Monday, February 20, 2012

work in progress

hi everyone! i hope you all had a fabulous valentine's day - mine was very low key, which was perfect. sam insisted on staying in and making me dinner, and i acquiesced - i'm so used to cooking for the two of us, and stubbornly set in my way of doing things in the kitchen, that it's really hard for me to sit back and let someone else take the wheel. fortunately we recently re-organized our furniture, so our sofa has a prominent seat in the kitchen (i finally admitted to myself that, while a sofa in the kitchen might be unusual, it is the place where it will get the most use) so i settled myself on it and watched him mix a batch of pasta from scratch, rest it, struggle with the machine and then proceed to make what was honestly the most divine fettucine alfredo i've ever had - topped with wilted spinach, sauteed mushrooms and crispy prosciutto. lesson learned: i should take a seat on the couch more often.

ever since setting eyes on the stella mccartney resort 2012 collection, i've been smitten. i've googled and ebayed obsessively, hoping to find the (seemingly not even for-sale yet) white dress covered in bows at an audrey-friendly price (i know this will never happen) - and it finally occurred to me that, of all the over-priced designer clothing i've fallen for, this was probably the most easily DIY-able. so i bought a spool of ribbon, picked a well-fitting but infrequently-worn dress from my closet, and proceeded to obsessively tie and pin ribbons onto it.



sadly, i'm a pretty good idea person and initial energy runs high; but after sewing on the first half of the ribbons, i lost steam, so i'm wearing this carefully so's not to stick myself with one of the many pins poking out of the skirt and sleeves.

dress: madewell
shoes: thrifted
bows: added by me

i'm pretty excited with the way it's looking so far. a good cocktail dress is so essential - you can tell i think so, as i have a closet full of them and yet 9 nights out of ten you'll find me at home with sam, wearing comfy pants and a t-shirt. still, i love having a cute, well-fitting dress to slip into - an outfit no-brainer for when i DO go out.

. . . which is where you come in! brooklyn industries contacted me not long ago to see if i'd like to do a giveaway for my readers (another no brainer.) i've loved the brand for a long time - my love for red pants started with a pair of theirs a few years ago, and i've admired their simple but flattering silhouettes ever since. i picked this cute dress of theirs to give away - yours, for one lucky reader who leaves a comment.

Screen shot 2012-02-20 at 8.05.49 PM

so. . . enter away, and i'll pick a winner this friday. be sure to take a look at their new collection, too - lots of good stuff to see.

so much to post, and what feels like so little [free] time. i'll be back soon!

xo audrey

50 comments:

  1. I love your DIY and Brooklyn Industries. Thanks so much for the giveaway

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  2. That dress is Stunning! Gorgeous Diy! That dress for the giveaway is also Gorgeous! LOVE it!

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  3. love this dress! thanks!

    lauren
    lauren.sham[at]gmail[dot]com
    http://dailydoseoflauren.tumblr.com

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  4. Love the dress! Adorbs!

    Sandi

    cassandra.nary at gmail dot com

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  5. me! me! me! what a cute red dress....and i really like your DIY. very cute.
    xo
    n

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  6. Send that hot frock down to Carolina! I'll rep Brooklyn up and down the eastern seaboard!! :0) see you in march.

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  7. I love the bows, and the red dress too!

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  8. that's a great dress choice to giveaway :)

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  9. What a beautiful dress. I love red!

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  10. Cute dress!

    whitneychi[@]gmail[dot]com

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  11. Your dress is just adorable, I love that you added the wee bows!

    The dress you've picked out for your giveaway is gorgeous! The winner will be very lucky indeed

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  12. fantastic dress you made! also love the giveaway, I just about live in that color and would be happy to add it to my dress collection.

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  13. such a cute idea! love the tiny bows!!

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  14. That is a such a great dress! Good choice!

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  15. Yeah, love this bow dress! Hope I get picked :)

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  16. audrey-rey, yous so creative with dem hands! i can hardly tie my shoes, ouch...

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  17. I am so happy when I see one of your posts pop up on my google reader! And your meals with Sam always sound so divine. Love the simplicity of the red dress.

