Crazy about a White T!

A few weeks ago I stumbled upon the blog Trash to Couture.  Have any of you checked it out?  I had heard about it before but finally took the time to take a look.  And its pretty much amazing!  So after seeing this blog post, I decided maybe I too could  transform trash to a couture!  And I did and its easy and you should try it out, seriously.

All it takes is.......

1. an old white tshirt (I know you have one just hanging out in your closet)

2. a printer

3. Cardstock (10 cents at office depot)

4.  Temporary Adhesive Spray ($9 at walmart) 

5.  Scraps of muslin fabric ($3.50 for half a yard)

TOTAL:  $12.70 (But remember the muslin and spray adhesive will last you several shirts!!)

And all you do is.....

1. Pick out a picture online.  (try googling vintage Vogue, vintage chanel, Eiffel Tower, New York City, vintage bike)

2.  Spray the adhesive on the cardstock

3.  Place muslin fabric over cardstock and cut the fabric around the edge of the paper

4.  Place the cardstock (it should have the muslin stuck directly on top) in the printer and print! (Make sure when you print you are printing full page!)

5. Take the fabric off of the cardstock, place the fabric on the tshirt and sew around the edges!

And then put that vintage tshirt on and tell all your friends that YOU printed it! How cool is that??

Can you tell I'm a little obsessed???

Every girl needs a vintage workout T right?

Thank you thank you Trash to Couture for the amazing idea and tutorial!

As always feel free to let me know if you have questions!  Happy Printing! Happy Sewing!

Loves,
Brooke

NYC

Always smiling in NYC!

You know that feeling you get when you take your first bite into a decadent rich chocolaty dessert? Oh it is just so good and you never want the moment to end (I'm making myself hungry!!).  That's the feeling I get when I step foot in NYC.  Its like an instant relief and a feeling of I think I could enjoy this forever.   NYC holds a lot of memories for my family.  My brother and I were born there, and we lived there-in a one room apartment with 5 people-for four years.  Though I was only two when we left the city, my parents still talk about the memories our young family made in that special city.  I broke my arm on those concrete streets...I knocked my two front teeth out playing on concrete stairs (and was toothless for 5 years).  But I still can't get enough of that place.

The family car.

Two days after my brother was born I broke my arm.. my poor poor mom!

So of course when I found out everyone would be back in the city this weekend Cameron and I couldn't miss out on that action.  So we flew out to NYC with my parents and were there from Friday night to Sunday night-but like always we managed to pack lots into our time there.  Cameron had about 10 pieces of dollar pizza (that is a low estimate fyi), we hit up a Yankees game, ate Chinese food, did some fabric shopping (of course), and walked probably 12 miles a day just checking everything out.  We stayed up until about 2am every night just talking and laughing with the fam. And because Cameron and I shared a hotel with my parents we had some pretty hilarious situations occur throughout the night.  We are lucky to be so close with our family.  I got married a year and a half after my older brother, and my younger brother got married six months after me, so we are all in very similar stages in life right now and can relate so seamlessly.  We are very very blessed!

Best spot for a family reunion.  Missing our Claybers.
(Wearing all kinds of homemade this trip.  Printed that tshirt (vintage chanel) from home, and wearing the dyed skirt I made a few days earlier)

Yankess baby!  

Rain doesn't stop this woman!

Loved this amazing trims store!
(Wearing another skirt I made with the craftsy pattern I talked about in my last post!)

Bryant Park!  

                               

Just owning the streets in NYC

I cannot wait to get back there...But until then I'll be watching Project Runway for my NYC fix.


I am working on some exciting updates to the blog. NYC proved to be great inspiration for a few ideas I will announce soon!

Loves!

Brooke

Dye time

Love this pic

TGIF!  

