Perfect Summer Tote DIY

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Today I have prepared an easy and quick refashion that any Costco shopper can afford to make :) Why Costco? Because that’s where my in-laws take us shopping sometimes and that’s where I found a giant bag of rice that came in a sack, that we are going to use in our refashion today!
Another thin we’ll need is either plain fabric for lining, or, like in my case, a cloth bag one of my designer purses came in!
Here is our bag of rice (I’ve only seen them at Costco, please let me know if you’ve seen them at other stores! I want to make this easier for those who choose to shop elsewhere!)

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And here is the bag we are going to use for lining:

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The first thing you are going to want to do is hide all the loose ends, strings, etc! I also got rid of the zipper, because it was junky!

Then I trimmed the cloth bag to fit, kept the handles, because the original sack handles were too short!

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Make sure to do some fitting before you start sewing by simply inserting the new lining into the sack:

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I also went over the top edges with a thick red thread, to make sure it didn’t fray:

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How big is your needle? ;)
And finally sewed it all together on my machine! When sewing be careful, because the sack is made of a thick and heavy fabric, I don’t want you ruining your machines because of me! And keep in mind – you’ll end up doing some hand sewing one way or another, because the edges are thick!

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And you are done! Enjoy your bag and have a wonderful weekend!
For those of you who are wondering where I am going next week – my blog is taking me to Chicago! And even though I am going to the Windy City only for a couple of days, I feel like it’s an amazing start of something wonderful and exciting for me!
Lots of love,
Z

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DIY Crochet Color Block Tote: Part 1

Why a 2 parter? Well, I just can’t crochet fast enough.

Why a color block tote? Because it’s perfect for people like me who get their yarn off of freecycle.org or at thrift store (YES ALL YARN/FABRIC I USE IN MY PROJECTS IS RECYCLED – THATS HOW I KEEP MY HOBBIES AT A LOW PRICE)  and there is never enough of it to make something a solid one color. So since color blocking is a huge hit this year, I thought why not make a tote. Plus I had the handles for it too (bought them back in February ;) – I know it takes me a while)

So when color blocking when crocheting it’s important to decide on your colors first. I went with some that coordinated with my sweaters from Old Navy. Remember this post? Yup, those sweaters :) Also ignore the fact that it looks like I’ve already made something out of red yarn, I didn’t, that all was going to become undone. Back in December I crocheted some Christmas stockings and this was a trial one, turned out to be too big, and is now being turned into a bag :)

Once you’ve decided on your colors, you are going to decide on the pattern. I simply drew mine, and since both sides were going to have a different pattern, it ended up looking like this:

You can also tell I totally misspelt SIDE :) hehe – English is not my first language after all :) But no worries, I corrected it later. So I hope my drawing is pretty self explanatory, the numbers on the sides are the numbers of rows, and the colors are written in each section.

Now this is how far I’ve got. I really hope to be done this week, so I don’t have to make you wait to see the finished product until next week.

 

I promis that very very soon this baby will be completed with it’s own lining, an inside pocket or two and handles. Stay tuned for Part 2, especially if you want to see what the other side looks like ;)

xo,

Z

Review: Origins A Perfect World SPF 25

Today’s post is entirely dedicated to Origins’ A Perfect World SPF 25 Moisturizer. We all want to live in a perfect world, don’t we? Especially if it also protects us from the sun! The brand is rather popular in the US, not so sure about Russia and Europe. This moisturizer usually comes in a packaging like this:

But mine came in a tube, and I got it for free on Earth Day (April, 22) at the Origins counter at Macy’s when I recycled a Physician’s Formula tinted moisturizer.

It ususally retails for $39.50 before tax, but free is better, in my case free turned out to be a pretty good deal, for both my wallet and my skin! It’s perfect for the summer too!

I’ve been using this moisturizer every AM since I got it, it’s not a very good night time product because of the SPF, unless you need SPF at night ;)

It has a light citrus scent, mixed in with the wonderful smell of SPF! It’s easy to apply, it absorbs fast, and it doesn’t create any greasiness. It’s best used if you have dry combination skin (raise your hand if you fall into the same category as me!) As far as I understand, this is a second “edition” of A Perfect World, the first one lacked SPF.

For those of you who don’t know, Origins is paraben, mineral oil, paraffin and other nasty stuff free!

This is what the moisturizer looks like out of the packaging:

It’s really hard to find anything wrong with this product. I do admit, I like having it in a tube more than a jar. I simply believe that it doesn’t come into as much contact with air being in a tube, thus keeping it’s qualities and main features.

I was also rather smitten by it’s expiration date – it’s good for 24 months (that’s 2 whole years), it’s just always seemed to me that such natural products as this one, should last a lot less (compare: The Balm’s expiration date is 6 months after opening).

Overall, this moisturizer is getting a 4 out of 5 stars in my book! And hopefully Origins will have more products like this for other skin types. Have you tried it? What do you think?

Cheers,

Z

Сегодняшний пост хочу посвятить увлажняющему крему для лица с экстрактом белого чая от фирмы Origins. Я не знаю известна ли эта фирма в Европе и России, но она достаточно популярна в США. Сам крем обычно идет в банке.

Расскажу почему мой в тубе и как он мне достался! В прошлое воскресенье, 22 апреля, отмечался День Земли — Earth Day, и фирма Origins проводила специальную промо-акцию — раздавали полноразмерные крема в обмен на пустую тару от любых косметических/уходовых средств.

Розничная цена — $39.50 без налога, но на халяву, как говорят, и уксус сладкий — в данном случае «уксус» оказался самое то! А уж тем более на лето!

