fashion friday statement rings

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upcycled baby clothing creatures

Our baby is growing like a weed and that means lots of clothing doesn't fit anymore! And while we haven't invested very much money in her wardrobe (thank goodness!), we still have some cute things that already hold lots of memories and I can't bear to get rid of. So I have been saving my favorite outfits to cut up and create a whole bunch of abstract and whimsical little creatures to keep in Lucy's room for future play time and to display as little mementos of her early years. As she continues to grow out of more clothing, I will keep adding more creature to the collection!

I began by sorting my stash of baby clothes- I pulled all of the things that had a cute print or held special memories.

Next I started cutting things up and piecing them back together in different shapes and sizes of the soon to be creatures.

I used free motion sewing to "draw" the faces and I used a piece of stabilizer to back my fabric.

I went for an abstract, whimsical and child-like style for my faces.

Next, I stacked the front and the back and I sewed up the top and sides with a zig zag stitch.

I inserted stuffing and sewed it up.

I made legs out of the sleeves from the garment

and sewed them to the body.

I made little ears and sewed them to the top of the head.

I made a couple more little creatures.

This is the beginning of the collection!

And of course I couldn't resist photographing them with my little lady but she cared more about grabbing her toes

and putting them in her mouth.

But I know someday these little guys will be appreciated!

button love

a sweet day

4 months of lucy

fashion friday- turban headbands

I have been growing my hair out for what seems like years (finally its all grown out!) and a couple of years back I started making turban style headbands so that I could wear my hair back (during that "in between stage") while making a fashion statement. And for the last couple of years I've been receiving TONS of inquiries about how I create them. So I have FINALLY put together a little tutorial on how I make them and wear them!

1. I always use jersey fabric because its nice and stretchy. I've had the best luck with using men's size large t-shirts because the width of the t-shirt perfectly wraps around my head twice OR once in a while I'll upcycle something that I have on hand- like this striped maternity dress. 2. I cut wide strips about 8-10 inches wide. I make use of the seam already sewn into the garment.

You can get three wide head bands from a mens size large t-shirt

4. I cut 2-3 strips (which becomes the headband) so I can layer them together.

To wear I start by wrapping it around my head twice and then I layer the 2nd and 3rd once the same way. This creates nice volume and is the key to creating the look of a turban.

There are all kinds of ways to wear the turban headband- with your hair pulled back

or over your forehead

you can pull all your hair up into it and even layer different colors or styles-

like braiding the jersey or creating rosettes

however you choose to wear your headband- its the perfect solution for a bad hair day, growing your hair out or a chic alternative for styling your hair!