Clothing Makeover: Three More Bodyline Blouses

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The latest craft project is another clothing makeover, technically three makeovers.

Three different blouses, all bought from Bodyline.  I had so much fun fixing up the last one I had to try my hand on these three. 

Two have fairly minor issues with them, but hang tight for the last one.

This cute blouse didn’t need that much done to it.

It has some of the prettiest lace I’ve ever seen and the cutest heart shaped pearly buttons.  And I normally don’t go for ruffles down the front of a top, but the ones on this blouse are actually really cute.

However, the problem lies with the ruffles.  They added the same ruffles across the sleeve, there something about this placement that bothers me.  It makes is so hard to enjoy the really pretty lace, isn’t it pretty though?

Anyway, just a bit of time with a seam ripper was all it took.  Ruffles no more!

I had actually intended to remove the faux pearls on the collar because they kind of clash with the buttons.  But I kind of got use to them, they do add a nice touch. 

So now this ruffly and pearly blouse it ready to be worn.

This blouse needed a little more to be done.  For starters, I love the ribbon bows down the front, but not the odd bows on the sleeves.

However, the biggest issue is the collar.  The wide lace is actually one of my favorite laces used by Bodyline, but I don’t like it enough to have two rows of it on such a large collar.  It makes it look like the blouse has two collars, and both ginormous.

Removing the lace leaves behind a visible seam.  I could have just covered it up with a smaller trim, but I decided to remove the collar.

Then pin it back  on backwards, and re-sew…

…to make a “new” collar.

The odd visible seam is now on the underside of the collar.  It did get a little bunched up while re-sewing, but it’s not that noticiable. 

So now the cute ribbon bow blouse is ready for use.

This final blouse came out of a lucky pack (the one this dress came from) and needed the most work of all. 

Being from a lucky pack meant flaws, like missing pieces.  It was suppose to come with detachable sleeves so it could go from short sleeve to long sleeve for cooler weather.

It did come with this cameo pin along with a ribbon necktie.  It is scratched up and in need of a makeover too, but that will be for another day.

Anyway, the problem with this blouse is the overly ruffled collar.  It’s funny how ruffles have been getting in way, I normally love them.   These ruffles are so not flattering, so I carefully cut them off with tiny scissors.

After cutting, the blouse now has an simple, yet elegant high neck collar.  This would be good look for those into vintage and antique clothing. 

However, I’m not really into high neck blouses, so back to more cutting.

I cut off the collar and cut a new, slightly square shaped neckline.  I find this much more flattering for me.

I then cut off the edge of one of the old ruffles and stitched it along my new neckline. 

After turning and topstitching…

…It looks like this.

I added a snap to close the top and a little bow for decoration.

I made matching bows for the sleeves to replace the odd looking ones.

And now my new collar-less blouse is ready to go.  These blouses were so much fun to alter, I wish I had a few more to work with.  Maybe later.

Here’s the updated list:

• Dress makeover
• Doll undies
• Cameo and Hearts
• Blouse makeover
• Phone case
• Outfit
• Mother’s Day
• Costume fix
• Jammies
• Bonnet

Five down, five more to go.  The next one will be ready in a few days, look forward to it.

Give it a try:

• Loops & Threads™ Start-to-Sew Kit
• Singer Sewing Kit Beginner's
• Loops &Threads Seam Ripper

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Q Box Unboxing: Late Clearance Box Opening

This post may contain affiliate links, please check out my disclosures page for more info.  Thanks!

Here’s something super late.  Last November I stumbled upon Q Box.  It’s a subscription box, sort of like Kawaii Box, which features cute goodies mostly from Japan based on a monthly theme.  Some past themes include Pokémon, Sailor Moon, Alice in Wonderland, etc.

Anyway, I discovered they were having a special box, their clearance box.  Packed full with more items than normal at a cheaper price.  Plus, they were having a special sale, buy 2 get 1 free.  Hard to resist that.

So not long later, this adorably cute package showed up in the mail for me.

