DIY: The Empire Strikes Back Dress

"These aren't the droids you're looking for. Move along...move along."

You know those really obnoxious people that go on vacation and then share with you every one of the two million photos they took, complete with the blow-by-blow story behind each? 

Hi. I'm one of those people.

But these aren't just any vacation photos. Especially for those Star Wars fans out there. 

Oh no. These are photos from a long time ago (well, this weekend) in galaxy far far away (er, Orlando)...

Dunno about you, but I am a huge fan of the Max Rebo Twelve (aka The Cantina Band). Looking for one of those tunes you'll never get out of your head? Well, look no further.

For the past couple years, hubs and I have attended Star Wars Weekends at Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World. It's pretty incredible, even if you aren't a Star Wars fanatic. 

Each day begins with a huge parade of all of the Star Wars characters. This is followed by a series of shows featuring some of the stars. For example, last year the actor behind C-3PO was there to chat about his experience in that little gold suit. This year, the voice behind many of the Clone Wars characters, James Arnold Taylor, was presenting, as well as the Jake Lloyd, the child actor that played young Anakin Skywalker. They were fascinating to hear. 

The day ends with something called the Hyperspace Hoopla aka Dancing with the Star Wars Stars. It's this amazing dance off between the good guys and the bad. Check out this year's dance off here.

The Empire Strikes Back...in the form of a 1960's dress.

 As you can imagine, this kind event draws the most die hard of fans. Which usually means geeks in costumes.This year alone, we saw countless Princess Leias (both white robe and metal bikini), double-headed light saber twirling Darth Mauls, a Jabba  the Hut and, of course, Darth Vadar. Did I mention that this is in the summer in Orlando? Wearing those hot and heavy costumes takes some kind of (nerd-tastic) dedication. 

Darth Vadar on my left check and C-3PO on my right.

And, if you know me, than you know I will not be out done. So this year, I decided to craft something of my own.

Recently my mom gave me my Empire Strikes Back sheets that I had when I was a kid. The timing couldn't have been more perfect. I knew I didn't want to dress as a character...but a sort of vintage-girl-who-loves-all-things-Star-Wars-y. 

The above is the result.

My 1960's pattern of choice.

 I decided to go with the above pattern because I've used it before, it's fairly simple and the design is pretty figure-flattering. It does a lovely job of accentuating what I don't have (it's like a force-push to the bosom area) and minimizing what I do. Something all clothes should do, don't you think?

My first dress crafted from this pattern, sewn a couple years back.

Boba Fett was completely taken with my dress...until he noticed Princess Leia and Han Solo on my left hip. I'm attempting to cover it up...meanwhile looking like he just finger-jabbed me.

The Disney actors never break character or talk. So Boba Fett is trying to pantomime that I rest my chin on his hand. I'm a little slow to the dance.

Hubs had to coach me from the sidelines.

Speaking of, Boba Fett did not take too kindly to hubs intruding his space. Especially since hubs seems to be channeling a young Obi Wan look.

So we captured him straight away and shackled him in what looks like a mini-keg. Grr, bounty hunters, unite!

Lemme, tell you, this dress was so much fun to wear. I had several guys tell me that they also had these same bed sheets as a kid. Many ladies stopped me with an "Oh! I love your dress!" and a "Did you make that?!" and a couple "Do you sell those?". Several folks even snapped a picture. And to think anywhere else I'd probably get the freak-show stare.

 Thanks for indulging me and my countless photos, guys. I know there where a lot, but you liked 'em, right?

Guys? 

Hello? 

Where are you all going, I still have 276 more to share!? 

Well, may the force be with you any old way.

