Old to New WINNERS!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Old to New in October refashion series with Natasha and me! We really enjoyed hosting the project and working on our own refashions as well! We are happy to announce the three winners of the Anika Burke prize packages!

Megan - The Frugalista Diaries - Sparkled Button Up DIY
- First place (most creative/wearable): $20 credit to www.anikaburke.com PLUS the Elegant Rose flower bracelet and two matching accessories!


Lia - Smart N Snazzy - Old Sweater to New Sweater DIY- Random draw: 12 piece prize pack (12 Anika Burke accessories!)


Bri - Shoes Are My Muse - Peplum Vest DIY- Random draw: 3 piece prize pack (3 Anika Burke accessories!)


Please contact me or Natasha via email with your shipping address so Anika Burke Eclectic Boutique can send your prizes! Once again, thank you to everyone who put forth the effort to participate in our project. We really enjoyed sharing our refashions with all of you!

Old to New in October: Butterflies

Natasha of Required 2 Be Inspired and I are hosting Old to New in October. The premise of this month-long project is to take something you already own and don't love and turn it into something totally wearable, again! It saves money and helps you recycle your wardrobe while getting crafty!

When Old Navy gives you butterflies, you try for a year to style them and then you chop them up and do a DIY. I loved the print on this dress when I first got it and then I had the toughest time styling it, so it's been in the "to do something with" pile for a while. The ruffle on the bottom was also a turn-off because it felt very little girl-ish. Good thing I have a little girl, right?

I took the slip out of underneath the dress and cut the hem to use for later.

Then I chopped the dress almost in half and laid the grey over the unfinished hem to see how my concept would look.

I couldn't bear to toss the old ruffle, so I made an elastic waistband skirt for the small fry so she could rock the butterflies, too. I can't wait until we go out in our matching outfits. We'll be so awesome.

And here's my finished product! Just a sweet little top that I can wear with skinny jeans and a blazer or cardigan- SO much better than the crazy dress I thought was so cute last summer!

Anika Burke Eclectic Boutique has graciously agreed to sponsor our entire Old to New in October project and will be providing some lovely prizes for not one, but THREE winners at the end of the month!

To qualify for any prizes, you must link your refashion project either here or at Required 2 Be Inspired on any Thursday during October. Each time you link up, it counts as one entry! The first prize winner will be chosen by Anika Burke, Natasha, and me based on the most creative and wearable project. Two other winners who have linked up throughout the month will be chosen at random! To be qualified for the random draw, you must link back to Anika Burke in your post. You can simply say, "Old to New in October is sponsored by Anika Burke Eclectic Boutique!" Or word it however you'd like, but as long as you do a project, link up, and link back to the online shop, you're in for the random draw!

- First place (most creative/wearable): $20 credit to www.anikaburke.com PLUS the Elegant Rose flower bracelet and two matching accessories!
- Random draw: 12 piece prize pack (12 Anika Burke accessories!)
- Random draw: 3 piece prize pack (3 Anika Burke accessories!)

 

Old to New in October: Glitterized

Natasha of Required 2 Be Inspired and I are hosting Old to New in October. The premise of this month-long project is to take something you already own and don't love and turn it into something totally wearable, again! It saves money and helps you recycle your wardrobe while getting crafty!

What girl doesn't love a jar of glitter? I know that ever since I was a little girl, I've adored all things sparkly and although I never owned a pair, to this day, I covet the red ruby slippers you can find at Target, Walmart, etc. In fact, it took every ounce of my being not to purchase the little girls' size 5 red ruby flats at Target last week. It's not just the red, though. The whole glitter thing is gorgeous and so girly. I knew I'd have to find a pair of my ragged shoes to DIY for one of the October projects and here's my take:

I took a very sick, sad, 5-6 year old Old Navy Mary Janes:

How I did it:

1. Cut straps off shoes (you can still see the tabs in the final product)

2. Stuff shoes with newspaper

3. Cover shoes in glue

4. Dump glitter on shoes

5. Let dry

6. Mix Sparkle Mod Podge in a spray bottle with water, shake, spray shoes

7. Let dry and wear!

This was relatively simple, but very messy. There's glitter all over my front porch, despite vacuuming and using gobs of water to rinse it. Oh well, I guess if I love glitter as much as I claim, I'll be happy with a glittered porch.

