Christmas Extravaganza!

Well it's been almost a week since my party last Friday and I am finally getting around to posting the results. I must admit I was amazed at the outcome. The changed location ended up being perfect, I had amazing helpers to set up and take down, the food was all eaten, and I think everyone had a great time. It just goes to show that even when everything looks like it's going to crash and burn, it really can work out in the end. 

Ok, on the fun part! The pictures :)

Here was my outfit for the night. I was hoping to make something new for the party, but time ran away from me and I had to scrounge through my closet to find something that I hadn't worn for awhile

Dress: Down East Basics (old), Belt: Wow, I can't even remember!, Shoes: Forever Young Shoes (old, like 8th grade old), Tights: JCP, Necklace: Gift from China, Lips: Sephora Lipstain

I was happy it turned out as well as it did for a very last minute holiday ensemble! 

The dessert table: definitely the favorite spot to mingle all night. 

The cute banner I made to add a little sparkle. A party just isn't the same without a banner! :)

The cute tree decoration I made using this tutorial. 

Hot Chocolate Station (Note to self: A small thing of Steven's would have been PLENTY.)

I think I ate more of these throughout the night then I did cookies!

I love these bowl pedestals! So much classier than just sitting the bowl on the table. 

Quick D.I.Y. tip: 

1: Buy a cute bowl or platter

2: Buy a glass candle stick (often on sale at Hobby Lobby)

3: Wash bowl/platter

4: Hot glue or super glue (I like to use the glue brand "Goop") the candle stick to the bowl/platter and "Ta Da!" you have an amazing platter your friends will want to take home with them it's so cute!

I had a bunch of leftover felt from making the first cute tree (they just took too long to make a ton of them), so my mom and I made up this cute decoration that was a TON faster. A step by step tutorial on this one will be coming soon!

We tried to dress up the walls as well as we could with some beads and twinkle lights. 

I stole the ever popular photo booth idea and it was a hit!

What can I say? I love a good fake mustache and top hat! (Also, props to Camilla who is pictured above for doing my hair for the night! She is amazing!)

In the end the party was a great success and even though it caused me much stress and loss of sleep, I'm glad I was able to pull it off and might even consider doing it again next year...maybe...

Or maybe it would just make me look like this again ;)

xoxo

C.R.M.

Panic

So I'm throwing a Christmas party tonight. The panic of pre-party-planning jitters have arrived and I'm not sure if I will live to see tomorrow. Or the end of tonight. 

Just kidding. 

But I'm pretty sure this is how I look right now: 

(Or at least that's how I feel like I look.)

I know I'm being overly over dramatic over this party (how many times can I say 'over' in one sentence ), but I want it to be a success and I don't want all of my hard work and money to go to waste. I'm sure you've all felt that way about an event at one point or another. You've tried to keep your expectations low, but in the end you just hope and wish it will be a smashing success.

Well I don't know which way it will turn out to be, but there will be pictures to follow and even a tutorial on how to make some cute centerpieces that are now not even being used as centerpieces because my venue got changed. (See, I have a little bit of room to panic, right? Right?)

xoxo

C.R.M.

Bloging Hiatus and Making a Comeback

I check Blogger almost every day to catch up on all the blogs I love to read and check out the outfits I wish I had the money to buy (And sometimes not. Even if I had the money, I think I would still have a hard time spending over $10 for a t-shirt no matter how cute it is.). But this time I checked up on my own blog and realized with dismay that it had been five months since my last post.

Pathetic much?

There are more than a few reasons why this little blog hiatus was inevitable to happen:

1: I got a job. Yay 9-5 work. (But really I am grateful for the work and the money.)

2: Summer ended. School began.

This is the first summer I have spent away from home and needless to say I felt the need to fill the void of family time with other things like blogging and ultimate frisbee. Well, once that ever elusive time of summer passed and the new semester started with me in my design program, all hobbies seemed to go out the window. Any free time was spent doing homework and spending time with my then boyfriend. I didn't touch my cross stitch, digital scrapbooking, sewing machine, or blog for almost the entire semester (as you are now realizing I'm sure). I never knew how hard it would be to balance work, school, and life...and still get good grades and some sleep.

