Altered Couture - My Favorite Top Now a Onesie Dress for Emma

My Favorite Top Becomes a Dress for Granddaughter!

I had this top that I just love, but I have out grown it...or lets just say it shrunk!

I couldn't bare to give it away, so as I sat debating on keeping it in case my body

shrinks again...I had this vision! I'll make my granddaughter Emma a dress with it!

I love working with baby onesie's and I have these 24M size ones that are very large

and they fit Miss Emma even though she is now three. I pulled one out and went to

work and this is what the end result was.

Top in it's original form....and Emma's Onesie Dress

I so so Loved this top!

This had a cami attached underneath which I used as lining in the skirt of Emma's dress.

The outer fabric is very sheer. Love the lace and seqin and pearl flowers too.

Isn't this just way cute!?

I did a tye dye tea stain on the onesie to start.  Once dryed I carefully laid the top over the onesie and cut it to fit the front for the bodice.  Then I used the bottom half of the top along with the cami underneath to make the onesie skirt. The top of the skirt is all raw edged. The ties that were on the back of the top became a tied bow at the skirts waist. I cut all the tatted like lace off the top, and and reapplied it to edged the neckline and sleeves of the onesie, and then trimmed the raw edge of the bodice lace with more. I took another strip of the tatted lace along with a strip of the fabric to make a rolled rose flower for the neckline of the dress. This still snaps at the bottom of the onesie underneath.

I was so excited with the end result...It came out better than I had first invisioned it!

Miss Emma showing off her new dress with her brother, and my handsome grandson Parker. Emma is so picky with what she wears, I was afraid she wouldn't put it on, but she loved it! Yea!!! Score 1 for grandma! :) And....it fit perfect!! Look at the freckles on those faces! :)

Back to busy baking in her own little kitchen!

Not a good photo, but she had to do her high styling modeling...such a funny girl!

Now my favorite top lives on for a while longer for both of us girls to enjoy!

I also had a pair of plain white Mary Jane shoes made for Emma that I have also tea dyed. I'm making  rolled rose flowers to attach to them. Once I get Emma in the whole set, I'll share the picture!

TATA for Now!

We're Creating Little Works of Heart with Your Little One's and Mommies in Mind, by Creating and Making Vintage Beautiful and Useful Again!

Vintage Inspired Baby Onesie - Altered Couture

A Sweet Tea Stained Vintage Inspired Altered Baby Onesie

It's been a long long time since I've made one of these, about 3 years as a matter of fact. Boy time flies! I've been wanting to make more of these for months now but I have been so busy with custom orders all summer, actually the rush started at the end of last December, so I haven't been able to do any new creations for a long while. The other night I just couldn't sleep. My mind was on all the tons of things I have been wanting to make and ideas were just flooding my mind. I hate that when I can't shut my mind off because it normally means I will be up and down all night long, and then the next day I don't get anything accomplished because I'm whipped! Well this was one of those nights so I decided that if I couldn't sleep...I was going to create something. I have a ton of baby onesies along with a huge collection of vintage images that have just been waiting to become something. They have been on my mind for weeks now so thats what I decided to make. I went downstairs to put on a batch of tea then trotted back up the stairs to my sewing cave with this vision I had and set out to find all the items I would need to bring it to life. Well like always this little creation turned out entirely different from what I had first imaged it to be. Once I start the process of making something, it just takes its own course just like it already knows how it supposed to be when finished, so I just follow along to do the work and give it life. That's always the best part of sitting down to make something. I never really know what it will end up looking like when it's done. It's always an adventure! It most always ends up much better than I had planned too. Well this little sweetie was an all night until about 7:30AM project. I kept changing this and that until it was done and I was so excited with the finished product that I had to go wake up my hubby so he could see it. He just loves me when I do that. NOT! But, he is always so sweet about it. Well at least it got this nagging desire out of my system so I can get back to my orders and concentrate on them. It also made another day of dragging my fanny and not accomplishing much at all. But it is really cute!

