DIY Friday: It’s all about the Dress (easy sewing tutorial)

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I love making my own clothes, and even though I don’t do it often, I still love doing it! And maybe someday, just someday I’ll become one of those people who can finish a garment in one sitting! Oh, wait, I actually did! With this dress!

I had this piece of polyester material for forever, it came from one of the thrift stores where I am a regular! Yes, you can buy fabric at a thrift store and it’s cheap and affordable, just not always what you want! But I really feel like I lucked out with this pattern:

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After reading this Boho Revival post on Chic Trends, I was even more inspired to finally create my own piece!

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There are a ton a ton DIY tutorials out there on how to make a dress like this! And to be 100% honest with you the fabric was intended for a skirt, but since I could pull more use out of a dress than a skirt, I went with this hi-lo design partially inspired by what’s out there, and partially affected by the lack of fabric!

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I am wearing:

Dress – hand made // Shoes – Nine West Vintage America // Necklace – Old Navy //

Bag – Vintage (coming to my Etsy store soon!) // Bracelet – hand made // Belt – hand-me-down

Lipstick – Maybelline Fuchsia Flash

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To make the hi-lo Being Zhenya dress I followed these simple instructions by See Cate Create

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I just skipped the elastic part! That’s it :)

Hope you like my DIY friday post, have you been sewing/refashioning anything lately?

Xo,

Z

About these ads

Bicycle is a Girl’s Best Friend

 

Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Style Voices programand have been provided with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.

What do you get when you put a fashion blogger on a bike? Here is what…

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I AM WEARING:

Jeans – Express // Polka Dotted shirt – vintage Lady Manhattan (thrifted at Goodwill outlet) //

Jacket – Club Monaco // Shoes – Fashionol

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None of the photos (especially the action ones – I almost ran my husband over twice! – would’ve been possible without my Samsung Galaxy Camera!)

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Do you ride bikes? And what do you usually wear?

Happy Hump Day!

Xo,

Z

Please don’t forget to take the pledge against Distracted Driving! Go to - http://itcanwait.com/

It Can Wait Pledge Logo

PS. Stop by Romwe and check out their flash sale! Leggings Flash Sale of Romwe New Collection! Only $19.99 for any pair. 3 days only! http://www.romwe.com/manage_activity/19.99-flash-sale/

http://www.shareasale.com/u.cfm?m=32222&u=768369&d=146591

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Art, Fashion and What in the World did I go to Chicago for?

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As you know I just got back from Chicago, but not all of you know what I was doing there!

You might have also noticed this badge on my sidebar:

So here goes:

I was contacted by Verizon Wireless to participate in their Fashion and Style Blogger program a couple weeks ago, and at first it seemed too good to be true! They offered to fly me to Chicago, pay for my hotel, take me out to SAIC Fashion show and a dinner at a hip restaurant, get a chance to meet other bloggers, and have fun!

And to top it all off I was also given a new device to play with.

Needless to say I agreed to come even before I asked for that day off at work ;)

The device turned out to be a Samsung Galaxy Camera that comes with 4G LTE, a touch screen, a 21x optical zoom and a whole bunch of other perks (which I am going to talk about in one of my later posts), plus you can upload photos and videos directly to your social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube), it’s packed with editing apps, which definitely saves a lot of time! The only thing that it can’t do is make calls. And the funny thing is, Sam and I were at Best Buy the weekend before looking at that exact camera! So now my camera dilemma is solved and my husband won’t have to listen to me whining. Though he will be definitely taking more pictures for sure!

But I think I am going to stop talking now, and show you what the camera can do!

Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Style Voices program and have been provided with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.

At Marla Mullaney Art Studio

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On Lake Minnetonka

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We also got some ice cream at licks unlimited…

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And I spotted this ceramic sewing machine figurine at one of the other artists’ studios! Isn’t it the cutest?

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I am WEARING:

//White Denim Jacket – GAP//Boots – Steve Madden//Purse – COACH//

//Dress – The Webster Miami at Target//Sunnies – Lucky Weekender//

Hope you all had an amazing weekend,

Xo,

Z

OOTD and Savers VIP event

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Suede A.N.A. boots – $10 – Goodwill

x2 Denim Jeans – $8 – Savers

Chico’s top – $4 – Savers

Cardigan – $3 – Savers

Happy Earth Day everyone! What better way to take care of our planet than reuse?! And today I will be sharing one of my 100% thrifted outfits!

