Vanity

I have been on the hunt for a vanity for quite some time now. But all the ones I have remotely liked have been $250 and up. (My favorite being a Rita Hayworth vanity look-a-like coming in at nearly $600) Anywho- I picked this one up for $10 on Craig's List. It needs some help, a cross bar is broken on the seat and the tops of the vanity are not original and covered with brown contact paper. Not to mention the LOVELY cushion, "curtains", and patina that is all over.

While at the local antique mall I also found a phone/magazine rack for $15. I thought it looked very cute there. I figured I could put all my hair books and what not in there.

Stay tuned for the finished product of the vanity.

New Year Goals

New Year is quickly approaching and as I am bombarded with all these recaps of the year and what-not I have decided to set some goals, not resolutions, for myself in 2012. They are the following in no particular order:

1. Wear more vintage in my every day endeavors. This is hard being a teacher because you get so dirty ALL the time and I need to be able to sit on the floor, tables, chairs, etc. But I will try!
   
2. Sew more. It makes me happy. I need more happy in 2012! My goal- at least twice a week.
   
3. Be healthier. I know, the normal resolution every woman makes. I would like to be smaller to fit into more vintage.
   
4. Start selling my crafts! I make a mean cake-pop. Many people tell me I should sell them. I would like to start sewing swing skirts etc. for people.
   

I hope to reach these goals. Stupid work gets in the way. Well, not so much my job but all the STUFF that comes with it after hours.

Christmas Spoils

I love Christmas. I adore seeing my family and finding the perfect gift for them all! This year my Dad got a gun, my got a Kindle, my sister chair rail and help to install it, my babe- a record player, vintage cufflinks/tie tack, a few sweaters, fun stuff for our fish tank, and a dead stock jacket. My aunt- gift certificates to our favorite thrifting shop! (She is the one who got me into thrifting! The world has never been the same). Rich and I got our traditional Viva Las Vegas Tickets and I got some super fun stuff! I got so much stuff it's amazing. I pulled the vintage gifts because those are the most fun to look at!

Buttons! My mum is always on the hunt for sewing things for me. These are some of the buttons she found:

1. This is the entire collection
   
   
2. These are some super interesting ones. Including wood, glass, and bone buttons.
   
   
   
3. I love the card on these buttons.
   
   
4. I think these are Bakelite. (The more opaque yellow ones...maybe the green ones). I am not 100%. What do you think?
   
   
5. These are the carved wood, glass, and hand carved bone buttons from Nepal.
   
   

I also have a love for hats. I have a joke amongst friends saying I am going to bring hats back into the vintage scene here in Vegas. NO ONE wears hats! Anywho- here are the super cute hats! (They are kinda hard to photograph).

I also got some other cool trinkets like a powder conatiner and a vintage pattern wheel thingy (I do not know the technical term for it). Oh, and a pair of Remix Shoes!

I had to throw in some cute shots from the weekend's festivities. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year!

1. Rich shooting...
   
   
   
2. My sis and I visiting Santa...
   
   
   
3. The doggies visiting Santa ...
   
   
   
4. Our tree....
   
   
   

Fabric Find

As I was joining the masses of people who had yet to finish their Christmas shopping I popped into a thrift shop (Saver's) and found over 9 yards of this fabric for $8. I am planning on making a play-suit. I REALLY want to make one of those corny matching outfits they had during the 50s. You know, the "his and hers" look. I do not think Rich would approve though! lol.

Christmas Skirt DONE on time!

I finished my Christmas skirt using the same pattern and my fall skirt pattern. I added some big red buttons. (My first attempt at drafted button holes!). I will post piccys of the skirt after Christmas Eve (the first time I will wear the skirt)!

I am now moving on to copying a simplicity retro 8879 pattern to make a muslin for my boyfriend. I am hoping to be done with the muslin by Christmas- here's to hoping. I will post pics of it when I am through.

**UPDATE** Below are the pictures of the finished skirt.

Thanksgiving Skirt

I have not posted on here in forever. The reason? I went back to work. Back to working until 9 at night starting from 6am.. blah blah. I just keep thinking, "Christmas is coming!" I would like to do a muslin of a vintage vogue dress and a suit for Rich. PLUS I would like to make a skirt using this super cute Santa scooter material I got.

Anyway, between the chaos I managed to make a new Thanksgiving circle skirt I wore out to our Thanksgiving dinner! Oh it was my first project I used my new serger and sewing machine on!

The Facts
Fabric: Cotton from Joann's Fabrics. $2 (it was their 50% off sale) a yard... 4 yards ($8)
Lining- None... I did wear a petticoat I purchased from mybabyjo.com
Pattern: McCalls 5811. I do widen the waist band substantially.
Year: It's a "new" pattern but lends itself perfectly to a circle skirt.
Notions: 7" ziper, hook and eye, iron interfacing for waist.
Time to complete: Under 4 hours.
First worn: Thanksgiving 2011
Wear again? Yes! I wore it to work :)

Tiki NIGHTMARE

The "nightmare" conversation goes something like this:

X: So Claire (me) what are you working on at the moment?

