Old lady shoes to Lumpy Space Princess shoes!

Hello! I'm on uni break! Huzzah! Now, don't get me wrong, I love studying and I love my course but after finishing off three massive final essays, I am so so so glad not to have to reference anything for almost two months ^___^ *And* it means that I have more time to actually spend time with my friends and family, and, of course, do many many crafts! I'm currently working on a Lumpy Space Princess cosplay for Supanova and I'm quite pleased with how it's coming along. I'll take lots of photos of it on the day, but until then, I thought you might like to take a look at my special glittery shoes ^___^

Aren't they mathematical? ~___^ One of the hardest things about cosplaying (and, to be honest, general fashion) for me is the shoes. I have dreadful flat feet so if I want to walk around for longer than half an hour without pain, I have to wear special orthotic shoes with my orthotic inserts. I love my inserts for, you know, allowing me to walk properly, but finding cute orthotic shoes is so hard! If any shoe companies are listening; vintage style orthotic shoes would be good for both actual old ladies and old ladies at heart! ~___^

 

So anyway, I found these Kumfs at an op-shop and since they were my size and only $3, I brought them even though beige isn't really my colour. Wanna guess how many times I wore them? Yup, about zero. I tried them on with so many outfits, but I just couldn't make them work. Which was kinda good because it meant I had no regrets covering them in glitter!

 

      

To do this, I covered the shoes in a layer of glitter mod podge and then, with the shoes sitting in a small metal box, I shook purple glitter all over them. For the first couple of layers I didn't do anything on the straps, which made it easier to move the shoes around without getting mod podge and/or glitter all over me. Well, I still got glitter everywhere, but that's just an occupational hazard ~___^

 

I did about three layers of glitter and modpodge on the shoes, one layer on the straps, and then an additional two layers of modpodge over everything to seal it.

However, when I tried to buckle up the shoes, I ended up taking off a layer of glitter from the straps. They were also quite difficult to get through the buckle as the modpodge made them both thicker and stiffer. Bummer! >___<

 

I decided that covering up the straps was the way to go, so I picked up some lovely thick satin ribbon from the craft store and made up some bows ^___^ To make the bows I used two long lengths of ribbon (about 37cm/14.5 inches) and two short lengths (about 4cm/ 1.5 inches). I sealed the ends by passing them through the flame on a match, then sewed the ends of the long ribbon together to make a circle. With the smaller lengths, I sewed the non-sealed edges together to make it into a thinner tube.

 

I flattened out the circle made from the longer pieces of ribbon and pinched it in the middle - this is where it starts looking like a bow! ^___^ I put a couple of stitches in to make sure it wouldn't move, then I wrapped the small tube around the center of the bow and sewed the sealed edges together. The center of the bow was too small to cover up the clip-on earring bases I wanted to use to attach it to the straps, and I wanted to ensure the bow would lay relatively flat to cover up the ends of the shoe straps. So I hot glued two clip-on earring backs to each ribbon; they are positioned so when the bows are clipped onto the shoe, they cover the whole strap ^___^

 

The inside of the shoes are still not that pretty, but that won't be obvious once they're on my feet so I haven't done anything to them. I'm still working on the dress to go with them, and I'm also making a matching purple glittery handbag! I'm really pleased with how these turned out, and I'm really looking forward to wearing them to the con!

I can't wait to show you the finished cosplay, it's going to be very purple and very glittery and totally fresh to death! ~___^

- Lisa xx

Assorted thriftiness

Hello! After finally managing to find these photos in my phone (I swear it hides things from me!) I thought I'd share with you what I picked up on the second annual op-shopping road trip that Rebecca and I did ^___^

Here's an overview. Um, wow, right?  You've already been introduced to my new pyrex pieces, but I did find some other cool things as well! ^____^ In the top left hand corner you can see my newest tuperware piece. I love finding old tupperware! It's usually still got the seal intact, and it makes my pantry look so much neater ^____^ This one was only a couple of dollars - huzzah! ^____^ At the bottom is my one and only doily purchase this trip (I try not to buy too many of these as they really serve no practical purpose ... but they do look very pretty!); this one is hand embroidered with a lily-of-the-valley. I always find it hard to leave handmade things behind in op-shops, don't you? ^____^

  

I got four new embroidery hoops, which is really excellent because since I've been doing hooplas I've been going through them like hotcakes! ^____^ I also picked up two DC comics pillowcases. I'm really hoping that I'll find superhero sheets one day because I really, really want to make a dress from them. Finger crossed!

