Random Thoughts and Pretty Stuff

Taking a break from my serious life and having a "Me" moment. I deal with a lot day to day. So busy, busy busy... Things work my mental, physical and everything in between. I'm on this journey and finding out what I'm made of. Often I hit a wall, and get stuck thinking and not knowing what to do next. I hope to turn to this site and those things and remind myself of the things that motivate me and make me smile.


Look to the things that make you smile when you're down. Here are a few things I saved and would like to share:

Working with Athletes for Charity. Was able to meet Don Carey of the Detroit Lions.

Awesome day!!

Tired of sitting in the house my son and I went out for a bite to eat.

#datenight

One of my latest creations. I feel so good about this one. It's so freaking pretty!!

And yummy! Mmm!

These are the moments I live for and keep me going.

Have a great start to the work week!!

Revamp Remodel Redesign

Well Fall time has come around again. It's Time To Revamp your wardrobe. Remodel rooms in the house, and Redesign anything that hints Summer or Spring Time. Basically Time To Shop. That's is all I hear! Right?! Time to buy scarves, hats, cool and funky pieces to layer up and look stylish. Okay yes I like to shop but I do not want do much shopping. I bought a few pieces like dresses, tights, sweaters, and boots. You know the usual for the season. Browns, oranges, and all the natural tones are my go to's around this time of year. Reminds in the changing colors of the leaves. My favorite so far the season is mustard yellow. Such a pretty color and it its so pretty against my skin.

I'm in the mood to change my site up a bit. So if you see some changes, let me know what you think.

Have a good one.

Creative Bug

Hello and welcome again to ItsSoPretty.com I have been having a lot of fun sewing and updating my blog. The creative bug must have bit me. I hope you guys like, follow, and comment. If not just look around and get inspired to make something, or do something great. There's a lot of evil things going on in the world now and I'm just trying to keep positive. Keep the faith and make a change. I've cried almost everyday, sad and pissed off at my FB news feed. I see all these silly fights, and other nonsense. Then on top of that I see killings of young unarmed men... women being kicked and hit by police officers. It's a cycle that must stop. So sewing right now is a way to relieve the stress and hurt I feel. How do you feel about whats going on?

Back to the skirt. I've been finishing up this skirt for the last couple of days. Not that it was difficult. But every time I wanted to work on it it was late at night and I needed to rest for work in the AM. I managed to work on it a little a every day. My lines across at the seam are straight and everything. There's just one seam in the back, a elastic waist, and look... I even made a tag :) I got the idea to do it from a girl on YT that was making a skirt. She had fabric paint, a scrap piece of fabric and a toothpick. I thought it was so cute and decided to do it myself.

I bought the paint from Wal-Mart for less than $3. cut up a piece of polka dot fabric and free styled. didn't use a toothpick.

I made a few to try and get the hang of it. ISP is of course for Its So Pretty.

Had a fun time making these. I'm going to design a tag and make some more creative looking. My daughter and I will be making some shirts with the paint as well. A fun little arts and craft project would be nice. I try to do some with her to keep her happy. I'll post those once we do them.

Here's the final look.

Hope you enjoyed!!

Sable

Upcycle: Ralph Lauren

Welcome back! I have been on a posting spree and I love it! I found this cute dress at the thrift store. yes I go to the thrift store, no shame in it. I've been taken, sometimes forced, to go to these store when I was a little girl. Back then I didn't want anyone to see me. Kids can be so cruel. Though I truly didn't mind it after I seen what cute clothes and toys I could buy and for cheap!
This dress here was "saved" from Value World. The plan was to find a few pieces and bring them back from death. Upcycle instead of Recycle. A term used frequently around the web meaning to revamp and bring a newer version.
The dress was a size four. I knew it would be too small for me but I was in love with the print. It's beautiful right?! The colors are so pretty :) Plus is Ralph Lauren. Not that I'm a huge label whore. But I knew that meant the fabric would be good quality. I went in looking for pieces that I would end up cutting and revamping so I must withstand torture. Bawhaha.

cute right?

chop chop

cut a piece of elastic the length of your waist, sew to raw edge, flip over, then sew around to hide elastic

no need to hem the bottom! done!

