Christmas Plaid Wide Leg Pants Tutorial with Video

Hi Hi!

I love the idea of a dressy pant or jumpsuit instead of a dress or skirt for the holidays. It can be just as dressed up but with a modern twist!

I came across my inspiration picture for these pants from an adorable girl I follow on Instagram, who was wearing sequins pants. I LOVED them. They were the perfect, fun, over-the-top kind of piece you can wear during the holidays and not feel over-dressed. The fact they were wide leg pants was a unexpected aspect. I set out to find sequins fabric to recreate the look...

Unfortunately, our little town didn't have sequin fabric and since I was too impatient to wait for shipping, I found the next best thing in our Hobby Lobby: PLAID. Shimmery, fancy Christmas Plaid, as I like to call it :)

Even though I know this pant would look amazing in sequin fabric, I am very happy with the way they turned out!

These pants would look cute in lots of fabric choices and would also be perfect for New Years Eve!!
Please let me know if you have any questions and I would love to hear feedback! What do you think? Would you wear these?? Not going to lie- my husband said "It's a look" haha. But I love them anyways.

Watch the easy video tutorial on how to make your own!



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Now, for my favorite part: all the pretty pictures (taken by Tamara Chepelyuk)

Thank you so much for reading and I hope this inspires you to try and recreate a look you see this week!!

Have a joyful, peaceful holiday season! 

Merry Christmas from my family to yours! 

May God bless you all!! 

With Love, 

Viktoria 

DIY Star Advent

Hello Lovelies!

I have had this DIY on my "to post about" for over 2 years (made this advent in 2016!) and just kept getting the timing wrong! Finally, it's BEFORE Decemeber and I am writing this blog post! :) Yay!! 

For those of you not aware of what Advent is, it means "coming" in Latin and it's a period of time (4 weeks) before Christmas where Christians await the coming of the Messiah (in our case, the second coming!)  

We remember the longing of the Jews for a Messiah.. 
We realize our own longing for and need of forgiveness, and a Savior. 
We look back and celebrate the birth of Jesus but we also look forward, anticipating the second coming of Christ, as the fulfillment of all that was promised! 

Advent is not something I grew up with and it's relatively new to our little family as well. I have only done it a few times! It is a beautiful way to draw our hearts and attention back to the real reason for Christmas, every single day in December, building up to the birth of Christ!! I enjoy thinking of new ways to incorporate Advent into our Christmas decor and love to DIY it! 

You may also wish to include a fun activity to do that day!
Things like:
Drive to see the Christmas lights
Watch a Christmas movie
Make a Christmas card to mail for someone

See this list for more ideas!! 

What you will need to make the Advent Stars: 

-Brown Paper or pretty paper? (I bought a LARGE roll of thick brown paper from Home Depot or Lowes- it'll be in the painting section- also great for gift wrapping!!)
-Sewing machine or needle & thread if you're adventurous!
-Star template : I included a good starter size star! Too little and it'll be hard to fit anything in there besides the paper slip!
-Markers (to decorate or write numbers on the stars)
-Hole punch
-Pretty twine
-A metal hoop or circular form (I ordered gold metal hoops from Amazon!)
-Little gifts & special candies (optional)
-Print-outs of Bible verses:  I used something similar to these!

1. First, print off a few star templates from the computer and cut out for tracing onto the brown paper..

2. Trace & cut out paper stars. If you are doing all the days of Advent, you will need 25 X 2 (each star needs two sides- front and back) so total of 50 stars. The beauty of this part is the stars don't have to be perfect. Each one will vary a little.. makes it more unique!

3. Start to sew up and down the angles of the star.. leaving a little gap for filling! Again, they might not 100% line up but that little imperfection makes it more rustic!

4. Fill the star with a verse in each (and a fun activity too!) and a special treat, mini toy, etc!
Some examples could be:
Kinder Eggs
a mini ornament for each child
a cute pencil/ gel pen
stickers
a scavenger hunt to find the hidden gift!

If you chose to just include the slip of paper, consider stuffing it with shredded paper filler to make the star have more shape!

5. Sew the hole closed (this is a little tricky if you really filled the star but it can be done!)

6. Write the number on the star for the day it coordinates with!

7. Hole punch a hole on the top corner. Make sure it's not too close to the edge or it may tear away from the star. Loop the twine in and tie to the metal hoop (or whatever you have prepared - even a rustic stick to tie all the stars to!)

I added a branch of evergreen for some color and texture. It was so simple yet makes a big visual impact!

8. Using thicker twine, tie around the circle and knot in the middle. (pictured below) Make sure it's balanced correctly and will hang evenly. I think eventually the weight wasn't even after cutting off random stars and it slide down vertically (See first photo) but still looks just as cute!

9. Hang on a hook in the ceiling (hope your husband doesn't question said hook) ;)

10. You're done! Cut off the star for each number day for the days of December, and tear open to expose the surprise!

I hope your kids and family will love it as much as ours did! They ran to it first thing every morning and took turns cutting the next number loose! They also liked to try and guess what it could be inside!

I hope you will consider starting this new tradition with your family! You never know what tradition your kiddos will remember the most when they grow up but I hope it this will be one of them! 

Have a joyful and peaceful holiday season!!

