Costume Makeover: From the Girly Girl to the Tomboy

It never ceases to amaze me how different my children can be from one another. My two oldest daughters are a prime example of this.

Sara, total girl! From age 3-6 she insisted on wearing a dress every day. Really. The fact Sara means “princess” is so apropos.

Elena, my second daughter, would only put a dress on for Sunday and even then it was a struggle. Her preference was for jeans and superhero costumes.

 

You can imagine the problem with hand me downs. When it came time for Sara to pass on her clothes to Elena, Elena would look just look at them and say, “No way, I’m not wearing that!”

It was always a challenge to accommodate their personalities and make the most of their wardrobes.

In 2006 I made this costume for Sara.

 

She was Marie Antoinette.

I loved this costume! It is still one of my favorites of all the ones I have made. I really wanted to get more than one year out of it but I knew “Marie” would be a tough sell on Elena once she could fit into it in 2009. With some thought for Elena’s interests, I was inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean and Elizabeth Swan. Elena loves this movie. Here’s what I did using the same dress:

Tip: It’s all in the accessories!

- I bought a plain black velvet pirate hat from Value Village and dressed it up with inexpensive laces and a left over piece of a gold filigree iron-on from another costume.

- I made a pair of pantaloon bloomers with lace and ribbon at the bottom and added two strips of ribbon to the inside and outside of the dress at the top of the shirt. This allowed her to tie up the front of her dress for some swash buckling!

- Added “cuffs” made from gathered fabric to her pair of black boots.

- Bought two belts from Value Village that had interesting buckles and studs on them. One red and one black. I tied one around her waist to hold her pistol and the second across her torso to hold her sword.

Here she is, Elizabeth Swan. I was so excited with this transformation!! Elena loved it too which made it that much better. She even came up with the idea of putting an earring of mine on a chain to make her own pirate medallion.

The result: One dress, two completely different costumes for my two completely different girls.

Which one is your favorite? I can’t decide.

-Tara

Tiffany Blue

It is one of my favorite colors. Maybe it is because of it’s name sake right?

Who could resist one of these?

 

Like in the movie Splash when Daryl Hannah's character receives a box like this from Tom Hanks’ character. She doesn’t open it, she just looks at the box and says “It’s beautiful”.

I see this color in a store or a magazine and I am just drawn to it.

  

 

It’s timeless, fun, and simply, pretty.

It’s the inspiration for this creation.

A vintage inspired elegant cake stand in Tiffany blue with a beaded glass base.
This would look great in your kitchen year round! It's a perfect wedding gift.
It is a beautiful way to display treats at your next party, shower or luncheon.

Find it here.

Enjoy!

-Tara

Think outside the fabric store!

While the fabric store is one of my favorite places to visit and Quilt Market is “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”, lately I have been inspired by finding yardage in other places. My #1 spot right now is the thrift store for 3 reasons:

1. Recycle! I think it is great when I can reuse and repurpose. I think it is more responsible and more resourceful. I love taking something that has been cast off and turning it into something really cool.

2. Price! Fabric can get really expensive, but thrift stores will have several yards of fabric for a low flat price. Most have sections just for fabric and you can also find nice fabric with generous yardage in the home section as well. This gives me the freedom to play and experiment with the fabrics because the investment is lower.

3. One of a kind pieces! You never know what you will find or what will inspire you. A current designer fabric is everywhere in every form, but recycled fabrics make for more unique creations.

Here are some pieces I have created from recycled curtains. I purchased a one panel of each fabric. Both had vertical stripes. I love stripes, and even more, I love to manipulate stripes! I cut these pillow covers on the bias.

For the 1st pillow, a pretty oyster chenille, I made 4 pillow covers with a sophisticated diagonal  stripe.

 

On the second, a navy and white striped heavy cotton, I created 3 pillow covers with variations of a bold chevron pattern. The pattern is repeated on both sides giving the edges unique and eye catching designs.

 

Find these one of a kind pieces HERE. Btw, this cool metal basket is also a thrift find. Love!

Coming soon….

A purse from a 2nd hand skirt.

Pillow covers from this pretty 2nd hand find, an original screen print from the Platinum Collection Richloom.

 

I hope this inspires you in your search for fabric. Please share your finds. I would love to hear about them!

-Tara

Signs of Spring!

For weeks (AND weeks) we have had rain rain RAIN. Not the normal Seattle rain, which I like to compare to the misters in the produce section of the grocery store, but heavy, drenching, there is no way I am leaving my house today, rain. The sound of the rain can be soothing but after two weeks straight it was starting to unnerve me.

We have a lot of grey days here in the northwest, but, when we have a clear day, few places can compare. We have mountains, trees, the water, and it is so green. (Thanks to all that rain.) Here, let me give you an example..

The last two days have been gorgeous! Yesterday I spotted blossoms on the trees which warmed me inside and brought a smile to my face. So, how apropos that I should list this favorite dessert pedestal that I have been holding onto all winter.

