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Presto-Chango
Make something old, new, again - or take something brand new, make it juust right for you!
Okay, this is my new favorite idea! I have soo many beautiful scarves - millions of lovely scarves, so, you can use any scarf, or you can cut a piece of material about 14" X 6 0" or longer - whatever length you need to tie it in the back, around your chest : )
I start with my favorite little dresses that can either be a skirt or a dress, so there's something underneath the scarf material - then it won't be see-through : )
See? I just fold it under, at the top, two folds, one down about 4 or 5 inches, then fold it over, tie in the back - is super easy, you'll be able to do it, no bother : )
Okay, quick break in the middle of my Scarf Idea - lol!
Go and look out all your old, long, skirts - or, short skirts, too - but you can just hike up your old long skirts (or, new skirts - mine are just a li'l older - haha!), pull the skirt right up over your chest, and, Voila, you've got yourself a new dress! TaaDaa!
Pretty exciting, right? Why me no thought o' this, before? lol!
And then for your short skirts, when you hike those short skirts right up, now they're a cute little top! Done!
I have some skirts that are meant to be worn either long or short, and some skirts that you really can easily just hike up, and now they're a cute little dress ...
But even with your 'normal' skirts, especially the skirts with the elastic top - they're super easy to Presto-chango, right into a new little dress for you! Yahoo!!
Oh, and here's the other thing I just figured out - sarsly, how me no thinkee o' these things, before - such good ideas! lol!
When you put your hair up, gather it waaay toward the front of your head, pull it all together, you might like to pull some strands forward, that's a pretty look, too (Free The Strands? lol!)...
So, now you've pulled your hair up, feel like right at the front of your forehead, then twist it around, tie in a knot...
Then just slide any sparkly or pretty bracelet or bangle over your Top Knot - is sooo cute!
It makes me laugh, every time I look in the mirror, since you forget that you have it on - and it looks like a fancy little Tiara - haha! Poifect!!
Can you see the 'Tiara' Bracelet in my hair? lol!
And see how the top of the skirt will easily stay up, just with its' own elastic?
So easy (Sew easy - haha!)
And that's my favorite Rowing Machine, by my feet, tucked neatly in the corner of the living room - Omg, I looove my Rowing Machine - is THE single most effective piece of Exercise Equipment, ever - will tone and slim down your whole body - and, it's a lot of fun : )
I put on The Talk, because Sheryl Underwood makes me laugh so hard, every day - and I love the ladies of The Talk - so nice, so smart, very funny - everything you would love in a break room table chat - nothing annoying, no one shouting aggressively - lol!
Anyway, I put my sneakers on during the opening segment of The Talk, then row and row through about 6 segments - usually between 20 to 30 minutes, the goal being 30 minutes, then I do some stretches, then on to my fave Twisty Waist Trainer thing - with hand weights - that's fun, too - I think you should enjoy your workout, and it should be super effective - women no gots time to waste, doing something that doesn't even work - lol!
Okay, back to my Scarf Idea! This one was literally a Table clothe that I had picked up at the Dollar Store, because I loved the pattern so much - lol!
This one started out as a very pretty tablecloth I picked up at the Dollar Store for $4 - lol! My beautiful daughter, Cara, came over, and said, oh, you should make a dress out of this, and so, me did! lol! Good Idea!
Took me ages to figure out how to come up with this idea, but now that me haz thought of it, I love it! What a great idea! You can transform one dress into hundreds of dresses!
And then I went around the house, looking for other material I had poking around, and found the gorgeous shade of pink and light green - so pretty!
They were both oddly shaped, so, I just took the two widest ends, and used that as the fold line, diagonally on these pieces, then tucked the excess under - no need to cut anything, if you don't want to : )
And for me, that means making it shorter, no sleeves, I'm not big on the homely look - I like a nice, light, pretty look - juuust right for me - and, hopefully, you, too! lol!
Can you see I match the Pinkish rose Giant Bush, beside me? Clever? haha!
So, I got this top with the fabulous flowy sleeves from Forever 21, and it came with an attached camisole, (too plain, I removed that, immediately, might be wearable with something else...) - usually, you can see the threads where something is attached, and just carefully snip the threads, make something better!
