Made by Me Files: Mini Wardrobe Pieces One, Two, Three.

So Pattern Review is hosting a mini wardrobe contest that runs for the month of July.  Basically you create five separate pieces of clothing that can be mixed six different ways (at least).  It is a challenge, but one that I kind of love doing, since it allows me to go all crazy, color/print wise, while making sure to create pieces that can actually be used together, because let me be honest here...I would probably just sew up a whole slew of summer dresses and shorts if left to my own devices.  ;-)  I haven't officially entered the contest (I always wait until everything is done to do so), but since I am three pieces into the five total (with the other two prepped to get sewn up soon), I figured a post showing off the first three pieces was in order.  Eventually I will write up a post highlighting the other two pieces, and then I will do a compilation post showing off how I actually can mix all five pieces together.

I won't be spending as much time discussing the details of construction, instead focusing more on the styling bits, but I will at least link to my pattern reviews of the pieces so if you are interested in more about how it was sewn up, etc., you can go there to find out more. 

Rust Ponte Jersey (leggings); Multi-Colored Tropical Floral Rayon Challis (dress and button-up blouse); Pink Cotton Floral Eyelet (top); and Aqua Blue Cotton Sateen (shorts). (All fabric from Fabric Mart, btw.  The rust jersey was a freebie in a bundle, btw!)

Above are the four fabrics I chose to use to make the five pieces.  The only one being used twice is the tropical rayon challis, as this printed fabric is the very anchor for the mini wardrobe, with the other fabrics serving as pieces that will work well with the challis.  Of course I haven't actually combined the pieces I have made with the challis and photographed it yet, but they look nice together. 

I have not made the rust ponte leggings yet, nor have I made the tropical print button-up blouse, so those will be in the next "made by me files" blog post.

I have made the tropical print dress, the pink cotton floral eyelet top, and the aqua blue cotton sateen shorts, and those are the three pieces you will see in the post.

This dress is based off a fairly simple pattern, but one that gives a lot of bang for the literal buck (seriously, the pattern was $0.97 at Wal-Mart).  It is the Simplicity Sew Simple A1636, which is a sleeveless sundress with an elasticized waist, gathered scoop-neckline, and has POCKETS!  Woo!

I had to lengthen this dress by three whole inches and use a very narrow hemline (1 inch) in order to ensure it wasn't super short.  Seriously short, like Johnnie b. dress short.  ;-)  I just added the three inches to the hemline since it is a straight skirt and doesn't have any features that I would mess up by adding it there.

The blousing effect at the waist is awesome, and since I am generously endowed below but not so much above, I feel like this style feature helps balance me.

I cut a size 10 for the bodice with a size 12 length at the shoulder line to help with my sqaure shoulders.  While that helped give me more room between my shoulders and the armpit, it didn't help with the gaping at the back neckline (really evident in the next two photos).  Next time I have to not be lazy and just do a proper square shoulder adjustment (cut a ten, but do this to get the room I need).  The waist and upper hips were also cut to a 10, but I graded out to a size 14 in the hips.  It fits PERFECT.  Holla!  :-)

I was so excited to finish this in time for our trip to Hilton Head last week.  I wore it out one evening, and it was just the right amount of breezy and soft for the fairly warm/humid night.

The rayon challis was pre-washed and machine-dried to solve the eventual shrinkage that comes with working with woven rayon.  As anyone who has owned any rayon pieces from Boden can testify, that fabric shrinks something awful, especially if it isn't pre-shrunk, which I fear Johnnie and co. do not do...

After our night out we took a walk on the beach and OMG was it ever windy.  BUT--this photo shows just how drapey this fabric is...look at it nicely blowing in response to the OTT wind.

BTW, CW look so pretty in this picture!!!

'Cause I am a product of the 80s, I have a fierce love for loud colors, crop tops, and gym shorts.  Now because I am not planning on truly reliving it the way I did in the actual 80s, I decided to create the idea of the crop tops and gym shorts in beautiful fabrics and perfectly suited to my current lifestyle and not my 12 year old self.

