If you tried out some freebies sites and all you get at the ends is the endless junk mail scam, trust me, I’ve been there. It is frustrating that lots of free deals sounds good but never turned out to be the way we expected, so my advice is use a less important email address when you are signing up for these “deals” just in case. And NEVER EVER give them your bank account or credit card information before you check out reviews for that company / site or fully trust them. If you really need to, purchase a prepaid card with limited spending amount just for online purchases. At least your lost will be limited and easy to stop.

Larger websites are usually more reliable compared to smaller or newer companies but doing some research before you submit all your personal information to register for an “account” or “membership” is never a bad idea. Check out other’s reviews for the site and company, search engines often work well for information gathering.

Shutterfly photo service company is a great example of my positive experience with freebies and other offers. Although their promotions might still have shipping charge, I found that to be totally acceptable and reasonable for their service and product. They offer 50 free prints to new member, then besides the constant promotions they have on their photo book(40-50% off), free shipping if you spend more than $30, they also send me email codes with 101 free prints, free hardcover photo book and photo cards as special member only promotions.

So far I have received over 250 free prints (4’x6’) and 1 hardcover photo book from this site. All i paid was shipping charges may be around $10 each at most. For example, the most recent order i did with them was April 2nd, i got 101 free prints which normally cost $15.15, due to the promotion i only have to pay $8.2 shipping cost for the whole order. Which means i only pay 8 cents per photo compared to the local drugstore price of 15 to 19 cents per photo. The best thing is you just upload the photos and place the order, it ships to your door step. It is a really really good deal in my opinion.

The free photo book i got from them is also a really good gift or memory keepsake item itself. The regular cost is around $20 for a 8×8 hardcover 20 pages standard book. It is perfect for special occasion like wedding or trips. I received a promo email with free coupon code not too long after my Italy trip so I made an album for our trip memories overseas.

Just a heads up the promo email is usually good for only a few days or until a certain time, and making a photo album is time costly (mine took about 3 days to finish and i barely made it before the deadline), so you are better off prepared by uploading the photos or even organize the layouts and design before you even get the code. You can always start a bunch of free photo book projects then save it in your account. I think the site also let you share it electronically with others as slideshow. Overall, it is a very user friendly site and basically an electronic way to do scrapbooking.

Anyway, it’s a free and fun sites and you get lots of freebies from it on a regular basis by email. Almost every 3 months you will get free items email notification. I think it is a smart way to attract and retain their customer base. Even their regular pricing are very reasonable but of course, if we can get it for free or just pay shipping, why not? Keep checking in and I will share more good deals like this later.

I do promise to continue the blog but just a heads up, my posting number will most likely be reduced because little do i know, there are a lot of things I can not and should not do while carrying a baby. Plus I really want to keep this blog from turning into a mommy crafting only site, because (1) there are lots of crafty mom’s out there doing a better job than me already & (2) many of you express your interest for more articles of a variety of DIY subjects which I’m currently posting. So, I will do my best to post more and feel free to request your favorite or interested topics in my mailbox.

Since working with any chemical is a big NO NO at this moment, I hate to tell you this , but my nail art and decoden tutorial will probably be discontinued until July at least (or maybe even later if there’s other complication). I guess i can still post other topics like sewing, photography, make up, tools reviews, jewelry making, food recipes and other girly but no chemical needed DIY.

Hopefully you can stick around and still support my site while I’m prego. After all, keeping up with a blog and a full time job while carrying a baby is not the easiest things in life, but i will do my best to spread my love and interest for easy DIY so that anyone at home can DO MORE, BUY LESS & SAVE $$$.

Me and a few girls went an Italian restaurant which serve high tea set every afternoon. One of the girls found this place on the internet and reserve a table. The restaurant looks amazing inside and out with all the fancy European decor. Painted ceiling with crystal chandelier, drapes and heavy curtains, Victorian style decorations throughout. Everything in there remind me of the classic local bistro in Rome. My outfit for the day was the one that I re-modified not too long ago (also shown in this blog if you are interested). This classic black and white dress fits the occasion perfectly cause it got all the charm and glam I need for the High Tea.

