Upcycled Dress into a Lace Back Vest (the how-to)

I bought a lacy dress at Forever 21 on clearance a few summers ago.  It was great for walking to the beach in Chicago.... but now that I am beachless in Charleston, I decided to upcycle it.

I've slowly been collecting lace back vests (like this one form Charlotte Russe).

I decided this would be the perfect next life for my dress.  So I trimmed off the bottom with my rotary cutter, mat, and guide thingy.

Originally, the lace was on the front of the dress.  For the vest, I wanted it on the back.  So I put my mat in between the front and back of the dress with the original back of the dress facing up.  I lined my guide in the center of the tag all the way down the back.  Next, I cut down with my rotary cutter and cut out the tag.

If you wanted, you could hem it... but I like the unfinished look.

here's the front:

I hope you enjoyed this how-to!  If you give this a shot.... please take pics and post links in the comments!  I would love to see your projects.

DIY Craft Show Display Tutorial #3: Vintage Frame Necklace Stand

Hello!  Today I will be showing another ridiculously simple tutorial to make your craft show displaying a lot more fun and personal!

This necklace stand was made from a vintage picture frame that I found at an antique shop for 25 cents.... as well as three other materials.

Shelf brackets from Ikea ($1 each), spraypaint (but you could use regular paint, if you like), and screws.

Simply paint the frame to your liking (or if you have a really awesome frame, leave it!), let dry, screw on brackets.... and DONE!

Now you are ready to display your necklaces (or bracelets... or anything else you choose to hang!).

DIY Craft Show Display Tutorial #2: Mannequin Headband Display

My next tutorial is of a project I've been dreaming of making for a LONG time!  It is a styrofoam mannequin head that has been covered with vintage sheet music.  I think it's going to be perfect for displaying headbands at craft shows!

What you need:  a styrofoam mannequin head (I got this one at Hobby Lobby for $5), a vintage saucer, Mod Podge, a foam brush, vintage sheet music (or any other type of vintage paper ephemera).  You will also need a sturdy type of glue (besides E6000) to secure the head to the plate.  I tried E6000, but it was an epic fail.  It ate away at the base of the foam.

First step:  cut the sheet music into little squares, no larger than 2.5".  Keep your scissors handy throughout the project, because you will find that you will need to make smaller squares and cut bigger squares in half throughout the project.

 Next, brush Mod Podge on the back of a square and apply it to the mannequin head. 

*Note:  the paper sticks better if you put the Mod Podge on the mannequin, and then stick the paper to the mannequin.  However, you have to have at least one ring of paper already adhered before this method will work.  When you first start out, the Mod Podge wants to absorb into the styrofoam.

I started out covering the base of the neck, then the face, then the crease of the neck, and finally the rest of the head.  You will have to tuck, crease, and cut the paper as you go so it follows the shape of the head.  Don't be afraid to smooth the edges with your fingers.  This is NOT a clean project... you've been warned!

Go back and smooth the edges of the papers and let it dry.  Next you will turn the saucer upside down and glue the head to the center. 

Once everything has set and dried... you're all done!  Now it's time to arrange your beautiful headbands (or whatever else you choose to display).

DIY Craft Show Display Tutorial #1: Vintage Plate Stand

Hello readers and friends!  Today I'm going to give my first tutorial on this blog!  I'm rather excited about it.  I'm going to be showing you how to make an easy peasy craft show display using vintage plates and saucers. 

What you're going to need:  vintage plates and/or saucers, a short taper candlestick holder (I got this one for $1 at Dollar Tree), and E6000 or any industrial strength glue.

All that you do is line the top of the candlestick holder with a generous ring of E6000.

Turn the plate/saucer upside down, stick the candlestick holder to the plate, and let it set.

After the glue has set, turn it upright and arrange your craft show lovelies on top!

Craft Room Remodel (slightly pic heavy)

My husband & I recently moved from a two bedroom house into a four bedroom.  Because we don't have any babies yet, I got a bedroom all to myself to use as a craft room.  Before:  it was ugly.  Now, it is pretty!

