Sunday Style - Dancing Through Life

I have wanted to purchase or make a tulle skirt for almost two years now.  I have searched high and low at every thrift store and garage sale, but to no avail!!  I scoured the internet, but didn't want to pay the ridiculous shipping that most were charging.  Then I search Pinterest, for directions on how to make one.  I tried and FAILED!!  Thankfully tulle, is fairly inexpensive, so I didn't feel like to much of a failure!

I finally picked up a white one on sassysteals.com.  Every so often I find something on there, that I just can't resist.   The price was right around $9 plus $3-4 shipping.  I could do that!!

I paired this over the top skirt, with a simple black sweater.  I wear this sweater with everything - I wish I had it in every color.  It's from Talbots, but I picked it up a my local Salvation Army.  I also added some fun black bow heels.  I picked these up at an estate sale this month for a whopping $1.50 (1/2 price day!!), a hand-me-down belt from my mom, and a leather vintage purse.

My outfit is under $25, but I feel like a million!!  My only criticism about the skirt, is that the lining really isn't lining.  I had to double up in the slip department!!

I also kept my hair simple with a classic ponytail and let the skirt be the focal point of the outfit.  I tend to just keep hair and makeup simple, if I feel like my outfit is a bit fussy.

Enjoy your Sunday!!

Craft Room Project #5 - Work Table

For work space, I knew I would need a table that was at least three foot by six foot.  I determined that by the size of my large cutting mat that I tend to use for projects and the average size of my chalkboard projects.  My table needed to have a smooth finish,  fairly inexpensive, and easily to revamp!!

I thought about finding an old door, but I couldn't find any the right size and none of them were smooth, most of them were paneled.  I would have needed a piece of glass cut to the size of my door tabletop.  I kept scouring thrift stores, online, and garage sales.  I also determined that I didn't want to spend more than $75 on my table project.  

After months of searching, I picked up this table for $60 on an online garage sale!!  It is four foot wide by six foot long, with two leaves that give me about two more feet of work space if I need it.  The crazy thing was that it was located just four blocks from my house!!

Originally, I thought I would just paint the table top white and leave the base alone, but once I got it home, I decided to switch it up and paint the base.  There was a bit of damage to the finish on the base, but nothing a few coats of fresh white paint wouldn't fix.

I first wiped down the base with some dish soap and water and let dry.  I sanded the entire surface down.  I wiped it down again, let dry, and sanded again.  Then, I wiped it down again and let dry a third time.  Next, I painted the base with a coat of primer.

I ended up putting on two coats of primer.  After allowing for drying time,  painted my first coat of white paint.  I tend to load my brush with too much paint, so I always have to go back and check for drips and clean up my mess!!  I then left the paint to dry and sanded lightly.  I ended up painting three coats, because the stain was so dark underneath.  Normally two coats would do.

Then, I pulled out the sander again and roughed up the edges a bit.  I would hold the sander down on a few areas to expose the raw wood or pull out the original finish.  Once I was pleased with the way it looked, I wiped down the whole base again with soap and water.

Once dried, I applied two coats of clear polyurethane, allowing for 24 hours of dry time in between.  

Then it was move in time!!  I loved that this table is two pieces - it made it so much easier to get situated!!  The previous owner had put all the pieces in a ziploc for me and my husband made quick work of putting it back together for me.  

The top of the table has a few nicks out of it, but not enough for me to feel like I needed to paint or stain it.  The leaves are in worse shape, but if I need to I could sand them down and paint them white, but for right now I haven't need the extra work space.

This project was simple, compared to the last two furniture pieces I attempted to revamp.  When I purchase a piece of furniture to paint, I look for something that has a simple design, with few nooks and crannies that I have to figure out how to paint. 

We're Off to See the Wizard

One of the things on my BIG 4-0 list, was going to a winery.  I know absolutely nothing about wine and rarely drink any alcohol.  I have wanted to go to a winery for several years, but just never made it happen.

My friend, Jenelle, set up for us to go to  The Oz Winery in Wamego, Kansas - a quaint little town between Topeka and Manhattan.

