I have few dates with Spring

Thrifting adventure

Lunch date

Dinner date

It is good to be able to style outfits on Polyvore again. I missed it whilst I was so hooked on etsy few months back. My search on etsy still continues and it is fun to check out interesting vintage items I can stumble on etsy - vintage sewing books, vintage stationery to name a few.

Hope you like my collection. One more day to the weekend. Yay!

Working Girl

Working girl. That is me. At times, I wish I could be working for myself instead for others. Selling vintage clothes and my own handmade retro design clothes - that would be great, perfect. I would be on over the moon.

Back to reality... This dress is so 80s which reminds me of Working Girl, the movie. If I remember correctly, I think I watched the movie once, in my teens. Hhhmm... maybe I should watch it again on old movie night.

The look:
Vintage dress from flea market
Necklace
Pumps

Fashion project: DIY seamed stocking (first attempt)

I have tried to look for seamed stockings in KL (and even in Hatyai) but to no avail. Until I read a post by Penny Dreadful Vintage which highlighted post on DIY seamed stocking by Vintage in a Modern World. At last, I could try making it myself! Here is my first attempt:

Try on used pair of stockings.

Turn it inside and iron (not too hot) on the sides. This provides a guideline to sew a seam.

Here, I improvised a bit. I layered at the bottom of the stocking with a strip of paper. This made it easier to sew.

Tear the strip of paper slowly. The stocking is ready!

My first attempt. Need loads of practise.

Hope you will give it a try. Happy sewing!

I just can't stop...

How was your weekend? Hope it was a great one. My sis and I went to Bijou Bazaar at MAP@Publika, Solaris Dutamas yesterday. The mission was to get my sis a boyfriend blazer or boyfriend-blazer-like blazer. As for me, I was not supposed to get anything but....

I purchased three skirts! These look like vintage skirts circa 70's to 80's, suitable for work, casual and play. To be honest, I do not dare to calculate the money that I have spent so far to cross check with my budget. I might faint. Oh gosh....

Anyway, hope everyone will have a great week ahead!

Tea with Mad Hatter

Ditched my glasses and wore my pillbox hat for today's photo shot. The hat is not what I expected. Maybe I used the wrong material for veil. At least I have learnt from my first pillbox hat making experience. Would use birdcage veil or French/Russian net for the next pillbox hat project.

Wearing a pillbox hat made me felt like I am attending a tea party. Tea party that offered scrumptious pastries and nice selection of teas. Ladies dressed in their prettiest frocks and had their lovey hats on...

The look:
Vintage dress
Thrifted brooch with faux pearl and diamonds
Pearl necklace
Peep toe wedge like heels
Handmade pillbox hat

Earth Hour

Screen shot of Earth Hour homepage : http://www.earthhour.org/Homepage.aspx?intro=no

I almost forget that tomorrow night at 8.30 pm is Earth hour. And at the moment I am wondering what I would be doing during that particular hour after switching off all lights and other electrical items....

1. Candlelight dinner
2. Star gazing
3. Relaxing whilst having a cup of tea and burn aromatherapy
4. Light candles in the house and do house chores
5. Do nothing at all?

What are you planning to do?

Beach holiday outfits

I had good rest last night. Slept for over 10 hours! I guess I really needed a good and proper rest. This put me in the mood for a break or holiday. Not shopping holiday but a relaxing one by the beach perhaps. If it was a beach holiday, I wish I would be wearing these outfits...

Taking it easy

Due to lack of sleep, I am not feeling great today. Having slight headache throughout the day. Will sleep early tonight. Outfit for today is very minimal and today's post will be short and sweet.

The look:
Vintage dress from flea market
Weave belt
Thrifted brooch
Vintage shoes from etsy

Glad it is middle of the week already. Two more days to the weekend.

Fashion project: Handmade pillbox hat

I am a bit obsessed with hats at the moment. Maybe it is easier to sew compares to clothes. I could not wait to try making pillbox hat. And I could not resist the ones posted on etsy either. Too tempting yet I am broke. However, being broke does not stop me from trying to make it myself. Enough said about that and let's get down to business...

The pattern

Things you need:

Felt
Thread
Bias tape
Tulle but I would suggest to get birdcage veil or Russian / French net
A pair of scissors
Pins

Step 1 - place the patterns on felt. Take note of folded part.
Step 2 - pin the opening of the strip, allowance 5/8 inches.
Step 3 - sew the pinned part / seam.
Step 4 - attach and pin the crown part with the stitched strip.

Step 5 - sew the pinned part.
Step 6 - using scissors, cut out little triangles around the seam.
Step 7 - top-stitch the seams.
Photo 8 - this is how the seams would look like.

Step 9 - using bias tape, pin around bottom of the hat.
Step 10 - sew around the around.
Photo 11 - fold the bias tape towards to inner part of the hat and pin around the hat. sew around the hat again. The hat should look like this.
Step 12 - sew few stitches on each side of the hat.

Step 13 - punch a small hole beneath the stitches sewn earlier. These holes are for bobby pins to go through.
Step 14 - fold one end of the tulle to make gathers. Stitch to secure it.
Step 15 - place the tulle over the hat and pin. Cut the tulle according to the desired length and shape.
Step 16 - stitch the gathers on the hat and some bits to safely secure the tulle on the hat.

Step 17 - make a bow from felt and place it over the gathers part of the tulle.

Photo 18 & 19 - the finished pillbox hat.

The outcome of the hat is quite ok as this is my first attempt making a pillbox hat. Now, I am planning to make more in different colours. Oh this is so exciting!

