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April 22, 2009

DIY Ribbon belt – a little more complex…

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Posted in Accessories

Ok, I have really needed some new belts. Simple, utilitarian, cute belts. Ideally I need one in black since my black one is getting a bit worn. Black grosgrain ribbon in the correct width wasn’t available at Walmart at midnight when I went looking for clearance belts though so I ended up with leopard (and several others I have yet to make.)

That should be the first part … seek out a really hideous clearance belt that has a decent buckle or recycle an old belt buckle (either your own or thrifted.)

I found THE most bizarr perfect belt last night for $3… it had 6 … SIX buckles on one belt and 3 rings that I could also use. I found two and bought both (they had black as well but those were still $10 each.) So for $6 I can make 15 belts (though I’m working out a way to make these so you change the ribbon and use one buckle.) $0.40 per belt buckle, not bad and it still seems rather strange to have come across this when I was looking for buckles.

6 buckle belt

I expect you will be able to easily find $1 belt buckles though (don’t forget to check the children’s sections – it doesn’t matter how long or ugly the belt is because you just need the buckle.)

And here’s what I’ve made so far:

Leopard DIY belt full pic on dresser

Leopard print belt on

Leopard print ribbon for about $2 and I can get two belts out of it. Less than $1 for the brown ribbon I sewed to the back. Grommets and press I had on hand already (but I think you can find a grommet kit for around $18 maybe?)

You could make a D ring or O ring version without the grommets which I’m going to do with one wider ribbon I fell in love with. I’ll share that once I’ve made it.

As a side note, I think I might be able to make a funky purse strap out of the leftover red belt pleather.

April 21, 2009

23 cent undies – sew your own

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Posted in Clothing

Don’t worry, the photo of the undies will be on the plastic mannequin.

Materials:

  • 23 cents worth of elastic
  • old t-shirt
  • Sewing machine or patience and hand sewing skills

So the liner in underwear always annoys me to no end. It always seems to stretch out more and bunch and ruin a perfectly wonderful pair of underwear. If the goal is to keep jeans from rubbing your nether regions though I can see the benefit of adding an extra layer so I used a double layer of t-shirt fabric for the whole underwear.

I took a pair of underwear I liked and traced them without the bottom seam. No need to add any extra to the sides of the pattern. I then took a t-shirt and cut out the underwear from my pattern with two layers. Sew on elastic to the leg opening using a zig zag stitch because it needs to stretch and determine the length for the waist. Pretty simple really. I’ll do a full tutorial or post the pattern if anyone is interested.

DIY thong undies

These are low-rise thong (shhhh…. sometimes thongs are better than having undies with more fabric riding up) but it would also be pretty easy with string bikini. Recycles a t-shirt, I think my elastic was organic or at least unbleached and you can’t beat the price either!

I did a reverse applique on this pair which was sandwiched with a back layer.  Ironically, the floral fabric is from an old pair of Victoria’s Secret underwear.

Some other great blog posts on making your own underwear:

I may branch out and get some more elegant elastic here:

April 6, 2009

Recycle ANY cosmetics packaging with Origins

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Posted in Beauty & Skin, Makeup / Cosmetics

They will accept ANY and all empty cosmetic “primary packaging”, it does not have to be their brand.

What to do:

  • Make sure it’s empty.
  • Make sure it meets the “primary packaging” classification as listed below.
  • Take it to your local Origins counter (there are a few exceptions and they do not appear to have a mail-in program to date.)

“Primary packaging is the packaging that protects the actual product (glass and plastic jars, bottles, tubes, caps, lipstick covers). The following are not accepted as part of the recycling program:

  • Secondary packaging of any sort including paper boxes, plastic or cellophane wrappers, shopping bags, etc.
  • Samples containers, special/trial size products from promotional kits
  • Cosmetic applicators or tools such as disposables, puffs, sponges, scissors, spatulas, swabs, sharpeners, tweezers and curlers
  • Makeup accessory items including bags, belts, makeup cases, etc.”

Full details can be found here:
http://www.origins.com/about/index.tmpl?ngextredir=1&page=recycle&cm_sp=Refresh-_-03-31-09%20Homepage%20Refresh-_-Return%20to%20Origins%20Recycling%20Program

I haven’t tried this yet so I don’t know if this is one of those programs where they haven’t informed the sales clerks or not. If anyone has any experience with this, please let us know. I’m going to start a small box to take in… or maybe I won’t… I don’t go through makeup very fast… 🙂

April 4, 2009

What I wore today … well … umm a few days ago…

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Posted in Clothing

Well it’s better than a photo from a few months ago this time. I’m so happy with my new palm tree and I brought in one of my granny’s chairs from the garage not expecting it to look so good. I’m loving the whole new arrangement though.

POTD April 1 2009

Earrings: Liz Claiborne silver oval hoops – Christmas gift
(probably about $18)

Necklace: Kmart clearance $1.50

Cardigan: Ann Taylor – gift
(Mom bought for me while we were in Vegas at the Outlet mall so $10? I think my teal one was the $30 Cardigan)

Dress: No idea, swapped some makeup for it so mostly free.

Scarf: vintage (either my mom’s or granny’s, not sure)

Flip Flops: Kohl’s clearance $2 or under last summer
(they’re bronze and I probably should have worn dressier shoes)

I really like this dress and there are a few things you can’t tell about it in this photo:

  • it’s a nice chocolate brown
  • it has a brown crocheted section across the chest area which is a nice bit of detail without calling too much attention to that area
  • it’s a simple cotton dress and feels like wearing a big comfy t-shirt
  • it has an elastic empire waist
  • it’s a sort of cross between a sleeveless and capped sleeve … I don’t really know how to describe it.

In an effort to get the slippery scarf to stay in one place I actually tied it around the button cardigan which I don’t know that I would do again. It worked really well in regard to keeping the scarf in place and centered but I felt like it has the potential to wear out the cardigan faster or lose the button or misshape the button hole.

Anyone have any scarf belt tricks? I’m thinking about buying some more fun fabrics and making more if I can get that figured out a bit better.

And I’m starting to wonder if I know the price of most of my clothes off of the top of my head like some odd sort of visual memory recall… scary…

FYI – I live in what used to be my grandmother’s house hence the sort of oddness about chairs from the garage and not knowing who the scarf belonged to. I did actually find it here. It took me three months I think to get to the point that I could move in and I’ve been slowly cleaning everything out ever since (my mom is a packrat and stopped helping after I moved in because she doesn’t want to part with any of it.)

March 23, 2009

What I Wore Today … a few months ago…

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Posted in Clothing, OOTD

Sorry I haven’t been around. I’ll explain at another time. I may not be around much for awhile longer but I’m not abandoning this blog and I wanted to go ahead and get this image online.

I wanted to start posting more outfits that I’ve worn so here’s the first. It’s pretty simple but I like it and the pieces are versatile (and cheap):

Dec 2008 WIWT

Wearing:

Corduroy Jacket – “So…” brand found at Goodwill $5
Grey short-sleeved turtleneck – “Love Lola” brand Dillard’s $11
Jeans – AE hipster $39
Black square toe ballet flats – “Mossimo” Target $20
I may not always know the costs on the outfits but on this one I do.

Let me know what you think. 🙂