Road Trip Adventure

I recently returned from a rather long road trip with a friend of mine.  She took the plunge and made the move to California.  L.A. to be exact.  We drove her car from Illinois, down through Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.  The heat wasn't too friendly on her vehicle, and we almost got stranded in the middle of sandy nowhere.  Thankfully, the 98 degree weather didn't completely destroy her engine and we made it to the misty coast. 

Shirt Pretties: Neckline DIY

I purchased this long sleeved shirt from New York & Company a long time ago when it was on clearance.  I liked the color (I know...it's gray) and the sparkly neckline, but I had no idea how much it would itch.  Seriously.  I would rub my skin raw after an hour of wearing it.  Whoever had sewed it left sequins pieces along the inside, and I no matter how many I tore out I could always feel something stabbing me.

SO, long story short, I cut it off.

(I could probably say something here about the efficiency of cutting off whatever is stabbing you...but I'll spare you.)

No need to fear for the pretty but itchy neckline embellishment.  I attached it to another shirt to hide a neckline that I didn't like.

I should also probably mention that I did this last year, so the poor gray shirt has been sitting, relatively destroyed, for that long.  I'm glad I found some pretty fabric and decided to fix it up.

I'm rather fond of braids, so I made one from three glued pieces of fabric that I cut long enough to fit the length of the neckline.  My sewing machine is currently out of commission, so I used hot glue to bind the edges and make a fabric tube of sorts.

I glued down one end to the shirt and began to braid the length.

After you attach the free end of the braid to the other should (mindful of how high you want the neckline to be) you should then attach the shirt to the neckline.  I glued this too and made little puckers, since the fabric was rather billowy.

Before I attached the bottom of the shirt:

After:

Pretty, ya?  I'm hoping that it's not too low in the front.  It looks that way here, even though I measured, so we'll see.

Sparkles and Toadstools

The funds have been a bit short lately, so most of my DIY aspirations have been put on the shelf.  Except for these lovelies:

Sparkly Tennis Shoes, via Mod Podge and glitter

Wicker Toadstool, via old wicker stool and craft paint

I've been wanting to re-invent my wardrobe lately, without the hefty price tag, so I've had to compile an inventory of everything I want to salvage.  This whole 'shopping from your closet' thing is actually a decent idea.  I'll keep you posted!