DIY Hair Bow

Hair accessories are definitely being seen more in the past couple years, and one that I am very happy about is the oversized hair bows! I think they look adorable pinned underneath your bun, or used to push back your bangs. When I found out they were easy to make, and Anne had extra material from her previous creation she made me, I decided it was time yet again to show off my limited creativeness and inspire others to go off and make there own (because let's be honest, they are expensive to buy in the stores).

For this project, all you are going to need is some fabric scissors, glue (I used a hot glue gun because it dries quicker, but you can use fabric glue as well), a glue gun (if you choose this method of course), and the fabric you want to make your bow with. For the fabric I found out it would have been a simpler project if the material was on the front and the back, but since it was scraps of a shirt I needed to use two strips of fabric. I personally think it is better to start off with more than you think you will actually need, in case something goes wrong or you are indecisive on the size you want because this extra material leaves wiggle room.

Because I was using the bottom of a t-shirt, I cut off the cross stitched pattern that is sometimes sewn on shirts and did this step for both strips of fabric. I then laid the two pieces of fabric on one another so they overlapped, having the patten facing outwards on both pieces. I then cut my fabric to the length I wanted my bow to be, (if you wish to be technical you can use measuring tape, etc but I like to live life on the edge).

This next step is only if you have two strips of fabric like I do, but I cut four small squares in each of the corners, this was when I was gluing you did not have to worry about overlapping. Once this step was done I had my hot glue gun ready and glued along the edges, folding them over and pressing it down very gently, letting it begin to cool down and dry (you want to be careful about not burning your fingers on the gun or the glue, I know I had a couple ouch moments). When this is finished the patterned side should look clean cut and evenly shaped on all sides.

With both of the pieces of fabric I then overlapped them again, like I had earlier, so that the patterned sides were facing out from one another. It was then time to glue both sides together. I Chose to put the glue all over the fabric, but just be careful to smooth out the glue and to make sure that the outer edges have been glazed in glue, this way even if the inside has some air pockets the edges will not budge later on in the bow's life.

I then pleated the middle of the fabric in order to give the bow its shape. When you are doing this, make sure you fold the first and the last pleat the same direction so that the outer edges can be hidden on the back of the bow. I then hot glued the folds together to keep the bows shape. I took my excess fabric and cut of a tiny strip to glue onto the middle of the bow, and with that my project was complete.

I am really happy with the way it turned out! Right now I am just using bobby pins to hold it in my hair, but some may prefer to glue on a clip. Having such a crazy pattern it allows me to bring a plain outfit some pizazz or can be worn with the shirt I had made to allow both pieces to match. I am very proud of myself for making this all on my own and hope I will continue with my crafty experiments, because so far they have been surprisingly fun.

Play Dates and Mall Time

Last Friday we wrote on our experience of our first mommy and me group event. The weather, people, and overall experience had been such a wonderful time that when a new event was posted on the website we decided it was a must.

(The Mommy Crew at the Park)

When joining a new group you never know what to expect. Only having met the other mothers once before it still did not feel like we could really draw conclusions on if this was going to become a regular occurrence or not. This time we turned the tables and were asked to do an inside activity. We met up at a local museum that focused on kid creativity. It was filled with the history of our city, from when Arizona was claimed to be a state, to when the University was built. Although the museum itself was geared for older kids, we all had fun sitting around the couch discussing our days and tips and tricks to being a new parent.

We were able to meet some new mommies today and chat with some that we had previously gotten to know. All in all this experience has really shown that there are other mothers out there in the same situation as Anne that have children of similar age and can lean on one another for help and the opportunity to lend some wisdom each others way.

(The Mommy Crew at the Museum)

(Sorry Ethen, Auntie Alie didn't know her hair was in your way)

Once the group ended we were not ready for our day to be done quite yet. Our outfits were to be used a second time as we cruised around our neighborhood mall, once again looking at clothes and drooling over all the sales, yet managing not to purchase a single thing. So many ideas have been formed in our minds and it is now time to start putting them in action. Expect a tutorial soon on how Anne transformed my boring top into this sexy shoulder beauty in an upcoming blog post.

Time For A Statement

Statement necklaces are being seen on everyone. Whether they are beaded, jeweled, or chains girls are definitely sporting them for all attire. We love this look, allowing a necklace to be the highlight of the outfit, and it was time for us to make one for our own.

Searching through Pinterest, yes we are addicts to this site (we openly admit it), we came across a stunning piece, featuring bold colors and different beads, displayed in the popular statement style that so many have fallen in love with. The only thing we hated about it was the price. We knew we could make one similar to the style without spending so much money.

The first step on making this piece was deciding what materials to use. We saw the difference in colors on our inspiration necklace and knew we wanted to play around with color pallets. We took some of the jewelry Anne had purchased in our previous Charming Charlie haul along with excess beads we had stored at home and went to work.

It was then time to take apart the pieces of individual jewelry. Using jewelry pliers she unclamped each individual bead and laid them out on the table. This process allowed Anne to map out what she wanted and see if it visually all fit together. It was the two smallest rows of beads she began with. Using string she threaded the two rows between two gold chains. The next was the top row of blue beads. Trial and error was involved in this part of the process due to the different sizes and shapes of the necklace. We had to make sure that it would lay flat on the body when it was finally all strung together. Continuing the same process as earlier she was able to accomplish a smooth surface. It was then time to use the pliers once again and attach the orange dangly beads to the bottom of the necklace. Taking the chain we found the best spot for it to lay on both of our body types and added a hook to the back to keep it in place.

