A Dress A Day: From Ugly Thrift Store Finds to Style

  Marisa Lynch was inspired by the film Julie and Julia, that, and being laid off, to transform ugly thrift store dresses into stylish pieces:

Marisa Lynch set herself a challenge: Transform 365 unattractive frocks in 365 days, for $365. Just before her 30th birthday, she got laid off. To some, losing a job means hitting the streets with a resume or wallowing in grief. But for Marisa, it meant getting the sewing machine out and upcycling thrifted fashions. Every day.

“I was just in this not-feeling-good, crummy kind of mood, and I didn’t know how to kick it,” says Marisa. That’s when Marisa saw the movie, Julie & Julia. “[Julie] was finding something to do every day that made her feel great. I was jealous. I thought, I want to find that.”

Thus, New Dress A Day entered the blogosphere. The task: To make a new fashion piece a day — on a budget of a dollar a day — for an entire year.

Think the uber-frugal budget and tight turnaround requirements can only mean shoddy, unfashionable duds? Not for Marisa. All you have to do is take a quick glance at New Dress A Day to see that while this West Hollywood resident may be short on money and time, she’s never short on style.

I love it; I wish I could do that. I love thrift store shopping but the most I'll do is maybe change buttons or something like that. I'm not a sewer by any means, but admire those that are creative with needle and thread.

New Blog

Yep, it had to happen eventually.  Since I am getting back to making jewelry again - I felt the need to start yet another blog.  It isn't just about jewelry making though, also about vintage jewelry (and other vintage girlie stuff) and jewelry in general.  It is called Menagerie of Mystery and eventually I will be changing my website (of the same name) to got along with that theme.

So if you are interested in such topics - bookmark it.  If you would like to post there on vintage or jewelry topics - just let me know.

Etsy

If you haven't already, check out Regan Lee and Richelle Hawks shops on Etsy.  Not only did they inspire me to get back to making jewelry, but I also found out that you can sell vintage items that aren't handmade on Etsy.  Oh my, I have boxes and boxes of vintage jewelry, jewelry components and other vintage items.  Being that they are in storage, they are doing me no good sitting there, so I might as well try to get rid of some stuff.

I spent time yesterday setting up my shop.  It isn't totally finished and I have nothing for sale yet, but within a few days I should.  Obviously I don't expect to be rolling in cash from it, mostly it is for fun and gives me a good excuse to go through all my jewelry stuff and get inspired to make new things.

I also posted some photos of some of my beadwork on facebook.  None of it is for sale -- just my personal collection. :-)

Mermaid's Tears

A new area for me, though not to the thousands who know all about this. Sea glass, or mermaid's tears, bits of glass that have journeyed within the ocean to find their way onto beaches, where collectors discover them. This Sunday's edition of Parade Magazine had an article on sea glass, which had me wondering about this (for me) new world.


I've always picked up stones I've liked while walking the beach, and sometimes when lucky enough to find, agates. But I ignored the sea gems, or sea glass, thinking it was "just glass." Now I have an appreciation for it, and am looking forward to my next walk on the beach.

A lot of people make jewelry from mermaid's tears; I found this shop on Etsy: Mermaid's Tears; hand crafted jewelry. I love the pendants and necklaces! I'm sure I'll order one, just deciding which one, but I'm thinking of this one:

I like the introduction the shop owner created for her Mermaid's Tears spot:

Sea glass or Mermaid's Tears as it is also known is a wonderful natural creation filled with magic, legends and an air of mystery.Perhaps that piece of cornflower you twirl between your fingers originated as a Victorian poison bottle tossed into the sea by some cloaked woman hiding in the shadows trying to eliminate all traces of her dastardly crime. That rare regal red that you have plucked from the sand could have been a lantern from a notorious pirate vessel lost to the sea now lurking in the mists near some forgotten shoreline. The legend of Mermaid's Tears says that the tears (or sea glass) were created by mermaids who sobbed for the tears of sailor's lost at sea. As their tears hit the water, they turned to these magical pieces of frosted glass .Lovingly nurtured by the ocean; tossed and churned ;pounded by surf and rumbled across pebbles to create an amazing piece of beautiful history.