My New Glasses with Firmoo (and get your first pair FREE!)

 

I have had to wear glasses since I was 12 years old. Unfortunately for junior high Melissa...glasses were SO not cool. These kids today don't know how lucky they have it. So, Middle School Me picked out a value pair of glasses at the local Walmart and sobbed in the mirror before school cried a little inside every time I had to wear them.

 

Luckily, glasses fashion has changed for the better and people even wear glasses for FUN now! I like trying to find new glasses that fit my personality and I was so excited when Firmoo contacted me about trying one pair of the many stylish pairs they have to offer online.

 

If you haven't heard of Firmoo yet, it's the world's most popular online eyeglass store. They have many different options for prescription glasses, non prescription glasses, and sunglasses. So, whether you need glasses (I feel you), or you just like to use them as fashion accessory...they have something for everyone!

 

In addition to having many styles to choose from, they have a First Pair Free program for new customers. Basically, you get your first pair of prescription or non prescription glasses for free...just pay shipping. How can you resist that?

 

Nervous about ordering glasses online without being able to try them on in person? Luckily, they offer a Virtual-Try-On System where you can upload a picture of yourself to see how each set of glasses will look on you. Save time and gas by getting to browse many styles all in one place and at affordable prices.

 

These were my favorite:

 

What I loved most about the website was how easy it was to choose my frames. Not only could I see how they would look on my face, but there are other people who bought the same frames and their photos on the website. I liked being able to see how the same frames looked on other people in different settings and lighting.

 

After putting in my prescription information, my frames were ordered and shipped out quickly and I avoided a dreaded trip to the store to try on glasses. I often get asked if my glasses are "real" or just "for fun" and I say BOTH! I love that something I used to hate wearing is now a fun way to show my personality and start conversations with others!  

 

 Now that I have my first pair, I have already started browsing for my second pair...or third:)

 

Now, for some silly pictures of me, because trying to take serious pictures of myself while two children were yapping at my heels begging for snacks and for me to take their pictures can make anyone feel a little crazy after a while:

 

 

How about you? Do you need glasses or do you wear them for fashion? Which pair would you choose for free?

 



I received a free pair of glasses from Firmoo in exchange for my personal review. All opinions in this post are mine.

DIY Twisted Turban Headband (from an old t-shirt)

I had an old shirt that I was about to donate, but I loved the print so much I wanted to find something to do with it. I love the twisted headbands I have been seeing everywhere and decided to make one of my own.

Materials:

knit fabric (or old t-shirt)

matching thread

STEP 1: Cut two strips out of the knit fabric. that are double the final width you want your headband straps to be. My strips were approximately 4 in x 20 in.

STEP 2: Fold each strip in half (with right sides facing) and sew down the long side of raw edges. Flip right side out. Now you will have two "tubes".

STEP 3: Lay out tubes (seam sides up) in the shape of an "X". 

STEP 4: Fold strips over so that they are linked together, matching up the raw edges.

STEP 5: Take the unfinished headband and wrap around your head to see how tight to make it. Line up all raw edges and sew together with a straight stitch. Cut off any excess.

STEP 6: Flip seam to the inside of headband and wear!

Happy Thursday!

I'm linked to:

Tatertots and Jello

The Southern Institute

Snow White Dress

My daughter's favorite princess these days is Snow White. I finally got this dress done for her and now the only problem I have is getting her to take it off!

I don't have a real tutorial for this but I thought I would still share how I made it.

I started with an existing Snow White dress that my mom found at Goodwill. It was in sad shape and one size too big for my daughter. I also found this red satin blouse for $1 at Goodwill because I knew I could use it to construct new sleeves, a cape, and a matching headband.

 For the cape, I cut out the back piece of the red blouse and hemmed the edges. For the collar, I cut out a collar shape from white satin and ironed on some craft fuse to the back to make it really stiff and stand up. I sewed the cape onto the collar and then the collar onto the sides of the shoulders of the dress.

I did not attach the collar all the way around the back of the dress because I wanted my daughter to be able to get into it easily. So, under the cape is the opening the back of the dress for her to get in and out.

For the sleeves I took some blue satin I already had and some red shirt material and used this tutorial from Craftiness Is Not Optional. Instead of putting a band around the bottom, I hemmed the raw edge under and then sewed elastic onto the edge (pulling it tight as I went so that it would pucker).

The tulle on the dress was ripping everywhere so I cut it off at the waist to leave the satin skirt on it's own.

For the headband, I covered an old headband with some red satin and then used this tutorial from Smile and Wave to make a big bow on top.  

 I ripped out the old stitching on the bodice of the dress and sewed on new silver trim that matched the glittery sleeves a little better.

Oh, and don't forget the red sparkle shoes;)



Happy Friday!

I'm linked to:
Tatertots and Jello

DIY Chevron Shoes

Here's a fun DIY that can be completed in one night. I took a pair of shoes that I found at the thrift store for $2.50, washed them (I put them in the washing machine and then let them air dry), a fabric pen, and fabric paint.

I cut a chevron pattern out of paper to use as a stencil. I traced it onto my shoes with the fabric pen, and then painted in the lines with the fabric paint.

All done!

This was a fun and easy project and I love my new shoes. I already got a few compliments on them when I ran errands today:)

I'm linked to:

Sugar and Dots

Tatertots and Jello

Pillowcase Challenge #8: Diaper Bag

I haven't done a pillowcase challenge in a while! One of my goals this year is to clean out my craft closet and use up what I already have before buying more. I had been holding onto this pillowcase for a while, not sure what to do with it, but wanting to do something useful since I love the print so much. I decided to make a larger tote that could be used as a diaper bag since I seem to need lots o' stuff with me these days!