You can still see some white in with the glitter and that's because I couldn't wait to take pictures. The Mod Podge is still soaking wet in the final product photos and it's night time, so there isn't enough shimmer to show! I can't wait to dump the glitter out when they're dry and wear 'em in the sunlight for an outfit post!

Remember to link your refashion to this post or to Natasha's at Required 2 Be Inspired! And don't forget about the prizes and our lovely sponsor!

Anika Burke Eclectic Boutique has graciously agreed to sponsor our entire Old to New in October project and will be providing some lovely prizes for not one, but THREE winners at the end of the month!

To qualify for any prizes, you must link your refashion project either here or at Required 2 Be Inspired on any Thursday during October. Each time you link up, it counts as one entry! The first prize winner will be chosen by Anika Burke, Natasha, and me based on the most creative and wearable project. Two other winners who have linked up throughout the month will be chosen at random! To be qualified for the random draw, you must link back to Anika Burke in your post. You can simply say, "Old to New in October is sponsored by Anika Burke Eclectic Boutique!" Or word it however you'd like, but as long as you do a project, link up, and link back to the online shop, you're in for the random draw!

- First place (most creative/wearable): $20 credit to www.anikaburke.com PLUS the Elegant Rose flower bracelet and two matching accessories!
- Random draw: 12 piece prize pack (12 Anika Burke accessories!)
- Random draw: 3 piece prize pack (3 Anika Burke accessories!)

Old to New in October: Dress to Skirt

Natasha of Required 2 Be Inspired and I are hosting Old to New in October. The premise of this month-long project is to take something you already own and don't love and turn it into something totally wearable, again! It saves money and helps you recycle your wardrobe while getting crafty! We are also happy to announce that Anika Burke Eclectic Boutique has graciously agreed to sponsor our entire Old to New in October project and will be providing some lovely prizes for not one, but THREE winners at the end of the month!

To qualify for any prizes, you must link your refashion project either here or at Required 2 Be Inspired on any Thursday during October. Each time you link up, it counts as one entry! The first prize winner will be chosen by Anika Burke, Natasha, and me based on the most creative and wearable project. Two other winners who have linked up throughout the month will be chosen at random! To be qualified for the random draw, you must link back to Anika Burke in your post. You can simply say, "Old to New in October is sponsored by Anika Burke Eclectic Boutique!" Or word it however you'd like, but as long as you do a project, link up, and link back to the online shop, you're in for the random draw!

- First place (most creative/wearable): $20 credit to www.anikaburke.com PLUS the Elegant Rose flower bracelet and two matching accessories!
- Random draw: 12 piece prize pack (12 Anika Burke accessories!)
- Random draw: 3 piece prize pack (3 Anika Burke accessories!)

Over the summer, I bought this adorable tennis dress and thought I'd just be the cutest little thing walking around in it with my fake-out Keds. WHO was I kidding? Nothing is right with the dress. Nothing is really even right with the shoes, but we won't go there, because I'm not ready to part with them, yet. And do you know who told me that I looked ridiculous in this? No one. I had to wait and see the photos for myself. Where's a girlfriend when you need one? Also, I really hope I've lost weight since this photo was taken, because... whatever. Anyway, I should never have bought the dress.

There really isn't much of a directional here, since all I did was chop off the top portion of the dress and fold over the elastic seam at the waistline. I didn't even pin it to make a new elastic waistline! This was probably the most simple thing I could have done, but I love the look of the skirt. I kept browsing my "to thrift" pile for something reminiscent of Meredith's skirt. As much as I'd have loved to make this into a pencil, my body's just not ready for all that, yet. I love how the skirt turned out, though!

See? I actually cut only about half a centimeter above the original waistband, so I folded the whole elastic waistband over instead of folding fabric that was on top of it. Now, my seam is underneath the elastic instead of on top of it.