And then i put the top on, loved the sleeves, but seemed waaay too frumpy as a top, so I just cut a straight line from the center of the neckline, right down to the bottom, put it on like a little sweater jacket, and tied it at the front - so cute, right? And now it's something I WILL wear - waste not want not!
Plus, it's good to have another vision of something, right in the store, if something is a great deal, and you know you can bring it home and doctor it up, or go through your old clothes, see what you can doctor up, make it brand new, again! Yay!! My own version of Fixer Upper - haha!
To add more light and interest to any wall, put up a regular mirror, hang curtains around it, and a lovely drape over the top - Voila! Poifect! And I added a towel bar, for extra towels - yahoo! So pretty, right? Very simple fix, and a good price, too : )
The other day, I was looking at my dining room table chairs, getting the dining room table all set up for our fancy Easter Dinner, and I thought I would order some Seat Covers, like I used to have for my dining room chairs, and I couldn't find individual chair covers, just wedding sets, for rental, and 100 - 150 sets - lol!
I just needed to doctor up my 6 dining room chairs, today... so I was looking around our place, I always have a lot of 'crafty' things around, and a lot of material, so I was just gazing at things, looking for something in a cream color, to match the chairs, and I happened to see an old blanket (not rickety - lol - just a blanket we haven't used in years), so I took that out the cupboard, put that on one of the chairs, and immediately started measuring and cutting, to make a little chair cover for each seat - took me about half an hour, but, really, I wasn't paying attention to the time - I just take whatever time I need, to finish each little project - lol! Time Schmime! ; )
I won't attach the material completely until I run it past my lovely daughter - is she laughs really hard, I'll go get some nice faux suede or heavy linen material, from the fabric store, and a staple gun from Home Depot, finish the job, completely - right now, is enough for me to think about it, since the dining room chairs are really comfy the way the are, right now, I just wanted a little change for Easter - lol!
You can just cut a blanket into 6 pieces, evenly, and tuck the end into the back of each chair, see how you like it, first, then if you want to finish the job, just unscrew the seat from underneath the chair, firmly attach the new material - a staple gun is the fastest tool to use, and probably the safest : ) Re-attach the chair seat, and, Voila! New chairs!
You know the old adage, 'Measure Twice, Cut Once'? Well, I must measure over and over again, plus, I just go by eye, too, make sure each piece is even, and if you don't have a large measuring tape, just fold it very neatly into 6, so a fold in half, lengthwise, then in thirds after that, and go ahead and cut, cut, cut!
Go Scissor Happy, Baby! lol!
Is cute - and, what's happening with my other pics - iz they all gone?? Will go check, later! Yikes!
More stuff I gots to Doctor Up! lol! ; )
Can you see me in this pic? lol! I'm the one, waaay off to the side... and, I'm forever adding flowers to my dresses - just get a couple of flowers with the little clasp, and clip any flowers you like onto your straps, and away you go - all flowered up! Flower Power, Baby! : )
So I am a cutter, so-to-speak - I will happily cut up anything - No Fear, with the scissors! lol!
I'll take a brand new dress, cut off the entire bottom section, make the top part of the dress my new favorite dress, and sew the bottom section into a new skirt for me - yay! Waste Not Want Not, right?
I picked up these dresses for $9 each, sooo, I was okay with taking a chance, changing them into something I might actually wear.. I'm very picky about what I wear - sensitive (overly sensitive, as my mother would say.... but, that's a whole other story.. lol!) to certain materials... and I'm not the only one - lots of people either have a clothing sensitivity, or develop one, over the years, where you become very partial to certain items of clothing, that's where you're the most comfortable, so then you are constantly trying to replicate that same item of clothing, so you can always be super-comfy : )
And there are my scissors! Just itchin' to be used!
I tied little ribbons at the top or the 'sleeves', if you will - what would you call that? The top of the dress? lol! Whatevs, you see what me did - haha! Just makes it that much nicer : )
See how the arms/sleeves have been cut off? Start right at the armpit? Hmmm, surely there's a better name for that part than armpit?? haha! So delicate, so charming! haha!
Anyway, use that as your starting point, and just cut upward in sort of a semi-circular motion. You can draw a line, if you like - I just start cutting, have an idea in my mind, follow the idea, but, my methods aren't for everybody - lol!
