Making Lemonade & Cupcakes

OK!  Are you ready?!  Because there is a SERIOUS amount of pictures coming your way!!  This week's challenge: Signature Look.  !Yes! {insert arm pump}  I have been looking forward to this from the beginning and I can't believe PR&P is done!  I have taken my last pic, and most importantly, stitched my last stitch {my husband couldn't be happier to have me "back" hahahaa}.

SO- Signature Look: what defines who I am in the sewing world... what I like to see; what I like to make; what pop into my mind and blossoms into my crazy fun style!!

When I was first discussing this with hubbie, I said "obviously it's going to be colorful"  He added that it should have ruffles, I replied "AND fun pockets or some other cool features!"...  I decided right away that I was going to do an outfit for both of my girls {I ended up doing two for Az and one for Sephy but more on that later}.  I think first I decided on a jumper and then I remembered this awesome look I saw on Me Sew Crazy for a wavy hem!  Whaaat?!?  Just one of those things where you think you've seen everything!  Super fun, right!?

I'm not afraid to admit it:  I am unequivocally, wholeheartedly, in every possible way a color nut!  I just can't help it: I'm absolutely obsessed with bright colors!

First I am going to explain the title:  Making Lemonade & Cupcakes.

I had a couple of pitfalls, but everything turned out beyond my imagination {well I guess that can't really be true, but you get my point!}  I wanted to make a couple of things that were interchangeable pieces.  Originally, the polka dot skirt was attached to the rainbow jumper bodice... but it just wasn't meshing well. I didn't love it.  So that's when I decided to do two outfits for Azy. What followed was some of the sweetest lemonade I could have ever stitched up!

Eight pieces in total!  Azriella is shown in two different looks (she insisted on wearing the green leggings again so the blue biker shorts are not shown).

The Rainbow Jumper Look: 

For this I wanted a peasant shirt under a jumper look.  I wanted the peasant top to be a nice summery wear top, so it has an elastic waistband and falls perfectly below her bellybutton.  The jumper front has pintucks with peekaboo ric rack trim, a gathered ruffle with button placket and also hidden side pockets with neon orange reflective piping.  The back is gathered with three elastic casings and has piping and buttons along the sides. I simply adore the buttons!!!! They make me soo happy!! Attached to that is the glittery purple fabric you might recognize from my bias strip dress. Then it got a bit dicey.

As I got a little panicky over the perfect fabric, it hit me:  Three simple neon colored cotton solids made into a circle skirt with a bias trim made of the leftovers from the bodice!  I couldn't be happier with the result!  All her friends at school raved about it and said she looks like Rainbow Bright.

The Tutu Look:

So I needed to figure out what to do with this polkadot skirt bottom!!!  I had already made the wavy hem {attached with a double gathered ruffle}and felt so strongly about using it, but I didn't know how.  How to make it work... Aha!! I've been saving this awesome neon green stripey knit fabric for who knows what, and I had a couple of t-shirts from the dollar store that I didn't use from Earth Week... So I thought a nice little t-shirt with some pink panels and hems added in sounded nice, and it gave me the opportunity to tie in that rainbowy gauzy fabric I used in the skirt for the cap sleeves.

I wanted a trendy way to make the waistband of the skirt, so I went with a teal knit yoga waistband.  And those outrageously cute stripey leggings with pink cuffs go great with both looks!  It was a bit of a head scratcher for me to figure out what kind of ways to "finish" the skirt-  I wanted a bit more color- mainly because I wanted the two outfits to be cohesive; to be mixed-matched around two create several different looks, and making them match just enough was important to me... a theme {that's the word I was looking for!}  I added a little yellow and green yoyo flower and once again, some peekaboo ric rack for the hem.

A Day at Cupcake Beach Look:

My darling baby, oh how I love making things for her but oh how fast she grows!!  I made sure to make an outfit this time that should last more than a month!  Huzzah!  I liked the idea of doing a two piece ensemble with a little bit of modern vintagey feel.  And of course there needed to be some chiffon ruffles on ONE of my outfits!!  It gives it such a sweet little halo waist look.  And I couldn't help myself but put her hair in those pigtails!  So I put a little eyelet embellishment on both shoulder fronts and backs and a little tie {which she loves to play with!}.  I made some little bloomers made of blue eyelet and baby pink vintage cotton lining.  The cupcake material was leftover from Easter... it was originally used for my hubbie's Easter shirt {yes, he picked it out ;-)}  I think it looks scrumptious on her!!! 

his cupcake shirt has what he like to call a "lazy man" pocket, lol.

did you notice one of the soot sprite from last week made an appearance this week?!

I love making things that are fun for my girls to wear.  I am a sucker for the tiny details.  I have a vision in my mind how to make things and then how to make them more interesting.  I have never been someone that tries to blend in... sometimes I've thought maybe it would be a good idea to do so, but always feel most contented when I am surrounded by bright colors.

Twirl!!!!

Okay!  So that is officially it!  I am definitely going to take a little sewing break {I don't know about you ladies, but I've been a mad woman around the house in such a sewing frenzy; stitching something almost at every moment I wasn't at work!}

Several thanks:

• First thanks to my amazing, fantastic, supportive, loving family who were as patient as could be throughout all of this. I love them more than everything in the world multiplied by infinity.

• My mom and my aunt who send me such sweet email responses to all of my outfits and give me such delightful encouragements.

• Elizabeth and LiZ of Simple Simon & Company for hosting PR&P! This has been an incredible ride! You ladies are rock stars for pulling this together!

• All the other seamstresses for all their wonderful comments and glorious eye candy! It was such an outrageous sew along and competition! So many inspiring things were made!!!!

• All my sewing equipment for not breaking down on me and being amazing throughout the sewing craziness.

Here's a look back at all of my looks!  What a fun time I had!!!!  I look forward to hearing and keeping up with my new blogging lady friends!!

challenge 5: Movie Week

challenge 4: Color Week

challenge 3: Earth Week

challenge 2: Sportswear Week

challenge 1: Circle Skirt

Audition outfit: Easter egg hunt dress