Dolce & Gabbana Floral Skirt

Last year, I began seeing this trend of bright floral pants, and I thought it was too much and not for me. However, as I saw more bloggers and celebrities wearing the print, the trend began to grow on me.

I saw a few options being sold online and for a full price but I hesitated because I was reluctant to purchase something that was very risky and might not last more than 2 seasons. Yeah, I hoard all my stuff, including clothes so I do not want to throw something out just because it is no longer fashionable.

One of my most favourite thing to do while thrifting now is looking for bedsheets with interesting prints or larger sized clothing, so that I can have a chance to be creative. I look for thrifted because I still make many mistakes when it comes to sewing!

I found this at the fabric stash and it cost $4 for 4 yards. The fabric was a little stiff, and I was wondering about making a pair of pants. 

I have never sewn with a pattern and all the sewing I have done to date is drafted by me. Sometimes I just trace off a well fitted garment and cross my fingers that it will work out. I decided to start with a skirt because I figured I have enough fabric to sew both a skirt and pants. These skirts were my inspirations.

 Dolce & Gabbana

I wish I knew the source of this skirt.

Has it been that long since I drafted a pattern? After painstakingly being so careful be detailed with the sewing, even unpicking several times because the zipper looked crooked, and hand sewing the waistband, I put on the skirt and realised that I forgot to include an ease. NO EASE = NO ROOM! Argh! I could not tuck a shirt in, so I had to settle for a t-shirt.

The front looks ok. But it is very tight, I have to hold my belly in so that I can zip it up. 

Overall, I was very pleased with both the quality of the fabric and my sewing, I seem to be getting better at the details but I obviously need to work on my drafting. 

Back to the drawing board! 

Thrifted Finds: Too Good Not To Share

Every winter, the blues hit me really hard. I am trying to read books to lift my spirits and am reading Simple Abundance which was a birthday gift from one of my dearest friends, Renee and doing positive things. Going to the thrift store really helps me because as we all know, retail therapy is probably cheaper than therapy anyway! I go to one near my house and the volunteers there are all so friendly, mostly retired teachers who I know by name. I was having one of those days when I decided to stop by, even though I had already visited it a few days ago.

I check out the shoe section first and I saw these, waiting for me.

They were brand new, their soles unscuffed. Size 37.5. My size. The universe was smiling at me. I picked it up without even trying them on and when I went to pay for it, the lady exclaimed what a find it was for $12. Yes folks. Once the cashier made the announcement, other women came running up to see this and they wanted to know if other sizes were available in the thrift store too. It made me smile!

I went back yesterday and two ladies who were shoppers recognise me as the "Jimmy Choo lady". You know why I love this shop, because the shoppers are amazing and friendly too!

Inspired By Pinterest: Cream Slater Skirt

Hello readers! I apologise for the long absence from my blog. It is just that life became more busy and this blog was facing some sort of an identity crisis because it started as a place to talk about my craft and then it became more about fashion. I really should start a separate blog about my thrifted fashion finds but if I can't maintain this one, I think there is less hope of keeping up to date with the other one.

Last year, I pinned this image of a Victoria Secret model, Candice Swanepoel because I loved the simple yet chic look of this whole ensemble. It also helps that she is tall, young and blonde!

I looked through the internet to see if I could find something similar but then I thought, "Why not make it myself?"

So during a sale at Joann Fabrics, I spotted fabric in the remnant section. It was meant for curtains but it had a sheen to it that I liked. I think I paid $2-$4 for the whole lot.

I went through the internet to see if I could pick up some tips on how to sew a box pleated skirt and here is a helpful one. I did not use a yoke as she did and the width of my pleats were 2" wide.

After sewing the skirt, I realised that the colour and drape was different from Candice's. It was pretty labour intense because of the folding of the pleats.  

I did not zip up fully when I took the picture, oops. 

