Don't sleep on your local thrift store

Hey guys hope your week is off to a good start. Today I wanted to talk about a thing I do from time to time and thats thrifting. I love buying shiny new things but I can also appreciate old things and enjoy giving something new life afterall it's in to be "green". I love finding furniture items and cool unique things to accessorize with. My apartment is filled with things from the resale shop brown elephant which is around the corner from my house. I try to visit them atleast once a week in hopes of finding my next great steal. Shop outside your neighborhood as well I'm lucky to have a few good shops around my way but if you dont do a little research and find some to visit.  Thrift stores in nicer neighborhoods have nicer things and prices can follow but your goodwill and salvation army stores always remain cheap even in those neighborhoods.This past mothers day I found my mom a very nice condition antique sofa and chair she absolutely loves it. Just today I found a few nice fall pieces from j crew for 6 bucks each. You can also find cool vintage unique jewlry I always find nice belts too. When I'm shoping I'm looking at the potential of an item some things need a lil tlc or alterations but even after all that you still come out ahead. Reduce reuse recycle I do my part at my local resale shop. Try it sometimes dont knock it til you try it til next time ~Shutoka ;)
*below I've included just a few of my finds 

Outfit of the day

Hey guys hope all is well today I  wanted to share with you a maxi dress I months ago that I'm just now wearing. I bought the fabric back in february when I was in New York for my birthday. When I saw it it screamed summertime and I  had to have it plus I'm a fan of most things floral. Most of my maxi dresses I make in one piece since most of the time I'm using fabric with a lot of stretch so they hug my shape. This fabric has some stretch but not too much so I made it in two parts for a better fit because my upper body and lower body dimensions are a bit out of proportion, thanks mommy for these 42 inch child bearing hips lol I'm not complaining tho. It was still really simple to make I connected the lower skirt to the top portion of the dress and that was it put an elastic casing at the top to hold it firmly in place hemmed it and that was it.  I really love how it turned out and it hits the floor just the way I like too.
* below are pictures of me in the dress til next time ~Shutoka

Quick and Easy Top!

Hey friends hope all is well I'm great I wanted to share with you this cute and very easy top I made and wore today. It can also be worn as high waist skirt its a two for one project.  I made it and threw it right on and headed for the door. Anyone can make this one you can't mess it up. I got the fabric ages ago at Joann fabrics it's 100% cotton. It can be made in an hour or less if your fast and not distracted. The shirt is literally your fabric cut into a square using 2  measurements I used my hip measurement plus a few inches because I wanted the shirt to hang at my hips. For the length I measured from right above my bust strait down to my hips. To make the shirt fitted used elastic thread and sewed a straight line across the width of the shirt you repeat many rows of this I did about 15 this is called shirring its found in lots of clothing it gives that gathered scrunched up look. Lastly I just hemmed the top and bottom of the shirt ironed it and put it on it's that simple. This summer I made a lot of dresses this same way you would just extend the length to however long you want it. This is a very simple beginner project that can be done by anyone really. If you want to tackle this project feel free to leave me a message if you want further instruction it would be my pleasure.
 * Below I've attached pictures from today in the shirt that you can make too ;) til next time ~Shutoka  

Inspiration

Happy Labor Day friends I hope everyone had a wonderful summer. I wanted talk about inspiration today. I'm constantly inspired by many things it's all around us. When I'm inspired it gets my creative juices flowing, but for someone else they might be inspired to go shopping or redecorate or get a cool new do. Whatever your vice it's always cool and nice to transition and evolve. I often get excited and inspired by things like colors, fabrics and even shoes. I mean who doesn't love a good shoe. I often troll the internet and flip through numerous magazines during my creative process looking for ideas. I really love looking at beautiful clothes and then putting my own unique stamp on it. I like to see whats trending but I dont always follow its always wise to keep those classic pieces in your closet. Celeb fashion is always fun I like seeing how they are styled but you can see fashionable people everyday walking down the street. Summer is my favorite season but I'm excited about fall this year I want to explore working with materials I've never worked with like tweed,wool, houndstooth, leather and suede all things I use to be afraid to sew with but I've been inspired so I'm crossing my fingers for some really nice pieces. Either way I will be learning in the process
*I've included pics below of things inspiring me as of late. I'm gonna attempt to recreate so wish me luck, till next time ;) ~Shutoka

Messing Up

Happy Wednesday friends todays topic comes out of wanting to share the not so fun part of sewing that happens from time to time but this is also a part of the process. Even a seasoned designer or seamstress will have these days. Creating pieces can sometimes be very time consuming and at times you can spend hours on something only to have it end up in the trash. This can be very frustrating especially for a beginner sewer. There are many reasons sewing projects can fail sometimes you may measure wrong so then your garment can be too small other times your fabric can be ruined by your machine or a cutting accident. Another thing that I personally don't like is even though I take pride in creating things to wear myself I want it to appear as if I could have bought them from a store. Yes I want to stand out but I want it to be because a piece is unique not because it looks like a craft project gone wrong. Just like anything else you get what you put into something this applies to sewing as well. Even with all the possible things that can go wrong it is still a rewarding activity for me. If it's something your passionate about you'll work through the kinks and you always learn from each failed project. I've grown so much in my ability but I still mess up from time to time. I'm still learning and getting better after each project and thats exciting and far outweighs the failed attempts. You learn by doing so practice often watch videos there are many sewing tutorials on different sewing sites also on youtube. It's also great to have reference books on hand many have step by step instructions on different sewing techniques many of which you can find at your public library. Only thing left to do is let your creativity run wild then you can make your possibilities realities. I hope this information has been helpful it's important to know that everything doesnt go as planned, but when it does it's sweet and that will keep you pushing through to your next great piece.
Have fun creating til next time
~Shutoka

Animal Prints

The trend of animal prints has been around for a minute but popularity seems to be at an all time high lately. Which is music to my ears because I've always been a fan. The cool thing about animal prints is that you can wear them any season. Wearing the prints all over in a dress or just in a belt or scarf either way they always make an impact. Now days you can find animal prints in all colors my eyes light up at the fabric store at all the options. You can make yourself some cool unique scarfs easily and very inexpensively. Take one of your old scarfs to the fabric store with you use it as a guide to measure how much fabric you need. Most cases you'll come out cheaper making your own. Once you get home just simply cut around your scarf using it as a pattern then hem the fabric all around if you don't have a sewing machine you can do this by hand with needle and thread next iron then your done with the satisfaction of having a one of a kind piece.
*Below there are pics of things I've made with animal prints and I have plans to add more to my closet this fall
*Have fun creating til next time ~Shutoka

Pillows, Pillows Pillows!

If youre not quite ready to tackle making your own clothing yet how about starting in your home. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm obsessed with pillows. Pillows are a quick, easy, and inexpensive way to transform a room. Don't have the budget for that new sofa spruce up your old one with new pillows you made yourself. Create a fresh new look or color scheme for your space. I have several sets of removable pillow covers I've made so if I feel like a change in decor which is often for me I can do a switch and refresh any room. The easiest pillow to make is the envelope inclosure pillow a yard and a half of fabric can make 2 to 3 pillows depending on the size you want. You can definately do it yourself. Be your own interior designer you know you best. It is my belief that your home is a reflection of you. If your an outgoing colorful person why live in a vanilla box. Bring your personality into your space. Pillows can be one way to get you there have fun creating friends til next time
* Heres a few pics of my pillows ;)