 

This set of Johnson teacups, saucers, and plates was only $2.50 so I really couldn't justify leaving them behind, even though they are not the type of china I normally buy. They're a bit more practical for everyday use than my fancy bone china teacups and saucers though and I've been using them quite a bit ^____^

 

This cute canister has a crack that prevents it from being airtight, but it was 50c and I'm planning on using it for craft room storage. The two glasses are, hopefully, the start of a vintage glassware collection and were $1 for both. All my other glasses are super plain and boring, so it's nice to liven it up a bit! ^____^ Also in this picture you can see the additional four pineapple bowls that I got to match the seven piece collection that I brought previously. I'm going to need to have a dinner party and insist on a pineapple dessert, I think! ^____^

 

I really hit the vintage sheet motherload on this trip and ended up with six sheets and three pillowcases. Once I get past my fear of actually cutting into them, I plan on making some pretty dresses from these ^____^

Gosh, going through these pictures has made me want to go thrifting again very soon! Do you have a favourite thing to get second-hand? 

- Lisa xx

Circle skirt from a vintage tablecloth and a chunky crochet cowl

Hey! Since I have been trying to be a good student all semester (i.e. more study, less crafting and thrifting) I was having major cravings for a good op-shop trip, so the other weekend I dragged Bec with me to a suburb full of both thrifting opportunities and people with a high socioeconomic status. Good combo! There I found an awesome vintage, oval tablecloth with an acorn and oak leaf motif. There was really no question that it was coming home with me, especially since it was only $4, but I wasn't sure what I would do with it because all my tables are squares.

Isn't it pretty? ^_^

 

So, with the forced assistance of Rebecca, I cut a circle out of the middle of it. Gasp! ~_^ I think you can guess where this is going ... we used the cut out circle to make material for a waistband, and added an exposed vintage metal zip and now ...

Circle skirt! Yay! ^_^

 

I adore how it turned out, it's so lovely and soft and since it's homemade it fits perfectly ^_^

And, it's got a lot of spinning potential! When spring comes along, I think this skirt will be getting *a lot* of wear. But in the cold, rainy meantime, some stockings and some cute crochet accessories will make it suitable for winter.

Speaking of which, check out my new favourite cowl (also, my first and only cowl) ~_^

I made this using Moda Vera Bold, which is a very chunky acrylic yarn, and an 11.5mm crochet hook. Since both the yarn and the hook were fairly large, I made this in a couple of hours; and a fair bit of that time was spent frogging as I changed my mind to how wide I wanted it to be and which stitch to use ~_^

I ended up going for a basic treble repeat pattern and made an effort to crochet rather loosely so that the yarn could show off its squishiness and awesome colours ^_^

 

It has been *so cold* here lately, so I think more scarves and cowls are required! Watch this space! ~_^

What have you been making? Is it lovely and sunny where you are?

- Lisa x

Op-shopping Overload

The title of this post is kinda misleading, because it implies that there is such as thing as too much op-shopping - which obviously not possible ~_^

Bec and I went on a relatively spontaneous road-trip yesterday for which we had three aims;

1. Get to our parents' houses' for dinner

2. Find a specific print of fabric for Pip

3. Op-shop our little hearts out.

We didn't have any luck on the fabric front (yet!) - sorry Pip - but we did achieve the other two things. Yay! We also managed to turn a two-hour drive to our home town into a six-and-a-half-hour drive o_0

I am usually not very good at finding second-hand clothes, but I managed to find three dresses yesterday - huzzah! This retro blue and white dress was made in Australia, which I thought was pretty cool ^_^ It's a bit big, so I'm going to take it in, raise the waist, and maybe replace the buttons. The shoes in this picture are genuine old lady shoes ~_^ I have to wear orthodic shoes and inserts because my feet are all kindas of messed up which means I have to pay waaayyy too much for shoes. It also means that I'll never be a fashion blogger ~_^ Anyway, I got these pretty shoes for $3 - a saving of approximately $197 o_0 They are a little scuffed, but I think after a clean they will be as good as new. ^_^

This dress is pretty new, and I just need to bring the sweetheart necklace up a bit - I think maybe the black mesh has stretched a little, so it's overall a bit low. I love the pretty pattern, and the black tulle underneath the skirt ^_^

 

Not a great photo of this dress - it's a black, strapless, and possibly silk. I couldn't find any tags on it, and the zip is broken, but it was only $5 so I'm going to take it in and add an exposed metal zipper which I think will look really cool ^_^

I also picked up a little bit of china - I was really rather restrained considering Bec and I saw a *lot* of very nice china sets. However, my collection is mostly mis-matched so I thought I'd continue on with that ^_^ The saucer is Paragon, the tea cup is Queen Anne, and they were both made in England.

 

I also got this cute little puppy teacup, which doesn't fit my fancy china collection, but it was too sweet to leave behind ^_^ I don't know the brand for this one, but it was made in Australia.

I finally found a cute set of vintage kitchen scales (for $1!), and I also picked up five balls of natural alpaca wool (I only photographed three though, because the balls are quite large and they took up too much of the photo!), and a tiny old jar with press studs in it. I think it's a baby food jar and I have no idea what I'm going to do with it, or the studs, but as it was also $1, I figured it was worth taking it home and finding out ^_^

I was really lucky yesterday with finding pretty vintage dishes ^_^ This one is pyrex, according to the mark on the base, but I don't know what the design is called or the manufacturer.