That's all. It was pretty easy. I will have to post pictures of how I styled it. I was thinking a V-neck black or pink top? Any other ideas? Do you like this? Would you like more? I was thinking of doing a Thrifty Thursday or something ;) How does that sound?

Thanks,

Sable

DIY: Baby Clothes

Baby pants

A few weeks ago I made these two pants for my two friends that had their babies around the same time. Both of the little ones came a little before their time. Little preemies so I'm sure these pants will not fit them yet as they are size 0-3 mnths. Oh well plenty of time to admire in the closet until the right time. The mothers seemed to really appreciate them. This was my first time making baby clothes. I found the free pattern online. I printed it out at work;) I bought the fabric from Joann's. I was hoping to make matching hats.
Now I want to make more pieces for babies as it doesn't take my fabric or time. Next I will be making my son a shirt and pants set. I have a long list of things I want to make.

Here is the link to the Baby Pants. They have both 0-3 and 6-12 for your personal use.

DIY: Purple Sundress

Hello All!
The next few post will be me catching up on some things. I love this one for a few reasons. One, the #purpleformeesha tag is about a young lady on YouTube name Meesha that made DIYs that were fun, quick, and easy. She would make these beautiful pieces and would say it's "SO Easy" over and over in her sweet little voice. She had a great following because of the way she explained how to make these garments. And her spirit and love? She made you think you could do it all. Her energy was so warm and loving. So why the purple for Meesha? Well her life was taken this summer by an ex boyfriend. She was the victim of domestic violence. And although they were no longer together and she was since married, he still came into her home while her kids were their and killed her in her sleep. It was so sad. I cried and was so very pissed. Some men are such cowards. I use to watch her videos all the time over and over for tips and tricks, I still do now. Meesha was a beautiful woman and mother and she will be truly missed.

Here is one of her videos on How to Make a Jumpsuit. Please watch it. You will see why everyone in the Sewing/DIY Community fell in love with her.

Next, on to the dress. I wasn't too sure on what to make. Or I had an idea of something with the Chervon print I want to make but I wasn't confident in my skills just yet to make it. I searched YT until I found a pretty simple enough sun dress to make. I will post the video below. It was by Threadbanger.
While on family vacation I made this dress (more about the trip later). Yes, I brought my sewing machine on vacation. Sewing is really relaxing to me and so much fun. Also I made the dress because during my week vacation it was my birthday, July16th. Yay. I'm now 27 years young :)
So yup this was my dress it turned out okay. And I love purple! It was just regular cotton. I believe I bought it from Wal-Mart. I made a few mistakes while making it but you can't really tell. With mistakes you learn a few things for the next time.
TIP: It was a bit time consuming to keep loading the bobbin with elastic thread. I think I had to do that like 4 times. FYI, I learned this method is called "shirring". So that's it.

Here's the Threadbanger video:


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Until next post, Stay inspired!
Sable

Update!!

Hola Beautiful People!!

Haven't posted in a while. My laptop was down for some time, why I'm not sure. It just wouldn't come on for some reason and then out of nowhere Poof! it came on. It kinda sucks that I haven't updated lately. This summer I hoped to get more content out. This is sort of a diary to me. I have been doing a lot of fun stuff this summer. Definitely a summer to remember. Full of awesome trips, and concerts and family fun. I have captured most of it on Facebook and Instagram but not on the site domain that I bought. PLUS I bought another site from Go Daddy... smh. Silly girl just wasting money. Lol. I have a problem....
Now the summer is coming to an end (sad face)  fall is coming and its time to get back in the books! Whomp whomp. Classes start next week, Wednesday, and I have a full load. A job, Mom, Fiance, and full course load. Crazy, right!? Yes. I agree. And although I will be plenty busy I do hope to update my site often, at least on the weekends. I think it would be a great getaway from the never ending homework and do things I love. I'm still sewing from time to time. Made a few items even made a somethings on my vacay in West Virginia. It was so relaxing out there. I haven't been making smoothies as much but I'm sure to get back to it, I will need the energy. Lots of content is sure to come up and since I will have my laptop attached to me, a post will not be too far away. SOOO, hopefully it all works out.
Anyways this was just a quick update. I will be posting a few on pieces today and this week of the things I have been doing and working on.