The crop top is made using McCall's 4320, which is an "Easy One Yard Top" pattern from 1989.  I bought it off ebay for maybe a dollar because I dig the style and the fact that I could use tiny scraps of material to make the top (this took nowhere near a yard, fwiw). 

The shorts are based on the June 2014 Burda Style Magazine's Drawstring Gym Shorts pattern (08-2014-116).  I traced the pattern, but unlike some Burda patterns that have to be traced, this one took hardly anytime at all.

The top is a straight size 10, which fits exactly right.  I didn't have to worry about the hip measurement, which is a nice change of pace (I guess pear shapes should always look for crop top patterns!).  I did lengthen the bodice by an inch, because although I dig a shorter blouse, I do not dig showing off my navel.  I am not looking to be cast as an extra on Saved by the Bell, thankyouverymuch.

The shorts were cut for the size 42, which is fine, and they do fit me nicely.  I have fairly large thighs and bottom, and based on how much room I ended up having, I could have possibly gone down to a size 40, but I really like how comfortable they are, so not really regretting my decision.

The cotton eyelet is beautiful in real life, and maybe when I do a compilation post I will take a few close-up shots so you can see the detail of the flower embroidery.  The shorts are actually made from a J. Crew cotton sateen with lycra, so the same material all of my favorite J. Crew shorts are made from.  Yay!  I bought enough of this fabric, btw, to make a pair of pants, too...

Back of the shirt.  The pattern is not especially complex.  The front looks so much like the back that I have put it on backwards more than once.  I need to get tags for my clothing already. 

Review of Cotton Eyelet top here.
Review of Cotton Sateen gym shorts here.
Review of Tropical Print Rayon Challis dress here.  (This one I will be publishing tomorrow at Pattern Review.)

Okay, that's it for now.  Are any of you entering this contest?  I have seen some really cute combos already, and am looking forward to all the final results.  I kind of wish they did this for every season...I dig this approach to sewing A LOT!

OOTDs: California!

I am going to dispense with the "anecdote" portion of these outfit of the days since I will be publishing a separate California photos post, which will include more "fun family times" type photos and will include the stories from the trip.  :-)

Day: Thursday,  August 29, 2013.

Where:  Flight from DC to CA.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Can't go wrong with knit fabrics and an elastic waistband for a long flight with a toddler.  Also helps to have the back of the plane empty so the toddler can have a whole row to get antsy on...if only the flight back could have been that easy.
 :-P

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  It is hard to be cool while attempting flight with a toddler.  I do think the Madewell scarf, Anthropologie sweater tee, and bright blue Sperry deck shoes helped a little bit.  (Plus Angus's shoes were bright blue, so we got to be "in style" together.)

Day:  Friday, August 30, 2013

Where:  Hanging with my family for a trip to see my brother *jump out of a plane--OMG* and then a rehearsal dinner/bbq.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)   I brought two Garnet Hill jersey dresses with me on the trip (the other is in a few photos) because they are ridiculously, kind of like wearing PJs in public, comfortable.  They also pack well and do not wrinkle. 

Cool Factor: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  It's a pretty look, but not cool.

That's my pretty aunt there in purple, and if you look closely, you can see my bro taking the photo.

Day:  Saturday, August 31, 2013.

Where:  My cousin's wedding.

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  I have reviewed the Daisy Jacquard Dress before and declared it a winner for comfort, but it was a touch warm and humid the day of the wedding (I BROUGHT VA weather with me, sigh), so the dress wasn't super comfy, but it was fine and it wasn't like I was wearing wool.  

Cool Factor: (3.5 for 2013 (5 if it was 1965) of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  The mid-century look of the outfit was enhanced by the mid-century architecture of the hotel where the wedding took place.  I fit right in, lol.