The onesie was tea dyed, along with a vintage lace doily, a piece of a vintage lace tablecloth, and a strip of vintage feedsack fabric. Some vintage buttons, black satin ribbon for bows, and a tiny rose ribbon rose flower were added for embellishments and a sprinkle of pop. Then I added this darling vintage image transfer of the cutest little girls, one of my favorites. Lastly I got out my fabric paint and letter stamps. Several hours later and yawnng my tail off because once I start something unless my head hits the table, I can't stop until it's done, my nagging creative mind finally let me sleep. But, I have something new to offer in the boutique which has been sadly ignored all summer long. The second good thing is I needed to get out of my system creating something different. I still am trying to finish up the last few of the custom orders. I love them, but I miss being able to design or create something I haven't made in a long time or something altogether new. 

Well here is the little devil that was just determined to be no matter what time of night it was!

She is for Size 6M-9M - One of a Kind Original only at Cameo Kids Boutique

Isn't she just the cutest?! I guess she was worth the sleepless night.

You can find her here: Altered Vintage Inspired Baby Onesie

She is really so much more adorable in real life!

Hoping to have more coming soon! I have lots and lots of ideas

 for some real cuties and a ton of other stuff too! I can't wait! :)

Now before I have another dragging fanny day.....Goodnight and Sweet Dreams!

Have a great weekend!

Hugs and Stuff!

Debi



We're Creating Little Works of Heart with Your Little One's and Mommies in Mind, by Creating and Making Vintage Beautiful and Useful Again!

Vintage Lives On - A Grow With Me Pillowcase Dress

The Look ~ The Design ~ It's Just Divine!

(Sounds Like Divine Design on HGTV lol!)

The beauty of vintage linens just comes alive when transformed or recycled into beautiful heirloom dresses and pantaloons for little girls. I can't think of a better way to celebrate the hand work of women years and years ago into something so sweet, to again cherish it's beauty in a new form and a promise of new life.  It simply amazes me everytime no matter how many hundrends of these I've made, just how cute and precious each one becomes. I'm just ticklely gigglely all over again. This old vintage pillowcase matched with an old vintage chenilled bedspread is now all of that and more. This darling set is on it's way to a little girl who hasn't even had her first breath of life yet, and will be her first gift from mommy and daddy to welcome her to this world. This will be an heirloom for sure with the hope of a little girl of hers also wearing it again some day! I just get goosey bumps thinking of it!

Size 6M

I so love the bluebird ones!

This embroidery is just perfect, every single stitch! It's just too Sweeeeeeet!

We're Creating Little Works of Heart with Your Little One's and Mommies in Mind, by Creating and Making Vintage Beautiful and Useful Again!

Make Mine Pink Friday Shopping Event July 2nd, 2010

Please join us for shopping with a twist on Friday July 2nd 2010 as we present "A Summer Retreat"

Once summer arrives, I know it's time to plan a visit to my favorite summer retreat. That's where I go to enjoy all the simple pleasures of summer in the ideal setting. Whether I stay for a few days or for a few weeks, I always feel like I've traveled back in time to my childhood, to carefree days that ask nothing of me except to be enjoyed.

Here I don't have to follow the rules of decorating. I can put all my favorite items together, in whatever fashion I wish. Old pieces of furniture and accessories that no longer fit into my décor at home combine perfectly here. Somehow they make everything look welcoming and homey. On lazy afternoons, I love to stretch out on an old couch, now slip-covered in white, surrounded by cushions that would be called "mismatched" anywhere else. Here they're the perfect accessory for long summer days with nothing on the schedule. A summer breeze coming through the open window makes the lace curtains sway and I take a deep breath of the fresh summer air.
 The shelves and tables are filled with my favorite summer things. Glass vases filled with flowers I picked on my morning walk. Vintage framed prints that remind me of a quieter, gentler time. My favorite books and magazines close at hand. Each carefully chosen because of the peace and comfort it adds to my summer sanctuary.

Mealtimes are always casual occasions, served on pieces of mismatched china. I don't even set a table when company comes. We carry our dishes - some vintage pieces with pink rosebuds and some more modern - out to the patio table. As the evening cools, we linger over tea and pleasant conversation.