There's just one thing... I have no idea how to wear this in the fall!!! I thought, "Striped skirt, so cute!" And as soon as it was done, I thought, "These colors... not very fall appropriate. Hrm..." So I'm enlisting your assistance to style this brand new skirt for me! You can put together a polyvore set or just comment with some ideas and I'll choose one of your brainstorms for a future OOTD post!

If you're linking up, we'd love for you to grab our project button either for your sidebar or your post! And remember, link back to our gracious sponsor, www.anikaburke.com, in your post to qualify for the random draw prizes!

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Be sure to check out Natasha's refashion, too! And if you didn't get a chance to work on a project and link up this week, don't worry- we'll be back next Thursday! Get started! If you did a project, link up below or at Required 2 Be Inspired!

October Sponsor Lovin'

It's already mid-October, but I want to share these awesome companies and blogs with you! I hope you take a few minutes to check everyone out and take advantage of some of the awesome things you'll find within each site!

Poshlocket is a brand new, fashion-forward online jewelry boutique, stationed in New York. With simple but edgy, and elegant but modern choices, you'll be able to meet all of your fashion jewelry needs at this one-stop shop! Poshlocket also boasts free shipping on all orders and returns, which is a luxury that's so difficult to find when online ordering! Some of my favorite pieces from the boutique include the following beauties that mix metal and fabric!

(left to right)

Jenny Fabric Weave Cuff

Stacey Three Chain Fabric Bracelet

Katie Fabric Weave Bracelet

(left to right)

Lacey Fabric Long Necklace

Shelly Fabric Choker

These fabric pieces are not only chic and unique, but if you order them during the month of October and/or until supplies last, you will get a FREE pair of matching metal & chain earrings! Hello! Great deal, beautiful jewelry, free shipping, free gift? Yes, please!

To learn more about Poshlocket, check their About page!

If you weren't lucky enough to meet Andi of The Hollie Rogue last month, now's your chance! This sweet, skilled, and very busy SAHM is running a successful blog, being an awesome parent, living with so much faith, and sprinkling joy into our lives every day with her talents! Some of the wonderful things you can look forward to when reading The Hollie Rogue are:

Delicious meals

handmade crafts and tutorials

Andi is also a burgeoning photographer and has tons of tips and tricks to share each Friday! Be sure to stop by, follow, and leave some love from a little bit of this... readers!

Megan, the writer behind The Frugalista Diaries, is not only a frugal fashionista, but she's also a dear friend and I'm so glad we've been able to work together this month! With her blog, Megan is able to take a serious budget and show us how to create high fashion looks, sharing them in her personal street style posts. A recent favorite of mine is her gorgeous Asos dress toughened up with a vintage belt.

You'll also find DIYs, up to date fashion news, looks for less/spot the steals, tutorials, and even the surprise delicious recipe about once a week! My mouth was drooling over her cherry coffee cake a few weekends ago!

Stop by The Frugalista Diaries and give Megan some love!

Oh, hey! It's tights weather, again! Have you stopped by We Love Colors to order your stock for the cool weather? I have! I'm looking forward to rocking colors with my wardrobe in sweet, chic, and of course, unexpected ways this season. With 51 colors plus splash and fishnet choices, you can't go wrong! I even styled some kelly green knee socks that you'll see on Saturday!

That's it for October, my friends! I hope you get a chance to stop by and check everyone out. Take advantage of these awesome shops and bloggeristas. You won't be sorry! Happy October!

Hopefully, you crafties are working on your project for this Thursday's Old to New October! We've GOT THE PRIZES and our sponsor, Anika Burke Eclectic Boutique to share with you! Stay tuned!

Old to New in October: F21 Tunic

I'm teaming up with Natasha from Required 2 Be Inspired and hosting the weekly series called Old to New in October! We are going to be refashioning items that we already own into things we'll actually wear! Old to New in October is a link-up and every week that you do a refashion project and link up with either Natasha or me, you'll be entered to win some fabulous prizes! We're still working on putting together an awesome package for our winner, but rest-assured, YOU WANT TO WIN!