The Flowerburst Necklace is a statement piece, and one that you have to be in the right mood to wear, but the gold accents of the piece worked nicely with the gold Anthro belt and gold hardware on my bag and shoes.

Day:  Sunday, September 1, 2013.

Where:  Disneyland.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  It was hot and humid that day and this dress (Long Tiered Garden Dress) kept me covered from the sun AND it kept me cool since the air circulated well in the full skirt.  Word of warning about this jersey dress--it runs HUGE since this is an extra small and it fits me very well in both length and width.  It is almost a touch too long in the bodice since my bra kept peeking out, so if you are very short and very thin, you should stay far far away, since there is no xxs size.

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) The hat helps the look, and I felt cool.  I don't know if this look is cool, though, since I don't see a ton of this kind of look out in the blog world.  Maybe for my age and station in life, this look is cool?  :-D

If a seagull appears out of nowhere in your photo, is that good luck?

Day:  Monday, September 2, 2013.

Where:  In-N-Out Burger and El Capitan Beach.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  I made the purple top/shorts outfit for me on my sewing machine, so it better be comfortable.

And a swimsuit and flip-flops?  Yeah, stretchy equals comfy.

Cool Factor: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) The top look is all mine so I don't know how cool it is but I do think the shape of the top and shorts is pretty cool in a "retro modern" kind of way.

I think the swimsuit look is cool because I felt confident in the suit, and really, that is all you can ask for when baring that much of your body in front of people.  (That last shot of me walking on the shore is one of my favorite photos ever taken of me since I look so carefree, wish that were truly the case.)

Okay, that's it! 

Really quick, if you are a Boden fan, the current sale ends tonight (wrote a blog post on it here).  If you see an item in that sale you would like, you may want to grab it since it appears that Boden will be doing a diminishing discount sale starting tomorrow morning.  The diminishing discount sales do not allow stacking of codes the way the sales of the week do (you can use the sidebar coupon to get an additional 15% off of the sale prices).  That said, if something you want is not in the sale, wait till tomorrow, since the beginning discount of the diminishing discount sale will be 20% off.

OOTDs: Amelia Island. Plus Shots from the Camera.

Happy Monday, everyone.  :)

I hope all of you are still above water after the craziness of Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales.  They were nuts this year.  I thought last year was crazy, but because of multiple companies offering many discounts that brought prices down by 40-60% off, I think 2012 will take the prize for most savings made by the most people over a five day period. 

With the exception of my dad and my brother, I have bought everyone's presents.  (Well, there is that American Girl I want to get CW, but I am waiting until I get paid on the 20th of December to buy that one.)

Okay, enough about that, and onto the mini-jaunt I made with Mr. Dina and Angus a couple of weeks ago to Amelia Island, Florida.

Mr. Dina had a conference to attend down there, and since he was booking the trip while I was up to my eyeballs in scheduling, errands, and kid-related catastrophes, I decided to ask him to book me on the trip, too.  Had I realized that the trip would be right next door to another trip (the one I currently am on in Mississippi/Louisiana), I might have re-thought my spontaneity, but since I couldn't look back, I went ahead and tried to enjoy myself.  (Chortle.  You all with kids know that I am being sarcastic when I say I tried...the two days I was away were insanely blissful, with just a wee baby's needs on my docket, I was in heaven.)

The weather was slightly dreadful, what with the overcast skies, cool temperatures (low 60s), and high winds, but it could have been snowing hot coals from leaden clouds and I would have still be relaxed, that is how much this time alone was needed. 

First night's outfit.  Our resort had a restaurant at it that was at our doorstep, so rather than drive to one of the other places to eat, we decided to go to the fanciest one and walk instead.  (The resort is rather large, with multiple hotels and condos.  Like the state of Florida, it is spread out.)

This was also to be the only meal I was set to enjoy with Mr. Dina (the other was Krystal, oh, yeah, that's romantic), so I wore the nicest outfit I had packed that night.

