A Musical in Orange

It's been "hot then it's cold"  and I've been "busy as a bzzzz bee" throughout it all. ( hehe a little musical humour for you)
But seriously folks, we've had hot spring days already and as usual it's caught me off guard in the clothing department. Want I want is clothing that can be worn that gets me through the chilly spring days but also the dog days of summer.

" Welcome to the Sixties" Ok, ok .. I know I've said before that I wasn't a fan of the sixties style of clothing and now I appear to be a liar. What I've come to like is what I like to call sixties casual.

By the way, I'm still not thrilled about taking pictures of myself. Those Sear Catalogue poses, what to do with your hands, the far off looks you give... so I find myself looking through the pictures and coming up with captions for them. 

This one says " oh look, it's raining and I'm pretending I'm not freezing because it's only 8 degrees outside"

This one says " Oh no!! My sweater is falling off. Now I know I'm bound to freeze because it's only 8 degrees outside. Who will save me!!!!!" No worries, I saved myself.

I originally thrifted the sweater because of it's brand new just knitted condition. Some may have passed on this sweater because of its electric orange colour but I saw it at least as something to wear around Halloween. The earrings were also a fun find. 

But what this picture was really saying is this shirt started out it's life looking like this.

I bought this shirt the other day at Goodwill because it was gingham annnddd it was a peachy orange gingham. I knew I wanted to tear it apart and put it back together and if it didn't work, no biggy I'd cut it up even further to become something else.

Here's what I did do. I took the sleeves and collar off and opened the sides. 

From the sleeves I fashioned a new 60's wider collar from a pattern I had. I added darts in the sides and made the shirt a little more fitted at my waist. I trimmed the top of sleeve back a bit so it hit better on my shoulder and made a facing from bias tape.

I'd say success for me!!

The question you may be asking yourself is why not just buy an already made shirt. 

1. It likely won't have that vintage feel I want.

2. It was a super cheap shirt that I didn't have to pay a lot of money for and since the fabric feels high end..bonus!

3. No muslin making!!!

4. Although not the answer to the real problem it was one less shirt made in a probable sweat shop. 

( it says made in Malaysia so I am just assuming, feel free to correct me)

As for the cigarette pants, that story is for another day.

I leave you now with my best KISS impression. :)

Spring for Cotton.

My Spring for Cotton outfit is finally done. When I first thought of what I was going to sew I thought it was going to be a simple pencil skirt and that was that. But then as I laid in bed my mind began to wander and two hours later I had a new plan.
Before Christmas I wanted to make myself a winter coat but as time began to slip away I had to let the idea go..for now. At the time I was also having a hard time finding a vintage pattern to meet my criteria of what I wanted my coat to look like.
This gives you some idea of the look I wanted.

Via Pinterest

Then I found this pattern.

McCall's M6800 and I was back in business

To me View A of the pattern was close enough to give me that vintage feel of the coat I was looking for. 

To complete my outfit I thought why not throw a skirt into the mix too!!

This is my ten gored skirt pattern that I've now made 3 skirts from. It's a super easy pattern and out of all my skirt patterns it is my favourite.

Now for fabric...

The first thing that springs to mind when you say cotton( at least for me it is) is quilting cotton but tucked away for the last 20 years, yes 20 years, is a piece of denim that I held onto. When I bought it, it was the last of the last and I think I only paid $2 a meter.

Then a couple of years ago I had bought a Michael Miller cotton print that had caught my eye. Now  armed with the fabrics and patterns from two different decades my sewing plan was coming together.

Meet my souped up jean jacket and beach tent skirt. hehe

The whole sha-bang cost around $25 to make.

Shoes-Globo shoes bought two years ago

Purse -Thrift Store

Shirt-Old Navy bought two years ago

Necklace -Thrift Store

Petticoats- made my me

Sunglasses-prescription so now I can look ultra cool.

Now remember my clothes need to make other outfits and this is no exception. My daughter had given me this blue knit fabric as a gift and I thought how perfect for Sewaholic's Renfrew . I had it done in about an hour, bonus!!  Who doesn't love fast sewing clothes. Great with jeans but its going to pair nicely with a few other things hanging out in my closest. 

I went grocery shopping last week sporting my new jacket and Renfrew....in the snow.

