Monday, November 26, 2012

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Purple pants

I have pants issues.  My hips are wide and my legs are short and stores just don't sell pants for humans like me.  Skinny jeans can be especially difficult but there's NO WAY you'd catch me in a pair of flare jeans.  Not with this body type.  Allow me to show you.
Obviously pre-hair and make-up


I bought these jeans from a friend for $5.00.  They're quality jeans and the waist and hips fit great.  That's really all I needed knowing that I always have to do some kind of work to my pants.  My plan was to make them straight (almost skinny) legs and take up the length, of course.

To start I pulled out a pair of jeans that fit me perfectly.  I turned the flare jeans inside out and lay the perfectly fitted jeans on top.

I pinned along the sides where they needed to be sewn and cut off the length.  I created my new seams and new hems and had a new pair of perfectly fitted jeans.

It wasn't enough, though.  

I decided I wanted yellow jeans.  Boy do I love the color yellow.  I purchased a box of golden yellow Rit Dye just for the occasion.

Before I could dye them yellow I had to bleach them.  I bleached them twice, allowing them to sit in the sink for an hour at a time with each bleaching and this is the best I could do.

I was a little disappointed and a lot annoyed by the amount of time it was taking so I finally decided to get on with the dye-ing.  I ran a rinse cycle first, to completely rinse the bleach from the jeans, then I put them into the washer with hot water, golden yellow Rit Dye, and a cup of salt.  

I should have known better.  Without completely lifting the blue, the golden yellow just turned the jeans yellowish green.  

I started to panic.

Then I remembered that I had a half bottle of purple dye that I'd used on another project.  I emptied the bottle into the washer, having no idea what to expect.

Ladies and gentlemen my impulsivity paid off.  I absolutely love my new jeans!  The results were better than anything I could have done on purpose.

The color is crazy.  I can barely describe it.  There are bits of blue remaining and all different shades of purple.  Be sure to click on the picture so it will enlarge and you can really take a look at the pretty colors.


Once again, like everything else in life, things did not turn out as I planned, but so much better.

I'd also like the before and after pictures to serve as a reminder of how drastically properly fitted clothes and styled hair/ make-up can change a person's appearance.  Yikes!

Thanks for stopping by, friends :)





Saturday, November 17, 2012

The News

I mentioned in my last post that there are new developments in my life that have kept me from having the time to blog.  Well, ladies and gentlemen, I'm ready to let you in on my little secret.

We've spent the last several months taking the steps necessary to bring a baby into our life.  

I'm not pregnant, by the way.

Sometime in April my husband and I made the difficult and exciting decision to adopt a child.  We had no idea where to begin but we knew we had been ready for a child for several years and we were finally open to the idea of raising a child that was not made from our own DNA.  

It's such a huge shift in thinking.  The name of my blog, REcreation Station, continues to take on new meaning all the time.  This decision has meant allowing God to change our hearts and our desires.  Throughout this process, it's become so much less about fulfilling our own hopes and dreams of parenthood, and so much more about blessing the crap out of a kid!

After quite a bit of research, we decided in early June that we would adopt from the foster care system. We honestly had no idea what we were getting ourselves into but it seemed like the best option for our family.  Since June we've taken several classes, had our home inspected, filled out piles of paperwork, had medical examinations, finger prints, given all our personal history to people we've just met, and it's been incredible.  We absolutely love everything about the agency we're using.  We feel completely supported and appreciated at all times.  We know that once we start dealing with the county things will probably change a bit, but for now we're totally satisfied.

We should be a certified foster/adoptive home in less than a month and then we could have a baby placed in our home any time after.

Because of the sensitive nature of fostering a child, I won't be posting any pictures here until after an adoption is finalized.  I also won't be giving any specific dates about when the child is placed in our home or any court date related information.

Now let me tell you what WILL happen.  Over the next few weeks there are numerous projects I'll be working on to complete the baby's room.  I plan to post pictures here.  For now, I'll give you a peek at what's already happened.

This amazing banner was made by my lovely friend Megan.  She's the bomb.  You can see in the picture above that it's hanging over the crib.  

This piece of art is also hanging over the crib.  AND it was also made by Megan.  The verse is perfect and very personal to us.

Now for something I actually made.  I put these curtains together using fabric I found at a garage sale for $1.  I bought the fabric last year and have been hanging onto it until I could find the right use because it's so special.  

I made the curtains simple, just to frame the window.  They don't cover the window completely.  I just tied strips of burlap around them for a little character and they're just what I hoped they'd be.

So be on the lookout for more frequent blog posts about new projects for the baby's room, new outfits for myself, and venting about the crazy stress and joy that will surely come along with parenthood.

Your payers are much appreciated!