Jenelle took the scenic route to Wamego.  It was new country for me and I love that the drive reminded me of going home to northeast Missouri.  Wamego has a beautiful city park, an Oz Museum, and a charming downtown area.

We first stopped in at The Friendship House for lunch.  It was packed!!  The food was delicious and the setting was quite lovely.

The Friendship House is right across the street from the city park which was adorable - fountains, gorgeous flowers, a windmill, and bike trail.  

Then it was off to Oz!!  We each purchased a pick 5 flight!!  The hardest part was picking 5 wines that I wanted to try since I had no idea what in the world I was doing!!  Thankfully Jenelle and Karen were a little more knowledgeable about wines, so they helped me out!!

The names and wine labels were straight from the land of Oz.  I selected Yellow Brix, Fraidy Cat, Auntie Em's Prairie Rose, Squished Witch, and Surrender.

The winery also had cheeses, crackers, and truffles to add to our flight.  We added some cheese and crackers and some heavenly truffles!!  

At first, I thought all the wines might taste the same, but I was wrong.  My absolute favorite was the Fraidy Cat - a sweet Vignoles brimming with tropical fruit (just know - that means nothing to me!!)  The worst was a wine that Jenelle and Karen thought would be a favorite, Surrender - a sherry with notes of caramel, toffee, honey, and butterscotch.  Let's just say it was a big ole' YUCK!!

I had so much fun day feeling all sophisticated and grown up!! 

I truly enjoyed my day with some girlfriends and would totally check out another winery, if anyone has any suggestions!!

Sunday Style - So, I'm not Julia Roberts

I picked up this amazing polka dress on my last trip to Goodwill.  As soon as I put it on, I thought of Julia Roberts in the movie Pretty Woman.  She wears a dress similar to this to a polo match with Richard Gere.  Her dress was tan and she had some amazing gloves and hat to complete her look.  I could have added some vintage gloves and my grandma's hat, but I just didn't think I could pull it off at church!!

This dress makes me feel so tall, even though I'm wearing flats!!!  I think I could also add a chambray shirt to this dress and make it look like a maxi skirt for a casual date night look!!

This outfit comes it under $20 - shoes, belt, and dress.  I have no idea how much Julia's cost since she shopped on Rodeo Drive!!

Enjoy your Sunday!!

Craft Room Project #4 - For the Love of Spray Paint

I use spray paint all the time!!  It is amazing what a quick coat of paint will do to transform an outdated item.

On one of my last trips home to my mom's, I brought back a 70s microwave cart.  I remember having the cart in just about every room in the house.  This cart was a bold avocado green with lots of blue paint spilled all over (I'm sure from some sort of Scotland County Tigers painting project!!).

The cart also had a bit of rust.  I pulled out the belt sander and sanded and sanded and sanded some more.  I still didn't think the shelves were very smooth, but I was done sanding.  I purchased two cans of spray primer and three cans of frosty berry  spray paint.

I got to spraying.  The key to spray paint is holding your can of paint at the right distance away from the item you are spraying.  You want to move your can back and forth at a slow and steady pace.  Thin coats are better than a thick drippy coat.

I sprayed one coat and then lightly sanded the cart down again and sprayed another coat of paint of primer.  I ended up taking both cans of primer!!

Then I sprayed them with the frosty berry spray paint.  I did about three coats, with lots of touch ups. I used 2 1/2 cans of spray paint!!

The legs were a little harder to paint, so I had my husband make a make shift stand for them with some scrape wood screwed together.

Once everything was bright pink, I did a couple of thin coats of clear acrylic on all the pieces.

Then it was time to reassemble the cart.  I was thankful my mom had saved all the original nuts and bolts. Once they were put back into place I did another quick coat of paint on the legs, paying attention to the hardware.

I wasn't happy with the smoothness of the shelves - I felt they were still pretty rough.  I could have left them, but I came up with a fun and simple solution!!

Last summer, I had picked up a couple of rolls of some aqua and white chevron vinyl in their dollar spot.  Since I knew what color scheme I was going with in my craft room, I figured I would use the vinyl somewhere.

I had my husband take some scrap wood and cut out to fit on the shelves.  Then applied the vinyl to wood and used an x-acto knife to trim it down to size.

