Braided Collar Nautical Dress

This week I needed a quick birthday gift idea for a little lady turning one this weekend, and of course I always feel like I have to make something.  So I started digging through my fabric and to be recycled clothes stash until I found a an blue and white striped shirt I had thrifted a few months ago.  I had bought it thinking I might wear it myself ( I have a thing for stripes), but it was unfortunately too short.  I always have that problem.  I often wonder if I may one of those rare people with an extra vertebra that makes my torso sooo much longer than everyone else.

Anyhoo, I decided I would try to do something with that top, and try to give it a nautical feel since the birthday girl and her parents are going on a cruise soon.  I had found a great fabric.  Now I needed a great design.   I ransacked my pattern stash and found nothing that fit the occasion, or the time I had to spend on this project.  So where did I turn for my inspiration?  Pinterest, of course!  I searched a few different ideas until I came across this dress tutorial by make it and love it.
 

 
 Cute, right?  The really great part is that I didn't even need a pattern.  I just cut the shape I wanted, added a few pockets and some little gold anchor buttons and voila!

A quick, easy, yet handmade birthday present!  Hope she loves it.  Miss K thought it was for her and wanted to keep it.  I guess I will have to hit up the thrift store again!

Update and Idea

Well, it's only been four months since I posted on here...  In my last post I had just started on my dress.  Sadly, the dress has gone no farther since that post.  You are probably thinking, "Wow, lady, at this rate that dress will be done just in time for your 50th wedding anniversary."  And you would be right. In my defense, I have done several other projects that took time away from that dress.  I still plan on finishing it.  The goal now is to get it done for my sister-in-law's wedding in August.  So, that gives me about 7 months.  I WILL get this done.  I have to.  I spent too much money on the fabric to just waste it!

I've been trying to come up with an idea to get me on here more, feed my need to craft, and not take too much time away from being with the kiddos.  While cruising around on Pinterest, a lovely place I frequent often, I had an idea!  I pin all kinds of things I would love to make someday, but I often wonder if I am  wasting a lot of cyberspace on projects that will never be done.  So, I decided I should find and complete one project inspired by my Pinterest pinnings a day!  An idea that is certain make for a lot more lovely crafternoons in the near future!  :D

I'm having to hold myself back from jumping in and doing several of them today!  For today's Pinterest project I have chosen, at the request on my three year old, to make rainbow cake in a jar.  They look so pretty and yummy!

So, here we go!  First off, all the recipes I've seen on Pinterest for these beauties contain eggs or milk, which my little lady can't eat.  So, I've used a vegan recipe that I frequently turn to for making cakes around here.  It always turns out perfect.

Vanilla Vegan Cupcakes (or cake) - adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World
 
 Ingredients

1

cup soy milk

1

tsp. apple cider vinegar

1¼

cups all-purpose flour

2

Tbsp. cornstarch

¾

tsp. baking powder

½

tsp. baking soda

¼

tsp. salt

½

cup vegetable oil

¾

cup sugar

2

tsp. vanilla extract

I mixed up all the dry ingredients first then added all the wet stuff.  Then I separated it into 6 different bowls and added my food coloring.  (It always bothers me that indigo gets left out of most rainbows, and yet I left it out too.  Sorry indigo!)

 Then I poured them into mason jars.  I put the jar in a dish of water and baked for 40 min at 375 degrees.

 The purple isn't quite as pretty as it was before it was baked.  My recipe didn't make very much, so if I make these again I will put them in smaller jars and probably double the recipe.

 Not quite as pretty as the ones I've seen on Pinterest, but just as yummy I'm sure.

Someone really likes sprinkles...

Well that is the first of, hopefully, many many Pinterest projects.  Coming soon are Braided Neck Nautical Dress, Nutty Butt Butter, and reusing an old deodorant container! 

See you soon!