I hope you all had a great weekend wherever you are! I shared with my Facebook followers that I have some very exciting news for you! And I will share the first one today! I was invited to the Opening of the new Savers here in the Twin Cities, and I couldn’t be more excited! I get to go in the store 2 days before it actually opens to the public, snap some pictures for you and of course thrift shop! Now I will be shopping for another special even, that I am going to keep SECRET for just a few more days, but it’s even more exciting and I can barely hold it :)

I hope you enjoyed the outfit, and happy Monday!

Take it easy,

Z

PS. The new Savers is located at 50 Coon Rapids Blvd NW
Coon Rapids, MN 55448
 and will be opened to the public this coming Thursday, April 25

Oversize Me OOTD

Everyone knows that these days it’s the baggier the better, to a certain extent of course! When I put something oversized on top, I make sure to go skinny on the bottom, and this is how it usually turns out:

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Top – Old Navy size M (it’s HUGE!) but since it was bought on sale for a ridiculously small amount of money, and they didn’t have size S anywhere, I got it. It’s comfy and soft, almost at the point where I want to wear it around the house with a pair of sweats, but am fighting this urge!

Jeans – X2 Denim by Express, thrifted at Savers, $8

Scarf – Christmas gift from a few years ago

Floral necklace – Gofavor.com, that necklace was ordered for about $4 back in the day when I went through – Let’s order as much cheap crap costume jewelry from China as I can. If I could, I would return every single product I ordered there, because… well you see the crossed out word above! The metal is so cheap it fades away after 2 or 3 uses. This necklace has been kind of okay, but I don’t want to jinx it here! So I’ll keep wearing it out and about, and maybe later you’ll see it in one of my DIY projects!

Boots – Christmas gift from Sam :) <3

And of course my Marc Jacobs Watch! I have to wear it, everyday, yes, that’s how much I like that watch!

On the other note, winter isn’t going anywhere here in Minneapolis. After a snow thunderstorm last Thursday I am hopeless, on the verge of depression, someone please help! At least this blog is becoming more bright and colorful, I’ve finally figured out how to create a row of social media icons on my blog, yay me :)

In other news, I have a lot of DIY projects coming up for you dear readers, so stay tuned!

Love,

Z

PS. Did you notice I am not wearing any make-up in this picture?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t be afraid of the Military! OOTD

It was my father’s in law 60th Birthday last Sunday, and since he is really into tanks, especially Russian pre-world war 2, tanks, and the armored vehicles that were manufactured in England and later exported to Russia.

It took me a while to figure out what to wear, but then I remembered this Maeva dress that I got from my friend, Mia, two Christmases ago, and this is how I looked:

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Dress – Maeva – gift

Boots – Salamander – gift

Coat – Via Spiga – thrifted – $12

Watch – Marc by Marc Jacobs

Black cardigan – sale at Target!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend, enjoying your family and friends! I know I did :)

Have a great Tuesday!

Xo,

Zhenya

Rain, Rain, Go Away Outfit of the Day

Spring is slowly on it’s way to Minnesota! And even though it rained this past Saturday, Sam and I still made it to one of our favorite places in Minneapolis – Target overstock basement at the Salvation Army! And here is what I wore:

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Jacket – Land’s End, thrifted Salvation Army

Jeans – Mossimo (Target brand), thrifted, Salvation Army

Boots – Macy’s, Christmas gift from Sam, 4 years ago, I think?!

Bag – Coach, thrifted, Salvation Army

Scarf – Banana Republic, from a clothing swap

Our trip to SalVal was surprisingly good! I found a GE juicer for $25, and let me tell you, I’ve been juicing ever since:

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So let me know what are some of your favorite juicing recipes are! I will be definitely sharing some of mine later this week or early next week, once I’ve tried a few more out!

I hope you all had a great weekend!

