A little bit country, a little bit rock and roll

Donnie and Marie just might be the most obnoxious singing duo I've ever heard/seen, but they provided an excellent description of today's recreation.

I only have before and after pictures of this one.  Nothing of the process.  Mostly because there wasn't much to show.  So here's how it started.

I got it at the Salvation Army Thrift Store for $3.00.  It's actually home made.  I'm really not sure what this person was going for.  It had a muu muu-esque quality to it with some interesting additions.  Each side had an almost inappropriately high slit, yet the sleeves were full length and the collar reminded me a bit of something fit for an Elvira costume.

After some sleeve removal, length removal, and width adjustment I had a whole new dress.

   

Speaking of awful music; as I'm looking at this picture, I can almost imagine it with Doc Martens being worn to a Gin Blossoms concert in 1993.  I would not have been the one attending the concert, however, since I just in middle school.  And anyhow, if it was up to me I would have preferred Alice in Chains or Nirvana.

I digress!  I love this dress.  I've worn it twice now with two different styles of boots.  It's perfect for the scorching weather we've been having and it's just darn pretty!

A lil' su'm su'm

So, I made couple things recently.  Thought I'd show you all.  I've been a bit busier since work started again.  But I have had some time for refashioning.  It's just that by the time I'm done refashioning, I don't quite have time to blog.  So, I'll go ahead and give you two at once.

The first is this darling top I found at an estate sale.

It belonged to an old lady.  I'm sure you're not surprised.

First things first; remove the sleeves.  It has been about a million degrees outside so sleeves just aren't happening right now.

After that I just hemmed the arm holes and took in the sides.  It became a super-cute summer top.

Next, I'll present this skirt:

I got this one at a thrift store for $1.25.  The color caught my eye.  And I think the print is really cool too.

I didn't have to do too much with this one.  I took in the waist and took a few inches off the bottom.  The hemming was a little tricky because it's pleated but I think the whole project took me less than an hour.

I love, love, love this skirt!  It's so comfortable and fun.  I've worn it three times in the last week.  I really feel like these pictures don't show quite how cute the skirt is.  You'll just have to stop me on the street when I'm wearing it :)

It's official!

My Etsy shop is officially in business!  It's been a long time coming and I'm so happy to announce that things have finally come together.

Here is a sneak peek at some of the items you'll find in my shop.

For now I'm only selling jewelry (link below), but keep checking in with me because I plan to add other items too!

RecreationStation on Etsy

Work outfit

Summer is winding down for me.  I have a couple jobs and both will be picking back up shortly.  Since I have had some time on my hands I thought it was a good idea to put together some work clothes before things are in full swing and I don't have the time.

I started with this shirt:

I bought it for $2.00 at a thrift store and it reminded me a bit of the puffy shirt from Seinfeld.

Obviously something needed to be done.  I began by removing the ruffle from the neck.

After that, I chopped off the sleeves.  Not only is it too hot for long sleeves but they were also a bit too Amish for my style.

Using the ruffle from the neck and some elastic, I created ruffled short-sleeves.  Much, much better.

This is the shirt, all finished.

Next, I got started on the skirt.

I picked up this beauty at a thrift store for $2.50.  I really liked the colors and print, as usual.

There wasn't a whole lot of work to be done on the skirt.  I just had to take in the waist and take some length off the bottom.

I put the top and the skirt together to create my "new" work outfit.

What do you think? Do I look sophisticated and stylish, yet relatable?  'Cause that's what I was going for ;)

Quickie

I didn't take any pictures of the process on this one because I was in a bit of a hurry.  I was meeting my sisters-in-law for dinner and the farmer's market and decided last minutes that I wanted something "new" to wear.  

Earlier in the day I was cruising A Beautiful Mess, my current blog obsession, and came across this picture:

Both skirts are totally adorable.  The one on the left reminded me of a dress that had been sitting in my closet for about a year, waiting to be refashioned.

In about 30 minutes I cut the dress in half, created a casing and inserted elastic for the waist, cut the straps off and sewed them to the front of the skirt, and added three buttons.  Then I was set to go!

Pretty close to the picture, right?  I think this is my new favorite skirt.  I wore it Thursday with a white t-shirt and again today with a black tank top.

This is too much fun!

Re-recreating

If you've been around for a while, you'll remember this jumper

which became this jumper.

I loved this jumper and wore it quite a few times, but I've been on a skirt kick the last couple of weeks and thought I could do something a little different...

so I cut it in half.

It was a really simple project, actually.  I hemmed the top and created a few pleats.

I wore it with an embroidered top I got on clearance last year at Forever 21 and my new favorite boots.

Posting all these pictures showed me just how often I change my hair.  I guess I get bored with my hair as often as I get bored with my clothes and I have to mix things up!

Another summer dress

I've mentioned before that I practically live in dresses during the summer.  Pants are just sooo uncomfortable when it's hot.  Especially they last few days when it's been 100 degrees or more!  

Enter the cotton grandma dress.

I bought the dress for $1.00 at a garage sale a couple of months ago.  It really is a grandma dress.  I actually know the person whose grandma owned this dress.  The shoulder pads were HUGE and the bodice was a bit frumpy.  I really liked the print though.

I decided to give it a sun dress sort of style so I started by cutting off the top above the pockets.

I hemmed the top and took in the bodice.

Then I cut a chunk out of the leftover fabric to make straps.

This turned out to be one of my all time favorite recreations.

This is my model face

I wore it thrift store shopping with a dear friend of mine.  It was super hot and she wore jeans and totally regretted it.  I was sure glad to be wearing a cotton dress!

Lookin' good for practically nothing

It's been almost a year since I turned this

into this

I loved how it turned out and I got tons of great feedback.  Well I pulled this piece out of the closet last week and realized I could really change of the look without any work.  I added a different belt and wore it as a dress.

Not only did I feel totally adorable that day, but I was really proud of how much this outfit cost me.  I just had to share with you.

I bought this dress, turned tunic, turned mini dress last year at a garage sale for $0.50.  Then I got the belt last week at a thrift store for $0.45.  For a grand total of $0.95 I had a complete outfit!  The boots, which I thrifted two weeks ago for $10.85 took my total up a bit, but even so, I'm look at less than $12.00 for the full ensemble.  It may sound silly, but this stuff is absolutely thrilling for me.  I love being able to show people that fashion doesn't have to cost a fortune.