Me: STILL the tiki dress

X: Wow- you have been working on that dress for two months.

Me: *gives mean look* Yea, I know. I had to unpick the zipper, the bodice, and the side wraps. Reattach the side wraps and shorten the bodice by 3 inches.

X: Aren't you 6' tall?

Me: Yea- I usually have to LENGTHEN the bodice. Apparently this pattern was made for Yao Ming.

X: Well you put the zipper back in so you are all done now, right?

Me: NOOOO! The wraps are not sitting correctly so I now have to put little snaps on the bust line and some how tack the sash down on the side seam so they don't pucker. Which all needs to be done by hand *stabbing motion* I have given up on the boning in it too. Maybe I will just rip the sashes off. *sigh* (Any helpful ideas on the sash would be greatly appreciated!)

Meanwhile, I have 2 other projects waiting for me and TWO new machines to play with. Maybe I can make a tiki torch out of this dress! What really burns me (heh) is that I paid quite a bit for this pattern. I am going to need one of these (bel0w) when I am done!

Yay!

I know, I am a nerd but I am so happy I have 5 followers!

Here are the things in the works this week:

1. Cupcake dress
2. Finish this stinkin' tiki dress
3. Copy a vintage pattern. Does anyone know where I can get pattern tracing paper that is cheap?? I bought some from JoAnn's for $2.75 a yard!
4. My serger class (Rich got me a class with my Serger :)
5. Getting a new sewing machine. Costco has a Singer Brilliance on special for $130! Over 100 stitches.
6. Using my new Steam Mop I got this weekend.
   
7. Going to Frankie's Tiki Room. If you are ever in Vegas you must try it.

I wonder how much of this I will actually get done!?

Once again, so happy I have followers.

What Color Top?

I am planning on making Simplicity 3748 with some cupcake material (please ignore the wrinkles- I haven't pressed it yet) that I have had FOREVER. I wanted to make something funky and fun for the summer. I am sure my birthday at the end of the month had SOMETHING to do with it! ;) But my question is, pink or yellow halter top for this? I plan on making the bolero and the halter top in the same color and making the cuffs in the cupcake pattern. SO what do you think, pink or yellow??

Shag Me Salon Las Vegas Review

I do not post reviews on my blog but in this case I feel like I have to... yea- it was THAT BAD!

After much "shopping around" and reading reviews I opted to go to this Salon. I was super excited due to all the fab reviews- I have never been so wrong! I now have to go and get color correction due to this establishment. Here's the scoop...

I walk in 10min early, as I always do, to see a child sitting at the receptionist chair. I say, "Hello I have an appointment with Sam." The little girl (who come to find out is the owners child) rolls her eyes and says, "Pfft Sam has no appointments today." To which her mother interjects (with no apology mind you) that my stylist had been switched to Erica. This should have been a sign to walk out, I decided to stay. As I am sitting there the owner burned a client with a flat iron and the stylist (I use that term loosely) I was working with was fixing a guys hair. I was finally seen 15min later than my appointment. Which I had made a week before. I am explaining what I want using rockabilly icons and this girl hadn't a clue. Thank goodness I had pictures! Anywho- I explain what I was doing with my hair and even the level and shade I was at and that I wanted beige natural tones. In addition I say I use "purple" shampoo to stop brassiness all stylists know you have to adjust the toner accordingly. Erica begins cutting (she dry cut my hair) while she was cutting her HANDS WERE SHAKING! She luckily didn't butcher my hair but left a lot of dead ends and really only cleaned up the front. Erica then went to the back to make my coloring and it seriously took her 20min to come back. She was setting up for my highlights and was struggling. I remind her that my highlights had no pattern and they were being used to break up the black (I am lightening my hair). She rinses out my hair and does not put toner over the highlights! They are BRIGHT BLEACHED BLONDE! I ask her, "Are we going to put a toner over this? These highlights are much too bright" This is AFTER I have already told her I am not a fan of highlights that we were using them to break up the deep rooted color. "Oh Oh" she says and puts toner over them.... We go and rinse another time... as she is blowing out my hair (even her hair dryer skills were laughable) I see a blue-green tinge... as it gets a little dryer ALL of my highlights are green/blue! I am like "Ummmm why is this happening?" "Oh OH" she says and pulls me back to the wash basin again. She then pulls SANDY (the one that gets the raves) back into the back room and is gone for 15min. THEN pulls the owner to the back. The owner comes back while Sandy and Erica are still back there and while I am sitting there the owner laughs and says, " haha you will have something to chuckle about! You sure you didn't want blueish hair?" NOT the answer I wanted from the OWNER. They then have to apply a soap cap, more bleach on my already bleached hair, and retone the highlights AGAIN. As we are blowing out my hair for the third time now I see more blue! She calls the owner and sandy over and they insist that its only my imagination. The owner adds that the highlights aren't the same shade but she suggested leaving it bc of all the correction already going on in my hair. Then the owner actually had to TELL Erica to flat iron my hair then they left!... ok fine... So Erica goes to flat iron my hair and I had to stop her. MY HAIR WAS STILL WET! All of you know that is a no no. I had to show Erica where the wet spots were! I was finally done (after 5 hours!) and go home. It looked good. I wasn't worried. Then it started turning colors! I have only washed it once WITH purple shampoo and I have huge spots of brassiness in addition to blue/green. Oh and did I mention she ended up turning my hair DARKER after I specifically said I was lightening my hair. I now am going tomorrow to a color correction pro to get this fixed.

in a nut shell- she covered my highlights in the front of my bangs... did not carry my highlights through,... used a demi permanent... and in the end TURNED MY HAIR BLUE/GREEN!