And inside were three “boxes”, I think the last one was packed in the cute heart bag to save space.

It was close to Christmas at the time, so they put cute little holiday stamps on the boxes.  Most fitting since I actually used many of the goodies inside for Christmas.  I stuffed those pouches I made (see Sewing Pouches, Lots of Them) and gave them as gifts.

Anyway, the boxes and all other packaging also had Q Box’s special little logo sticker, in case anyone forgot where this stuff all came from. :)

And a lot of stuff there was, each box was crammed full of fun surprises.  I had originally intended to open one box at a time, you know, take my time with it.  But I ended up ripping through all three at once.  I did take the time to make a video, which was then pushed to side due to holiday preparation.

But finally, here is my Q Box unboxing video.

Enjoy!

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Sailor Moon Gashapon Toy Unboxing

It’s up a little later than I had planned, but it’s finally ready.

My Sailor Moon gashapon unboxing!

For those who don’t know, a gashapon or Gachapon is a capsule toy from Japan.  Like the tiny toys you see selling for 25 or 50 cents in those little machines at grocery stores. 

Kind of like that, only much better.  They are usually better quality and with a wider variety to choose from.  For more information about them, check this video from Only in Japan.

Anyway, as you saw in my Comicon haul video (see Phoenix Comicon Shopping Haul and Grab Bag Opening), I received several gashapons from my grab bags, all Sailor Moon ones. 

Since opening them was so special to me, I chose to make it a separate video.  And now you can finally see for yourself.  Be prepared for a couple of surprises.

Enjoy the video!

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Phoenix Comicon Shopping Haul and Grab Bag Opening

Continuing on from my Phoenix Comicon 2017 video, here is part 2.  The shopping haul!

All the cute and/or unusual stuff I bought at the vendors hall.  Mostly grab bags, I can’t resist them.  One part surprise, one part bargain and full of fun.

Enjoy the video.

Here’s links for some of the items:

• Victorian Folly
• J-Box
• All About Books and Comics

I will be posting the next video soon for the Sailor Moon gashapons.  Look forward to it!

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My Trip to Phoenix Comicon 2016

I know I mentioned that I was going to Phoenix Comicon this year (see Sailor Moon? No, Just a Uniform), but I never did say anything about how it went.

It’s hard to put such things in words, so I actually made a short video of it.  Here is just a small taste of what it was like.

Now that you finished that, I thought I should give a few more details, at least about what I brought home.

You saw the grab bag I got at J-list in the video…

…and the random stuff that came out of it.  Now what will I do with it all?

The train shaped food tray will probably be fun for lunch and stuff.

I’ve gotten a lot of use out of the travel mug.  I fill it up with green tea for early mornings.  Nothing like tea in a cute mug to brighten the day.

I haven’t yet used the leek pen, but it will come in handy.

I’m afraid the DVD titles aren’t very appealing to me.  I may give them away or take them to Bookman’s.

I’m sure this clock thing will be useful as soon as I figure out how to use it.  I think it’s really cute, but I kind of have the urge to whip out my glue gun and add bows or something to it.

The bento t-shirt is adorable, one can never have too many t-shirts.  And if I don’t wear it as is, I could turn it into something cute.

Here’s a better look at the tag.

And this is the strangest thing right?  I was surprised it was a Sanrio character.  That’s right, the company that brought us Hello Kitty also created Kirimi-Chan.  A character with a giant salmon filet for a head.

And this is a giant inflatable pork chop for you to wear on your head, because one of Kirimi-Chan's friends is a pork chop.  I’m not sure what to do with it, but I kind of want to keep it just because it’s hilarious.

Now the cute stationery set.  I wish I had thought to ask the vendor for a business card or something.  All the stuff they had were so cute including this set.  I’m still at that stage where it’s so cute that I can’t use this stuff for fear of ruining it.

When that’s over, I will probably use the cute bear pencil like crazy for drawing and designing.  The pen would be great for jotting down notes, especially in the notebook.  It’s perfect for shopping lists and such.  The eraser is perfect because one can never have enough, and I can use the pouch to sort out these and all my other pencils and stuff.

