Coconut Sugar Body Scrub

I made this body scrub in less than 10 minutes and it makes a lovely gift! You can use any extract or oil you want to scent it. I used pure lemon extract. Next time I'm going to use pure peppermint extract.

Here is what you need:

1/2 cup of coconut oil 

2 cups of sugar

1 tbsp of mint or lemon or vanilla extract

2-3 drops of food coloring (I used 1 drop of green, 2 drops of yellow)

Mix it all together in a bowl and then spoon it into a container like the one I used below. If you are keeping it in the shower I would use a plastic container so it won't break!

Use on your face or body when bathing and enjoy!

A ShoeDazzle List To Wish For!

I love making wish lists or just posting images of shoes. It is probably the thing I post about the most on Pinterest and Polyvore. One of my top places to look for items to post is Shoedazzle. I have been a customer for years now and I absolutely love everything I purchase from them! The holidays are my favorite time to shop because that is when all the sparkly, bejeweled party shoes are released. So I present to you my holiday wish list- including links to the items in case you want to add them to your own wish list!

Jenova!

I love this ombre of gold jewels on a midnight blue heel. Really striking!

Raziel!

Another ombre beauty. This just screams holiday party!

Luci!

Santa baby will love this fur cuffed cutie!

Chandy!

I am in love with the puff ball on the toe- totally retro and very red!

Vanda!

Perfectly pale pink and adorned with sparkly gems!

Viktoria!

I love the lace up front and the deep teal color of this heel.

Princessa!

Perfect name for the perfect party shoe!

If you fall in love with any of these (and there are a ton more at the website) use my referal link when you shop!

Winter Boots From JustFab!

Remember this wish list I told you about? Well I now am a proud owner of the Clarksburg winter boots! Here is me wearing them today right before I took my daughter to her gymnastics class:

No make up or jewelry for gymnastics- I may have to demonstrate a tumble!

These boots are amazing and Im certain I will be wearing them till summer! They are really comfortable to walk in, super warm and fuzzy and my feet feel cushioned and protected from the wet cold weather here in Portland. The bottom half is some sort of rubber toe material and I was able to walk through puddles with no issues! I highly recommend these boots. They even come in black!

Here is a closer look:

Visit JustFabs boot shop to see all the boots! You won't be disappointed!

Easy T-Shirt Refashion

I love a good t-shirt but I don't like the way the standard t fits. I want something a little more creative or stylish. I have these three band t-shirts I got at a concert and so far I have not worn them because of the straight boring fit. So today I decided to do something about that! It requires very little sewing and only a little cutting.

You need:
t-shirt
scissors
chalk or fabric pencil
sewing machine or needle and thread.

Here is the before of my shirt:

This refashion has to be quick because my toddler is into everything!

First I cut the neck line into a boat neck:

Then I cut the neck line trim from the excess shirt fabric after cutting it down each side. I have a plan for that left over neckline! This is where you need chalk or something washable to mark  on the t-shirt.

First halve them!

And now they are straps!

I wanted to cut a V down the center of the back. My plan is to use the neckline as straps in the back. Scroll down if you aren't sure what I mean. Here is an image where I have laid the neckline down to plan where the straps will go. I turned the shirt inside out BTW, because I want to sew them onto the inside. Once I have that figured out I drew a V down the center of the back of my t with pink chalk:

I cut the V out of the back:

Give me a V!

CHOP!

Now I pin the "straps" to the back of my t where I want them so I can sew them down:

I also cut off any excess strap after sewing them on.

Here is what it looked like when I was done sewing them down. My sew lines aren't that great but this is supposed to be a DIY look so thats ok!

Then I turned it right side out again. Here is the final version (I will need to use a dry sponge or wash the shirt to remove the pink chalk):

Yes Im wearing a pink bra and sweats- no time for big changes or any styling with a three year old hanging around!

The back.

This look may require a special bra or one that goes with the look!

Im pretty happy with the outcome. It has the perfect rock and roll, DIY, rough look I was going for!

To see another one of my t-shirt refashions that requires no sewing click here.

T-shirt refashioning has sorta been my thing since my early twenties. Here are a couple of the many  super old pics of me wearing t-shirts that I refashioned:

Thats me on the left in a large mens sized shirt that I made into a mini dress.

This was a men's size large shirt I found at a thrift shop. It had a cool detective /romance novel picture on the front. Oh thats me on the right btw.

Thats all I can find at the moment but there were so many great and different styled ones!

Black Friday/Cyber Monday Wishlist Without Any Crowds!

Thanksgiving is almost here and that means that Black Friday sales are coming up. For some people that brings on anxiety while thinking about all those crowds and fights! But not for me- I just shop online and take advantage of the online sales at my favorite retailers.

