..do it yourself..

A very long time ago(December 31, 2009 to be exact) I posted an outfit with a shirt on which I had hand painted the Zelda eagle/triforce symbol.  I wrote down the diy instructions and promised a step by step post with pictures the next time I printed something.  Well, here it is! The antiscipation is finally over.  The other day I made some custom designs and put them on some onsies for my friend, Amanda, who is having a baby next month.  They turned out so cute, and I can't wait for little Emily Jo to get here so she can try them on.

Materials:

 clean tee or other garment

 fabric paint (I don't recommend puff paint for this project)

 paint brushes

 freezer paper (w/ plastic backing)

 exacto knife

 iron

 piece of cardboard

 extra clean scrap fabric

 and maybe ruler, chalk, and tape

 1. First you need to get your design onto the freezer paper.  I have used multiple methods to do this and they all work fine. You can draw it directly on, trace it through, or print from your computer.
2. Then tape down your design and cut out the areas that you will be painting. I taped mine to the back of a sketchbook cover. *Be careful to save any interior pieces such as the inner part of the letter 'e' in the design below*

 3. Next you need to get your design aligned where you want it. This is where chalk and a ruler can really come in handy.
 4. Iron the freezer paper without sliding so you don't catch any of your edges, and make sure not to pull or stretch the garment while ironing. Check to make sure than the paper has adhered well to your garment. *Don't forget to put down those inner pieces and press them into place also*

 5. Okay, now you need to put a piece of cardboard in between the layers of fabric so the paint won't leech through, and you can get to painting.  Get a good, solid layer of paint down, but try not to get it too thick, which can make it too stiff. 

 6. Now it is time to be patient. Let the paint dry thoroughly.  Check your paint instructions for the recommended drying time. Sometimes I use a blow-dryer to help speed this process along. 

7. After the paint is totally dry, carefully peel off the freezer paper.
8. The last step is to set it.  Get a piece of clean scrap fabric, put it across the top of your design, and go over it repeatedly with the hot iron for a few minutes.

 Yay!! You are ready to rock your new cool design.  A few tips that I recommend are to wait a couple of days before washing to make sure that everything has totally set and to always turn the garment inside out when you wash it for added longevity.

..my little black dress..

 Usually about once every week or two, I find myself reaching for the same dress in my closet.  It's the one with a interesting history, the one that fits so perfectly, and the one that is ever so versatile, of course my LBD.  

I actually bought this dress for Halloween 2004.  I went as Holly Golightly and the dress was actually a little bit too big then.  I bought it at the best vintage shop that Fort Smith ever knew, Old Vogue, which was owned by a lovely woman who obviously loved old things as much as I do now.  Unfortunately, Old Vogue has long since closed its doors, but I will always remember sifting through those great vintage clothes and wishing I had the guts to wear them. I only have one other thing from there, a cool '60s sweater that I need to get out and do a few repairs to. 

Luckily, I have developed a tiny bit more curves since 2004, and this dress now fits like it is meant to.  I have contemplated using it to make a pattern for more dresses, but have yet to get around to it.  It has probably seen better days.  I have made many repairs through the years so it will eventually be disassembled and moved on to that higher purpose.

Until it does fall apart I will keep wearing it.  Right now my favorite thing to wear with it is this vintage Dior belt that I got at an estate sale, my goto Melani heels, and whatever scarf that I am feeling at the moment.  Today I also threw in this funny pair of '70s sunnies that I got a few weeks ago.

For those of you who don't know the area, these pics were taken behind one of the local WalMarts right in the middle of town. I was really surprised at what a good location it turned out to be.  And this is the first run with the camera that my Grandpa John gave me (thanks!), and it seems to be handling well!

..and now for something completely different..

There are some things that, though they are finished, will never be over.  One of those things is the Dodo, the always remembered martyr for extinction

and another is of course Monty Python

And today I share my love of the Monty Python crew.  I actually even have what I call a 'time travel crush' on Michael Palin...

He's a lumberjack, and he's okay :)

I know I'm am a dork, but how could you not laugh at this stuff..

The Fish Slapping Dance 

(do watch, short but perfectly silly)

Or be inspired by this stuff..

The Life of Brian Altro

'When your chewing on life's gristle, don't grumble, give a whistle'

Words of great wisdom and musical genius, you must admit.

  <3 Monty Python

Also, I added this super cute vintage cross stitched owl to the shop yesterday!

..short & sweet..

