Reconstructed Crop Top (Tutorial)

I am in dire need of more costume pieces, so I looked in the closet for reconstruction projects. Making costumes from scratch have always been overwhelming for me so recreating clothes is the next best option. The blouse I chose was very familiar with belly dancing because it was the shirt I wore on the opening night of Lady Morrighan's BellyRoom in Hammond. What a coincidence!

This is the shirt I chose for my project:

All is needed is a blouse, a pair of scissors, a sewing machine (or needle and thread), straight pins, safety pins, and elastic.

1.) Try on the blouse and measure how high you want to cut. Keep in mind to leave room for threading in the elastic.

2.) Fold the edge of the blouse wide enough for the elastic and straight pin the seams. Do not place the elastic in yet. Use the sewing machine or hand sew.

3.) After you finish sewing the edges, make a small, delicate, slit inside the middle back seam like this:

4.) Stick a safety pin inside the elastic and thread it through the slit. In order to make sure the amount of elastic used is comfortable, connect the safety pin to the other side of the elastic and try on the blouse. After you find the appropriate amount of elastic to use, cut and sew it together.

VOILA!

Stir-fry #1

For my first attempt at stir-fry, I used these ingredients:

Above: Zucchini, onion, frozen vegetables, mince garlic (not included: soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and vegetable oil)

After slicing the zucchini and dicing the onion, I placed the onions (and garlic) into a wok with vegetable oil to saute on medium heat.

QUICK AUDIBLE! At the last minute, I decided to try a new bottle of dried diced garlic I bought from Big Lots. You can use bottled (as seen in the first picture), fresh, or dried garlic if you wish, but it does effect the order you place the ingredients in the wok.

As the diced onions and garlic begin to turn light brown, place the zucchini and frozen vegetables in the wok and cover.

Add soy or Worcestershire sauce if you wish. Let it cook down for 10-15 minutes and you will have this:

Enjoy!

Stir-Fry Challenge

Lately, I have filled myself with junk food, sugar, and starch. If you listen closely, you can hear your body asking for attention. My body is begging for mercy.
This has resulted in a short junk food break. When I mean short, I mean until I feel "up to par." I restocked the fridge with much needed vegetables at an affordable price for stir frying. Some vegetables were freshly grown, some were frozen and packaged. I long for home-grown produce, but I needed something for lunch that's not high in starch for a week...

Below: (6) Bags of Frozen Vegetables, (3) Zucchinis, (3) Cucumbers, and (5) Tomatoes

Thai Cucumber Salad!

A couple of friends and I went to a lovely Thai restaurant the other day to eat before our Beats Antique trip. My first visit to the restaurant was vague, so it was an eye-opener when trying the appetizer, the Thai Cucumber Salad. The cucumbers were filled with a delicious sweet and spicy flavor that was so unusual to me, I just had to attempt the dish at home. I found this recipe from B's Cucumber Page labeled under Thai Cucumber Salads and Relishes. Although I alternated the sliced red peppers and red onions with red pepper flakes and yellow onions (and let's not forget a favorite of mind, garlic), it came out relatively close to the Thai restaurant's dish. I do intend to prepare the salad again with the original instructions in the future.

Renaissance Festival!

The Renaissance Festival has wrapped up and I've came back with memories and a new completed top!

Before

After (The young lady on the left is a fellow troupe dancer, Lady Bonnie.)