A summer retreat should be an escape from your everyday cares and concerns, filled with all your favorite summer things. However you envision your summer retreat this year, you'll find everything you need to create one of your own at Make Mine Pink.

Joyce Lucas, Founder
Make Mine Pink

Photo Contribution 1: istock photo

Make Mine Pink's Friday Shopping Event

MMP Friday Shopping Event June 25th "Along the Garden Path"

Taking a stroll along the path of a beautiful garden filled with spring and summer blossoms is one of my favorite things to do. The soft sweet smell of honeysuckle, the delightful scent of different roses, each unique and just as sweet as the last. The rainbow of color and fragrance sooth away even the most stressful day.

Some of my favorite flowers greet me as I stroll– purple coneflowers, multicolored morning glories, my favorite English roses and majestic angel trumpets. A young vine ever so gracefully winding its way up a Victorian trellis catches my eye. As the path leads me back to our front stoop, I’m greeted with overflowing vintage planters and baskets that have been filled with some of my very favorite flowers.

I don't often have time for a leisurely stroll like this, but the floral accents I’ve brought into my home awaken the same sense of calm. A handmade cushion sewn from floral fabric is tucked into the corner of my favorite rose-patterned chair. In the bedroom, I've brought out a light floral bedspread for the summer and set a heart-shaped pillow covered with pink blossoms. On the hall table, I've put a bouquet of freshly cut roses in a cut-glass vase and above it a beautiful wreath covered in silk hydrangeas. Whenever it catches my eye, I feel for a moment that I'm back walking through the garden.

Pretty floral-shaped soaps are piled into a rose-covered berry dish on the bathroom shelf. I told always tell myself that they are just for company, but I can't resist their luxurious fragrance for myself. In the kitchen, the tiny buds and leaves encircling my vintage china tea cups and plates remind me of the flowers waiting for me outdoors. When I sit down with a cup of my favorite tea on a busy day, it refreshes me almost as much as visiting the garden outside my door.

When you surround yourself with beautiful floral accessories, you can re-create the feeling of a stroll along your own garden path throughout your home. If you need some help creating this delightful garden space, you'll find all the inspiration you need at Make Mine Pink.

Joyce Lucas, Founder
Make Mine Pink

Photo Contribution 1: istock photo

Visit All the Boutiques Here!

Make Mine Pink Boutiques

Shabby Chic Posh on Palm - (The Cat's Meow) - A Shabby Chic Heaven!

A Wonderful Afternoon of Shabby Chic, French Country, Old Florida Charm, and New Found Friends At Posh on Palm!

I'm so excited to share with you the second half of my Mr.'s and I's beautiful day last Saturday down in Sarasota. I was on pins and needles just dying to get to this place all the while feeling like an excited child at Christmas time. My husband was laughing at me the whole time we were trying to find the address where Posh on Palm calls home. This is probably the longest post in history so be ready!

As usual I got lost even though the shop owner at Sharalyn's drew me a map to the street and it was only somewhere two blocks away! But as the streets in Florida cities go most places, they never go straight! We came to this intersection where 5 streets come together and I just couldn't get my sense of direction working, and couldn't figure out which way I needed to go. Of course I went the wrong way and then couldn't find my way back to the point where I went the wrong way from! I was so frustrated because I just wanted to find this boutique and be there! Finally without even realizing it we were driving right in front of the store! After finding a street side parking place where I could get my Mr. out of the car in an area where he could walk safely with me and the trusty cane, I braced him up against the building near the door so I could take photos of the store front windows.

And then......we went in! "Oh my!", was all I could say! I couldn't even move as this building and boutique was just to die for. The setting is in the antique district of downtown Sarasota. The building was once a grand hotel back in the 1920's. The rooms upstairs are still there but need much work to restore to use again. Mark's dream is to one day be able to fix it up to utilize it as a Bed and Breakfast. I would be there in a heartbeat! Mark and Susie are both so talented I can only imagine how gorgeous it would be. I would love to live in the boutique itself as it almost looks just like a home filled with beautiful things and so comfortable. You'll see marble floors, beautiful tin ceilings, gorgeous massive old marble columns and old wooden architectural columns that are part of the decor, plastered walls which some of which Mark had done to give it a more dripping look. They also had taken old sheet music and applied in areas where it looked like the plaster had chipped away.

