Showing posts with label spring fashion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spring fashion. Show all posts

Friday, April 13, 2012

What the Art Teacher Wore #12

Welcome Back, Monday: sweater: ancient thrifted find; dress: anthopologie; belt: made by me; tights: Target: shoes: Urban Outfitters flats made into Mary Janes  with leopard print fabric by me...they didn't want to stay on my feets otherwise.

Well, hello! Long time, no weekly outfit post. I dunno if you noticed but I kinda went on a weekly-outfit-post hiatus during my Spring Break. Mostly cuz I didn't really think you'd be interested in the jammies-and-house-slippers-til-well-past-noon look. And if you were, well, you could simply drop by the local Walmarts (oh, too harsh?).
Can you believe these shoes? I went in search of flats and found these bad boys on the Urban Outfitters website. I was asked several time is they were some of my DIY shoes!
But this week, we returned. And I'm so glad because I missed those kids so much. Even if this happened...

Kid: Mrs. Stephens, what is that smell?
Me: I had beans for lunch.
Chorus of Kids: Eeeewwww.

(five minutes later)

Kid: Mrs. Stephens, can I have some more green paint?
Me: Sure. (half empty bottle of paint makes farty noise).
Kid Across the Room: (whispering) Ew, did you hear that? Must have been those beans. I feel sorry for the kids at that table.

I get no respect, I tell ya.
Tinga Tinga painting from Tanzania.   Don't you love this? Tinga Tinga is the name of artwork made in something called the Tinga Tinga Cooperative in Tanzania. The co-op was created by the family of a man named Edward Tingatinga who painted in this style back in the 1960's. Artists in the co-op today are strongly influenced by his style.

 

In other less gassy news, I really enjoyed matching my outfits with masterpieces as I did in this post, so I thought I'd give it another go. It's been a lot of fun as I would have never stumbled upon the artwork above otherwise. I do hope you enjoy...

 

And might I make a polite recommendation....

 

The next time you decide to enjoy some lovely beans for lunch, have it with a side of Bean-o. Just sayin.

Turquoise Tuesday: sweater: ebay; dress: vintage, thrifted; belt: made by me; sandals: Sseko sandals with straps made my me
Ordering Spring, Janet Fish, 1996
Flamenco Wednesday: sweater and fishnets: Target; dress: vintage, found in San Francisco; shoes: Indigo by Clarks; belt and flower clip: H&M
Erhem, don't ask.
I adore this painting...by the contemporary artist Daniel R. Gerhartz.
Chlorine Blue Thursday: dress: found for a couple of bucks at an antique store, eep! belt and flower: H&M; shoes: Indigo by Clarks
David Hockney, John St. Clair Swimming (from Twenty Photographic Pictures), 1972
Greetings, Friday! 'Bout time: dress and sweater: vintage, thrifted; belt: gift from a sweet friend; shoes: Frye, found at the discounted shoe shop Martie and Liz
Just realized this is another Daniel Gerhartz painting.










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Friday, April 6, 2012

DIY: That 70's Shoe

Outfit details: dress: anthropologie from a couple summers ago; flower: H&M; shoes: diy'ed by me; belt: made by me and soon for sale in my shop
Hey, kids! Can you tell I'm just a little stoked about my new shoes? I wore them out to brunch today with a friend and received so many compliments. And, being the bragasaurus that I am, you know the first thing out of my mouth was, "Thanks! I made them!" I thought I'd share with you how I did it. It's so easy!
The completed shoe. For other shoe diy's, look here.
For this super easy project, you'll need the following: 
  • platform or wedge sandals (what do they call 'em these days?) I picked mine up at Goodwill.
  • fabric
  • glue ... I like to use Aleene's Tacky Glue found at most hobby stores.
  • matte Modge Podge
  • exacto knife
  • paint brush
 And here are the steps I took:
  1. Lay shoe on top of fabric and cut, just like above photo. You'll need two pieces of fabric for each shoe.
  2. Paint glue on to platform quickly. Be careful not to paint on the rubber sole of the shoe or the shoe itself because it will stick.
  3. Place fabric over glue and smooth down.
  4. Flip the shoe over and repeat this process on the other side.
  5. Then repeat this process again on the other shoe.
Once the shoes have dried (I waited about 30 minutes), use an exacto knife and carefully cut along the edge of the shoe. I found that it really helps to use a new exacto blade.
Don't worry about the fabric fraying. Your final step, once the cutting is complete, is to cover the entire base of the shoe with Modge Podge. That will prevent the shoe from fraying any further. It also will add a protective coating to the shoe. I prefer the matte Modge Podge for this type of shoe because I didn't want them to be shiny.
And viola! These are a pinch more 1970's than I normally wear...but I love 'em just the same.
Outfit details: dress: vintage, thrifted; belt: a super sweet friend; flower: erm, these are my shoe clips that I bobby pinned into my hair; shoes: moi!
Sorry, this is as close to my troll feet as you're gonna get. Not that you'd wanna get any closer. I have what's called hammer-head toes. No pedi can prettify this kinda ugly.
 I was having so much fun with that vintage fabric that I created a matching belt and some new straps for my Sseko sandals. Making straps for these shoes takes me less than 15 minutes. It allows me to be matchy match from head to toe, as you can see here!
Off to get ice cream! Outfit details: dress: Forever 21, a couple summers ago; belt: made by me and available in my shop; sandals: Sseko and me
Thanks for dropping by. I've had so much fun sharing my DIY's with you of late! My spring break is drawing to a close...off to make the most of it.
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Tuesday, March 20, 2012

