Project 30.30.30. - Day 29

I can't believe this project is almost over O_O I have had so much fun with all my refashions :)
Today I am finally sharing what I've had planned for the collar to that Goodwill tee. I decided to replace the buttons with some pearl ones I had salvaged at the beginning of the year from my wedding dress refashion. I actually used the same loops I had for that as well since I am not planning to wear it anytime soon. Add a little ribbon from the stash and you have a bib necklace...

Project 30.30.30 - Day 28

So I've been struggling with new ideas, and didn't really feel like going shopping again. So I was rummaging through my remaining stash and found the collar to the turtleneck I refashioned on Day 20. As I pondered what I could do with it and played with the stretchy quality of it, I had an idea for a new wintry headband.

Project 30.30.30 - Day 27

So remember that suede skirt from Day 9, well I had 2 panels left over from it that I knew I wanted to do something with. I found this tutorial for making a pretty dahlia style flower. Then I attached some of those pearl buttons and some other pearl beads I had.
I went into making this flower knowing I wanted to attach it to a headband.

Project 30.30.30 - Day 26

Here is another refashion for my Mrs. Peacock costume. Since I decided to accessorize with gold, I remembered this little clutch from years ago!
I just wanted to add some peacock feather for my namesake and remove the little handle since it didn't fit the overall look I wanted. So I took a hammer to the little metal rings holding the handle and they popped right off. Then I just hot glued 2 feathers that I was able to snag for $1.75 on sale.

I think it turned out beautiful and I will probably wear again :)
Remaining Budget = $15

Project 30.30.30 - Day 25

Another "dig" find was this cute tee shirt that was super soft and pretty. Unfortunately it was clearly from back when shirts had a shorter length and just looked awkward on me. So I stuck it my refashioning pile.
I was looking for something to make out of it that was simple and sew free. That's how I found these cute jersey knit bracelets.

Project 30.30.30 - Day 24

I was able to get one more piece out of that beat up gray sweater. I had wanted to make some cute wrist warmers but only one sleeve didn't have holes in it. As I stared at it contemplating what I could do, it hit me. I am all about the sock bun right now and have been needing another sock. Well this sleeve was just the ticket.

Project 30.30.30 - Day 23

So remember yesterday's sweater? Well before I tossed it, I also cute off the waist band. It was a tighter knit and I had an infinity scarf in mind for it. I cleaned up the cut edge with some pinking shears to prevent shedding and had this cozy piece :)

Project 30.30.30 - Day 22

As soon as I saw this holey sweater at "the dig," I knew I could do something with that collar and for $.18 it was totally worth it!I was able to salvage a few pieces off it that you will be seeing what I am doing with in the next couple days :)

Project 30.30.30 - Day 21

So now I am starting a primarily no-sew portion of this project. My access to a sewing machine is limited right now, so I wanted to see what I could do without one. I fell in love with the idea of statement necklace since I love them but don't have many.
This version was actually made using the collar of the same shirt from Day 8. I simply cut it off along the seam (while keeping it in tact to prevent fraying) and paired it with a crazy orange zebra print scarf I have never worn. Luke called it "a little clownish" but I really love it :)

Project 30.30.30 - Day 20

Here's another refashion brought to you by a "dig" find. This was one of those turtle neck tanks that were oh so popular in the 90's. Well I HATE turtle necks and the clingy material didn't do much for my slightly thick middle :(

Artichoke's Heart by Suzanne Supplee

Artichoke's Heart by Suzanne Supplee
Speak (May 14, 2009)
ISBN-10: 0142414271
ISBN-13: 978-0142414279
288 pages
Ages 12+
Buy Here for $7.99
Request from me on PBS
My Rating: 4/5

Project 30.30.30 - Day 19

For today's refashion, I picked up a clearance shirt at Walmart for $3.25. I was a decent shirt as is, but I bought it with the purpose of adding some polka dots with that gold fabric paint I bought last week. Initially I planed to add them all over, but then I saw a friend's shirt that just had some on the sleeves.

Project 30.30.30 - Day 18

So here is a quick little refashion I did for a part of a costume for a party tonight. The party actually requires 5 costume changes and one of my characters is Mrs. Peacock from Clue. I already had the perfect dress and blazer (that was from "the dig" ironically), so I just needed accessories. Originally I planned on wearing a little flapper cap I made out of paper maché. Unfortunately I started to doubt whether it would travel well without getting crushed :(
So I decided to modify my idea to work as a hair clip.

Project 30.30.30 - Day 17

So I had this pair of favorite flip flop that I wore almost everyday this summer. Well finally one day, one of the toe portions got caught on something and they just popped apart :(
I was mildly devastated but held onto them for the purpose of doing something with the soles. So today I was inventorying my stash and came across them as well as the bit of sleeves I cut off my Day 12 jacket. This got me thinking...

