An Elvis Jumpsuit

 Hello Readers. We are going down a fun side quest today. I found this jumpsuit at the local Goodwill and I almost didn't get it. Can you believe that? I almost let this fabulous jumpsuit go!! It's so fun, I am so glad my daughter told me to buy it.

Before and after.

I almost walked past this! SMH

This looks like Elvis to me. He would definitely wear this. But look how long the legs are though!

I needed to shorten these pant legs. Those fabulous cuffs had to go. I made a mistake though. I cut off an inch too much. 

I didn't want to lose any more of the length from these pant legs now. I decided to leave the hem undone. I stitched along that cut edge with denim thread but I didn't turn the edge under. This makes the pant legs look finished but it kept every millimeter of length.

I wasn't sure I liked the placement of the belt. I wanted it higher. I decided to add some belt loops on the sides of the jumpsuit to keep the belt where I wanted it. Where did I get the belt loops? I didn't make them. I cut them off my son's old jeans. 

I measured 3 inches up from the waist seam to make the sides even.

 

 They don't really show but they help keep the belt where it should be.

 

 Or I can skip the belt! Whatever I do, I love it. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

 

 ***Year End Update- This is such a fun outfit. It would have been perfect for the Elvis movie that came out. I didn't see that one. I love the jumpsuit though.

 

Fast Fashion-The Shein Dress

 Hello Readers. I try to avoid fast fashion when I can The fabrics are usually lower quality and the sewing s not always well done... but mostly the working conditions can be very poor, unsafe and world-wide clothing manufacturing has a big problem with forced labor and human trafficking. I hate to be a downer but it's true. The thing is, when you by second-hand or thrift, you are not contributing to that cycle. When I saw this Shein dress at Goodwill I thought it was really pretty. Buying it at a second hand store doesn't benefit Shein and doesn't contribute to the problem the way buying directly from the company does. This dress is already out there. Letting it go to the landfill just creates and adds to another problem. I brought it home with me. 

This dress was dragging on the floor. I went to tea length and then knee length. 

According to the EPA, 84% of clothes at the thrift stores go to the landfill. If you want to take something home, grab it and save it from that fate.

 

 I knew this dress was going to need to be shorter. This outer layer of the dress was made tulle and it doesn't fray. The maker did not hem it and I don't need to either.

 

I cut the lowest layer of the tulle. I cut right above the seam that connected it to the dress.

I used that tier to determine how much of the lining to cut off. 

I cut the lining. I folded it on itself to try and keep the length even when I cut it. 

 

I used my serger to finish the cut edge of the lining fabric. It doesn't need to be super neat or perfect because it will be under the tulle.

I thought I would really like the tea length. It wasn't bad but I wasn't really satisfied. 

I started over and cut off the next tier and re-cut and sewed the lining again. The dress was now knee length. I thought this would be cooler for summer.

I had to run some very important errands. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

***Year End Update- I haven't bought anything else from Shein, it isn't a great brand, but I see it very often at thrift shops.

Thrifting in England

 Hello Readers. I really enjoyed traveling to England and while I was there I went to a few thrift stores/charity shops. I found a few things I really liked. And so did my daughter.

I went inside every vintage and charity shop I saw when I was out and about in London and in Bath.

I loved the sleeves of this white linen shirt. I always like to wear linen in the summer because it breathes so well and this shirt was so fun. 

This light green shirt was also linen. It was a very simple cut and style. It was really basic and perfect for work. (I was headed to work when I tried to take a picture.)

I didn't try anything on and I assumed this wrap shirt would fit. It had a white tank attached to it inside. I thought the shirt inside was a great idea but it is really tight and has NO stretch. I think I will remove the inside shirt ans wear the striped shirt with something else.

I thought this shirt was really pretty. It was also 100% silk and silk is so light and breathable in summer. It is really nice on hot days.

My daughter also found a few great thrifty items. 

 

This lavender shirt was just gorgeous. This was the priciest item (30$) but it was new with tags. 