Xo,

Zhenya

OOTD: Friend’s Baby Shower

One of my really good friends is having her second child, so last Saturday I drove out to Eden Prairie, to spend an entire afternoon with her! And here is what I wore:

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J.Crew thrifted dress – $4 – Salvation Army

Nine West Wedges – Opitz Outlet St. Louis Park – $28

Anthropologie Cardigan – $2.50 – Goodwill

Trench – bought a very long time ago in Russia

Coach leather cross body – $4.99 thrifted – Salvation Army

Marc by Marc Jacobs Watch (bought at full price at Macy’s)

Ralph Lauren Pink Quartz Necklace – $10 Clothes Mentor in Minnetonka

Here is me and the mom-to-be, isn’t she gorgeous?

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I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Xo,

Z

Happy Easter Outfit of the Day!!!

Christ is risen! I hope you all are having a great day celebrating with your families and  loved ones! Sam and I recently got back from a church service, and I thought I’d share my outfit with you!

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Suede Boots – Mexx – bought in Russia

Skirt – thrifted, refashioned, with a vintage slip underneath – Goodwill Outlet, Steeple People

Top – The Limited – freecycled in NYC

Coat – Bitten by SJ Parker, from Steve & Barry’s (for those who remember that store!) NYC

Bag – Vintage Coach crossbody – Salvation Army

Scarf – thrifted in NYC

Necklace – thrifted in NYC

Have a blessed day!

Xo,

Z

DIY: The More Feminine Sweatshirt/ Кружевная Толстовка

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Hi, everyone! Today I am going to share my sweatshirt refashion. This is a great way to up-cycle your old or stained item of clothing! I started off with a $2.99 sweatshirt from Savers, that I bought back in November. The idea that I was going to use for it, was an idea that failed me back in the summer when I was refashioning a T-shirt. But since I never give up, I decided to try it again! And this time it worked!

The method: simply cut out a piece (any shape and size) anywhere on the sweatshirt and replace it with lace or any other fabric. Since I am lace obsessed, and somehow have lots of it, we are using lace!

You want to start by laying the sweatshirt out flat, and cutting out the material that is to be replaced:

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I was originally going to do a pocket shaped piece, but cut it out too far to the left, so that’s what I replaced it with instead!

Now you are going to cut out a piece of lace to go over this “hole” and don’t forget some pretty trim (all of the lace and trim came from an Old Navy shirt, that I freecycled a while back), and pin it all together:

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Then simply sew it all together using your machine! As you can see some lace is sticking out past the trim. Don’t worry, once everything is sewn together, cut the excess fabric off with your scissors.

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I hope you enjoyed the refashion and the pictures :) And you might have noticed that it’s the same lace I used for my wall art DIY! Don’t forget to check it out, if you haven’t yet!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Cheers,

Z

Всем привет! Сегодня мы будем перешивать толстовку! Таким способом вы сможете с лекгостью обновить потрепанную или испорченную вещь! Эта толстовка стоила всего лишь $2.99 в магазине Savers (наш местный секонд!), и куплена была еще в Ноябре. Задумка для этой переделки была испробована на одной футболке прошлым летом, и провалилась с треском! Но я никогда не сдаюсь, поэтому решила попробовать осуществить ее еще раз – и у меня получилось!

Способ: Вырезаем кусок ткани толстовки (желаемого размера и формы) там, где хотим, и заменяем кружевом или любой другой тканью! У меня небольшой сдвиг на кружево, может потому, что у меня его много? В общем, используем сегодня его!

Начнем с того, что разложим нашу толстовку на плоской поверхности, и вырезаем ту часть, которую планируем заменить.

Изначально, я сделала вырез в форме кармана, но он заходил слишком далеко в лево, и пришлось вырезать такой прямоугольник!

Теперь отрезаем кусок кружева нужного размера, чтобы закрыть нашу “дыру”. Не забудьте добавить красивую тесьму (кружево у меня осталось от старой кофты из Old Navy, которую я когда-то раздобыла благодаря сайту freecycle.org), и прикалываем все на булавки!

Затем мы это все прошиваем на машинке! Сверху на фотографии видно, что кружево выходит за тесьму. Не волнуйтесь, все это подравнивается ножницами, после того, как мы все прострочили.

Я надеюсь вам понравилась эта переделка и фотографии к ней! Возможно вы также заметили, что я использовала это кружево, когда делала эти декоративные панно на стену! Не забудьте кликнуть на этот пост, если вы его еще не видели!

Всем отличных выходных!