You can always cut one side, try it on, see if you like it - sometimes I'll cut below where the 'armit' (such a pretty word! haha!), so there's more room, but, be careful with that, since if you go too low below the armpit area, your dress might not be all that wearable, unless you're Miley Cyrus, or heading in that direction... haha! But, truth be told, I used to wear all sorts o' things like that, and I just live in a more conservative area, now, soo, I have to moderate my dress - a li'l annoying, I just like to be me - Free To Be Me! lol!
Ooops! There's mah' toes! I had to lay the dresses out on the carpet - when I find someone to take a good picture, I will - lol!
But if you look beyond mah' toesis, you'll see that I cut straight down the center front of my dress - I actually do this with a lot of plain front clothes - T-Shits, especially - too high-necked for me, not comfy, so I just take a pair of scissors (my trusty scissors!), and cut straight down the center until you get to the Logo, Design, or where you will show some nice cleavage - that's more comfortable for me, adn way less frumpy, if you know what I mean - lol!
See, this is the length of dress I love the most - so comfy, nice and cool and comfortable... perfect for me! So now I use this dress as my 'sample' length dress, so I just put it right on top of a very long dress, that I would never wear (too formal for me, plus, just way too hot - but you can doctor up any long dress like this... I'll go get those pics, too...
This is great for any dress you buy that's floor-length, or, just a longer skirt than you might want, and Bridesmaids Dresses, Prom Dresses - you want to be able to wear those dresses over and over again, otherwise, what a massive waste of money, for just one day, right? Unless you're framing a wedding dress, which is a very good idea, too, but, frankly, I still wear my wedding dress from my second wedding - lol! I chose a short style, and it never goes out of style, is so pretty - I'll go see if I can find a pic for you! lol!
Lol! Well, I just have this Wedding picture, handy - in a frame - isn't that a pretty frame? And my gorgeous daughter, Cara? So cute! I made the Wedding Bouquets - Easiest Wedding, Ever!
I'd really like to dye the wedding dress, maybe a lilac underneath? Or Pink, or Blue? Hmmm... have to think about it - is a little nerve-raking, dying a dress that has a lot of significance for you... but I'm all about Presto-Chango, make something old, new again!
See, cool an' comfy! My favorite thing to be! lol! : ) Cool, Comfy and Happy!
See? I took this waaay too long dress (for me!), and turned it, Presto Chango - into a nice comfy shorter dress, that I can wear all the time (really, it's hard to wear a really long dress - it just adds too much formality, or, you know, is just too much fabric...)
And then I made the bottom section of the dress that I cut off, into a really nice, comfy, short skirt - yay! No waste! Reminds me of my Waist Not Want Not page - will go get you the link! lol!
And I have a lot of nice tops - tons of them, so now I can mix and match a million different outfits - yahoo!
Okay, this is a particularly terrible picture, but just to show you what I did, quickly, without me trying to sort it all out - lol! anyway, so, normally, I would maybe put an elastic in the waist, or pleat it in, or something like that, to bring the skirt in at the waist, but this time, it occurred to me (and it prolly helps that I'm Scottish, and used to wearing the kilt - lol!), but I thought, hmmm, why don't I fold the whole back into itself, kilt-like fashion, to bring it in to where I want it, and that totally worked.
I didn't even need to use any elastic at the waist, but it does make me a little nervous, wearing it outside the house - lol! Soo, I'm gonna take it in a little bit more, since, frankly (Shirley you know him? Friend of Earnest? Anyway, that's an oldie joke, right there! haha!), I've made the waist too big, for extra comfort, but I canny take the chance on the skirt slipping down, sooo, will take it in another couple of inches - or, and here's a great thought - maybe my Apple Crumble Diet is kickin' in, and I HAVE lost another couple o' inches on my waist? Yahoo! Let's go with that one, that sounds fantastic! lol!
How many people have their old University or College Sweatshirts? Haha! Remember when sweatshirts were huuuge - and I mean, huuuge! So I got mine out for my last Queen's Alumni 'meeting' (in a bar? haha! Get-together...), and so I thought I would doctor that up, too... so me did! lol!
That sweatshirt is almost covering the entire couch - and it's a big couch! lol! So I had to get to cuttin'! : )
So, lay it our on the floor, or any flat surface...
