Wardrobe Reinvention: 3 ways to wear a knit maxi skirt

Time to reinvent the wardrobe again! This time I'm taking a shimmering knit maxi skirt I thrifted ages ago and show you 3 different ways to wear it.

In this first outfit I'm wearing the skirt the original way as a maxi skirt. I paired it with a loose fit top and  a narrow belt to bring out my best features. What I love about this outfit is that I can dress it up or down with very small changes. I could add a little sparkly jewelry to dress it up or add a simple jacket/cardigan and flats to dress it down. I also love that this outfit draws attention to all my best features - my long neck and tiny waist.

In the second outfit I'm wearing the skirt as a dress. Knit skirts are especially comfortable this way. I added a refashioned cardigan and a wide vintage belt. I can see myself wearing this outfit to see a concert or a play. I think it's perfect for an evening date.

This one is actually my personal favorite look of the three. Here I'm wearing both garments from the first outfit, but the look couldn't be more different. This time I'm using the skirt as an infinity scarf. I paired the blouse with my new skinnies and a very very old simple black shirt. I actually haven't worn that shirt in a couple of years, so it was great to find use for it again. I guess limited resources do lead to more creativity - the only reason I used the shirt is 'cause I was taking these photos at my parents' and I didn't have anything else.

Oh, and if you're wondering about the dull faces - it was morning, I was sleepy, that's all.

Which outfit is your favorite? What kind of faces do you do in the mornings? As always, I love hearing from you in the comments!

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Customize: Beaded neckline

I think you might get tired of hearing this, but restyling your existing wardrobe can be easier than you imagine. Sometimes a simple embellishment can create just that breeze of freshness you were longing for.

I found this sweater amongst my Mother's unworn clothing. I have a habit of going through all of our family's unwanted clothing every now and again to find hidden treasures. It's even better than thrifting because I get everything for free and my Mom gets some additional closet space.

I loved the color combo of navy blue and forest green, but the whole thing was a little dull. So I added different glass beads to the neckline creating visual interest and giving a simple sweater some much needed flare.

This is not a new project, but I simply had to share it with you. I've heard so many people say they'd love to be able to do what I do. And I'd like to tell them "You can!". We are all creative by nature and I'm sure all of you have some amazing ideas. Start with a small and easy project and see how you like it. Not every technique is for everyone, but I think there's bound to be something for everyone. You'll just have to find your own.

Refashionista: Guest post at Coffee and Cardigans

I'm guest posting over at Callie's fabulous student chic blog Coffee and Cardigans. Hop on over for you're morning dose of refashion inspiration and learn how to add cute pockets to an old boring cardigan.

Happy Monday! Another busy week ahead of us. Let's make the most of it!

Sunday Spirit: A day with La Callas

I spent the whole day preparing a presentation about the famous opera singer, the one and only prima donna La Callas (as she called herself). She was truly an extraordinary women and a kind of voice that comes along once in a century. You either love her or you hate her but you cannot be indifferent towards her.

She was not only a superb singer, but also a very elegant woman. Her story as a woman is that of the ugly duckling. She was unattractive and over-weight as a youngster, but after a huge weight loss in her thirties blossomed into a beautiful and stylish lady.

And here's a little taste of her incredible voice:

What have you been up to this weekend? Anything you'd like to share?

Favorite Friday: The first snow

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All the Estonians could talk about today was the weather. If someone was interested in the attitudes of Estonians towards snow, they would just have to read all the Facebook updates from today. If you ask me, it's a little bit early still for this kind of snowy weather, but then again, the sweeter it is to put on some knitted socks, curl up with a good book and listen to your favorite music. Snow always has a calming effect. And that's pretty nice, even if it is October.

Despite the fact that I had only a few lessons at school this week, it has gone by in a flash. My posting here on the blog is becoming more difficult as the days grow shorter (some days it hardly gets light outside), which makes taking pictures harder. But, I'll do my best to share handmade ideas and inspiration with all of you.

Happy weekend, my dears!

Style Tip and Pearls & Scissors' Fall Lookbook sneak peek

I have big news! I'm making a lookbook for the first time in my life. The lead star is my personal supermodel, the lovely Marianne of course. Pearls & Scissors' Fall lookbook will be ready very soon (fingers crossed). Until then, here's a little sneak peek into the shoot...