    I just bought my first pair of bright red linen pants and am absolutely in LOVE! Thanks for the giveaway.

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  18. Great job on the bow dress! And love the giveaway!

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  19. I love your DIY. Very Stella... in other notes... It would be amazing to win this giveaway!

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  20. i love that red dress! i might even have to buy it if i don't win it, which is something i never do.

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  21. That DIY dress is amazing! I am the same way, I start out projects all gung-ho and lose motivation when I'm 90% done, which is ridiculous! The red dress is super sweet!

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  22. Both dresses are so beautiful! I love this DIY idea and might have to try it myself! The Brooklyn industries dress is so fun but classic! Very excited about this giveaway!

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  23. My thrifty friend, your hair looks amazing and love the dress. Love your face more!!! Would love to wear this red dress onstage. Xoxoxo

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  24. Oh man, I need this dress in my life!

    Also, I wonder if I could sweet talk my boyfriend into making pasta from scratch for me?

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  25. That red dress is amazing! gorgeous color

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  26. Love the Brooklyn Industries dress, but I'm still reeling that Sam just popped into the kitchen and made home made pasta. Super impressive! My boyfriend has many amazing talents, but he's downright frightened of the kitchen. Luckily, I'm not. :)

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  27. Ohhhh man now I need to glue bows all over everything. Sweaters. Knee high socks. the possibilities are endless.

    Love the dress! Thanks for the giveaway!

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  28. Yay, giveaway!! Amazing as always, Audrey! Big hearts (and bows!) from Chicago. xoxo!

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  29. I must admit I'd love love love to win that red dress! This is also a good excuse for me to finally leave my first comment even though I've been reading your blog ever since I found it (and was gloriously reunited with you via Facebook). I really like the bow dress too...just don't stick yourself!

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  30. Dear Audrey,
    I don't remember how I found your blog, but when I did, I was thrilled. I've enjoyed all of your posts (because, oh yes, I read back about two years in three hours one day) and I'm always so glad when you have a new post up. I'm going as Lady Sybil from Downton Abbey for Halloween, btw, DIYing my own costume all over the place, in the same blue as the bows on your adorable DIY dress! In any case, red is my favorite color. I would be thrilled if I got to wear that little number out here in the Midwest! This comment is all over the place, but like the girl above stated, it's my first one and as good a time as any to post! Keep on keepin' on, posting when you can, and thank you and thanks to Brooklyn Industries for the giveaway!
    Best,
    Leyla

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  31. What a coincidence, my friend made a dress almost like yours for a photoshoot a few days ago :)
    Lovely giveaway, thank you!

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  32. I adore Brooklyn Industries! What a fun, easy-to-wear dress. Great pick!

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  33. Such a cute, easy little dress. I hope I win the giveaway! I'd never heard of Brooklyn Industries, but they have some really cute stuff. Thanks!

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  34. genius!!! that dress is adorbs.

    xo
    alicia

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  35. Love that dress! So adorable.

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  36. Cute! The Cross Over Knit Dress is adorable too!

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  37. What an awesome dress! Such cute bows. I also love the giveaway!

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  38. i love your diy dress. i remember seeing the same one, but how did you get all of the little ribbons identical? also brooklyn industries has fantastic stuff!
    in dramatic fashion

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  39. I really like this dress! I see similar ones in black - I noticed brooklyn industries has it as well, but I find a brighter color really makes the romantic ruffles and pleats stand out!

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  40. I was inspired by this pink cardigan (http://trinitytransmedia.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/md1.jpg) in Mulholland Drive and proceeded to individually sew on more sparkly beads than I could count!

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  41. I REALLY HOPE TO WIN! I love red!

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  42. absolutely love your diy dress audrey!

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  43. ahh love the bow dress! finish it up already so you dont poke yourself!!

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  44. That is just the most adorable dress! What a neat idea.

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  45. I love Brooklyn Inducstries! I'm mainly familiar with their bags, which are made very well, so I'm sure that cute red dress will be great!

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