Making a tote bag out of a t-shirt

Making a tote bag out of a t-shirt isn't a new trick.  In fact, it's a pretty old one that's been done in various iterations by the likes of Martha Stewart, Apartment Therapy, Honestly WTF, and many others.

So why am I doing it?  Because it's the perfect project to ease me into using my new sewing machine.  The version I made is quick and requires only basic sewing skills.  It's also no secret that I love cutting up my old t-shirts.

This particular t-shirt was signed by my friend's old band and I really, really like it, but it's too short for my torso so it has just been sitting in my closet for ages.  I'm glad it's getting a new lease on life as a tote bag!

An easy floral DIY with big impact

My best friend's wedding finally happened this past weekend, and it was even more awesome than I had imagined it would be.  The bride looked stunning in her dress, the champagne was free-flowing, and I danced right out of my shoes.

Before we got to the wedding, however, there was the small matter of the bachelorette party that I hosted and the slightly obscene amount of DIY projects that I got myself into because of it.

First up on that list were some cute little baby's breath hair pins that I made for all the party guests to wear to the bar.  They matched the baby's breath flower crown that I made for the bride, and I felt that they were a classier approach to the whole bachelorette scene than anything they sell down at the local party store.

While these flowers looked great at the bachelorette party, I could also envision them fitting right in at the wedding itself, and that's why I like them so much.

I actually made myself a new one to wear to an outdoor dinner with my extended family this evening, which is what you're looking at in the picture above.  And wouldn't it be perfect to pop one of these into your hair for a summer music festival or a picnic-style date in the park? These are shaping up to be my go-to hair accessories this spring/summer.

Bachelorette Party Favors (in Progress)

My best friend's wedding is finally happening this weekend!

Right now I'm focusing on the prep for the bachelorette party.  This evening I'm making some fun accessories for the guests to wear, and tomorrow I'll be making the accessories for the bride.  (I'm keeping this purposely vague because the bride reads this blog, which is just one of the millions of things I love about her.)

Isn't this ribbon fun?

Back in Business

I'm home!

Words can't express how happy I am to be here.  Everything will be easier now: photography with natural light, blogging with fast and unlimited internet, and driving to the craft store anytime I want.  I'm in heaven.

Bridesmaid Hairstyle #4: An Oh Joy Updo

I was browsing Oh Joy the other day and I ran across her tutorial for a pretty floral updo.  I thought it might be nice for the wedding, so I tried it out yesterday!  I'm obviously skipping the floral part, though, because I need to fit in with the other bridesmaids.

This hairstyle is like a cross between The Twisted Sister from the Beauty Department and The Crisscross Ponytail from A Beautiful Mess.  There's a topsy tail ponytail on the top followed by criss crosses in the middle and a bun at the bottom.

It's a cute idea, but I like it way better on Joy's hair with all those flowers she put in it.

Only 2 weeks until the wedding!
xoxo
Laura

The Perfect Boyfriend Birthday Present

I successfully completed my boyfriend's Colorado Avalanche hockey team hat in time for his birthday (phew) and it was a total success!

The two most important criteria for a knitted gift were fulfilled:
1.  It fit.
2.  He really liked it!

Here are a few pictures of it in all its navy blue, burgundy, and white glory:

As usual, I made up my own pattern for this hat.

When doing so, I leaned a bit on the Precip pattern because I wanted this Avalanche hat to (at least vaguely) remind the viewer of snowy avalanches.  See it?  Maybe a little bit?

Anyway, Justin seemed really pleased with it, and I ended up learning a valuable life lesson:
Boys love receiving gifts in their favorite sports team's colors.

I'll be keeping that knowledge in my back pocket for further holiday use, and I'll also be writing up a pattern for this little guy sometime soon.

xoxo
Laura

Bridesmaid Hairstyle #3: The Double Rope Braid Bun

I tried out another potential bridesmaid hairstyle today, and it very well may be the winner!

It's the double rope braid bun from The Beauty Department.  I love it because it was easy to do (it only took 2 attempts for me to figure it out) and it's super sturdy; I've had it in for at least 5 hours and it's still holding strong without any hairspray.

There will obviously be hairspray involved on the big day, but I just wasn't in the mood for it on a day off from shows.  I try to give my hair a break when I can, you know?

Anyway, this wasn't actually the hairstyle I had meant to try out today.  I was planning on making a bow out of my hair, but it was a lot harder than I had anticipated, and I couldn't get it to work.  I'm going to keep working on that one though, because I think it looks awesome.  I'll definitely be blogging about it if I ever succeed.

Have you done the double rope braid or the hair bow in your hair before?

xoxo
Laura