Right before we were heading out, I was trying to get a close-up shot of the details of the outfit and my makeup and hair, and Angus decided he would ham it up for us.  LOL.  What a cutie.  ;)

The next morning, Angus and I were on our own, and since I knew the whole day would be spent walking all over the resort and the beach, I wanted comfortable yet bright (yay for yellow), so I threw together a casual look.  The top is Old Navy, the shorts and sunglasses are J. Crew, the clutch is Tulu, and the sandals are from Target.

I added a merino cardigan from J. Crew to help keep the chill at bay.  I wasn't the only person wearing shorts that day, but more folks were decked out in jackets and pants than in tees and shorts. 

I set the self-timer on the walk and then grabbed this photo of Angus and me.  The mossy oaks are so pretty, and the fact they have bent by years and years of wind from the ocean is pretty incredible.

My camera (Sony RX100) allows me to switch modes when taking photos, this one is the high contrast monochrome setting.  I like that it really emphasizes the shape and shadows of the scene. 

This was taken at the boardwalk leading down to the beach.  I took it in the high contrast monochrome setting so the grain of the wood would pop, and I post-processed the image in Picasa using duo-tone (which is how I turned the black to a mid-purple color).

Boardwalk again, another high contrast monochrome setting.  I only processed it slightly, to get the rounded corners in the image (1960's does that).

The camera also takes photos in "watercolor," which is what this is.  I post-processed this image to up the color and add the rounded corners, but otherwise this is how the image looked when I took it in this setting.  The watercolor setting is fun, but probably not for the "serious" photographer.  ;)

I love this shot.  Again, set up with the timer.  I took this in the camera's regular "intelligent" mode, but heavily post-processed it.  If I had to do it again, I would add the 1960's at the end so the photo corners are pure white and not the grey (the grey happens when you add the layer of Holga-ish to the image). 

The other shots from this part of the day are hilarious, btw.  This was the only one where my hair wasn't sticking straight up from the wind. 

The next day we were set to go home, so I wore my boring, yet very practical and cozy, outfit.  For those of you interested in the two-tone cashmere sweatshirt from J. Crew, it is lovely, soft, and unique (the blending of the two colored yarns create a fun, distinctive knit).  It does run a bit short, so if you are long-torsoed, you may want to size up.  (This is a size extra-small and if I were re-ordering, I may get the small so I wouldn't have to pair it with a cami for coverage.)

The beach was warmer the second day, so instead of just playing on the boardwalk, the three of us sauntered down and walked on the shore instead. 

This is really cute, but imagine the next scene...Mr. Dina screaming loudly, "OWWW, tiny, stop pulling my hair...STOP TINY STOP!"

This was on the plane.  Angus fell asleep and I loved the way the light sort of created a halo on his scalp.

Okay, that's it.  Have any of you all ever been to Amelia Island?  I keep insisting that we go back when it is a bit more seasonal (read: warm, sunny, and still), but Mr. Dina isn't so sure.  Convince him that I am right.  ;)

Ladies who love Boden, quick reminder...in five hours the Boden Preview shuts down the 20% off promo (PRV3), so if you were thinking of grabbing something with the extra off, you have until 11:59 pm. 

Scenes from Miami!

Hey, all.  I was all, "ooh, I haven't published any of my photos from Miami on my blog...must get those done."  So I went into active mode today and got all the editing and junk done (after I waited with bated breath for the Boden sale to commence, of course, lol).  :)

I plan to publish the "Outfits from Miami" post tomorrow, but tonight I will bore entertain you with the more family/atmospheric photos from the trip we took in early June.

Most of the photos speak for themselves, so I will just add a few words below each to give you a teeny bit more info on where the photo was taken or what was going on.

Miami first day.  It was cloudy and stormy but we "weathered" it.  Groan.  :)

My bro downloaded a few films to my Kindle Fire.  Loss of hard drive space worth it for the priceless feeling of "OMG, he's isn't bothering the entire plane."  It's Finding Nemo if any of you want to know Rex's vice.

