The 80's are BACK!

Thanks to my good friend Stacey, my husband and I were invited to The Best 80's Party Ever, so far.

I did a more modern 80's outfit with radical 80's hair and make-up. I used a mixture of citrus colors which are more modern than the 80's neons.

I found this great high/low coral wrap dress at Forever21.  It's the Love 21 brand which runs a little bigger.  The deep V was a little too deep for me.  I wore a lacey camisole from Target in a similar shade of coral.

<SOURCE>

This sweet Member's Only style crop jacket was a find I literally took off the mannequin at Goodwill.  The brand is Vanity and I could't find online anywhere.  But here is a cheap alternative from Forever21.

<SOURCE>

As for the accessories I wore my new Stella and Dot crescent gold necklace.  As well as my lime green beaded bracelets and Carlos Santana sandals I bought 7 years ago.

Here's a close up of my make-up and hair.

Sweet 80's Glamor Shots pose for ya!

All I did was crimp my hair by braiding into about 10 strands and then flat ironing them.  I then back combed the crown of my head and right at the sides.  I accomplished the bangs by back combing the back of my bangs then letting them fall to the side.  I used heavy duty pump action hair spray (the cheaper the better).  Then spray everything.  Fluff and spray again and again.  Doesn't hurt that I have an ombre hair color treatment.

My make-up was actually simple.  I used my favorite red lipstick on my lips, checks, and outside portion of my brows.  The inner and lid part of my eyes are a cover girl silver shadow.  I wore black liquid liner and fake eyelashes.

If you have an 80's party to attend just remember to scan the local thrift store and work with what you have.  Accessories and hair can make your costume stand out.

Creamy Jalapeno Ranch Dressing

I might not have grown up in Texas, but I lived there most of my life.  For the past 2 years I've been in the Seattle area and boy do I miss Tex-Mex.  I'm not really a big cook, but I have perfected the Chuy's creamy jalapeno ranch dressing.  I will share my recipe with you in today's blog post.

First off here's a list of ingredients. (I will warn you, I'm southern and exact measurements are not my style...but I'll try my best).  Please note: this is a half batch.

Uncle Dan's Ranch mix - half package which is 3 tsp of mix

Real Mayonnaise - 1 cup

Sour Cream - 1 cup

Handful of cilantro (take off the big steams)

Regular Jalapenos - 2 Tbs, chopped

Pickled Jalapenos - 2 Tbs, sliced

Pickled Jalapeno Juice - 1 Tbs

Add the mayo, sour cream, and ranch mix to a bowl and mix well.

Chop the cilantro as best you can...really just make sure the steams and larger leaves are chopped.

Add ranch mixture, cilantro, and all jalapenos and juice to a good mixer.

Liquify until there are no chunks of jalapenos left (unless you want them).

Pour over your salad, dip your veggies or chips, or simply dip a cracker.  I will warn you, this will not last long!

Pin-up Photo Shoot - Part 1

For the past few months I have been sewing 40's pin-up style clothing.  Why you ask, so I could model for a pin-up photo shoot...of coarse!  It just so happened my mom would be in town all the way from Florida and we could do this together. 

The wonderful and talented Shiree Collier would do our hair and make-up. She is amazing.  You can follow her on Facebook.  If you're not on Facebook, here is her website.

There is only one person I would trust to take my photo and make me look like a real model, Christine Moody from Trimood Photography.  Follow her on Facebook (you won't be disappointed).  I have worked with her on several photo shoots as well as my own family photo session.  She is absolutely one of the best out there.

Now for all the clothing fun.  In Part 1 I am only discussing what patterns I used.  Part 2 will have behind the scenes and Part 3 will have photos of my modeling debut.

First up was a pair of super short and high waisted sailor shorts.  I made several different shorts from various patterns (and modified patterns) and only one was exactly what I was looking for.  I am very long waisted.  To get the true high waisted effect I should have added 2" to the inseam (I didn't have time to remake, but the look was still cute).  The actual pattern on Burdastyle was for pants.  The only modifications I had to make were to shorten and take in to make super tight.  I used a blind hem.

<SOURCE>

To go with the shorts I wanted a perfectly fitted bustier top.  Through Craftsy I found this bombshell  dress.  I splurged and bought the class which comes with the pattern.  Gretchen, the lady that teaches the class, was easy to follow and great at explaining new techniques.  The class was set-up with lots of segments and places to write notes and ask questions.  I only made the top.  But I did not hem the bottom or add the lining and boning.  Therefore, I could easily add the skirt from the pattern and have a totally different look.

<SOURCE>

My mom wore a dress I already had from my sister's drag queen baby shower.  I made this dress using Butterick B6582.  I pretty much followed the pattern exactly.  I did have to take it in a good 3-4".  I created a cute belt with a bow.  To get that full skirt I wore a tea-length petticoat.

<SOURCE>

As for my fitted wiggle dress I wanted something like this Bettie Page Clothing Dress.  I found a simple dress pattern that I could sew a white facing into and just have the zipper start lower on my back and leave the flap open.  I used New Look 6123 View C without the flutter sleeve.  Since I used a matte jersey I was able to make the dress skin tight.  I added a matching simple flat belt to cover the waist seam.

 <SOURCE>

My third and final look was the most difficult yet.  I made a vintage style swimsuit.  This pattern is from Burdastyle.  I added 3 inches to the torso length, fully lined, swimsuit bra cups, and faux skirt on the front.  I crisscrossed the straps and attached them at the bust line.  

  <SOURCE>

Next week I will have all the behind the scenes photos and all the work that goes into a pin-up photo shoot in Pin-up Photo Shoot - Part 2. Wanna see the final product and all the fabrics I used, you will have to wait for Pin-up Photo Shoot - Part 3.

 

Wine Hammock...Yes Please

A few months back I went on a craft retreat.  As a gift I made all my friends wine glass holder necklaces, a hammock for your wine glass.

Now we could craft with both our hands while drinking our wine.  No more forgetting which wine glass is yours because its always around your neck!

I have finally began to offer these great items in my shop.  Check them out.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/126794446/wine-glass-necklacehammock-riley-blake

Auction Attire

Every (almost every) Friday I wanted to post an outfit I've worn during the week and where to find the clothing.

This week I will let you know where I found everything for my school auction outfit.

For anyone that knows me they know I LOVE statement necklaces.  This particular one at Target is only $16.99 and has teardrop shaped beads in yellow, aquamarine, and cobalt blue.

The dress from Old Navy is a true wrap dress with a deep V neck in medium weight navy jersey.  Super comfy but a little revealing.  If you are modest I recommend you wear a matching navy camisole.

I finished it off with my favorite comfortable gold ankle strap heels I got a few years ago from Payless.  Here is a similar style from Chinese Laundry.

Photo booth fun

This year I was in charge of the school auction's photo booth.

Thank goodness for Pintrest!  I was able to find this awesome blog, Oh Happy Day, that actually gives you downloadable printouts and directions to make your very own photo booth props.  I also had picture frames from Goodwill that had been spray painted in bright colors.

Then I used my craft fair table backdrop as the photo booth backdrop stand that my wonderful husband made for me.  Life in The Thrifty Lane has a super easy tutorial to follow. 

As for the banner, I just printed the letters and glued them to colored cardstock.  Then taped that to twine from the Home Depot.  The streamer was made from circles cut from cardstock using a die cutter that the school had and then simply sewing them together with a straight stitch.

Another great thing is friends that invite you over for wine before an alcohol free event!