This is the bad thing about taking your own pictures. You don't get to see all the errors in your photo until the shoot is done. I did not notice that my shirt needed to be tucked in better so that there would be no wrinkling just above the waist. I have a preview screen but it is tiny and seriously when time is short, I don't really want to scroll through the pictures to see if anything is wrong. But I endeavour to improve my photography for my blog. The other strange thing is - can you see the stripes above? I reckon there is a funk with my camera because the lines are slanting in the picture. Does anyone know why that happens? All my photos have this slant and sometimes when I take pictures, it just makes people look weird.

Overall, I can't wait to wear this when summer rolls around. There is a blizzard outside and school is cancelled. I love snow days! My kids are outside sledding. Stay safe and warm, friends! 

Painting: Woman with a Stick

Hi everyone! I have not been posting much here lately, it doesn't mean that I have been idle - I have been busy doing all sorts of DIY and some sewing here and there. The reason for me dithering on my blog was because I am having an identity crisis on what sort of blog this is turning out to be. I have been posting many fashion posts and this started off to document my craft.

I am thinking of starting another blog, I keep talking about it but I am horrible at making my blog look presentable. I might have to go to a professional to get my blog looking nicer and all.

But in the meantime, I finished a painting for my cousin who lives in New York. He and I grew up in very strict Malaysian schools where students get caned for mistakes or talking too loudly. He was in Poland and he saw a painting which reminded him of his student days so he wanted me to paint it.

So here it is, it took me a week. I painted it on paper, and had it in a frame which I bought from Michaels.

 I am only regretful that I did not take more pictures after the painting was done. Here it is already inside the frame and the glass is reflecting the stair rail. But I was also very pleased with how it turned out.

Inspired Designs: Valentino Rockstud Shoes

Source: fash-eccentric.com via Linda on Pinterest

Source: paloma81.blogspot.com via Grace on Pinterest

It is no secret that I love shoes and I especially love Valentinos - I just bought the Rockstud Kitten Heels from Nordstrom and I love them. I struggle with owning them because I love them but the price ($958 with tax) is not something that sits well with me. I usually thrift for my clothes or make them if it is easy enough.  I do the same with shoes too. I try to be a good steward of my own finances so I cannot find a reason to hold on to a pair of shoes which is almost $1,000. Please note, my blog is not to judge those who buy luxury items as every one has different financial situations.

Anyway, I saw this email in my inbox today, and I had to share it with my readers. (Well the 9 of you anyway)

Valentino Pointed Ballerina Pumps retailing for $536.61

Sole Society has an inspired pair called Martine for $49.95

I am thankful for these companies that sell these "inspired" designs because I can delight in them without guilt.

Romwe Review: Studded Anamolous Top

I have never bought anything from Chinese based websites before, because returns just seem to be a bit more daunting. Many bloggers I know purchase from several websites like Romwe or Sheinside and the quality seems to be fine from what I read. So what made me take the plunge was a top I saw Karen Cheng wearing this.

I went to the link and I got to see all the lovely details more clearly. You will have to click on Karen's website to see the link so that she gets all the shopping credits - I don't do anything like that yet on my blog so I would like her to earn something from it if you decide to buy since she introduced it. So yeah, I don't get anything from reviewing this purchase either but I hope it helps someone who is thinking of buying something from them. I had to go through many blogs but no one really writes in detail about what their purchase experiences are like. They just say that the product is nice which is not really enough for a cautious shopper like me.

I sat on it for several weeks before caving in. I have been looking at some peplum style tops but never taken the plunge to get anything because I have been trying to sew my own. (Tutorial to come soon!) This one had the extras - the hem was shorter in front and longer at the back; also the shoulders had these rockstar studs which I liked. I signed up with Romwe and they give you a code for being a first time buyer. You get 20% off, which is generous. The good thing about this website is that they assure you that you have 365 days to make a return but the downside is that you foot the cost to return it to China. I do not know how much it costs to return something to China but I can imagine it will be quite expensive.

With some trepidation, I bought it with the knowledge that I might be saddled with something too big or ill fitting. It took me 2 weeks to receive my order and you get a tracking number to see where it is. That helps!