Project 30.30.30 - Day 16

I have always been a big fan of crochet blankets since my grandma made me a bunch as a little girl. In fact I used to take ribbon and make little dress up skirts out of them. So when I saw this pretty yellow baby blanket at "the dig," I definitely couldn't pass it up.

Menu Plan: December 17

This week is a "short" week for us so I only needed to come up with 5 recipes. I checked the sales ad to determine what meats to cook and here is what I came up with:
Crockpot Pork Ribs
Luke's Jambalaya - He made this tonight and it is always super yummy!

Pork Bourguignon - I am making it the same as the beef version but just using a big pork roast. I usually don't eat pork but I figure if I cook it like beef then I won't mind the taste.

Jalapeño Popper Chicken - this was a huge winner in our family! Excited to make it again :)

Loaded Baked Potato & Chicken Casserole - I'm actually going to try it with some of those canned sliced new potatoes that we got from some friends.

Project 30.30.30 - Day 15

I knew I wanted to make something out of this shirt as soon as I saw it at "the dig." I initially thought baby bow ties, but the fabric is kinda scratchy so I didn't think it was a good choice for that. So it sat in my pile.
Then this morning while I was getting caught up on my reader, I found this post via Apartment Therapy for a Lumberjack Sack.

Project 30.30.30 - Day 14

Yet another "dig" find was this black drapey cardigan. It was a bit to vampira for me, so I wanted to change it up a bit. I decided to try to ruffle it a bit and ended up with this peplum sort of thing.

Project 30.30.30. - Day 13

 Today I got to do a refashion using my "new" sewing machine for the first time! :)
Back in the summer, my father-in-law, JD, asked me if I wanted his late mom's sewing machine. I had one at the time but said sure so that it would stay in the family. Well for honesty sake, I never even took it out of it's case. I had my own after all and I really had no clue how an old machine works.
Unfortunately my machine died a couple months ago. I immediately wanted to buy a new computerized one but in the interests of our budget, Luke encouraged me to wait and just use my mom's. He argued that I didn't sew enough to justify the expense. That was true.

Project 30.30.30 - Day 12

So remember that B&W dress from Day 10? Well I still had the bodice left over and I decided to address it today. At first I was planning on making a peplum top but I was having issues with the knit fabric. So instead I decided on a cropped cardigan.
I simply shortened the sleeves to 3/4 length, added a couple darts for a better fit and hemmed the raw edges. I think it turned out super cute and I'll definitely wear it now :)

Project 30.30.30. - Day 11

Today I am bringing you a project that started with a pair of bold faded pants. I found them at "the dig" and loved the fabric but large sections were very worn so I had to think small.
I brought them home anyway, thinking I could make a clutch or something.

Project 30.30.30. - Day 10

Today's project is brought to you by another "dig" find. This was a jersey dress that was just way too unflattering on me. Since it already had the elastic waistband, I decided to just cut the bottom off and create a finished edge over the elastic for a new skirt.

Project 30.30.30. - Day 9

One of my most exciting finds at "the dig" today was this little suede skirt. It was far too small for me but the style was just too cute. I immediately decided I wanted to size it down to fit Liana. I grabbed the skirt, held it up to her body to see how many panels to remove and stuck it in my makeshift sack made out of a dress.

The Dig

So remember how I mentioned "the dig" last week. Well my friend Jessica offered to go with me today :)
"The dig" is what we call Tres Dimensiones. It is a used clothing warehouse that piles all their clothes into a large mountain that you literally have to dig through. There are dozens of these places on 23rd St between McAllen and Hidalgo, but Tres Dimensions is our favorite because they only charge $.30/lb. Yes that's right, you're buying clothes like meat by weighing it!

Project 30.30.30. - Day 8

So today I actually blanked it on refashioning something. So when I remembered I wasn't entirely sure what to do. I also dove into without getting a before picture :(
I ended up grabbing another one of my dad's old shirts and followed the steps found here to make a new service skirt.
I think I might add some elastic to the back waist band for a better fit but overall I think it's pretty cute :)

Buying a car online?

So have you guys ever done it? Bought a car on eBay without seeing it in person?
Today we got our new car and yes it was bought on eBay. In fact, I have bought 2 of the 3 cars I've ever owned on eBay and I am here to share my success stories.

Back in 2006, I was shopping around for my first car. I had a teeny tiny budget and my dad was an eBay king at the time. I told him what I wanted and how much I could spend and he went to town.

After a couple months, he tells me one morning to go to the bank because he had won a bid on a '96 Jetta for only $1450. The next day we drove the couple hours away to pick it up and that's how Josie and I met.