What the Art Teacher Wore #19

Summer Monday, You're as Good as a Friday in My Book: Ahhh, summer. On this Monday, I wrapped up a visit with my mom that involved some serious estate sale shopping and pizza devouring. dress: Issac Mizrahi, thrifted; sunglasses: ebay; belt: Pinkyotto; shoes: sale room at Anthropologie

 Hi friends! I'm currently on vacation in Sunny-One-Minute-Rainy-the-Next Orlando, Florida. I tell ya, this weather is moodier than me comin down from my morning chocolate-and-coffee combo. Hey, Breakfast of Champions, don't knock it.

This week, I chose a mish-mash of images that either reminded me of my ensemble or my redonkulous photos. I do hope you enjoy. Okay, I'm off to sleep...tomorrow we return to Hollywood Studios for one last day at Star Wars Weekends, eep!

Andy Warhol, Flowers 1970

Pajamas-til-noon-Tuesday: And the only reason I got dressed was because I received this gem of a skirt in the mail. I can't tell you how much I love this skirt, it's covered in Parisian landmarks and came from the sweetest etsy seller out of England. top: Anthropologie, gift from a friend; skirt: PossessedN1; shoes: Clarks; giant flower clip: made by me

Don't you love this? Their full skirts and Eiffel Tower background reminded me of my skirt.

Thrifting and Dining Wednesday: I had so much fun scouring the local thrift shops with a buddy who's just bought her first home. We worked up quite the appetite stopping for caffeine, frozen yogurt and lunch along the way. Please don't ask me why I thought doing a hair flip was appropriate. top: Anthropologie, couple years ago; skirt: made by me, tutorial here; sandals: Target, old

Yeah, so, the hair flip. Okay, honestly, I thought I might look a little something like this. But maybe with my mouth less, uh, agape.

...and yet, I'm pretty sure I look closer to this. Minus the biceps and the strong jawline.

Beachy Thursday: This dress proved to be the best for travel. We flew into Orlando that morning and headed straight to Cocoa Beach. dress: Anthropologie, sale last year; sandals: Chacos

 Vintage Florida

Star Wars Friday!: When my mom gave me my old Empire Strikes Back bedsheets, I knew I couldn't part with them. I've had them in my fabric stash for ages. When our trip to Star Wars Weekends rolled around, I just had to use them to create a dress for the occasion. The pattern is vintage 1960's. I'll share all the details (and more photos!) with you in an upcoming DIY.

Oh, yeah, baby. May the force be with you ;)

DIY: Calling Tennessee Home

The Tennessee calendar painting that took me for-evah. Do you think anyone would notice if I just whited out the 2 in 2012 and made it into a 3 come January? Never mind the incorrect dates, no ones pays attention to that sort of thing...right?

Hello Tennessee- and those-that-live-in-other-fabulous-places friends! I'm taking a little break from the thought of cleaning (because the thought alone wears me out, I can never get to the actual doing) and dreaming up my next DIY. I've been itching to create another painting, not having created one since my World War II-inspired love letters and the Soda Jerk painting. This time I'd like to create another Tennessee themed piece.

Vintage postcard found in a local antique shop.

I got the idea to go with a Tennessee theme for the house a year ago. Hubs and I had taken a trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee and the hotel we were staying in had these amazing vintage photos of the Smokey Mountains. I found the source of the photos but they were way beyond my price range. So I 

decided to hunt for vintage Tennessee souvenirs and see what I could create with them.

The little triangle flags (I know those have a name...what are they called?!) have been up since a party we had...and I liked the too much to take down.

I started with this chalkboard piece last summer. I thrifted this frame, complete with tagboard backing. I spray painted the frame with a satin black and painted chalkboard paint onto the surface of the tagboard. Once that was dry, I used acrylic paint to create the image of Tennessee. Super simple DIY!

Vintage photos have got to be my absolute favorite. Never mind that I don't know the people! I just love seeing a snapshot into the lives of the past.

I was super bummed about the high cost of the Tennessee photos. So I started scouring ebay and etsy for such. I lucked out when I won an ebay auction that granted me a family photo album full of a 1940's trip to the Smokey Mountains. I took the photos to our local photography shop and had them enlarged. They are now framed and hung around the house.

