How to fix hemming mistakes on pants

So I am very short and I typically have to hem all my pants, but for some reason, even after doing this so often, there are times when I will cut too much and make my pants shorter than they need to be.
I bought these American Eagle jeans about a year ago and I just hadn't gotten around fixing the hem.

Knowing my previous bloopers, I made sure to measure twice before cutting and testing the fit....buuuuut I still managed to cut too much!  I was so upset, my heart sank when I saw how short the hem was, I had ruined my pants!! ....well, not exactly.  Thankfully, you can still save your pants! I hope this helps!

This is what I originally cut! :/

So I decided to run the actually hem in the overlock machine...

...and basically sew it back on!

Then unfold...

Iron...

Et viola! ...can you tell?

How to avoid strapless dresses from sliding down

I was doing some alterations to my dresses from my last purchase at Asos.com and I decided to show you a quick and easy way to avoid having your strapless garments from sliding down throughout the night.

The dress... :)

This is an elastic tape that I found at the fabric store, which is commonly used for strapless garments.  It has a piece in the center that clings to your skin, helping the garment stay put.

Pin and Sew

You don't even need a sewing machine for this step, it can easily be done by hand.

I decided to also adjust the zipper for a better fit since the dress was a bit big for me.

Adjust...

And enjoy! 

Winter Fun...

H&M

Check out this Etsy seller! 

Galaxy

Lace

Bows

Sparkles

Nordstroms

Enjoy!

A tip for you curly haired ladies...

So I have been hearing how amazing coconut oil is as a moisturizer, for acne problems, as a hair mask and even for great health benefits when taken internally.  I first bought coconut oil as an attempt to manage my acne.  It has anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-inflamatory properties; not to mention that it is also very moisturizing.

Unfortunately, I did not get much success as an acne treatment.  I didn't see much improvement in my skin, not even as a moisturizer; it wasn't hydrating enough to compensate for the way my other acne products were drying my skin.

I decided to keep it and use it as a hair mask since I also suffer from hair build up and no matter which shampoo I use, I don't seem to find much success.  My hair is also curly, so it is very dry and washing my hair every day to avoid buildup was also a problem.  The hair mask didn't workout too great because I just don't seem to have the time or patience to add this routine into my schedule lol... so I gave that up for a while.

I recently started to see a lot of split ends in my hair due to straightening it so much so I decided to wear my hair curly more often.  I had ran out of hair product for curly hair so I decided to pull out my coconut oil and use that has hair product.  I have been doing that for a couple of months and my hair looks amazing.  The product build up is gone, my hair is shiny and no longer dry, my split ends are less visible, and my hair has grown so much.  On top of that, I just love what the coconut oil does to my curls, they look amazing!

I'm not sure how this would work on straight hair, I think for those of you who have straight hair, I would just recommend using it as a hair mask.  Just melt it in your hands, massage throughout your hair   and leave it in for about 10-15 minutes and just shampoo right after.

If you are using it for curly hair as hair product, just melt it in your hands and apply until you feel you have covered all your hair, I add a bit of hairspray after too.   It doesn't give your hair that wet look, it just leaves you with very nice, defined curls... you'll love it...

You can find it at your local grocery store.  

Make sure you buy the organic, unrefined coconut oil so you get the most nutrients out of it.

Online Shopping!

I wish online shopping was as easy for women as it is for men.  I usually don't have much luck with choosing the right sizes and overall fit.  However I recently came across this amazing website that has great clothes at affordable prices.  I am obsessed with their dresses, even though it's no longer summer, I am still shopping, lol.  The best part is the shipping...FREE SHIPPING BOTH WAYS! Order whatever your want for free shipping and return whatever doesn't fit, you can't beat that.

I wanted to share some of their pieces with you, check them out if you haven't! ASOS.COM

I love their business professional dresses

Cute cut-out

Peplum Red Dress

...and lastly my favorite.

I had seen this everywhere on Pinterest.  

Got it for under $27!

ASOS.COM

Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone is having a great and safe Halloween... I will be spending mine at work being sick, but that's ok :)

I was going through my costumes and found this; I made it five years ago.  I remember being so excited about this costume, I even took a few belly dancing classes just to fit the part! And it's still one of my favorite DIY costumes I've made...

What are some of your DIY Halloween costume stories?

2012 Graduations!

I want to begin by congratulating all the 2012 graduates! Congratulations on your accomplishments.  May you continue a life full of purpose in whatever it is that you do!

