Re-fashioned Denim, Fun Fashion Finds, and Confidence

My mother-in-law went through her closet recently and pulled out a lot of stuff she wanted to get rid of.  She asked my daughter if she'd like to come over to see if there was anything she wanted.  My daughter and I both found several things that we brought home.  We've been busy re-making them into different, more current, fashionable clothing.

The first one I worked on was a long denim skirt.  It went almost down to my ankles.  I think it must have been from the 80's or 90's.  It's a high quality skirt and the top of it fit great.  So, I shortened it for a more current and stylish look.  It has nice deep pockets on the sides too.  I love that!  I even had thread that was the perfect color to match the faded yellow on the other parts.  Cool!

I wasn't quite sure about this dress.  It was a little funny.  But, I love denim so much!  And, I have a memory of a super cool denim dress I bought in the 90's that I ended up returning because I wasn't sure I'd be brave enough to wear the very fitted style that it was.  This dress is different but there was something about it that reminded me of that one.  So, I had to go for it.  Oh, and a cool side note...not only is it great to be up-cycling old clothing but this dress was made in the USA!

Oh that ruffle!  And, the raw, frayed edge!  Oy!  lol

I removed the ruffle.  It turned out that the edge that was left was already surged.  That was nice.  All I had to do was fold it over and stitch it down.  I wasn't quite sure if the tapered look would work or if a hem on the thick denim would even hang right.  But, I think it works.  As far as the top goes, I opted to just cover it up.  It fits funny at the top and there's a tiny hole in the middle that looks like it might have had a flower or something attached at one time.  I have plenty of scarves and shawls and several of them looked great.  I went with a more summery one for the pics.

Oh, and pics!  Yikes!  I've been working at being braver to post pics of myself.  I've gotten better.  It's still weird though and uncomfortable even having my daughter take pics of me.  But, I went for it and got a few I'm fairly happy with it.  I'm not going to let myself wimp out on posting these!  So, here it is....my new, up-cycled, re-fashioned dress...

I've been working on being braver with fashion.  There are looks that I love but I tend to go safe.  My usual way of dressing is jeans and casual shirts.  I'm doing better.  So, now, I'm trying to be even braver and trying not to worry about parts of my body showing....like my legs.  I've been wearing shorts all summer and even some skirts!

I found these awesome boots a few weeks ago at a thrift shop.  I love them!  So, I got them and I'm determined to be brave enough to wear them.  And, now I have an outfit that goes with them.  So, no excuses, right?!  Gulp!

I hit the shoe jackpot the day I found these!  They were only $5!  They're leather and in great shape.  I looked up the brand online and found out that these boots were over $100 when they were brand new!  These look like they've barely been worn.  And, for heels, they're actually pretty comfortable.

I found two other pairs of shoes that day for just $4 for each pair.  They're in great shape and look like they've barely been worn too.  Those who've seen them think they're high dollar too.  I'm still working on finding outfits for them.  

They're definitely beyond what I normally wear but I love them.  So, that's a perfect reason to be braver and bolder to get to a place where I can wear things like this that I love!

How do you all feel about fashion?  Do you stay in a safe zone with what you normally wear?  Do you see things you love but aren't sure you could do it?  Do you worry about an imperfect body like I do?  Are you nervous about trying to be more stylish or letting parts of you show?   I'd love to hear how others feel about this.

I've always been SO self conscious about my skinny bird legs.  As I've been working lately on being OK with me, I've noticed that there are beautiful people out there with skinny legs.  The difference seems to be confidence.  That's what I'm attempting to have!  I'm trying to love what I've been given and make the best of it.  And, besides, I'll never be as young as I am today!  So, why keep waiting?!  Watch out world, here I come!  Gulp!

My New Red Shoes

I've needed a new pair of casual shoes for a while now but haven't found any I love.  I got lucky last week at REI!  Not only did I find some I love and in my size but they were also on the clearance rack for just $24.99!  What a deal I got since they're normally closer to $100!  

They're a pair of "Burnt Henna" colored Keens.  I love the color and they're super comfy!

I have a thing for red shoes.  I think they're so fun and so cute!  And, years ago, when my daughter was little, I found this little Golden Book called, "Bunny's New Shoes".  The little bunny ends up with a pair of red shoes and it makes her so happy that she dances around with joy.  That's exactly how I feel about my new shoes.  I've been giddy with excitement over them.  My daughter giggles and shakes her head every time I bounce around with excitement, saying that I love my red shoes!

