DIY - First it was a top... then a skirt... finally, a dress...

Hey hey :) 

With great success converting the owl dress, I decided to do something to this brolly top that I have, but never worn.

I wanted to convert it into a simple skirt for Kiddo to wear at home but in the end, I turned it into a dress. 

Step 1: Cut off the top of the singlet. 

Tip: fold top inside out and then fold the bottom towards the top.  Use the bottom hem as a guide to cut.  Using this method, the bottom hem of the singlet is left intact, therefore I do not need to worry about hemming up any raw edges. 

I used my scallop pinking shears for this coz the material curls like crazy when I use a pair of regular scissors. 

Step 2: Sew elastic band onto the newly cut edge.  (This will serve as the waistband).  Tug on the elastic band as you work the machine.

After the elastic band has been securely sewn.

Step 3: Use the secured elastic band as a guide and fold the edge inwards.  Sew along the fold to achieve a neater waistband.

Yup, in no time, the skirt was completed.  Kiddo pulled out a blue top to match.

After seeing Kiddo pair the blue top with the skirt, I thought why not convert it into a full dress instead.

So, the conversion continues...

Step 4: Draw a line across the bottom of the tee after deciding how long the bodice should be.

Step 5: Fit the top into the waistband of the skirt.

Step 6: Secure all around with pins.  Make sure the side hems of the top matches the side hems of the skirt.

Step 7: Sew along the wasitband of the skirt.

Note: Keep checking to ensure that the excess portion of the tee remains flat and not caught as excess fabric by the machine.

Tadaa!!

I suggest doing this kind of 'eyeballing' sewing only for kids' clothes coz we adults are way more particular about how the end product looks.

DIY - Converting an adult's top to a kid's dress

Hello, friends of Hazelnutt House!

I was looking through my wardrobe and chiding myself for buying unnecessary clothing items that I end up not wearing.  I came across this owl sleeveless top that I adore... the owl looks bright and cheery but I just haven't gotten down to wearing it.  

So I decided to do some snipperty snip and convert it into a dress for The Kiddo. 

This is not an accurate tutorial coz most of the time I eyeballed the material and just snipped.  No exact measurements taken. 

Step 1: Slim the sides by about 1.5 inches. 

Step 2: Sew along the line and snip with a pinking shears - no need to seal the hem this way.

Instead of taking in the shoulder straps and resulting in a tight armhole, I decided to add elastic to the neckline. 

Step 3: Sew elastic band along the neckline on the 'inner' side.  Make sure to tug the elastic as you are sewing.

Here's how it looks after the elastic is sewn in.  I do not like this finish coz the ruffles tend to flip downwards, revealing the elastic band. 

So, I added this step.

Step 4: Fold in the material, using the elastic band as a guide and sew.

When the side is folded in along the elastic band, it looks like a seam is formed. 

Yups.. this is the end result of the neckline.

The Kiddo is happy with it (",) 

Well, I did not just stop here with this adult-owl-top-conversion-to-kid's-drees ... I converted another clothing item.  Check out my next entry (",) 

Second batch of iHerb loot

Well, since my first iHerb order came quickly and I was superbly pleased with the quality of the products, I decided to make another order for items that I left out in the first batch. 

I got this Aveeno anti-itch cream for The Kiddo and myself.  We are the targets of mozzies and it is no joke, coz when we get bitten, the bites swell up so much, they become the size of golf balls and sometimes it hurts to even bend my knee if I get bitten on that spot. 

 This cream contains 1% Hydrocortisone to help relief minor skin irritation - anything higher than 1% would require a doctor's prescription.  

I bought the Badger Active Sunscreen cream in my first iHerb order and wanted to try out the scent (tangerine and vanilla)... it turned out to be a subtle yummy scent and I went ahead and ordered the Daily Sunscreen Lotion in the same scent. 

I got myself 3 different teas coz my tea drawer needed replenishment.

I must say that I really love the Harney & Sons tins.  The teas are quite good too!  I'll probably talk more about these two flavours in a later entry. 

The Kiddo was excited to receive her animal crackers.  I would say it is really cheaper to order these snacks on iHerb than getting them off the shelves here.  If I am not wrong, the Annie's Bunny Grahams were about $10ish for a box... I got them for about $3ish USD on iHerb. 

We tried the Barbara's snickledoodle (left) biscuits earlier today and I must say I like them a great deal! 

I do not like biscuits that are overly sweet and these animal snacks are semi-sweet in my opinion and I get a strong whiff of cinnamon when I munch on them (",) 

Gonna call it a day, ladies (",)

Talk to you soon!

A tale of two pooches...

Well, here's the story... simple and short.  

Macy the Pup on the left (6 mth old) is eager to romp around with Kimmie the Dog on the right (8 years old).  


One is overly excited and the other is a grouch with age. 

Kimmie has had enough of Macy sniffing her butt and turns round to snap at Macy.

Kim's trying to slide away from Macy, but the youngling is persistent. 

And along comes Macy as Kim settles her furry bum... 

So, off goes Kimmie... 

Kimmie the Grouch keeps avoiding Macy but the latter is still all smiles and determined to make a friend (",) 

Kevyn Aucoin and Jane Iredale loot form Strawberrynet

Woo hoo!!! Ladies of the Nutt House (",)

My Strawberrynet.com loot came together with my iHerb loot.

Double HAPPINESS indeed! 

I picked up two modest items when Strawberrynet had a 10% off makeup items.  My friend who ordered it for me is a regular and had an extra 10% off.  

So, here's my Kevin Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer and Jane Iredale  Powder Me SPF Dry Sunscreen.

I decided to purchase this powder sunblock for touch ups at mid day since touching up with cream or liquid sunblock ruins my makeup so I thought i'd give this powder sunblock a go. 

Here's a swatch of the Jane Iredale Dry Sunblock in Translucent.

This dry sunblock is very water resistant and also recommended by the Skin Cancer Foundation.

As for the Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer, I got it in SX 04.

I spent hours on end checking out swatches and reviews, comparing this and that... debating which shade to purchase and after numerous changes, I finally decided on the SX 04 and I should say, it looks pretty ok on me.

I've yet to try it on my face but I will definitely do a review on this once I've learned how to use it (",)

Talk to you ladies soon!

Loot from iHerb

Dear friends of Hazelnutt House (",) 

I made two orders from iHerb.com and my first order has arrived!

It took about a week for the loot to arrive.   It is similar to the earlier iHerb loot entry I posted; however it is always fun to see snapshots of the items in real.

Tazo Earl Grey... smells superb!

Mychelle Dermaceuticals cleansers - Apple Brightening and Creamy Pumpkin.

Tom's of Maine Silly Strawberry toothpaste and Deep Steep Melon and Spearmint body wash. 

The scent of the body wash is fab *slurp*... I can't wait to share it with The Kiddo coz she loves trying out new toiletries too.

Here's the Badger Tangerine and Vanilla Suncreen Cream that I got for The Kiddo.

It is the waterproof version for swimming days.

Here's the Ecotools foam applicator and Real Techniques Expert face brush that I can't wait to try.

Some chia goodness for Kimmie and I.

Right now, I am excitedly anticipating the arrival of my other iHerb order (",)

Shall show you ladies the goodies when it gets here. 

I'll try out some of the products and let you know if which are the hits and misses (",)