Этим средством я пользуюсь уже неделю, наношу его на лицо и шею каждое утро (в роли ночного увлажняющего средства ни производитель, ни я его не вижу — SPF 25 вряд ли кому-то пригодится после захода солнца   )

У крема легкий цитрусовый запах, смешанный с запахом солнцезащитного средства, куда же без этого! Наносится легко, впитывается очень быстро, ни пленки, ни жирности. Лучше всего подходит для комбинированной кожи (у меня именно такая). Кстати это уже вторая версия A Perfect World, первая шла без SPF фактора.

Хочется также отметить натуральность фирмы Origins, сзади на тубе перечислены все ингредиенты, а также упоминается то, что вся продукция данной фирмы производится без mineral oil, парабенов, парафинов, и т.д.

Цвет крема белый.

Увлажняет хорошо, даже не знаю к чему придраться. Честно скажу одно — упаковка — банка — нравится мне меньше, чем туба. Я считаю что находясь в тубе, крем контактирует с меньшим количеством воздуха, нежели будучи в банке, тем самым хранится дольше и сохраняет свои свойства лучше!

Немного смущает то, что срок годности — 24 месяца, после открытия упаковки, почему-то казалось, что у такого натурального средства, он должен быть меньше   (сравниваю с The Balm — у них срок кремов — 6 месяцев).

В итоге ставлю средству твердую 4, и надеюсь фирма Origins выпустит нечто подобное и для других типов кожи!

Всем отличного дня!

Xoxo,

Z

 

Earth Day Outfit

Happy Earth Day everyone, I hope you had a great day and reduced, reused or recycled! Here is what I got out of this day:

I recycled an almost empty tinted moisturizer at the Origins counter at Macy’s and got a full size Age Defense Moisturizer with SPF 25 – it usually comes in a jar, so don’t be confused by the packaging ;)

I also scored a free reusable bag at Target, don’t know what I am going to use it for yet, but it’s good to have!

The L’oreal sample came from the May issue of Vogue magazine.

And finally – free coffee in my reusable RBC mug from Caribou :)

I had to work today, which meant wearing black for the 4 hours that I spent at Macy’s, but then Sam and I went to a concert, and I went all out for that:

Shoes: Nine West Vintage America

Jeans: Ragstock

Shirt: Old Navy

Sheer Blouse: Ragstock

Jacket: BCBG Max Azria

Bag: Coach

Watch: Marc by Marc Jacobs

The show we saw was pretty good, we only stayed for one band (Step in Clouds), but they were giving away free CDs. I personally thought they sounded something like Augustana.

Earth Day is now one of my favorite holidays ;) What did you do today?

XO,

Z

Поздравляю всех с Днем Земли, я надеюсь что у вас был отличный день и вы каким-то образом помогли нашей чудесной планете! Вот что я вынесла для себя из этого дня:

Увлажняющий крем от Origins с SPF 25 – я сдала почти пустую бакну от tinted moisturizer фирмы Physicians Formula и получила полноразмерный крем бесплатно! Обычно он выпускается в банке, а не тубе, так что если вы пользуетесь фирмой Origins, не думайте, что я вас путаю!

В магазине Target мне дали сумку для продуктов многоразового использования, такие очень популярны в Америке! Я еще не знаю как буду ее использовать, потому что она небольшая по размеру, но в хозяйстве пригодиться!

Пробники от Л’Ореаль были в Майском номере журнала Vogue.

И наконец – бесплатный кофе из кофейни Caribou – я просто принесла термо кружку и все!

Я работала сегодня, так что в течение 4х часов я была одета во все черное, но вечером мы с Сэмом пошли на концерт, и я разрядилась на славу ;)

Ботильоны на танкетке: Nine West Vintage America

Джинсы: Ragstock

Розовая футболка: Old Navy

Прозрачная белая блузка: Ragstock

Пиджак: BCBG Max Azria

Сумка: Coach

Часы: Marc by Marc Jacobs

Концерт был неплохой, мы послушали только одну группу (Step in Clouds), они также раздавали бесплатные диски! Они чем-то напомнили мне группу Augustana.

С сегодняшнего дня – День Земли – мой любимый праздник! А чем вы занимались сегодня?

XO,

Z

Why I DIY!

Today’s first post is going to be an answer to the question “Why do you DIY?” I think I have somewhat explained one side of the story when I was talking about the black dress I was knitting/crocheting (don’t worry it’s coming!), and I mentioned that my mom made my clothes, because we were tight on the money, etc. And I got used to DIY when I was in middle school. I made different friendship bracelets, I also learned how to knit and crochet. When I became older I started making different decorations for the apartment, and am still doing that. I am sure you have seen my chair and the memo board. I have some lamps and curtains coming soon. Today’s DIY is going to be a little faster and easier, because I am short on time. But the weekends’ ones are going to be good! Promise!

The picture above explains my other reason for DIY. It’s reusing what you already have. I haven’t really bought anything for the last 2 or 3 DIY projects for sure. And that’s the best way to do it. Yes, maybe I am lucky and my house is simply filled with treasure (or trash – you decide), but I feel so good when I can make something new from something old! And I am always so happy with the results!

DIY is an opportunity to make something original, something that no one has. And even if you share your ideas, everyone else’s results will be different, because our imagination soars. This is one of the reasons why I make my own clothes. I have been especially keen on making tops, but that’s because I have a lot of materials. I also think tops are the best thing to start with, they are easier. I will be attempting to make some skirts and dresses for the summer soon, so stay tuned.

DIY also allows you to make customized furniture, which is going to meet all your needs and requirements.

That’s why I DIY! Do you?