What a week it has been.  Another busy week of work work work work. Thank goodness. I will take all the job security that I can get!  And of course we managed to do a lot of partying at night too.  Monday night was another friend marathon-notttt talking about Rachel and Ross.  After work we met up with the Vincents and Keslers for tennis, a trip to Coscto, homemade (salmon salads..yuuummmmm) and the Bachelorette!  Sounds like a perfect night to me!  Tuesday Cameron had a soccer game..which they won of course..and then we came home to a date night.  Cameron surprised me with a tub of popcorn straight from the movie theater and Safe Haven on Redbox.  He brought in the mattress to the living room and I sat there with the tub of popcorn in my hand and a permy smile on my face..good good hubby.  On Wednesday night Cameron had to work late at the hospital which was a perfect excuse to get my craft on....

So for a few months I have been on a dying (fabric) kick.  I have been on blog after blog reading tips on how to dye fabric, which dye is the best, and how to create the most vibrant and long lasting color in your fabric.   So when I got to London I was on the lookout for unique and interesting fabric dyes.  I chose a "Flamingo Pink" dye.  I mean go big or go home right?   I was so proud of my choice and the fact that it was from London.  Until I went to Joannes and spotted the exact same dye.. same color..epic fail.  Jk.  The fabric color turned out so great I am actually thanking my lucky stars that I don't have to convert pounds to dollars and pay a ridiculous shipping fee to get the fabric dye from the UK.  Epic fail turned epic success.

Loved this dye.  It held the color well, was super easy to use and you don't have to go to London to get.  Its on Ebay for about $9.. Oh and its enough dye to color your entire wardrobe! 

My only regret in the whole situation is that I did not take ANY before pictures.  In fact I barely took any pics at all:( ... Its a learning process right?  But let me explain the simple process that I used to turn my Walmart white fabric into a beautiful flamingo pink skirt!

1.  Bought white fabric at Walmart.  So I learned that cotton holds color the best.  I tried dying a few pieces of lace and a shirt that I already owned and they just looked like I had washed my clothes with a pink sock.  It is not impossible to get polyester/lace materials from white to flamingo, but if I had known I would have kept the dye in the the tub in my sink and re-dipped everything that didn't turn out quite as vibrant.  One more dip would have been perfect for the lace and polyester blend shirt.

2.  Fill a bucket with water.  Add three tablespoons of salt (I just used Morton's) and mix in the dye.  It really is that easy.

I love when everyone gets in on my crafting!  Love our crazy Saturday nights! 

3.  Get your fabric damp (I just ran it through the sink) and then put your fabric in the bucket!

4.  Wearing rubber gloves, stir the fabric in the dye mixture for 15 minutes.

5. Let sit for 50 minutes (or longer)

6.  Put a bucket of water in your washer, then add 1/2 cup salt, and 1/2 cup white vinegar and throw your dyed fabric in!  Let that sit (without turning on the wash) overnight. (This will help the dye to set and will keep your fabric looking vibrant wash after wash after wash!-just a little tip from my Momma Lowry:)

7.  Start the wash in the AM.  and Hang dry!

And Voila! You will have a beautiful new canvas to begin sewing on!  I decided to make a skirt with my new flamingo pink fabric.  I used this pattern from Craftsy.com that I downloaded and I LOVE it!  It is supposed to be a mini skirt, but I added 4 inches to the length to create a longer more classic look.  The pattern does not have seam allowances included so I also added an inch and a half to the side seam.  It is probably the easiest pattern I have used.. and I am pretty much obsessed!  Maybe I made myself two skirts......But here is the pink skirt all finished and ready to be worn!  The second skirt I will be debuting in NYC this weekend!!

Loves!
Brooke

Grateful.

Feeling very grateful today for life and the joys that Cameron and I have been able to experience lately. We have dreamed about this path we are on for a while now and it seems like everything is falling into place so beautifully.  It has definitely been a test of our patience (never thought I would still be putting someone through school at my age) but I can't imagine not being a part of Cameron's life in this part of his (now our) journey.  We may not have money till we are 40, Cameron may be in school for 20 more years, and I might be redecorating tiny little apartments for years and years to come but we are having so much fun along the way.  Which I didn't quite expect.  And I definitely have my hubby to credit for that.  He is great at reminding me of these simple words from Sister Hinckley:

 

 I am so proud/grateful that Cameron is every bit the man I thought he was the day I married him.  He has worked so hard to create a life for our little family and I never doubt his ability to achieve goals that he sets for himself.  And on top of those blessings we have made friends in the last few months that we will have forever.  I am grateful for their positive influence in our lives.  They make us laugh, they motivate us to work hard, and they inspire us to make righteous decisions.  I cannot think of better qualities to have in a friend.  Cameron and I have truly been given much in this life.  And we are constantly feeling the joy of that blessing.  But because we have been given much we know that in return we too must give.   And I hope that in our times of great joy and even in our times of sorrow we will feel that responsibility and make it a priority.  