 These days are always a bit full of nostalgia, I am 25 years old still pursuing a bachelor's degree.  My journey is becoming a bit lengthy.  I just don't seem to find my purpose and it is difficult to choose a major or career path without one.. I also seem to fall in love with everything I do, which makes it even more confusing...Nonetheless, I'm hanging in there...I am actually in the process of changing my major.  I have been pursuing studies that don't fall under my interest, but instead fall under a more "safe" route.

I have been pursuing a business degree because I felt it was the "safest" option.  Yet, in doing so, I have lost interest in school, something which is very much unlike me.  I am a school-girl by nature, in love with education and learning and realizing that school is no longer appealing, but rather dreadful, was difficult to take.  I have made a lot of mistakes and factored in things that are irrelevant when it comes to my education.  I have also failed to look for answers from within, but looked for answers in others...

BUT, I decided to make a change, to listen to myself and follow my heart...Sometimes all it takes is to believe in yourself, the unknown is scary, but as long as you know yourself and believe in yourself, you will find a way to make things happen!

Anyways enough about me...I am proud to say that my sister is one of the 2012 grads!  It's a great accomplishment and as my dad said, we came from nothing and are slowly building something for ourselves. We are originally from Mexico and started from zero when we moved to the U.S.  We were presented with amazing opportunities and overcame many obstacles.  I am happy to say that my sister is among the first in our family to hold a bachelor's degree (the first from the family that lives in the U.S.)!

To sum it all up, I hope you all can take the time to celebrate yourselves and your accomplishments and focus on your own journey! Success is relative, always make sure that you are doing the best that YOU can do based on your own terms and your own definition of success....Happy Saturday!

(There really should have been a take 2 on this!)

Blouse DIY!

You know you live in Arizona when you get third degree burns from getting into your car...well maybe that's an exaggeration, but it definitely feels like Summer already. We're already getting 103 degree weather, and the Summer hasn't even officially started!

All this means to me is that it's time to bring out the short shorts and flowy tops!

I have another H&M inspired tutorial, I hope you like it.  I really like H&M, I think they have cute clothes, in my size, and at affordable prices...this combination happens very rarely...because finding clothes that fits and is not in the junior section is a challenge for this 25 year old.

And yes, this is another flowy and very flattering top for all sizes.... and sooooo easy to make!

H&M Top

Fold fabric so that the stripes match.

Trace pattern.

Cut.

Sew seams and hem lines.

And you're done.

It's that easy!

Enjoy!

How to Make Your Own Peplum Blouse

Hello Ladies!

It has been a long time since I've posted anything :( ... for some reason Winter and Fall don't inspire me to sew.  I was meaning to get some crocheting done and to tailor some of my jeans, but that has also been put to the side while trying to keep up with school and work...but Spring is right around the corner and I have a few new sewing projects coming up! :)

Last week I was at H&M and saw this blouse which I think is so pretty!  It is extremely flattering and can really dress up an outfit... Not only that, but it is very easy to make from t-shirts or tank tops you already own. 

H&M Blouse

Right away I decided to buy a tank top that fits me well and an XL tank top for extra material to make the flounce bottom portion.  It was so easy to make, in fact, the fastest sewing project I have made so far.  

I hope you enjoy the sewing tutorial!

Make Your Own!

Start with a shirt that fits you well and some extra fabric for the flounce bottom.  I decided to buy the exact same shirt in an XL size as well  for the flounce to keep the materials exactly the same.  You also have the option to change the color or the type of fabric to make it more unique.

I created a pattern from the H&M blouse I bought for the flounce.  It is basically a cut out of 2 half circles.  The circumference of the smaller circle ends up being the total width of your shirt.  You would divide that by half since you will be cutting the fabric in half circles.


The bigger the difference between the circumference of the big circle and small circle, the more flow the blouse will have. 

(While trying to figure out how to make this, I found out that the gathering/ruffle that this type of cut makes is called a flounce)

(Cut 2: for front and back)

(Sew side seams)

You will need to cut some length from your blouse.  The flounce should start at your natural waist.  I measured this to be at 2 inches above my belly button.  I gave it a 1" seam allowance so I cut the shirt only 1" above my belly button.

Pin the smaller half circles, front and back, matching the side seams.  My half circles ended up being a bit bigger than the width of my shirt, but because this is a stretchy fabric I was able to stretch the shirt to match the half circles without making it noticeable. 

For the bottom seam I recommend you serge or zigzag the raw edge first, then iron the fold before sewing.  It will make it a lot easier to sew the seam without ending up with wrinkles which tends to happens on rounded raw edges... after that you are all done! :)