Gap Khaki Hack

I have been pining for a pair of the Gap's "broken-in" rolled-up khahis - they look so comfortable with the higher waist and relaxed fit (sigh, there was a time when I would never have uttered 'comfortable', 'high-waisted' or 'relaxed fit' without shuddering...).  My comfortable wardrobe these days seems to be teetering on full-blown slob, so I am hoping these walk the less-slobby side of the line for cooler days at the park.

BUT, I am trying to get through the summer without investing in too many new things - fighting the urge to have whatever the trend is and be more responsible with my cash and my need for new clothes.  The horror of the tragedy in Bangladesh has not left me - especially since 90% of my wardrobe is Joe Fresh.  I have no idea what the answer to that can of worms is, but I can tell you that this beast of a need to shop is tougher to ignore than I would like.

In an effort to feed the shopping monster without waking the guilt monster, I bought a pair of ca. 2005 (or is it 1995? I forget) Gap trousers at Value Village.  They fit nicely around the hips and butt but were quite wide in the leg for my 2013 sensibilities.  So I brought out the sewing machine and in-expertly brought them closer to the leg by turning them inside out, pinning about where I thought they should go, and running a straight-ish line down the inside seam.  I did one leg first, and sewed it a few times before I was happy with the shape.  Then I just folded them over and copied the line to the other leg.  Turned them back out, rolled up the bottom, and taddah, my own broken-in khakis.

New clothes, a trip to Value Village, a little DIY, the style I was after and my hazy, ill-defined values intact - who knew one pair of trousers could satisfy in so many ways?

Stitched Wool Laptop Case

The weird thing One of the (many) weird things about me is that when I am stressed out I am at my most creative.  I'll have fourteen deadlines and a calendar covered in black ink and suddenly feel the overwhelming urge to knit a sweater and re-paint a whole dining room set.  Hey, it's better than smoking crack, right?  So with a complete mess in my beautiful basement; a pile of business cards on my table from plumbers, flood clean-up guys, insurance adjusters, and contractors; and two new patched-up holes in my front yard, I knew it was time to get out the scissors and spray paint.

One project that had been on my list for a while was a sleeve for my laptop.  In the summer, when I was home, I found an old leather book bag my parents had given me when I was maybe 8 or 9.  It even has my monogram on it!  I don't think I used it for very long, since it wasn't very big and wasn't all that cool at the time... But now it seems all kinds of cool, and the perfect size for my laptop to boot.

The only problem was that it had no lining for my most precious baby, er, I mean computer.  When I saw this tutorial on Design*Sponge, I realized I had found my solution.   I had bought a sample of some lovely soft herringbone wool ages ago at a fundraiser for the Textile Museum, and had never known what to do with it.  I dug it up and paired it with a bright green embroidery thread.

I followed the instructions somewhat, and made them up somewhat as I went along.  All my sewing stuff was under plastic in the basement so I had to improvise. :)  William helped me sew the top of the case down - I would put the needle into the wool and he would grab it and walk away with it until it was taught.  It took a LONG TIME but that's ok.  I finished the sides up with the oh-so-beautiful blanket stitch, and slid it in my briefcase.

Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy!  What do you think?  Are you a stress-crafter?  Or am I one of a kind? :p

Giveaway from Shibang Designs

It is raining giveaways around here! This one is generously offered by Robyn from Shibang Designs. I noticed her booth immediately at the One of A Kind Show - her designs are bright and unique, and her technique is incredible.  She uses wool roving, layers of fabric, and her sewing machine to create these gorgeous flowers - they look like tropical watercolours to me.  And the designs she then creates around them - from clutches to make-up cases to wall art - are just beautiful.  Plus, she is a Maritimer (albeit living in BC), so that's 10 extra points for her, right? (EDIT - OK I may have jumped the gun on that one, she is a West Coast gal who did her degree in Halifax.  But I'll still give her the points. ) :)

Robyn has offered up one of her iPhone cases (which make total sense as I look at the scratches on the front of my phone from having only one of those back cases).  To enter, please visit her Etsy shop or online shop and come back let me know which piece is your fave.  Each one is unique - they really are amazing.  Contest will close next Monday evening at 6PM EST (in time for Mother's Day!  Just sayin...).  Of course, there are lots of ways to improve your odds and gain additional entries:

• Follow my blog!  Really... by doing this you have already won... ;p
• LIKE Shibang Designs on Facebook
• Tweet about the giveaway (use @lisamackay and @ShibangTextiles)

Robyn is also offering Wicked and Weird readers a 20% discount on items in her Etsy shop.  So you can get your Mother's Day gift there, and then when you win the giveaway - keep that for yourself!  I know, I'm always thinking... Enter the code wickedandweird to get your discount.  Yay Robyn!

