Agent Skully's T-shirt and Cardigan

I like skulls. I like things with skulls on them. I am not goth, punk or anything dark. I just like skulls. Is that so wrong? I especially like smiling skulls.

When I came upon Debi's Design Diary's tutorial on sugar skull t-shirts, I was in 7th heaven!!! If you haven't checked out Debi's blog yet, get there asap. She makes the coolest things. I love how she thinks. Plus, she has this awesome, vintage, repurposed store. Sigh. She has my dream job. But she has a great tutorial on how to make these super cool sugar skull t-shirts. You can find it here.

I found a long sleeve white t-shirt in the thrift store one day for just a buck. I used lace from a vintage stash I had plus I purchased some that I thought would be perfect for my sugar skull. The Martha Steward decoupage lace at Michael's was the optimum choice for the eyes and nose of my skull. I followed Debi's steps and the result was my super cool t-shirt.

I love the shirt so much! When you wash this shirt, do not dry it. Hang it up to dry. Once I made the shirt, I knew I wanted more. So I took the skull pdf pattern that Debi provided and made it smaller in Photoshop. I printed out the smaller version and cut a skull out of lace. I then took a thrift store cardigan that originally had a beaded bow on the left side. I cut the thread from the bow so the beads would come off, but there still was a pattern left on the cardigan. 

I glued on the smaller lace skull where the bow was. Once that was done, I added some Simplicity iron on studs to compliment my smiling lace skull. 

Love, love, love this cardigan. But I have skull fever and I don't think I am done yet. I found  a great vintage teal 80s dress that would provide the perfect skull over a black or even a hot pink t-shirt. 

Make sure you visit Debi's Design Diary soon for to learn how to make your sugar skull t-shirt. She has a lot of other great things that I know you will want to make as well.

Happy thrifting from your snow shoveling, parka wearing, skull loving friend of the north!

Prabal Gurung Skirt Re-Style

Too much turkey and turkey preparation can prevent one from blogging. Add a little wine and you may pass out while your friends play with your cool toys. But eventually, one must come out of the turkey coma and get back to stitching and bitching, right?

Since I made my ultra-cool leather vest with the fur trim, I needed something funky to wear with it. I have this gorge black and white floral Prabal Gurung skirt that I got at the .99 sale last summer, but it is too small and too short. Story of my life I think. So I decided to expand the skirt to make it fit and lengthen it to make it longer.

First, I cut up the side on the right and on the left. I also had to cut into the lining. Before I started cutting, I used a seam ripper to remove the upper skirt band from the bottom of the skirt and lining. Once the sides were cut, I cut two side panels for the lining and two side panels for the outside of the skirt. I measured my waist and did some mathematical calculations as best as my limited math skills would allow and sized the panels at the top to add just enough width to the skirt for my waist. I also took seam width into consideration as well. 

For the lining, I found some simple scrap fabric in black that would suffice for lining. I sewed the lining panels in first. Then I cut two side panels out of black faux leather for the outside and also two small strips to add to the top skirt upper band. Once they were all sewed on, I reconnected the outer portion and the lining with the skirt band. Since the zipper was in the back, I never had to worry about that.

To make the skirt longer, I purchased a pre-made chiffon ruffle at JoAnn fabrics in the trim section. Remember, never waste a coupon-trim is rarely on sale. I sewed that ruffle to the bottom of the lining so that it would hang lower than the outer portion of the skirt. The result was exactly what I was hoping for!

Finally it was time to put my new funky outfit together. I found a little pink Cynthia Rowley leather trimmed top at the t-store for .99. I put it under the leather vest and added it to the skirt. I love how each piece has a leather look to it.

The most expensive part of this outfit was the trim, which cost about $5 with the coupon. The coat was $2, the top $1 and the skirt was $.99. The fabric used was scrap fabric, so I would estimate it at about $2. 

Total cost of the outfit = $10.99.

Check out those mad math skills, huh?

There is a snowstorm moving in and I have my sewing projects on reserve in case I am stormed in!  Happy shoveling  from your thrifting friend of the north! 

Fur Trimmed Leather Vest

Once upon a time, there was a black leather jacket. It no longer carried any coolness in its current state, so it was 're-invented' in order to comply with current trendy looks. Kind of like Madonna. Or Joan Rivers.

What a sad, lonely leather jacket. Even Fonzie couldn't make this jacket cool. It needs new friends.

