Bounding Planner

Hi everyone! I did a thing! I created this Bounding Planner and it’s on Amazon now. I’m really excited about it because I used to use spreadsheets a lot to plan my bounds, but I’m not really on the computer as much anymore. Lately I’ve just been jotting things down on different note pads, so this is a way to organize all my bounds. Hopefully you may find it a good tool to organize your bounds as well!

In the front there are monthly planner pages, so if you have monthly challenges you’re participating in or anything like that, you can use this section to write down what each day is, etc. There are 12 monthly pages and the rest of the notebook (100 pages) is filled with these really cool daily outfit planner pages.

The daily outfit planner pages have spaces for date, theme, your specific bound, and then your outfit details. Lines for outfit details include tops, bottoms, feet (socks, shoes,etc), head (hair, hats, hair accessories, etc), makeup, and accessories.

This is really exciting to me because this is exactly what I use to plan my bounds, and I really wanted to share that with all of you! I also hand sketched the little outfit icon that I included on all the pages and designed the pages myself. You can purchase either a white cover or a black cover.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I do! To order yours, use these direct links:

Bounding Planner – White Cover

Bounding Planner – Black Cover

If you are not US based, send me a message and I can send you the direct link for your country!

April 2021 Minimalist Bounds

#MonthlyMinimalistColorBound

#MonthlyMinimalistColorBound is a tag on Instagram created by Courtney @LibraryLadyLife and Patti @yay.ima.llama.again (now @DisneyReBound).
It is a challenge to bound using the same item of clothing that fits the theme/color multiple times in a month.
This is a monthly wrap-up of my participation in the challenge including my bounds, outfits, accessories, and some insight behind my style choices.
Follow me on Instagram @rogue_princess_ for current outfits and to view all my monthly looks!

I started to step up my game for April and ended the month with twelve bounds using my purple vest. I almost felt like I was cheating using my best because it went with practically everything, but I was really proud of most of my bounds and was even featured on @DisneyReBound (here)!

I participated in two challenges in April – Anne @annehbamb’s #athleisurebound and mine and Kayla @kayrahmarie‘s #JulianneandKaylasMagicalBday which influenced my bounds for the month.

Left to right, top to bottom, my April bounds are:

Daisy Duck, Mickey and friends
Figment, Journey into the Imagination with Figment (Epcot ride)
Buzz Lightyear, Toy Story
Fear, Inside Out
Agnes/Agatha, WandaVision
Ursula, The Little Mermaid
Aladdin, Aladdin
Eglantine Price, Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Ariel, The Little Mermaid
Anna, Frozen 2
Mrs. Potts, Beauty and the Beast
She-Hulk, Marvel Comics

Daisy Duck, Mickey and friends

The first week of #athleisurebound was Sensational Six and my very first bound of the month was Daisy. I started with my white romper and put my purple vest over it and a pink headband in my hair. It was pretty basic because I was going for cozy!

Figment, Journey into the Imagination with Figment (Epcot ride)

Week 2 of #athleisurebound was participation in Erynn @thegirlwiththedolewhiptatoo‘s #boundtoparkhop challenge and the prompt for 4/9 was “favorite park”. I was having trouble figuring out how to do “Epcot” until I realized – what’s more Epcot than Figment? I just love Figment and wanted to figure out a way to bound him without it being all purple. When I was searching photos of him, I realized he also wears a yellow shirt occasionally so I wore my yellow shirt with my purple leggings and the purple vest over top. I added my orange headband for his wings, horns, and scales.

Buzz Lightyear, Toy Story

I had such a great idea for Buzz, but I didn’t really know where he fit in the #athleisurebound challenge, so I used him on a day without a prompt. I used my white shirt for his space suit and my light green joggers for the green accents. My purple vest made for the perfect purple accents and then I wore one of my teething necklaces with green for the green on top. For his three buttons on his right chest, I wore three bracelets on my right arm with the corresponding colors. I then wore a white headband for an extra dose of white and purple socks for the bottoms of his feet.

Fear, Inside Out

Another bound that didn’t quite fit the April prompts was Fear, but I had to add him on a day where there were no prompts. I was really glad with how this came out – my purple leggings for his skin color, my husband’s striped dress shirt for his shirt, my black and white tote for his vest, and a purple scarf tied around it for his bow tie. My purple vest added the darker purple of his pants and then my houndstooth and purple hat added that last bit of black and white to the look. Oh, and black sneakers for his black shoes.

Agnes/Agatha, WandaVision

For “villains” week, I chose to bound Agatha (and also Wanda, since it’s still not unanimous that either is the villain) and she got the purple vest bound easily. I used my green romper with my green scarf to look like her dress and I put the purple vest over it. I also used a white scarf for her high collar and it came together fairly well.

Ursula, The Little Mermaid

Another bound for “villains” week was Ursula – and I was so happy with how it came out! I wore a black shirt over purple leggings with my purple vest over it. The vest being closer in color to her tentacles, while the leggings were closer in color to her upper body. I used a swirl pendant necklace for her shell necklace and a white headband for her hair. She came out so great!

Aladdin, Aladdin

For “star of the show” week, I started with Aladdin, because who better to wear a purple vest for than a purple vest-wearing leading man? I wanted to wear it over a dark tan shirt but that shirt was nowhere to be found so I ended up wearing a lighter tan shirt. I then wore my white wide legged sweatpants and a red headband in my hair for his hat. I still think the darker tan shirt would have looked better, but the look was really good regardless!

Eglantine Price, Bedknobs and Broomsticks

Even though I just bounded Eglantine Price in March, I really wanted to bound her again, athleisure style. My initial look for her was for “Modern Witch aesthetic”, so I made the look s little more modern and edgier than probably anything Angela Lansbury had ever worn (LOL). This time around I used a plain pink t-shirt, blue leggings, and black sneakers with my purple vest front and center. It definitely felt like another win for me.

Ariel, The Little Mermaid

Another “star of the show” who wears purple is Ariel! This time I found my darker tan shirt that I wanted to wear for Aladdin and used it for Ariel. I wore my mint leggings and mint sneakers for her tail, and the purple vest for her shell bra. I added my green scarf around my waist because I felt like the sequins on the scarf represented her scales. I also wore a shell necklace as a nod to her shell bra, and a red headband for her red hair.