I thought this was a vintage 80's skirt but it was actually gauchos. 

This mod 60's style dress was super cute.

This skirt looks simple but the gray threads are actually silver and it is very sparkly. 

Over all the prices were about 5-10$ per item. The stores did a good job of weeding out the junk and damaged clothing because everything was in very good condition. We had loads of fun during our trip so thanks to England for all the fun.

***Year End Update- Thrifting in the UK was so much fun. I was surprised that the prices and styles were so similar to what I see in the US. I thought prices would be higher in the UK.

Thrifting in the US

 Hello Readers. I am a thrifty sort of person and I went thrifting before I left for vacation. I live in a small town so this might not be an accurate representation of all US thrift stores but it is what I found near me.

The thrill of a good hunt.

This retro blouse caught my eye. 

 

When I got home I realized it was 2 shirts in 1.

This jumpsuit was fabulous!

My legs are half this length so I am going to need to do something to make this fit me.

This yellow dress was so pretty!

It is also too long but I'm not sure how short to make it. I will have to think about this.

This lace jacket was so light and airy.

 

  I have been wanting one of these but I want it shorter. You can probably figure out what I am going to do with this. 

 

This was nice linen but it is much longer than I thought it was going to be. Could it be a dress? I'm not sure yet.

 

I also got these pajamas pants because they had scenes of London all over them and that was where I was headed on my vacation.
 

They were the perfect comfortable pajamas when I was tired at the end of the day. (We tried to see the entire country in one week. I was really tired.)Thanks for reading along. My next post will be about the thrifting I did while on vacation in England.

 

***Year End Update- I am still a thrifty scavenger. That isn't going to change.

 
 

Making An English Style Tea Station

 Hello Readers. I just got back from a wonderful vacation to England. I have not traveled much in my life so this was an amazing experience for me. I went with my daughter and we both had so much fun. I am a tea drinker and while I was there I learned that I needed to improve my tea game. I made a tea station in my kitchen so I could make better tea and enjoy it more everyday.

My new tea making spot.

When I say I was enjoying the tea in England, I truly mean it. We had several fancy afternoon teas. These were more elaborate than I could do for myself everyday but I learned that I was missing out on some details to make my tea time better.

Every hotel I stayed at had a tea and coffee spot. This one was actually suspended from the wall like a shelf. It was small and simple but I was still impressed. The fancy teas and this basic set-up had some things in common that I wanted to have at my house. They all had white and brown sugar. I have never seen brown sugar in tea and it is delicious. 

 

In America hotels usually have a coffeemaker and maybe a microwave. But in every hotel I was in in England there was an electric water kettle. I have never used one of these and never knew how fast they heated up. They were all faster than my stove top and the water was hotter than my microwave. It's time for a new way to make tea.

 

I chose this spot by the sink to have easy access to water. I thought a tray would keep everything together and looking neat.

 

I bought a small electric water kettle. There are so many styles and designs available. I thought this one was cute but you may have totally different style. There is something for everyone out there.

 

It comes with a hot plate or burner that plugs in. That will stay on the tray. 

 

*Important-I washed out the kettle with soap and water. I dried it off thoroughly. 

 

I set it on the tray as the star of the show. I chose a white kettle to match the rest of the dishes I was going to use. Matching the color will make the whole tray look cohesive, organized and intentional.

I wanted sugar cubes because they seem fancy and fun. I thought white and brown sugar would be good for me and any guests I might have over. I can't get brown sugar cubes at any stores near me so I ordered these online. 

I put the cubes in dishes so they would be easily accessible.

I bought some fancy tea in London and put out different kinds so I would have a little variety.

 

I also put out my favorite English Breakfast tea. I already had this in my cabinet.
 

I made sure that everything was ready for the morning when I am trying to wake-up. Its also great for guests and they can get a cup of tea for themselves anytime. I didn't put out milk because I don't put it in my tea but it is traditional and it would be a great addition. 

It's tea time! Cheers.

***Year End Update- I still use this every day. It makes my morning easier to have everything all together.