Not too long ago, we took a trip to Chattanooga, Tennessee which is most famous for it's Incline Railroad to Lookout Mountain. The railroad has actually been left unchanged since the above photo. You can read more about our little trip here.

Other framed vintage Tennessee goodness around the house is an old map and an original large photo of a group of tourists at Lover's Leap. Sorry, they were too difficult to photo what with the reflective glass and all. You get the idea.

In the Smokies, one is bound to see a bear. On one of our trips, we witnessed a crazy woman outside of our hotel trying to get an up close and personal photo of a bear. Thankfully the bear was too distracted by the Taco Bell meal he'd manage to uproot from the trashcan to notice her. Not wanting to witness a crazy-lady-bear-attack, hubs informed the lady, "You know they eat people, right?"

Most of my frames are either thrifted or Target'ed. The above came from Target, complete with the matte. When I find a thrift store frame, I almost always spray paint it black to add some consistency to the look. On two occasions, I've taken my thrifted frames to Joann's for the matting and the glass.

Thrifted frame, tourist map, bits and bobs from the craft room.

This map was modge-podged right over the original image. I then slathered it with some thinned white paint to set it back a little bit. I have a leaf press and went through this crazy faze where I leaf pressed any fall leaf I could find. Everything was hot glued into place and it now hangs in something called The Butler Pantry...aka, the-place-where-hubs-throws-his-stuff.

Just a little close up. The photos were also in the Smokey Mountain photo album.

When hubs goes for his walks in the woods, he always comes home with the most beautiful feathers. I loved this delicate one.

Thrifted candle stick holders, spray painted black, thrifted orange polka dotted bowl, painting by me, TN letters from Joann's spray painted silver.

And here's my latest inspiration! Also picked up at an antique shop. I have a huge 5' X 2' canvas that I plan to paint this image onto. I cannot wait to start on it and I'll be sure to share it with you once complete!

What the Art Teacher Wore #18

Last Monday of the School Year! sailor top: gifted from a dear friend that wore it back in the day; skirt: Anthopologie, gift from a friend; shoes: Anthropologie, sale!; anchor belt: made by me

 After days of eating Sweet CeeCee's frozen yogurt (once even for dinner!), scoping out countless estate sales, spending time with friends and family, shopping at farmer's markets and seeing my nephew graduate from high school (what?!), I'd say summer has arrived. And to think I'm only five days in! I am so looking forward to more days like this.

This week I found some vintage ads, patterns and photos that I thought went along with what I wore. But now I need your help...with summer being here, do you really wanna see what I wore everyday? I'm wondering if I should temporarily put this post series on hold until school resumes...or not. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I do hope you are having a fantastic Memorial Day weekend! Thanks for dropping by.

OH, can I please have the sailor dress on the left? Love the big red bow. Check out this blog for more vintage goodness.

Just Down to the Hours Tuesday: We saw the kids for a mere two hours before wishing them a great summer. In that short time, my P.E. buddy and I managed to get censored on the Morning Announcements (I dropped the f-bomb...which would be "fart") and rode a mini-motorcycle through the assembly. In this. dress: vintage '80's, thrifted; belt: gift from a friend, outfitted with flower by me; shoes: Anthro, can you tell I like them?

My full skirted dress reminded me of this one found here.

Graduation Wednesday: When I married my hubs, my nephew was 8 years old...and on this day he graduated from high school! Such a happy time for this awesome young dude. dress: vintage, scooped up on etsy; shoes: Lucky Brand; belt: same one as above, different flower; necklace: thrifted

I love the horizontal stripes...but I've always been warned to avoid 'em. More pattern-y stuff found here.

