Weird hey? But nice. I didn’t know what to think of these shoes when I got them. They have this nostalgic feel , like something I could wear on a balcony while drinking cognac and smoking a cigar but also something you could wear lawn-bowling. The toe shape, the colour, and the overall weirdness of them ultimately won me over.  Now to find some cognac and join a lawn-bowling league…

Hey guys! Yes I am ashamed at my absence on this blog With the combination of starting a new job (yaay I’m a grown-up!) and summer vacations, and blogging for other sites, I have been too busy to update My Vintage Secret so it has unfortunately been thrown on the back burner. I’m just settling into my work routine so I’m going to make an effort to post more often.

Having a job doesn’t allow me to shop for vintage as often as I used to (what an awful side effect!) so I was hoping that I can get some help from you guys! I would love to have some contributors to the site who can tell their vintage stories, share their latest finds, and show some really cool recycled DIYs. If you’re interested please give me a shout at Kaitlin@MyVintageSecret.com!

I have been blogging for GetCraftee for a couple of months where I post DIYs so visit the site if you’re interested! Above is a sneak peek of my latest project that should be posted today so keep checking back!

I started this project a long time ago. I drew a deer, photocopied and enlarged my drawing, cut out the leather pieces, taped them on (pinning through leather breaks nails), then started sewing… and promptly stopped. I realized what I was doing was impossible. Initially I wanted to sew around the edges of the pieces, outlining them (was I drunk?) but soon realized how difficult this was. This project laid on my “to-do” pile for about a month before I got a brainwave(!) last night and decided to just sew them straight on with diagonal top-stitching. I can’t believe how long it took me to come up with this super simple solution…

I hope you like my latest DIY. I’d love to hear what you think!

It’s garage sale season!  At 7:30 am we loaded the van, taking our morning coffees with us in their original china mugs (do other family’s do this?) and sans the back seats for our many anticipated finds. The social aspect is one of the most interesting by-products of garage-saleing. House owners invite strangers into their yards and garages to sift through their lives while making small talk. As we hunt, we slowly learn about the family members, “Looks like junior outgrew is dinosaur phase”, and “Another failed attempt at Tae-Bo,” judging by the parents who lack the biceps of Mr. Billy Blanks. By far, my favourite garage sales are the ones with children running lemonade stands and bake sales (an important lesson in entrepreneurship and hospitality). And of course, the very intelligent parents who put out coffee for the buyers so they won’t low-ball- good thing I brought my mug!

Along with a serge protector bar (thanks for the find Wes) I grabbed these awesome motorcycle boots for $4 (talked the owner down from $5 haha). Best part? They are oil AND acid resistant- PHEW!

Patches are on everything this spring! I remember when I was little and my mother used to put heart patches on top of holes I made in my jeans and I loved them. As I grew older and kept wearing out my jeans, I became “too cool” for patches, making a face at my mom who would offer to mend them with her signature heart patch. I’m happy to see that patches have become a trend! What’s great about patches is they’re so easy to sew onto a pair of old jeans or shorts! Check out my DIY below to see how easy it is to participate in this trend.

Inspiration

Materials

• jean shorts
• fabric squares – use broadcloth and wovens for patches
• thread to match your fabric and denim squares
• sewing machine
• denim squares
• scissors
• pins

Instructions

1. Cut out your squares to various sizes. Have fun with the shapes! If you want to do hearts, stars, unicorns go for it!
2. Pin into place. I have these jeans and hate the back pockets (obviously) so a patch is a perfect way to cover up the ugly embroidery! I used the same fabric from the legs of the jeans for the large patches on the back just so it doesn’t look too… patchy.
3. Baste your squares onto your shorts. (largest stitch length)
4. Zig-zag edges or use a short straight stitch close to the edge of the patch.
5. You’re done!

Be sure to avoid sewing down the front pockets. My back pockets are now unusable because of the patches. If you’re ambitious and want to put patches on your pockets but still remain functional, you can take off your back pockets, sew on your patches, then sew your pocket back on.

Gallery

Unfortunately I didn’t finish the shorts. I have had some DIY disasters in the past few days and this is my third project (the first two failed). I still need to use a zig zag stitch to complete the shorts but realized I didn’t have the right colour thread (and I’m not going to use the neon green I have just lying here). I’ve been v. frustrated but decided to share this DIY with you anyway. I’ll get this done and share the results as soon as possible.

What You Need

• Chain
• Rings (to connect the flower and chain)
• Lace
• Hand-sewing needle and thread

How-To

1. Cut out your flowers or designs from lace.
2. Pin to decide on placement. I find planning this way really helps me decide on the design. I initially started with three types of lace flowers but it was too much when I pinned and tried on the necklace
3. Sew rings onto the back of your flowers with a hand-sewing needle
4. Attach the flowers!

The Gallery

Leather and Cotton Leggings

I actually saw a girl with similar leggings on and I made a mental DIY note to myself to figure out how to make them. But now I can save my brain power (phew)! This lovely project from Blooming Vogue shows us how to combine leather and cotton in a successful way.

For entire project click here!

Painted Jeans

This is on my DIY to-do list too! It’s crazy how DIYers think alike. These jeans are done with fabric markers (the site is in dutch in case you don’t have a translator) and just drawn straight on. I want to do a version with flowers and more of a sponge effect. Courtesy of Fashionable and Me.

For entire project click here!

Get Your Paint on
This project is done with fabric paint and a paint brush. I absolutely love the look of both the oxfords and the jeans and think the colours applied are perfect. This DIY and many others are from PS I Made This. I have so many DIYs to do!

Leggings, I Dye

Shini from Park and Cube uses bleach and pearls to jazz up her leggings. I love her version because it’s very subtle and beautiful. There are so many ways to personalize this project, get going!

For entire project click here!

Leather Disc Jacket

The more I add to this post the more excited I’m getting. I may have a heart attack these DIYs are so awesome. This jacket is made of leather discs that Sophia from Phosphene made is completely brilliant. How do people think of these things? I’m definitely going to make my own version.

For entire project click here!

Zipper Cuff

Anni J from Style Hurricane has the most amazing accessory DIYs on her site! This zipper cuff is just one of many that she makes. And although she doesn’t give the steps to how to make it if you’re lucky you can snap one up from her Etsy store.

Visit project page

I hope you guys liked the DIYs and forgive me for not providing one myself
Which one is your favourite?

I love the start of new seasons. Maybe it’s the prairie-girl in me but one of my favourite moments is when fall turns into winter. Everything is still and you can see your breath- I love a little chill. My other favourite moment is now – when spring is slowly turning into summer (although summer doesn’t technically begin until June 20). I always feel revived and make crazy goals for myself as though it’s a new year; and it’s the typical few: sew more, eat better, get better sleep. But the best part about summer is shopping for weather-appropriate garments. This season I feel nude colours and floral are everywhere so I’ve been keeping my eye out for it. I found these lovely silk tops at Value Village and I’m in love! Normally I don’t buy such feminine pieces but hey, summer makes me do crazy things.  I grabbed them for $6 each and I can’t wait to wear them into the hot summer months where I will pair them with t-shirt-thin cardigans keeping me nice and cool.

What items are you looking to add to your summer wardrobe?