Moon River, cover by the Honey Trees...and the original by Audrey Hepburn

A beautiful cover of the song Audrey Hepburn sings in the movie, "Breakfast at Tiffany's" by The Honey Trees. If you like this, their album "Wake the Earth" is beautiful. The Honey Trees are a "dream pop" band consisting of just two people, Becky and Jacob. I'm listening to their album today as I sew. Check it out on iTunes and buy it!

I love the song Audrey sings in the movie, "Moon River" by Henry Mancini. It was almost cut from the film, and a Paramount executive said, "Over my dead body!" Good thing. Because it is such a beautiful scene. 

Breakfast at Tiffany's, one of my favorites. I absolutely adore this film! I think every little girl watches this movie, idolizing Audrey and her character Holly Golightly. The stylish, fun-loving, independent city girl that falls in love. You don't realize until years the lifestyle of the main characters, Holly's love interest is a writer with a married sugar mama, and Holly is basically a call girl, with her income solely coming from the dates she goes on with successful men. That aside, it's a beautiful story and a great film.

This iconic movie has influenced so many New York and Manhattan based romantic comedies, "Barefoot in the Park, "Sex and The City" and so many more. Everything about Breakfast at Tiffany's is so lovely. Can you believe there are people that have never seen it (cough cough Matt)?! I think I've convinced him to watch it with me soon.

A little something extra for you Sex and the City fans. Remember the scene in Sex and the City, when Big is moving to California. Carrie and Big dance to Moon River in his living room, and it's so sweet. I'm pretty sure it made me cry once or twice. I've definitely cried at the end of Breakfast at Tiffany's more than once. Oh I'm such a sap.

Repairing your boyfriend's jeans

You sew; your boyfriend doesn't. He gets you to fix all his clothes because you can. Does this sound familiar? This will be the first in a series of "boyfriend repairs" segment on my blog, titled "Sewing with Love", DIY instructions for all your boyfriend's and loved ones tailoring and sewing needs. 

Got a great DIY project you did for you boyfriend? Email me about a possible guest post! sallyannfashion@gmail.com.

Back to the tutorial... so your boyfriend has jeans with holes but doesn't want to part with them.

You will need:

• scrap denim
• pinking shears
• scissors
• thread
• stitch witch
• sewing machine
• matching thread

Start by cutting out a patch, with the pinking shears, that will cover the hole with at least an extra inch on every side. Using pinking shears will prevent fraying. Cover all four sides with stitch witch and iron on the inside of the jeans, with the hole in the exact center of the patch. Press from both sides. Make sure every side of the patch is secure on the jeans.

Head over to your sewing machine, and be sure to change your needle to a "jeans" or heavy duty needle. I don't know how many times I was too lazy and impatient to do this and I broke a needle. And breaking needles is BAD for your machine. It can mess with the timing and cause future problems. So take a second and change that out, and thread with matching thread, or be creative and have fun with bold colored thread.

Top stitch around the hole, using a zig zag stitch around the frayed edges. This is where you can have fun with different ways of stitching. Make some triangles, an irregular patch job, whatever you want, as long as everything is secured and in place. 

Match all holes and surprise him with a "new" pair of jeans! They were so close to the Goodwill pile, and now they're back in rotation with all the other jeans he loves to wear! Make him cook you dinner for your kind deeds, or ask for a back massage. Bartering is great, huh? Just kidding. I just do it because I enjoy doing nice things for those I love.

What are your favorite things to sew for others? Or your boyfriend? 

Spicy Hummus and the end of football!

Thank goodness football season is finally coming to an end. Don't get me wrong, I like football, but I just can't wait for it to be over. First I have to watch college football, which is understandable since my boyfriend went to Auburn and they were national champions in 2010, and now professional! AH! TOO MUCH FOOTBALL! I joke around that we will soon be watching a million chick flicks and doing girly things now that I get to pick the events of the day. Actually, I'd love to go kayaking, have picnics, dog walks, and things outside.

Sunday was the AFC and NFC championship games, the winners of each game go to the Super Bowl. Instead of doing dinner just Matt and I, we went to watch the game with friends. Our dish to pass - spicy hummus. Here is the recipe and instructions for preparation. It was so yummy and we still have some leftover!

Ingredients (original recipe from Allrecipes.com, I changed a few things):

• 2 15 oz. cans garbanzo beans / chick peas
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (I substituted safflower oil)
• 2 tablespoons tahini (I substituted peanut butter)
• 1/8 cup lemon juice (I used the fresh juice from one lemon)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• handful of jarred jalapeno slices
• 1 tablespoon juice from jar of jalapenos
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Mix everything in a food processor and that's all! It is seriously so easy and so yummy! Serve with fresh pita, pita chips, or even better, with carrots!

