10-Minute DIY Tassel Earrings

Work is a bit calmer these days and I'm able to have some time to be creative.  I've MISSED this!

I was shopping on Amazon and they showed me some gorgeous Rebecca Minkoff tassel earrings as part of their new Fashion offerings.  I loved the way they looked, but felt like the color options and sizing weren't quite right for me.

I decided to see what I could dig up from my giant stash of DIY supplies.  Earring hooks and jump rings were pretty easy to find, but I wound up having to visit Joann's to find embroidery thread in the colors I wanted.  I bought a BUNCH, but ultimately wanted to go with a more neutral, understated look and chose a medium gray color.

See the full tutorial after the jump or on my Instagram!

Lately - Gratitude, Life, and Sewing

It's been over a year and so much has happened!  Firstly, I want to say THANKS to all of you.  You have all been SO SUPPORTIVE of my posts, particularly the last one, and some of you joined even during my hiatus.  I know some of you still follow via Instagram, and though I post about food considerably more than sewing, you're still with me :)  I cannot adequately express my gratitude and I hope that this paragraph gives you at least an idea of what I'm feeling.

Over the past year plus, we've been keeping busy.  I've changed to a more demanding role within my company, we've done some fun travel to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and my bucket list destination, Australia, we moved to a new house (still in the Bay Area) so the kids could be in a better school system, and I'm still sewing here and there.  I initially went on a break because I couldn't keep up with a regular posting schedule and I was running out of creative steam.  Ultimately, I've decided that I'll post when I can (and this will be more frequent than an annual one!) and hope that you'll continue to join me on my sewing adventures.

For now, I'll leave you with snippets of some sewing projects over the past year.

Pleated Grid Print Skirt w/ comfy knit underskirt

Wrap Dress for Winter Wonderland party

Sleeveless Cowl Neck Top w/ Grid Print

Pleated Skirt w/ Whimsical Bike Print

Simple Striped Tee w/ Tulip Back

Much love to all of you and see you soon!

Scarves to Maxi Dress DIY Tutorial

I know I spend an insane amount of time making maxi dresses, but I can't seem to help myself.  This one is very simple - you're essentially sewing the sides of 3 scarves (or 3 fabric squares together) and adding straps.  See below for steps!

3-Scarf Maxi Dress DIY

Difficulty: Very Easy

Time: ~1 hour

Pattern:  None - use 3 squares

Materials:

• 3 square scarves OR cut 3 squares out of lightweight fabric - I'd recommend something silky
• For maxi length - I'd recommend 34.5" squares so that the diagonal running from shoulder to hem is 48" (keep in mind to adjust if you're taller!)
• Because I used grid fabric, I had to follow the pattern for my squares and wound up with 37.5" squares - hence the floor sweeping length
• Strap material - I used black bias tape, but you can use fabric, leather, etc.  Braided straps would be SO cute

Steps:
1.)  You're going to need a person or dress form for this, but position 1 scarf point at each shoulder and pin where these meet for the placement of your neckline

2.)  Place 1 point of your 3rd scarf at the center back right at the base of the neck

 3.) Pin under the arms where the front meets the back

4.) Play with strap placement and mark with chalk (I didn't actually go with the one shown below, but it was fun to experiment)

5.)  Sew down the center front from your pinned neckline all the way down the edge.

6.)  Sew down each side from the underarm pin all the way down the edge.

7.)  Pin your strap placements and carefully try on your dress.  Make sure straps fit comfortably and make length adjustments as needed.  Sew straps in place.

And you're finished!

Questions?  Please feel free to leave me a comment below or send me an email!  :)

Finished Scarf Maxi Dress

Striped Racerback Maxi Dress DIY

We're seeing warmer weather in the Bay Area and it's time to start sewing some maxi dresses again.  Comfortable and cool, this is my uniform for the summer and I especially love knit versions for both ease in sewing and in wearing.

Material:  Stretchy knit from Michael Levine, 2 yards

Difficulty: Easy, all serger construction (you can also use a twin needle on a regular machine)

Time: ~3 hours

Pattern: Patterned bodice based off of this previous Racerback Maxi Dress DIY minus the gathering at the bust, self-drafted skirt (just a rectangle)

Striped Racerback Maxi Dress DIY

And in case you ever wondered who was catching my attention...

