Birthday Necklace

Here are pictures of the necklace we made for Pete's mom's birthday.

It's a little tough to see (iphone pictures, sorry) but the inside is filled with a super light blue bead, and the outside beads alternate between pink and black.  The hoop is part of super retro, chunky necklace I thrifted a while ago.  I also put two pink and two black beads along the chain so it didn't look like I threw the piece on any old chain.  Peggy wore it all weekend long and it looks amazing against a black top!  It kept slipping under her shirt, so I told her shed have to wear it with a more revealing cut (teehee).

Proud of the small things

I'm working on being more productive, promise.  I've actually been upcycling some thrifted spring skirts, but those are to come.  (In the publishing world 'to come' is abreviated as 'TK.' I never understood that.)

Last weekend, Pete told me he needed to get started on a present for his mother's birthday this week - flash forward to yesterday and he was still empty handed.  Keep in mind, all week long I had been sending him email after email with ideas.  I got home from work yesterday and he's in the middle of watching a movie instead of being productive. Errrrrg - although part of me can't blame him because I can be incredibly lazy as well. 

So of course I saved his lazy bum and together we whipped up a pretty darn good birthday gift.  I've been on a jewelry making kick so we decided to make her a nice necklace inspired by all the Mother's Day posts of late. On a sidenote - is it awesome or awful to be born near Mother's Day?  Surely its not like being born near Christmas?

Moving on, the necklace turned out wonderfully (pictures TK) but what I was really excited about was the wrapping!!! Instead of running around the city before dinner trying to find a jewelry box, I decided to DIY.

Now she'll have a cute travel-size bag to keep it in.

I'm in love! It is positively TINY - I had trouble sewing the top seam it's so small.  Look at it in my hands.

(I'm sorry the pictures are so dark - Pete's helping me with the photos and we haven't quite found lighting that works.) I didn't want to just sew two pieces of fabric into a bag so I made this funky little bottom.

And its's fully reversible! 

This side has the same bottom, no pictures of that though.  I love the little flowers and I love the twine tie!  Ha, can you tell what a beginner I am, so excited about a little jewelry bag? 

My 4 Step Program to Summer Shorts

Again, I am plagued with a fabulous idea that I will never, ever complete.  Despite the noreaster of biblical proportions flooding the northeast right now, I can't get enough of spring shorts.  They are everywhere; sitting on perfectly tapered mannequins' waists, showing off sculpted fiberglass thighs, reminding me I haven't the sinewy legs to show off these shorts yet.  Sparkly linen! Floral patterns! Highwaisted beautiful, beautiful shorts! Shorts I absolutely adore and absolutely cannot afford.  50 plus dollars is about 40 dollars over my budget.

So, crafty me gets thinking and decides I can make my own shorts, nevermind I've never successfully made a garment from scratch before.  So then lazy me rolls over and says, well I can just upcycle a pair from the thrift store.  Sewing-blog-addicted me gets busy and finds these dolls!!

Lily from The House of Mirth, has made another must-have addition to my fantasy wardrobe.  These shorts with the scallop hem and lace detail make my toes wiggle from cute overload.  All she did was buy a pair of men's business pants, make a few snips, add a few stiches and BAM, she proves herself more skilled than I will ever be motivated to become.

But the shorts I really want to go crazy with are these.

photo via outsapop

Now these aren't actually DIY shorts - they are from a Ray Ban ad - but how easy would it be to

1. 
   
   run to the thrift store
2. 
   
   buy a white pair of capris/pants/whatever
3. 
   
   cut them into shorts and roll the cuff
4. 
   
   channel Mr. Pollock and splatter with paint/ink (or kool-aid if you're working on my budget)

There you go, 4 easy steps to making great summer shorts.  But will I do it? Probably not. No.