Belle & Sebastian, always a favorite and never disappointing.

A band that NEVER disappoints, Belle & Sebastian is one of my favorites. I remember when I bought my first B&S CD, I found it at Salvation Army for $1.99 when I was 16. I had one of their songs on an CD a friend burned me, but couldn't find their CD at any local shop. It was the album, "The Boy With The Arab Strap". I don't know who would get rid of a Belle & Sebastian album, but it made me so happy they did!

Belle & Sebastian is an indie pop band from Glasow, Scotland that formed in 1996. Their music is very uplifting and pretty, often called "wistful pop". Give them a listen!

I listened to it nonstop and became obsessed with the band. I even met the band when I was 18 with my friend, Sara. I wish I still had the pictures of me with Stuart in my homemade B&S sweater! I scoured all my ancient Photobucket accounts with no success. At the concert we were second row and went nuts, dancing during the entire show. Hands down it was one of the best concerts of my life and was right after "Dear Catastrophe Waitress" was released. 

After the concert, we asked Chris and Stuart what Isobel had been up to, Stuart's old flame that had left the band, and Chris, the keyboard player, gave me HIS copy of her then recently released album that was in his CD player. I still have it and love love love them! All their albums are fantastic and you should listen to them all!

Their new album is as good as all their oldies, titled "Belle & Sebastian Write About Love". Stuart's song on the album, "Read The Blessed Pages" is a really sad song to Isobel, 10 years after their breakup. I cried the first time I heard it, it was so beautiful.

For those of you that are not familiar with the band, here are some songs to listen to and my 20 favorites, in no particular order:

1. Sleep The Clock Around
2. Step Into my office, baby
3. Expectations
4. Piazza, New York Catcher
5. Read The Blessed Pages
6. Fox In The Snow
7. Asleep On A Sunbeam
8. The Boy With The Arab Strap
9. Is It Wicked Not To Care?
10. I Don't Love Anyone
11. The State That I Am In
12. I'm A Cuckoo
13. I Fought In A War
14. The Wrong Girl
15. I Love My Car
16. My Wandering Days Are Over
17. Stars Of Track and Field
18. Judy And The Dream Of Horses
19. If She Wants Me
20. Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying

What are your favorite Belle & Sebastian songs?!

Drab to Fab - Changing a blouse's neckline DIYA Saturday Night Out- What I Wore:: 1.21.12

I've owned this silk floral blouse for years, and it has never left the hanger in my closet for more than an hour. I've tried it on, and put it right back. The above picture is after, below picture, before. I probably bought it for less than $5 at Goodwill, I vaguely remember buying it when I was expanding my wardrobe for the business casual dress code when I was a seamstress at David's Bridal. The neckline was always what bothered me. It was too high and very dated. I did love how it was baggy, silk, and floral.

Saturday night was Matt's boss, Chuck Williams, was celebrating his 60th birthday! And I had nothing to wear! Thirty minutes before we had to be to dinner, I decided to tackle this neckline. Matt is in radio, and is a local on-air personality at 95 Rock, Augusta's Rock Station. So Chuck's birthday party was a huge bash at a local bar, 1102, with a Tom Petty cover band, Pretty Petty, and loads of fun. 

For a similar alteration, you will need:

• scissors
• shirt
• matching fabric for facing
• tape measure
• chalk

To sew, (sorry I was in such a rush I didn't take pictures) start by drawing the neckline you desire, on the front and back of your shirt. Cut. Grab matching fabric to use for facing. Use your new neckline to trace a front and back facing, about two inches wide and the shape of the neckline. Sew these two pieces together and then sew to the shirt, pinning good sides together, and sew. Top stitch the facing down (optional) and press. That's it! New shirt!

I love low scooped backs! This shirt was so comfortable and I received so many compliments on it. I can't wait to do this to more shirts. 

And these are the awesome shoes I wore, $2.99 at Salvation Army.

Matt and I at 1102. We had such a great time with our friends! 

Questions? Comments!?

Nothing New Guest Post

Hey guys, this is Brittany!  I run a one woman operation called Nothing New, where I turn all kinds of unwanted textiles into wearable treasure. 

When I first opened my etsy shop, I did a search for other upcycling designers and immediately came across Sally's shop and blog.  I fell in love with a little tan dress of hers, and she loved a dress of mine.  So we decided to trade, dress for dress.