So from Vintage to 2015. I think it works just fine! :)

  

Pinterest # 3

Checking out Pinterest last fall I took note of their faux fur infinity scarves. I found a couple and clicked the like button.

source

source

Then I made my own version out of an old fur coat I found at my local thrift store. I cut a couple of pieces from the bottom of the coat that when sewn together would give me a standard width and length of an infinity scarf. I then sewed it into a tube, turned it inside out and hand stitched the ends together. All that fur you never see any stitches. 

I like to wear it with this great chocolate brown coat I found in the summer. Its the perfect coat to wear when wearing petticoats.

Yes it's a real fur scarf which I know can bother some people but I'm thrilled by how warm it is. I wasn't expecting it to be a big difference in the warmth department vs faux or wool for that matter but there really is. I'm not a fan of being cold and with our Canadian winters and being so close to Lake Huron this means cold, damp, windy, winter weather.
Whether your a fan of fur or not this one fits my "try and stay warm for the winter" bill. :)

Just a footnote to add has anyone read this article on manmade fabrics? It was quite an interesting read.

Pinterest # 1

Ahhh Pinterest. We've all pinned ideas for fashion, recipes, diy's, and anything else that catches our fancy. A couple of weeks ago I was checking out " Pinterest Fails'  and I must say I was laughing till I cried. I myself once pinned chocolate chip cookies made with a waffle iron thinking what an interesting thing to try. I tried and my lesson...don't fool with the Chocolate Chip Cookie.

This year I thought it would be fun to challenge myself with pins I've pinned to see if I can make them a reality. Once a week I plan to bring you my successes or failures from my Pinterest desires. So let's begin shall we.

Shoes

I never thought I had a thing for shoes but this past year I've noticed that I rrreeaaallllyyyy like shoes. So much so that I've created a new board on Pinterest dedicated to shoes. 

Normally I don't wear heels but I wanted red shoes to wear with my none existent christmas soon to become valentines dress.

 Here are the pins I found that would possibly fit the bill of only shopping at thrift stores from my 2014 challenge. However the pins I used where on a secret board. How come you ask? Because I was worried someone would think I was silly for wanting to modpodge shoes. In 2015 I can be all the silly I want. Ha

crafts after college

This blog shows you how to accomplish your own pair of Dorothy's Shoes and was the beginnings of inspiration for my own shoes.

I also pinned these.

intimate weddings

Now for my shoes

I started out with these hot pink babies and I planned them to be a mix of the two shoes I pinned.

The style was right but the colour was all wrong so I painted them white and then began the modpodging.

 Painting them white ensured me pink wouldn't show through the white of the fabric. Yes it would have been easier to just find a white shoe but when you are living small town you go with what you find.  The toes and heel I glitterized.

Still very much pink inside but none of that shows when your wearing them.

I sewed the bows on with a curved needle. It was a little tough but I wanted to make sure they stay put (fingers crossed she says)  and I also glued them down with Carpenters glue. I grabbed a couple of clothes pins to hold the bows in place while they dried.

 It's what I envisioned them to be but I haven't worn them out yet to see how they behave. I'm feeling like these are a success but I don't want to endorse modpodging just yet. I know others have (first shoe link) so you can go by their opinion if you want to jump in and try a pair of shoes. I'll let you know after I wear them out and about what the pros and cons are of the shoe. For now I've got some pretty Christmas/ Valentines/ Canada Day Shoes that I can look at. :)

Number 47

This past weekend I celebrated number 47 and right now I'm liking my age and everything that comes with it.  1 handsome husband, 3 girls married to wonderful boys, 1 boy who I get to on occasion hang at  home with, 4 grandbabies to play with and the feeling that I'm really only 25. I'm experimenting with new clothing styles and learning new sewing techniques right down to my undergarments. I've learned this past year that with patience that yes you can thrift, sew, knit and crochet your way into a new wardrobe and that I'm leaning towards a simpler style of decor and furniture.

Back to the celebration. Saturday was filled with cupcakes and cake because we sang not only for me but for the 7 birthdays that happen in the family all within the past and future couple of weeks to come. ( Leah had a cupcake and candle too. Her birthday is June but hey any time is a good time to celebrate your birthday right?)

Sunday Roger took me out for lunch and to one of my favourite places to poke around. They now have two stores to do just that. I found some vintage Christmas balls anndddd.........


this beautiful blue green picnic basket to add to my picnic basket collection aannnddd.....

this wonderful wicker purse to use with my summer wardrobe.

So what does one wear on such an outing?? ( I also wore this outfit at the sale last week)

A Christmas skirt that was thrifted.

