Itch to Stitch: Creation No. 2

Another pinterest inspired creation. What can I say, the DIY's on pinterest are cute and actually do-able - perfect for someone like myself just starting up with needle and thread. The simple DIY instructions make it easy to follow along and while presenting minor challenges (depending on the fabric and type of shirt you use), the results are always great, therefore keeping you motivated and willing to thread the needle again.

The inspiration for Creation No. 2 comes from Adventures of a Middle Sister. Her idea to turn a simple shirt to a swimsuit cover or alternatively a tank top/halter top was brilliant. The timing too, was perfect as I am currently in garage sale mode and so had a few shirts on which I could try this idea out.

I'm not too huge a fan though of a plain white cotton tee nor am I of the tie-dye print (looks great on others and the prints can be fun but don't seem to suit me). So I opted for a black shimer shirt that I was tossing out because I never ever wore it.  

BEFORE

I decided to turn this shirt into a tank because the fabric was comfy and the print was quite dressy. And how hard is it to find dressy, loose and comfy tanks these days? (well, it's hard for me). So began my chalking and scissoring. Adventures explains the details so well that even if I try to explain, it just couldn't compare. But here's a quick step-by-step, check out her site for great details.

1. cut out sleeves (save them for later; Adventures had the cool idea to use one cut out of the sleeve as a template for the other side)
2. deepen arm opening by cutting 2 inches below the bottom of the cut sleeves
3. flip shirt, only cut back portion of sleeve/(now)tank strap deeper to give a racer back effect
4. cut out collar (if your using a cre neck shirt then deepen the collar cut, I just cut along the collar because the neckline was already deep
5. flip shirt, cut in straight line 1 inch below back collar only thereby separating back collar from rest of shirt
6. cut the newly loose pieces vertically (what would have be the back to the racerback) into three strips
7. braid three strips all the way from bottom to the tip
8. lightly stitch end of braid to the inside middle of the back collar
9. cut a 1 inch straight strip off of the discard sleeve extras (from step 1)
10. wrap tip of braid in sleeve extra to hide the stitches
11. tack in the end of the wrap
 TADA!!!
**The instructions will slightly vary depending on what kind of shirt you choose to use.**

AFTER

**The instructions will slightly vary depending on what kind of shirt you choose to use.**

Mentioning it twice, because it is that important to remember. As you can see my first attempt was on a much more complicated shirt but I think that it turned out quite well. No I do not think I ruined what was an otherwise frumpy shirt ;) And I am extremely glad I used this shimmer fabric because the finished product is now actually a dressy yet comfy tank. Mission Accomplished.

Let me know how your shirt to tanks turn out. Yay summer ;)

Honda Indy: A feast of sights and sounds

Vroooooommmmmmmm Vrrrroooooooooommmmmmmmmm Rooooooooaaaaaaaar!

Honda Indy is a feast of sights and sounds.

A true treat for your eyes and ears!

"There's nothing quite like a car revving up at 900 horsepower"

This weekend was Honda Indy. Never having had the opportunity to attend the Hondy Indy before, this was my first time and I was excited! I have previously heard nascar sounds and f1 style cars compete (see previous Formula North post) but I had never seen or heard official Indy cars. And there is a difference, I learned. So here are the details on my first Hondy Indy experience. Bear in mind that I am no car expert or car fanatic but I do enjoy the race atmosphere, competitive environments and of course the sights and sounds of the Honda Indy. Don't forget to follow @hondaindy for details of the competition, the play-by-play and the winners.

The VIP experience:
Our VIP treatment included access to the grounds, the paddocks and the Dr. Pepper stands. The view from the stands was incredible as it was at a corner and included a good acceleration strip. Therefore you could see the drivers try to overtake and make passes right in front of you. What added to the excitement was the closeness to the screen, therefore whenever the cars passed our stands or were out of sight, we could always follow them on the jumbo-screen that was directly to our right.

The Dr. Pepper girls tossed out t-shirts and an endless supply of Dr. Pepper while educating their audience in the stands on some Dr. Pepper history (did you know Dr.Pepper has 23 flavours, 20 of which are a secret!) The paddocks provided attendees the chance to watch cars being worked on, get fueled up and roll in and out, to and from the track. The logos on the crew's shirts and the stickers on the cars constantly remind the audience of the sponsorship that goes into this expensive industry. I never realized how large Indy cars were until they passed right in front of me.



Of course the closeness to the track was the best part of the day as you could actually go up to the fence and watch the cars pass by and feel your heart and bones vibrate! Loved every minute of it!!!

