but one of the most fun things is that you get to play dress up with them everyday (and often multiple times a day thanks to spit up, baby boy pee that shoots out like a fountain, and poop-splosions). Anyway, it's way fun to be able to dress up your own little baby and put them in whatever you dang well please.

When G came home from the hospital, I quickly realized he was much smaller than I had imagined him being

WEEKEND DIY: 15 Min Ruffle Hem Tee Refashion

Life at home with a newborn is exhausting and very... umm... choppy?? haha (everything happens in 2 hours windows). BUT, my new schedule gives me a lot more time on my hands for projects and sewing (hooray!) SO, I've decided to hold myself to weekly DIY projects. I've already got several pages worth of scribbles and doodles of all the project ideas I have floating around in my head. :)

I'm stoked to share this week's project because it's one that took me literally all of about 15 minutes, and costs next to

LATE POST - A LETTER TO MY BOY

**I wrote the below post on 1/26/17 and planned on publishing it in the evening that day. However, things took a very different turn that day and I ended up being admitted to have my baby.  It's been a whirlwind 2 weeks since... and I promise that stories of the labor, delivery, NICU, and life since Grayson are coming. But I wanted to share this post, still, to remember down the road.