And a sweater I bought at the thrift store years ago to make into mitts but didn't have the heart to because of its cute faux fur collar.

I like to make fun of these "hands on hips" poses but when standing alone your hands naturally gravitate towards your hips. Go figure.

The other great thing about Sunday was that yes it was just this warm and I didn't need a coat so I got to show off this great skirt. So whoever you are who happen to sew this cute skirt I had many, many complements.  :)

The Krackin'

A while back I had bought a bottle of stuff that was supposed to give me a aged crackle finish. I used it on a few things but never got the look I wanted. So I began to look at inexpensive products to achieve a wonderful crackle finish. (I'm always hopeful that there are cheap ways of doing anything) I found this glue being used by someone on Youtube who was doing crackle finishes and it seemed promising.

 I  bought it from Amazon because Canadian Tire or any other local store didn't seem to carry it. I then used it for its intended purpose and let me tell you, it's an awesome wood glue. But it is a hide glue which means it has a fun odour, a little like stinky feet.
I thought I'd finally give it a try while I was making my signs to see if I could get that wonderful aged vintage look to my signs and guess what...it works!!

This was my first sign to try it on.

And my chalkboard also got a dose. See how super shiny it is after it dries.

A little goes a long way when using this glue. You dont need too "paint" it too thick but if you're to thin you won't get the crackle effect either. The best part is it needs to dry completely. The other stuff I used said wait till tacky. If I waiting to long nothing happened. If I didn't wait long enough it turned into a mess. You kind of can't go wrong with this glue, it just magically makes itself old. Heres a tip: don't go back over it to much when your painting or it will smear your work and won't crackle properly.
When it was dry I sealed it with my homemade beeswax polish because I had used a chalk paint on the frame. Ordinary latex paint should be fine without sealing it.

You've got time my friends to make yourself or someone else a fun christmas sign, frame or even try it on furniture. :)

One done! So many more to go...

It's done! Well it still needs it's dust cover and that means a trip to the city but other then that it's done.

Let us look upon its original state. 

That was it almost a year and half ago. I brought it home, tore it apart, painted it and then let it sit in the back corner of my garage. ( you can kind of see why there is a no new furniture rule in place hehe)

It's been painted with my homemade chalk paint, sanded and buffed to a shine with my homemade beeswax polish.

Some pretty little braid ( gimp is it's proper name) has been added.

And for a surprise...

I can never seem to stick with just one fabric. Makes life a little more exciting don't you think. ;)

Link to elizabethandco
            Miss Mustard Seed

Day tripping.

Spring has sprung! So my handsome husband and I decided to join the rest of the crowd and go for a Sunday drive.

Our first stop was to visit the shores of Lake Huron. We seem to take for granted this lake of ours. It is only a 5 minute drive from home and yet our visits to the lake are few. This year I think I'll take advantage for not only a dip but long walks along its sandy shores.

Our next stop was to see the migrating Tundra Swans. They stop in this area outside of Grand Bend every year. I think we were lucky and just caught the last few stragglers.

Our last stop is one of my favourite places to browse around, Cottage Treasures in Thedford. I know I've mentioned this place before but this time I asked if I could take pictures. It's owned by Jan and Bordecki and she was tinkled pink that I'd want to take a few shots.

This store has anything and everything. Tools, sewing, games, old pictures, vintage christmas decorations, hats, kitchen wares and toys.

My hair is trying to channel my inner Mille.

 Did I mention they've got a few books too?

So what did I find? Cherry fabric and the perfect daisy pin to go with my Easter outfit.:)

The Counterfeiter.

Well there it is! My new name. When I was searching for a name for my Etsy store, I was thinking about what best describes what I do and well counterfeiting came to mind. And really, thats what I do. Take something old, paint it, build it, or craft it into something new, making you feel that thats what it should have been all along.

So for example, my ceiling went from this...

...to this! A reclaimed tin ceiling, that husband says he'll never do again. (he says that a lot, and then does it again) You'd think it was there all along, but it hasn't.

An old door..

...to a new display unit for a local store. Sometimes it takes people a minute to realize its a door.

From vintage sheets and fabrics...

...to new aprons!

Doesn't it seem to just make sense that this fabric should be an apron!

So thats it! That's what I'll be selling in my Etsy store. Aprons !! It's not open quite yet, I'm still playing around with it, but  hoping to be up and running by the end of the week. :)