I think this last one is my personal pick - love the smokey blue on the black, and the shape of the case is awesome.  Wouldn't this be nice for someone who has a birthday in May?  Someone with a really amazing blog?  Just sayin... Thank you so much Robyn - you are going to make one of my readers a very lucky person!!

Pom pom linen scarf

When I saw these scarves on The Purl Bee so many moons ago, I immediately added them to my project pile.  I love linen, and the addition of the pom poms is so unexpected, but with them the scarf almost reads like a necklace.  Of course, they would be lovely in the summer evenings over a simple dress, but my life is busy and my project list is long, people.  I finally finished my first one on Tuesday.

Apologies for the bad photos, but it is a very pretty light grey linen and a crisp white pom pom.  So even though I am a few months too late for summer wearing - maybe the colours could be considered wintery?

Regardless, it was fun to get out the sewing machine again and make something!  I had to get a zipper foot for this project, and amazingly there is a great sewing store right down the street from me.  I am now inspired to get sewing this winter - new curtains maybe?  I certainly don't need any more scarves!!

Brooklyn Limestone DIY

I am so impressed with this lovely DIY window treatment from the oh-so-creative Mrs. Limestone.  I do love painting drop cloth projects, having done a few myself, and this one is simple and really effective.  It would be great for a bathroom, or a hallway window, and you could create any design you choose (although her letter is so perfect!).

PS. Besides being obviously gifted in the decor and crafty departments, she is also an amazing photographer, and was in the group I did that Photo Challenge with.  Check our her Flickr page here, or purchase a print here.

Happy Birthday Karen!

My lovely friend Karen had a birthday this weekend.  She is my greatest source for all things astrological, and when I saw the astrology artwork on Design*Sponge I immediately thought of Karen.  But I decided to do a bit of a twist on it, and use up some supplies I already had at home.  The only thing I needed was an embroidery hoop, and all they had were baby blue and baby pink, so I got the blue one and some spray paint and sprayed it black.  Then I got some left-over fabric from the purse I made a while ago, and printed out a pisces constellation chart I found online.  With the fabric in the hoop, I punched a hole in each star, and then transferred the pattern using a black sharpie.

With the stars marked on the fabric, I then stitched an orange line from star to star to trace out the Pisces pattern (although I don't know where they got these astrological signs - I do not see two fish in this pattern!  Those ancient Greeks must have had a LOT of wine...)

Once the orange line was drawn I chose some coordinating colours to stitch in the stars.  I tried to stay true to the constellation chart in positioning the stars and in their sizes, cause I'm nerdy that way.

 I was pretty happy with the way it turned out!  I hope Karen likes it. :)

Adorable romper

How flipping cute is this romper?  The gals at Prudent Baby always have adorable sewing projects for little girls which usually have me considering putting Cam in dresses - not a popular suggestion with the family.  But today I saw THIS little number and am determined to try to whip it up before the summer is out.  Check it out on the model:

Can't you just hear his giggles?  Crazy cute.  Thanks to Prudent Baby and Elizabeth from Growing Home (this little cutie is hers)!

Home Ec

In making my purse eons ago I was trying hard to recall everything I learned in my Grade 8 Home Ec class, with varying degrees of success.  So I was so excited by this online class that Julie from Olive & Joy pointed out.  Run by Leigh Ann from Freckled Nest, it has all kinds of amazing projects, each designed to introduce one new skill.  It starts August 10 and my only hesitation is that I will be returning to work after a year off on mat leave on the 11th and might be a bit, um, overwhelmed???  But so many fun projects!!!

I am not sure when registration closes, so head on over to check it out!

Spinthread

The necklaces from Spinthread on Etsy have been all over blogland, but I just had to keep it going.  Cuban artist Lorena designs and embroiders these incredible pieces of jewelry, and I am bowled over by how unique and original they are.  With so many artists and jewellers on the internet now, it is always exciting to come across something so different from the rest.  And you know whichever one you get, it is going to be a much-admired statement piece!

And also - she has the coolest clothes and hair! :)

Rock On!

I saw these awesome iPod cases made by Lindsay of BraveMoonman on sfgirlbybay today.  I made soo many mixed tapes - gosh, who didn't make a million mixed tapes back in the day?  For yourself, for your BF, for your BFF - I always chose to further personalize mine by doing a magazine collage on the cardboard insert.  I still have a shoe box full of the ones I can't bear to part with.  Sigh...  oh sorry, you lost me down memory lane for a sec.

So of course I neeeeeeeeed one of these beauties for my iPod, don't you think?  The trouble is... which one??