Anthro-Inspired Necklace

Oh Anthropologie, how I love to look at EVERYTHING you make! But my budget would seriously be ruined if I bought some of the things you have. Like this. I love it! Like seriously LOVE it. I would ask anyone for it for Christmas but there are two problems - 1. No one in their right mind would spend $148 on it for me, 2. It's no longer in stock. So being the crafty person I am, I decided that I could make something that would satisfy my urge for this beauty.

My version is made of scraps of miscellaneous fabrics and ribbon from my overflowing scrap drawer, in a palette suitable to my wardrobe. For the clasp, I tied a knot in one end and made a loop out of the other so that it hooks together. The clasp looks similar to the Anthropologie necklace. I love the finished necklace! And the best part was it was completely free! I already had everything to make it.

Oh and you also get to see my new hair.The pink & blue is gone. I went in to get it cut and had a picture of the new style I wanted, which had a new color in it too. My stylist loved the color and convinced me to try it. It didn't take much convincing (I just had pink & blue, right). Her argument was, "If you don't like it, we'll change it again." Sounded great to me! Well, I love it! It just might last awhile.

Learning to Make a Shirt

I love Anthropologie! Like seriously L-O-V-E! I always find the most amazing things there but I always run into a few problems. #1 My budget doesn't have room for me to buy all the great things I see. #2 About half the time, the things I find and fall in love with are out of stock. Which leads us to the story of my new shirt(s). I found this shirt, which Anthropologie no longer carries, but I have been in love with.

It looked like it would be simple enough to make - just a front, a back and a sash. Boy was I wrong! I really wish I had taken a picture of the mess of a shirt I made the first go-round. It was hideous! That's when I realized that while I can sew, I really do need some sort of direction... maybe... just a little.

Lucky for me I found Sweet Verbena on Pinterest. She has a tutorial that looks almost identical to my dream shirt! I love her!!! So the first item on my agenda was to make a shirt following this tutorial.

I used a white jersey with faint yellow apples for the body of the shirt and then a yellow cotton for the sash. I had not sewn much on jersey before and making this shirt was a breeze. I had my doubts when she said it would be easy, but it was! It really turned out like a dream!

Now I was ready to tackle my mess of a shirt from my first project. I had sewn it on 100% cotton (the pink on the left). I basically ended up ripping apart the first project and sewing it back together following her tutorial. I was actually able to save what I thought was destined for the scrap pile. 

I now have 2 new shirts. They sewed up super fast too, which was one of my favorite parts. I always love a quick and easy project!

So if you are just starting out or dusting off your machine after it's been sitting for awhile, I highly recommend this project. It's fun, easy and you'll end up with a really cute and flattering top!