Anna, Frozen 2

“Star of the show” week definitely got the most bounds from me, because Anna is yet another star from this week! She is one of the stars of Frozen 2, and her outfit is perfect for my purple vest! The base of this outfit is my goldenrod Mom-per (a romper for nursing mothers), and then my black long sweater buttoned over it. My purple vest is then over that, and I wore black boots on my feet.

Mrs. Potts, Beauty and the Beast

For our birthdays, Kayla and I created a challenge full of our shared favorite things. One of the days was “Beauty and the Beast” day and so I decided to bound Mrs. Potts because I love Angela Lansbury and thought it would be fun to bound her twice this month! For Mrs. Potts, I wore a white blouse, pink skirt, and my purple vest. I also wore my turquoise necklace for the bits of blue and a yellow headband for the yellow/gold accents.

She-Hulk, Marvel Comics

Another prompt for #JulianneandKaylasMagicalBday was “Marvel” day. I was inspired for this day by @followtheyellowbrickgirl, who bounded as She-Hulk during the March Disneybound Challenge and I really wanted to recreate it. I wore green leggings and my white slip dress with my purple vest over it. I then edited my picture to look like I was breaking through the wall like she is on the cover of the She-Hulk comic book.

I am very happy with all of my April bounds and glad I was successful in pulling off twelve with my purple vest! Since it was my birthday month, I also (as I mentioned) co-hosted and participated it my own challenge, which I will talk about in another post! To view these pictures and more, follow my Instagram: @rogue_princess_

March 2021 Minimalist Bounds

#MonthlyMinimalistColorBound

#MonthlyMinimalistColorBound is a tag on Instagram created by Courtney @LibraryLadyLife and Patti @yay.ima.llama.again (now @DisneyReBound).
It is a challenge to bound using the same item of clothing that fits the theme/color multiple times in a month.
This is a monthly wrap-up of my participation in the challenge including my bounds, outfits, accessories, and some insight behind my style choices.
Follow me on Instagram @rogue_princess_ for current outfits and to view all my monthly looks!

March’s color of the month was green – which greatly shaped how I approached the March Disneybound Challenge. As I set off to plan the month-long challenge, I kept my green item in mind, resulting in a total of eight bounds for my Green Button Down.

Before I get to the bounds, however, I want to start out by saying that this shirt was only an idea until I found it at the thrift store. What I mean by that is I was planning bounds based on the premise that I would find a Green Button Down at a thrift store and use it. It wasn’t until I found the perfect one that I knew I’d be able to pull this month off. I was walking through my local Goodwill in January and I remember having a shirt that I thought would work, when I finally found the shirt. That was when this all fell into place for me.

Clockwise, from top left, my March bounds are:

Yoshi, Mario Party
Kermit, Muppet Vision 3-D
The Tree of Life, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park
Peter Pan, Peter Pan on Broadway
Sarge, Cars
The Incredible Hulk, Marvel Comics
Pizza Planet Green Alien, Toy Story
Robin Hood, Robin Hood

Yoshi, Mario Party

The prompt for 3/10 was “MAR10” (Mario) so I wanted to bound as Yoshi since he’s the character I usually select when I would play Mario Party in college. Since his belly is white, I wore a white dress as my base and left the Green Button Down unbuttoned over it. I was still pregnant when I took these pictures, so you can see my belly sticking out in front of me. For Yoshi’s red shell, I turned my red purse into a mini backpack (which came out better than I expected) and then I wore one of my green knit hats on my head. I chose the hat that almost has the appearance of a turtle shell because I thought it would give more of an idea of a shell.

Kermit, Muppet Vision 3-D

March 12th was “Disney Parks Day” so I chose to bound as the side of the Muppet Vision 3-D show as Kermit! This one was fairly simple as bounds go – just the Green Button Down and my green frog hat. I had to get the pose just right so I could edit the Muppet Vision logo onto it and I think it came out really well.

The Tree of Life, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park

For March 17th, the prompt was “It isn’t easy being green” for St. Patrick’s Day, and I also wanted to participate in #BoundtoThrift, making it the perfect chance to use my thrifted Green Button Down. I was trying to think of something environmental and decided on the Tree of Life. Over the Green Button Down I wore my forest green sweater. I paired them with my tan leggings and brown boots. I’m my hair I wore my gold leaf headband for the leaves and I wore an earth tone necklace that I made in college around my neck. To incorporate more of the animal designs on the tree I wore my zebra scarf and my upcycled frog earrings.

Peter Pan, Peter Pan on Broadway

March 22nd was “Disney on Broadway” day. Although I’ve seen quite a few Disney shows on Broadway, I went with a bit of a rule breaker since Peter Pan on Broadway is not technically Disney. My reasoning, however, is that I was obsessed with the Disney movie Peter Pan as a girl and so for my first Broadway show, my family took me to Peter Pan on Broadway. The poster from the show hung in my bedroom for most of my childhood and I was excited to attempt to recreate it. For the bound, I wore my Green Button Down under my unbuttoned olive green dress. I belted it with my brown belt, and wore my dark green pants, brown moccasins, and green headband as well. I am still so proud of the pose I was able to get right for this one and the edits I made.

Sarge, Cars

For “Radiator Springs” day of the Disneybound Challenge on March 27th, I wanted to bound one of the residents of Radiator Springs. I’ve blinded so many already and wanted to do someone I’ve never done before, so I decided to choose someone based on my Green Button Down. Eventually I decided on Sarge, and, again, wore my olive green dress unbuttoned over it. Instead of my brown belt, this time I used the drawstring from the dress to cinch the waist. I wore my black leggings and black work boots for his wheels and my green headband for a little more army green color. I added my white star necklace for the star on Sarge’s hood and topped it all off with my Route 66 purse that I bought at a small town curio shop while driving Route 66 with my husband on our honeymoon!

The Incredible Hulk, Marvel Comics

I had the idea for my Hulk bound for “Star Wars vs Marvel” day on March 26th while I was still pregnant as another maternity bound. That is why I look so pregnant in my Hulk picture! For this bound, I wore a black shirt under my Green Button Down, with the buttons opened on the bottom and my belly popping out. I paired it with my burgundy pants, like the purple pants he wears in the comics. I then went barefoot and gave my best Hulk pose!

