Mess to Success :: Refashioned Tunic to Skirt

So awhile back I went to Forever 21 and bought some transitional items for fall 

and a couple of items for our upcoming Mediterranean vacation.

 I have a love/hate relationship with Forever 21, and have for some time.

I love them because their clothes are cheap.

And I hate them because their clothes are cheap.

Case in point:

  I bought this cute tunic for the cruise. 

I paid 13.50. Which is great...

Except the back was ripped. I'm not sure if this happened before I bought it and I just didn't notice, or if I bought it and brought it home and this happened when I tried it on.

Either way, it's ruined.

I couldn't return it because I threw away the receipt long before I noticed the rip.

(Forever 21 won't accept returns or exchanges without a receipt. 

At all. No store credit. Nothing, unless you have a receipt.)  

So I decided to make it into a skirt using this 

tutorial I found on Pinterest.

And here's how it turned out after some sewing and sweating and cussing from yours truly. 

 

It's my first garment. :)

It's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination,

but it turned out!

I'm off to sew some more!

Thanks for reading!! :)

xoxo- Bethany

Back from Houston!

 via

I had a great time in Houston hanging out with my Mom and Dad.

Dad was out of town with work for most of week,

so Mom and I held down the fort.

We ate some yummy tex mex, which is must when visiting south Texas.

We did alot of shopping too (imagine that..Mom and I shopping).

I found some amazing stuff at the thrift stores.

Houston has some amazing high end charity shops.

Two I recommend if you're ever in the area are 

The Guild Shop and the The Cottage Shop.

At the Guild Shop, I got exactly what I was looking for.

Colored cords for fall.

AG Colored Cords....

FOR 12 DOLLARS. AMAZING.

Here they are at Anthropologie for $168.

The only difference is the ones at Anthropologie are skinny and mine are bootcut.

But that doesn't make a difference to me. 

And they fit perfect.

And here is my $12.00 outfit.

Skirt; White House Black Market $7.50 from the Guild Shop.

Halter; no tag, but same weight/quality as some of my BCBG knits $4.06 from the Cottage Shop.

So actually the whole outfit was $11.56. :)

I couldn't find an exact match for the maxi skirt but here is a similar style for $128.

I hope you all have a great Labor Day weekend. 

Jason and I will be welcoming his dad and step mother for several days 

and are looking forward to hanging out 

and closing out the summer on a high note with family.

xoxo- Bethany

Fabulous Finds: Dillards Outlet

As promised, this is a post about my finds at the Dillard's outlet

 on my recent roadtrip to Asheville.

I got 3, yes three, cocktail dresses for under $100.

All name brand, quality stuff.

These are not seconds. 

These are dresses that never sold at other Dillard's

 and were sent here at the end of the season.

Here we go...

 

1) A red Antonio Melani satin dress.

Usually, red is not my color, but this red and this dress are very flattering on.

I paid half off the lowest price. So $33.07. Not bad for a dress that was originally $189!

2) A teal jersey Laundry by Shelli Segal dress.

Love this dress. It fits and feels great!

I paid 39.37! For a $225.00 dress!

3) A Jessica Simpson lime green jersey one shoulder dress.

I thought this one is super cute. I don't have anything this color either.

I paid $17.15!! Crazy!! It was originally $98.00!

 So if you total it all up....I spent $89.59. The dresses original cost $512.00!

I saved $423.00! Pretty good if you ask me!

You may be wondering why I'm stocking up on cocktail dresses. 

Well besides the fact that it was 89 bucks for all three...

Jason and I are going on a 2 week Mediterranean cruise at the end of September!

I'm really excited!! More details to come. :)

Have you found any great deals lately?

-Bethany

Target Finds

I love Target.

Like, a lot.

If I could shop at only one store for the rest of my life...it would probably be Target.

Here's what I've found at my Utopia recently.

1. Goody Quik Style Microfiber Brush

It's a brush. It's a towel. It's a browel.

I can dry my hair in almost half the time using this. 

Its kinda weird, but I love it.

2. Bangle bracelets

I loved the mint green accent. 

They look cute with my clothes from Opry Mills.

3. Dress from The Webster for Target.

Cute beach dress for the trip to Orange Beach next week. 

We leave in the morning (yay!).

4. Tank also from The Webster for Target

Swingy tank just in time for summer.

All images via Target.com

 -Bethany

Spring Wardrobe Additions from Opry Mills

This Spring weather is making me think about Spring fashion.

Opry Mills, Nashville's largest outlet mall, just re-opened this past week from being closed for the past 2 years due to flood damage in the May Day floods of 2010.

I went to check it out on opening day and I'm glad I did!

There are a ton of great outlets...Michael Kors, Cole Hann, Coach, Banana Republic, but everything I purchased came from J.Crew Factory and Saks Off Fifth.

Here's what I bought.

 (shell J.Crew Factory, jeans Saks Off Fifth)

The lace detail on the shell is hard to see in the picture of me, so here's a better picture.

(via)

And...

 (Shell, Skirt, and Belt all from J.Crew Factory)

I also got an amazing cocktail dress from Saks but I'm not showing you now because you'll see it in a post later this month. :)

 I'll give you a hint...it's the same color that my dining room will be.

I hope you are enjoying some pretty Spring weather (and fashion) too!