Now you have to understand one thing before we explore here. I have always been so envious of all my business friends with all the places they have been and the people they have actually gotten to meet. So many of these people I'm talking about here are boutique owners or artist and crafters with well known names like the ones you see featured in all the magazines we read. One's like "Romantic Homes", "Victoria Bliss", "Romantic Country", "Southern Living", "Romantic Living", and so many more that I love. But today, it was my turn and all I could think of was "Eat Your Heart Out" ladies!

As soon as we walk in, Susie and Mark came up to us with a warm friendly greeting. I made sure to remember their names as I brought the magazine Victoria Bliss with their article featured in it with me so I wouldn't forget, and the first words out of my mouth after I said, "OH MY", "OH MY", was "you must be Susie!". I then told them how I have followed them for quite some time all the while just swooning over what I could see in front of me. I was just paralyzed where I stood with the views that surrounded me, and I just kept saying how excited I was to actually be here in their world. They probably thought I was totally wacked, but it was so hard for me to contain my excitement!  We took my Mr. over to sit on this gorgeous couch that you see on their website that I would love to have myself. Mark sat with my Mr. and they chatted for 3 hours along with Susie when she wasn't with me or customers. I asked her if I could take pictures and she said yes, so I ventured through the store with so much awe that sometimes I forgot to snap the camera! I never take the camera any where I go, but now it will be an automatic! Susie and Mark are just wonderful down to earth sweet folks and it wasn't long before we felt like friends. I told her that she and Mark were now our new BFF's. We laughed. I will hold onto in my heart a comment that Susie said to me when we talked about different things in her shop. Things like ideas to use different things for, or how this or that would be neat done like or used like this...she said "we seemed to have a lot in common, and how we had some same like ideas and thought alot alike". I don't know why, but I felt so privileged to be able to think anything like her. My husband and I both felt honored to meet them and spend the time we did with them. We'll be going back sometime in July as they are expecting new shipments of items for the store. I told them that on our next trip I'd bring a picnic basket with some fruits and cheeses, crackers with some type of spread, a bottle of wine for them, and we'd have a picnic lunch with them. They are just such a joy to be around and it was the highlight of the day for me. Well worth the drive and getting lost!

After I finished looking and photographing for 2 1/2 hours we all sat on those beautiful couches in a living room setting surrounded by so much talent and beauty that has been featured in the magazines, and chatted for a bit. I then got photos of Susie and Mark and they took a photo of us. They had told us of some of their favorite restaurants as we hadn't eaten all day and were starving, and we left after loading my Explorer up with a 1900 antique metal shabby chic day bed that I just couldn't leave without. I also couldn't go without a gorgeous antique necklace I found and a cute tank top with a sweet ribbon rose on it. We choose a real Mexican Restaurant that Mark told us he loved called "Two Senorita's" because my Mr. loves real Mexican food, and was craving it. It was totally fab! We sat outside on the sidewalk cafe which was relaxing and fun watching all the people walk by. We then left and went down to St. Armand's and Lido Beach for a short time as my grandson had called and we found out he and his girlfriend were there shopping and beaching, and at that time watching the sun set. A beautiful end to our perfect day, one we truly needed so badly.

So with no more chatter I'd like to share with you some of the photos (LOTS and LOTS!) we took at Posh on Palm. There are many so grab a beverage, put your feet up and enjoy a world of totally shabby chicness.

Thanks for visiting with me once again and Enjoy! (But eat your hearts out!)  :)

This antique cabinet is massive! And Sold ....My sweet Mr. sitting on the chicy loveseat

Mr. Mark in the Mirror

Beautiful Tassles Can Be Found Too!

Gorgeous Chandelier!

Isn't she BEAUTIFUL! Look at her legs and feet! How FAB!

Wood spindals for legs and decoupaged vintage shoes ... so clever!

She sets on an old vintage floor lamp for her stand

So Unique!

