pleated ruffle t-shirt

I have tried a couple of t-shirt refashions lately that have not worked out. So I decided to ditch being original and adopt someone elses creative genius. Today that creative genius was borrowed from Ashley of Make it and Love it. I adore the top she made for her daughter.


So I made one for myself. It was quick and easy, about 25 minutes. I used a $5 white shirt from walmart. (it's actually a really nice t-shirt. soft and thick, but not too thick) I cut up an old shirt for the pleats and the strips on the sleeves.


While Ashley's daughter is certainly much more adorable in her t-shirt than I am in mine, I am very happy with the result. I think I will be wearing it a lot this summer. I love white in the summer, somehow it makes me feel less hot.

p.s.- Those earrings are one of the many pairs Jamie sent me. I love 'em!

office chair make-over

One nasty $5 vinyl chair...

A couple of hours of work, IKEA fabric and spray paint later...

This chair was in the Los Angeles County General Hospital in the 60's. I wish I new how it got to the Salvation Army thrift store in the tiny town of Monroe, NC in 2009 .

Tools needed: Fabric, staple gun, screw driver and pliers for removing staples, scissors.

Remove staples and vinyl.

Staple new fabric on. I covered the underside of the seat also because it had water damage and was gross.

The chair back, step-by-step- 1) remove staples and vinyl & cut fabric a little larger then chair back. 2) Staple fabric on center of each side, pulling taut. 3) Continue stapling from side to side pulling fabric taut as you go. 4) Cut a square for the back. 5) Fold raw edge under and staple all around. 6) Fin!

Fabric detail.

Linking up to Just Something I Whipped Up at the Girl Creative and DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land and Made it Mondays at the Persimmon Perch and We Did It Wednesday at Sew Much Ado

the fifty-cent cardigan make-over

It doesn't get cheaper or easier than this:

One cardigan from Salvation Army (on their 50% off day): $0.50


Remove buttons add sew on some vintage lace trims given to you by a friend (Thanks again Shanda!)


I don't know if I love the gathers right on the bust but for pocket change and less than 15 minutes time spent, I'll take it!


The same day I bought this cardigan, I scored a super cute pair of trouser jeans for $2.50. $2.50!! I could hardly believe it.

Have a great weekend friends!!

flower cluster tee

a little t-shirt restyle. i forgot to take a before picture but it was just your basic run-of-the-mill t-shirt.


i cut off the neckline, the bottom few inches (the shirt was so long it look like maternity) and shortened the sleeves. i used elastic thread to gather the neckline and sleeves.


the flower cluster was something i made last winter using this tutorial. it just happened to match the t-shirt perfectly.






part of DIY Day.

spray paint is my friend

the first thing i ever spray painted was the locks on my windows. this was back in 2005, when we had just moved in.

who wants to spend $75 on new hardware for windows that are over 30 years old when a $3 can of spray paint can do the job?



recently i have had a few more spray paint projects:

1- the little orange votive and the blue candle sticks were all tarnished brass. i bought them at a Habitat for Humanity Restore for 50 cents each.


























2- these white vases i got at a local store for 87 cents each.











i painted one orange because i love orange and the other red to go with my valentine decor.





3- i got this pewter footed bowl at a local consignment store for $3. i actually liked the pewter but i am trying to add more color to my home so i decided to go ahead and paint it. i am really happy with how it turned out. i think it might be my favorite so far. it makes a perfect place to store our keys.