My First Refashion

It's difficult for me to say "No, I don't like that" when someone buys me a piece of clothing. That's why I've had a white dress sitting in my closet for two years that was downright unwearable.

The elastic top, the oddly placed waist, the horrific neckline. Nope. Can't do it. But I also have a hard time disposing of those items. It just seems too wasteful. So this past weekend, I reinvented the dead-end dress into my new favorite summer skirt.

My last skirt project lasted months but this took only a few hours over the weekend. I detached the top, installed a zipper and gave it a clean waistband. It's officially saved from the donation bag! Do I hear the Salvation Army calling my name?

Mental Health Day

I came home early today to indulge in a few of the activities that always help when I'm upset. I:

Folded underwear

Read a chapter of my current book, The Cider House Rules

Watched a slow loris get tickled

Snuck a few handfuls of Beau's Peanut Butter Pows

Filled the CD player with super girly music - Enya, Regina Spektor, Frou Frou, Feist and the soundtrack to (500) Days of Summer

Banged pots and pans around while emptying the dishwasher

Caught Anne of Green Gables on PBS

Ate really buttery toast

Snapped the ends off of asparagus

A Budding Romance with Fonts

Alright, alright, it took me three and a half weeks to finish this project but it's done! Gone are the ratty, ugly pillows that came with our couch.

You are getting sleepy...

I stripped them down to reusable filling and recovered them with linen and our first initials in felt letters ala this tutorial from Design Sponge.

Aww, together forever... on the couch

Of course, the first thing that Beau said was, "Now everyone is going to think we went to Rutgers." I guess I'll eventually have to reupholster the couch in UMass colors to clarify.

A Quick Fix

Our living room doesn't get much sun even at the brightest time of day. I blame looming foliage and an unfavorable angle of light. That didn't occur to me last winter when I bought the darkest, busiest curtains that money could buy. But now that we're officially out of the winter gloom, my poor little sitting room seemed to be suffocating, so the dark fabric was exchanged for lighter sheers.

Before: Smothered living room

After: A breath of fresh air

We're already planning on refinishing the fireplace, painting the walls and replacing the carpet with hardwood. Meanwhile, what am I going to do with the old curtains?

Fiddle dee dee

I'm sorely tempted since I found the discontinued sewing pattern for it.

Cough cough... Christmas... cough

A Very Domestic Weekend

It feels like such a shame to only post pictures of craft projects once they're complete, especially since half the fun is in making them. I spent most of Saturday camped out at the Cape house alternately helping my mother-in-law crank out a double batch of chocolate chip cookies and sewing with my newly pedicured feet up.

Felt, linen, embroidery hoop

Stay tuned for the final product later this week. Meanwhile, I'm still thinking about my haircut. If you're thinking about getting one yourself or looking for an awesome way to waste a leisurely hour, I highly recommend Taaz.com. It's the most realistic free virtual makeover site I've found to date.