:)

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

10 Minute Lariat Necklace DIY Tutorial

Wednesday is mini DIY day!  Ok, not really, but here's a quick and easy necklace to whip up:

Nautical Lariat Necklace DIY

(Eep, apologies for the dusty necklace display)

Difficulty: Very Easy

Time: ~10 minutes

Materials: ~$3 in materials

• Necklace Chain in your preferred lariat length - mine was about 24"
• Pendant Charm - anything you'd like as the centerpiece - I chose an anchor 
• Circular Charm - I found a little ring charm in my jewelry supplies
• Coordinating jump rings
• Jewelry pliers and wire cutters - you can get a kit at your local craft store for under $10 (Joann's and Michaels always have some kind of 40% coupon!)

Steps:

1.)  Measure out the length of your lariat and snip with your cutters.  It's helpful to drape it around your neck to see how long you'd like it to fall.

2.)  Attach a jump ring to the end of the chain and add your ring charm to the same jump ring

3.)  Thread the other side of your chain through your ring charm.  Alternatively, if your pendant charm fits through your ring charm, please feel free to skip this step.

4.)  Similar to Step 2, add a jump ring to the end of threaded chain and attach your pendant charm

Simple and inexpensive!

Interested in more jewelry and accessory DIY tutorials?  Check out my Pinterest board for links to other projects!  :)

Easy 30-Minute DIY: Slouchy Tee or Sweater

I LOVE that I'm seeing more slouchy, comfortable clothes popping up in stores.  They work perfectly for weekends with the kids, and now that I've gone from conservative corporate to a more casual workplace, slouchy works there too :)

This one is a very easy and quick DIY.  The best part?  You get a short-sleeved look without actually having to attach sleeves into an armscye (not my favorite task).

Difficulty: Very Easy

Time: ~1/2 hour

Pattern:  Make your own from an existing tee

Materials:

• Existing blouse to pattern your top - drop shoulder is easiest 
• BUT you can also use a regular tee and just extend your cut from the shoulder to the arm as one continuous line instead of cutting out separate sleeves.  From neckline to end of sleeve should be about 7-8".  Make sure you keep the torso pretty close to the end of the sleeve (see pic below under step 1) if you want the slouchy feel.
• ~3/4 yard fabric - sweater knit or any other stretchy knit

Steps:
1.)  Fold your shirt in half and align that fold with the fold in your fabric.  Use your shirt as a template to cut out the front piece and back piece (more details below).

Align shirt fold to fabric fold

2.)  The back piece can be cut exactly as laid out above.

3.)  For the front piece, simply push the back collar inwards so you can get clear access to cut the neckline of the front (shown directly below).  Cut the front piece as you did the back after you've made the neckline adjustment.

Tuck the back neckline inwards

4.)  You should now have 2 pieces as shown below.   

Back piece on Left and Front on Right

5.)  With the front and back cut out, place the right sides together and pin at the shoulders.  Sew each shoulder and each side.  

6.)  Fold in your raw edges at the sleeves, collar, & hem and sew down.

(Apologies for a not so great pic)

And that's it!  Call it a slouchy tee or a summer sweater if you used a sweater knit like I did (perfect for breezy SF summers).

Questions?  Please feel free to ask in the comments below or send me an email :)

Hello and a Mini DIY

Hello!  It's been a long while since I've last posted (some ramblings on why below), but let's start with a quick and easy mini DIY.

I have a number of bib-type necklaces that rest on the collar.  If I wear a collared shirt or turtleneck (it's been in the 50s-60s here lately), I feel choked when wearing a necklace.  So though this may be a DUH to many of you, I wanted to share how to quickly extend a necklace if you're like me.

Necklace Extender - just add a bracelet!  

This gives you the adjustable length you need and a bonus of a cute dangler to hang down your back.  Particularly useful when you were thisclose to leaving for work when realizing your necklace was too short.

And then some rambling - please feel free to skip :)

So where have I been?  It all started with a trip to Hong Kong during Thanksgiving last year.  It was both a very good trip and a very horrible one.

The good:

• FOOD!
• Fabric shopping
• Seeing Jay Chou in concert

The bad:

• 4 out of the 5 of us got sick.  Our 5 year-old had his first febrile seizure and went to the emergency room.  Thank goodness we still have family in HK to help us navigate through the healthcare system.  Poor guy had to spend the night for monitoring, but thankfully was ok to come home to the hotel (and back to the US a couple of days later).
• Broke my toe on Day 3 of our 12 day trip and limped around for the remainder.  And to be a little whiny (a lot whiny?), we walked 5-8 miles per day anyway.  

