Pinklace Designs | Fashion Redesign

A friend of mine was cleaning out her closet and came across this cute little leopard jacket her husband had given her as a gift a while ago. She told me she loved it but hated the puffy sleeves, so she never wore it.

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED! 

Here is a picture of the jacket with the weird puffy sleeves. Not only were they weird, but they were at such an odd length. Not quite 3/4 and not quite full. It was the "jacket-you-grew-out-of-but-still-wear" length.

I took the jacket home, unstitched the sleeves and took them completely off. I played around with them, drew a few sketches, pinned different variations and then finally found something I liked!

And TaDa!! Here is what I came up with! 

I was so happy to rescue and refashion this jacket for my friend. The length of the sleeve fits her perfectly and now she can wear it all the time....just as she intended to! :)

Big Things Coming Your Way | Celebration Giveaway (CLOSED)

This week is an exciting week for me. ONE: It's my birthday on Friday and TWO: I've recently teamed up with one of my all-time favorite artist/illustrator, to do some collaborative artwork!! When the opportunity arose, I jumped at the chance to work with Valerie Doty aka The Tiny Hobo, to do some multi-medium artwork! 

I am just tickled about this and I want to celebrate with you all. How, you ask? Well by doing a giveaway, duh!!

I will be hosting a giveaway on my facebook and instagram for a handmade gift by me! In return, your gift to me is to get over 100 likes on my facebook page.

Here's how it works:

Facebook:

1. Become a fan of my facebook page

2. Like and share my Giveaway post/Facebook page

Instagram

1. Like my instagram post

2. Repost with #pinklacedesignsgiveaway and tag me @pinklacedesigns

3. Follow me on instagram (pinklacedesigns)

That's it, super easy! If you do both Facebook and Instagram, it will count for two entries!

**Bonus**
The more times you share/repost, the more chances you get to win!!

The giveaway will end on my birthday, Friday Jan 31st, at midnight and I will announce the lucky winner on Sunday!

Good Luck!! 

DIY Friday: Upcycle Valentine's Day Art

I was breaking down our recycling the other day and remembered this pin I came across that was a heart made out of an egg carton. I thought it was really cool, but there wasn't a tutorial for it. So I decided to make one up with my own little twist.

Materials: 

• craft paint ( any color will work, you don't have to make it Valentines-y)
• paint brushes
• a cereal box
• an egg carton
• scissors
• glue or hot glue
• Scrap fabric
• an exacto knife
• Ribbon 
• A piece of foam core

First break apart the egg carton, being careful not to rip it up too much.

Then trim down the edges. I used the little bump as a guide and cut right above it.

Now it's time to paint! I chose to go with pink, but you could use any color you want or even multiple colors! ( Notice I am using a plastic fruit cup to hold my paint, thanks to an awesome tip from my fellow blogger and crafter Mom Upcycles.)

Once the pieces are dry, glue them all together, joining 3 squares of 4, then make a heart shape. I put the hot glue along the bottom edge and joined them that way.

Next, cut down one side of the cereal box. I didn't want my heart to look itty bitty, so I cut my cardboard to 7.5in x 9in

Then lay it down on a scrap piece of fabric, unprinted side facing down. And glue all the edges of the fabric down, pulling tight so it's nice and flat on the front.

(*side note: don't use a sheer fabric like I did, this part was such a pain because the fabric kept shifting.)

Would you look at all that shifyness going on in the last picture? :^6

Then glue the heart to the center of the front.

Now this part is optional:

I cut a piece of foam core, the same size as my cereal box to add some thickness and weight to my artwork.

Then I glued my ribbon to the foam core and then glued the fabric covered cardboard on top of that, sandwiching the ribbon. 

If you don't have foam core, you could use another piece of the cereal box to add some thickness or just leave it and glue the ribbon to the back of the main piece. 

And you're done! This project cost me nothing, since I had everything on hand.

You could embellish your artwork by adding buttons or pieces of felt, painting words or whatever! Endless options!! I decided to just leave mine plain :) 

Inspiration Field Trip: Stitch Lab

Stitch Lab is this awesome little retro house in downtown Austin that sells unique fabrics, sewing notions, patterns and they also offer tons of classes for all kinds of crafts. I follow one of the instructors on instagram and she is always posting awesome pictures of the shop and crafts that are done in the classes. I decided it was time to take a look-see of my own!

Upon arrival, I was greeted by this awesome tote by the front door!! I don't mind if I do! Unfortunately, I didn't find anything that I would have used. :(

So many pretty patterns and colors! I was like a kid in a candy shop, but better...I was in crafters heaven!! 

There were all kinds of little cute projects everywhere, like the heart and arrow vinyl bag and the amigurumi gnomes in the pictures above. 

The fabrics are kind of pricey, but I didn't want to leave empty handed. So I headed over to the remnants and quarters area and picked up a few things. I can't wait to show you what I have in mind for these!

Nursery Progress pt. 1

Well today I spent all day sanding and priming the crib for the nursery. I'm super excited to be making everything more custom, but man it's a lot of work! That's what I get for wanting things that are different.

For a DIYer that has no patience, this project is very challenging for me. I scored this crib off of craigslist for $60. I liked the "bones", but not the color. I want it more of a cream color. (See my inspiration board in my previous post.)