Pom-Pom Happiness Thursday: Don't you love my mother-in-laws backyard? It's amazing! She's got herbs growing, flowers blooming, blue berries we picked off the bush and enjoyed right there. Oh, and four koi fish swimming in a pond. shirt and belt: vintage, thrifted; skirt: gift from a friend, pom poms added by me; sandals and necklace: Target, old

See, I'm not the only one that likes to hold her skirt out. I swear, I just don't know what to do with my hands! Don't you love this? I found it here.

Everyday is my Friday: dress: Forever 21, old; sunglasses: vintage, ebay; sandals: Target

Love the green and red. Vintage Revlon ad via pinterest.

DIY: Shadow Box Memories

My shadow boxes full of photos of my grandmother Marilyn, her friends and family with the ceramic paper doll dresses I created.

Ya'll might remember these ceramic doll dresses I created while back. Looking at old family photos, I based the design of the dresses on clothing that my maternal grandmother wore in the early 1950's. The dresses were modeled on a vintage paper doll from my kinda-too-big collection, and glazed and fired in colors popular during that era.

The first shadow box I worked on, without the glass top. The reflection of the glass was a pinch too difficult to deal with when snapping photos.

And while I was pretty excited by the result of most of the dresses (I hate that glaze sometimes does the ugly and unexpected), I was then stuck with "okay, now what?" syndrome. I had some thoughts rolling around in my head but each seemed to take away from the idea behind the dresses: my grandmother.

I have a very limited number of photos of my grandma. In family, pictures of her are like gold. She was/is very much loved.

When an art teacher buddy suggested I use shadow boxes, it was like a slap-to-the-forehead-why-didn't-I-think-of-that moment. I rushed out to a craft shop and scooped up these vintage-y looking boxes along with a die cutter that created the labels and a super fine-tipped marker.

Because my grandmother has since past, taking with her many memories, I had to rely on what was written on the back of the photo for my information.

Putting these boxes together proved to be difficult for me as I have just a slight problem with showing restraint (see any outfit post and you'll see what I mean). Working in collage for me is more of a matter of subtraction rather than addition. What didn't make the cut: vintage stamps, buttons and an old letter. With everything competing for attention, my grandmother and her dresses seemed to get a little lost.

I love this buttery yellow glaze. Satin glaze by Duncan is my favorite.

So I decided to use vintage variegated linen for the background which I adhered to the masonite board with 3M Spray Adhesive (the best spray adhesive there is).  I had some of these vintage photo corners and glued the photos to the background with my hot glue gun.

In true can't-leave-well-enough-alone fashion, I immediately added another photo to this box after snapping these picks. I filled that blank area on the bottom left with another photo of my grandma.

To add some three-dimensional quality to the photos, I used 3M double sided sticky tape to lift the photos up a bit. It's hard to tell in these photos but in real life, you can see that some photos pop out.

My grandma was a majorette. Sadly, I don't have many photos of her in her outfit, but plenty of her friends, as seen above.

The last thing added to the frame were the dresses. I used that stinky but very sticky E-6000 glue. You might remember that I've actually got more dresses created than just these, like a prom dress and one that looks suited for a debutante's ball, but I thought these worked the best.

Love that curly hair and strong calf muscle.

And that was it. I'm pretty excited with how they turned out. Right now they are being hung in my school district's central office along with the incredible pieces created by the art teachers that I work with. If I manage to get over there, I'll have to snap a couple photos and share it with you.

My grandmother with her siblings. My grandma is the one in the suit, second from the right.

My mom noticed how my grandmother was standing: no hands on her hips or pose, but arms by her sides and feet planted, looking strong and determined.

My only regret...not having a paper doll that looked a little more like my grandma. I made color copies of the original paper doll so I would have multiples and not damage the original.

My grandma's high school graduation photo.

I really can't wait to get them home. I have yet to decide where I'll hang them...maybe in my very crowded sewing room or my rather bare bonus room. Regardless, I know I want to create more dedicated to my grandma and other wonderful women in my life. Thank you so much for your suggestions and encouragement on the first installment of this project. They motivated and inspired me to complete these pieces!