The tea set price was not cheap but in the same time it comes with a lot of finger food and desserts with a pot of tea of our own choice. Their tea selection was amazing and recommendation from the server definitely help me narrow down my choice. We ended up each ordering our individual set with 3 different flavor tea to share. The bill was about $33 dollars each. Considering how much food we were getting, I wouldn’t say it’s too unreasonable. It’s a once in a while kind of thing anyway.

The tea set they have are all with different prints and designs. I strongly recommend going to the antique store to purchase a set if you are hosting your own Victorian style high tea. That is the first thing I’m going to do once I move into my own house. Looking at these flower print teapots and cups will definitely make you feel like being a loyalty in the 18th century.

La Patronessa was my choice of tea for the day. It’s a Indian black tea with lavender, rose petals, mango and peach flavor. The relaxing flower smell mix with a little fruit taste was just what I wanted for all girls no stress afternoon.

The tea set itself was amazing also. It offers a lot of different but delicious snacks and dessert. From salty to sweet, appetizers to mini main courses then fruits and desserts. Every bite was like a little bit of heaven.

We spend our whole afternoon (from 1-5pm) in this intimate Italian Bistro. Had such an amazing time just catching up, talking, laughing, and a little bit of gossiping plus we all took a lot of photos. Overall, it was wonderful and we couldn’t wait to do it again. I promise the girl once I move into to my new house I will host a high tea party at my place so we can enjoy our peaceful and fun gathering more often.

So to prepare the most important thing of the tea party. I recently discovered a genius idea of how to make your own flavor tea with just 1 simple ingredient. You don’t need to buy fancy teas with different flavor. This easy method will work will any type of tea almost (earl gray, English breakfast, jasmine…etc). Basically whatever you like or have handy at home. All you will need to add is a spoon of JAM.

If you recalled I recently made my own blueberry jam so I have been experimenting the use of it with different food and drink. The idea of blueberry tea came into my mind one day so using my homemade jam and a bag of English breakfast tea from England, I created a mild but flavorful fruity tea. You can drink it hot or make a stronger batch then add ice when you want to drink it cold.

The idea is mix and match to find your favorite combo. There are lots of jam in the supermarket or Sunday market or even online. From regular flavors like strawberry, blueberry, mango, peach, apricot, plum, blackcurrant to some more unique ones like lavender, ginger or cinnamon. This gives your home made flavor tea a wide range of options.

So try it when you get a chance. All you need is a tea set and a group of friends. Hosting your own tea party is not only more cost effective, you also don’t have to worry about the time limit unless you have other obligations like kids getting off school and cooking dinner. Just send them away for an afternoon and have some adult time or alone time. You deserve it!

Making the jam used up about 2.5 lbs of our stock. Then I gave away another 3.5 lbs to friends and co-workers. Here what I did with the remaining 5 lbs of blueberries. For the next 2 weeks, we tried to add blueberries into everything we cook. We made parfait cups with whipped cream, pancakes, ice-cream, scones, tea, pie etc… Anyway, everything in our life was blueberry covered in those 2 weeks.

Good news is this only happens once a year. For my husband, those 2 weeks was like heaven because he cannot get enough of blueberries. Safe to say there is no need to tell you who’s idea was it in the beginning to go pick our own berries, right? Anyway, I’m glad he was happy and we both enjoyed this experience.

Ok, here’s a lot of different blueberry recipes in case you are thinking about following my footsteps.

~Blueberry Parfait~

(Difficulty Level: *)

Ingredients needed: 1 cup of blueberry & can whipped cream (or freshly whipped cream)

How to:

Wash the berries and drain the excessive water. Layer the berries and cream as you wish until you hit the top of the cup. This is a great healthy and tasty snack that takes almost no time to prepare.