The outside of the bag is made with one pillowcase and the lining is part of an old vintage sheet I had. Want to make your own tote? Then let's go!

Easy Lace Headbands

I've been wanting something new to wear in my hair lately so I went to my local fabric store and picked up a bunch of different lace for $.25 a yard. I came up with a few simple headbands to wear to feel a little more feminine...you know...while doing errands, cleaning the house, and doing laundry:)

This one is a half a yard of lace that I ruffled into a circle (sewing along the way) and hot glued onto an elastic headband. I added a craft pearl to the center too.

This next headband was super easy:

I measured the lace on my head and cut it to that size, plus about 1/2" (from just below one ear to below the other). I applied really thin strips of hot glue to the inside of the lace (to make it stick in my hair better) and let that dry.

I cut out a little piece of elastic (about 2"), folded the lace under, and sewed it onto the elastc (making sure the glue side is underneath).

I sewed the other end of the lace onto the other end of the elastic and that was it!

I found two other kinds of lace that I liked so I made similar headbands with those too:

This one was a stretchy lace and fits the best:

So I made 4 fun headbands in about 15 minutes! I love those kinds of crafts:)

Felt Flower Bobby Pins

I recently found this tutorial for these felt flowers and decided I needed some of my own! I whipped up some this week after my daughter went to bed and now we have new clips that we can share:)

I'm linked to:

Tatertots and Jello

Mine for the Making

Summer Thrift Store Finds

I haven't been out much this summer looking for good thrift store finds. There is just something about 115 degrees that makes me want to hurt everyone in public...so it's best if I just stay in:)

I have found a few good things at my local Goodwill Saturday sales (seriously...who doesn't love those?) and a few other vintage shops.

One rule I have when it comes to getting anything at the thrift store (or anywhere else for that matter) is that it has to serve an immediate (or almost immediate in case it's a project) purpose. So that means leaving some gems behind because I just don't have the room for them.

One thing I was SO happy to find was this tin recipe box. One of my summer goals was to organize my recipes so finally they are all in one tidy space!

I fell in love with this jewelry box almost immediately. All that scrolling detail just makes me so happy! It does have a broken foot on the front...but it will get fixed up and repainted this week. I just can't decide if I want to give it to my daughter for her jewelry...or be a selfish mom and keep it for myself:)

I did find something for my daughter. I am putting together her Christmas present right now, which is basically just some accessories for her play kitchen (which I will share soon). These mini salt and pepper shakers made me so happy...and for $.35 each...I couldn't resist bringing them home to paint and let her play with.

I would have to say my biggest soft spot when it comes to thrifting is vintage owls. It's like I can't say no! The brown owl is an iron trivet that I found at a vintage store in a nearby retirement community. The silver owl is another trivet I found at Savers, and finally the yellow framed owl is a greeting card that I found in a different frame at Goodwill. I painted a little frame I had yellow and put him in there.

They live together on my living room wall:

This next find took a few weeks for me to purchase. I saw it a while ago at Goodwill with no price tag. The cashier priced it at $7.99...but I was too cheap to spend that (it has a small crack on the back). So we went on vacation and I regretted leaving it behind.

Another sale day rolled around at Goodwill and it was still there! I put my own lampshade on it and I love it! I was so blinded by my affection for it that I realized (on the way home) that most likely my husband was going to hate it. He was so nice when I asked him, "What do you think? Can you believe no one bought it for three weeks?" that he said, "I think it was just so beautiful that no one else wanted it." He is so nice to me...even if he is being sarcastic:)

It makes me so happy when I see it each day...I think may even say something like this when I walk past it. Here it is in our living room on my grandma's old dresser:

I also picked up some lovely vases:

And finally, my favorite piece of the summer has been my Drexel chair. It was priced at $30 but I asked if they could go any lower and they went down to $20!

It lives in our room right now...but my mom has already offered me more than I paid for it:) It's nice having a chair in the bedroom to sit and talk and also for my husband to sit and put his shoes on. Does anyone else hate butt marks on a newly made bed as much as I do??

So, have you found any good finds lately?

Backpack Redo with Ruffles

It's summer time...so that means we are out an about hoping from place to place before the weather gets too unbearable here. It's still in the high 90s here and I am lovin' it! So, with being in and out of the car, it's easiest just to pack my daughter a backpack with a change of clothes and a lunch for our afternoon out.

I found this small backpack at the thrift store a while back for $.99. I wanted a mini one for my daughter so that I didn't have to tote around all her summer stuff in my purse, but I also wanted it small enough that she can carry it herself.

It was the perfect size...but blue...and boring.

So, I went into my fabric stash (which is dwindling these days) and pulled out some fun fabrics that matched the backpack and also each other. I also pulled out some ribbon to use for one of my ruffles.

In order to make sure my fabric would be long enough after being ruffled (?), I cut out strips that were double the width and length of the final size that I wanted.

With right sides facing, I folded the strip in half lengthwise and sewed up one long side:

I now had an inside out tube..so I flipped it right side out and ruffled it on my machine. To see how I ruffle fabric on my machine click HERE. (PS- After going back to that post to link it up here...I am SO ready for Christmas again! This happens to me every year. I am ready for Christmas in the summer.)

I repeated that process with all of my fabric. I just ruffled the ribbon as it was off the spool.

Finally I folded in each end and hot glued it to the front of my daughter's backpack. I also added some 1/4" ribbon to the zippers to make zipper pulls. And that's it! A free redo for my $.99 backpack:)