Speaking of which- I have a wish list for this years sales! I am going to post some of my favorite items from one of my all time favorite places to shop- JustFab. I will be eyeing these clothes and shoes while letting all that turkey and stuffing settle! Maybe you will find some beauties to add to your wish list too!?

If there is one thing I cannot get enough of it is sequin dresses. This one shouldered black sequin dress from JustFab is perfect for upcoming Christmas parties. It is seriously my favorite dress on the entire site right now!

Seriously smoking'!

Click on my link above to go directly to it. Seriously reasonable price for a seriously sparkly number!

Another super sexy party dress is the Zora body con zipper dress here. This dress has a very unique wrapping zipper detail that leaves much of the back exposed.

Stunning!

This dress is sure to get you noticed! Its also a definite must have!

To add some color to this wish list I present the floral corset dress here! This dress is fitted and hugs curves and is a perfect date night dress. Since it has straps I would add a faux fur stole or cropped jacket to stay warm on a winter night out.

On a more casual note Im sorta in love with this fit and flare sweater dress. Its sexy but casual enough to wear while running errands or out to lunch with friends.

Loving the skirt detail!

For something formal that isn't a dress I am going with this amazingly stylish tuxedo jacket. I love the classic black and white, and the collar detail really sets it apart from other blazers I have been seeing.

I need this!

This little black dress is part maxi and part little. Its also another one shoulder dress which is a feature I love on date night dresses. Not quite strapless but shows some skin. I am pretty sure I need this.

Perfect with silver heels!

What can I say- I love sweater dresses! This one comes in a dark red as well.

Im not just wishing for dresses and blazers either- I also NEED these boots Clarksburg! I love the teal detail and they are perfect for the rainy cold weather here in Portland Oregon.

So if I snag one of these beauties I will update in a new post with a review. Happy shopping fashionistas!

A Halloween Repurposed Material Refashion

I made this bacon and eggs costume using old upholstery material, foam material and some felt I had leftover from my past burlesque and performance costumes. When I originally made it I stapled it all together. Since I know how to sew now I went back over it with my sewing machine. Its still a little rough looking but its a Halloween costume after all! Here are some pics of what I did:

I started with this. 

I simply cut out the shapes of bacon and an egg. Then I made some shoulder straps for the bacon so I can hang it over my shoulders. I also cut out some holes for the arms in the front of the egg costume. I used glue to attach the yolk and the bacon fat.

The staples were falling out so I sewed the egg back together:

I did the same for the straps on the bacon.

It was easy and cost me nothing since this is old material I had laying around that would never get used for anything else.

Thats me modeling both costumes. My husband will be the egg!

Not So Little White Dress

I know its been a long time since my last post and its partly because I have been really busy this summer. But it is also because I have been a little lazy and loungy too. I have been reading a lot of books this summer and trying to limit my screen time. Because of this I have a back log of blog entries and refashions to post about.

Im going to start with the most recent one. My images are tad dark or hazy for this one so I will also show you this picture of it that someone else took. Its a Libertine for Target dress and its super cute and comfortable. Problem is that the one I found at a thrift store was also a size large which is too big for me. Here is a picture of it on my dress form:

I don't have a before image of me wearing it but it hangs off of me the same way it hangs on this dress form. So I got to pinning.

I took it in about an inch and a half on each side. Then I sewed it up! Like so:

You will notice there are two new sew lines. That is because after the first attempt I tried it on and noticed it was still too big. So I sewed a new line just a tad further in. This is probably for the best anyway to help prevent fraying because I didn't do anything special for that. After sewing I cut off the excess with my pinking shears to also help prevent fraying.

My dress was almost done. But there was one more issue that needed fixing. The straps:

No amount of ironing was going to flatten out these straps. So I got some thick white ribbon to sew underneath them to help flatten them back out and strengthen them as well.

And here it is!

No more baggy arm space!

Vegan Meringue Cookies Using Two Ingredients

This recipe uses something I never would have thought of- garbanzo bean water from a can of garbanzo beans! And it tastes amazing! I call them cotton candy cookies. So if you need an egg white replacement garbanzo bean water works great! And not just for these cookies either! There is a group on Facebook called Vegan Meringue where you can find all sorts of recipes and personal stories from people using what is called "auqafaba." 

What you need:

Sugar
1 can of garbanzo beans

Drain the liquid from one 15oz can of garbanzo beans (with or without salt) until you have 1/2 to 3/4 cups. You will need about 1.33 times the volume of your liquid in sugar. I used bakers sugar but any sugar should work. Beat the liquid until you have stiff peaks. I added one drop of red food coloring to make my cookies a light pink. I had to let the mixer run for about 15 minutes to get the stiff peaks so be patient. Once you have stiff peaks add the sugar into the mixer one tablespoon at a time. 

Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Spoon out about a tablespoon for each cookie onto the tray.

Bake at 100C/215F for 1.5 hours. Then turn off the oven and crack it open and let them cool to room temperature before removing them.