Pizza Planet Green Alien, Toy Story

“Outer Space” day was March 23rd and I really wanted to bound as my favorite green aliens. I’ve bounded them before, so I wanted to do a new take on them. I wore my Green Button Down under my blue dress with my purple infinity scarf. I added my pizza necklace and put my Pizza Planet Green Alien cozy from Once Upon A Cozy on my water bottle (use coupon code JULIANNE15). Altogether I just love a Pizza Planet Green Alien bound!

Robin Hood, Robin Hood

March 16th was “character crush” day so I had to choose Robin Hood, because for an animated character he’s especially romantic. Robin Hood was one of my favorite movies growing up and it still stands today as just such a great movie. Also, I had my husband dress as Robin Hood the previous month for “cutest couple” day (if you remember from my February post) so it was a bit of a throwback to that as well. For Robin Hood, I wore the Green Button Down with my burgundy skirt. I put on my arrow bangle bracelet and arrow necklace and my red feather earring. I also wore my brown boots and took a few extra pictures holding my stuffed fox.

With the March Disneybound Challenge, March is always a busy month. I was happy to have been able to get eight bounds out of my Green Button Down shirt and I look forward to wearing it again for future bounds (or day to day)! For more photos, follow my Instagram: @rogue_princess_

February 2021 Minimalist Bounds

#MonthlyMinimalistColorBound

#MonthlyMinimalistColorBound is a tag on Instagram created by Courtney @LibraryLadyLife and Patti @yay.ima.llama.again (now @DisneyReBound).
It is a challenge to bound using the same item of clothing that fits the theme/color multiple times in a month.
This is a monthly wrap-up of my participation in the challenge including my bounds, outfits, accessories, and some insight behind my style choices.
Follow me on Instagram @rogue_princess_ for current outfits and to view all my monthly looks!

The color for the month of February was pink, so I decided to use my PNK spirit jersey since I love it and don’t think it gets enough use after I spent so much time sewing the letters (machine and hand sewn) onto it. I had a handful of bounds I was considering for pink, but there were also a few other challenges I wanted to take part in for February that I attempted to tie pink into. First off, Courtney @colormemagic hosted #colormevalentine for February 1-14 and then I jumped into a handful of others for a day or so, while also trying to fit in all of my maternity bounds before the end of the month. That being said, I still put together 6 (well, really 5) bounds with this shirt that weren’t just PNK! So let’s jump into the PNK Spirit Jersey bounds from February!

Left to right, top to bottom, my February bounds are:

Hamm, Toy Story
Maid Marian, Robin Hood
Fortune Teller Little John, Robin Hood
Rapunzel, Tangled
Sleeping Beauty Gender Non-Reveal
Hyacinth Hippo, Fantasia

Hamm, Toy Story

The first day of #colormevalentine was “Make It Pink” and I had initially intended to use my Hyacinth Hippo bound for this day, but the day before I had an idea for Hamm that I couldn’t wait to post – and it fit the theme even better! In addition to the PNK Spirit Jersey, I wore my pink sweatpants, and a pink headband in front of little pig ear buns in my hair. Then I used a necklace I have that looks like coins and attached a cork to it to symbolize Hamm’s piggy bank cork and the coins that fall out (I believe the scene is in Toy Story 2). I am still so happy with how it came out and so proud of this bound!

Maid Marian, Robin Hood

The #colormevalentine prompt for 2/13 was “cutest couple”, so I somehow convinced my husband to bound with me as Robin Hood and Maid Marian. To be fair, I only asked him to wear a really comfortable shirt he has, and I did the rest of the work! My Maid Marian Disneybound consisted of my PNK Spirit Jersey under my light purple dress, with my turquoise necklace. Even though there wasn’t a lot to it, this was extremely fun and I was excited to include my husband in a bound from one of my favorite movies.

Fortune Teller Little John, Robin Hood

For 2/9, the #colormevalentine prompt was “what’s your sign?”. I had the hardest time thinking of a character for my sign (Taurus), and then I thought of a fortune teller for astrology. I had seen some friends do Fortune Teller Robin Hood and Little John before, and thought it would be so much fun to do Little John while pregnant (and then Robin Hood after having the baby). I didn’t have anything with pink and white polka dots, so for his bloomers, I used my Minnie Mouse pajamas bottoms. I wore my orange dress under my PNK Spirit Jersey, and put my pink polka dot tie front shirt over that. I wore a red headband in my hair and my red Toms on my feet. The final touch was my daughter’s blue ball that looked like a crystal ball.

Rapunzel, Tangled

The prompt for 2/8 of #colormevalentine was “leading lady” and I decided on Rapunzel. For Rapunzel, I used the same light purple dress over my PNK Spirit Jersey as for Maid Marian, but I then put my pink skirt over it. The pink skirt is asymmetrical, with brown elastic that has a tie up look to the front of it. I wore my purple leggings under it and went barefoot, just like Rapunzel! I then braided my hair and put my sunflower hair tie in it. My jewelry included my Tangled inspired necklace and sunburst earrings.

Sleeping Beauty Gender Non-Reveal

I wasn’t really sure what to call this flat lay style post, but a gender non-reveal sounded good since I mainly posted it to say we were excited whether we had a boy or a girl. I have the same spirit jersey in blue and pink, so I used them both with scarves of the corresponding color and my sign reading “Make it Pink, Make it Blue, Boy or Girl, We Love You”. I also made a Reel wearing both shirts and scarves with my fairy wand 😉

Hyacinth Hippo, Fantasia

As I mentioned earlier, I initially was going to post Hyacinth Hippo on the first day of the month, but I pushed it all the way to the end of the month and didn’t post it until the 26th. Hyacinth is another recreation of my previous maternity bounds, so I wanted to make sure to fit her in. For this bound I wore my PNK Spirit Jersey under my pink slip dress, under my yellow skirt (as her tutu). Under that, I wore my pink/purple leggings and my yellow heels. I may not have been as graceful as she is, but I sure had fun!