~Blueberry Pancake~

(Difficulty Level: *)

Ingredients needed: Regular Box pancake mix & fresh berries

How to:

Mix the pancake batters as usual and once you pour the mix onto a flat pan, quickly add berries on top of pancake. If you add them fast enough the berries will sink into the pancake, if not, they will just sit on top. Either way, the berry flavor will be in the pancakes and making them extra tasty.

~Blueberry Ice-cream~

(Difficulty Level: **)

Ingredients needed: 2-3 cups of ice, 2 zip-lock bags (1 small + 1 large), vanilla extract, milk 1/2 cup, fresh berries, salt & sugar

How to:

Crush the berries with fork or a mashing tool. In a small zip-lock bag, add in the mashed berries, milk, vanilla extract and a little bit of sugar base on personal preference. Seal the bag. Add all the ice and generous amount of salt into the big bag. Then we add the sealed small bag with all the main ice-cream ingredients, seal the big bag and keep shaking for 5 mins total.

This receipts really worked, no joke! Your arms will be super tired but it is worth it because the ice-cream is so fresh and just enough for a small serving.

~Blueberry Pie~

(Difficulty Level: ***)

Ingredients for pie filling: 4 cups of berry, 7 tablespoons of cornstarch, 3 tablespoons of water, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, spices (1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon & 1/4 teaspoon allspice), 2/3 cup of sugar

Ingredients for crumb topping: 1/4 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of flour & 1/4 cup butter

How to:

Using a store bought pie crust will save us a lot of time and effort and made this dessert an easy project. First mix all the dry pie filling ingredients together in a big bowl then we add all the wet ingredients in as well. Add blueberries into pie crust and just pour the mix on top and around the fresh berries. Mix all the crumb toppings then spread them evenly on the top of the fresh berries with filling liquids. This crumb mix will give the pie a crunchy texture and nice balance. Cook the pie at 375 F (or 190 Celsius) for 1 hour. Cut and enjoy with whipped cream or ice-cream.

I love the graphics on this new stamp plates. It is very detail and super girly. A lot of them can be stamp along the edge of the nail to make a great and simple design pattern by itself. Of course you can mix and match them as you wish.

In this tutorial I will only be using one single image for each nail. I believe the print is rich enough to stand alone and you will agree with me once you see my end result. For background color I am using a solid dark pink to contrast with pearl white print.

Over the years of using the nail stamp kit, white is always my favorite color to use for stamp image. It stands out almost against any base color. The result usually has a very elegant and clean look, almost like a fancy french manicure style.

The brand new plate also has a lot of nice images that are perfect for sole or mix use. I think this is not the original KONAD plates but a replica of one of its plate. The price is a lot cheaper compared to the real deal. I was amazed with the quality of the plate itself and safe to say i will definitely consider other purchase options after this trail.

A normal Konad brand nail plate can cost over $5 per plate plus shipping on Amazon website. Not a bad price but it can definitely become pricy when you purchase multiple products and related items. This particular plate cost only $2 total but it only ship within China. I have family in Shanghai so they did the purchase and I pick it up when I was visiting in May.

Amazon is still my first options when it comes to ordering Konad supplies. It’s free return service plus reliable quality products are always important when it comes to online shopping for me. Other sites either seems too risky or troublesome so I rather pay a little more to continue to shop in certain online sites. After all, a bad purchase can waste your precious time and money so why gamble.

Okay, let’s go back to the design. I’m sure you are all familiar with the proper way of using nail stamping tools. I have posted dozens of nail stamping tutorials and hopefully they explain the steps and was helpful for beginners.

Step 1: Base color

The base coat is key so make sure you apply 2 coats to get a rich and even application of your desire color. My nail polish is Rimmel London 60 seconds with the 1 second applicator brush. It was under $5 and super easy to apply and dry off.