It is defiantly an art.

3: Curve balls.

Life has a way of throwing us curve balls right when we are expecting a fastball. (That is about as far as I can go with the baseball analogies. I'm a football/basketball girl all the way.) It is amazing to me how hard some of these changes in life can hit us and rock us to the core. I have been what I can only call floundering for the past two months. There has been a lot of soul searching, decision making, tears and Taylor Swift songs. (Thank you RED for coming out at just the right time. How did you know almost 1/2 of your songs would be oh so applicable?) There was an easy way before me and a hard way. Two paths that would determine my strength and spirituality. Of course the hard way was also the right way. And in the end, after a long internal battle, that still has its little skirmishes sometimes, I chose the hard way. The right way.

Were there moments when I wanted to give up and give in?

Yes.

Are there still those moments when I let the insecurity and fear creep in?

Heck yes.

But I finally feel like I'm on the up and up.

There are many times, looking over the past semester, that I wish it never happened. Times when I wish life came with a remote all decked out with a huge rewind button. But when I really stop and mull over the things I've learned, the ways I've grown, I don't think I'd take it all back. Do I wish I would have made some different choices that could have saved some heartache? Yes. But we all have those times in life. The trick is to figure out a way to come out of them alive. Maybe not unscathed, but alive and aware of how wonderful life can be. Even if we can only recognize that in small tiny doses at first because our "sad song" playlist is deafening the beauty in our minds.

The only advice I have to those of you who might be in similar spots in your life right now is this:

Make the right decision, no matter how hard or painful.

Stick to it no matter what.

Keep moving forward.

It's the only way you will be able to make it through.

-------------------------------------

Ok, so the reasons for my hiatus did end up being only a few (3), but let me tell you, each is jam packed with reasoning and justifications out the wazoo.


I've made it through somehow, the semester is over, and the year is almost out. So let me publicly (You know, to my...8 followers?) declare this here post a COMEBACK. 

COMEBACK  [kum-bak]
noun
a return to a former higher rank, popularity, position, prosperity in all things
crafty, how-to, fashion, life and love

Maybe it will be just as awesome as Kelly Clarkson's comeback. Just sayin'.

xoxo
C.R.M.

p.s. Can I just say that the biggest reasons I am SO HAPPY classes are over are the chance to craft, be with my family and cuddle with my kitty. Bring on the eggnogg!

Summertime Flip Flops

I'm sure we have all made a pair of flip flops like this at least once in our lives, but I thought I might as well post a tutorial on how. Especially since it has been forever since I have posted anything. 

I think my favorite thing about these flip flops is what my roomies little sister said about them. She said they were the type of flip flops that crafty, suburbian teenage girls made {said in a snooty "I'm way too cool for those" voice of course.}

Well, call me crazy, but I like em. 

{Another thing that inspired this project was Old Navy's $1 flip flop sale last weekend!}

Step One:

Gather together any fabric scraps you have lying around. I know I have bundles of them!

Step Two: 

Cut the fabric into relatively uniform pieces. You can try and match the fabric and make sure you have even numbers of each kind so the shoes will be the same, or you can just make it random. It looks cute either way!

Step Three: 

Acquire some flip flops to jazz up like the crafty teenager you are

Step Four: 

Tie the fabric onto the straps of the flip flops on one side like I did, or on both if you like that look better. {Ignore my un-manicured thumb. Yuck.}

Step Five: 

Enjoy wearing your cute new flip flops to the pool, beach, fair or any other summer activity you have planned! Or, make them for siblings and friends as a cute summer gift. 

Enjoy!

xoxo

C.R.M.