Although I wasn’t able to come up with as many Disneybounds for my PNK Spirit Jersey as I was for my January shirt, I still really enjoyed the ‘bounds I did come up with. February was a busy month, getting ready for a new baby as well as preparing for the March Challenge (more on that next month) so I was glad to create the content I did create. To follow along on this year-long challenge or to see the other outfits I put together, you can follow me on Instagram at @rogue_princess_

January 2021 Minimalist Bounds

#MonthlyMinimalistColorBound

#MonthlyMinimalistColorBound is a tag on Instagram created by Courtney @LibraryLadyLife and Patti @yay.ima.llama.again (now @DisneyReBound).
It is a challenge to bound using the same item of clothing that fits the theme/color multiple times in a month.
This is a monthly wrap-up of my participation in the challenge including my bounds, outfits, accessories, and some insight behind my style choices.
Follow me on Instagram @rogue_princess_ for current outfits and to view all my monthly looks!

The theme of the month for January was Polka dots and I happened to have the most adorable burgundy polka dot maternity blouse to use that I purchased in the fall. I quickly began thinking of different places I could use a dose of burgundy and eventually came up with nine looks for the month.

Left to right, top to bottom, my January bounds are:

Pumbaa, The Lion King
Lotso Huggin’ Bear, Toy Story 3
Roz, Monster’s Inc
Kristoff, Frozen
Minnie Mouse, Mickey and friends
Mother Gothel, Tangled
Madame de la Grande Bouche, Beauty and the Beast
Jafar, Aladdin
Mulan, Mulan

Pumbaa, The Lion King

I started the New Year off with some pig bounds to keep moving forward and Pumbaa was the first of those hogs! Pumbaa’s colors range from a burnt-orange to a burgundy so I went with the burgundy side of the spectrum with my approach. With the burgundy polka dot blouse as my base, I chose accessories to accent it based on the other colors in his illustration. I used my pink purse for the pink of his nose, my black scarf for the black of his hair, and my white headband for the white of his tusks. I then added my apple brooch for his apple in the “luao” scene for a final touch!

Lotso Huggin’ Bear, Toy Story 3

Another challenge I gave myself this year was recreating some of the Maternity Disneybounds I created while I was pregnant the first time (which I will sum up in a future post) and Lotso was an easy choice to link the two challenges together. Although he’s more strawberry/pink, he sometimes appears more burgundy, so I was able to stretch it to work. It also helps that I used burgundy the first time I bounded him as well, so the recreation was more closely aligned to that. Along with my burgundy polka dot blouse, I also wore burgundy leggings. I added a cream colored skirt and headband for his teddy bear tummy and face and I intended to wear my burgundy colored moccasins, but I couldn’t find them at the time (still unpacking into our new house), so I wore brown ones.

Roz, Monster’s Inc

Roz was a suggestion from Courtney (@LibraryLadyLife) when I posted at the beginning of the month and I loved the idea, especially since I also intended to recreate my Mike (Monster’s Inc) Disneybound, so I did them around the same time. The burgundy blouse was one of the easier parts, the color of her skin was a lot harder. She has yellowish-green-brown scales and underbelly, and I wasn’t sure I had the right colors for it. I ended up using my olive green dress, unbuttoned, for her darker scales along her back, and my gold leggings for the almost golden color of her underbelly. I wore my brown moccasins again and then used my Monster’s Inc mask to symbolize her clipboard. Although I could find things to improve on, I liked it as a first try!

Kristoff, Frozen

For Christmas I received the best gray fleece that I absolutely love and I also received a burgundy bag. When I put them together I got major Kristoff vibes, so I knew this would be a good one for my burgundy polka dot blouse. Since Kristoff has burgundy around his collar and a sash around his waist, I wore my gray fleece over the blouse, with just enough sticking out of the neckline and a red belt. I also wore my black leggings and gray snow boots. This was one of the most comfortable bounds I’ve done!

Minnie Mouse, Mickey and friends

For National Polka Dot Day on January 22nd, I put together a Minnie Mouse look inspired by my burgundy polka dot blouse. First I found white fabric with burgundy polka dots to use for bows, since Minnie is all about the bows, and made Minnie ears and a black purse with a bow on it as well. I used snaps to make the bows detachable to leave it open for other bows in the future. For my outfit, I wore a black slip dress over my burgundy polka dot blouse and tied the tie from the blouse around the dress for a belted look. I then wore it with black stockings, white heels, and my white dot earrings. Overall, I love this look!

Mother Gothel, Tangled

Mother Gothel is so much burgundy so she was a natural choice for my burgundy polka dot blouse. I also have really comfy burgundy lounge pants that, paired with the blouse, gave off some really 70’s vibes. Since Gothel has a bit of gold accents as well, I added my gold sneakers to finish off the look.

Madame de la Grande Bouche, Beauty and the Beast

So this was a huge stretch for my burgundy polka dot blouse, but I thought it would be hilarious to make it work. I wore a mint shirt with my white slip dress over it and a gold headband for the wardrobe herself, and then I hung three dresses on my arm for the dresses she offers to Belle in the animated movie. The first is my red slip dress, and the third is my mint slip dress over my green shirt. The middle dress, however, is my pink slip dress over, you guessed it, the burgundy polka dot blouse! The hangers got really heavy, really fast though, so if you try it, take quick pictures.

Jafar, Aladdin

Like a number of villains, Jafar wears a lot of black, but under his black (and red) cape there are some burgundy sleeves, making it the perfect excuse to throw on my burgundy polka dot blouse! Over the blouse I wore a black dress (which, look carefully, is not the same dress as my Minnie Mouse bound) and a red belt. In my hair I wore a gold headband and tried to fit a red feather in somewhere but it just didn’t work. On my legs I wore black leggings and added my black boots (like I said, Jafar wears a lot of black).

Mulan, Mulan

To be honest, Mulan was probably the most difficult of this bunch to get right. I have a flannel shirt that has all of her colors so I thought that would look good, but I couldn’t figure out if it would work with the polka dots. I ended up just going for it, and adding polka dots with the skirt as well, to have a look that was somehow very busy, but came together. For this look I wore the burgundy polka dot blouse under the blue, coral, and white flannel, under my navy blue polka dot skirt. I wore black stockings and black wedges on my feet and then tied the entire look together with the belt from my coral colored robe. It ended up being the perfect combination!