With Love, 

Viktoria 

P.S. One really fun filler I did for one of the stars was a large quantity of M&M's. When they tore it open, the M&Ms scattered everywhere.. haha that was funny :)

P.P.S. After the stars came off one by one, I added Christmas Cards to the empty strings with cute mini clothespins! I wish I snapped a photo! It's a neat idea for when the stars start dwindling down.

Wedding Guest Style : DIY Floral Wrap Skirt

Hello!

We have been having the MOST bi-polar spring here in Virginia! I know some of you are also experiencing this and that makes me happy that we are not the only ones (What can I say? Misery loves company- haha). But you can rest assured: it will be warm sooooonnnnn!

With that being said, wedding season is upon us and I know many of you are planning on attending a wedding this spring or summer and are already thinking of what to wear as a guest!
For your man, I am SO excited to post about The Black Tux!

This type of service was not available when I was getting married and I really wish it was!  With so many options for ladies like rent-the-runway, the guys in our life also need a service where they can rent a modern, high-quality tux without worrying about affording to purchase it and the unnecessary need of owning it! (Some may have the lifestyle that requires owning a tux but usually, it is bought for a special event then just gathers dust in your closet!)

Check out The Black Tux here: https://theblacktux.com for you next formal event or wedding!! I've included a great infographic at the bottom of this post: It will help you decide what is appropriate to wear to what type of wedding!

As for the ladies, the most perfect and versatile wrap skirt!
Check out the video tutorial here!



I really love wearing dresses to weddings because they are one-and-done: just add a few accessories and you look put together! But I love the way a skirt can be worn so many different ways! This can easily be dressed up, like I am wearing it, with a neutral top and some strappy heels. But it would also be great for a beach wedding: throw on some espadrilles and a straw hat and it's perfect!!

(Pair with a white tee and white sneakers and its perfect for the farmers market tooo!) :)

Hope you enjoy the photos and check back soon so you can see how easy it is to make your own!

Thank you so much for reading!

With Love, 

Viktoria 

My Surprise Birthday Party!

Hello friends!

I don't even have the words to describe my gratitude and appreciation to my sisters (and dear friends) for surprising me with the most wonderful birthday party I could have ever asked for. So much of my favorite people all in one place and the thought and careful planning that went into each detail: It makes my eyes tear up! The feeling of #blessed is real, guys! The people in our lives are so much greater then all the s t u f f. It's hard to step back sometimes and see the blessings. Hope you all hug and love on those blessings around you today. Text those forgotten friends a sweet message. Reach out to a family member that you haven't heard from in a while. Don't lose those people in your lives! They are worth more then money can buy.

If you have been following me for a while, you know my sisters and I love to party ;) meaning, we love throwing parties, planning parties, decorating parties. (The coffee sipping, eating and chit-chatting kind of parties) This time my sister asked Tania from Lavender Dreams to come photograph the party decor (and US!) and I just really had to share the images! She is just magical. (GO CHECK OUT HER PAGE! If you are in central Virginia or Northern VA, you must book a session!) She also photographed me with the poppies last spring which is my favorite photo session ever. See it here!

Hope you enjoy the photos! Thanks again to all my family and friends that made this birthday so special and memorable! Love you guys!

The cutest "tea" station complete with little baggies to make your own tea. Loved it.

And thanks again to Tania for these wonderful pictures! So happy to have these memories and little details to remember forever. 

With love, 

Viktoria

Summer Shorts: Gingham

Hellllloooooooo!

I don't know what it is, but I am all about shorts this summer. The usual desire to wear dresses and skirts are just gone (for now) but I think it has lots to do with chasing around a busy (and FAST) one year old :) That being said, I also don't feel comfortable with the length (or lack there of) in shorts from the store these days. But what an easy DIY! My new favorite is the rolled up look. Bonus: No need to hem and super cute! No need for a sewing machine either. :)

I had thrifted these gingham capris a while back because I am so loving this print this year. Nothing says summer like GINGHAM! Ok, maybe picnics. And watermelon. And fireflies. :)
I also love the high-waisted look of these pants/shorts. The thrift store is overfilling with this style. Just take your pick of fabric pattern and you have a new pair of shorts!

 1. Have your pant/shorts/capris that you want to chop. This works for jeans as well!

2. Trim to your desired length plus about 2 inches. (Depending how fat of a roll you want) Make sure they are the same length on both legs.

3. Fold once. Fold once more.

4. Iron the folded part! This is an important step. It keeps the fold from unfolding.

Final Step: To also  keep the shorts from unrolling, I did a simple thread on the outside edge of the shorts using a needle and thread. Knot the thread, pull it through the inside to the outside, pull it back into the shorts and repeat 3-4 times. Than knot the back end and you're done! (Use a thread that matches so you can't see it)

 

Little behind the scenes: :)

Pack a picnic basket and go to your nearest park (or your backyard!) and enjoy the NOW. I have to make myself stop sometimes and just dwell and pause in the moments to remind myself to enjoy the kids. In the age they are right now. In the stages of discipline we are at RIGHT NOW. There might be tough things going on. You might be in a stage of waiting or a stage of praying or you might be in a praising stage. Let us enjoy the every moment..

Do you have a tried-and-true shorts DIY that you do every year? Would love to hear it!

Thanks so much for reading! Have a beautiful weekend, friends!

With Love, 

Viktoria