Artsy Fartsy

I've always thought the title "artsy fartsy" is pretty hilarious. Maybe it's because it's the phrase my mom always uses to describe artsy things that I like. Well, she definitely would have been using it last Saturday if she had been with my roomie and I at the SLC Arts Festival. What a hoot and a hollar it was! Between the crazy graffiti art to the live sand sculpting and amazing vendors, it was right up my ally and I absolutely loved it.

And to top it all off I was looking pretty artsy fartsy if I do say so myself. :)

{Shirt: Limited, Necklace: Forever 21, Earings: Forever 21, Sunglasses: Quilted Bear, (What can I say, I get my clothes/accessories at super random places!) Lipstick: Sephora, Shorts: Walmart, Hat: Walmart, (Yes, I just typed the world Walmart in a fashion post. All I can say is the shorts and the hat were cheaper there than anywhere else and they fit better. So there.) Shoes: TaiPan}

xoxo

C.R.M.

Emoticons

It is rather amazing how many emotions one can go through in a single day. For some reason today has been rather eclectic in its collection of thoughts and feelings. I blame Aunt Flo's monthly visit.

The day began rather glumly...

:( Waking up lonely is never a good feeling. Especially after falling asleep lonely listening to your go-to  feel sad song. {Currently mine is Come Wake Me Up by Rascal Flatts. It's wonderfully sad.} We all have them, and even though we know how they will make us feel at 11 o'clock at night all alone in our apartments. But we listen to them anyways. Over and over again.

:/ The day got a little better when I realized I had a cute outfit to wear and I got free Papa Johns pizza for lunch from work. It's greasy goodness all but canceled out my 4 straight nights of ultimate frisbee. But oh was it worth it. I'm pretty sure I sometimes scare all the warehouse guys with my ability to tuck it away at our weekly Friday lunches.

>:( Listening to angry people on the phone makes me angry. NO the company I work for is not personally trying to make your life a living heck. But you are making mine one right now. Thanks.

:) I got out of work a bit late, but after filling up with gas I headed to a retreat for a group I am a part of through the LDS institute up here in SLC. It was a bit of a drive, but it was nice to just put pedal to the medal and let off some steam. When I got to the house we were having this little get together at, my smile grew even larger. The yard was GORGEOUS. It wound and wound with a sport court, hammock area, fire pit, trees, a fountain etc etc. All I can say is I want a cool yard someday that my kids can explore to their hearts content...Ok, I admit it. I really want it so I can explore it to my hearts content!

;) I am so grateful for the people I get to work with in LDSSA (Later Day Saint Student Association). Going to this retreat tonight was exactly what I needed to raise my mood. There was good food, spiritual nourishment, and more laughter than I've had in a long time. Even coming home smelling like campfire was alright by me.

:D For some reason by the time I got in my car to drive home after the retreat, I was feeling sky high. There is just something about driving on the freeway at night with the windows down, music blasting, and the city lights surrounding me that always gets to me. I sat in my car and realized that I don't need to let anyone bring me down. I don't have to do things I don't want to do just because someone who doesn't want me will be there. I can decide how to live and how everything affects me. Maybe it won't be easy, heck I know it won't, but will it make you happier in the end? Probably. Will you be happier for because of it? Most definitely. Will I regret ending my day listening to Brian Regan's All By Myself CD? Not one little bit.

xoxo
C.R.M.

Newfound and Nifty + Sunday Confessions 6.17.12

First off, I have to pay my dues and give a shout out to the most amazing man in my life. 

My Dad. 

He has done so much for me in the almost 21 years I've been around, I can't even express my gratitude. He is the reason I love sports and especially basketball. He is the reason I can ride a bike and drive a car. He has pushed me to become the best that I can be and he has loved me through every up and down. I don't know what I would do with out his influence in my life and I am so thankful to be able to spend the day with him!

Love you Dad!

Inspiration: 

"Love isn't something that's just tossed around between lost and found."

Charly always makes me cry, and for those of you who know me, I don't cry often. So of course when I had to come home early from church with my little sister who isn't feeling well, it was my Sunday movie of choice. Someday I'll find a man who will love me as much as Sam loved her and would ride with me for hours on a ferris wheel. 