Lately.

Just to finish where I left off.. The rest of the London trip was amazing.  Filled with yummy crepes, a birthday in Holland park, lots of chocolate happy hippos, and finally tons of time spent with my amazing hubby.  It was a perfect trip that we will never forget.  I still pinch myself thinking about how quickly the opportunity came up and how perfectly it all went.  Such a dream. 

Life has slowed down a little bit for us in Nashville.  All the trips are done, and we are back to the normal grind (which we LOVE.. seriously we do).  Cameron is busy working at the hospital and tutoring while taking 18 credits this summer.  I am lucky I married such a busy body.  I never knew how much I wanted/needed that.  He still finds time to go boating (at 6am!!!) and we spend every free second on the tennis courts or on our bikes. So maybe life hasn't quite slowed down...I dont think it ever will and that is A-OK with me!

Date night on gift cards.  Any excuse to get out of our scrubs and dress up a little bit!

This boy loves loves LOVES shoes.. Don't worry those did not end up in our closet! Love my dad in the backround ps.

I have been sewing lots lately (YAY!).  I have to admit I went a little crazy fabric shopping in London.. which I don't regret at all.  But it was pretty hilarious watching Cameron stuff all the goods in his suitcase.  He is a good sport:)  Unfortunately the day I got back from London I found out that the fashion show I had been invited to showcase my line at was cancelled:(  The main sponsor had requested changes that could not be made with such short notice and eventually pulled out.. and blah blah blah.  So here I stood with a suitcase filled to the brim with beautiful fabrics, and a line that no longer existed.  It was a sad day, but a blessing in disguise.  Since that time I have been bombarded with custom orders!  Had I been working on my line, I would not be able to accept any orders so I am grateful that it all worked out how it has.  And now my customers are getting beautiful European fabrics to chose from!  Its a win win really.

So what's on my sewing table?  I am currently finishing a beautiful white dress a bride will be wearing to her rehearsal dinner.  Then I will move on to another custom dress (style TBD), three custom skirts, and a baby blessing dress. Oh and somewhere inbetween I will be making myself a unique shirt/skirt  patterned combo to wear to a wedding. Sounds funky I know but the fabric is gorgeous.. just you wait!!  Everyone always asks do you get bored with making clothes for other people?  And I just think how could I be? The fun part about doing custom orders is that everyone likes/wants something different.  Whether it be the style, the article of clothing, the color, the embellishments...it seems that every new project I work on is a new challenge for me.  And my creativity is always being pushed to new levels...so no, I never get bored. Ain't nobody got time for that bored thing anyways!!

Sarah Critchlow's birthday dress pre-sleeves and before the hem was finished!  More pictures to come.  

My pity party dress made out of frustration when I found out the fashion show was cancelled.  At least now I have a pretty dress to wear. 

Showing off our homemade skirts!  Sarah is a machine on the machine!  You would never know this is the first apparel piece she has sewn!

Baby Bandana Bibs!  Made for my sweet friend Shelby and her baby due in October!

Ok this is a shoutout to my mom who made these amazing slipcovers!!  Aren't they beautiful! Ordering some myself:)

Samantha's Skirt.  Can't wait to see it on her!! hint..hint.. send me some pics you busy woman!!

Practicing on myself is always fun.. Made this shirt in preparation for another I will be making for someone else.  Im sure it will be getting lots of use!  (can you tell I love my London pants)  

My BFF Sarah and I made these for a cute bowtie themed baby shower! So cute and so easy. 

Nope.. I didn't make this.. but Cameron says I should wear it because it would "fit" me perfectly! I would be mad but he's right....

Loves to you all!
Brooke