wunderbar

Seeking advice about online consignment!

noreply@blogger.com (Kaitlin @ Wunderbar) — Mon, 26 Aug 2013 19:22:00 +0000

Hello, ladies! Long time no see. I recently joined the world of online consignment, and I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with Poshmark or Threadflip (or any of the others) and has an opinion about which one is a better platform for selling. I'm currently on Poshmark, but I feel like there's a lot of junk burying the good stuff. I mean, I'm not selling designer labels, but nice, clean, good quality pieces. What would you recommend??

I also heard about Bib & Tuck and I'm thinking about giving it a try. I'm not out to make money, but would love to empty out my closet of unworn stuff and find some new pieces. Is B&T worth it? The whole idea is really neat, but does it actually work in practice?

Any advice appreciated!

throwback // sundress refashion

noreply@blogger.com (Kaitlin @ Wunderbar) — Tue, 02 Jul 2013 10:54:00 +0000

Ah yes, one of those projects with pathetic photography. :P

Still love the fabric!

throwback // anthro knockoff shirtdress

noreply@blogger.com (Kaitlin @ Wunderbar) — Sun, 30 Jun 2013 11:24:00 +0000

One of my favorite projects - still wear it all the time!

throwback // retro headbands

noreply@blogger.com (Kaitlin @ Wunderbar) — Sat, 29 Jun 2013 11:24:00 +0000

This time a year ago....

one year blogiversary

noreply@blogger.com (Kaitlin @ Wunderbar) — Fri, 28 Jun 2013 11:18:00 +0000

Wow, I can't believe it's already been a year! Forty projects later and here we are.

Though I have a couple projects sitting on my to-photograph pile, I am less and less sure that will happen before we move as my pile of boxes grows. So to tide me over during the move, I'm going to be doing throwbacks to the projects I was posting a year ago.

Here's the project that started it all!

two year anniversary

noreply@blogger.com (Kaitlin @ Wunderbar) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:55:00 +0000

We've been together for six years and married for the last two.

Marrying my best friend was a great idea.

ikea inspired // sharpie art

noreply@blogger.com (Kaitlin @ Wunderbar) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 16:23:00 +0000

When I saw Sarah's plate wall in the Crafting with the Stars challenge, I was inspired. Using a projector to trace images was such a great idea. Only I didn't have plates or a projector. What I did have was a canvas, a canvas that I had been dying to repaint for a while.

catching up

noreply@blogger.com (Kaitlin @ Wunderbar) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 15:51:00 +0000

Wow, it's been almost a month. So much has happened, and so much is yet to come.

Since we last spoke.....

- my seniors finished their theses and graduated

- I found a new teaching job (going back to elementary, but I think I'll still get to teach a little Latin)

- we found an apartment - yay!

School only ended last week, but I'm trying to stay busy with fun or productive things. I'm off to Orlando next weekend for a friend's wedding, and then it will be pack, pack, pack until we move next month. This week I'm trying to squeeze in as many sewing/craft projects as I can, and hopefully that will tide the blog over for a while.

Though I was disgruntled about moving for a while, I'm now excited at the prospect of redecorating my living room. It will be nice to start over with a new color palette. I'm thinking beige and antique black, with touches of turquoise - can't get rid of my mason jars! Expect some home decor projects as I change up all my stuff.

Till next time,

Sewing Superstar at Cut Out & Keep

noreply@blogger.com (Kaitlin @ Wunderbar) — Mon, 13 May 2013 19:08:00 +0000

Exciting news at Wunderbar!

This week I'm being featured over at Cut Out & Keep as one of their Sewing Superstars. I was thrilled when Cat asked me, and had a lot of fun curating the collection of my projects. You'll probably recognize them if you're a regular over here, but you should definitely check out some of the other people they've featured. (There's also my super fun bio that includes never before revealed information that I'm sure you're dying to know.) It's been a great way for me to find other bloggers to connect with and projects that I want to try.

Thanks again to the Cut Out & Keep crew for this opportunity!

This week I'm in the middle of a production assembly line making nursing covers (and still trying to get caught up on my quilt squares). Senior theses are over this week, though, so I'm hoping to have more time for projects in the near future.

Refashion Friday XV

noreply@blogger.com (Kaitlin @ Wunderbar) — Fri, 03 May 2013 14:48:00 +0000

So as some of you probably noticed, features never made it up last Friday. I sincerely apologize for that. My life is a little crazy right now, and somehow the entire freaking week got away from me. To give you a peek into my life....

1) My husband decided to go to law school! So we're moving this summer.

2) Since we're moving this summer, I have to leave my current teaching job and am hunting for a new one. Oh the fun of interviews!

3) While job hunting and planning a move, I'm in the thick of finishing up senior theses. Have you ever tried getting seniors to finish writing a 15 page paper and deliver a 20 minute presentation at the end of the year??? Craziness.

So yes, my sewing/blogging time has had to take a hit. Hopefully I can get back into the swing of things in the next couple weeks, but Refashion Friday might have to take hiatus this summer.

Last week on Refashion Friday....

Pam from Threading My Way demonstrated an easy way to shorten cuffed sleeves.

Elizabeth from the Hungry Octopus refashioned two pieces into a new chic outfit.

Zhenya from Being Zhenya transformed a woven rice bag into a stylish tote.

Nelesc from Nelesc Designs has designed a pattern for upcycling fabrics into a cool hat.

Jen from Diary of a MadMama altered a thrift-store dress into a more flattering style (and at 17 cents, what a steal!).

Tara from All Glorious made an old shirt into a cute, versatile flower pin.

Refashion Friday XIV

noreply@blogger.com (Kaitlin @ Wunderbar) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 21:20:00 +0000

Sorry, ladies, running behind today. I'm going to do features tomorrow.

Anthro Inspired // Dip Dyed Gingham

noreply@blogger.com (Kaitlin @ Wunderbar) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:50:00 +0000

This was a fun, easy project inspired by an Anthro blouse. I realize now that the pattern of my blouse isn't technically a gingham (is it a plaid???). I'm keeping my eyes peeled at the thrift store for a true gingham blouse so I can do it again, but I'm enjoying this one in the meantime.

Refashion Friday XIII

noreply@blogger.com (Kaitlin @ Wunderbar) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:09:00 +0000

Things are still slow around here. My senior class is submitting their theses today, so it's been a bit crazy this past week finishing up the last minute details with them. Here's a teaser for the project I still need to post....

Last week on Refashion Friday....

Tara from All Glorious transformed a onesie into a chic tanktop with ribbon embellishment.

Jordan from LilyWhite Designs turned a men's flannel shirt into a cute tunic top.

Jen from Diary of a MadMama up-cycled a fancy men's shirt into a pleated skirt.

MammaNene from Serger Pepper made a color-blocked denim skirt from three pairs of jeans and undies from old t-shirts (pattern included!).

Sarah from Photosarah Crafts refashioned an old top of her mother's into something new with sentimental value.

Sharon from A Vintage Crafty Adventure refashioned a pair of socks into cozy toddler leggings.

virtual quilting bee // third installment

noreply@blogger.com (Kaitlin @ Wunderbar) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 20:58:00 +0000

Ok, I think these colors are working...

If you read my last quilting post, you might remember that I was concerned about too many earth tones clashing with the cooler blues. I was able to incorporate a little of both in one of my newest blocks (upper left corner), and I think the contrast helps tie the others together.

Origami Star (center blocks) is still my favorite though!

Refashion Friday XII

noreply@blogger.com (Kaitlin @ Wunderbar) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 12:10:00 +0000

I've been up to my eyeballs in grading this week, but I'm looking forward to quilting my new blocks this weekend for the virtual quilting bee. I also realized that I still have a project left over from Spring Break that I never shared, so get ready for some more Anthro-inspiration coming to Wunderbar this week!

Last week on Refashion Friday....

Lisa from One Red Shoe demonstrated a cool, easy bleaching technique to make designs on clothes.

Magda E. from House of Estrela refashioned different pieces of clothing into an adorable outfit for her daughter (make sure you check out the jacket).

Nelesc from Nelesc Designs showed us an alternative way to size down pants.

Sarah from Photosarah Crafts refashioned a tee into a simple no-sew scarf.

Jen from Diary of a MadMama turned a pair of pants into a (two-piece) dress - WOW!

Refashion Friday XI

noreply@blogger.com (Kaitlin @ Wunderbar) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 12:18:00 +0000

Whew. We haven't even been back to school one week and I'm already zonked. And I worked on so many refashioning projects over break that now I need to recharge from that and think of some new ideas.

Last week on Refashion Friday...

MammaNene from Serger Pepper turned some plain t-shirts into flouncy, raglan-tee style dresses for her daughter.

Nelesc from Nelesc Designs refashioned a sweatshirt to look pretty fierce - warrior mama!

Tara from All Glorious has a quick, easy refashion for turning a onesie into a baby cardi. Too cute!

Frontier Artist showed us how to quickly transform a tee into a stylish tank.

Alyna from Thrifty Gifty repurposed a loved hoodie into a fun throw pillow.

Elizabeth from the Hungry Octopus turned an old school dress into a lovely, chic sundress.

Magda E. from House of Estrela turned a turtleneck dress into a versatile modern dress.

Men's Shirt to Pleated Skirt

noreply@blogger.com (Kaitlin @ Wunderbar) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 19:04:00 +0000

This is the tale of a beautiful shirt that my husband and I ruined.

He left a fountain pen in the breast pocket. I ran it through the washing machine.

John was glum. I was gleeful.

Time for a men's shirt refashion!!!