The cart originally had wheels, but they were rusted and covered in paint and could be salvaged, so we pulled out some white rubber caps and they fit perfectly on the legs.

My finished cart is going to house my cricut machine, cartridges, and supplies.  I am thrilled with how it turned out!!

This is a fairly easily project, but it did take about five cans of spray paint.  I love salvaging something instead of going out and buying something new.  Revamping something takes some time and creativity, but that what I love to do!!

Sunday Style - Chambray with a Twist

I have several chambray shirts in my closet.  I mentioned the word chambray to a couple of friends and they had no idea what it was.  So, the definition of chambray is a lightweight clothing fabric with colored warp and light filling yarns.  Clear as mud right?!?  Well, my definition is a fabric that looks like denim, but is much lighter in weight.  Chambray came come in a variety of shades, but most of what I have tends to be on the lighter color spectrum of blue.

I picked up this chambray shirt at City Thrift last week and couldn't wait to wear it.  I loved the silhouette, the embroidery down the front, and that is was a bit casual, yet a bit dressy.

To complete the look, I paired my top with a pair of white bermuda shoes, and wedges.  The total for this look from head to toe comes in at about $20.  My bermuda shorts were a steal at around $9 at an end of the season sale at JcPenney.  Everything else is thrifted!!

I also thought this outfit would look great for a date night, a vacation, or a day of shopping.  I just swapped out a couple of items and came up with another look.

I swapped out my wedges, for a simple leather sandal, added my fun straw bag, pulled my hair back and added a fedora.  I also unbuttoned the bottom two buttons of the top and made a little knot - quick and easy changes!!  This outfit cost around $25.

Enjoy your Sunday!!

Craft Room Project # 3 - Painting the Night Away

Each summer, I make a list of projects I would like to get done while I don't have the responsibilities of school or crazy schedules.  They include painting, crafting, filing, and organizing!!  On my list this summer, was setting up my craft room.

I was able to score a gallon of paint from my friend, Rachel.  It was an oops paint that she had picked up and it is the perfect shade of blue to coordinate with my craft armoire!!

My craft room is a small room that connects our boys room and bathroom to our laundry room and storage room.  We can't make it into a bedroom because of the layout, but it makes a perfect craft room for me!!  My goal is actually to move my crafting items into my craft room, so that we can have a little more room in our storage room for off season clothing and decor.

When we moved into our home, 15 years ago, our basement was a blank slate.  Since that time, we have created a family/school room, laundry closet, a second bathroom - that is actually larger than our master bath, and a boys bedroom.  When we constructed the boys bedroom, my husband and crew went ahead finished this room as well.  At that time, we weren't sure what we'd do with it, but I talked my husband into letting me have it!!

My husband truly loves me!!  Every time I take on a project, he doesn't complain when I ask for his help.  I like to paint, but I do not like cutting in the edges.  I'm terrible at it, and he can do it without taping in half the time it would take me to tape it!!

The room color turned out lovely!!  It is quite inviting and serene.  I still have several more things I would like to add to the room before school starts, but we'll see what actually gets done.  I am just excited to finally have a space that functions!!

Thrifted Style - Mom Uniform

This is an outfit I can wear just about every day.  I could easily just change out the top, shoes, and belt.  I can easily move around to wrangle up kids, go grocery shopping, or out to lunch with a friend.

My outfit is completely thrifted and includes brands like Crocs and Eddie Bauer!!  My fun belt/scarf are from my grandmother.  Check out how I wore this belt here!!  Total cost for outfit - $10!!

Be Thrifty!!

Sunday Style - Vintage Flair

A friend found this dress for me at an estate sale and it is one of my favorite vintage pieces in my closet.

It was pretty filthy, but it washed up nicely.  It was also missing a couple of buttons that I easily replaced buttons from my button collection.  

I feel like this is something a stewardess or an Andrew sister would have worn back in the day.  

I paired the dress with a fun pair of vintage shoes I picked up at a thrift store a few years ago.

Total cost of my outfit - $3.98 - the price of my shoes!!

Enjoy your Sunday!!