Step 2: Pick the image

This nail plates has several cute images and I picked the jewels and pearl chains hanging down in different direction. It is perfect for the fingertips.

Step 3: Start stamping

Apply the special Konad nail polish onto the image on the plate, scrape off excess then use rubber stamp to transfer image onto each nails carefully in a rolling motion.

Step 4: Check and correct

Make sure the image is stamped clean and clear or else use polish remover and cotton ball to lightly rub off the stamp image. A few light rubs should not affect the base coats so allowing 1 chance to make correction.

Step 5: Clear coat protection

Final step are often the most important. I cannot stress enough that clear coat at the end is so important because it will protect the design and prevent the daily wear and tear. Any clear coat works so don’t be lazy.

Enjoy this easy breezy romantic and yet kawaii design. I think it is perfect for summer outings!

I give away about ⅓ of our treasure to friends and co-workers. We turned the rest of the blueberries into jam, scone, pie, pancake and flavor tea. You will be surprise how easy it is to make these things because all the recipes could be found online.

Making blueberry jam is probably the hardest one in the bunch. The main reason is it requires a lot more tools if you want to be able to store the finished jam for a long time. You will need a few big pots, some jars ($10 for 12 jars) and a basic jam making kit ($9/ set). All tools can be bought online or in target.

We happened to run into a 10% off sale for the jam making accessories so everything end up costing around $20 plus the cost for 4 cups of blueberries. This end up making us about 9 small jars of blueberry jam which we plan to eat some, store some and give away some as Christmas gifts.

My husband got this recipe from pickyourown.org. It doesn’t require a lot of ingredients and the process is not too hard for the beginners also. The most difficult and dangerous task is to sterilize the jars in hot boiling water before we pour the jam mixture in. My husband totally got burned because of that reason. So my advice is be extra careful and keep your burn medication close by in case you need it.

Ok, let’s start the prep work and get the materials ready. In this tutorial, you will need:

Blueberries – 10 cups
Lemon juice – either fresh squeezed or bottled. 1/4 cup
Water – 1/2 cup
Sugar – 4.5 cups
Pectin – 1 box

Step 1: Pick your own sweet berries

This is the funnest part of the jam making. We found a farm that’s 40 mins away then head over on a sunny Sunday morning. We arrived around 10am, got a basket each then started picking. The big berries is usually in the harder to reach location, sometimes in the higher bushes and sometimes they are hidden close to the bottom. Picking firm and super blue ones is the key in this process. We end up picking 11 lbs of blueberry in 4 hours at $1.5 per pound rate. So overall, it was a nice date with the hubby.

Step 2: Get your tools and sanitize them good

I got the Home Canning Kit and a dozen of jam jars and lids set all from Target. Other online stores like amazon sell them in a reasonable price too. Everything you needed is in the home canning kit including a jar lifter, a magnetic lid lifter, a canning funnel, bubble remover and headspace tool. Using a big pot and boiling everything is the best way to get the job done. Jars need to be boiled for 7 mins.

Step 3: Start cooking

Wash and soak the berries before the cooking process. You can crush them with a mashing tool or just blend it in a food processor (slice mode) in small batches. In a large pot stir the pectin, lemon juice, sugar and water into the blueberries and put the mix in a big pot on the stove over medium to high heat for 5-10 mins. Keep stirring so the bottom doesn’t get burned.

Step 4: Can the jam

Use the funnel to help guide the jam into the jar. Do not fill it up too high and make sure the ring of the jar and completely jam free. This is important for the sealing process in a little bit. Once the jar is filled, the magnetic lid lifter come in handy when it come to taking them out of hot boiling water and placing them on top of each jar.

Step 5: Seal the deal

After the lids are close tightly, place each bottle back into the boiling water for a complete sealing. Bring water to boil for 7 mins then take them out for cooling. The sealing will set as the bottle cool down.