The sleeves were donated to give this denim jacket new life.

The zipper was ripped off to give a little 'edge' to this floral jacket.

Finally, what was left of the sad leather jacket was nothing more than a sleeveless, unzipped shell; an even sadder version of it's original state.

But what can take sad and make it fabulous and glad more than faux fur? Faux fur makes everything better! It's soft and warm and, did I mention, fabulous!

I took seam binding and fixed the armholes of the now sleeveless jacket, similar to the technique I used when making the sleeveless blazer. I then purchased half a yard of black, faux fur and added it to the front part of the vest where the zipper used to be. I removed the collar and hemmed it where the collar used to be. The result: faux fur fabulousness!

What does one wear such a fabulous piece with, you ask? I suggest a warm white sweater underneath and skinny jeans and boots. I did make this with the intention of pairing it with another re-style. Part II is coming soon! Plus, there is still one final piece ripped from this jacket that can be repurposed. Can you guess what is coming?

Snow is here and this vest is just in time to greet it! Happy thrifting from your chilly, snow shoveling friend in the north!

The Sleeveless Blazer!!!

Remember in the late 80s and 90s how blazers were so darn popular? You just HAD to have one to wear and one that matched everything. Black was a typical color, but red and red plaid were also huge. Speaking of huge, most all came with giganto huge shoulder pads and some sort of gold emblem on the   chest pocket. Sadly, as time passed and trends changed, (thank goodness for no more shoulder pads!) the jackets were moved to the back of the closet and eventually, the thrift stores.

Fast forward until now when blazers are back baby! With a few minor changes, of course. The fall issue of In-Style magazine talked about the trend of sleeveless blazers. They are versatile pieces, that can be worn for casual or for work. I loved the look of both and set off to find myself some cast off, lonely blazers. I found two great blazers that were just begging to be cut up and worn again.

One army green linen blazer and one black double breasted blazer with the coolest buttons. They were also sporting giganto shoulder pads!

To make my sleeveless blazer, I cut off the sleeve very carefully from the jacket. If the jacket is lined, cut the lining just as close as you can to the outside of the jacket. From there, I used double fold seam binding in a coordinating color to make my arm opening look neat.

Once the seam binding was sewn in place, I ironed the armholes for a finished look. I then went to search for items in my closet to wear in both a work and casual setting. In other words, I want to wear these when I hang out and have a good time and also when I have to clock in at 8 am for 8 hours of office work. If this were a magazine spread, I could say 'A great day-to-night look!' 

The blazer can be worn with your favorite rock band t-shirt or any kind of graphic tee.

For a work outfit, I thought I would wear it with a sheer white blouse, giving a bit more warmth to the blouse for the upcoming cold, frosty, winter months. In North Dakota, we typically wear 3 or 4 layers during the winter. Sometimes more.

All could be worn with skinny jeans, skinny dress pants, skirts and boots. Very funky. The whole process took about 30 minutes from cut to last stitch. So run, grab yourself some blazers and start cutting those sleeves off!!!

Happy thrifting from your layered friend of the north!!!

Anarchy Sweater

Don't you just hate it when all you want is a burgundy cardigan with faux leather patches on it and you can't find it anywhere? Why is it that the only place it exists is in your creative imagination? You walk through store after store after store and you just can't find it anywhere. You do searches on the web and while you do find an acceptable solution, it is WAY out of your budget.

What? You don't have this problem? I thought everyone wandered the earth in search of a burgundy cardigan with faux leather patches. Huh. Silly me.

Well, I do. Or so I did. Until I finally gave in and went to the thrift store and found a cream colored cardigan that I introduced to a bottle of RIT burgundy dye. I was so dye happy, that I forgot to take a before picture. But I did take a picture of the process.

Yes, the bucket in the sink looked like a bloody mess. I highly recommend doing this process while watching Sons of Anarchy. This way, the bloody mess in the sink will not look unlike that of the crazy drama that ensues on Sons. Every commercial break, go and stir the mix. Use very hot water and salt. When you are done, roll the sweater in a black or red towel and air dry. Once it is dry, wash the sweater in cold with the red or black towel to get out any excess dye. Again, air dry that sweater.

I added two strips of faux black leather down the sleeves. Of course, the buttons on the sweater turned pink rather than burgundy, so I substituted them with black buttons. The end result was exactly what was living inside my imagination.