Overall, it was super fun and hopefully next year will be fun too. 

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Catching Up: Celebrate with Cuteness

My birthday was last month, and just like last year, we celebrated with a trip to the cutest place ever.  The Sanrio Store.

Warning: The word “cute” will be used quite a bit in this post for obvious reasons.  Some people may be annoyed by this and therefore should click away right now.

Cute cute, cute cute cute cute cute and cute.  Typing it just because I can.

Anyway, it was a visit to the cutest store around, so naturally I came back with tons of super cute stuff.

I got a set of really cute folders with some characters I’m not familiar with, but since they are fluffy adorable bunnies, why not?  Funny is that when I got them I wasn’t sure if they were folders or some other stationary item.  Either way they would still be handy.

I got this cute Hello Kitty tote bag mostly because it was on clearance and tote bags are super handy to have around.  I prefer my cute items to be both cute and useful.  More practical that way, not to mention more economical.

More useful cute items, a My Melody bento box and a set of Hello Kitty utensils.  Make food cuter and more enjoyable.

And of course this Hello Kitty pencil with a cute little charm on it.  It’s a really nice pencil too with a comfortable grip.  The only problem is that it looks so much like a pen and doesn’t have an eraser too.  Also it didn’t occur to me until after we left that I probably should have gotten a cute eraser to match.

And now the grab bag, my friends got it for me just like last year.  I love grab bags in general, but the ones from Sanrio are fantastic.  Filled with adorably cute items and they are even wrapped in super cute bags.  So what’s inside?

In this one was a Hello Kitty folder, a coil bracelet with a cute Hello Kitty charm, a Hello Kitty finger tip ring, and a set of Jewel Pets “pencil caps”.  At least that’s what I think they are, since I saw similar things in the store that were labeled as that.

I almost bought a pack of them, but I don’t have to now since they came in my grab bag anyway.  I thought they would be handy.  They are an easy and reusable way of making plain pencils cuter.  The finger tip ring is a bit odd though, it would make a great doll-sized bracelet though.

Over all, tons of cute items to enjoy, that is until my next birthday.

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Catching Up – Conventions Anyone?

Last month I went on my usual yearly pilgrimage to that most sacred haven for those of us who are truly passionate about our hobbies and interests.

Phoenix Comicon.

This was my third year attending, and probably the best yet.  Of course this was mostly due to proper planning.  There were plenty of things to do to make this year successful. Some of the things that helped:

• Bringing food and water – My friends and I packed bentos the night before, both so we wouldn’t have to pay outrageous prices for the food there and because it was just more fun.
• A Parasol – This is a must for me. Since this event is always in the summer in Arizona to boot, and since there are some events that are outside, it helps to have portable shade such as an umbrella or parasol.  Plus a parasol matches my outfit well.
• A fan – Because sometimes having shade isn’t enough. It helps to have a portable breeze too.  I found a pretty floral print fan at SAS for about $2 for this purpose.  Works great and still matches my outfit.
• A cute tote bag – Even if you go in traveling light, you probably won’t leave that way especially if you stop by the vendors hall.  I had a cute Hello Kitty foldable shopping bag for this.
• Pen and notebook – It does help to have something to write with or on. Good for jotting down info from a panel or writing notes in the guidebook about what you want to do.  Even getting contact info from new friends.
• A sweater – The paradox of Arizona summers, blistering heat outside, frigid air conditioning inside.  I kept a pink cardigan in my bag just in case, and I did use well.
• A sewing kit – This came in handy the night before, you’ll see why.
• The Padawan Room – This is something I found in the guide. A special room setup for families with small children to relax. My friends brought their adorable now 6 month old baby boy this year, so this room was indispensible for us.