Audience members reportedly felt that the event was "pretty cool"  and were "amazed by the scale [of the event]" stating that the "organization of the event was great". "[Seeing] more than one car on the track at high speed [was] quite exhilarating".

I was pleasantly surprised by the demographics of those in attendance. If you thought of the Honda Indy as a guy's event, Saturday July 7th would prove you wrong. While there were indeed many groups of guys, there were a visibly large number of families at the event. Also many of the guys at the event attended with female companions, thereby providing a nice mix of females and families at the Honda Indy 2012. Most of these individuals were seen along the fences and in the paddocks. The stands looked empty until the afternoon but didn't stay packed for too long.

The paddocks were seen to humanize the event through the provision of opportunities for interaction and an up-close look at the cars. While I didn't notice many participants interacting with the crews, I'm sure that those with specific questions would be able to interact with members of their favourite teams. This was in contrast to a trade-show which has much more constant interaction with its participants.

 There were indeed many families and groups of friends who were curious (there are also many fans who attend annually) about the Toronto-event and were looking for something "cool" to do on the weekend that was also a highlight in Toronto versus the attendees at a tradeshow who probably have a stronger interest in automotives and motorsports.

Nonetheless you could tell that the audience enjoyed the Honda Indy by the sheer number of those in line for an autograph and the eyes constantly fixated on every Indy car that passed by.

I had no earplugs during the entire day and loved every minute of it. It was great to see first-hand and definitely felt good to cross off an item on my Lo-cket List: the list of must-do things in Toronto. Looking at the pictures still makes my heart vibrate and I can still hear the cars zoom by!

Honda Indy Toronto 2012

The Lo-cket List

Lo-cket = local + bucket list

- Attend Toronto Fashion Week
- Attend Honda Indy Toronto
- Visit Centre Island
- Zip-line
- Trampoline Park
- Perform at World Youth Day Toronto
- Run up the stairs to the CN Tower
- Walk in a TFW runway
- Visit every district in downtown Toronto
- Dinner and drinks at the Real Sports Bar
- Be in the live studio audience at MTV or MuchMusic
- Attend the Annual Caribana Parade
- Attend the Annual Pride Parade
- Fall asleep reading a book by the Harbourfront
- Have my own livable studio space downtown
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*this list is always open to suggestions and will be updated constantly
*local and international suggestions are welcome
*An interational list is in progress and will soon be included in the Travels categories

Lookbook: The High-Waisted Empire

I never realized how many diverse styles and outfit high waisted shorts could create. From pairing it with a bandeau, tank top, tshirt and blazer, high waisted shorts could be the go-to item for this summer. A new trend (new to me at least) seems to be the one to two inches of exposed tummy between top and short and while this exposed-tummy-trend looks great on a maxi skirt, high waisted shorts can also be quite the chic choice.

Benefits of the high waisted empire:

A smoother silhouette

Emphasized waist indent

Longer legs/Legs for days

A chic look with shorts!

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Streetwear Society Beige Shorts     

Basic White Tank

HnM Jacket

CallitSpring Necklace

India Boutique Ring

GoJane Boots

High waisted shorts tanked and blazered. High waisted shorts seem to be a comfy and trendy outfit this summer. While allowing you to wear shorts for summer the high waisted angle allows for a chic and fashionable look. Accessorizing the shorts with a colourful pair of pumps, brightly coloured nails, drooping necklaces and a detailed jacket can definitely dress up the outfit. Whereas pairing them with boots or booties and a neon crop shirt can create a comfy dressed-down look still suitable for a casual night out.

 Streetwear Society Beige Shorts

Ardene Neon Crop Tee

CallitSpring Booties

Even more fun can happen with pairing high waisted shorts with a bright bold coloured bandeau. Dress it up with pumps or heeled gladiators or dress it down with gladiator flats. Photograph and model credit for the picture below go to @naomicamrey.

Wilfred Bandeau

Wilfred Free White Shorts

Little Burgundy Brown Gladiators

WAKE Necklace

Ray Ban Sunglasses

A more loose fitting high waisted look provides for a super-comfy look that you can wear out. These army green shorts come full loaded with comfortable and tie waist band and pockets! Pair it with a short top - patterned or solid and you're good to go. Cobalt nail polish and platform wedged booties were the chosen finishing touch. *Confession for a looser look purchase a pair of shorts a couple (or more) sizes larger than you would normally take, as was done by mistake below, but turned out quite well/comfy.

 g21 Crop Tee

g21 Army Green Shorts

CallitSpring Platform Wedge Booties

Innisfree Cobalt Nailpolish