The great thing about this sweater, in addition to it being vintage, is that it is 100% cotton. Love a cotton sweater!!!!! (play Weezer song here) Don't be afraid to grab that packet of dye to make something the color that you want it to be. Leather patch sweaters fetch hefty price in stores currently. This one cost me $7.50. Not too shabby. And the mess was probably easier for me to clean up than the one Jax Teller had to deal with.

Happy thrifting from your burgundy friend of the north. Stay classy!!!!

Happy Rex Manning Day!

Last week we took a trip back to the 80s to visit Cindy Mancini's closet in Can't Buy Me Love. This week we are sprinting with love into the 90s, the decade of grunge. I heart the 90s. I was a child of the 80s and a girl of the 90s.

I loved the grunge look, the grunge music. I found this little plaid, wrap skirt straight out of the 90s.

So little and cute and so very EMPIRE RECORDS!!!!!

Now, this little plaid wonder may have fit me 20 years ago, but now, not so much. But if you unbuttoned the wrap and brought together the two sides in the center, the skirt would fit! I just needed a way to make it stay together without the buttons. Plus, it was a little on the short side for an old girl like myself.

I added a faux leather portion to the bottom of the skirt to lengthen it a bit. Then I added a metal zipper to the center portion.

Of course, the total Empire outfit wouldn't be complete without a blue, fuzzy sweater. So I found a blue fuzzy turtleneck sweater. I was too scissor happy to take a before picture. I cut the neck of the sweater off and slashed it up the back where the back zipper was. I then took some seam binding and hemmed the neckline and now cardigan edges. Once those were finished, I added some faux leather trim that was remaining from the scraps I used on the bottom of the skirt.

Young and fresh. Empire Records.

My modern take on the Liv Tyler outfit. Nice schoolgirl blouse underneath the edgy fuzzy cardigan and the cool re-styled skirt.

It is a little more secretary-friendly than Liv's outfit. But still retro, old school 90s style. This doesn't mean I will be shaving my head Robin Tunney style. Nor will I be dancing on top of a building roof like Renee Zellweger, at least I won't be caught doing so anyway! 

Happy Rex Manning Day!!!!!!!!

Thrifty Tips to Hide Your Addiction

Hi. My name is Kristen and I am a nail polish-aholic.

Hi Kristen.

It's true. I have an addiction to the glorious lacquer that is painted onto our fingernails. It is a quick fix to a bad day. It is happiness in a very small bottle. Pretty soon, however, one begins to accumulate a lot of 'happiness.'

Have a bad day at work? Swing by Target or the drugstore on your way home and pick up a new color. Instant lift. Tired of feeling like the only thing you do is work, cook, clean, do laundry and repeat? When the chores are done, brush on a coral, flaming red or even a glitter infused blue. You won't feel so bad leaving that last load in the dryer overnight because you don't want to mess up your manicure.

Nail polish-aholics have their brands of choice, just like any other addict. Essie, OPI, Butter, Sally Hansen, China Glaze-I could go on and on. And I probably own a bit of each. My favorite is the Julep brand. I am a Julep maven. Remember back in the 80s/90s when you got cassette tapes/cds in the mail each month form Columbia House? Well, Julep is a little like that. The mailman brings me happiness in a bottle. Awesomeness.

Julep nail polish is the Walter White Blue of the nail polish world. I am convinced it is the best.

But where does one put all these little bottles of happiness? You can't just leave the bottles laying around for the world to see your shameful addiction? As pretty as the colors are to your own eye, if your bedside table is completely covered in bottles, you have a problem. If you start to stash your bottles in random areas around your home, you have a problem.

I have found a solution.

I picked up this awesome train case the other day at Second Impressions Thrift Store. It is in excellent shape and does not smell or have any stains inside. Bonus! It is the perfect size to store my 'bottles.'

A beautiful blue Samsonite from days past. The mirror is still inside even. I carefully organized my bottles according to brand and color. I placed a layer on the bottom and then used a basket from the dollar store to keep the bottles in the second layer.

I love how there is a handle on the top of my hiding place. I keep it next to my bedside. You never know when you may have to make a quick emergency getaway in the middle of the night due to fire or some other horrifying reason. Grab your pants, your purse and by all means, your nail polish stash!!!!! Save the important things!!!! Do not let the firemen carry your stash-they will not understand and possibly toss it into the fire. 