Ultimately, I was successful in putting together nine looks for this burgundy polka dot blouse in January and I even have more ideas for this blouse in the future! Do you have any ideas for this blouse? Let me know in the comments and be sure to check out all these looks and more on Instagram: @rogue_princess_

DIY – Leia Hoth Vest

How To Make Princess Leia’s Hoth Vest Out Of Some Old Shirts

You will need:

2 white t-shirts / Men’s undershirts
Sewing Machine (recommended)
White thread
Fiber Fill
Fabric scissors
Regular scissors
Cardboard scraps
Paint
Mod Podge
Glue gun

Making the Badge:

From the cardboard, cut out the following shapes:
- one 4″ x 2.5″ rectangle
- four 0.5″ squares
- one 1.5″ square
Paint the large rectangle black. Paint the 1.5″ square gray/silver. Paint two of the 0.5″ squares light blue, one of them a light orange, and the last one a deep red. Let all pieces dry (NOTE: When I initially made this, I glued and then painted but I found it was difficult to paint so I recommend painting before gluing).
Allowing for at least 0.25″ on each side, use the hot glue gun to glue the 0.5″ squares long the top (long side) of the 4″ x 2.5″ rectangle from left to right: blue, orange, blue, red.
Next glue the 1.5″ square under the first two 0.5″ squares, allowing space between them.
Using the hot glue gun, draw a line of glue vertically on the left side of the badge. Then add a line of glue horizontally from the right side of the 1.5″ square to the edge of the badge.
On the 1.5″ square, use the hot glue gun to make two circles at the top and then two connected ovals at the bottom. Then make two circles out of hot glue to the right of the square.
Paint all the hot glue details with gray/silver paint except for the two dots at the top of the square. These should be painted black.
Once all the paint is dry, coat the entire badge with Mod Podge.

Making the Vest:

Cut the sleeves off of both white shirts. Under the arms, cut a straight line down to the bottom, dividing the shirt in half (back and front).
Cut down the center of the two front halves only and lay all four front panels in a pile.
Using your measurements, draw the outline of your vest front on the top layer and cut out all four layers identically, allowing 0.25″-0.5″ for a seam.
Pile the two back halves of the shirts on top of one another and pin them together.
Sew around the outside of the back of the vest, leaving the bottom open. Turn the back inside out.
Using the fabric from the sleeves that were cut off, cut two 4.5″ x 3″ rectangles.
Cut an “X” into the center of one of the rectangles and fold the inside flaps back, leaving 0.5″ on each side. Sew the flaps down and sew a seam around the inside to hold the rectangle shape.
Pin the two rectangles together with the flaps on the outside and sew around the outside of three of the sides.
Turn the rectangles inside out so that the seams are all on the inside. Slide the previously made badge into the center so that the painted part shows through the opening.
Sew this onto one of the front layers with the side up that will be the left side of the vest. Face this badge side down onto one of the other layers, lining up the edges, and pin.
Pin two remaining layers together. Sew both front panels around the edge, leaving the bottom open, and turn inside out.
You should now have three panels, two front and one back, with the bottoms open. Start stuffing each panel with fiber fill until it is even.
Using your measurements, mark at chest level on all three panels and sew a seam across (NOTE: this should be about an inch under the badge on the left panel).
Fold the bottoms in 0.5″ and pin each panel. Sew the bottom seam.
Next, mark a grid on the bottom half (below the chest seam) to sew the quilted design into the vest. I used a 2.5″ grid but feel free to make it wider or smaller.
Starting at an edge, sew diagonal lines back and forth by connecting the corners of the grid. Complete this on all three panels until the quilted pattern is complete.
Sew a seam all the way around each panel.
Pin the front two panels to the back panel, lining up the arm holes and making sure the badge is face down.
Sew under each arm to the bottom of the vest (be sure to leave enough room for your arm, plus some in case you’re wearing something bulky under it).
Sew the tops of the shoulders.
Turn vest out so that the seams are inside. Try on the vest to make sure everything falls right and all the panels line up. Enjoy!

May the Force Be With You! ❤ Juli

May the 4th Be With You

Happy Belated Star Wars Day!

I had been hoping to get this post out on Monday but I’ve been more than a little busy! If you follow my Instagram, you know that I made this amazing (in my *humble* opinion – LOL) Hoth Leia vest for May the 4th and I wanted to give a little background on my outfit!

If you know me personally, you know I was never a self-proclaimed Star Wars fan. You may also know I had never seen the movies. I sort of just ignored it and knew about Star Wars, but not necessarily anything of substance. In order to explain what happened to change that, I have to go back a little bit. The last week in April, we made the decision to have a Spirit Week at work to get morale up and have a little something extra to look forward to. We weren’t sure what participation would be like, but it was a hit, with team members asking for more! On Tuesday of last week, I had no less than three managers request we celebrate Star Wars Day. I discussed it with my manager and she said “send out the communication”!

So I sent out an email to the team to extend Spirit Week into this week with May the 4th. The only issue was, I had been killing it with my Spirit Week outfits (if I do say so myself) and I had NOTHING for Star Wars Day. I couldn’t let my coworkers down, I couldn’t let Instagram down, I couldn’t let myself down. I had to have something.

The next thing I did was check Amazon and Target and try to find something that would work! Well, I did, but anything I liked wouldn’t arrive until May 5th. Bummer. That’s when I decided I’d just have to DisneyBound / casual cosplay.

I had done a Hoth Leia DisneyBound before — in fact, it was actually my first Star Wars ‘bound back in January of 2017 for the #sothisislove challenge — so that initially came to mind. I had my white track jacket from my honeymoon, my white snow pants (if they still fit), and all I would need would be a white vest. Well, as it turns out, the white vest was the same situation as the t-shirt – hard to find one I liked, and impossible to find one that would arrive on time. It was at that point that I had another idea – I would make my vest. I ordered a pack of white shirts at Walmart for store pick-up and was ready to go! Unfortunately, my order was cancelled by the store, so I was back at square one.