Think of this as a money-saving and creative opportunity! For instance, I'm on the road to being a stay-at-home-mom in just a few months. I need to learn how to coupon so well that the producers of Extreme Couponing are staking ME out. And I need to learn how to make all of my clothes work for me so I don't feel the need to purge and repurchase!

For my first Old to New in October challenge, I chose to refashion my black Forever 21 tunic. This piece is near and dear to me because my very sweet friend, Rochelle, gave it to me before she left for Japan. It's a tunic on people of normal height, but it's a little mini dress on me. I considered going the tunic route and just hemming it up. But I actually don't have any black cotton dresses. As you can see, the length is a little too short for everyday wear and the neckline is majorly plunging. While I could leave my options open and layer anything I want under the piece, I decided to add an inlay and matching hem to make this an appropriate and sweet dress.

Before:

I've had this floral fabric laying around for almost a year, thinking I'd make a skirt for myself or maybe Little S. That hasn't been done, so I figured it'd be great for this project! I was into leaving the slate black and white so I could really play with the dress however I want in the future.

What I did:

1. Cut a triangle of fabric to cover the low-cut neckline area.

2. Finish the raw edge that will be the top of the inlay.

3. Pin and sew inlay to inside of dress.

4. Cut and iron fabric to make patterned hemline.

5. Pin and sew hem to dress.

6. Turn dress inside out, remove pins, trim seams.

This was super easy and fast! I finished the entire project in less than an hour of total working time. Now, my seams aren't beautiful and finished on the inside because I didn't find that necessary. If I'd been doing the refashion for another person, however, I'd have finished it all up so it would look neat from the inside and outside!

From tunic to dress, I've created a much more appropriate piece that will now be a staple in my wardrobe. The floral pattern gives the dress a fun girly feel, but the solid black keeps it just a bit on the edgy side so I can really style it however I want. I decided to go ahead and show you three different ways I'd wear this dress in the future, now that my ta-tas and booty aren't hanging out.

After:

Edgy

dress: Forever 21 via Rochelle, refashioned

denim jacket: American Eagle

shoes: Ross via Rochelle

necklace: The Word Jewelry

Sweet

shoes: Gap via Whitney

necklace: Doe Run Jewelry

Professional

blazer: thrifted via Rochelle

booties: Payless

necklace: Doe Run Jewelry

Natasha and I would love to see your projects! Link up using the linky tool below or on Required to be Inspired! And if you didn't get a chance to participate this week, don't worry, we'll be convening again next Thursday to show off next week's refashion projects. Remember, every time you participate, you're automatically entered to win the prizes we have in store! And we'll keep you updated once we've got the whole thing together! So link up and grab our Old to New in October button for your post!

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Old to New in October is sponsored in part by Anika Burke Eclectic Boutique!

Old to New in October with Required 2 Be Inspired

I have such an exciting announcement to make! I discovered one of my newest favorite blogs recently and it's Natasha's Required 2 Be Inspired! We got to talking and decided it would be really fun to do an October project. Both Natasha and I are mothers to toddler girls, like to make clothing, and have personal style blogs. We figured we could come together with a fun, budget friendly link party that would not only involve our readers, but SAVE MONEY by refashioning current belongings to make new items!

That's how Old to New in October was born.
The premise is simple. Take something you own and make it new again with a little elbow grease. Each Thursday of the month, Natasha and I will host a link party on our blogs where we share our project of the week with you and you can share yours as well! We are really encouraging our readers to take part in this project because you'll not only save money, get to be creative, and add to your cold-weather wardrobe, but each time you link up, you'll be entered to win some fabulous prizes at the end of the month!!! Our giveaway(s) are still a work in progress, but rest assured, it's going to be awesome and we'll keep you in the know throughout the process!

If you're planning to participate in Old to New in October, please leave a comment below this post or on Natasha's post so we can check out your refashions! Each Thursday, you'll be able to come either here or go to Required 2 Be Inspired to link up your project and enter the giveaway. Also, if you are going to be a part of this exciting series/challenge, please grab the button below to display on your sidebar and/or in your Old to New posts!




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