Wanting a new outfit, but not wanting to spend a fortune, I challenged myself to refashion something I bought for less than $5 for daywear and something for evening wear.

In the states, we have Salvation Army and second hand stores. In London, on almost every high street, there’s the Notting Hill Trust, Macmillans, Red Cross Appeal, and Oxfam to name a few. In a lot of the places, there’s a load of rubbish, but in others you can find some real bargains.

I once found a two foot long African beaded necklace…hmm, still have to repair it. Perhaps that will be in an upcoming issue. In another, I once found a Yves Saint Laurent black lace and crimson skirt. On this trip, I found a black stretchy halter top and a cute Mickey Mouse tee shirt.

The Mickey shirt would be perfect for wearing around the house, but it was a bit boring – blue Mickey on a blue shirt. My motto is everything looks better with rhinestones, so I added those and then couldn’t decide if he needed googley eyes, sailor trim, or a splash of color. I went with the color and attached the tiger and butterfly..

Similarly, the black halter for evening was quite plain. In a different charity shop, I found a beaded doily and sewed that to the front.

I love unusual twists and certainly no one else would be wearing a doily, but it was itchy, so after a few wearing I unstitched it and added a beaded strip instead.

What was best – I still had change from my $5.

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Contents

Letters from London

Venice Carnival

Bellinis

Make a Mask

Make-up Clutch

Vamp it Up! Apron

Heart Shaped Bear

Passion for Painting

Credit Crunch Charity Challenge