Aw.  He's yawning.  That's all I have to say about this photo.

CW looks so pretty here.  And Angus looks far too contented.  Doesn't he know he is on a cramped plane?

We found this cool arty stained glass window display in the Miami airport.  It was possibly the best thing about the Miami airport.

They look like they get along all the time, don't they?  Such con artists.

No words needed.

The lifeguard stands were brilliant...both in design and in hue.

Somehow he fell asleep, even without the aid of the bjorn.

CW has hints of future sassiness in this shot.

We actually saw this rainbow on the first day.  See clouds and storms are worth "weathering."  Groan, part two.

CW takes some great photos, but this is one of my all time favorites.

Target collaborated with this store to create some pretty cute items.  CW and I are wearing two of their collab pieces in the last few shots here in this post.

The best day for the beach was the second day, when the sun was bright and the water was clear.  Sadly days three and four did not afford such nice weather, sigh.

The water was calm enough that my scaredy cat kids had no problem frolicking and playing.  (I know, I am a swim coach, you would think my kids would be able to swim no problem.  You would be wrong.)  ;)

You all have seen this photo before, but I couldn't resist showing it again.  So freaking cute.  Gah!

I have a pic of me doing this pose at 16.  If only I could have my teenage jawline again, I would be set.

I have no idea how Rex did this.  Kids and their flexibility.  Scary.  This is at the Miami Marlins stadium, btw.

The Nationals gear was not superfluous.  They were actually playing that night.

After the game, the kids continued to play on the oversized letters that litter the outside of the stadium.

All parents should visit children's museums with their kids.  After all, how often can you say that you've been in the company of a giant pink snail?  Thought so. 

Rex should become a cop.  That means he will use his power for good.  Not evil.  ;)

Clearly I want to use my power for good, not evil, too.  Angus seems to agree.

 CW will use her power to help stuffed puppies regain their sight.

They had a baby room in the Miami Children's museum, too.  Rex, although five, seems to find the toys more than agreeable for his needs.  Angus was perfectly happy to share.

That night, I drank my 211th cocktail of the trip.  This was at Sushi Samba, which is on Lincoln Road.  I want to point out that they thought nothing of us bringing the kids in there to eat at 9:30 pm at night.  I suspect they thought we were from Europe.  Or they just thought we were crazy and are used to it...or something.  LOL.

Loved the decor of the restaurant.  Those lights above are ridiculously cool.  And likely expensive, which might explain why our meal cost so much.  (But it was SO good we said we would go back in a heartbeat.  After we save up for six months or so.)

The sign says: Virginia Oysters, Large, Meaty, Salty.  Ha.

Posing on Lincoln Ave.  I am just that cool.  Chortle.

I just liked this hotel.  Very South Beach, no?

On the last day we were able to spend the morning at the beach (so two days at the beach total), and again, utterly perfect.  Love this beach.  Wish we had one like this a bit closer to DC.

Darling.  I caught her, and she had no idea.  I hope she likes this photo when she gets older.  I used to bite my nails, too.  I have something like twenty photos like this in my baby photo album.

We were at Monkey Jungle, which is this preserve for all sorts of monkeys.  Anyhow, you could buy seeds and such and put them in the saucer thing CW is holding and the monkeys would come along and hoist it up so they could get the goods.  The kids were fans.  I just wanted to spread their whole bodies with antibacterial gel after each "feeding," but I let my OCD tendencies go for the afternoon.

Here we are near the monkey lagoon area.  We are both in the Webster for Target items I mentioned earlier. 

That monkey loved CW.  I think it wanted to hold hands with her.

Rex wore that Burger King crown hat the whole trip (he got it the day before).  I think he may have even worn it on the plane (it made it through TSA screening).

Last photo.  Gus's hair cracks me up here.

That's it.  I hope you enjoyed.  :)  Miami outfits tomorrow.  Have a great night!