Tunes:

No matter how many times I hear this song, I still turn it up loud and sing along at the top of my lungs when it comes on the radio. There is a reason it is still #1 on iTunes! Also, the music video is horribly funny, just wait until the end!

I also can't help but love all the memes that have surfaced because of this song!

Obsession:

Fonts. 

I am totally a font nerd. 

My Font Book is organized by type and I use it often. 

Helvetica, Comic Sans, and Papyrus are my worst nightmares. 

Projects: 

I honestly don't have any right now. Sad days. But my mind is bursting with ideas like refashioned men's shirts, t-shirt make-overs, a new patchwork purse and a color blocked pencil skirt just to name a few!

Sunday Confessions:

I'm linking up again with Alyx over at Every Day is a New Adventure!

1: Sometimes my cat Maggie is my very best friend. She will cuddle without questions, demand my attention 24/7 and listen without interrupting. If only I could find a man who was just as dedicated. ;)

2: I have a bad habit of buying fabric and patterns...and then never doing anything with them. Boy do I need to get on it before I become a little old lady pushed out of her own room by her fabric collection!

3: I have seen all three High School Musicals more times than I can count and have most of the songs memorized. And to all of those who were discussing it at FHE last week, you know you secretly like some of the songs too and stayed up to watch the first one when it first aired on Disney Channel. Just admit it. :)

4: I really don't like baseball. I went to my first game in years last Monday and ended up talking through the entire game and leaving early to go get non-ridiculously priced food. Call me unAmerican, but I just don't see the draw of a bunch of guys occasionally running around in a circle. On the plus side the peanuts were good!

5: I'm really wantin' me some summer lovin'. If only so I could sing the song from Grease with my roomies!

Well there you have it folks. That's all for me today! Here's hoping the next week will be a little less hectic and some real blogging and project doing can get done. Until next time!

xoxo

C.R.M.

Stronger

I've come to realize that sometimes it takes living in a situation you wish you could run away from to really find out who you want to be and what you need to change. No matter how much you wish you could change your scenery and escape from all the things that are wrong, sometimes the only solution is to live through it and become stronger, even if it seems like each step is extremely minuscule. 

I've always been one to run away from a situation when it gets uncomfortable or there is a possibility of me getting hurt. But this summer has become the summer of sticking it out and learning to deal. It isn't always fun or easy and sometimes it feels like a punch in the stomach and you just have to eat ice cream and watch a chick flick and cry, but you just have to live through it. 

On the up side, other times, these feelings of discomfort can be empowering. It can be empowering to realize that you don't need to hold on or change or be someone you aren't in order to impress others. It can be empowering to rediscover yourself in little ways like realizing you've missed doing some of your favorite things because you were busy living the life you thought was best but wasn't. It can be empowering to do something well and be recognized for it, even if you don't feel like you need the recognition. It can be empowering to know you are strong enough to move on, even if it is only in little ways every day, week, and month. It can be empowering to meet new people and realize that there might even be someone else out there who will check 'yes' on the "Do you like me?" note you pass them durning sacrament meeting. 

I have to admit that Kelly Clarkson's What Doesn't Kill You (Makes You Stronger) is getting rather old as I flip through my radio stations and it is playing on three at the same time {what can I say, I'm a fan of variety}, but its message, no matter how cliched, is true. It is empowering.

Living without someone who had become your best friend and then disappointed you...

Being the bigger person and helping that same person out that you wish you could snub...

Learning to open up to people again even though you're afraid of getting hurt...

Trying new things that might scare you to death...

Being okay with being alone sometimes...

Changing the way you see others and the way you see the world around you...

Realizing that you shouldn't change for anyone, no matter what...

Learning to accept the past and try and find hope in the future...

Makes You Stronger.

And it is in these low points, where you feel like all you can do is slowly scratch and pull yourself up the walls of the pit you've dug for yourself, where true life altering change can happen to a persons character and soul. It is in these times of discontent that one may have to realize that: "There is no growth in a comfort zone and there is no comfort in a growth zone."

