Martha's Bottle Wrap

In the spirit of full disclosure, I TOTALLY stole this idea from Martha Stewart!   We go to a LOT of parties and often the hostess says "just bring a bottle of wine."

I needed  a way to easily carry bottles (wine or otherwise) to gatherings and so I stole Martha's idea.

My Bottle Carrier

 Let me back up for a minute and start at the beginning.

I was invited to a Scandal Season 4 finale party.  Guests were told to wear Red (for the blood shed this season) and bring a bottle of wine.  I don't drink wine so I figured I'd bring something fun to drink.

Ruby Red Lemonade with Custom Scandal Labels

I used my computer to create wine labels with a Scandal Theme.  Then I filled 2 flip top bottles with a Ruby Red Lemonade.

Flip Top Bottle

Now, I'm ready to roll!


Martha says to use a piece of fabric that is 36"x36".  I used a beach sarong.

Lay the bottles on their sides

Wrap the sarong around the bottles

Roll until you reach the end of the cloth

All Rolled!

Stand the bottles up and tie a knot

Scandal Party

Body rolled in a rug

Cupcake station Vermont Jam for Liv and Fitz

From Smelly Mellie (Fried Chicken and Uggs)

Props for the Selfie Wall

Food Table

Me at the Selfie Wall

Eating Fried Chicken a the Selfie Wall

For more Tips and Tricks, click HERE!

Time to Snake the Drain - Here's a tutorial!

You'd think I'd be used to dealing with plumbing problems at my house.  The truth is that I kind of am, but they still annoy me!  In this blog we've covered a variety of leaks, snaking drains and other home repair jobs.  Today, we're back to snaking.  This time it's the kitchen sink.  While this isn't as bad as snaking the toilet, it can still be a stinky, greasey job, so prepare yourself.

WARNING SIGNS OF A CLOG




It's pretty darn easy to tell when the sink is clogged - the sink is filled with standing water.  The real trick is to figure out when a clog is coming.  Plumbing varies from house to house.  Plumbing problems in our house ALWAYS come with a warning sign.  Learn the signs for your plumbing and a clog won't sneak up on you.

Stage #1 - A few weeks before we get a clog our kitchen sink burps.  It doesn't burp everyday.  It doesn't burp all the time.  Just from time to time in the weeks before a clog I'll hear a low burp-y grumbling sound coming from deep in the pipes below the kitchen sink.  If I snake the drain when the sink begins to burp the clog usually doesn't happen.  

Stage #2 - If I ignore the burping, the next stage is what can only be described as back wash.  Back wash starts off sounding like a burp and is followed by waste water from another drain in the house washing into the kitchen sink.  Again - it doesn't happen every day.  It happens from time to time.  Water floods the sink and then goes back down the drain.  The smell of the water usually tells me where it's from.  Shower water usually smells like soap.  Bathroom sink water usually smells like toothpaste.  Dishwasher water smells like garbage.  Really, the source of the water doesn't even matter.  Once I see (or smell) backwash a true clog is eminent.  If I snake the drain when I see backwash a true clog doesn't arrive. If I ignore the backwash, I'll have a clog in less than a week.

Stage #3 - Full on clog.  The pipes had been warning me, but I was busy and tired and not in the mood.  Honestly I'd hoped that it would go away.  But alas I woke up Sunday morning to a full on clog.  The sink was full of dishes from the night before.  The dishes were surrounded with water that smelled like toothpaste.  That means that water for where I brushed my teeth had likely back washed into the sink.  The pipe was clogged enough that the back wash could no longer drain on its own.

And so - now it's snaking time!

For this job you will need:
Towels
Bucket
Gloves (I didn't use any, but they're helpful)
Snake (I prefer electric, but you might be able to get away with using a manual/hand crank snake)
Goggles (especially if you put drain cleaner down the sink)
pipe wrench (optional)
strap wrench (optional)
wet vac (optional)

My snake won't fit down this drain

Sink with wide drain opening

Loosen slip nut #1

These work great for smaller clogs

My snake attached to my drill.

Me snaking the drain

No more clog!

Readers of this blog know that I'm a plus size refashioner.  I'm a size 16/18 but many of my thrift store finds are, well, not.  The best I can usually do is to find a large and upsize it.  In this blog I'll cover tips and tricks for making a too small dress into something wearable.

We'll go from here:

Too Small for me!

From Size L

To here!

To size 16/18

The original dress was WAY too small (in the chest area) for me to try on at the store.  There was no real way for me to know if the skirt would actually fit.  I had to look for sizing hints.  The biggest hint is deep pleats.

Box Pleats

Deep pleats (also called Box Pleats) use a lot of fabric.  If a dress or skirt has small pleats you can usually upsize the garment by 1 to 2 sizes.  If the garment has box pleats you can easily upsize by 2- 4 sizes.

Check for deep pleats

The next step is to carefully remove the waist band.  Usually I would just cut the dress off at the waist.  Because this is a short dress I don't want to lose any length so the waist band must be removed carefully.

To remove the waistband, turn the dress inside out.

To remove the waistband, turn the dress inside out

Then carefully cut away the waist stitching.


Cut as close to the stitching as possible.

Waist line stitching removed

 The goal is to leave as much fabric as possible with the skirt!

Zigzag stitch the cut end

Now you're ready to make the skirt.  Add elastic to the waistband and, viola, upsized skirt!

Add elastic at the waist

I used stretchy/lycra fabric for this project, but it would have worked with any fabric with box pleats.
The finished garment is actually pretty loose.  I'm going to wear it a few times before I decide if I'll take it in.


PRO TIP
I've actually given this tip before, but it certainly bears repeating.  If you're one of my big booty sisters, or a woman with wide hips, look for a mullet dress.

What's a mullet dress you ask?

THIS!

Mullet Dress

A mullet dress (or skirt) is a dress that is longer in the back than it is in the front.  These dresses usually annoy me (I'm getting cranky in my old age) but they work REALLY WELL when making or refashioning a plus size dress.

Dress Rides Up in back :(

 Hippy or big booty women already know that sometimes a dress or skirt will lift in the back creating an uneven hemline.  You can cut the dress to create a slightly longer hemline in the back eliminating the problem.  I find that if you start with a mullet dress, the added fabric is already there.  Simply the trim the mullet to the desired length (1" - 2" longer than the front) and you're golden.

A Little extra fabric in the back = even hemline.

In the case of this skirt - it already had a slight mullet so all I needed to do was add elastic to the waist - Jackpot!



Check out my other Refashion projects HERE!.