Dupatta Dress/Top

This kaftan gown is one of my favorite piece of clothing. I love to wear this loose fitting silhouette while lounging at home. This kaftan is one-size fits all and extremely comfortable. For my  Recycle and Reuse series, I decided to make a trendy version of this kaftan with an old dupatta as my main fabric.

For those unfamiliar with dupattas, here is a little bit of info. They are long scarves or stoles worn mostly by the South-Asian women over the traditional Salwar Kameez. It  measures any where between 3-5 yards in length and is available in variety of fabrics, colors and textures. It can be draped over the shoulder or across the chest. It is a very versatile piece of fabric and can be used to dress up or dress down your look. Below is the picture of my old dupatta. As you can see it is in perfect condition. I have not used it that often. I love the print of royal blue paisleys on it and knew if I cut it the right way I could get the look I want.

I made a paper pattern by tracing the kaftan. To really make it trendy I shortened the length of the dress/top and kept it knee length. I also changed the neckline from V to bateau and curved it up a little bit. It took me less than a day to finish the dress and just for fun I came up with these three looks.

For the first look, I paired it up with some skinnies and brown heeled pumps.

For the second look, I paired it with some knee length, black boots.

For the final look, I wanted a summery feel so I just matched it with jeans peep toe wedges.

The cost of this project as usual is zero and fortunately for me, I already had the accessories and shoes and as such did not spend a dime on them.

So what did you think of this project? I would love to have some feedback. Let me know which look you liked the best?

Decoupaged Folding Table

This latest project is a borrowed one. I saw this DIY project in the April 2011 issue of Family Circle magazine. The author Suzonne Stirling, a blogger had restored an old folding table using gift wrap paper by decoupaging it over the table. I thought it was a brilliant idea, and was perfect for my "Recycle and Re-use" theme.

I have a folding table at home and I am not using it that much. It is in good condition, except for all the artistic doodling done by my kids.This is the BEFORE picture of the Folding table.

The first thing I did was apply primer. Instructions called for sanding it lightly before using primer. I skipped that part, because I did not have any sandpaper at home.

Next, the author instructed to use two coats of semi-gloss latex paint. I  have a confession to make. I did not find the color of my liking, so I chose to go with acrylic paint in chocolate color. I applied two coats of this paint, allowing it to dry between coats.

I spray painted it with an acrylic sealer and this is what it looked liked when it was all finished.

After the sealer had dried and as per the instructions, I applied Mod Podge to the top of the table and allowed it to dry again. After about 20 minutes I applied another thin layer of Mod Podge.

I had already measured and cut the gift wrap paper of my choice. All I had to do was slowly apply the paper on top of the table, pressing it firmly and making sure there were no air bubbles.

Finally, I applied 3 to 4 coats of Mod Podge on the newly covered tabletop, allowing it to dry in between coats. I sprayed it with the acrylic sealer to seal everything up. Below are the AFTER shots of the table.

My total cost for the project was around $10 for the Mod Podge, Acrylic paint and sealer.