I know we all have some growing to do. That's why we're here, right? We can't expect to be able to do any of this growing if everything is always right all of the time. There has to be those scenes of rain and melancholy background music before the protagonists can find themselves and love at the end of their happily ever after. Love stories wouldn't be very fun to read if everything was always right. It is usually at the times of wrong where you really come to know the characters and are able to sympathize with them so that their triumph is that much sweeter. 

I know I'm probably preaching to the choir on this one and that anyone who is going through hard times or is just coming out of them already knows all of this and is probably tired of hearing it. I know I get that way when people try to pull the "It will all work out in the end" line. But no matter how much we wish we could just wallow in self-pity forever, change always comes. The sun always rises. New people will always show up and new beginnings are not always bad, and you know what? They might even make you stronger. :)

xoxo

C.R.M. 

Sunday Confessions 6.10.12

Here is another fun thing I'm going to try and start doing on the blog. It's called Sunday Confessions, started by a fellow blogger who I follow. You can find her blog here. 

1: I really don't like it when guys wear short sleeved dress shirts. I think it makes them look like they are 12, not 22. Buck up and wear the long sleeved ones boys. Church is only 3 hours. You can do it. 

2: I really don't like eating breakfast. I know it is supposedly the most important meal of the day, but I just don't like making the time in the morning to eat it. I mean, I'm already running out the door in a mad dash trying to get  to where ever I'm going on time anyways, I don't have time to make scrambled eggs and toast! 

3: I had a song from the Disney Chanel TV show Lizzie McGuire stuck in my head today. No idea where that one came from. I promptly had to sing it to my roommates as to insure my own sanity.

4: I love wearing tall heels and being taller than all most of the guys at church. There is just something empowering about towering over people and looking good while doing it. It makes singlehood a little bit more bearable. 

5: It's the middle of summer, but I am already excited for Christmas and Christmas music/movies. Call me crazy, but I really do believe it is the most wonderful time of the year. Hands down. 

Happy Sunday Everyone!

xoxo

C.R.M.

Sunday Best Twinners

Katie: Shirt: H&M, Skirt: Chadwicks, Shoes: Target, Bow: Forever 21, Lipstick: Sephora. Me: Shirt: Target, Tank: H&M, Skirt: Forever 21, Shoes: Forever 21, Necklace: Claire's (gotta love super old 13-year-old jewelry), Watch: Anne Klein.

This is my first attempt at a fashion post, so bare will me. 

I know the pictures are in the entryway of our apartment and the colorful rug beneath our feet is just awesome, but we didn't take the pictures specifically as fashion post material. At first we were just marveling at the fact that we ended up semi-matching as we got ready for church this morning, then I decided I might as well blog about it because that's what I do now. Or at least I'm trying to. Ha. Multiple people throughout the day commented on how we were kind of matching and that we must be roommates. 

Yep. We are. And we love it. 

Oh, and we love stripes. And polka dots. 

And taking awkward pictures. 

Here's hoping for better outfit pics later on. I need to invest in a tri-pod. 

xoxo

C.R.M.

Newfound and Nifty 6.9.12

Seeing as how I totally forgot to do this on Thursday, better late than never, right?

Inspiration:

Mustard, navy, polka-dots, big sunglasses. Four of my all-time favorite things. 

Tunes: 

Every time I hear this song come up on my Pandora station I go to like it and realize it's already been liked. It's worth a listen. 

Obsession: 

We watched Ramona and Beezus as an apartment last night and fell in love with Josh Duhamel all over again. So tonight I am watching Life As We Know It just to stare at him all night again. Yummy. 

Projects:

A few days ago I made a post about some lyrics I wrote recently. Well, today I got with a good friend who helped me put some actual music (and good music at that) to the words. It was rather amazing. He is a spectacular guitar player and is convinced I will be able to play the song someday on my own. I am not as strong of a believer, but it does sound good! Maybe someday when I get the melody down I'll post a video...maybe...