I started out painting it "Colonial Yellow".  Before it was this ugly mauvy brown.  I kept the ivory cabinet I scored off of Craigslist for $30.  To the right, my Cricut is setting on an old sewing machine cabinet that I picked up at a garage sale for $5 or so.  It's spray painted pink (to match my KitchenAid mixer.... even though that's in the kitchen.)

Here is my craft desk.  Not much renovation, but it is completely organized.  That thing was a hot mess before this remodel.  Above it hangs a framed pink pegboard that my husband and I made OURSELVES!  We were feeling so DIY at the Home Depot, sawing away at the trim.  This is perfect because it's so cute and shabby chic, yet is perfect for hanging up all of my tools!  There's even room to expand....

Here's just a close up of the pegboard:

This is my sewing/order packing corner.  I bought the sewing cabinet at an auction for about $8 and picked up the vintage seafoam green metal shelf at a flea market for $5.  The shelf is repurposed from a vintage printer block tray.  I bought baby blue brackets at Ikea for $1 each, screwed them onto the tray, and attached it to the wall.

I use it to organize my beads, charms, and findings:

I got the idea to combine small bulletin boards from Dollar Tree into one big bulletin board from Dollar Store Crafts.  I think it's cute, but I probably wouldn't do it again.  It was a big hassle to save a few bucks.

I purchased this cute light fixture from Target for about $20 on clearance.  I just love it! 

I bought this rug forever ago at Urban Outfitters for $10.  Moses just loves it.... it looks like grass!

Spring Wreaths: DIY and where to buy.

My newest obsession has got to be Spring wreaths.

My obsession began with this DIY wreath:

Paper Sacks Ruffly Wreath

Then it was encouraged by this one (also DIY):

Girly Girl Burlap Spring Wreath

I fell absolutely in love with this one (yet another DIY):

Egg Wreath #3

And when I saw this final DIY wreath, I became an addict:

Paper Flower Wreath

Not so crafty?  That's okay!  Etsy has plenty of adorable handmade wreaths that you can simply purchase and wait for them to be shipped straight to your door.

I'm in love with this wreath by whiteserenade:

Vintage Paper Wreath

I'm positively charmed by this one by KnockKnocking:

Mr. McGregor's Garden Yarn Wreath

And what's not to love about a wreath full of feathers by victorianpetals:

Lavender Feather Wreath

Being the DIY Bride

First of all, I want to point out that I could not call myself a "DIY Bride" without this book:



It gave me so much inspiration... and many of my projects (flower girl buckets, cupcake stands) were taken right from the book and adjusted a little to fit my needs.

Next I would like to point out that the following photos were taken by Jarnagin Photography. Believe it or not, Brett was one of the first people I got a hold of after my engagement. I had to make sure he was available for June 13. He does travel... so don't think he's only exclusive to Central Illinois. If you are considering him as a photographer, you might want to get a hold of him soon! I hear he's gotten about a thousand requests for June 26 already.

Anyways, why DIY? Because it's fun. It's personal. It's unique. My husband and I planned our whole wedding by ourselves. Well, I mostly planned it and asked for approval... which usual was a simple "whatever you want!" I can't imagine what our wedding would have felt like if a planner had told us what to do. I love every personal touch and detail we created. Yes ladies! My husband even helped make some stuff! Here are some photos and links that help tell the story of the things I made for my wedding.

1. Programs. These were made by buying recycled brown cardstock in 8.5x11 sheets, cutting them into thirds, and doing a lot of other cutting and glueing. I printed all the important info (wedding party, order of ceremony) and simply glued it on. The hearts I cut from the pages of an old novel using a Cricut. They were stamped with two little kissing birdies. I cut rectangles from postcard themed scrapbooking paper and stamped our monogram, "C" in black. Now I'm going to admit that I read it was bad luck to use the married monogram before the ceremony. But did I care? Obviously not. The programs were tied at the corner by ribbon. These, the invitations, and thank you's were accomplished assembly line style with my mom and girlfriends. Total cost? Um, probably about $30 for 150.



