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The most beautiful people I have ever known all have things in common. They are kind, passionate, and honest. They shine. What makes you shine? We don’t have a crystal ball but we do have our inner light. Shine it on the outside and see what happens! Our newest Global Wisdom Act begins with The Best […]
In my interview with Maria Hinojosa of NPR’s Latino USA, I was asked how nature influenced my work in the Fairy Godmother Academy stories. My lifelong love of trees, rocks, water, flowers, and birds comes out all over this book series.
In Book 1, Birdie’s Book, Birdie comes to New York City from her beloved green Califa ( her name for California) and longs for a place where she can grow things. When she travels to upstate New York to visit her long lost maternal grandmother, she finds her grandmother, Mo, to be an avid plant lover with a grand garden and greenhouse. It was a labor of love to describe the perfect garden and then go on to describe it in winter. I used my mind’s eye to see in winter what the spring would, not doubt, bring to life.
Using botanical names for people is Birdie’s little game in the story. I think it’s fun to actually compare people to plants. Alongside all the real plant and nature is the fantasy natural world where all the colors are even more vivid than real life and of course gravity is not a problem. I relied on feelings and memories to describe things here.
All of this leads to another form of expression- fashion! Check out this image of Birdie in her special nature- based Fall ensemble!
A fun cape or capelet adds magic to any outfit, especially during the holidays! You don’t need a super-fancy occasion or english accent to rock this look–just an old skirt and an adventurous attitude…
Step 1: Pick out a large, full skirt with an elastic waistband (the elastic should sit inside a little sleeve that goes around the waist.) A drawstring skirt also works. Long skirts will give you an elegant cape, short ones make cute little capelets–throw it over your head to get an idea of how it will fall. Look for skirts with fancy fabrics and sparkles, anything that catches your eye!
picked up at the thrifty for $4.99, yay!
Step 2: Prep your skirt and cut it open. Lay skirt out on work area. Carefully cut away any lining, without cutting into the waistband. Mark the skirt straight up the front and cut open along the center line. An easy way to do this: mark middle of waistband and middle of bottom hem, then lay a piece of masking tape between them. Draw a line down the center of your tape and cut (be sure to cut only front side.)
Step 3: Gently pull out the elastic. Carefully cut away at any thread or labels that don’t let it slip out smoothly.
Step 4: Prep the hem for sewing. Fold the edge back about 1/2 inch and pin into place.
Step 5: Sew hem. Make knot and begin stitch 1/4 inch below the waistband (marked in pic below). Use a running stitch by gathering little folds of fabric and pushing your needle through them. Little folds = little stitches. Enjoy taking your time! Keep at it until you hit the bottom of skirt, then sew a knot and do it all again on other side. (don’t forget to remove or cut off tape)
Step 6: Finish up the collar. Take the extra fabric at the opening of the waistband (now the collar) and tuck it back into the sleeve until the edge of the opening lines up with the new hem. If you are working with a heavy fabric, you may want to cut off a little bit of excess before tucking it in. Once that’s done, sew a couple of stitches at the base of the opening, so the fabric stays in place.
Tuck in edges, then sew a few stitches to keep in place.
Step 7: Make your tie. Pick a beautiful ribbon or cord to run through the collar sleeve. Attach end of ribbon to safety pin (or wrap around a bobby pin) and gently pull it though sleeve by bunching up the fabric, until it comes out through the opposite end.
Step 8: Fabulousness!!! Throw your cape over your shoulders, tie your ribbon in a fancy bow and check yourself out! Dress it down with tee, pair of old jeans and sneaks, or go holiday super-hero with cool dress and boots…
fab…
…ola!!!
Hello Everyone! Here’s an overview of the basic stuff you need to get started hand-sewing. If you would like to learn, the holidays will be a great time to give it a whirl!
Let’s do this in two parts: first sewing kit, then a link to a fab sewing site that offers basic lessons… Continue reading
Hello Fancy Pants! It’s fashiongirl. Hope everyone had a swell holiday. CherryBlossem recently suggested I do a post on how to make a pair of patched jeans like Birdie’s…
So pull out a pair of comfy, old jeans and let’s get started! Continue reading
Hey style superheroes! Welcome to another Fashiongirl post…
Today I’m going to show you how to make some very cool wrist cuffs. It doesn’t take any super powers to make these for yourself and your friends…just recycle some great-looking old belts!
These cuffs are a snap to make since the belts already have openings in them–look for fun vinyl or leather belts with grommets or cut-out shapes. I picked these up at my local thrifty for less than $3 a piece, score! Continue reading
Hello, Fashiongirl here!
Birdie asked me to post a fun project just in time for the cool weather, so I’m going to show you a couple of easy-peasy ways to make cozy arm warmers from a pair of socks!
We’ve got two different styles of warmers: a long “tube-style” and a shorter “thumb-style”. Continue reading