DIY Doggie Dress Shirt Collar

DIY Dog Collar Upcycled Dress Shirt - No Sew | The Cheerful Times

Last month my sister Rochelle adopted a new dog to live with her in her new Brooklyn studio apartment. His name is Henry and he’s a terrier mix!

Hi, Henry! Isn't he cute?
Hi, Henry! Isn’t he cute?

I had already given Rochelle an apartment-warming gift, and I obviously had to give Henry a dog-warming gift. I knew I wanted to craft him something, but there was one problem: my sister is basically the most crafty person in the world. Anything I made him, she would be able to make for him ten times better and faster.

For this reason I knew I had to keep it simple and effective.

In my internet travels I stumbled across this adorable and incredibly easy craft: “Easiest Upcycled Dog Collar Ever!” from the Sew Doggy Style blog. It was the perfect gift! My sister loves throwing parties and Henry would be such a dapper doggie host in a little collared dress shirt accessory. Plus, Rochelle is the shop owner/seamstress behind Etsy’s Brooklyn Bowtied, so he would look like such a cute little fancy man wearing a collar/bow tie combo.

DIY upcycled collared dress shirt dog collar craft | The Cheerful Times

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Collared dress shirt(s)
  • Measuring tape
  • Scissors
  • That’s literally it

I decided I wanted to make three different collars for Henry, so I rallied my beloved crafty companion Athena and went to the thrift store. Rochelle told me that Henry’s neck size is 13 inches. Because Athena’s dog is also teeny, we took a trip to the little boys’ section. Some little boy dress shirts are labeled S/M/L instead of by neck measurements, so I brought my measuring tape to double check sizes just in case.

Here are the shirts we picked out!

Athena is a wonderful model.
Athena is a wonderful model.
So exciting!
So exciting!

You have to make sure of two things when picking out shirts for this project: Continue reading “DIY Doggie Dress Shirt Collar”

Craftsicles: Monstrous Madras Shirt Refashion

While I’m horrified that it’s been since September (being a senior in college is hard work!), I’m so pleased that I finally found the time to do a new refashion! You all really liked my big, blue, and buttoned dress refashion from Labor Day weekend, so I hope you’ll like my monstrous madras shirt refashion equally as much. If I do say so myself, it’s a good one!

buttoned-shirt-refashion-crop-top
#TotesAdorbz. Fun fact: After ample research, I discovered that this print is not technically plaid nor gingham, but instead it’s called “madras.” You and I both learned something today!

I found this size “B8” beauty at Value Village for $4, which pains me because it was one of the cheapest articles of clothing I could find. My last refashion I got for mere cents in South Carolina while on vacation! Curse you, financially-inflated tri-state area. Anyway, as you can see, this little number needed some major work done.

buttoned-shirt-refashion-crop-top
Help.

My initial thought was that I would do another buttoned dress refashion. However, once I got home, I realized that the length was not what I thought it was. If I transformed it into a dress and wore it out and about, one wrong move and things would get a little… cheeky (wink, wink, nudge, nudge). Also, the loud madras pattern would most likely overwhelm the dress.

Suddenly, I thought of something even better and more fashion-forward: a CROP TOP! Continue reading “Craftsicles: Monstrous Madras Shirt Refashion”

Craftsicles: Sad to Sparkling Sunglasses

sparkly pink ray ban sunglasses

I’ve been meaning to do a lot more with my time than schoolwork and professional-related activities, and now that my break has finally begun I can do just that! This summer will hopefully be one of crafts, DIY, repurposing, and other fun things that I’ve been wanting to do with my creative energy.

Sunglasses that I left at my friend’s house almost a year ago just resurfaced last week… appearing that they went through a war. After I saw the chipped paint, I knew that I wouldn’t wear them in their current condition. It was time for my first repurposing of the summer.

pink sunglasses before repurpose, chipping paint
My “before” sunglasses… You can see a little bit of the paint/finish gone along the edges and on the bridge. Seeya!

The first thing I had to do with this dusty demon was give it a little bath.

Rub a dub dub!
Rub a dub dub!

After they dried off, I picked my (sparkly) poison to give them a brand new finish. The bigger and more concentrated the glitter, the less noticeable the chipped paint would be. Go big or go home, right?

sunglasses and glitter nail polish
I believe I got that bottle of silver glitter nail polish at a Forever 21 in NYC. Sunglasses, get prepared for a fabulous makeover. I’d be excited to see the end results coming up, if I were you! 

Continue reading “Craftsicles: Sad to Sparkling Sunglasses”