Halloween Costume

I know you are all like, "Seriously, Halloween??" BUT I am taking advantage of having my summer off to complete this costume. I had purchased all the stuff I needed for it last year September time but due to school (work) I never got around to making it and went as the Bride of Frankenstein instead. So this year I am on it! Mermaid here I come! I am using Simplicity 4043 (below) and some mermaid-e looking fabric. I hope the satin does not give me a headache!

Birthday Serger

I am so excited - I will be getting a Husqvarna Serger 200s for my birthday!I have a list of things I want to do with it. I do need to get my Halloween costume done first! Any words of advice for a first time serger?

Black and White

I finally finished the black and white dress from my May 8th post. I ended up having to take in the waist as well. But I think it came out pretty cute. I would like to make a wide brimmed black hat to go along with it!

The Facts
Fabric: Cotton from Joann's Fabrics. $4 a yard... 6 yards ($24)
Lining- white broadcloth from Joann's scrap bin $3.
Pattern: Butterick Retro 5603 choice C
Year: c. 1956
Notions: 16" zipper and a whooooole lot of bias tape (not called for in the pattern)
Time to complete: I lost count! I put it away and came back to it. To steal a term a "UFO"
First worn: July 2nd
Wear again? Yes!

Tiki Dress Update

I learned a valuable lesson about Simplicity Retro patterns while sewing my "tiki dress". Even-though Simplicity patterns are "retro" and "vintage" they do not follow the "retro" and "vintage" sizing that the other companies use to reprint vintage patterns. I followed the measurements and cut out the correct size. But, like I do to allll the other vintage/reproduction patterns I sew I added 2 inches to the bodice and to the length because of my height. Come to find out, I did NOT need to add to the bodice at all. So now I have to figure out what to do with the dress. The zipper is already in (I didnt notice the sizing issue until the final fitting) but alas, I think I may have to take out the zipper and shorten the bodice.

Oh! I also ripped out the boning because it was not sitting correctly. I may put it back in after I fix the bodice length issue. Stay tuned for the final product (if I ever get to it!)

Tiki Dress...

I have started making my tiki wrap dress for the Saturday Night Stomp that is less than a week away. (I know, I am a procrastinator). I splurged on the Simplicity Retro pattern that I had been jonsing after for quite sometime. It is Simplicity Pattern 4559 (pictured below) I am adding 2" to the length of the bodice and skirt length due to me being so dang tall. :)

I saved money on the dress by purchasing discount bin fabric from Hancock Fabrics. The fabric was only $2 a yard but fit the tiki vibe so perfectly I couldn't pass it up (also pictured below). I hope to have pictures up by Sunday of the finished dress. Otherwise I will need to find another dress to wear! Tiki drinks here I come!

Thrift Store Find

As many of you know I am always at some sort of thrift shop. This past weekend I found about 2 yards of some neat looking old fabric for $2.99. Now to find the perfect top to make with it! I am thinking about a late 40s top, like Vouge2859 (see below). What'cha think?

Fixing the Bodice...

I originally was planning on wearing this during VLV14 but when I tried it on (before I put the zipper in) the top was horridly too small (I got "side boob"). Everything else fit so perfectly except the top!

Be warned well endowed ladies the Butterick pattern B5603 (below) view C, it is not made for a D cup! I unpicked the shoulders and where the dress "wraps" on either side in hopes that I could rid of the horrid "side boob". I am planning on putting bias tape at the edges so the end of the wrap that is visible looks more deliberate and that I meant it to end there. I will post piccys when (fingers crossed) it fits!

Crochet

I just started crocheting and I seriously find it more difficult than sewing!

Zombie Themed Party

Zombie Cupcakes! They were filled with strawberry jelly to make them "bloody" for all the zombies. Oreo Cakesters made the headstones and I cut the arms off skeletons to make the zombie arms. They glowed in the dark! In addition, I used a die-cut for the black fence that went around the cupcake to give it a real "graveyard" appearance. Finally, I made the cupcake stand out of a cheap cardboard stand, a glow in the dark brain, and some bloody gauze from the goody bags mentioned below.

Plus are the goody bags that I made for the Zombie themed party. The "bags" were bloody gauze (not real hehe) filled with body part candy with a stretchy skeleton tied on top with a zombie poem that I wrote!

Edible Arrangement...

Edible flower arrangement for Valentine's Day! It only cost me a few dollars to make and was very impressive looking.

Sweetheart Themed Party!

Little cupcakes and the "big top" cherry filled cupcake that collapsed on the way to the party! Plus the goodie bags I made filled with themed goodies for our social club!