Gosh, I always wanted a dresser like this.  I always dreamed of having one in a light pink bedroom with huge silk curtains...and I guess I will keep dreaming because even though I purchased this dresser for thirty dollars, I did not have a use for it.  My little sister jumped on it like  it was hot.  This makeover ensued....

I forgot to take an actual picture, but it looked roughly like this with about 20 years of dirt on it.

 Top:  Express- $9

Bottom:  Victoria's Secret- $6

Boots:  Gifted

I bought some black pants from MJRSales.com, which is closed now.  I shed some tears, but ultimately, you just have to let the things you love go, and if they come back, it's meant to be....Okay I kid, but they did close the web site which is awesome because I would get all sweaty and itchy when I saw something I wanted and the urge to yell CHARGGGEEE IITTT would creep up like a clingy ex-boyfriend...I digress...

I bought these pants in a size that was too big for me, and since it was the second time I ordered them (the first time I got them four sizes too small), I decided to take them to my favorite seamstress.  I have mentioned her here before.  I call her Mom, and she basically works for free.  All I have to do is give out some kisses and bake some goodies, which I do anyway.

She took in the inside seam of the pants and eureka!!  They are fixed!!   The first picture really does not show exactly how hideous and unflattering they looked on me, but I assure you they were extremely tight on the ankles and loose everywhere else.  Weird.

On another more serious note, as this semester draws to a close, I am really starting to hyperventilate.  I generally put silly little things on here because my original intention with the blog was to use it as a means to dress better or ummm...reduce the ratio of sweat pants to normal clothes I used in the week (reduce not eliminate..I am a student after all), but I think I may actually include some more personal information every once in a while. 

I have to apply to graduate school.  I feel like a giant is sitting on my chest.  Please, won't someone take me...I have to make a decision that will affect the rest of my life, including the relationships I have with those that I love.  I am freaking out.  Also, I am a really shy person.  People like to describe themselves as shy very liberally, but I get anxiety attacks just walking in front of a classroom.  As a result, I doubt professors know my name, even if I do have good grades, so for the next two weeks, I will be visiting professors in their office hours attempting to establish some sort of relationship so I can get letters of recommendation.  HOW DID I LET THIS HAPPEN?!?  Thank God it's the weekend already....time to set up a plan of action.  I may have to bake a lot of cakes next week for uh, bribing and stuff.  

Anyway, have a great weekend everyone!

Ever since I came back to college, I have found myself having to become more creative in terms of wardrobe.  Since I do not have a flowing income, and numerous bills to pay, I have to find ways to stretch my current threads.  

I was stalking searching through pinterest and saw some black platform shoes made my heart skip a beat.  That's when I remembered that I had a blue pair of platform shoes that I had really not used very often because I was really not in love with the color.  This was one of those shopping impulses that was not very well though out.  So out came my black acrylic paint and here is the result:

I have painted shoes before (once a few years ago), and they have not chipped or discolored at all, so I am not worried about it being a disaster.  Now I just need a reason to put this babies to use!!

When I first started looking at blogs, I would spend HOURS looking at before and afters.  I. FREAKING. LOVE. THEM.

 

 Look at that face.  That's me.  Sitting in front of the computer.  Looking at transformations.  I think moving forward, I may try to do a couple of projects on Wednesdays...because I love the smell of spray paint to make ugly discarded things pretty.  Of course there's always the risk of becoming the crazy lady with the DIY aluminum hat who thinks she looks ravishing...

I have had this night stand for about five years, mainly it inaugurated my I-want-all-black-furniture phase.  Well, now I want white furniture.  I like to keep things fresh, keep people on their toes...

This picture was taken in its prime.  Lets just say that time has come and gone.  Yes, I did choose one of the most unflattering pictures I could find, and my decorations were questionable at best.  What?  I loved my framed giant stamp of Tweety and Sylvester and that red giant red flower ring I forged from a metal sheet (true story) that could slit a throat with one wild arm toss...I didn't say I was good at forging metal..

Without further ado, here is nightstand 2.0....

Brother-in-law:  It looks good, but the knobs are crooked.

Me:  YOUR EYES ARE CROOKED...

I handle criticism with a lot of grace...I think one of the knobs by be a teeny tiny bit crooked....but I actually just used the preexisting holes...

Project breakdown:

2X Rustoleum Spray Paint $6

Water based sealant (Pre-owned)  $0

2X Brushed Silver Pulls $10

Total:  $16

I love it now.  SIGH.  Or maybe it's just the paint fumes...only time will tell...

This project started the way many of my projects start: jealousy of the neighbor's roses and the lack of tomatoes in my refrigerator at the exact moment that I wanted to make a tomato sandwich...or maybe I wanted a tomato sandwich after I found out I had no tomatoes...The point is, I saw how beautiful the back yard was becoming and said to myself:  I cannot live another day without a raised vegetable garden.

When I first moved into the house, the weeds were so tall that my Maya would get lost in the jungle.  I didn't even try to get in there.  Are you kidding...I have seen all those I Shouldn't be Alive episodes where people almost die because they are exploring where they shouldn't have and get bitten by the rarest, most poisonous snake in the world.  Sure, it was in Australia, but I am not taking any chances.