After a lot of thinking, that night I asked my husband if he had any old undershirts that were maybe stained or ripped that I could use for a project. He said he did – not that they were ruined, but a particular brand was too short on him so I could use those shirts. It wasn’t like he was dressing up any time soon anyway so he wasn’t wearing them either. I was excited!! I could still complete the project and I wouldn’t even have to spend money!

Late Wednesday night, after Elizabeth went to sleep, I pulled four white undershirts from my husband’s drawer and brought them upstairs to my sewing table. I cut the sleeves and collar off of two of them (together so that they would line up) and then started pinning. Since my husband told me the shirts were on the shorter side and I wanted my vest to be a bit longer, I had already decided I was going to add a bit of length to the bottom. I also decided that I needed to have pockets because, why make anything without pockets? Disclaimer: I had never made clothing before and I also am not a big pattern person. I pretty much free handed this with a few measurements here or there. If you are reading this and want to make your own vest, you may want to take more measurements than I did and think things through a bit. For instance, when I cut the collar out, I forgot to separate the back from the front so the back dips down and I didn’t love it. I may go back sometime and add a collar to this though, so it may not matter in the long run. Depends on if I ever get the inspiration.

So night one I really just wanted to get the shape together. After pinning everything, I brought out my sewing machine and sewed the seams for the initial vest, leaving the bottom open. Note to clothing sewing newbies: Do Not Sew the sleeves! I thought I was so good sewing around the sleeves and all – until I tried to turn it back inside out!

The beginning of night two was spent watching Elmo’s World with my daughter and using a seam ripper to take out all the seams around the sleeves…whoops! The good thing that came from that was that I now had a good spot to fold so I could sew the seams in from the outside. After bedtime, I headed up to the attic again to work on the vest. I first sewed the arm seams (from the outside this time) and then started stuffing the top with some cotton stuffing I already had from when I made eyes for Dom’s Oscar the Grouch sweatshirt. Then I sewed a seam across the chest where the sort of quilted part would be below it. After I finished that, I decided that I wanted a little context for my vest. Since (as stated above) I had never seen Star Wars, I had been googling pictures for Leia’s Hoth vest and the image quality was just poor. I wanted to watch the scenes with her wearing it but I knew I needed to start at the beginning if I was going to do this right. So I propped up my phone and watched the first half hour of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. I then watched the second half hour on my lunch break the next day and was completely hooked.

Night three was the difficult part. I had to sew all of the diagonal lines to give the vest a quilted feel. I had measured out and marked the vest the night before, thankfully, so I had a 2 1/2″ square grid to work with. I chose a spot, and started sewing. I went down one diagonal and up another and just kept adding the stuffing as I went to make it as even as possible. By the end of night three, I had completed the first half of my vest! Feeling successful, I watched the end of A New Hope and was both hooked on the story line and in love with Han Solo. For real, he is so funny and cute and stubborn and sentimental. I really love Leia, too, and Chewie, and R2D2. Luke is okay, I guess. And C3PO bugs the heck out of me. But I hear he gets better.

Anyway, morning four started with the first hour of The Empire Strikes Back and oh my gosh it’s awesome! I took note of the times for decent shots of Leia’s vest so that I could come back to them while sewing. I loved the Leia / Han back and forth and they are the cutest – but I’ve always been about the romance so don’t mind me over here in love while there’s a war and stuff going on…

Nap time on day four had me on the bottom half of the vest. I measured out just like I did the top. I used just one shirt for this part and folded it up so that the bottom didn’t need to be sewn, only the two sides. I drew out the grid / connect the dots for the diagonal quilted sections and then went for it. I then measured for pockets, cut out the pocket flap, and did a ton of pinning. I knew that sewing the top to the bottom would be the hardest part to get right, but the easiest to sew since it was only a straight line. This meant the pins had to be perfect and I had to line up the stitch just right. I made the pockets so that they were flush to the front edge and the bottom and came up higher than the bottom section of the vest. I made the pocket flaps to be longer as well so they stuck out enough to be sewn into the seam as well. I also sewed down the seam of the pocket in order to avoid accidentally sewing the pocket shut. Once I had like a million pins in place, I sewed the entire seam across at once and was ridiculously happy that my plan worked! After it was all together, I sewed a seam all the way around the outside for a more finished look.

During nap time on day five, I still needed to do some hand sewing and finish The Empire Strikes Back. It was SO good. Like, all the quotable quotes from the series were in this part and it was just so awesome! Han getting shipped away was, obviously, not cool, but I’ve not avoided spoilers for the last 32 years of my life so I knew they’d be reunited. I watched as I hand sewed, so what might have been a quick sewing project took a little longer because of this. The last seam of the pockets needed to be done by hand so that the seam wouldn’t be seen from the inside, and then I had to figure out the badge. Note: This hand sewing isn’t necessary if you decide to make the vest in panels or sew a seam down the side. I regret not making the vest in panels. I should have made the back and the two sides separately and then sewn them all together afterwards. It would have made the pockets less of a headache and I would have had the side seams I initially was going to add but then didn’t. I’m happy with the way it came, but this also would have given it a more fitted look and feel that I didn’t get with mine. Making the badge was actually really fun for me. I grabbed a pizza box from dinner the night before and my hot glue gun and cut out the shapes I wanted. I then did other details with the glue. Once dry, I took out my acrylic paints and mixed to get the colors exactly the way I wanted them as similar to the original as possible. I painted the cardboard and glue and then allowed that to dry, trying to come up with an answer to “how do I attach this so that it sits right and is removable so I can wash the vest?”