I also finished a dress today! Unfortunately I did not look decent enough to take pictures of myself in it. Another "maybe someday" to keep you on your toes. ;)

xoxo

C.R.M.

Photogram 6.9.12

 My phone finally takes decent photos. Therefore you can be expecting more posts like this in the future. I'm kind of obsessed. 

New Job.

Yes that is a lazer-tag gun I'm holding. And yes we played in the warehouse with a fog machine going and Tron music. On my second day of work. Awesome. 

Shopping Trip.

New job = Paycheck = Shopping = Cute New Clothes/Jewelry

Movie Night With Myself

 Sometimes a night in really isn't that bad. Cafe Rio, She's the Man, Channing Tatum and Haagen-Dazs is enough to keep this girl happy. 

xoxo

C.R.M.

Lyrical

Sometimes I like to write songs.

It helps me not feel as lonely, hurt, sad, depressed, or angry and helps me express my joy, happiness, love and excitement. Every one is a little piece of me put into words with a rhyme or two. 

Enjoy.

Outshine

All the memories should fade

Like the pictures on old TV screens

My broken parts should fix themsleves

All stitched up at the seams

The light that you shone

Into my dark shadowy places

Should fade to a memory 

Along with the faces

Chorus:

But I'm sitting alone

Haunted and torn

I can't be this strong

My defenses are worn

As the sun dims

And lights glare from passing cars

I fear for the future

When the streetlights

Outshine the stars

Move on they say

Like wind through the trees

Someone better will come

Who thinks your the B's and E's

But like a ship on the sea 

With waves crashing and falling

My emotions are tossed

Everytime I hear you calling

Chorus:

So I'm sitting alone

Haunted and torn

I can't be this strong

My defenses are worn

As the sun dims

And lights glare from passing cars

I fear for the future

When the streetlights

Outshine the stars

I'm alright, I'm just fine

I can sing without crying

I'm just fine, don't you worry

I can stand without falling

But it was easier with you here

To keep the stars burning

It was easier with you here

Before you left without warning

Chorus:

So I'm sitting alone

Haunted and torn

I can't be this strong

My defenses are worn

As the sun dims

And lights glare from passing cars

I fear for the future

When the streetlights

Outshine the stars


xoxo
C.R.M.

Newfound and Nifty

Wow. I can't believe it is already Thursday again and time for my weekly post. I really need to get into the habit of posting more often. But with my new job starting today, I have a feeling my time is going to be very short!

Inspiration:

I saw this picture on someone's blog and I must say I fell in love. Maybe it's my obsession with old lady activities {like wearing curlers} or maybe it's just the vintage meets modern vibe that is in all the magazines and stores lately. Two of my favorite things in one. Fabulous. 

Tunes: 

I was choosing a song for my morning alarm last night and this one came to mind. {Maybe it was because I knew I was going to have to wake up early and wish that I was dead. :p } It's so beautiful and so is the animation in this video. BYU definitely got it right on this one. 

Obsession: 

This summer has been a summer of social engagements. This is completely opposite to last summer, though it was great, it was definitely lacking in the socializing category. One of these oh so exciting engagement I have been taking part in is commonly known as Ultimate Frisbee. 

I might not be quite as intense as these guys {though I wouldn't mind some stripped socks like} but I can hold my own. I don't know what my abhorrence to it was in high school, but I regret it now that I am completely, well, obsessed. :)

 Projects:

Sadly I really don't have any projects going on right now. I blame my newfound employment. And honestly I'll take it over a pile of half finished projects any day!

Well, sorry this is so short and not that exciting. But I'm not feeling too exciting today. More like exhausted and not looking forward to waking up at 6:00am tomorrow for a meeting before work. Bleh. 

Here's hoping you can sleep in longer than me!

xoxo

C.R.M.

The One-Yard Shirt

I have been trying to get this tutorial up for over a week now but just haven't made the time to actually sit down and type it out. But here it finally is and I hope you like it!