Lucky for me, the dress fit like a glove!  It originally came with a belt of the same colour, but I swapped it with a dark leather one that I found at the thrift for $2.  I love this belt, but unfortunately, so does my bunny.  No matter where I hide it, she always seems to find it.  Needless to say it has a few battle scars.

This dress a boon for winter because it's fully lined- so it's nice and warm!  It just begs to be warn with thick tights and boots (mine were $10 from the thrift store).

The thrill of finding a designer to swap with is unparalleled.  The dress feels like it's free, and it's so flattering when you share a mutual enthusiasm over each other's work.  Thanks Sally!

Building New Traditions

Since Matt has moved in, we have been enjoying many more meals together. While he only lived a block away for the last year, it's still a great new adventure everyday, sharing the same living space. We decided this past Sunday to start a tradition in our home, that every Sunday we will cook dinner together. 

This week, we decided on cheeseburgers, sweet potato fries, and lima beans. Matt was in charge of burgers and I prepared the rest. I got out my iPad (Matt's Christmas present to me!!) and looked up a dill feta spread/dip for the sweet potato fries. It was really easy. Equal parts cream cheese and crumbled feta, adding dill to taste. I used about a teaspoon. Because the dill is easy to see in the spread, you won't really add too much. I whipped it up with my mixer, making it smooth and perfect for the fries. 

For the sweet potato fries, I cut the potato into long strips, all close to the same thickness, and seasoned them with fresh ground pepper and sea salt. I baked them on an air-insulated baking sheet, at 425 degrees for 20 minutes or until crispy.

You can't have a great dinner without a good bottle of wine. We opened this one while cooking and I had a glass before dinner. This is my favorite cheap Merlot, Blackstone. $6-10 at a grocery store or package shop. 

Matt, the grill master. The burgers were massive, 1/2 lb. each! Matt's idea, not mine. Inside the ground chuck burgers, I added cinnamon (my secret ingredient, well, not so secret anymore), garlic powder, onion powder, Matt hates actual onions, and salt and pepper. Grilling on our porch, maybe not the best idea. Next time, we'll be sure to grill on the sidewalk or front yard.

Zeus was dreaming if he thought food was for him. He's so big, resting his head on the counter is no problem at all. I "accidentally" drop fresh vegetables when I cook. I learned he doesn't like onions or cherry tomatoes recently. It's hilarious when he spits the food back out.

The best burger you ever did see! Loaded with American cheese, tomato, lettuce, fresh guacamole, mayo, ketchup, dijon mustard, and salt and pepper, on a whole wheat bun and a 1/2 lb. patty.

Cat salt and pepper shakers. 

Dinner is served.

It was a great meal and so much fun cooking together! It's a great way to spend time with your other half, and trying new dishes and meals. Matt and I had such a great time! And everything tasted great. I can't wait for next Sunday.

Next time, I think I want to try Amberly Sara's Roasted Veggie Pesto Pizza! We'll see what Matt thinks about that.

What do you do for with your other half at mealtime?! Do you have any dinner suggestions?

OH! And be sure to check out the giveaway on my Facebook Page!

Indie Darling - Slacker Beanie

My goal for 2012: only buy handmade and second hand. It's really not that hard if you really love what you are buying. You end up buying less and wearing what you buy a whole lot more. When a item of clothing carries more importance to you, you'll naturally love wearing it more, and get so much more use out of it. This is certainly the case with my new Slacker Beanie from Mandy of Miss Indie's shop, Indie Darling.

I ordered the Slacker Beanie in denim blue, and it only cost $25. Not bad for something handmade by an actual human, whose face you can see and whose life you can read about on her blog. Mandy has a really fun blog full of pretty things, vintage finds, inspirational thoughts, and DIYs from all over the internet! I first found her on Twitter a few years ago, when she was on Etsy, and loved her chunky crocheted designs.

I wear this hat a lot around the house, since my hair is finally to the length that I can shove it in a hat and focus on work instead of styling my thick rat's nest. And now that it's cold out, it's great to keep my head warm and wear out on errands and to work. It's so comfortable! This hat would be great for anyone with a lot of hair, and even for guys with dreads! (Don't mind my extremely messy work room in the background!)

Clementine getting in on my photo shoot. She was not happy and wanted me to put her down as soon as my camera went on the tripod. The winter months have definitely been kind to Clem's waistline. I never realize how heavy she is until I see her in pictures. Much like how I gauge my weight, ha. It's pretty bad when friends refer to her as "the big bitchy one". But I still love her more than anything.

Check out more hats and goodies from Indie Darling.

Robyn, a fun, spunky, pint-sized pop star.