Step 6: Add your tag

Design or write out the brand of your jam. The jars comes with stickers for branding purposes. Labeling your own jam is totally important for reselling or advertising purposes!!! And it is a fun process as well.

Time to enjoy the goodies!

A recently ripped on one side of the zipper give me a reason and a chance to repair and redesign this. I knew if i fix it earlier I would be able to enjoy wearing them more but it worked out this way too. DIY repairing  is always my specialty. It give me a great sense of achievement. Since i don’t know how to make a pair of shoe from scratch, repairing them is the closest I will every get when it comes to design shoes.

Because the zipper back keep rubbing my skin surface, sewing the zipper back on is just not going to solve my pain problem. My idea was simple, remove the source to cause the pain then replace it with something cute and sturdy.

I thought about a lot of replacement materials for that area. Sewing a piece of cloth onto the sandal is just too much work and the result might not be too effective. Plus I would have a hard time making it look matching and pretty so i give that idea up quick.

Second idea was to thread ribbons through the area. They will look like shoe laces going across the top. This is cute and will match the design perfectly as long as I use the right color ribbon. Pink of course is my top choice. My other option will be using black ribbon as a contrasting piece. Both of these color will go really well with the current design but I went with pink because I happen to have it at home. How lucky is that?

So now the method is chosen, it is time to implement it. I will have to use my basic sewing skill for this particular job. Sewing machine is just not an option in this case. Good news is you will need very few tools and spend less than 1 dollar total for this redesign. A big eye sewing needle, few foot of ribbon is all you will really need for this transformation.

Here’s the step to the DIY tutorial:

The subject:

Step 1: Remove the old zipper

To ripped out the zipper portion, you will need a seam ripper. You will get a little more control while taking the seams apart and cut the end of when the cloth and sandals are connected. After the zipper is completely detached, clean up the loss threads before moving on to the next step.

Step 2: Prepare the needle and ribbon

Using a quilting needle (with the big opening) thread the thin pink ribbon through the hole then we are going to start sewing.

Step 3: Like tying your shoe lace

Start from the back, mark the puncher point with pen if you need to, use the needle as a guide to thread the ribbon onto the sandal along the edge of the old empty zipper area. The lace should be thread to look like shoe lace pattern, evenly spaced apart.

Step 4: Tie a bow at the end

Once the threading is finish, I like to tie a bow as the finishing touch. It is cute and clean. Just remember to double knot it so as we are walking later if will not come undone.

Now I will be able to enjoy the new and improve design and its more comforting feature. The pair of sandal finally serve its purpose and I wore that to the water park and walk around for 8 hours the next day. It was a simple redesign that cost me almost nothing but it totally saved my old painful platform beach sandals.

If you love to get good deals and still look fancy, drug store is a great place to get your supplies. These stores includes BARTELL DRUGS, CVS PHARMACY and WALGREENS. They often have great deals and you can still use manufacturer coupon even though the products are already at a discounted price. Local drug store also have a huge selection for nail polishes most of the time. Sinful nails color is one of my favorite brand because the price is very reasonable (regular priced at $1.99 per bottle) but it still offer a lot of choices for different buyers.

Make up stores like ULTA and SEPHORA will be another one of my favorite place to hang out and shop for my DIY supplies. You can get a lot more brands in these store but prices might not to be best depends on the weekly sale and your luck. If you are looking for large brands like OPI and essie collections, make up stores will be your best choice.

Grocery store and other accessories shops will be my last resort. TARGET, WALMART, KMART, CLAIRES and DOLLAR TREE. They could be a hit or miss but whenever I find a nice polish, I usually get it right away especially if the color is rare. Nail polish is a great investment. It is cheap and last a long time (as long as the cap is tight).

When you are in the store, remember to check out their special deals and display. These advertising display are usually the special collection or best deal in town or simply a new color guide for the season. For example, pastel color is huge this summer because it is colorful but yet gentle and lady like. It’s a great color line design for young women.