Project 30.30.30 - Day 7

So I was able to finish the refashion I started yesterday. I found these NWT skinny pants during my Goodwill haul on Friday for $3. I bought them knowing I finally wanted to try to make a skirt out of pants. I had been intimidated by this kind of project for a while. Trusty old google helped me see some visuals on how to do it, so I went to town with the seam ripper. The fabric I attached in the middle was from our stash closet.

Project 30.30.30. - Day 6

I had a different refashion planned for today but once I started it, I realized I wouldn't have enough time to finish. I am hoping I can wrap it up for tomorrow. So that meant I only had a few minutes to come up with something today.
I remembered my mom had a bag full of some old button downs of my dad's. I rummaged through and found this blue checkered shirt.

Project 30.30.30. - Day 5

So we made a little run up to San Antonio today and I wanted to stop at my favorite Goodwill on Commerce street to look for items for this project. I found an awesome ready-to-wear skirt and dress and a few pieces that I am excited to revamp!
Since we got home late, I wanted a quick and easy project so I decided to work with this skirt that I snagged for $2.

Purchase History: November 2012

I first saw this idea over at Modern Eve and instantly knew I wanted to try it. So much so, that I even made it part of my 101 in 1001 list. So here is my first month of tracking.
November was a bit spendy for us because of Black Friday. We always try to update our TV Series collection and Best Buy had some amazing deals. I also snagged some very pretty dresses that met me new fabric requirements. I will actually be modestfying the J.Crew dress with some vintage silk so stay tuned for those pics. And the food processor was one of my most exciting buys since it had been on my wish list for almost 2 years and I got it for less than half the price on Amazon.

Project 30.30.30. - Day 4

Today I found a little black tee at the bottom of my 6 month box. It was a little snug and had a much lower neck line than I prefer. In fact I don't think I ever wore it :-/

In My Mailbox: November 2012

Project 30.30.30. - Day 3

So today's project was pretty last minute. I found myself facing 6:00 and a trip into town and a movie night later with the fam. I wasn't sure how I would squeeze in my daily refashion. And then I remembered a pair of ombre tights I bought on Ebay from China last month. Unfortunately they came in and were way too short on me, so away they got tossed in to the back of a drawer :(

Project 30.30.30. - Day 2

For my day 2 refashion, I pulled out a pull over sweater someone had passed along to me. I am not a pull over sweater person, since I don't think they are very flattering on me and it's never cold enough here to wear one all day.
But I do wear cardigans almost everyday. Even in the summer in an air conditioned building. So a new cardigan it would become.
It was actually quite simple...

Project 30.30.30. - Day 1

For my first project, I rummaged through a box of clothes that have been packed for the past year and found an old button down pajama top I bought on clearance. I bought it because I loved the idea of a button down sleep shirt and it is super soft. Unfortunately it never fit comfortably so I have never ever worn it.

30 Days. 30 Dresses. 30 Dollars.

As part of my 101 in 1001, I set the creative goal of doing a 30 Day. 30 Dress. 30 Dollar challenge. This idea was inspired by the New Dress a Day project.

101 in 1001

So I have discovered that I need a bit more time for my different intentions. So I have decided to join the 101 in 1001 challenge. This gives me a master list for things to work towards and then I can pool from this list whenever I want to do shorter time frame intention lists.
I worked on this for several weeks and am very excited about every item on here. I postponed doing 101 in 1001 for a while because I thought it would be too hard to come up with that many goals but once I started, I was caught up in the idea. My list actually started when I checked out Dream It. List It. Do It! from my library. I just started listing and couldn't stop. I actually had to revise my list several times (even as I was writing this post) to get the right kind of goals that I think I can actually achieve in the next 3 years.
Plus I love that my start date is Dec 1st since that means my end date is on a 29th (which is "our number")!
So here's my 101 in 1001...

Not so Extreme Couponing - CVS Deals Week of 11/25

So this month I have made a concerted effort to get back into couponing. I am trying to be balanced and  only buy things we actually regularly use like tooth paste, body wash, shampoo/conditioner, and deodorant. And while not every deal I saw on matchup sites worked out as planned, I was able to score enough to be set in the toiletry department for a while.
This week I took advantage of a few deals and got my best score yet I think:

Menu Plan Monday: November 26

Tortellini Soup

Bacon & Cabbage

Lasagna

Crockpot Chicken Fajita Tacos

Jalapeño Popper Chicken with Rice

Ginger Soy Tilapia with Rice Pilaf

The United States of YA

When  I saw EpicGirl's infographic of  The United States of YA, I fell in love. My only problem was the overwhelming amount of paranormal books on the map. So I decided to make my own featuring books I loved throughout my teen years.

While I have read most of these, I did need to fill in some gaps with the help of GoodReads and this list.

I think this map would make a great summer reading list especially if you have some road trips planned next year.