I have been obsessed with this music video by Robyn since I came across it on YouTube last year. I must have watched it three times in a row when I first found it. Then I went over to iTunes and bought the entire album, Body Talk. Watch the video, "Call Your Girlfriend" below: 

Robyn is a pint sized pop star from Sweden. You may remember her single in the 90s, "Show Me Love." Her recent album, "Body Talk" is so infectious and melodic. I listen to it from start to finish while sewing. Not many albums are good enough to listen to in their entirety, especially while I'm working, but this album definitely passes that test. It is so upbeat; nothing can be sad when Robyn is playing! And her dancing! I love her quirky moves. I'd like to think I dance a little strange like Robyn when I lose myself on the dance floor. 

While I'm not really one for pop music, Robyn is the true exception I will make if I had to pick just one pop star. I actually found this video while (sadly) watching Lady Gaga music videos. Yes. I admit it. I listen to Lady Gaga from time to time. But back to Robyn. Robyn definitely trumps Gaga, and it has even been reported that Gaga took many cues from Robyn years ago when she was starting out. 

Robyn makes me want to cut my hair short and dye it blonde! Oh how I miss being blonde.

Another great Robyn video, "Dancing On My Own":

What are you favorite bands right now? What are you listening to while you work?

Trash to Treasure -- A room divider DIY using salvaged side lights

Pretty room divider, eh? You'd never guess it cost less than $20 and is almost 100% recycled! This project is perfect for those that are familiar with power tools and basic construction. A great way to stylishly divide a room but still see what's beyond the divider. Maybe even frost the windows for a different,  more hidden effect. See the tutorial below for full instructions!

I picked up these "junk" sidelights from my friend, Trent. From a local residential home, side lights are stationary windows adjacent to a door. When Trent was building the runway for my fashion show, I spotted these in his lumber yard. I asked him what he was going to do with them, my mind wandering and wishing they were mine. He said, "Oh, those are trash." I squealed and asked if I could have them and I'm pretty sure Trent thought I was nuts.

I decided right away that I'd make a room divider with them. 

For this project, you will need:

• sidelights or something similar
• sandpaper
• wood filler
• six hinges (and screws)
• one piece of wood, I used a 1" x 12" x 72", for center board
• paint
• painter's tape (optional)
• razor blade
• paint brush
• tape measure
• power drill
• drill bit and phillips head bit

Step one. Sand down sidelights and center board. Fill all holes with wood filler, sand again.

Allow wood filler to dry and paint all boards. I planned on using the painter's tape, but it was too time consuming so I opted to just use a razor blade after painting to remove excess paint. This is a personal preference, and you can choose which you'd rather do. Tape off before or scrap after.

Maybe I'm too impatient, but I thought it was easier to scrape the paint off with a razor blade, above. Do this on all of the windows and clean them well with windex. 

Equally space the three sets of hinges on the first side light. Ex. the height of my divider is 72". Subract 9" for the total height of all three hinges, 61", divide that by four, about 15". So measure 15" from the top, mark one hinge. 15" will be the distance between each hinge. To install hinges, mark the holes, predrill with drill bit, and screw in with phillips head bit.

Once your hinges are on one side light, attach middle piece of wood. Now attach the second side light to the wood using the same technique as before. Sweep up your mess, and you are done!

Voila! A new room divider for your home! You can add cork board to the middle piece of wood to make it functional, frost the windows for a sexy divider to change behind, paint them all different colors and even paint something pretty on the middle board. There are so many different ways to dress this project up into something very fun for your home.

Questions? Comments!

Playtime with Zeus - What I Wore:: 1.11.12

At lunchtime the other day, Zeus and I went out to my backyard, where there is a 60 foot run for him to use. Oh how he loves his tennis ball and play time. Now that Matt has moved in with me, Zeus and I make this our lunch time ritual. He sleeps all morning while I work, gets a quick play session outside at lunch, then it's back to bed for him, and back to work for me. It's nice to be able to get some fresh air, for both of us, after being inside all morning.

For size reference, I'm 5'8". Zeus is a Great Dane and Lab mix, not a pure Dane, but still so huge. I have to be careful walking and playing with him since he is bigger than me and close to the same weight. Just last week I was smothering him with hugs when he moved his head, and hit me in the face. I thought my nose was broken for a few hours, and it was sore for a few days.

But I can't hold the accidental injuries I incur against this beautiful face.

"Look at me, not that dumb camera."

Outfit details:

Cowboy boots: vintage, Goodwill, $5. Jeans: UO, $20 on sale.

Shirt: Express, $10 on sale. Belt: thrifted, $1.