All A Gal Needs

i can't wait until Dre is old enough to "rescue" me. : )

and here's a little doodle i painted featuring that little man, Dre... ain't he a just squeezable?

Tattered Tee Tutorial

and now, y'all, an easy-peasy tshirt restyle. i got this t at Good Will for a couple bucks and liked the fabric, but not the plain, semi-unflattering fit, so, inspired by Pinterest ideas, i decided to rip 'er up - nicely. if you'd like to give it a try, follow the steps below. note: make sure the shirt you choose is made of a fabric that won't fray (like jersey cotton or fleece) - unless that is the look you want, of course.

1. draw the pattern you want. i chose to make dash marks with a washable marker and cut slits, but you could cut small circles or make Xs, just keep in mind that the holes will stretch with wear and wash, so cut them slightly smaller than you want them to look.

2. cut the slits/holes.

(i also chose to chop off one sleeve and the collar.)

3. giver 'er a tug to stretch out the holes.

4. show 'er off. that's it!

i realize now that with the color of the tank i wore underneath, i ended up looking rather like Baby Bop in these shots. i trust you all to make better choices than i.

Lamp Re-vamp

remember this wonky beauty from my thrift score post? yeah, well she's had a make-over... actually all i did was take off the pretty-but-so-unnecessary shade and suddenly, i fell madly in love. i knew when i heard this lamp call my name from the dingy floor of the store that we would be good friends, but i didn't know how cool of a friend i had made.

she's not for everyone, i know, but golly, when she's lit up, it's like something from a 20's train station - a warm, bewitching sorta glow. seriously, if i was a moth, i'd be smackin' my powdery little skull (do moths have skulls?) into this bright orb whenever somebody flicked it on. as it happens, i'm not a moth, but i do find myself staring at it all the time when it's on... hmm, even if it's on my computer screen....so.. pretty... priiiity. time to move on.

 right, so i now had this really fascinating shade with no lamp for it to hover over, and well, that just wasn't right, ya know? no problem tho, i just grabbed me an old lamp we've had and spray painted it "soot" black to suit the shade's styling... and tried 'er out. the bulb light was too harsh showing through so much of the wicker, so i lined the interior with brown mailing paper, my fav. (prolly not something Smokey the Bear would advise, but i tested it for a couple hours and no fire, so i figured...)

tada! now adam and i began testing objects around the house that could pass for finials (that's the top thingie that holds the shade on the lamp). first one we tried was too tall. adam calls this one the "pineapple."

the next one was sorta clownish.

and after a couple other rejects, we ended up going back to the pineapple and sawing off the bottom with a pipe saw. we likey. and there ya have it!



whaddya think? anybody tried somethin' like this before?

Restyled Combat Boots

recently, I found these light combat-style boots at khols for $7 (i know!) and loved how they contrasted with the mini dress i was wearing, but they were just a touch too blah for me.

so, using some vintage fabric from my ma-in-law, i glued on some fla-va. below: eva helping me decide on placement.

i really like where things were going, but we just weren't "there" yet...

i realized the flowery additions weren't blending well in their new rougher habitat, so out came an old bristle brush and everything got a good scrub to fray those edges. perfect imperfection.

 ahhh.... much better............. tigeress agrees. (i think eva left her on the table?)

coming along nicely! yes, yes, the laces are missing... during my "blending" session with the bristle brush...

... i tossed the laces into some coffee to make them less matchy-matchy and deepen the brown, giving them an aged look. yeeeeah, unfortunately this had no effect. (what the pooh, right?) so it was on to plan b.

i slapped some deep espresso paint onto them and let them dry half-way then risnsed 'em. and this time...

... i got that dirtied/aged look i wanted. it's kinda hard to see below, but, trust me, it's there.

i'm looking forward to fall weather so i can wear these with sweaters and my jean mini and one of my signiture looks : knee socks.

Ta-da!

Thrift Score: All for $10!

check it divas...

i got all you see here for only $10! mm, hmm, you read me right, $10 for this score! let's inventory, shall we?
2 brand new flannel snowflake pillow cases
6 vintage look-a-like tulip napkins
1 giant embroidery hoop
1 stuffed paper bag filled with craft supplies - hoops, fabric, thread, yarns, picture frames, foam, etc.
1 vintage floral platter
1 light bright game
1 pair open-toe garden clogs (they're hiding)
1 pair real leather cowboy boots for the huz
1 kitty cat park play set (i'll explain)
and 1 wonky adorable lamp

impressed? yeah, i was pretty thrilled ma'self. you see, my man gave me $10 to "go have fun" thrifting for the afternoon, and i took that and added to it my own $15 of fun money and began the hunt. (i adore thrifting) after 2 hours and $25 were spent, ("hey!" you say, "i thot you said $10 before." i did. quit interrupting and read on.) i had all the items listed above, plus another pair of authentic leather cowboy boots. i took them downtown to mike, an owner of one of our local vintage stores and sold 'em to him for $15. bam.

napkins, pillow cases,  garden clogs, and purty platter

sorry cat people, but i really hate dislike cats. however, if they come in a non-shedding, tiny form that has the ability to entertain my toddler on the long drive to the beach - i like cats.



the restyling of this kooky light will be coming up in a future post.

so there's ma thrift score, mamas. now, hear me this: this sport ain't for the faint-hearted, y'all. if you don't like hunting through mildewy posters for vintage art, scavenging amidst dusty fabric scraps for hand-made surprises, groping in bins of worn shoes for that muddy pair of boots at the bottom, fearlessly haggling down $1 or $20, and maybe even elbow-fighting for your spot digging through the bacteria-ridden children's toys (back-off, Nana! my little girl's scorin' that doctor's kit this round!), then stay home, pansies. but if you're up for the dirt, the disorder, the smells, meeting and being in close quarters with the 'salt of the earth,' taking risks on possibly-broken-beyond-repair and likely-to-never-get-that-stain-out "treasures," then saddle-up with me, girlfriends. 

those of you who know me well, know that i'm a total germaphobe. i won't eat something if there's a pin hole poke in the bag. i disinfect me keys, phone, remote controls, and steering wheel monthly...sometimes weekly. but when it comes to thrift store shoppin' - i'm a different woman. why? answer's simple, as you can see above, you can completely score! adam's boots were 50 cents, honnys! 50 cents! one day thrifting will be a sport, and when that day comes, you might wanna pick me for your team. i'm jus' sayin'...