Once we came home, I spent quite a bit of time being inactive while waiting to heal.  Inactivity plus good food equaled 7 lbs in rapid weight gain. The extra weight on someone of my stature was...ahem...noticeable, to say the least.  Sewing was the last thing on my mind - I didn't want to sew larger items only to alter them later so I threw my focus into getting back to my normal weight.  I first started watching what I ate on weekdays while indulging on the weekends (a compromise I knew I could realistically stick to) and as I healed, I started getting active again.  It took FOUR months to lose the weight I gained in ONE.  But I'm now back to normal and hope to start sewing again!

While I get back in the swing of things, you can always find me on Instagram under the name, "SewEatRepeat."  I'm still toying with the idea of changing the blog name to reflect this as well, but I'm also kind of lazy, so we'll see :)

Mom's Kitchen: Chinese Egg Custard Dessert

Between our recent trip to Hong Kong, a broken toe, and craziness at work, I've been rather absent in the blogosphere.  I hope to regain normalcy soon!

Whilst I get back on my feet (literally and figuratively), I'd like to share another Mom's Kitchen recipe.  This one is inspired by all the egg custard desserts I had in Hong Kong.  :)

Prep Time: 5-10 min

Cook Time: ~15 min on low heat

Ingredients: (2 servings)

• 2 whole eggs or 4 egg whites (shown here measured out to be ~100mL)
• 150 mL Milk (for the 4 egg whites)
• 4 tsp Sugar 

Directions:
Start by boiling water in your steamer and then simmer on low heat.  If you do not have a steamer, you can also use a lidded pan and add a metal rack like this one.  You can then place a plate on your rack to hold your cups of custard.

Combine egg whites, milk, and sugar in a bowl.  Beat.

Strain your mixture to ensure smoothness and pour into your custard cups.

Place your cups on your steaming rack.  

Put foil over your cups either individually or my lazy-cover-everything way :)

Let steam over low heat for about 15 minutes.  When done, the egg should appear jiggly but set similar to soft tofu.  Serve hot or cold.

Enjoy!

DIY Roundup: Holiday Decor & Gifts

I found these beautiful holiday DIYs and couldn't resist sharing these!

Glitter Mason Jar Candles DIY (cakerypapery tutorial here)

High-impact, gorgeous candles in only 5 minutes!

Snow Globe Terrariums (pinkpistachio tutorial here)

Create a stunning scene on your mantle!

DIY Cone Trees (Bella Nest tutorial here)

Add your personal touch to cone trees - great for decorating or gifts!

Happy DIY'ing!

DIY Roundup: Upcycle & Refashion

For those who celebrate, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

If you're looking to breathe new life into older items, here are a few fun ideas to try out :)

Repurpose a sweater for a cozy, luxe feel on your footstool (source and tutorial here)

Paint a border on your dress for an edgier look (source and tutorial here)

Add elbow and back patches to your sweater for a whole new look (source and tutorial here)

Happy DIY'ing!

Dessert Crawl: Honey Toast & Shaved Ice

On the weekends, we tend to go overboard with eating.  And lately, we've been dessert-crazy.  At the moment, we are particularly focused on Honey Toast variations, Taiwanese style Shaved Ice, and perennial favorite - fruit desserts.

Fruit desserts - Sweet Indulgence, Millbrae

Watermelon Sago Dessert

This is my husband's favorite combo.  He said this was tasty, but that the sago was a little clumped together.

Mango Pudding w/ Mango Delight

This one may not be as visually beautiful as the watermelon sago, but it tasted divine.  Love the pomelo and jelly bits with a mango trinity of fruit, sauce, and pudding.

Mango / Coconut and Red Bean / Black Sesame

Can't seem to go wrong with mango at this dessert cafe - mango drink was delicious!  The red bean portion of the other drink was good - a tad sweeter than expected - but the sesame jelly didn't really taste very sesame-esque.

On to Honey Toasts!  When I originally saw these toasts, I was a little confused as to why a toast dessert would be appealing.  Toast is, after all, a pretty simplistic breakfast staple.  However, when you smush fruits and ice cream with familiar crisp edges and warm centers, toast becomes elevated to new realms.  Ok, ok, probably a little overdramatic there.  Net, dessert toast is yummy and makes my stomach happy.

Sno-Crave Tea House, San Jose - Banana & Chocolate Honey Toast

In most Honey Toast places, they tend to stick with vanilla ice cream so we appreciated the chocolate option (which we devoured) here.

Cafe Lattea, Cupertino - Black Sesame & Berry Honey Toast

This place is pretty awesome.  They've got cute Totoro / bear latte art, honey toast, AND milk tea.

