Last weekend a few girlfriends and I threw a surprise engagement party for our friends.  From the get go, we knew we wanted it to be nautical with a blue, white and gold colour scheme.  It was something we planned for almost two months and we got a really awesome reaction from the bride and groom-to-be!

I wanted to share a few of the things we did, the decor and how it all came together, plus a few DIY's if you'd like to see.

Happy Halloween!  Despite being confused with a ballerina 50% of the time, this pink flamingo costume was a big hit and cute at the same time.  I hadn't planned to dress up during the day today but then I saw Veronika's adorable flamingo DIY for her daughter and it sparked an idea for myself.

This is the maternity maxi dress I made for my sister for her baby shower.  Clearly it has been cinched and clamped at the back in the photo above as I don't have a maternity mannequin, but you can see how it looked on her in the photo below.

We went to the fabric store several months ago to pick out some thick jersey.  She choose this pretty blue colour--and ironically she's having a boy--and I took it home.  I didn't start the dress until the Monday before the Saturday shower.  Halfway through the evening, I texted her in a bit of a panic as I realized making a maxi with no pattern--just a maxi she already has as a guide--and none of her measurements wasn't really going to work.  She came over half an hour later and proceeded to put it on and take it off several times as I made adjustments here and there.  Good thing she did because the top part (I sewed the top and skirt seperate and then attached them) was looking a little Star Trek-ish until I ruched up the shoulers.

After she left, I sewed the skirt, attached it to the top and did the hem.  The dress turned out beautifully despite being a little longer in the torso than expected (my sister ended up belting the dress to solve that problem, which really worked out) and I was so proud.  I dropped the dress off the morning of the shower and saw her a couple laters in it when she arrived.  It is my best piece to date as despite creating a maxi dress for myself a few months ago, this was different as it was (a) a maternity style, and (b) had 'straps'.  I'm hoping she will still be able to wear it after the baby is born.

Me & my sis playing the, 'Guess how big the baby belly is with a ribbon-game'.

I took pictures of my sister at the shower, outside, by herself but sadly--and I'm pretty upset over this--the pictures were somehow erased off my SD card.  I'm trying to recover them but think it may be a lost cause.  If I'm able to recover them I will definitely add them to this post at a later date and let you know.

Mesh is an up and coming trend so when I spied this super on-sale Vero Moda top I scooped it up from The Bay with this DIY in mind.  Speaking of sales, Place d'Orleans is having a huge side-walk sale next week, July 11 - 14 and I can guarantee I'll be hitting that up to score some great deals (you should to!).

Back to the skirt, I love the idea of pairing this mesh overlay on top of a black skirt to add some interest to an outfit.  You might remember this peplum top from my Fall Fashion vlog--peplum is still going strong so if you haven't jumped on the band wagon yet, the time is now--and these wedges from my Spring Trends vlog.  I've also thrown in a few newbies that are currently in store like this Limité pink statment necklace & the white studded Ardène cross-body clutch down below.  

Scroll down to check out this easy, no-sew DIY.

Try it with neon... or other fun items found at Place d'Orleans:

If you try this, be sure to tweet me with the hashtag #PDOmeshoverlayskirt

HAVE FUN!

For my tenth video as the Place d'Orleans Fashion Vlogger, I'm showing you exactly how to turn your maxi dress into a maxi skirt (via video!).  I absolutely loved the chevron pattern on this maxi dress from Urban Planet but sadly, as you can see, it's more than a tad short.  I couldn't pass it up though (it was $19; cheaper than buying the fabric itself!) and knew instantly what I wanted to do--I never even tried it on as a dress in the store, I simply tried it as if it were a skirt!

Watch the video below to see a very easy way to use your sewing machine to turn your maxi dress into a maxi skirt.

SIDE NOTE:  I added a waist-band to the skirt as it wasn't long enough for me without it (I'm 5'11), however, if you're shorter, or your fabric is longer, you could skip the waist-band part altogether.  Since this is jersey fabric, if you're not a sewer, or don't have a machine, you can simply cut it and wear it.  The jersey will not fray, simply roll a little, which looks charming anyways.

Stay tuned for more videos (specifically on the Place d'Orleans FB page). 

Have fun!

Other videos:
* Fall Fashion (video #1)
* Wardrobe Classics (video #2)
* Bundling Up for Winter (video #3)
* How-to Style a Sequin Skirt (video #4)
* What to Wear for New Years Eve (video #5)
* New Year, New You! (video #6)
* Accessories & a Hair Tutorial (video #7)

Have an old sweatshirt that needs sprucing up before tossing out?  Or perhaps, like me, you're looking for the perfect casual-meets-cool sweatshirt.

I found this sweatshirt at Giant Tiger for $4 (what?!); they also had black and navy (which I may go back for another at that price).  The great thing about the price too is if you screw it up, it's not a huge deal.  Read on to see how I made this masterpiece...

Voila!*

Pair it with:

* Jeans & a pair of ankle boots.

* A sequined skirt & tights.

* Leggings and a long tank (sporty, even works for the gym).

Don't feel like making one?  Here are some cute F21 options:

* White & pink, off the shoulder.

* Tie-dye.

* Sequined numbers.

* Sequined heart.

* Similar to mine (gray).

* Yes, I basically cut the neck line out of this sweatshirt and rolled up the sleeves.  It doesn't get much simpler than that.  You could cut off the bottom band, but I wanted to keep mine... for now at least.  Have fun!

 

* Hold the fabric up length-wise at the store to ensure what you're cutting is long enough.  For reference, I'm 5'11 and we did 1.5 meters.

* I laid out a maxi dress I own and traced the skirt portion, generously leaving an extra 5 inches or so on one side.  I also started my tracing about 6 inches down from the top of my fabric (to account for the fold over waistband).  I initially pinned it in a waved look, hoping it would cling to my butt better and flare out (like a fit 'n flare style) but learned that you can simply pin straight down.

 

* After sewing the fabric together to create a seam down the back of the skirt, I would try it on, discover it was too big, re-pin, sew, try on, etc.  Keep doing this until you are satisfied with the fit.

* Then I sewed a 1 inch hem around the bottom.

 

* In the left shot you can see the additional fabric at the seam on the back (I'm wearing the skirt inside out).  Once you are satisfied with the fit, you can cut this off.

* The right shot is a shot of the skirt head on, sewn hem and the fold-over waistband (which I did not finish with a seam, simply folded it and left the edge raw.