diy: t-shirt make-over part II - printed geo shirt

for part II of the t-shirt make-over series (find part I here) i decided to do a geometrical design using the potato stamping method and some fabric paint.

you may have potato stamped before - probably in kindergarten but hey, that counts ;)

the method is really super easy, cheap and you can stamp any kind of design you're able to cut into a large potato.  

to create this design or something similar this is what you'll need:

a white t-shirt (i used fruit of the loom men's v-neck shirts in size s)

fabric paint (i experimented with 3 kinds, two were martha stewart's all purpose acrylic paints and one was actual fabric paint) 

a sponge brush

several large potatoes

a sharp knife

pieces of cardboard

craft paper to protect your work surface

first you'll need to cut your shapes into the potatoes. 

i used a marker and then simply cut away the area i didn't want to print with. simple shapes will turn out best so don't do any intricate designs unless you majored in potato sculpting. 

make sure to cut at least 1/2 - 3/4 inch deep into the potato which will help keep your designs nice and clean when you print. 

i recommend you try out your stamps on a scrap piece of muslin fabric or an old t-shirt. 

i was looking for a muted black color and ended up going with the actual fabric paint instead of the martha stewart gray (left)  and gloss black (top). 

slide the cardboard into your shirt where you will start stamping. this will keep the paint from leaking through and onto the back side of the shirt. make sure to move it around as you print your design.
i applied the paint with the small sponge brush because i had more control over the cleanliness of the shapes while printing. any excess paint may drip from the stamp onto unwanted places on your shirt.
i wanted the design to be slightly "imperfect" so i didn't mind it if some shapes didn't print as evenly as others. let the paint dry as per directions before you turn it over to print the back.

i also rolled up the sleeves and lightly stitched them in place.

voila!

find more tutorials here.

style files: oh my pleather!

pants: hallhuber (similar), sweater: only (similar), shoes: aerosoles (similar), bag:

have you jumped onto the pleather/leather/liquid leggings train yet? 

i'd been wanting to try a pair for a while and then when my mom came to visit in may she brought these with her without even knowing I even wanted them. thanks mom! 

so i've had these for a few months but it's simply been way too warm to wear them. another reason to wish for fall? i think so.

i'll be wearing them a lot since they are just as versatile as regular black leggings but add a little bit of an edge to an outfit. looking at the pictures I feel like I should maybe hem them just a tad so that they truly end right above the ankle. what do you think? 

will you be wearing any leather this fall? 

hope you had a fabulous weekend :) 

$15 designer t-shirts anyone?

let me introduce you to my newest obsession everlane  

say $15 luxury t-shirts and i'm likely to be intrigued. i'm always on the lookout for a great t-shirt so I definitely had to check these out. 

but go read what they say about their company first:

It's an industry fact: Your typical designer shirt sells for 8 times what it cost to make. But it doesn't have to be this way. We've set out to challenge conventions and build a new retail model.

We have no physical stores, no middlemen taking their cut and no crazy brand markups. Instead, we create our own luxury basics and sell them exclusively at Everlane.com. New designs each month, never over $100.

Online only.

By operating entirely online we save on all the costs associated with physical stores and gain tremendous flexibility in production.

Smart manufacturing.

We seek out the best factories in the business—the very same ones that produce your favorite designer labels—to create the shortest path from our hands to yours.

Edited design.

We never compromise on quality. Our collections are intentionally pared down so that we can design with the closest attention to detail.

i think it's a really interesting concept and what they're offering looks absolutely fabulous. i couldn't resist ;) go check them out right here and have a happy weekend :) 

lasagna soup

sorry for the bad picture. i hadn't really planned on blogging this recipe until a bunch of you instagram followers asked me to. so here it is and believe me it is delicious and tastes a lot better than it looks. this is a great recipe to add a bunch of vegetables into so feel free to adjust as you please. just make sure to maybe add some more liquid if you add a lot of extra vegetables. my toddler loved this and even ate all of the vegetables in it, which has been a struggle lately.

lasagna soup

ingredients

for the soup:

1 tbs. olive oil
1 1/2 lbs of sweet italian sausage (for any locals: i use giant eagle's sweet italian sausage because it is deliecious)
1 cup of chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 tbs. tomato paste
1 28-oz. can of diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1-2 large carrots, peeled and chopped or sliced
a handful of mushrooms, sliced (really however many you like)
1 zucchini peeled and cubed
1 container of chicken stock (about 4-6 cups)
8 oz. lasagna pasta broken into smaller pieces
some fresh basil if you have
salt and pepper, to taste

cheese mixture:

10 oz. ricotta
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
pepper, to taste

mozzarella cheese to sprinkle over top

preparation

heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. break up the sausage into bite sized pieces and brown it for a few minutes. add in the onions and cook until soft. add tomato paste and stil well. cook for another 3 minutes or until paste has turned a rusty brown color. now add garlic, italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. stir again.

add the diced tomatoes, bay leaves and the chicken stock. stir to combine. bring to a boil and add the carrots, let simmer for 20 minutes. now add the zucchini and mushrooms and simmer until both are soft. (about 10 minutes). add the basil, salt and pepper to taste, right before serving.

also cook your pasta separately when your soup is getting close to being done.
cooking the pasta separately will allow better storage for left-overs.

while pasta is cooking prepare the cheese mixture. in a small bowl simply combine all ingredients and mix well.

to serve, place about a generous tablespoon of the cheese mixture in a bowl and top with soup and pasta. sprinkle some mozzarella on top and dig in!

Source:  adapted from 300 Sensational Soups by Carla Snyder and Meredith Deeds, as seen in the February-April 2011 edition of At Home with Kowalski’s magazine

diy: t-shirt make-over part I - sequin collar t-shirt

over the next few weeks I will feature a series of t-shirt make-over tutorials using basic white t-shirts. each week I will show you a different way to add a little something special to a plain white tee.

this week's make-over is a super easy one using some stretchy sequin trim to embellish the collar of a t-shirt. no sewing skills needed! 

you'll need:

a white v-neck shirt (i used fruit of the loom men's shirts in size S) 

1 yard of gold sequin trim (the stretchy kind) mine is from wal-mart

thread in the same color as your trim 

white thread

a needle

place the end of the trim where the collar makes the v-shape. start carefully hand stitching it in place starting from the back and leaving some extra to tie it off with. go around stitching the trim to the collar until you come back to the v. i mostly just went through the holes in the sequins and it's not noticeable at all. overlap the ends slightly and cut your excess trim. make sure to stitch the end well so that the elastic part won't unravel. 

i also folded up the sleeves and stitched them in place with some white thread. that's of course optional.

to wash i would recommend turning the shirt inside out and air drying or drying on a low temperature setting in your dryer. 

now wear it! best of all: no necklace needed. 

style files: chambray, cords and boots

skinny cords: jcrew, white tank: zara, chambray shirt: jcrew (similar), boots: thrifted (similar), watch: michael kors (similar), bracelet: gift, branch earrings: c/o love stitched

the weather here in pa has momentarily cooled down just a little bit. we are back in the 80's now but had a pretty cool day on saturday. it was honestly fine by me since i'd been dreading the outfit posts a little bit lately... i am mostly a shorts and t-shirt kind of girl when it's super hot outside and that's not necessarily anything to brag about on here. wink wink...

so instead of the heat we got a nice little glimpse at what fall is going to be like and i started outfit planning in my head. can't wait to get my scarf collection out again!

the chambray shirt that has seen lots of wear through spring and summer is also going to be a go-to piece in my fall wardrobe and so are jcrew's toothpick cords. here i paired them with some nicely worn-in boots and a simple white tank. i stayed comfy and warm all day but was able to shed a layer when the sun peeked through in the afternoon.

i will definitely be wearing lots of different variations of this outfit in the fall.

what items from your summer wardrobe will help you transition into fall?

happy birthday

it's this guy's birthday today. 28 years!!! 9 of which he's been spending with me. i am one lucky gal :)
last night we shared some delicious cheesecake, opened gifts, used such gifts to play peek-a-boo and had a few good laughs.

so happy birthday to you J, logan and i are incredibly lucky to have you in our lives and we love you more than i'll ever be able to put into words.