Of course, there is not a color that will work for every single person in this world. That is why we have thousands of choices. The only way to make sure the color will work for you is to try it. Leave it on you for a week so you don’t waste the effort. If you really hate it, there’s always nail polish remover to help you clean it up and start all over again.

I know it is crazy to ask you to try everything. So i will give you a few guidelines for nail polish shopping. Hopefully it can help you narrow your choices down a little. Keep in mind that I’m Asian with pretty fair skin and I am in love with pink! Nail color that works for me are usually pretty outstanding. Ultimately you know what work best for your own style.

Just remember whatever color you choose, don’t skip the basic cleaning and trimming plus base coat before the actual color goes on. It will help you protect your hand from toxic and coloring. Healthy nails is the foundation and the main key to beautiful manicure.

Hot summer color #1: Neon Pink VS Hot Pink

If you want to stand out, this is the perfect color for you. I got this bottle while shopping in Hong Kong. It was total luck that I found it in a huge local make up store. The brand (CHIC CHIC) is not famous and I don’t recall ever seeing this color in the States so i bought it right away. Once I put it on, I am totally in love with it. Due to the fact that it is not a name brand, I also go a wonderful deal and only paid about $1.5 for the bottle. The Rimmei London color is another great buy priced around $3-4 per bottle.

Hot summer color #2: Pastel Collection

Regardless if it is blue, purple or pink, pastel color nails has been a big hit recently in my house. I love how subtle the color is but yet it still make your nails popped easily. It is like a beauty without make up. Still gorgeous but in a more down to earth level. So far, the sky blue and baby pink are my favorite in the bunch. But I have yet to try the other ones in this collection and I will sure let you know how they turned out. Essence nail polish’s regular price is 99cents a bottle, decent selection of color and you really cannot beat this price. OPI mini was a purchase from Hong Kong, I think it was sample bottles originally so it was cheap and tiny. I paid less than $1for this  bottle.

Hot summer color #3: Shimmery Metallic Style

A style for the most daring and stylish group. Might not work for everyone but if it work for you, be prepared for the constant compliments. These metallic colors are super sharp and out there, probably not the best choice for work occasion but will surely look good under the sun. So it’s a wonderful choice for outdoor activities and dates. OPI mini was purchased from Hong Kong and cost less than $1 dollar. And the LA color silver metallic only cost $1 in the dollar tree store.

Hot summer color #4: Mix and Match

If you are like me and you love all the color but don’t know what to pick, try mixing and matching them all together. I already did a post about this style earlier and got really great responses overall. I love how playful and fun looking it turned out. Great project for little girls as well. Priced at $1 per bottle, what a wonderful deal!

I got the original dress online back in April. It has a very nice and elegant design which I love. Unfortunately I didn’t care for the length too much. I know it will look so much better on me if I just pick up the tools and shorten it. Shorter dresses make my legs looks longer and compliments my body type. So I decide not to waste anytime and just pick up the scissor and start cutting.

There is a lot of steps involved because I am trying to do the reconstruction in the right way instead of the fast way. The difference will definitely show in the end result.

The easy way will be cut the bottom portion and re-finish the edges. Because this dress patern was a bit odd as in the black and white strips are not all in even width. Cutting out the bottom will make it uneven. So I decided not to go that route.

The correct way in this particular case is to take out the parts that’s in the middle due to its uneven stripes. No only this throw out the balance of the skirt portion, it just make the whole thing look weird. So instead of detaching the bottom of the skirt, now i have extra work because I have to use a seam ripper to tear apart 2 portions, take away the midsection then sew the other 2 parts back together.

Simple concept but more work because I have to carefully take them apart without damaging either side, clear up the threads before I can piece them back into one dress. It cost twice as much time but that dramatically change the look of the dress and made it look so much more balanced and clean cut. I don’t have OCD but sometimes I think things do look nicer when they are perfect.