Marianne is wearing the fabric rose earrings and the knitted bow brooch from my upcoming collection

And my style tip for you today: use your brooches/pins creatively! I styled my pink knitted bow brooch with a skirt not a sweater. You could also use it to embellish a plain pair of pants, or the pockets of a coat. Or, you could use it to nip in the waist on the back of a cardigan (I actually used this trick on the crochet vest in this post). There are so many possibilities!

Do you think brooches are a little bit old fashioned or do you still use them? What's your favorite way of wearing a brooch/pin?

DIY: Skirt to tote bag

You know I love nothing more than to give and old unused garment a new life. So, you can understand my excitement about this project. The idea came to me I think on the same day as the sleeve socks. It must have been a creative day!

This project is so simple and so quick, not to mention practical. I have a few more skirts that could be utilized this way and you can never have enough tote bags. They are perfect for grocery shopping, and their environmental friendly as well. A win-win situation if you ask me :)!

1. Cut off the hem of the skirt and if there are any slits, sew them closed.
2. Pin the bottom of the skirt together on the wrong side and sew the bottom shut. Use a serger/overlocker or a zig-zag stitch to stop the edges from fraying.
3. Match the side seam and the bottom seam at the corners and pin. Now sew horizontally between the pins (as indicated by the pink line). This will determine the width of the bottom of your bag, so just find the spot were the "pink line" will measure your desired width.
4. I used the hem as my handles. I just cut two strips in my desired handle length plus sewing allowance . You could also use an old belt or some other fabric as your handles. Pin and sew the handles in place.

Now, isn't this super easy? You'll have an eco-friendly shopping bag within half an hour tops.

On a side note, I had a fantastic thrifting spree today. I haven't shopped so much in ages. My friend Ann showed me this incredibly cheap and amazingly stocked thrift store right in the center of the city. I couldn't even believe the treasures we found. Hopefully I can share soon!

Refashionista: Black suit jacket transformation

This project was a custom order from a client through Etsy. I finished it a few months ago already, but I   really wanted to share it with you because I love it so much, and because my client loved it as well.

Her wish was to have a coordinating jacket for these trousers she bought from my shop earlier.

I only had scraps of this fabric left so a full on jacket would have been impossible to make. I think the pattern would have been a little bit much as a full suit anyways. So, we discussed it and agreed on a black jacket base with details in the trouser fabric. She even agreed to a second hand jacket refashion. As my business was upcycled clothing, making something new from old was very important for me.

You can see a few steps of the refashion process above. I decided to go with a more modern cropped sleeve and a much shorter length. And I added the details as discussed.

I think it turned out pretty great. What do you think?

Sunday Spirit: 'Tis the last rose of the summer...

Snapping a picture of the last roses on my Mom's flowerbed reminded me of the song "'Tis the last rose of summer" I heard a while ago sung by my lovely friend Ann. I love summer and I miss it already. A lot of people say that autumn is their favorite time of year. But not for me, I'm a summer person. None the less, there's something to the colors of autumn.

The whole family was home this weekend. That rarely happens lately, so it was really nice to get together. We helped Mom with pulling out the carrots and cleaning them. It's been a while since I've been outside in the fresh air for so long. Oh, how I love the countryside! Too bad I have to go back to the city tomorrow already.

What have you been up to this weekend?

Homemade Spa Weekend

Is it just me, or does time really go by faster every year? It seems we're always busy and working, seldom taking time to relax and take care of ourselves. Although this weekend will be just as much about work as it is about play, I plan on taking time to relax and load myself with new energy. What better way to do that than with a homemade spa treatment in the sauna and reading a good book (Rene Fleming's "The inner voice") while the yummy masks to their job.

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Here are some additional resources for homemade spa goodies:

1) Nourish your hair with these and these all natural hair masks.
2) Take care of your skin with homemade facials and masks.
3) Give yourself a healthy glow with these wonderful body scrubs.

I plan on taking a couple of hours all to myself and giving some of those recipes a try. Have any good homemade beauty recipes to share? Let us know in the comments!

What are your plans for the weekend? What do you do to unwind and reload?

New collection: Inspired by the flower pendant necklace

Whenever I'm designing new jewelry for the shop I try to imagine a person who would wear it. What she would look like, what she would wear with that piece, what her style would be like and so on. As any other creator I'm influenced by my own style aspirations a lot, but the creative process gives me freedom to explore it in directions I wouldn't be able to in real life. 