We started sanding it on Saturday and quickly realized the varnish on it is a pain in the butt to sand off. We spent all afternoon sanding. I got one of the sides and hubby started on the "headboard" part. 

Today I finished the other two sides and started to prime them. (Yea I didn't want to tackle that headboard, I wanted to start painting!!) 

We still have a ways to go on this project, but slowly it will get done! I'm excited to share with you how I'm putting together the nursery and all the projects I will be tackling. Stay tuned for more nursery progress! 

Quick and Easy Recipe : Orange Chicken Salad With Sweet Lime Dressing

As someone who is constantly juggling multiple projects and trying to manage my time, I find myself always looking for something I can eat that is quick, easy and healthy. This salad is from a recipe my mom used to make when I was younger. Rather than a meal, she would make it as a side salad (sans chicken) to complement a salty meal, like Swedish Meatballs or steak. 

This salad is a hit with my husband who refers to it as the "dessert salad", for it's clean, tart and sweet flavors. I often like to make this salad for a lunch, especially when we have had chicken the night before so I can use leftovers. 

Orange Chicken Salad With Sweet Lime Dressing

Prep your salad

Ingredients: 

1.) green leafy lettuce, spinach, kale, or spring salad mix 

really you can use just about anything to make the base of your salad

2.) 1 small navel orange 

nevermind that my orange looks like a grapefruit, I accidentally grabbed a pink navel orange. I had never heard of this! haha!

3.) grilled chicken breast 

I used left over chicken from the night before, which makes it quick and easy

4.) 1/4c toasted almond slivers

put your almonds in a pan on med-high heat, shake your pan to keep them moving and you will start to smell the yummy toastedness of the almonds. They are ready when they turn brown, but be careful not to burn them.

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl.

The dressing: 

1) 1/4 c of lime juice or the juice from 2 limes

2.) 2 tablespoons of brown sugar or to taste

3.) 1/4 tsp of ground cumin and 1/4 tsp of ground thyme

Combine all the ingredients together and whisk briskly, then pour over salad, toss and enjoy! 

 

Baby Girl's Nursery Inspiration Board

I am expecting my first baby and I am so excited! I've finally decided on a theme for her nursery....but needless to say, we still haven't decided on a name. 

I didn't want to use pinks for her room or anything that was too "baby" looking. I just don't like it.  I wanted the room to be more grown-up looking, so I decided to use "beachy" water colors to create a soothing environment, a dresser to use as a chaning table, capiz shells, and cool unique artwork. I plan on either making or thrifting as much as I can for the room. 

Stay tuned to see how it all turns out! 

Maple Bacon Cupcakes

My brother and husband are bacon eaters. If they could have bacon on everything they would. I’ve seen bacon made a lot of ways; chocolate covered, chicken fried, ice cream…etc. So I decided I would try my hand at making cupcakes with bacon. A little sweet, a little salty and all around yummy. After a couple of rounds of trial and error, I found something that works. And I am going to share it with you!

Maple Bacon Cupcakes

Butter Cake Mix ( I used the Butter Golden Mix by Duncan Heinz and followed the directions on the box.)
Bacon
Maple Syrup, Regular Syrup and vanilla
A can of Frosting Creations by Duncan Heinz, starter or base frosting

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and place uncooked bacon on it. Place the bacon close but not touching. You don’t need much. I used 9 pieces. 

If you’d prefer to fry the bacon in a pan, please do so. I just like this method.

Place in the oven and bake for 15 min. Check it and if it’s not done cook for 5 more minutes. It should be brown and crispy looking. 

When it’s done, place on a cooling rack covered with a paper towel. 

Once it’s cooled, roughly chop it.

Next, prepare the cake mix according to the box. You will need 3 eggs, 7 tablespoons of butter (softened) and 1/2c of water and, of course, your chopped bacon. Set aside some of your chopped bacon to garnish the top of your cupcakes.

Mix your cake mix.

Once you’ve followed the directions for mixing the cake mix, scrape the sides of the bowl. 

Then add your bacon. 

Fold the chopped bacon into the cake mix. Then line a cupcake tin with liners and fill half way with the cake mixture.

Bake according to the box. Check for doneness with a toothpick. Once they are done, take out and cool COMPLETELY on a cooling rack.

And while the cupcakes are cooling, it’s time to make the frosting! 

I used a mixture of regular syrup, maple syrup and a couple drops of vanilla. But I didn’t really measure how much I used, I just kind of went by taste. oops! 

Empty the Frosting into the bowl of your mixer. 

I would start with a 1/2 tablespoon of maple syrup and 1/2 tablespoon of syrup and then go from there. Add vanilla if you feel it needs it, it may not. Play around with the flavor. 

Once you’re happy with the frosting, scoop it into a large ziplock bag. I snipped the corner and put a #12 decorating tip through it. No worries if you don’t have decorating tips, you can just snip the corner or do it the old fashion way and spread it on top of the cupcake. 

( if you choose to “pipe” on your frosting, make sure to apply VERY LIGHT pressure near the top of the bag, above the frosting, and slowly push down)

And then you’re done!! Top with the reserved bacon and enjoy!!