Denim Nightmare

I love denim just as much as the next person. Maybe not quite as much as cowboys and rednecks, but I do love denim. Just like most people, I've got a dozen pair of jeans for every possible occasion and/or shoe. I've got a couple of denim skirts and a couple of denim jackets. What I don't have is anything like this:

Recognize Melanie? 

Melanie and I, along with her husband Kevin, were bopping around some northern New Hampshire towns a few weekends ago and we happened upon this tragedy. The worst thing about these bags is that they used to be on someone's a$$. 

But don't you love Mel's skirt? At least she looks adorable, right? It kind of makes up for this tragic abuse of denim! Although one could argue that a wash like that is no worse off as a hideous handbag, since they likely started out as 90's-era mom jeans. Either way, like I said, it's a tragic abuse! 

Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment- you know how I love them! 

On a Sewing Kick...

Lately, I've had some fun sewing super simple, but super cute pieces for my summer wardrobe. It all started when one of my friends at church asked me to help her make a maxi-skirt. I immediately agreed, but then thought, "Well, I've never made one, so maybe I should do a dry-run first..." Here is the result:

Excuse the fuzzy photo- the lighting was terrible. 

I had originally hoped to have the stripes at a bit more of an angle, but I didn't have enough fabric to make it work. However, I think I prefer the end result even better. I've worn it to work and got lots of compliments on it. I posted a picture on Facebook which resulted in some chatting back and forth with other crafty friends. After all the chatting, I felt inspired, so I raided my fabric stash and found some white eyelet that I'd purchased at Mood so long ago I'm embarrassed to admit how long it's been sitting around. 

After about 45 minutes at the sewing machine, I had this little gem: 

My favorite detail is in the back, though: 

How fun is that pink zipper? 

I wore it to work with my polka-dot chambray shirt and some pink ballet flats. I'm pretty sure I looked adorable: 

I should have taken a better picture. Sorry. 

Finally, after feeling so productive and creative, I decided to attempt a maxi-dress. I purchased a black and white printed jersey at Joann Fabric and I'm pretty thrilled with the result: 

Again, forgive the fuzzy photo. 

I tried it on afterwards with a mint skinny belt and it was adorable. I'll try to remember to snap a photo when I wear it to work tomorrow! 

It's funny how being creative actually breeds more creativity. And talking to other creative people helps inspire. It's a good reminder to me that I need to not only think about doing these kinds of projects, but I need to talk about them and then actually do them. 

Anyone else out there feeling creative lately? Leave a comment and tell me all about it! 

Stylish Co-Worker: Ashley

You're all well aware of my love for stupid, little hats, but there are some others out there who love them as well. Namely, my fabulous coworker Ashley. She's pretty much the most adorable person I've ever met and I just love her. She's always smiling and laughing, even if it's to tell me how crazy her bride is at that moment.

Not too long ago, she said to me, "I want to wear a tiny hat, too!" So, I brought in my small collection of stupid, little hats and let her take her pick. I think she looked absolutely adorable:

Funny story: I came very close to purchasing that exact same dress myself. It was part of one of the many diffusion lines that Target has done recently, although I don't recall which one exactly. 

We struggled a bit to keep the hat nestled in her mane of curly hair, but she loved wearing the hat and I loved seeing another person walking around in one! 

Didn't I say she was adorable? I don't lie. 

Thanks for reading, y'all!