DIY Vintage Maternity Dress

When "Ricky" & I discovered that we were expecting Baby M, I opted to try thrifting some pieces to save as much money as possible...

...one of the pieces I found was a lilac chiffon dress, circa 1980:)  In fact, I'm pretty sure Gramma had a dress in this same style about the time I entered the world!

The voluminous style was perfect for Baby M....

...but was missing a button so I changed all 4 from the original...

...to something with more vintage charm aka bling:)

The satin trim on the bodice was the one element that really bugged me...

...so I added some black lace (the most expensive one!) to break up the "Easter egg" appearance- I had to be mindful of not transforming this dress into a lingerie type piece so the right lace was important...ironically costing more than the actual dress!

*I chose black lace since I would be pairing a black tunic camisole & leggings with this sheer dress...be sure to consider other necessary garments when designing:)

And finally (after sitting on my sewing pile for way too long) I debuted this piece at church and received a, "Wow, don't you look stunning, Mama!" from a fellow Mom:)

So glad I took a chance on this piece, transforming it into something unique & special:)

Cost:

Dress- $5.99 (Goodwill)

Lace- $6 (40% off from JoAnn)

Buttons- $3 (50% off from Hobby Lobby)

TOTAL- $14.99

Few things excite me more than a pudding basin filled with sponge trifle right now...but completing this dress came pretty close:)

Thanks for stopping by,

Tiffany

"Allen's Used Clothing Emporium"

When "Ricky" & I got married, I considered myself a frugal gal.  I introduced "Ricky" to the sale rack, something he had never seen before & informed him under no uncertain terms, "This is where we shop"!  I introduced him to Marshalls & TJ Max- he had never darkened their doorsteps before.  However, I drew the line at resale and wouldn't dream of entering a Goodwill store...

...you see, I was somewhat traumatized as a child in England by the "jumble sale" and witnessing stacks of granny knickers (lip curling...) in piles on long tables in community halls.  I know my saintly Mother never purchased said items but I still grew up envisioning 'resale' as granny knickers:/

And then I became a Mom to these two little munchkins and determined to do whatever necessary to stay home with them, such as considering resale!  I'm happy to report that we now frequent our neighborhood kids resale shop several times a month where we've found the majority of our wooden toys & puzzles, kids shoes and lots of clothes:)

 However, it wasn't until approx 6 months ago that I first entered a Goodwill store, half holding my breath as I quickly scanned for any offending granny knickers...

...no knickers but I did find a cardigan, minus the "foreign writing"...

...alas it had a gaping hole in the neckline which caused me to pause.  It was a good quality silk/cotton navy cardi (which I needed!) and was under $4 so I decided to bring it home anyway...

...where I promptly perused pinterest for some inspiration and then set out to Hobby Lobby for some navy satin:)  After sewing the gaping hole closed, I sewed the satin into a long tube, turned right side out, ironed (mucho importante!) and then began pleating & pinning...

 ...I then stitched down the center around the entire neckline & voila!

The navy satin matched beautifully & this little doll totaled less that $5:)

The goal, after all, is to look like this...

...not this!!!

 Thanks for stopping by,

Tiffany

Christmas Village

In the past few years I've developed a deepening appreciation of Christmas villages, however, due to limited budget & space, never considered launching into this facet of decor collection:)

During a Goodwill 'raid' a few months ago, I saw these little houses, perched on a shelf...

 They were perfect!   If only there were more, since you can't form a village with just 2 houses...








 ...a little further down the aisle I discovered a church- how appropriate:)  I guess once a 'PK', always a 'PK'!

And then a theater for my lovely sister-in-law, Leah (theater major) and for my dramatic family...

...and then a bakery as we're a family who love to bake and I'm now obsessed with Bakery Lorraine (Eggnog Eclair)...

 

...and last but not least, a City Hall- no comment!  Let's just say that God Almighty has quite a sense of humor in provided this lovely edifice vs a bank, school house etc...!  I'm a much better driver now:)

Sometimes, when you're secretly hoping for something and all the while knowing you just can't have it right now, God in His great love provides:)

My Christmas village was a whopping $8, making me one happy shopper & 'Ricky' is now anxious to light them up!

Tiffany