Friday, December 2, 2011

How to Clothe 4 Children for 8 Dollars... Fashionably.

How to Clothe 4 Children for 8 Dollars... Fashionably.: ( THIS IS SUCH A WONDERFUL BLOG GO CHECK OUT )
Alors...
It wasn't eight dollars exactly but the title caught your attention hugh?

Since I am on such a plaid kick I just HAD to share with you the ensembles My Chickens wore for Thanksgiving! (I have been on a plaid kick as long as I can remember but REALLY so since last year when I made myself something for the first time... the skirt that made the cover of Where Women Cook!) Always on the lookout for a unqiue find I went to a garage sale this past summer around the corner from our house and bought a remnant of fabric that caught my eye... plaid... mais bien sur.
$4.00.
I have been sitting on it since then waiting to make something for My Chickens to wear for Thanksgiving... now that I think about it, I made the girls dresses last year for Thanksgiving too... in plaid! I didn't want to take any chances without a pattern since I was working with a VERY limited amount a fabric. One bad design and my whole idea would be shot so I hit our horrendous new Super Wal(Hell)mart (there is nothing "super" about it except that it's super gross) and bought some lame, Easy-Sew patterns.
$4.00
Turns out I really did have enough fabric to make all four kids (Chickens) something to wear! And two headbands for the girls!

Aidan & Cousin Sofia
So far, I had spent $8.00 - here's how much it cost to pull off the rest...Now, Aidan's sweater is Janie and Jack. If you are going to buy retail and buy quality you gotta buy Janie and Jack. Regular price is outrageous but they have wonderful sale racks and I have found that the way their clothing is cut that my children have ALWAYS been able to get two to THREE years out of any particular piece. I'm serious. It's so bizarre but it never fails. Aidan is six years old and that is the sweater he wore the Christmas when Amélie was born. You can just make their stuff work - it's incredible. That sweater was a gift.
$ Free.
The orange polo shirt is a neighborhood hand-me-down
$ Free.
I am all about the hand-me-downs. I sort thru the stuff that is totally not "us" and keep the basics.
Speaking of... those little shoes Julien is wearing are from a friends son who was a baby 11 years ago. They've been in a tub in my basement until this moment.
$ FREE

Now back to the girls for a moment.
What to do when it's the day before Thanksgiving and you need tops? Why you pile the kids in the truck, say a prayer and head over to Target of course. I am always in need of solid color tops for the girls and on top of that, I love to dress them alike when I can.
I found these two cream color shirts, one in each their size on clearance...
$4.00 a piece! And cute to boot.

My sister's wedding this summer.
Now for the fascinators. Ever since the wedding this summer and the fun I had designing and making the girl's hats and fascinators I have designed a hundred in my head. It all starts with an inspiration. What you probably can't see is that on everyones piece of clothing I used the selvage edge of the fabric as the hem (I LOVE doing that) and on the little pocket on Julien's romper I did not stitch the fabric under but left the left, right and bottom edges raw so they became all fringy... and super cute. I decided to go with the whole raw, fringy, Chanel thing for the headbands... The only Chanel I wear is No. 5 but Coco Chanel and that particular look thru the years is a major source of inspiration in many of my personal clothing selections. Now, if only I was a rich, 110 pound ingenue who epitomized the look...
I digress...


I love the gnarly rosettes and added the pearls at the last minute (at about midnight Wednesday night). After deciding they desperately needed pearls to cap of the Chanel thing I was considering cutting up a strand of my own and then I stumbled upon an old stretched out bracelet in my stash! JACK POT!
I KNEW there was a reason I never threw that piece of junk out!

Now for Julien's Onsie and Juliette's tights...

What do you do when the theme is plaid with CREME and all you've got is white tights and a white Onsie???
Why you bust out the tea and TEA STAIN of course!!!

Problem solved!

Oh, Juliette's navy blue Mary Janes are from the thrift shop, Striderite's... never-been-worn
$2.00
And Amélie's brown boots are from that semi-annual swanky children's resale thing I go to. Gymboree never-been-worn $9.00.

So, shoes-n-all what is that, like $29.00??!!!!
Sa-weet~
Here's a few more pics...
All the Grandkids in our family. My SIL makes those sweet knit headbands! Have you seen her Butterbean shop? Victoria is one of the most creative people I know. Like the rest of us, if she had more time and more money... we'd all have to watch out!

Time for mashed potatoes!

SIL Victoria et Moi

Me and My Sisters!


Necessity is the mother of invention.
A creative spirt MUST create.
No matter how flat a$ broke she is.
Grab ahold of those crazy ideas in your head, whether it's selling your house in a horrible market to find your dream farm or making an elusive plaid taffeta dress and go for it!!!

Keep on creating girls!
Who knows what you will come up with next!!!