The One-Yard Shirt

You know when you find some crazy awesome fabric while browsing through the aisles at Joanns but it's just a little too bright or garish for a dress or a skirt? Or when you have a random yard leftover from a pervious project and you just don't know what to do with it? Well have no fear! I have the solution and it's as easy as pie. {Though I'm not sure making a pie is actually that easy. Sounds pretty hard to me. Maybe I should rephrase that to say "as easy as eating pie"...}

{Thanks to Heather my roomie for taking pics of me! Check out her blog here.}

{Outfit: Shirt: hand-made, Necklace: Claires (bought forever and a day ago), Pants: Old Navy, Watch: Anne Klien.}

Step One: Choose a piece of fabric that is about a yard long. It could be a bit less or a bit more depending on what size you are and how flowy you want the sleeves to be. Make sure you wash your fabric before you start sewing with it to ensure there won't be any shrinking, stretching or pulling once you sew it. 

{I fell in love with this fabric as soon as I glimpsed it. I thought this was the perfect project for it's bold pattern and colors.}

Step Two: Before you start cutting or pinning, I found the easiest thing to do first {after ironing of course} is to hem all the raw edges. Lay out your fabric matching selvages and edges to make sure everything is even and cut away any excess. Then plug in your sewing machine and hem away! {I did a small rolled hem, but you could do any type you like.}

*Note: If you are using a stretch knit fabric you don't need to do a hem because it won't fray in the wash! Lucky you!

Step Three: Find a T-shirt that you like the fit of and lay it out on top of your fabric. {The neck of the shirt should be on the side of the fold and the bottom should be along the open end.} You will use this as a base for where to sew up the sides and how wide you want the neckline to be. 

Step Four: Mark about an inch or so away from the edge of the T-shirt with pins. {Make sure the botom and sides of your fabric are even.} Mark from the bottom of the shirt to the bottom of the armpit. This will be your stitching line. You can eyeball the distance from each side or you can measure it out with a tape measure if you want to be more precise. I used a tape measure just so that one flowy sleeve wouldn't be bigger than the other. 

Step Five: Mark the middle of the top folded edge of the fabric with a pin and do the same with the neckline of your T-shirt. {I used a different shirt for the body and the neckline because I wanted a round neckline, not a v-neck.}

Step Six: Cut through both layers of fabric to create the back neckline of your shirt. If you want to have more of a boat neck, you could cut the front and back necklines the same, just making them wider and lower. This step really just depends on how you want your shirt to fit. I cut the back to one level and the front to another.

Step Seven: It is hard to cut the front using any sort of templete because you don't want to cut through the back of the shirt. So I just moved my templete shirt and eye balled the front neckline, trying to make it even on both sides. 

Step Eight: Before you sew the sides up along your pins, it might be a good idea to try on your shirt. But be careful not to get impaled with pins or rip your fabric in the process! This will help you know if you made your stitching lines far enough apart so it fits your torso how you like it. This will also help you see how well the neckline you cut out is going to fit and if you need to make any adjustments. Speaking from experience it is better to make your neckline smaller than you think you need it-account for a rolled hem and the nature of your fabric {stiff, flowy, stretchy}. 

Step Nine: Once you are happy with the fit of your shirt, sew up the sides with wrong sides together along your pins {backstitching at the beginning and the end} and hem the neckline. I found that to avoid puckering or bulk in the hem of the neckline, it was better to pin it before sewing. 

{I tried to make the stitching line a little more visible on photoshop since I was using white thread and it wan't visible at all.}

Step Ten: Once I was finished stitching up the sides and the neck of my shirt I realized the neckline was a little bit wider than I was comfortable with. So I decided to put in a pleat on each of the shoulders and it ended up looking really good! I took it in from the middle of each shoulder about an inch.

Well that's all I have for you folks! This is a really fast and fun shirt that could be end up becoming a new staple in my wardrobe in lots of different patterns. My roomies already have me lined up to make some for them too! :)

Happy Sewing!

xoxo

C.R.M.