Nothing comes between a woman and her nail polish collection. Nothing. 

So if you are having problems hiding your addiction like I was, go find yourself a pretty little train case.  On the outside it looks like you are simply carrying or storing your cosmetics, like any normal woman.  But stuff that sucker as full as you can with tiny bottles of happiness. And you will run out of room. This is inevitable. Just get on out there and get another case. Two hands, two handles to carry!

Happy thrifting my friends from your polished buddy in the north!

Cindy Mancini's Jacket

I was a child of the '80s, a girl of the '90s and a woman of the new millennium. I used my fair share of aqua net hairspray, plastered Johnny Depp posters from 21 Jump Street on my wall and watched many a teen heartthrob movie well before the 1990 calendar ever turned over. When I recently came across a vintage, suede, fringe jacket while thrifting, I was instantly transformed back to one of the greatest 80s teen flicks ever.

Oh yeah. That's Cindy Mancini in her mom's suede fringe jacket before the red wine gets spilled on it and before she tries to get the store to give her a new one and before Patrick Dempsey uses all his lawn mowing money to 'buy' her as his social entrance to the popular world. The movie is Can't Buy Me Love and it is a classic. Before Patrick Dempsey was McDreamy, he was little nerdy Ronald Miller. There are some star studded cameos in this flick also. Little Seth Green played Ronald's younger brother and Mr. Rico Suave himself, Gerardo, was one of the popular jocks.

As you can see in the picture, I was a little scissor happy before I remembered to take a before picture. I  am not too crazy about all the fringe, but the jacket fabric is fabulous. I removed the fringe from all around the jacket and headed to the fabric store for some sherpa fleece. I had a little sticker shock when I saw that the sherpa was $17 a yard!!! Fortunately I only needed 1/4 yard so my jacket re-style didn't break the bank.  I sewed the fleece onto the jacket like I would seam binding. I left the neckline fleece free. And because I had a little bit left over, I added some to the cuffs.

Modernized and very practical for the current climate. It isn't anything that will make Patrick Dempsey show up on a riding lawn mower and whisk me off into the sunset, but it will do for a date night or two. 

Happy thrifting from your 80s reminiscing friend of the north!

Thriller Jacket Re-Deux Part II

I know you were totally infatuated with the red leather jacket re-style from two days ago. I left you hanging with the cliffhanger of what became of the cast off denim jacket. Like the season opener of your favorite tv drama, here it is.

I see so many denim jackets in stores this fall with grey sweatshirt sleeves and a hood. I took a simple grey hooded sweatshirt and cut off the sleeves and hood. I sewed them to the denim jacket, carefully leaving the outside seams on the denim jacket as they were. I love the cool zipper in the front. This jacket can also be found at Second Impressions Thrift Store and is available for purchase right now. Remember, a portion of Second Impressions proceeds benefits the Grand Forks Humane Society. So not only do you get some cool, new threads to wear, you do something nice for your furry friends as well.

Happy thrifting from your chilly friend in the north!

(I think I need another jacket!)

Thriller of a Jacket Re-Style

The leaves are turning color, the wind is getting cooler and the temps are getting down there. Fall is here and thicker jackets are a must. Bring out the leather baby! All through the magazines I see leather jackets for fall. Biker jackets, suede jackets, sherpa jackets, all sorts of jackets. And red seems to be the ULTIMATE color for fall jackets.

This vintage red leather jacket from Second Impressions screamed Michael Jackson. In it's day, it was quite the hot coat to wear. It still has a degree of coolness but it is begging for a re-style.

The body of the jacket is in great shape. The sleeves, not so much. I didn't want to rip apart the main part of the jacket, so I simply removed the sleeves with a seam ripper. I have said it before and I will say it again; a seam ripper can be a girl's best friend.

The jacket was still cool without the sleeves, but I thought it too needed a friend. So I matched it up with a cool denim jacket.

Using a scissor, I cut the sleeves off of the denim jacket and sewed them to the leather jacket. The jacket that looked like it stepped out of a Michael Jackson video now had a modern twist and could easily be worn with a drapey top, skinny jeans and boots. The boots are an always must. 

I couldn't just leave behind the denim jacket. Tomorrow I will show you what I did with the denim scraps.

This funky, red re-do can be found at Second Impressions Thrift Store and is now available for purchase.

Beat it!