It came out beautifully and is very versatile because so much color was added to it. I am excited to see all of the combinations of outfits we put with this piece and feel one step closer to accomplish making affordable fashion that is desirable to the eye.

Floral Renovation

It is time for another Goodwill fixer-upper. I found this shirt, falling instantly in love with the bold pattern, but with its high neck line and boring style we thought it would be fun to take it apart and make it age appropriate. (On a side note I took those capris I am wearing in the before picture and distressed them in a previous blog post if you would like to see my DIY).

We both adore the website Pinterest and are constantly looking through the women's fashion page to find inspiration. This time we found this gorgeous two piece dress that looked like it would flatter anyones body type. I already have a high to low skirt sitting in my closet but hardly ever know what to wear it with. This outfit was the perfect idea to help us get started on this shirt.

 Anne started off by taking apart the shirt seam by seam, literally, until there were two pieces of cloth, the front of the shirt and the back. Once that process was done she folded the two pieces of fabric in half so she could make a symmetrical line and cut off the sleeves before hemming around the edges. It was then time to choose the shape of the neck. We wanted to stay pretty true to the picture we had found and went with a low rounded cut for both the front and back and cut those off as well, sewing up the seams so the would stay together.

She then sewed the two sleeves together, having those be the only places the two pieces touched. It gave me the opportunity to try on the garment, seeing how the neckline and sleeves looked on. The neck fell a little awkward on me so Anne pinned the extra sections in on both the front and back so she could make darts to tailor to my specific body type. We also measured the length of the shirt, seeing that the inspired shirt was just below the elbow so we looked at my elbows and put the line to cut 1 inch below them. I carefully took it off and Anne went back to work, cutting and sewing the bottom of the shirt, and finally completing the piece by sewing the sides together.

This piece came out better then expected. It is always hard for me to see the end result until it finally arrives, but with Anne using me as her model in the step by step process, the piece is always tailored to my body. This piece is perfect for the summer and gives me a very feminine touch to my wardrobe. With the extra material left over I was able to make an oversized hair bow which I will be doing a tutorial on in an upcoming blog post.

Lazy Sunday

Saying it was a lazy Sunday may be the exaggeration of the century, but we all needed it. After all our crazy, hectic, fun-in-the-sun activities we found it best on all of us if we just took it easy today and had some good ole' fashioned R&R. Though rest was scheduled on the agenda for today I took it upon myself to get a little crafty as well.

I took today as the day I was going to do my own DIY. Even though I am not creative enough to recreate something out of nothing I still have the ability to destroy something into the way I want. I know this sounds counterproductive, but in order to make distressed jeans you need to take apart what was already well made.

I had these pair of capris for quite some time now and have wanted to get some holes in them for a while and decided today was the day. The only tools I used were scissors, a nail file and tweezers. I chose where I wanted my holes and cut the slits depending on how wide and long I wished to have them. For this part I suggest using a good pair of fabric scissors and try to make the cuts as straight as possible (I found it the easiest this was and then pull on the fabric at the end to get the jagged edge you want.

Once I created the holes I took the tweezers and began tugging on the thread that was threaded into the jeans from top to bottom, this way the strings of the jeans would thin out and create that one long threaded look. I repeated this from one side of the cut to the other. Once completed I took the nail file and filed down the edges to give it that faded, destroyed look I intended to create.

This took me a long time because I tried to take my time to keep as many of the strings to remain attatched, and although it wasn't exactly how I imagined it I am happy with the outcome. I think that the dull plain look has disappeared and replaced with a trend that has been seen for quite some time now. It feels good to know that I was able to take a pair of clothing and make it my own instead of relying on Anne, proving that anyone can change their clothing if they are bored with it.

On The Farm

In case nobody knows this I am going to let you in on a little secret about living in the desert...it is really hot! Now that I have that out of the way we felt this heat should not defer us from doing something fun. We realize how fortunate we are to have the sun always shining, so we felt it best to use that to our abilities and do something family friendly outside.

We searched high and low, through the internet of course (I mean who uses anything else), and finally found the perfect activity. Schnepf's farm is an amazing farm in Queen Creek Arizona where you can pick fresh fruits and vegetables straight off the trees and vine. They also have many activities for the kids such as train rides and a petting zoo. Unfortunately we did come the day before it closes for summer so not all of these opportunities were available for us, but we still had a lot of fun exploring the farm and participating in what we could.

The way they had decorated the whole farm, from their store, to the sitting area's and pathways gave you a sense of feeling right at home even though you were no where near it. The friendly staff greeted us every time we entered a new area, making our experience that much more enjoyable. We visited the shops and plantations, even got to go inside a museum that was inside an 100 year+ house.

We stayed as long as we could until we just could not bear the heat any longer. By the time we had left we had gathered a variety of fruits and vegetables along with homemade syrups, salad dressings and hot salsa for our meals. We cannot wait to show you what we use all these delicious purchases for and hope to give some recipes to those who are unsure what they want to cook in their kitchen.

These our some of the pictures we took today, I am not the most creative when it comes to photos but we hope they help to recreate the joys we had today on our little trip and hope everyone takes the time to go search for something that is free and can be a family fun outing. We will be coming back to this place in the fall to allow ourselves the chance to encounter all the amazing things this place has to offer! Definitely going to be a day we all remember!

(P.S. We know we have been slacking on the DIY and Thrift Shop alterations, but we hope that you are patient with us as we are still trying to figure out everything we want to post on this blog and how to represent ourselves for each post.)