Weekend DIY - Cashmere Sweater to Pillow

Hope everyone had a great weekend!  Thanks for all the well wishes last week!  I'm feeling better and ready to get this week going and actually ticking some stuff off my "to do" list.  One of the biggies on my list is getting the husband's closet cleaned out and organized (the man has more clothes and shoes than I do with most of it being worn out or just not used any longer).  As I emptied out his closet I ran across this lovely grey cashmere sweater.  Great, right?  Only not.  Because the darn front was chock full of moth holes (great).  Well, I just couldn't throw away all that cashmere, I put it aside and thought about what I could do with it. 

Ah ha, I could try and sew a pillow cover out of that sweater.  I had a leftover bolster pillow insert from my girls worn out chair we got a few years ago.   Let the fun begin!

The sweater before the cutting began.

Cut the sleeves off (to use later) and got the back isolated so the sewing could begin.

Folded the back of the sweater (facing inside out) horizontally to the top of the shoulders and started hand stitching (I don't have a sewing machine).  Just a quick and dirty straight stitch across the whole thing.

The bolster insert

Turned the now tubular back of the sweater so that the stitching is on the inside and pulled the tube over the bolster.

Since the tube didn't cover the ends of the bolster I decided to cut the ends of the sleeves off, use the widest part of the sleeve (from shoulder to about elbow) to cover each end.

Turning it inside out, I took the elbow side of the cut off sleeve and just gathered the open end and just stitched it together (again by hand).  Nothing fancy just so it holds together.

Turn the sewn sleeve part so that the stitching is on the inside and then I slipped the sleeve over both ends of the bolster and tucked it under the tube sewn earlier.

Then I just tucked the raw edge of the tube against the sewn sleeve caps and just stitched over it (again quickly and by hand).  I used black thread I had in my sewing kit.  Could I have gone out and bought some grey thread so it matched?  Sure.  Did I want to buy something for this project?  No. The challenge with this DIY was to use what I had on hand to create something useful with out spending any $.

Here's how it looks when the whole thing is stitched.  Not bad right?  We'll call it "charmingly rustic".

Here's the finished bolster on the sofa.  It's not perfect but it is useful.  And so soft.  If the cats or kid eventually messes it up then no harm no foul.

Have a great Monday!

Under The Weather

I'm going to be M.I.A. this week, I'm not feeling well at all.  Not sure why, but sometimes you just must listen to your body and rest.  I wish I could rest in Santorini, Greece* (like I did about 5 years ago) but hey my living room will have to do for now.  See you on the flip side!

Source: sunsurfer.tumblr.com via Jenny on Pinterest

*If you ever get the opportunity to go to Santorini, run don't walk, it's so stunningly beautiful.  In fact I love Greece so much I want to go back and explore more of the islands (we only made it to about 3) and shockingly I loved Athens more than I did Paris (it seemed more "real" and "significant" if that makes sense).  I didn't see that coming since I have dreamed of Paris since I was little, but there you go.  Travel experiences surprise you sometimes.

Friend Friday - Outfit Planning

Linking up again with Katy over at Modly Chic for another set of FBFF questions.  This week is all about outfit planning, away we go:

1. How do you go about picking your outfit for the day?
True story - when I was little I used to have the worst time picking out what I was going to wear each morning, I just could not make a decision in the mornings under that time crunch.  The process always made me run late, drove my Mother nuts and usually ended in tears.  Every. Single. Morning.  Until my Mother put her foot down.  Each night if I didn't lay out what I was going to wear the next day my Mom would charge me 25 cents (hey, it was the 80's, that was a lot of cheddar for moi).  I think I forgot to lay out my outfit like 3 times before I decided I would like to keep my money (and sanity).  Therefore laying out my clothes the night before became a habit, one I didn't break until I became a stay-at-home Mom (that's because days with a newborn with acid reflux are quite organic - and messy - lol!).  Since I work from home I'm not as good about planning outfits as I once was when I had to be in an office 9-to-5, but I still plan my outfits the night before if I have to travel or be in meetings the next day.  It's a good habit to have especially if you aren't a morning person - two thumbs pointing at this gal!

2. Do you try stuff on and then take pics to see how it looks, like Cher in Clueless?
Nope, though when I used to do more outfit posts, I would see what outfits look like and make note to not wear that combo again after seeing the pictures.

3. And are you consistent in your planning or lack thereof, or is your planning limited to special events?
See the last part of question #1

4. Do you have a way of keeping track of which outfits you wore when?
Nope, but hats off to those who do!

5. How do you come up with new clothing combinations?
Usually I just dive in the closet and start pulling combos to see what works.  I like to refer to my actual inspiration board both in my closet and on Pinterest to help my brain think outside of my usual box if I feel uninspired.

Don't forget to head over to Modly Chic and see how everyone else handles outfit planning!

Have a great weekend!

Love This! - Tory Burch Print

I'm totally digging this sunny, happy print from Tory Burch:

The Tunic version - $325

And Blouse/Top version - $225

What do you think?

Images via Tory Burch

My Five - Louis Vuitton Fall 2012 (part 2)

As promised here is part 2 of my picks from Louis Vuitton Fall 2012 (check out part 1 here).  Here are all of the gorgeous accessories, enjoy!

Images via Vogue.com

My Five - Louis Vuitton Fall 2012 (part 1)

At first glance this collection came off as sort of yawn inducing, early 1900's inspired (what?), mix of seemingly shapeless layers. At least that was my first impression. I put off even looking at the collection in depth because the whole 1910's "theme" seemed so boring and gimmicky. But I was wrong, so wrong. The parts are so strong that the whole thing made a lot more sense. Now, I wouldn't really wear any of these looks head-to-toe straight from the runway, but I tell you I would gladly take any one of the pieces, bags and/or shoes and run. Oh the fabrics, the details, the colors, the embellishments are completely gorgeous. So gorgeous, I'm going to split the coverage up into two posts.  So sit back and enjoy my clothing picks  (I'll share my accessory picks tomorrow):

Images via Vogue.com

Happy Weekend!

Can I just tell you all how freaking happy I am today is Friday?  This week stunk up the place.  I mean the weather has been gloomy, I've been feeling low and I'm having tech issues - fun.  Here's hoping for a relaxing, fun (we may be going strawberry picking - weather permitting), recharging weekend!  The one bright part of this week was that I won a $100 Shopbop gift card from the lovely Maria Fe over at Layers of Meaning!  Totally awesome!  After much deliberation I decided on the following items:

Bop Basics Thick Knit Cable Infinity Scarf

American Vintage Noil Silk Knit Top

As usual, the items arrived super quick (I swear Shopbop is so great at shipping) and I LOVED each one.  The top is a bit more boxy than it appears, but it's a great look and will be perfect to throw on over a tank.  The scarf is so soft and chunky, I can't wait to wear it this fall with my new blue coat.

Thanks Maria Fe for hosting such a great giveaway!

Hope you have a fabulous weekend!