Stamp Print a Simple Dress Tutorial

These posts are getting less and less glamorous as my belly gets bigger and bigger! I hope it doesn't throw you off and make you think this is a "pregnancy" DIY and not for you non-preggers out there. :)

I was pretty desperate a few weeks ago. I was in search of something (anything) that fit. We live in a smaller town and cute pregnancy clothes are a rare find. I found this simple linen dress at the thrift store and loved how it tied right above the belly and although it doesn't look like much, I'll repeat: I was desperate. 

After some time of it hanging out in my closet, I realized it was too plain. It was fine but since it was a thrift store find, I felt more at ease with trying to spruce it up a bit. 

I have been wanting to stamp a print for a while now and haven't got around to it. The HARDEST thing about this DIY is deciding which print you want to do! :) Anchors or birds or triangles??! So many adorable choices! (and stamps galore in craft stores to choose from!) But I went with another print I will always adore: polka dots. And you don't even need to purchase a stamp. 

All you need is:
Fabric Paint (of your choice)
a Bottle Cap 
Cardboard to layer in between the clothing...

1. First try out your bottle cap stamp on a different fabric to get the right size and play with the stamping technique. (Hint: try to find a fabric the same as the one you want to redo. I practiced on a cotton and since my dress was linen, it turned out a bit different.)

2. Lay the cardboard in between the clothing to keep the paint from seeping through.

3. Work your way down, spreading the print out as much or as little as you want. You can also choose to go from very sparse to more condensed on the bottom. That could create a very cute look!

4. Do one side at a time. Let it dry (the paint bottle says at least 4 hours- more if the paint is very thick) before you flip to the other side.

5. At the end, do the sides on the seams as well (if you want) to make it look like a continuous pattern. 

6. Let dry and ready to wear!

Have fun with it! Think outside the dress: I have a scarf I want to print stamp and I've seen people do this on pants and tee's as well! :)

Have a beautiful day and enjoy the weekend. For us, this is the last weekend before our eldest goes to Kindergarten. We are very choked up about it and I was almost to tears twice yesterday when I met his teacher! (Who seems like an amazing teacher and I am so happy that she will be ours!) To say the least, I will have major separation anxiety. I am sure lots of you are feeling the same way if you will be sending your kids to school the first time (or even if not the first!) I will be praying for you as well! I have faith that God will not remove His wing of protection.

Thank you for reading!

T-Shirt into Stretchy Comfy Bodycon Skirt

Hi :)

I know the title was a bit long but this skirt is oh. so. comfy.

It was in my closet all this time and I didn't even know it. Well, mostly because it was disguised in the form of a tee that I rarely wore! I kept it because of the classic black and white stripes and I'm SO GLAD I did!

It's obvious why I need this type of skirt  - my growing belly! (YES, we are EXPECTING!!!! :) but you need this skirt too. It is the perfect go-to skirt when you want comfort yet its 100 degrees outside.
All you need is:

A stretchy tee
Scissors 
Elastic for the waist
Sewing machine and pins

This is my teeshirt before:

One major plus about my tee is the elastic gathering on the side. It was automatically "fitted".

1. First, try on the shirt through the neckline hole and find out where you want to cut it (how short you want it) If your neckline is too small or not stretchy to try it on, I recommend cutting off the neck line (at the top of sleeves) to be able to try it on and find a good length for you. 

 2. Turn shirt inside out. Use a straight edge to draw and pin a line to completely close the armhole openings. Sew down that line, reinforce with zigzag and cut off excess (or serge off). 

Tip: Sew a little lower than the armhole. You don't want to create a puck in your skirt!

3. Cut off the top (neckline) at the length you want.

4. Fold over top, pin and sew. Leave an opening for the elastic. Measure your elastic around your waist at the tightness you want it. Pull the elastic through the opening you left in the skirt waist (I like to do this with a safety pin) and sew the ends of elastic closed. Than hand sew the opening you left. 
 

You're done! 

Like I mentioned, my shirt was ruched on the sides so it was fitted and I didnt need to alter anything. If you have a plain teeshirt, you might have to "pencil-fy" your skirt. You can do this by tracing a fitted skirt you already own or trying it on and making alterations.

Just for fun I wanted to share a picture of my neice. She not only looked 100% like a mini me but my sister had just made her a skirt from, guess what? A TEESHIRT! Haha I guess great minds do think a like ;)

 I didn't notice her skirt was curled up on the bottom until later. Oh well.

HOW CUTE IS SHE?!?! It just blows my mind how similar our outfits turned out to be! (I wore my outfit on Saturday and my neice was dressed like this for church on Sunday) 

Fashion Face-off! (I think she won this face-off with her adorable sock bun! What do you guys think?)

I hope you think twice before you trash a tee-shirt next time (especially with a cool print!) and try this! Let me know if you have any questions! I feel like this tutorial wasn't as straight forward as I usually make them but I will try to do better next time.

:) Hope you start the next week with a happy heart and a smile! Thank you for reading!