#CraftLife || DIY Moleskine Planner Cover

    As a fun little summer project I wanted to make myself a cover for my Moleskine Planner.  It has a friendly reminder on the front to brighten my day when I go to check my calendar or add a to-do to the list.  It's so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle, its amazing the difference making an effort to just take it a little slower can make.  

    One of my favorite things about this project is it's a great way to use up some scraps you have laying around.

    Pattern diagram and instructions after the jump!

#FridayFashionFrenzy || #LadyMWears || I hate Pink!

   Come on girls, spill it.  Whats that one color you REALLY HATE?  The one you NEVER wear??  For whatever reason over a period of time this color has become the bane of your existence and you wish it would forever be removed from the color wheel... okay maybe thats a bit much... but that color for me is PINK.  I maybe will wear a pastel pink (and call it peach to uphold my reputation), or something with a TINY bit of pink in the print, but I really never will buy anything pink.

    Recently I inherited a baby pink top from my cousin, and a pink & white polka dot scarf from the Gentleman's grandmother.  On a whim (I must have been a little ill that day) I decided to throw them together in a 50's-sock-hop-meets-cowgirl sort of outfit... if you're going do it, might as well do it all the way!  Right?  Even the Gentleman was a bit confused when he saw me...as in.. "Who is this pink girl and what have you done with my girlfriend?"


On that note, a little picture story for you:

   I have to say, it was quite an interesting experience being decked out in a color I less-than-like.  Almost like being in disguise!  I highly recommend everyone try it.  Better yet, try it and send me pics or links!  Come on ladies.. step out of your comfort zone!!

What color do you hate??

~Lady M.

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#LadyMSews || Fluted Bodice Dress with Boning

    Hey all!  Thought I'd share with you a lovely couture technique I learned this past semester called Fluting, which essentially means folding 1 1/2" strips of bias cut fabric and layering them on top of each other to create a beautiful and unique looking texture.  This technique looks particularly beautiful with chiffon, which is what we were working with.  I used one printed chiffon and a matching solid crinkle chiffon.

    Below are the cut bias strips, which we rolled out onto a paper towel roll to keep organized in between sewing.  We cut about 1 yd of bias from each fabric.  With chiffon, it works best to sandwich the fabric in between sheets of pattern paper, draw out your bias lines on the paper, and cut through all layers of fabric and paper.  This keeps the chiffon from slipping and gives you easy bias lines to follow.  See the diagram below the photo for how to draw out your bias lines.

   Once the strips were cut, we hand sewed them on one by one to the front piece of our bodice.  We marked out the design we wanted to follow, and lay the strips one on top of the other, with about a 1/4" bit of each strip showing.  I did a row of ruching (a gathered strip of bias) as the top row of my design to eliminate some of the fluting (its very tedious work).

    I used a simple stitch to sew the fluting on, but if you really want to get fancy, a pick stitch is recommended to eliminate any accidental visibility of threads.

Finished bodice.. looking good!

It really came together after the dress was completed.

Heres the back, I used more ruching here, which you can see in the upper middle section:

    For the skirt of the dress, we did a simple circle skirt with several layers of chiffon and lining.. Here's the finished dress:

   Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the boning, but it was my first try and I think it came out pretty nice (you'll have to take my word for it :).

    Have you ever used fluting before?  Do you enjoy it?  Share your comments & links below!

Happy Hump Day lovers!!

~Lady M.

#FridayFashionFrenzy || Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Art Review

    I have a confession to make.. I am horrible at painting my nails.  Maybe its my lefty-ness but I can spend hours painstakingly painting as slow as I can and still end up with a splotchy mess on my hands.  Besides that I have what I like to call "working girls hands", that plus being a nail biter (horrid habit, I know) and my hands are probably the least feminine thing about me.  Nevertheless, I try.
   When Sally Hansen came out with these new Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips I was thinking maybe I'm saved!  No strokes necessary?  I'm in!  It took me a while to finally break down and buy a box (hey, it practically costs as much as going and getting a manicure - about $10 at my CVS), but I saw a design on super sale that I actually thought was cute - I guess no one else likes denim?  Heres how it went:

    The instructions were pretty simple to follow, with pictures as well. The box also comes with a small file, and one of those wooden things to push pack your cuticles with... or as I call it.. a cuticle-pushy-thingy.

    This is what the stickers look like.  Essentially its just a peel-and-stick process.  Each end is curved a little differently so that you can choose what best fits your nail.  They are all plenty long enough for any nail length, and come in multiple sizes.  I liked that there were more than ten to choose from, so you aren't stuck if something doesn't fit you right.

    Once the sticker is on, (you kind of stretch/push it over your nail so it reaches either side), you file off the excess sticker with the file.  This is where I had the most trouble.  The instructions say to first "crease" the sticker over the tip of your nail for a smoother cut, but my nails don't have much of a tip (darn that bad habit!) so I had to work slowly with the file.  From an optimistic point of view, the denim print just makes it have a frayed edge look :).
    I also had a little trouble reaching the sides of my nail with some of the stickers, but when picking out my sizes I was afraid to go too wide and overlap my skin on the sides.  Its a little hard to judge, but next time I think I'll go a little wider with some nails.. this was mostly a problem with the thumb.

