Make Amazing Vintage Photos

I just came across this fantastic Photoshop tutorial that will give you some gorgeous and really authentic-looking vintage photos. Why is it so great? Because you are fully in control of all the adjustments and can tweak them as many times as you want until you have the look you're going for. It gets it perfect right down to the film grain!

http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/tutorials/photoshop/vintage-effects-photos

Here are some of our wedding photos I retouched as examples. I played around with the couch one until I got that old technicolor effect. Super cool! Great work on the part of this tutorial author, Graham Boyd!

Side Table Makeover

Since getting married I've been working on designing our living space and one of the things I'm always proud of is being able to repurpose something we already own. Our colors are shifting towards white, grays and golds so I took this table, spray painted it gold and replaced the glass piece with some reclaimed wood we got from Home Depot. We discovered if you go to the back of the lumber department they often have scrap wood that can be 70% off, and ours was such a small piece he gave it to us for free! The only issue I'm having is the spray paint chipping, so I will have to find a good protective coat. Any suggestions are welcome!! Anyway, all that's left to do is one final gold coat and stain the wood. I think it's a really nice change. I will post the end result soon!

Pretty in Pink Hair

A friend of mine recently dyed my hair pink and I think she did a fantastic job because with all the different streaks of color in it, there's such a nice texture. It's basically what pink hair would look like if it was natural (I wish!). Here are a few shots right after she finished and also paired with the dress I sewed in my last post.

Advance Pattern Co Vintage Dress

It was some sad news to hear Hancock Fabrics went bankrupt recently. It's currently the only fabric store within 30 minutes of where I live. But—looking on the bright side—everything in the store is almost 50% off, so I got some great fabrics and notions yesterday to keep me busy for awhile!

I started with this dress by Advance Pattern Co. (it looks 40's—maybe?) and I think it turned out super cute! Of course I brought the length up...into the 21st century...but other than that, it's the vintage style. Originally I thought I'd ignore the shoulder pads, but it would definitely solve the alignment issues I'm having with the waist and armpits, plus I think it might look kinda sharp anyway, so I'm going to try those (plus, they're easy to take out if I change my mind).

Of course I'm still learning, but I get better every time. The zipper didn't baffle me much this go around, and the button holes were a breeze after I discovered my sewing machine had a nifty little foot that literally did the whole thing for me. (I geeked out over that for like 20 minutes, haha!) I also took it a lot slower than usual and tried to think through how something would work before I started sewing. I didn't cut any corners this time. Like, you know, not forgetting to hide the raw edge or gather with a basting stitch. (I know, I know.) I will say one thing though—collars are the WORST. I spent a few hours trying to figure that one out. And most shirts now don't make them this way (at least most of the ones I had in my closet). It helped when I finally found one I could look at as an example.

Overall, I am really happy with the way it turned out! Can't wait to wear it AND to make more dresses with this pattern!