Because I was really changing this old Sweatshirt, I cut off the end of the sleeves... made it a 3/4 length sleeve...
And I cut off the entire bottom section - remember that band that used to be on so many sweatshirts? Uh, yeah, so that had to go.... just cut straight across the top of the band...
And then I got out my Queen's T-shirt, too... why not fix it all up, while I've got the scissors out, right? haha! Scissor-happy, that's me! : )
So, I've done this with pretty much all of my T-Shirts, becasue I used to wear a T-Shirt over my bathing suit, when we walked down to the pool, in California - my own little way of being 'modest' - bah'hahahahaha!
But, it DOES make your T-Shirts look great on - much prettier, much more feminine : )
Start cutting from under the 'armpit' (now my new favorite word - so delicate and lovely! haha!), right up to the top of the sleeve, so you're creating a cap sleeve...
Same thing, here, and then just take your scissors, and cut straight down the Center Front, and that will either just fall open a little, or you can tuck it in for a smoother line, and if you feel like it, you can just sew the corners down... but, you know, it's a T-Shirt, so, you don't have to be all that formal with your sewing, you're probably fine just to cut it, see what the fabric does : )
Oh, there it is, on - see, cap the sleeves on any T-Shirt - and then just cut straight down from the center front - as far as you like - I just cut down to the Four Leaf Clover - I didn't want to mes with the design on the T-Shirt, right? So cute! I love that Four Leaf Clover shirt! Why, I'll do anything for Good Luck! lol! : )
And hilariously enough, I found this T-Shirt in the Girls Department at Target, years ago, for Halloween, thought it was soo cute - really, how many times do you wander through the Girls' Department, wish they made those cute little dresses in your size? haha!
Anyway, the material is T-Shirt material, so, super-soft and little bit stretchy, so I just took it home and doctored it up, and this time, I cut down the Center Front, and down the Center Back, not too much, maybe about 6 to 8 inches... but you can cut any length you like - is better to cut a shorter length, try it on, cut a little bit more, if you feel like it, until you get to the point where you'll actually wear it, again : )
Almost every girl has a bunch of dresses hanging in their closet, T-Shirts sitting in a drawer, old sweatshirts never worn, again, that you can easily doctor up, make them new again - and, I but the dresses brand new, and go ahead and cut them up - I know, I'm a little bit o' a baddie for that, but, you know, if I can't find the right dress on the hanger, I'll just find something that is close to what I want, and Presto-Chango, fix it up, make it mah' own!
Have fun with this little project! Go have a look in your closets and drawers (buh'dum-bum!), see what you can doctor up, of your own!
Send me pics, and I'll post them on here, we can all see what we're up to, Li'l Crafters! lol! 'Til Next time! Ailsa : )
I dunno - I am obsessed with being as comfortable as I think i can get away with - lol!
Can you see the glitter on mah' fave little sneakers? haha! I'll go get another pic...
Better? Ha! So, nothing fancy, just smear on some Elmer's School Glue, or whatever glue you happen to have around the house (not Crazy Glue - that shiz is Craazy! lol!).... then very lightly sprinkle on the Sparkles... and if you've never used the really, really fine glitter, see if you can find it at Michael's - they should have a really nice selection, is soo pretty!
AND, it just occurred to me, all these years, I've wanted to Dye my Wedding Dress, right? I thought, a pale purple, light blue, light pink... something like that, but now I'm thinking, maybe I could literally just smear the glue on the dress, and sprinkle on the really fine sparkles - that might look gorgeous, right?
See how pretty this Wedding Dress is? This is my Second Wedding - lol! That's okay, I'm totally cool with that - Third time's The Charm? Maaay-be... he would have to be really, really great, is so super-easy to live on mah' own wit' mah' wonderful boy!
And that's my beautiful daughter, Cara, in the picture, too - hmmm, can't remember the year we got married, now... let's see, my son was born in 1999, so, 1998? Must be! lol! Count down from the kid! : )
I'm gonna go look out that wedding dress, make sure it still fits me, and see what I can do to Doctor It Up, Baby! Yay! I'm super-excited to try that! I love a Great Idea! And then it's totally wearable, again, a little less wedding-y! : )
