Celebrations : My sister's wedding

This is the reason I went home. My little sister is all grown up! Check out her lovely cheongsam, a traditional Chinese dress typically worn during Chinese weddings. The dress belongs to my mother, who wore it to her wedding! Best of all, my sister didn't have to alter anything , it was a perfect fit! Amazing, right?





Here is one of my favorite bits of Chinese weddings : the suckling pig. It is one of the groom's gifts to the bride. This, and the gatecrashing in the morning, before the tea ceremony. The groom has to overcome a series of obstacles / games before he can enter the bride's home to pick her up. My sister and her bridesmaids were very lenient towards the groom and his groomsmen. They only played ONE game - the groom and his groomsmen had to drink glasses of (really sour) lemonade, before the girls would open gate to let the guys in.




Not that easy, as it would seem...




Here is another picture of the lovely couple.

Congrats, my little sis! May you two share a blissful blessed life together!

Found: A Nautical Affair

Via

Now that it's summer, I'm longing to hit the lake!

And I actually sat down and created a mood board for it too! Phew! It was time consuming but super fun! Here are my picks from my favorite sites!



:: Swimsuit :: Bib necklace :: Heels :: Maxi Dress :: Tote Bag :: Ring:: 




I love stripes, the color palette red, white and blue. So one weekend I whipped these up!


Here and here




Have a wonderful week ahead! There's time yet, to plan for a nautical weekend!

More vintage patterns!

Via

No I didn't buy this one. I'd just seen this on JoAnn's FB page and thought I'd share.

*gasp*

"Vintage Vogue patterns now in Jo-Ann stores with new designer Lialia by Julia Alarcon, two new summer dresses, designs from Koos Van Der Akker, and designs from Chado Ralph Rucci and Issey Miyake."

But just look at the price! $15.00 for a pattern! Would you pay $15 for a dress pattern?
Only available in stores though, not online (yet).
Happy weekend ahead!

Crafting on a Monday: Beach dress Reconstruction

My MIL got a stash of clothes from her friend but as usual, everything was a few sizes too big. So as we sifted through the pile, imagine my excitement when I found this! I knew immediately what I could do to it!



And so I begin my rogue adventure to making my very first SKIRT!



I cut off the top bit of the dress and used the rest of it.

I didn't really bother with measurements, as I said, I'm a rogue (or maybe lazy) crafter.


First I turned the dress inside out, then I folded the cut end in about 2", and pinned it down.



Then I proceeded to make the casing for the elastic band. I machine sewed two lines of stitching about half an inch from either end of the casing. Because the fabric was fraying at the edges from the initial cut away from the dress, I used a zigzag stitch to keep the frays in check.

I left a gap of about 2" at the lower running stitch so I can slip the elastic band into the casing. The length of the waistband to use would depend on how tight you want your skirt to be. Generally, it is about 1 to 4 inches smaller than your waistline. I took the measurement for my natural waist, because it would be further shortened when I joined the two ends together.

Attach a safety pin to one end of the elastic band and slip that end into the casing. Run the elastic band all around the skirt, but hold on to the other end at all times. I searched high and low and couldn't find a safety pin in the house (!!) and had to resort to tying a knot at one end. As a result, it took me twice as long to thread the elastic band all the way through. It was definitely the most painful part of the whole skirt-making process.

When the elastic band is threaded through, stitch the two ends together, overlapping the ends generously.

The result:


ONE NEW SKIRT in the closet! I'm loving the final length of it!

P.S. what would you do with the top bit of the dress? I feel like it's such a waste to throw it away! I love the crocheted middle!

Chloe Dao Special

So this is the Chloe Dao (of Project Runway fame) dress that I bought and finally wore.




This picture of the same dress is taken off Lot 8, Chloe Dao's Boutique in Houston, Texas.



This was the other dress i tried, which had fitted me like a glove.



But i fell in love with the first and I know I made the right choice. :)
I'm not a heels kinda girl. But what do you think? Pair it off with boots or heels?

Natural food dyes for your Easter Egg Hunt!

Via Craftzine

Coming from a non-Christian family, I never celebrated Easter, did not really understand the significance of this day and associated Easter with chocolate bunnies and colorfully decorated eggs.

This Easter, however, the mother-in-law (MIL) invited J and I to go to church. Her son is about as un-religious as I am, but we like keep things cordial, so we oblige on special occasions like Christmas and now, Easter. "Girl, you're about to find out how big a deal Easter is around here!" was what my girlfriend had said to me.

So we were supposed to go BUY our Easter outfits with her tomorrow, but I checked my bank account, looked into my closet and then double checked my bank account, and thought it wise to wear something I had already owned. I did have at least 2 dresses in my closet that I have not worn ever. Knowing how conservative the dress code is (no denim, no dress/ skirt above the knees) I think I might be able to pull it off with a cardigan on my back and maybe a slouch to make my dress look longer?

Anyway, i came across this blog which excited me more than anything else about Easter excites me. The writer teaches you how to make natural food dyes to colour your Easter eggs, and even put flower/leaf patterns on it. It looks so fun, I just might have to try it out myself on -- yes, my next day off!

Here is the page and I hope you have a meaningful and fun Easter holiday!

H&M PrintMix Collection

I want my H&M Printmix FIX!










Images via H&M


I'm in love with prints!!! Take me shopping right now, summmm-bahhhhh-deeeeeee!!!!

Happy Year of the Rabbit!

Just saw this on Gilt Groupe and am loving it! It would make the perfect outfit for Chinese New Year this year!



The prints on the dress are little bunny rabbits!!!



So cute so cute so cute!!!

Dream a little dream of tulle...

and chiffon and silk and whatever else...


Who says you can't dream about wedding gowns even after your wedding?




Tulle in wedding gowns can NEVER go wrong! I ♥ Vera Wang!





This is for all my favourite-ladies-potential-brides out there. Elisa!! Priscilla you're next! wheee whee wheee!!! Gilt Groupe is currently doing Wedding specials! Makes me happy just looking at pretty dresses and shoes!

All pictures via Gilt Groupe