Menu Plan Monday: November 12

I cannot believe it is already mid-November! O_O Last week we ended up eating a lot of left overs so 2 recipes got rolled over to this week. Plus I decided to shop the sales this week on Stuffing and Bell Peppers and I snagged some cheap stew meat last week so here's what I will be making:

Italian-Style Beef & Pepperoni Soup

Mexican chicken Tacos

Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Mashed Potatoes

Simple Stuffed Peppers over Rice

Easy Beef Bourguinon 

Anticipating Tax Season

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So this week $5 Dinners ran a post on Tax Refunds and Personal Finance. It linked to this article advocating withholding less each month instead of receiving a big tax refund at the end of the year. This got me thinking about what our preferences are when it comes to taxes. 

My Handwriting: a link up

I found this link up on BLOG.ADRIENNEROSE.ME (whom I had the pleasure to do work for a while back) and loved the idea since I am a big note junky.

The rules were simple...

...so I definitely wanted to give it a try :)

Menu Plan Monday: November 5

Pantry Pasta - use whatever ingredients we have in the pantry to make a pasta dish
Potato Topped Beef Bowl 
Italian-Style Beef & Pepperoni Soup
Mexican Chicken Tacos
Cajun Fettuccine Alfredo

Fall 2012 Pinterest Challenge: Baby Shower Ideas

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Apparently 'tis the season for pregnancies and I have yet another baby shower I am working one. This time I am the host along with my mother, and I am having a blast planning an intimate girly affair.
When I saw that it was time for another round of the Pinterest Challenge, I knew it was a perfect time to get started on the handmade pieces of the party.

The $300 Kitchen Remodel: Progress

I think only one photo is needed to show
the work we had cut out for ourselves.

So it has been a while since I did a remodel update. Frankly, there hasn't been a whole lot to update. We were gone most of August and then Luke started his new job. I had a busy spurt with work and we just pushed home repairs to the back burner. Well, my Aunt is coming to visit this week so we finally did a good fall cleaning/unpacking session last weekend. That means our kitchen, though not complete, looked good enough to share photos.
And since it looks so much better than it did before, I am ready to share a before photo as well.
And ready to see what we've done so far?

The Demise of the Wedding Blog

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Now maybe it is because I am no longer in wedding planning mode, but for the past few months I find myself not even reading  my old favorite wedding blogs. I kept feeling like I wasn't seeing anything new, but the same wedding regurgitated over and over again since 2009.

Things I Love: Custom Sock Dogs

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Not too long ago, I stumbled across Original Sock Dogs on Etsy, and fell in love. At $85 they are pricier then I normally would spend, but the art and love that Stacey puts into each one makes them totally worth it. I already told Luke that at some point I want to have our girls immortalized in this fashion.

Menu Plan Monday: October 22

Since it's toward the end of the month, I shopped our freezer meat supply for the menu this week...

Rio Grande Valley Sombrero Platter
Beef fajita cooked with onions, bell pepper, topped with Mexican melting cheese and cheese quesadillas. Served with chips and guacamole.
Tortilla Soup
Slow Cooker Creole Chicken
Stir Fry Al Pastor
Slow Cooker Chicken & Dumplings
Skinny Spaghetti
Toss pasta with 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, breadcrumbs, parsley, lemon juice, garlic powder salt, and black pepper.

Need help menu planning this week? orgjunkie.com has hundreds of user submitted plans each week!

The First Girls of Baxter Academy by Pamela J. Roskin

The First Girls of Baxter Academy by Pamela J. Roskin
Self-Published (November 29, 2009)
ASIN: B002NKLNSS
161 Pages
Ages 12+
Buy Here for $2.99
My Rating: 4/5

DIY Date Night Jar

So in my late night perusing of Pinterest the other day, I found the adorable idea of making a date night jar. There are some pretty cute ones making the rounds right now. And fortunately for me, I had all the supplies on hand to make our own.

Adorable DIY Baby Gifts

J&J are full time ministers like me and Luke, so when I was deciding on their baby shower gift, I knew I wanted to make Baby Ethan something that would fit his mommy & daddy's spiritual lifestyle. Of course pinterest helped me find the adorable idea of velcro bow ties and a onesie. I thought they were too cute and they weren't that hard to put together. Plus I love that they are completely machine washable, since we  all know the messes babies love to make :)

A Hand Crafted Monkey Baby Shower

If you follow my Instagram feed, you have already seen the photos of the weeks of preparation Ana and I did for J&J's baby shower last weekend. Even put them to work on the invitations and paper monkeys.

Crossed by Ally Condie

Crossed by Ally Condie
Dutton Juvenile (November 1, 2011)
ISBN-10: 0525423656
ISBN-13: 978-0525423652
367 pages
Ages 12+
Buy Here for $12.18
My Rating: 1/5