That answer came when my husband returned from the food store and asked me to fix his mask (I had used old hair ties and one of his had broken). I ran upstairs, fixed both his mask and another that had broken, and made another mask for myself to wear for Star Wars Day. I used more of the undershirt and used fabric paint to draw/paint the logo of the Rebellion on one side. As for my badge, I had decided to make sort of a pocket in the vest to fit my badge into. I cut an “x” into the vest where it would go and folded the fabric under to make clean edges. To give this section some structure, I cut up the old hair tie that had broken in my husband’s mask (it was a thick one) and sewed that in to keep the shape as well as make sure the corners didn’t come apart. I didn’t like that the stuffing was sort of just out there, so I then sewed another piece of fabric behind the opening, leaving enough hanging over to hold the badge. It worked perfectly BUT it would have worked better if I had thought of this before sewing anything to begin with. If I were to do it over, I would have sewn the pocket in before ever turning the vest right-side out and stuffing it which means, I recommend making the badge first. For me, for this project, I left it to the end because if I didn’t finish on time I wasn’t worried about all the details, but if you have the time and can make it first, do so. Also, I would have coated the badge with mod podge but I could not find mine. I figured it was fine for a day and when I find my mod podge I will coat it then.

I was so happy with the finished project that I had to put it on and show Dom! I also did my hair so that I didn’t have to do it in the morning before work.

I tried on my white snow pants, but they were a little too snug so I ended up wearing my white maternity pants from back before I had Elizabeth. Then they ripped at work and I put on shorts but that’s another story altogether! Luckily, my white track jacket looked perfect with it so the look just worked. I received lots of positive feedback on it and am so proud of it!

On the night of the 4th I watched Return of the Jedi and last night I bit the bullet and watched Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. Return of the Jedi was perfect and I absolutely loved it. I was super nervous for Episode 1, because I thought I had watched it when it first came out and hated it, but it turns out I hadn’t watched it, or it wasn’t at all what I remembered so I’m completely wrong about seeing it and am now really confused as to what I actually saw that was long, boring, and turned me off to the Star Wars franchise. I’ll find out tonight if it was Episode 2. But Episode 1 wasn’t terrible. After the original trilogy, I definitely was craving finding out more about Anakin so this was interesting to me. Again, I know a bit from just seeing it in media, etc, but I enjoyed the backstory and I’m ready to find out more.

To wrap it up, I love my vest so much and it is even more special to me because I made it myself, designed it myself, and know I can make any changes or adjustments I may want for the future. It’s also nice and cozy because of the cotton of the shirts and the stuffing making it puffy. I almost want to wear it every day! If you plan on taking on this project, May the Force be with you! It’s hard work and fun and message me if you need any advice.

May the Force be with you, always, Juli / Leia

PS I made my husband have a mini photo shoot with me as Han and Leia on Monday night. 😉

Earth Day 2020

While we are stuck in our COVID quarantines this year, it’s a really great time to remember the Earth and be mindful of how we are treating it. Sustainability has been on my mind this year and I’d already started making a few changes from the beginning of the year. I’ve been inspired by a number of people, all of whom are better at it than I am, but I’m making this a serious effort for the year (and not just Earth Day) and beyond.

Microfiber cloths / Cloth napkins. Earlier this year I bought microfiber cloths (a pack of 12) in an effort to replace our napkins and paper towels. While we still use paper towels occasionally, it has seriously changed the frequency and we’ve been using SO MUCH LESS! While it was hard to get the family on board right off the bat (my 1.5 year old tried to throw them out once or twice), we’ve been at it for about 4 months and it has been working well. I also found other cloths in the back of our linen closet that I pulled out and added to our pile in an effort to reduce wash cycles.

Reusable metal straws. I had initially figured we’d bring them with us when we were out, etc, but in the current time being at home, these are used a lot less. Although, I will say that when I do want to use a straw, it’s handy to have them around. We will see if they get the intended traction from us once we are going out again.

Reusable utensils. When not at home, I have hard plastic spork/knife combos that I always pack in my lunch box. My goal is to not use any throw-away utensils and it’s been working well so far (but I’m also not going anywhere other than work). I also have a wooden fork/spoon combo that I bought in college that I tuck into my purse. It’s my favorite as it also has sentimental value.

Reusable cozies. You know the kind of cozies you put around your beverage when it’s hot? I have a number of those I like to reuse as well. Bought my first one in college at the same fair where I bought my wooden spoon/fork. Also to note, if you frequent a Starbucks or Wawa, you can use refillable mugs/containers as long as you are able to tell them the ounces at check-out. This has been awesome for me because I like to use mine at Wawa. During this time, however, some shops (our local Wawa, at least) are not allowing you to use refillables for anything prepared for you to limit the spread of germs and protect their employees.

Cloth face masks. This is more specifically related to COVID-19, but it is so important as well. As I talked about last week, I am still at work and making my own masks. I now have 5 masks myself so that I am only doing laundry once a week (to also cut down on wasting water and energy that way). My work provides a mask every day to every team member but I have not used any because (a) I can make my own and have pretty fabrics, (b) our supply is limited (globally and from a company standpoint) and I want to ensure that our team members keep getting them if they do not have the same resources I do, and (c) it’s less wasteful and (as far as research shows right now) has the same effect (based on type of masks provided by our company and types of masks created by me).

I’m also planning on starting some new projects when I have time like making my own produce bag and looking into alternative feminine products as well as starting to potty train my daughter.

Now for my Earth Day fun!

This year I was inspired by The Lost Bros Wilderness Explorer Nature Hunt that they shared to their Instagram story last week. I saved a screen shot and decided to take my daughter on a Nature Hunt in our backyard. That’s about when different projects and fun started to take place!

First I made our Wilderness Explorer Backpacks and asked my friends to tell me what they would pack in their backpack! My daughter used hers for her rock collection when we took our trip outside – LOL. I also wanted an activity my daughter could participate in so I printed a template to make our own Wilderness Explorer Pennants and we colored them with crayons. we then attached them to sticks we found on our hunt and stuck them in our backpacks!

I also created Virtual Badges that we could attach to our pictures from the day as we went through our Nature Hunt checklist! These were a ton of fun to use to jazz up our pictures. I had initially thought about making stickers for my daughter to put on her own vest, but that didn’t feel too sustainable so I changed my mind.

Yesterday, Disney came out with their own series, Wilderness Explorers at Home which is going to be a series of short videos and badges you can earn through the My Disney Experience app. I couldn’t get it to work yesterday, so we’re starting today and looking for animals outdoors! I’m looking forward to earning these badges as well 🙂

One last thing I’ve seen a lot today is painted planters made from recyclables. In college, when I first really started focusing on sustainability, I painted a number of jars in save the earth style and used them to save can tabs and actually make jewelry from them. I can’t believe I forgot about this but now I plan to use those same jars as planters! We are not the best at keeping plants alive in my house, but I have four cacti that are going strong so I have high hopes!