Anyway, the weeds are now dead, some trees were planted...some trees have died...but the seed grass is coming in nicely.  We could not simply buy pallets of carpet grass because apparently it was so hot that they all died and Lowe's and Home Depot will not be getting any more until next year.

Without further rambling, here are the planters that I made:

I used cedar planks because:

A.  They are cheaper.

B.  They are treated to tolerate the weather.

C.  They were cheaper.

My project began to go wrong when I frugally decided to buy a hand saw instead of an electric one.  My father has my electric saw.  What should have taken me an hour, tops, took me an entire day to build, but you should have seen my shaking, sagging big bulging biceps afterward.

How does my garden grow, you ask.  Let me show you.

Prepare to be amazed.

You are not amazed??  

.......

I just planted it.  Please give them time to grow.  I haven't even done a fertility dance in the backyard yet...also, rumor has it they need water too.  This is where I may have failed in the past.

I have only planted in one box:  habaneros, tomatoes, and zucchini.  I am currently searching for basil, more tomatoes, cilantro...and basically anything else I can find.  Wish me luck!



Link Party:
Thrifty Decor Chick
DIY Showoff

I think I am not alone  when I say we have all seen a dress like this:

These dresses are a dime a dozen at thrift/vintage stores and while I am a lover of all things cheap and get such a kick from finding amazing things for pennies, puff sleeves do not look well on about 90% of the population...although I have seen some drop dead gorgeous, model-looking ladies WORKING these on the street.  Because a model I am not, whenever I see these, I make an ACK sound and walk away-- that is until I saw a blue, gold studded Liz Claiborne dress.  It was lined and fit me perfectly, except for its puffy sleeves made me feel like I could flap my arms and fly.  For about five dollars, my seamstress chopped off the sleeves and instantly upgraded my dress into a modern piece.  Next time, I think I will keep a small cap sleeve, but for now, I love this dress.  I really wish I had taken pictures of what it looked like before. 

Dress:  Liz Claiborne- Thrifted via Goodwill

Shoes:  Guess via Ross

In other news, I am thinking of firing my little assistant...He runs around like he has ants in his pants.  I know this isn't Vogue but some degree of professionalism would be nice...


Link Parties:
Six Sisters' Stuff

Mine for the Making

On the 20th of this month, almost twenty nineteen years ago, my parents brought home a tiny creature.  I was told that I would be meeting my new baby sister...but the being they unwrapped had huge bulging eyes, spiky thick hair and tiny arms and legs...not at all like the Gerber baby I expected.  A few gray hairs (mine) and some growth spurts later, my baby sister is now a soon-to-be twenty-year-old nineteen-year-old computer science/political science double major (NNNEEERRDDDD...)  Fun fact:  My little sister never cries in movies.  I can be found crying in anything from a sad song to a moving commercial.  One fateful day, we sat down to see King Kong.  Girl could not stop crying for about ten minutes after the movie ended...haha...love her....

Anyway, it's her birthday and I get to celebrate it with her!!!  A whole weekend of cake, cupcakes, tubing on the river and other girly nonsense.  I. CAN'T. WAIT.  Because I love to decorate, I have thrown around a few ideas.  I am pretty much set on the desserts for her, given that she very specifically said she wanted chocolate cake and strawberry cupcakes.  I am using these photos as inspiration.

Decoration inspiration:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who are we kidding...it will probably end up looking something like this:

 

 

 

 I don't care that she is going to be twenty!  I will be throwing a pretty princess party for her...Stay tuned...

UPDATE:  It has been brought to my attention that my sister will be turning nineteen instead of twenty....boy is my face red...

Have you ever wondered what a dress made entirely of trash bags looks like?

Dress:  Made by Me

For anyone interested in making a similar dress, here's how:

STEP ONE:
Apparently if you iron a couple of trash bags together using freezer paper, you get a thick fabric-like material...who knew right?  Well, one billion a lot of trash bags later, you end up with enough 'fabric' to think yourself a hoarder champion.

STEP TWO:
Prepare to lose a few friends because you've become obsessed with finishing said dress.  You have a vision and no one, not even state and federal laws are going to stop you from finishing for your deadline.  Call your friend or family member and tell them you've made cake.  When they step inside your home, lock the door and hand them an extra pair of scissors and tell them they will never see the outside of your house unless they finish X amount of rectangles.  Oh and by the way, there is no cake.  Slowly but surely people will catch on and stop visiting you, but that's okay because now you have all the time in the world to finish your dress.

STEP THREE:
You have bags and bags of rectangles hanging out on your desk, bed, dining room table.  You have been working for what feels like years (more like a week), but good news, you are one quarter of the way done.   Now you have to fold every little rectangle and hot glue it onto the dress form.  For any normal person with coordination, this would be simple, but if you are uncoordinated, there will be a lot of cursing, band aides, and blisters.  Don't ask me how I know.

STEP FOUR:
Step back with your new claw hand and admire your labor of love.  All your blood sweat and tears are it (no seriously...).  Even though people walk up to you and observe that you look like you've aged a bit in the past few weeks, this was the best month of your life.

STEP FIVE:
Convince your family and friends that you are not going to kidnap them and force them into labor again to come and fill in the audience for your fashion show as you stiffly walk on a stage wondering how you ever agreed to do this.