Okay, here’s the detail steps to alter this already gorgeous dress into an even more amazing piece. If you have any questions, feel free to leave me a message.

The original dress:

Step 1: Decide what altering approach we will take

Like I mentioned in the post, do it right the first time and love the result is way better than being lazy and do it half ass then spend more time fixing it later on.

-The easy way-

Result: Not the greatest, top white stripe too wide and does not fit in with the rest.

-The more difficult but correct way-

Result: Perfectly even and proportioned elegant black and white dress.

Step 2: Bring out your helping tools & start tearing

Scissors, seam ripper or cutter, whatever you have t home we should always be able to make it work. We are just going to tear apart 2 sewn pieces, seam ripper will work the best but a sharp box cutter will make the job a lot faster as long as you are extra careful.

Tearing line #1

Tearing line #2

Step 3: Clean up the edges

There will be a lot of left behind small threads after the deconstruction. Before we go to the next step, they will all need to be pulled out so the edges are clean and ready to be sewn together. This process might take a few minutes so be patient.

Step 4: Match and pin

Once the pieces are ready, we will remove the midsection and save it for later use (I have a good plan, trust me). That leaves us with the top and bottom section. Carefully match the side seams then place the pieces’ right sides together. Use pin to keep them in place before bringing it to the sewing machine.

Step 5: Sew and trim

We will sew the edges together. If you have a serger feel free to use it for the edging. If you are poor like me, don’t worry, a simple sewing machine will do the same trick. Just sew about 5mm away from the cut edge all the way around. Trim off any extra seams and framing of the fabric if needed.

The dress portion is finished officially:

Step 6: Let’s make a ribbon belt

Do not waste the leftover midsection fabric we pulled out earlier. It can easily be turned into a matching black and white scarf/belt with just an iron and fabric glue. Finish the edge by sewing because fabric glue will not work magic.

Wear it as a matching scarf around the neck:

Wear it as a matching belt around the waist:

All altered and ready to go:

The worse thing you can do to clothes is keeping it in your closet or storage for years. It is simply just taking up space. You already paid for it. Either change it or ditch it! It’s not going to matter even if you accidentally ruin it while in the DIY process.

I DIY most of my old clothes and donated the rest so technically I don’t have a lot of old clothes that needed fixing. But due to my new online shopping habits plus my mom and friends love buying me clothes. I definitely got some new projects on hand nowadays. I will use those as example to show you some easy ways to give them an updated look.

First project is this lovely dress from my loving mother. It’s a cute dress in general. Not 100% my style but with a few changes I can definitely see myself wearing it out. I wasn’t a fan of the extra beadings because it made the dress look cheap. Fixing this is a piece of cake, unless the beading is glued on (don’t ask me why would anyone glue them on, they just do), using a seam ripper should easily take the beads right off.

This project only took me a total of 15 minutes from start to finish. There is almost no skill or technique involved. You don’t even need the seam ripper if you have a cutter or a pair of scissors. Start around the pearls, gently cut the strings that holds the pearls in place. After moving the pearls, place them in a container and remove all the remaining thread pieces that’s left on the dress.

Be careful not to remove any important structural stitches by accident. After taking the beads down one by one, store and reuse them in other projects. I made a bracelet out of mine. That’s the beauty of DIY. You end up spending less but getting more in the same time. Cost effective!

After this minor change, this dress is finally ready to be wore. It is a cute dress even before the modification. But i do believe removing the pearls make the design a little bit cleaner and also make it look classier. Simple is beautiful, most of the time in my opinion.

I also modify another brand new black and white dress which I purchased online about 2 months ago. The dress is a bit longer than I expected so I make it shorter and turned the extra fabric into a matching belt. The outcome look great and you can hardly tell I changed it. Since it is a more complicated tutorial, I’m afraid I will have to do a separate post next week to show you the steps. Stay tuned girls. I bet you won’t want to miss that.