There was a noticeable smell when I first opened the package. I had to wash it immediately because it really smelled of chemicals. I hand washed it because the fabric was very thin. I was hoping that it would be thicker than T-shirt material but it was more like a sheer knit. I would not put this in the machine to wash in order to retain its shape. The sewing was good and because it is a stretch fabric, it fit me well. I am glad to say that I will not be returning this top! It has made me more confident in buying from this website in the future and if I ever need to return something, I will write about it too.

I am wearing it with a pair of skinny pants I bought while I was in Singapore $18.  The Nine West leather handbag was a $4 steal from a thrift store.

Front view

Back - it covers your backside in a discreet manner! 

And my Nine West Shoes, which I thrifted for $2!

I wore this to the Motor Vehicle Agency to obtain my driver's license since mine was stolen in Malaysia. I usually dress up when I go take pictures for the license but I felt extremely LOUD in a sea of denims and neutrals today. I was kind of embarrassed to say the least but pretended not to care since it was too late to back down!

Hope you all have a nice weekend!

Meeting Mongs and Thrifting In Singapore

This post is long overdue but when I was in Singapore, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet with Mongs, who is the author of the very cool blog, My Thrifty Closet. I was really excited because I have never called someone I didn't know out of the blue to arrange to go out, thrifting no less! It was kind of like a blind date, only with less tension and more fun!

She wore an adorable outfit at our meeting - doesn't she just rock of retro? Here, Mongs picked up that striped tank top next to her. We went to the MINDS Thrift Store and if you can see in the picture, there is a person with a lime green shirt on. The funds go directly to support the people in these shirts, they are with disabilities like Downs Syndrome and they work as staff at these stores. I was told this by the manager and she said there were four MINDS branches in Singapore. I later went to another branch in Redhill (this one was in Queenstown) and they are all very clean, well sorted, and in air conditioned shops. So if you are ever in Singapore, look it up!

 

The great thing about thrift stores in Singapore are the sizes of clothes. They are more appropriate to Asian fitting and I had no trouble finding a lot of pieces I liked. The prices were reasonable, I picked up a white G2000 (local brand equivalent to Banana Republic) wool sweater for SG$4.00 (about the same in US dollars at that time of conversion) There was a grey skirt that had an interesting detail on it, so I bought it - for SG$1.00!

I saw a pair of mint Prada shoes for $80 but it was not in my size. C'est la vie! 

Later, Mongs took me to a huge thrift store which is called Hi Thrift and this was a really interesting place. It was situated next to a huge badminton indoor hall and everything was in chaos. There were tons and tons of stuff ranging from electronics to furniture. You had to dig through stuff to find your size. The price for all pieces of clothing was SG$2.00 and if you buy a lot, you get a discount. The proceeds go to ex-drug addicts to help them re-establish their lives again.

I wanted a Chinese Cheong Sam but as it is worn for more formal events, I did not want to buy a new one so I was thrilled to find this one for SG$1.00.

A white lace dress from Hi Thrift

 I showed this to my mother and she was like "What on earth??" I kind of thought that too, after I had bought it but it was so different, so thick, like upholstery fabric. It was only SG$1.00 anyway so if I get too many weird looks on the street, I will donate it. That is the beauty of thrifting because I try new styles I would not normally wear because of the money spent and regretted later.

 

I really enjoyed myself at the second store, even though I get impatient when things are not well arranged. I was really surprised to see American brands like Ann Taylor and Tory Burch. My find of the day was a pair of Tory Burch sequined flats for $2.00 but they were on the small side. Did I care? No, I was just blinded by the fact that they were $2 and TORY BURCH.  I carried these shoes all the way home to America with me and wore them once. They hurt like hell because they were too tight so now I have to donate them to the thrift store. 

Sadly, we only had about 3 hours together. Mongs is as sweet as she is in person, like her blog. I planned on going back to meet with her again but did not get the chance during the second trip to Singapore. It is great how blogging opens up friendships across borders and we connected so quickly because we both shared a passion for loving thrift stores and being crafty. Hope to meet you again someday, Mongs! God bless you and your family!