I wasn't able to fall asleep last night so I finally got around to a mini-project I had in mind, a strong-shouldered fringe dress. Of course, my boyfriend just had to wake up before sunrise, perfect timing to see me sitting in the dark feverishly sewing shoulder pads and fringe onto a dress. Love is about accepting minor episodes of insanity.

Some readers have already asked me how I got the shoulder pads and fringe on. First, I placed the shoulder pads where I wanted them on the dress. After pinning them in place, I sewed them down. I then placed fringe around the seam between the shoulder and sleeve, pinned it down and sewed. Add more fringe further down the sleeve for more volume.

Hopefully that all made sense. This brings to mind a silly picture I saw online titled "How to draw a chicken". Step 1 was to draw a circle for the head and another for the body. Step 2 was an exquisite, spot-on, anatomically-correct, pencil sketch study of a chicken. Haha. Hopefully this is making sense!

Remember that I made this bracelet a few months ago? I actually had leftover materials from that project and made a second one (shown above) that's just been sitting around on a table in the closet. I'm giving this one away, so don't be shy, say hi and I'll select a recipient.

Since people have asked me how I make some of my pieces, I'll also throw in a tip. It's not hard and you don't need much equipment either. Originally I thought I had to solder everything together, but a quick alternative is cold welding. I hopped over to the hardware store, had a conversation/debate on cold welding materials and epoxies with the salesperson and walked out with JB Weld. Sure, it's not as strong and durable as the almighty solder, but given its ease of use and economy, it's a pretty darn good option.

Also, according to the packaging it's good for "mechanics, farmers, and homeowners". You know, make some bracelets, fix a tractor axle.

I fell in love with the Givenchy FW 2009 collection. It was animalistic, dramatic, emotional, and what I thought to be one of the most inspiring collections that season. I especially loved the lace dresses with the burgundy and blue shoulder pads peeking through the delicate lace. They were magical. So, what’s a gal to do? I made my own—vintage lace with burgundy shoulder pads sewn into the shoulders and finished off with a nude belt. It took me roughly 3 days of interrupted episodes of work to get it done and I'm so glad it took fairly quickly, because I wore it out today and IT.WAS.FREEZING. Any slower, I wouldn't have had the chance to wear it for another season.