Here's one of my latest creations with a little inspiration behind it.

First of the autumn leaves by hapanaal

DIY: Glitter heel and toe

I'm slowly getting into restyling the shoes I don't wear for some reason. I've seen beautiful glitter heels around the blogosphere and I really wanted to give it a try.

I had a pair of plain ivory leather heels that I had scored for next to nothing many years ago, but hadn't worn much 'cause they were a little bit dull to be honest. So, they were the perfect candidate for a makeover.

Now, this project was not as simple as I had anticipated. All the tutorials I've seen have looked so simple. And, let's be honest, everybody writes "easy and quick diy" in the descriptions these days. Who would want to do a "long and difficult diy" anyway? But, sometimes there are things that make a project a little bit more time consuming. In hindsight, I wouldn't say this project was hard, but there were some hurdles I had to overcome along the way. On the bright side, hopefully learning about my mistakes will make your project that more easier.

I'll share the whole process and my tips after the jump, so be sure to click "read more" below.

Refashionista: Men's T-shirt into Workout Tank

We all have them stashed somewhere. Old boyfriend's/Dad's/brother's t-shirts. But sometimes they can provide you with great material to refashion. The idea is simple - take a t-shirt, cut it into a tank and you've got yourself a new workout shirt!

I hate working out! (hence no biceps) OK, hate is a strong word... I dislike exercising, but I understand the importance of it. And since we have a dance sort of class in our curriculum, I needed some sportswear. I had just the t-shirt for this refashion straight out of my boyfriend's closet. I actually bought this tee for him in Iceland a couple of years ago, but it got really short and wide in the wash and he couldn't wear it anymore. But now it has a second life. And hopefully this one will be a little longer than its first.

Sunday Spirit: My story

Making a wish on my 25th Birthday (and lighting my hair on fire)

I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend so far. Mine has been pretty interesting to say the least. I had all sorts of plans for this weekend, but that all changed on Thursday when I decided to audition for the new student program at the Estonian National Opera. So, instead of having a quite creative weekend, it has been filled with preparations and singing and a little bit of anxiety. 

I rarely talk about my singing studies here at Pearls & Scissors, but I thought I'd share a piece of that story with you today. The first point on my about page says "I'm 25 and still a student". I think that sentence actually says a lot about me. I'm still learning, I'm still fighting to fulfill my dreams, and my age is not going to stop me. 

I always dreamed of becoming a famous singer when I was a child. I used to imagine being discovered and then becoming an international superstar (lol). I guess many of us have those fantasies as a child. I gave up on my dream as a teenager struggling with performance anxiety. At that time I thought it was a part of myself I couldn't change, and that becoming a singer was simply not meant to be. I also thought that since nobody had discovered me and supported my singing, I wasn't that talented in the first place. And that was that. 

I focused on my academic studies and went to study psychology after high school. Nothing interested me in the way singing had done once, but I had to choose something and psychology sounded interesting enough. In hindsight, I think it was the best decision I could have made, because psychology is what  helped me to deal with my anxiety and rekindled that old dream of becoming a singer. So, in the middle of my Master's studies I decided to make a U-turn and start all over again studying classical singing. 

At first my parents thought it was some kind of time filling plan until I complete my psychology studies (I had only the thesis to write), and my relatives kept asking what I wanted to do after I got my diploma. I guess they thought that this was just a hobby. But over the course of the past school year everybody has started to take my dream more seriously. I got my psychology diploma, but my journey to my dream has only just begun. The past year has been the most emotional, scary, happy and fulfilling time of my life. I don't know if I have what it takes or if I'm ever going to sing on a big stage, but I'm sure as hell going to try. 

Do you have a dream your striving to fulfill? Have you ever second guessed yourself or thought about giving up? I'd love to hear your story!

Weekend Favorites: Cozy knits

It's that time of year again. Whenever the weather gets colder and the leaves change color I get that itch. The itch to put on my wool socks and chunky sweater, and cuddle up next to my sweetheart with my knitting needles and some yarn. I'm definitely going to do some knitting this weekend.

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Thoughts on time management

So, it's been a week since I announced my time management experiment. I've made small updates along the way via Facebook and Twitter, and I thought it was time I did an update here as well.

How was my first scheduled week, you ask? And what did I learn? Well, let me tell you...