Tea River, San Mateo - Macaron Toast Box

This was my personal favorite because they buttered all the little toast pieces inside prior to toasting it.  Given my affinity for butter, this was an easy win for me.  My husband, on the other hand, was not a fan.  He prefers Cafe Lattea or Sno-Crave.

Taiwanese Shaved Ice is another type of dessert I'd never tried prior to moving to CA.  It tastes like a hybrid of ice cream and a sno-cone.  This hybrid effect lulls me into thinking it's healthier for me :)

Sno-Zen, Mountain View - Rocky Road (for the kiddos)

Sno-Zen - Earl Grey Shaved Ice w/ Black Sesame Condensed Milk Drizzle, Mochi, and Toffee

I LOVE customizing my desserts!!!!!  The Earl Grey had a nice, delicate flavor and if they had offered me the option, I would have doused this with a river of that black sesame condensed milk (what a genius concoction).

Snowflake, Dublin (East Bay) - Almond / Black Sesame Shaved Ice with Toasted Almond, Red Beans, Popping Boba, Jellies, and Condensed Milk

One word - WOW.  I love how generous Snowflake is with their toppings and the flavor combos of everything shown here were perfection.

DIY Roundup: Cold Weather Wear

It's been a week and I'm no closer to finishing my projects.  Rather than wait, I'd like to share some great-looking DIYs around the web:

DIY Poncho (source & tutorial here)

I'm looking forward to giving this a shot!

Arm-knitting an Infinity Scarf in 15 Minutes (source & tutorial here)

I've never tried arm-knitting before, but it looks fun to try and the result is so pretty!

Cowl Scarf from Old Sweaters (source & tutorial here)

Always love a good upcycling tutorial

Keep warm and happy DIYing!

Brocaded Box Pleats & Future Posts

The holiday season is here, and along with that, comes holiday sewing.  Right now, I'm working on a new winter coat, a brocade skirt, and a hooded cape.  I have a tendency to get to a certain point in the project and then need to stop and reflect, hence the partial projects.

Anyhoo, here's a look at the brocade box pleats project:

Thinking this might work well for a holiday party

I'd also let to get back in the groove of sharing some of my favorite Mom's Kitchen recipes like Chinese Fish Fillets, Black Sesame Dessert w/ Glutinous Rice Balls, Homemade Rice Noodle Rolls, etc.  If there are any Cantonese / Chinese recipes you'd like to see, let me know and I'll see if Mom has one to share :)

Have a lovely week!

Gone (Fabric) Shopping

I've been slooooowwww with the sewing lately and am working on some holiday sewing projects that aren't yet ready for sharing.  Whilst I tweak those, I have a bit of a mishmash type of post on fabric shopping and food.

If you live in the Bay Area, Fabrix in SF got in some nice wools and sweatshirt type knits:

$15 / yd plaid wool - maybe another cape?  I saw this on Pinterest and am enamored

$2.89 / yd striped heavy knit - I'd like to try making something similar to Michelle's sweatshirt of Michelle Goes North (such a cool neckline!)

At Fabrics R Us in San Jose:

$3 / yd pretty checks - would love to recreate this look from Atlantic Pacific in spring

Online, Joann's has a 60% off regular priced fabric coupon (can also use in stores), 60% off Home Decor fabrics (great cottons for structured skirts), and 60% off fleece fabrics through Tuesday.

In other shopping news, Gap has an additional 40% off sale items in stores.  I picked up 2 more pairs of the Real Straight jeans for $15 each.  Since I had $10 in rewards, this netted out at $10 each:

Gap Real Straight, Mid-rise, online here, $15 in stores, got one destructed and one regular

(IG try-on pic here)

If you have a similar body shape (short and pear-shaped), you may like these!  I find the mid-rise helps mitigate tummy overhang and the skimmer length hits the top of my foot - great with flats or a thin cuff to show off the ankle with booties.  I used the "reserve in store" option online and it saved me from having to dig through the sale racks for my size.  I highly recommend this!

This weekend in eats, I got to meet up with Ping and Karen for ramen:

Iza Ramen w/ side of garlic oil

And followed that up with snacks and dessert at my all-time favorite haunt, Mango Medley:

Baked Scallops - amazing bold flavors

P.S. today's post title is a bit of a nod towards Gigi's Gone Shopping, one of my favorite reads :)

P.P.S. I'm trying out some food photography tips from Crazy Style Love - have you seen her IG feed? It's beautiful!

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!!