 

  This one with the cute strawberry design is pyrex too, and was made in Australia by Agee.

 I am not sure if this Nestle's dish is pyrex, although it does look like it. It has pretty little white flowers on it, and I really love the light blue colour ^_^

This is how this "set" came, but they are not actually meant to be together. The base is by Fire King and made in the USA while the lid is by Agee and made in Australia. Still, they go together relatively well, and maybe if I find more pyrex dishes, I can start matching up lids and bases properly ^_^

These two pieces also came together - but I'm not sure if they are both lids, both bases, or one of each! I *do* know that the green piece is more pyrex from Agee and the clear one is pyrex which was made in England.

Ok. Here is my favourite find of the day. Possibly the year. A Fujica 35 Automagic and a Six-20 Kodak (Model B)! Bec and I found this tiny antiques store which had no staff in it and most things were pretty overpriced. We found the owner in a cafe, two stores down, and I asked him about the cameras - as they didn't have a priced marked. I thought they were going to be way out of my price range but he said I could have both for $40. This was my face:

It was kinda hard to keep my "oh, well I guess that's a good price, *maybe* I'll buy them" face on, because over the guy's shoulder, I could see Rebecca doing this:

 

That's her "you fool! Buy them! Buy then NOW. Why aren't you buying them?!" face.

So, I paid the nice man, grabbed the cameras, and then Rebecca and I got out of there before he changed his mind. As soon as we were out of view of the window, we started doing this:

 

I don't know very much about vintage cameras, but after doing a little research on the internerds, it seems that I did indeed get a pretty good deal, especially on the Fujica ^_^

The Fujica is in it's original case, and actually has film in it too! It appears to be in good condition, nothing sticking or broken, and I am going to try it out later this weekend.

 

It can be removed from this leather case, but I like how it looks like this too ^_^

 

The other camera, the Kodak, I think is broken ; _ ;

It is meant to open to the left, with the lens then folding out, but I think it's stuck. I didn't want to pull it too hard, in case I really did ruin it, though so I'm going to try and take it to someone who knows about vintage cameras. Any suggestions, WA peeps?

Even if it is broken, it is still nice so I don't consider this too much of a failure ^_^

 

 I also picked up some novels (not shown), this Typo coffee cup (for $1), and my parents gave me this blanket which was my Nana Tess's. It has a couple of holes in it, so I'll have to research how to fix them up. I like the colours though (it's another one of her stash blankets) and it is very cosy.

And that's it! Wow! ^_^

I had so much fun and definitely want to do this again!

Do you op-shop? Do you have a favourite find? 

- Lisa x

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Many skirts

Hello! How are you? I'm going well! I have been trying to save money this year because I'm not working as much, and that gives me the perfect reason to finish off some WIPs and make some new stash crafts ^_^

I started making this pleated skirt AGES ago and it was almost done (only the hemming to go) when I realised that I'd sewn the skirt panel on upside down! >_< Silly Lisa! After spending a couple of hours unpicking all the seams (overlocker stitching is the worst to unpick!) I decided I was sick of looking at my craft fail and so stuck it in my craft room and ignored it for a while.

But look at it now! It's finished! Yayyyy! ^_^

 

 Since I'd already cut out the pieces *and* made this skirt before, it was actually really quick to finish. *And* I put a zip in all by myself! That doesn't sound like a big deal, but it totally is ~_^

 Here's a close-up of the fabric pattern. Isn't it the cutest? 

Then I figured that since I already had the sewing machine and overlocker set up, I might as well use up some more fabric and I made another pretty skirt with this floral stash fabric ...

... and then I made *another* one!

I love the graffitti meets paisley look of this fabric ^_^

They were both super easy to make because all I did was pleat a big rectangle of fabric, sew it onto a waistband, add a zip, and then hem the bottom. All three of these skirts were also 100% stash! Even the zips! Last time I headed down South to visit my parents I stopped in at a couple of op-shops on the way and at one of them I found a big bag of vintage zips for $5 - total score, right? ^_^ I knew they'd be useful, and they totally are - I've got about 15 still to use up, so I guess more skirts are in my future! ^_^

And, speaking of op-shops, while I was looking for a shirt for Scott's steampunk costume, I found this awesome purple pencil skirt. At the time it was waaaayyyy too big for me but (after some advice from Rebecca) I adjusted the darts at the back and took up the hem and now it fits wonderfully! ^_^

 

I really do love pencil skirts, so it's lovely to have one that fits well (i.e. goes over my *ahem* rather generous lower half ~_^)

What have you been working on? Do you have any favourite stash-busting craft projects?

- Lisa x