1) Make a list. I rediscovered my love for writing lists. It's an instant feeling of productivity, as if  making a list is already an accomplishment. A list makes me feel so much more organized and therefor less over-whelmed. Also, a list helps to see the bigger picture - what sort of projects/tasks need your immediate attention and which ones can be pushed back if you lack time.

2) Break down the list. Another important thing I've learned so far is to break all the things on my list down to small tasks that can be done in not more that half an hour. I need small tasks, because I'm an all over the place kind of person. I jump from one project to another whenever I feel like it and get the inspiration and it really helps to have small manageable tasks to deal with in this case.

3) I hate plans, but they help. This connects to the last statement. I'm more likely to follow an inner surge of inspiration than my plan. Also, there's a saying "People make plans, God laughs". My days can be hard to predict, especially on weekends, and that makes scheduling my tasks hard. That being said, I still think that a plan is better than none. It helps me to visualize how much I can realistically get done in a day. I can always juggle things around during the day if need be, but at least I have a framework to start with.

These are the 3 things I took away from this week. I'm definitely going to continue with the time management experiment and find new ways to make my days more productive and most of all more fulfilling.

Have you tried a time management system? Any tips, suggestions, lessons learnt you'd like to share?

Style Tip: A belt is a bracelet is a belt

A belt doesn't have to be just a belt. Here's a clever way to make the most of your skinny belts - use them as bracelets! Just wrap it around your wrist and you'll get a fabulous statement bracelet, and double the action for your money.

Style Tip is a new blog series here at Pearls & Scissors where I share styling ideas and inspiration.

September Giveaway Winner!

Sorry to keep you guys waiting! And the winner is.....

KK! Congratulations! Please contact me at hanna@pearlsandscissors.com to claim your prize.

Have a wonderful day!

Pearls are a girls best friends

I know it's diamonds, but pearls are on the second place, right? I love pearls (shocker, I know)! I don't know about you, but my Mother always says a grown women should have a pearl necklace. It's a symbol of an elegant mature women. So, naturally, when my teacher's big birthday came up last month I turned to pearls.

I knew I wanted to give her something I made myself and I also knew I wanted it to be something special. I went through my stash and found a handful of fresh water pearls. Just enough to create this three strand necklace. I had a bit of trouble getting the length just right for every strand, but in the end it turned out beautifully. And she seemed to like it. And that's the main thing.

It's funny how I've totally rediscovered jewelry making recently. The more I create, the more ideas I have. I'm sure you'll see more jewelry projects here on the blog as well in the future.

How about you - are you a diamonds or a pearls kind of girl?

Sneak Peek: (New arrivals!) Reuse earrings

Oh, happy day! I made some upcycled goodness this weekend and I just couldn't wait to share it with you. That is why you can now pre-order all of them on Pearls & Scissors' Facebook page until the end of the week.  The pre-order price is only 6€ (they'll be in the shop next week for 8€).


Head on over and choose your favorite!

Refashionista: Lace embellished Tee Tutorial (from H.E.R. archives)

This was my first and to this date the most popular tutorial I have made. So, I thought it would really be a crime not share it with you.

Lace can make a simple t-shirt so much more special and elegant. I'm not a t-shirt+jeans kind a gal, I usually don't wear simpel t-shirts, and that's exactly why I'm thinking of ways to make them just a little bit more special. If you're like me, I think you're going to love this tutorial. And this one.

Be sure to click "read more" to see the full tutorial.

Sunday Spirit: September project round-up

This weekend is all about creativity for me , since I've set a side a huge chunk of time for working on my new jewellery collection. So, in the spirit of creativity I thought I'd share some of my favorite crafty projects from September.

• Revamp your t-shirt
• Customize your rain boots
• Make a pretty bracelet
• Make new from old
• Glamorize a simple pencil skirt
• Make a stylish clutch

If you have a blog and would like to share your recent crafty projects, leave a comment with the link below. The more crafty inspiration, the merrier! 

I hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

How to combine a French braid and a Fishtail braid

While I was doing my hair for the last photo shoot for the blog, I was thinking of new ways to braid my hair using the same old techniques. I came up with this French braid and fishtail braid combination and wanted to share a closer look at it with you as well. Once you've mastered the basics of braiding there are hundreds of possibilities to combine them into pretty hairdos.

