July was an absolute blur and somehow it’s August 6th and I’m not quite sure how that happened. So, let’s take a look back at my July outfits:
New vs Secondhand Tally
This month, I count 9 items that I purchased retail and 12 items I purchased secondhand.
It’s another very, very small but mighty thrift haul this month. My husband took me on a ‘thrifting where the rich people live’ date in Rockville and I ended up finding one AWESOME item.
Target Pride Rainbow Dress, $11.50
You guys. It’s a RAINBOW DRESS! I love rainbows and have been extra obsessed lately (and have been working on some different rainbow themed stained glass projects). This shirtdress has a fit-and-flare shape and buttons all the way up. It’s a large, which really means anything nowadays, but it fits with some extra room to spare.
My dress is missing the matching tie belt, but I’m totally okay with that. I like it flowing free without the belt and also like it with a non-matching belt (I’ve tried a woven straw belt and a leather belt so far).
I was so excited to wear it that I threw it in the wash as soon as we got home, let it air dry over night, and wore it the next day for errands with my sweetie.
Apparently, I don’t have enough crafts in my wheelhouse… so I decided to learn something new (again). On a visit to our local Michael’s to pick up some ribbon, I happened upon a gorgeous embroidery kit in the Johnathan Adler collection area (this one). So, I figured I’d buy it for some mindless fun.
But when I got home, I realized it’s NOT an embroidery kit – something I know how to do – but a punch needle kit. I’ve never punch needled before. In fact, I didn’t even know that punch needling WAS, but I figured I could probably figure it out.
And I did. But with no help from the kit instructions. Instead, I watched a couple YouTube videos so that I could figure out how to thread the punch needle and then how to make the pretty swoopy carpet-like bits on the front of my project.
The kit is made so that you keep the completed project on the hoop, but I thought it would look more finished if I framed it in an old picture frame and had the beading hang outside of the frame. It wasn’t really harder to do that. I basically had to get the iron out to get rid of the circular hoop crease in the fabric, wrap the fabric around a photo mat, and then stretch and sew it into place.
Here’s how it turned out:
Isn’t it the cutest?! I love the way the rainbow punch needle loops came out and the pretty matching colors of the beading. It was a good task to do when I wanted to keep my hands busy and just kind of let my brain rest for a while.
And it looks great in a dark little corner of my den.
All in all, I really enjoyed my little visit into punch needle art and I’ll be on the lookout for some additional patterns that I might want to try!
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