Happy sewing and I am off to bed.

Reference:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7ADk96d8Qc

Here is my confession...

I believe by now, my dear fellow readers would have known that I am trying hard to keep my spending vow (maybe not hard enough). Perhaps at this point you might have begun to wonder my strength to keeping my words. I need to come clean and this is my confession:

Prior departing to Hat Yai, I went to Pekan Frijan bazaar wanted to check out the bazaar but never thought I would return home with a bag of vintage dresses (from Thr5t) and a sailor inspired top.

Upon my return, I went to Mon't Kiara flea market (Thursday's evening) to pass souvenirs to a friend of mine who has a stall there. And nearby her stall there was a vintage clothes stall which caught me eyes. I guess, there is no need to tell the rest of the story....

My latest vintage finds. My treat for myself. Five pieces for less than RM65. Great deal, right? Can anyone resist such good deal?

So, you have read about my confession. When it comes to vintage finds, there is no shame to share with all. And I am proud to be a thriftaholic!

Have a good week ahead!

Happy Me-Day

Could not wait to wear my beret and would not bother much if it does not match with my outfit for today. I think the beret is ok and I am planning to make few more in different colours. Hope I could find fleece in maroon, cobalt blue, mustard yellow to name a few colours that I like. Otherwise I have to try to use other materials.

Today is my birthday but I prefer to call it as me-day because I can truly pamper and treat myself. Yes, today is all about me. I know I sound selfish but it is only once year to celebrate me-day without feeling guilty. Guess how I treated myself? Buying vintage clothes, of course! So for the remaining days until pay day, I have to ikat perut or on a shoestring budget on meals and all.

The look:
Vintage dress from flea market
Thrifted belt
Thrifted bag
Handmade beret
Socks
Flat oxford shoes

Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend. Continue to pray for things to get better soon in Japan. Donate to help if possible.

The search continues...

Photo taken from: http://www.etsy.com/listing/69658094/cream-flats-with-bow?ref=cat3_list_15

Photo taken from: http://www.etsy.com/listing/53835271/vintage-vogue-white-heels-vintage-shoes?ref=cat3_list_34

Photo taken from: http://www.etsy.com/listing/67257146/bows-at-the-toes-shoe-sale-the-daily

Photo taken from: http://www.etsy.com/listing/70277973/vintage-ferragamo-white-pumps

I am still looking for a pair of white vintage shoes. Not just plain white vintage shoes, I want them to come either with bows or some gold accents. Something similar to the white Ferragamo shoes I purchased a while ago. Sigh. Will I ever find the right pair of white vintage shoes (that are within my budget)?

Fashion project: Handmade beret

I could not resist those lovely berets on etsy. Due to the fact that I am trying to adhering to my spending vow and budget, I have decided to sew a beret for myself. Did some research before I embark on my sewing beret journey.

Bought a shawl fleece from Daiso shop for RM5 as I do not think textile stores would have fleece. Other things that you need are:

Pencil
A pair of scissors for cutting material and another pair for cutting paper
Measuring tape and ruler
String
A bit of blue tack
Paper
Thread
Pins
Head measurement

I had problem drawing a proper big circle without a compass (geometry) but I came up the idea of using a string and blue tack instead. Made my own compass. The circles turned out to be ok.

For this part, due to constraint of the material, I cut the ring piece into half and joined them when sewing. If you have enough material, do not cut the ring into half. As the fleece is quite thin, I have decided to put interface to make the material more stiff.

Lastly, it was sewing time! Oh I could not wait to wear it with my outfit. Yay!!!

Check out this link for video tutorial on how to sew a fleece beret. Happy sewing!

References:
http://www.craftstylish.com/item/60568/how-to-sew-a-cutout-beret
http://www.sewmodestclothing.com/makeaberet.shtml
http://www.marthastewart.com/article/woolen-beret?backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/sewing-patterns-and-templates#slide_19

Still in holiday mood...

I think I have left my heart in Hat Yai. My heart for shopping. Too bad during this trip, I did not make it to the Greenway Night Market. Keeping my fingers crossed there would be another trip to Hat Yai.

It sadden me every time I read news about Japan. Let's hope things would get better soon and pray for the affected ones. Donate to relevant organisations if you can.

The look:
Vintage dress from flea market
Silk scarf
Elastic belt with bow buckle
Pump heels from etsy

Stop. Think. Act.

Here is a little thought:

Take a moment out of our previous time to stop whatever we are doing for a while and think about what is happening around us and how this would affect our life. Think of our loved ones, friends, neighbours, co-workers and anyone else we know. Act what our heart thinks is right. Lend a helping when someone is in need or give a hug to someone who needs it. At times, small gestures or deeds mean a lot. Start reaching out to those in need!

Monday blues collection

I needed something besides shopping or window shopping to de-stress today. It has been a while since I have styled anything on polyvore. Since I am almost broke, the best way I could think of to stop my itching hands off the racks and my feet from stepping into shopping malls, is to style outfits on polyvore. What do you think of my collection for today?

Have a fantastic week ahead!

Can't get enough of...

Just a random question that popped in my head: what are the items or things that you can't get enough of? Mine are:

1. If time can be considered as object, there are so many things I wanted to do but I feel like there is so limited time in a day. Or perhaps I am poor in prioritizing.
2. Sleep
3. Vintage clothes (either dresses, blouses, skirts or pants)
4. Thrifting or flea marketing adventures
5. ( hhmmm.... still thinking about it ;D )

The look:
Vintage dress from flea market
Thrifted belt
Chunky bangles
Strappy like heels