Finally – the style part –

My initial Wilderness Explorer outfit: yellow shirt, brown shorts, girl scout sash (with most of my Girl Scout patches that were circle shaped sewn on), orange bandanna, socks and sneakers.

I wore to work my Wall-E outfit: black and white striped dress with my golden jumper over, striped belt, striped headband, boots, and Every Day is Earth Day necklace. I’m holding my work plant since I’m at work and wearing my bee mask.

After-work Wilderness Explorer outfit: yellow sweatshirt, burgundy leggings, orange headband, Wilderness Explorer backpack & pennant.

What are you doing for Earth Day?

❤ Juli

Bounding with Masks

You guys. The world is changing. COVID-19 has turned so many things on it’s head and I don’t think anyone anticipated what it has become. While staying home and staying safe are the new normal, I am constantly struggling to understand where I fit in.

In the beginning it felt strange, going to work when it feels like everyone else is staying home, and I struggled a bit knowing my job was “essential to healthcare” but not actually healthcare. I was given a glimmer of hope when my boss confided that she was trying to get us work from home status, but the reality sank in that we couldn’t truly work from home when I had to print 600 letters of essential worker status for our building.

For those of you who don’t know, I work in Human Resources at a Distribution Center. My company is in the MRO industry, which stands for Maintenance, Repair, and Operating materials. Basically, we supply other companies with products they need to operate; some major customers are in government and healthcare, thus, our “essential” status.

Being in HR, I handle any team members coming directly to the office. I also handle reports, confidential information, etc, but I need to be present mostly because so much of our jobs deal with paper documents still. I really couldn’t complete a few of my reports without paper handed to me from leaders, and someone needs to be here to review medical notes, answer team member questions and concerns, and, oh yeah, apparently conduct wellness checks on our team members who are calling out sick.

I enjoy my job, truly, and being in the office provides a sense of normalcy that I know my friends and family working from home don’t have. I have a routine and it’s very much similar to what it was before the quarantine began (aside from not seeing friends and family and going out for dinner, that is). The major differences are what happens when I arrive.

Pulling into the parking lot, I scan my badge to get through the gate. I pull into my normal parking spot, far enough away from the building that I get a small walk in but close enough that it’s not the back of the lot. I then put on my mask and gloves and head for the building where, starting very soon, I will get my temperature scanned before entering.

The first new normal was Social Distancing. Signs showed up around the building reminding us to stand 6-feet apart. Hand washing signs also went up and communications went out to all team members to abide by them all. Next, the extra conference rooms were locked, extra cleaning crew was brought in for extra building cleanings, and tables and chairs were removed from the break rooms to make space for social distancing. Oh, and they closed the gym, of course.

Next we were all given masks every day to wear during work. It was voluntary at first, but now is mandated by the governor. I had really been wanting to wear a mask but didn’t want to scare team members into thinking I might be sick so this mandate came at the perfect time. I decided to make my own. More on that in a bit.

This week, the new mandate was gloves. I wasn’t informed of it but my boss told me about halfway through the day that I needed to be wearing them and where I could find them. That has been a struggle since I spend a lot of time on the computer and gloves just don’t work with that too well. We’re getting by.

The next big move is going to be temperature screening. Today senior leaders were outside our window practicing scanning team members’ and deciding where to put the people who come up too high. It was beyond distracting but I think it will become the new normal by next week.

Anyway, if you’ve gotten this far, the real reason I’m talking about all of this is because my new normal has inspired a new style for ‘bounding. My foray into sewing a few years back was short-lived — mostly because I got pregnant and ran out of time for it — but I have a number of fabrics (and still do custom work) so it made making masks a natural choice. I started out with one mask, made it reversible, and washed it every night of the first week. That weekend I made myself three more (and a few more for others) and I plan on making one or two more this weekend. I have found a bit of joy in incorporating masks into my ‘bounding since I am still trying to ‘bound daily and have to wear a mask anyway. The first one was sort of inspired and from there I just kept going!

Follow the hastag #boundingwithmasks on instagram to see more! I’ve got much more fun on the way 🙂

Juli

Mad As A Hatter!

The second to last theme for the DisneyBound Challenge this year was Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. My friend Jean (@disneymamaknowsbest) invited Elizabeth and I to ‘bound alongside her and her daughter as the four participants at the Tea Party! She and her daughter chose to represent Alice and the Mad Hatter so Elizabeth and I portrayed the Dormouse and the March Hare!

Jean and I had previously ‘bounded together as the Tweedles over the summer last year and we also discovered last year that our daughters have similar tea sets so we thought it would be super fun to host our virtual tea party together as only the Mad Hatter and March Hare could 😉

It was super fun and I hope to one day get to meet up with them in person, but a virtual tea party was perfect for the current situation and distance between us (>900 miles)!

As the March Hare, I wore my burgundy shirt from Latched Mama (which I bought way back when I was breastfeeding) over brown leggings. I wore a red sweater over it and did my hair in some pig-tail twists that always give me bunny vibes (I think this is based on the old ads of that Nesquik rabbit that’s ears twist up – LOL) and had an orange bow and yellow bow to represent the March Hare’s bow tie and hair. I also threw on some pretty black flats that my mom handed down to me that are super comfy and cute for a day spent inside.

Elizabeth played the part of the Dormouse in a purple onesie, pink pants, and pink fleece. She wore her pink ballet slippers because we weren’t going outside and, again, they were cute and comfy for a day in the house.

Jean and her daughter were super cute also and had the most perfect accessories! Jean says:

Why yes I made my tiny hat it’s actually a Christmas tree topper and out of a yogurt container. Swipe for all the fun pictures and a close up of the rocking horse fly and bread and butterfly lapel pins I made for my mini’s outfit

We loved playing tea party and made Dom take like a hundred pictures but only two or three came out (he doesn’t really have much patience). Together, though, all four of us looked awesome!

Check out our pictures on Instagram and comment here or there if we just made your unbirthday very merry 😉

❤ Juli