2. Card holder at the ceremony. I loved birdcage style card holders. There's an ugly white one at Wal-Mart that you can buy.... but I was in love with this one I found at save-on-crafts.com. I simply propped it open and fastened on a pair of lovebirds I found at Michael's and some silk ranunculus I found at Hobby Lobby, and it looked very elegant! Total cost: about $25.




3. Ring Bearer Pillows & Flower Girl Baskets. The ring bearer pillows were hand sewn by moi from felt. I loved some I saw on Etsy, but I didn't feel like paying around $30 each for a tiny pillow a little boy would be carrying down the aisle at my wedding for thirty seconds, then resting in a box in my basement for the rest of my life. And because I had two ringbearers, that drove the price up to $60 or so. So, I decided to make my own. I sewed this out of felt, added some ribbon, tied on a skeleton key to each... and perfect! Total cost: about $3 each. Instead of flower girl baskets, I did buckets. I bought small tin pails at Michael's for $1 each, painted them, covered them with scrapbooking paper, mod podged the heck out of them... and glued on ribbons, flowers, and more skeleton keys. Because it's difficult to find attractive brown and gold flower petals, I bought these faux leaves. And they were BEAUTIFUL on that ivory aisle runner, let me tell you. Total cost: about $5 each.



4. Reception Centerpieces. The flowers and vases were rented from a florist, but you could easily collect milk glass vases and buy flowers from a local grower. Single stems are easy to arrange! The ceramic birds I collected all over the state from a dollar store, so they were $1 each. I bought the paper doilies at the same store, as well as the brown damask placements (pssst don't tell anyone, but they were actually just pages of printer paper). The gold pillar candles were bought in sets after Christmas. I simple attached a brown ribbon and skeleton key, and perfecto! You can barely see them in the picture, but instead of confetti I bought a lot of old canceled stamps from an antique shop and scattered those on the tables.



5. Favors. This one was easy. I bought 250 seed packets (at ten cents each from the dollar store) and my husband and I printed and glued tags that said "Ashli & Colton June 13, 2009" and "Let these flowers grow with our love. Send a photo or note to our new address......" onto each package. Total cost: 10 cents each.



6. Head Table Place Cards. I bought small white frames from Michael's in the $1 section, cut out "mr." and "mrs." with the Cricut, and glued them onto scrapbooking paper with a skeleton key. Total cost: about $1.50 each. We still have these out, "mr." is on his nightstand, and "mrs." is on mine.



7. The Snacks On the Table. We collected teacups and saucers from antique shops, flea markets, and garage sales. Then we filled them with individually wrapped chocolate mints. They were simply adorable. I know you're thinking, what am I supposed to do with all of those teacups AFTER the wedding? Well, I made them into teacup pincushions and gave them to my grandmothers as Christmas gifts. It was sentimental because it was a gift that had a part in our wedding. I paid around $1-5 for each teacup set.



8. The moment we've all been waiting for..... THE CAKE! Okay, yes, I am a cake decorator... and no, I didn't not make my wedding cake. But I did design it. And I also made the cupcakes. If you're having a hard time spending $4+ a serving for a huge cake, you might want to half cupcakes it like I did. I ordered a cake of 100 servings and baked and decorated 100 cupcakes (with help from my lovely bridesmaid, Sara).



The cake was made by Flour Girl Cakery in Paris, Illinois. To save more money, I picked the cake up instead of having it delivered. I wouldn't suggest doing this if you have no experience driving with a cake. You have to have like a mini van or something that allows you to put the cake between the axels of your vehicle, and you have to drive very slow. I bought the topper off of ebay long before I was even engaged. I saw it, fell in love, and knew that if I didn't buy it right then, I would never see it again. It was from 1947, and it was perfect.



For cupcakes, I found these adorable liners from FancyFlours.com. I also bought some ecru and golden pearls for the decoration off of that heavenly site. The rest of the dragees I bought from an Amish bulk foods store in Arthur, Illinois. I made red velvet with cream cheese frosting and chocolate with chocolate frosting. The stands were made from cakeboards, scrapbooking paper, ribbon, and drinking glasses. The how-to is in that book I mentioned earlier, "The DIY Bride".



And there you have it. And if this blog post wasn't pic heavy enough, here's one of the happy couple: