St. Martin Getaway

This month marked our 1 year anniversary which went by in the most incredible blink of an eye.  For our anniversary we decided to go someplace neither of us had ever been so we ended up in St. Martin.  For those who have never been, it's a Caribbean island in the Greater Antilles and unlike other Caribbean Islands I've been before.  The beaches are beautiful, the food is plentiful, the people are awesome and to top it off, the weather was nothing short of amazing with minimal humidity.  St Martin/St. Maarten is separated into two sides, a Dutch and French side which completely feels like your in some sort of European Caribbean wonderland.

We normally stay at resorts but opted this time to go the condo route at Caravanserai which couldn't have been more amazing.  Here are a few snap shots of our week.....

    Waking up to this view all week long was a true delight.

    Breakfast and brunch with limitless mimosas and fruit filled french toast

   Beautiful scenery and interesting architecture EVERYWHERE

    

    Lots of beach frolicking and jet skiing 

  

Airplanes flying freakishly low on the beach right over my head

If you follow me on instagram, these may look familiar

We both love to travel and look forward to many more incredible memory building anniversary's to come.

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My loves......

This dress combines two of my favorite's, Theory and maxi dresses.  Warm weather wouldn't be complete without the two.

Dress: Theory
Sandals: K. Jacques
Bracelets: Club Monaco
Shades: Prada

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DIY Perfect Little Tee

When it comes to a tee, oddly enough that happens to be one article of clothing I'm very particular about.  Mainly because I look for super soft, comfortable, quality cotton.  I need something with a nice stretch but not too stretchy, a good cut and will stand the test of time considering I keep my tee's for years before I retire them.  I'm a huge fan of Theory tee's because the brand seems to encompass all those qualities, but trying to amass a stockpile of Theory tee's will definitely cost you a pretty penny.

When I spotted this Calvin Klein Collection burnout fabric on sale at Fabric Counter I had to jump on it.  This tee fabric is probably more awesome than my Theory tee's and I had the perfect Vogue V8879 pattern to try it out on.  I made this top cropped which is a perfect resort top and  I plan to make another in a longer version as soon as I return home.  The pattern was super easy and because I tripple stitched the seams, It will last forever.

Tee-DIY
Pants- Michael Kors
Earrings: Pamela Love
Shades: Prada

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DIY 1 Hour Maxi Dress

Dress: DIY
Bag- Cole Haan
Sandals- Alexander McQueen 
Shades- Ralph Lauren
Earrings: DIY

When it comes to maxi dresses they are most definitely a summer staple for me, but I encounter an issue that a lot of women over 5'9" have and that's the length.  A properly fitting maxi dress should hit pass your ankle and for me I like for it to drag the floor slightly.  This maxi dress takes literally 1 hour to drape and sew.  Using this  jersey fabric from Mood I did the following:

1.  Measure your chest and subtract 3 inches, determine the length you would like the top of the dress to be and measure from your chest to that point.  Cut one piece of fabric and double the length.
ex: your chest measures 34" and the length from the top of your chest (where the top of the dress would hit) and your waist is 7" cut one piece of fabric 62"x7"

2. Fold the fabric in half length wise on the wrong side, pin close and and sew two of the three sides closed making a tube.  Turn the fabric wright side out and sew the tube closed.  Top stitch the upper half of the tube.

3.  Measure the length you would like your skirt and add two inches, measure your hips and and 15 inches.
ex: your length is 60 inches and your hips are 38 cut the fabric 53"x62"

4.  Pin the skirt to the top creating pleats as you go, you can determine how large you want the pleats based on how much fabric you have left to attach the skirt to the top.  Create pleats around the entire top.

FYI: I used about 1 1/2 yards

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Guilt Free Rutabaga French Fries

When it comes to anything salty and savory I'm always in, which is a problem for a person that LOVES food.  Keeping in step with my low fat movement (THIS MONTH), I baked up a quick alternative that most definitely satisfied my craving.  In additon to the rutabaga giving you the elusion your eating a french fry with a touch of sweetness, the nutritional benefits will help push you over the edge.

                                                          Rutabaga VS Potato
Calories 35/77
Carbs      8g/18g              
Fiber      3g/2g
Inflammation factor     -3/-46

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DIY Spring Suit

I love nothing more than suit dressing, it's easy and you don't have to concern yourself with styling your top with your bottom.  So when this Italian double faced cotton twill arrived from Mood, I new some sort of set/suit had to be made.  I love a greatly designed peplum top so I used the front and back piece to the Vogue 8815 pattern and made the folowing alterations:

Created a faced V neck
Added large breast pleats
Added large box pleats to the peplum
Placed a side zipper
Created a front seam
Eliminated the back seam

I love this top so much I will be creating a pattern to share.

My first preference is a skirt but when it comes to shorts, I like a looser fit with a wider leg which finding a proper fit is a challenge.  I love the structure of these shorts made with Vogue 8836, they are supremely comfortable and very easy to wear.  I made the following alterations to the pattern:

Cut the pant pattern into shorts
Created 1 box pleat on each side

Top & Shorts- DIY
Heels- Gianvito Rossi
Bracelet- Wear Love
Earrings-DIY
Bag- Gucci

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DIY Asymmetric Skirt

With vacation season looming, I figure it's time to brighten up.  I picked up this crepe fabric from Fabric Counter  a couple of months ago which I wasn't a huge fan of but felt compelled considering it was on sale for only $1.50 a yard.  Who could truly pass that up? Not sure what to do with it, I made this skirt from Vogue V8835 and absolutely hated it in this color.  In my attempt to salvage what I viewed as a bad Easter Sunday skirt,  I shortened it and made the front asymmetric.  I probably shouldn't have shortend it as much as I did but the damage is done now.

Skirt-DIY
Shirt- Burberry
Necklaces-DIY
Bangle-AV Max
Clutch-DIY
Heels- Jimmy Choo

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DIY Rolled Leather Clutch

Earlier this year while browsing style.com, I came across the most amazing unique little clutch by Rochas and simply fell in love.  I have looked all over for this clutch but only managed to find a few images and no place to purchase.  So the next best thing is DIY!

I picked up this leather a couple of weeks ago from Tandy Leather Factory during a two day sale and received the deal of the century.  It's unbelievely soft supple and simply amazing!  I was so inspired I also made this one and this one.

Inspiration Image via Brandexclusive

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