Love the rhinestone hanging letters....also the wall that Mark did

Another recycled dress form with the unique legs and vintage decoupaged shoes.

Love Love this bedding!

And the BED!

That smaller rhinestone vintage necklace is now MINE!

You'll find lots of gorgeous jewelry like these peices throughout the boutique

These peices are just sparkly stunning!

OMG! This was stunning! An Old Antique floor lamp with a vintage slip for the shade. Awesome isn't it?!

If it's there when I go back I'm bringing it home!

This bed did come home with me! Soooo Cool isn't it?! 1900 piece!

Fabulous Clothing from a designer in CA. Floral brooches are made by Susie and gorgeous!

Ribbons, vintage laces, and rhinstones. To die for beautiful! Romantic clothing for sure.

A dish full of Susie's handmade brooches. I bought the sweet tank top next to it.

BEAUTIFUL! White cabinet with the inside painted pink.

Things inside the cabinet

Stunning isn't it?!

I bought that little jewelry holder mannequin there on the left with the bird on it

WISHED I COULD BRING THIS HOME! Soooo COOL!

Can't wait to get my pillows made and get this set up in my room!

Love these gauzy chair covers

Mark makes those jewelry neck things..I forget what he called them now, I love them though!

More gorgeous jewelry

Sweet rusted shabby chic mini but good sized mannequins

Love the way they use photos of vintage ladies on thick paper for selling their earrings on

I know all these photos are a little over the top, but there is so many neat things to see!

Some of you I know will love all of this!

Thinking of many of my pink sisters at Make Mine Pink! They would love this place!

Isn't this a great way to showcase your vintage wedding memories?!

The Gorgeous Tin Tile Ceilings

Gorgeous Original Columns

The Pink Room

Vintage Ballet Gowns

Love the Bird Hooks and Drawer Pulls

Aren't these old door knobs awesome?!

Mr. Mark

I wanted this in the worse way ..it was beautiful ..Dress and Jacket $550.00 smacks!

I should have shown more of the Jacket...the pockets were made with vintage lace crochetd

dollies with ribbon roses..also had a couple of satin transfer labels with Victorian women on it and one that was under he collar. The dress was embellished with one of Susie's beautiful rose floral brooches dripping with vintage laces! This was simply to gorgeous for words to describe!

Loved this ring..band is stretchy...very cooool!

Isn't the hand too cool?!

Vintage Victorian Birdcage Light

Here's another one....Mark made them

The dressing room...Love the love seat..it's for sale too

Me and My Mr....Jack

Whew! We're done Shopping! It was almost just like you where there wasn't it?!

I hope you enjoyed discovering Posh on Palm with us. I had a ball!

Now to the restaurant! We are totally starving!

I love this look..this was above our heads where we ate outside

So Glad we took Mark up on this Mexican Place! The Food was Excellant!!

My Awesome Good Delish Dinner

Greens, Dates, Grapes, Sugared Pecans, Gorgonzola Cheese, The Best Flavored Chicken Breast and a Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing ...So Yummy!

This was Mr. Jacks ...does look good ...but mine was sooo much better! :)

Told Ya! I can't wait to go back for MORE!

Now to go meet my Chase. Saw this on the way which I have seen a million times but this is so cool

I thought I would share this. It's at the Marina in Sarasota. We pass it on the to St. Armand's. I couldnt

get a real good shot cause I was in the car at the light and didn't have time to jump out to get a better view.

Cool Huh! Thats a HUGE statue of an American Sailor Kissing an American Nurse. Maybe they are

husband and wife, or boyfriend and girlfriend, don't know. Must be he's just come into port from war.

 I should research the story behind that. Bet it may be interesting.

Over the bridge to our Island and then it was on home! My darling man was exhausted and I needed to get him home. It was simply the most fabulous day in two years for us! We need to do this more often and by golly gee, I am going to make sure we do!

Tata for Now! Thanks for coming along. Until next time....and make sure you take time too!

If you can't visit Posh on Palm at their brick and mortar boutique, visit them here at

 Posh on Palm - Formerly The Cats Meow Inc.

They would love to see you!