How To make A Denim Vest- So Easy!

I mentioned last week that I have a major crush on denim vests right now. I love finding new wardrobe pieces to add to my wish list, but my pocketbook can’t support them all. I decided to add denim vest to my thrifting wish list and I realized that maybe I could even make my own. 

A cool denim vest might be hard to come by thrifting, but a denim jacket is more common. Turning a jacket into a vest seemed like a viable option.

I wanted my vest to be fitted so I started looking for denim jackets that were too small to be worn as jackets.  I actually found one in the girls’ jacket section for only $2.50. I recommend going down about two sizes from your normal jacket size.The key is making sure that it still fits ok across the back and the armpits. This one fit the bill. The sleeves and body were too short to be worn as a jacket, but the back and shoulders fit okay.

I literally took my new jacket home and cut the sleeves off of it. I thought that I would have to run a stitch around the the open edge, but because of its construction, it was easy to cut very closely under the seam which left no raw edges. I ran an iron over it and it was done!

This was yet again, a shockingly easy and yet dream fulfilling project. I am in love with this vest and know it will become a staple in my closet this year. If I can do this- you can do it too!

WKWW- What Kids Wore Wednesday Link Party

Welcome to What Kids Wore Wednesday! Clothing for babies and toddlers has come a long way and sometimes it is impossible to resist. As a mom who loves kid's fashion, I know there are others like me who want to share how cute/handsome/adorable our kids are. This is the place to link up what your kids have been wearing!

This week's style inspiration from ONE little BELT is cool and fresh for little man. I love the look of a blazer with dark jeans and tiny sized it is even cuter. This celery green striped tie is perfect for upcoming St. Patrick's Day and Easter. The perfect little party outfit.

Fresh Style for Little Man by onelittlemomma on Polyvore

What have my boy's been wearing?

Kesler: Shirt- Target, Pants- GAP, Shoes- Saucony

Easton: Shirt- Thrifted (Target), Pants- GAP, Shoes: Saucony

Lately we have been finding more cute…er I mean cool stuff for the little guys from Target. I am in love with this red/coral color right now and could not pass up this darling hooded sweatshirt for Kesler. It totally plays up his blue eyes. I found this sweatshirt for Easton at the thrift store and it also happens to be from Target. I love how vintage it looks! As you can see we also had a fabulous time at the park. These guys love the swings and these photos just make me grin. So much joy!

And as promised....a feature from last week's party! I fell in love with this tiny sheep printed tunic from Suburbia Soup. From the gray and black and white to the buttons to the sheep motif- this creation is so darling. And soo stylish. I'll be featuring at least on link up every week and I've also started a Pinterest board for all of your cute kid style that I'll try to pin every link to each week. 

Now on to the party! Want to link up? Here are some guidelines…

1. link to your specific blog post, not your blog’s main page.
2. please only link kids' outfit related posts. no giveaways or unrelated crafts.
3. feel free to link back here to me so that WKWW makes sense to your readers. grab a button from the sidebar (see the code box?).
4. check out as many links as possible! and comment! we all LOVE a comment!

WIWW- Camo Skimmers

Shirt: Target Maternity, Vest: Thrifted (made by me), Pants: GAP, Shoes: Target

My husband rocks. For Valentine’s Day this year guess what his gift was to me? Yep, camo pants. He ordered them on his own and I can’t think of a more dreamy gift. They have been on my wish list for months and he delivered. What husband gives camouflage pants for the holiday of love? Mine. 

These GAP Skimmer pants are fabulous. I LOVE the length and they have the perfect amount of stretch. And what else am I loving? This denim vest- that I made myself. Come back for a tutorial tomorrow!

Shirt: Target Maternity, Cardigan: GAP (tutorial here), Scarf: Target, Skirt: Pick Your Plum, Shoes: Old Navy

I am loving this knit midi-skirt that I ordered from Pick Your Plum a few weeks ago. It was a great deal, but it is also super comfy. I almost like it better than a maxi length. I can’t wait to style it for warmer weather, but loved pairing the red/coral with tan and leopard.

Coat: North Face, Leggings: TJ Maxx, Leg Warmers: The Chic Orchid, Boots: Walmart?

We have been dumped on this week! So, so, so much snow. This coat was one of the first things Soren bought me after we were married and I am still in love with it. I had to style it once on the blog before winter was over. A cute coat and leg warmers make me feel slightly more like playing outside in the snow. We really did have a good time making a snow cave and snowman as a family, but hat is enough for me. Now lets have a good melt and a little green grass.

Turn a Graphic Tee Into a Maternity Top

This pregnancy, when I pulled out all of my maternity tops from storage, I found a lot of basic, solid colored tees. Nothing against solid tees, but my wardrobe has evolved a little and I have been looking for items a little more personality and ‘oomph’. Enter this tutorial. And this maternity street style. What happens when you combine the two? A very cool semi-homemade graphic maternity tee.

So where did I start? The thrift store of course. I combed the men’s t-shirt rack looking for a great graphic print tee and something that fit about right in the shoulders and neck.

              

This before look is pretty typical pregnant momma right? Husband’s t-shirt and yoga pants? Well, not after adding a little elastic! Just follow the tutorial from Dana at MADE and make it to fit.

The ruching on the sides really makes the shirt fit so much better!

Jacket: Thrifted, Tee: Thrifted, Pants: TJ Maxx, Boots: Frye

I loved this project so much that I promptly texted my hubby to ask if I could steal my favorite of his vintage tees. He was so generous and gifted it to me. His shirt was much larger to start with so I took in the sleeves and the back. I pinned the back of the shirt down the middle to take out the excess and left a seam up the center of the back. I then sewed up the one straight line, tried it on, and then cut off the excess.

