New Shop!

I am so excited! My best Friend Amanda & I have been talking about opening a bridal boutique for months. We finally opened today!!!!! The reason we chose a Bridal theme was because we helped plan about 5 weddings in the past year. Throwing showers & bachelorette parties, we realized that there is only so much selection out there. We were tired of the bachelorette satin bedazzled sashes & tiaras. We wanted to put more of a handmade spin on things. We named our shop MANDOLIN DREAMS. We chose this name because its our names(Amanda & Lynn) put together, and its our twin mothers favorite instrument. It has been so much fun having a partner. What could be better than working with your B.F.F.!

Circus Side Show Wedding

My girlfriend Tabitha asked me to make her bridesmaid dresses for her Circus themed wedding. I would describe Tabitha's style as vintage, meets Betsy Johnson, meets punk rock. I have never been given so much freedom on a wedding project. She literally just said to have fun with it. At first I found this so intimidating (brides usually give me a very specific formula). Then I realized that this may be the only time I would have this much freedom to be creative. Not to mention a bride that has so much fun with fashion! My only direction was a color scheme. Her is what I came up with..... For more photos of this amazing wedding go to: http://www.tangerinetreephotography.com/blog.html

Pantie Time

My new underwear design is here! I am now making high waisted panties out of vintage tee shirts. They fit so great! They are comfortable and flattering. I LOVE, LOVE LOVE them!

Road Trip

Last month I went on a Road Trip with my B.F.F./cousin Amanda. We realized that we hadn't been on a road trip in over ten years together. We decided to head north to Idaho where my sister in-law and nieces live. Our plan was to make lots of stops along the way and hit up TONS of thrift stores. Once we arrived my sis Renee wanted to do a "Road Trip" themed photo shoot. It was so much fun!!!! It was so hard not to laugh during this shoot! Thanks sis!!!! Photos by ONE TREE OF LIFE www.onetreeoflife.com/

My New Design

I have been working on some new dress designs, and I LOVE this one! Its a tent dress with a peter pan collar. Each dress will be unique using different vintage fabrics. Some will even have pockets. I just listed the first dresses in my shop, and I will have some more next week.

Tube Top Tutorial

One of my best sellers has been the reconstructed tube top. Its made from an old tee shirt. I think most of us girls have a shirt that we love, but the fit isn't that great. This is a way to change that. Its pretty easy to do. I am going to show you step by step how its done!

Supplies Need are: Tee shirt, stretch fabric, stretch lace, scissors, and thread.



Step 1: Cut out the front of the tee shirt into a rectangle shape. Make it as wide, or as narrow as your body type.



Step 2: Cut out the stretchy fabric into a similar rectangle shape. It can be wider or smaller than the the tee shirt, depending on your size.



Step 3: Lay the pieces of fabric right sides facing each other.



Step 4: Sew both sides together.




Step 5: Place your stretch lace in the seam of the 2 fabrics, and begin sewing. (I use a serger but you can also use a regular sewing machine)



Step 6: Pull the stretch lace as you sew it along the top of the tube.



Step 7: When you get back to the other end of the tube, sew the stretch lace ends together.



Step 8: Trim the bottom of the tube, and serge or hem the raw edge.



There you have it! A brand new tube top for Summer!