    Over all, I was pretty happy with the result, mostly the smooth effect that you get.  I also love that there is no drying time, as this is where I REALLY screw up my usual manicures.  I did put a clear coat on, even though it didn't say to.  I just like to get the longest use possible out of my manicures.  I don't think it lasted any longer than regular polish does though.  All in all, I'll probably try it again some time.

Have you tried these before?  Did you "nail"-it? (tee-hee, you know I had to!)

Next I'd like to try the gel color stuff!

Happy Friday!

~Lady M.

#CraftLife || Quick & Easy Fathers Day Cards

Still haven’t gotten around to making those Father’s Day cards yet?  You still have time!  These were so quick and easy I made them in about 1 ½ hrs and with things I just had laying around in my studio.  In fact, I made them so fast that I forgot to take pictures as I went.  But no worries, my step-by-step instructions (after the jump) are super easy to follow.

I got the idea for these cards from my dad (who else).  Every year for Father’s Day I try to make my cards really unique and inspired by him.  Which is tricky, because he’s not your traditional suit-and-tie type dad so the go-to father’s day images don’t really work.  The goatee was my Dad’s staple facial cut for several years… so even though he’s clean shaven now… a goatee will forever make me think of him!

Click through the jump for instructions and a goatee printable.

I blurred this one because I didn't want to give away the surprise :) .. but I wanted you to see the post-card style I did on the back.

Do you have a goatee dad??

#RecentAcquisitions || New Journal - "Le Petit Prince"

Do you journal?

    I do, though not as often as I should/would like to.  I've always found that journaling is such a great way to unwind after a stressful day, or articulate my thoughts after a wonderful one.  There's something about writing it all down that really helps me understand whats going on up there in that crazy brain of mine.  Not to mention its a great way to feed my love of stationary!  (I also have notebooks for sketching, scheduling, lists, business..you name it to silence my stationary addiction)

    I was nearing the last few pages of my old journal and the excitement set in that I would get to go journal shopping!  I'm very particular about what I want in a journal (it should lay flat, have lines, a ribbon page marker, etc.).  When I saw Moleskine's new Le Petit Prince collection I was immediately smitten and knew that this would be my next journal.

    I chose the ruled large version, which has a beautiful debossed image on the cover of the prince being pulled away by a fleet of birds and the quote "The essential is invisible for the eyes" in french.  I just love that!  The inside and back covers are decorated with stars and planets, and the back cover holds the quote "we write of eternal things" in french.. I don't know which one I like better!  There's something about having a journal that you love that makes your writing all the more fun.  As an added plus, a beautiful 3D paper cut out.  Oh Moleskine, how I love thee!!

    This collection is no longer available on Moleskine.com, but you can still find them on Amazon.

   Here is a peek at my old journal.. she was leather, beautiful, and well loved.  She even appeared in an episode of Lost!  (well not my personal one obviously)

   Sometimes I like to include sketches of my outfit that day in my journal.  Its fun to look back and see what I wore that day, and also to remember cute outfits I may have forgotten about!

What do you look for in a journal? or What are you journaling in right now?  I'd love to hear about it!

Happy Musing!
~Lady M.

#FridayFashionFrenzy || Side French Braid + Bun

Happy Friday my dears!!

    In my recent weeks with more time on my hands I've realized that I've been letting my hair styling slip.  It's been either a quick bun or wake-up-and-go waves for the past couple months.  I used to make it a point to be creative with my hair styles, but school craziness got the best of me...time to fix that!
    For this style I started a french braid on one side of my head, curving it all the way around until I ran out of hair.  I continued braiding regularly till I reached the end of the "tail", then twisted the tail into a bun and pinned into place.  I also placed pins along the braid in places it was wanting to pop out.

Excuse the frizzies..I was rushing out the door after putting my hair up, so these pics were taken on day 2 of this hairstyle.  So really, you have two hairstyles in 1 - sleek & chic the first day, messy & casual the second :).

I hope this friday is all you ever dreamed of!
~Lady M.

Lady M Wears: Glam Rock

 
Saw Rock of Ages on broadway when mom & dad were here and it inspired me to post this outfit.  Some days I'm channeling my wanna-be-punk-rocker days of high school and outfits like this happen... just go with it.

INSPIRATION:

EXECUTION:

Joan Jett Shirt: Thrifted - I cut out the neckline, Belt - Thrifted, Skirt - BCBGeneration, Tights - not sure (had them forever), Boots - Steve Madden

It's finally warming up here, so this is probably the last you'll see of any tights for a while.
What happens when you're channeling high school?? Come on, Spill it!

~Lady M.

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