It worked perfectly! The extra fabric on the backside is gone and tightens the shirt around the belly even more. You can see more of it here!

Now the question is- will I be able to stop these t-shirt makeovers!?!

Spring 2013 Neckties- Greens and Blue, Polka Dots and Chevron

This week new Spring neckties are in the shop. I am LOVING how fresh and fun they are for St. Patrick's Day, Easter, and Spring! Bow ties will be listed this week in these prints as well.

Paparazzi Accessories- Giveaway

I love affordable jewelry. Most of what I own cost under $10 because I love to change up what I am wearing all the time. One company that fits that bill for me is Paparazzi Accessories. All of their accessories are only $5- earrings, necklaces, headbands, rings, bracelets and more! I just got the feather earrings that you see above and have worn them with everything.

Darn Good Sweet and Sour Pork- Freezer Meals

I mentioned a few weeks ago on that I am in a freezer meals club once a month. It has been wonderful to try new recipes and made my meal planning so much easier! Since so many of you requested that I share the recipes, I'll be sharing some of my family's favorites on Saturdays. 

Darn Good Sweet and Sour Pork*

Ingredients

1 pound lean shoulder pork

2 tablespoon Oil

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup vinegar

1 cup pineapple juice

1/4 cup onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup green pepper, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 can pineapple, chunks

Freezer Preparations

1. Cut pork into chunks and place into a quart size Ziplock bag.

2. Combine salt, sugar, vinegar, pineapple juice, and soy sauce in separate quart size Ziplock bag.

3. Slice vegetables and bag. Freeze three separate bags. 

Cooking

1. Thaw meat and soy sauce mixture. Brown meat in hot oil. Add water, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.

2. Combine cornstarch with the soy sauce mixture in a sauce pan. Heat until slightly thick- stirring constantly. 

3. Pour sauce over hot pork and let stand for 10 minutes. Add vegetables and cook for an additional three minutes. 

4. Serve over rice. 

My family all LOVED this meal! This will definitely be our new go-to sweet and sour recipe. Enjoy!

*I take no credit for this actual recipe. It was given to me at Hy-Vee in our freezer meal class and I am only sharing it as a family favorite- not an original recipe.

Thrifting Finds and Tips: Sizing

Saver’s had 50% off for President’s Day and you know I can’t miss those sales. Especially when I woke up to an unsolicited text message from a friend offering to watch my kids so that I could go as long as I shopped for her too. Thrift store shopping, without kids, and working as a personal shopper? SOLD! And was I glad I went!

I have had my eye out for a white cotton dress to wear with denim and boots this Spring and I got lucky this week. I found a brand new one from Old Navy which was marked $18, but luckily I was there on a sale day. I also found a blush lace crop top that was iffy on the hanger. I knew I had to try it on to be sure. It could have gone either way, but I found that I loved it!

Blush Lace Crop Top: Forever 21 $2.50

White Cotton Dress: Old Navy $9

Teal Necklace: $4

Since I had extra time to comb all of the racks, I did and happened to find this vintage, graphic baseball tee. It was a size Large, but that is perfect for my pregnant tummy right now and even when I am not prego- it can then fit loose and cool. I also snagged this size 15-16 black and white polka dot skirt. It is huge on me, but one seam up the back and it will fit just fine. The black and white is spot on for Spring trends.

Graphic Baseball Tee- $3

Polka Dot Pleated Skirt- $1.50

I also wanted to show you all of the tags from my purchases this week so that you can see how varied the sizing is. In my Top 10 Thrifting Tips I mentioned how important it is to look in sections other than your own. Don’t stick to just the Women’s medium sections even if that is your size at Target. Check the smalls and the larges, and the XL’s. Things can easily be altered, worn loosely or are mis-sized. Look at all of the good stuff I would have missed if I had stuck to the Maternity smalls!

Have you checked out your local stores yet? I'd love to hear about it!

InstaFriday- Sharing Love

The boys and I had a fun Valentine’s Day, although we were missing Dad for sure. He has still been working out of town and couldn’t make it back for the day of love. We woke up to chocolates and pink milk and went to a Valentine’s Day party with friends. With all of these boys, I’ll never have a shortage of Valentine’s at this house.

Do you have some foods that you know if you make them, that you will gain a few pounds that week? I have several including my favorite cornbread, monster cookies, banana cake with peanut butter cream cheese frosting.  And I’ll be adding these to the list. They are just impossible to stay away from. They are Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookies with Butterfinger and Crunch Bar hearts. You have to try them- but don’t be surprised when the scale moves up that week.

When Soren was home for the weekend the boys took advantage of him and asked to first be thrown up in the air and to go climbing. Soren carefully crafts harnesses for them out of webbing and helps them rappel over the banister  They are quite brave about it and love when it is their turn. I’m thinking a trip to the indoor rock climbing gym might be something to look into.

Have a photo worthy weekend!  Linking up to Instafriday at Life Rearranged.

Trend Spotting: Denim Vests

Source

I will always be a jean jacket kind of girl, but I've got my eye on denim vests this Spring and Summer. I love this twist on the jacket and think that a vest can be just or even more versatile.

Trend Spotting: Denim Vests by onelittlemomma featuring a denim waistcoat

And if you are loving them as much as I am, stay tuned for a SUPER easy tutorial to make your own!!