I love this little demur bird perched among the blossoms. I can never get enough black and white especially when it is paired with a pop of sunny saffron.

  

I hope this little creation makes you smile. Find this unique piece and others here.

I hope the sun is shining where you are!

-Tara

Birthday Tree

My first attempt at blogging from my phone...yipee!

Ok, so I love holidays! My favorites are Christmas and Halloween. Partly what I enjoy about these holidays are all the things leading up to them. For Halloween, it is the decorations and of course making my childrens' costumes! For Christmas, it is the music, decorations, baking, family time, and the spirit of the season. Even though it is sometimes a let down when these holidays are done, I am even more disappointed when a holiday comes and goes and I feel I didn't get to savor it.

My point: The fun of ANTICIPATION!

This is what makes this next idea so great.

The Birthday Tree

(apologies for the photo, it is a picture of a picture. I was making use of my time in the waiting room at the dentist office perusing magazines. This was from Family Fun)

A month before the child's birthday, this adorable pink artificial tree is trimmed with mini presents, fun birthday candles, and a balloon on top. It is so cute! I am bursting with trim ideas! As the month progresses, presents are added under the tree to build birthday anticipation. What kid wouldn't love that?

I have a little white tree and am so excited to try this for my son's

upcoming birthday in April.

Stay tuned....
-Tara

Sara’s Room Gets A Surprise Makeover

This past December, our Sara had the amazing opportunity to visit our good friends, and once neighbors the Grahams, in Australia! She was gone for 3 and 1/2 weeks including Christmas. Although the separation was tough, the experience was amazing AND it gave me the perfect opportunity to surprise her when she got home.

Before

 

The bed and the dresser were total scores on Craiglist. I love the bamboo detail on the dresser! I found the nightstand at Value Village for $5. I think the knobs on it alone cost that much. The duvet is a “Dottie” duvet by PB Teen. I got it for half at this great store in Salt Lake City called Down East Home. Sara loves dots. She also loves “Tiffany box blue”. So the paint choice was easy.

After

The paint color is really pretty and soft. The nightstand now blends in with the wall which is helpful in a small bedroom. I made the drapery panels for our youngest daughter’s nursery several years ago, but they were perfect to reuse. They are black and white toile lined with black out fabric, perfect for napping babies….. and teenagers who want to sleep in. The adorable polka dot cream sheers are Thomas O’Brien for Target (circa 2006).

I took the picture above just before leaving for the airport to pick her up. Sara was so excited when she returned home and saw it.

I am so happy that my little world traveler has returned home!

Stay tuned for updates on this….we’re not finished yet!

-Tara

M.F.E.O.

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Made For Each Other. Pretty soon those conversation hearts will be in stores everywhere, but this anagram has been on my mind as I have been creating this season. As an opener I would like to touch upon a few elements of the creative process that I have learned to appreciate even more recently. They are :

1. Being Patient

I have had so much fun creating dessert pedestals (cake stands, cupcake stands,  candle stands … the list alternative titles goes on). I love a beautiful cake stand, but mostly they tend to be a little blah. These, however, each have their own unique personality, and will “speak” to a certain customer. It is really interesting to observe. Everyone has different favorites. The other thing I love about these stands is I LOVE using recycled materials. It is exciting to create something new and beautifully unique from something used and sometimes even discarded. I love the challenge.

When I go about creating these, rarely do I find both pieces, the base and the plate, at the same time. So, I have to be patient and hope that every piece I find will eventually come to its perfect match, which ties into the next element…

2. Trust your instinct, but don’t be afraid to go beyond it sometimes!

My friend, who I was collaborating with, brought me this unique, solid brass candlestick. It was cool, but I can’t say I was in love, not at first. I had nothing that went with it no matter how hard I tried. The proportions were always off and it seemed too masculine. Hmmm? So I shined it up and set it aside trusting that , YES, there was potential. Its match hadn’t been discovered yet. Many times the things I don’t love right away are the pieces I end up loving more, because they are unexpected.

3. Being aware and grateful when the magic happens! It’s when an idea you like, becomes a reality you love.

A few weeks later at one of my many haunts, what should be peaking out at me? Buried on the bottom shelf, was this beauty! It is a Dept. 56 platter inspired by Santa’s red suit.

Yes, there was an audible gasp that escaped my lips when I saw this.

Judging the proportions and style of this platter, I knew exactly the perfect base for this.

        

This turned out to be an absolute favorite this season! The chunky solid base gives it that masculine touch it needed. The black coat of paint has transformed the brass candlestick into Santa’s black boots that go so nicely with his striking red suit.

Yes, M.F.E.O!

Want to see more?

      

     

And even more?

So get creative! Be patient, go with your instinct and beyond, and receive that lightning when it strikes because it will.

Happy New Year!

Tara