I got a brown pair of Keens years ago and they were awesome!  They were comfy and lasted and lasted....at least six years.  Hubby has had the same luck with this brand.  They're amazing!  Yay for my new, discount, RED shoes!  Eeeeeee!  :-D

Feelin' Fancy

I've been working on trying to find new clothes to update and spruce up my wardrobe.  It's not an easy task.  I often shop for hours and leave with nothing.  So many of the styles in the stores are awful!  The prints, the looks, the colors...ugly!  And, often, when I do find something, they don't have it in my size.  I'm remaining hopeful though.  I keep believing that somewhere out there is a store that has things I'll love, in my size, and in my budget.  It may be unrealistic but it's my only hope!

I have a special event coming up...my daughter will be performing at the Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles.  Very exciting!  But...what to wear?!  I'm a casual, jeans kind of girl.  I have very little in the way of fancy, special event type of clothing.  And, my one pair of fancy shoes died at the last event.  The heal broke on one of them.  Not bad, considering I had them for over 12 years.  That meant I needed clothes AND shoes!

I couldn't let the difficulty I have with finding clothes and shoes get to me.  I was on a mission and I had a deadline!  Believe it or not....I got lucky!  I hit our local Ross store at just the right time...they must have just gotten a new shipment of dresses.  I found about a dozen possibilities to try on and ended up bringing two of them home.  One is perfect for the upcoming night at the symphony.  It's a nice little black dress.  The color is perfect for a night time event.  The length is just right...the bottom of my knee.  And, it's comfortable.  Oh...and, it was only $15! 

Next...shoes!  I'm amazed that I had luck with that too!  It's a miracle!  It's also a little weird...I bought heels!  I haven't done that in soooo long!  But, they fit perfect and they're sooooo cute!  Luckily, I won't have to walk or stand very much so they should be fine. 

This outfit is very different from what I wear day to day.  I'm going to be feelin' quite fancy tomorrow night!

My daughter recently hit the jackpot too.  Being a harpist means she's always on the lookout for gowns to perform in.  They need to be both beautiful and affordable.  And, for orchestra, they also need to be black, long and have 3/4 length sleeves!  That's not easy!  We went shopping a couple of weeks ago to see if we could find something for this special event.  We popped into a David's Bridal store to see if they had something.  Well, they not only had something...they had several possibilities and they were on the clearance rack.  Three dresses went with her to the fitting room.  Two of them looked great!  Then, the sales lady told us that not only were they on clearance but the sale would take another 40% off!  What?!  Really?!  We bought two!  So, she'll be feelin' quite fancy tomorrow night too. 

I love the luck we've had with these fancy clothes....now...if I could just find some great new jeans and cute tops to go with them!  Oh...and some new casual shoes!

Fabulous Finds

As I get back into blogging, I'm finding things to catch up on. Like, some fabulous things I've found over the past month or so...

I spotted a Santo doll years ago in a decorating book and have been on the lookout for one ever since. I found some a few years ago that were (supposedly) authentic antiques. They were, however, very expensive! I just couldn't bring myself to spend so much on one. I kept looking and recently found a reproduction Santo that was more in my price range. She's so beautiful and I've been wanting one so bad that I splurged. I love her face!


The antique store that I found her in had a pretty rosary draped around her neck. After I brought her home, I quickly went on Etsy and bought a red one for her.


She's 27" tall. The orginal Santos were used in Catholic ceremonies and were heavily adorned. I'm thinking that she might look really pretty with a gathered silk skirt in an antique ivory color.


Something else I've been wanting for a long time...years...are some cowgirl boots. And, not just any cowgirl boots. I wanted "Old Gringo" brand boots. I've tried on mannnny boots over the past few years and always fall in love with Old Gringo. They have such a great look and feel. I like how the tops are narrower than most brands too. That works well on my skinny legs. The only problem...they're usually around $500! That's definitely not in my budget! Imagine my excitement when I found some online for only $149! I bought them for myself for my birthday. Here they are...


I've heard women talk about how, when they put on a great pair of high heeled shoes, they feel powerful, wonderful and like they could conquer the world. When I put these on, I know exactly what they're talking about! I love them!


I'm always on the lookout for transferware. These days, it's pretty hard to find. When I do find it, it's usually expensive. I stopped in at one of my favorite antique stores recently and found three pieces of transferware! And, the prices were great!

I'm not sure if I've ever seen this pattern. It's called "Paisley"...


Here's the back...


Another cute little plate in the "Branble" pattern...


Here's the back of this one...


I even found a little cup!


Here's it's bottom...


I feel like I've been hitting the jackpot of fabulous finds lately! I wonder what I'll find next?! I can hardly wait to find out!