I just wanted to share a outfit post and some of our farm livin'.  I went out to check on the chickens and one was just finished laying this odd egg, weird huh? She was totally back to normal today, thankfully.  And, we haven't gotten many peaches this year, so I was excited to pick these two!  My short are the ones that I altered to be short-shorts, and I the orange enameled brooch was an estate sale find. 

..hair today, gone yesterday..

 Okay, so for a while now I have been thinking about doing a post that shows how short I had my hair a few years back. I think it was about three years ago that I started letting it be long again because I wanted it to be longer for my wedding day (which I also need to do a post about sometime in the future), and I had it short for a couple-a years.  It grows so fast that I can barely keep up with the maintenance when it is short, but during these hot summer months it sure is tempting to hack it off again.  Unfortunately, there aren't very many pictures of me from this time frame, at least not many good ones, but here are a few that I was able to track down.

 Above, we were in Ohio for Mike's 10 year reunion, which was '06, not long after the initial cut.  

And, down town Fort Smith in the picture below.

 And these pics are at my Grandparents' house when my Great Aunt Lukie and my cousin Teresa were visiting from California. They are the ones sitting on either side of me and Granny and Papa are on the right of the one above.  My Granny is who a lot of my really amazing vintage clothes are from.

..creative cucumbers..

If you've ever grown cucumber plants, then you know how hard it can be to find new and exciting ways to keep eating them.  They are actually nice to snack on with some dip or just salt and pepper. And, we make refrigerator pickles which takes a big chunk of them, but I have also been trying to add them into our meals in not so traditional ways.  I added them to a weird version of stir fried veggies and noodles that I make which wasn't too bad, though I think I have perfected that meal without them.  I plan on making a beef, shallot, and cucumber salad that I have been eyeing in my Thai cookbook.  But for tonight, I tried a recipe that comes up on page one if you Google 'cucumber recipe'  and is called Spago Cucumber Salad.

  The recipe (found here) is actually pretty much the same as Wakame seaweed salad,

  which I absolutely love,however I found that it called for a lot more vinegar than I think is necessary.  Even half the amount would be more than enough in my opinion, but to each their own.  It actually turned out pretty yummy, and now I am inspired to make my own seaweed salad next time I can make it by the local asian market to buy some Makame!

..pretty things..

I am obviously not the only one that feels this way, but I love Etsy!  I find myself purusing on a regular basis.  As I was looking back at some of the things in my favorites list.  I figured I would share some of the lovely things that I would love to have if I had the available cashola.

And this stuff isn't sold yet, so please relieve me of the temptation ;)

Have a great weekend everyone!

..good ol' U S of A..

Today, we had an extended celebration of Independence Day.  We didn't actively celebrate last night other than sitting out in the yard watching everyone else around us shoot off their fireworks.  So, today we went to my Grandparents' along with a bunch of the rest of my Dad's family.  We swam a bit, I shot our shotgun and my Granddad's handgun for the first time.  I like to think of it as zombie practice.  It was actually kind of fun and I found that I preferred the rifle, it was not as loud and I liked that I only had one shot at a time.  It is definately nerve racking to have a loaded gun in your possesion, yet I am glad to have the experience.  Later on we continued our family tradition of blowing stuff up, and then we cooked hotdogs and brats, Yum!  I also made another carrot cake, which went over really well!

My cousins Jon, Jessica, and Allen getting together our fireworks while I have target practice :)

Happy Independence Day!

Three day weekend, cookouts, family, and pretty explosives! What more can a girl ask for, :)

..drumroll please..

Shop update! 

Finally, I know! I have really been putting my shop on the back burner.  My little digital point and shoot camera has progressively been developing problems.  It stresses me out just thinking about trying to get pictures done for the shop.  I am making saving for a new camera my top priority. So, if anyone has any reasonably priced suggestions feel free to share.

I went ahead and did my best though, with the help of Picasa.  Unfortunately I had a hard time getting shots that were clear, but it will just have to do for now. I have been adding items tonight and I will continue to do so over the next few days.

Vintage 1970's patriotic striped bowtie blouse

 Vintage 1980's long, royal blue knit vest

 Vintage 1980's Santana Knit St John sweater jacket

 Vintage 1980's coral corduroy pants

 Vintage 1980's multi-color pinstripe uniform shirt

 Vintage 1980's red & grey pinstriped wool skirt

  I also went to an estate sale today and found some interesting little things and a set of plates! It is always fun any gratifying to get a good deal on really neat old stuff.  I'll have to do a post soon to show off my finds!