Want to try your hand at refashioning but don't know where to begin? Try this simple men's shirt refashion and make a lovely, simple pleated skirt.

Refashion Friday X

noreply@blogger.com (Kaitlin @ Wunderbar) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 22:19:00 +0000

Sorry this is late!! You'd think I'd be on top of things during Spring Break, but no. And today we decided to make an impromptu trip to the National Zoo. As appeasement for my tardiness, check out this hilarious picture from the zoo today. They were so intent on that zebra!

Last week on Refashion Friday....

Sarah from Photosarah Crafts made an adorable reversible bag from a thrifted skirt.

Jen from Diary of a MadMama refashioned her daughter's sweater into something more stylish, and refashioned men's neckties into a variety of fun, fashionable things.

Cari from Sew Cari turned a simple tank into a lovely spring top.

Tara from All Glorious turned a men's shirt into a chic button up skirt.

MammaNene from Serger Pepper made precious dresses for her daughter from recycled materials. Too cute!

Magda E. from House of Estrela transformed an emerald dress from boring to WOW!

Mikelina from Mikelina Makes made some rockstar baby britches from some thrifted shirts.

more quilt blocks

noreply@blogger.com (Kaitlin @ Wunderbar) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 18:36:00 +0000

So I'm in love with quilting. I'm sewing two of every block to make a larger quilt, but I can't decide if I like the bottom left block. The colors are too muted, right? Maybe I can weave some of those colors in with the brighter fabrics in other blocks and make it work.

(Just noticed that I sewed those corners in backwards....urgh. Guess that will be a "variation" block.)

Polka Dot Jeans w/ Bleach Pen

noreply@blogger.com (Kaitlin @ Wunderbar) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 00:37:00 +0000

Yet another bandwagon upon which I was late to hop....

but I'm so glad I did! This is definitely one of my all-time favorite projects. Cheap, relatively easy, and lovely result. Half the tutorials for polka dot jeans that I've seen use acrylic paint, but I was afraid paint would come off to easily. I opted to use bleach, specifically a bleach pen, because for whatever reason the liquid just didn't work when I made a test swatch. The bleach pen was easy to use and made little-to-no mess.

I don't think the blog world needs yet another tutorial on how to do bleach polka dots, but here's some thoughts about what I learned during this project.

tweet tweet

noreply@blogger.com (Kaitlin @ Wunderbar) — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 21:38:00 +0000

Wunderbar is now on Twitter!

I know, I know, I put it off for so long but I finally caved. Can I get a whoop from any happy tweeters?

Refashion Friday IX

noreply@blogger.com (Kaitlin @ Wunderbar) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 02:04:00 +0000

I was so inspired by Domestic Bliss Squared's polka dot jeans that I created my own with a bleach pen this week. Playing with bleach is only slightly terrifying....

I'll post my thoughts, the nitty gritty details, and final result later this weekend. But I love them. Hands-down coolest project ever. And like I said, only slightly terrifying.

Last week on Refashion Friday....

Lace Jacket Refashion

noreply@blogger.com (Kaitlin @ Wunderbar) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 00:13:00 +0000

Do you have something in your closest that you adore but never wear? So precious to you that you couldn't possibly part with it, but you never seem to be able to pull off the look? Do you retrieve it from the dark recesses of your closet every so often and grump about how much you want to wear and yet can't? Please tell me I'm not the only one.

This gold dress has been one of those things for me. I love it. It's gorgeous. It's the color of buttery-champagne. It has a BOW. I mean, it's perfect.

Or it would be...except that it's strapless....and doesn't like to stay up....and the lining/boning situation has been acting up for years and won't stay hidden in the back. The simple answer has always been to just wear a shrug with it. But finding the ideal shrug has been an entirely different matter. The kind of matter that makes you pull your hair out and gnash your teeth. Out of desperation I have worn it with a sheer black shrug, a knit turquoise bolero, and a number of other equally inappropriate garments....but none of them ever felt right. And wearing the wrong thing with the perfect dress is just a travesty. The search continued.

And then last month I realized that something made of lace might be just the thing. I proceeded to hunt high and low for a lace jacket/shrug/bolero thing within my price range, but that only resulted in yet more hair pulling and teeth gnashing. I was really starting to think it was time to give up this dress for good when I saw the answer to my problems staring back at me from the very same closet.

bye bye google reader

noreply@blogger.com (Kaitlin @ Wunderbar) — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 14:52:00 +0000

Google reader is leaving! Please considering following Wunderbar with Bloglovin if you want to stay updated.

New to Bloglovin? It's awesome. Trust me.

Refashion Friday VIII

noreply@blogger.com (Kaitlin @ Wunderbar) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 15:04:00 +0000

Sorry I'm running late today. As I mentioned yesterday, my school is finishing up Spirit Week and it's been a little crazy. Today is theme day....can you guess what the faculty theme is??? I labelled every classroom to go with our theme.

Last week on Refashion Friday....