And of course what really helped was extra planning on outfits.  For starters…

…dealing with this one.  My friend asked me to make her this dress to wear.  It’s made with a cute print featuring Super Girl, Bat Girl, and Wonder Woman. Perfect for Comicon.  It ties at the straps both to make it cute and to make it easier for my friend to feed her son.  And of course it has pockets, she loves those.  The problem came when she tried it on the night before.  It somehow ended up a little too big for her.  That’s why dress rehearsals are necessary.  I had plenty of time to take it in for her. In addition to the dress, I made a matching tote bag and…

…accessories! Hair clips and wrist bands.  The wrist bands help with the super hero theme. 

Now here’s what I wore.  It has an A-line skirt made from a pattern I drafted myself and the bodice came from a pattern for a top I really liked. 

It has lace running down the front seams and across the neckline as well as along the scalloped hem.  The look is complete with a wide ribbon sash as the waistline and match ribbon bows.  It was super difficult to decide on a color for the ribbon, especially with the strange color of the fabric.

Funny thing about the dress, it’s known as my “Spring Dress”.  I had originally planned to make it as my Easter dress, but didn’t finish it in time.  I was literally working on it the night before Easter Sunday.  I decided then to just wear something else, since staying up all night to finish was possible but sleep was more important.  I eventually finished it and that’s all that matters.

Of course I had to make some accessories to match.  Here’s the pretty head band made with the rest of the ribbon as well as some eyelet lace and a couple of faux pearls.  I had some trouble because I couldn’t remember how to make ribbon roses.  I managed to figure it out, after much trial and error.  The pearls were a bit of an after thought, but ended up being absolutely essential.

Here’s a worn shot taken in a hotel restroom, classy I know.  You can see that I also made a couple of faux pearl bracelets and a necklace to complete the look.  I layered the necklace with my cameo necklace for a shall we say dressier look.  I actually also added a vintage pearl broach to my headband for the same reason.  Lots of pearls that day.  I was wearing a pair of simple lace gloves too.  I got them at SAS a few months ago and have worn them several times.  All that wear caught up with them and one of the fingers busted on me, which is why I’m just wearing the bracelets in the photo.  It pays to have extra accessories on hand.  It came in handy while getting dressed that morning too.  I had packed a lot more accessories and extra shoes and socks just in case my first choices didn’t work.

Enough about clothes, time for some goodies.  There were tons of stuff to see at the vendors hall.  Of course I didn’t leave empty handed.  From Dark Horse Comics I got a free comic from Free Comic Book Day, a cute poster, a mini-pin and some information about their scheduled events.  Super practical.

There was this artist who made these cute mini-pins he was actually giving away for free while selling his prints.  I actually had to ask because I found it so surprising.  Anyway, his pieces are really cool and some of them are so cute.  You can check them out at his website at www.thebeastisback.com.

One the biggest surprises, while I was wandering by myself I found this booth that had cute baby and kids t-shirts that I knew my friends would love for their son.  I let them know where it was, and while I was waiting for them a woman from the booth just gave me this necklace.  She commented on my outfit and said this would probably match something I own.  It’s true, with a little altering this would look perfect with several of my dresses.  Of course I thanked her and my friends showed up and bought several of the cute t-shirts.  Sadly I couldn’t get a business card or anything from them.  Pity.

Now for stuff I actually bought.  I have a thing for grab bags.  The mystery of what could possibly be inside, at bargain prices no less, plus the surprise when you open it.  It has definite appeal.  Of course they can be hit or miss.  This first one was mostly and miss for me.  Everything in it was orange, orange is probably my least favorite color.  There’s a pair of fake glasses, an interesting crown head band, a panda hat and a duck shaped silicon change purse.  That last one is actually pretty cute. The rest I can either sell or give away as gifts/prizes.  Hmm, do I smell a giveaway?

The second grab bag was a definite hit, it was also the least expensive one so a real plus.  It was wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper and said it was for girls.  Inside was a MLP mini-tote bag, a keychain from an anime series I don’t quite recognized, a MLP pin that is probably fan made, and a tube of Lip Smackers lip balm.  Super cute!
Overall this was a super fun con, and I can not wait until next year.

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