DIY: The Scarf Blouse

In my newly completed Scarf Blouse. Or slouse. Maybe blarf. Whichever you prefer.
So I have this new habit. Whenever I experience a craft failure/disappointment/disaster-of-epic-proportions, my new thing is to step away, calmly, and leave the scene of the crime. From there I usually wallow around with a bar of dark chocolate, a cup of tea and maybe a cookie or three and find another craft to attempt. I find this really helps me get over the frustration of time lost and effort spent. And, sometimes, helps me come back to the mess with fresh eyes and new ideas. Even if that idea is, "craft project, meet trash can." 
I snagged this sweet little scarf-to-blouse pamphlet during a recent thrifting adventure. I quickly learned that the 20-30 minute bit was just false advertisement.
Which is how this Slouse was born. This little pamphlet had been sitting on my sewing table for ages. So, after a recent craftastrophe, I decided to give it a shot. One of the first things I began collecting in high school were vintage scarves. I loved the patterns, the texture of the silk and the fact that they were cheap. In college I went through a period where I wore them 1950's style around my neck. These days my collection just sits on my sewing room shelf.
Just a few of my favorites. I don't think I'll be able to cut into some of my scarves, I love them too much. I mean, look at that puppy pattern, swoon!
So I chose a scarf from my stash that I didn't think I'd miss if I messed up. It had a small tear and some discoloration but I loved the color and pattern. After deciding on my scarf, the first thing I had to do was add more fabric to make it large enough.
If you decide to create your own Blarf, and I believe you should, keep in mind that these measurements are from the 1940's. People were so much smaller back then. I used the measurements as suggestions.
I happened to have some green striped taffeta (er, I think that's what this fabric is) in my collection that once was a curtain. Adding that fabric to the scarf turned out to be the biggest chore as I had to hem it, attach it to the scarf and then figure out a way to miter the corners. Super fun times. But once complete, I was finally ready to follow the pattern.
While I love this shirt, it's not my usual style. I was hoping for a 1940's look...but I'm afraid I may be a little closer to Mrs. Roper.
I began with creating an opening for the neck. I did have to expand the measurement for the opening by an inch or two as my head is kind of large. Especially when you take into consideration that there is usually a bumpit making it even larger.
When following this pattern, I pinned, tried it on, repinned and tried again. I made many alterations to the pattern but this gave me a great starting point.
Really, creating the opening was not the hard part. It's this sewing silk business that drove me mad. It's so stinking slippery that it's like maneuvering a snake through your machine. And I found it difficult to measure accurately. But my sewing skills are extremely limited, so I'm winging it most of the time. For you sewing smarties, it would be a snap.
The back. Duh. I was concerned about how the backside looked, but if you look at the illustration, the bottom of the shirt is a little more tight fitting.
After the opening was complete, I was tempted to just leave the thing as a poncho. But, after taking one of those aforementioned breaks, I came back and set to work on the side seams.
Follow these measurements with caution and lots of fittings.
 What I found helpful was getting one side seam sized correctly and making a tissue pattern. That way I could use the same measurement on the other side. After creating that tissue pattern, the rest was just a zip through the sewing machine, ironing and done!
While snapping these pictures, I found it kind of funny that I have the very same pallet of colors in my house. Must be what I'm drawn to. The skirt, by the way, came from Target.
I do hope you'll give a Scarf Blouse Shirt Top a try. And if so, please send me a photo. I'd love to see what you create. I'm thinking of making a couple more myself. Enjoy your week!
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Friday, March 16, 2012

What the Art Teacher Wore #10

Swing Your Partner Monday: I love my Mondays. Seriously. It is a slightly lighter day as far as my schedule goes and it just makes coming back to work at the end of the the weekend very pleasant. It also helps that I love my job! shirt: Paris Market Vintage in Orlando; skirt: vintage, thrifted; tights: Target; boots: Seychelle's
Well, hello there! It's just...me. Sorry, this week you only get to see what ridiculous ensembles I threw together as Lauren has kinda sorta moved on. And I've missed her so! Thankfully the room hasn't been too terribly quiet as I've had an army of amazing parents in my room all week. You see, my school was awarded a grant to participate in a fundraiser that will help feed the hungry. The deal is that my students are to create a clay masterpiece that, on the night of the art show, will be exchanged for canned goods. All canned goods will then be distributed to those in need throughout our community. 

The difficult task is helping twenty children successfully complete a clay sculpture in under half an hour. That's where these amazing moms and dads step in. They've helped clean, prep and assist any little artist in need. I honestly couldn't do it without them. So, if you're out there, thank you, parents! And any parent that helps in anyway at your child's school, know that you are truly appreciated.
I Don't Always Shop at Anthropologie, But When I Do, It's from the Sales Rack: cardigan and dress: anthropologie; shoes: vintage, thrifted; belt: Pinkyotto
Thrifty Wednesday: Everything I'm wearing was a thrift-store-score: sweater: Free People, thrifted; dress: Ann Taylor, thrifted; shoes: Dolls by Nina; tights: fishnets and gold tights from Target
Springy Thursday: I almost bought a knock-off vintage dress in this style at Anthropologie. So glad I didn't when I found this one at a vintage shop in San Francisco. dress: vintage; tights: Target: shoes: vintage, thrifted
Finally Feelin' It Friday: I admit, I'm officially tired! Notice the random artworks strewn across my floor and it's not even 8am! sweater: thrifted; dress: BCBG




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