~Sable

Smoothie Love

Mmm I love a good smoothie. (Please do not think of McDonald's when I say smoothie. That is not what I mean but a GOOD smoothie. That is powered crap and that's all I'm going to say about that.) If you have ever had a GOOD smoothie, I'd bet you wanted another one just like it. I've made plenty and they never taste quite the same. But that is on purpose. I like to experiment. Some are green, a few brown, and some purple or pink. Bananas and blueberries, Strawberries and Mangoes, Kiwi and Apples. Doesn't that sound so good? I mean like realllly good in your mouth. The flavors are like porn in your mouth... Okay maybe not really but if its not that good at least it is good for you.

spinach and bananas

Spinach, the best to add for a Green Smoothie, in my opinion. Kale is pretty good too but I didn't master blending my greens very fine until I did a little research. I have perfected it now when blending spinach. The trick is to mix your liquid and green FIRST before adding any other fruits or veggies. Start the blender off slow and give the blender a few minutes to really chop it up good. That way all the bit little go down smoothly. But still check your teeth after drinking.

I find recipes online that I really like and write them down or bookmark them. Look for the ones that have things you would actually buy or already carry in your house. For example I had a container full of oats in the cabinet. Taking that, a banana and a few strawberries, a nice amount of milk, I'd made a tasty beverage. Just try it with anything you like. Play with the flavor. If tangy maybe add something sweet.

strawberry and banana

Its the best way to get the recommend amount of vegetables and fruits per day. This will help you stay healthy and strong with little effort. Mind and body all getting the vitamins it needs. No cooking and hassle. Nothing wrong with keeping your body healthy right? You only get one. How about we do our best to take care of it. I'll get more into the reasons why its SOOO good for your body later...

Even the kids like it

There's still room for sweets. I have never been a huge fan of sweets but I do enjoy them. Just watch your intake. All that sugar is not good for the body. You can satisfy a sweet tooth sometimes buy adding apples to a smoothie with a bit of honey. Now don't get me wrong I love candy. Kit Kats, Twix, Reeses. But this isn't a post about them. This is a shoutout to a new love. One that I have found with my blender and food. Join in why don't you. It's SPRING TIME!!! Let's look good on the outside and inside.

-Sable

Change

It's 2014 and I haven't posted anything since May 2013. Wow 2013, That's a big one for me. It was a year full of ups and downs. Right on down to the ending of the year and beginning of a new. 2013 I had a baby boy, Nate. He is such a cutie and sooo sweet. The whole time during my pregnancy I knew things would change I just wan't sure how much it would mess up things. After having him I left my job to be at home with him. I knew I would get another position with ease but I liked where I was. I was there for about 4 years so I didn't want a new job. Truthfully I was scared of the change. My whole life changed after having another kid. Change can be a scary thing. You can't stop it though, it happens everyday. Slow and subtle changes work best for me. Big changes make me nervous and anxious. I'm learning now to embrace change now but before it all seemed so overwhelming. I may still get nervous and scared, now I try not to dwell too long.

I'm learning from a mindfulness group to sit with my feelings and thoughts, even the ones I don't want to have, and realize they are just feelings. I am a very emotionally person at times so I have to learn not to let my emotions take over too much. I could ponder and worry and analyze and reanalyze a situation for hours or days. Worrying myself to death about something or someone I can't change. I would sit with hurt for hours when really the feeling should only be temporary. That horrible feeling I was so consumed could soon past, but only if I let it. Sit and dwell.... I tend to do that and most of the time it makes me really sad. I cry and hurt and cry and hurt. Why? Why continue to feel that hurt and stay in that sad place in my heart and mind. I'm learning to let it go. Just let it go and move on with life. The next hour, the next day, the next month that thing that hurt me probably won't even matter. I was making things way bigger than they should have been. Its okay to sit in your feelings and feel that hurt. Its part of being human and experiencing life. The ups and downs. Just remember there is always a way up and a way out. Life is beautiful, Life is a wonderful thing to experience. Go out and do just that, all of it. Bad good hurt joy love pain the ups and downs. Embrace the changes of the seasons, people, yourself. Nothing will remain the same. Nothing will last forever. Take in all you can now. This is what I'm learning and I'm enjoying this new journey of living in the present. Why dwell on the past? Right now is the only thing I can change. This very moment.