I love to find creative ways to use things that otherwise might be thrown away and turn them into something new. This photograph is of a little dress-up I made for my niece on her third birthday because she loves tutus, and I thought it would be fun to make a hybrid tutu dress. I used approximately 18 of my 10 foot chair bows left over from my wedding, folded them in half, and then slip knot tied them to a wide ribbon. These chair bows were not only used at my wedding, but also at the wedding of my uncle to his high school sweetheart who he reconnected with in Hawaii about five years ago! I love the story behind these blue bows. The purple ribbon sash was also a recycled wedding item. I still have heaps of purple ribbon that were on our wedding gifts. We were registered at Bed Bath and Beyond, so we received A LOT of purple ribbon. I am sure many of you can relate!
The cute little bow on the front is made with a beautiful royal blue sheer wired ribbon with silver, glittery snowflakes all over. The blue ribbon was also recycled, while not from a wedding, it was used to accent the corners of dining tables at a Christmas winter ball that I planned with my grandfather in 2005, just a couple months before he lost his battle to cancer. He and I both shared a love for big band music and the swing era, so he invited a band he was a part of, the Mount Vernon Swing Band, to play the music for the event and over 150 people attended to dance the night away under a canopy of Christmas lights, and flowy blue and white chiffon.
To top off the outfit, I pulled out a cute purple hat that my husband’s great aunt was getting rid of just before she was to leave to move to the Philippines a couple months ago. I loved her collection of fancy hats that she wore to her garden club and other events. In this one little costume are many special memories. It holds meaning for me and I was able to reuse pieces that I may have ended up discarding in the future. My niece will get to play dress-up in an outfit that is more than just something I picked up off a rack. While I love to buy new things, I also love to see what I can create using what I already have! #wastelesswednesdays