Here are the steps to recreate this look:

1) Braid your bangs (using this or this tutorial) up to your ears, then braid the tail until the end and fasten with a clear elastic.
2) Gather all your hair into a side ponytail and fasten. Braid the ponytail fishtail style (a good tutorial here). Pull here and there to add a little messiness and fluff to the braid.
3) Twist the bangs' braid around the ponytail and fasten with a bobby pin.

What's your favorite way of braiding your hair? Do you combine different techniques or usually use just one? Let me know in the comments!

Psst...Working on a New Collection

I haven't really written a lot about my business here on the blog recently, other than showing you little peeks of the new designs I'm working on. So, I thought today would be a great time to fill you in on my little business journey.

September was crazy busy for me. The start of the school year meant a lot of extra work and much less time to commit to my shop. At one point I even thought about giving up (yes, after less than a month in business), but then I realized something (thanks to my wonderfully supportive Mister). I don't have to take everything so seriously! This blog and the shop are wonderful outlets to my creativity. I love creating and I love sharing my creations with you. And creativity is all about experimentation and having fun! I want to make the best of this experience. This does not mean, I won't be investing my time and effort into my business, but it does mean I'm going to relax more and grow naturally rather than force myself into things I'm not really ready to tackle.

So, currently I'm working on a new collection inspired by fabrics. I want to upcycle old t-shirt and other textiles into new gorgeous and fun jewelry. Upcycling/recycling/reuse has always been very close to my heart (shocker, right?), so I wanted to carry on with the same principles I followed when making eco-friendly clothing.

I'm hoping that if the time management experiment works and I can get on track with all my work, I can also finish this collection by the end of next week, so it'll be in the shop by the end of October, just in time for the Holiday rush.

Oh, and one more thing! I got a really good product idea from one of my collage mates today. It's something that she felt the need for, and she thought I could make it. Is there anything you'd like to find in my shop? Something you feel the need for, but haven't found elsewhere? I'd love to hear all of your ideas and needs!

Time Management Experiment

Today's post is a little interruption from the crafty goodness I've had on the blog this week. I hope I've given you crafty inspiration to get your creative juices flowing and you can't wait to start making things. For me, when I get creative, I get really creative. There are a hundred possible projects and ideas going through my mind. And this usually happens when I have no time to work on these projects. It's been this way my whole life - I'm the most creative at the busiest times. And these times can get overwhelming real fast because I want to get it all done, and done well.

Lately that's exactly what I've been feeling - overwhelmed. The school year is in full swing and I have so much more work than last year and so much more ambition. So, not only are the teachers asking more of me, I myself am asking more of me this year. And that's the way it should be, really, but thinking about all the work ahead of me, I feel intimidated and a little lost. On top of that, my creative juices are flowing like crazy, ideas are streaming constantly, but I feel I don't have enough time to create the projects.

Feeling overwhelmed usually leads to procrastination. At one point you just give up and do nothing thinking about all the time you don't have, all the project's you can't do, all the work that needs to be done, and so on, and so on. You just don't know where to start. Getting things done seems impossible, so you quit. Sounds familiar?

So, I've decided to take on a little experiment. I've heard and read so much about time management lately, and it got me thinking. What would happen if I organized all my tasks and made a daily plan to get them done. I just read Andi's tips about starting projects and getting things done, and it inspired me to write down all of my tasks and goals for the next month and create a plan to get them done. I used to do to-do lists all the time, but at some point I quit. My main problem was that the lists were never realistic, so in the end I just felt like a failure.

Having this in mind, I'm going to use the last 4 days of this week as a preliminary experiment on time management. I'm creating a list of all the things I want to get done and schedule them into my calendar. At the end of the week I'll see how many things I can realistically get done and can adjust my plan for next week.

I'll try to keep you in the loop on Twitter and Facebook, and of course I'll let you know how my experiment went on Sunday, the last day of the experiment right here on the blog.

Have you ever tried to plan your every day and all the tasks you have? Do you have any advice to share? Or any experiences? Let me know in the comments!

DIY Upcycled Socks from sweater sleeves

I'm so excited to share this tutorial with you! The creation of these socks was like an "ahaa" moment. I have been trying to think of ways to upcycle sweater sleeves (I already know how to upcycled the body part) that I have left over from previous projects. And then, on a whim I put one of the sleeves on my foot and a light bulb went on in my mind. Sweater sleeve socks!!

They are super easy and fun to make, and they are so cute! Be sure to click "read more" below to see the how-to process.